{snippets}

*heading to a wedding today....still packing up my stuff {which takes FOREVER} and getting dressed in something other than my pj's would be a really good thing! out of flash batteries, detour to sam's. i hate doing ANYTHING before a wedding.

*new lense arrived. it is WONDERFUL. {but, it should be! gasp!} it came in right after my rental lense arrived. lovely.

*arrived at a birthday party yesterday a week early. i have totally lost it. gone. bye-bye! just so glad the police weren't called as i kept looking through the windows trying to figure out where everyone was. THE MOMENT it dawned on me, I bolted down those stairs like a rocket. AND, i didn't fall.

*my computer CRASHED. In.a.major.way. It about pushed me over the edge. That is a bad thing anytime. But, seriously? In the MIDDLE of catching up and getting all of my photography edits/orders finished. I was in tears. Literally. BUT, got to pick it up last night and it is working like a new one. Why didn't I take the time to take it in before it died, when it was just hobbling along?

*totally stopped by unannounced so scott could see mr. brad last night. they've both gone through a lot lately and i think just wanted to make sure the other was okay. ha!

*scott's having a lot of pain again, but per MD totally to be expected. stent comes out monday.

*okay, i have GOT TO run!

{santa's key}

it's magical around here! Evan is TOTALLY immersed in it. So, so fun! And, Noah is still believing if for no other reason than the fear of not believing. But, they are both having so much fun with it. Elmer our Elf arrived back to our house late on Thanksgiving night. I have a feeling he was out there on the many, many times that Evan went in search for him. Finally, the tears broke my heart as he had decided he was not coming back. But, when I picked him up and carried him out if got him just high enough to spot Elmer lounging in our door wreath as if it were a hammock. Elmer gets Evan out of bed every morning. We LOVE Elmer. I'm not sure he will not stay as our exchange student this year. The boys fighting.....almost zilch! They are so concerned he will hear them. Big teachable moment. :)

This morning, Elmer brought a special key back from the North Pole. Evan has been highly concerned about our fireplace and has begged Scott not to burn it until after Christmas so Santa will be safe. The key is the perfect solution. Santa sure is a smart fella! And, it is so pretty, Evan is amazed that it is encrusted in "reallllllllll rubies!!!!" {per Evan, not me}

{update}

Scott's BUN and creatinine levels {labs that measure kidney function} are still elevated. Waiting to find out what the next step will be. BUT, H&H are climbing again, so no transfusion! :)

{skirting the issue}

Why?

I'm not sure really?

I see more and more people I know that are immersed in christianity, but completely condone it for the sake of happiness. I.really.don't.get. it. And, for the record ONCE MORE, I am not casting judgement, I am just so confused with all of it. And, when it's playing out before my eyes, it's somewhat hard to miss. Although I try.

Affairs.

Unfortunately, they happen every day. Two hours ago, CNN ran a snippet at the bottom of the screen that announced another televangelist succumbed. I have had family members and dear friends fall for the same lie. You cannot sprinkle sugar on a sour mess. I'm sorry, it's still sour.

The last two years have been beyond challenging for me. I have confronted. I have prayed. I have sought counsel on basically, WWJD, I have loved from a far, I have prayed and I have pulled back.

I have witnessed my dear, dear friend go through it from the receiving end and experienced the heart-wrenching pain as I stood my her side as we both shed thousands of tears. Her life was torn and ripped apart due to no fault of her own. Pure & utter devastation. It was beyond painful to watch.

Today I learned of another marriage demise. Another family destroyed. My heart is heavy for what this wife and children are suffering through right now.

I see other spouses/friends who have been left behind. It is devastating to watch. I can't imagine having to live through watching Scott walk away from our family and excitedly building a new one with someone else. I pray I never do, as I clearly know that no marriage is immune. But, I want to take active measures to protect mine. And, yes, there are days I would box him up and send him out with the Fed Ex man {and, I'm sure he would do the same with me}...but, really? destroy a family? a testimony? a legacy? what justifies that? I won't even go to the greener pasture lure that is guaranteed to fade like all other grasses. Been there, done that on this blog.

