Texas Spring

We had a huge thunderstorm last night...look at the hail we found! It was over an inch in diameter. Actually we found bigger ones after I took this picture. The ground looked like it was covered in pop-corn there was so much of it. This morning we awoke to yet another thunderstorm. Wow-what weather!

Following instructions is a good thing!

When a shower curtain label reads "Dry clean only"...as odd as that is...it means "Dry clean only"!! UGH!!

A Happy Easter!!

We're up and running again!!

Ok, we are back on line, Yay!!! A friend came over and got our router and modem to work together... thank the Lord for computer savvy friends!
Here are some pictures of our tornado damage. Not too far away a woman's house was completely demolished from a fallen tree and her neighbor's car was smooshed from another tree as well.

Tree #1-this is in our 3rd section of property just at the gate. We have over an acre and 1/2 so this is not near the house. It was a huge tree, as it fell it took out the old chicken coop. As you can see in the next picture. We are hoping the other 1/2 that is standing can stay.

This is tree #2-it is in the 4th section of property...there are 5 sections all together.

Tree #3- Toward the very back of the property, fortunately we didn't continue the fence in front of this tree!
Tree#4- you can't really see it but it is the tree with the yellowie leaves. I couldn't get over there to take a picture...the area has lots of underbrush-I've never been over that way before. Here is a shot of our neighbor's RV, the limb was as big as a tree! This neighbor walked out of the house and saw the tornado just overhead! He kindly came and checked on us since he knew Calixto was away.

Was that a train?...

No...it was a tornado! Tuesday night a tornado ran through our neighborhood. It came through our back property and took out 4 trees and continued on taking out several trees in our neighbor's yards as well. It was not on the ground but about 7-9 feet in the air.
The kids were a bit excited but, not really too frightened b/c the sirens didn't sound until after the tornado passed by...so we really didn't realize what was going on til it happened-and it was very quick. It was the perfect ending to an extremely difficult and emotional day?!
Everything since then has been ok and running smoothly...praise the Lord for that!
Calixto and the team left Jalpa and returned to Tamaz today. They will begin the journey home tomorrow and will be here on Sat. evening. Please continue to pray for them as they say goodbye and start driving.

Update from the home front

We woke up this morning to no electricity in half of the house!! I went out to the breaker box once again and tried to get it back on...it didn't work!! Nothing I did would make it come back on. I went to turn the computer on and couldn't get onto the internet...the modem had 2 red lights, one of those being the power light....what? it was plugged into a working outlet. I called the phone company and of course they informed me the modem was fried due to the electricity going on and off!!! Ok, I just could not take another thing and began crying!! A new modem would cost about $100-$200! Ugh!!
My friend's dad came out and solved the electric mystery. Fortunately it was something that the electric co. is responsible for...they came out within 30 minutes and fixed the situation! Yay, some good news!!! I am so glad he came out and not an electrician.
Anyway, my emotions are on edge, I just want Calixto to call and he hasn't so far...hopefully, tonight!
I'm at a friend's house posting this message, but will obviously be offline for a while. I certainly appreciate your prayers for the remainder of this week!

Mexico Update #5

Well, so much for the theory of cooler weather in Jalpa...it is HOT! Calixto said it was good I am not there...I find it hard to tolerate those high temps with the high humidity. The team is doing well although one girl had a temp and headache yesterday, no doubt due to the heat and tiredness. the road up to Jalpa was even more difficult than normal-I think they are trying to improve on it but, for the time being it is worse not better.

Today they are pouring a concrete floor in the lower level of the church that will be used as SS rooms. Tues and Wed evening they will be having evangelistic services. Beforehand, I'm sure they will be prayer walking the village and stopping at homes to invite people to come.

As for us at home-we've been keeping busy working outside in the yard-we have really worked hard!! Calixto will be surprised at what we've done when he returns.

What's for dinner?

This weeks menu will be a bit different since Calixto is away. I can't even think of anything appealing to eat?! I'll be making some pretty simple, quick meals...

In no particular order:

Taco Casserole - I make it more like a taco salad...one of the kid's favorites

Tuna Melts on flat bread and fruit

pizza, carrots, celery sticks

Wal-mart chicken, rolls, something else ?

hot dogs roasted over a fire, chips, fruit (s'mores for dessert)

Over a friend's house one night

check out Laura's site for much better menu ideas!

