Halloween Heather

So why a pumpkin? Here is the actual play-by-play for my thought process:
1. I think I'm gonna dress up for Halloween, today.
2. I'll first stop by Party City & see what they have.
3. Gosh, there are so many costumes here.
4. But I REALLY want the dumbest looking one...
5. ...cause then I'll decrease my chances of someone else having it.
6. I shall be a great pumpkin
7. Wah-Lah!

My 5 (unexpertly) Slenderizing Secrets

I've been overweight & I've been underweight. But in the last 10 years, after prayer, counseling & simply maturing, I got it right: balanced eating; balanced exercising. But I'd be amiss if I didn't say I still have occasional "frumpy" days. Here's my 5 secrets when I do:
1. Spanx. Period. Get 1 pair or 2 or 3, HERE.
2. High-heels. The taller I look, the less wide I feel.
3. Tan. I don't know why, but when I feel frumpy, getting rid of my pasty-white-chalky epidermis seems to help.
4. Big 80s hair. Yep. You read that right. It's no secret that I have a rather large cranium. So if I am feeling large & have a large head, why would I walk around w/ flat hair pressed up against it? It only amplifies things. When I ask my stylist for big 80s hair its cuz the bigger the hair, the smaller I feel under it.
5. Layers. When you layer clothing it makes "frumpy" feel intentional.

OK. So there you have it. 5 non-expert slendHerizing secrets from Her here,
on LeadHership. :)

Redline Face?

QUESTION:
Is this what happens when one's had too much RedLine? Or is this what happens when one hasn't had enough?

Things that make you go hmm...








(thx for the pic, Yoel!!)

Tater Tot Casserole

A few of you asked about my tweet regarding the din I made. It's a gringo-family-classic, "Tater Tot Casserole." It looks like barf, but man, no lie, it's so yummy. Here's the recipe. It's fool-proof (especially coming from me, a cooking-moron). You can't screw this up. Enjoy!

32 oz bag of frozen tater tots
1 lb lean ground beef, browned
2 14.5-oz cans french cut green beans, drained
1 can of crm of mushroom soup
1 Tbsp of dried onions / S&P
1/4 cup milk



1. Spray Crock Pot w/ cooking spray.
2. Line Crock Pot w/ frozen tater tots
3. Combine remaining ingredients. Pour over tots
4. Cover. Cook on High for 3 hrs.

Dear God (from kids)

Recently the kids at Granger Community Church were asked to write a prayer to God. Take a glimpse into what kids are truly thinking, feeling and wishing. It's a whole new perspective.

Kids Prayers from Granger Community on Vimeo.

Bowls of...

I looked at this pic of Andy and it dawned on me that I'm a bowl type of gal. Many of my FAV foods come in bowls: soup, cereal, Fage (Greek strained yogurt) & of course, ice cream. So, today, I took advantage of the cooler temps & served my whole fam bowls of chili (with melted cheese, sour cream & crackers of course). Mmmmm :)

Our Family Monster Mash Show

starring: Elsa, Raul, Heather, DJ and Andy Palacios

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

INAM

I am tempted by "my way." I think it started when I was a kid. Unfortunately, it's grown up with me. I really wanna kick it, so I've been praying & thinking about what to do. It's a start, but I came up with an acronym to doodle, say aloud & maybe get inked on me: "INAM," or
It's Not About Me.
It's not about me when I am at home, at work, at church or in traffic. It's not about me with my spouse, kids, friends or enemies. As long as I'm here, it's not about me. I will be at my best when I am not full of myself. It's Not About Me because It Was Never About Him.

Working with Guys

For the most part, I work with guys. I report to a great pastor & I weekly collaborate with a group of 4 male pastors. Allow me to mention them by their twitter-names:
@tgramling
@heredes
@regarcia23
@roly50100150
@PastorCBrown
In my limited experience, if I had to share 2 pointers on working w/ guys, they'd be:
1) Know who I am & who God made me to be...I am a girl, not "one of the guys"
2) But don't make excuses for that, such as, "I get to" or "I don't have to" cause I'm a girl.

I know that's not very profound. Perhaps the more experience I gain the more wisdom I'll have. How 'bout you? Got any pointers to add?

Laugh at My Head!

I love cut-outs. They make me laugh, laugh, laugh! Here's a few from my collection of cut-outs w/ my big head in them. Hope they help you laugh too.

My Little Hero

This weekend we wrap up our series, "Heroes and Villains." It has been amazing series and I'm really excited about this weekend's service, as we usher out the series in a BIG way.
Speaking of heroes, here's a few pix of my lil heroes...

How Someone UnLike Me Spoke to Me Without a Word

Today, at one of our services, I sat by a mentally challenged man and this is how he spoke to me:

1. God created him in his mommy's womb. God has a purpose for his life on Earth. God loves him like crazy!

2. During one part in the worship, he looked around & saw people's hands raised. So he raised his hands. His caretaker gave him a stern look & his hands went down. But then, he put them back up again. She relented. I smiled.

3. At one point, he fidgeted with the offering envelopes, looking in each one to see if there was something in them. I loved his curiosity & that he had the freedom to express it in God's House.

4. I don't know how much of the teaching he truly understood. But I know he was experiencing something & that God met him where he was.

I was blessed to sit beside this great guy. Don't know if I'll ever see him again, but I hope I do.