Biking thoughts....

The weather was cool this a.m. Curves doens't open unitl 10:00 on Saturdays. Mike was sleeping in the room with the exercise videos. All lined up for a BIKE RIDE. LOL

As I was biking, I began to think of a couple of things. Help me out here!

1. You know all the wonderful Pampered Chef recipes? Thinking of the rings here....what would you substitue for crescent rolls if you wanted to make a ring from scratch. I have food for the fellowship hour tomorrow and was thinking....... LOL I love my PC recipes, but haven't used them much since we changed our eating style since so many are made from highly processed foods.

2. Texas Pride
I love Texans. Wonderful, friendly, helpful, salt of the earth types. I'm not so crazy about the scenery, bugs, or HEAT (one season - summer) of TX.....but Texans really, really love their state. As a military family we look for "state" mementos to take with us when we move. I love the ease of finding TX mementos....but as I rode this a.m. I was struck by the pride folks down here take in their STATE. Tiles on their houses that say "Texas" (in case you forget where you are?), stepping stones in yards and gardens in the shape of the state, cast iron signs on houses that say TX or are shpaed like TX, huge tomb stone like stones in the shape of the state planted in the yards.....this was only a 20 - 30 minute ride. I love that Texans love Texas. I have heard from several military kids that it is TOUGH to NOT be from TX and attend the schools (public and private) around here. But I love the pride in TX.....so I'm not dissing TX - it just made me go "hmmm" and then "huh". I also noted that Texans are inordinately loyal to the colleges they attended....

I've lived in many states.....I loved Oregon. I loved Montana. I really loved Alaska. I don't remember seeing the shape of the state in lawns, on houses, children's notebooks, bags and purses... tell me is this common in the state you live in - or is this uniquely Texan - or have I been totally unobservant everywhere I live? Note this is not a random house here and there - many, many houses down here are decorated with shapes of the state.

Now what should I do about snacks tomorrow?

TGIF

Friday - shew. The last few weeks have been "out of the ordinary" - and I like my routine. ::snort::

Deja and her kids came and helped with produce co-op today. She's a champ. She'd offered to come help before I even realized I'd NEED help with Jamin and Jared both gone. Thank you, Deja.

Michael spent the day doing odd jobs around the house.

I had put BBQ in the crock pot this a.m. I made 2 more loaves of bread and 18 hamburger buns for dinner. The funny thing is that the boys got home right as the buns were coming out of the oven. Jared sniffed and said it smelled so good - fresh baking bread. I couldn't have planned that better.

Arielle prepared sidewalk art for the homecoming

Great to have them home - and they pitched right in and cleaned up dinner LOL

We've been catching up. They had a GREAT time at camp. I heartily recommend the camp. Jared was surprised that there was a boy from Elmendorf AFB at the camp- hows that? I guess we could always fly the boys back to this one in future years. They both want to go again. If you sign up the last day of camp you receive a discount...but the military lifestyle being what it is - we opted not to sign up today. LOL

Pray for the J family

Would you all mind praying for a friend of mine and her family? They've been in the process of adopting a daughter from the Ukraine as long as I've known them.

About 4 or 5 weeks ago the family traveled to the Ukraine. It's been up and down - back and forth...but yesterday they had another appointment and were able to choose a daughter. They will now be traveling to the other side of the Ukraine to meet her. They will meet her on Sunday. There is still a lot of details and paperwork that must be completed. Mr. J will need to come home shortly as his leave time is ending.

Please pray that God will bless their remaining time in the Ukraine, that they'll have safe and easy travels, that details will go smoothly for them from here on out so that maybe they can all come home at the same time. And then for all the issues of adding a new blessing to their family....and they are also waiting for a military assignment.

I'm pretty excited that they are about to have their daughter in their arms.

Thursday

I got off to a slow start today. The four little ones were up before I got in a workout. SO....we all got ready and went for a 2 mile walk. I am dreaming of fall....but it was another 90*+ day. LOL

We did school. We baked bread. We ran to the post office. We ran to the bank to cash co-op checks. We watched a Netflix movie called "The Amazing Nile".

Nolan finished his Explode the Code book today. We had a celebratory dinner.

Krista called earlier today. Oops - Krista is on the phone. Blogging is over.

On The Road To Beautiful by Charlie Hall

What We Did on Wednesday?

Hmmm.....so what DID we do on Wednesday?

We did some table school. I worked on phonics with the two boys. They worked on their lap book. They watched movies, jumped on the trampoline, played huge, complicated games with dinosaurs and army men.

I went to Curves. I paid bills. That's about all I did all day.

Wed night I met Gwen, one of my gals whose dh is deployed, for dinner and a movie. She suggested we go see The Game Plan. The boys had gone out Friday with friends to see it and told me that I would enjoy it. I kept saying "the rocket, the refrigerator, the box" was in it - they kept saying, "the rock mom, the rock". I DID enjoy the movie. I laughed, I cried, I put it in my netflix "save" section. ::snort::