LA,LA,LLA,LA

Tell me I am not the only one who knows this song. Just thought I would throw a little shout out while I can. W rare waiting in LA for our next flight and it will be awhile. I just enjoyed a giant Bacon Cheeseburger with fries and a coke and I can say two things on this subject.....1 I thoroughly enjoyed it, especially the white squishy no nutrition bun and the burn of the coke was amazing:). 2. My body may be angry later:). Big wup! And just to add one more thing I will probably die when I return to boot camp after this trip. I like to live on the edge;) So far we have almost finished the second Harry Potter movie on the IPad, I have made great progress on a top secret knitting project and Brian has completed uncountable amounts of logic puzzles(he's smart like that). I would rather not engage my brain any more than I have to at this point. I will tell you when we were flying into LA the sky was more beautiful than I have seen in some time. There was a distinct cut where the brightest shade of blue met up with the darkest shade of midnight and if you looked a bit farther you could see a small sliver of the sunset in the distance, colors of orange and red that broke open declaring another day finished. And if that wasn't enough the clouds were amazing like blankets of cotton balls that made you want to hop out and take a nap. I felt so small and so blessed to know who created it all:) Blessings to you all! I am officially in vacation mode. I am able to think clearly and soak up enjoyment of relaxation even when show into the very back row of an extremely small plane with the hum of jet engines and the whoosh of the toilet flushing behind me. Sometimes joy is a choice!

My bags are packed, I'm ready to go.

Yesterday I was crazy stressed, to the point I am sure my husband was questioning spending 10 day with me alone:) I am sure my Mom and My MIL and My Rah can't wait for me to leave so they can just take care of kids without me reminding them of everything they already know to do:) But today......today is all sorts of RAD! And tomorrow after Easter Chapel at School it will be even Radder as I will be on my way to sunnier places with my best friend in this whole wide world!! So there you have it. Today I have cleaned my floors, Been to church 3 times to handle plastic Easter Eggs and candy to fill them, took my Grandma out to lunch, got my legs dealt with and received the best pedicure of my whole life from the lovely Torrey over at Mane Styles (I'm telling you people there is none better). Don't mind my toes. I have pretty unattractive feet. They are wrinkly like an old ladies and they are knobby and swollen most all the time:) Its just how God made me. It always appears as if I have been sitting in a bathtub all day they are so wrinkly. At least the polish is pretty. Other then all that its pretty hard to contain my excitement at this point!! Others may find it a bit annoying. I can't help it.

Confessions of an Over Packer.

So I packed on Sunday. It was time. I had cleared my mind and my schedule and I was ready to go. To bad the plane tickets clearly state our plane leaves March 28......but nonetheless Costa Rica here I come.

Some have asked what I packed. One of the other questions was, how many bathing suits did you bring? Well heres your one stop shop to all the answers of whats in my bag. You are all on the edge of your seats I can tell;)

Here's the big picture....

I brought five bathing suits ( I bought two of them new this year, the rest are from past summers). They are bikinis. I think everyone should be able to wear whatever style they are comfortable in. I plan on wearing a two piece for some time yet.

Two pairs of shoes. Plus whatever I wear on the plane.

These little babies keep you from having any bra straps hanging out. My Grandma has severe issue with this, as in she will point it out and remind me to not be caught with the problems...ladies have proper undergarments.

All shorts are not created equal. I wanted to get a new pair of denim shorts. I haven't bought new shorts in years. We have such a short summer that I just have never managed to wear my old ones out. Apparently styles have changed since the last time I shopped for shorts. Most of the shorts are just that short. Like daisy duke short. And well although I do appreciate a bikini, when I want to be clothed I want to be appropriately covered. Having your booty hanging out the bottom of your shorts is not a good look for anyone...just sayin. I did manage to find a pair that I loved though they are super cute and have an appropriate inseam:)

And Bam like magic I'm all packed up folks. I'm not even maxing the thing out. Told you I could do it!