After so much praying over handling particular situations in the way that HE would have me handle them I have sought so much counsel. After learning today's news, I sat here and sought technological advice from a wonderful mentor....even if it by way of the Internet.....Lysa Terkeurst. I remembered reading a specific post she wrote a while back when she learned one of her very dear friends was in the midst of an affair that destroyed her sweet family. I didn't locate that one, but my search led to one in which she overheard a man in a restaurant who was clearly in the midst of destroying that legacy with these poor choices. And trust me, when I say that I have sought in how to handle these situations, I HAVE sought. And, the funny thing is, I try so hard to avoid all of this swirling around me, but every time I turn around it is THERE, regardless of my attempts to avoid. But, when I read this today, it spoke to me in a huge way....

{excerpts from the blog post @ lysaterkeurst.com}

A healthy awareness of the reality of our broken world motivates me to love lavishly today {my husband & family}, choose to trust, fill my mind with the truth of God and pray like crazy for the protection of my marriage. She went on to explain that "I know many of you were hoping I had a story of a great dramatic confrontation, but I don't. Believe me, I begged God to let me hurt him {the man in the restaurant}, I mean lovingly confront him with the truth and redemption of Jesus. But God said no.

This man is blind.

This man is deceived.

This man is dancing with the devil.

But, God did say I should pray!

She went on the say she hopes God breaks his heart in the best kind of way.

I love that. And, it's just what I needed to "hear".

{Yippppppppeeeeeeeeee!!!}

i am so stinkin' excited! and, i could use a little of that of late!

got my BIG early Christmas present. well, it's all i'll be getting from this point on but it had to be done or i couldn't be done.

i'm going to houston this spring to spend time with a photography genius! i could dance right now. {but, i'm waaayyyyy too tired!}

she's a rock star in the photography world. and, her style really speaks to me as i am not even close to her ability, but, our front-end style is similar if that makes any sense at all??

oh.my.goodness.

i cannot even believe it! woo-hoo!!!!!!!!!

and, she just emailed me!!!!! j

breathe.

on a bummer side.....my beloved lense that died. then, fired up again. died again. this time for good. new lense ordered. the upgraded version of course because nothing stays the same longer than 6 months in the photography equipment world. very bittersweet. but, that's okay, because i'll just take it to texas with me!!!

nite! edited until 2 this morning and if i don't make myself get away from here, i will not be sitting upright tomorrow. it takes a day to slam me.

rambling i know!

but.so.stinkin'.excited!!!!

{new find}

my first attempt was soooo good, i had to share!

i LOVE crock pots. so i am always looking for new recipes and have several cookbooks. however, several weeks ago i picked up a copy of "Fix-It and Forget-It Our Best Slow-Cooker Recipes 2010" i flipped through and noticed it contained recipes i would actually cook.

so, today i tried easy creamy chicken and put it on before church. it got a two thumbs up by all of my boys which is MAJOR in this house. it will definitely be a frequent flyer here!

Easy Creamy Chicken

8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Lemon pepper to taste
103/4 oz can cream of chicken soup
3 oz pkg. cream cheese, softened
8 oz container of sour cream

1. place 4 chicken breasts in bottom of a slow cooker. Sprinkle with lemon pepper. {i was leary about the lemon pepper. but, i think it is one of the key tastes in making it so good}
2. combine soup and cream cheese in a bowl. When blended, fold in sour cream.
3. pour half of the sauce over chicken breasts in slow cooker.
4. repeat steps 1 and 3.
5. cover and cook on high 2-4 hours or until chicken is tender.

I served with mashed potatoes, but would also be great with rice or pasta. Prep took less than 10 minutes and it was wonderful to come home to a wonderful meal ready and waiting for us. Just wanted to share!!!

{hunkering down}

for the night. i've got a plate of pumpkin roll that I forgot to put out for Thanksgiving and a cup of coffee from my early Christmas present {Keurig}. So, I am set to tackle a very long list! I took Friday off to recoop from a staying the week at the hospital; I tackled part of Christmas decorations. I wrapped it up {pardon the pun} yesterday. I knew that if I didn't tackle it then, it wouldn't be done anytime soon. So, that's a huge thing off my list.

Now I will resume editing & ordering like a mad woman!

and, Scott had a really rough day yesterday with pain {stent?} but that had subsided today. Today his fatigue level is terrible. We start the blood work at 8:30 in the morning. Praying the numbers are improving!