Beautiful afternoon :)

We were sitting around yesterday afternoon and decided to just get in the truck and drive up to C.J. Strike Dam. It's so close to base and it's one of those places you almost forget exists until someone mentions it.

Mom wanted to take some nice pictures so we thought it would be the best place to go. Boy was it ever. We weren't there for long, not even an hour, it was extremely hot and being close to the water those darn mosquitoes were out to get me. Poor Jasmine has bites all over her legs, guess she takes after me, I have them too. BUT that didn't take away from the beauty of the lake and the surrounding area and drive up there.

So are you ready for some pics? If not, then I suggest you go on and do something else, cause I might bore you LOL

When you first leave base there really is no much to see, well, actually, there IS nothing to see, it's just mountains in the distance (far far away) and then plain flat land. The minute you start heading towards Grandview, then you start seeing green, and what a difference it makes.

The kids enjoyed seeing all the cows at the Simplot right at the beginning of town. Now you have to realize that Grandview is one of those quiet small country towns, I guess everyone knows everyone.......there's probably just 6 generations in the whole place LOL

There's a lot of farms, horses, corn etc. It's just really pretty out there. This next picture I actually took from the truck while it was moving but I like how it turned out. It's blurry on the bottom from the motion of the car but the top part is perfectly visible.

Within a few minutes we started seeing the Snake River which is 1038 miles long and runs from actually originates in NW Wyoming then flows down the canyon where it enters Idaho then runs across southern Idaho then through Boise and the Idaho/Oregon border before heading north.
It passes through Lewiston Idaho before entering Washington.
The Snake river runs through a number of gorges, including one of the deepest in the world, Hells Canyon, with a maximum depth of 7,900 feet (2,410 m).
Here are two pictures of the river as we head to Strike Dam.

We reached the dam and this is the first picture as we see it. There's something so peaceful and calming about being near the water. You truly feel close to God and your worries tend to just slip away.

I just had to take this picture, I loved watching them all walking but especially Nicholas holding his Uncle Chris' hand....how sweet is that?!?!?

The moment we got there I think we were all just overwhelmed with how beautiful and quiet it is. The kids loved looking out at the water and they even got to see some fishies, which mommy being the paparazzi that she is, had the camera ready and waiting though you can't really tell, so I'm not even going to show those LOL
But here are some views of the dam before I show you family pictures, which I'm sure you're all dying to see, especially my family in South Africa :)

The boys enjoyed skipping stones over the water and I did manage to catch the one that Nicholas threw, so it's become one of my favorites.

We were all just hanging out on the picnic table when my MIL took this one, it's great having candid shots :) Please don't laugh at me, I HATE having my picture taken and always feel that I look NOTHING like that in real life....or at least I hope I don't LOL

As usual, I get caught doing things I'm not supposed to.....*sigh* LOL

Now here are the family pictures.....enjoy them :) My MIL was really happy to get such good pictures with all of us and her boys and grandkids.

And to end it all, here are some great pics taken on the drive back to base. Now I'm really sorry if I've bored you all, that was not my intention, but I wanted to show you the great afternoon we had and the beauty that God continues to bestow upon us all, it just goes to show that if you look further than your immediate surroundings, there's ALWAYS a sign of His love.

Tomorrow I'll probably post the little videos we made with all the pictures, they came out really good :)

BTW I updated my food blog with a recipe for Chicken Fingers with Honey Mustard. It's really good so if you're interested in trying it out, just pop on over to Full Bellies, Happy Kids.

And now I have to go, I have the house to myself, everyone took off for gift shopping and I wasn't allowed to go because it's for my birthday tomorrow.....oh well, it's been a long time since I've been home alone. What should I do???? I feel so naughty I just want to do something totally unexpected that I wouldn't usually get to do with the kids around.......should I break something? Have a neighborhood party? Couple drinks? Turn the music real loud and dance without being embarassed? LOL There's so much to pick from, but you see, I'm just not a person who lives on the edge, so I'll settle for starting my Basil Burgers for dinner and making some Portuguese Rice Pudding for dessert and maybe clean up the house a bit. Oh you little devil you....aren't I just the naughty chef??? LOL

Hope you all enjoyed the pictures and again thank you for the prayers....my MIL is handling it very well under the circumstances, but please keep her in your prayers so that the test results come back negative to the cancer having spread anywhere else.

