landscaper lincoln

Psalm 18:30-35

"As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless.
He is a shield for all who take refuge in Him.
For who is God besides the Lord? And who is the Rock except our God?
It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect.
He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to stand on the heights.
He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
You give me your shield of victory, and your right hand sustains me;
You stoop down to make me great."

He stoops down to make me great. The God of All Things, the Creator of Time, the Life-Sustainer...He stoops down to make me great. What a welcoming notion & what a beautiful truth...

The cheese stands alone!

That's right friends. The Cheese is me. I will be outnumbered in this family...we just found out this morning that we're having another boy! Praise Jesus that he is healthy, normal & measuring right where he should be. I guess I should get used to wrestling, football, soccer, hikes, fishing, recreational sports of all kinds, & big appetites. I love boys.
To those who were praying this morning during the ultrasound: You are like cities built on a hill, lights that cannot be hidden.
Thank you so much.
Toodles from Big-Mama's-House-and-teeny-weeny-boy

Really Fun or Really Boring?

My friend Melissa challenged me to blog "100 Things About Myself" that the average friend of mine would not know. If you find yourself intrigued & interested, you're a great friend! If you find your eyelids getting heavy & nodding off , let's re-evalute this friendship. Here we go:

1. I always hated my first name until I met my husband Ben, who said he loved it from the moment he heard it.
2. I never thought about getting married or having a family when I was younger. I wanted to live alone in a big city.
3. I am Type A with definite control issues.
4. I almost died when I was 2 years old of epiglotitis.
5. I absolutely hate my hands & fingernails.
6. Sometimes when I look at my son, my heart literally hurts.
7. I have to, under any & all circumstances, sing in the car while I'm driving. I'm always the back-up singer.
8. There will never be in this universe a better sandwich than Peanut Butter & Jelly on white bread.
9. I have worked at 4 different dry cleaners.
10. After I delivered Lincoln, I lost the lower part of my hearing in my left ear. It came back though. Don't cry for me.
11. I am extremely claustrophobic...so much so that it's getting difficult for me to step into any enclosed space.
12. When I wear jeans, I almost always wear heels because if I don't, I feel short, big-thighed, & fat.
13. I abhor running.
14. After I had Lincoln, I developed allergies I never had before & started drinking coffee.
15. I broke up with my 4th grade boyfriend because his breath always smelled like waffles & syrup.
16. I had my first kiss at age 17 in a white Jeep Wrangler with the top down.
17. One of my favorite memories is me & my mom watching Golden Girls in her bed when my dad was out of town.
18. I loathe MTV. What used to be a media outlet for rising bands & artists to hone their musical skill & talent has become nothing short of an embarrassing reality to where the next generation is headed. That, or maybe I'm just too old for MTV.
19. I have horrible sinus problems.
20. I think Ethan Hawke is so sexy.
21. I sleep only with a fitted sheet; no flat sheet.
22. I have to have one leg in & one leg out when I'm falling asleep.
23. I dread putting on make-up.
24. I make a really great lasagna.
25. Sometimes I'll just get in the car & drive without a destination.
26. My sister & I used to get in fights in the morning while we were getting ready for school if our hair didn't turn out right. Those were roughly the years of 1989-1993, so you do the fashion math.
27. I have never once colored my hair.
28. I still wear a retainer at night. I got my braces off 15 years ago & am still worried that they will go back to the way they were.
29. I am extremely teeth-conscious. I have to floss every single night & brush at least twice daily.
30. Ben takes horrible care of his teeth. So horrible that they had to just altogether pull a molar out because it was dead. Take a wild guess of how frustrated this makes me.
31. As much as I try to love people unconditionally, I always come up short. Then I think of Jesus.
32. It is really hard to love well.
33. I think if I could, I would choose to have a muffin from Starbucks every day for breakfast.
34. Ben & I have a dream of moving to Montana someday. We'll own & work a small store together, go to our house on the ranch & watch the sun set. Oh yeah, we'll also be drinking ice-cold lemonade on the front porch swing.
35. One of my closest friends is an old boss of mine.
36. I would rather have diarrhea all day long than throw up once.
37. I love scary movies. I'm the girl that screams in the theater.
38. I like shaved heads rather than long hair on guys.
39. I hate Paris Hilton & everything she represents.
40. I get carsick very easily. A trip to Wal-Mart in the backseat can do the trick.
41. I used to look at doctors as if they were miracle workers. Magicians. Saviors. Now I look at them & think, "You went to school for a really long time & studied hard. You're human, just like me. And you get paid a ton to hopefully know what you're doing." No illusions of grandeur.
42. I love love love Chili's chips & salsa.
