Simple Midwest Mom

Easter Firsts for Our Family

2011-04-25T21:28:00.009-05:00

I had intended to post this yesterday but my to do list was a mile long and my family and home-keeping comes first. So this may seem like old news but our Easter was made up with a lot of firsts for our family and thought I would share them with you.

It was our first Easter living in Kansas away from all our family. It was also our first Easter at a new church.

It was the first Easter where I was responsible for the ENTIRE meal. I was a little intimidated having the weight of an expensive piece of meat on my shoulders but I guess with ham, unless you overcook it and dry it out, you really can't mess it up.

It was the first time I attempted making a pie crust. I wanted my Grandma's recipe but I couldn't get a hold of her in time. I used this recipe instead from AllRecipes.com. If you have a great pie recipe you use feel free to send it to me. It turned out okay for my first try but I made it a little thick. I know to roll it more for next time!

We also started something new with the egg hunt. I added scripture verses into the eggs that were about Christ's death, burial and resurrection. Eian put them in the order they happened. Since he's 10 I had to come up with something challenging for him. He seemed to like it and it helped me by writing out all the verses and bringing the Scriptures closer to my heart. I would have typed them but the computer was acting up and processing slowly. I appreciate writing them now though. :)

Although I missed being near extended family, it was nice spending some much needed family time with my three guys. I hope you all had a wonderful Easter!

This post is linked to Titus 2sday

Last Minute Easter Activity for Kids

2011-04-23T23:01:00.013-05:00

It's easy to become busy during Easter with the holiday meal planning, shopping and cooking, church activities and services, egg hunts, buying goodies for the kids, etc.

So it's understandable that if or when you have time to slow down you forget something. Unfortunately, it's easy to forget the main reason we even celebrate Easter...the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus.

Here are two easy and quick activities to do with the kiddos to help remember Christ this Easter.

Resurrection Rolls

We've made this a tradition the past few years in our house but as I share this with friends I find there are many variations. This recipe is simple and works for us though.

You Will Need:

1 can of crescent rolls

8 regular marshmallows

cinnamon

Just unroll the dough and separate following the perforation marks. Sprinkle cinnamon on it to represent Christ's body being prepared with spices for burial. Place the marshmallow on top, which is Jesus' body and then roll the dough around the marshmallow just as the stone was rolled in front of his tomb. Make sure you seal all edges to prevent any oozing.

Bake the rolls according to the instructions on the package.

Eat and enjoy and notice that just as Jesus' tomb, they are EMPTY!

Some of the marshmallows ooze out sometimes despite your sealing efforts but if you bake on a Silpat sheet (any silicone baking sheet is okay) or parchment paper you should be fine.

Plant Seeds

Planting is always a good way to tie in your faith and show that just as God creates new life from that seed, we are also a new creation in Christ. It was a rather warm day when we did this Friday so the kids enjoyed getting outside and of course getting dirty. Yep, they're all boy!

I hope everyone has a blessed Easter!

Consume and Be Consumed

2011-04-22T12:08:00.009-05:00

I normally would be typing a money saving post to link up to Frugal Friday's over at Life As Mom. However, instead of sharing what I'm learning about saving money I want to share how I am already rich!
Thanks to Jessica at Life as Mom for setting the "tone" with her great post here.

It's Good Friday and I was reading this morning about the Lord's Last Supper in Mt 26:26-30, Mark 14:22-25 and Luke 22:17-20. They are verses I've heard numerous times, especially at communion, but it wasn't until this morning that the Lord really allowed me to see the fullness of the dinner's symbollism.

In verse 26 Jesus broke the bread (just as I'm sure physically His bones were broken during His beating* after I posted this I remembered from John 19:26 that not one of Christ's bones were actually broken-sorry for the mistake*) and He gave thanks for it and gave it to His disciples, saying, "Take and eat; this is my body."

26:27-29 Then He took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them saying, "Drink from it,all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink anew with you in my Father's kingdom."

Again, these are familiar verses but what really choked me up was Christ's words, "Take and eat." "Drink from it, all of you."

What is it we do when we eat, when we drink? We consume.

God wants us to accept the freedom the Gospel truth offers and consume it. He will in turn consume us, our very souls, and lead us to victory over sin.

Will you consume the truth of Christ's death, burial, and resurrection this Easter and let the Lord consume you?

Become rich with the greatest treasure this life has to offer, a relationship with God.

Opening My Eyes to Freedom

2011-04-20T10:22:00.015-05:00

As Easter approaches I've been trying to spend extra time in my devotions reflecting on the gospel.

I was reading today from Mark 10:46-52 about the blind man Bartimaeus. He was a blind man sitting by the roadside as Jesus, His disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho to head to Jerusalem.

Bartimeus heard it was Jesus passing and he shouted, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" When others following Jesus heard him, they began to rebuke him and told him to be quiet.

It shows they weren't fully understanding Jesus' purpose. Many who followed Jesus, including His disciples, believed He was the son of God but thought His going to Jerusalem was to deliver the Jews from the Roman government.

I try to put myself there and imagine how the crowd was pumped up thinking of Jesus more as a political figure. They may have been hoping Jesus would overthrow the Romans and rule Israel. The closer they got to Jerusalem the closer they were to freedom. Then out of nowhere, this blind beggar shouts for Jesus. How dare he? How dare he divert Jesus' attention away from His real mission?

How many times have I misunderstood God's mission for my own life?

But oh how I love Christ's response in Mark 10:49, "Call him."

It says in 10:50 Throwing His cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus.

Jesus then asks him in 10:51 "What do you want me to do for you?"

Then Bartimaeus said, "Rabbi, I want to see."

I find it fascinating that just as this blind man excitedly jumped to his feet and threw off his cloak, the Lord longs for us to come to Him with excitement, letting go of anything weighing us down.

Just like this blind man, our hearts should be crying out to the Lord desiring to see and to be brought out of the darkness.

As we think about Easter and what Christ has done for us on the cross, I pray that I will continuously have a heart that shouts, "Lord have mercy on me! Help me, I want to see this life, my life and those around me, the way you do!"

And oh we're not done with the story, here's verse 10:52 "Go," said Jesus, "your faith has healed you." Immediately he (Bartimaeus) received sight and followed Jesus along the road.

This blind man was following Jesus along the road, the road to freedom. Little did he or those following Jesus, that this would mean eternal freedom not political freedom.

I also find it interesting that this is the last recorded miracle Jesus performed before entering the Holy City. This speaks volumes to me as to where God's heart is. The last miracle He performed before dieing on the cross was to give a poor, blind beggar sight! I am and was, before giving my life to Christ, that poor and blind beggar.

He wants us to cry out to Him and to be desperate in our need to see!

So as we reflect on the gift of Christ's death, burial and resurrection let's ask God for sight to see and to be free!

Have a joy filled day!

This post is linked to Women Living Well Wednesday and Walk with Him Wednesdays and Word Filled Wednesdays.

Developing a Personal Mission Statement

2011-04-18T12:00:00.005-05:00

It's Monday again and I have been trying to make it a habit to partake in Multitude Mondays at A Holy Experience. Multitude Mondays encourages us, as women and children of the King, to thank God for all the gifts He gives us.

I also like to partake in Project Mondays over At the Well and they are challenging their readers to create a personal mission statement.

So as I was contemplating today's post, I thought about how these two blog link ups are intertwined.

I thank God for the roles He has given me as David's wife and companion, as Eian and Elias' mom, keeper of this household, keeper of this one physical body I have, my roles as daughter, sister, friend, etc.

If I believe God is ALL powerful, ALL knowing, ALL loving, and ALWAYS in control then I must believe that the people in my life are put here for a reason. They are here for a purpose and for an opportunity to let the light of Christ shine through me and into them.

My ultimate goal and purpose for this site is to walk along side all of you reading and encourage you to fill YOUR roles more passionately and intentionally and allow this desire to truly SIMPLIFY your life.

When we focus on what God has designed us to do, and purpose ourselves by aligning our desires appropriately, then that's when we find real fulfillment. This has been my experience anyway.

Believe me though, I am by no means saying I have it all together or that I have even had a day recently where I have really felt completely fulfilled. And we may not really ever feel this until the day the Lord calls us home but I do know that feeling like I've missed the mark on impacting the lives of those I love in a positive way, on a regular basis is NOT what God wants.

I am simply admitting I recognize this truth. So how can this knowledge be implemented? How can I give thanks to God for these roles? How can He be ultimately glorified?

God has been slowly revealing to me (or maybe I've just been slow to catch on) that all these desires to fill my roles more purposefully need to be outlined somehow to keep me on track. I think we all suffer from mild cases of ADHD, or at least I do, and it's so easy for me to get distracted.

I was ecstatic to see that the Project over At the Well was developing a personal mission statement.

I honestly had just asked David last night what he felt were some important tasks needing finished. God bless him but he wasn't much help! He couldn't really think of anything other than working with Eian to finish his diorama for school. I was looking for guidance and direction because I have really been feeling like my wheels are spinning lately.

It dawned on me, as I was washing dishes last night (my daydreaming time) that while I think it's important to include your spouse, the best way to find guidance in prioritizing and finding purpose is asking God. I admit I do not do this nearly as often as I should. So with my arms wrist deep in dish water, I did just that.

