On this day, I am thankful for...

• My favorite son and his sense of humor. I love that Burrito's humor sneaks up on me when I least expect it. (See the post below this one.)


• The beautiful, blue Texas sky... and for the (slight) possibility of desperately needed rain this afternoon.


• The joy of kind neighbors - just thinking of them makes me smile!


• Little glimpses into the future as I watch Kat "mother" some of the younger neighbor children.


• The blessing of teens who don't mind to be "seen" with their parents.
  
  
• The sound of Max purring. For his fluffy, soft fur and his sweet companionship when I'm home alone.


• The anticipation of a date with Bud this Saturday evening.


• Friends. I've been blessed with very special people in my life!

Hacked!

So... this blog just got hacked by my favorite child because I left the window open! oops. My favorite son who I love so much just wanted to tell me how special I am and how important it is to keep a blog secure.

Love you a bunch!

-your favorite of the two

(the good looking one)

I'm still hearing music...

"Everlasting God" sung by Lincoln Brewster

Have you never heard? Have you never understood?
The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth.
He never grows weak or weary.
No one can measure the depths of his understanding.
He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless.
Even youths will become weak and tired,
and young men will fall in exhaustion.
But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.
They will soar high on wings like eagles.
They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.
Isaiah 40:28-31 (NLT)

Works for Me Wednesday - Mexican Crock Pot Chicken

I'm baaaaaaack!

Did you miss me?

What?! You didn't know I was gone? No? You can thank Blogger in draft for post scheduling!

Yep! We spent a glorious seven days on the West End of Galveston Island - the less populated area of the island. We had perfect beach weather every day. We enjoyed sitting on the beach, splashing in the waves, building sandcastles, horseback riding (right on the beach!) and fishing - surf fishing, fishing in the bay, fishing in the gulf, fishing in the canal, fishing from the piers. Did I mention the seafood? Oh, the wonderful seafood at Gaido's, our favorite restaurant! I'll be posting pictures of our adventures very soon.

Other than Gaido's, we ate all of our meals at home. I worked hard before our vacation to create menus for simple meals. Meals that we would all enjoy eating and that would also allow me to spend as little time in the kitchen as possible. Don't get me wrong. I love to cook but that's not what I want to do when there's sun, sand and saltwater right outside my door!

In honor of "Works for Me Wednesday" and due to my lack of creativity at the moment (I'm still on island time!), I'd like to share one of the meals I made. This is a recipe the Queen Mum made for us during our visit to Ohio this past June. (Thanks, Mum!) It's one of those "throw-it-in-the-crock-pot-and-leave-it-all-day" meals. I'm sure the recipe has a real name, but I just call it "Mexican Crock Pot Chicken."

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I used frozen and didn't even defrost them!)
• 1 package frozen corn (no need to defrost)
• 1 can black beans (rinsed and drained)
• 1 jar of salsa (use your favorite brand)

Place the chicken in the crock pot. Add the corn and black beans. Pour salsa over the top. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours. Serve over rice (instant if you're really lazy like I was!) and garnish with grated cheese, sour cream and chopped cilantro. This recipe can be doubled, if needed.

Works for me!

Please allow me to introduce you...

I’ve blogged for several years now. I had another blog prior to this one but I kept it private and only invited close friends and family to read it. The host site went through several rounds of “upgrades” (not) so I stopped using it and gave up blogging for about a year.

But I missed it. I love to write and blogging is such a good way to stay in touch with our family and friends who are scattered all over the country. So, I jumped back on the blogging bandwagon and have enjoyed writing again. I decided to leave my blog “semi-open” to other readers and as a result I have “met” many other interesting bloggers. Most of them are Christian moms with lives and values similar to my own.



I thought it would be fun to introduce to you, my faithful readers, some of these blogging friends. I won’t waste your time telling you about my “famous” blogger friends – you know, The Pioneer Woman and such, because you’ve probably already met them. And, they’re already famous and don’t need my smattering of publicity. And you can link to them from my side bar.



