Friend Makin' Mondays

Friend Makin' Mondays is a fun way to get to know other bloggers created by Kasey at All That is Good. Join the fun!

Today's task is to list 10 things I cannot live without and why.

1. My laptop! There is NOTHING like lesson planning in your jammies!

2. Diet Dr. Pepper. It is my "coffee" in the mornings.

3. My friends at work. I wonder what I did before they came into my life. I am so blessed by their friendships and I love them to death. Such a blessing from God.

4. My I-Pod shuffle. I cannot workout without it. I love listening to praise & worship songs and I can take it anywhere.

5. My cell phone. It is my life line. :)

6. Candy! I am a candyaholic! Gummi Bears, Gummi Cokes, Hot Tamales. Yum!

7. Sonic! We are on a first name basis with the people who work there! :)

8. Our local library. My 10 year old is a bookworm and I teach Kindergarten. We are there at least twice a week.

9. My digital camera. Life is short. Taking pictures is a small way I can make the most of the memories that I make and the people I make them with.

10. BOTT Radio Network. It is my favorite way to listen to GREAT bible teaching and with all the junk on the radio these days, I can feel good about listening to it with my daughter in the car.

Worship & Praise Sunday

Join Brittany at Sweet Nothings for
Worship & Praise Sunday by clicking here.



Praise You In This Storm
Casting Crowns





Lyrics
I was sure by now
God You would have reached down
And wiped our tears away
Stepped in and saved the day
But once again, I say "Amen", and it's still raining

But as the thunder rolls
I barely hear Your whisper through the rain
"I'm with you"
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away

I'll praise You in this storm
And I will lift my hands
For You are who You are
No matter where I am
Every tear I've cried
You hold in Your hand
You never left my side
And though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm

I remember when
I stumbled in the wind
You heard my cry
You raised me up again
My strength is almost gone
How can I carry on
If I can't find You

As the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain
"I'm with you"
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away

I'll praise You in this storm
And I will lift my hands
For You are who You are
No matter where I am
Every tear I've cried
You hold in Your hand
You never left my side
And though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm

I lift my eyes unto the hills
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord
The Maker of Heaven and Earth
I lift my eyes unto the hills
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord
The Maker of Heaven and Earth

I'll praise You in this storm
And I will lift my hands
For You are who You are
No matter where I am
Every tear I've cried
You hold in Your hand
You never left my side
And though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm
And though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm.

The idea of praising God when life is going well is something I am good at. I get it. It is praising Him during a storm that tests my faith. Sometimes it is hard to "see" or "feel" God in the midst of trials and tribulations. He calls us to praise at all times, even in the storm. I know that His ways are not my own. And as the words of the song so beautifully express, He is ALWAYS with me, ALWAYS worthy of my praise and I shall ALWAYS put my hope in Him no matter the circumstances . He is my refuge & strength through ANY storm.

Sam & Carys Build A Snowman!

Carys & Sam my twin niece & nephew, had fun building their very own snowman today. The end result is pretty cute! I think everyone was outside enjoying the snow today. I know my neighborhood had LOTS of cute snowpeople. It is weird to have such a big snowfall in March (almost April) but I am not complaining. It was a perfect way to spend a Saturday and the memories we made were the best part of it.

Let It SNOW!!!

This is our first official "we can go outside and play in it" kind of snow. Sarah is already outside with the dog checking things out. It is weird to see snow and hear thunder rumbling at the same time. It is a welcomed sight, especially because it is Saturday. No where to go and no place to be! The pictures are from our front porch. If I'd get out of my jammies and get dressed, I might be able to get some better shots. Nah! I think I will stay in my jammies today! Enjoy the weather you are having! I know we are.

Friend Makin' Mondays is a fun way to get to know other bloggers created by Kasey at All That is Good. Join the fun!

Today's task is to list 10 things I'm thankful for:

1. The amazing God I serve who is faithful to forgive and loves me unconditionally.

2. My wondeful family who despite my flaws and quirky personality, loves me as much as I love them!

3. My daughter. She is my best friend and partner in all things fun!

4. My job! I have been truly blessed to have a wonderful class this year. This is the 3rd year in a row that I have had such a great group. I count my blessings every day and this is right there on top. www.msdaviskindergarten.com

5. My best friends. They make work and life bearable. I covet their prayers.

6. My health. I am proud to be making healthier choices for my daughter and I now.

7. Answered prayers. God's timing is perfect. I trust in Him and am forever thankful for the prayers He does and does not answer on my behalf. His ways are perfect.

8. My online friends. I LOVE looking at the awesome blogs online and making friends with other Christian moms out there doing what I do.

9. My parents. They are a wonderful support system to me and I so value their wisdom, insight and opinions and prayers.

10. My home. It was an answer to prayer. God had it picked out for me beyond a shadow of a doubt.

A Delicious Dinner

As I am restarting again on Weight Watchers, my goal has been to cook more at home and eat out less. In my attempts to do just that, I have come up with a delicious, low point but most importantly, FILLING meal. It is healthy, easy to prepare and both my 10 year old daughter and I gave it a 2 thumbs up.

"Taco-Potatoes"

1 large potato (3 pts.)
3 tbs. light sour cream (1 pt.)
1 cup of salsa (0 points!!)
1/8 cup of low fat shredded cheese (1 pt.)
1/2 cup 85/15 lean ground beef (w/ taco seasoning) (2.5 pts.)
Handful of chopped, fresh, green onion & tomato (0 pts.)

I put the potatoes in the crock pot so they were ready when I got home from work. I quickly browned the ground beef, added the taco seasoning and some salsa. Once that was ready, I piled all of my ingredients on top of my potato and dug in! It is a great, easy recipe coming in at 7.5 points.

