He said, “Cool.” Cool with a period at the end…

April 8, 2016April 8, 2016 ~ ~M ~ 23 Comments

So my 19 yr old daughter just came running to me and said, “Mom! He said, “Cool.” Cool with a period at the end! She is a writer like me, hence the problem with just a period at the end of Cool and not an exclamation point like there should have been. Now she strongly believes that her boyfriend is going to break up with her tonight, for lack of the exclamation point in his response to her text. Oh the woes of life these days… It really doesn’t get any better than this! I’m sorry but I can’t stop laughing… 🙂 Does this make me a bad parent?

Laughter really is the best medicine

February 23, 2016February 22, 2016 ~ ~M ~ 16 Comments

My girls were both sick this past week with the flu and I was feeling exhausted from the buckets of vomit, which seemed to be filling up faster than I could empty. As the weekend rolled around, I was definitely ready for a break. My husband told me he was planning an early birthday surprise for me and I figured with the girls being sick, he would just have to cancel whatever plans he had made.

Fortunately by Saturday afternoon, both of the girls were feeling much better and so hubby and I decided to make a break for it and leave the chaos behind. We had about an hour drive before we reached our destination. We finally arrived at a church and I was still completely clueless as to what my surprise could be. I knew it couldn’t be a marriage seminar, there were too many kids there for that! And it seemed too early in the day for a concert. So why else would we be at a church on a Saturday, at 3:00 in the afternoon?

After making our way inside, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that we were there to see my favorite Christian comedian, Tim Hawkins. I don’t think I have ever been more surprised in all my life and I have never laughed more than I did that afternoon. It was actually the first time that I had ever been surprised by my husband over the entire 22 years we’ve been married. I hope he keeps the surprises coming! Although I don’t know what he could ever do to top this! 😉

One thing that really spoke to me, was how Tim said, “The joy of the Lord is our strength.” I have heard that quoted so many times in my life, but I had never really thought about how powerful that statement is, or what it really means. After laughing so much during the show, I realized how energizing and strengthening laughter can be. Joy lifts our spirits and gives us the strength we need to make it through each and every day.

I realize now, that I need to laugh more and look for the joy in each day. I want to be flooded with the strength that comes from being happy by knowing Jesus and appreciate the life which he has given to me. Today I am thankful for laughter and I wanted to share one of Tim Hawkins videos, so that all of you will have something to laugh about too! I hope you’re all having an amazing God filled week! 😉

Photo found at: http://www.etsy.com

Tim Hawkins on Hand Sanitizer

September 16, 2015September 16, 2015 ~ ~M ~ 2 Comments

Here’s a little bit of humor to start your morning off right. Enjoy! 😉

Too smart for her own good!

May 24, 2015May 24, 2015 ~ ~M ~ 6 Comments

I was going through some old photos tonight and came across this one. My daughter was 4 yrs old when she did this. Kids… they can always make you smile. 🙂

Oh Christmas Tree (Homeschool style)

December 25, 2014December 22, 2015 ~ ~M ~ 12 Comments

Making candy trains! — Autumn and her candy train

My daughter Amy and I wrote this song together as part of a homeschooling project years ago. Every year, I find myself singing this tune along with the silly words we wrote and remembering our first year of homeschooling. We had such a fun year and had a really awesome Christmas party where we strung popcorn alternating with wooden beads and hung them on the Christmas tree. We also made Christmas trains which is a tradition in our house each year. I love creating new traditions with my children. Last year instead of giving stockings filled with gifts, we decided to give decorative boxes filled with gifts instead, to signify more closely what the Magi brought to Jesus. We also put messages to each other in the boxes during the year when we want to say something special to someone. Then on Christmas day, we read through the notes and see how we were each thought of throughout the year. This year our church provided an advent book for us and we have been having fun reading through the family devotions each day. How does your family celebrate Christmas? Are there any traditions that you would like to share? We would love to hear from you! Merry Christmas! ~The Cooks

Sing this as you read it, so much more fun that way!