Today seems a little more clear thanks to the Lord and I do not think it was just a "coincidence" that today's At the Well project is Developing a Personal Misson Statement.

I will be prayerfully contemplating, organizing, and implementing mine. Won't you join me? What areas of your life are you feeling unproductive in? What are some practical ways you can fulfill your roles more effectively?

Is it making yourself removed from that never ending to do list and purposefully spend a chunk of time with your kids, is it purposefully planning to spend an hour alone with your husband tonight by getting the kiddos to bed early and staying OFF the computer, is it purposefully getting to bed on time so you can rise before the kids and make time for God, is it purposefully planning to make healthier food choices...? So I guess you can see these are a few of mine but I want to hear from YOU!

What can you do in your life NOW to give thanks to God by living more purposefully in the roles He has given YOU?

10 Tips to Save Money on Groceries Without Coupons

2011-04-15T01:30:00.011-05:00

I am a huge supporter of coupons and could not and would not shop without them. However, as I strive for a simple, well-balanced, full life I have to wonder if my couponing has become more of a hindrance than a help. Anyone else with me?

I think it's great that many are jumping in on the coupon thing but the truth is the more people who use coupons means the harder it is to get that deal. It could just be my area but it's kinda 50/50 as to if that item will be in the store or not. Gas is just too high to go shopping for things that may be gone already.

While I don't intend to make this a deal finding blog (because there are so many good ones already like Motherhood on aDime or Money Saving Mom or Common Sense with Money) I do think money and the saving of it and being frugal does come in to play while striving for a simple life.

It's difficult to fully enjoy life when you have a bunch of debt hanging over your head and you have to cut debt down by being frugal. My husband and I have finally begun to figure that out and are starting our path to being debt-free! Coupons are an excellent way to do that but let's face it.... they take time and energy and more than I have to spend most days! I still love coupons but I don't beat myself up over not having clipped them and organized them for a month like I used to!

So what's a gal to do if she wants to cut her grocery costs without all the coupon stress?

I have compiled a list of tricks and just plain ole common sense I've learned throughout my grocery shopping years and want to share them with you. Now some of them you all might say "Psh, that's nothing new. I've been doing that for years." Believe it or not though there are some gals out there who have been blessed up until now where they have not had to think about how they grocery shop. Until now they go to the store when they need something whether it's on sale or not. I on the other hand have not had that luxury since kids came along and don't think I could shop like that even if I was able :)

But those women are still out there and I know because I am friends with some of them. A few have recently been asking me how I spend only $200-$250 a month on groceries for our family of 4. (I'm sure there are some major deal divas out there that spend MUCH less than this) So here are some of my money saving ideas without using coupons:

1. Make a list of prices. -Now I must be honest I am just not diligent enough to keep a master list of ALL the prices at every store but some, my sister included, swear by it.

-The purpose is so you know what the rock bottom price on an item is. If you pay attention, over time you will get an idea for what the best price is for something.

-If anything, either write down or memorize at least the items you purchase often. For example,I will never pay more than $1 for a box of cereal, 17 cents per diaper or more than the equivalent of $1 per 4 roll pckg of toilet paper.

2. Find out your stores' cycle for marking down meats and veggies.

-Oh how I love those Manger Special stickers!

-This will vary from store to store but typically they will mark down these items on Thursday (making room for weekend business) and then on Sunday or Monday (whatever doesn't sell over the weekend).

-Be smart, just because it's marked down doesn't mean it's a good deal. If the original price was high to begin with then you're probably paying normal price for near expiration meat or veggies. This is where being knowledgeable on prices is important.

3. Make a Menu Plan according to the stores weekly specials

- Again this is old news for some of you but if you're going to do anything from this list this would probably be the most important!

-Search recipe sites using the ingredients that you see the best deal for. A few I like are Just a Pinch Recipe Club, All Recipes, Kraft Foods

-Here are also some great resources for menu planning and recipes: I'm an Organizing Junkie and The Happy Housewife

4. Freeze Meals

- Freezing meals or pre-cooked meats (make sure you use fresh meat and not meat that's been previously frozen and thawed) are handy to pop in the oven on a busy day and help you avoid the drive-thru!

- I have strayed a bit from this myself but it was a life saver when I was working 40+ hours a week away from home several months ago. I would cook large batches of maybe 3-5 of my families' favorite meals/ breakfasts/snacks and freeze them. I just did this every other weekend or when it was the most convenient for me so we could have an on going supply of something that was easy to pop in the oven or microwave.

-Another great web resource is Jessica's site Life As Mom or her dedicated recipe site Good Cheap Eats . She's actually in the process of writing a cookbook featuring freezer meals (or it may be ON freezer meals, not sure).

5. Grocery Shop Alone

-I always go over budget when my 10 yr old or husband go with me. More eyes and more stomachs make for more money dished out at checkout! It's just a fact.

6.Don't Shop Hungry

-Kind of a no brainer but we all need the reminder! I like to have a granola bar or other snack in the car handy in case I need it before shopping.

7. Stock up on meats when they're at the rock bottom price and watch store sale ad cycles.

-Stock up on expensive items like meat when they're at the lowest price point.

-Most stores have a 3 month ad cycle. So if ground chuck is at it's lowest of $1.77lb now (it's usually the lowest in our area anyway) then buy enough if you can for 2-3 months worth and freeze it.Again,this is where having a general idea of pricing comes in handy.

8. Cook more Meat-Free Dishes

-Have one or two nights where you have things like a baked potato bar or a soup night so that it's not so obvious you're missing meat.

-You should have seen the look on my husband's face when I told him awhile back I wanted to have at least one night without meat in our dinner! I don;t think he minds it now :)

9. Eat More Produce Without Going Broke-Shop @ Discount Food Stores

-I used to shy away from discount food stores like Aldi's or Save-A-Lot because sometimes the quality didn't seem as good. But if you watch what you're buying you can get some GREAT produce deals!

-If these stores have door buster deals like 39 cents for avocados or 29 cents for bananas but they don't look the best then use them in something like guacamole or use the bananas for banana bread.

10. Use Cheap Ingredients for Fillers

-Use ingredients that make meals go a long way like rice, pasta, potatoes and beans. These are generally inexpensive but really extend your meat source. We eat a lot of rice and pasta around here with these hungry boys!

EASY Chicken Florentine w/ Penne Pasta

So I hope this helps Simplify your grocery shopping without having to kill yourself racing to the store to snag that great coupon deal before anyone else, or stay up until 3 am clipping (not that I've ever done that, hee hee). Coupons are great but with a little planning and creativity you can SAVE without all the coupon hassle!

So what do you do to help cut your grocery costs? I would love to hear them! I'm learning like the rest of you and could use some more tips :)

This post was linked to Frugal Fridays at Life As Mom

Goodbye Numbness-I am Alive!

2011-04-13T09:10:00.025-05:00

So many of you have already heard me go on and on about my new favorite book One Thousand Gifts by my new favorite author, Ann Voskamp. But I really cannot say enough about how God is using this book to help put everything into focus for me.

When I say everything I mean, my relationship with my husband, my role in our home, my relationship with my kids, and even this blog but it's all more clear because I have a deeper understanding of my most important relationship in Christ.

Sure, I'm a Christian of five years and sure I know how I should love and treat my family and how I should act. Let's face it though ladies, people (especially those we live with) are not always so lovable (and often times neither are we). And sure we're taught as Christians to love one another as Christ loves us (John 13:34), not to return evil for evil (Romans 12:17), and God has a good purpose for all things (Romans 8:28) but how do we practically apply all that knowledge of scripture?

Ann goes into great detail how God taught her the art of giving thanks. He led her to a place where she now gives thanks for 1000 daily gifts, big and small, from how the sun glistens on a soap bubble in the sink to the smile of a child.

Since reading the book I started pondering what is it I want, long for, yearn for, what is it I feel I'm missing? On a rare occasion when I was alone, driving to the grocery store on an emergency milk expedition, God revealed this to me... Numbness. I don't want to feel numb.

One of my greatest fears is to wake up one morning feeling as if I never took it all in, this life that is, and with it all the experiences and gifts that God gives. I don't want to waste this life God's blessed me with by focusing on what I don't have but instead giving Him thanks for what I do have.

I want to use this life to glorify Him more, to bring joy and love into the lives of my husband, my kids, and all who God places in my path. I want to take time to just sit and watch how a toddler marvels at a butterfly, or how a ten year old burrows his eyebrows low and sticks his tongue out during an intense Wii battle, or how my husband's face lights up when he comes into the room and sees me and the kids playing together.

The bottom line here, and point to my ramblings, is I don't want to miss God's gifts, His good and perfect gifts in ALL this life offers. All means just that...even when my husband shows his irritation AGAIN, or when my son forgets to make his bed AGAIN, or when the baby torments the cat AGAIN, or when I lose my cool towards the kids AGAIN... I can make the choice to give thanks even in those circumstances! And yes girls, it IS a choice. A choice that God backs you up on if you're willing to trust Him and to wait on Him. (Dt 31:8)

Psalm 33:20

We WAIT in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield.