God Bless,

Works for Me Wednesday!!! August 9

I didn't get to play along last week, I had my family just come in for a visit and was busy with them, and even though they're still here, I do have some free time this morning so I decided it was now or never.

The tip I have for today is due to school starting soon. I find that if I don't organize things then I'm always running around struggling to get the kids out of bed and dressed etc.

I've found that what works for me is to have a plan. The night before, after bathtime and reading etc, we go through and pick the clothes that they want to wear the next morning, including shoes and a little sweater if it's chilly etc.
I purchased these colorful shelves that hang in their closets and then we labeled them with Monday-Friday.

That's where we place the clothes for that day and if there's something going on later that week, whether it's Hat day or Pajama day or whatever, we make sure to place those items in the right shelf as soon as we get the note from school.

After we have the clothes ready, we go through the backpack to make sure her homework is done and she has everything she needs, this way if something is missing we can search for it now instead of in the morning when we're rushing to get out of the house.

Next thing we do is plan breakfast, what does she want to eat. Now I know that sometimes in the morning she wants something but then changes her mind, so we usually go with two choices that she can have and that way I have both of them available or ready for her.

This may not seem like rocket science to many and I'm sure most moms do this, but I didn't for a long time and we had a lot of problems trying to get out of the house and make it to school on time. Works for Me.

If you want to play along or read other great tips, just head on over to Shannon's "Rocks in my Dryer".

No Tackle it or Treasure today!!!

I truly apologize for there not being any Tackle it Tuesday or Treasure Tuesday up today. I haven't had time to tackle anything with the family visiting, and then after yesterday I'm sure you all understand if I don't do either of those features this week.

Thank you all for your prayers, the ones left in the comments and the emails too. We're all very optimistic and keeping a positive attitude, but it's great to know that we have so much support, and for that I truly am touched.

Again we don't have much planned for today, just hanging out, but we may take a ride up to C.J. Strike Dam, there's nothing like gazing over the beautiful quiet water to make you feel centered.

With all that has been going on here, I really do need to take a breath and try to capture the love of Christ. Yes, I say capture because I tend to let it go and leave it just floating around until something major happens, then like a stumbling toddler learning how to grasp objects for the first time, I blindly set out to find it.

Ephesians 3:18b ".......to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ".

That may be really easy to read and understand, but I find it so difficult to live it out in life. Again with me it comes to control, nothing worse than being in a situation where you wish you could have the last say or make the outcome as you wish it to be, but you can't and that is when you need to put it in the Lord's hand. Easy isn't it???? No, it's not, at least for me, it's been my one struggle through the years and one which I'm sure will be continuing for years to come.

Phillipians 1:6 ".....being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ".

There's nothing worse than getting bad news, and it doesn't have to just be someone being sick, but anything to do with family really gets to me. Not only is my MIL going through this right now, but this morning I found out that my uncle is jobless and with no means of supporting himself. Doesn't it feel like when it rains it pours?????

I could become bitter and turn against God and blame him for everything that is going on, but I'm not like that, if anything it just brings me closer to him, seeking that comfort that I so need right now. In the midst of all the chaos, I'm thrilled to know that He is there with arms wide open and welcoming me in, and I'm almost afraid to say that I am finding a calm through all this that I didn't know existed.

Does this mean that I don't feel or that I am just blind or in denial? Or does this mean that I subconsciously know things will be fine? I choose the last one, because I know that even though there are rough times ahead, we're not going through it alone, now more than ever I feel the Lord's presence in my life, guiding me, lifting me up and engulfing me in his all powerful love and THAT is something which I treasure and am extremely greatful for.

I don't think I've ever watched the "Rain" Nooma DVD as much as I am now or will be doing....it's such a great reminder of how God wraps you in his love when something is wrong and you just want to scream and shout.

We get hit with some form of pain out of nowhere leaving us feeling desperate and helpless. That’s the way life is. Still, it makes us wonder how God can let these things happen to us. How God can just stand by and watch us suffer. Where is God when it really hurts?

Boy am I guilty of doing that, my first instinct is to throw a tantrum, just like a child that just lost his favorite toy or is told that they can't have another cookie before dinner.
This wonderful DVD reminds us that it's usually when the big issues are going on, that God uses it to remind us of how much He really does love us, we just can't hear Him because we're so caught up in the screaming and the crying, but if we just stop and listen, we can hear Him telling us he loves us and is RIGHT THERE through thick and thin, in sickness and in health. I've learnt to force myself to stop reacting first and thinking later.........I stop, I sit down quietly and listen carefully and I have to tell you that it's helped me a LOT, it's made me realize that crying and whining is not beneficial to me and the problem at hand, if anything, it just keeps me from listening to the Lord and concentrating on what IS important.

