Live Life Simply

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T18:25:00.001-05:00

Merry Christmas!

Tom, Leah, Ty, and Lexi

How to Make Donuts out of Canned Biscuits

2011-12-22T17:10:00.001-05:00

"How to Make Donuts out of Canned Biscuits (a Quick and Easy Recipe)"

Do not let this title deceive you!

Lexi came home from school the other day and told me theyhad made donuts at school out of biscuits. So we were at WalMart today and she grabbed a can of biscuits out of therefrigerated section and said she “thought she could remember how to makethem”. This is not great considering Iam not a good cook.

So we start to make the donuts. Lexi is not quite sure how to make them, so Ifigure I’ll look it up online. I find arecipe that looks very easy and we start the process. I thought "this is going to be so cute andeasy so I’ll take some pics while I’m doing this for my blog".

Click here for the recipe we found online.

Lexi made holes in the middle of the biscuits

There are 8 biscuits in the can, so we cooked 4 at atime. Lexi made the holes in the middleof the biscuits and I did the cooking with the hot oil. My husband laughed while I was burning thefirst 4 and said make sure you take a picture of those ones! Which I did….

They tasted like uncooked burnt biscuits. Note the key word in the recipe was to cook onhigh.

Thankfully we still had 4 donuts left to cook. I turned the heat way down to medium low andthey turned out ~~much~~ better. Lexi put the donuts in a brown bag and shook them in sugar and cinnamon. My kids atethem and my husband said they “weren’t bad”. Not too shabby since I ~~hate~~ don’t try stuff like this!

They didn’t turn out with the holes still in the middlethough since I smushed them down in the pan to make sure they were cookedthrough. I actually remade the hole inthis one just for the picture above! Haha! I also dropped my iPhone on the plate after this so it was covered in sugar. The things I will do for my daughter....and my blog! :)

love this girl!

Happy Donut Making to you!

Leah

Conversation between me, my husband Tom, and Lexi while I was finishing this post :

Me: "What's a good word for me at cooking? Terrible?"

Tom: "No, you have been trying out a lot of new things lately."

Lexi: "Yeah, but they turn out burnt or horrible!"

Soap and Rolos...

2011-12-21T13:40:00.000-05:00

I am proud to say that I have actually completed one thing that I have pinned on pinterest! The soap gift idea post from the other week has been completed! :)

I initially saw the idea on pinterest, but when I was looking for a tag to make for the soap, I came across this blog with free printable tags. Perfect!

Of course, I had to take a picture of my cute little finished product. Such an easy gift!

Lexi and I also made Rolo pretzels last week. A friend of mine had told me about them, and since it was such a simple recipe I figured I could actually make them!

The recipe is just pretzels, rolos and m&m's. You just put the pretzels on your cookie sheet, then top each one with a rolo. Then put in the oven at 350 for 4 minutes. After they come out of the oven, put an m&m on the top of each rolo then push down gently and let cool. They are so yummy. They were gone very quickly!

Lexi also got a cake pop maker, but our first experience making cake pops is going to have to be a blog post in itself! :)

Leah

Home for the Holidays Surprise!

2011-12-18T17:07:00.004-05:00

I love this! How awesome would it be to actually be in one of these places where they have a "flash mob"?

I hope your holiday is full of wonderful surprises!

Leah

This post is sponsored by T-Mobile

Egg and Soldiers

2011-12-15T23:22:00.000-05:00

I have been wanting to get some egg cups to make "egg and soldiers" for my kids. I finally got around to it today! I grew up eating this for breakfast in England.

In case you are not sure what I'm talking about, it's a soft-boiled egg served in an egg cup. You cut off the top of the egg with a spoon, then add a little salt into the egg. Then cut some toast into strips and dip them in the runny yolk. The strips of toast are the "soldiers".

We had these for breakfast this morning. Lexi loved it, but Ty is not a fan of eggs, so he enjoyed the toast only. I got these cute spiral egg cups!

It's the simple things in life, right? :)

Leah

Christmas crackers...

2011-12-10T21:43:00.000-05:00

One British tradition I am passing on to my children is Christmas crackers at the dinner table on Christmas day. I have fun memories with my family wearing paper crowns as we ate our Christmas dinner together. :)

Instead of me trying to explain what a Christmas cracker is, I'm going to let Wikipedia do it for me.....

"Christmas crackers are an integral part of Christmas celebrations in the United Kingdom. A cracker consists of a cardboard tube wrapped in a brightly decorated twist of paper, making it resemble an oversized sweet-wrapper. The cracker is pulled by two people, and, much in the manner of a wishbone, the cracker splits unevenly. The split is accompanied by a small bang or snapping sound produced by the effect of friction on a chemically impregnated card strip (similar to that used in a cap gun).

Crackers are typically pulled at the Christmas dinner table or at parties. In one version of the cracker tradition, the person with the larger portion of cracker empties the contents from the tube and keeps them. Typically these contents are a coloured paper hat or crown; a small toy, small plastic model or other trinket and a motto, a joke or piece of trivia on a small strip of paper."

Speaking of which, I need to go buy some of these this week!

Leah

Less cancer and more birthdays...

2011-12-09T08:42:00.004-05:00

Cancer doesn't care how old you are. My Uncle Denny was just 23 years old when his life was taken by stomach cancer. My Uncle Tommy was only 56 years old when his life was taken by lung cancer. This post is dedicated to their memory and the many birthdays they have missed.....

This post is sponsored by the American Cancer Society.

Leah

5 favorite websites...

2011-12-08T23:58:00.001-05:00

5 of my favorite websites (in no particular order) :

Amazon http://www.amazon.com/

Free Rice http://freerice.com/#/english-vocabulary/1397

Spotify http://www.spotify.com/us/start/?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=start

Pinterest https://pinterest.com/

YouVersion http://www.youversion.com/

Leah

iPhone gloves!

2011-12-08T00:22:00.000-05:00

It is now 12:11am. I just got off a late shift at work, so I was not able to post anything on Dec. 7th. So this is my Dec. 7th post....11 minutes late! :)

I am trying to post everyday if possible to get back into a routine for blogging.

Anyway, I just thought I'd share some cool new gloves I bought today! Mine are not blue like the picture. Mine are grey, but these are gloves you can use with your iPhone! Love this!

I won't have to take my gloves off to use my phone anymore in the freezing cold weather that is soon coming!

I have seen these gloves for $30, but good old WalMart had them for $3! I also love a good deal!

Leah

Lexi's story...

2011-12-06T21:47:00.000-05:00

I am so proud of Lexi. She is turning into quite the little writer! She gets that from her Dad, not me!

If you have a minute, could you go to Lexi's blog and read a short story she just wrote this past weekend? It is very sweet. If you could, please leave a comment on her blog instead of mine, I know she would just love that! I am going to try to have her post stories that she writes on her blog so she can look back at them someday.

Please click here to read.

Thanks!

Leah

You are what you eat. ;)

2011-12-05T23:30:00.001-05:00

Michael Bublé - "Christmas" Medley Clip

2011-12-04T17:10:00.000-05:00

Peace, Joy, and Soap!

2011-12-03T00:30:00.000-05:00

I found this on pinterest a little while back and I am going to use it for the bus driver and also as a "little extra something" to go with the gifts we got for the teachers. I got Bath & Body Works (Vanilla Bean Noel, Winter Candy Apple, and Pink Sugarplum) foaming soaps, then I will follow the directions on this link: Cute Christmas gift!

Hopefully mine will turn out similar to the picture! :) Aren't they so cute?!

If you have not been to pinterest, you are missing out on a whole lot of ~~time wasted on the computer~~ fun things to learn and do! There are some great ideas though! ;)

Leah

The unnamed fish...

2011-12-02T11:01:00.001-05:00

I used to have betta fish a few years back named Frodo and Sam (from LOTR). Sam died fairly quickly within a couple of months, but we had Frodo for a couple of years. After my hamsters died (they lived for 2 years which is the normal lifespan), I decided not to get anymore pets. (Of course we have had our beloved Marley for 12 years, but she is more like a member of the family than a pet.)

Anyway.........the other day I decided to go to PetSmart to look at the betta fish. I had been thinking about getting one for a couple months, so I went in and checked all of the blue male betta's tails to find the healthiest looking one. I got a really cool glass bowl for him. I also picked out a Roman ruin statue to put in the bowl (the Roman ruin was to smooth it over with Tom since he was just in Rome this summer and didn't know I was buying a new pet!). I know, I'm awful! Then I rescued the betta from his tiny cup that they keep them in at the pet store and took him home to his new spacious living quarters.

We haven't picked out a name for him yet. My vote for Kiefer (after one of my favorite actors) was shot down, so I'm leaving it up to the kids now! ;)

Feel free to suggest a name for our new fish!

Leah

Update from me....

2011-12-01T00:44:00.004-05:00

I am sorry that I'm not that great at blogging anymore...

I could blame my lack of blogging on my dog since it seems as if every time I let her out and sit down to type, she barks her head off at some poor person or dog walking down the street!

But I won't.....I am going to try and blog when I can......about..........I don't know what! ;)

We had family pictures taken recently for the first time since Lexi was 1! As you can see from the above picture, the kids are now a lot older than that!

