The Moment

"The moment you stop caring what other people think — is most likely when you start doing what God wants.

You’ll need that one again, self: The moment you stop caring what other people think — is most likely when you start doing what God wants.

Live in that space.

So midway, get off the midway –

go find your soul by losing yourself, in the muck and mire and the beauty and the love and the way down, in the impossible made possible, straight through the fears that always turn out to be mirage —

grabbing everything you ever wanted by pouring everything right out out.

The ferris wheel and the fear and the world spinning on—

and you getting off to have the ride of your life."

~Ann Voskamp

 

read more at: http://www.aholyexperience.com/2013/04/40-things-you-need-to-know-before-your-40-letters-to-a-woman-mid-way/

MONKEYSTORY #705

Tucking BabyMonkey into bed tonight.....
Aubrie: "Mommy?"
Me: "Yes honey...."
Aubrie: "Me going to marry Prince Charming John Cena when I grow up!"
Me: "Oh really?" (hiding a smile) then turning to Gabe..."Who did she say???"
Gabe: "John Cena! Mom!"
Me: "Well who is that???"
Gabe: "Moooom!!! He's a wrestler!"
Me: "oooooook then....."
Aubrie: "Yes...me will marry him and have lotsa kids."
Me: "Ohhhhh really?!!?!? How many kids?"
Aubrie....holds up her fingers and starts counting..."Me have 14 kids!!!"
Me:"Are you sure you don't want to marry a cowboy Aubrie???"
Aubrie: "Nope! Me marry Prince Charming John Cena!"

*Our 3 year old quite often leaves me speechless....I mean really.....I was just educated
on who a wrestler was??? So what did I do? I go look him up on the www. I'll just say this:
He definatley wasn't what I was picturing and just wait til I tell Papa Monkey hears about this :)

I Know....

I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth.

Job 19:25 NIV

Prisoners of Hope

"Those who make themselves prisoners of HOPE...will receive double what they lost.

These are the people that make their minds up that

"all things really do work together for

good to those who love God....."

Each individual ingredient may not be exactly good....

but when you put them all together, it does get good.

Maybe some of you still have some ingredients coming.

So hold on...don't give up.

Take inventory about you've been thinking about.

Man goes where his mind thinks.

If you are depressed...ask yourself what you've been thinking about.

When you've had a day of self pity...ask yourself:

"What have I been thinking about?"

When you're jealous of someone. Ask yourself:

"What have I been thinking about?"

You can turn your life around by choosing to think on something good.

When an ocean liner has been going full speed ahead in the same direction for a long time, it's gonna take a little bit to turn that baby around.

Little by little....you will get there.

It's not going to happen overnight.

How many times do we go around the same mountain over and over and over and over and over again for years....the same problem, the same mountain??

We have to tell ourselves,

"No! I'm not going around that mountain again!"

We have to say: "God help me.." over and over and over again.

We can't do anything of ourselves apart from Him.

Don't give up...you're a work in progress."

 

Battlefield of the Mind

~Joyce Meyer

Daily Practice

Just like the piano has to be practiced daily to make beautiful music....so it is with love, grace, compassion, and forgiveness.

If we don't practice these and extend them daily....we won't ever see the beauty in the ugly. We would never know what an amazing masterpiece life truly is.

MONKEYSTORY #704

Eating supper tonight....without Daddy....and the monkies are super crazy hyper...of course.

Gabe: "Ellie, have you ever had ants in your pants."
Ellie: Giggles...."No silly pants."
Gabe: "Have you ever had an ostrich in your pants?"
Ellie: Giggles harder...."Um no Gabe!!!! That's crazy!!!"
Gabe: "Well have you ever had a garage sale in your pants?!?!?!?"
Ellie: Falls off her chair laughing uncontrollably......

I just stare at them, trying not to laugh and explain to Gabe that's very inappropriate
to talk about what's in people's pants. They begin to settle down and start eating again.

Soon there is a basketball game happening at the kitchen table with their peas.....
I look at them from across the kitchen where I'm working and tell them to stop.
Gabe says in a loud whisper, "Come on Ellie! Shoot me another 3 pea pointer!! she can't
really see us over there!!!!"

