Fear This!

How scared are you today?   How scared were you yesterday?  

As adults, we like to refer to ourselves as having anxiety - not fear!  Do you remember when you were a kid and those few moments in your life when you were truly scared!  The first roller-coaster, the first water-slide, the first sleepover, the first scary movie, the thought of be separated from your parent's, the first time you learned about hell?  Well, we experienced a moment with Drake, our middle child, this week where he had to deal with true fear!  LEARNING TO RIDE A BIKE!

Some might say, learning to ride a bike isn't that big of a deal...  I thought I agreed!  But, Drake's level of fear rivaled that of falling into a black hole!  You have to remember - everyone says that once you learn to ride a bike you never forget - so this was history and a life skill that we were getting ready to embark on - BIG DEAL!

1st trip down the hill

Finally after many tears, begging, bribing, and telling him to do it "because I said so"... we finally made it down the hill in the grass!  There is something about going downhill in the grass that makes a kiddo proud...  and a Daddy too!

Bottom of 1st trip down the hill

And just like that, his fear was put to rest... mind you that it still creeps up now and then, but overall the big part is gone!

As an adult, I have learned to deal with those silly kiddo fears, I fear BIG things now, car crashes, childhood diseases in my children, losing my children, dying while my children are young, losing Brent in death or illness... pretty heavy stuff huh?  If only, I could just cry, be bribed, deal with it "just because someone told me too", and just get on my bike and ride down a beautiful green hill to make all my fear go away - I WOULD SO DO IT!!!!   Would you?

This last week we were out on the road, many miles of highway, car full of not so quiet children, heavy rain, and 7800 lbs of camper behind us, an overall stressful situation.  As we were driving down the road, I realized that I never fear or worry when Brent is driving - I trust him and believe in him completely, even in scary situations!  I feel in my heart that there isn't anywhere he can't go or anything he can't do when driving, I feel 100% safe!  Then I thought a little deeper, I trust him the same way about our marriage, then I thought further and realized that I should really put God in the drivers seat the same way I put my husband there! THEN WE HAD A BLOWOUT!

Weird?  Odd?  Kinda Creepy?  You betcha!   I think God just gave me the answer to my question!  

long rainy highway

Our fears are serious, they come in different shapes and sizes, they are big and small, some are temporary and some are lifelong, but all are controllable with the right heart.  Most of us keep our fears to ourselves or at the most to those very close to us. Some of us are strong willed and deal with our fears face first and some, like my husband, deal with fears by ignoring them and hoping they go away or fix themselves!  Regardless of how you deal with yours or how you deal with those around you that have fear, find peace in the Lord and know that it is within your own heart to control your fear.  You can't control the world and you can't control God's will, so enjoy your day with a fresh mind free of fear and worry and know that there is a plan!  Sometimes it seems like a really bad plan, but you don't know what that really bad plan might be saving you from! 

http://theheartofpaul.blogspot.com

I want to extend a challange to everyone, to remember a simple key to life... the world isn't just the 100 mile radius that you live in!  There is so much out there that didn't even cross you mind today - you go about your life only fearing for yourself!  Your biggest problem today was that there was a slow driver in the fast lane! Why don't you knock it up a notch and share some of the fears of others like our orphans and our abused children, if you feel that your day can't be complete without worrying about something, worry about the greater good and bettering life for everyone around you!  This is the type of fear that God wants us to have - the fear of urgency!  The fear of running out of time to help those who need the help the most, those with empty hearts and broken spirits!  

Instructions for FEAR

Don't swing through life being self absorbed and fearful of what you can't change, be fearful of what you can do and how little time we have to do it... share the word, share your heart!


Laurie

Rain Rain Go Away!

It is officially day 4 of  8 of Spring Break and I am about to jump ship and abandon the rest of my family!  They are on my LAST NERVE!

If you would like for me to write a blog that sounds politically correct, I would say how much I was enjoying our time together and that it was moments like this that I would treasure forever, but I am sorry to say that isn't reality in MY world, and for those of you that think it is REAL in your world - please email me your secrets!