Back soon,

Leah

photo credit: Grace Designs Photography

Sorry I'm a terrible blogger, but here's Pinterest! :)

2011-10-08T23:13:00.000-04:00

I am a terrible blogger right now! Sorry!

Things have been crazy busy lately. I hope to have some time to catch up on blogging soon...

Until then, a new favorite site of mine which may not be new to you, but I thought I'd share it anyway! :)

Pinterest

Hope you are all having a great fall!

Leah

Happy 3rd Blogoversary to Me!

2011-08-25T15:01:00.000-04:00

What better way to celebrate 3 years of this blog than by simply giving you a link to my very first blog post. Much has changed over the past 3 years and I have enjoyed getting to know each one of you. :)

http://leahhogsed.blogspot.com/2008/08/day-before.html

Leah

A new look. A new me.

2011-08-05T21:46:00.002-04:00

A new look for the blog. Thanks of course to my talented husband, Tom, for making me a new blog header. I really need him to give me a lesson on how to make those things! :)

I am starting a few "new" things this week...

Tom and I jumped back on the diet bandwagon on Monday, the 1st. We had not been exercising/counting calories since May and I had gained back 5 of the 33 pounds I had lost since I first started trying to lose weight in September. I am hoping for a new look weight loss wise over the next few months.

I took the Facebook app off my iPhone. That is a definite new thing for me. Now I only get on Facebook when I get on my laptop, so it's obviously not as quick and easy as when it's right on your phone...which is my intent.

One new thing I'm hoping to do is to spend more time blogging and journaling my life. I have enjoyed looking back over some of the previous years of blog posts in recent months. It's a great way to connect with you and to remember things that I would not remember otherwise. I have a terrible memory...seriously.

What else is new?

School starts in a couple of weeks. It's a new stage for me as I am now the mother of a middle schooler. Yikes!

Oh, one more...another new thing for me is that I think I broke my toe. I hit it on something. It's a little swollen and hurts to walk on it, so I figure it's broken??? Not a good new thing, but since we're talking about new things I guess it fits into this blog post!

What's new with you?

Leah

It's about...all you and FREE stuff!

2011-07-30T10:22:00.001-04:00

Who doesn't like FREE stuff?

One of my favorite sites would be here. All you need to do is scroll down to the middle of the page where it says: "Get a Free Sample Every Day! Sign up for Free Sample daily email alert", then enter your email address and click on Sign Me Up.

They send you an email everyday with the free sample of the day. Sometimes it's really great stuff that you really want to try out. (The sample items of shampoo, conditioner, etc. would make great travel items also.) Sometimes it won't be something that interests you, but hey, it's free. So what do you have to lose? If you are interested in getting a sample of an item, you just fill in your address and they send it to you. That's it. You can always unsubscribe from the emails if you don't like it.

Some of the free items they have given away (just to give you an idea): Purex Complete with Zout (laundry detergent); Lion Brand Yarn Crocheted Clutch Pattern; L'Oreal Youth Code; Harry Potter Cookbook Kindle Edition; Stevia Sweetener; ALPO dog food; Garnier Fructis Anti-Dandruff Shampoo. Today's sample is: Charmin Extender Toilet Paper Holder.

If the item of the day is of interest to you, I would recommend that you apply for it before supplies run out for that day. Free stuff is fun! :)

One other thing I have just started buying is their magazine. I don't have a subscription yet, but you can check it out here. I have really enjoyed reading their tips on everything from health and fitness to organizing. They also have coupons throughout the entire magazine. Just make sure you read the magazine first before you start cutting it up! :)

This is just something I have enjoyed doing lately and I thought I'd share it with you!

Hope you all have a great weekend,
Leah

Birthday Parties Weekend...

2011-07-16T16:49:00.005-04:00

This year Lexi's birthday fell on a Wednesday and Ty's was on that Friday. They both wanted sleepover parties. So I decided Ty's would be on Friday night (his actual birthday) and Lexi's would be on Saturday night (since I didn't think we'd get a good turn out with a Wednesday night party).

Let's just say the parties went great and a good time was had by all, but come Sunday morning, I was EXHAUSTED! I have already decided that next year we will have one party on one weekend and the other will be the next weekend. (Please remind me of that this time next year!)

Ty with his cookie cake

They boys had a great time. They ate pizza and cookie cake. Played Nerf Wars with their Nerf Guns outside, jumped on the trampoline, played Wii games, legos, watched a movie, and ~~slept~~ didn't sleep hardly at all!

Lexi with her cake that she picked out

The girls had pizza and cake also. Then they played on the trampoline and broke open a pinata that I had put way too much candy in. (I guess there's a 2lb. limit). We don't have any luck with pinatas, the things never break for us, so we always end up having to throw them on the ground till they break! Ha ha. Then I painted all of their nails and put a coat of crackle polish over the top. If you don't know what crackle polish is, it comes in different colors, so if you paint your nails red for example, and put white crackle polish on them, you can see the red color through the cracks in the white polish. It's fun and the girls liked it. They also made necklaces with beads and peace sign pendants. Then they watched a movie and ~~slept~~ stayed up most of the night also!

It's funny just from reading this how different girls parties are from boys parties. The boys didn't want us around at all, while the girls wanted me to paint their nails, make headbands, and necklaces. : )

It was a fun birthday weekend, but I was very tired when it was all over with!

Tom's birthday is this week, so after that our immediate family is done with birthdays for this year! : )

Leah

Happy 11th Birthday, Ty!

2011-07-13T21:01:00.001-04:00

Age 3 Age 11

Happy Birthday, Ty!

I love you!

Mom

Ty's birthday was July 8th, but I am only getting around to posting this now due to their parties that we had all weekend. That will be another post! : )

Do Everything...

2011-07-07T09:14:00.000-04:00

Steven Curtis Chapman was my first exposure to Christian music back in the early 90's when I became a Christian. He is still making great music to this day. Awesome song writer and singer as you can tell from this song from his soon to be released newest album. :)

Leah

Happy 9th Birthday, Lexi!

2011-07-06T15:07:00.000-04:00

Age 1 Age 9

Happy Birthday to my sweet Lexi.

I love you!

Mom

First week of overnight camp...

2011-06-30T11:07:00.001-04:00

I took a big step with my kids this summer and sent them off to overnight camp for a whole week! I was a nervous Mom of course, worried that they would get homesick, etc., but the camp is a church camp and I knew they would be safe and have a blast. It was a great experience for them, and thankfully they loved it! I am posting a couple pics. I obviously don't have pics from while they were there, but they did everything from games, go-carts, challenge course, swimming, crafts, church services, and sweet shop (the favorite place for most campers) to get some ice cream. : )

Lexi after we got her bunk made up.

We were able to write them letters, so a bunch of our family members and friends sent them letters since they make a big deal out of getting mail there at camp. If you get a certain amount of letters in one day, you have to do something silly in front of everyone at lunch! (Like hop on one foot, pat your head, and rub your belly at once.) My kids had to do that at least one day.

Letters from friends and family.

Of course I was excited to pick them up from camp at the end of the week and happier that they had a wonderful time. Lexi did write me one letter that I got in the middle of the week saying they were having fun, so that helped knowing they were enjoying themselves!

Ty and Lexi when I came to pick them up from camp.

They were very tired when they got home, but overall it was a great week.

Tired Ty

Tired Lexi

The only thing I didn't enjoy was the pile of wet, dirty laundry that I spent most of the next day working on!

Everything was dirty and wet from a week of camp - yuck.

~ LEAH

Waiting Here For You...

2011-06-29T15:44:00.000-04:00

A Picture Perfect Day...

2011-06-14T18:41:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, we went to the park for the afternoon. We had a great time...

...on the tire swing...

...shooting hoops...

...taking pictures...

...it was a picture perfect day!

Check out that beautiful sky!

Leah

I was a much better blogger back then...

2011-06-12T23:30:00.000-04:00

I haven't been writing much lately on my blog, but I have been looking back at posts from 2009 and thinking to myself "I was a much better blogger back then". I don't know if it was because I devoted more time to write on here or because I was involved in many different blog memes, most of which are not in existence anymore.

It's nice to see that the majority of the people who commented on my blog back then are still some of my blog friends today (that's pretty much most of you on my favorite blogs list). It's great to read back over some of the old posts and comments. I highly recommend it! :)

I have to admit that looking through the old posts made me laugh or smile mostly, but some made me sad. Reading over some of my first adoption posts made me feel sad that it didn't work out, but God's ways are not always our ways, and I am slowly learning that in my life.

I know that most of you don't know me personally, but this blog has given me the "outlet" to write my feelings or thoughts that maybe I wouldn't say to someone in person. So maybe those of you who read this blog do know me better than people who I see every week....

I appreciate those of you that still read my ramblings. I don't always have anything exciting or inspiring to share, I'm not a great writer either, but I guess this blog has been and hopefully will continue to be a "scrapbook" for me to look through from time to time. I say "scrapbook" because I know I will probably never finish my kid's scrapbooks. I am still on their first year and they are almost 9 and 11. :)

All this to say thanks for reading and I'm going to try my best to make time to write more often. As my husband always tells me if I'm complaining about not having enough time to do stuff, "you always have time for the things you want to do". It's true.

