Okay, we will meet at Mountain Crest Park (thanks Hidi) on Durango and Lone Mountain on the 5th of March around one. If you would like to, bring the kids, and if the day is yucky, we will go some place else.

If you plan on going, please have a book in mind for next month as I would like to have us all take turns in picking a book to read.

On other news, there are some cool things going on at my web site for my Mary Kay.
www.marykay.com/happy2b Check it out if you like.

By the way, mom is doing fine. She is back home and back to her old self. And dad has invited me to visit him next month. That could be interesting. I was taught how to hit golf balls at the driving range last Tuesday. My brother invited me, and he taught me how. It is kind of cool, I always thought golf was boring, but it's fun. And, I'm not bad (so my brother says) so maybe I will keep going.

Prayers for Jeremy, Joe, the whole Carder family, cousin Chuck, Tara, Kristy, Joan, and well, my list could go on. Guess I will just leave it at that.

Thanks for joining in Hidi!

The book is for us to read this month, and we will be getting together on March 5, 2005 at one in the afternoon at the park on Durango and Craig. I will have the actual name posted later today and will have better directions. I checked the library web site for the book and most of them had them checked out. I will be checking at a couple of other places to see if I can just pick up a couple of copies. Let me know if you need one!

I was thinking about taking notes from our book discussions and posting them here on my blog. Just a thought, so we shall see.

Happy reading!

Football is over!!!

Okay, so the book to read this month is called Reading Lolita In Tehran by Azar Nafishi.
I am hoping you all can find it at the library, but if not, let me know, perhaps I might have one you can borrow. The meeting day and time will be announced this week.

Thanks Michelle for meeting with me. I had a fun time. I hope you and your family feel better soon.

I have had a good weekend, up until we sat down to do bills. :(

Time for ice cream!

Mom gets out of the hospital soon. You would think that she might have learned from this trip, but sadly I fear not. The good news is that God is in control, not me.

The wind is blowing a lot these days. It reminds me that God is real.

Don't forget that the book club is meeting this Saturday at the Macaroni Grill at 1pm. I hope to see someone there, but will enjoy a nice lunch if even by myself. I even have a back up book for next month that is really great.

My mother is in the hospital with pneumonia. My cousin, his wife and baby were evicted and are now living in a weekly place. The little girl who lives with her grandmother (because her mother is a drug addict) is not getting the counseling she needs, and her grandmother is not taking her medicine and still smoking like a chimney. Life, it is sometimes ugly. It is sometimes hard. Sometimes I wish I had millions of dollars so I cold help ease the pain of hurting people. Take the people in all of the tsunami areas. People with no food or water, not to mention a place to live. But would money really make it all better? Would it ease the pain of the children who have lost their mothers and fathers? Is money going to get that little girl's mother to stop taking drugs? No.

I am just rambling. Thoughts fill my head, I let them slip with no real destination. It's all good.
Sometimes I sit here looking out my window wondering why so many of us are just sitting here looking out our windows. My heart wants to help hurting people, but I feel as though I am limited as to what I can do. And while all of these people in the world are suffering, I sit here being too lazy to get my house clean and my work done. I feel like what I do sometimes isn't enough. Like I should be doing more for Him. I know I should be doing more. How sad it is that bad things have to happen to make us open our eyes and minds to the more important things in life. And funny it is that the only important thing is Him and our love for Him. Why do we make everything so complicated all of the time?

So these pigeons just walked up to my front door to take a bath in the water that is falling from my roof. One is just tooting around in the rocks doing the chicken neck thing. That was weird.

Did I say my life was boring?

I am so wrong! Life always gets interesting when you think it is boring.

So I hope to see lots of people at the Carder Ranch tonight. Hope you all can make it.

Crap! Time to go run around like a chicken!

Congrats to Joe. Nice to hear things are going so well for you. (assuming you read my blog)

I currently have nothing of real interest to blog about. Life is nice and boring.

