My favorite video of Truett so far.

This was us playing the other day. He is so stinking adorable.

How the Wizard of Oz Should Have Ended...

Another HISHE classic. Go here for more.

This is a picture that my neighbor took of Truett. We were all sitting outside celebrating the end of the semester with some very yummy cake that her daughter Merry made. She said he looks so cute and ran for her camera. She was definitely right. His eyes just pop, there is no photo shop going on here. He is so handsome if I don't say so myself.

Grandma and Grandpa are in town today. Truett is having a ball. Tomorrow we are going to the Zoo, and we can't wait. Truett is growing up so fast. He races around the house. He loves the vacuum cleaner. He chases me around the house when I vacuum trying to get on it. I should invent a seat that attaches to it. I grow more and more in love with this little guy every day.

Here are some updates on him. He is sleeping longer and longer through the night. I am getting 6 to 8 hours of sleep in a row now which is awesome. He is sleeping in his own bedroom like a big boy. He can eat finger foods and drink out of a sippy cup all by himself. He loves loves loves his daddy. He lights up when he walks into the room, and when he is holding him and puts him down he almost always starts to cry. It makes Josh feel loved when he does that. Melts your heart you have to pick him back up.

I know I say this every time, but it makes me so sad he is getting so big so fast. He loves to snuggle, which I am so happy about. He is started to giving me hugs and kisses, oo and when we are on the floor playing he loves to give me raspberries on my face. Some times my stomach will poke out and he will give me on my stomach or my leg. He is so stinking cute. He also loves for me to chase him. Every time he see Zoe too he gets excited, although Zoe doesn't get excited to see him. :) This little guy really does light up our life. So glad that the Lord gave him to us. Can't wait for him to give us number 2.

Shana's Update: Last Lady Under the Red Umbrella.

Today is a really sad day for me. I have told many stories of the Ladies I have lived side by side with for the past two years. Our meetings under the red umbrella while all their children played on the sidewalk. For almost two years I joined them before Truett came, chatting about whatever the wind blew. Then we were all pregnant together. We all took turns helping each other out before and after we welcomed our babies into the world.

Sarah was the first to leave in December. She was the owner of the red umbrella. She left really big shoes to fill. Which haven't been filled I should add. She was a great friend. I would run down to her apartment all the time just to chat or to urgently borrow a missing ingredient. Natalie was the second to move at the beginning of this month. She is still here in Louisville, but her apartment is vacant. Her children are not running up and down the sidewalk. Then today Rachel moved. She lived directly below me. I walk outside onto my stairs and it is so quiet. I used to be able to hear the Jones family through the floors and windows. Rachel's famous quote, "I am so done," and Collins beating his drums. The Jones' let me borrow their apartment because their lease isn't up till the end of the month. Dean and Judy are going to stay in it while they visit next week. When I walk in and out of their empty apartment, I can still smell them there. Every family has a certain smell. It makes me really sad not to see any of their stuff.

I know I already said this, but it is so quiet when I walk outside. You don't realize how much your lives are intertwined until someone leaves. It was comforting to think whenever I walked outside before that most likely I was going to run into one of them, but now I don't run into them. It is quiet, no Collins butt naked at his door. There is no Lauren and Jenna picking at my chive plant, and no Isiah running up and down the sidewalk. I really will miss them and their families. We always knew this was a temporary stay and that we would all be leaving one day, but I have surprised myself with how sad I am today. Josh has been gone all day at work and then to a Manskool function. So, today is a bit of a lonely day for me.

Sarah, Natalie, and Rachel I miss you guys. I feel so privileged to have shared the past 2 years with you guys. We saw each other everyday, it is going to be a hard adjustment not to see ya'll anymore.

Shana's Update: Grey's Anatomy

I don't watch to many shows that I need to keep up with, but one I do watch is Grey's Anatomy. Last night was the 2 hour season finale. O my goodness, it was covered in suspense. It was a really good episode, but I can hardly wait till next season starts again.

Another show I watch is Lost, I am trying to catch up before the big finale. I have a few more episodes to watch on that one.

The 17:18 Series.

I'd like to introduce you to maybe, just maybe, the best personal Bible study tool I've ever used. Its called the 17:18 Series.

"And when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself in a book a copy of this law..." Deut. 17:18

This is a journal that is designed for you to write out the Bible. That's right. You write it out. The pages on the inside are lined pages with numbers for each verse of the chapter and book you are studying. All of the Scripture is written on the right hand pages. On the left side are blank, lined pages with the occasional highlighted word for study from the corresponding verse on the opposite page. Here's an example.










So far I've made it through the first chapter of Galatians. Its only taken a few days.

Why do I like it so much? It forces you to really read what you are writing. I can read and read and a lot of the time I don't retain all that I've read. This is very helpful to people who learn like me. I read with my eyes. Most of the time I read out loud so I'm using my ears to hear the Word. Then, as I'm reading and hearing, I'm writing. The I re-read to make my own notes. I do use some study resources to get to the bottom of certain verses and concepts that are more difficult.