Thanks again to the Brewer and his lovely wife my Rah for lending us these rad bags. They make my packing a dream!

In other news I have two soccer games int he next two days. If you are looking for some free family fun you can stop in the Sportsplex and watch a bunch of ladies pretend to play soccer:) 7pm tonight and 2pm tomorrow...

This week I also started a new challenge for myself. I like to surround myself with prayer as often as possible. I have shared before how my children and I pray in the car on the way to school every morning. I also pray for each of them as I leave their school in the morning. This week though I decided I was going to choose a different mom that I pass in the halls at school during drop off each day. Its a different mom each time. I don't always know what to pray for specifically. But being a mom and wife myself I can ad-lib some stuff pretty easily. Not sure what difference it makes but I find myself so preoccupied with my own day during drop off sometimes I forget to think of those that I am surrounded by each morning that have their own days ahead of them to conquer. I've loved every moment of it.

5 sleeps to warm sunny weather, don't hate me:)

I lied !

This isn't a fun post:(

I lie awake last night. I lay awake praying for a girl I barely know. A girl who is living with consequences bigger than she probably ever imagined. A girl that became a woman overnight. She's pregnant and she's much to young.

This subject gets a lot of people fired up..... Including me! I am the product of teen pregnancy and I have family who has found themselves in the same predicament as the young girl I speak of above. I have learned that God can use even the worst and hardest of circumstances to create beauty.

I have a heart for young girls. Young women..... Whatever. Mostly because I used to be one.... One with much confusion, one that didn't make the best of choices, one that was looking for love in the wrong places, one that dealt with confusion of permissive parenting combined with exposure to what she thought she knew was right for her in her heart, one that struggled to be a good girl and not ever disappoint. At this point I look back on those years and I can't believe I am the same woman. I hurt for that girl and I wish she had someone that could have taken her by the hand and loved her for who God had made her to be. I turned out okay though. This all being said I have always felt a calling to be their for teenage girls. I think we give them to much credit and not enough at the same time.

I struggled with sharing what I want to share but I feel so strongly about it I can't hold back. We teach girls very little about sex, about relationships. We expect them to handle very mature subjects without mature brains. We say things like sex is for mature relationships, sex is for married people, sex is for committed relationships where two people are in love. The whole time we are teaching this we forget that we are talking to hormone charged beings that think they have it all figured out. I would say 90percent of these girls believe they are in loving committed relationships. I knew so many girls from high school that thought they were going to marry their first love and 9 times out of 10 that's just not the case. But in their minds they already meet all of that criteria for the aforementioned act. In fact I am not even sure I fully understood what all this meant until I was a bit into my marriage. Maybe my brain just moves slower I don't know but I am pretty sure in all my years as a teenager and through many years of youth group I never had the concept explained to me in a way that explained why girls who follow the Lord don't participate in this act outside of marriage I just knew we weren't supposed to so we shouldn't. Obviously I knew what could happen I knew the potential consequences but beyond that the understanding wasn't fully there. I didn't understand the reson sex is saved for marriage is because it should be saved for a relationship that never ends. It's part of a commitment that lasts a lifetime. I wish I would have heard it presented to me for a real life prospective.....from I could relate to or a woman that I wanted to be like.

This all being said I'm not saying teenage girls aren't bright or capable or that they shouldn't be held responsible for their actions. I am saying that sometimes we shouldn't be so surprised that things like this happen. I don't like that these girls are shunned and shooed. I am appalled every time I hear of a young girl that attends our local Christian school that's quickly dismissed and sent away to finish her studies elsewhere. As if the Christian school is saved for non-sinners and those who are white as snow. What about the kids who party on the weekends, drink, do drugs and the like. ..... They are there and everyone knows who they are but they get to carry on almost Scott free. I guess what I am wondering is what is the sin we are recognizing the premarital sex (because in that case there are lots of kids doing that) or is the sin the pregnancy? In my opinion it isn't the latter! The second part that bothers me is what seems to as a lack of grace in these situations. In Christian education our children are taught about sin and repentance and forgiveness from the beginning it is the root of all that we believe. Yet in these circumstances it seems there are special ways in which to handle them. In my opinion we aren't practicing what we preach. . I am not a huge believer in thinking that we are doing these girls any good shipping them off to an environment where they know no one and are not able to continue thir studies in a way they are accustomed. Is the act of being pregnant at 16,17,18 or whatever not consequence enough?