Have a great week,

Leah

14 years ago today....

2011-05-31T08:00:00.001-04:00

We were married in a beautiful church in Michigan.....

Happy 14th Anniversary to my wonderful husband, Tom.

I love you!

Drowning Doesn’t Look Like Drowning...

2011-05-25T18:30:00.006-04:00

"If you spend time on or near the water (hint: that’s all of us) then you should make sure that you and your crew knows what to look for whenever people enter the water....."

Click on the link below to read more.

Drowning Doesn’t Look Like Drowning

Please take the time to read this short article.

I found it to be very informative.

"May the fourth be with you"...

2011-05-24T01:24:00.001-04:00

This blog post is obviously late....since my birthday was May 4th! Just wanted to post a couple pics from my 35th birthday. I had breakfast in bed from the kids (frosted mini wheats - my favorite cereal), homemade cards from the kids, a chocolate chip cookie cake, and some money to go buy whatever I wanted. What more could I ask for? It was a great birthday! :)

Lexi and Me

Tom and Me

Ty and Me

So of course I went shopping as soon as I got off work! I got some new black converse shoes, a new bag, a new mini umbrella for my purse, and new earrings for my cartilage piercings (I have 4 piercings in my left ear and 2 in the right). I also got some nice Bath & Body Works stuff at the mall. And I can't remember what else, but those were actually the main things I wanted to get. :) It was a fun day and I found some great sales!

Tom and I went to my favorite Chinese restaurant for lunch. My birthday was on a Wednesday so we had church that night. My kids did not like the idea that I didn't have a party. They wanted to know why grown ups don't have parties like kids do. They are already planning their parties for July! ha ha.

I guess that's about it for the big 35. I did have someone tell me last week that they thought I was 24, and I have to admit that made my day! :)

Have a great week,

ps. May 4th is called Star Wars Day because of the popularity of a common pun spoken on this day. Since the phrase “May the Force be with you” is a famous quote often spoken in the Star Wars films, fans commonly say "May the fourth be with you" on this day. Interesting, huh? :)

Jamie Grace - Hold Me featuring tobyMac

2011-05-24T00:07:00.000-04:00

Chonda Pierce and Logan Martin...

2011-05-21T01:45:00.000-04:00

I went to see Chonda Pierce and Logan Martin with a bunch of ladies from the Summit tonight. We had such a great time. Just wanted to share some pics, links, and video real quick. :)

I had never heard of Logan Martin before the concert. He is a very nice guy and has a great voice. You can hear one of his songs by clicking on this link: http://www.theloganmartinband.com/resources/multimedia/details/?id=59464.

Logan Martin and Me

I have been in surgical menopause since age 30, so this video of Chonda is hilarious to me! ha ha :)

I am going to start reading Chonda's book "laughing in the dark". You can find it here: http://www.amazon.com/Laughing-Dark-Comedians-Journey-Depression/dp/1582296413

Hope you have a great weekend!

Blessings

2011-05-12T13:09:00.000-04:00

Ditch the workout, Join the party!

2011-04-08T12:18:00.000-04:00

Today is my day off work, so I am finally getting a chance to update my blog!

You may remember this post from January when I first shared my weight loss journey with you. I have to be honest and say I have not kept up with the exercise and calorie counting every day since then, but I am trying my best to eat healthy and I do workout at least 5 days a week. I have lost a total of 30 lbs as of right now.

I'm sure you have all seen the infomercials for Zumba. I was very hesitant since I never buy anything off of TV, but my friend has it and loves its, so I thought I would give it a try.

I bought my Zumba Fitness Total Body Transformation System DVD Set (that's a long name!) on Amazon (one of my favorite sites to shop) with free shipping. (Now I'm going to have to explain how I got free shipping in this post too!) It arrived in 2 days and I started it the very next day. Of course the next day we were leaving for vacation, and I actually took it with me, but didn't workout at all during vacation. I didn't even weigh myself till I got home and I had not gained any weight, which was good.

Anyways, so we get home from vacation and get back into our routine. I get up at 6am, do my Zumba workout, jump in the shower because I am sweating to death, get the kids ready for school, then go to work. The whole point of this is to say that I actually enjoy doing the Zumba workout. It is fun and obviously a good workout, because I sweat so much more than I ever did riding my exercise bike (which is how I lost all of the initial weight).

Do any of you have Zumba?

Off to do my workout now (I can do it later today since it's my day off) !

ps. The way to get free shipping on Amazon is to sign up for Amazon Mom. I was shocked at all of the things you can buy on Amazon and they do have some great deals. It's free to sign up too!

Bye Rhino...

2011-03-16T18:54:00.001-04:00

Rhino could not fight off his illness and he died last night. :(

Here are some cute pictures of my furry little Rhino.

Our very first hamster is now in hamster heaven. :)

Poor Rhino...

2011-03-14T19:02:00.002-04:00

Most of you know that we have had our hamster, Rhino, since June of 2009.

On Friday night, we noticed his eyes were sticking together, so I looked online on several sites and figured out he had pink eye. Apparently, it's a common illness. So we treated him for the pink eye and his eyes became "unstuck" by the next morning.

Today his eyes are still open but very cloudy, so apparently it's a sign of cataracts...who knew hamsters could get all this stuff? There is no cure for this if it is the condition. It is a sign of old age for a hamster.

I don't know how old he was when we got him but I just found out today online that the average life span of a hamster is only 2 years.

The bottom line is that poor Rhino is sick. As of now, he does not move unless I pick him up to check on him. As far as I can tell, he is not eating or drinking either.

I'm hoping he will get better, but I'm not sure. : (

I really feel bad for the little guy. If you have read my blog before, you know that Rhino and I have been through many "adventures" together that have been documented on this blog. : )

Does anyone else have a hamster that has had similar symptoms?

Please click here to read my first post about our very first hamster, Rhino.

I could really use your help...

2011-01-29T21:21:00.000-05:00

Dear blog friends,

I could really use your help. I am looking for some good ideas for women's activities for church. They don't all have to be spiritual in nature. They do need to be something that can be enjoyed by women of all ages though. I would love to hear any ideas that maybe you have come across or even done at your church, etc.

I appreciate your feedback!

Thanks,

Green by Ted Dekker (The Circle, Book 0: The Beginning and the End) Book Review

2011-01-20T08:45:00.001-05:00

First of all, let me start off by saying Ted Dekker is my favorite author. Any time I see a book written by him or co-authored by him, I want it. His writing is amazing. Period.

I joined this book review for bloggers called BookSneeze a few months back. Of course, when I saw one of Ted Dekker's books was a choice for review, I knew it was the one I wanted. There's no other option. :)

I have read many of Ted Dekker's books, but none of the Circle Trilogy that came before this book (with the exception of a "try" at Black and now my "attempt" at Green). I'm not sure if it's because these are 'sci-fi' or what, but I just couldn't get into them. I hate saying that, but this is supposed to an honest book review.

The books in the Circle Series are among his most popular works, but I have to say I would not choose them over any of his other books. That's just my opinion.

Now if you wanted to know which are my favorite Ted Dekker books, I would tell you ALL of the ones I have ever read by him (which are many), except the Circle Trilogy/Series.

Some may not agree, but this is my blog, and my book review, so there you have it. :)

Happy Reading,

ps. I am going to do a blog post about ALL the books I love by Ted Dekker, so look for that to come soon.

Trying to become the Biggest Loser...

2011-01-14T22:19:00.000-05:00

I think this is the first time I have mentioned or at least gone into more detail about my efforts to lose weight. Last year, I decided it was time for me to start losing some of the weight I had put on after having gained a lot of weight post-hysterectomy.

I had my complete hysterectomy in March of 2007 and gradually gained about 50lbs. over the next 3 years. I was not doing any type of exercise or diet program during that time period either.

In August 2010 I started on a exercise/diet program which basically consists of......hard work.

I count my calories and exercise 6 days a week. To date I have lost 23lbs. I am in the middle of my journey right now as I hope to lose another 20lbs. this year.

This is the first time I have put up any picture of me during my weight loss progress, so it is a little scary. The picture of me on the left was take in late June 2010. The picture of me on the right was taken January 2011.

June 2010 ---------------January 2011

I still have a long way to go until I reach my goal weight, but thought I would post this to update you on my progress and to motivate myself to keep going.

2011-01-07T20:09:00.000-05:00

This is my first official blog post of 2011, since the first one I posted this year was really a link to my husband's blog to his New Year's Resolutions blog post.

I hope the New Year has gotten off to a good start for all of you! So far we are sticking to our New Year's resolutions, but it's only day 7. ;)

Today we took all of the Christmas decor down, the house now looks bare, but it was also a good way to make me realize that next year I won't decorate as much. It's just too much work putting it all away!

We have a lot of new stuff starting up here in the next week...

We start "New Thru 30" (reading the New Testament in 30 days) on Jan. 10th at the Summit. I am a little intimidated by the large amount of reading to be completed in a short time frame, but I know it will be something I will benefit from. Tom is going to be doing a live web broadcast online from our house to discuss and answer questions about the reading. Feel free to join us if you want to!

