update....

It's been awhile since I've put something in the blog. We are in the process of moving Mark's grandmother from Cambria to Bakersfield. This is taking a lot of our time to do this. We are in the finally days of this transition. It is a beautiful place. Jean, Mark's grandmother, just celebrated her 87th birthday the end of December and has been living alone up until then.....in January, she fell and has been in rehab since then. We are hoping to physically move her on Thursday. Please take a moment and pray for her. She is scared and excited all at the same time. Mark and I feel that she will love the place as soon as she gets there. So many new friends to make and we will be able to see her more frequently. 

The Wind

Amazing! I just a conversation with Ryan, our 13-year old about this topic just a couple of days ago. I shared with him that when I was in Jr High at a Christian school they shared with us a similar analogy (sp?). Our Bible teacher explained that Jesus, even Satan is like the wind. You can feel it but you can't see it. Every time the wind blows it reminds me of My Lord and it also reminds me of how evil and sly Satan is.
Let me explain a little further......The wind reminds me of Jesus like he is wrapping his arms around me and letting me know He is there....reaching out to me.

The wind also reminds me of Satan and how he swirls and twirls around us, trying to trick us and lead us in a wrong direction.

Take a moment....

Our family friend Jay Peavler sent this to us. It is worth the time to read.....Please take a moment....



Even IF you've seen this before, it is worth a bit of your time to help focus your perspective . . .
OR to use as a catalyst to pray for somebody else the LORD might lay on your heart.
Praying for you & yours.
In HIS LOVE & service,
jay

Malachi 3:3 "He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver."

This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God. One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study.

That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining Silver. As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities.

The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought again about the verse that says: "He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver." She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined.

The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed. The woman was silent for a moment.

Then she asked the silversmith, "How do you know when the silver is fully refined?" He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that's easy -- when I see my image in it."

If today you are feeling the heat of the fire , remember that God has his eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you.

ENLIGHTENIING MOMENT FOR ANDREW....

Yesterday while driving in the car with Mark, me, Ryan and Briggor, Andrew had an enlightening moment in time. He realized what he wanted to be when he grew up. (Drum roll, please)........He said he wants to be an astronaunt/king/Major League Baseball player!! Yes, I know you are laughing at this moment! We were too! We all just busted out laughing and were crying all at the same time! So there you have it....out of the mouth of a soon to be 16 year old!!!

DISNEYLAND

Pictures from our Disneyland trip last Monday......

We took our last trip as a family in one car. We left Sunday afternoon. Roughly half way to Disneyland from our house is my parents house. We stopped for a pit stop, visit, have a snack, go to the bathroom. We arrived at our destination around 4pm. Checked into our hotel, which was right across the street from Disneyland. We decided to go exploring and walked our way across the street to Downtown Disney. It is filled with lots of shops and restaurants. We ended up having dinner at the ESPN Zone per Andrew's request. :) It was loud and lots and lots of sports video games to entertain the kids. Dinner was good and not too expensive for a family of 10! We walked back down toward the hotel and was entertained by street performers and window shopping. The kids ended the evening with a dip in the hotel pool then off to bed.

We awoke Monday morning to a beautiful day! The kids couldn't wait to get to Disneyland. We started our day early and enjoyed our family time together. We even got to spend some time over at California Adventure.

We took Briggor to Toon Town to meet Mickey Mouse. We was so excited. He told Mickey, " Big Shoes!!, Big Shoes!!"

Disneyland proved once again that it is "The Happiest Place of Earth" for the Mendenhall Family.

LOVE

Since it's February, I thought I would post some quotes that I found about love.....

-"Love doesn't make the world go 'round. Love is what makes the ride worthwhile." - Franklin P. Jones

-"The best and most beautiful things in this world cannot be seen or even heard, but must be felt with the heart." - Helen Keller

-"Love makes your soul crawl out from its hiding place." -Zora Neale Hurston

-"You come to love not by finding the perfect person, but by seeing an imperfect person perfectly." - Sam Keen

-"True love is when your heart and your mind are saying the same thing."-Leanna L. Bartram

Thought of the Day....

