Thursday 13

13 things that Iam looking forward to at Christmas:

1) Christmas decorations...I love to decorate (I'll send pics of my beautiful tree)
2) Christmas music....must go buy Josh Grobins new Christmas CD....AWESOME
3) My girls faces on Christmas morning
4) Christmas parties...I'm always game for a get together!!!
5) Food, Food & more Food!!!!
5) Family time........I love being with my family.
6) Opening presents....Iam just like a kid when it comes to presents, love to open them!
7) Christmas programs at church.
8) Playing dirty Santa at our Women's bible class Christmas party....they get real roofless (sp?)
9) Celebrating the meaning of Christmas and teaching it to my kids at church & my girls.
10) Giving to needy families...even though we do year round, it's just different at Christmas.
11) Seeing what gag gift Cal's cousin will give his grandmother ( one year she gave her red thong panties w/white feathers around the band)
12) Surprising Cal with a gift he didn't ask for ( he always loves them....I think??)
13) The smell of Christmas

Funny Friday

Since the Crawford family has officially taken on the new tradition of only getting 3 presents from Santa Claus.....we have really been focusing on the meaning and purpose behind it with Reyse & Abigail. With this being said...Reyse was explaining to her Huney(grandmother) our new tradition...and this is what she said," Baby Jesus got 3 presents when he was born, Gold, Frankenstein & Myrrh. So Abigail & I will only get 3 presents, just like him." I thought I was going to laugh my head off. Frankenstein!!! oh so innocent, I sure do love that little girl of mine.

Being Bad!

Today I felt like being bad. So for lunch I decided to break my diet and eat some really good FRIED chicken strips & FRIED potato logs! Yummy, oh so good. I enjoyed every bite & morsel and even ate the crumbs at the bottom of the box. I didn't eat the roll that came with it and I did drink a diet Dr. Pepper with it, so I guess I was a little good. So the rest of today, I will drink LOTS of water to try and flush all this greese out of my system. Being bad did feel good though! Who knows what else I may have up my sleeve.

SOOO easy apple dumplings

6 large red apples
2 cans cresent rolls
cinnamon
1 cup sugar
1 cup water

peel, core & cut apples into 4 large pieces
wrap each piece of apple with piece of roll, lay in casserole dish
sprinkle all with cinnamon
pour 1 cup of sugar & 1 cup of water over apples
bake 350, until golden brown

serve with vanilla icecream

This is truly sooo easy to make & soooo good to eat!
I make this every year around the Holidays, Hope you enjoy!!

Celebrating Christmas

One of my friends gave me this idea for Christmas:

When she was growing up, they only received 3 gifts each from Santa, because Jesus was only given 3 gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh

Iam loving this idea!! Starting this year 2007, my girls will only get 3 presents each.

So what do you guys thinks about this?

13 Thursday

13 of my favorite things to do:

1) take naps (which is rare)
2) eat really good food
3) go on a date with hubby
4) take the girls to Dothan and ride merry-go-round
5) praise & worship
6) cook
7) go on girls nights out (priceless times & conversation)
8) plant flowers
9) open presents
10) give surprises
11) make a child smile
12) SHOPPING!!!! Yeh baby!!
13) hang out with family

I tag Rebekah!!

Pesky Customers!

Have you ever had a bad day at work, and it was all because of one pesky customer that bothered you for only 5 minutes??? Well yesterday was one of those days for me. Iam an insurance agent, people come to me for their insurance needs & questions. So my take on the whole situation is, don't tell me the way insurance should be and especially don't tell me that I don't know what Iam talking about. Can you tell it made me mad?? So as Iam trying to help this customer, I take a deep breath, sit back and think, "why am I letting this person get to me?" and then I remember:“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28). So with this new set of mind, I don't respond to him, I just listen, taking in every word he has to say. He slowly began to calm down and finally we were able to get to the matter and he FINALLY understood my approach! We were both so dead set on getting our two cents in, that neither of us could hear the other.
So, yes it did bother me the rest of the day, not because of the customer, but because of the way I initally approached the situation. I must be patient, for Iam called according to his purpose. Anybody have any insurance concerns???

Where have I been??

