Amazing story!

Just this last weekend, a friend forwarded this blog to me. I read it for over an hour, and found myself weeping and cheering for this family! I was inspired by their faith, and their story of hope is reaching many people, all over the world!
Nathan is the husband that blogs about his two "girls". His wife, Tricia, has cystic fibrosis, and is in the hospital waiting for a double lung transplant. Eleven weeks ago, Tricia gave birth to their first child, Gwyneth, who was born at 24 weeks gestation. She is considered a micro-preemie, but is beating all the odds, and is beautiful!
Both Tricia and Gwyneth are in the same hospital, and Nathan's take on their journey is inspiring!
Please visit their blog, and add them to your prayers!

www.cfhusband.blogspot.com/

Make a slideshow - it's easy!

My Favorite (Easy) Meal!

I love easy meals!
With a busy schedule and school, my days get clogged with things to do, and the last thing I feel like doing is slaving away over the stove!
Now, I will confess that I guilt myself into fixing somewhat elaborate meals quite frequently. Somehow, I have entwined my identity into what comes out of my kitchen! It is ridiculous and exhausting! But, I am working on it.

So, with all of that said, here is my newest favorite thing to fix on those nights when I want to go EASY! I can whip this dish up in about 20 minutes. Don't be fooled by the name...it is so simple!

"Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta"

13 oz. box Ronzoni Healthy Harvest Pasta (I like the Whole Wheat Penne Rigate)
16 oz. jar of Classico Sun-Dried Tomato Alfredo Sauce
1 cup of sliced carrots
1 cup of sliced green and red bell peppers (1/2 cup each)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1 can of black olives, drained
2 cups of chicken, fully cooked and cut into small pieces

Cook the pasta until al dent'e. Drain. While pasta is cooking, saute' the veggies in olive oil, just until fork tender. Add the sauce, chicken and olives to the pan of veggies and heat thoroughly. Pour the vegetable/chicken mixture over the pasta and lightly stir together.
Serve hot with Crusty Bread.

This is a meal that Alex likes to help me make. He is my official vegetable cutter! Last night, as we were preparing the veggies, he said, "Mom, we should add some cilantro to this." So, he did, and it was FABULOUS!! All three of the children love this pasta, and I love that they are getting a nice serving of vegetables! Except for Ash, who picks out the carrots!

Try it, and enjoy!

She made it!

Last Monday, March 17th, was my mother-in-law, Margaret's five year anniversary, as a breast cancer survivor!
I will never forget the afternoon, that she called me and told me that she had bad news. She had cancer!!!
We found ourselves almost immediately submerged into "the fight" right along with her. Fighting cancer with someone is one of the scariest things we have ever gone through.
But, something we all learned by walking that journey, is that God is so much bigger than the cancer.
Mother fought hard, made extremely tough decisions, made bald look beautiful, endured awful treatments and with God's healing touch, came through all of it...a victor!

Duane and I wanted to take a moment to tell Mother how proud we are of her, and show our gratefulness to God for His help-every step of the way!

Congratulations Mother! We knew you had it in you!

Love,
Your kids

Sheila's Top Ten Big Hair Moments!

I went through a period if time in my life (nine years), where I sported BIG HAIR! I wanted to give all of my blog readers something to smile about on this most dreary day! Enjoy....and it won't hurt my feelings if you laugh!
With no further adieu, I give you.......Sheila's Top Ten Big Hair Moments!

A picture says a thousand words!

Well, it may take more than one picture to show you what a great Easter Sunday we had! We spent the afternoon in Murphy with my family, then we spent the evening at Duane's parents.
Mr. Weatherman had us convinced that it was supposed to be up to a warm 62 degrees...but that was not the case. It was windy and chilly for Easter, but despite the weather, it was a beautiful day for celebrating the Resurrection of Christ!

Bridgette & Ashley on the hunt

Nikki and her loot!

Brittney was watching from inside the warm house

Nikki and Bridgette getting ready to color eggs on Saturday night.

Daddy and Duane

Addison and Brittney
Mother and Steph...sporting this Spring's new wind-blown look!

Justin and Mom...Justin went hunting for pinecones, while the rest went in search of eggs.

Me and my mom

Alex showing off his finds...it appears he had already cracked a few open!

Our three beautiful kids!

Alyssa, Nikki and Kenlee...Horn/Davenport Cousins

Nikki, Emme, Brooklyn and Bridgette....Taylor Cousins
Ashley and Kayla...with their money-stuffed silver eggs!

Nikki and Brooklyn

Happy Easter!

