The Friday Five Faves - vol. 9 -

It's finally Friday? All week I've had the same thought when I heard the alarm go off. "Thank the good Lord it's Friday."

I've been saying that since Tuesday. That just makes the week all caddywhampus.

I thought I would post about the little joys of this week. Since apparently it's been Friday for 5 days.

1) Starbucks Breakfast Blend. In an effort to cut our spending, I'm making coffee at home. I've actually never done this. We have a fancy pot that has a brewing timer. I can set it for 10 minutes before I go out to the kitchen in the morning and I've got a fresh pot of coffee. I love modern wonders.

This blend is mild and smooth. I quite enjoy it with a little cream and sugar. While it ain't a grande, peppermint mocha, it does fill the void.

2. Tanning goggles. I started tanning in 1995. My sister was getting married and we decided to do some bonding. By becoming a bigger risk for skin cancer. Can you get any closer than that?

After high school I started to go 2-3 times a week in preparation for summer. I'm a pasty person, so it takes me a good 6 months to even look like I have a tan. This is why I was engaged for exactly 6 months! I have to start out at 4 minutes in the bed. For you non-tanners, most people can start at 10-12 minutes.

Once I became pregnant and heard about that skin condition you can get from the sun while your body is surging with pregnancy hormones, my tanning days were over.

Zoe found some of my goggles while we were unpacking. As she was on her changing table getting jammies on, she laid down, put them over her eyes and had that perfect tanning bed pose. I have no idea where she gets it from.

3. Husbands who aren't afraid of animals. Sunday night we experienced a visitor. I went to lock the back door and something jumped off the door. Because we're in new construction, it hasn't been uncommon to see a spider once and awhile. However this was huge in comparison. It was the size of a quarter. It wasn't a spider at all, but a frog. To say I'm not an animal person is an understatement. I especially don't like things that squeak, slither or jump. In my opinion, they're unpredictable. That is not something I can handle from the animal kingdom.

As N went to capture it, the little guy jumped into the couch. Yes into the couch. We had to tip it over and get a flashlight. Fortunately N saw him in the arm and was able to coax him onto his hand.

While I stood in another room. Freaking out.

4. Explanation of odor. Yesterday morning I went into the garage. Not only to take a picture of how much it's been emptied, but to also put something in our pantry. Once I opened the door I knew. The smell hit my throat and I could almost taste it. Skunk.

You have to understand, about a year ago our office experienced this smell for about a month. In the dead of summer. Apparently there was a dead skunk in the duct system. This smell affects me in the same way Jose Cuervo does.

I immediately started looking for the animal assuming, like the frog, that he snuck into the garage as the door was shutting. I found nothing. I was talking to N last night. He ran over an already dead skunk on the way home. It's not real skunk in our garage, but remnant skunk smell. I feel much better.

5. The Neely's BBQ ribs. We are having N's family over to celebrate D's and his mom's birthday. I decided we were going to BBQ up some chicken and ribs. I've never done ribs before, so I consulted my personal cooking mentor - Food Network. The channel has a show called Down Home with the Neely's. They own some BBQ establishments in Tennessee. In all the previews for their show, they're preparing ribs. I figured they were my best bet.

Worst case scenario, I'll buy some pre-prepared Longhorn BBQ ribs at Costco and pass them off as my own. I'm not proud, but I have this need to WOW anyone I cook for.

The Neely's came through for me! I found this recipe on the site. While I haven't cooked the ribs yet, I've made the rub and the BBQ sauce. Yes, I made homemade BBQ sauce. I was feeling ambitious. It's delish. I can't wait to slather it on some ribs and enjoy some down home cookin'.

Hope your Labor Day is full of good food, great company and no unpredictable visitors from the animal kingdom.

The Little Things Edition

With family coming into town this weekend, we've been trying to get the house in order and unpacked as much as possible. While I know the family won't care what the house looks like or how much we've unpacked, they've given us a reason to unpack fast. If you ever saw our garage in Puyallup, you know that's exactly what we need!

Yesterday my mom was kind enough to take Zoe on a trip to the dump with several of our boxes and trash. Apparently it took some bribery with cookies, but it gave me a rare opportunity to be home alone. In my pre-motherhood life, that would mean watching a re-run of Friends, eating cereal for dinner and perhaps reading. If I felt ambitious, I might do a 30-minute workout. Might.

Now it consists of cleaning floors, unpacking boxes, scrubbing toilets, cleaning dishes and organizing. It's amazing what I can accomplish in 35 minutes.

We now have pictures up on the walls and one of our vehicles can fit into the garage. We are making progress!



It also allowed me time with Zoe last night watching some Tigger & Pooh the Christmas Movie. The girl loves her some Christmas movie. She will actually bring the DVD case to me so we can enjoy the Super Sleuth adventure together.

I know Zoe and I both needed that time. As I was putting her to bed, she ripped the bottle out of her mouth and started telling me stories. They were apparently very funny because she cracked herself up. It took 45 minutes to get her to settle down because she had so much to tell me.

While it's great having the house in order and cars in the garage, but the best thing, for me, is seeing my child fall asleep with a smile on her face.

The Justice and Joy Edition

I've been following the story of two children since 2005. I can remember the day their house was shown on the news and the Amber Alerts were issued.

Their names: Dylan and Shasta Groene.

