Unspeakable Joy

Psa 100:1-2

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.

Worship the Lord with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.

This song makes me want to be joyful and jump up & down.



Home Sweet Home...

Thursday I cooked my "out of the ordinary dish" and it was very good.  I grilled some striped pangasus (fish) - I brushed it with butter, sprinkled it with garlic/onion seasoning, dill, & salt, then grilled in a pan with some olive oil.  It was very good.  I also gave spaghetti squash a 2nd attempt.  Last time I made it, I had a hard time with it - too crunchy.  This time, I let it ripen for 4 days on the counter and it came out of the oven perfectly tender.  I sauteed some onion, garlic, zucchini, & italian seasoning, then tossed in the spaghetti squash.  It was very good - yummo!

I took a picture of it all plated but I didn't like the quality of the photo - the lighting in my kitchen is not good.  Could be cuz one set of our flourescent lights are completely out.  Maybe Santa will fix it for me by Christmas morning.  I'll put it on my Christmas list.

Dinner was good, Q & LQ were happy, then we all sat down and watched the recordings of Charlie Brown.  Oh, and LQ & I decorated our gingerbread house.

Very Fun, Very Sweet, Very Tasty...

Hey Jolly! Break it down!

I watched this at Big Mama's blog and am cracking up!!!

Enjoy :)  I'm gonna watch it again...



Bahahaha!

Elf your Face

I'm behind on my blogging.
I've started a number of posts but they remain unfinished, therefore, they are growing stale.
I really don't like it when that happens.

Today I'm joining the "Wednesday Hodgepodge" by
Joyce's "from this side of the pond" blog.

1. What does it mean to have the 'holiday spirit'?

The true holiday spirit is about love and kindness, not materialism and shopping.

Do your best not to get caught up in the latter.

This past Sunday our church gave us all a

"12 Days of Christmas" Challenge.

I invite everyone to try it out.

 

2. What sits atop your tree (s)? Why?

An Angel.
We've had her since our first Christmas together, 15 years ago.
Every year, I say I need to get a new tree topper.
Every year, I still put her on top of the tree.

3. When was the last time you gave yourself a pat on the back?

We went to a Christmas party on Monday night and we were all to bring finger foods.
I made peanut butter & jelly 'sushi' rolls (as per Q's suggestion).
I thought it was gonna be lame, but they were very tasty,
and quite a hit, if I do say so myself.

 

4. Which of your senses is most sensitive this time of year?

SMELL!
From food to fragrance to candles to more food.

 

5. What do you have too much of in your kitchen?

MAIL!
I really do try to throw away all junk mail, but I simply can't.
I almost always, always, always, keep a coupon, or a magazine, or postcard, that I think I'm going to need or use later.
Sadly, I rarely ever, ever, ever do.
BUT, when I do - I am very happy &
experience a 'pat myself on the back' moment.

 

6. What do you do for meals on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day? Big meal? Breakfast tradition? Open the cookie tins and have at it?

Tamales & Ham on Christmas Eve & Christmas Day.
My sister & I are making tamales with my Mom this weekend.
They are so very good when they are freshly made.
Christmas morning, I like to make a big breakfast,
complete with pancakes, eggs, bacon, toast & coffee/hot cocoa.

 

7. What is the best thing about winter?

Warm thick socks & big fluffy blankets.

 

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I installed the "Elf your Face" app on my iPhone

and LQ 'elfed' a pic of grapefruit.

A little Christmas cheer

I had lunch with LQ last week and got this pic of him and his friend Connor.

What a couple of cuties :). Added the extras with the Elf app on my iPhone.

Always Enough...

Song of the week for me.  He is always enough...

Dish Report: There's nothing to make...

I have been without a car since Wednesday morning and as far as groceries were concerned I figured I was doing OK even though I hadn't really gone grocery shopping since before Thanksgiving.  Believe it or not, there are still Thanksgiving leftovers in my refridgerator that I must throw out.  Anyway, I started to plan what I was going to create for my Thursday night "out of the ordinary" dish and realized that my ingredients were limited and I was having trouble putting together a complete meal for the evening. 