The Peach Salad is gelling; the Chocolate Four-layer Delight is layered; the multi-colored plastic eggs are filled with Nerds and Starbursts; the real eggs are hard-boiled, and sitting in the fridge in all of their rainbow beauty! The clothes are laid out, the shoes are sitting by the door, all three of our children are squeaky clean and sound asleep.....We are ready for Easter Sunday!

But, in the midst of all the preparation and craziness of this holiday, I don't want to miss the fact that because He lives.....Life is worth living!

Last night, we took the family to see, No Greater Love at Nampa First Nazarene. This was Nikki's first time to see it, while the rest of us have seen it many times! So to be able to sit there, and watch her amazement was..... amazing! She was soaking it all in! When the stone rolls (blows up), and Peter and John run to look in, Nikki leans over to me, and says, "Mommy, He isn't going to be in there, is He?" I replied with "no." She then looked me in the eyes and said, "Nope, He isn't going to be in there, because He is alive.... and Easter is not all about chocolate, it's about Jesus!!!" (Thank you, God...she is getting it!)
I giggled inside, but then soon found tears falling down my cheeks as I thought of that reality. I sat there last night, and once again it really, really hit me....My Savior is Alive!!! He isn't some dead man, that one time did some good. He is Alive!! Death had absolutely NO POWER over Him!!

I have been sharing with my children this week, that although Christ's death on that old rugged cross was tragic, and wrong, and sad.....Easter is about CELEBRATING and REJOICING that our God is not still hanging on an old cross, and He is not laying in some ruined tomb... we are celebrating The One who lives!!

So with that in mind, in the morning, we will put on our Spring garb, and with our church family we will worship the ONE who is ALIVE!!!

And then we will feast with those we love....family!

Here I am to worship,
Here I am to bow down,
Here I am to say that You're my God.
You're altogether lovely, Altogether worthy, Altogether wonderful to me!!!!

Blast from the Past!

So, I was going through some pictures last night, and came across this one!


I laughed and laughed until my sides ached, and then laughed some more! Then Ashley heard me laughing and came to see what was going on. When I showed her the picture, she started laughing........

What I want to know is why Aaron and I were not smiling?? Aaron looks like he has just seen a ghost, and I look scarred! I remember that day well. We went to a motel to have Olan Mills take our picture. And we were so excited to have our pets with us! So, I am not sure why we are not smiling??

Incidentally, Angie, the Cocker Spaniel put food on our table many times over. She was a puppy machine! Poor thing, now that I think about it, she probably ran away because she was tired of having puppies! She always had 10-12 puppies per litter, and I know she had 5 or more litters! They were beautiful money-making puppies!
My most beloved cat, Butterfinger, made most "Cat Haters" like cats. She was friendly, calm, and very clean! Yes, I bawled for days when she got hit! I can remember sobbing and telling my mom, that I had just lost my best friend!

Just wait until next week, when I do a post about "Sheila and the Poof!

Happy Birthday, Julie!

Today is my dear friend, Julie French's 25th birthday!! Well, maybe it isn't her 25th, but who's counting anyway!

Julie and I have been friends since 1983. According to my calculations that is 25 years!!! I think she could be considered an old friend...one that is tried and true. No, it hasn't been perfect, for sometimes we would let silly little issues and people get between us. But, we seemed to come back around and find friendship again. And I would venture to say, that now that we are older, and hopefully a lot more mature these days...our friendship is here to stay! For good!

Julie is a true friend! She is the real thing! She so willingly and lovingly gives of herself to all of us who are blessed to be in her life!

Julie and I spent many, many days together growing up. We went to school together, graduated in a class of eight together, went on many double-dates together, (With whom, you ask....well, those memories are in the past, and I think I will leave them there! :) and were bridesmaids in each other's weddings!

She once tried to teach me about horse riding....and we nearly ended up in a canal! I know that it was not her fault; I was the one that didn't know what I was doing. But the funniest part was the fact that we were laughing and screaming so hard, that the poor horse (I think her name was Flicka), didn't know where to go...so she just backed up!

Julie is a beautiful wife to Robb, and a mother to five, almost six of the cutest kids! She truly is an amazing mother!

Julie,
Thank you for sticking with me for all these years! I feel deeply humbled and blessed to be your friend, especially at this stage in our lives. We both have been blessed with wonderful husbands and families...did we really think it could be this good?
I love you, and pray that you know how much I mean that!
Happy Birthday, dear friend!
Sheila

Wordless Wednesday

(Nikki had fallen asleep at Jake and Paula's on Saturday evening. Thank you Lisa for the pictures!)