So far in giving thanks, I have learned it takes my focus off the negative and instead the light of all the positive shines through. I can take even life's frustrations and stop and say "Thank you Lord. Although this situation is hard, I know it is here for a reason and you are allowing it in my life to strengthen my faith in you. What will you have me to learn from it? How can I glorify you through it it Lord?" Wow, what a difference this has made in my attitude towards my husband and kids! It allows me to set that peaceful tone in our home that I keep saying I want more of. Finally, I am learning it all starts with giving thanks to the Lord.

Will YOU thank the the Lord and start today by making a list of ALL the good gifts He's blessed you with today? As we approach Easter and ponder Christ's death, burial and Resurrection, I think we can safely say He is trustworthy, He loves us and He is faithful!

Have a blessed day everyone and start counting! :)

Visit Women Living Well Wednesdays, Ann Voskamp's site for Walk With Him Wednesdays and Internet Cafe Devotions for Word Filled Wednesdays

Journaling: Private Love Letters

2011-04-11T12:47:00.018-05:00

As I caught a glimpse of the last few empty pages in my journal I started reflecting on the art of journaling and why I started it in the first place. I don't know about you but as a new Christian (5 years ago that is) I had heard several times from well meaning ladies, the importance of journaling. Whether it was to document your prayers in written form or keep a list of things your grateful for... journal, journal, journal, you MUST journal! Oh how I tried, attempted for a few days, a few weeks, and failed,attempted again and failed...again. So I was a little ecstatic to see only two fresh, untouched pages left in my journal today! It made me ponder why. Why did I finally, after many failed attempts, keep at it? So I thumbed back to my very first entry which I am now going to be transparent and share with you. In this I think we'll find our answer.

Monday, July 26, 2010 I planned on starting this journal back in January as a way to document my findings as I read through the Bible chronologically. Well, here it is the end of July and I'm finally putting pen to paper! Nonetheless, I know I need an outlet in which to get my rambling thoughts out in hopes of sorting through and making sense of them. Being apart form David has been difficult but God is using my loneliness to do a great work in me. This journal may be a great way of documenting His work! Well I guess that wasn't so bad after all, not too terribly revealing :) I look back to that day, that period of my life and it was no joke, it was really HARD! My family was separated while David was working a new job in Florida with the Air Force. The babies and I stayed behind waiting, wondering if this would be a permanent thing and if we would move soon. There were just so many unknowns and fears coming at me that I needed, ached, and longed for the Lord. Journaling became my escape and more importantly the words in it became my personal love letters to God. Just as our prayers should allow us to be open, humbled before Him, so was my journaling. This is why I kept it up because it was just another medium in which to communicate to my Heavenly Father and I found fulfillment through Him in that medium just as in prayer. It was no longer a thing I thought I had to do if I wanted to be on the Good Christian list. It was my personal thoughts, feelings, struggles on paper. The best part is I can go back through and now see where God has brought me. I can see those heartfelt cries on that paper weren't for nought. I see because in some things He has brought me to the promised land and in some His answers are still unknown completely. Thank you Lord for the gift of communicating with you whether through words spoken or in print, thank you! P.S. Sorry for the hard to read format. Blogger is messing with my spacing once I post and frankly I have lost my patience and time to try and fix it! :)

Feeling Homesick

2011-04-09T16:56:00.004-05:00

For those of you who know me are probably wondering why I'm including an Ohio photo under the post title of feeling homesick.

I'm joining Jenn at Country Girl's Ramblings for Simply Saturday's and as I was going through my photo archives that reminded me of home, this one from a few years ago pulled at my heart strings. This Ohio sign, while we lived in Indiana, had become a familiar landmark for us as we made 3-4 trips a year to visit David's mom in Columbus. I miss her :(

It also got me thinking about how I just love pictures of roads, paths, streams,etc. They always make me wonder where they lead. That's why I chose the one I did for my blog header. Do you like it? I took this last year before we left Indiana. I drove this route almost everyday and that barn always made me smile, not sure why. I guess it's because it seemed clean, crisp, new among bland fields of corn and soybeans. Every time I look at that photo is takes me back to HOME.

The best part of this photo was something I actually intended to crop out...my rear view side mirror. I decided to leave it in because I began finding myself looking into it down that road. However, unlike most photos I like of paths and roads, I know where this one leads...HOME.

Yep, I'm officially experiencing the homesick blues! What makes you think of home?

5 Tips for Leaving the House on Time

2011-04-06T01:42:00.008-05:00

Is the front door your enemy like it is mine? Okay well not the front door but the task of getting OUT of it?

I've really been enjoying my time at home and having the sole position of SAHM. I have days where, other than taking Eian to and picking up from school, I don't go anywhere. I never thought I would become a homebody but it's true I could probably be a hermit if I was allowed!

There's at least one day a week though that I have to go out to get groceries, run other errands and such. Those days prove tough for me when I have to constantly pick up toys, spills, change diapers, do the coupon thing and check my websites, get out the door before naptime hits, ooh let me check my email one more time and the list goes on!

I am finally fed up with not getting out the door until late afternoon and then having to rush to get Eian picked up from school. You all know I'm a major list maker so I've made a check list and thought I would share with you. ! Yay! Oh come on you know you're excited :)

1. Make a time line list of all the things I know I have to do BEFORE I LEAVE.

This really helps me because I am a chronic under estimator of time. The more I have the more I try to get done and then I'm frazzled trying to leave.

Making a list of even the mundane, routine things like breakfast is helpful for me. I have also had to learn I can't do everything in one day. Making pancakes and eggs probably wouldn't be the best when I want to leave the house by eight!

2. Maximize time away from home-Plan your trip

Okay so I know this isn't like revolutionary but it really does help to have a list of places I need to visit. I also put a number next to each one in the order I will go there. This not only maximizes your time by not back-tracking but it also saves in gas.

3. Do any prep for my errands/groceries the night before.

I'm now thinking through my days' errands the night before which really helps. I now plan my grocery trip by going through the sale ads and clipping the coupons before I go to bed.

I have also been putting little snack bags together and a small cooler if I know Elias and I will be out long or around lunch time. This really helps me stick to my weekly spending money and can't use the excuse, "I was in a rush to leave and didn't have time to grab something." This also makes for a happy little guy!

4. Leave first thing in the morning.

I know this may not be for everyone but since I take Eian to school anyway, running my errands immediately after dropping him off is best for us.

I find that the more we stay in the house before leaving the more messes we make and that leaves me in a constant state of running circles. So my new motto is Get Out While I can and FAST!

5. Pack the vehicle while kids are eating.

This is my most dreaded part of leaving. I never look forward to taking my purse (or some may call it a suitcase), my coupon organizer box, my bag of store ad inserts, a diaper bag, a lunch cooler if approriate...oh and the kids, out to the car and usually haivng to make multiple trips! Doing this with a toddler who follows me EVERYWHERE proves very trying. He has also discovered the playground across the street and can run a lot faster than me!

I am much more motivated to leave when I can set Eian and Elias up for breakfast and I can "sneak" out while they are occupied.

Well there you have it and now I have it for all the world to see and so I can stay on task! I know actually making a list for this seems trivial but it has really helped me.

So what do you do to make getting out the door a little easier?

A Snapshot of Life's Sweet Moments

2011-04-02T10:18:00.004-05:00

Jenn at a Country Girl's Ramblings is hosting Simply Saturday's . It's where you share pictures that remind you of a simple life and of home.

Do you ever have those moments in life where you could embed into your memory forever like, well a photo? Well here's mine from yesterday.

Enjoy Saturday, simply! Have a great weekend!

Having a Little April Fool's Fun

2011-04-01T09:39:00.011-05:00

I'm not usually known as a prankster and probably take life way too seriously sometimes. April Fool's Day brings out...well the FOOL in me though! :)

There's something about having a day you can plot, plan and follow through with a goofy prank on an unsuspecting family member or friend that's a little thrilling.

So who's my "victim" this year you ask? Well that would be these guy here!

My son is at the age where he loves practical jokes and is always trying to pull one on me and his dad.

So I thought I would put my old scrapbooking supplies (from before days of children) to good use. These little sticky guys are great on the under side of a breakfat plate!

Yep when Eian went to put his empty plate in the kitchen he was delivered quite a surprise!

Now I know many of you mischevious moms probably have more clever ideas than this one but not bad for a last minute thing huh? The whole point was to have fun with Eian and get him smiling before school and I think I succeeded! Happy Foolin' Day!

Simple Recipe: Chicken Florentine w/ Penne Pasta

2011-03-31T00:00:00.000-05:00

It's been awhile since I shared a recipe and Keli at Feeding Four on $25 a Week is hosting What's Cooking Thursday's and thought I would join in!

I wish I had this phenomenal, one-of-a-kind recipe to share but I don't. It is a really tasty one though and easy too. It's Chicken Florentine w/ Penne Pasta. The secret is Kraft's Philly cooking cream, regular flavor. I'm sure I could come up with my own "cooking cream" but the prepared cream really did make it easy. Now I must confess that there was a recipe on the container similar to this but I put my own twist on it.

