Welcome to our family blog. This whole thing got started as a way to keep friends and family updated while Randy went through brain sugery, radiation, and recovery. Now, we use it to post pics of what's been happening in our life as we celebrate health, marriage, parenthood, and most of all God's love in our lives. Enjoy!
Valentine's Day is a pretty simple deal around our house. This year, we were starting to wonder if we would even celebrate at all. Mommy and I haven't been feeling great so we really didn't get to do many crafts. Luckily we had one good day that we put of some decorations (thanks to Aunna for the reminder that we had them), made a simple craft for Aunna (it is STILL drying, yikes...maybe she can have it for St. Patrick's Day - ha ha ha), and made a few Valentine mice for friends.
Mommy didn't even have time to make homemade snacks with me to pass out to friends. So, when Aunna came over on Friday blessing us with yummy cupcakes - mommy hopped on that band wagon and placed an order for some more from Mrs. Maddox cake shop to give away as little presents. They were super yummy, fun to eat, fun to giveaway, and made Valentine's Day very special.
Now, you might be wondering why this post is coming today when Valentine's Day is tomorrow....
Well, tomorrow my mommy and daddy will celebrate while I celebrate with my Grandma and Papa at the Rainforest Cafe!!! So, mommy and daddy opened presents today with me - daddy got a big box of fruit roll-ups (his fav), mommy got the most yummy smelling and beautiful dried flower potpurri, and I got new washable flip top markers and a new dvd!! Although, we keep it simple, we still had loads of fun!
Praises and Hallelujah's - There is a tiny reason why I waited one day to wrap of the week until today - - - Randy took his National Counselor Exam today and I wanted to celebrate the fact that he PASSSED with flying colors!!!! Yahoo!!! God is certainly amazing and answered our prayers. The test was easier than the study materials suggested, he received his results immediately, and God gave him wisdom, recollection, and took away any anxiety!!! Thank you Jesus for continuing to bless us with your amazing goodness!
Recipe Pick of the Week - So - Good Chicken Enchilada's
1 can refried beans
5 flour tortillas
1 can cream of chicken soup
4 oz. sour cream
2 chicken breast, cooked, cubed
4 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
1 small can enchilada sauce
Spread 2-3 T of beans on each tortilla. Combine 1/2 can soup, sour cream, and chicken. Spoon 1/3 to 1/2 cup down the center of each tortilla; top with 1-2 T cheese. Roll up and place seam side down in a greased 8x8. Pour enchilada sauce over top, sprinkle remaining cheese. Bake uncovered at 350 for 35 minutes or until heated through. Top with a tad bit of sour cream and chives. Yummo!
What I'm Reading - Power of a Praying wife, portions of Dare to Discipline (to review and stay fresh) =)
God's Powerful Word of the Week - For God has "called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own pupose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began" 2 Timothy 1:9 --- Isn't that sooooo cool???? Gotta love our Jesus!
This Week's Weather - We had about 6 inches of snow fall ever so beautifully to the ground from Tuesday - Wednesday - it was nice, now it can go bye-bye =) I am very ready for spring, ready to put the coats, hats, gloves etc. away and move on to lighter and brighter things!!!
Pic of the Week - My adorable little boy chowing on a wonderful Valentine's Cupcake!
TV Time this Week - We managed to stay up a bit later than normal on Wednesday and watched The Middle, Modern Family, Cougar Town and Ugly Betty ---that is a TON of TV for us - but it was kind of nice to just be lazy. The next several tv watching moments will certainly be the Olympics!!!
A woman that my husband works with is now selling Avon. It is so much fun to check out the catalog and website, place an order, and voila - I have new lipstick and hand cream delivered when my love returns from work on Monday evenings - soooo fun! I am even more thrilled to see how inexpensive make up can be when you catch a good deal with Avon - woo hoo!
Most Listened to Song this Week - Heaven is the Face by Steven Curtis Chapman
Love this song that he wrote for his little girl that he lost and is now with her heavenly daddy in heaven - makes me cry everytime!
Happy Valentine's Day everyone - have a wonderful weekend!