Ten For Tuesday

These are the top ten things I would do today if someone called and told me that I miraculously had the day off from being a mom and a teacher!!!

1. Mix up a batch of Monica's Creme Scones w/ dried cranberries, and make a cup of Market Spice tea...I would eat 2 scones, and save the rest for later!
2. Read my current book, "Fancy Pants" until noon.
3. Call a friend to meet me for lunch at "Market Limone"
4. Go to a bookstore and browse the aisles at a very leisurely pace
5. Go to an antique store and again browse the aisles at a very leisurely pace
6. Come home, wrap up in my favorite quilt and take a nap
7. Wake up, and finish reading my book.
8. Finish my scrapbook project on my Creative Memories Memory Board
9. Go out to dinner at Mia Thai with Duane, and order Cashew Chicken!
10. Come home and watch a good movie, then go to bed!

Sometimes, just dreaming about it, makes me happy! (Exhale)

"WAKE UP SHEILA! IT WAS JUST A DREAM, AND IT IS TIME TO START SCHOOL!!!!"

Praise!!!

Psalms 150:6...."Let every living, breathing creature praise God!"

Some of you may know that I have been struggling with severe insomnia for close to five months. I have been waking up anywhere between 2-4 a.m. EVERY night, and not able to go back to sleep for up to 2 1/2 hours! I used to think that was no big deal for other people, but then when it became part of my life, I changed my way of thinking! I have spent so many sleepless nights, just plain angry!
It was about 3 weeks ago, that I finally went and purchased a bottle of Advil PM, and began to take it. For the first time in months I got an entire night of sleep.
I really do hate to take medication....I don't mind swallowing it, but I don't like to think that I am dependent on a pill to make me feel better. But this was different...after finally getting some much needed rest, taking that pill every night was easy! I hadn't felt that good in a long time!

Then last week, our pastor was sharing in his sermon about his own problem of insomnia. He said, that He finally turned his TOSSING into TRUSTING. (Duane was elbowing me in the ribs...he had been giving me a hard time about my "drug use".) Pastor Darrel was not preaching against medication...he was just sharing how God had called him to quit fighting against the sleepless nights. He now goes to bed early, and is awake every morning at 3-4 am...for the day! Well, that is just not feesible for this mother of three!

So, I went away from that sermon, and decided that I was going to quit taking the pills at night. I told God that if the reason that I was waking up, was because He wanted me to get up and spend time with Him...I would do that. But then I asked Him to please help me get some sleep without the pills.
He knows that I am a busy mom, and that not being able to rest makes a momma cranky! But, I also know that He is bigger than my "non-stop, nightly turbulence".

So,
Last Sunday night, I went to bed with out a pill...and slept all night!
Last Monday night, I went to bed without a pill...and slept all night!
Last Tuesday night......and slept all night!
Last Wednesday........you get the picture!

Last night (Sunday) marked a week that I have been sleeping pill free, and I slept every night, all night!

Hallelujah! I am not going to over-think it, or worry that the insomnia may come back. I know that God answered my prayer!

Now, let me end this by saying, that I don't think I was wrong to take the pills. There are many medical conditions that require us to take medication. And I thank God we have them! If you require sleeping pills to get rest...that is your situation, and I am not faulting that!

This was something I was hearing God ask me to do. To trust Him to take care of it!
And I couldn't go another day without praising Him for it!

The Rocket's Rock!

Today marked the end of Alex's first season of basketball. He had a blast with UpWards, and we had a blast watching him improve every week! He turned out to be a great ball player, and is ALL about basketball now!
The Rockets won 7 out of 8 games...all because of Alex's "lucky shoes". (SMILE!)
Thank you to all that came today, and each Saturday, to cheer him on. He loved having fans!



I mentioned in one of my first posts about the boy on Alex's team who has Autism. Joey was a very special part of the team. Last week he finally made his first basket, and today he made two.
At first, I don't think the his team mates knew what to expect from him, but as the weeks went by, you could tell that he was "just one of the guys"! They would cheer him, and help him & watch out for him. In return, Joey loved his team. He would yell from the sidelines, "GO JOEY'S TEAM!!"(Joey, Alex, Garrett, Charlie)

I have always had a soft place in my heart for kids or adults like Joey. They don't bother me, or make me feel uncomfortable, but rather they seem extra special to me. I see them as having something wonderful to contribute to our lives. I have done my best to help my children see them in that same light.
Today, when I looked over on the sidelines during Alex's game and saw him sitting there interacting with Joey, my heart smiled! After the game Alex said "I wouldn't mind having Joey for a brother, he gives a good backrub!"