As I'm lecturing them AGAIN..... halfway thru, I hiccup really really loud....they all look at each other and start laughing uncontrollably again. "What was that Mommy?!?!!?"
*sigh* PapaMonkey needs to come home.....

ECHOES

KIND WORDS CAN BE SHORT AND EASY TO SPEAK

BUT THEIR ECHOES ARE TRULY ENDLESS.

 

~MOTHER TERESA

MONKEYSTORY #703

I should have known what kind of a day it would be when Gabe was barely done eating his
breakfast and he asked what he could have to eat next. The day went as follows:
9:00 eating breakfast : "Mommy! What can I have to eat next?" he ate....
9:30 "Oh Mommy! I'm so hungry!!!" so he ate....
10:00 "Mommy.....I need food NOW!!" he ate some more....
10:30 "Mommy I'm starving." he had a snack...
11:00 "Is it lunchtime yet?" he ate...
11:30 While eating his lunch..."What can I eat with my lunch?"
12:00 "Mommy I need a snack." he ate some more....
12:30 "I can't believe how hungry I am!" another snack...
1:00 "Moooooommmmmyyyy....my tummy is so hungry!" more healthy snacks....
1:30 "Yummy yummy in my tummy......food where are yooooooou?" and again....he ate....
2:00 "Mommy is it supper time yet?" he ate....
2:30 "Mommy I just ate another apple, 2 baby oranges, some crackers with peanut butter
and I really need something more to eat!"
3:00 "Mommy, I need a pizza." he ate....
3:30 "Mommy why don't you ever feed me?
4:00 Mama Monkey has run away to a warm tropical beach......
someone please contact PapaMonkey and tell him his son
must have the world's largest tapeworm and he needs to bring a semiload of groceries home.


***I discovered Gabe and Aubrie sneaking into my guacamole while they were supposed to be
eating their chips and salsa tonight.
Aubrie makes a face and looks at Gabe with a horrified expression
after her first bite.
Aubrie: "Oh Gabe....me not like this nasty stuff!"
Gabe: "Here try the salsa!"
So she does....
Aubrie: "Oh Gabe!!!! This is too too hot for me!!!"
Gabe: "Ok, you might want to just stick with the wackamole."

GOD HATES THESE:

^{PROVERBS 6} 

"There are six things the Lord hates,
    seven that are detestable to him:
        haughty eyes,
        a lying tongue,
        hands that shed innocent blood,
        a heart that devises wicked schemes,
        feet that are quick to rush into evil,
         a false witness who pours out lies
        and a person who stirs up conflict in the community."

Hurricane

“He calmed the storm to a whisper

& stilled the waves.”

PS 107:29

 

"Step out on the edge
Don't be afraid of it
When you feel the rain
Call His name
He'll find you in the hurricane."

The Choice

Getting knocked down in life is a given.

Getting up and moving forward is a choice.

~Zig Ziglar

My God

My God is sufficient to meet ALL my needs! He's not "The Great I Used To Be" or "The Great I'm Going To Be". 

He is "THE GREAT I AM"!!!

Love

Love takes action....not control.

Yum!

http://thankyourbody.com/homemade-healthy-fruit-snacks/

So true....

http://blog.lproof.org/2013/04/sadness-and-madness.html

Our God is Greater

In a world filled with darkness, heartache, anger, confusion, hopelessness, and sadness tonight....I am so thankful that our God is greater than all of that. And I'm so thankful that there will come a day that there will be no more pain and suffering. Boston and your people....our prayers are with you.

MONKEYSTORY #702

 

 

Aubrie/BabyMonkey: "Mommy...me a princess."

Me: "Yes you are...."

Aubrie: "You know what boy pick me?"

Me: "No....who?"

Aubrie: "Gabe my best boy...he my prince."

 

Gotta love the big brother "prince" <3 font="">

AMAZING....

http://youtu.be/ysT9oNjtVYU

Reese's Peanut Butter Chocolate Pudding Cookies

Ingredients:

Makes 70-80 cookies!

