- seen my four year old through hernia surgery
- taken care of a fungus on my daughter's ear
- watched my hubs leave on Monday
- had a extra strong venti coffee each day he was gone
- slept terrible because of all the coffee
- listened to our dog bark and whine in his crate
- tried to put the kids to bed at 8:00 sharp--somehow it never quite happened
- wanted to yell 'shut up and leave me alone!' by the fourth day he was gone
- grounded every one of them from every thing by thursday
- lonely, oh so lonely (i know, put your fingers together, show me the smallest violin)
- gave four baths to humans
- cleaned poop out of our dog crate three times
- gave three baths to our dog
- cleaned poop off of his rear end--yes, that would be a total of three times
- wondering how much I like this dog
- gave breathing treatments and meds to all my puny children
- held my two year old with two ear infections all evening
- read 'don't waste your life' by John Piper
- wasted three hours of my life on fb
- studied about Iraq and Iran this week...reminded of how blessed we are...reminded of how many people don't know Jesus
- listened to a radio program about the orphans in Mozambique
- been frustrated with myself--want to help these people who have nothing instead of complaining about my problems
- reminded of how very blessed we are even amidst all the poop
- tried to remember what is important and not give into grouchiness during these light and momentary troubles!
- hubs is now home...i'll be leaving shortly to go somewhere quiet and tranquil
Friday, March 20, 2009
So far this week I've...
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Yum Recipes
I have had some requests for this recipe and thought I'd put it on my blog to share with everyone. This baked oatmeal is yum! and super easy
Black Rock Baked Oatmeal:
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 - 3/4 c. sugar
2 eggs, beaten
4 c. oats
1 TBSP baking powder
1 TSP salt
2 c. milk
2 TSP cinnamon
chopped apples or raisins
Mix butter, sugar and egg. Mix dry ingredients in. Then add milk to all. Pour into buttered 9X13 baking dish. You can make the night before and cover and refrigerate. Bake at 350 for 20 min. Then uncovered for 5 min.
Also wanted to share this recipe with you. It is SUPER EASY and SUPER FAST and SUPER YUM! All of our kids love it! Is great with asparagus!
Broiled Parmesan Tilapia:
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese
1/4 c. butter, softened
3 T. mayonnaise
2 T. fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/8 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. celery salt
2 lb. tilapia fillets
Preheat broiler. Grease broiling pan or line with aluminum foil. Mix together the Parmesan cheese, butter, mayo, and lemon juice. Season with dried basil, pepper, onion powder and celery salt. Mix well and set aside. arrange fillets in a single layer on the prepared pan. Broil a few inches from the heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Turn fillets over and broil for 2 more minutes. Remove fillets from oven and cover with Parmesan cheese mixture. Broil for 2 more minutes, or until the topping is browned and the fish flaskes easily with a fork. Be careful not to overcook the fish.
Black Rock Baked Oatmeal:
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 - 3/4 c. sugar
2 eggs, beaten
4 c. oats
1 TBSP baking powder
1 TSP salt
2 c. milk
2 TSP cinnamon
chopped apples or raisins
Mix butter, sugar and egg. Mix dry ingredients in. Then add milk to all. Pour into buttered 9X13 baking dish. You can make the night before and cover and refrigerate. Bake at 350 for 20 min. Then uncovered for 5 min.
Also wanted to share this recipe with you. It is SUPER EASY and SUPER FAST and SUPER YUM! All of our kids love it! Is great with asparagus!
Broiled Parmesan Tilapia:
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese
1/4 c. butter, softened
3 T. mayonnaise
2 T. fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/8 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. celery salt
2 lb. tilapia fillets
Preheat broiler. Grease broiling pan or line with aluminum foil. Mix together the Parmesan cheese, butter, mayo, and lemon juice. Season with dried basil, pepper, onion powder and celery salt. Mix well and set aside. arrange fillets in a single layer on the prepared pan. Broil a few inches from the heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Turn fillets over and broil for 2 more minutes. Remove fillets from oven and cover with Parmesan cheese mixture. Broil for 2 more minutes, or until the topping is browned and the fish flaskes easily with a fork. Be careful not to overcook the fish.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Love in Action
Have you ever had one of those rare moments where you catch your child doing something completely kind and loving to another sibling? I experienced that yesterday and it melted my heart.