My mommy has been out of the classroom for the past two school years, but she still enjoys the thrill of knowing it's a snow day! We hurried up and gobbled up breakfast this morning so that we were sure to have enough time to pile on our gear and head out into the snow. We had loads of fun tromping through the snow, playing with Mocha (until she jumped on me), licking the snow, sledding around the yard and just having a great time. When we came in we warmed up with some hot cocoa and then got busy making Valentine playdough -- playdough is fun anyway, but spending the time to make your own is the best!
We hope you were able to get outside and enjoy the snow today!
Ready or not, here I come!
This stuff tastes sooo good!Here I am throwing snow on my mommy - it was pretty funny!
Another face full of snow!
Time to make the playdough!Kneading it out to make a Valentine heartThis took a lot of work - can you see how proud I am?!?!Mom wrapped my hand into the playdough - that was the most fun ever!Here is a smaller heart that I made
Mommy and I haven't been feeling the greatest over the past few days. I've had lots of pajama days, extra juice, lollipops, extra tv time, and of course loads of snuggles. My mommy even ran out one day and got McDonald's for me to enjoy for lunch since I wasn't feeling good...it was soooo good! We haven't really spent time doing toddler school and we haven't even gotten a chance to decorate for Valentine's Day, but we have had a nice time hanging out at home with nothing special to do other than getting better.
I made this creation all by myself! "It's a dinosaur with a tall neck and a long body and a tail!" I was very proud of my work.
Dad let me help him get some shredding done - well, actually I had more fun playing in the paper shred!!!
Enjoying a quiet afternoon of watercolor painting - it's nice to take it easy!
I'm officially getting the itch for Spring to arrive. How about you? I went to Target recently and was happy to see that the clothing has changed to warmer weather wear and slowly but surely I'm seeing garden and outdoor supplies hit the shelves...ahhh bring it on!
Praises and Hallelujah's - After the New Year arrived Randy and I sat down and took a look at our finances. We weren't happy with what we seen so we decided to switch to a strict budget or "envelope" system. Well, if you talked to me at all last weekend you probably heard about my discouragement with the new system. I thought that we were supposed to be saving tons of money my budgeting everything out...I mean, it makes sense right??? I was meal planning better than ever, clipping coupons, shopping sales, only getting what we "needed" - why wasn't I seeing improvement??? I was pretty bummed out. But, as always, Jesus was right there holding my hand and helped me up - He gave me new perspective and showed me that with the budget system we were being much more responsible and that the budget was helping us plan ahead for thigns that we normally wouldn't do. As we enter in a new month I am now able to see that we really did save money!!! Now, I am smiling a new smile and ready to keep going with this plan, all the while surrendering our bountiful blessings to Jesus!!!!
Recipe Pick of the Week- Kielbasa and Sliced Red Potato's with Onions
Slice and cook Kielbasa
Sautee a Tbsp. of butter and sliced onions in skillet
Add thinly sliced red potato's and sausage and cook at Medium heat
Cook through and serve with Asparagus or Green Beans, a small salad and spiced pears for dessert!
What I'm Reading - The Power of a Praying Wife, my Avon catalog and Pampered Chef catalog =)
God's Powerful Word of the Week - To be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace Romans 8:6
This Week's Weather - A bit of snow, a bit of sun, a lot of cold and a lot of gray
Pic of the Week - My precious little boy isn't feeling well. I feel horrible for him, but admittedly I love being able to spoil him with extra juice, lollipops, popsicles and extra tv time for snuggling and relaxing. He really wanted to watch one more show before nap time - guess he didn't make it!
TV Time this Week - Not sure what we'll watch tonight - HGTV tapes, a Netflix video or Shark Tank - hmmmm....
Website of the Week - I've been on several "flooring" websites reviewing possible candidates for a new kitchen floor
Most Listened to Song this Week - "We are the World - for Haiti" and Nicole Mullins "Victory Chant"
Enjoy the remainder of the week - do something fun this weekend!!!!
