Missing....Reward, Priceless (Part One)

I am feeling rather lonely today and I have entirely too much time on my hands because, remember, I cannot move. I am still down and out with my back. I did actually sweep the floor and clean a bathroom this morning, though, so that's progress, right? Anyway, I have had lots of time to think about things and it led me to thinking about things I miss, so I thought I would share them with you. It seems to be a theme with me to be mindless and not too deep lately, so bare with me while I get it out of my system. Chances are, if you are reading this, you are looking for something mindless and not too deep to do.....so, knock yourself out! Read on!

I miss.... LOST! Can I just say, summer TV is entirely too random. Yes, of course, there's some new shows this summer, but really nothing that grabs your attention and keeps you coming back. I think summertime is a great time to watch TV because we finally have some time to get absorbed in a show, but NO...nothing good comes on! I miss PRISON BREAK, too! These two shows are some of the best on TV and I will be doing a dance when their new seasons start...which, by the way, is entirely too far away!

So, on to more mindless things...
I miss the BEACH! We did not do our annual beach trip this year, and while there is something very appealing about not going the same place every year for vacation, the appeal of the beach for me is that I truly relax and get a lot of reading done. Ask me how many books I've read this summer. That'd be a big ZERO! OK, well, not really. I do read my Bible and an awesome Bible study I finish up this week called "No Other Gods." Still, though, I miss the warm sun and sand of the beach and a sit by the pool.
I miss the Fall and the tastes of it, which for me are not necessarily warm, homemade muffins or pies, but rather the kid in me comes out. I miss candy corn and Pumpkin Pie Blizzards from Dairy Queen. I know you can still get candy corn right now, but it seems some kind of disgrace to me to eat that when it's summertime. The Pumpkin Pie Blizzard from DQ is something I've had to go two years now without because for one reason or another they closed the three closest DQs to us, but Hallelujiah and Amen...one of them is reopening! Come November, when the Pumpkin Pie Blizzard is the Blizzard of the month, guess where I'll be! I'll be using my handy dandy coupon from the DQ club and indulging in a tradition of fall, people!
OK, on the train of thought with the seasons...I miss Christmas. I just love sitting in my den at night with all the lights off and looking at the Christmas tree. You see, I'll never be one of these theme tree people, God bless 'em!
My dear Nanoo gave me almost every ornament I own, along now with my mom each year, so I lovingly open them and cry over them (seriously, I cry) and I hang them ever so special so that all my favorites show. Wonder if that's why my tree falls over every year? :) The girls have some that Nanoo gave them, so they have the honor of hanging them, ever so carefully, in their own special place. I can't wait until Christmas! The sights, sounds, smells!! Ahhhhh!
There are so many more things I'm missing right now, but I will finish up my rant tomorrow, so stay tuned! You never know, you may find yourself missing them, too.

Feeling pretty, oh so pretty!

"I feel pretty, oh so pretty" the song goes, and so goes I! I needed a little pick me up today, so I made over my blog, and in the sad state of my life right now, it's been the highlight of my day. The fact is, my whole self needs a makeover. I have been down and out with my back all week, and today I feel the best I've felt, but not good enough to SHOP...which is what I want to be doing today! The chiropractor has become my best friend this week, seeing as how I've seen him everyday, and probably will again today, too! "Heeeeeeyyyy...I'm a believer" (sing along). Considering how bad off I was on Sunday, to actually being able to sit straight up today without crying like a baby shows me there's been progress. My dilemma the last few days is how to get things done, or do things at all, while lying down on my ice packs (per doctor's orders). I have caught up on almost all of the movies I TiVo'd and now I'm suffering from cabin fever. I need to get out, and did I mention...SHOP?! I am going stir crazy. To top it off, everyone that I love and know is at the beach this week, and I'll admit it...I want to be there, too. It is the most relaxing place I know to go. Hopefully Jeff will take me for my birthday, so I'm putting it out here on my blog because I know he reads it and will see it, and when the time comes that he asks what I want to do, he won't have to because he'll already have read it on my blog! There, done!