The book club meeting is going to be on February 5, 2005 at 1:00pm at the Macaroni Grill on Lake Mead and Rainbow. If you were unable to read the book, but would like to read the next one, please keep a look out for the next announcement. Or if you just want to come hang out for lunch, you are more than welcome. I would like it to be a no kid event, however, if you want to, bring the little people.

Hope your life is nice and boring right now too.

Are you feeling it?

There is so much going on in the world. Have you read the posts at zaydsdad.typepad.com? I think that is the right address. He is living in the middle of some amazing moments. It makes me wonder what I should be doing for the people in my life I tend to ignore. The first people who come into mind are my father and cousins. Oh, my mother would fall into that list as well. I had this thought about going to Mexico for my father's birthday party and trying to be a light to them in some way. I can hear Shad now. "Waist of time and money" and he would probably be right. But maybe, just maybe I could be doing something for someone. It's not like I have my life all figured out, but I could take what I have and share it with someone. I guess my motives would be all wrong. If it is something God wanted, it would happen without my knowledge. It seems like such a fine line figuring that out. When we do something, is it for ourselves or something He wanted us to do?

Is it possible to learn a valuable lesson when your 33 from a book you read to your ten year old? It is called Sahara Special and just be warned, it has some bad language in it, but it is a cool story. Every time I read the next chapter, I get something from it. I hope my kids do too.

Hello

I have a new email address. Now I have to update everyone who cares.

I really would like to live in Ohio Jenn, I really would. Yes, I am insane. It is just different.

Happy day!

Snow in Vegas!

There is just something unique about snow in Vegas. First, it is the desert, and yes, it snows in the desert. Most people seem to forget that. But it doesn't happen all that often, so everyone gets excited. And it is exciting! My neighborhood is slowly being covered with a blanket of white. It is very peaceful to watch. The girls have already been out playing with the dog in it. I went out and looked up and dodged the flakes. That was really cool. Then I made some hot cocoa.

I am hoping that it lasts all day and night because I really love it. Shad thinks I am crazy because I said I would love to live in Ohio where it snows like crazy all of the time. Yes, it would probably get old after a while, but I would live it none the less. Just like I love the heat of the desert. Isn't God awesome?

Third time is a charm

Let's see if this entry will actually be published to my blog this time.

Testing, testing, one, two, three.......Oh, who cares really?

I started the first draft of my first book. Something I have wanted to do for a long time. I am a huge procrastinator, so who really knows if it will ever get finished, but the fact that I started it really has made me feel better. I have taken the first step, so that is something to feel good about.

I learned to ski today, something else to feel good about.

I overcame my fear of heights while on the ski lift. I am on a role!

I have been praying for the suffering. I am just one small voice, but I know He hears me. He listens to us all.

I finished my book for January today. I know, it isn't January yet. It was just such an easy read and I really wanted to keep finding out what was to happen next. I will probably read it again before the meeting in February. I wonder if I will be the only one there? More pasta for me!!

email me for book club info. smatheny1@earthlink.net

Love to all

Whoops!

Sorry but I have to make a change in the book for the month due to cercumstances beyond my control.

Book for January is:

Light On Snow by Anita Shreve

The meeting place and time is the same. Sorry for the mess up.

Hope and blessings for you all.

Happy Birthday

His birthday is right around the corner. What an exciting day! How will you celebrate it?

Book for January is :

Natural Philosophy by Ben Harris

Meeting place is Macaroni Grill on Rainbow and Lake Mead at 1pm.

If you want to, then call me or grab me at the next gathering and we will exchange numbers. I would love to meet with you and hang out together.

Happy Birthday celebrations to all of you!

Oh the weather outside is frightful, but inside it's so delightful.............

But I'm going out anyway. It is time to shop for Shad. Yes, I waited until the last minute. Only because I wanted to make sure I got the perfect gift, although I still am not sure what that is yet.

Things here have been pretty much the same. I am working, teaching, cleaning, shopping, sleeping, eating, exercising, baking, driving, etc....

No rest for the wicked. God has been doing some awesome work in me over the last month. He is so cool like that.

