Staying Young

Wish I'd Done That: If you've got an extra refrigerator or freezer in the garage, use that as an additional place to display all the artwork from your kids. Each time you drive in the garage, the kids will see you value their creative efforts!

Sunday Morning

I teach in our youth group on Sunday mornings. This girls are part of the class. They're standing by our youth guy's bike. (It's not mine!)

I've so loved doing this. At first, I thought I was too old, but God has shown me that what these girls need is love. They need to know someone besides their parents is interested in them and loves them for who they are.

What I didn't expect was what these people have shown me so much about God's Word. They are remarkably insightful. I just love the study of His Word, and they have made it so fun. My girls know what they are talking about, and they have super ideas about how He speaks to us. They challenge me to know what I'm talking about, and to think outside the box.

You never know how God will bless you. If someone calls and asks you to teach, pray about it, and then open yourself to His blessings. You can see mine pictured above!

Jana's Peanut Butter Popcorn

Wish I'd Done That: Play lots of games with your kids. Start when they are very young: Candy Land, etc. As they grow older, they will learn to lose gracefully (!) and to win in a nice way, too. It gives the family opportunities to talk about serious stuff without having a dramatic sit-down, and the great dialogue that develops is vital for families and for kids. Your kids will know that you value them when you spend time with them.



I was talking to Jana the other day, and she was going to a card party. She had to take a snack, and this is what she made. Again, the ingredients are in your pantry, and it is fabulous. It's also a great fall snack.

Jana's Peanut Butter Popcorn

1 C sugar

1 C white Karo syrup

Cook until it reaches a boil.

Add 1 C peanut butter and 1 tsp. vanilla.

Pour over 2 bags popped microwave popcorn. Stir and cool. (I added 1 C peanuts, and it was great!)

We took this to the TU game on Saturday (we are now 4-0!) and it was a hit. Great for tailgating..

Terri's Toffee

Wish I'd Done That: Iron and lay out all of the Sunday clothes on Saturday night. Gather all your Bibles, offering, shoes, etc. together. It makes Sunday morning so much more pleasant if you don't have to scramble around.


For a quick treat, or if you need a dessert to take somewhere quick, you can't beat this one. I'll bet you've got everything in the pantry right now. They are quick and fabulous!

Terri's Toffee

1 C butter (don't substitute oleo, either!)

1 C brown sugar (either dark or light)

Boil these two together for 3 minutes.

Line a jelly roll pan with saltines. (You may also use graham crackers or club crackers. I think chocolate grahams would be great, too, but I've never tried those....)

Pour the butter mixture over the crackers.

Bake at 400 degrees for 5 - 6 minutes.

Take out of the oven and top with 1 package of chocolate chips. I used semi sweet, but you could use dark or whatever.

Let the chips sit on the crackers for 5 minutes and then spread the chocolate out.

Sprinkle with 3/4 C chopped pecans or whatever nuts you want.

Chill. Break apart and serve. Yummy

Thanks to Pam for bringing these last week to the tailgate. Remember, if you make them, be sure to take them somewhere to serve or you won't be able to stay out of them......

Have a great weekend! Tulsa plays at home again, and my kid at U of Arkansas is coming home! Yea!

Quiddler

Wish I'd Done That: Have a pajama day! All of you stay in your pj's and watch DVD's, read books, eat popcorn - anything that isn't normal for you for that day. You'll be surprised how much the kids will enjoy it, and you might find you do too! Relax; have fun.....

This is Edna, my favorite Philippine friend. She is a marvelous blend of fun and sweetness. She works with me at the Taste & Spit. During breaks, we play http://quiddler.com/, and she wins every time! That wouldn't be so bad, but it's a word game, and English is her second language! For all of us former teachers, that is hard to take.

Today, however, was a different day. These are the cards she drew: With no vowels, she was hard-pressed to beat us. She of course managed to do very well, but she didn't win this time!

We are doing a project that involves exercise, sweat and holding an implement while doing so. We're to measure the moisture on our hands after applying a product. Look at these two employees. Should anyone look so cute? They've already done the exercise tape (80 degrees, 45% humidity) twice, and they are ready to go again! Is that fair?

Here's a crazy bunch of fellow tasters. We've had lunch together and are playing Quiddler. I'm so fortunate to have a great working environment, where we care about and for one another.

I pray God blesses each one of my fellow tasters. (and please, let me win, just once?!)

Game Day

Wish I'd Done That: Rotate your toys periodically. You have less toys out, which means less mess and less picking up! Of course, if you follow the last post's advice, the kids are doing all the picking up anyway....About every month, go through the toys and put some away. When you bring them out, magic: new toys!


