2.51 inches of rain in 1.5 hours!

... and it happened while Jordie and I were at Awanas tonight. The lightning was following us there and it poured while we were inside. (He had a BLAST!!!! Yay!!!!! His new buddy was with him when they broke into small groups.) The ride home on Glenwood was slow. Many puddles caused splashing even though I slowed down, and it was still pouring! It's a good thing we took our walk earlier.

Hmmm.... I WAS excited to get Lily a harness. I thought she'd be sooooo happy to go outside and it would be safe. Ha! She was great the first day, really enjoyed it, never tried to get it off. She's clever. Miss Lily waited until we were off our guard. Yesterday, on went the harness and out went Lily, John, and Jordan. (The boys didn't have harnesses on.) She was enjoying the great outdoors. Jordan came in (I was out for a bit.) and while John quickly came in to get something, Lily, escaped from her harness! She didn't go far and is safe back inside. Hmph.

"Good Morning Girls" is a group I've joined. I'm loving it! We're going

through I John for 12 weeks using the SOAP method.

1. S- Write out the scripture passage for the day.
2. O- Write down 1 or 2 observations from the passage.
3. A- Write down 1-2 applications from the passage.
4. P- Pray over what you learned from today’s passage.

We get online with our small 'group' and share... sooooo rewarding!

Part of why I shared this is because I love getting up in the morning and having my QT (or now GMG) in this lovely chair in our bedroom. The view from our window is peaceful and is just a great way to start off the morning. I am blessed.

Today was nice. My Little Men (Young just doesn't sound right!) talked me into playing Mario Kart before school. I'm glad they did! Although, the wii version is much more stressful than the game cube. School is just amazing. I love to watch them discover, grow, and learn. What a blessing to be able to share so much with these guys. Before lunch we visited the club house (cookies were available for the guys) and then took our walk. After lunch and a little more school, we went down by the pool. LOL!!!! My boys were a trip! The water was in the 70s and they were COLD! They'd jump in and quickly get out. Finally, they stayed in for awhile. Back North those three would be in water when it was only in the low 60s ~ acclimating already! I usually bring down work, but this time brought down a book I'm reading, Redirecting Children's Behavior by Kathryn J. Kvols. Excellent read for parents.

Some nights our gang likes to have sandwiches. A favorite of the boys is grilled cheese. They like American, Cheddar, Provolone, or a combination. Tim got to work on theirs, while I toasted up baguettes for ours. He ended up with a roast beef sandwich, and I had prosciutto. We both had Asiago cheese - yum!

The other night was a favorite for me. I was at home in the kitchen while my guys were all hanging around. Tim and Jordan played chess at the kitchen table. John worked on copying his science report at the counter. Joseph chilled with his science book in the living room. I love having the smaller space. With us all in three different 'rooms', the chatter was welcomed.

What was I working on? Eggplant Fries at Joseph's request ~ the guys cleaned them out! It's just a simple batter of flour, salt, & pepper. The eggplant benefits from the same treatment as green tomatoes waiting to be fried... salt them and allow the eggplants to drain to remove some water. I put the finished 'fries' in the oven on low while finishing the Pork Scallopini (it's very quick after the preparation.). The pork is pounded thin. I like that a little goes a long way. The scallopini is finished with white wine, capers, and lemon.... Such an INCREDIBLE dish devoured by our entire family! Thanks, Dad!

 Today, I took some random pictures. I won't include them all. :) ... different leaves, barks, insects,.... I do believe John completely supports his Dad's dislike for spiders. Miles away he would stand (maybe not that far), when I took shots of any spiders. Even though no spider was near this leaf caught in a web, he wouldn't look.

 A beautiful yellow garden spider was near our mail kiosk. Spiders are amazing creatures, and have such interesting webs. We decided to let him hang and not try to keep him as a pet. The harness wouldn't fit him anyways. ;)

Goodnight, my friends.

~Jenny~

♥