I am working on starting a book club. We would meet once a month, each taking a turn to pick a book, and then picking the meeting spot which could be anywhere. If you might be interested, let me know. I will be announcing the first book next month on Jan 1st and will also let you know where we will meet in February to talk about the book. Hope to hear from you soon.

Yes, I am married to the computer guy and I can't figure out how to put pictures on my blog. I am sure it is just so easy, but I didn't do something right, so now I am frustrated.

I made soap today. The kids and I looked up the history of soap and we read about it, then we read about the chemistry of soap, and then we made some. It's been fun. I'm giving some of mine away to my mom in her Christmas basket I am putting together. Next, it will be candles.

Last Friday we made a ginger bread house and then ate it the next day. That was cool. Why do we only do this kind of stuff once a year? Why not all of the time? I want to celebrate Jesus every day.

Sex talk tonight at house church. See ya there?

Run!!!!

So we went to Khols for shopping on the day after Thanksgiving and when I walked in, looked at all of the drones standing in lines that wrapped themselves around the store in every direction, I just turned and walked out. Not worth it in this life time. Who needs presents for Christmas anyway besides Jesus? It's His birthday, not ours.

When it comes down to it, all I want for Christmas is my family to be together and to get a glimpse of Him if only for a second in their lives. But then, life is not about what I want, it is about what He wants. As it should be.

I am about to attempt to figure out how to put pictures on this damn blog. Here it goes...

Life, you just have to laugh at it.

I am feeling a bit dizzy this morning. Must be all of the turkey and fixin's.

I get my spot cut out in a couple of weeks. I am so very happy about that one. For those who know the true story, you will know what I mean. I guess it could be melanoma. There is cancer in my family history. All of the relatives I grew up around with the exception of my mom's mom died of cancer. I smoked as a teen and in my early 20's. Wouldn't it just be a kick in the ass?

Nothing to do now but pray that these doctors know what they are talking about.

So my dilemma for this morning is this:

Do I go out and shop on the craziest shopping day of the year? And if I do, is it wrong to buy something for myself?

Oh screw it, I'm getting my shoes on.

The truck is fixed, the dreams go on.

I have to see the doctor today for this black spot I have on my skin. Weird huh? I also have my chest cold again. Not as bad this time, but it's back. AND IT SUCKS!!!!

So please pray for that if you would.

By the way, no movie. It conflicts with girls night out. Sorry, maybe next month.

We left late for church, driving the truck as we had just fixed it this weekend. As we drive in the fast lane on the freeway, we notice the ABS light is flashing. Do we have brakes? Then the lights inside go out and the head lights go out. With out blinkers, we cut off a few people to get over and pull off the road. Yes, we have brakes! But what is up with the truck? No power, no nothing. It is just dead.

I call my father-in-law to ask for advice on what he thinks it might be. He tells me to look up into the sky and see if there are any round saucer looking things flying around. Ha, hahahaha.

We eventually got it running again, but we missed another gathering. I was bumped, Shad was bumped and the kids were happy. Going home, I wondered how the people we haven't seen in a while are doing. I wondered what the message was and what songs were sung.

On another note, I had a dream that Shad and I and a bunch of other people were looking through this really old house that was falling apart, and once inside, I realized that the roof was going to collapse. I started yelling for everyone to get out and they all just stood there confused. I started grabbing the children, and pushing them out and just as we got to the porch, the roof collapsed and landed on me. In front of me there was a small hole where I could see the light of day and I could still breath. I thanked God, and eventually got out to find that everyone was alright. So what do you make of that?

Taco Soup

1 lb. Lean ground beef or turkey ( or if you are a vegi, skip it)
1 large onion
1-15oz. can kidney beans
2 cans fat free vegi refried beans
1-16oz. can corn( or frozen corn)
1-16oz. can chopped tomatoes (or fresh)
1-15oz. can tomatoes sauce
1 1/2 cup water
1-4 1/2 oz. can of green chilis
1pkg taco seasoning
1pkg ranch dressing mix

Brown meat with chopped onion while warming up all other ingredients in a pot. (Do not drain cans, just pour it all in!) put browned meat in and simmer for 15 min.

Yummy, quick and easy!