I am also going to be reading through the book Made to Crave by Lysa TerKeurst with a friend of mine. We are going to read it (we live in different states) and discuss it as we go. I think it will be an interesting book as it talks about "a woman's desire to be healthy and the spiritual empowerment necessary to make that happen."

I'd love to hear what new things you are starting this month or year.

New Year's Motivation...

2011-01-01T17:06:00.001-05:00

Happy New Year 2011!

I don't have a blog post for today, but I wanted to give you a link to a great New Year's Day post on my husband's blog. I hope you'll stop over and read!

Click here to read.

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-24T09:30:00.001-05:00

‎

"Jesus humbled Himself. He went from commanding angels to sleeping in the straw. From holding stars to clutching Mary's finger. The palm that held the universe took the nail of a soldier. Why? Because that's what love does." - Max Lucado

A Digital Christmas...

2010-12-21T21:57:00.000-05:00

My husband, Tom, showed me these videos this week. I thought they were really good. If you haven't stopped by his blog before, you can visit him by clicking here.

The videos are just over 2 minutes each, so I hope you will take the time to watch them.

Enjoy the videos!

This video is The Digital Story of the Nativity:

This video is for all you fellow iPhone and iPad users:

Homeless for 20 minutes...

2010-12-17T09:16:00.000-05:00

We had just pulled into the snowy driveway when my husband, Tom, asked me to try to pull up the garage door. It's broken right now. The garage door had been getting stuck on the tracks so Tom tried to fix it the other day and for now ~~it's broken~~ we are opening and closing it manually. ;) I had never pulled the garage door open manually before.

So I get out of the car, gently stepping my way across the icy/snowy driveway in my ~~snowboots~~ grey flats, and try to pull the handle that Tom has asked me to pull up.

After struggling for more than a few seconds, my husband is thinking "I can't believe she is such a weakling", and I keep telling him it's not moving.

Well, let's just say Tom and I have a different opinion on what the "handle" on the garage door is. I am putting a picture below and will let you decide for yourself which you would have picked.

Front view as you walk up to the garage door.

Side view showing both "handles".

I pulled up on what I believed to be the handle, it turned itself up to the right and then I tried to pull it upwards. The garage door did not move. Tom got out of the driver's seat and walked over. That's not the handle, he said. He pointed to a "ledge" sticking out from the garage door that was below what I thought was the handle. Apparently I had locked the garage door.

We were now locked out of our house at night in 15 degree weather. (Thankfully we had stopped at Subway to get dinner on the way home since I was working later that evening or I would have been ~~whining and mad~~ unhappy that we had not eaten dinner yet and it was already late.)

My first thought was "We'll just have to break a window." There was no way I was going to stand out there shivering with the kids in the snow. Tom had a more rational thought and said "Let's go see if our neighbor will let us borrow a screwdriver." He walked next door and the neighbor came over with a flashlight while he and Tom took turns trying to get the handle out of the locked position.

At this point, I am warm in the car with the kids eating Subway, laughing at our predicament,and taking pics of Tom and our neighbor trying to unlock the door. After 15 minutes, Tom was able to hit the handle hard enough with the screwdriver that it unlocked! We were relieved that this "drama" had only lasted about 20 minutes.

Tom and I are still ~~having a discussion~~ arguing about which is the handle. I obviously thought it was the one on the top left. Like I said, I've never opened a garage door manually before, so which one would you have picked?

Once we were inside, Tom and I laughed so hard about what had just happened. I told him next time he needs me to open the garage door, he needs to tell me to pull up on the "ledge". ;)

ps. I can open the door when I use the ledge-type handle, so I'm not a weakling. :)

Blogging in a Winter Wonderland...

2010-12-15T08:51:00.003-05:00

Wow, it has been way too long since I last posted on here.....sorry!

I went back to work, so that is my only excuse. Life is busy.

We just finished up Christmas programs at church and school for the kids this past week.

Ty on his way to his school Christmas program.

Lexi on her way to the church Christmas program.

Marley out in the snow.

I'm always looking for new music to listen to. Just in case you are looking for some great Christmas music, here are my current favorites:

Newsboys - Christmas: A Newsboys Holiday

Mandisa - It's Christmas

Mariah Carey - Merry Christmas II You

Point of Grace - Winter Wonderland

Elf Soundtrack

The Essential Christmas Collection (various Christian artists)

Beckah Shae - Emmanuel (I just got this today!)

Have a great week!

Beckah Shae - Most Beautiful Time Of The Year

2010-11-21T22:24:00.002-05:00

I know it's not Christmas yet (although I have already decorated), but I still want to share this song! :)

You can visit the website for Beckah Shae by clicking here.

Winner of the Book Giveaway!

2010-11-17T23:31:00.000-05:00

The winner of the The Knitter's Bible: knitted accessories book randomly picked by a member of my family is....

Elena from Elena's Garden.

I just love reading Elena's blog. Stop by and visit her blog if you get a chance. She has become a great blog friend. :)

Elena - if you could email me (hogfive@gmail.com) your mailing address, I will send the book out to you. :)

I hope you enjoy it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Look for more giveaways in the future on Live Life Simply!

Have a great rest of your week!

Book Giveaway!

2010-11-15T14:34:00.001-05:00

I am going to giveaway this book I just recently bought. I had planned on learning to knit, but have since discovered that I am doing better with crocheting. :)

Anyways, the book is called The Knitter's Bible: knitted accessories. It has over 30 stylish designs for scarves, gloves, hats, wraps, and ponchos.

I am going to post a picture I just took of the book below.

If you love to knit or you know someone who loves to knit (nice Christmas gift), all you need to do is follow my blog AND leave a comment below if you want the book.

If there is more than one comment, the winner will be picked at random.

You have from now until 10PM on Wednesday the 17th to enter. :)

(I think giveaways are fun, so look for more to come in the future!)

Trick or Treat 2010...

2010-11-06T22:20:00.000-04:00

Trick or Treat 2010!

Ty was a "Desert Commando" this year. He wanted to be an "Army guy", but this was the closest costume I could find. He is really into the Army and military stuff right now. I think that is great.

Lexi was a "Cheerleader" this year. She wants to start cheerleading at school next year, so we are going to try to get her enrolled in that. She loves to show me the cheers that she knows already.

Our church does "Trunk or Treat" every year, and as we were walking out the door Tom decided to put on a wig that we had in the basement and be "Justin Bieber". I admit I laughed, but I did make him take the wig off as soon as we left Trunk or Treat! It was fun though.

I hope you all had a great Halloween and got lots of candy! :)

Sounds That Are Pleasant...

2010-10-26T11:37:00.000-04:00

Just wanted to share some new music that I like. One is new to me and the others are just some favorites. If you have any favorite artists you'd like to bestow upon me so I can put them on my iPod - that would be great! (I just wanted to use the word "bestow" in my blog. Ha ha.)

This first one is called "No Matter What" by Kerrie Roberts and I just heard it/her for the first time this morning on the radio! I will definitely be checking out the rest of her CD which is a self-titled debut.
Click here to go to her website.

JJ Heller is an artist that I have liked for a while now. Her last CD Painted Red is the first one I heard from her. This song is from her newest CD When I'm With You. It's called "What Love Really Means". Click here to visit her website.

Group 1 Crew has been one of my favorites since I heard their Ordinary Dreamers CD. This song "Let's Go" features TobyMac (another one of my favorites). It's on their newest CD Outta Space Love. Click here to see their website.

Don't forget to share some of your favorites with me!

When I was ten, my Dad said we were moving to America! What?

2010-10-19T14:24:00.006-04:00

Not sure why really, but I've been thinking about where I'm from and the memories of my early childhood overseas in my birthplace of England. Maybe I need to write about this for my two children to know what things Mom did growing up, or maybe I need to write this for me to reminisce about English sweets (candy) and foods that I miss...

(You can stop reading here if you don’t want to read a long blog post about my early childhood. I am writing this post mainly as a journal for myself and my children.)

I grew up in a small sailing village called Burnham-on-Crouch. It is on the banks of the River Crouch on the East Coast of England and is known as a great place for yachting. I was born in Chelmsford, the nearest large town which was about 20 miles from Burnham.

We lived in a nice 2 story home in The Cobbins. We had our milk delivered to our front door by the milkman. It was in glass bottles with foil lids. We also had eggs and potatoes delivered to our front door. Whenever the ice cream truck would come by, we would have our favorite, a "99" which is vanilla soft serve ice cream with a flake candy bar stuck in the top.

"99"

My bedroom was decorated in Hollie Hobbie (the old style). As I got older, I enjoyed listening to Wham! and dancing to "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" on my record player. It was the 80’s!

old style Hollie Hobbie

My older brother, Noel, had dyed his dark hair to blonde with purple streaks. The streaks had to be perfect at the sides. He was 11 years older than me so he was into the 80’s punk stage.

We went to St. Cuthbert’s Catholic church where Father Murphy was the priest. One year for my birthday we had the party in St. Cuthbert’s Hall. I had a Hickory Dickory Dock cake. I remember how cool that cake was to this day.