Monday, Jeremiah had hernia surgery; thus, he cannot jump, run or rough play for two weeks until his incision heals. Ha! Try telling a four-year-old boy that he cannot do these things! Especially one with older brothers. Since Monday, I have become the ultimate Joy Robber and the bearer of bad news as I remind him over and over that he --basically-- cannot be a boy.
So, yesterday we went to the Y so I could get a run in while Eric is out of town. The kids go to the Adventure Center while I work out. They love going and it is usually the highlight of the day--unless you are a four-year-old who has just had surgery. Jeremiah was downcast to say the least. Here he was at an Adventure Center with instructions to not adventure. I was basically rubbing his face in the fact that he is not allowed to run or jump. Suffice to say, as I left him there I had extreme 'Mother's Guilt Syndrome'.
My guilt spurred me to rush through my workout. I couldn't really enjoy it since I was concerned about how he was coping and concerned that he would be tempted to rough play anyway. So imagine my surprise when I picked up my children, totally expecting to retrieve a long-faced four-year-old, but instead was met with absolute contentment! Jeremiah had a paper airplane in his hand and was completely immersed in flying it. I looked around, noticing that every child his age was doing the same thing. As we were leaving, my oldest child--Joshua--filled me in. He explained that he was worried about Jeremiah running and jumping so he had made him a paper airplane to keep him occupied. After making him one, all of the other children had wanted one too. So he spent a large part of his time making the younger kids paper airplanes. (Later that evening, I learned he had watched over Jeremiah the entire time, making sure he didn't get rowdy).
Wow. I am blown away by this tender, protective act of love exchanged between brothers. No, this is not yet what characterizes my children in their relationship with one another. But it is something I desire and pray for daily. I got to see a glimpse of that prayer answered yesterday. I saw progress. It felt good.
"Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth." 1 John 3:18
PS - I feel like I need to tell you this. I broke up a fight between brother and sister while I wrote that last paragraph. :)
Monday, Jeremiah had hernia surgery; thus, he cannot jump, run or rough play for two weeks until his incision heals. Ha! Try telling a four-year-old boy that he cannot do these things! Especially one with older brothers. Since Monday, I have become the ultimate Joy Robber and the bearer of bad news as I remind him over and over that he --basically-- cannot be a boy.
So, yesterday we went to the Y so I could get a run in while Eric is out of town. The kids go to the Adventure Center while I work out. They love going and it is usually the highlight of the day--unless you are a four-year-old who has just had surgery. Jeremiah was downcast to say the least. Here he was at an Adventure Center with instructions to not adventure. I was basically rubbing his face in the fact that he is not allowed to run or jump. Suffice to say, as I left him there I had extreme 'Mother's Guilt Syndrome'.
My guilt spurred me to rush through my workout. I couldn't really enjoy it since I was concerned about how he was coping and concerned that he would be tempted to rough play anyway. So imagine my surprise when I picked up my children, totally expecting to retrieve a long-faced four-year-old, but instead was met with absolute contentment! Jeremiah had a paper airplane in his hand and was completely immersed in flying it. I looked around, noticing that every child his age was doing the same thing. As we were leaving, my oldest child--Joshua--filled me in. He explained that he was worried about Jeremiah running and jumping so he had made him a paper airplane to keep him occupied. After making him one, all of the other children had wanted one too. So he spent a large part of his time making the younger kids paper airplanes. (Later that evening, I learned he had watched over Jeremiah the entire time, making sure he didn't get rowdy).
Wow. I am blown away by this tender, protective act of love exchanged between brothers. No, this is not yet what characterizes my children in their relationship with one another. But it is something I desire and pray for daily. I got to see a glimpse of that prayer answered yesterday. I saw progress. It felt good.
"Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth." 1 John 3:18
PS - I feel like I need to tell you this. I broke up a fight between brother and sister while I wrote that last paragraph. :)
Two Great Books!
I am reading to books simultaneously. One is 'Don't Waste Your Life' by John Piper and the other is 'Rebound Rules' by Rick Pitino. They are written for completely different audiences and one would think that they would have extremely different messages. Strangely, I am finding so many similar lessons from these two books. Both books' purpose is to motivate the reader to live life to the very fullest, no hold's bar. Of course, one book is about doing this through the working of the Holy Spirit in your life and the other gives you practical steps to do in your own strength. However, I am seeing the wisdom of interweaving the two together. I look forward to what the Lord can teach me through both of these heroic people! (and by the way, it's extra exciting reading Pitino's book right now! Go Cards!)