Q got home from work and I tried to muscle him into leaving to either go to the grocery store or to go out to eat...  not really...  I didn't really muscle him...  remember I'm an overzealous optimist - I count on him eventually saying "yes" to something...  I kinda half-heartedly suggested going out, then after he had already changed into his Dallas Cowboys pajama pants, I ranted out a couple of options that I could make like...  tacos, but I had no tortillas...  picadillo, but I had no potatoes...  I have everything for spaghetti & meatballs, but he really doesn't like the spaghetti sauce that's currently in the pantry and I don't have what I need to make one from scratch...  are you seeing my optimism slowly fading?  LQ wanted me to order pizza, but Q was not really wanting to over indulge on pizza.  Yes, it's quick, but it's too easy for each of us to eat a whole pizza.

So I made this for Q, LQ & Me (the girls were both working). 

Who doesn't like breakfast sandwiches?  Egg, 2 slices of cheese & ham, on buttered & grilled potato bread.  I added the tomato for me and LQ dipped his in ketchup (not surprised)... and Q added an onion & garlic seasoning which gave it an extra special touch.  I remade the sandwich for me this morning since I forgot to take a picture of it last night and it was so very yummy... and, Yes... That is a skull on the plate.  That's how I roll in the morning. 

Then I cut one of these juicy grapefruits for LQ & me.  They were delivered to me for FREE from one of the vendors at the marathon expo. 

I entered so many raffles that day and I filled out so many information cards, I'm not sure if I won them or if they were sending them to everyone.

It was all quite tasty.  In fact, Q & LQ each asked for another sandwich.  Which I ate more than half of LQ's cuz he couldn't finish it.  What a good mommy I am - it's no wonder I can't fit into my summer shorts!

Have a great weekend :)

Potato chip sandwiches...

Today is Dec 1st.

I'm not sure why that has became a big deal today but for some reason it did.

Today is the first day of the last month of the year.

Really?  So soon?  WOW!

THAT'S why it's a big deal.

HURRY!

Time to meet get the ball rolling on those resolution goals that I made at the beginning of the year cuz time is running out.

But first...

Today I'm linking up to a linking party "From This Side of the Pond" blog.

There's some pretty funny stuff over there along with other bloggers who have linked up and answered 8 random questions.  Make sure you go take a look.

1. What is the most interesting thing you've done in the last year?

Made New Year Resolutions that was 12 items long.

Met 3 of the 12 which included 1-get better with my guitar which I started taking lessons, 2-journaling more often, I even started a blog, & 3-read 10 books, currently reading #10.

I don't think I'll get to the other 9 but looking back at it - what was I thinking?

A chore chart?  Really?

I started bowling again with Q.

Makes us both super happy to spend Wednesday nights together.

See?

I ran a full 26.2 mile marathon!

My children keep growing up and have kept me smiling, laughing, crying, yelling, and all other -ing's you can think of.  I am so blessed!

F turned 20, LQ turned 6 & V turned 18.

 

2. What is your most meaningful family heirloom?

My Great-Grandpa's bible.

It's in Spanish and very old but I have fond memories of watching him read it.

My Mom has it right now.

3. What food festival would you most like to attend? If you're not sure click here to see a list of possibilities.

San Antonio's FIESTA!

And our church festival at River City. 

4. Snow...do you love it or is it considered a four letter word where you live?

Umm... I love it - it's my last name!

There's hardly ever ANY snow where I live.

5. Can you ski? Do you ski? Are you any good?

I love skiing.  I've been a total of 3 times.
Does that make me a novice?

We have to travel far for it cuz we get none of that here in South Texas.

I'm still looking for a picture from our last trip.
I am pretty good.  I think.  I haven't broken anything.  That's gotta be a good thing.

6. What quality in your spouse or best friend are you most thankful for?

Q is a realist which balances out my overzealous optimism.

Yes, he really is... Really.

7. Describe the coziest spot in your home.

Q's leather lazy-boy in the living room.

My worn out recliner in the bedroom.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

My favorite snack is a potato chip sandwich.

Lay's Thin or Ruffles Ridges with white bread.

Yummy.

Whatever You're Doing...