So again I truly thank each and every one of you for the prayers, I apologize for not getting to my email at all for the last week or so, but hopefully will be able to soon :)

Have a beautiful and blessed day in the Lord, I'm sending you all huge hugs,

Know what I can't stand????

PUBLIC BATHROOMS!!!!! And before you even say "Yes the germs"......STOP right there, I know the germs are nasty but that's not even what gets to me the most.

I want to know who was the genius that invented these bathroom stalls????
I'm thinking some pervert sitting at home and coming up with ways of getting a cheap thrill.

If there is one thing I hate is going into that stall and feeling like I'm in a glass case just set up in the middle of a circus, everyone can walk by and look in and see what I'm doing. I've actually started using my kids as BB aka Bathroom Blockers. I stick one in one hole and the other in the next one.........and no I don't mean the holes under the doors, I mean on the sides.

I've lived in many countries but this is the only one that I've ever had this problem with. Why can't they just make it an enclosed stall, and by that I mean, CLOSED, no holes, no huge gaps between doors and walls etc......you know what I'm talking about right???
So please if you are a Bathroom Stall manufacturer or whatever you call yourself, just make sure there's no huge gaping holes anywhere, women are not like men, believe it or not we don't like having an audience watching us.

Now I want to talk about something more serious, and I'm asking you all for prayers, please. WE just found out this morning that my MIL was diagnosed with Breast Cancer, she is going in next week for more tests to make sure it hasn't spread anywhere else. We really really need prayers, it's extremely hard for all of us but especially her boys, my hubby and brother in law. Having lost their father to cancer just 3 years ago, this is a shock to them.......so please if you can say a prayer for my MIL Pat to help her get through this.
She's a Christian lady and very devoted to God, so I have no doubt that she will be fighting this with all she has, but I ask that you please say a prayer or ask a friend to......it's just been a big shock for everyone.

I know I started this post light hearted, and maybe that's just the way I handle things, I try to think on the positive side and not let myself freak out over things, but it really is something that is affecting me, I don't want to have to think about my kids loosing their grandma or my hubby and BIL loosing their mom. It's going to be rough the next few weeks and months, but we'll get through it together.

I'm faithful in the Lord and I know he's going to be there supporting us and carrying us all through the hardest times, but I would really appreciate prayers.

God Bless,

It feels so good outside, after weeks of scorching

weather and temperatures around 110 degrees, I think it's about time we cool off a little, don't you???

Woke up this morning to 70 degrees which just feels like heaven, actually makes you want to get out of bed and not worry about sweating all the water out of your body. I know, I know, I'm exaggerating right now, but you get the point right?

I'm actually feeling a little better this morning, I started taking my sinus medication yesterday so I guess I was able to stop it before it became a full blown sinus attack. Still feeling congested but nowhere near as bad as yesterday. Thank the Lord!!!

We're going to have another slow and relaxing day. I had no idea that climbing down to the cave and those few steps would really hurt my legs. What a great way to remind me that I'm really unfit. LOL

School starts again on the 23rd of August, I can't believe it's almost time to start another school year. Am I the only mom that starts getting paranoid and worried about the whole process???
Jasmine is starting second grade and I'm just freaking out because all her friends from first grade just left to other bases, and then I worry about the teacher, will she be a good one or one of the type that yells at the kids too much etc. I guess as a mom you never stop worrying do you??? So how all you other mothers deal with this kind of stress???

Since I can't stay online too long, I thought it would be fun to redo a Photo meme that I actually posted a few months ago. I tag anyone that wants to do it, if you don't want to that's fine too. :)

So here we go, the way it works is, you have a few categories (which I'll give you) then you go to Google Images and type in the category and then paste the photo that shows up for it.

Your Name

Dad's Name

Your age on your next birthday

Your favorite color


Your middle name


The last meal you ate


Your favorite animal

Your last name


Favorite Bible passage


Favorite era


Favorite food


Where you want to be in 10 years

That was actually a lot of fun to do, hope some of you will give it a shot too, and if you do let me know so I can go check it out ok?

Well I have to get going again, just wanted to touch bases with everyone and let you all know that I'm still here and still alive LOl

Hope you're having a blessed and peaceful Sunday.