I have heard all the arguments for taking this approach ..... Pregnancy in school is distracting.... But it's acceptable for them to be sent to the public school to "distract.". Teen pregnancy sends the wrong message.... What will others think, what will they say... Who cares lets love these girls where they are at not where we wish they were. Girls who become pregnant are a bad influence...... I can tell you that their peers probably knew they were pregnant before anyone else.... How much more damage can they do? And on the last point I know women who became pregnant as teens and their stories will show you a picture of motherhood and womanhood that I could only aspire to become.... Stories of sacrifice and grief. Stories of giving their children the best oppurtunities that they could aside from what their hearts told them to do.

I love teenage girls and I think our society as a whole could do such better job teaching,training, and leading. I think for those of us who have a story to tell or a past to be learned from we should find a constructive way to do so. I think we all experience different things, sometimes hard things for a reason and I believe that reason is to bring more glory to our Father in heaven. For all you women out there it is our job to love and to guide these future women,to show grace and acceptance. To meet them where they are at and love them to where God wants them to be.


All in all I know that God can make beauty even out of the worst circumstances. God can take our sins and make them as white as snow as soon as we ask him too. The consequences may last us a lifetime but not any eternity.

Kennel Cough.....

Several years ago our beloved family dog Reilly had a cough. Immediately my mom hopped on the internets and declared a diagnose.....Kennel Cough. Yeah to clarify theres a reason its called Kennel Cough...most often contracted from other dogs wehn kept in a kennel. Yeah our Reilly has never spent herself one night in a kennel. If my parents go out of town my sister or I stay at my parents until they return, or she has the other option of coming to the big city to stay with the Jagers. She hates the big city...I mean its embarrassing to poop on a leash and who the heck are all these random folks walking down the streets they are a bunch of weirdos in her opinion. She is the best dog in the world sweet, gentle, patient as all get out and has the ability to bark like Cujo if needed:) When the kids go outside she pulls herself off the carpet with a look on her face that screams,"Okay I'll go out with them." I love the dog shes amazing!

This is actually sort of random. But Reilly's cough kept returning on and off for awhile until it didn't my parents don't do the vet really. I was raised to tough it out. You go to school unless you have a fever:) Well I am pretty sure my sinus infection is trying to come back for the third time...and it made me remember Reilly....told you it was random. And I won't be going back to the Dr. I'm going to beef up on some of my own remedies and pray for the next 7 days to pass quickly because all the vitamin D I will be exposed to next week will surely kill whatever is ailing me.

Don't judge but I got back into bed after the kids went to school this morning. The sun was shining into my room onto my bed in a way that would have been sinful to pass up. Plus Mr. Husband told me I needed to clean the van today:( Its disgusting but thats another story altogether. Lets just say you know you are a caterer when you pull your yoga mat out for bootcamp and realize its covered in the likes of balsamic salad dressing.....yep thats my life people and I love it!

unedited people.....
So I crawled back into bed and read this.

Who doesn't need to study up on how to make a Kosher Passover meal....you never know when that may come in handy. So yes I am claiming right here that I was actually working;) Think he'll buy that? Probably not! I will clean the van after school today.

In other news my niece Layla is still edible cute.


The Josherwoggie is going to have a birthday in just a couple of weeks. I can not believe it! I invited myself over to his house yesterday and soaked up his naughty goodness. Lets just say I think he loves his dog more than his dog loves him:) And his auntie loves him more than once thought humanly possible.