Mommy and me having some fun - we were looking at text pictures on mommy's phone and being silly! Cracking up becuause mommy was chasing me with her camera =)
Making a winter felt quilt for "school" after reading "Snowy Day"
Praises and Hallelujah's - God always knows how to put the "cherry on top" when it comes to blessings. Earlier this week a dear friend of mine (Carolyn Daniels) blessed my socks off when she sent home an amazing bottle of stress reducing lotion (eucalyptus and spearmint) for my night stand and my purse - WOW! She works with Randy and I had noticed that he came home smelling rather delicious one day after a conference - he told me it was Carolyn's lotion. So, I asked her about it and voila - a big huge blessing landed in my lap! It may seem small to some, but this lotion is a big time hit in my book - love ya Carolyn!!!! Also, what's even a bigger praise and hallelujah is that God brought Carolyn and I together through her son, Douglas. Sadly, Douglas went home to be with Jesus in September of last year - I often reflect on his life, shed tears and smile at the same time. Although his loss is immense and burdensome I find great peace and comfort in seeing how he left his "footprint" "handprint" etc. here on this Earth - his heart was full of gentleness, humility, and compassion - I'm sure you also see this in his mom just as I do. Please continue to pray for this family - they are precious and as you can imgaine the loss is deep. I think of Douglas often - watching a leaf blow accross the grass, seeing the sun sparkle in the snowflakes, the simple things in life bring me comfort, peace and joy as I reflect on Douglas.
Recipe Pick of the Week - Super Duper Easy Chicken Florentine
1 lb. cooked and diced chicken breast (lightly seasoned)
1 can crescent rolls
2 tbsp. cream cheese
1/2 package of frozen spinach (thawed and well drained)
1 c. or so of shredded mozzarella cheese
Spray an 8x8 pan - put 4 crescent triangles on bottom of pan and push seams together. Place cooked chicken on top of crescent roll then spread spinach mixture on top (cream cheese softened in microwave and spinach mixed together)-next place cheese on top of spinach and place 4 remaining crescent rolls with seams pushed together on top of that - bake according to crescent roll directions (just lightly browned 15-18 min). Yum!
God's Powerful Word of the Week - Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others - Phillipians 2:4
Let no one seek his own, but each one the other's well-being - 1 Corinthians 10:24
God's word is sooooo awesome and powerful - chew on it, apply it and grow!!!!
This Week's Weather - Yikes - It is sooooo cold, but we also have sunshine so I'm smiling!
Pic of the Week - Daddy reading a bed time story to Joshua - so sweet!
What I'm reading - Still moving through the Power of a Praying Wife - it's good stuff for sure! I will be pulling out the power of a praying parent as soon as this one wraps up - I've also been reading toilet training blogs - not as much fun I must say =)
TV Time this Week - hmmm...we watched the movie "Stick It" - a gymanstics movie - very cute
Website of the Week - Google =) I've been doing lots of web searches on visiting Shedd Aquarium for a future getaway
Most Listened to Song this Week - a bit of Glee music (from the tv show - just downloaded some songs - "Don't Stop Believin'" -gotta love the "oldies"
Well, snuggle up everyone and stay warm - looking forward to the weekend, a new week and a new month!
If you look very closely you will see that daddy is holding "me" in the pop up hamper. Normally, all of my stuffed animal friends are kept in the hamper, but after emptying it out, daddy put me in it and took me on a journey through the house - what fun!
Spending time with playdough is one of my favorite sit-down activities. I'm really good at cutting the playdough into pieces and then counting them. I've also been very obedient and have resisted the urge that almost every child has to put the playdough in my mouth. Check out my pics!
On Saturday afternoon my Papa and Grandma picked me up to take me to the Plymouth Ice Show. It was pretty cold, but mom had me bundled up really good and even sent hot cocoa to keep me warm.
The ice sculptures were soooooo beautiful. My favorite was the seahorse (because I got to touch it). There were a lot of people at the ice show and it was set up in a fairly small area so we didn't stay too long. I love doing fun things with my Grandma and Papa - they are the best!
Here is the seahorse sculpture - so cool!
Papa and I checking out the ice and the ice carvers.
The seal and squirrel
Staying warm with my Papa
The squirrel was another really good sculpture - love it!
Thanks for a great afternoon Grandma and Papa - love you!
This stuff tastes sooo good!
Here I am throwing snow on my mommy - it was pretty funny!
Time to make the playdough!
Kneading it out to make a Valentine heart
This took a lot of work - can you see how proud I am?!?!
Mom wrapped my hand into the playdough - that was the most fun ever!
Here is a smaller heart that I made
