Note To Self!

Dear Friends,

I've been overwhelmed by your support, prayers and notes of encouragement and love. They carried and buoyed me up through some dark and scary hours. It's been a week since my dad had his operation and he's recovering remarkably well. Thank you, thank you, thank you. And my mom and dad thank you too!

On a different note, here are a few "notes to self" that I've taken over the past week:

Note to Self: Don't ever, ever, ever go to a 3-D movie again. My family went to "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" last night and I felt like I spent two hours on a roller coaster. While the movie is cute, I got sicker than a dog during it and had to take Dramamine when I got home. Today my mind is still fuzzy and I have a terrible headache! Does anyone out there like 3-D movies???

Note to Self: Don't let the neighborhood kids come in the house with a live snake. Won't go into details about what it regurgitated on my rug!

Note to Self: This Five minute chocolate cake in a mug recipe simply rocks! It would be fun to set it up for a party or for family night treat and have everyone make their own cakes in a mug. Or--it's a wonderful little guilty pleasure that you can sneak in before going to bed!

Five Minute Chocolate Mug Cake or The Most Dangerous Cake in the World

4 T. Flour

4 T. Sugar

2 T. Cocoa

1 Egg

3 T. Milk

3 T. Oil

3 T. Chocolate Chips

A small splash of vanilla

1 large microwave safe mug

Add dry ingredients to mug and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly. Pour in the milk and oil and mix well. Add the chocolate chips and vanilla and mix again. Put your mug in the microwave and cook for three minutes at 1000 watts. The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed! Allow to cool a little and tip out onto a plate if desired. Serve with vanilla ice cream. This can serve two if you want to feel slightly more virtuous.

And why is this the most dangerous cake recipe in the world? Because now you are only five minutes away from chocolate cake at any time of the day or night!

Note to Self: Look to see what's on the end of a fishing pole before reeling it in! This is actually for my son, Collin. He can date when he turns 16 and the big day is October 8th. He got asked to a girls-choice dance last week (the big dance is on October 10th). There was a fishing pole in a bale of hay with a sign that said "If fishes were wishes and I had three, I'd choose you to go to Sadie Hawkins with me!" In the pitch dark, Collin followed the line with his bare hands to find what was on the other end. I was expecting Swedish Fish or maybe gold fish crackers. Instead he came back carrying a very large, freshly caught, bloody trout. He had to reach his hand inside of it for a note with the girls name on it. Gross!! (He answered with 50 mealworms and told her he "took the bate and can't wait for the date.")

Note to Self: I have the very best blogging friends in the whole world!

Thanks again for everything. And you have my permission to go eat some cake!

Sincerely,

Lisa

Please Pray for my Dad!

This is my adorable, sweet dad with Sage. He's been a confidant, protector and provider my entire life. I've never heard him swear. I've never heard him loose his temper. I've only seen him be a wonderful example to his family and all who are around him. Yes--he's pretty close to perfect. And--you should hear his jokes! What a sense of humor!

Tomorrow he is going to have the battle of his life--brain surgery. He's going in to it with a failing body and a weak heart. Tonight my entire family joined together for a meal and special prayer for my dad. Please will you join us and say one too? It would mean the world to me and my family.

Sincerely and With Love,

Lisa

P.S. There seems to be something wrong with the comments. I can read them but sometimes they won't published. We are trying to get this fixed! But please still leave your comments--I love reading them!

P.S.S. This adorable photo was taken by the one and only Robin Johnson (see Robin Johnson Photography).

It's Amazing What a Little Love Can Do!

So sorry for the delay in writing. I've been having major problems publishing my blog. But--I think it's all finally fixed!

Just have to tell you about this heartwarming story. You may remember this post--Ebony and Ivory living together in perfect harmony. In a nut shell, there's an adorable black cat with green emerald eyes that's been hanging around our house for several months now. It is wilder than heck and nobody has been able to catch it--until a few weeks ago. A neighbor's granddaughter caught it and we put it in a cat carrier. I then proceeded to take it to the vet to have it fixed. (I was afraid if it was a girl that babies would be born in our garage without us knowing it.) I paid $150.00 and left for a few hours. When I came back to get the cat, the vet told me I'd wasted my money. The cat had already been fixed!!! Just my luck :) ! On with the story . . . since that time we've made it a point to talk sweetly to the cat and try to pet it even though it was still a wild little thing. Imagine my shock (and joy) when Sage came in the house holding the cat:

We now can pet and hold the cat. Best of all, she's Maggie's best friend (our beagle). Just shows you what a little love can do!

I love taking a picture a day. I don't worry about whether it's perfect. I just want it to capture the moment.

Like this photo. Steve and I went to Dallas for a big BYU game at the Cowboys stadium a few weeks ago:

(Great game! BYU won Oklahoma University by one point. I thought the OU fans were the nicest I've ever encountered! Oh--and the new stadium is a sight to behold!)

Steve and I landed at the airport and were getting off the exit to our hotel when we came across a broken down vehicle right in the middle of the road. Just had to make this my picture of the day:

I love this guy--cute Steve pushing from behind (he also went and got him gas and then jump started his car).

While we were gone, Collin was at football practice and did this to his ankle:

It's a really bad sprain and he's out for 4-6 weeks. Big bummer!

This picture of the day cracked me up--a gal who's been a friend of the family for many years also got hurt (she's a cheerleader for the team). I just had to get a photo of the two of them with their wounds:

This photo is just a happy memory. Right before Family Night last Monday night, Brecken noticed these cool clouds in the foothills of our home:

Kade made everyone jump in the car for a drive through the clouds. I was rolling my eyes and wanted to finish the dishes, but then thought about Kade not being around much longer so I had a change of heart and jumped in the car. We all drove through the clouds (really a cool experience), then got frozen yogurt for Family Night. I'm going to miss having this kid around. He's always up to something and tons of fun.

Finally, if you haven't heard the news, just want to let you know my pal, Becky Higgins, will no longer be with Creating Keepsakes. She is off to other adventures (like raising three adorable children!). Becky is a scrapbooking icon. Her simple yet classic style has wowed scrapbookers around the globe. On a personal note, Becky is one of the kindest, most even tempered, not to mention creative people I know. And--she's so stinkin' organized! She's a wonderful friend and I'm so lucky to have her in my life! Best of luck, Becky! We love you!