We are out on the "open road" in our 33' Travel Trailer, a Keystone Sprinter Bunkhouse complete with all the bells and whistles!  We had big plans, we were going to hit "uncharted" territory and embrace all of God's beautiful wonders within the Midwest!  We even scrapped up our change from the bottom of the dump box for gas money.... Well, my friends, here we are less then 100 miles from home in Branson, MO, a place we visit more than 6-8 times a year - not quite the "uncharted" territory we were hoping for!

http://www.branson.com/ 

Why, you might ask... STORMS.... BIG STORMS... and when you have over 7500 lbs strapped to your a** in pouring rain - you don't make it far!

We are at Table Rock Lake and it is beautiful, don't get me wrong, and we are grateful for our time here, don't misunderstand that either!  But, we would love the opportunity to hike, bike, and grill over the fire - not brace ourselves for "high winds"! Contrary to popular belief, it isn't ALWAYS fun when the trailer starts rockin!  (lol)

http://mostateparks.com/park/table-rock-state-park 

I know that I have sounded very negative about our trip so far, but maybe it is just that it isn't exactly what this "type A" personality had planned for vacation.  It wasn't smart for us to plan to park next to the playground with a almost two-year old that doesn't understand that it is pouring rain and he can't go outside, or he doesn't understand that you can't scream over and over at bedtime - right when quiet hours begin!  Does he not understand how much stress this puts on the Snyder's to keep up with the Jones's next door???

I don't want you to think that our trip has been a total loss or that we haven't enjoyed anything about the other members of our family - because, NO MATTER WHAT we love each other - but liking each other might be a different story!  We have watched a ton of movies, eaten a lot of marshmallows (unroasted), went to Silver Dollar City, and spent a whole day THRIFT STORE shopping! - Now that is what I am talking about!  I was able to score a new crock pot, dish rack, trash can, and TWO PINK FLAMINGOS for the RV!  Thank you Lord for the small blessings you provide!

I do love them- it is a true test of a family to spend multiple days in a 33' x 12' space. I am proud of my parenting skills and the fact that I have my children and husband with me in such a small space and it doesn't feel "WEIRD" to be sooooo close to each other!  We are a true family - despite our crazy moments were we can't stand each other, my boys will remember this forever and if they don't I WILL REMIND THEM when they have kids of their own!

I am hoping to swing into a new campground tomorrow - stay with me to see if we all come out alive LOL!

Laurie

Girlfriends Spring Evening Get-Together

Holy Crap, I will just die if anyone sees my house looking like this! 

Have you ever had this thought? I do about every time I see someone walking down the sidewalk in front of my house. I have a horrible pit in my stomach that shouts...PICK UP THE DIRTY UNDERWEAR - FAST! Well, here is the solution to that problem - schedule frequent gatherings at your home! This is the method to my madness, PRESSURE! 

When keeping a home, it is important to remember a few important tips:

 ***Lady's Rule #? - always have towels hanging in your bathroom, and not the ones you just showered with! Keep some towels in the house that are for guest use only... hide your daily towels behind the shower curtain - it usually takes a nosy or a long term guest to look behind the "curtain"! 

 ***Lady's Rule #? - stash your dirty dishes in the stove or under the sink! I learned this trick from my Great Aunt Ora. I didn't really catch on to her wisdom, until many years after she was gone - God Bless Her! 

***Lady's Rule #? - Always make sure your house smells good... if it doesn't - get rid of the husband and kids and it will smell pretty again (that is one of those "just kidding" moments) The SMELL, that brings me to my next point, tonight I scheduled a gathering at my house, because I felt like it was getting a little stale and I needed a little pressure to get it up and running for spring! 

Windows open, trees blooming, sun shining - OOHHH WHAT IS THAT SMELL? 

Scentsy! 

That's what it was - a scentsy party! I wanted to make sure that I had time to enjoy my evening with my girlfriends, but I also wanted to make sure that didn't stink up my house with cooking smells, so I had to think outside the box and think about ways to provide a lite dinner without having to prepare right before my guest arrived or while they were here. I came up with an idea of spring baskets and picnics... when you have a picnic you 1.) prepare ahead, 2.) use disposable items, and 3.) it is already divided into individual servings.

