Heartbeat by Remedy Drive

This is a draught

Been living without

The one thing life requires

What a mess

Passionless

Somewhere I lost the fire

Oh my my

Where has it gone

Can anybody turn this beat back on

My heart is fast asleep

Dreaming it could bleed

For something that´s real

My desperate appeal

God I’m getting tired of the way I feel

When I would rather be alive

I want to wake up

I want to restart

Put the drumbeat back in my heart

I need to be revived

Bring me back to life

Coming on slow head to toe

The pulse is back again

It’s grace in my veins - replacing the pain

Bringing me back from the dead

Oh my my now I can see

You heard me cry emergency

Screaming out for help

You saved me from myself

The fires returned I’m letting it burn

There’s nothing better in the whole wide world

It feels so good to be alive

Champions!!

This Thursday the Vipers played their final game for their Spring 2011 season. It was the Championship game. Other than one tournament game that we lost this season, the Vipers have been undefeated. The boys have worked so hard this season. In the off season between the fall and spring seasons...yes, when it was FREEEEEEEZZZZING outside...our boys practice at least 3 time a week for their allotted time. All of their hard work paid off. Here's how it went down:

The Vipers came hungry for victory!!!! Especially Austin!!!

They scored the maximum number of runs in each inning, except the 1st inning. The final score was19-8. There were at least two inning that they had three batters up, then three down. It has been an awesome season.

1st Place, trophies await! 

Excited for the Victory!!! 

Austin Brewer, third baseman...always will let the team know where the next play is!!! 

The true nature of our boys! 

A two-headed ball player!! Brazos and Austin

Even though our regular season is over, a tournament that we played a couple of weekends ago earned the Vipers a slot in the state championship tournament. The tournament is for 5 days in Mesquite, Texas. The Brewers are pumped, and as far as we can tell, so are the rest of the Vipers!! So, please pray for our trip and for our boys. I hope our next update will be about a victory in the state championship!!

JLB 2011 The Show

I think I have my sewing fix for the next 6 months. I've really been in a sewing funk lately. It's usually this time of year that I'm making all kinds of spring dress and summer tops. I think it has to do with my preoccupation with mine and Mark's anniversary cruise in July. I FINALLY got my passport...exciting! Why am I so excited about a week long cruise with my Love, you ask? Because this will be our first vacation alone! We were married June 9, 2001. Coincidentally, I was also in Phase III of my pharmacy training school for the Air Force. Phases in training school were meant to help new trainees re adapt to civilian life after basic training. I was allowed to wear civilian clothes, but I had to be back in my dorm room by midnight on the night we got married. I wasn't permitted to leave again until 4am. So...no honeymoon. NOW do you understand my excitement?! 

Anyways, I got off topic a little! My sister, Alisha, asked me to make another quilt for another baby shower she is attending. She picked out all of the fabric and showed me what she wanted. I had her draw out a pattern for the lion. I am okay at drawing some things, but animals and people are unrecognizable when I draw them! This is the finished product of our teamwork:

Made of minky and suede 

There was a little left over fabric, so I made a taggie to go along

Since I've been on my all organic cooking kick, there have been a few things that I've made that are mouth watering delicious. But none of them compare to dinner tonight!!! I made tacos for dinner. Plain tacos...except that they were organic with FRESH tortillas!! YUMMY!!! I used this recipe, but doubled the butter requirement and used canola oil cooking spray.  I also ended up making 1 1/2 of the recipe listed because we needed a few more tortillas. The recipe listed yields about 7-8 tortillas. They turned out great. So, if you can't tell...I'm encouraging all of you to give the recipe a run! Unless there is some kind of tortilla crisis, I will not by store bought tortillas again!

The dough 

 Before the big smash, I used just enough dough to fit into the palm of my hand and rolled it on a lightly floured surface

 I wish I had a bigger skillet so that I could cook more than one at a time

The finished product! SO GOOD!!!

Left Alone with 2 Kids and Power Tools!

In a recent shopping trip, Austin and Abi spotted a Lemonade stand similar to this one:

Although, this looks a LOT bigger in the picture than it actually is in real life. When Austin stood next to it, he towered over the top of it by at least a foot! And the best part? The price tag was marked $49.95!!!! OUTRAGEOUS! The kids really wanted to put together their money and pay the 50 bucks to take the fancy stand home. I told them that if they wanted to put their money together, we would by the wood and then build a stand together. So, off to Home Depot we headed. We priced pre-cut cedar slats first. They were a bit pricey for our project. We cheated and purchased 8 fence posts at $1.66 a piece. A total of less than $15 with a little learning thrown in, you can't beat a deal like that!

Mark has a power saw. Unfortunately for me, it's not attached to a saw table and I refuse to use it! It scares me. I just know I will slip up and cut my hand or something off! So, to be on the safe side, I got to work cutting the boards with a hack saw and a miter box. Our school day today consisted of cutting for several, SEVERAL hours...piecing together all the boards and painting...now, we have a finished lemonade stand, a very patriotic one, mind you!

Austin accurately measured ALL the boards!!!  

All of us hard at work 

The sides of the stand 

Almost there, the main part of the stand 

Painted all pretty! 

If you want a cup of cold lemonade, be sure to stop by!!

Bye, Bye, Baby Goodbye!

After storing up the heels of loaves of bread for a few weeks, the kids and I thought it was about time to say goodbye to it. We took a trip to our local duck pond and fed the ducks (and turtles!) This is one of their favorite things to do, it never gets old. I think they would do it everyday if they could!