This week has been most frustrating, too, because our air went out. I try not to complain too much about stuff like this because after living in another country where your water went out weekly and you had to cool your house by the Hand of God and keep your windows open, you learn to just deal with it. So, let's just say "it got hot" around here and leave it at that. I am thankful for friends that know a thing or two about fixing the AC, though. As Jeff said this morning, "it was cold like an icebox in here last night." Nice!

So, that's it for me. Boring, I know, but now I'm off to see what movie I have left to watch, and hopefully, just hopefully you'll see me at Target soon. I'll be the one blowing the horn for you to get out of my way while I drive the Hover Round! :)

Passionate Tuesday!

Now before you go thinking that this post has anything to do with Soap Operas, let me explain.
I've been thinking a lot about how little we stop and think on the blessings God has given us, or even the things we personally love and want to strive for in life. I woke up feeling pretty yucky this morning. My throat hurts and my head feels like it's gonna blow up. The girls have all had some sort of fever yesterday and this morning, so apparently I have gotten a little touch of what they had. Everything inside of me wants to whine, because quite honestly, that is my nature when I feel bad. I decided to freak my nature out today, though, by being grateful and joyful in spite of....! So, here's a little of what I feel is a blessing in my life, added by a little of what I just really love right now, plus some of what I am longing for (goals, objectives, future desires).
You can play with me if you want. I love your comments. As a matter of fact, I am still waiting on more comments to my recipe blog from last week. Thanks to Sarah for coming through for me! I bet if we lived closer to each other, Sarah, we would be swapping recipes more often, but we'd taste test them together, too! :)

My Passions for today
Jesus - I can barely describe all that He is teaching me right now. I know it's Him because there is a lot of chaos in my life right now, and right in the dead center of it all, He comes to me and shows me His sovereignty and His word in a way I have not looked at it before.

My husband - Jeff is not home today, and usually when he's away I realize even more how very much I love him, in the midst of missing him. I don't like being a part from him. Call us weird (trust me...people already do!), but in our almost 14 years of marriage, we always go to be at the same time. I just can't stand being a part from him, yet when we are, I know he is providing for us, and becoming the man of God He desires him to be.

My girls - like I said, we all feel yucky, but we're together and we need each other today. They help me so much. On our refrigerator we have a list of jobs we do, but we have a verse on serving one another to remind us why we do what we do, and they truly do that, and learn more each day how to do that. They teach me about being a servant. They are good girls!

Ok...some of the following may or may not be trivial passions, likes or desires, but it's what's on my mind today, so just indulge me....
Friends - this is a constant for me! I don't get to spend the time with all of them that I would like, but they are, without a doubt, the best a girl could have. They edify me when I am around them. They uphold me. I love Beva, Barbie, Debbie, Lynn, Amy(all of them!), Lana, Missy (my sister, my friend); Katie (my sister, my friend); Sandra (my sis-in-law); the list is endless, but for reasons that they know, they have been especially dear to me lately, in a "there for me" kind of way...in prayer, in touch, in just plain 'ol "thereness!"
Family....our time together lately has been precious and rare!

Music...I am sitting here right now listening and praising the Lord (Quinn is, too...she can get her groove on!). I am thankful that God gave this to us to evoke our praise, and I look forward to the "new song" we'll sing when we meet Him face to face. Here are just some of my current favorites. Most of them are on my playlist, too, so you may hear them as you're reading this.
Washed By the Water (Needtobreathe) - listen to the words. I told Jeff it's our testimony. I think I'll always be fond of this song.
Mighty to Save (Hillsong) - I never get tired of this song. It takes me straight to the throne. I always feel it's just me and the Father when I hear it.
Find You Waiting (DecembeRadio) - they just came and led us in worship here at LifeSong. They are awesome and the real deal. I thank God He's always waiting for me!
Rescue the Perishing (Billy/Cindy Foote) - Listen to this! It brings me to tears each time I hear it! They, too, are the realer than real deal!
This is Home (Switchfoot) - from Chronicles of Narnia Prince Caspian...This is a reflection of what we will be saying as we meet Jesus.

