A Whole Hearted Weedend

The Whole Hearted Mothers Conference was everything I expected and more this year! I believe this was my fifth year going, and as always, I came home with a renewed spirit and a deeper desire to love my children as Christ loves us.

I think the biggest thing I learned, or was reminded of shall I say, was that I'm not perfect, so why do I expect my children to be! This may sound so basic, but for me it's huge as I have a tendency to expect perfection, especially in the behavior department, from my children. It's my way of maintaining control of my six children throughout the day.

Sally Clarkson reminded me, that since I'M not perfect, why can't I extent the kind of grace to my children that Christ extends to me! I'm certainly not saying that I should relax to the point of creating total chaos in the household, after all children need boundaries, but I can definitely admit to being a "follow the rules" kind of mom instead of really focusing on their hearts as opposed to the behavior!

I cherish being a whole hearted mother and can't think of anything else I would rather be doing. I look forward to this journey each day as God so lovingly and gently teaches me and corrects me, while guiding me to become the godly mother He wants me to be.

Along with the time of leaning and encouragement this weekend brought, we also had wonderful times of fellowship with the precious women in our home school group. I think these are the greatest group of women that I have ever known. We love each other and we all have the same goal and desire to be whole hearted mothers and are constantly encouraging one another to enjoy and embrace this important calling whole heartedly!

Wednesday Weekly's

HEB Specials This Week

Extra Large Hass Avocados-$0.99 ea.
Being that I am a total avocado addict, I buy them no matter what they cost. But it's always nice when they start coming down in cost. Last week the special was 2 for $3, so we should continue to see the price drop as we head into season!

Red Seedless Grapes-$0.99 lb.
I've got a delicious Cha Cha Chicken Salad recipe which calls for these. Recipe anyone?

Luvs Diapers-Mega Pack (40-86 ct)-$9.99
This is a pretty good deal, especially if you use Luvs anyway. I'm trying to find a coupon to use in conjunction with this sale. I'll come back and edit if I find one!

Digital Prints (4X6) $0.12 ea.-I think these are usually $0.19 ea so if you have any pics that you'd like to print, here's a good time to do so.

Poor Sheba

Taking "dress up" a little too far!

Convenience Foods

"Convenience" Food for Thought


Is our generation becoming too dependent upon convenience foods? Is "saving time" costing us more than just our dollars? Read what Bethany over at Birth Dynamics has to say about it!

Wednesday Weekly's

Here are the best specials that are going on this week at HEB:

Sanderson Farms Whole Chicken: $0.69 lb. This is a great time to stock up on whole chickens. The last time these went on sale I bought a ton of them. This price beats out Hill Country Fair at $0.84 lb!

White Seedless Grapes: 5 lbs for $5. These are normally $3.99 lb!

Large White Shrimp (previously frozen): $3.99 lb This is the cheapest I've seen in a LONG time!

When I go to HEB to buy my chicken, I'l browse for sales not listed in the ad, so I may come back to edit later! Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

An Answered Prayer

Ahhh, sleep is a beautiful thing! Even in the small things God is faithful to answer our prayers.

Over the last couple of weeks, Ethan has NOT been sleeping through the night. It seems as if each night he had been waking up more and more, with the worst being the night before last. He woke up EVERY. TWO. HOURS! Just like a newborn.  Except not even my newborns wake up every two hours. Needless to say, I've been exhausted!

After several days of this, I have felt like a zombie..... just barely making it through my days. Each night I would go to bed thinking "tonight he'll be back to normal".  He wasn't going back to normal, even after the transition from portacrib to crib!

So, last night, at my weariest witt's end, I went before the Lord and included in my bedtime prayers, the request that God would allow Ethan to sleep better.  Just "better" than he has in the nights before.

I'm so thankful to report that Ethan not only slept better, but that God allowed him to sleep ALL NIGHT!! I can't tell you how good that felt to get a whole night's rest. I went to bed early last night out of sheer exhaustion and didn't even open my eyes until 6:10am!

Praise be to God!

Just as His eye is on the sparrow.... His eye, also, is on the overly tired mommy who humbly asks Him for a "better" night's sleep!

Thank you, Father!