First, allow me to shamelessly plug my Prince Charming’s blog: Reel Fun Saltwater Fishing. He is, after all, my very best friend.





I’m sure not many of my female readers are going to be too interested in Bud's saltwater fishing reports and pictures. But, maybe some of you can use his blog as an example when your man wants to know what the big deal is about blogging. I’m sure most men will enjoy Bud’s blog much more than mine!



Next, I’d like to introduce Steph over at “For the Love of Sam”. If you’ve been reading my blog for any amount of time at all, you’re probably already familiar with Steph. She’s been my BFA&F since the first day of 9th grade. I’ve blogged about her before and wrote about her visit this past spring. She’s new to blogging but boy oh boy can she give those “famous” bloggers a run for their money. She makes me laugh like no one else can and she has a heart for God, her hubby, and her kids – all SIX of them! Steph and hubby, Sam, live the reality version of The Brady Bunch! Go visit her. You’ll like her, too!



One more introduction for today…



The web makes the world seem a little smaller. So much so that it is as if Prairie Chick over at Prairie Prologue lives just outside of my suburban community. But she doesn’t. She lives all the way up in Canada! This is a picture she posted recently of herself on her wedding day. She and her husband were married in Italy. Isn’t she beautiful? Prairie Chick is beautiful on the inside, too! I love to read about her life as a wife and mother and a lover of our Lord. Her writing is so open and real that I feel as if I’ve peaked through a window of her heart every time I read her blog. She always shares the joys in her life but never hesitates to chat about her frustrations and struggles, too. That’s not always easy to do, you know? It’s much more fun to “pretty up” the situations in our life and write a humorous post. Prairie Chick asks deep questions that make me examine my heart. She’s honest and real. I like that.



I hope you’ve enjoyed meeting some of my blogging friends. Go visit their blogs and tell them Dawn sent you. I’ll introduce you to some more of my blogging friends in future posts.

One of My Favorite Songs

I mentioned earlier that I've been humming numerous praise songs recently - going to sleep with one running through my mind and waking the next morning with the same one still playing. I don't know why, but I love it.  It fills me with a sense of peace and puts me in a calm, worshipful (is that a word?) state of mind.  Combine that with having all things beachy also running through my mind and that narrows down my song selection. 

One of my favorite songs is "Ocean Floor" by Audio Adrenaline. I love the music because it sounds like the ocean.  And, I love the imagery of the words - our sins being forgotten and as far away as the bottom of the ocean's floor.  Our family spends a lot of time on the water in the Gulf which makes this imagery so real to me.

Watch and listen... see if you don't agree.



"My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous.  He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world." I John 2:1, 2

This day, I am thankful for...

The blessing of children.



Their lives fill our home with laughter and fun and give purpose to my mother's heart.



For Burrito and Kat's amazing, willing obedience in household chores this week - it has lightened my load.



Safe travels for people we love.



The joy of having Brownie in our home for almost two weeks.



A faithful husband who works hard - often without recognition he so deserves.



A mother-in-law who spends all her vacation time with us when she could be anywhere in the world.



The blessing of sunshine following the blessing of rain.



The need to be busy in my home today and for the beautiful home that You have provided for us to enjoy.



The anticipation of a family vacation at our favorite place. Nine full days of being together.



For the mercy and grace I've received undeserved. Time and again.



For the blessing of music You've been placing in my mind and heart the past few weeks. Show me the meaning.

"And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful." Colossians 3:15

Works for Me Wednesday

I've got all things beachy on my brain since we're getting ready to visit the beach very soon. So, naturally my BIG idea for "Works for Me Wednesday" would involve the beach.

What do you sit on when you visit the beach? (Relax... this isn't a trick question.)

Lugging those beach chairs down the stairs and across the sand can be a real pain. Literally. Using your beach towels and blankets directly on the sand doesn't work so well either. They absorb more sand than they do water!