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Monotony
Do you ever feel like you do the same old things day after day? For me, those things that fall in the monotonous category are: reloading and unloading the dishwasher, washing, folding and putting away the same old clothes, making dinner, cleaning up from dinner, changing diapers, wiping noses, helping with schoolwork...... Do you ever feel like what you are doing seems so small and unimportant? I know I can feel that way. Lately, God has been reminding me that these little things are just as important as the things we, in our human-ness, might consider 'bigger'. I have been reminded through things I've read or conversations I've had that God uses these small things to prepare us for bigger things. It is our training ground. It is where we are shaped and where we grow. The Lord wants us to have joy and a servant's heart while we pack lunchboxes and fold our husband's clothes. He wants us to have a spirit of gratitude while we clean toilets. Ultimately, doing these small things 'well' can collectively result in a large thing. For example, pouring into our child's life daily--in all little matters and details--can result in our child growing into the person that God can use mightily for His glory).
As I do these menial tasks, I am reminded that life is a marathon not a sprint. It's one foot in front of the other. It's bit by bit. It's small steps. I am reminded to do the small things well. It all counts and it all matters. "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it ALL to the glory of God." 1 Cor. 10:31
As I do these menial tasks, I am reminded that life is a marathon not a sprint. It's one foot in front of the other. It's bit by bit. It's small steps. I am reminded to do the small things well. It all counts and it all matters. "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it ALL to the glory of God." 1 Cor. 10:31
- O restless heart--beating against the prison bars of your circumstances and longing for a wider realm of usefulness--allow God to direct all your days. Patience and trust, even in the midst of the monotony of your daily routine, will be the best preparation to courageously handle the stress and strain of a greater opportunity, which God may someday send. --Streams of the Desert
- "Champions are champions not because they do anything extraordinary but because they do the ordinary things better than anyone else."--Chuck Noll--
Saturday, March 14, 2009
This will make you smile!
How cute is this???!!!So here's my prediction:
Meryl, born mere seconds first, being the first born that she is, will be studious, serious, serene, organized and calm...all of those first born qualities. Even her name sounds the part. Maggie May, on the other hand, being the younger of the two, will be free-spirited, creative, fearless, the jokester, and the one who likes to test the boundaries. Even her name fits the part.
Meryl is on the left--look at how her hat is perfectly on her head. She, of course, is wearing the understated yet very vogue brown hat--she sophisticatedly sports it--just like a first-born confident leader. Maggie is on the right. Of course she is wearing the 'louder' lime green hat, also very vogue but a little risky. Notice the flower is a bit rumpled because she just threw it on, more concerned with where she's going than what she's wearing--just like a younger born who marches to the beat of her own drum.
No matter that they're only three days old--their personalities are already bursting forth. At least, we like to think so :)
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Meet the M & M Girls!
Yesterday, March 11th, two precious little girls were born, Meryl Laine and Maggie Mae! They are so, so sweet! We were sitting in the waiting room anxiously awaiting their birth. About 11:45 am, lullably music began playing over the intercom system (the hospital plays this everytime a baby is born). We all looked at each other and thought, 'could it be the twins?' The song ended, it got quiet and then another lullaby song began playing over the intercom! So then we knew! Two songs meant two babies! They are named after all of their great grandmothers. I think the names are beautiful. We are so excited to welcome them into our family! There's a lot of people out here who think they're pretty special! We love these sweet peas!
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Jesus is Returning in Our Time: Revelation Signs 6-7 ~ Bible Prophecy Today
Jesus is Returning in Our Time: Revelation Signs 6-7 ~ Bible Prophecy Today
Next line of prophecy here.
Funny, as Dr. Reagan speaks of in this article, our veterinarian just offered the service of implanting a chip in our dog...when they asked us if we wanted to do that, I immediately thought 'No way! My dog's a Christian...he will not worship the Antichrist!' I am joking, but I really did think that.
On a serious note, this is a sobering article that needs to be read and thought on and not taken lightly.
Next line of prophecy here.