I've heard this song many times and have always loved the message.  However, right now, I'm going through a season of healing and today the words just gripped my heart and pulled me towards something heavenly.

Praise You Almighty Father for being larger than I could ever imagine and for your faithful and never-ending presence in my life.

It's time for healing time to move on
It's time to fix what's been broken too long
Time to make right what has been wrong
It's time to find my way to where I belong
There's a wave that's crashing over me
And all I can do is surrender

(Chorus)
Whatever You're doing inside of me
It feels like chaos but somehow there's peace
It's hard to surrender to what I can't see
but I'm giving in to something Heavenly

Time for a milestone
Time to begin again
Reevaluate who I really am
Am I doing everything to follow Your will
Or just climbing aimlessly over these hills
So show me what it is You want from me
I give everything I surrender...
To...

(Chorus)

Time to face up
Clean this old houseTime to breathe in and let everything out
That I've wanted to say for so many years
Time to release all my held back tears

Whatever You're doing inside of me
It feels like chaos but I believe
You're up to something bigger than me
Larger than life something Heavenly

Whatever You're doing inside of me
It feels like chaos but now I can see
This is something bigger than me
Larger than life something Heavenly
Something Heavenly

It's time to face up
Clean this old house
Time to breathe in and let everything out

We Are Family...

Thankful for my family this week.  I'm looking forward to spending time with all of them and enjoying lots of food, good times and exciting football.

Dish Report: Pizza & Dance

Not take-out pizza
Not frozen pizza

It was...
HOMEMADE PIZZA

Tomato Basil

Meatball Marinara

Italian Cheese

Caesar Salad

For the record...

All family members ate and were happy.

So we spent the rest of the evening doing this...

Cute, huh?

Check out these moves...

Hunny bunny looks good :o)

Xbox Kinect Dance Central

Created to give children an eye to a time

when their Moms & Dads had it going on!

YES!

Something Beautiful...

Today is just a gorgeous day :)

On the way home from picking up Little Q we heard this song.

Vicki bought me this CD for my birthday and I love the entire CD.

This song, however, is what hooked me into making sure it was on my "birthday list."

I love the sound of the guitar and I love, Love, LOVE the lyrics.

LQ likes this song too - you should see him right now.

Running around the kitchen singing at the top of his lungs as though he's the lead singer.

He is not a ham.

Really.

'sigh'

He really is MY son.

'heavy sigh'

I know.

Hahaha!!!



In your ocean, I'm ankle deep
I feel the waves crashin' on my feet
It's like I know where I need to be
But I can't figure out, yeah I can't figure out

Just how much air I will need to breathe
When your tide rushes over me
There's only one way to figure out
Will ya let me drown, will ya let me drown

Hey now, this is my desire
Consume me like a fire, 'cause I just want something beautiful
To touch me, I know that I'm in reach
'Cause I am down on my knees, I'm waiting for something beautiful
Oh, something beautiful

And the water is risin' quick
And for years I was scared of it
We can't be sure when it will subside
So I won't leave your side, no I can't leave your side

Hey now, this is my desire
Consume me like a fire, 'cause I just want something beautiful
To touch me, I know that I'm in reach
'Cause I am down on my knees, I'm waiting for something beautiful
Oh, something beautiful

In a daydream, I couldn't live like this
I wouldn't stop until I found something beautiful
When I wake up, I know I will have
No, I still won't have what I need

Hey now, this is my desire
Consume me like a fire, 'cause I just want something beautiful
To touch me, I know that I'm in reach
'Cause I am down on my knees, I'm waiting for something beautiful
Oh, something beautiful

51,107...

... How many steps did I take running my first 26.2 mile marathon?  And I burned over 2800 calories - Wow!

There is no denying the anticipation that I had for this event.  I counted down the days, made sure that I hydrated, carb-loaded, and passed on the wine.  It was all I expected it to be...

Fun... Long... Grueling... Exciting... Exhilarating... Painful...

I ran with a great group of friends, shout-outs to Connie, Karen, Diane, Jim & Chad.  We kept each other motivated and on-track.  There's something exciting that happens when you do something with a group of people that are all running toward a common goal.  A kinship - a community - a family is birthed where you least expect it.  That in itself is priceless.