My first school was Devonshire Road County Primary School. I then switched to St. Francis Catholic school in Maldon which was about 20 mins. away from home. We have school uniforms in England and I remember I wore a blue and white gingham dress and a straw hat with ribbon on it. My only memory there is that I was hit on the hand with a ruler by one of the nuns for not eating my lunch!

I became ill (childhood illness) and had to go to the hospital, so my parents decided to switch me back to Devonshire Road because the trip to Maldon was too much.

At Devonshire Road, my school uniform there was grey and white. I had a Madonna lunch box and thought I was the coolest girl in school!

One of my favorite memories around that time was picking strawberries in this really big field near our house. It was called the Farm Shop. It was kind of like what you would think of as a pumpkin patch nowadays, but you would go and pick your strawberries, then get them weighed in a brown bag, and then pay for them.

My very favorite place to go was the corner shop (which was across from the Farm Shop). It was the shop full of penny sweets (candy that cost 1 cent each). Me and my younger brother, James, would go there often and spend our pennies on all the delicious sweets. My favorites were coke bottles (gummy bottle shaped with coke flavor), flying saucers (discs of rice paper in various colors filled with sherbet) and aniseed balls (the flavor of aniseed is similar to licorice). An older couple owned that shop and I remember them being really nice. We were probably some of their best customers! I don't even remember the name of the shop, but it was literally a hop, skip and a jump away from home.

flying saucers

I could go on and on about my favorite English candies: Turkish Delight (think Narnia movie), Culry Wurly, Flakes, Galaxy bars, and more, but you can actually find them here online at Jolly Grub. Feel free to buy me some or try some for yourself! :)

Some of my favorite foods were: Fish and Chips. (When you bought it at a restaurant, it would come wrapped in newspaper. Now they wrap it in white paper.); Yorkshire pudding (made from batter); Toad in the Hole (sausages in Yorkshire pudding batter); Bangers and Mash (sausages and mashed potatoes); Blood/Black Pudding (sausage made of cooked pig blood). The Blood/Black Pudding really does taste good. I promise.

Blood/Black Pudding

Of course British English (or the Queen's English) as my Mum (Mom) would say is very different from American English...

Cookie = Biscuit.

Bathroom = Loo.

Diaper = Nappy.

Elevator = Lift.

Eraser = Rubber. (I had a very confusing experience asking my 5th grade American teacher if he had a rubber I could borrow.) :)

Flashlight = Torch.

Gas = Petrol.

Hood of a car = Bonnet.

Trunk of a car = Boot.

Napkin = Serviette.

Fries = Chips.

Pacifier = Dummy.

Pants = Trousers.

Chips = Crisps.

Truck = Lorry.

And the list could go on.

Also we spell things differently: Color is colour. Favorite is favourite. Center is Centre. Pajamas is Pyjamas.

When I was ten, my Dad said we were moving to America! What? I didn't want to move and I didn't want to go to school there! We moved to Michigan since Dad worked for Ford Motor Company. It was 1986 and I was put in 4th grade at the local elementary school. A couple weeks later, they moved me into 5th grade. I guess they didn't realize how smart I was! ;)

Unfortunately, (according to my husband, Tom) I no longer have an English accent. I worked very hard to lose my accent in the 5th grade because the kids made fun of me. The "rubber incident" probably didn't help matters. So I became "Americanized" very quickly. When we moved back to England 3 years later, they called me a "Yankee", so I guess I couldn't win either way.

We only stayed in England for a year while Dad worked on getting us green cards. Then it was back to Michigan and middle school....I'll have to save that for another post.

I am now an American citizen since December of 2006, but I won't forget the heritage that my parents have given me.

Now I'm off to the store to buy some Turkish Delight (they actually sell it at my grocery store in the British section)!

Turkish Delight is made from Rose oil and covered in milk chocolate. Yum!

The End.

The Dash Movie

2010-10-14T09:08:00.002-04:00

I saw this on a friend's facebook page and thought it would be great to share on my blog! Such a great reminder for all of us. Click the link to watch the movie. It's only just over 2 minutes.

The Dash Movie | The Dash Movie

He chose baby Jesus as his comfort...

2010-10-13T10:44:00.001-04:00

A Nativity Scene was erected in a church yard.

During the night the folks came across this scene.

An abandoned dog was looking for a comfortable,

protected place to sleep. He chose baby Jesus

as his comfort. No one had the heart to send

him away so he was there all night.

We should all have the good sense of this dog

and curl up in Jesus' lap from time to time.

This is too sweet not to share.
No one mentioned that the dog breed is a "shepherd!"

I thought this was adorable - that dog reminds me of my German Shepherd Marley.

I got this in an email and I just wanted to post it here...

Have a great day!

Change...

2010-10-10T22:18:00.000-04:00

On August 8th I quit my job at AT&T online chat. I quit for various personal reasons and I think I've changed a lot in the 2 months that I have been "jobless". I thought about working outside of the home, but after some reflection I decided it was best for my kids if I continued to work from home. Thankfully, I have been connected with a work from home company for 3 years now and am able to apply for other jobs from home. Anyway, all this to say that I start training for my new job this Wednesday.

Am I ready for this change?

I'm reading this great devotional book right now by Jan Kern called take a closer look for women. I don't think it's a coincidence that I read this chapter today...(all quotes below are taken from this book).

"Change can be difficult, no matter what form it comes in. What is easy is getting really comfortable with where you are, and what you've had. Unfortunately, things don't usually stay that way forever. At some point you will probably find yourself facing a move of some kind that you weren't ready for. It might be a job change..."

I didn't plan on quitting my job with AT&T. Circumstances in my own life led me to quit and take a hiatus from working for a while. Now I'm going back to work. It's a new job, a whole new training course that will take 4 weeks to complete. I won't officially start working until I finish the course in early November. I don't look forward to 4 hour classes each day and homework.

"Emotions stir and stomachs churn when it comes to big changes...as you look ahead to the move, questions fill your mind: What's ahead? Will I like it? Will I be okay?"

Maybe you're not starting a new job, but I think we can apply this to any change in life that comes our way.

Remember during this change, "You're taking someone important with you - God."

"God may call you to "go forth," out of your comfort zone, to a new place or situation. Know that as you are following His direction, He will help you in the adjustments."

Wherever God is calling you, remember He is always there with you.

Wordless Wednesday: Silly Bandz

2010-09-29T08:47:00.000-04:00

Join Wordless Wednesdays by visiting Miller Racing Family Blog!

Who else wishes they had invented these???? ;)

MacArthur Study Bible Giveaway!

2010-09-28T23:49:00.000-04:00

Visit my husband's blog by Wednesday (tomorrow) at midnight EST to enter to win a MacArthur Study Bible which retails for $45!

Info is on his blog. Visit by clicking here.
OR
http://tomhogsed.com/2010/09/28/win-a-study-bible/

Good Luck!

Maybe it's time for me to step back...

2010-09-24T15:18:00.002-04:00

My plan for my life was not to have secondary infertility, was not to have a hysterectomy at age 30, was not to have my brother die at such a young age, was not to face so many obstacles in adoption....

What happened?

Those were God's plans for my life.

God has blessed me with 2 children who really are miracles. My doctor said it was amazing that I was able to have 2 children with the severe endometriosis that was discovered when we were trying to have a third child.

A hysterectomy at age 30 healed me from endometriosis, but also introduced me to surgical menopause. That sent me straight into the world of hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, and hormone replacement therapy.

My older brother dying suddenly at age 41. I don't know if I'll ever understand that while I'm here on earth.

The adoption process - sadly was the most horrific emotional roller coaster ride I have ever been on. From our adoption miscarriage in December 2009 to August 2010 when we finally decided to get off the ride.

I am finally starting to realize that my plans are not always God's plans. I find it hard to step back and look at the big picture. Instead I focus on what I want and not what God wants for my life.

Maybe it's time for me to step back and let God lead the way.

"For I know the plans I have for you," says the LORD. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11

Lord, protect me...

2010-09-21T10:22:00.000-04:00

Contentment...

2010-09-20T08:39:00.000-04:00

This really spoke to my heart today....I just wanted to share it with you.

Click here to read.

I hope you have a great Monday!

Too Many Crafts to Count!

2010-09-14T21:14:00.000-04:00

Most of you that read my blog know I have enjoyed designing and making beaded jewelry for years now. It is probably my #1 craft/hobby.

I have also dabbled in Scrapbooking. I don't think it's really my thing though since I am still on year 1 of my kid's scrapbooks and they are now 8 and 10. Oops! Maybe I'll get those done in time for their high school graduation. :)

I enjoy drawing - some of you saw the owl mural I am drawing in the playroom - unfortunately I haven't gotten much further on it!

I taught myself to knit a few weeks ago and I am excited to knit some scarves for the cold winter months ahead here.

My parents brought me a crocheting kit last week. I haven't started that yet, but I assume it will be somewhat similar to the knitting. ????

Is it just me or do I have too many crafts? Or is that good since I tend to get bored easily?

My new craft room.....