I've been obsessed with clouds in the last week. I have been teaching my students all about different cloud patterns. I can't tell them the reason I love them is because my God made them, but I can tell you that. I mean we are surrounded by this art everyday!


Tuesdays have been sewing days with my Grammie for the last couple of weeks. I have been working on Grace's Easter dress. Sewing it with my own two hands. It just needs a zipper and then I will show you the complete project. It is far from perfect...my Grandma has made rip stitches out several times. She says it looks great now and she doesn't blow smoke:) She also told me that the Dancing with Stars premiere was the best yet and direct quote,"those new contestants rocked that place." Yep, she's all mine folks. She also makes the best grilled cheese this side of the Mississipi. Yesterday she made me fresh cookies. I am the luckiest girl on the planet!


I got a new cover my nose from the sun so I don't get skin cancer hat this weekend. And some new Hollywoods. I sent the photo to the Rah and declared that all needed was a sandy beach. Yes I'm wearing my jammies in this photo. The Rah doesn't judge!


And now you are caught up. Tomorrow I am going to share something really fun:) Come back for more.

Remember God is Good All The Time!

Wow.....

We have had 7 nights of consecutive sleep. Yep you read right a whole week people. Its been months. Its been months since I have slept every single night for 7 days:) 4 months to be exact:(

I will tell you the fog has cleared and I have had a lot of self realization of what I had let myself become over the last few months and I don't like it. I have been negative and hard and not all that much fun. And even though some would say that I have had an excuse, happiness and joy are sometimes and almost always very much a choice. And most recently I chose to be crabby and to feel sorry for myself. Making the choice to try and control my life and just mosey through my commitments. By Wednesday after 3 nights of sleep I realized where I went wrong....it was heartbreaking and I have had to make many apologies. By Thursday Brian declared he had his wife back:) That patient amazing man is the most wonderful human being on the planet:) I am back ...I feel like a million bucks and am so so thankful for great Dr.s' that could help us find a solution and for a God that is so full of Grace that he can even forgive me! Elliot even has noticed the difference making many comments about his sleeping ability and it so sweet. He even woke up in the middle of the night once and was able to fall back to sleep on his own...may not seem like a big deal to you but for him it is amazing. He no longer has bags under his eyes, and his appetite has been restored. His anxiety has been way more manageable and he seems more patient and back to his bright self:) We like it!

I can tell you I have much to learn about trusting God. I have much to learn about patience and joy in all things. I am still very much a work in progress and I am so thankful when I realize this. It is the hards times that shape us the most....and this has been one of those times.

I had forgotten how good it feels to smile. And I have had a smile plastered on my face for the last three days....my cheeks are starting to hurt:)

Thanks to all who have been praying us through this journey. We are so blessed to be loved by so many!! Elliot is so blessed to have so many who care for him so deeply!

So heres to a new chapter that includes sleep and a challenge to remember that God is in control of all things. And all things are resolved in His time!!

Mooooooooooo.

This is what nearly 220 lbs of short ribs looks like I had to use part of another fridge as well to fit it all. Its also what $1000 worth of meat looks like. Yep.....toot toot. Love supporting Cargill...NOT:) The amount of meat makes me want to throw up for a thousand reasons but the strongest would be the fact that I have to sear off all 220 lbs tomorrow:) THose auction attenders are going to be eatin real good!

And to clear up any confusion on my shopping list...Julie caught me buying stock. Clarification I am buying stock, because making that much for a charity event is just not going to happen. With regular clients I will make my own stock for each event because I believe it tastes better and its better for you, no matter the amount. So there you go you caught me:) I actually bought 48 jumbo sized cans it was pretty funny I chuckled as I was loading it up.

My grocery list.

What it takes to feed a farming community at a dinner auction.