Mexico Update #4

I spoke very briefly with Calixto this morning-right before I went into church. They were at the mission church in Las Palomas all day yesterday to celebrate the church's 5th anniversary! All of the Pastors from all the missions were in attendance as well. I'm sure they had a wonderful time praising God together!
Calixto was exhausted by the time they got back to Tamaz due to the long day of preaching and translating plus the high temperatures, he said it was "extremely" hot. He was so tired he even over slept this morning, which he never does!
This morning the team left for Jalpa to spend the rest of the week. Usually it is a bit cooler in Jalpa due to the elevation...maybe that's the reason?!
I probably won't be talking with him too much since cell range isn't so good in Jalpa, but we can possibly text one another if needed.
On the home front...the electricity is acting up and going out everyday...it never does this when Calixto is home but so far it has happened everyday since Thu. It doesn't go out b/c I have too many things on, in fact usually there is only 1 light on when it goes out...so odd!! A friend's dad is so kindly coming over on Tue to take a look and try to solve this mystery!
We appreciate your prayers throughout the week!!

Weekly Verse

This week's memory scripture continues on from last week...

Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.
Ephesians 6: 13-15

Mexico Update #3

The team arrived at their destination around 10:30 pm-I'm sure they were all exhausted! But thanks to God they made it without anymore troubles.
Please pray for us...today has been very difficult for various reasons and I'm really struggling! These are the kind of things that always occur while he is gone. This morning I found myself even getting angry with Calixto for leaving...I know that is not "right" thinking!! But, my emotions seem to get the best of me at times. I am trying to take every thought captive and trust that God will take care of everything-I know he is faithful and for that I am extremely grateful!
Thanks for your prayers!!!

Mexico Update #2

It is 3:05 and now the church van is broken down in Mexico...as far as I can calculate they are in the middle of nowhere! They left a major city about an hour ago and it is pretty desolate (as far as towns etc. go).
Please pray that they can get the van fixed!

**3:25...don't know the details but they are on their way once again. A mechanic friend here talked to Calixto-the problem is the fuel pump but as long as they keep the tank at least 1/2 filled they should be ok. The only problem is gas stations are sometimes few and far between.

Mexico Update

Calixto managed to get the truck to Glen Rose yesterday without too much delay. Friends from the church there will get it fixed this week so it will be ready to go when they return.
The team made it to South Texas around 6pm and had a good time of worship and communion together before getting a good night's rest.
This morning they hit a snag at the border. Calixto went to register the van to take across the border, only they wouldn't let him have it b/c he already has his truck registered and they only allow one vehicle to be registered to a person at a time. When we went to Mx over Christmas he kept the registration, instead of turning it back in, thinking that we may have needed to take the truck down on this trip.
The employees didn't want to take care of the problem since they were about to go off their shift so, they have to wait until the next shift of employees comes on to work out a resolution. Please pray that they would be able to get the appropriate paperwork and be on their way!

**Situation was resolved!!! Praise the Lord! One of the team members just had to sign the title to the van...making him the proud new owner of the church van!! That can always be remedied once they are back home!

A picture is worth a thousand words!

Please pray for Ashley Adams...she is a multiple organ transplant recipient. She is in the hospital in Omaha again and is having some problems with a blood clot right now. Please pray for this precious little "pickle" (as her parent's call her)! I snagged this picture from their blog...hoping that is ok?! Click here to read more of Ashley's journey through life!

My homemade "stuff"

Last week I made my own laundry soap, which works pretty well! Today I made my own dishwasher soap, which performed very well too! I was so excited and couldn't wait to see how clean the dishes were...I kept opening the dishwasher to check...the glasses didn't even have any spots-yay! Calixto thinks I am such a nut! Anyway my next thing to make will be liquid hand soap for the bathrooms.

If you want to try the dishwasher soap the recipe that I used is:
2 C Borax
2 C Baking Soda
4 pkgs lemonade koolaid (I used store brand) or 1/2 C citric acid
Mix it up and put in enough to fill the dispenser of the dishwasher.

Here is a map for you to see where we work in Mexico. Tamazunchale is where the team will spend a night or 2 and then head up to the remote village of Jalpa where they will spend most of their time.

This precious woman (who does not know Christ nor his salvation) lives in Jalpa and speaks the indiginous language of Nauhtl (Nah-watt). Pray of the people of Jalpa that they would hear the gospel and come to salvation!

I think I linked this picture to our splash page. The web-site is not up and running yet but hopefully soon it will be.

Calixto left for Mexico this morning at 5:30!
He and Connor were on their way to pick up the team from Grace Comm church when the truck broke down just 15 miles or so outside of Glen Rose! Please pray for them to get the truck driveable without wasting precious time. I know things like this can be quite a distraction and a discouragement right at the onset of a missions trip. Also pray the repairs won't cost us too much money...money we don't have!! They were only driving the truck to Glen Rose, they'll be taking the church van from there to Mexico.
Catherine asked this morning why Daddy was going to Glen Rose. I told her that he was headed to Mexico and she began crying, saying that she wanted to go make tortillas and chase the little boy around (refering to a little friend in Tamaz) she was very sad that Daddy didn't wake her up to go!
Speaking of Cat...this morning when I got her up she had no shirt on, I looked all in her room and couldn't find it. I went into the living room and there it was on the couch! Calixto told me that in the middle of the night she came into the living room, took off her shirt and layed down on the couch. He said she wasn't making any kind of sense except she kept telling him "Mommy said I could"! He held her for a little bit and then carried her back to bed, he didn't even want to try putting her shirt back on!!
If you think of it please pray for us here this week. Everytime Calixto goes away something major seems to happen to upset or frazzle us! We are praying for a calm, peaceful week no matter the circumstances...it would be nice if it were uneventful too! My prayer is to "be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might"...as my verse states this week.