Ingredients

3 lg chicken breasts-diced

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 container Kraft cooking cream, regular flavor

1/2 cup of milk

1 tsp minced garlic

2 tsp Italian seasoning blend

1 small pckg of frozen spinach, thawed

1 cup of grape tomatoes, halved

3 cups cooked penne pasta

Shredded Mozzarella or Grated Parmesan (optional)

Directions

In large skillet saute' the chicken in the heated oil over medium high heat until browned. Drain spinach and press firmly in paper towel to release any excess water. Add spinach, cooking cream, milk, garlic, and seasoning blend to chicken until mixture bubbles. Add tomatoes and cook for an additional minute. Serve over prepared pasta. Sprinkle with cheese if desired.

This was sooo delicious. I can see myself making this one again for sure. I've been trying to incorporate more veggies into our diets. Italian food is always an tasty way to sneak those in and have the kids still eat it. I thought this would be a home run and then I look over to see a pile of green on Eian's plate! He was picking out the spinach. Oh well I guess I'll have to step up my game and hide it a little better next time!

Make sure to go visit Keli's blog for more great recipes!

Simplify: Be Content in Circumstances

2011-03-29T10:08:00.015-05:00

What is Contentment?

Here's the definition according to Webster's

Contentment-

1) Mentally or emotionally satisfied with things as they are

2) Assenting to or willing to accept circumstances, a proposed course of action, etc.

I have to be honest here, I almost titled this post as Simple Mom Confessions. The reason I am blogging on contentment is because I really needed to practice it yesterday and I wasn't...at all!! As I continue to pray for God's guidance and purpose for this blog, as I am praying for guidance in all areas of my life right now, these thoughts, concepts, and words kept coming to mind.

Live Contently, Simply, & Fully

After the rough day I had yesterday (they were mostly self inflicted rough spots) I really wanted to seek God first this morning. Contentment is what He put on my heart and truly what I believe He wants me to share with you today.

I am finding the key to a simple life is fine tuning the art of contentment. If I seek contentment in all areas of my life then I stop spending money on things I want and don't really need, and I get off the hamster wheel of never having enough time in the day to accomplish all I want to and I learn to see my trials as a tool to help me be even more content.

I had to stop and access what areas of my life I needed to apply contentment. So I decided that over the course of the next few days I will share what I'm finding and what the Lord is showing me. The first area I know I need to practice contentment in is:

Stress (Circumstances)

I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or want. Phillipians 4:11-12

Consider it pure joy...whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. James 1:2

Now if Paul, who was imprisoned when he wrote this, can find contentment in all things then that's what I should strive for with God's help. This is where I struggle. I find it easier (this is me personally)to be content with money/material things and my time than I do in this area.

It's those little moments of the lost shoe when you're running late, the twentieth time of putting my toddler in time out, or the meal plans gone bad (see homemade tortilla photo). In those moments whatever is happening right then and there seems magnified and I even justify my exploding temper and outburst of frustration.

The Lord is slowly revealing to me that when I allow my anger to get the best of me I'm saying that I don't deserve this, this is unfair,etc. However, God is opening my eyes to if I believe His promises like Joshua 1:5, 1 Corinthians 10:13& Romans 8:28 then these trials, no matter how big or small, are for my betterment.

My betterment? I certainly wasn't thinking that after 5 months of moving from Indiana (where I call home, grew up there, family is there) to Florida, then getting settled in there and getting used to the beach life to be told "Guess what Honey? I've been offered a job in Kansas!" was for my betterment. But after being here for 3 weeks I can honestly say that I am better for it.

My faith has grown beyond anything I thought possible. My appreciation for my husband and my family as a whole is deeper. My prayers in other areas have been answered as a result to the move. The bottom line here is that I am on the road to contentment (which ultimately leads to simplifying) through circumstances I never would have asked to happen if it were up to me!

C.S. Lewis said "If you think of this world as a place intended simply for our happiness, you find it quite intolerable: think this world as a place of training and correction and it's not so bad."

*Disclaimer: Please read this post with discretion. I am in no way suggesting you stay in a volatile situation where yourself or someone else is in harm's way. The trials I am speaking of here are the everyday, minor annoyances I allow to be much bigger than they should. If you are struggling with a more serious trial that is ongoing, harmful or desturctive, please pray and seek the help and advice of a pastor, counselor, family member, etc.

Simplify Life in the Kitchen- Menu Planning

2011-03-28T11:37:00.016-05:00

I recently began participating in Menu Planning Mondays at I'm an Organizing Junkie. I've been informally menu planning for years. It was crucial when I was a full-time working away from home momma. I had grand ideas when I dreamed of staying home that I would be able to concoct these fancy gourmet meals and I would have hours to prepare tasty, interesting meals!

Well, here's a reality check for me, the more you're home the more messes you make and thus the less time you really do have! Yeah, never thought about that in my daydreams! So I have found that menu planning is just as important when you stay home as it was 6 months ago when I worked away from home. I know a lot of you have been menu planning for along time, but for others, the concept may be brand new.

What is a Menu Plan?

Seems like a goofy question but really I have had friends ask me, "A menu plan? What do you mean by that?"

A menu plan, simply put (no pun intended) is having a plan for several days worth of meals.

How do I start a menu plan? There are lots of techniques: like having a month's worth of family favorite recipes and just rotating the same things, or making meal plans by using what you have on hand, or making a plan using what's on sale for the week at the grocery store. There's no wrong or right way to make a plan. Do what you find works best for you!

A menu plan can look different for each one of us, let me explain. A menu plan to one woman could be buying for and organizing 3 meals a day for a week. Others, may just have a menu plan for dinner and plan for a month (this is what I try to do).

Want to start? Here are some great meal planning resources:

I'm an Organzing Junkie-I know I included her link above but she really is the best place to start. She spells the menu planning process out in an easy-to-understand way.

Money Saving Mom- This is probably my favorite blog because of all the great tips and tools she has on her site. The best part is she's real and doesn't pretend to have "it" all together. Make sure to also check out her video series on meal planning.

Life As Mom- Jessica's speciality is freezer cooking and has lots of great tips and good recipes that make it easy. She's also in the process of writing a cookbook and she knows what she's talking about!

The Happy Housewife-She's a mom of 7 kids where meal planning is a must! Need I say more?

Just a Pinch Recipe Club- My new favorite recipe site. I've used All Recipes for while and still like it but this one is much more user friendly in my opinion.

Happy Planning! Oh and I did originally post by menu plan in here but I removed it because of some blogger formatting issues. I can't figure it out right now so I removed it for the moment, sorry!

Project: Kiss Your Husband!

2011-03-28T10:08:00.004-05:00

Sounds like a fun project huh? I recently took up reading the At the Well blog again and I'm so glad I make the effort read posts from there time to time. It's a really encouraging blog and offers applicable ways to be a Titus 2 woman.

Every week they have a project or a challenge to try in your home that will help you live out the Titus 2:4-5. This week is Project: Kiss Your Husband. The idea is to take just 6 seconds to slow down and take the time to really focus on kissing your husband passionately (this need not be something inappropriate while kids are around, hee hee). This is to let him know that while he's away at work you will miss him deeply. What man wouldn't feel loved if instead of a quick peck while you're rushing around you actually let the world stop for 6 seconds and put his face in your hands and really kiss him like you mean it?

So I can't wait for my husband to leave for work so I can plant a big one on him! Have fun this week and go show your husband that he's important to you, you miss him when he's gone, and most importantly...HE IS LOVED!

Happy smooching!

A Day Fit for a King

2011-03-26T17:21:00.012-05:00

Yesterday was a day fit for a king or a ten year old one that is. Yep, I would say Eian had a pretty good birthday. We only got him one gift and all we did was free or pretty close but he didn't care. I think he just liked being the center of attention all day!

The day started off with me letting him sleep in and and then making him blue pancakes with candles.
After that we were off to every kids paradise, what I jokingly call the germ factory, but it was free and he loves going. I guess I have their birthday club and free tokens to thank for that!

He also wanted to check out the Wichita Sports Hall of Fame. If you're a sports fan, like he is, it's great and FREE! He was in boy heaven with all the sports memorabilia everywhere. I try to act enthused but I am not a natural sports fan. I guess with having all boys I need to get with it huh?

We had a few other stops, like picking up a DS game from Best Buy that my sister in Florida got him, thanks Aunt Carol!

We finished the day with his choice of dinner. First he wanted me to make

London broil, mashed potatoes and Wal-Mart corn.

Yes, Wal-Mart brand corn is the only one we'll eat

other than fresh! He changed his mind the other

day though to a hot dog bar. He cracks me up!

His big 1-0 wouldn't be complete without cake and ice cream. Last year I did the rite of passage for moms of boys and made the erupting volcano cake .

But this year he wanted something simple (thank goodness) and he went with plain ole chocolate.

Here's some pics of him and his dad being goofy.

All in all we had a great day and I am in awe of how fast 10 years flew by! sniff, sniff

My Baby Turns 10

2011-03-25T03:41:00.005-05:00

It's hard to believe it's been ten years since I cradled my first born in my arms. Ten years ago today I discovered that although I was great with other peoples' kids, I wasn't quite sure at first what to do with my own. Ten years ago today God brought this smart, compassionate, witty, sensitive, reflective, and handsome boy into our lives and I am so grateful!