43. I also love an ice cold frozen margarita with my 2 best girlfriends.
44. I could watch "Gone with the Wind" 100 times over.
45. I don't think I've ever prayed harder than when I'm praying for Lincoln to know & pursue Christ.
46. I love the Gospel, although I'm not a huge fan of traditional gospel music.
47. I honestly don't like U2 or the Beatles. Feel free to judge.
48. Ben makes me laugh more than anyone I know.
49. I worry too much for my own good.
50. I don't keep up with politics at all, but I feel entitled to gripe about this country's severe problems. Then I wonder why I don't try to take a more active role in the community to try to fix some of those problems.
51. I have no idea how I will vote in this next presidential election.
52. I hate summer.
53. My favorite emotion is laughing & crying at the same time.
54. When I see one of my best friends going through a hard time, I am heavy-laden & feel as though it were my own problem. I think that means I'm a good friend.
55. I am easily stressed about things I have no control over.
56. I hate manual labor. This drives Ben insane.
57. I watch Days of Our Lives every single day.
58. I have no desire to ever read the books Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter.
59. I have never seen Star Trek, & the first time I ever watched a Star Wars movie was at a drive-in with Ben when we were dating. I hated it.
60. I learned how to change & patch a tire about 12 hours ago.
61. I wish I had green eyes instead of brown.
62. I love thunderstorms.
63. I hate turtlenecks & never wear them. They make me feel claustrophobic & like I'm choking.
64. I love that Jesus' power is made perfect in my weakness. Nothing else in this world comes close to that.
65. I also love that no matter how high or deep the story is, there will never be a greater story ever told than the one of the Savior.
66. I have watched every single episode of Beverly Hills, 90210.
67. I need to make lists in my life to feel like I'm accomplishing something. Yeah. Type A. Shocker.
68. I'm enamored by Kelly Clarkson's voice.
69. I hate shopping for window treatments.
70. I start decorating for the fall season mid-August. Come over to my house today & you will smell the harvest.
71. I really believe that if I could have any job, it would be with the Red Cross going to areas of the country where they have experienced natural disasters. This desire only increased after I saw the operation failure after Katrina.
72. I can't do hot fudge sundaes. How can I eat something cold & hot at the same time?
73. Same thing with sweet & sour...but sweet & salty is a whole other issue. That I love.
74. When Ben & I had pre-marriage counseling, we took a Myers Briggs test. The counselor told us we were not fit to be married & that we were an incompatible couple. I choose to believe she was unfit to be a counselor. Nearly seven years later, & we're as happy as we've ever been.
75. Ben's nickname for me right now is "Pregnant Princess." I love being called that.
76. I think whoever invented the crockpot should be crowned with royalty.
77. I think there should be a requirement for every City to have a Meat & Three within their borders.
78. I secretly enjoy shopping at Cracker Barrel.
79. I publicly enjoy eating at Cracker Barrel.
80. I know every single word & song in Beauty and the Beast.
81. I have broken 3 bones in my lifetime: left ankle, left foot & right arm. All at the same time. Joking, just wanted to make sure you were still reading.
82. I used to think scrapbooking was lame. I'm now in the middle of my second scrapbook. Don't knock it til you try it.
83. I am on a perpetual search for the perfect black pants & the perfect white tailored shirt.
84. I am in awe of my husband daily because of the bond he creates with teenagers. I wish I could be more like him. It's unreal to see, in that they just gravitate toward him.
85. I am a creature of habit.
86. I love to take really really hot baths.
87. My grandpa used to say "Pretty is as pretty does." I've learned that this is always true.
88. When I start laughing uncontrollably, I always lean into the person I'm sitting next to. Some might call that obnoxious. I call it endearing.
89. I watch the Food Network every single day, but I rarely use any of the recipes I see on the shows.
90. If there is one thing I would die of fear from, it would be snakes. I have nightmares about them & can hardly look at them.
91. I'm beginning to see that I'm more like my dad every day. I love this.
92. Ben & I have a tradition that in mid-December, we watch "It's a Wonderful Life" together. You want the moon? Just say the word and I'll throw a lasso around it and pull it down. Hey. That's a pretty good idea. I'll give you the moon, Mary.
93. I am an early riser. I love waking up between 6am & 7am.
94. As much as I try, I will never enjoy football. I try though. Ben has watched 42 hours of the Food Network, & I have watched 42 seconds of football.
95. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is my favorite racecar driver.
96. If I could have any car in the world right now, it would be a Honda Odyssey.
97. I used to be a Vines Vikette my sophomore year of high school. This means I was on the dance team.
98. I read gossip websites daily.
99. If I could only have one food for the rest of my life, it would be toast with peanut butter & honey on it.
100. I can type 90 words per minute.

