We have it pretty good

It seems like nearly every day I stumble across the story of a mother, husband, or wife who is fighting a very brave, faithful and sad fight.  I am always moved to tears and feel called to action in some way to appreciate my life more, tell my loved ones how much I love them, be thankful for my husband and to help in some way, any way.

 The story of Kori at Life as a CFers Wife is no exception.  Her husband has Cystic Fibrosis and Colon Cancer.  Together they have two young boys.  He is currently going through chemo therapy to buy the family a little more time together.

A family trip to Disneyland was donated to them and now there is a way each one of us, who have it pretty good, can help Kori and her family have one great worry free trip of a lifetime. Click  HERE to get the down low and help. Give $1.00 or $20.00.  Every penny will be one less penny that they have to think about on this trip.

I have scarcely been more grateful for a good fight with my healthy husband.

Birthday King

Today is Daren's 36th Birthday and he got his first official Birthday Crown, since it is his first birthday since we are officially and legally family.  The Birthday Crown is a long standing tradition in my household started by my mother eons ago.  Now the tradition stands strong in all three of our homes.

Happy Birthday Big D!

May 36 be your best year yet!

I love you.

~Sarah

As seen on TV

Doesn't every new bride remember the first married Valentine's Day gift she recieved from her doting husband? I know I will.

When we finally arrived home from our incredible ten days at the mountain my Valentine's day gift was waiting for us at the door.  I tore open the package with vigor and to my great delight and surprise found this....

Yes! That is a Snuggie! Look how I can hold my cup of water and answer the phone with such ease.

Daren, being the romantic that he is, of course got us two Snuggies so that we can Snuggie together.

The deluxe version even has a pocket!

Our house is now nearly complete with two Snuggies and a ShamWow. All we need is the Magic Bullet and we're set...

Got me.

I've been tagged. Picture Tagged.  Julie asked me to find my 6th picture from my 6th album and wouldn't you know it, its the perfect fit for this week.

GLOW CAMP!

GLOW.

Giving Love Over the World

or as we call is internally

Glorious Ladies of Wrestling

The 7 of us were college roommates living in a theme house at SPU. Thats right, 7 girls in one house with two bedrooms and two usable bathrooms. We slept 4 to a room and converted the other two possible bedrooms into two study rooms. We like a lot of togetherness!  The 8th member of Glow joined us a little later but is as much a part of the crew and any of us.

We have been doing GLOW CAMP since the year after graduation. First we hit Tahoe where we all stayed in one giant room at Beth's cabin. Yes, that means there were 7 girls, two husbands and one fiance all sleeping side by side in sleeping bags in one giant room.  Tahoe Rules! Like I said, we like a lot of togetherness. 

Next came the Lake House with  Matty G, the White Tiger and several competitive volleyball games pitting the "marrieds' vs the 'unmarrieds'. The next year we found our Camp Home up at Schweitzer Mountain where my parents are kind enough to give us the run of their place for a long weekend each year. This coming weekend will mark our 8th year of Glow Camp!

Glow camp began with seven girls, two husbands and no children. Eight years later we have 8 ladies, 5 husbands, one serious boyfriend and 5 1/2 Glow Babies one graduate degree, and one who knows Brett Farve. Along with more inside jokes than one would think is humanly possible.

In these girls I truly have found my friends of a lifetime!

Glow Camp Rules.

In the spirit of camp I tag Swirlygirl, Latiqua, Studlow, and Lamb.

Hot Wings from Heaven: The Recipe

By popular demand here is the recipe for Hot Wings From Heaven.

Ingredients

Sauce
8 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup hot sauce , preferably Frank's Louisiana Hot Sauce
4 tablespoons Tabasco sauce or other hot sauce, plus more to taste
2 tablespoon dark brown sugar
4 teaspoons cider vinegar

Wings
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon table salt
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3 pounds chicken wings (18 wings), cut up (see illustrations below)

Instructions
1. For the Sauce: Melt butter in small saucepan over low heat. Whisk in hot sauces, brown sugar, and vinegar until combined. Remove from heat and set aside.

2. For the Wings: Mix cayenee pepper, black pepper, salt and corn starch in small bowl. Toss chicken wings in mixture until well coated.

4. Bake wings in over heated too 350 for about 20 minutes or until skin is crips and juice runs clear.

4. To Serve: Pour sauce mixture into large bowl, add chicken wings, and toss until wings are uniformly coated. Serve immediately with the carrot and celery sticks and blue cheese dressing on side.

A Nun Grading Papers

These are real answers children gave on tests at Catholic school. Number 13 is my personal favorite!

This tidbit of humor came from Amy's Blog

My aplogies for the funky formatting. 

Enjoy!