Photo Credit

A Sunday Recipe

If you haven't copied Granny's easy Sunday lunch recipe for BBQ Brisket Sandwiches, click here. And if you like that one, here's another one to try. This is one of our favorite Sunday lunch meals.....we actually have this every other Sunday.

Shredded Roast Burrito Bar

1 3-4lb Chuck Roast
1 Large Onion, sliced
1 packet Taco Seasoning
10 (or more) Flour Burrito Size Tortillas

And whatever you want on top! Here's what we use:

Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Diced Tomatoes
Diced Onions
Diced Avocado
Sliced Black Olives
Sour Cream
Salsa
Fresh Baby Spinach (yes, we even throw our greens on top!)

The night before, slice onion and throw them on the bottom of a large crock pot. Place roast on top of onions. Sprinkle taco season packet over roast and turn on your crock pot to low setting. You may add a bit of water if you'd like, but it's not necessary.  Cook all night!

If on Sunday morning you still have time to do some prep work before heading to church, do all your veggie dicing, that way everything's ready when you get home. Once you get home, grab two forks and shred away on your roast....right inside your crock pot.  It takes all of two seconds because it is SO tender! (You may want to discard some of the stock before shredding) Then, simply set out all of your toppings bar-style and fill up your burritos. Sometimes we heat up our tortillas in the oven, but not always. This feeds our family of eight (although Greg counts as three people) and we always have leftovers! Hope you enjoy this as much as we do!

UPDATE:  We are now a family of 11...and this still feeds all of us.  Enjoy!

A Tradition No Longer......

Several weeks ago I wrote about our Krispy Kreme tradition and how Daddy just can't compete with the doughnuts on "payday Fridays".

Well, this past Friday our plans were a little different. Greg had decided to ride his bike to work the Thursday before, which meant he couldn't very well ride home Friday morning with two dozen doughnuts under his arm (although that would have been a funny sight). So, Greg came up with the idea that he would ride to Krispy Kreme and the kids and I would just meet him there. He even wanted all the kids to stay in their jammies, to add to the excitement factor.

So, very early Friday morning, the kids and I piled into the car and headed to Krispy Kreme. I could feel the anticipation building up in the kids as we drew nearer to Krispy Kreme. They all watched out the windows in excitement, trying to spot Daddy on his bike as we made the left turn onto the access road leading to Krispy Kreme. As we entered into the driveway, I noticed the building looked rather sparce....things looked strange through the windows. I pulled up to the front of the building to get a closer look and.....sure enough.....a notice....that can't be good.....very hesitantly I read.....

"This location is CLOSED, please visit one of our other locations." 

WHAT????

Yes, there it hung.....this horrible notice just taunting us and mocking us as we stared in utter shock! How could this be??? What will we ever do? How will I break the news to the hungry doughnut addicts in the back seat? It was difficult, but I had to do it! The looks of sheer disappointment on their faces was just too much to bear...

So we all wept bitterly!

Okay, maybe not, but we wanted to! This would certainly be the end to one of the kids' most coveted traditions! The other Krispy Kreme locations are just too far to continue our "payday Friday" doughnut run.

Once we, somewhat, got over the shock of the closure (I mean, after all, Greg was just there two Fridays before.....they could have warned us), we remembered that we were still waiting for Greg to arrive. When he arrived, we broke the news to him gently, packed up his bike, and headed for home with heavy hearts and empty stomachs!  My poor babies!

I guess we'll have to come up with another "payday Friday" morning traditon! .....Sigh.....

Photo Credit

A Child's Playground

......well, at least for the Sabo kids, anyway!

About once a week, the kids and I will head to the fire station to have dinner with Greg. We love being able to visit him at work and are truly grateful for this privilege. BUT.....you'd think after years of Daddy being a fire fighter, the kids would be tired of "seeing" the fire trucks. Not so!!! We cannot leave the station without one of the kids requesting to see (or play on) the trucks.


This is especially exciting for Seth! I love watching the expressions of pure elation every time he gets on one of the trucks! Well, Greg has a brand new truck and you don't have to guess how excited Seth was when Daddy took him for a ride in it! He was in heaven!


Just look at that beaming face!


Ethan and Chloe even joined in on the fun!


We always have a great time when we go to the station.......I'm quite sure it's simple pleasures like this that are being permanently imprinted on the hearts of our children.....I know how much I treasure these simple days, just being together as a family!