He's still sleeping and so his birthday hasn't officially started but I will have pics up later today of all our happenings. But in the meant time, I thought it appropriate, since he's in the double digits, to totally embarrass him with a pic from 5 years ago. Unfortunately, my scanner isn't set up yet and this was the oldest one I could find.

I just love his toothless grin!

Happy Birthday Buddy!

Steps for a Cheap & Fun Spring Break

2011-03-24T03:30:00.015-05:00

It's no surprise that many families will not be going away this year for Spring Break. The increasing price of gas and groceries have left many unable to afford a vacation this year. We have not had a vacation for some time now and we are very familiar to the term Staycation.

Earlier this week we spent the day exploring the local attractions and only spent $3.11! What made ours cheap was sleeping in way later than normal and eating a late breakfast. We took some snacks and drinks and made it back in time for an early dinner, no lunch for us but we were all good. The $3.11 was spent on all 4 of us treating ourselves to Baskin Robbins ice cream. We had 2 get a scoop free coupons, yay!

I know staycation's have become popular for others as well since the economy plunged a few years ago but many still fall into the trap of spending way too much even for a staycation. I know this from firsthand experience and here are my tips on a successful and inexpensive Staycation during your Spring Break.

1. Lose the guilt!

Let me see if you all can relate. Here is my thought processes from Spring Break and Summer's past:

"I feel so bad that we can't take a REAL vacation. It's ok, it's ok I can still make this fun and memorable without spending as much as we would on a big vacation. Let's see, there's the indoor waterpark. He would looove that. It is $45 for all of us BUT it is cheaper than a regular vacation. Oh and Putt, Putt's open now so we should do that oh and we can go to Chuck E Cheese as long as we don't buy food and use coupons on the tokens. Well we do have to eat somewhere so Chili's has Kids eat Free, that sounds like a good idea and...."

Can you all see where this is going? This thought process ends with us taking the kids to do all these fun local things but come to discover we've spent over $300 for one day's worth of fun and we stayed in town, yikes!

I'm certainly not saying that any of these things are bad to do but for me our purchases and activities were motivated by guilt and that always just leads to more guilt when you add up the receipts.

2. Set Limits

Why are you having a staycation?

Is it because you're saving for something else? Is it because the money simply isn't there, at all? Or is it because, you're trying to whittle your way out of debt and that money has to come out of another area?

Well, whatever the reason, make sure you and your family discuss this before you even start the planning process. Including the kids when they're school age (some preschoolers may even be able to comprehend) is a great way to show financial responsibility. It's easier to stay on track when everyone is on the same page.

3. Plan & Prepare

Planning ahead before you head out the door is key to making your staycation fun, low stress, and affordable.

Activities:

-Check out your local visitor's center a week or so before. You can either visit their website or actually go there and grab all the brochures that look interesting (kids looove this part).

Ask to be put on their mailing list if they offer it. Sometimes you'll receive some great discounts on local dining and attractions.

-Take advantage of free admissions and kids activities. Many nature centers, musuems, etc have kids stuff going on during spring break that are free. Some musuems have Kids Get in Free days. Be sure to take advantage and plan accordingly.

- Be in the know. Check your local newspaper for local events, or become involved on local online Mom's forums, or simply ask around. Sometimes school office workers are more in the know than anyone.

-Make a list of all possible things and places to see and let your family pick. Depending on how many kids you have, and how long your staycation will be, letting each person pick one activity each is a great way to make everyone feel involved.

-Map your route. Making an organized list of where to go first, second, etc, based on their operation times and location is a crucial step if you want to save time and gas!

Food

Food can be the easiest way to blow your budget if you don't have a plan in place. When tummy's are hungry we act irrationally and don't think of the cost... until LATER!

- Plan your staycation between 8-5 so if you do eat out then your getting lunch prices instead of paying the higher dinner prices.

-Picnic and take a stocked cooler. Kids love to eat outside so if the weather's nice why not find a park along your route? It will save you a TON of money and will let the kiddos get out some energy.

-Pack drinks and snacks. Can't do the picnic thing because of bad weather? Then at least consider packing drinks for the car ride or to have drinks with your lunch from a fast food place. Drinks are the biggest rip off at restaurants in my opinion.

- Sign up for customer clubs, and email lists of restaurants along your route. Again, planning is needed and is best to do this a week or so ahead of time. Some restaurants don't send out coupons or specials for a few days after you sign up. I personally make a habit of signing up for anything I can at all the restaurants in our area. When we do want to splurge we rarely, if ever, pay full price.

4. Have Fun- Don't Be Too Rigid

It's easy for us money saving momma's to go overboard and be the checkbook drill sargeant. This makes you crabby and irritable and then no one has fun! This is where setting the limits in step 2 is important.

Anticipate the "Mommy, pleeeease can I have it" scenario. You know it's bound to happen even though you set limits you're kids will try it!

A way to avoid this may be giving the kids a small amount of spending money or letting them take their allowance. It doesn't have to be a lot, a buck or two with small kids seems to work. The bigger kids are a little harder to please but they usually are a little better at understanding the why behind your set limits. So the older ones don't feel left out, allowing them to do extra chores for spending money, in additon to the buck or two you give the little kids, is great way to let them feel in control.

5. Record your memories

Just because it's a staycation doesn't mean it can't be as treausred a memory as let's say Disney. Take lots of pictures and remind your kids to pick up momentos for the family scrapbook later. Making it feel special will help them to appreciate the family time even more.

HAPPY STAYCATIONING!

Spring Has Sprung

2011-03-22T10:05:00.011-05:00

Like many parts of the country, temperatures here in Kansas have risen. I've been absent from blogging for a few days because of the 70 degree weather! We all forgot how accustomed we had become to that mild Florida weather until spring popped up, finally!

So we've doing a lot of playing outside, hitting the local parks, taking walks, etc. Who needs a formal excercise routine when you can just go outside and play with your kids? I know mine keep me on my toes and out of breath.

I have lots of good, thought provoking, and hopefully helpful, posts brewing but simply have not had the time to put my fingers to the keyboard. So until then, I wanted to share some pics of what we've been up to.

Doesn't he look like he's up to something? lol

Eian loved the new park we found.

So you can see we're enjoying the outdoors and don't have much time for blogging but I hope to get that post up on cheap spring break ideas soon! I have lots of people asking how we only spent $3.11!

Super Saving Saturday

2011-03-20T00:38:00.009-05:00

Crystal over at MoneySavingMom hosts a Super Savings Saturday Link Up and thought I would participate. I've really been getting into the money saving groove and gotten some great deals this week. I let our cupboards and fridge get really low on just about everything so I was cringing making this week's list.

I really lucked out at Dillon's though with the awesome specials they had! Here's a pick of what I purchased. I realized though, AFTER I took this picture and uploaded it, that I had put away 3 bags of Birdseye Steamfresh veggies and 2 bags of Gorton's frozen fish. I had also forgotten about the 10 lb bag of potatoes.

The price I paid may still seem like a lot to those of you who rarely spend more than $40-$50 bucks a week. However, if you look close you'll see I got two 3lb rolls of ground chuck, 2 family size packs of boneless skinless chicken breasts (enough for 4 meals), a corned beef brisket, a 1lb bag of honey ham lunch meat (we use for brkfast sandwhiches as well as for lunches), and a value pack of chicken thighs!

I got all this for $86.36 and saved $84.32!

You may be wondering where some other essentials, like milk, are. Well I stocked up and purchased 4 gallons at $2.88 each on Tuesday before the sale switched. So that should last us a week! lol No, they might last a week and a half!

I was so excited when I left Dillon's and started breaking down all the meat into freezer bags. With all I purchased, and a few little things I still had in the freezer, we have enough meals for at least 20 days, and that's not including days we'll do leftovers!

I could list all my deals but instead here's the link I used to snag up most of these deals you see in the pic. Visit MotherhoodOnaDime for this weeks Dillon's specials with coupon match ups.

Happy Shopping!

My Bargain Buy- A 50 cent Purse!

2011-03-19T11:20:00.005-05:00

I've shared in recent posts about my increasing furgality and that means I've also had to cut down on my impulse buys. Everyone has their own definition I think on what an impulse buy is. For me, an impulse buy is anything I don't HAVE to have and can live without.

Since David and I are determined to get out of debt and pay off all our credit cards,my must haves are essential items that we use everyday. It's amazing what you learn to do without when you have no other choice.

David and I did determine last week that if we want to be in this Get Out of Debt Plan for the long haul we must give ourselves some play money. My husband especially is one that it makes him feel good to have a few bucks in his pocket and to take that away is way too restrictive for him. So after 6 years of marriage and many arguments later I understand this about him and respect his need for a little wiggle room.

There's a funny thing my husband says about me, "If you had it your way, we'd live barefoot, in a hut, eating ramen noodles and canned beans by candlelight!" Oh I love my man for pegging me even if he did go to extremes! He's right in that I'm a minimalist. The name of my blog isn't just a name, it's me...simple, simple, simple! Less is more has always been my motto.