Whew. Harder than I thought. You try it.
Talk to ya.

We're In!

The new house, that is. Surrounded by boxes, pictures that need to be hung, & a beautiful picturesque forest scenery behind us, we're doing pretty well. Still lots to do, but no more heavy lifting. I'm sitting here at Starbucks because we don't have cable or internet yet.

I've started with Season 1 of Sex and the City, & plan on making my way through each season until cable is installed. Can't beat it with a stick. Our sweet boy has been in St. Louis for nearly 2 weeks with Ben's parents! It's really hard being without him, but moving with him would have been much harder, as we all know how fun it can be with toddler meltdowns. He comes back this Saturday morning & is excited to come back to "Lincoln's house," as he so blatantly puts it. From check-ins with my mother-in-law, Sherry, I have learned that the little monster has learned how to climb out of his Pack-n-Play, & is just walking out of his bedroom at night. Sherry will be watching TV & all of a sudden she'll hear, "Hi Mi-Maw!"...Lincoln is standing right beside her, acting as if it's the most normal thing in the world to have climbed out of his bed & come strolling in. What a firecracker.

Not much else to report, except that we had a very moving experience the day we moved out of the apartment. A little history first: when we first moved in to the blessed E-4, we bought a microwave. And I use the term "microwave" quite loosely here. It was $35 from K Mart. It was a turn-dial microwave & about the size of my fist. I could fit nary a plate in there...only small bowls. We were trying to save money, & it seemed like a wise choice to save money on. After about a week of using it, Ben looked at me & said, "Worst purchase ever." We suffered through that thing, never knowing exactly how far to turn the dial before our food was black, charred, & smelling like burnt plastic. Poor Lincoln had to suffer as well, always very fearful of putting his cup in his mouth, for fear that his milk would be ice cold or smoldering hot. So on August 16, we walked out of the apartment & threw that god-forsaken thing right into the dumpster. Ben couldn't have been happier. Now we're in Heaven at our new house because we can actually SEE how much time we have left before our food is done. Man, we're easy to please.

Ta-Ta for now.

These are a few of my favorite things...

Air conditioning.
Dill pickles.
Hot dogs with yellow mustard.
Mexican food.
Hot & spicy anything.
Elastic waistbands.
Built-in bras.
Ponytails.
"Chips & Dip" time with my son.
October.
Ben's sense of humor.
The smell of the top of my son's head.
Laughing so hard I almost pee my pants.

Just thought I'd tell you what suits my fancy these days.

I'm a Ford Man!

We got Lincoln his very first Power Wheels Ford F-150 yesterday. Ben assembled it last night, while I put on all the decals. Lincoln loved sitting in it last night, so this morning we automatically assumed he would like driving it himself. Boy, was that the ultimate wrong assumption. This morning after church, we went to the abandoned parking lot across from our apartment complex & put him in the truck. Here's the first picture where he did not realize that he was pushing on the pedal. He was pretty calm, collected, & clueless:

Then when he finally realized that he was the one making it move, he panicked & tried to jump out of the truck. From then on, it was screaming, crying, & basically an all-around fit that wanted nothing to do with the truck. Yippy skippy. So we had to use a lure. Here's Lure #1, Lincoln's "night-night" (stuffed animal elephant) driving:

That didn't work very well because Lincoln just looked at the elephant & said, "Elephant go fast." It was like he was cheering the elephant on, but still not wanting to go near the truck.
Here's Lure #2. Get a kick outta this one:

Yeah...I think the weight limit for the truck is 65 pounds. Ha. It was like trying to squeeze into a pair of size 2T jeans. So we were left with nothing else to do besides force it. We knew he would enjoy it if he just tried it out again, so we sat him in there & ran around the parking lot with him clapping & hollering. He finally started to laugh!
Here's him stopping for a break to pick his nose:

And we even got a smile out of him in this one:

All in all, he enjoyed his first day with the Ford. Maybe tomorrow will be even better.

big brother lincoln...

Take a look at these photos. If you are in a grumpy mood & need a lift, check out Lincoln who is smiling from ear to ear. These were taken this past weekend while Ben took Lincoln to Six Flags in St. Louis. He had a ball, as evidenced by his grins. He looks like such a big boy...and big boy indeed. He will become a big brother in February! I am nearly 3 months pregnant! We are thrilled of course, & are looking so forward to meeting the new Baby Cissell. I heard the heartbeat this morning at the doctor's office, & it was swift, consistent & the rate was 170. Please join us in praying for the baby's health & wellness during this pregnancy. We would really appreciate it.

We are happy that by the time the baby arrives, we will be all moved into our house & settled. And speaking of the house, we will be moving in on August 16. Yea! We are more than ready to move on from this chapter of our lives living in this apartment...it has been humorous, challenging & claustrophobic all at the same time. What could be better!?!

I hope you, friends, have a peaceful & joyful week.
We'll chat more later.

My new favorite song comes from this guy?!

Let me give you guys a brief summary of what several of my evenings have been like for the past few months. MONTHS, I tell you. As many of you may not know, one of my favorite TV shows is "Friday Night Lights". Sure, go ahead, gab all you want about cheesy melodramas filled with teen angst, boyfriend jealousy, & football games (hello, I'm a Texas girl whose high school won the Football State Championship, wait, I digress), but I am the Queen of these shows. I'll take the pride over the bashing. Back to my story: I heard a song in one of the episodes that I adored, but could not find who the artist was or what the song was called. Hours I sat (okay, maybe not hours) with my laptop open, watching the same 3 minutes of the episode, headphones in, trying to hear a lyric, just one comprehensible phrase of a verse, of this song that was barely considered "background music." I mean, this song was so faint & quiet it was nearly impossible to decipher anything the singer was saying. Two nights ago, I wake up Ben at midnight. Did I say wake up? What I really mean is shove him & say, "Hey, put these headphones on & see if you can hear what this guy is saying in this song..." This was not the first time I had done this to poor Ben. Poor Ben indeed. So my tired, grumpy, just-being-woken-up-husband put on the headphones & what does he say?!? Wait for it, wait for it...he says, "I'll tell you sir...Rhondi, he's saying I'll tell you sir." Those four little words. I'LL TELL YOU SIR. Those were the only understandable lyrics "we" could identify.

About 10 minutes later, victory was mine. Willis Alan Ramsey. He only recorded one album in 1972 which had my song on there, "Angel Eyes". I nearly cried when I saw it. Only because this meant that I could call off the search & finally let it die. I had a vision of what the singer would look like...really sexy, scruffy, maybe some remnants of a beard, clearly a catch. But I was not prepared for this guy. Why would I be? I was not even a blip on the world's radar in 1972.

Here are 2 lessons to be learned from this little sweetheart of a story of mine:

1. Marry someone with really good hearing.
2. Don't judge an album by its cover.

We'll talk to ya.

It's just like, it's just like, a Mini-Mall!

My sis forwarded me this video & I almost peed my pants. All I have to say is this: this dude is black & owns a flea market. You would think he could rap a little bit better than what is displayed here. And on a further note, my brother-in-law, Todd, AKA "T-MO", who is a white suburbanite salesman, can blow this guy out of the water with his rapping skillz. True dat.

Remember, it's just like--a MINI-MALL!!