Where have you been Elsa? So this is the question, that I been getting alot of recently.( it does make me feel good to know that you guys miss my blogs!) I have been busy, very busy!! With church, family, dancing, excerising, work & everythig else life throws at you, my life never stops. Some times I feel like a need a break, but when I finally recongize that I need a break, I don't want a break!! Does that make any sense?? And then I think, well this is just what being a full time working Mom is like. So with the mind set of taking a break, Cal & I load up the girls Sunday after church and head to the fair in Dothan. Boy did we have fun!! We ate everything that was bad for us and road almost every ride that the girls could. We got a cinnamon roll that was the size of a paper plate!! Oh my! So good!!Family time is what my whole family needed, and a break from my diet. I wish I had remembered my camera, but I didn't so I don't have any pictures to share, Iam sorry. I promise I'll do better with my blogs!

Poor Dog!

One of my friends sent me this picture. What is with Halloween these days?? All I can say is..Poor dog! and then I laugh, because it is pretty funny!!!!

Silly Saturdays

Please study this picture hard! Notice the technique she used to prop everything up in it's place so she could watch TV. I just sat and watched her, she thought long and hard about this. The shoes (which are Reyse's) just add to the technique. Reyse, thought long and hard and decided that the couch was much more comfortable & easier.

Friends Friday

Many of you reading this know who this person is. Look hard, it's Sibbie Smith. Such a dear friend of mine! I love her truly. Her love for the Lord pours over in her attitude, style, smile & love towards others. So now your asking,"why is she dressed this way?" We had Wacky Wednesday at church several months ago and this how she came dressed. This is just another reason why I love her. She is definetly one of my role models. I hope that when Iam her age, my spunk will be as spunky as hers. She is an awesome Women of God! If you don't know her, your truly missing out on a Godly experience.

(Merrie, make sure you show this to Steve!)

Wordless Wednesday

Ok, I have to explain, so I guess it's not wordless. This is Abigail, Thanksgiving 2005, eating a chicken leg. Notice her orange nose, thats from eating so many carrots & sweet potatoes. yum yum! Also, check out that cheesy grin!! She had a mouth full of teeth by 10 mths.

My Girls

Cute!

15 People who have influenced my life!

1. My Mom
2. Richard (my stepdad)
3. My Granny
4. My Palpal
5. Susan Justice
6. Steve Posey
7. David Shytle (my youth leader)
8. Debbie Holley
9. Cal (my husband)
10. Oprah (she has always been just so real to me)
11. Bebi Wasdin
12. Susan Askew
13. Barbara Crawford
14. Charles Hobbs
15. Pam Grist

I tag Merrie!

Trash bag DIVA!!

So, Saturday Iam doing my typical chores. Abigail is napping and I notice that Reyse is being very quiet. So I venture outside to find........she has made an outfit out of a trash bag, even better...she is COMPLETELY naked underneath it. Where, When or How the got the idea, your guess is a good as mine. She was so happy and proud and thought she was such a DIVA!!

Oh, Yeh!!!

Just thought this was a cute picture. One of my friends sent it to me. Oh, how liberating it would be to be able to do that at my age.

Plastic surgery?

Ok everyone, I want to know your take on plastic surgery. Do you think people should do it? Under certain conditions or any conditions? All of you out there who read my blog and don't leave comments, Iam gonna get you. Open a google account so you can leave comments on my blogs, especially this one.

Why Can't we see Jesus Mama?

Why can't we see Jesus Mama? Is what Reyse asked me this morning. She sure does come at you like a loaded bullet. She further went into asking me,"Is Jesus still alive?" and when I told her yes, That he was alive and living in heaven. Then she remarked, "But he died on the cross!" Ok, I teach my children (mine, biologically & mine at church) lessons on life & the bible & scripture on a daily basis. But how and where do you begin to answer these questions? I did try and she seemed content with my answers, but then I asked myself "What more could I of said?" "am I teaching her or them the minimum or the maximum?" Then she asked me,"What do you think Jesus is doing right now Mama?" I told her," that he had just shaved, taken a bath and that he was drinking his coffee and praying over all his children" ok, so then she says,"but I thought Jesus didn't have any children." AAAAHHHHH is what I thought, she is a smart little girl. Any advise or books?

These are some other questions or remarks that she has thrown at me in the past....