Running through downtown San Antonio was nice.  The weather was great and the scenery was beautiful.  The crowds all through downtown were excited - which we all appreciated.  I felt great all thru mile 18, then I started to feel shakey and hungry and if I were by myself, I might have considered quitting had this one woman not shouted "Come on!  You can do it!  This is what you trained for!"  Lady - whoever you are - Bless You!  You kept me focused and I needed it bad. 

Around mile 19, I had to take a potty break and told my buddies to go ahead and I'd catch up.  That break made my leg muscles tighten up and it took me longer to get back into a running rhythm.  I ran by my husband, son, mom & sister at mile 21 and they cheered and yelled and all I thought to myself was "Ok, less than a 10k left.  It's a new race, I can finish this!"  About 100 yards past my family, my calves just cramped up and did not want to run anymore.  If calves could speak, mine would have been saying, "Hey! You've never made us run this far before so we're not doing it!"  I spent the next 2 miles walking and stretching A LOT!  By this time, I knew 2 things - I was not going to catch up with my group, and I would not finish at the 5 hour mark.  But, I kept trying to run and FINALLY - shortly after passing the mile 23 marker, my calves gave up their fight against my determination to finish.  My pace was not as strong as it had been but I was moving.  Hallelujah!

That last stretch to the finish line is all I've heard it could be.  It felt great.  I had my "moment."

My official time was 5:20:32 and I'm looking forward to beating that!  You heard that right - I will do this again.

I look goofey in this pic - My smile looks bigger than my head and I should have straightened my shirt and centered my bib but I think at this point it took every ounce of energy to hold up my "bling" :-)

Q & little Q met me at the finish line and I was so grateful they did.  Q helped me stretch out and then drove me straight to Big'z Burgers to eat one of these...  (I passed on going home to shower, cuz I was starving!)

As I hobbled thru the restaurant to a table, I saw 2 others wearing their bling and chowing down on some burgers and then another fellow marathoner came in after me.  They, like me, came straight from the finish line.  Happy to report that the restaurant smelled like a burger joint and not stinky marathon runners.

Down To The River To Pray...

Listening to Alison Krauss today on Pandora - this woman sings like an angel...

I know there are other more recent videos, but I love the sound of the gospel choir in this one.

As I went down in the river to pray
Studying about that good old way
And who shall wear the starry crown
Good Lord, show me the way !

O sisters let's go down,
Let's go down, come on down,
O sisters let's go down,
Down in the river to pray.

As I went down in the river to pray
Studying about that good old way
And who shall wear the robe and crown
Good Lord, show me the way !

O brothers let's go down,
Let's go down, come on down,
Come on brothers let's go down,
Down in the river to pray.

As I went down in the river to pray
Studying about that good old way
And who shall wear the starry crown
Good Lord, show me the way !

O sinners let's go down,
Let's go down, come on down,
O sinners let's go down,
Down in the river to pray.

As I went down in the river to pray
Studying about that good old way
And who shall wear the robe and crown
Good Lord, show me the way !

Remind me... Again...

I wish I could explain how my conversations with God make me feel.  It's so hard to put into words the conversations we have...  I went out for an easy run today at Comanche Hill and I had faithfulness and God's provision on my mind.  I left my house filled with gratitude regarding how faithful Father has been in providing my family with living essentials.  He reminded me of His faithfulness in providing me (and those who I love and pray for) with so much more. 

He reminded me of the time that I prayed for Him to give me rest during a time when my heart was filled with so much anguish that I cried almost constantly.

He reminded me of the time that I prayed for "his" brokenness and that God would bring "him" to us to heal "their" pain.

He reminded me of the time when I cried out to bring "her" down to her knees so the only thing she can do is look up.

He reminded me of the time when I prayed "they" would be brought to a place where they would remember how much they love one another.

He reminded me of the time when He told me to keep my mouth shut and that He would speak to "her" and guide "her" decision.

He reminded me that He knows the cries of my heart before words are ever formed in my head or spoken from my mouth.

These were big God moments in my life, and He reminded me that He, in all his splendor, works daily in my life so much, that "I ain't seen nothing yet."