A Life Given

Today, I received a phone call from Shirley Thompson, the Agape director, and I have to share with you the nature of the call. At Agape, we are there because we believe in the sanctity of life and believe in the mission of Agape. But often times, we don't always see the "fruit" of our labor of love. We love the days when God allows us to catch a small glimpse of what He's doing through Agape. Today was one of those days!

Back in May, a woman called Agape seeking an abortion. She was already 22 weeks pregnant with her second child. Shirley told her that we don't perform abortions, but that if she would come in, we could offer her further counseling. The woman came in, completely broken over this pregnancy. She was adamant about only having one child and was NOT going to have a second. I think she thought Shirley would somehow help her figure out how to get an abortion.

Shirley just continued to counsel her and then offered her a free ultrasound to confirm the gestation of the baby. The woman agreed to the ultasound until Shirley mentioned the doctor's name. Turns out Dr. Chen delivered her first child, so she knew he would try to "convince" her to keep her baby. Dr. Chen is on Agape's medical advisory board and provides free ultrasounds for our clients.

At the news, she waved her hand in the air as to say "NO" and walked out the door. Shirley just knew this woman was going to have an abortion, but just prayed that the right words had been spoken and that God would work in this woman's heart.

Today, the woman walked into the center with her four month old baby!!! Praise the Lord!

The woman told Shirley that she couldn't imagine life without her precious baby boy! What a miracle and what a blessing for Shirley to have been able to experience the fruit of her labor first hand. God is good and He is faithful!

Please continue to pray for Agape and the women God brings through the door!

Making Memories

We love this time of year....

The kids just couldn't wait to begin decorating for Christmas this year. We began our Advent reading on Sunday, but the decorating seemed to keep falling by the wayside. Well, last night we finally took the time to begin the decorating, and boy, did we have a wonderful time.

So, we put on the Christmas music and just watched the kids beam with excitement as they helped trim the tree!

Once we finished putting up all of the decorations, it was time to head to the table for the night's reading of Jotham's Journey, this year's Advent story. Of course, no night of decorating and Advent reading would be complete without hot chocolate and cider!

We look forward to this every year! For those of you not familiar with the Advent stories, I'll tell you a bit about them. This wonderful trilogy (by Arnold Ytreeide) begins with Jotham's Journey, then Bartholomew's Passage, and ends with Tabitha's Travels. Each story is filled with adventure and cliffhangers that eventually lead up to the birth of Jesus, which is read Christmas day! We have read all three and have started over, this year, with Jotham's Journey. The whole family looks forward to these stories each year and this year was certainly no exception. So, we gathered around the table and listened to day three's adventure while sipping (or chugging) our hot cocoa and cider. I am most certain that this tradition is one that our children will look forward to passing on to their children.

"Stir us up, O Lord, to make ready for your only-begotten Son. May we be able to serve you with purity of soul through the coming of Him who lives and reigns."
Advent Prayer

Grammar Quiz

Your Language Arts Grade: 100%

Way to go! You know not to trust the MS Grammar Check and you know "no" from "know." Now, go forth and spread the good word (or at least, the proper use of apostrophes).

Are You Gooder at Grammar?
Make a Quiz

Okay, I know this has been posted on a couple of other blogs, but this will be for the benefit of those who don't view those blogs. Give the quiz a try and see if your grammar is up to par! Have fun and don't forget to comment on your results!

Too Cute

One of Seth's chores is to sweep the kitchen floor. He is only five, so initially, we spent some time sweeping together so that I could train him to do it properly. Well, while I was nursing Ethan, I just watched him sweep away and was so blessed to see what a great job he was doing.



He swept underneath the table (sorry for the underwear shot, I was trying to take the pic without him knowing). He even moved the highchair over and swept behind it. I know this is small, but it still excites me! Notice how intently Chloe is watching her big brother. I just know she's thinking, "I can't wait until I'm big like Seth so I can sweep the kitchen floor!" (Yeah, right!)

Well, while I'm on here, I'll just a add a quick update on my wisdom saga. Monday, the day Greg went back to work, I lasted until about 10am. I had still been feeling sick and dizzy at times. Just after Cheyenne told me to go lay down, our sweet friend, Cindy, called to say that she wanted to help out and that she wouldn't take no for an answer! Halleluiah!