....is not that one. ;)

That would be my dream craft room! Mine is in my basement and is a mess of tables and unorganized crafting stations.

I'm not sure why I am blogging about my craft interests! Maybe just to find out what yours are and if you've tried any of the ones I've mentioned....

Hope you are having a GREAT day!

And just for fun, a quote I saw today:

‎"Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves, for they shall never cease to be amused."

Remember...

2010-09-11T09:54:00.000-04:00

Newsboys - Impossible

2010-09-06T18:25:00.001-04:00

This is my current favorite inspirational song...........what's yours?

First day of school 2010...

2010-08-26T14:38:00.000-04:00

It's officially the first day of school and the end of summer today.

Backpacks are jammed full with school supplies.

Lunches have been made in new lunch totes.

Outfits have been picked out. :)

My kids are now in the 3rd and 5th grade.

I am a little anxious about them going back to school. Probably because I have enjoyed the carefree summer and now it will be busy, busy, busy!

I know they are excited to see their friends and make new ones.

Nothing captures the memory of the first day back more than a picture.

I love them!

Wordless Wednesday: Hot Air Balloons

2010-08-25T09:39:00.000-04:00

Join Wordless Wednesdays by visiting the Miller Racing Family blog!

These are hot air balloons as seen from our driveway during the Pro Football Hall of Fame week.

A new look...

2010-08-24T13:23:00.003-04:00

My wonderful husband, Tom, has created this new header and background for me. I love it!

Black and White are my favorite colors together, and also brown and aqua...but anyways back to the blog! I love this new look and I hope you do too!

For those of you that don't know already, you can read my husband's blog and leave him a comment here. I'm sure he would love some new followers! Don't we all? :)

I hope you all have a great week!

Dumb things I have done this week.........

2010-08-23T20:28:00.000-04:00

Left my purse in the dressing room at Macy's.

Thankfully my husband noticed my purse was missing and it was quickly retrieved!

After a Sunday afternoon nap, I forgot to put my contacts in.

I only realized I had done this on the way to the church festival. So I went to the festival only being able to see close up!

I thought this picture accurately describes me this week!

Have a great week!
Leah

Goodbye Summer...

2010-08-20T20:33:00.000-04:00

Wow, the lazy days of summer are almost gone.

Vacations, play dates, riding bikes and playing in the back yard....

The kids go back to school soon.

We've got the school supplies ready.

Some new shoes and outfits.

It's hard to believe it's my son's last year at elementary school.

It's been a busy summer...

...but I wouldn't change a thing.

Not again!

2010-08-05T23:07:00.001-04:00

This morning Lexi informed me that the hamster's cage door was open. We looked inside and found no hamster. Skeeter was missing! We looked around and put out treats to lure him back, but we have learned from our experience with Rhino (who was missing 8 days!) that we will find him eventually. I did set out a humane trap with treats in it. So I'm hoping to find him in there in the morning.

I don't know what it is about hamsters or my hamsters or what. But they are escape artists!

Skeeter planning his escape! Photo taken 2 days ago.

Pray that little Skeeter returns home soon. I love my little pets.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++

On a totally different note, I have reached back into the artistic recesses of my mind and decided to draw a mural on the kid's playroom wall. They agreed on this owls/trees/birds idea. This is only one part of the mural since I just started it last night. There is still a lot more to draw across the entire wall.

Will show you the rest whenever I get it completed!

Hope you are all having a great week!

Leah

UPDATE: SKEETER HAS RETURNED! HE WAS MISSING THIS MORNING AND MY DAUGHTER FOUND HIM TONIGHT AT 11:28pm! YAY!

Wordless Wednesdays: Laugh

2010-07-21T10:09:00.000-04:00

Join Wordless Wednesdays by visiting the Miller Racing Family blog.

My Favorite Cartoon...

2010-07-20T11:12:00.001-04:00

Okay, any of you Moms out there find yourselves more enamored with your kid's favorite TV shows than they are? Everytime you hear that cartoon come on, you realize you have been standing there staring at the TV screen instead of doing whatever else you were supposed to be doing?

There are many shows that my kids like that I enjoy such as Phineas and Ferb and iCarly. But I have to admit my all time favorite is one that some people find annoying.

SpongeBob SquarePants is one of my favorite shows. I think it is hilarious and it's a show that we all enjoy together. It makes me laugh, what more can I say?

What shows do you enjoy watching with your kids?

I am still here!

2010-07-16T23:31:00.003-04:00

Well, what do you think of my new blog design? This is one of the few times that I have re-done my blog and it has been virtually pain free. We shall see. Hope I'm not missing something major! :)

Anyway, it has been too long since I've been in blog world. We truly have been busier than ever the past few weeks. But I have thought of you, my blog friends, and thought to myself "I really need to blog" but somehow never got around to taking the time.

I'm here now and I just wanted to share some of the latest things going on in our neck of the woods.

*We went away for our annual week of vacation at the beach. It was a glorious place full of sand, sea, and sun. I will post some photos soon.

*We celebrated both of our children's birthdays the week we were at the beach (they are 2 years and 2 days apart!). We also had birthday parties for them the week after we got home, so now you can see why I haven't been blogging!

*We got 4 new pets at the beach! They are small and have a pincher ------ hermit crabs! We are having a lot of fun watching them and learning how to take care of them properly. They have been named by the kids. Their names are Sam and Carly (from iCarly) and Duke and Wake Forest (NCAA Basketball teams).

*Our other pets, hamsters Rhino and Skeeter, and dog Marley are doing well also. My husband jokes that we should start a traveling zoo! ;)

*I joined a gym! This is only my first week so prayers need to go up that I stick with it! :)

I'm sure there is something I have missed, but my main goal was just to let you know I am still here and still loving blog world even when I don't always have time to participate.

Hope you are all doing well and having a wonderful summer!

Leah

Pictures In My Head...

2010-06-27T22:32:00.000-04:00

There is a picture of a beautiful olive-skinned boy on the side of my fridge. It is mixed in with all the other photos and magnets on the fridge, but it caught my eye today.

I try not to think of him.

I was hoping he would be a part of my family by now.

I pictured him playing with my kids and going to church with us.

I pictured him as my child with the American name we had picked out for him.

I pictured myself learning how to "talk" to him since he didn't speak English yet.

I pictured myself enrolling him in our local school and being so proud that he was a part of our family.

And then one day the picture was shattered.

One letter. One phone call.

That picture I had in my head was never meant to be.

I try not to think of him often because it hurts my heart.

I do pray for him when I think of him because I have a love for him in my heart and wish the very best for him even though it couldn't be with my family.

We moved on to another agency and worked on pursuing an adoption from the Philippines, then decided to switch to China when we found out that their special needs program would be faster. I didn't picture anything this time. I couldn't. I'm glad I didn't because once again it has not worked out.

I don't post the reasons that the adoptions didn't work out - some was concerning the agency, the child, and myself. But I don't think those reasons need to be made public because the heart of the matter is that the adoption process is full of red tape and I just want to expand my family.

We are moving onto a local agency and switching from international to domestic adoption.

The bad news is: our international homestudy and all of our paperwork will NOT transfer. We have to start over from the beginning. We have our first homestudy visit on Wednesday.

I do think that the adoption process sucks. It is the most miserable experience I have ever endured. I wouldn't have done it if I knew what I know now. And that is sad. There are probably many other families like us trying to adopt a child and like us they are stopped in every direction by red tape.

Please pray for me. My heart is hurting. I hate talking about "how the adoption is going" because it's not going anywhere...

~Leah

The Grill Cycle...

2010-06-13T22:03:00.000-04:00

Okay....so have you ever borrowed anything from your neighbor and then you didn't really want to return it but then you knew you had to return it because it was bordering on you keeping it too long, so you took it back secretly hoping they would offer it to you to use anytime - but they didn't, so you went home and thought about that beloved item and how much you want one and really need one since you will use it all the time and the whole family can enjoy it and.... (insert every other excuse I can think up here!)

Then the next day your husband surprises you with that magical object that you've been wishing for since you returned it to its rightful owner. And now you have one of your very own. (Forget the fact that before I borrowed this item I'd never needed or wanted one ever before.)

But now, I own one and it's mine and I love it and maybe I should name it because I'm using it every day (except one so far) and it's awesome and now you want to know what it is....

It's a...............

.....BBQ Grill!!!

I borrowed my neighbors grill a week ago Friday to use on Friday night. I returned it 6 days later. I used it everyday I had it in my possession. Do you think I kept it too long?

I dreamt about things I could cook on the grill - corn, baked potatoes, chicken, hot dogs, hamburgers, steaks. Marinades, mushrooms, mmmmmm.

I browsed books at the store about BBQing and grilling. I even downloaded an app on my iPhone about BBQing.

So my husband takes me to Lowe's and buys me my own grilling machine. A BBQ Grillware 3 Burner Gas Grill. And I love it and I can't wait to buy food to cook on it and smell it cooking and eat it....la la la la la.

So next time you are in my neighborhood, stop by and I'll grill you my favorite - a "dirty burger" made with soy sauce. And then, you'll ask to borrow my grill and I'll say No Yes and then you'll start wishing for your very own grill. And the cycle continues.....

