Bond

Hopefully it goes without saying that I want to spend the rest of my life with my husband.

But I really hope that I get to experience big moles, adult diapers, and hairy ears with these

people too.

We have committed to walking with each other through life. And we have. Through

babies and holidays, through peaks and valleys, and most importantly through real

conflicts that have strengthened us the most. I don't highlight the

conflicts because we have had so many but because I'm so glad

that we have chosen to love each other enough to work through our differences

and become even closer in the process. I think so many people miss out

because they (much like me) try to avoid differences or "conflict."

But I am smart enough to know now that these are a part of life. Period.

We can learn to really work through them with people or

we will probably not have a whole lot of meaningful relationships.

(Just my 2 cents for you this morning.)

We are a family because we share the bond of Christ and in eternity I think we may

all live on the same block, at least that is my prayer. ; )

Every Thursday night there is nowhere else we would rather be and our time together in

the word or praying is so precious. I'm so thankful for our "Life" Group and hope the next

5 years are even more amazing!

P.S. If you aren't a part of a small group, I don't think there is anything

more important that you could do to strengthen your walk with Christ and

lessen the load of life.

We were made to live in intimate fellowship with other believers.

B2G2F

So I had said in a previous post that my sister's hair is lovely. Always smooth, shiny, healthy,....brushed. : ) Sometimes I forget to do that last one as I'm rushing out the door.
Thank goodness I look decent in hats!


Well, I finally decided to take advantage of my sister's expertise. You, see she has worked at Ulta for a couple of years now but she has just recently transferred from the MWC location to the one on Memorial. So now I can just hop in the car and go bother her at work with two kids who like to paint themselves with $50 lipstick. (Sorry about that.)


My hair had just gotten dull, dry, boring and flat. So, I bought about half of the products that she uses on her hair and I am in LOVE with the way my hair feels after just one shower with them!


This brings me back to the title of the post. If you are into coupons, or have once or twice been into coupons, then you that the title's translation is "Buy 2 Get 2 Free." Right now at Ulta all Matrix products are B2G2F. Here is what I purchased.

Matrix Biolage Delicate Care Shampoo

for Multi-Processed Hair 1 Liter

Matrix Biolage Conditioning Balm

16.9 oz. (I got 2 of these, 1 was free)

Matrix Vavoom Root Riser

(this helps me to not have straigt, flat,

boring hair and it was free)

I saved the best for last.

This is a MIRACLE product.

My sister guaranteed it.

"It's a 10," is the name of it.

It is a hair mask that you can use

once or twice a week. Trust us on this one.

If you want to go visit my sister she will walk you through the store and customize
exactly what your hair type is in need of. She is really good and knows her stuff and
I'm not sending yo because she get's commission because she doesn't. Too bad for her.

Big

Have you ever experienced those single, simple, yet powerful moments where you realize just how different your children are than they were even 1 month before?

Berklee used the word fabulous this morning to describe one of her gazillion drawings and it just hit me, hard. My child is using the word fabulous? No! It's too soon! You are growing too fast!

But thankfully growing into a beautiful young girl who has a wonderful imagination and likes to scold the bad "sharks" in the "ocean" at the park.

Moments like this morning remind me to sit down in the floor and soak up their words and stories and silliness while I still can.

Going Beyond

I did something a little out of character for me. A step of faith I guess you

might call it. I know I am supposed to go to this conference in August

that is in Tulsa. I just registered without knowing anyone else who is going

and knowing that I might be going by myself.

But I am hoping some of you will join me

because not only do I think it will be an amazing time of worship and

learning but I also think it will be a blast to get to have a big slumber party!

(We can stay up really late, like maybe we can make it to 11pm!)

The info and link is below. I clicked with Priscilla Shirer from the first

couple of pages of her book, "One in a Million," and then I heard that she

has been speaking with Beth Moore and others at the Women of Faith events.

I actually heard from a friend that she got more out of Priscilla's message

than anything else at Women of Faith, so that was it.

I'm going. And I don't typically just go.

Anywhere. Especially out of town and overnight.

The theme of the weekend

is A Spiritual Reawakening. Priscilla has a passion that

I want to rub off on me.

