Life on the Road

Christian comediene Anita Renfroe has this hilarious “Mom Song” posted on YouTube…

I love it…  TOO funny…  the DVD is definately going on my wish list!!  

What a fun idea!  Overwhelmed with Joy brings us the 2nd Annual Holiday Cooking, Blogger Style Recipe Exchange!

This is my favorite recipe for any festive occasion.  It’s an old family recipe from Mississippi (that would be Wolf’s family).  And don’t worry, it tastes nothing like buttermilk!  Maybe we should change the name to Sugar Pie…

Buttermilk Pie

Makes 2 pies

2 1/2 c. sugar
1 1/2 sticks butter
4 eggs
3 Tbsp. flour
3/4 c. buttermilk
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. coconut extract
2 9″ pie shells

Preheat oven to 400.

Cream butter and sugar thoroughly.  Add flour and eggs, mix well.  Add vanilla, buttermilk, and extract, mix well.  Pour into pie shells.

Set oven to 350.  Bake 1 hour, until pie doesn’t shake.

Tiffany’s notes:

• Depending on your location and oven, this may work best of you cover the edges with shields (or just foil!) to keep them from overcooking.
• We have tried this with many different types of extract in place of coconut.  Although they are interesting, for some reason it just doesn’t have that certain “something.”  Even Wolf, who dislikes coconut in general, prefers it the “original” way.
• Why set the oven to 400, then turn it down to 350 when you put the pies in?  I don’t know…  but it works much better if you do!  (Presumably it has to do with the heat you let out when you open the door to put the pies in, eh?)

It’s that time again… My little combo of Thursday Thirteen (my Fourth Edition), and Thankful Thursday - hosted at Sting My Heart.

1. The Clayton Roberson Family Foundation, and Sycamore Springs Park.  Free camping - including RV electric hookups, kids’ play areas, a creek with fishing…  Ahhhhh!
2. Jewel’s Good Nature.  My poor swwet girl is being eaten alive by bugs, and is just so patient!
3. The Beauty God Created.  Wow, it can just really take your breath away.  The kids catching crawdads in the creek, Wolf fishing, birds singing in the trees…  Wow.  And He made all of this for us to enjoy!
4. Bagels & Cream Cheese.  Easy on Mama’s sick stomach, Jewel’s favorite food, and reasonably healthy.  Who invented bagels, anyway?
5. Nick.  I’ve been having a rough time dealing with my ex-husband this week over some ongoing issues (you’d think after more than a decade things would go more smoothly!), and it’s so easy to get SO exasperated with him and the situation (and obviously the fact that they reflect my youthful poor choices before I got to know Jesus).  I just need to keep remembering that God gave me my precious son, and that’s a blessing.
6. My Darling Husband.  Yeah, he’s on the list every week…  But that’s a good thing, isn’t it?  He’s so thoughtful, and takes good care of me.  Almost makes morning sickness bearable…
7. The Internet.  Okay, so this makes the list a lot, too.  The reason this week: fellowship with various groups of like-minded people.  I was recently invited to join a Yahoo Group for moms who have both teenagers and babies…  Who knew?!
8. “Mom & Pop” Businesses.  One of the best things about travelling and being in small towns is finding neat places to eat…  An old drive-in that’s still a burger and ice cream shop, with great food and low prices.  It’s such a neat find!
9. Wireless Technology.  We’re here in this beautiful park, and we can still get online with wireless broadband, and make calls for our business on our cell phone.  What a great way to be able to “have it all”!
10. Bug Repellant!  See #2.
11. My Sister.  For most people, it’s a big plus that our company pays daily.  For us, rootless, it’s a bit troublesome to have checks coming all the time.  My sister graciously gets our business mail delivered to her, and mails deposits in to our bank.  Thank you, Teresa!!
12. Books.  When I don’t feel good (physically, emotionally or otherwise), it’s one of my favorite distractions to curl up with a good book!  I typically read a wide range of things, but novels are best for that no-brainer “distraction” time…  Lately, ouot of desperation, I’ve started in on the collection of Star Trek novels my son’s been accumulating!  LOL
13. Campfire Cooking.  It’s been a fun few days:  burgers, hot dogs, pineapple on the grill (never tried it? Amazing!), baked potatoes, and baked bananas - SO yummy!

You know, when I started this I was afraid that I would have trouble getting to thirteen things.  I decided that it was worth the effort, though, to cultivate an “attitude of gratitude.”  The funny thing is, it hasn’t been hard to think of 13 things — and I feel even better when I’m done!

It’s that time again…  My little combo of Thursday Thirteen (my Third Edition), and Thankful Thursday - hosted at Sting My Heart.

This week’s choices may sound a little odd, if you don’t know the whole story, so bear with me! 