Wordless Wednesday...

Check out other Wordless Wednesday posts by clicking here

Calixto leaves for Mexico this week-due to various reasons we have decided that the kids and I will stay home. He'll leave on Thur. morning with a team from Grace Comm church in Glen Rose. Our menu will be quite simplified (and kid-fied!) for most of this week and all of the next. It is hard to be motivated to "cook" while my husband is gone but, I will try to be somewhat nutritious with meals...we'll see how that works out. I'm trying just to use up what we have in house, so the menu is kind of boring and I have no links for recipes either...

Monday: Spaghetti (or whatever pasta is in the cabinet) and meatballs

Tuesday: Chicken-a-la-king over biscuits (we never got to this from last week)

Wednesday: Grilled chicken, baked potatoes, green beans

Thursday: Ham, mac n' cheese, fruit

Friday: hamburgers, chips

Saturday: homemade pizza

extras: pound cake-for Calixto, snickerdoodles-for the kids

Have a great week!

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
Ephesians 6:10-12

Texas weather?!
It is very changeable and unexplainable!
Here are pictures I took at 2:30pm below are the pictures taken at 8:00am! What a difference!

Chessie is no longer running around like a puppy in the snow, she is now laying in the grass sunning herself?!

The pictures don't do the snowfall justice but here is our front yard...

and the back yard! Catherine and Chessie had a blast playing together in the back! It was fun to watch their excitement!

Look how big the flakes are, they are huge!!!

It is snowing!!!!! and it is sticking at the moment....no batteries in my camera to mark this momentous occasion!!

It is a beautiful day today!!
Last week my parents were here for a few days before flying back to NJ. My dad and Calixto replaced all the windows in the bedrooms....Oh, I love them!! No more wind blowing in from the old leaky windows! The new ones look so clean and crisp...and they all open!! most of the old ones were painted shut. I can't wait for all of them to be installed!
Friday, Christopher competed in the speech meet in Tyler. He did a great job as did all of the contestants in his group. But, unfortunately he only received a "good" ribbon, he was soooo disappointed! I really feel the judges were too harsh on them. The students can be awarded good, excellent or superior ribbons and only those that receive superior can win a 1st, 2nd or 3rd place medals. In his group of 12 only one medal was awarded! I was shocked, the girl who won did an excellent job but, several other students did equally as well. Every other group (bible reading etc) received 3 medals. This is exactly what happened in 2nd grade-in 3rd grade he didn't even want to try to compete...so I guess he won't want to go next year either!
Later in the afternoon after we got home he was acting sluggish and his cheeks were red, I took his temp and it was 102!! Poor guy was sick! Over night his temp broke and in the morning it was normal...so, I told him to get dressed for his 1st soccer game of the season. He didn't want to go (that is not like him at all), after some discussion he finally cried and told us if he lost this game that it would be 2 things in a row that he lost and he just couldn't do that!! Calixto had a great conversation with him and he finally agreed to go. They won 7-1! But, his temp did return that afternoon as well...we stayed home Sun. to make sure he was really over whatever he had.
His day in Tyler was not a total waste, he got to eat with a good friend and his dad at Chuck E. Cheese's and go to a wildlife museum! While he was doing that I went to lunch with some other moms from school. We ate at Julian's Asian Diner...it was so good!! It is a bit pricey but, oh so delicious!
Catherine also rocked at her 1st soccer game, scoring 1 goal and defending a goal from being made by the other team! She now plays outdoor since the indoor place closed down. Outdoor is so much more fun but a bit more confusing for the players.
I'm washing clothes with my homemade laundry soap...have to go see how well it worked...

But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.
Psalm 86:15

Last week my parents were in town so my menu plan got sidetracked a bit. My mom cooked several meals as I substituted one day and was at the big speech meet another day. It worked out great that they were here! So, onto this week's menu...

Monday: *Carmelized chicken, rice, whatever veggie is in the freezer, fruit salad

Tuesday: Sloppy Joes, carrots/celery sticks

Wednesday: Ham, macaroni and cheese, beans

Thursday: Chicken tetrazzini (couldn't find my recipe on-line), homemade bread

Friday: leftovers

Saturday: Chicken-a-la-king over biscuits, applesauce

*I made the carmelized ckn tonight (the link is on last weeks plan) and I think it was way too sweet. The kids loved it but, I think I would reduce the brown sugar drastically. check out Laura's site...I have found so many recipes...yay!