big day for toothless grins.

there were these two boys.

if you asked them what their summer consisted of, mostly you'd get,

"nuttin."

so i asked them if they wanted to go to the library.

the library. in the summer.

(which, in my life time, the library was actually one of mine and my sister's favorite places to go in the summer...we'd stack the books up high and nestle down on the couch after we got back and read read read. and when we weren't reading, we were pretending everything in the whole world that you could pretend.)

i was kinda expecting that idea to get shot down right away.

from these boys, i didn't expect much enthusiasm for that idea.

but both were pumped. i got a,

"yeah!!!!!"

from both of them.

so we went.

Dan Wardell is famous in the Iowa area.

for kiddos that watch PBS.

He brings storytime and imagination alive for kids-which is much needed in this time and age.

and surprisingly, the day was a huge blessing to me-the boys did great at listening, participating, and they got along so well with each other!

after all that excitement, we went to BK to grab a bite to eat.

They were so excited.

L loved the camera. He kept asking me to take pictures of them.

and of course, I was more than happy to!

after all that good excitement, the boys and us manned the snack shack during the game time.

i had to correct them a couple times from saying,

"Whadya want?"

to

"What can I help you with?"

or

"What would you like?"

and ending with,

"thank you!"

C kept turning around and whispering, "what do i say again?"

they even got a tip (a whole quarter for each) from a nice lady, who said they had great manners! whoo!

they each bought themselves a sucker. chocolate for L and blueberry for C.

after all that selling, L and I settled down to cheer for C while he played baseball.

and then lil man L decided he was bored and found himself a home under the bleachers, with my cell phone, and a bag of popcorn.

perfect and content.

after a day of reading, eating, playing, and selling, that concludes are big day for these lil guys.

i know, so many pictures, and probably not enough commentary, but with some things, pictures just say way more than words.

hope you enjoy!

(p.s. drop me a comment-i'd love to hear your input on my photo attempts!)

Kansas city with the Brandenbergers

we took a trip to Kansas City, MO to meet Mom Brandenberger. we had lunch with her at the cheesecake factory!

It's been awhile since Ryan and I had something that luxurious to eat:)

storm lake doesn't have that great of resturants.

oh chicago, how we miss you and all the great yummies you hold.

it was kind of a rainy dreary day, but it stopped raining when we were ready to shop! whoot!

we felt like singing and dancing happily cuz it stopped raining.

well, after traveling with flashfloods and thunderstorms, wouldn't you be singing and dancing with us?

yeah yeah, i know...the lighting isn't right. still working on taking good pictures.

here are the Brandenberger women.

mom B, me, and Katie.

another luxury that i miss are these wonderful starbucks coffee shops.

i decided to splurge in unhealthy eating yesterday and drank about 1000 calories of pure goodness in my iced white chocolate mocha.

i miss walking in the city with people all around me and a coffee snug in my hands. it's a cozy warm feeling that just isn't met here in storm lake. oh well:). i can live without it, for now i suppose.

we went shopping. yippee! what a treat! we went to Urban Outfitters. One of my birthday surprises was shopping from mom B, so that was fun:). here's one of my favorite purchases.

isn't this sweet? anyone want to come join me for coffee in my L-O-V-E mugs?:)

i'm practicing with my camera. and he wouldn't move:) oh, well, here's the LOVE mugs with my sweet love.

me? 23?

my birthday was on thursday:) i'm 23! it doesn't feel much different than 22. or 21. in fact, i still kinda feel like i LOOK like i'm 16. at least-that's what i get alot at school. oh well...i don't know why they think that.

to start my birthday off, i drank my coffee and colored while listening to K-LOVE. talked to my family on the phone and enjoyed the quietness of the morning, because everyone else in the house was asleep.

[silly me. this is me as a mermaid. i look cute with a tail, don't i?]

so are you ready to see what this sweet man got me?

my husband's birthday surprise for me was this! eeee! A 12.2 Canon Rebel xsi.

i squealed. for like ten minutes straight. because it's a rare occasion for him to surprise me completely with something i absolutely do not expect. (because i usually figure it out.) but this time- eeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i've been playing with it, but still am figuring out all the settings and stuff. i don't know if i'll get the hang of an SLR camera! But i like the challenge!

this crazy gal was here for my birthday.

she's my newest seester!

and she let me take numerous pictures of her to test out my camera:)

so, they are not anywhere near their full potential. and the whole crisp and vibrant picture is a work in progress-but i'll let you see my progress learning how to use this camera by posting pics. hehe we'll see. for now, i'll just have fun pushing the buttons and hearing the cha-chik sound that the shutter makes.

pizza prayer

hey.

wanna hear something cool?

something that only God could do?

it's kinda overwhelming me with how God hears our prayers.

How much He loves us and cares for us. and for others.

and how a heart's desire can be met with prayer.

it all started this morning when the idea of homemade pizza sounded appealing.

however, I'd never made homemade pizza, so i found a recipe that looked good, and went with it, excited to try something new. (for you that don't know, I absolutely love trying new recipes.) it was noon, and the recipes all said that it's best to make the dough ahead of time and then let it wait a few hours or days in the fridge. so to have it ready for dinner, i started

putting the ingredients together, and as always, as I'm working on something, my mind starts to wander, and my heart starts to speak.

[i love my lil flour can. pier 1 for only 5 buckaroos.]