Funny, as Dr. Reagan speaks of in this article, our veterinarian just offered the service of implanting a chip in our dog...when they asked us if we wanted to do that, I immediately thought 'No way! My dog's a Christian...he will not worship the Antichrist!' I am joking, but I really did think that.
On a serious note, this is a sobering article that needs to be read and thought on and not taken lightly.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Jesus is Returning in Our Time: Revelation Signs 4-5 ~ Bible Prophecy Today
Jesus is Returning in Our Time: Revelation Signs 4-5 ~ Bible Prophecy Today
Here are the next two prophecies in Revelation...Reading these helps me remember what our focus needs to be!
Here are the next two prophecies in Revelation...Reading these helps me remember what our focus needs to be!
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Near Misses, New Friendships, a New World Order ~ Bible Prophecy Today
Near Misses, New Friendships, a New World Order ~ Bible Prophecy Today
I get these Bible Prophecy emails every night--this one is quite interesting and thought I would share it with you.
I get these Bible Prophecy emails every night--this one is quite interesting and thought I would share it with you.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Valentine Fun
If you follow my blog (yes, all three of you out there!), then you know that February was a very sad, sad month. Eric was extra sweet and thoughtful this year. We couldn't get a babysitter (almost impossible to come by on Valentine's Day!), but no matter. Eric got the creative juices flowing and made it a family affair. First, Soph and I decorated the table. Thanks to the Dollar Tree, we were able to get festive, even giving a sweet valentine favor for each kiddo:
Then, Eric wrote out the agenda for the night on our white board. So, notice 7:00ish--yep, massages for us Grogan girls! Joshua and Wes had a station for feet and Jeremiah and Eric had a station for back and head. Owen just walked around.
After my head massage--
After the kids dinner and our massages, the kids got to watch Horton Hears a Who and we got to have our own private dinner--grilled steaks and asparagus---yum! Score one for Eric! Oh, then we watched a movie 'Run, Fat Man, Run'--I do not recommend it.
Then, Eric wrote out the agenda for the night on our white board. So, notice 7:00ish--yep, massages for us Grogan girls! Joshua and Wes had a station for feet and Jeremiah and Eric had a station for back and head. Owen just walked around.After my head massage--After the kids dinner and our massages, the kids got to watch Horton Hears a Who and we got to have our own private dinner--grilled steaks and asparagus---yum! Score one for Eric! Oh, then we watched a movie 'Run, Fat Man, Run'--I do not recommend it.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Birthday #2 -- Football
Joshua's birthday came next on Feb. 12th. He had seven friends over for a little flag football action. I absolutely love all of these kids and their families. As I look at these pictures I am just so thankful that God has surrounded Joshua with such sweet, fun kids. Even though many of these boys didn't know one another they just jumped right into playing and horsing around. I love this about boys! No drama, just good ole solid fun!
A Lego Mania Birthday
The people in our house are Lego crazed (minus Dad--I think Legos get on his nerves). So it seemed most appropriately to have a Lego party with a twist of Clone War activity for Wes' birthday. His party was Feb 8. He invited a few of his favorite fellas. Here are some pics.
Here is a picture from our family celebration on his actual birthday, Feb. 1st :
His gift from us--of course, Legos. 
And then, a week later, his party: We began the party with some target practice--shooting the lego men with nerf guns. Notice everyone decked out in their Star Wars/Clone wars attire.
And last, Joshua set up an obstacle course for the Lego guy to complete. Each person had to take the Lego guy through the obstacle course. We timed them to see who could do it the fastest. Taking the boat across the water, going through the toilet paper tube tunnel, sliding down the Tech Dech ramp, jumping over Lincoln logs...this game was by far the hit of the party!
And finally, the Funfetti birthday cake--a perfect end to a perfect party. 
Here is a picture from our family celebration on his actual birthday, Feb. 1st :
His gift from us--of course, Legos. And then, a week later, his party: We began the party with some target practice--shooting the lego men with nerf guns. Notice everyone decked out in their Star Wars/Clone wars attire.
And last, Joshua set up an obstacle course for the Lego guy to complete. Each person had to take the Lego guy through the obstacle course. We timed them to see who could do it the fastest. Taking the boat across the water, going through the toilet paper tube tunnel, sliding down the Tech Dech ramp, jumping over Lincoln logs...this game was by far the hit of the party!
And finally, the Funfetti birthday cake--a perfect end to a perfect party.
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