Hope you don't mind racing with me to the front row! : )

It is August 6-7th. The cost is $35 for the event plus hotel or $45 after June 6th.

Please let me know if you want to come and we will figure out our hotel!

Information and Registration HERE.

Priscilla's website and blog HERE.

Not So Much

This week we've really done....not so much. We kept a low profile, our

outings were limited and it really has been a great week!

We took another trip to the library where my kiddos seem to always sound

like they are talking through megaphones amidst the deafening silence of

the large open expanse. I would tell them to use their quiet voice, their

inside voice, their whisper voice, okay now you can't talk at all!

They would whisper the next few words after the reminder and then

get excited about something else and forget everything all over again.

We did pick out a nifty selection of books, including a book called

Madeline, by Ludwig Bemelmans. It is the second book we are reading based

on a curriculum called "Five in a Row." I don't really consider it curriculum

for my kids but it is designed to be. You could do it even if your not planning

on homeschooling. It is very cheap compared to most everything else out there too.

Especially since I borrowed the first volume from a friend. ;)

The gist of it is that you check out a book from the library that is listed in the

volume of "Five in a Row." You read the same book to your kids 5 days in a

row and there are corresponding activities and lessons that are all centered

on that one book.

So, for example, the story about Madeline takes place in France so their is

a social studies section in the Five in a Row book that helps you teach your

kids about the geography of that area. The philosophy is that a good book

is always the doorway to learning. It is extremely flexible (in my terms that

means we might do it every day or every other day or every other other day)

curriculum andmy kids have loved the two books we have read so far.

And....it helps me to look outside the box because I would never have

chosen the books on my own.

We do a lot of reading around here, probably because my husband

and I both love to read, so it is something we naturally do with our kids.

But I know it can be a struggle for some parents because not everyone is

wired to love reading. But I want to encourage you to sit down with your

kids at the earliest age possible and really get into the books with them.

One of our main goals as parents is to develop an excitement in our

children to want to learn and love to read. So we kinda have to get

excited about it so they will copy us.

I heard the results of a study a while back that was based on a group of

really intelligent kids from all around the world and I have never forgotten it.

When they took away all geographical, social, financial, racial, educational,

etc...factors there was only one thing that all them had in common.

Their parents read to

them from a young age, a lot! How cool is that? Simple, cheap, and fun.

Since this post was about teaching here is a related picture.

Me teaching Berklee how to wink. She figured it out by holding

down one eyelid with her hand. ; )

A Multi-Purpose Post

The first purpose is to give you an accidentally great recipe that I scrounged up last night in

about 30 minutes. I had intended on having pot roast with veggies but I didn't get it in the crock

pot until late morning and it just wasn't as tender as it should've been by the time Shawn called to say

he was headed home. If I haven't said it before, I have a picky eater in the house who isn't 3 or 2

years old. But he makes up for his pickiness in many other areas. : )

So..... I panicked, took inventory, thumbed through my trusty cook book and then decided to let the

wind take me where it may.

I held my breath and squinted as he took the first bite and to my sheer amazement he loved it!!!

So, here is an easy recipe that we will call Chickladas because Berklee told us that when she was

a kid she used to like Chickladas but now she doesn't. She then proceeded to eat them up. ; )

Chickladas

1 lb. shredded or chopped chicken

(I had the precooked Tyson chicken breast strips in the

freezer that I tossed in the microwave for about 4 minutes. Very handy.)

8 oz. package cream cheese softened

1/2 cup picante sauce

1/2 cup frozen corn

1/2 cup water

2 tsp (or about 2 cubes) chicken bullion

1 tsp. cumin

12 white corn tortillas (I think using these instead of flour tortillas made a good difference)

1/2 an onion finely chopped

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar

1 can red enchilada sauce (I didn't quite use the whole can)

12 white corn tortillas

Mix cream cheese, picante sauce, corn and cumin together in a bowl. Dissolve bullion in

1/2 cup water and stir into your mixture. Fill tortillas with chicken and mixture. Don't overstuff

them or you won't be able to roll them up. Line them up in your baking dish and top with onion,

enchilada sauce and cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes or until heated through.