For the first home game, Ace and Dan were having some great fried chicken. We got in the middle of someone else's tailgate, which made it interesting. A fun game atmosphere.Here's Ace in front of the new scoreboard at TU. The old one was circa 1970....while we were students there. Needless to say, TU needed a new one!

The Hurricane wore "throwback" uniforms for the first game in the renovated stadium. TU has a high-powered offense, and they didn't disappoint: 6 touchdowns and we never punted! Really a fun game, and with noise bouncing off the new pressbox - REALLY LOUD!!!

After a convincing win over New Mexico State, we fly our Hurricane colors proudly.

Girls Weekend

Wish I'd Done That: Share responsibilities - don't try to be SuperMom. You can't do everything yourself. While children are little, let them "help" fold clothes, put away dishes, and dust. They'll be in the habit of doing it, it will be fun, and they won't know they're working! You'll find that those little ones can really help.

Last year, I had an idea to gather all the girls in our family together for a weekend of fun and craziness. These are 4 of my 5 nieces (one had just broken her leg playing basketball and so was unavailable to come....) my mom and Lauren.

We did a craft project for the nursing home where sister Jana is a nurse, watched movies, cooked and shopped.

I'm not saying the craft projects were beautiful, but the centerpieces we made for the homes' Valentine's Day decorations were made with love.

Since we are like many families, we are scattered over portions of Oklahoma, Kansas and Illinois and we don't see one another very often. I've had such fun with my 2 sisters, I wanted Lauren to experience some "girl time" with the rest of the family.

My two sisters are on the right, and Mom next to me on the left. We all look so much alike, and Mom looks so young, we are sometimes mistaken for 4 sisters. Mom just loves that.

It's hard getting everyone together, but its so worth it. I encourage all of you to get your family together. Start early. Our next one is going to be the summer of 09, after Lauren graduates from DePaul. That gives us all time to get organized.

Any ideas for a theme, project, or ideas you all have? Let me know. Love to all the Headrick girls....

Sales & Friends

Wish I'd Done That: When the baby goes down for his morning nap, make a run through the house and do a quick pick up. I was amazed at how much better I felt after I did this. I couldn't get it all, but I'd made a dent. Even if you don't get back to all of it, you can sit down and see that you've accomplished something for the day!

When you go garage saleing (is that even a word?!) with a couple of professional-type salers, watch out. Such was the result this weekend when off I went with two friends to try to find.......I'm not sure what! We had a great time, and found such bargains as:

I'm not sure what you call this guy, but he said all the things the "perfect" husband would say: "Yes, dear, I'm taking the garbage out now", "You look marvelous in that dress" and "You are so special". Dot paid a $1 for him, and he'll find a new home as a gift at a future Christmas exchange, or even a prize in a cooking contest. See this girl above and the one on the right below? That's "Dot". She's the artist who does the calligraphy on our website http://www.laurasartin.com/. She's very talented, but she's also a madcap sale-goer.

Here are my compatriots with a trunk load of treasures. You can't tell by looking, but these two kooks are "professionals" . I'm surprised they are allowed to roam free here in our 'ville. I wish I could give you a rundown of all the goodies in here, but suffice to say we had fun and didn't laugh a bit. (I didn't know so many people smoked in this town)

I'm thankful for these two birds. They are dear and weird and my sisters in Christ. Thanks for bringing the rookie along on your excursion, girls. (They paid me extra to call them girls.......)

University of Tulsa

Wish I'd Done That: For you SAHM, organize a babysitting co-op. We did in our neighborhood, and it was a great success. Kids made new friends, moms could run errands or go out to lunch, and no one was taken advantage of. There are many websites to help you set one up, but here's one to try: http://www.stretcher.com/stories/00/000925a.cfm. You'll find other moms at church, pre-school, or your neighborhood. We formed one in our neighborhood, and it served us well until all the kids went to school. Try it, you'll see!


Only 2 days until the University of Tulsa unveils its new stadium. Since last year, the old one has undergone a $26 million overhaul and remodel. It looks really great, and I'm excited to see the Hurricane play at home for the first time this year.

Ace & I are huge fans of college football, and TU in particular. We love the tailgating, the bands, the friends, the kids.
Here, Ace is showing his Hurricane spirit while on vacation in Colorado. The TU alumni magazine put this in an issue last year.
Last year, TU had the highest total offensive year average in the nation. They pass a lot and score lots of points. We went to a bowl game and did really well. Mark & I have followed them to Memphis for the Liberty Bowl and to Ft. Worth, for their bowl. We are off to Dallas in October to see the TU/SMU game.

Are you a football fan?

