Happy Birthday, Dan!

 Happy Birthday, Dan! I love you to the moon and back. I hope your day is as awesome as can be!

#ThisIs46

#Hercules

#ManCrewHouse

Self Care Day 19: Do Something Just For Yourself

 Self Care Day 19: Do Something Just For Yourself

#SelfCare

Humorous anecdote for the day: Hercules is currently out shoe shopping. 😄 True story.

Happy Birthday, PattyCakes!

 We celebrated PattyCakes today, even though his actual birthday is tomorrow.

Birthday breakfast of cinnamon swirl French toast, board games, and presents of succulents, followed by a birthday parade, a beautiful cruise to El Paso and back that included a stop at a tasty taco truck, and then pizza, the original Rush Hour, and graham cracker cake.

A truly glorious day.

#CelebratingPattyCakes

#RidingWithHercules

#ManCrewHouse

#PizzaAndMovieNight

#BoardGameNerds

Patrick was pretty pleased with his Succulent Of The Month subscription

Cinnamon Swirl bread for French Toast, Mmm!

As always, Dan found a new friend.

Before the "French"-ing 

Makenzie is stunning in front of any background. 

PattyCakes prepares for the dismount. 

Bunch of show offs! Oof, these guys. #GentlemanSavages 

Well, we can't fault their form, that's for sure! Well done, BIGS

It was perfect for riding! Warm and sunny, with good company and great backroads cruising. 

The sunset was so lovely on the way home

Taco Taco Taco!

Cynterra did a great job of planning and preparing for Pat's special day

We Found the Taco Truck again, woot

Time for Graham Cracker Cake!

Worth waiting for, to be sure!

Happy 22nd birthday, Patrick!

There are no words for how wonderful this day was! Everyone was happy and cheerful all day long, the weather was perfect, and we all just had a ball together.

Friends, Family, Food.

Cake, Cars, and Crazy good times.

Birthdays, Boys, Board Games, and great big Blessings!

#YesAndAmen PS. And one of Dan and I, because #WeCute

#RedeemingTheQuarantine: March 27, 2020

#RedeemingTheQuarantine:
While New Mexico has only been on official stay at home orders since Tuesday, March 23rd, (4 days ago, we've already been at home for 2 weeks. For the past several days, a very blasé, let’s-sleep-in-because-who-cares attitude has reigned supreme. I woke up today ready to face this quarantine head on with renewed determination to not waste this time.
So, I got a workout in. I spent some time with Jesus. I cleaned the kitchen approximately 42 times (Hercules and Slick are snackers/grazers). Dan and I planted a small victory garden. I took a little drive around town with Hercules. I read. I destroyed my manicure. I talked to most of my people. Hercules and I watched Zumba’s Just Desserts and laughed together. I did some work-related things with Jodi via Zoom. My mom sent me some childhood photos of me. I ordered a phone/camera tripod so that we could try next week to host Game Night via Skype. I cleared off 4 “Flat Surface Areas” and pushed some furniture around. Enjoyed a BLT on homemade bread for dinner...take THAT Quarantine-Induced Pantry Challenge. 😉 Overall, not a bad day at all.
And now, it’s 10:30pm and Hercules went to pick up something from a friend “real quick”....3 hours ago, so I’m taking this tired body and my raggedy nails and going to bed. 

How are you coping, friends? 

#CoronaVirusPandemicQuarantine2020
#VictoryGarden
#AdventuresWithHercules
#MamaK
#PantryChallenge
#ManCrewHouse
#FeedingTeenagers

It's the Little Things: Day 184

I want to focus on the good things this year.

All the things people get right.
All the times that everything works out just perfectly after we assumed disaster had already struck.
All the times that the right word was spoken at the right moment.
So, let's celebrate those little moments together, shall we?

• It's a successful day of work, which involved making kites, walking to the park, watching Mary Poppins, and laughing at the kiddos antics.
• It's being SO ridiculously grateful for Air Conditioning in this insanely hot and humid (for Cruces) summer that we are enjoying. 
• It's having an easy peasy and tasty dinner ready to eat in 5 minutes.
• It's having big kids that means I can slip off to Starbucks around the corner to enjoy a free iced tea and blog for an hour (or two).
• It's that same big kid that still enjoys having me read him bedtime stories. I KNOW I'm on borrowed time and I'm trying to soak up every minute. 
• It's a friend requesting that we have our annual Independence Day bbq and then donating all the money to make it happen. (We are so blessed, guys!) 
• It's celebrating with 'Shua and Lauren over the purchase of their first home and a successful and safe move last weekend. They live 6 blocks from my mom now. Woot for GiGi! 
• It's a friend offering a free Herbalife shake to help me start my weight-loss journey. And enjoying some delightful mama chatter while doing it.
• It's a bestie that calls to ask how things are going...not the socially appropriate answer of fine. How are things TRULY going? And being able to answer without fear of ridicule or a scolding reminder that others are worse off than I am right now. She's a gift, that's for sure.
• It's having brake lights that WORK again after some attention from Hercules and Dastroyah. I feel so fancy and special now! 
• It's a new sermon series by Pastor Dennis that rocked my socks off and caused me to rethink several long held ideas about my commitment to the Lord. And that's always a good thing. 