We welcomed her help and she stayed most of the day taking care of the kids, which freed up Cheyenne to prepare lunch and dinner. As soon as she left, several of the kids had a meltdown and I and prayed that I would make it until their bedtime. In the middle of the chaos, Greg called home and could hear all that was going on, as well as the hopeless sound in my voice. To our wonderful surprise, about 45 mins later, there was Greg, popping out from behind the wall. I could have just burst into tears at that moment! God was so good to provide the help I needed, and just in time. I tell you, Greg is truly my hero! He was able to stay home the rest of the night! God knows our needs and meets them!

Today, Greg is at work again, but I'm finally feeling much better. It's funny to think that all of this drama is due to two wisdom teeth being pulled, but I tell ya, this kicked me in the rear! If it had just been the pain, I can handle that....it's been all the other side effects that have slowed me down....the nausea, the numbness, the dizzines, etc. Anyway, I'm so thankful to feel better today since I have many preThanksgiving things to do. I still have all of the numbness, but I'm realizing that it's going to stick around for a long time so I just need to accept it!

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!!!

Wisdoms, Part Two

Today, I feel that same nervousness that I feel when we've had a new baby and Greg goes back to work for the first time.

It's that feeling of "can I do this without Greg?"

Well, today Greg went back to work and I have that same feeling. Can I do this without Greg? I know I have the girls, but it's still not the same as having Greg here. The update is.....I am managing the pain, but I still feel queasy and I STILL have all the numbness, which is driving me crazy!!!

I have a feeling that this will stick around for some time. I read yesterday that the numbness could last weeks or months! YIKES! Please keep us all in your prayers today! I know God's grace will cover us, but I could sure use a little encouragement! Also keep Chloe and Celeste in prayer.....they are both sick! Thank you, sweet family and friends!

Update:  God provided abundantly.  A good friend came over and helped with all of the children so I could rest.  I was still feeling very queasy, so it was an incredible blessing that our friend came to minister to our family in this way.

Wisdom Teeth Removal and God's Grace

This past Wednesday I had my bottom two wisdoms removed. I was nervous, but ready to get this behind me! So, with the insertion of the IV, I was in dreamland! When I woke up I felt great, had some excessive bleeding, but other than that, I was ready to go home. Once home, I hopped into bed and relished in the joy of getting to rest and not have to worry about anything. We had scheduled the Wed night bible study to be at our house that evening so Greg and the kids finished up with the last minute cleaning. I know some of you probably thought it was crazy of us to still host the study, but, we thought it was quite clever. Having it at our house allowed the whole family to "be there"! Most of the preparations had been completed in advance so there wasn't too much to be done. So, with one simple switch of the baby monitor, I was able to hear all the sweet sounds of my friends visiting, and I was also able to participate in the lesson! It was great! The first day was a piece of cake. Well, then came the second and third days....

I was SICK as a dog!!! I thew up for two days, which then would start a chain reaction of my holes bleeding! What a pain and what a mess! The other bothersome side effect has been the loss of feeling in my jaw, chin and lower lip. I was warned of the possible nerve bruising and swelling, but, I didn't think it would last this long. Anyone experience this? My biggest fear is that this will be permanent. We're into day five and I have still not regained feeling in these areas. It is SO annoying. The final side effect of all of this has been nursing. Because I cannot eat properly, my milk supply is down. The last two days have been a bit better, but not up to par yet.

God is so good, and even in the midst of this temporary nuisance, God's grace has shone through. I have been pretty much out-of-commission these past five days, so my sweet family has had to run the show. They are doing a phenomenal job! Greg has been able to be home with us everyday (he goes back to work tomorrow), he took all of the kids to the store and got ALL of the grocery shoppong done (he was thankful for my to-the-T list), the girls have prepared all of the meals without any reminding (made easier thanks to the preplanned menu), and they have all made sure all of my needs are being met. So, even when I'm tempted to complain about not being recovered, God shows me how blessed I am. I CAN sit in bed for five days and not worry about the household falling apart....not that this is my preference, I'm pretty miserable, but, that I have a precious family who has pulled together to make things run smoothly.