*Mama, the bible says that when we get to heaven that we will sing and dance & celebrate...but how can we do that when our bones are in the ground?
*Jesus was a nice looking boy Mama, he should of found him a pretty wife!
*Mama wouldn't it be cool if I could touch people and heal them like Jesus did? He would be so proud of me if I could.

Iam telling you, her little mind is rolling all the time!!

Groovy Reyse

Thought I'd share a picture of my funky, out of the box, glamour girl, Reyse. She loves to be so different, and I love that about her.

My Abigails

This is my Aunt Abigail from Texas and her name sake, my Abigail. My mom is the Oldest of 5 and Abigail falls in at #3. Family gatherings are always real interesting, because there are 4 in the family that share the same name. Abigail & Abigail, Elsa & Elsa. (I was named after my Granny) So we all answer when our names are called.

Easy Salmon

I forgot to list Salmon as one of my favorite foods. It's actually at the top of my favorites, so I thought I'd share one of my recipes. Hope you enjoy!

INGREDIENTS
6 fillets salmon
1 (.7 ounce) package dry Italian-style salad dressing mix (light mix if available)
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup fresh sliced mushrooms

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly butter one 9x13 inch baking dish.
In a cup, combine salad dressing mix, water and lemon juice.
Arrange salmon fillets in a single layer in the prepared baking dish. Pour the water mixture over the top and place the sliced mushrooms over the salmon.
Bake, covered, for 15 minutes. Remove cover and bake for an additional 15 minutes, basting with cooking liquids.

I usually serve with steamed asparagus & wild rice. Very easy and quick!

Favorite Foods

Ok, So Iam on a diet and it's going really good. So I decided to make a list of my 10 favorite foods.
1) Turnips (yes, that is correct)
2) Buffalo wings
3) A really good salad
4) Outback's Potato soup
5) Sushi
6) Banana bread
7) Shrimp cooked anyway
8) Chicken & rice
9) Thai food (really hot, love it!!)
10) Funny Girl potato salad

Ok, so Iam a little weird. I really like any thing except olives, can't stand them.

I tag Rebekah! (my first tag, wooopee!)

Dieting!

10/15/2007 marks the day that I, Elsa Crawford, WILL go on a diet. I have made my mind up, I need to shed about 20lbs. Cal doesn't think, but I do. As of 10:43 a.m. it's going good so far. I had Koshi oatmeal for breakfast with coffee, my daily multi-vitamin, and 2 CLA tablets. I've managed to drink 20 oz of water and a piece of sugar free gum. So far it's going good!! Lunch, Iam not sure of, maybe some soup or tuna salad. Yeh, I think Tuna salad. I haven't had that in a long time. Keeping the motivation going is going to be hard, but I can do it. Pray for me, when Merrie & Rebekah see me in April, I'll look like a whole new person. Look out, here comes Elsa.

Dreams

Dreams, goals, accomplishments....what is yours??have you completed it??? I have always wanted to be a ER surgeon. That would be my dream job, my life long journey, and my identity. or so I thought. Well I am not, I am an insurance agent. But better than that, I am a teacher, a role model, a leader, and a friend to all my children at church. I say my children, b/c they are, I love every 40+ of them as if they were my own. It dawned on me this morning that God's plans for me to be a surgeon are still in the works, but in a different way. I am a surgeon to my children and the ones to come, in that I am doing surgery on their hearts. I am molding them to be all that they can through our Lord, Jesus Christ. Molding their hearts, minds and souls to be Awesome Christians, leaders, and friends to their peers. So maybe one day I'll be an ER surgeon, maybe not, but knowing that I am leading children to Christ is enough for me. Thank you Steve Posey, for showing me the way to the operating room, you are an awesome man of God.

Silly Saturdays

Ok, I know many of you are thinking, "What?" Well this is just a typical silly Saturday in the Crawford household. This morning I was getting out of the shower when Abigail came running into the bathroom just beaming with pride.....because.....she had put her blocks in her panties. I wish I has a picture of the back as well. I counted 35 blocks total. She was SO proud of herself.

Finally Friday

Well, I've finally ventured into the real world of blogging. Wow! I can't belive it. Why, finally Friday you may ask? Well, because I finally started to blog & finally it's Friday...wooopeee!!! Weekend here I come. Doesn't everyone just love Fridays? It's like eating the last bite of an icecream cone, yum yum! You anticipate it all week and it Finally comes. Hence..Finally Friday.