• 2 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 (3.4 ounce) box instant vanilla pudding
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 cup milk chocolate chips
• 1 cup Reese's Pieces candy
• 1 cup peanut butter chips

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2.  Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper or a Silpat.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt and pudding; set aside.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter, peanut butter, sugar and brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 to 4 minutes.
5.  Add eggs, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
6.  Add vanilla extract and honey and beat until combined. 
7. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture, beat to combine. 
8. Add chocolate chips, Reeses pieces and peanut butter chips and mix until incorporated. 
9. Roll a tablespoon or so of dough into a 1inch ball between your palms and then place it on the prepared baking sheet.
10.  Repeat with the remaining dough, spacing the balls about 2 inches apart (you should be able to fit 12-16 cookies on each sheet). 
11. Using your palm, gently flatten the dough balls until they are about ¾ inch thick.
12. Bake 10 minutes. 
13. Remove from oven, let cool for a couple minutes and enjoy!

These cookies keep well and stay soft. They are great to be baked ahead of time for a party!

This is for You...

Don't let anybody tell you that you're not loved and don't let anybody tell you that you're not enough! There are days when we all feel like we're messed up, but the truth is that we're all diamonds in the rough. Don't be ashamed to wear your crown, You're a king, you're a queen inside and out. You glow like the moon, you shine like the stars.

This is for you, wherever you are ♥

MONKEYSTORY #701

Gabe and Ellie were playing outside......Gabe comes running in out of breath talking 100 mph:
Gabe: "Oh my goodness Mommy.......that girl runs so so fast!"
Me: "Who Ellie??"
Gabe: "Yes!!! She was chasing me so fast around the house that I felt like I was going to have to go poop!!!! So I ran even faster and faster and snuck in the house!! She is so fast she is making me poop! "
Me: "Uhhhhhhmmmmm..........."
Gabe: "Oh no! there she goes! she just ran past the door saying she's gonna get me!!! now I really have to go!!!! Don't tell her where I am! I don't want her to know that she was so fast she made me poop!!!"
He speeds off to the bathroom......never a dull moment my friends.....never a dull moment :)

Psalm 28:7

 

 

⁷ The Lord is my strength and my shield;
    my heart trusts in him, and he helps me.
My heart leaps for joy,
    and with my song I praise him.

HOME is.......

 1-In the arms of my husband
2- My monkies in my arms
There's no place like home ♥

Flaws and All....

I was peeling/fixing/cutting potatoes for supper to throw in the crockpot. As I was cutting out all

the yucky spots....it hit me. We are all like these potatoes. We have flaws and "yucky spots" about us.

On the outside, people like to remember our mistakes......but really on the inside......we don't necessarily stay that way. Potatoes come out of the crockpot tasting amazing and lookin' a lot different. Same with us....when it's all said and done.....we are different....we are amazing...we are beautiful...we are changed. And we need to remember that. Don't judge people on their past flaws. Love them for who they are when they come out on the other side. You have no idea where they've been :)

Love Does

"If it’s all in our heads and not in our hearts we won’t change much - we’ll just tip over."

Love Does....Bob Goff

MONKEYSTORY #700

Gabe: "Mommy, please don't tell Daddy that I'm grounded from playing with my friends today!"
Me: "why not?"
Gabe: "Because if he knows I'm grounded from my friends then he really won't let me play his ipad then!!!"
Me: "oohhhh!"
Gabe: "Just wait and tell him tomorrow or Wednesday when I'm done being all grounded!"
Me: "I'll think about it...."
Gabe: "Well I guess that means I can't play with Ellie then either!"
Me: "And why's that?"
Gabe: "Well Ellie's my friend and you said I'm grounded from my friends....I can't believe you're not even going to let me play with my sister...that's unbelievable!"

Thankful

It's hard to depress or oppress a person that is always being a thankful person.....a thankful

person who is praising God.

MONKEYSTORY #699

Ellie: "I just wish I was a boy so I never had to brush my hair ever again!!!!"
Gabe: "Hmmmm....if you were a boy, then we could be brothers....and I have
been wanting a baby brother.....so you can be my brother then!"
Ellie: "So then when I grow up I will have to marry a girl if I'm a boy!"
Gabe: "Right....but you can't marry Mommy cuz Daddy already took her."
Ellie: "Duh Gabe!"
Gabe: "uh oh!....your Roblox account on the computer is a girl now....
we will have to go switch that to a boy account!"
Ellie: "I might have to start wearing your clothes Gabe....is that ok too?"
Gabe: "Sure! I have lots!"

All this just because a little girl doesn't want to brush her hair........