Jesus Freaks

        We surprised the kids and drove them to the Tri-Cities to attend the WINTER WONDER SLAM! This concert was really amazing. We had awesome seats as you can see by the photos. I'd say maybe 30 feet from the corner of the stage. And we had aisle seats so Dave could sit on the end and poke his legs out into the aisle.
      All 3 bands, you can tell, actually-really LOVE THE LORD!  Toby Mac has an amazing way of turning his concerts into worship and praise. The whole evening must have been pleasing to the Lord! It was kind of weird for me and very cool at the same time.  You all know Toby Mac was in DC Talk.  DC Talk was one of my very favorite bands when I was in JH and Highschool.  Now he's been on his own and Toby Mac is one of our kids favorite bands.  Toby will be 47 this year!....his love for music and his love for Jesus has affected two generations...not bad!

 HOUSE of HEROES...very awesome band! This is the kind of band I like to exercise to (when I exercise!)

 The guitarist on the right of this photo has an AMAZING voice!

 We would have gone to this concert just to hear BRANDON HEATH!  One of his songs is Dave's ringtone on his iPhone: Give Me Your Eyes. He also gave a shout-out (unpaid) to Young Life and one of it's camps, Malibu.  I loved going to Malibu.  That is where he got saved.

 This was actually Adam's first concert! All the kids LOVED it!

 Our Beauties!

 2 Old People! heehee

 :43 seconds to GO!

 Oh Man! DIVERSE CITY!

 TOBY MAC himself!

That's right, Label us JESUS FREAKS!

Basin of Beauty

I've needed a new kitchen sink and faucet since...well, when we had the house built!  I remember my In-Loves came and peeked through the kitchen window when the house was being finished. When we talked next, the first thing they said was..."they put the tiniest kitchen sink in...how are you going to be able to cook and clean for 5 people with that?!" Of course, it's just one of those things that winds up last on the list of house "change-orders" when you're having a house built. I'd rather have AC, wouldn't you?!
So 6 years later we were done with that old beast.  Right before we changed it out, my dad was in my kitchen and snickered about how "well used" the sink was.  So now I have this beauty!  Composite granite: won't chip, fade, stain or rust! And a new faucet that turns on and off when you touch it! And it has a sprayer and a dish soap dispencer and this thingy which tells time! (Just kidding on the last...a little leftover Christmas humor from The Christmas Story) And of course, in true Stephenie form, I got the faucet on clearance!
Dave says: "You can put a whole cookie sheet inside and wash it!" 

Our CHRISTmas

Christmas Party

Dave and I at Coffman Engineers Christmas Party!  What a blast!

Still Sweet @ 16!

Master Chief & the Arbiter...Adam got a kick out of his Halo Birthday Cake!

Organized Chaos: Tip of the Week #6

I have a laminated grocery list that is posted on our Fridge for everyone to use.  I keep a dry erase marker near by and everyone uses it to let me know what we need.  Then I transfer everything to a list I take with me on shopping day!

The Spices of Life

 One of my cleaning projects in early Fall is to go through all my spices.  If you've ever had (eaten) old mustard powder or old poultry seasoning, you probably do the same thing!  Several years ago I stopped buying bottled spices and switched to these cute little jars that I fill from bulk spice bins.  You can actually put a whole tablespoon measuring spoon in the opening which is a huge plus.  There is no way you could do that with standard bottled spices.  They hold 8 oz. which suits our families needs very well.

 Dump out all the spices....just do it! (unless you bought it!...like last week!)

 I wash each on throughly and air dry completely.

 All cleaned and filled with fresh spices.  One way to tell if your spices are old is to compare the color of your current stock of spices to the color of your new spices.  I spent under $15 buying new spices from bulk bins!

 My cleaned and newly stocked Spice Cupboard!  I use air-tight jars that are larger for spices such as cinnamon and cocoa powder (top right ).  I also use lazy-susans to expand the space I do have & tiered shelving for my spices (bottom)

 My "Prized Spice": Turkish Saffron my mom brought back to me from her world travels!

Click here to purchase the jars I have
Click here to purchase the jar labels I have
Some of my spices I don't use on an everyday bases, they are stored in ball Mason Jars.