Enjoy your chickladas!

The second purpose of this post is to ask all you pro-gardeners with help for my sad little teeny,

itsy bitsy, did I mention sad, garden. After I planted it Shawn asked if I was doing all this work

for A (as in single) salad. I just didn't want to get in over my head, so I kept it small. But it seems

like a planted enough for a small family of worms maybe? Take a look and give me any

suggestions you might have.

Here is my spinach. They really haven't grown since I planted them.

My green beans are growing but have half eaten leaves as well.

And I didn't plant this at all but it is growing rampant in the squash section.

Maybe I should just stick with flowers.

But if the end times are upon us I won't be able to feed my family flowers.

Maybe I should buy some goats.

Then we will trade you our milk for your vegetables.

Yesterday and "Fried Tortilla Tacos"

They made it back. I'm not joking when I say I think Berklee gained 5 pounds. Her little round tummy was adorable. We picked up the other half of our family at 1 o'clock which meant we had a whole weekday afternoon to spend together on a gorgeous day. I thought to myself that this is what it could be like if we were millionaires, but then I thought we would probably have a lot more options than swinging in the backyard. For the most part, I think I prefer swinging. I think.

I have been trying to find a really good excuse to go into the new cookie store on 122nd and Rockwell and yesterday presented the perfect opportunity. We couldn't pick up our precious cargo without having a welcome home surprise for them. Hayden and I sat on the curb in the parking lot of the cookie store and ate the first 3 of the dozen and then proceeded to the airport.

The place is called "1 smart cookie" and they were amazing! Dense and moist, and absolutely perfect. They had all kinds of cute shapes and colors, but we stuck with the $1 selections. As if this wasn't enough, hubby treated us to Chick-Fil-A for a late lunch. We went through the drive through and then ate outside of the Starbucks next door so we could top it off with a coffee. A- perfect- day.

And finally we ended the evening with dinner, and a twist on my friend Kim's Indian Taco recipe. As I suspected my little neighborhood WalMart didn't carry the Fry Bread Mix so I decided to fry some white corn tortillas in a little conola oil and instead of sour cream we garnished with avocados. They were delightful. Check out Kim's recipe.

Clarity

I'm sad yet relieved. As I was glued to my computer screen last night

at 3am (looking at amazing photography websites) I had came to

grips with a very tough decision. It has been in the back of my mind

for a couple of weeks but I stuffed it. No doubt, I have fallen in love

with photography. And in another life maybe. Or maybe later on in my life.

Because frankly, I don't want to be a mediocre photographer, I want to

be great. And greatness involves classes, seminars, expensive equipment,

and tons of time editing pictures and learning things that I never even

knew existed in the world of photography. My pictures don't look like

the pros and I can't stand that, I want perfection now! : )

My aspirations and dreams with photography don't quite mix with

what I feel my real purpose is, being an awesome wife and mother

and spending more time in God's word. We are also sticking with our

decision to homeschool and I will be preparing to start pre-school

work with Berklee soon.

I want to enjoy taking pictures without expectations. I always seem

to get better pictures this way anyway. I asked God to help me simplify

my life and he came through for me once again because it would be

really easy to justify this fun-filled passion. Thankfully he helped me

out before I invested too much more time or money. :)

So, if I am ever around you and I happen to bring my camera with me

I just might happen to snap a good picture and then I may casually

send you an email of it. : )

I'm laughing at myself as I read this post over for spelling errors

because I definitely jump in with two feet when I love something!

I will leave you with two treats to thank you for visiting my blog today.

You can go HERE at get a free canvas print. Yay for free stuff!

And THIS is the most amazing photographer. Her work is amazing

and she is a believer. I absolutely love her style and her

down-to-earthness. I could look at her pictures all day.

And THIS girl too.

You'll know why I'm saying good-bye to my "professional" career when

you look at these websites. :)

He's On His Way

My youngest sibling graduated from college this weekend.

He is now heading to the "Big D" to start his life in the grown-up world.

But no one is ever too grown up for Mickey Mouse, right?

My family has a little obsession with Disney World or anything Disney.

It didn't help when Jamie (pictured above) worked there last summer

as an intern. It gave my dad and stepmom a reason to go there 12 times

last year instead of 8.