Nanni

Wish I'd Done That: While cooking, make two. If you are making chicken tetrazzini, just make an extra one and freeze it for a day you are too busy to cook. If you have casseroles in the freezer, you are always ready to minister to someone who needs love and care. It's marvelous for your children to see you ministering to God's children. Nothing feels better after a busy day than to know dinner is already finished!



As my bio says, my kids have escaped home to continue their lives and education. Here they are with "Nanni", my mom. Mom is the most creative person I know. She is never bored (I get in trouble if I ever say that word), and she's always making something. My girl is just like her. The two of them discovered a quilt shop/fabric store in a small town north of here, and spent the whole afternoon there planning projects and looking at fabric. When I go there, I like to look for 5 minutes, and then I find a chair to wait for them.


My son is also like his Nanni. (Not the fabric store, you nut!) While a girl in school, Mom was the fastest, most athletic kid in town. The Razorback kid is like her, and has enjoyed sports all his life. He also has Mom's easy way with people.

Mom has a great relationship with my kids, and since my dad has died, this is so important to both my kids and to me. She always knows the right things to say, and loves them unconditionally. I've always felt sorry for my kids that they didn't get to grow up around either set of their grandparents.

If God has blessed you to be able to be near your parents, get together often to build those memories and traditions. Time is short.

Been There, Wish I'd Done That : I did do this: I read to my kids from the very beginning. I know people thought I was crazy, reading to a 2 month old, but I wanted to make it a habit. Now, both my kids are big readers. I'm not sure if the early reading has anything to do with that, but I know they read early and a lot.

Speaking of reading, I've just finished a marvelous old book God's Smuggler, a great story of Brother Andrew, a Dutch missionary who began during the Cold War. It's such an easy read, I recommend it to everyone. I got it from my daughter; she reads anything and everything. She's got a great library of "missionary stories".

Brother AndrewOf course, my all-time favorite book is Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers. It sounds like a Harlequin romance, but it's a re-telling of the book of Hosea. Rivers has many really good books, but RL is my fav. I love also her Scarlet Thread. It's a super read. I woman is reading a journal of someone in the 1800's, and the heroine experiences many of the same struggles as the woman in the journal.

What are your favorites? What should I begin next? Always looking for new stuff.....

Queen's Visit

Been There, Wish I'd Done That: When shopping for staples, buy two of everything: toilet paper packs, paper towels, toothpaste, etc. If you have the storage space, it will save you lots of time. You won't be making an emergency run to the store. I got this idea from Robyn, whose mom had given her this advice early in her marriage. It helped me a bunch.


For our 25th wedding anniversary, Ace & I went to London to visit the Queen. Our daughter was doing a semester study abroad, and she agreed to be our tour guide.



Here we are in the London Eye. While in it, you have a great panoramic view of the city. In the beginning of our ride, I was mostly intent with not being trapped with some pushy tourists. We managed to avoid them and had only one other couple in the pod with us.

Here we are at 221b Baker Street. The fictitious address of the great Sherlock Holmes. Can you believe 3 educated people actually put this stuff on and posed for a picture? No wonder some parts of the world don't understand Americans.

This is a window from Canterbury Cathedral, but my favorite church was Westminster. It contains a knave (or something!) with many literary greats. As an English major, I could not believe so many great authors were surrounding me. (Too bad they were long dead!) Anyway..

God has blessed us with a marriage that has thrived for many years. Why has ours survived while others have not? I'm not sure, but I know we love each other, are committed to God and family, and we are just really stubborn. We laugh a lot, and do many things together.

If you are in a rough spot, pray and seek His will. His Will is never, to split a family. In tough times, seek help from your pastor, or a friend you trust.

Remember: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Phil. 4:13

Food Fun

Wish I'd Done That: Kids love anything on a skewer. If you've got picky eaters, or if your kids are just beginning solid table food, buy some toothpicks with cute toppers, and make food chunks your friends! Cut fruit, cheese or any other food into cubes and put it on the toothpicks. Give food special names, and kids will be inclined to try something unfamiliar. For instance, if your child is into a certain book, give the food a name from the book. For veggies, cut them into shapes and serve with ranch dip, and they might try the veggie. Remember, presentation is everything when dealing with 3 year olds!

Some of you may wonder at the "Taste & Spit" in the description of my occupation. Many have heard of "taste testers", and everyone wants to be one. Images of good food, and telling the client what tastes "good" cause the general populace to envy us. However, the reality is, we never get to say whether something is good, we create what's called a flavor profile of the item. Also, this is our only prop:

You may not get the significance of this, but try to visualize a shelf-life study of a grain product, a frozen meat product, or even a cookie. Now, let's look out at 3 months, 6 months, 1 year. Now do you see where the styrofoam comes in? Hmmmmm......