Let me know what delicious foods you cook on your grill.

Anniversary...

2010-05-30T22:09:00.000-04:00

13 years ago on May 31, 1997 I married my husband, Tom. I love you Tom more than ever and look forward to what the future holds for us together...

Adoption Highs and Lows...

2010-05-22T13:54:00.002-04:00

I'm writing this post for 2 reasons - one is because a lot of people have been asking how the adoption process is going (this is an easy way to answer them all) and two is because I need to write down my feelings on our adoption process for myself.

It's been a rollercoaster ride. There have been some great moments and some low points...

Low - We had our adoption miscarriage in December from Thailand.

Low - I cried for weeks.

Ever since then I've stayed pretty low emotionally and we haven't had great luck with paperwork getting processed fast enough for our new country, the Philippines.

Low - We were also told that after months of waiting on some paperwork that should have been handled back in March (which has held up our adoption until now) that if we continue with the Philippines it will be a 2 year wait.

High - Just yesterday, I had a "great moment" where I found out that we may have a chance with China special needs adoption which means we could have a child by the end of the year.

Of course I have to take this news about China without getting my hopes up because if it doesn't work out we go back to the Philippines and wait 2 years.

This adoption process has been such a heartache for me.

I truly don't know if I would have pursued adoption had I known that the process is such a miserable heartwrenching experience. That may sound harsh, but it's my honest feeling of the process we have been on.

Sometimes I wish I hadn't told anyone we were even considering adoption because they don't understand it's not a quick process and the child is not coming next week.

I will keep you posted on the China possibility. If that doesn't work out, it will be 2 more years for the Philippines. I will be disappointed, but I know God has a reason for making us wait so long.

We are going to keep going in our adoption process because we have already come so far. We have been on this current journey since March of 2009.

Please pray for us and the child God has for us...somewhere.

Birthdays and Hamsters...

2010-05-06T09:07:00.000-04:00

Well, since I last posted I have turned a year older! I celebrated my 34th birthday on May 4th. I had a wonderful time with friends and family.

We also have a new member of the family to introduce.....before you get too excited.....it's nothing to do with our adoption! We have added hamster #2 to the family. His name is Skeeter (after Skeeter Bronson in "Bedtime Stories"). He and Rhino have separate "mansions" so we don't need to worry about them fighting. They are both males, so we will not be having any hamster babies around here either!!!

Today I start a class for a new position at work, so I'll be busy with that for the next couple of days.

Just wanted to stop in and say hello! :)

The 20 Year Plan...

2010-04-27T11:58:00.000-04:00

Someone asked Tom and I how the adoption process was going yesterday.

Tom's reply: "We're on the 20 year plan." ha ha ha

That kind of tells you what a long and frustrating process it has been for us!

________________________________

Still working towards the Philippines...

A Boring Blog Post...

2010-04-26T22:41:00.001-04:00

I actually have a lot on my mind but nothing worthy of a blog post, so enjoy the cartoon. :)

=================

I have a lot of work related projects and classes to complete by Thursday so I may not be able to blog much this week.

=================

I do plan to do a blog post on meeting Steve Saint this past weekend.

=================

Have a great week!

Worship and Praise Sunday: Our Time

2010-04-25T05:59:00.001-04:00

Join Worship and Praise Sunday by visiting Jen's blog.

Today I have picked "Our Time" by Group 1 Crew, one of my new favorite bands.

Before I even start the day

Before distractions come my way

Before it ever gets crazy

I gotta have our time

I want to be close to you

So you can bring me back to the truth

Cause the only way I’ll make it through

I gotta have our time

I love the moments when you freeze my clock

And in the middle of the day

Then we go and take a walk in the park

You never want to be apart from me

Cause you hold me so close to your heart

Our time

To get away

Your time

To be alone with me

My time where I can hear you say

Everything I need to get me through the day

Our time

To bring it back to one

And this is your time

To show me your love

And this is my time

To learn to trust

I know that I need it so much

Our time

Oh oh

Bring it back to the

In the middle of my doubt and fear

In the middle of my pain and tears

I know you want to meet me here

So we can have our time

I can share anything with you

And I’ll always be the same to you

Everyday you want to make me new

We gotta have our time

And when I feel the tick tock chasing me

I just got to make a pit stop constantly

Cause you know it's what I want and what I need

Just to bring me back to the place

Where my eyes can see

Lord I believe

You're all I need

I gotta have you everyday

I won't take a step till you tell me what's next

Show me the way

+++++++++++++
Have a wonderful Sunday!

How did you get the name Leah?

2010-04-24T01:06:00.002-04:00

Most people assume that I was given my name because it is a Bible name. But, no, that's not the case! I was named Leah after this song. My Mom was pregnant with me at a Roy Orbison concert and she loved the name Leah. That's the story of how I got my name.

My husband and friends laugh when they watch this video. I'm sure you will too.

Mom, if you're reading this, sorry but it is a very bad song! I do like my name though! :)

Bedtime Stories

2010-04-23T01:30:00.002-04:00

We watched this movie for the 3rd time the other day. If you are looking for a funny, family friendly movie, try this one! There are so many funny parts. My kids love it!

What are some funny, family friendly movies you've seen lately?

Nothing to say...

2010-04-22T05:20:00.001-04:00

Well, the cartoon really says it all, but I will share some random thoughts that are in my head just for fun! These are in no particular order, hence the use of the word RANDOM.

I hope the ending of LOST is not disappointing.

I thought they should have given more time to the reunion between Jin and Sun on LOST.

I wish the adoption process was not so long and difficult.

I hate being on a diet.

Do you have any suggestions for low calories snacks?

I love going on bike rides with my kids.

I wish Rhino (my hamster) didn't bite when I pick him up.

I love my new work hours.

I can't wait till Summer.

My birthday is in 12 days!

I know what I want for Mother's Day.

I love Converse shoes.

I want a pet lizard.

I know I won't get a pet lizard! :)

I guess that's it for now.

Hope you all have a GREAT day today!

Wordless Wednesdays: A girl and her dog

2010-04-21T05:16:00.001-04:00

Join Wordless Wednesdays by visiting Miller Family Racing.

Stupid Blog!

2010-04-20T08:45:00.001-04:00

I have to admit I am FRUSTRATED with my blog.

I am referring to trying to put new backgrounds on and add headers.

Everytime I do it I end up messing up my blog somehow and spending HOURS trying to fix it.

I still can't get any header to work.

I need to figure out how to put my blog awards into a slide show so they don't take up so much space.

I can't get the fonts to change to the way I am setting them in blogger.

Anyone else having these issues?

Stupid blog!

End of the Spear

2010-04-19T05:44:00.001-04:00

Tonight during our Bible Study we watched the movie "End of the Spear". It's the second or third time I've seen this movie and I would recommend it to anyone.

INSPIRING is the only word I can use to describe it.

"End of the Spear" is the true story of Mincayani, a Waodani tribesman from the jungles of Ecuador. When five young missionaries, among them Jim Elliot and Nate Saint, are speared to death by the Waodani in 1956, a series of events unfold to change the lives of not only the slain missionaries' families, but also Mincayani and his people.

If you see the movie or have seen it, I'd love to know what you thought of it!

Next Sunday I get to hear Steve Saint, the son of martyred missionary Nate Saint, speak at our main campus. I am really looking forward to it and will definitely blog about it!

There's a God-Shaped Hole in All of Us

2010-04-18T05:27:00.002-04:00

Time to update my blog...

2010-04-17T21:06:00.003-04:00

Hi blog friends! I feel like I haven't blogged in forever so here's a little update about my daily life so you know what I'm usually doing on a regular basis.

I am an AT&T wireless specialist, Mom and Pastor's wife.

I try my best to help with homework although that doesn't always work out so well. My son was doing fractions the other day and I had to call my Dad for help!

My husband and I launched a church called The Summit in September of 2008. We love the people that God has called to the Summit and look forward to each Sunday.

I work 30 hours a week for AT&T. I enjoy my job and love the perks of working from home.

We are still pursuing adoption. It has been a long, hard road so far but we are sticking with it and pushing forward. Right now we are waiting on some paperwork to arrive that the Philippines has requested from us. We don't know how long this process is going to take. I appreciate prayers!

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Since I like reading about what products you use or enjoy, I thought I'd share some of my favorite things I've discovered lately:

1. Digsby It combines IM, email, and social networks.

2. Words with Friends for iPhone or iPod Touch. You can play Scrabble against your friends who have iPhones or an iPod Touch.

3. Grooveshark Listen to free music online.

4. Bejeweled 2 I play it on Facebook or on my iPhone.

5. Green Mountain Coffee Nantucket Blend - Yum!

6. Logitech Trackman Wheel Mouse I use it all day at work and whenever I'm on my laptop.

Have a great weekend!

I'm having a Thirty-One party....

2010-04-13T11:57:00.001-04:00

Thirty-One gifts has wonderful quality products for every occasion. Here you'll find a variety of specialty items including purses, tote bags, thermal lined bags, kids' items, home decor, personalized stationery and more!