1. Air Conditioning.  Being in this tiny box, with no air circulation…  Ack!  We wanted to explore new territory, but not like this.  Glad we’re going somewhere with a power hookup…
2. Canned fruit.  Looks like I’m not going to make it through this pregnancy without morning sickness after all.  [sniff]
3. Sunshine.  Okay, does that contradict #1?  It’s so nice to be able to put the laundry out to dry in the fresh air, though…
4. Baby Blessing.  Definately NOT a direct contradiction of #2, but of course they are related.  We’re all so excited, and our views of what we’re interested in doing over the next couple of years are definately changing.
5. My Amazing Husband.  Who gets up at 3 am to refill the generator, and goes to fill the gas can at 5:30 when it’s empty and I’m sweltering.  (Yeah, our lovely generator situation - it will only run the a/c when you need it least)
6. Nick and Jewel.  Being pregnant again has just made me so overflowing with love for my kiddos!!
7. Super WalMart.  I know a lot of people hate WalMart, but I do appreciate the fact that they let RVers park overnight in their parking lot, and it’s sure nice to be able to go linger inside in the Air Conditioning (see #1).
8. God.  Of course He’s not really this far down the list.  We’re really feeling blessed with the new baby on the way, as well as some leading about what we should be doing now as a result.
9. The MomPack.  I really appreciate the group of ladies that’s my primary business hangout.  Someone there has an answer to any question I come up against, as well as the willingness to jump in and support each other.
10. “Adopted Family”.  Once again, I’m blown away by the love we get from friends who are “family by choice.”  I’m extra thankful to be able to overcome the weirdness of our past mistakes, and be close to good people, however they came into our lives.  (Let me be clear:  These are my husband’s ex-wife’s parents — and they are a huge part of our support system).
11. Insurance.  They were a pain in the rear during the process (I suppose I need to post a review of that, eh?), but we were able to replace the stolen generator.
12. The Internet.  Today’s reason?  Real Estate listings nationwide!
13. All of You!  I have so much fun writing, and I’m just tickled everytime I think that I am talking to a bunch of folks all across the country…  Thanks for reading this!

What are you thankful for today?

It’s that time again…  My little combo of Thursday Thirteen (my Second Edition), and Thankful Thursday - ususally at Sting My Heart, but Guest-Hosted this week at Laurel Wreath.

There is SO much to be thankful for this week!  Wow!

1.  Baby Blessing - I am so thankful that the Lord has blessed us with another little one, and I pray for his/her safe and healthy development.

2.  God - Always, right?  But particularly for His strength right now.  With the robbery, the miserable weather, and the pg symptoms, I’ve been leaning a lot…

3.  Wolf - My amazing husband who is out there in said miserable weather working himself to exhaustion to take care of us.

4.  Family and Friends’ Support - Thanks to everyone who didn’t say, “You guys live in an RV, why the heck are you having a baby?”

5.  God’s Grace Through the Kindness of Strangers - He does, indeed, work in mysterious ways!

6.  Fellowship - It’s a little stressful going to a different Church every week, and not feeling that “home” feeling.  But we’ve been so warmly welcomed (and even fed!)…

7.  Opportunity - Even though we’re feeling “stuck” here in Memphis (we’re ready to go, but waiting on the insurance check that’s coming here), God keep providing opportunities for our business to grow right here.

8.  My Kids - Nick is working hard to get onboard with a new chore checklist system, and Jewel has been just as sweet and cuddly as can be.  They can always bring a smile to my face.

9.  General Delivery Mail - LOL  I just had several folks send things ahead to the Bowling Green P.O.  I’m so thankful I don’t have to wait until we’re back in Mississippi or California to get everything!  And who even knew such a service existed?

10.  The Magic of the Internet - I have an incoming link from the Wall Street Journal online page “The Juggle.”  How crazy is that?

11.  Our Safety - As much as I’ve stressed about the theft, I’m so thankful that we’re all safe.  This is definately a town where you can’t take it for granted.

12.  Extended Family - Wolf’s Aunt and her tribe have been so kind to us during our stay here.  Everything from an extension cord and a place to park, to the occasional meal and showers inside.  We didn’t plan to be here this long, and appreciate their patience.

13.  Playmates for the Kids - It’s been really fun for both Nick and Jewel to have Hannah and Carson to play with, even if the ages are a little “off” (they’re 5 and 7).

What about you?

I wasn’t surprised, naturally, but it’s a cute tool…

I love this!  There’s a general Thursday Thirteen meme, but I really appreciate Shannon’s “Thankful Thursday Thirteen” at her Christian Mom’s Alliance blog.

So here’s mine for this week:

1.  My husband - He works so hard for us everyday, in things great and small.

2.  Our RV lifestyle - Some days it’s more trying than others, but there’s just no other way we could be there for my father-in-law, go to our annual company convention, and everything else we want to do right now.

3.  Jewel - She can always make me smile, and seems to have a knack for knowing when I need it most.

4.  God - Of course, He should be #1 every week.  He sure is BIG!

5.  The rain - We’ve been in a lot of states recently that are suffering from drought, so this Texas flooding is a refreshing change!

6.  The Internet - Kinda weird to suddenly be thankful for, but lately I keep appreciating how I can do anything from anywhere.

7.  Our business - Makes #2 possible, of course.  Being at Convention has also made me re-appreciate some of the truly great things about this buisness.

8.  Grandparents - I’m thankful anew for the time the kids have with them, and pray that Tom will be with us a long time yet.

9.  Our Armed Forces - I know it’s cliche, but “Freedom Isn’t Free.”  I’m thankful all the time for the freedoms that we have in America, and I appreciate the heck out of the people that are willing to fight and die so that we can have them.

10.  Works of the Heart - It is so hard to find clothing that fits, so hard to find modest clothing, so hard…  I’m thankful for these neat ladies who will make it to order, just how I want it, for a very reasonable price.

11.  Veritas - I miss sitting under Pastor Charles Lord a great deal, so it was really a blessing to discover his blog!

12.  Disposable Diapers - Okay, I know they’re in the landfill for 400 years or something…  But when I’m on the road and can’t necessarily do laundry when I want to?  I appreciate being able to toss away the smelly ones. 

13.  Old Navy $5 Flag Tees - It’s a silly thing, but we’ve been doing it for a number of years now.  Everyone in the family gets one every year, and it’s just fun to have them together…

An Attitude of Gratitude!

I got this “Photo Friday” meme from Crazy Hip Blog Mamas.  Their topic today is

Strange Sleeping Positions

I couldn’t decide, so here are a few favorites…

Jewel wins the contortionist award for this one!

“Pick me, pick me!”

Don’t you just love the crossed hands??

And one that’s just so sweet… Aren’t children a blessing?