pizza and basketball

Our family has a standing date. Saturday is pizza movie night. We rotate through the six of us for the movie picks. Chris has kept track of all of the movies we have chosen. We've seen everything from Pokemon to Iron Man (this week's pick). And most weeks I make pizza. I'm thankful for the time together with the boys and for the delicious hot homemade pizza. Yum!

Today Fred, Peter and Chris played flag football with the youth group, so Ben, Sam and I were at home together. Instead of cleaning up the kitchen and reading the paper, we played cards--spoons and golf, and then we played knock-out (basketball). It was so much fun to just play and not worry. Last year I couldn't have done this because of my hip and lower back, but this year I was right there with them. I was so out of breath that my lungs were burning. It felt so good. I'm thankful that I agreed to play and that I could play with them. We had such a fun time together. Everyone playing flag football had fun as well. I'm so thankful for these good times.

"Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing." Isaiah 40:26
When I was younger, I used to go sit on our porch and stare at the stars. There is something mysterious and magical about the night sky. Fred calls the stars out now the cold stars. It seems that they are so much brighter and more vivid in the winter. It's as if God is rewarding us for braving the cold. I love the verse in Isaiah that says that God knows the names of each of the stars and that He calls them out one by one. When we are sitting out at the edge of night, it does seem that they come out one by one. To think that God created all of them, that they go on and on for farther than we can imagine, and He did it for us, is awe inspiring. I'm thankful for the night sky.

Thankful

I'm thankful for....

clementines. I got them at the store yesterday. I just love that they are so easy to peel and eat. Sam and Peter eat them like candy. They are sweet and good and a wonderful winter time treat.

heat. It takes a while to get used to being cold all of the time. The heating system was added to our house after it had been standing for a while, so the vents are in the ceiling. Heat rises. Upstairs is toasty, but downstairs is a bit chilly, especially on the floor. So I'm thankful that when I come in from the cold outside I have a warm home.

the elementary school. We have such a wonderful elementary school. All of the parents, it seems, are very involved. The school, teachers and PTO offer so many things for our children. Last night the PTO sponsored dinner and a movie so for $2 each, we all got to have a hotdog, cheeze-its, a drink, and Wall-E. It was fun being together and doing something different. Popcorn was only $0.25! What a deal!

Kim

Speaking of sisters, today is the birthday of my sister-in-law, Kim. She is such a blessing to me and to our family. I'm thankful for all of the time that we have spent cropping pictures and working on albums together, and for sharing recipes and food and fun. Kim loves my boys, and they adore her. As life gets busier, I miss the time spent with her. I'm thankful for how she blesses my brother, their girls, and my parents as well. She has such a sweet spirit and always looks for the good. I'm thankful that she has been my sister for 12 years. Happy birthday Kim!

Sisters

I am the oldest of three. I don't have sisters or daughters (which I'm finding, Martha, affects more things than I ever thought it would). So when I see sisters together, I don't always get it. But everyone needs sisters, and God has put them in my life along the way. First Liz, then Cathy, and now Donna and Kathy. They have been an amazing blessing in my life. Last night Donna and Kathy took me out for my birthday. We had such a good time together. I met Donna and Kathy at MOPS when I was a lonely, pregnant mom with 3 little boys at home. We had just moved here from Maryland where I left all that was familiar. Donna has 3 boys as well, and they soon became fast friends. We traded babysitting so we could date our husbands, and then we started praying together. We've been prayer partners for about 8 years. Kathy, the trailblazer among us with 4 boys and a girl, joined us about 5 or 6 years ago. It's impossible to put into words how much these relationships mean to me. It is a privilege to know these women of God. They challenge and encourage me to live a life worthy of the calling of Jesus Christ. I'm so thankful for my sisters.

Tuesday

It tastes better than it looks!

Yesterday was my birthday. I'm thankful that today is not. Chris took me out for lunch to Panera. I'm thankful for his job and that he can work at home and take a break to be with me. I'm also thankful for this awesome pork chop recipe that I made last night. Honestly, these are the best chops I've had. Here's the recipe.

Pork Chops with Carmelized Onions

4 3/4 inch thick pork chops

1/2 cup marsala wine (I used a charonnay cause that's what I had)

1/4 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

8 slices bacon

1 large white onion

7-oz can sliced mushrooms, drained

1 tsp brown sugar

1/3 cup hot water

1 chicken bouillion cube

1. Place pork chops and wine in a gallon-size bag and marinate meat for 2 hours in fridge.

2. Preheat the broiler. Spray broiler pan with non-stick spray.

3. Remove the chops from the marindate and sprinkle them with salt and pepper. Set them in the broiler pan.

4. In a large skillet, cook the bacon, drain it on paper toweling, and then crumble it. REserve 2 Tbsp. of the bacon drippings.

5. Add the onions and mushrooms to the drippings in the skillet nad cook over med. heat, stirring occaisionally, until the onion begins to soften.

6. Stir the brown sugar into the skillet and cook for 5 minutes longer, or until the onions are completely browned.

7. In a small bowl, stir together the water and bouillion until the cube has dissolved. Add this to the onions and boil until the liquid is reduced by half, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet.

8. Stir in the bacon.

9. Broil the pork chops for about 5 minutes per side, or just until the meat is cooked through and the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees.

10. Spoon the onion-mushroom mixture over the pork chops and serve.

pictures

I'm thankful for....

...my precious boys. I have to admit that I don't always feel thankful for them, but I truly am. They are a joy and a blessing. I love who they are growing into. I love the conversations we have about important and not so important things. I'm thankful that they want to be here with us and that we have the opportunity to participate in their lives. I'm thankful for how I've grown by being their mom.

...my camera. I loved taking these pictures of them. We had so much fun doing these pictures. It reminded me how much I love them and how adorable they are! (mother's bias, I know). I'm also thankful for the amazing digital technology that makes this process fun and possible.