Worship & Praise Sunday

Join Brittany at Sweet Nothings for
Worship & Praise Sunday by clicking here.

This Is The Air I Breathe
By Hillsong


This is the air I breathe
This is the air I breathe
Your holy presence
Living in me

This is my daily bread
This is my daily bread
Your very word
Spoken to me

And I ... I'm desperate for you
And I ... I'm lost without you

This is air I breathe
This is air I breathe
Your holy presence
Living in me

This is my daily bread
This is my daily bread
Your very word
Spoken to me

And I ... I'm desperate for you
And I ... I'm lost without you
And I ... I'm desperate for you
And I ... I'm lost without you

And I ... I'm desperate for you
And I ... I'm lost without you
I'm lost without you
I'm lost without you
I'm lost without you
I'm lost..without you

This is the air I breathe
This is the air I breathe


I love this song as it is such a great song of worship.
I love the music as much as the lyrics. I often
listen and sing along to this song when I need to feel God's
presence.

What Are The Desires Of Your Heart?

"To delight in the Lord means that one takes great pleasure and joy in the ways of the Lord." It means all things that pertain unto the Lord give you great pleasure because of the love that you have for Him. It means that you have a love and longing for the Word of God. It means that you have a deep desire and longing to commune with Him. To be in His presence and under His protection...there is no better place!

I love this scripture. I love how it speaks to me. When I struggle, lose faith, or begin to feel hopeless or angry about a situation or event, I find great comfort reading these lines. How reassuring it is to me that I can look back at my life and see the hand of God upon it. He has brought me through so much and will continue to walk by my side and carry me through any circumstance or situation I might find myself in. He knows my name! He counts my tears! (another favorite scripture) I don't even have to ask! He already knows my hearts desires and finds joy in supplying all that I need. I am finding myself very thankful for these words of truth today.

Tulsa International Car Show

Matt & Sam had a "Guys Day Out" without Skylar and Carys. By the looks of things a certain little "Hot Wheels Driver" had a great time. Sam is all about cars and trucks these days while his sister prefers a tutu, tiara and an audience!

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Seeing as how it is just my daughter & I at home, having my nephew Sam over to spend the night is a real treat. This evening we went to the park, out to dinner, to the library and now we are home. Our home is filled with "yots and yots" of toys (the girl kind) Sarah & I have fun improvising and coming up with fun, new ways to keep a little boy entertained. The costumes I brought home from school were a big hit. Sam loves dressing up like a "Hot Wheels Driver" and looks pretty darn cute in his new suit! We also came up a car wash for his Hot Wheels. The car wash was a HUGE success! Sam worked for a long time making those cars very clean & shiny!


Sam at the car wash. He was very serious about getting those cars clean!


Someone LOVED dressing up! Here is a "SUPER fast" Hot Wheels Driver!

Weight Watchers

It is official! After losing 20 lbs. this time last year, I joined Weight Watchers again. The good news is that I had only gained back 1 pound of my original weight loss and that in itself, my friends, is a MIRACLE! I love the online system that allows you to track your points and the program is really pretty simple to follow. Sarah is joining me again (although unofficially) and I will update my progress each month. I am thrilled that this is something I can do with her and my sisters. Together as a team, we make it as easy, fun and motivating as possible.


Here is a website favorite of ours. The Hungry Girl ROCKS when it comes to giving good advice in the weight loss category. She also gives great tips, tricks and recipes too! Go check her out!

Tulsa's Best...Restaurant

The Brook then (in 1945) was a 700 seat, state of the art, movie theater.



And the Brook now. This is my favorite Tulsa restaurant! The food is delicious and the service can't be beat. It is a favorite meeting spot for our family.

While I didn't order these, they are my second most favorite thing to order off the menu. The Southwest Chicken Nachos are a great appetizer or a meal in themselves!




The Caesar Chicken Wrap is my FAVORITE item to order off of the menu. It is HUGE and comes with your choice of at least half a dozen side items to choose from. I am telling you this place is the best!

In Celebration Of Sarin

Last night we met at Cafe Ole for some delicious, authentic Mexican food with about nine other friends of Sarin's. After dinner we went back to her friend Jackie's house to open gifts and continue the celebration. It was such a fun/funny party. I had lots of fun listening to the other girls as they shared funny stories about Sarin and we all laughed so hard. The guest of honor was such a good sport as we reminisced about growing up with Sarin as a sister & friend. I took only 2 pictures the whole evening. Here is the one of us laughing at a funny Sarin story.

Furthering His Kingdom Fridays

Happy Birthday to Jesus! The REAL reason for the season. Celebrating Jesus' birth tends to take a back seat to the Christmas overload of the holiday season. For our family we decided to make it the "main event" complete with a birthday cake. This is a brand new tradtion we started in my family. From the youngest members of our family to the oldest, it is a tradition worth keeping for our very special guest of honor. The best gift we can give our children is the gift of eternal life!

Facebook vs. Blog

And the winner is.... Facebook. Facebook is fast becoming my latest addiction! I have decided to stop using the excuse of not having any cute pictures as a reason not to post. This family blog is a bust (or quickly becoming one) and I know it. In my defense, it IS report card and parent/teacher conference time so updating has taken a back seat to that.

We only have 4 more days until Spring Break. Ahhh...I like the way it sounds but don't like what I have to do to get there. Honestly though, parent/teacher conferences are not ever as bad as I think that they will be. I have a great class this year and count my blessings everyday!

I promise to get great pictures posted soon. In the meantime, I scoured my archived photos for something fun/funny to post. Hope you enjoy.

Sundi