I am so tired – clothes are waiting to be folded, lunches need to be packed, dishes are piled in the sink, and lesson plans are waiting to be addressed. Pictures are all I have time to post lately.
Jan12
Jan9
I want to win an iPad2 (because that’s the only way I’ll be able to own one)!
I’ve been telling my husband that the only way we would ever own an iPad was if one of us won one in a contest or on a blog entry of sorts. He agreed – and so we went on with our everyday lives. From time to time, I’d perform a GOOGLE search to find out what current blogs or businesses were hosting a giveaway but never entered any because the requirements were either too stiff (I can’t hop on a plane at the last minute and arrive for the winning announcement) or the competition was far too difficult to battle (yeah, not gonna dance in a home video in my swimsuit….um, no).
I was delighted to open GOOGLE READER tonight and see on the feed that my cyber friend, Megan, was giving away an iPad2 (…just for me! Ha….kidding).
Go ahead….I know you want to enter her contest now, too, huh? Just click on the grey words below that read “a Rafflecopter giveaway” to enter the contest yourself!
Please, tell them Jawan McGinnis referred you….and then watch your back!
// <![CDATA[
/*{literal}{/literal}*/
// ]]>
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Jan6
Random December pictures
Jan6
Luke’s BOWLING b’day party
We invited Luke’s class (10), cousins (2) and a few friends from church (3) to join our family in celebrating Luke’s 6th birthday. Guess what happened? EVERYBODY SHOWED UP! We took over three lanes during league play and watched the little ones dominate the alley! Luke had a grand time and was ecstatic about the entire evening. He also slept EXTREMELY well that night.
Jan3
Where everybody knows your name
My brother works “for” State Farm. When my children saw the below commercial last week, they only associated the music with my brother’s company.
When I pulled up this video from CHEERS, where the song originated, they kids just laughed at me and said, “That’s not real, Mama! It’s a State Farm song!”.
I’m old.
Jan1
A 2011 interview, by the 3 McGinnis kids
Dec18
Stay, Little One, Stay
Love’s a deep wound and what is a mother without a child and why can’t I hold on to now forever and her here and me here and why does time snatch away a heart I don’t think mine can beat without? (Ann Voskamp, One Thousand Gifts)
Our church is grieving this morning alongside our sister church upon hearing the fresh news during the worship service that a sweet family lost their youngest daughter in a horrific car accident last night on her way home for Christmas. I keep thinking of Fara and how deep her suffering must be. Just this past summer, I read One Thousand Gifts, by Ann Voskamp, and came home after church to pick it up that I might find direction to Scripture of a reminder of the faithfulness of the Father.
Psalm 136:3-7
Give thanks to the Lord of lords. His faithful love endures forever.
Give thanks to him who alone does mighty miracles. His faithful love endures forever.
Give thanks to him who made the heavens so skillfully. His faithful love endures foverer.
Give thanks to him who placed the earth among the waters. His faithful love endures forever.
Give thanks to him who made the heavenly lights – His faithful love endures forever.
I have many idols but the one idol I have that steals my attention and heart most is that of my children. I often say to myself, “I would be so devastated if I lost a child….so much so that I don’t think I could function in life anymore.” Would I trust God with my future? Would I remember how far his arms have carried me? Would I be grateful? Would I be thankful? Would I really believe that he is good?
Dec14
Happy 6th, Luke!
Can’t wait to celebrate all day with him. He’s grinnin’ from ear to ear! Happy sixth birthday, Lukester. We love you deeply.
Dec12
Easy Potato Soup
I’m all about some easy cooking. I’ve never really enjoyed being in the kitchen so I appreciate any recipe or idea that comes along in the form of SIMPLE! I went over to Jennifer’s house for a visit one night and couldn’t stay away from the delicious smell coming from her kitchen! She FINALLY shared the recipe with me (just kidding, Jennifer!) to her delightful potato soup. Believe me, it’s super easy! It doesn’t even involve peeling potatoes!
Ingredients:
(1) can of cream of chicken soup 
(1) 48 oz chicken broth
(1) bag of frozen: hash brown OR tater tots OR any other frozen potato product in a bag.
(1) 8 oz block of cream cheese
Toppings:
shredded cheddar cheese
bacon bits
sour cream
green onions
First, combine cream of chicken, broth, and all of frozen potatoes in the crock-pot and stir. Cook on LOW for 4 hours, stirring occasionally. Cut the cream cheese into cubes and add to the soup. Cook on High until the cream cheese melts, stirring occasionally. Continue to cook for 30 minutes to give a creamy consistency. Ladle into bowls and top with Cheddar cheese, sour cream, bacon bits, and green onions!
You can make this on the stove if you need to make it quickly. Serves 10.
Dec12
It’s hard to obey
A friend shared a true story with me today…..
We had a lot of errands to run last week to finalize a few things for our adoption… so, one afternoon after school Andrew went over to his friend’s house to hang out a bit until we finished our TO DO list. While there, he was sitting at the kitchen table eating a snack and pondering on life (ha!). As my friend sat nearby, Andrew asked, “Mrs. J, do you have to obey my mom?”. She responded, “Not really since we are both adults but obedience is a good thing because it brings glory to God. We should always ask God for help when we don’t want to obey.” Andrew replied, “I try to obey my mom but I just can’t. I have a hard time. I try so hard but I can’t do it. It’s just so hard to obey.”
Wow, such transparency!
He spoke it out loud and it sounds like R.E.S.P.O.N.S.I.B.I.L.I.T.Y!
My heart was thrilled to hear this! His confession reminds me of the joy in suffering so that I can see the redemption of our Father. I pray that Andrew’s heart will continue to struggle and speak the gospel to me and to his friends.
In our small group, we are going through a parenting series by Paul Tripp. Tonight’s video (start at 3:20 below), Tripp said, “…be humble. Be a living example of the struggle and God’s rescue.”
The child’s hope is not you (the parent)…his hope is God. I’ll have to re-read this post over and over to be reminded of that Truth.