Home.... I complain about not having this or that done to my home, but I have been asking God to show me how to be content with what I have been able to do to my home, and I have really been enjoying it more lately. I have always LOVED my home, but the woman in me is always wanting to do more and more, but here lately, God is showing me how to enjoy the process of making a house a home.
I love my new table -- it's new b/c I painted it black! I love it. Jeff and I both said we wished we had done it before.
I love my dining room - I want it to be like a cozy cafe, and it's taking shape.
I love my kitchen - I love it b/c my little sis, Katie, helped me change it up a little. I think of her when I am in there.
(these passions may be a little vain, but, again, indulge me!)

Ice Cream... We love making Peanut Butter ice cream in the summer and we've made a lot of it! Come over and we'll make you some, too!

Coffee...OK, if you know me at all, you need no explanation (as I type now, I am enjoying some!)

Taco Bell Fruitista Freeze....Ask no questions, just go by one now....Mango Strawberry is my favorite!

Bitten Jeans...This is Sarah Jessica Parker's brand of jeans at Steve and Barry's. They are $8.98 and feel great. I just heard that S & B filed for bankruptcy, so if they close our G'ville store, then I am going to stock up on these jeans.

Blogs....OK, I'm obsessed with reading people's blogs. I even read some people's blogs I don't know that well. I love reading about what other people are doing in their lives, where they live, or some little tidbit of info they want to share. Right now, I am all about reading adoption blogs. As you know, it is the desire of my heart to adopt. Having my sister, Katie, in our family from two days of age pricked my heart and continues to blossom this desire.
I am reading about Ethiopian adoptions right now, and all I know is that my heart is especially tender to these stories, so I'm just praying that way as of now.
Another blog I especially love is Audrey Caroline You just have to read this and catch up on their story. You will be blessed and encouraged. Others I love are found on the sidebar of this blog.

Wii...I know, I am volleying between trivial and deep, but I do love my Wii. I bowl everyday and play tennis, and let me tell ya...you can get a work out playing! It's so fun!

That may be all for today. I am sure I left something out, but my mind is all over the place right now, so I'll stop for now. Don't forget, though...write and tell me your newest passions. I will read them. I love getting feedback!

In Need!

I am soooooo in a cooking slump lately! I cannot tell you the last time I've prepared my family a decent, original meal, therefore, I need your help! Will you please send me some yummy, somewhat nutritious recipes, that I can try. You know this lack of cooking is not normal for me. I dearly enjoy cooking, but either we are way too busy to take the time, or I'm just slack! So, will you help me. If you want to email me use jeffamy111@netzero.net
or if you are my friends on Facebook, post something for me there, too. Of course, you can just post a comment, too, right here on my blog. Please, if at all possible, low in carbs would be dandy. Inexpensive would be even better. And please, nothing that has the main ingredient being liver!
Eating liver is just like smelling skunk as far as I'm concerned...and we all know how I hate smelling skunk!

So, just so you don't think I've fallen entirely into a cooking slump, I have tried this lately, and it's a favorite summer treat of mine....
Lemon Dip
1 can of sweetened condensed milk (14 oz)
1/2 cup of lemon juice
Mix together (yes, it does get thicker, even w/ the juice) and enjoy with Honey Graham Sticks. This is just like eating lemon pie! It's great with fruits, too!

From here to there and EVERYWHERE!

