Apricots

I have been going crazy with apricots! The good kind of crazy though. Our apricot tree is producing buckets of apricots EVERY day! I have learned how to jar them! Kudos to me ( sorry for the self praise but I really do feel proud of myself!). I also noticed that when Anna and John Mark went to Portland that they had what looked liked a yummy apricot almond Danish so I googled and found this yummy recipe. It might have to be my project for tomorrow....

www.jeenaskitchen.blogspot.com/2008/05/apricot-and-almond-danish-pastry-recipe.html

Can't wait!!!

Praises

Yesterday was one that I was able to get a lot of things accomplished and probably explains why I had to DRAG myself out of bed this morning and why I so desperately want to do NOTHING today! Lol! 

I went running, watered Sommer's plants as well as feed her dogs. I then went to the Cooley house and worked 1 1/2 hours in Ben's room (boxing up things, throwing out things, cleaning up). I came home and worked on EF Tours paperwork as well as Attorney General stuff and then spent a couple of hours writing recipes in Anna's cookbook.  I also called Dana Newton to find out if Anna's wedding pictures were up which they were. So just a day full of a lot of "little" stuff which ends up draining you. 

I had the blessing of not having to worry about dinner because Jerad, Morgon's boyfriend, was smoking trout at Janet's house and we had that as well as yummy corn on the cob along with baked potatoes. So delicious!!

I keep wanting to pinch myself because of not having to work any outside jobs. I always tear up and cry when I think about it. It's such a HUGE blessing to me. Thank you Lord that you brought Bobby to me and that he allows me to be home during the summer. I just can't thank you enough heavenly Father for bestowing such grace and mercy to me. It's so nice not having the burden of work and to concentrate on home and marriage. 

Also, thank you Lord because the Spain trip with EF Tours is coming together. It's been a lot of work but it is all worth it. Praise the Lord! I pray that the trip itself will go smoothly. I pray that you, God, will watch over us in every aspect of the trip. The flight and layovers, the keeping the group together at all times, the temperaments & personalities of all the enrollees, the behavior of the students and their abiding by the rules, and above all that we will ENJOY ourselves! This is my prayer Lord. It's such a blessing to go and I want You to be glorified in all of it.

My Dad & Erma Bombeck

I was out running and praying and I began to think of my Dad and his influence on me. My sisters and I dwell a lot on my Mom and her influence but my Dad was as equally an influence on us. He was usually out working during the day and/or out working on the yard, out working on vehicles, out working in his garage BUT his influence was there just the same. It reminds me of the story that journalist, Erma Bombeck, tells and if you have never heard/read it, then google it:http://tassiedevil.tripod.com/papa.htm



My Dad's Influence on me:

1. My ability to be social and being attracted to FUNNY people...my Dad was ULtRA social and ultra funny! The epitome of a people person. My love of social settings and loving people who make me laugh comes from my father.

2. My ability to be a "trouble shooter/problem solver"....can you say 'duct tape'? Lol but very, very true. I grew up seeing my Dad solve any problem that came our way and using whatever was available. I find myself doing the same thing now.

3. My being "bold" when it comes to defending my children...I am RARELY bold but when it comes to my children then I see my Dad rise up in me. He was very protective of his 5 girls. Attack my children and you will see that I will become a 'lion' and this is because of my father.

4. My respect and love of the church....once my dad got saved, he deeply respected all things about church/clergy/God's Word and I love him deeply for it. I thank him for instilling that in me.

5. My love of adventure...my dad THRIVED on adventure (we traveled to practically every state in the United States!) and I am so glad he gave that to his daughters as well.

6. My pride in self.....he always praised us (whereas my mom "kept our feet planted on the ground") and instilled confidence and pride in us. He did NOT hold to the "machismo stereotype" in regards to women. His motto has always been "shoot for the moon". Thank you Dad.

7. My love of romance and being affectionate....my dad was the ultra romantic/affectionate one (my mom was the opposite) and I love, love, love that I grew up with a father who was always showing love to my mom in this way. I am also thankful that I have some of this in me as well. Thanks Dad.

8 My love of the outdoors/gardening....my dad always had a garden and was outdoors all the time. I am glad that I married a man who is the same way as my dad in this aspect. The outdoors is something that I thrive on which is due to my father.

9. My love of culture and ethnicity (both Mexican and American)....my dad taught us to love both our Mexican and American heritage. He knew that both were valuable and were things to be honored.

10. My love of travel.....i love traveling (especially by car!) and it's because my father took us EVERYWHERE (all over the country) with him and my mom. I love that we traveled in a truck with a camper (my dad, mom, and 5 girls!)and thus learned to love to embrace the "open road"!

I LOVE MY DAD!