I'm also reminded to keep things in perspective.....I didn't just have double hip surgery, I'm not going through chemo, I haven't been sick for a year.....I just had my wisdoms pulled, something that will benefit in the end, I hope. Yes, I know it's all relative, but I need to remind myself that this is just a small inconvenience and that I'm blessed beyond measure to have such a wonderful, caring family! Please pray that I will regain feeling soon and that I will be well by Thanksgiving! Boy, will I really be bummed if I can't enjoy all the wonderful food on that glorious day!

Mornings Like This

I love mornings like this......It's a cool, crisp morning, and the sun is shining brightly. Celeste is sitting in the rocking chair crocheting, Greg is in the kitchen making yummy oatmeal pancakes with all the little ones gathered around the island on chairs, each doing their part to help out Daddy, Cheyenne is playing with Ethan, and I am sipping my coffee and just enjoying this peaceful morning! If only all mornings could begin like this one. I will just take it all in and look forward to what the rest of this blessed day holds. May your Saturday morning be as enjoyable as ours!

What's Up With That??

Tomorrow is supposed to reach 90 degrees here in San Antonio!!! Yeah......the middle of November.....yeah! Enough said......

Grieved But Not Shaken

Although we are deeply grieved over the election results, especially the news of Nancy Pelosi taking Speaker of the House, we know that our Almighty God is in control and that this was no surprise to Him. We trust in His perfect plan and purpose for this election with unwavering faith! Glory Be To God for ALL things, even the things that grieve us!

For we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28

Beauty School Dropout

Beauty school graduate....




Beauty School Dropout.......


Go back to homeschool....

It's All About the Doughnuts

It has been a tradition in our family that every other Friday Daddy brings home Krispy Kreme doughnuts on his way home from work. So, over the last couple of years, "payday Friday" has become the conversation of the little ones the night before the coveted event! When Greg calls home from work the night before, they're sure to remind him that he's bringing doughnuts home in the morning, right?

Forget "we miss you, Daddy", or "we can't wait to see you in the morning, Daddy"! No.....it's, "Don't forget the doughnuts in the morning!" Even two year old Chloe has caught on to this.....as soon as it's her turn to talk to Daddy on the phone, her first word is none other than, "doughnuts?" And when Daddy replies, "Yes, honey, I'm bringing doughnuts home in the morning", she simply replies, "K" and hands the phone over to another kid!

Poor Daddy.....he just can't compete with "the doughnuts".

One morning he had to stop at the store, before bringing home the doughnuts, to pick up milk......'cause, we can't have doughnuts without milk! Anyway, you'd have thought that the kids were waiting for a drop of water out in the desert the way they stalked the door and window waiting for Daddy's, oh, I mean the doughnuts, arrival. When he finally arrived, the little ones ran to the door to open it! To their dismay, he only walked in with three gallons of milk! Well, instead of throwing their arms around Daddy and welcoming him home, they frantically exclaimed, "Where's the doughnuts???" To their relief, Daddy assured them that they were in the car, so a sigh of relief calmed their worrisome hearts.

But wait....there's more! Each night before Daddy is to come home with the doughnuts, tucking the kids in has become a time a convincing them that Daddy WILL. BRING. HOME. THE. DOUGHNUTS! As I'm pulling up the covers and kissing their heads.....you guessed it, "Is Daddy bringing doughnuts home in the morning?" God forbid Greg can't pick up doughnuts one morning.....what will they do?

Well, today happens to be "payday Friday". Early this morning, about 5:30am to be exact, I awoke to little pitter-patters near my door. I could see that it was Sophia so I invited her to crawl into bed with me. A few minutes later Ethan began to stir, so I brought him into the bed to nurse him.

While I was nursing, Sophie began to whisper, "Mommy, I like Ethan".

I whispered back, "I'm glad you like Ethan!"

And sure enough....just moments after our beautiful conversation about how much we liked Ethan (I think we'll keep him), these words rolled off of Sophie's lips.....

"Is Daddy bringing doughnuts home?"

I guess Daddy's convincing wasn't enough last night over the phone, nor my convincing when I tucked her in last night, nor just the general repetition of doing this every two weeks. My sweet, precious babies.....

Thank you, Krispy Kreme, for being such an important, life-altering, entity in the Sabo home! Our kids wouldn't be happy without you!

Photo Credit