But how awesome is this cake? It could be on one of those cake-off shows.

And it was superdy-duperdy delicious.

Jamie has a heart of gold and has such a genuine personality mixed

with an ability to work a room like no other. I'm really thinking he could be a

politician. I'll have to suggest that. He is also an amazing uncle.

And here is one amazing aunt. Talk about personality.

She talks most of the time with her eyes just like this.....

....because every thing is always more fun when you add a little drama.

Love her.

And I always love her hair, makeup, and clothes.

She is one of those who just always look fabulous.

Still love her.

Her and her husband are wanting to have kids soon.

Then we will be on a level playing field.

And here we are (minus my other brother who works in Ohio)

at the BLU restaurant in downtown Norman. It was some goooood food.

I should have taken pictures of the food because it was kinda funky.

We had ruffle potato chips with some sort of melted something on top,

crinkled (like Braums) sweet potato french fries, and green quesadillas,

to name just 3 things I ate besides a cupcake or two.

We are so proud of you Jamie!

(And I really like this one.)

Doodling

That's what I did today. (As you can probably tell by my blog. Do you like the changes?)

This is what I was doing at 7am this morning.

But what I really got up at 7am to do on my family-free, responsibility-free day is work on my hobby and take pictures for one of THE happiest babies I've ever known! She laughed and danced and sang the whole time I was there. Here are some of my favorite pictures from the morning that almost wasn't because I left the directions and cell phone at home. Ooops.

Now I am off to pick up my little man and have dinner with friends. Doodling time is over. :(

Ache.

Mr. Maguire and my Berklee left for Florida this morning.

Daddy will be fishing for 5 days and

Berklee will get some time with Nanna.

I'm sure the dull ache in my chest will remain until

they return safely in my arms.

In the meantime, I am planning on spoiling my sweet boy with

time and kisses

and also catching up on all of those "little" things that get

pushed back into the "later" category (for the last two years).

I miss these blue eyes so much and hopefully she will miss me too

I miss this guy too and Hayden and I are praying that daddy

catches some really BIG fish!

Come With Me!

Last night was the first meeting of Focused Fellowship. It felt so good to finally have the opportunity, and audience, to share where I feel the Lord is leading me and where he wants to lead you too!

Frankly, I am approaching a limit with myself. It's like I'm teetering on the tip of the mountain and I want to tip over the edge but I'm scared to death! I know that once I do it there is no climbing back up the mountain to get back to the other side. As I told the girls last night, I want to walk through whatever desert might be in front of me and eat whatever the Lord provides as long as I can reach Canaan. John 10:10 says "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it to the full." I know Pharaoh (Satan) was defeated and my chains were broken when I accepted Jesus as my savior, but now I want to step out of Egypt, out of all that is familiar, and trust the Lord for the next step, for the FULL.

I'm tired of struggling with infantile struggles. I'm tired of my focus being on momentary "hiccups" in my day. Sick of spending my allotted time on pursuing things of earthly value. I don't want to be trying to overcome the same bad habits or sin in my life a year from now or even a week from now! I don't want to wonder aimlessly for 40 years, wake up when I'm 70 and still not know what I'm doing! Can anyone relate?

So, we all have our little box that makes up who we are, right. Like our personality, our childhood, knowledge, heritage, church background, etc...... That is great in and of itself because we are all gloriously unique, but we tend to put a lid on all of that and think God is supposed to work in our little 6x6 box. Really? Do we really think we are so great that all of the things above are all that there is? God is infinite and unpredictable (predictable in character but he is unpredictable in his activity)! Think of our box as like the state of Oklahoma and his box as the UNIVERSE. We can't rely on the path we have paved to lead us to the abundant life. We have to lay down everything we have and know, and let him take it or change it if he so desires. We have to trust the manna (sweet-tasting bread) and the water to sustain us, not the endless buffet of food this world shoves in our face!

As you can tell, the analogy of the Israelites being freed from slavery (death) by Moses (Christ) is an exact picture of our story today. (Exodus 1) Yet here is the sad part. Out of almost 2 million Israelites that were freed from Egyptian slavery only 2 of them saw the promised land! Only 2 out of 2 million!