However, I have been wanting a purse for sometime now. All the ones I have either have holes in the lining or stains that will not come out. Still, for me this is a WANT not a must HAVE so I've refrained from getting a new one or even a used one. Since my husband, in all his brilliancy, suggested the weekly spending money for each us, I decided to to keep my eyes out for a new one. So here's my new splurge. It may not be your style but I think she's beautiful and for only FIFTY CENTS!! She's almost brand new and I'm not sure why I'm calling it a SHE! lol

There's a little shop in town called Care and Share. It's a thrift shop run by volunteers and all proceeds go to people in our little town of 8000 who are struggling to keep their utilities on and buy groceries. I love supporting a good cause and getting a few bargains doesn't hurt either.

I snagged up a few other goodies as well. Like new backpack for Eian for $1, a bath towel that matches our colors,and two pairs of pants for Elias. My total was $5.37!

Cut Laundry Cost: DIY Dryer Sheets

2011-03-18T16:55:00.009-05:00

So anyone who knows me would probably call me frugal (but then you have not met my Mom)

but my recent SAHM status has opened my eyes to ways I'm NOT being frugal. I'm starting to see so many ways to cut costs not just on groceries but other items around the house.

I never realized how spoiled I was in the laundry department. I've almost always used BOTH fabric softener AND dryer sheets...EEEK! I don't know if any of you have seen the price of these items but even with coupons they are pricey. I know you can use vinegar in the rinse cycle for a super cheap alternative and the vinegar smell disappears. I'm still a girl who loves smelly good things though.

So I came up with a low cost way to still have my laundry smell good but be able to at least drop dryer sheets from my household supply list. Last week my husband's socks were getting stretched out and he was ready to pitch them. I decided to cut them up and use them for rags to clean the bathrooms and such. One night when I was doing laundry and we had long ran out of dryer sheets I decided to pour a small amount of liquid fabric softener to the sock and tossed it in the dryer. They work great AND you could usually use the same "sock" twice without adding more softener.

The other added bonus is you can toss the dried sock into your drawer of "delicates" when you're not doing laundry or place in your linen closet to keep the items smelling extra fresh!

New Favorite Cookie Recipe

2011-03-16T23:44:00.008-05:00

I'm really enjoying getting back into the blogging groove. The problem? I have sooo many deep thought provoking, soul sharing, enlightening (or so I think) posts but they take time in putting my thoughts into some sort of organization. Time is tight around these parts as I still continue to unpack, move things around and then move around some more, and get organized with my daily routine.

But until then I have yet another recipe to share. I posted the other day about my new/old best friend. These double chocolate cookies are the first of many recipes I tried using my "new" mixer. Actually the story behind these is it's a recipe we found in a Family Circle magazine at the doctor's office last week. David was drooling so much he asked the nurse to copy the page for us!

It was a very user friendly recipe and they are great cookies for bake sales or for gifts. You can find the full recipe at the Family Circle site here. Enjoy!

My New/Old Best Friend

2011-03-16T23:15:00.003-05:00

I think I could learn to love my mixer, FINALLY!

I'm ashamed to admit that I've had it since David and I married almost 6 years ago! We received it as a wedding gift and I was excited to get it. However, like many of my kitchen gadgets I tend to keep them boxed up or in the cabinets and end up doing things the old fashioned way.

David has actually used it a few times but I guess maybe I was intimidated by the big heavy mixer. I know it sounds silly doesn't it? But honestly I'm a simple gal and it seemed just as easy to mix things by hand. Well, that is until I decided to use it today. Oh my, I'm in love!

So now my mission is to find the user's manual that had some recipes in it! Hopefully I'll get time to experiment using it and can post some new recipes soon!

P.S. Thank you Uncle Ron and Aunt Debbie and sorry it took me so long to use it :)

A Kid Funny

2011-03-16T08:25:00.004-05:00

Don't you love the moments when your kids just surprise you with their wit? Those moments when they say or do something out of character that catch you off guard (the good ones that is!) and you wonder, "Where did that come from?"

Well I had one of those moments with my 9 yr old last night. It was just the two of us, which in itself is a rarity, and we were on our way home from his first 4H meeting here. We were chatting about the meeting and his projects, etc. when he asked me, "Mom did you ever take chemistry in school?"

I answered, "Yes, in high school but I didn't do very well." He then asked me why to which I answered, "Because it includes a lot of math and I am NOT good at math."

He candidly said, "Yep who's the brain's of this family operation? Uh huh this guy!" And as he said "this guy" he pointed to himself in a circular motion. Maybe it was one of those had to be there to get it moments but let me assure you, it was hilarious!

As I started to post this I hesitated, wondering if anyone would find it as funny since you can't see his facial expressions and such. But then I thought for those who read and know my son you WILL get it and get a good laugh!

I hope you all have a great, joy filled day!

New Beef Stew Recipe

2011-03-15T17:50:00.004-05:00

I hadn't planned on doing a post today but I thought it might be nice to share this recipe I tweaked. Unlike some of the blogs I read, I am not a master in the kitchen! I love to cook though and try new recipes but everyday it seems I learn something new about food, baking, etc. so I am by no means an "expert".

I have been making beef stew for years now but it just never seems quite right or something's always missing. I finally think I have a good one to follow! I never really make it the same way twice (kinda like meatloaf) but I think I will be following this recipe for years to come. I know this isn't the best picture but trust me, it's good!

Ingredients

Beef Stew Meat

2-3 TBSP flour (seasoned optional)

2 TBSP cooking oil

4-5 chopped carrots

4-5 medium chopped potatoes

1 pckg dry onion soup mix

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 -2 cups beef broth or water

I coat the meat in flour and usually add a blend of garlic powder, seasoning salt and whatever else I have on hand. I'm not really sure if makes much of a difference though. I brown the meat in the oil on high heat just until slightly brown.

Combine soups and broth with a whisk in your slow cooker. Add meat, carrots, and potatoes to cooker and cover. Cook on low 6-7 hours and enjoy!

This and that

2011-03-14T10:28:00.005-05:00

Today's post is just a hodge podge. I don't have anything to share that will encourage, enlighten or uplift you. But I did make a vow to myself on putting more effort into my blog and to at least post once every other day. This means you might find times that I really don't have anything important to say (ok so that may be often!). :)

The only thing to share with you today is David's home still recovering from surgery. He can't go back to work until the doctor checks hom out tomorrow. I am amazed at how well he's bounced back though. The type of surgery they did is just amazing at how it all works!

We plan to pick up Eian's soccer gear today. He has his first practice tomorrow and he can hardly wait. There are also some HOT deals at Target this week and hope to snag a few!

So we're off and hope you all have a wonderful and blessed day!

With Love,
Stef

A Peaceful End

2011-03-14T00:12:00.007-05:00

For those who follow my postings on Facebook know that Friday was a rather eventful one.

A nasty respiratory cold hit Elias in the middle of the night and by 9am we're at the doctor's because his heavy breathing was starting to worry us.

David also had a scheduled knee surgery at 11:30 so it became very interesting when the doctor instructed me to take Elias to the ER. The good news is this is the pic I took this afternoon. Both Daddy and lil man are doing fine.

God in His divine plan worked out all the details just as they should have and I learned that no matter how much you plan, make a schedule or to do list, life happens!

We've moved

2011-03-02T12:03:00.002-06:00

Yes that title to my post IS correct. We have moved yet again and is the reason for my absence. We got into Kansas on Friday and are still in the process of getting unpacked and getting settled.

It was cold when we came into town but the weather here is starting to warm up but oh how I miss those beautiful beaches of Florida! We will see you again old friend, some day :). I have a ton of beachy pics of me and the fam from last week before we left but I am forced to use the apt complex business center for now until our cable gets turned on. I hope to have those up sometime next week either on here or facebook.

Monday was a day of lots of first for us. David started his new job and has "training" for the next two weeks. He doesn't really need training since this is a transfer of sorts but he still has to go through some processing and get updated on procedures, etc. He seems to like how they do things and the people he's met there so far.

Monday I took Eian to his new school to get registered. They were in the middle of state testing so he couldn't start until yesterday. He was tired of hanging out with Old Mom and was more than ready to head to school yesterday. I was really proud of him as he boldly and confidently walked into that classroom with the eyes of all his classmates on him. I always hated that feeling but he seemed fine. Oh and it probably helped that Elias went running in after him and grabbed his leg as if to say, "Noooo, Bubby don't leave me!" It was soo cute and there were several "Ahhh's" from the girls in the class. Eian just laughed and said, "This is my little brother. What can I say, he loves me. "

I also got to meet Eian's teacher and was more than pleased with her initial game plan for Eian coming in so late in the year. I'm excited to see how he will grow as a student under her care. Oh and you know you're in a small town when after I dropped him off I stopped by the local Dollar General and the cashier told me the teacher's life story! Gotta love small town life and I do, I love it here so far! I feel like I'm back home in Indiana.

As for me, I also began a first on Monday... life as a full-time stay at home momma! This will probably be short lived as I will begin job hunting once David is assigned a shift. I will just work part-time like I did in Florida and hopefully find something close. The one disadvantage to small town life is there's not usually many jobs available but we'll see. But for now I'm enjoying making our apartment a home and focusing on spending abundant time with the Lord and focusing on my families needs.