1. IN THE FIRST BOOK OF THE BIBLE, GUINESSIS. GOD GOT TIRED OF CREATING THE WORLD SO HE TOOK THE SABBATH OFF.
2. ADAM AND EVE WERE CREATED FROM AN APPLE TREE. NOAH'S WIFE WAS JOAN OF ARK. NOAH BUILT AND ARK AND THE ANIMALS CAME ON IN PEARS.
3.. LOTS WIFE WAS A PILLAR OF SALT DURING THE DAY, BUT A BALL OF FIRE DURING THE NIGHT.
4. THE JEWS WERE A PROUD PEOPLE AND THROUGHOUT HISTORY THEY HAD TROUBLE WITH UNSYMPATHETIC GENITALS.
5. SAMPSON WAS A STRONGMAN WHO LET HIMSELF BE LED ASTRAY BY A JEZEBEL LIKE DELILAH.
6. SAMSON SLAYED THE PHILISTINES WITH THE AXE OF THE APOSTLES.
7 MOSES LED THE JEWS TO THE RED SEA WHERE THEY MADE UNLEAVENED BREAD WHICH IS BREAD WITHOUT ANY INGREDIENTS.
8, THE EGYPTIANS WERE ALL DROWNED IN THE DESSERT. AFTERWARDS, MOSES WENT UP TO MOUNT CYANIDE TO GET THE TEN COMMANDMENTS
9. THE FIRST COMMANDMENTS WAS WHEN EVE TOLD ADAM TO EAT THE APPLE.
10. THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT IS THOU SHALT NOT ADMIT ADULTERY.
11. MOSES DIED BEFORE HE EVER REACHED CANADA THEN JOSHUA LED THE HEBREWS IN THE BATTLE OF GERITOL.
12. THE GREATEST MIRICLE IN THE BIBLE IS WHEN JOSHUA TOLD HIS SON TO STAND STILL AND HE OBEYED HIM.
13. DAVID WAS A HEBREW KING WHO WAS SKILLED AT PLAYING THE LIAR. HE FOUGHT THE FINKELSTEINS, A RACE OF PEOPLE WHO LIVED IN BIBLICAL TIMES.
14. SOLOMON, ONE OF DAVIDS SONS, HAD 300 WIVES AND 700 PORCUPINES.
15. WHEN MARY HEARD SHE WAS THE MOTHER OF JESUS, SHE SANG THE MAGNA CARTA.
16. WHEN THE THREE WISE GUYS FROM THE EAST SIDE ARRIVED THEY FOUND JESUS IN THE MANAGER.
17. JESUS WAS BORN BECAUSE MARY HAD AN IMMACULATE CONTRAPTION.
18. ST. JOHN THE BLACKSMITH DUMPED WATER ON HIS HEAD.
19. JESUS ENUNCIATED THE GOLDEN RULE, WHICH SAYS TO DO UNTO OTHERS BEFORE THEY DO ONE TO YOU. HE ALSO EXPLAINED A MAN DOTH NOT LIVE BY SWEAT ALONE.
20. IT WAS A MIRICLE WHEN JESUS ROSE FROM THE DEAD AND MANAGED TO GET THE TOMBSTONE OFF THE ENTRANCE.
21. THE PEOPLE WHO FOLLOWED THE LORD WERE CALLED THE 12 DECIBELS.
22. THE EPISTELS WERE THE WIVES OF THE APOSTLES.
23. ONE OF THE OPPOSSUMS WAS ST. MATTHEW WHO WAS ALSO A TAXIMAN.
24. ST. PAUL CAVORTED TO CHRISTIANITY, HE PREACHED HOLY ACRIMONY WHICH IS ANOTHER NAME FOR MARRAIGE.
25. CHRISTIANS HAVE ONLY ONE SPOUSE. THIS IS CALLED MONOTONY.

Hot Wings from Heaven

Ten months ago I didn't cook.

I could muster up a chicken breast and some plain brown rice but that was the extent of my cooking repertoire.  As irony would have it, I actually had a kitchen shower as one of my bridal showers and I got all sorts of neat looking gadgets and big bowls that looked like they would be very adept at holding large bags of potato chips or perhaps even a nice batch of orange chicken that would arrive from the neighborhood Chinese restaurant.

You could see it on my mother-in-laws face. Women would ask "Do you cook for Daren a lot?" and I would laugh and say "Oh no, I don't cook at all."  My dear mother-in-laws face would blanch, if just for a moment, and you could see the thought race through her head that her precious son was going to starve to death upon given his name to this girl.   My knowing mother, who herself has married off two sons, would shake her head in exasperation, lean in to my ear, force a smile and say "You can cook a little, tell them you can cook a little."

So cook a little I did.  

And now, I cook a lot.  For our second annual Superbowl party I took on the challenge of making the hot wings myself.  A feat for any new cook. I seasoned the meat, tripled the sauce and tweaked the recipe. As I placed each wing on the serving platter my little heart pounded with nervous energy as I hoped that I wouldn't ruin my own party for lack of wings.     

It was as if I were watching a very dramatic, slow motion cooking show as I watched my husband take his first bit of my first hot wings. Success! Daren smiled a perfect hot sauce covered smile and declared "These are good!".

Let it be known to my mother and mother in law, that God answers prayers. Daren has a wife who can cook, and this was proven Superbowl Sunday 2009 with the Hot Wings from Heaven.