This should tell you how much it costs to follow Christ. It isn't easy like most of us have been told, but it is well worth the effort of trusting in the one who created us! We can be 100% saved and never see the Promised Land here on earth. I don't know about you but I want to step into the land flowing with milk and honey!

Your promised land will look different from mine. You will know you are there when you are in the middle of God's will. When your relationship with him is the priority of your life. When you are being sustained by Him and His word. We have all known or read about those people presently or in the past who have given up everything to follow where Christ is leading them. We think to ourselves how hard and sad that must be, and we dismiss the thought of ever being able to make the same tough decisions because we say God would never lead us there. We feel sorry for them that they have given up so much. But these people have a joy that we likely have never known! They would not choose to be anywhere else but in the middle of God's will! I feel like shoutin'! Amen!

(Not everyone's Promised Land will look so sacrificial from the outside but one encounter with these people and you know they are different in other amazing ways.)

So what do we right now? --Today. We start with being obedient to the things we know the Lord desires. For instance, we all know God's word is important. The Bible says that the Word of God, is LIFE. It will satisfy, it is flawless, it is a lamp unto our feet, it is sweet to our taste, ...... the Word is God. This would be the first place to start mapping out your journey.

Second to feasting on the word, I personally have been stuck on these verses found in Hebrews 12:1-2. ".....let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the JOY set before him endured the cross."

As a Christian I (we) tend to deal with the "ugly" things that are somewhat obvious sins to the church and world but we ignore the things that "hinder" us from running the race. This verse says to throw off these things and the New Living Translation uses the word distractions in place of the word hinders. This covers my busy-itis that I struggle with on a daily basis. I am praying that the Lord will help me toss the "distractions" and not look back or think twice.

I don't know about you but I don't think I can, nor do I want to, make this journey alone. I want Focused Fellowship to be a place where we push and challenge each other to keep taking the next step. Where we dig for meat in God's word and leave the milk for the infants!

In Christ,

Tanda

Tis The Season For.....

PING PONG!

And unfortunately, tornados. :(

If I had more time I would tell you about my life-long fear of tornados.

It isn't a healthy fear. More like a heart-attack-inducing fear.

It didn't help that when I was in college on May 3, 1999 I lived in

Moore, on 12th and Janeway on the second floor of an ancient

apartment building, and had no idea anything was

going on until 5 minutes before the tornado arrived.

Gary England told me I was going

to die and so I said no, Gary, not today.

And then I ran for my life. Literally. Knocking

on doors to find a storm cellar.

And I found one just in time. :)

Go Girl

So, the wife of my cousin, who I always call my cousin has started a new business that is so cool. She is a go girl, but not that kinda girl.

You always here that phrase, "do what you love and the money will come." Well, I think Crystal has found her niche. She basically runs errands for people who don't have the time or who want to create margin in their lives. Great concept! Grocery store, bank, pick up prescriptions, dry cleaning, birthday party planning, or she can be a go girl for your company or your elderly parents.

But the coolest part is that you can buy her services to give as gifts. Who wouldn't want a go girl after they just had a baby or for mother's day? Or around Christmas? Now your talkin'.

Anyway, check out her site below and spread the word if you know of anyone who may need some go girl time.

GO GIRL

((A Memory))

I had a hard time coming up with a title for this post. First, let's get the picture out of the way. It is okay if you are confused on whether to laugh at me or cry for me.

I am laughing so you can laugh with me. I'm sure I was not happy with the person taking this picture of me. I was always, probably like a lot of other kids this age, hyper-sensitive to any kind of perceived embarrassment. Never mind the fact that I wore maroon glasses bigger than my face at all times!

I think there are 2 types of people in this world when it comes to memories. Those who have a lot and those who don't. I am one of those people who doesn't remember very many details about my childhood. It is like a rushing river in my mind when I try to think about it. At some points along the river though, fish (aka random memories) will jump up out of the water.

So, when I look at this picture I always go back to one of those few, but specific memories. It would have been a little before or after this picture was taken because it was softball season and not basketball season. I was very shy to say the least. My cousins and church family were my friends and up until around this time I didn't really care otherwise.