So this is all I really have to update you all on for now. I'll keep in touch as much as I can until we get our Internet and cable hooked up. Bye for now.

Random Updates

2011-02-14T02:03:00.002-06:00

So my title pretty much sums up the body of my post, totally random stuff. It is 2 am here and I DID not plan this post at all. My brain is hyped up on girly movies (it is officially Valentine's Day ya know) that I couldn't seem to stop watching and the encouraging call I had with my sister. Oh and I should probably blame the dark chocolate cupcakes for my staying up late as well. Just passin the buck, I know!!

So here's an update on a couple things...

Elias's ears are getting better thanks to ear drops and amoxycillin. Each day that goes by less and less goop is found. David heads out to KS soon to find us a place to live, check out Eian's school, and meet his new boss and co-workers at the base. I am so excited for him! Eian and I continue to plug away at trying to keep things normal, normal, normal around here. He and I are so much alike it's scary sometimes!

Unfortunately, the normalcy will be ending starting tomorrow. I have to start packing! Yes, I am ashamed to say that we have a week and half before the big move and I've yet to begin packing! Not real sure why I keep putting it off. Oh I know, packing stinks! Who really likes taking items you are used to seeing everyday, or better yet, use everyday and putting them away in boxes? I've yet to meet someone who enjoys it. Also, maybe it's a little of having to finally admit that THIS (moving to Kansas) is really happening.

Now don't get me wrong, I am thrilled that God has given David a permanent, stable position after all he went through, but I was really liking it here. But I've had to soul search, and after much thinking , realized that as long as I stay focused on the Lord and our family is together, it doesn't really matter where we are.

Crazy Life, Good LIfe

2011-02-10T10:31:00.003-06:00

My goodness I cannot believe it's been two weeks since I last posted! I guess this posting on a regular basis thing isn't going so well huh? I will admit a lot of it is lack of good time-management along with an increasingly unstable schedule as an impending move approaches.

I've been reading several different blogs, usually written by SAHM's, and many talk of having a home binder. It's simply a way of prioritizing your time at home and being more purposeful with it, kind of like how you should treat money. Oh how I need to make one of these but I have been putting it off not knowing what my new schedule will look like in the next few weeks with moving, packing, my sister visiting, etc.

So I plan to keep up with the blog at least once a week (hold me accountable for those who know me) for the next couple weeks until we settled in our new place.

As a side note for the family and friends reading this, Eian is finally accepted the fact we're moving AGAIN. He seems to be doing well with it now as am I. We both realize God has bigger plan in all of this that we cannot see.

Elias has yet another ear infection. We know he needs to get into the doctor to discuss possible surgery options but with moving it's pointless to go through all that with a doctor here. So for now we're praying we can get just one more rx of ear drops to hold him over.

David will be visiting Kansas soon to scope out our new location and find us an apartment. So please be praying for his safe travel. My sister is coming up from Brooksville while he's gone to watch the boys while I work. I know next week will be somewhat stressful and rushed but I'm still looking forward to her visit.

God is also allowing the temps to warm up a bit here for our last week in Florida. The weatherman says we should see high 60's...oh yeah beach here we come! Cannot wait. We haven't seen the beach since November and Eian commented how sad he would he be if we didn't get to go one last time before we leave. Me too kiddo, me too!

Life Happens

2011-01-29T08:49:00.008-06:00

I was doing so good, posting everyday, even sometimes twice in one day! But life happens and it certainly has this week and is the reason for my absence since last Sunday!

I've had to work a few more hours this week than normal since the manager is on vacation which leaves me busy catching up on housework during the day. I also went through a bout the first part of the week with extreme fatigue and fighting a chest cold but thank goodness it has passed.

We've also been busy working on getting our house sold back in Indiana. Lots and lots of back and forth conversations with our mortgage company and the realtor! David and I usually get one day a week that we are both not working and thought I might get some blog time while Elias played with Daddy. That plan was a no go as we spent the day running around making copies, getting things notarized, faxing, etc.

We have managed to make some much needed time to start having our family nights again. It was a special treat to have the weather warm enough to go the park. However, it appears we will be giving it up to submit to the freezing cold again in Kansas! Yes, I said Kansas! It appears David will be transferred the end of February. That has also kept us busy making plans for the big 17 hour move!

You can see I have good intentions for this blog but my family takes precedence as they should. I hope to get back in the swing of things soon. I will still be doing my giveaway for the $25 Visa card and two dinner kits this coming Tuesday, so make sure to enter!

DIY: Flour Tortillas

2011-01-23T14:00:00.005-06:00

Okay so those who know me know I like to be domestic and try to be domestic. However, they also know the truth is I have had many more flops and failures than successes when it comes to various organizing attempts, home decor ideas and especially kitchen related projects.

Now that I'm home more though, I have become a bit more proficient in the culinary category and am a little more adventurous in my recipe choices.

I have also come to realize how much JUNK my family consumes in easy convenience foods. I'm not a huge health nut or anything, and am certainly not suggesting a ding-dong free diet. I do like the idea of recreating some of those convenience items here at home though with ingredients I know how to pronounce and are just that, ingredients and not some chemical compound.

So in my pursuit of wholesomeness, I have found a great "5 Minute Bread" recipe that we all love and tonight I will attempt to make homemade tortillas!!! I have heard the rumor in the blogosphere that the time isn't really worth it to make these from scratch, so I'm a little nervous this might be a total waste of time or another one to add to my flop list. For us though, tortillas are one of those items that we never seem to have when the craving for Mexican comes around. So I shall continue my expedition because I would love to say the next time my husband or kids ask for enchiladas, sure let me just whip some up! This is a response I would rather give them versus the hurried trip to the store where I end up getting way more than just the tortillas, thus wasting money and gas!

I will keep you all updated on my findings, if they're worth it to make from scratch or not. What convenience food have you started making from scratch? I would love for you to share or feel free to email me stefani0521@hotmail.com and do a guest post!

Saturday Stalk Hop

2011-01-22T23:46:00.004-06:00

Saturday Stalk Blog Hop
Welcome to Saturday Stalk, a hop hosted by us... Just Married with Coupons AND Debbie Does Coupons & YOU! We will pick one featured guest each week to hop with us. We will randomly pick a participant. Make sure you post our button each week if you would like to be eligible!

Grab our Hop Button

This week's featured guest is:
Mommy's Corner

Thanks for those who have been participating from week to week and a big welcome to you if this is your first time. We are so glad you are here! This blog hop is all about having fun, meeting new bloggers and building new readership!
Blog Hop Rules
Please follow us: Just Married with Coupons, Debbie Does Coupons & Mommy's Little Corner then we WILL FOLLOW YOU BACK!
Copy the Saturday Stalk into a blog post on your site.
Come back and post the direct link to that blog post here into the link forms below.
Follow as many participants as you would like, leave them a comment letting them know you're are following them.
Follow back anyone that is now following you and leave them a comment back letting them know you're following back through this event
Thumbnails: This is a Blog Hop! 92 entries so far... you're next!

Another Giveaway: Cutest Crocheted Accessories

2011-01-21T11:44:00.003-06:00

One of the newer to me blogs I've been following, Better Life Bags , is hosting an amazing giveaway! She is giving away a $30 gift certificate to Yarrrn, a shop that makes hand-crocheted accessories.

I'm not much of a fufu girl that needs all the cute lil pieces to coordinate my outfits, hence my blog name, but I DO love cute accessories that are practical and handmade!

You have to admit the little owl hat shown here is pretty cute! Visit the Yarrrn Etsy Shop and see that they not only have cute, cute kids stuff but they also have fabulous goodies for us Mommy's!

This giveaway ends Monday, January 24th so hurry and head on over to BLB to enter!

Running in Circles

2011-01-21T08:09:00.005-06:00

Well it's Friday and it used to be a much anticipated day when I was in the work force. However, now my days tend to just run together and other than avoiding shopping on the weekends and attending church on Sunday's I don't usually pay attention to the days.

Although I wish I had that happy, relaxed Friday feeling I have A LOT to get done today and some I really dread. I dread having to discuss our house listing contract with the realtor. There's a lot of discrepancies in her new contract and I just plain hate dealing with all that legal stuff. Wish me luck gals! I will also be dealing with the mortgage company today as they work to get our payments lowered and I never look forward to that either. I know the Lord will provide me the strength though.

I hope you all have a wonderful day!

Thankful Thursday

2011-01-20T22:01:00.004-06:00

I know I have sooo much to be thankful for and I really needed to do this post. The truth is I haven't had a very thankful heart lately. I know all that the Lord has blessed me with but knowing what they are and appreciating them are two separate things.

God's asking me to come out of my comfort zone again and possibly move the second time in three months. I'm having a really tough time with it but I know God is faithful and has a plan (Jeremiah 29:11 I know the plans I have for you, to give you hope and a future.)

So let's see, things to be thankful for...
1. A Heavenly Father who is REAAALLY patient with me!
2. My husband's job here in Florida that allows me to stay home part time and a second job offer (even if it is 3 states away) after having two years of on and off employment.
3. My sister who has recently recommitted her life to Christ.
4. A new church family in a most unexpected place.
5. A great part time job that's more of a ministry.
6. My wonderful boys.
7. Great friends

I know there are many more things to be thankful for but it's a start. I'm really trying to get the focus off myself and my circumstances and this helped a lot!