I work with great professionals who are type A, linear and detail-oriented. We have great fun and comradarie, but, we can taste old oil in those french fries you are scarfing down!
Everyone wants me to tell them what ingredients are in the food, but I only do it if they pay me.....

Don't be envious - I don't really eat cookies for a living!

Dinner Talk

Wish I'd Done That: When your kids are old enough to carry on a conversation, make up different questions and place them in a container. Every night, draw one out, and discuss it during dinner. Some examples: If you could ask God one question, what would it be? Describe your day in three words. What is your favorite book? Name someplace you would like to visit. If you could add one room onto our house, what would it be?

This encourages everyone to speak to a group, and this definately draws family together!

Speaking of speaking......This is my family - Mom in the center, me on the left and two sisters. My poor brother had to contend with 3 sisters. We were all chatterboxes, and so he never had a chance to say anything. The idea of having conversation starters in my family is a real joke! My sister next to me in the picture always had some dramatic tale, and my youngest sis, on the right, usually had an athletic exploit to share.

If you have some quiet ones, or teenagers who refuse to talk, keep trying. Rick eventually got a word in edgewise, and we girls finally got smart enough to listen to what he had to say. Now he's got 2 girls: one is 14, the other almost 12. (I wonder if he gets to talk at the dinner table?)

Fig Trees

Wish I'd Done That: color code cups, towels, toothbrushes, etc...Each child has their own color. No more squabbling over who gets what cup. If things don't get put away, Mom knows who did it!


Brilliant idea.....wish I'd known that when the two kiddos were still at home.





When we moved here 20 odd years ago, we spent time meeting new friends at church and from my husband's office. A man from the office invited us over for dinner. I was very excited, and looked forward to it all week.

We went to their home, and the wife met us at the door and invited us into their home. She was a large woman-and her name was Pat (remember that). Being a plump girl myself, I felt right at home with her.

After dinner, we moved to the living room, where the conversation sort of died. Being the resourceful person I am, I looked around their home for something to talk about. They had an entire wall full of plants, and one was a weeping fig tree. I had one, too, and her plant looked really good, so I thought I'd comment on it.




I said, "Oh, Fat, your Pig tree is really great!"


The love of my life started to slide down on the couch in an attempt to disappear, because I didn't stop, I tried to get out of what I'd said.

"Oh, of course, you're not fat!"

"Oh, I didn't mean it like that!" On and on, in exhaustive repetition.

Pat sat there and tried to ignore me, as did her husband.

My ramblings only made it worse, but I couldn't seem to stop. Pat was very gracious;I was never so embarrassed in my life!

We couldn't get out of there fast enough, and I ignored my rule of reciprocating all invitations and never invited them to our home.

When we left, my husband looked at me in amazement and just shook his head.

Tell me you do stuff like that too.........



Oh, well. I struggle.

Stillness

Wish I'd Done That: My great friend, Marcia, had 5 children. Her marvelous tip was to buy shoes with velcro closers, rather than ones with shoe strings. When the child learns to tie shoes, then buy them ones with shoestrings! Brilliant. Think of all the time you'll save by having your kids take care of their own shoes. Now if they can just find those shoes.......

The picture on the right is one of my favorites. Laura saw a picture of a flower similar to this one, and just loved the color and vibrance of it. She painted the flower on the black and then added the Scripture. To be still - very difficult in our busy lives. I encourage you to meditate on His Word and take this to heart. No matter what, your strength, peace and all around success comes only from Him. Be still........

Since I'm a Kansas girl, I love this picture! I'll try to get Laura to paint one of these!

He said What?!?!

Wish I'd Done That - When your kids reach a milestone, say something cute, or you just want to record what happened, don't bother dragging out the journal. You won't do it; you just don't have that kind of time. (You won't remember it later, trust me.) Grab a pen and scribble it down on the calendar hanging in your kitchen. Make sure the boxes on your calendar are large, and you'll have a space to quickly jot down the info. Keep your calendars, and you'll have a wonderful record of family events.

Speaking of remembering stuff kids say....

Guess which one is mine....

When our second kid learned to talk, it was the beginning of the real fun and games at our house. He said the funniest stuff. Our daughter complained at dinner one night that the neighborhood boys wouldn't let her play with them - just because she was a girl. (There weren't very many girls in the neighborhood)

The kids' dad was trying to explain to Son that he was responsible for making sure his friends included his sister in their fun. Dad told him to let her play with them.

"I don't have control over all the boys in the neighborhood, but I do have control over one of them."

Our son replied, "Who's that, Dad?"

He really didn't know. At age 7, he was curious to see who Dad controlled in the neighborhood. We laughed and went on. I ask you, what would you say to that?

Oh, well. I struggle.