 

What's on your Little Things list?

It's the Little Things: Day 35

 I want to focus on the good things this year.
All the things people get right.
All the times that everything works out just perfectly after we assumed disaster had already struck.
All the times that the right word was spoken at the right moment.
So, let's celebrate those little moments together, shall we?

• It's a sweet Sunday full of worship, quiet, blogging and snuggles.
• It's Hercules and Dastroyah transporting 3 dirt bikes safely and getting 2 of them running before the end of the day.
• It's DT getting an invite from Grma and Titus to spend some hours at the park.
• It's Pat and Nathan rejoicing over an entire afternoon of video game time since they didn't have to work, and then both falling asleep and enjoying a delightful Sunday afternoon nap. (It's so precious to have friends that don't care if you fall asleep in front of them. And how glorious to be that comfortable to be able to do so)
• It's the kick off of our 21 Days Fast at church. The title of the sermon series is Back to the Basics. Most of my friends that I've asked are fasting from sugar or FB, but I can't seem to pick just one thing. I'm asking God to lead me in the right direction.
• It's catching up on laundry and dishes while the house is quiet.
• It's enjoying a few uninterrupted hours to blog (I think I posted 8 blog posts yesterday) while my mind was in one place. 
• It's reviewing my 2018 Goals and realizing I've made more progress than I thought.
• It's dreaming about how to spend our tax refund money in a responsible way...and still having a little fun.

What's on YOUR little things list today?

It's the Little Things: Day 30

 I want to focus on the good things this year.
All the things people get right.
All the times that everything works out just perfectly after we assumed disaster had already struck.
All the time that the right word was spoken at the right moment.
So, let's celebrate those little moments together, shall we?

• It's oversleeping, but still waking in time to get to work on time.
• It's OWNING Pantry Challenge 2018 that's almost 4 full weeks in.
• It's a chat with your favorite oldest adopted child on his way home from work.
• It's you mom dropping by to bring you all the things you forgot at work because you're a scatterbrain. ;)
• It's fresh baked bread. Fresh bread fixes nearly everything that's not right.
• It's a chat with your favorite oldest biological son about a 'wacky plan' he has hatched with Hercules about rebuilding dirt bikes that he hopes will turn a profit.
• It's finding ingredients in your pantry to create chocolate mocha frosting to schmear on graham crackers for hubby's evening chocolate fix.
• It's your favorite middlest of middle children announcing that the whole house smells good when he walks in after work. (refer back to the comment about bread.)
• It's laughing with Mr. T and Slick over cat board games while you're 'at work'. Here, Kitty Kitty is a hoot, just saying.
• It's helping your favorite youngest biological child build a blanket fort and being so glad that even at 12, he still finds these amusing. 
• It's getting the email reminder that your grandson's birthday gift will arrive on time. (In other news, how is it already his 1st birthday later this week?)
• It's getting to the electronics first in line today and getting to listen to beautiful music for nearly 2 hours before someone else took control of the electronics. 
• It's your mom nonchalantly putting food into your fridge since Handsome Hercules is currently unemployed. She's the best. 

What's on YOUR little things list today?

It's the Little Things: Days 27 & 28

 I want to focus on the good things this year.
All the things people get right.
All the times that everything works out just perfectly after we assumed disaster had already struck.
All the times that the right word was spoken at the right moment.
So, let's celebrate those little moments together, shall we?

• It's when your child cleans his room and all the kitchen towels that have been missing for months magically turn up in the laundry baskets.
• It's catching up with our Reel2Real friends that have been sick for a few weeks and are now well enough to be back at church.
• It's Derek and I embracing the idea of an entire day at home. No chores, No errands, No work, No school. Just home. It's been a gift!
• It's being invited to my first paper-crafting event in over 5 years. Oh my stars, how I LOVE playing with paper! Paper Pumpkin if you are interested in playing along, it's a delightful monthly subscription service for people who love stamps, stickers and paper-crafting.
• It's time to make pizza from scratch, and to work up 4 pounds of pinto beans for meals in the coming weeks. (The Pantry Challenge continues)
• It's a child asking ahead of time if they can have command of the living room one night a week to host their own version of Game Night.
  ---Yes, yes you can! 
• It's glorious January weather that allows Dan and the BIGS to go 4-wheeling together all afternoon.
• It's a child whose birthday gift finally arrived in the mail that is delighted with it, even though it's not fancy or costly. 
• It's a child that calls late in the evening to 'demand' a haircut, but you're pretty sure he just wanted to talk about life, because haircut time when he tells you his problems. 
• It's binge-watching a show we both like with Hercules. Have I mentioned how delightful it is to have him home again?
• It's learning the art of listening to audio books while I'm in the kitchen. I've used them for many years for the boys in school, but never really implemented them for my own use. It's pretty great!
• It's being well rested enough to manage getting up an hour early to get a jump start on the week.