These items are priced great too! Purses start at $30, wallets $20 and accessories $10. Nothing over $100.

The best part about Thirty-One gifts is we offer EMBROIDERY PERSONALIZATION so every gift can be one of a kind! You will find something that is unique, stylish, and versatile for yourself and everyone on your gift list. They even have cute stuff for teens and adorable "31kid" products.

Also, all orders $50+ will receive FREE SHIPPING DIRECTLY TO YOUR HOME!!

To shop online or preview the catalog, visit www.mythirtyone.com/kateowen .

Visit the website above and click on "Place an Order." Choose "Leah Hogsed" and Leah will receive credit for your order ... Thanks for checking it out!

God's Cake

2010-03-22T19:17:00.000-04:00

I received this email last week and thought it was great. I just wanted to share it with my blog friends. :)

God's Cake

We all wonder many many many times over WHY?

Sometimes we wonder, "What did I do to deserve this?" or "Why did God have to do this to me?"

Here is a wonderful explanation! A daughter is telling her Mother how everything is going wrong, she's failing algebra, her boyfriend broke up with her and her best friend is moving away.

Meanwhile, her Mother is baking a cake and asks her daughter if she would like a snack, and the daughter says, "Absolutely Mom, I love your cake."

"Here, have some cooking oil," her Mother offers.

"Yuck" says her daughter.

"How about a couple raw eggs?" "Gross, Mom!"

"Would you like some flour then? Or maybe baking soda?"

"Mom, those are all yucky!"

To which the mother replies: "Yes, all those things seem bad all by themselves. But when they are put together in the right way, they make a wonderfully delicious cake! "

God works the same way. Many times we wonder why He would let us go through such bad and difficult times. But God knows that when He puts these things all in His order, they always work for good! We just have to trust Him and, eventually, they will all make something wonderful!

God is crazy about you. He sends you flowers every spring and a sunrise every morning.

Whenever you want to talk, He'll listen. He can live anywhere in the universe, and He chose your heart.

Wordless Wednesdays: Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2010-03-17T10:50:00.000-04:00

Join Wordless Wednesdays by visiting Miller Racing Family

Rhino Returns!

2010-03-08T08:43:00.000-05:00

Rhino is back!

Rhino was found on Saturday morning in a box in the basement. He appears to be OK other than a bruised back leg. I am sooo happy that he is back. :)

I knew Marley didn't eat him!!!

Wordless Wednesday: Missing Hamster :(

2010-03-03T08:42:00.001-05:00

Please visit Miller Racing Family to join Wordless Wednesdays.

Rhino escaped!

2010-02-28T19:40:00.003-05:00

It was about 5AM on Friday morning when my husband heard some noise downstairs. We assumed it was just our dog, Marley, moving around....

Fast forward to 7AM...I am making lunches in the kitchen for the kids to take to school. Ty tells me that a piece from the top of Rhino's cage has fallen on the floor beneath the desk the cage sits on.
I put the piece back onto the cage and glance into the cage to check on Rhino...

Rhino is not in his cage. I start to panic a little wondering where in the world my little hamster could have gone and if my dog, Marley, may have eaten him.

We look everywhere. I am calling Rhino's name and Tom finally tells me to stop calling him. Tom doesn't have the same attachment to Rhino, since he tells me that Rhino is just a rat. Meanie! :)

We look under every couch and behind everything we can move. We look in every possible place we can think of....

I tell Tom to go look online because everybody looks for their answers online, right? It turns out many other people have had lost hamsters, so we read some of their advice...

1. Hamsters are nocturnal, which means Rhino has probably found a warm place somewhere and is sleeping the day away then coming out at night for a snack or to play. So that means you should....

Sleep on the couch in the room his cage is in and leave the cage on the floor with some food and the door open. Maybe you will hear him playing in there and then you can close the cage door and all is well.

I tried that. I slept on the couch Friday night. I had the cage on the floor, food outside the cage, the cage door open, and lights off except for the light of the TV. I don't believe he came out looking for food because the food outside the cage was not disturbed. Of course I thought I kept hearing things like little hamster noises or scurrying feet. But it was all my imagination.

I thought the next night I would sleep on the couch in the playroom in case he had wandered in there. But later that day (Saturday) I started having terrible pains in my lower back. I assume it is from sleeping on the couch the night before while I was on "hamster watch."

2. They also recommend that you sprinkle sunflower seeds on the floor with flour around them so you can see where the tracks lead to.

No, I'm not doing the flour thing.

3. They also say it can take from 2 days to 2 weeks for him to show up. And they mean alive and well. I guess they can go that long without food and water.

I think the fact that I did #1 is enough to say I miss my little Rhino. :(

So as of right now, which is Sunday evening at 7PM, there has been no sighting of Rhino. No evidence that Marley ate him, so I am hoping he is just in hiding or on an adventure with his friend Bolt -- although he did forget his ball. (You need to have seen the movie Bolt to understand that last sentence.)

If he does not show up, I will be very sad and probably the owner of another hamster that looks just like him.

I hope he comes back soon. I miss my chubby little furball.

Wordless Wednesdays: Hair Accessories

2010-02-24T09:19:00.000-05:00

Please visit Miller Racing Family to join Wordless Wednesdays!

My first attempt at making hair accessories.

Wordless Wednesday - hair colors

2010-02-17T09:02:00.000-05:00

Join Wordless Wednesdays by going to the Miller Racing Family blog.

November 2009 - blonde hair

February 2010 - dark brown hair

Wordless Wednesday: Marley in the snowstorm

2010-02-10T18:00:00.000-05:00

Join a new Wordless Wednesday carnival at Miller Racing Family

SuperMom? Nah.

2010-01-27T18:40:00.001-05:00

I am not SuperMom. I will be the first to admit that.

Lexi is in AWANA Sparks and I have been ~~neglecting~~ forgetting to put her patches on her AWANA vest. Solution: I just don't make her wear it. That way nobody knows the patches aren't on there! Smart. :)

For some reason, before AWANA tonight, she brought up the ~~awful~~ wonderful patches that needed to be put on her vest. She is almost done with her book for this year, so she wanted to wear them all proudly if she finishes her book tonight.

So I start looking for my ~~sewing machine~~ glue stick. The glue only worked for about a minute then the heaviness of the patches caused them to start coming off. I didn't want her losing one of her beloved patches, so I decided to get........the stapler! I just stapled the patches on and I must say they look ~~marvelous~~ sufficient.

At least the patches are finally on the vest after ~~months~~ years of being in the junk drawer.

Doesn't she look cute?

Grief sucks. There's no other way to put it.

2010-01-25T11:02:00.002-05:00

My parents have been in England and Ireland since September.
They decided that since they are now retired, they would go "home" to get away from the Michigan winters. Unfortunately, they did not escape the snow completely since it snowed over there this year! They are coming home at the end of this month. I look forward to being able to call them and talk to them on the phone regularly instead of just leaving voicemails on their computer and playing phone tag. With a 5 hour time difference, it's hard to get in touch at a convenient time for both of us.

Yesterday, was the 3 year anniversary of my brother Noel's passing. I didn't cry. Maybe it's because I cried a lot on January 6th. I'm not sure what triggers our grief for a certain date or time. But I feel bad that I didn't cry yesterday. It's not that I don't miss my brother. I do. I love him very much and wish he was here with us.

I don't like January because it is the month he died. Plus it's winter time, so it's cold and depressing. Most of the neighbors are hibernating so you don't really see anybody outside.

Yesterday came and went. No tears. Thoughts of him entered my mind and I felt peace. I know that's not a bad thing. I believe he is at peace with God. He has a new body that is not diseased with diabetes. I wonder if he knows how much we miss him.

I never got to see him in "real life" with his leg amputated. It happened only a week before he died. I guess it doesn't matter anymore. He died in England, far away from my house in Ohio. I hadn't seen him for months before he passed away. The last time I talked to him was December 29, 2006. I had sent him a package with a letter and some drawings from the kids the week before he died. He never got to open that package. It arrived the day he died. My parents flew over to England and put the drawings from the kids in his casket. I don't know what happened to my letter. I wonder what it said.

Grief sucks. There's no other way to put it.

My parents sent me this email and picture a few weeks ago....
"We placed a wreath in the Heart of England Memorial garden for Noel on December 26th."

I pray that God will give my parents peace.

I love you Noel.

Winner of the bracelet giveaway....

2010-01-22T14:15:00.001-05:00

The winner of the bracelet giveaway is Stephanie from ...a different kind of cute !!!

Please stop by and visit her blog as she is new to BlogLand!

Congrats Steph. I will contact you regarding your wrist size.

Share some comment love with new bloggers...

2010-01-20T18:33:00.006-05:00

Just wanted to share 2 new blogs with you today!

My friend Steph is funny and makes me laugh a lot! We work together so we enjoy chatting on Yahoo! Messenger. She has started a blogspot and you can view it by clicking here.

My friend Jen is a mother of 3 boys and will make you laugh with the stories she has to share! We have been great friends since I moved to Ohio 12 years ago. She is new to blogging also and you can visit her blog here.

I hope you will leave them a comment and invite them to read your blogs too!

I know I love having such great blog friends! :)