These are what my lists look like....yep only I can read them:) They are in secret caterer code. In all honesty I am secretly a hot mess then can pull it all together in the end. Its Gods gift not mine this whole cooking for lots of people thing. Its like my Napolean Dynamite skill...you know instead of bow hunting or basket weaving I can cook lots:)

Oh and I just secured my order for 200lbs of short ribs...thats like half a beef people. Moooooooo:)

Thought the farmer was getting tired of my pictureless posts. And thought the blog could use some lightening up!

Its been building.

Do you ever look around and think for surely I must being punked right now:)

Yeah thats been my week.

Gossip
its topples governments, wrecks marriages
ruins careers, sullies reputations,
causes heartaches, nightmares, indigestion,
spawns suspicion, generates grief,
makes innocent people cry in their pillows,
Even its name hisses,
Its called gossip, office gossip, shop gossip,
party gossip.
It makes headlines and headaches
And before you repeat it, ask yourself,
Is it true? Is it fair? Is it necessary?
If not-SHUT UP? and Jagers don't even say shut up:)

I found this on another blog. They found it in an old newspaper. And I love it.

If you have an issue take the bull by the horns and take the problem to the source not everyone else around you that has nothing to do with the problem. As women we have all the tools to talk things out believe me. Lets put the tools to work. Lets stop the cycle. Lets be bigger. Lets me problem solvers not drama starters:)

And thats all I have to say right now!

What I'm up to.

Wanting to Eat.....Bread, Cake or Potatoes:) Mr. Husband is attempting to get bathing suit ready by eating no carbs and riding his bike like a mad man. I am attempting to be supportive. I'm jonesin for something devilish at this point, I mean I caught myself drooling over my kids whole wheat organic bread this morning. I am not sure how long I will last just saying.

What I don't believe in....Tilapia. I have seen so many recipes with Tilapia lately. Its man made people. Check out this article. There is a reason some foods are cheap...just saying. We shouldn't be supporting this sort of food being in our grocery....I am sure I have offended someone, sorry:) Support a fisherman buy local and wild!

What I'm planning for....Auction Denim and Diamonds 2012. This week is packed solid....so excited to see all the hard work in action.

Also planning for vacation...Found out the fish monger comes on Thursdays and if we need more fresh seafood its a 5 minute walk down the beach to the fishing village...woot woot. I plan on eating a lot of fish tacos!! Also found out that windex is a good remedy for a scorpion sting or bite...yep:) 16 days!

Today....Macaroni necklaces and cloud experiments. A quick shopping trip with the Rah in search of something to wear on Friday. Husband is putting new brakes on the van....lucky lady with a handy husband.

What I'm reading....Hole in the Gospel, Three Cups of Tea and the 2nd Harry Potter Book.

What I'm cooking....Coq Au Vin for dinner. Made with happy chicken from Cackleberry Farms.

What I made for my kids....homemade granola bars they are kind of the bomb.
2 cups granola
2 Tablespoon flax or wheat germ
2/3 cup honey
1 cup nuts
1 1/2 cups dried fruit

Brown oats and nuts in oven 350 degrees for 10 minutes. pull out of oven mix all ingredients in a big bowl. Once mixed put mixture in a parchment lined pan put back in 300 degree oven for 20 minutes. ull out of oven and let cool completely. Cut and wrap individually. Great addition for lunch or healthy snack.

Looking forward to....Soccer game on Wednesday night. Found out I am way to ADD to play defender. I lose interest causing me to run to the opposite end of the field leaving our poor goalie wide open. I'm a mid fielder its settled:)

Good music to check out....Paul Simons new album So Beautiful or So What....I love Paul Simon and this new album does not disappoint. The other album I have been listening to is Neil Halstead his older album Sleeping on Roads is the one I like. For all its worth:) I love all kinds of music! Check out Spotify if you haven't already. You can listen to any album anytime its so wonderful! We just use their free subscription so you have adds every so often but it doesn't bother me much. We still use Pandora as well, but mostly in the car we use their paid subscription.