Lucky is the man who is the first love of a woman, but luckier is the woman who is the last love of a man.

My Valentine's Day Present from my husband

Look what I got for Valentine's day!!!.......YEA!!

You are looking at a 2008 GMC YUKON XL 1/2 TON. It is Steel Gray Metallic and has Ebony interior (that is so the spills won't show after the kids get into it). It is beautiful! It is sooo big! My husband amazes me more and more everyday. We were looking for a Surburban but ended up over at the GMC lot and fell in love with the Yukons. He is a great negotiator and got us a great deal! Like I said before - I HATE CAR SHOPPING! So, I ended up telling Mark what I wanted and he drove it right into my driveway! What a fantastic Valentine's Day present! I also got a dozen red roses and a box of chocolates but that doesn't compare to the car. Mark and I are can't wait to take long road trips with the kids.

I didn't realize....

I didn't realize that it had been a week since I wrote on the blog. It has been a really busy week for our family. Mark and I have been shopping for a new car - a new Surburban. It is time to break open the piggy bank and see what we come up with. There are so many decisions to make.....just a note I LOATHE CAR SHOPPING! I am letting Mark do all the talking and negotiating. He is good at it and since cars pay the bills in our family, he is the best one at the knowledge about cars.

Megan had rehearsals all week long and then 2 performances on Saturday.

On Sunday, Mark and I took the family down to Disneyland. I will blog a little more detail about that in a few days. I will also post some pictures for you!!

The Adventures of Robinson Cursoe

WOW! What a performance on Saturday night! Megan did great. It was amazing to see all the kids do so well after just a week of rehearsals. They all worked hard and it showed. Megan was so cute as a turtle! The play had me laughing and smiling the whole hour! I think we may have a future actress in the family!

What's For Dinner?

ITALIAN SAUSAGE SOUP
makes 10 to 12 servings

1 (1.24-ounce) package of hot OR mild Italian sausage, casings removed
2 carrots, diced
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 (32-ounce) boxes low-sodium chicken broth
1 can tomato soup
2 medium zucchini, cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon dried crushed rosemary
1 (20-ounce) package refrigerated 3 - cheese tortellini (NOTE: I have used 2 packages)
GARNISH: chopped fresh parsley

In a large pot, combine sausage, carrots, onions, bell pepper, and garlic; cook over medium heat until sausage is browned and crumbles. Drain well.

Stir in chicken broth and tomato soup; bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Add zucchini and rosemary; simmmer 20 minutes. Add tortellini; simmer 5 minutes (I have actually added the tortellini and shut the pot off and covered it until dinner time) or until tender. Serve hot and with bread.

YUMMO! This recipe feeds my whole family. You can freeze the leftovers!

SCHOOL PLAY

Yesterday, after school, Megan auditioned for her school play "The Amazing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe". She made it! She is a Hula Turtle!! LOL I can't wait to see these costumes! She will have rehearsals every day this week after school. On Saturday, she will have a dress rehearsal in the morning and then two performances at 3pm and 7pm. She is so excited! Mark and I are so proud of her. She usually clams up in front of crowds so this has turned out to be a great opportunity for her! Congratulations Megan!

SUPER BOWL!

So who watched the Super Bowl yesterday? Wasn't that one of the greatest games? It wasn't a high scoring game but it was entertaining to say the least. At points, it was a bit dramatic. I believe in the saying what comes around goes around. The Patriots were favored to win - why? - because they had a perfect season, because they CHEATED - weren't the Patriots surprised. The Giants definetely played to win! Congratulations to the Giants! Thanks for a great game!

My Back Hurts.....OUCH!

I had a horrible weekend. Hurt my back. I have a sciatic nerve problem in my lower back and every once and awhile I do something to really aggrevate it. I suppose it was due to the fact that Briggor is getting bigger and I picked him up and carried him up the stairs. That did it for me. I was down for the count. Mark was helping me get up and out of chairs all day. I couldn't bend over. I spent Sunday sitting and lying around all day. I guess that is a good excuse to DO NOTHING! I was actually able to watch the Super Bowl! I'm feeling a bit better today, still trying to take it easy. It will just take time and it will go away.