Much to my humiliation and dismay, I just realized that I have not posted anything since Father's Day, which was also the start of our vacation. As nice as it would be to say that we are still on vacation, it really only lasted a week!
I'm trying so very hard not to be a voice of negativity, but I quite simply came back from our family vacation and felt like I needed a VACATION! I was so exhausted when I got home that I thought I would just sneak off to my favorite vacation spot...the beach....and have myself a nice nap and curl up with a good book, which would most likely be a Karen Kingsbury, and go off on an adventure where I don't have to think or sit in a car for 9 hours. So, now that I have gotten the negative out of the way, let me catch you up on our lives. After all, this is called The Hickman Happenings!
We set out for Florida in grand style. We spent all day packing up last minute stuff and moving every piece of furniture out of our living and dining areas so we could have our floors re-done while we were away. I was so exhausted after all of that, not to mention the realization that I'm not cut out to move furniture, so I won't be applying for the delivery positions at my local furniture store! We had to delay our leaving early on Saturday because Jeff had to preach a wedding. Let me just stop and say here, we thought our adventure had already begun because of the craziness of the packing and moving, but little did we know that Jeff's adventure would begin at this wedding! He kept telling me that the wedding was at 7pm, which I felt a little odd because I'm old and I thought people sure would be tired getting home later because of a 7 o'clock wedding. Well, Jeff called me to say he arrived "right on time." The wedding was really at 6pm. What??? On the happiest day of a bride's life, and the preacher is late! Ugh! Not good! Thankfully, he had five minutes to spare, delivered the message and he was back on the road home quick-like! The girls and I started our vacation off much better. We went to a pool birthday party for Avery's very best friend, Addie. What a way to relax before vacation! And, so it goes, and off we went on the road, with our two stinky dogs in tow, to Green Pond to spend the night and leave our dogs before hitting the road to Orlando!
We loved our time in Orlando! Sea World is a great place to take younger children. Quinn even loved it. That is saying a lot, too, because we chose to sit in the "Soak Zone" at the Shamu show and we got drenched. Quinn just sat there with water dripping off of her nose, staring in disbelief. She almost looked a little offended, even! Anyway, I highly recommend Sea World if you haven't already been. It was awesome! The highlight of Orlando for Jeff and me, though, was hitting every Starbuck's we passed! Thanks to our sweet friend, Barbie, for a giftcard she gave me before our trip, we got started off on our journey on the right foot!
After Orlando, we journeyed to Boca Raton to spend a few days with Jeff's sister and our brother-in-law, Sandra and Barron, along with their two boys, Gray and William. We had such fun with them, and Jeff and I came across our second love of the trip....we now officially are addicted to Wii. If there are any friends out there reading this who may be asking yourself, "what can I get Jeff and Amy?" There's your answer! I love Wii!!!!
Being a video game addict as a child quickly reared it's head when I took the controls to bowl, and I was out to win! OK, so about the children, though...they loved hanging out with their cousins and they enjoyed nightly slumber parties and lots of candy, judging by the enormous amounts of wrappers we found each morning!
We went to a new place, for us, while there. We took the girls to Wannado City, a place that kids can try any job they could possibly imagine, in a city just their size! It was so much fun.
Vacation was wonderful, and yes, Jeff and I are hoping to get away soon for a couple of days alone, but I wouldn't trade the joy on the girls' faces for anything in this world. They had a once in a lifetime trip. I have to say, too...for the most part, they were wonderful. We had such a good time together.
Now that we've been back, we have hit the ground running. We had a concert at church the night we got home, and then I helped organize a night for the women of our church, called "This Night." We saw 115 ladies come and saw many lives touched with the Gospel.
The highlight of our time home, however, has been the "Celebrate America" event that LifeSong hosted. If our count is correct, we saw 1500 people come for an outdoor concert and fireworks. It was one of the best times we have had at LifeSong. I loved looking around at the faces of people in our community who were just enjoying being together and worshiping Jesus! It was so nice to have my parents, Katie and Missy and her family join us, too. I love having my family at church with me. It was a great time to spend together, and then go over to Missy's mother-in-law's house the next day for grilling and swimming, to top it off! It has been a great weekend to remember the sacrifice made for our country, to remember Who it is we serve, and to spend time with family and friends.
Our summer still holds lots and lots more, but one thing is for sure...our hearts can only get more and more full in the process! Catch us up on your summer. What have you been up to?