But that changed.

One evening, after softball practice, one of the girls on our team handed out invitations to her birthday party to all the girls on the team. She was pretty and all the boys at school seemed to pay attention to her and all the girls on the team seemed really excited about this party. She had just recently moved to our school and had one of those bubbly personalities. She was the opposite of shy. Full of conversation. So I thought I should be excited too. And I was, and really nervous. This would be my first non-family birthday party after all!

I'm not quite sure about the middle of this event in my life. I'm sure I told my mom about the invite and I'm sure I talked about it with the girls on the softball team sometime that next week at school.

At the next practice the following week, everything went great. I specifically remember feeling like I was really part of something now. I had a bounce in my step and felt a little more confident. I probably chanted "softball" cheers a little louder that night. In my young mind I didn't relate this invitation as an opportunity or a ticket to the "in" crowd at school but looking back, that is what it really meant to me.

After practice I was picking up the equipment in the dugout when one of life's tragic moments, in a kid's world, took place. The birthday girl casually walked up to me. Just me, squatting in the dugout surrounded by several of the other girls on the team. She proceeded to tell me that her parents had only given her "x" amount of invitations to pass out for her birthday party and she needed mine back because she forgot about one of her friends at school that she wanted to give my invitation to. It still puts a lump in my throat to this day. I faked it like it was no big deal and barely kept myself together. Tears were immediately present. My face was on fire.

Knowing me, I probably didn't say anything to anyone. I probably just let my mom forget about it, too embarrassed to tell her why I wouldn't be going to the birthday party. I remember that it took me a few weeks to feel like I could go to softball practice or to a game without feeling like I wanted to burst into pieces. My chest ached each time I had to face all of them and if there would have been an explanation that would have sufficed my parents and coach I would have quit the team forever.

This was my introductory lesson into the world of social classes. I'm guessing because it is one of the few details I remember about my childhood, it had a lot of influence in shaping who I was, and unfortunately still am.

Although I have allowed Christ to replace much of my insecurities and fearful nature with his love and character I have to admit, I still feel like I am over-sensitive any time I perceive being "left out" of something in any way. The wound isn't gaping anymore but the scar is still visible.

(It was also around this time that I read the book "Sarah Plain and Tall." I was always the tallest girl, and usually taller than all but one or two of the boys growing up, and I obviously felt very plain because the title of this book rang loud and clear in my mind. I identified myself with this title and it has been stuck in my mind ever since. I am still above average height for the female species- but hopefully plain-but not too plain now. :)

Going Ons

I want to share some recent pics for our out-of-town family to let you see just how big

our precious ones are getting. They change and grow so fast!

But before the pictures....

I want to thank all of you who donated to the Daggs garage sale! They raised almost $1300 from your stuff to pay for Kannon's upcoming therapy this month! They will be holding another one this following weekend so if you need to clean out your attic (like me) I will be taking more stuff over this week.

Also, please email me or leave a comment to let me know if you are planning on coming to Focused Fellowship next Tuesday, May 11th. I may have you BYOC (bring your own chair) depending on how many are coming.

I can't put my finger on why I love this picture so much.

But I do. Bruises and all.

Hayden got the buzz this week. Maybe next time daddy can hold him down and

I can leave it longer on top. No chance of that by myself.

Berklee flying on the swing, as she says "like Tink mom!"

I was taking some cute pictures of Hayden playing with

his train and didn't realize that he was playing with the

poop in his pants. Nice.

We walked down to the creek behind our neighborhood.

Berklee brought her favorite bear, Teddy. I never

pushed a blankie or animal into my kids hands but Berklee chose this

bear out of her toybox about a year and half ago to sleep with

every night. This is the first item Shawn and I bought

the week we found out we were pregnant with Berklee.

She loves for me to tell her that story now. And I love to tell it.

Yarn Maniac

Through the wonderful world of technology I have reconnected with a high school friend

who has a talent for making yarn goodies. I ordered some clips for Berklee's hair in pink and purple and Christie also generously gave me a hat too! Check out her blog and her sweet goodies. I will definitely be placing an order for our fall hats from her!