For 7 weeks I heard news reports of how their mother, older brother and their mother's boyfriend were killed. We all grew more alert, looking at children to see a resemblence. They were abducted only 45 minutes from my town.

I lost hope after the first month of finding them alive.

Then just 3 weeks later I saw survellience video of Shasta and a man walking into a Denny's restuarant. My heart filled with hope and saddness. Hope that she was alive. Saddness because there was no Dylan and who knows what that little girl had seen or experienced. Saddness because Shasta's life would never be the same.

That man, Joseph Duncan, is on trial in Boise right now. We've gotten the guilty verdict and now we're onto sentencing.

I've been following the coverage because I want to see justice. I want to see him sentenced to death for his actions. I want to see justice for those 4 people he so viciously attacked, tortured and killed. I want Shasta to know she will never see that man get freedom. She will never have to testify at a parole hearing or hear that he escaped. I don't want him to have any comfort in his life. I want him to suffer the way his victims did and the way the survivors have to live with those painful memories.

I also want justice for those two, beautiful girls in Seattle and the boy in Southern California that he killed.

As a parent, I hold my Zoe a little closer at night, triple check the locks on our doors and suspect everyone. I am forever changed by Dylan and Shasta.

As I prayed for God's comfort, love and peace for Shasta and her family as they go through this trial, I realized something. Christ doesn't just take care of us, didn't just die for us, He also died for Joseph Duncan. While I deplore that man's actions, motives and thoughts, Christ died for him.

That's not to say there isn't consequences to his actions or that God won't allow those consequences to happen. God loves justice (Psalm 33:5). I'm just saying I had a moment where God said to me to also pray for him. I'm not going to lie, I wasn't happy about it. I didn't want to speak any words like that. My human heart can't fathom that God might love someone like Duncan.

Then I heard some of his journal entries. Duncan's whole life has been a test to God. If God didn't want him to do this or that, He would stop him.

I would love God to step in and make me stop biting my nails, but I'm positive God doesn't work like that. God works in His time, in His way. To test God will only leave you empty.

Empty is what Joseph Duncan is.

Then I thanked God for my joy. He has filled my cup, my heart, my life with His joy. He gives me everything I have. It is because of Him and Him alone that I have life. I will never be empty. I will never have to test God to see if He's real. I know He's real. I see it in everything around me.

My prayer is that you all see God's joy in your life. Whether that be in the breath you take, the people in your life or whatever else God has done for you. I pray you find His everlasting joy.

Without it, we are empty.

Psalm 126:3 - The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.

The Eleven Extra Edition

Sunday was D's birthday. She is officially 9.

We will be celebrating her birthday in September. We're going jumping and bouncing with 6 of her crazy friends. I'm a little excited about it. They have a velcro wall what you can run and stick to. What's not to get excited about?

We talked to her on the phone on Sunday. She and her mom's family went to the park. She rode the Octopus ride and within 3 seconds flat felt like she was going to puke. She didn't, thankfully. That would've ruined the big day.

I asked her if she feels older. Her response:

"I'm only 9, but I feel more like 20."

To be young!

The From the Back Edition

It was another productive weekend at our house. We got through another large share of boxes. We're onto the ugly ones. The ones you have to go through and decide what needs to stay and where to put it or where it needs to go: trash or Goodwill.

This process takes longer, but I know it'll pay off in the end.

You know what's worse than having to go through year old food that the movers packed or your husband's clothes from high school? A BBQ that has been sitting for over a year.

Praise the Lord for S.O.S. pads.

Zoe helped clean it off by holding onto the hose. She is amazed that water comes out one end. Her world is full of life's mysteries.

Now that the BBQ is up and working, I thought I would share with you our backyard. Especially since it'll have a fence around it before too long and this type of picture quality will be lost.

The Promise Edition

This past week we've had a couple thunder storms. When I was little my mom used to turn off all the lights, sit on the couch and watch them. I was terrified, so I would sit away from the window and count between thunder to see how far away it was.

Now that I'm older, I love the storms. Where we live we have a great view of the lightening. I still don't like to get too close to the window, but I love watching them. I think part of it is because I know what comes after the storm.

A rainbow.

Growing up, after the thunder and rain would pass, we'd go outside and look for rainbows. Usually when you find one, you find a second one right next to it. We always tried to find both.

One time in college I was driving back to the dorm after a good rain shower. As I was approaching the school there was the most vibrant rainbow I had ever seen. I watched it more than I was watching the road and I actually drove through it. It was one of the most unique experiences I've ever had. For a brief second I was blanketed in that rainbow.

What I love most about rainbows is their meaning. When I see one I'm immediately reminded of who God is and what His promise was to Noah. Because He would never again destroy all living things, He's coming back. He's coming back for me. He's coming back for you.

Deuteronomy 31:8: The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.

God brought the rain, He was there in the rain and He stopped the rain. He is in everything.

Genesis 9:16: Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.

The Shrimp Kipper Edition

For the last 4 Saturdays Zoe and I have been going to Shrimp Kipper class. It's a swimming class that the YMCA offers for kids 6 months to 18 months. She loves it.

It's full of singing, kicking, splashing and "jumping" into the pool. The whole point of the class is to help kids become familiar with the water and to know that mom and dad won't let anything happen to them.

I'm so proud of my little Shrimp Kipper. She's very social, interactive and truly enjoys life. I am so blessed to be her swimming partner.