Here is what I came up with:

Ladies Picnic Lunch/Dinner Idea

I searched the Internet for ideas and found that I needed to gather a little from there and a little from there to meet my expectations!

First, I hit the Dollar Tree and it is the month before Easter, so baskets galore and cheap!  I bought what they had and a variety of colors, then added tissue paper as a liner. I picked up clear plastic serving cups to fill with an individual salad and a "pre-bought" mini cupcake from one of the gourmet cupcake shops that seem to be everywhere nowadays!  (It was easier for me to purchase then to make - I am not a successful baker, so the sweets are better left to the professionals) I then picked up cheap plastic forks and a variety of napkins, and some wax paper!  Now I was ready to assemble the meal.

Item #1: Chicken Pita Sandwich

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/marinated-chicken-pita-sandwich/detail.aspx?event8=1&prop24=SR_Title&e11=chicken%20pita&e8=Quick%20Search&event10=1&e7=Home%20Page 

Item #2 Strawberry Spinach Salad

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/spinach-and-strawberry-salad/detail.aspx 

Cupcake from Star Cakes

http://starcakescoc.com/ 

Bottle of Soda;

I served a variety of Grape, Orange, and Strawberry - all in bottles!

Last, but most important;

A personal item that you make for your girlfriends to let them know that the quick dinner didn't mean you didn't put any time in on them:   HOMEMADE LIPGLOSS!

http://www.meetthedubiens.com/2011/01/make-your-own-lip-gloss.html 

Yum - Smile

The great thing about tonight's festivities are: 

• Clean House
• It gave me a reason to have more fresh flowers in the house
• Dinner was ready by 2PM today - therefore there weren't any dishes to do tonight
• Awesome time with the Girlfriends for me and Awesome time with the kiddos for Brent
• Everyone enjoyed the meal and thought it was an adorable awesome idea
• My friend Shannon hosted her 1st Scentsy Party and totally rocked it out!

Daisies make me smile!

I am NOW enjoying a glass of wine with NO REGRETS!  My home is PEACEFUL!

Getting ready to swing into the weekend!

Laurie

Antique Books and Flowers Table

One of my favorite things to do is decorate my dining table.  Somewhere in my adult life I made up a "Lady's Rule #?...  Never have an undressed Dining Table... always be ready to host anyone who walks through your door"  

Homer's Odyssey 

So today, I updated my Wintry mix of candles, gold, greenery, etc... to a fresh upbeat Spring look.  The first a foremost rule is to never spend any money that day on the table.  I always keep my eyes open for unique off the wall items that might turn into a very eclectic table setting in the future when I am out thrift shopping.  Part of the fun that I have is searching the house for a theme or treasures that would bring an interesting conversation to the table, today it was Old Books.

I had some old books that were left on a bookshelf after my Grandfather passed away and I had displayed them on a shelf, but it was time for others to see them up close and personal.  Today, I have REPURPOSED the old into something new!  

Here is a picture of the whole table

I started with a table runner and added some dimension to it by adding lacy place-mats under it.  Then I stood back to take a look, then I started to add a little of this and a little of that.  I usually plan a good couple of hours of fidgeting with it and I usually come back to it over the course of a couple of days until I have it just right!

Some of the items that I used:

Random candlesticks

Bird Music Figurines

Fresh Flowers from the Neighbors Yard

(please secure this part of the table after dark and make sure they aren't invited to dinner)

Green Napkins with Wooden Rings

Lenox Dishes

Old and I mean Really Old Books!

I never make one place-setting look like another - I usually just place items in different arrangements

Thank you neighbor on the left

Thank you neighbor on the right

I am sure that this won't be the way it looks in the end, if I have time and the boys are running crazy around the house, I would like to add bows to my vases, maybe some kind of bow or lace tied around the chairs and I would like to add a couple individual stems of flowers to each place-setting... 

Now I have to swing on in to the kitchen and cook something to serve!

Laurie