Weekend Get-away

Last weekend my man and I headed to Missouri for a few days away. As we drove along the winding rural roads, I could feel myself begin to unwind and relax.
The need for a break had been evident for several weeks and further confirmed when I got stressed out because there is not a "Taco Bell" at the exit we chose for lunch!
Really...Taco Bell?...this is your final clue you need to stop and take a "pause" in your life.
We stayed in a beautiful, remote cabin with no Internet or ESPN:) Thanks to the gracious generosity of my brother and sister-in-law. We laughed, talked and had fun. You know F-U-N! I almost needed the word explained to me:) I looked up some similar words in my Thesaurus.They included;amusement,enjoyment,pleasure, play,sport,good times, romping, blast, frolic and merriment. Yes, fun, is a accurate description of our get-a-way.

Do you need any fun infused in your life? We did!

State Fair Champion

Home. It feels good.

The cupboards are bare, there is a mountain of laundry that is begging for attention, and the mail needs to be sorted.

The remnants of being at the State Fair for 7 days.

However, the results of our State Fair visit was priceless. I have posted pictures of me doing the "mom thing". Why is it that I resemble the "bag lady"? Oh, yeah, it is because the last person to leave the hotel (which is me) brings the cooler, cameras, coffee, McDonald's, show shirts and anything else that we could possible need for a day at the fair:) Including Aleve! Lots of Aleve!

And we did have a successful fair. Winning Grand Champion Yorkshire Gilt. The picture of her and Brock is not so great...but you get the idea. There is a picture of her selling in the sale yesterday along with a few candid shots of County Fair also, where she won Grand Gilt last week.

Making memories.....exhausting......but priceless!

County and State fair time!

We are in the thick of County and State Fair. We just finished county fair yesterday and are off to State Fair at 4 am tomorrow. It is predicted to be 95 tomorrow so we want to beat the heat. Our livestock will appreciate it:)

Brock, our youngest at 16, won Grand Champion at County Fair. Pictures of the fun will follow next week when we return from the State Competition.

Until then......

When no one is looking.

I was caught in a terrific down pour last week.The raindrops seemed as big as dimes, and coupled with the gusting wind, made a drenching combination. Standing in the middle of a grocery store parking lot, with a cartload of groceries, is a far from ideal place to be when God decides to water the earth in such a dramatic way. As the river of water flowed over my sandals, I hastily tossed the groceries in the back of the suburban.
Completing the task at hand, I looked around for a "cart corral" to put the shopping cart in it's rightful, safe place. Ugg, wouldn't you know it, the corral was 5 car rows away! I was already quite wet and knew a dash across the parking lot would totally soak the few dry areas left on my being.
I looked around, to see if anyone was watching. Maybe I could just leave the cart next to the vehicle, hop in and take off. Surely people would understand, given the circumstances. Except maybe the person whom owns the car, that the cart will ultimately roll into, and scratch:)
Ok, I put the cart back in its proper spot. But not after some serious hesitation!

I want to be a women of quality in all areas of my life. Many times I am tempted to take short cuts.

QUALITY MEANS DOING IT RIGHT WHEN NO ONE IS LOOKING-HENRY FORD

Have you had a similar experience? I would love to hear about it!!

Easy Summer Recipe!

With 2 hungry, college boys and a "starving" high-schooler eating at our dinner table, I have to come up with some filling, fast meals. Following is one of our favorite summer side dishes!

Slice potatoes with skins on ( I usually use red). Lay on large piece of foil. Dot with butter and sprinkle with salt (I use sea salt).

I add sliced mushrooms or onions also.

Lay another piece of foil on top and seal edges.

Grill 15 minutes on each side,flipping once. Do not open as the steam helps cook the potatoes! These are wonderful warmed over in the oven.

We sometimes sprinkle with cheese after grilling:) Yum!

ENJOY!

Tough week?

Ok. It is Friday. That can be a good thing, especially if you have had a tough week. Many weeks can be classified as "bad Mommy week" or "nagging wife week"! Not just "rough DAY", but the whole week was one rough road after another. One continuous bumpy ride!
Hold on girlfriend, the week is coming to a close. Make yourself a glass of iced tea, sit down, and put your feet up.

Yes, you have time, for this exercise, it will just take a minute. As you are sitting there, I want you to think about all the things that set you "off" this week. If it is a relationship issue, can you calm down and discuss it with the offending party (child or hubby) over the weekend? Does the issue matter? Really matter? If so, pray about a time to communicate about it.

Many times, for me, as I ponder the "potholes" of my rough, bumpy week, I find it was small situations (puddles) that grew into bigger situations (potholes).

Can you relate??

Building Confidence in your child.

This scenario took place about 10 years ago. I wanted to share it with you today, as an example of building confidence in your child.

As the line inched forward, Casey leaned into me. "Mommy, will you please order for me??" he begged. "No, son, you need to do this yourself.I will be right next to you", I comforted.
Although progressing, with weekly speech therapy, he still struggled with fluency. Talking with strangers only magnified the situation as he battled to verbalize his requests.
"May I help who is next?" came a friendly voice from across the counter. "Y-Y-Y-Yes, I would like a hamburger please?", Casey replied. After receiving his order and arriving at our table, Casey was grinning form ear to ear. "Mommy, did you hear me? I only stuttered once!"
The visits to McDonald's became more frequent, and the orders more complex, as he continued to build confidence in his ability to communicate with others.

It is hard, as moms, to "push" our children out of their comfort zones. We want to "protect" them from life's tough situations. Many, many times, I am tempted to "step in" and spare them the pain and risk involved.

Building our child's self-confidence, takes a conscious effort on OUR part as moms. Introducing our child to new and sometimes difficult situations helps them grow, flourish and have a "I can do it" attitude.

So do not throw away your confidence, it will be richly rewarded. Hebrews 10:35