I look at my three children frequently, and thank God for their health and abilities! Duane and I have been blessed beyond measure...but I would venture to think that Joey's Dad and Mom feel blessed too, and rightfully so. Joey causes people to smile, and brightens the lives of anyone he is around. Although his future and the future of "normal" kids are going to be different, his life is just as valuable as any child's is!
And in a beautiful way, I see how easily and simply Joey loves others, and I think that makes God smile!

Good Job Rockets!!!

Simplify...my favorite word!

A little over a month ago, I established a new chore plan for our children. I will say that it has helped get them off of their backsides, and my workload has lightened tremendously!

My one problem has been, that while I was trying to develop a plan to make our home and the work within our home a well-greased team effort, I created another monster! (I am good at that)

I made it so that my kids earn points by working. Those points are then used for TV time. (My kids love to watch shows such as, Little House on the Prairie, Andy Griffith, Beverly Hillbillies, Lucy...but they don't realize how much time they can spend watching one after another.)
So, from 1:00-3:00 in the afternoon, they have to work to earn 100 points, so that they can watch one of their favorite shows!
It has been working, but I have created another job for mom to do: keep track of three kid's points everyday!! (GROWL) It has made Mom a bit Bear-ish!

So, last night, after talking to Rose and Talisha about it while we sipped Latte's...I was determined to figure out a new "keep track system".

I came home and was in the kitchen looking through some stuff, when I came across this on my Mom's Plan-It Calender.
This was my answer!!! This would make my Chore System so easy to keep track of! So, that is what I will be working on today! Instead of a prize for 5 completed chores, my kids will get TV time in the evening!

As a side note....I love our DVR because, we record "Little House" that plays at 1:00 pm, and the children can watch it after they get their work done!

Almost Wordless Wednesday

SPRING!

Once upon a time...

Once upon a time in a beautiful place, there lived a woman. She had a fulfilling life with her little family. She was married to a handsome, gentle man, and she was a mother to three darling children, who filled their days with joy!
She was loved by many people in her world, and counted herself blessed to have so many friends. The greatest thing of all was that she was loved by God Himself!

This woman had lived a good life. Although she had gone through situations that had almost taken her desire to go on, she just kept going!

Then one day she encountered something that to her was so deeply painful. She spent many days worrying about what was going on around her. She cried into her pillow, and wondered why and how these things could happen to her. She even began to feel sorry for herself!

One day, she was angry and asking God about these things. He asked her to write down on little pieces of paper all the bad things that happened to her. She did as He asked and He threw them into a garbage can. As He did they made a stinky, ugly mess. She looked into the can, and was so thankful that God had thrown it away, and that she didn't have to carry it around anymore!

As she walked away, she remembered something unkind that someone said to her, and she felt unforgiveness creep back into her heart. She ran back to the can of trash, and dug in and found one of the papers that she had thrown away. She put it into her pocket, and noticed that her hands and sleeves were covered with the smelly stuff. She grumbled and got angry that she was now dirty!
She went home to change and wash up, and as she did she thought about how someone had spread a rumor about her that was not true, and she quickly changed her shirt and ran to the alley, and started to dig again into the trash, looking for the paper that had that offense on it. She couldn't forgive that...it was wrong! She again became covered with the stinky mess! Angry, she ran back home to clean up again!

She spent many days doing this, and soon her family began to notice her discontent. They could see her pain, and how it had wrapped itself around her heart. Her smile and joy disappeared.

One night in the darkness that had surrounded her, she quietly begged God to please take the pain away!
God Himself wrapped His big arms around her, and while rocking her He said, "My child, you are the one that keeps running back to that pile of garbage, and digging through it! I threw it away to be forgotten forever, and you keep getting it out again!"
She sat in His embrace and wept. He wiped her tears, and she fell into a peaceful rest!

She awoke the next morning, and noticed that God had left her a letter. She opened it up and read these words...

"I came so that you can have real and eternal life, a more and better life than you ever dreamed of!" (John 10:10)

"I'll show up and take care of you as I promised and bring you back home (away from that disgusting garbage can). I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for." (Jeremiah 29:11)

So the woman began to stay home, never to return again to the pile of garbage that God had thrown away!
She noticed as the days went on that she felt peaceful and alive! Her smile and joy returned!

As she tended to her garden, she talked to God about how He had delivered her from the "former things" and how He would be enough to meet all of her needs as she moved on to the life He had planned for her!

She raised her hands to heaven and praised her God...and she lived happily ever after, in Him!

Phillipians 3:12-14...
I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back.

(The title to this is, Sheila's Story!)