What's on YOUR little things list today?

It's the Little Things: Day 17

  I want to focus on the good things this year.
All the things people get right.
All the times that everything works out just perfectly after we assumed disaster had already struck.
All the times that the right word was spoken at the right moment.
So, let's celebrate those little moments together, shall we?

• It's a day FULL of running-running-running and doing-doing-doing, followed by a sweet snuggle with a sleepy Hercules in a quiet and calm living room at the end of the day
• It's having an urgent need met without a request even being made
• It's a call from a friend just to ask how you're doing
• It's the return of Sister-Girl Night...I love me some girl chatter!
• It's listening to humorous stories of a freezing cold car ride the boys and Dan took to Alamo to pick up a newly repaired engine for Dastroyah's latest project vehicle. The amount that these men love each other takes my breath away.
• It's a call from a dear one that tells you "It's NOT cancer!!" (totally not a small thing, but SO worth sharing!)
• It's having time to help a loved one through some difficult paperwork (#PlaterSpinner life, I DON'T miss you)
• It's stumbling across the perfect gift for my PattyCake's 19th birthday tomorrow.
• It's a mom who reads the sales flyer so she can cheerfully announce that all the ingredients for a special someone's birthday dinner are on sale at this particular store, while she tucks a few dollars into your purse because she knows we are doing a month-long pantry challenge.
  
  
  You guys! While this year is trying desperately to get off on the wrong foot (hello Mama K down for a week sick and unemployment for Hercules) It just can't gain any ground with all these amazing and wonderful blessings happening all around us...and sometimes, in spite of us. God is so good and has blessed with so many beautiful, generous, encouraging, praying, uplifting friends. I can't even. I am, in a word, humbled.

What's on YOUR little things list today?

#100HappyDays: Day 66

Day 66 of #100HappyDays
These two are always so happy to be reunited each Thursday when Dan returns from his work week.

#100DaysOfSummer
#Hercules — feeling happy with Daniel Meyer at The Man Crew House. — with Daniel Meyer.

The Best Thing I've Heard All Week

     A brilliant friend of mine called her new boyfriend a 'gentleman savage' on Facebook this week, and it struck a chord in me. It's quite possibly the best description of what I want my boys to be when they are grown. I want them to be wild and free, but with a heart for Jesus, good manners (as needed), great work ethic, and a tender love for their spouses and children.
     I've often called my sons wild hooligans and this is often a good reflection of them, as they are loud, rowdy and sometimes (OK, often) obnoxious. I've even been known to call my children feral, and this is occasionally true of their behavior. However, both of these less-than-stellar nicknames are said with much affection and deep love and they don't appear to be offended by either one.
     This is my life as their mama in a nutshell. Dastroyah decided this weekend after church that he was going to turn his much beloved Pathfinder into a dune buggy of sorts, and there was MUCH laughter in the front yard as the best demolition crew in the lower 48 tore that poor thing to bits. Once they were satisfied that it looked the way they wanted, Dastroyah, PattyCakes, Alex and Nathan piled in for a test run. They were shirtless, filthy, and loud, and for a split second I considered hushing them and telling them to clean up and get shirts on before they headed out. But another split second later, listening to them laugh together and watching the camaraderie between all of them, I swallowed my desire to hush them and just enjoyed watching them drive away with their arms, mouths, and legs flying. I dared a peek at Hercules who was supervising the buggy project while working on his Beast of a Truck, and the joy in his eyes was unmistakable from the time spent with them. A few minutes later, they returned and all tried to shout over one another to tell us how the test drive went and how they were already making plans to change this or that. Then they went in the house, ate everything, cleaned up a little and tumbled out the door again like a rabid 4 headed Tasmanian devil to share their special brand of crazy with someone else. One of them even remembered to bellow thank you as they went out the door.

And so they are...wild and free, but with a heart for Jesus, good manners (as needed), great work ethic, and a tender love for their mama.
My work here is done.

#GentlemanSavage