Summer 2010

Today, I continued working at the Cooley house. Anna's room was tackled today. It was bittersweet going through all her "tween", high school, and early college stuff. Brought back wonderful memories. Next week, I will begin Ben's room but it will take a full week due to it being bigger and because we have used it as a "catch all" for all our miscellaneous items as well as wedding stuff. I then had lunch with Sylvia which as fun. She looks so good with her new haircut and the weight she has lost. I am so proud of her!

I also received my IPhone today. Woo hoo! I was eligible for an upgrade so I got a 3G one.Goodbye old Nokia phone. It will be nice to have an iphone but I will always ADORE my iPad! I just can do so much on my iPad and the enlarged screen is super duper for these old eyes of mine. Ha ha.

Tomorrow, I am attempting to can apricots! Can you believe it? Our apricot tree is going overboard in apricot production right now so I gotta do something. I might also try making some jam. Then Saturday, it will be cooking for Bobby's Father's Day meal. Yum! Beef Short Ribs Lasagna Rolls, Mandarin Almond Salad, Rolls, and Strawberry Parfaits!!! I need to get it all done Saturday because Sunday morning, I will go see my dad. Then Sunday evening, Bobby's girls will come over to eat dinner. I think it will be a fun day!

Interrupted Dreams

This past Sunday, Pastor Steve preached from the book of Genesis and how Joseph's dreams were "interrupted".

"You meant to hurt me, but God turned your evil into good..." - Genesis 50:20

Our homework was to go home and write down all our own interrupted dreams, disappointments, and heartaches and then beside each one write how it was used for "good". Here are mine...

1. Moving to Borger from south Texas - Raymondville, Tx (beloved hometown) - the summer between freshman and sophomore year....brought salvation to all of my family and college opportunities
2. Moving away from ALL family and friends and living in the Philippines for 3 years.....maturity, independence, growth in my faith
3. Divorce....brought me super close to Christ, made me focus 100% on Ben and Anna, made me realize the importance of my family as well my church family.
4. My mom and dad's illness....growth in humility, mercy, self sacrifice, and servanthood.
5. Ben and Anna's Dad's non-involvement.....sheltered them from being around self destructive actions.
6. My Dad's drinking when I was young....made me tender, cautious, and steered me away from doing anything close to that.
7. My financial struggles....made me non-materialistic , made me want to live simply without heavy debt and steered me away from extravagant/irresponsible spending.
8. My working 2-3 jobs all the time...helped Ben and Anna to "step up" and made them realize that I was working for them. Also taught them financial stewardship and not to take "splurges" for granted.
9. Long dating period with Bobby....made me see what a godly man he is as well as seeing how wonderfully he loved me. We also gave our children time to "blend" and get used to the idea of a blended family.
10. Getting married in the middle of a school year...made Bobby and I know we could tackle love & hecticness (Anna's wedding, Ben's graduation, etc) and still love life and each other!

Headaches

Day is ending so much better than it started. Thank you Lord. Thank you for hearing my prayers.  My headache finally stopped at about noon. Prior to that, I was able to go on a run, shower and then watch back-to-back episodes of Law & Order which I love. Maybe that is what made me feel better? Lol! If Bobby read this, he would mimic the song/music of Law & Order as he always does.  

The afternoon was such a blessing. I watched Food Network and then Bobby came home for a late lunch (he is working turn-around) and we got to take a nap together. It was such a refreshing nap. I am not a nap taker so doing this proved that I really was tired.  I then got ready for Kristen Blakely's wedding. The part that was especially touching (and made me cry) was the part where the groom washed the bride's feet and then they prayed together. Such a beautiful picture of humility and intimacy.  I had never seen this done before in a wedding and I loved it!

Bobby is still working and I have time to get things ready for tomorrow's breakfast item for the Bean (youth dept breakfast hang-out). I am making pigs in a blanket. I chose this because they are one of Bobby's favorite things and since he is working turn-around, I know that this would brighten his day considering that he won't get a day off until 4th of July. 

Thank you Lord again for this day and for clearing up my headache and for also giving me the right words to encourage a dear friend who lost her mother-in-law whom she had been caring for for the past 4 years+.  My heart and sympathies go out to her. Those of us who have walked down that road know her heartache and sadness. 

Ecclesiastes

My devotions lately have been in the book of Ecclesiastes and this part of chapter 12 is very relevant to my life. It's probably because I am beginning to feel different parts of my body age and that I am focusing more on nutrients/vitamins as well as not working this summer. Just a different phase of my life and Ecclesiastes really speaks to me.

Ecclesiastes 12:1-4

Don't let the extent of youth cause you to forget your Creator. Honor Him in your youth before you grow old and say "Life is not pleasant anymore". Remember Him before the light of the sun, moon, and stars is dim in your old eyes, and rain clouds continually darken your sky. Remember Him before your legs - the guards of your house - start to tremble; and before your shoulders - the strong men- stoop. Remember Him before your teeth - your few remaining servants - stop grinding; and before your eyes - the women looking through the windows - see dimly.