All I could do at the end of my run was cry and praise Him with my hands held high.

Psa 150:2  Praise Him for his acts of power; Praise Him for his surpassing greatness.

Dish Report #7

Since the cold weather hit last week, I've been in the mood for nice, hot comfort food.

I was going to make chicken caldo on Halloween, but opted for chili.

What made that even better, was that Q cooked it.

I made mini cornbread muffins which were good on top of the very hot & spicy chili.

(bahaha - that's funny!)

For Thursday's out of ordinary dish
I made Beef Stew w/Mushrooms from the Pioneer Woman and mashed potatoes.

This is what I learned about this dish.

I love mushrooms.

Q is not a stew man.

I really like stews.

Q said the beef was too bland.

I thought it could of used a little more salt but not much.

Little Q doesn't like mashed potatoes.

Vicki doesn't like beef stew w/mushrooms, she prefers ham & cheese sandwiches.

Little Q said, "the meat tastes good with the cornbread, cuz you can't taste the meat"
No rating was given to this dish.

As I was prepping the stew meat, I was reminded of when Q & I first got together.

He had bought steaks and I was not a "steak-eater."

So I cut it into little pieces to cook with rice or something.

He said, "What are you doing?! Why are you cutting that?!"

He was shocked that I would cut up a great piece of steak.

I had learned to cut meats & cook with something.

I guess that's why I love stews and caldos.

*****

Marathon day is only 9 days away!!!
26.2 miles to run on Sunday 11/14

Our last benchmark on 10/24 was 20 miles.

Based on these results
I should finish right under 5 hours.
What?!  I'll be running for 5 hours?!!!
Aaaahhhh!!!!!
I'm nervous & excited.
Praying for good, cool weather.
Praying for a good crowd to motivate me when I hit "the wall."
Praying that Q will be on the route to give me a turkey sandwich.
Praying for sound mind & healthy body.
Praying for my running bff's.
Praying.

Take a look at the course map and pick a spot to hang out to cheer the runners on.

Against The Wind

Was out running sprints this morning and found myself running "against the wind" and had to look up this video and lyrics.  Really a great classic song about a life's journey.

It seems like yesterday
But it was long ago
Janey was lovely she was the queen of my nights
There in the darkness with the radio playing low
And the secrets that we shared
The mountains that we moved
Caught like a wildfire out of control
'Til there was nothing left to burn and nothing left to prove
And I remember what she said to me
How she swore that it never would end
I remember how she held me oh so tight
Wish I didn't know now what I didn't know then

Against the wind
We were runnin' against the wind
We were young and strong, we were runnin'
Against the wind

The years rolled slowly past
And I found myself alone
Surrounded by strangers I thought were my friends
I found myself further and further from my home
And I guess I lost my way
There were oh so many roads
I was living to run and running to live
Never worryied about paying or even how much I owed
Moving eight miles a minute for months at a time
Breaking all of the rules that would bend
I began to find myself searching
Searching for shelter again and again

Against the wind
A little something against the wind
I found myself seeking shelter sgainst the wind

Well those drifter's days are past me now
I've got so much more to think about
Deadlines and commitments
What to leave in, what to leave out

Against the wind
I'm still runnin' against the wind
I'm older now but still runnin' against the wind
Well I'm older now and still runnin'
Against the wind
Against the wind
Against the wind

Still runnin'
I'm still runnin' against the wind
I'm still runnin'
I'm still runnin' against the wind
Still runnin'
Runnin' against the wind
Runnin' against the wind
See the young man run
Watch the young man run
Watch the young man runnin'
He'll be runnin' against the wind
Let the cowboys ride
Let the cowboys ride
They'll be ridin' against the wind
Against the wind ...

I N   T H E   S P I R I T

O F   P U M P K I N S ...

T H E   L A S T   4 8   H O U R S

W E R E   S P E N T

H A V I N G   F U N ...

E A T I N G   F O O D ...

A N D   W I T H   M Y

I N C R E D I B L E   F A M I L Y ...



L O O K I N G   F O R W A R D

T O   T H A N K S G I V I N G