Cousins

Today, Nikki and I attended the wedding of one of my cousins, Cheri. During the reception we sat at the same table as one of my other cousins, Jill and her family.

As I drove away from the church, I thought about how little I invest into the life of one of my favorite cousins. We get so busy, and before we know it, we are at another wedding or funeral, talking about how we really need to get together.
Jill is older than I am by a year or two, but we grew up very close! Her parents, my Uncle Bob and Aunt Glenda, lived next door to my grandparents, Edsal & Thelma Horn. They lived on a little farm in Caldwell, behind the original Happy Day Ford. We spent hours and hours there, playing with the cats, gathering eggs, making biscuits with Grandma...Sweet Memories! We were country girls then, and now we are city gals.
Jill is married to a great guy, Thad, and they have three darling little boys!


"Cousins are those childhood playmates who grow up to be forever friends"

Alex & His Bow

Alex has been taking Archery Classes for a month now.
He has been loving it, and as his mother, I might add...he did very well!
This is the only picture I got of him. I forgot my camera, so I had to use my phone.

In a Whole Different Light!

We need to realize that we are not just doing tasks. We are not just wiping little noses, and folding laundry and washing floors. I am building a legacy. I am shaping God's kingdom. I am in the process of not only discovering my calling but that of my family as well. I am doing things that are seemingly insignificant but have eternal rewards and that are accomplishing in me and in my family that which the Lord has determined and set as important and trustworthy! I don't know about you, but it sure does make me look at my everyday tasks... in a whole different light.

(author unknown)

I read this in an email I received last night from one of my mothering mentors, Jolene. I had also just read my sister-in-law, Jamie's blog, where she shared her heart about the job of mothering, and the enormous-ness of it! She was not complaining, but rather sharing where she is in her journey of parenthood.

So I went to bed last night, with all of it on my mind...not a good idea for someone with insomnia!

As I laid there, I thought about how I look at motherhood. I am now raising (with Duane's help) a teenager, a pre-teen, and a little girl! I am in three different stages of this journey and I often get bogged down with the enormous-ness of it as well! The only difference between the journey that Jamie and I are on, are the ages of our children.

When I look at my children as my legacy, it puts an entire new light on them! When I think that the mundane, insignificant tasks that I do day in and day out, as being eternal...or that teaching special sounds to first graders, or listening to goodnight prayers is all part of shaping God's Kingdom....hmmmmm!

This is not necessarily a new concept to me, but I have to be reminded often that what I am doing matters!
I also need to be reminded that I don't have to do it all in one week, or even one year...but rather, one day at a time, one day at a time, one day at a time.....and I don't have to do it alone! God is always there!

I have heard my Mom and Duane's Mother say many times, that I need to relax and enjoy each moment. Then I heard myself say that very same thing to Jamie last night, which can only mean one thing...I have reached the stage of mothering, where I realize that time waits for no one!

I also read this week in The Message, one of my favorite verses. Reading the Bible in today's language, most often gets my attention, and this verse was no exception!

Jeremiah 29:11.....I'll show up and take care of you as I promised and bring you back home. I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.

For all of you who read my blog, that are mommies...Keep your chin up! You are touching a bit of eternity every time you change a diaper or wash a basketball jersey!

Ten For Tuesday!

My Top Ten (or fifteen) Favorite Kitchen Things!
in no particular order
The cereal bowls that the children use. I love anything that looks vintage!

My huge green bowls that Duane got me for my 30th birthday! I use these all the time!

The old window out of Grandpa Seward's Barn. I painted it red!

I just got these canisters at a second hand store. I absolutely love them!

My very favorite coffee cup! I got it at the very first Women of Faith conference. It is my favorite because of the verse on it. It is a great reminder every morning!

This spoon hook makes me smile! I got it in Chicago a couple years ago at a great little store called Anthropologie!
This is my pantry/grocery list. I am worried that I will not be able to replace this when it is gone! I use it all the time!
My Good Dishes, that I use as much as I can! Duane bought part of the set for me for my 31st birthday! Then we found out that they were retiring the set, so long story short, we had to buy the rest from all over America, including Hawaii!

My curtains that my mother made for me, with all the love in her heart! Thanks Mom. I love them!!
My Kitchen-Aid. I use it daily!

My spice cabinet. I love this thing!

My Coffee Pot (and my antique Folger's Cans)

My Orange Pitcher & Juice Cups! These are some that I have collected. My lovely Great-Grandma Porter had some like these when I was a little girl. They remind me of her!

My old Green Chair, and some of my cookbooks! I love cookbooks, and I use them daily!