Remember Him before the door to life's opportunities is closed and the sound of work fades. Now you rise at the first chirping of the birds but then all their sounds will grow faint.

Strong men

Bobby got me an iPad with his yearly bonus this year and then he downloaded a book titled, American Poetry. I really enjoy reading various ones from time to time. He showed me this one the other day and I really loved it.

UPSTREAM by Carl Sandburg

The strong men keep coming on
They go down shot, hanged, sick, broken.
They live on, fighting, singing, lucky as plungers.

The strong men....they keep coming on.
The strong mothers pulling them from a dark sea, a great prairie, a lone mountain.

Call hallelujah, call amen, call deep thanks.
The strong men keel coming on.

"Sobremesa"

There is a term you study when you are a Spanish major in college and taking upper level Spanish culture classes. It is termed, "sobremesa". It is what happens at the majority of Spanish households when they sit down to eat a meal. A Spanish family spends not the usual 20-30 minutes at the table eating a meal but 1-2 hours! They visit, talk, have coffee, and never leave the table for the whole 1-2 hours! "Sobre & Mesa" = "at/over + the table". I love this term because I love that it conveys the unity, fellowship, and bond that occurs at the dinner table. I love it because I love cooking a meal and then seeing a family join hearts and spirits over that meal. The meal is only a small factor but what it does is MAJOR! I truly love this result of cooking! You can eat at a restaurant but a "HOME COOKED" meal brings so much more to a family than a restaurant can ever bring.

Bobby has told me many times that he loves that I cook for his family. After a divorce, a family is terribly fractured and his was as well. His relationship with his daughters was very broken (and it still needs a long way to heal completely) but I love that every time we get together for a home cooked meal, that there is a beautiful small step toward healing that occurs.

Last night was Jordon's birthday (Bobby's 2nd eldest daughter). I cooked cumin grilled chicken, herb butter corn on the cob, potato salad, and key lime cheesecake. We had 17 folks over to eat and the fellowship was *WONDERFUL*! We laughed, joked, played games out on the lawn, lounged on lawn chairs, watched basketball on TV, etc. Such a beautiful sight. I think the theory of "sobremesa" proved itself once again.

God is good

Well,I can truthfully say that today was the first day that I felt truly at ease and pressure free. All of the "returning of wedding linens, tables, chairs,plates, cups, glasses, votives, etc..." is OVER! Hallelujah! I am so happy that Anna is having a wonderful time on her honeymoon in Portland, Oregon and I am kicking up my feet to now tackle some fun projects and hobbies (reading, sewing, cooking). I recommend to all folks a year long engagement if possible especially if you are on a TIGHT budget which we were. The year helped us buy things little at a time at garage sales, consignment stores, and borrowing items from friends. We did it! And on a low, low budget too! God is good!

I also have to give praise to my wonderful husband, Bobby. My eyes well up as I type this because as my son said to me during Mother's Day, "I am so glad that God brought Bobby to you so that you never have to be alone any more." Truer words were never spoken. I had many, many years of being alone and I can tell you, "having a companion and husband by my side is much better1" He was my ROCK and my STRENGTH during this whole past year. He has listened to my wedding ideas & frustrations, has taken me on "get-a-ways" to de-stress, has been patient with my crankiness.... The list could go on & on! God is good!

My sisters and some good friends were also my RESCUE! My sister, Sylvia, hosted not just the ceremony but the bridesmaid's luncheon as well. She also made many of the cakes when the prior person couldn't do it! She is the greatest! Dahlia, my other sister, made over 100 home-made delicious cupcakes (dulce de leche,strawberry cheesecake, pina colada, hazelnut) and also bought my dad a brand new suit so that I wouldn't have to worry about that aspect. My other sister, Marissa, went and got my dad at the nursing home in Amarillo and took him back after the reception. Again, another aspect that lightened my load and one less thing to worry about. Debbie Ray, a dear friend of Sylvia, also came to our rescue and decorated the cakes that Sylvia baked. What a lifesaver! Margaret Vance is my good friend and she proved her merit when she baked the other half of the cakes even though her own son was graduating that same weekend! I sure love her! Ember Sherman did so, so much for us as well! She coordinated Anna's bridal shower and then baked some wickedly good tarts that everyone loved! Most importantly, she was a sounding board and listening ear to my daughter, Anna. Always encouraging her and loving on her when she would get stressed or when she would feel things were chaotic. Ember was the BEST! Final kuddos to my nephew, Joseph Garcia who helped us *all* day the day after the wedding to clean, box up, and transport ALL of the wedding stuff (tables, chairs, decor, dishes, linens). I love him! God is good!

So now a month of relaxation. A month to enjoy my summer. A month to enjoy my new home and my new husband because since I got married in the middle of the school year (October) I wasn't able to give either 100% attention and devotion. God is good.