I started thinking about the kids God has laid on my heart this past week, and I started wondering if they were doing ok. There is one particular family of kids that just tugs on my heartstrings with their circumstances and I can't help but pray for them constantly.

As I was kneading the dough with my bare hands, I thought how cool it would be to share pizza making with the kids on my heart. So I prayed about it.

"God...it'd be so neat if you would bring them over tonight for dinner and they can make the pizza with me. it'd be so special if we could share it with them, especially if they haven't eaten yet today. "

as i packed the dough up into greased bowl, and placed it in the fridge to wait a few hours, this prayer to share the pizza kept going through my mind.

After a cozy rainy afternoon indoors, watching Gilmore girls, reading my new book, and checking on my husband frequently (because he was working in our study), we decided to go to the Matinee showing of "Prince of Persia." SOOOOO good. I LOVED it. then again, I love Jake Gyllenhaal! (Ryan wasn't as big of fan, because he'd played the video game and wanted it to be just like it...it wasn't.)

we got home and the sun was out.

*hi sun.* made us happy.

it was dinner time-yes! time to experiment making homemade pizza.

I brought out the dough, and pulled out my pizza stone. I pulled out the rolling pin.

roll.

roll.

roll.

I formed a circle with my hands and rounded off the sides.

then more rolling.

roll.

roll.

roll.

little bit of flour on top.

roll.

roll.

perfect! i had made a circle! a flat one at that!

stomp. stomp.stomp.

"whoa, God...no way??? did you really--?"

i looked up and peeked through my kitchen window. I saw two heads bobbing up and down by the window.

hmm...

*tap tap tap.*

i peered through the window and saw a disappearing boy that darted halfway up the steps.

i opened the door.

*giggle*

"hi!"

both of them came in.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm making a pizza. Want to help?"

"Yeah!"

"Have you had dinner yet?"

"nope, we only ate this morning."

[he helped put the toppings on. turns out he doesn't like alot of cheese on his pizza, but he likes to eat the cheese while making the pizza, all rolled up in the pepperonis:)]

God heard my pizza prayer. how awesome is that?

He always puts me in awe of His glory.

What a great reminder how faithful God is in hearing our prayers...even little pizza prayers.

[our finished masterpiece before it headed into the oven.]

sometimes

sometimes it stuns me, when i spend time with the kiddos here, how many of these kids need a mommy...to hug them, hold them, tell them they love and treasure them, and tell them they need a bath.

sometimes it stuns me, the more time i spend with the kiddos here, how many of these kids need a daddy, to play with them, hug them, tell them they are the coolest kids they know, and how much they're loved by daddy.

sometimes, the kids here reach out to anyone at all, who will tell them they're cool, or special, or that they did a good job.

sometimes, i wish, just wish, i could do more for them.

constantly, we're praying for them. join us? please?

Disc golf...for real.

we did it:) we played frisbee golf. let me tell you, it's nothing like the one on the wii. but it was fun nonetheless. kinda buggy, and alot smaller than the one we play on the wii, but it was me, my husband, and our new frisbee discs:) what a great afternoon.

we couldn't find it, so we explored an area called Lakeside...it's a crazy mix of really big houses and then a few rundown buildings and homes. it was interesting, and kinda neat exploring it.

but we finally found it and it was actually alot of fun:)

I retired driving the car for the summer (unless i gotta go somewhere dressed nice) and my Betty Blue Bike is my transportation everywhere. Extra cardio, the ability to stop and chat with people i pass by, and the feeling of flying through the streets (downhill, uphill doesn't feel like flying.)

memorial day, ryan and i biked to the park and lay out a blanket. He still had to work, so brought everything he needed to study, and I brought VBS planning, my Bible, ipod, and the Lightning Thief:). What a relaxing, wonderful, afternoon...until my hairsprayed head got attacked by all the bugs.

there's something about him studying God's Word that makes me all warm, fuzzy, gooey, and happy...sooooo fiiiiiine. i admire him.

happy sunny day!

food post

summer kinda calls for good healthy food, doesn't it? food posts are always fun for me to look at, so i thought i'd do another one. these pictures makes me happy-because everything is so fresh and refreshing. the salad has been our recent favorite meal because everything there is right out of the garden (except for the cheese:)), hand picked by us or our dear friends, and lean towards the whole organic deal we are pursuing.

the cherries were a pleasant surprise when i went to Fareway, our local grocery store, which has the freshest produce you can find. it was like those little cherries were screaming, "take us home!" So i did not resist and placed them happily in our cart.

the bread and apple butter has been a breakfast favorite for us. and yes, i claim that bread. I made it! from scratch! can you believe it?? i used my dear friend, Dani S's, recipe for homemade bread and it came out beautifully. It's practically all gone because my husband keeps sneaking slices of it throughout the day. it was made to be eaten, and eat it we shall!

with no school during the day, i've gotten the chance to do some baking and cooking. i'm so happy!:) I like feeding my man, and it's always fun to feed others and watch their reaction (pure bliss, utter disgust, etc.) i think i've gotten the joy for cooking and feeding other people from my mom. she's great at feeding people, and i think that's probably her most popular saying, "are you hungry? do you want something to eat? watermelon?"

hahaha.

everyone who goes to my house knows they'll get some pretty good food, if not a whole meal from my mom.

she rocks. i wanna be like her.