Beautiful weather outside too! Austin and Abi feeding the ducks 

My handsome little man!!

We moved to three different spots around the lake. Each spot we went to when we turned around, this creepy bird was standing there staring at us!!!!

Creepy bird, but pretty bird

From across the lake, we spotted this mommy duck teaching her babies to swim along the edge of the lake. They were so adorable!

Mommy and her two tiny baby ducklings

After a long journey of raising three caterpillars, watching them turn into their chrysalises, and then celebrating as we watched them emerge...it was time to say goodbye to Kitos, Austin jr., and Abi jr. At first Abi was a little excited to watch them fly, but then my animal and insect loving little girl was heart broken once they flew away. I tried explaining that keeping them in the bungalow is not nice for them because they were made to fly and they didn't have any space to do so in the there. She was still sad. I came home from Bunco last night and found her crying on the couch, snuggled up next to Mark. She has such a loving heart for living creatures! 

Before the release 

When she unzipped the tent, they didn't fly out. So, Abi had to stick her finger in there to get them. 

Isn't it pretty! Bye bye butterflies!

Having the butterflies reminds me of a sweet little song that Austin used to sing when he was about 4. It goes like this:

Butterfly, butterfly

What lovely wings

Flutter by, flutter by

Makes my heart sing

When  it rains, when it rains

I want to know

Butterfly, butterfly

Where do you go?

 This morning Abi woke me up so excited to say that her second front tooth had FINALLY come out!! It has been so loose lately, she would push it forward so that it stuck out a little when her mouth was closed. We gave her the nickname 'Nanny McPhee' because that's who she looked like when she coined her new tooth trick! I didn't get any pictures of her impression, but I did manage to snap one after she pulled it out!

Goodbye baby front teeth

A Sweeeet Mama's day!!!

This year I celebrated my 9th mother's day...coincidentally, it fell the day after Austin celebrated his 9th birthday =0) We went to church, came home and relaxed a little, and then headed out to have dinner with Mark's dad, Tom and soon-to-be-stepmom, Wendy, Mark's sister, Sluz, Wendy's son, Sion,  Sion's girlfriend, Melisa, and Melisa's son, Jaden. We ate at my most favorite restaurant, Chuy's!!! I over-ate as usual...I can't help it, that jalapeno ranch dip is so GOOOOODD!!! Austin also got a few presents. Around here, birthdays sometimes last for a week before the gift period ends!!

Love them so much!

Austin, Me, Mark, and Abi 

The little guy that made me a Mommy first

Austin and Me 

The princess that made me a Mommy for a 2nd time!

Abi and Me 

Me and My Love...isn't he a cutie!?! 

Austin opening his gifts, what a blessed kid-o to have so many people that love him! 

Tom and Wendy

We are still going strong on the organic diet. I have been soda-free (Diet Dr Pepper free!!!) for 2 weeks now. It hasn't been nearly as tough as I thought it would be. Anyone that knows me knows how I like my soda. Not anymore. I am making a change for the better. Before when I have given up soda, I would make an exception to drink it only when we are out to eat. Not this time. I have only ordered water with lime in the few times out. On that note, the kids have also given up some of their favorite foods. Organic bread that is smooth like regular bread is hard to find. So, the kids have been eating less bread. They do not like seeds in their bread! Also, they have given up the super sugary cereals, not willingly mind you! Since they are struggling to make the change, I've been trying to think of foods I know they love that they can have that are organic as well. Once of their favorite foods to eat is whipped cream! They will eat it frozen like it's ice cream and on top of pretty much anything. So, here is our homemade organic version:

Ingredients needed: 2 tsp organic vanilla extract, 16oz heavy whipping cream, and 2 tbsp organic sugar

Pour all items into a bowl big enough for the cream to double in volume 

Using a whisk attachment, mix starting on low and increase speed as the mixture thickens. You can do this with a hand whisk, but it will take forever! You should mix for about 5-10 minutes, until there are soft peaks. Be sure not to over do it, or you will have some vanilla flavored butter on your hands!! 

Slice some organic strawberries, and drizzle with chocolate syrup (this was not organic because we are still phasing out some items, but it was sugar free) This whipped cream is better than ANY I've EVER had!!!

The BIG 9

What a year it's been! It doesn't seem so long since Austin's 8th birthday, but as I look back through pictures from the last year I can see how much he has grown!!

 We celebrated Austin's 8th birthday with dinner at the Aquarium

Becca, Abi, and Austin

You lost a LOT of teeth this year, this was the first of many! 

Spent summer time with cousins that you don't see very often 

Spent some time in Daddy's shoes, or shorts rather... 

Celebrated your love of baseball 

 Probably TRIPLED your knowledge of how the body works

Actually sat still long enough to take a picture with Mommy 

Won a trophy in a championship baseball game

Took a LOT of pictures like this (when you grow up, don't think that I love Abi more because I have more pictures of her...) 

Put the Angel on top of the tree 

Dissected a lot of stuff (GROSS!) 

Read a lot of books, making it hard for me to keep up! 

Baseball 

Baseball with a smile 

And more baseball!!!!

Austin, you are such a blessing. You always make me laugh! A mom couldn't ask for a better kid-o with a better sense of humor! You are turning into a gentleman. I pray that you continue to walk closely to God, that you continue to put others before yourself, and that you always realize that 'stuff' isn't what matters in life, people do. You are an amazing little man and I love you so much!