If you stuck around long enough to read this I bid you a good week:)

Peace Out!

Unedited Pictures No Text.

There you go something to look at. My brain has turned to mush. I have os much to write about but formulating complete sentences is just not going to happen right now:)

Looking for guest bloggers.

I thought it would be fun to have some guest posts while I'm on vacation. I have some people in mind but before I ask I thought maybe I would ask for volunteers.

The only requirement is that you are a woman(not to be sexist...I love men)...I think its important to keep the female voice on this here thing:) You could write about pretty much anything.

Let me know....y'all can email me jessica at angry blueberry dot com.

Yo!

So I may be a bit M.I.A. for the next couple of weeks. We are two weeks out from our school auction and let me tell ya...its go time. Lots of final arranging. Lots of food to buy, lots of decorating, lots of final touches and people organizing. Which all translates into organized insanity:) But I will say with all of that this has been such a great auction year as far as planning and such goes...our team this year is the cream of the crop and the responsibilities have been divided evenly and everything seems to be going so smooth. I have loved the whole process.

I have been thinking more and more lately about callings and gifts that are given to us even before we are born and how God orchestrates them to work together beautifully. I am so blessed to witness this in so many areas of my life!

I know some of you are coming to the auction and that is so exciting and I wanted to give you a little heads up. All of the auction items can be seen here. P.S. to anyone else that may want to come you may still RSVP:)

In other news I have lots of these laying around:) The Jager garden will be running at full capacity this year. I am also going to incorporate so edibles into our landscaping, because I 'm crunchy like that:)

Also.....Costa Rica in 21 days. Thats right 3 weeks....I am so excited I could pee:) Warm weather, sleep, relaxation and maybe a little love...here I come:) This vacation could not come at a better time.

Soccer Moms.....

I have a new leisure activity. A few weeks back some moms at Ebenezer decided to put together a soccer team. And they asked me to play;) I very calmly told them I had to talk to Brian because I am over committed in many areas. Leisure is not a category however that I spend much time in. Brian was so quick to tell me yes I was actually shocked.

A little back story to sports and me. I didn't even attempt sports(and I use this word liberally) until I was 25 thats only 5 years ago people. When I was a kid I was scrawny, down right scrawny. I had asthma, my limbs were to long for my body and I have had the same size shoe since I was in the 5th grade. Lets just say I was the last to get picked for any kind of PE team or recess game. I was the kid with Dr.'s note that never had to run the mile because I was a liability:) The one time I tried to play organized sports was in the 4th grade. The 3rd game the coach decided to put me in(we were winning by a long shot) and next thing you know I am on the bottom of a ten year old girl pile up and I broke a rib. Yep that was the end. When I was 25 I discovered running for stress relief and found out I was pretty okay at it. And so thats the extent of sports for me.

Now I am in shape. But soccer haha.....nonetheless I decided it would be a great opportunity to get to know some moms at school better and have fun doing it. Turns out I 'm not half bad and it is a blast. We have had a couple practices and tomorrow night is our first game. Brian said last week when I got home from practice that I had the biggest smile on my face he had seen in awhile and you know what I felt it. I learned what it feels like to have recreational fun and its pretty great:)

Heres the picture I sent to Brian tonight because he's in Disneyland still. Elliot said I needed to do something funny this is what I came up with. Sorry about the glowy eyes couldn't fix them.

We are in an over 30s all womens league and its currently indoors at the sportsplex. This round is only six games and then we will search for an outdoor league to join. Our teams name is Soccer Moms (pretty original, I know:). I'm #25 in case you wondering,its my lucky number.

So you may think I'm crazy but chances are you already thought so. My body is covered in bruises from attempting to block the ball and being kicked. The girls are afraid they are going to break me. I may be little but I'm tougher than most! We are all so excited for our game tomorrow...I'm just praying our bodies hold up:)

Who would have ever thunk it? It's never to late to try something new!