Another reason I like this resource? There's no limit on how little or how much you can do per day. If you only have time to do two verses, well, do two verses. If you have time to do twenty. Do twenty. The idea, at least for me, is that I'm getting the Word on several levels and I'm also thinking deeply about what I'm reading.

Where can you get it? I got mine at Lifeway on campus. There are several websites that are carrying these. Just Google it. They're usually in the $10-$12 range.

What books of the Bible do they have....so far? Well, so far they have journals broken down this way:
Proverbs
John
Romans
Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 & 2 Thessalonians (all one journal)
1 & 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews (all one journal)
James, 1 & 2 Peter, 1,2,3 John, Jude (all one journal)

Anyway, so far this has been excellent. I recommend this for personal use, small group book studies, and family worship. If you have kids old enough to write you could take turns writing in the journal and discussing the verses. It would also be great for a husband and wife to work through together. I think Shana and I are going to work through Proverbs.

Get one. Try it and let me know what you think.

By the way, the new Tenth Avenue North album is fantastic. Its on their myspace page for free listening for those of you (like me) who are all about the free-ness and don't have anymore iTunes bucks left on your gift card.

Shana's Update: Pharmacy Robbery

So, tonight was a very common night. Came home from church, had lunch, and kind of relaxed around the house. I went through the Sunday paper for all my deals and made my list. Truett was down for a nap still so I thought I would run out to the CVS and Walgreen's to get my deals of the week. Well, while I was out something unbelievable happened. My second stop was the Walgreens on Frankfort near Ewing. I went into get all my deals and ended at the Pharmacy counter to get Josh's tried and true Aleve-D medicine. They keep that behind the counter now, and my husband lives off that stuff when he gets a headache. While I was finishing check out I noticed out of the corner of my eye someone approach the other counter for assistance by the other pharmacist. She (I found out later) was covered from head to toe. She was wearing black pantyhose over her face, gloves, every bit of her skin was covered. Not to mention she had an open umbrella. I remained calm (I think) and just took my stuff and walked away towards the front of the store. (I probably would have thought nothing of it, but had seen something on the news about an increase in pharmacy robberies). I saw a manager and immediately told him, "I think you are being held up at the Pharmacy." Then I booked it out of the store. I was thinking to myself, obviously if they went to the Pharmacy they want drugs, they could be crazies and if they are going to shoot up this store or hold hostages I am not going to be here for it. I ran out of the store to my car. I drove it to exit the parking lot where I could see the front door. My plan was to see what car they got in and get a license plate or see their getaway, but in case it was a crazy person I wanted to be able to get out of dodge quickly. It seemed like forever waiting for the robber to exit the building. Finally a undercover cop pulled up in a Jeep Cherokee, the robber exited and he pulled his gun on her and told her to freeze. At that point I saw that she didn't have a gun on her. I was freaked out up till that point. Afterwards, I turned around parked the car and went back in the store. I figured they would need my information and testimony as to what happened. It was pretty crazy. I was in there a while, they took my picture and my account of what happened. It was pretty cool. The detective said, it was probably because of me that the robber was caught. That made my day. I felt awesome.

While I was waiting for the detective I wondered the aisles a bit. I found some infant's ibuprofen in a different spot. It has been really hard to find with the new recall. I pulled all 3 left on the shelf to purchase. When I asked to purchase them, they gave them all to me, along with a root beer. I was super excited about that.

Well, that was my exciting tale that I will have to tell for a while. This is the second robbery that I witnessed in my life. The first was when I was in elementary school walking my dog past a convenient store near my house. They never caught that guy, but I learned almost 5 years after that in high school that it was a friend of mine who had done it.

Crazy crazy!

2012

A while back I posted that G.I. Joe was the worst movie I saw last year. This year? So far its 2012. I know this movie came out in 2009, but I just watched it last night. Most of the movies I watch I borrow from my boss. He let me borrow 2012 and Law Abiding Citizen. Law Abiding Citizen was really good. It has to do with justice and there's a lot to say about that and trusting in the biblical justice of God, but that's another post. Back to 2012. The special effects were awesome. That's about all there is to say about it. Its a giant CGI flick with one of the worst story lines ever. The basic plot is impossible which I'm ok with. I won't criticize it for being unrealistic in the same way you can't criticize a movie like Superman (what if he was suddenly able be immune to kryptonite?) or Lord of the Rings from being unrealistic. But within the parameters a movie sets for itself it must remain at least plausible. 2012 is ridiculous. Transformers 2 and most Michael Bay films are the same way. How does a man who has had 2 flying lessons fly a plane through collapsing buildings and explosions? How does a twin engine prop plane out run the blast from a super-volcano in Yellowstone? Plus, I can't stand movies that try to be serious with the story line (the end of the world) and try to incorporate cheesy lines and characters to lighten the mood. Stupid. It probably would have been better in the theater, but I'm glad I didn't pay to see it. Don't waste your time.

