Party Meatballs

Good Tuesday morning!

The Gallery Pics are a bit of this and that today. I don't really expect to have anything "subject-worthy" unless it snows or until Roxie's hand surgery Thursday. However, you never know around Faulkner Farms (circa 1842). You never know.

RANDOMNESS #1 - The Top Ten Lists continue the rest of this week and end Monday, Valentine's Day.

Top Ten Reasons I Love Josh

10. I love him because of all my kiddos, he is the one most like me... personality-wise. I kind of "get him."

9. I love him because he has ALWAYS been able to wait his turn. Since The Boy is the oldest, Josh knows what is going to happen (birthdays, special gifts, car rules, dating, etc.), but he never says a word until it is his turn. (Roxie is 14 and already wants the car, the special gifts and the dating rules changed. She doesn't like to wait until it is her turn.)

8. I love him because he is incredibly courageous. What he does on a daily basis can sometimes be totally overwhelming, and it would be so much easier to just stay put... but he doesn't. He faces the world every day, and I admire him so much for continuing to do so.

7. I love him because he is extremely independent, and very good at figuring out things for himself. He has done this ever since he was a little guy.

6. I love him because he loves family. When Roxie was a newborn, I would feed her and put her down for an evening nap while we ate dinner... until Josh insisted we eat as a family. So for three months (until she dropped her late evening nap), she slept in her pumpkin seat in the middle of our dining room table while we ate and whispered around her.

5. I love him because he does things with gusto.

4. I love him because he knows better than to ask if he can order TWO entrees' when we go out to eat. (The Boy still asks!)

3. I love him because when you least expect it, he says the funniest thing at the dinner table... and two days later I'm still laughing.

2. I love him because his first job was a Christmas Tree lumberjack... and I think that is such a cool first job to have.

1. I love him because he never, ever gives up. I wish I was more like him (tenacity-wise).

What (or who) will I "love" tomorrow? Who knows!

RANDOMNESS #2 - I had a wonderful time last night getting to know some of the younger women from our church a little better. I was invited to do a "Christ-Centered Traditions" talk at a Girls' Night Out, and a nicer bunch of girls I have yet to meet.

They have young children, so I'm automatically a little jealous. (There! I admitted it!) They talk about baby names and baby doctors and toddler birthday parties and play dates. They have ultrasound pictures of their babies, and we tried to guess if it was going to be a boy or a girl. I was Baby/Toddler/Preschool Heaven, I tell you! I just soaked it all in... And I have to admit, it made me want that fourth baby, Mikie! It really, really did!

They are in the midst of one of the sweetest seasons of life, and I hope they enjoy every minute of it.

They were very interactive and asked a lot of questions, which is always fun because you get input from other people in the room, too. For any of them visiting A Simple Life today, I did want to share one last thing. We were so busy toward the end, I didn't get to read something I try to share during all my talks.

This was written by Jody (see Nitty.Gritty. under My Blog List). If you've been visiting A Simple Life for awhile, I have referred you to Jody's blog many, many times. Jody lost her four year-old daughter in a horrible tragedy, and another daughter's life (who was only a baby at the time) was forever changed. Her story is one of hope, forgiveness, trust in God and so much more.

I wrote to Jody two years ago, and asked her if I could share the following paragraph she had written, and she gave me her permission.

"There are moments in life where the very thing we hold in our hands is the only thing that really matters. These little moments can get lost so easily unless we stop and take them in and soak them up as they happen. Life is fleeting. I know not to take a minute for granted. We cannot turn back time, but we can always save the here and now. Moments matter."

I loved her words then, and I love them now. Moments do matter!

RANDOMNESS #3 - Yesterday I was behind a car and the owner had the words "Personal Trainer" on the back windshield with a phone number. I thought that was pretty cool. Technically, you could put anything on the back of your windshield. I'm thinking of putting something on my back windshield. So far, I like the following:

1. FORMER MISS AMERICA

2. PRESENT MISS AMERICA

3. I AM BEST FRIENDS WITH JUSTIN BIEBER'S MOM

I'm going to think about it a little more before I commit.

RANDOMNESS #4 - After the Faulkner Frat House weekend, I was a little tired yesterday. (Major understatement!) I took a little nap. (Shock!)

I usually try to sleep on my back to avoid what happened yesterday, but in my exhausted state, I must have chosen comfort over beauty... because I woke up face down on a ruffled pillow.

Two words... PILLOW MARKS! Three words... DEEP PILLOW MARKS! Four words... DEEP RUFFLED PILLOW MARKS!

I had to pick something up at the high school, and I had a two-inch crease which went from my forehead, down my cheek to the side of my mouth. It was bad. It was real bad. (Kind of my like my grammar in that last sentence.)

I had heard if you drink a lot of water, it will plump up your skin. I quickly drank a liter of water. This story has a good news/bad news ending. Are you ready?

Bad news... It didn't help my two-inch deep ruffled pillow mark on the side of my face.

Good news... At 49 years of age, my kidneys still work great!

Party Meatballs

I'm still in Super Bowl Mode, so here is a quick AND easy recipe I borrowed from www.the-country-cook.blogspot.com.

You will need the following:

1 bag (32 ounce) frozen meatballs (She used Great Value from Wal-Mart.)
1 jar (18 ounce) grape jelly
1 bottle (18 ounce) barbecue sauce (Use your favorite.)

1. Pour the meatballs, grape jelly and barbecue sauce into your slow cooker and stir well until combined.

2. Cook the mixture on low for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 2 to 2 1/2 hours until completely cooked through (stirring occasionally).

3. When they are ready, set your crock pot to the “Warm” setting and let guests serve themselves. Just place small bowls and toothpicks next to the meatballs.

When you ask yourself the questions, "What do men like to eat?" and "What will fill a man up?" the answer is always "MEAT!" This is a twofer, Chicks!

Have a glorious Tuesday. It's the only kind to have (I believe). It's hard for me not to go ahead and give you Blog Linkage today because I already have two VERY, VERY good websites for you to check out... but we'll wait until Thursday to see what else I can find. Wednesday's Wisdom, Seasonal Tradition/Party and Randomness are all worth a minute of your time. I promise you won't be disappointed.

Take care, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Sincerely,

The Enchanting Belinda