The solution? A water-resistant, fabric (polyester/nylon) shower curtain!

The benefits are numerous:

1. They are cheap. You can find them at any discount store for just a few dollars. (I bought mine at Big Lots for $4 about 15 years ago and it's still working!)


2. The colors and designs are almost limitless.


3. They are bigger than any beach towel and provide room for several kiddos.


4. They fold up small and can be crammed into even the tiniest spot in your beach bag.


5. Dry sand will not stick to them.


6. Wet sand will not stick to them. (And the moisture will not seep through them.)


7. They are washable and will dry in about five minutes in the dryer. (Great for multiple trips to the beach in a single day!)

They are great for picnics, too, and they also work well to cover carpet when you've got kiddos eating on the floor. The water-resistant feature will give you enough time to clean up spills before soaking into the carpet underneath it.

Works for me!

For more great ideas that work, visit Works for Me Wednesday at Rocks In My Dryer!

We got the green light!

Well, it’s official. We are a three-driver family. Burrito took the test for his driver’s permit today and passed with flying colors. Not that he will be doing any solo flights anytime soon!

So, guess what I did today? I rode in the passenger seat while Burrito took numerous drives around our neighborhood. Kat rode with us on one trip. From the backseat I kept hearing, “This is so weird!”

I just can’t figure out how I got to this stage of life so soon.

Have a Star-Spangled Fourth!

I love the 4th of July! I love everything it represents about our country and I thoroughly enjoy celebrating the holiday. Our family’s U.S. flag proudly flies on the front of our house and the overhang of our front porch is decked out with red, white and blue buntings. I am worse than the kiddos when it comes to anticipating the fireworks at the end of the evening. Throw in a well-sung rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” and I instantly become misty-eyed.

"The Star-Spangled Banner" comes from a poem written in 1814 by Francis Scott Key, a then 35-year-old amateur poet who wrote "Defence of Fort McHenry" after seeing the bombardment of Fort McHenry at Baltimore, Maryland, by Royal Navy ships in the Chesapeake Bay during the War of 1812. It wasn’t until later that the poem was renamed and set to music.

Did you know that our national anthem has four stanzas? Only the first is commonly sung today, with the fourth ("O thus be it ever when free men shall stand ...") added on more formal occasions.

O! say can you see by the dawn's early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming.
Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming.
And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines in the stream:
'Tis the star-spangled banner! Oh long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion,
A home and a country should leave us no more!
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps' pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

O! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: 'In God is our trust.'
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

Sing it loud! Sing it proud! (And please stand up, face the flag, take off your hat, and place your hand over your heart.)

For more Fourth of July trivia, visit Steph over at For the Love of Sam.

God bless America and may we enjoy our freedom with lives deserving of His blessings!

Ohio Memories (Part I)

One day while we were in Ohio, my Dad splurged on the kids and took them to a place called Swings-N-Things. By the way, there are no swings at this place. I don't know - maybe they are hoping to get some swings one day?

They cooled off riding the bumper boats. These are very much like bumper cars; only they are motorized inner tube-type boats with water jets that the rider can use to spray other riders. Or, moms with cameras who stand too close to the fence.

The main reason we went to Swings-N-Things was to allow them to spend the better part of the day driving in circles on go-karts.

Burrito was a courteous driver. He followed the rule of “no bumping.” (That’s my first born, by-the-books kid for ya!) Kat had the whistle blown at her several times and even bumped another driver hard enough to cause him to spin out - just like the cops do when they're trying to end a high-speed chase. Her excuse? “He cut me off so I had to hit him!” What? No brakes?

This was a foreshadowing of things to come. Burrito’s birthday this past Sunday marked an important milestone in his young life: the beginning of driver’s training. We are doing the parent-taught driver’s education allowed here in Texas. I’m the instructor. (You may stop laughing now.)

Texas drivers, fair warning, ya'll!