Truett Video: Funny Face

I took this on my phone a little while back. Truett makes this really cute funny face. I think it is a flirtation of some sort. He is super cute.

shana's Update: Visit to FL, part 3

Heidi took these pictures. This is in the water at Boca. Truett sang a nervous song the entire time in the water.
This is my friend Heidi. I stayed with her at her parents house. We had a really good time. This was Sunday after church. It was really fun getting to go to SBBC, the church I got saved at. It was really neat to see everybody.

There are more pictures, but I am having a hard time figuring this thing out. Please hang in there. I don't like those slideshows so forgive me for this being a super long post.

Shana's Update: Visit to FL, part 2

Ok here are some more photos. My friend Heidi sent me some really good ones that she took too that I want to post as well.

This is my mom and Truett. Probably the first time he has gone with out any clothes. It was so stinking hot there.
This is my grandma. Truett's great grandma.
Truett was eating sand. He didn't have a clue what this stuff was.
Skye's helping him figure it out. They were so much fun to watch. I got some good videos too.

Shana's Update: Visit to FL, part 1

Here are a bunch of pictures from my trip. I can only fit so many in one post. I will try and post another set. We'll see, we all know my track record as of late.

This is my niece Skye and Truett. They had a ball together. Truett loved her.
This is us at Boca Grande, Truett wasn't all too sure about the water. Even though we were on the gulf side, the waves were a little bigger then normal..
This is at Manasota Beach. Josh and I took our engagement pictures on this beach. This is one of my favorites I took at sunset.
Another favorite at sunset.
My dad and Truett, Papa was trying to tell him about the gulf.

I Got Your Back...Baby!

Have you ever made Baby Back Ribs and they don't have that "fall-off-the-bone" finish that you want? That typically happens if you simply cook your ribs on the grill. Usually a grill cooks at a higher temperature than something like an oven. You'll end up with great flavor but more chewy ribs. Baby Backs have a lot of connective tissue that needs breaking down. So the "low-n-slow" method is absolutely the best. You can do this on the grill using indirect heat but its a little tricky. I cook my ribs in the oven at 250 degrees wrapped in foil using a slight amount of braising liquid. I also put a rub on my ribs preferably the night before. I let them cook for 2 to 2 1/2 hours in the oven and finish them on the grill for about 20-30 min. and I sauce them on the grill. Most store bought BBQ sauces have a lot of sugar in them and if you sauce them at the beginning (especially on the grill) the sauce burns. Saucing towards the end allows the sauce to caramelize and get good and sticky without burning.

That's certainly more information than you wanted to know, but I say all that to say that I made ribs the other night. They weren't all that good. They had good flavor but didn't turn out like I wanted. It was the fist time that cooked them in our oven here and I didn't have a grill to finish them on. (It was raining and all I have here is an outdoor electric grill - not so good in the rain). So I tried to finish them under the broiler. It worked but the ribs weren't very tender.

I had a lot left over but I wasn't excited about eating them again. So what should I do? Well, here's a good technique to fixing broken ribs. The Crock Pot. I put a little of the (fresh) braising liquid in the bottom. Just an inch or two. (The liquid I use is a combo of apple juice, cider vinegar, bbq rub, worcestershire sauce, and liquid smoke) Next put the ribs in, drizzle a little more BBQ sauce on top, set your pot to cook for about 2 hours, come back later and enjoy fall-off-the-bone ribs.

I know some people cook ribs from the beginning in the Crock Pot. I guess it works, but I still like the other method. However, I will always turn to this when they don't turn out. It worked great. Especially when served with potato pancakes (mom's recipe).

This was a long post about ribs. So?

HISHE

There's this YouTube Channel called "How It Should Have Ended." These guys take popular movies and remake the endings to fit the actual movie's absurd story line (even if its not absurd they make it seem that way). They have done movies like Avatar, Wizard of Oz, Willy Wonka, and Star Trek. The most recent one is "Iron Man." I guess they did it since Iron Man 2 opens this weekend. The video is below. But, before you watch you should know that there's a sequence at the end with Superman, Batman, Iron Man, and Spiderman (who makes an entrance at the end) all hanging out at a coffee shop. This sequence requires some background knowledge from a previous video (How Superman Should Have Ended. Instead of me trying to explain it here is the video that you need to watch to get the premise:

Superman

Spiderman 3

Iron Man

And Just for Fun.... Star Trek... watch to the end!

The Care of Creation in the Gulf Coast

Here's an article from Russell Moore about the oil spill in the Gulf Coast. This is an excellent take on the environment and why Christians should care. Take the time to read this.