So what are you all thankful for?

Homekeeper's Journal

2011-01-19T23:19:00.003-06:00

I've decided to give blogging on a somewhat regular basis a try. Now that I am a part-time SAHM I now see why so many bloggers are SAHM's! We are women and we need to feel connected! Am I right or am I right? Having nothing but Mickey Mouse, Elmo and baby talk for days can wear a girl down!

One of the ways we as women feel connected is to "peak" into the lives of other women and see how they do life. With that said I will randomly partake in The Home Keeper's Journal sponsored by the ChristianHomekeeper.org.

This week’s Journal is all about HOME.

In my homey kitchen …..There are fresh baked banana-nut muffins and choc chip cookies (cheated on these, they're a mix!) in a container ready for little hands to grab. I have a 5 minute bread batch in the fridge. This bread was probably one of my best Internet recipe finds! Good thing no one here is on a low-carb diet. I also have a partially eaten cheesy-Italian bake in the fridge I made for the guys before I had to work at the bookstore tonight.

My thoughts on being at home …… It is a blessing! I remember when Eian was little and actually kind of resenting having to stay home. I missed having "me" time and feeling like I never got anything accomplished but cleaning, cooking, and diaper changing just to do it all over again. I was not a Christian during this period but even if you are being at home is tough IF you lose focus of the purpose. I then went from full-time SAHM to having no choice but to work again full-time in a clerical position.

It didn't take more than one time of dropping my baby off to strangers that I longed to be home again! Due to un-foreseen circumstances I worked away from home full-time for the next 7 1/2 years. Oh how I missed being home to where my heart ached for it. But the Lord in His awesome wisdom and love, He knew the perfect time and here we are. I appreciate it so much and see it as a wonderful gift and a high calling to be able to take care of my family.

I'm getting choked up as I type this, oh my word! But I love watching Play House Disney and watch my lil guy do his funky dance to the theme songs, picking up toys is a pleasure (yes I said pleasure) because there were lil hands that played with them, and meal planning is so much fun and I love trying new recipes. I also have more time to coupon and get the best deals AND I don't have to shop when all the crazies are out on the weekends! I love being home when Eian's out of school, not to mention being able to attend school functions and volunteer without doing anything short of giving a kidney to get out of work. I love the look on my husband's face when he comes home to a sometimes clean home and the smell of something simmering. Is my life PERFECT because I stay home more? Absolutely not but there is more peace and order to our home. That I like, a lot!

A constant habit I have of making my home comfortable is ….keeping it warm and cozy with candles burning and I bake a lot in the winter. But as soon as there's a slight warmth to the air, the windows are opened. I make an effort to at least keep the bathroom clean and nothing smells better to me than bleach in the bathroom! I also strive, as much as one can with an 18month old, to keep things off the floor. I also like to keep clutter contained in lined wicker baskets. You may not find what you're looking for IN them but they look pretty!

What I want my children/spouse/other family to remember about my home is …… that it was a comfortable, relaxed place where they could be themselves and feel welcome.

So what is your home like and your thoughts about it?

Win a Free Date Night

2011-01-19T10:04:00.008-06:00

Hurry and Enter- Giveaway Winner Will Be Chosen Tuesday 2/01/11

"Free Date Night", that got your attention didn't it? While I can't take care of arranging babysitting for you, I can offer, with the help of Wanchai Ferry and Macaroni Grill and myblogspark.com, a chance to win two dinner kits and a a $25 Visa Gift Card!
MyBlogSpark also sent me a prize pack to re-create a date night with my hubby! Unfortunately I had to hold onto the dinner kits for quite awhile until David returned from training in Arkansas. So... I was really antsy to make these two dinners when he returned!

MyBlogSpark gave me a Wanchai Ferry Orange chicken boxed dinner kit and a Macaroni Grill boxed dinner kit. I went ahead and made both of these on the same night so we could compare the one we liked best. They were both really good and taste wise they were neck and neck. I found the orange chicken to a little less hassle though with fewer packages to open and less steps. All I had to do was add diced chicken breasts!

These are quick and easy dinners that taste just as if you were going to a restaurant but in the comfort of your own home! Just become a follower of my blog or subscribe to have an entry to win these two dinners and a $25 Visa card. Leave me a comment that you did so.

Thanks to MyBlogSpark for giving my hubby and I an awesome date night in!

Time-Where are you?

2010-11-05T12:15:00.005-05:00

A thought crossed my mind today as I stumbled upon (I try to pretend it doesn't exist) the over flowing laundry basket, dirty dishes in the sink, and stack of unpacked boxes. Why does it seem I accomplished more in a day when I worked full time away from the house than it does now that I'm home all day?

The Lord has really been pressing it upon me to get a grip on my time mngt skills or lack thereof. I've been praying, hoping, yearning for years to be at home more and that desire became even stronger after Elias' arrival. I'm now home more often except for the 3-4 five hour shifts I work at the bookstore.

So why do I squander the gift of time God has given me? Why do I often feel pulled in a million different directions wanting to complete a long list of tasks but NOTHING really ever gets done? Why do I find it so easy to shew my kids away and say "In a minute" just so I can get one more seemingly important task done but always feel guilty and unfulfilled? Some of you may be thinking, ADHD which I'm not entirely ruling out, but I know it goes much deeper than that.

So I plan to continue seeking God's Word about how to best use my time and will continually ask for His guidance in putting HIS priorities for me first. In the meantime, I would looove to hear what you all do to keep yourself on track throughout the day and feel free to share your struggles too. I think we could all use the encouragement and to know we're not alone.

Until next time, blessings to you!

I'm back and it's only been over a year!

2010-10-22T12:22:00.003-05:00

SURPRISE!!!! I'm back into the blogosphere! I never really left though. I'd read some of my favorite blogs, subscribe to them, check the few comments I received, etc.

I guess after the birth of Elias (15 months ago) I realized what was really important. I worked full time, had a husband unemployed and needed my encouragement and time, a nine year old son, a new baby, church functions and most importantly time with Jesus, my Lord and Savior! I simply did not have the time for blogging. All of the fore-mentioned people or things needed my attention more.

So I got into a routine or the closest resemblance to one and one day went right after the other. Here's a brief overview of our life the past 15 months.

My older son completed third grade and adjusted to well to being a big brother. Elias and I after much trial and error came to a manageable nursing routine even while I worked 40+ hours. My husband remained patient and was humbled by the lack of secure employment. He did what he could handling a few odd jobs and such until the Lord provided him a job at the Dept of Homeland Security in D.C. He worked there away from home for a few months but he was able to fly home and totally surprise me (he's lucky I didn't have a weapon or I would have thought he was an intruder) for our 5th anniversary! However, God in His sovereignty (and maybe a few of my desperate pleas in prayer to NOT live in DC) the Lord redirected David to a job in North Florida working for the Airforce.

David worked at the Air Force Base for three months while I was still home working full time, tending to the kids as we awaited the selling of our home. Just as it was when my husband was away in D.C. the kids and I went into survival mode and we managed. Was my bathroom always clean? Was my kitchen floor crumb free at any given time? Did I ever see the bottom of the laundry basket? The answer is NO, NO and NO!

Like any parent who must do what you have to for your kids and family as a whole I learned to re prioritize my time and just as I did after Elias' birth took another evaluation of the important things. I didn't always have great days and some days, I'll just be honest, I wanted to rip my husband's head off for not being there helping me. He was doing what he thought best for our family and I didn't always trust in his leadership. I did have times though where I prevailed over the temptation to bitter and let stress reign and my husband and I learned a lot about one another!

All in all the past 15 months have been a total roller coaster of good and bad but God had a plan and purpose for each single day however it turned out.

The house still remains unsold but, again with God and His divine plan, He provided me a part-time job at a Christian bookstore here in Florida. This allowed us to cut out over $600 a month of childcare and made it possible for the kids and I to move down here 3 weeks ago.

I love being a part-time SAHM and delight in all the blessings the Lord has given our family. I have learned sooo much over the past 15 months about my mental and physical capabilities but most importantly about the ability of the Lord. His ability to protect, bless and pour out His grace! We have an amazing Heavenly Father don't we?

So gals I look forward to seeing you again on here and for the time being will remain a Simple Midwest Mom but just relocated, lol!

So that's a real

Making His Blog Debut...Baby Elias!

2009-08-01T15:52:00.005-05:00

Introducing:

ELIAS MATTHEW ROACH

Born: July 12, 2009 @ 7:22am

8lbs/1.8oz

21 inches long

Loved By:

His Daddy, Mommy and Big Brother Eian

Elias' Birth Story

Oh God has blessed me! Not only did He bless me with this handsome little boy but He also blessed me with a rather quick and complication free delivery.

I had false labor just three days before I actually delivered Elias. So it made it difficult for me to really determine if I was actually in labor. My true labor started around 1:00 am Sunday (the 12th). I noticed menstrual like cramps when I got up to use the restroom but they felt just like the false labor did a few nights before. I had vowed I would not be fooled again!!! So I tried to ignore them and get some sleep. They were mildly uncomfortable but allowed me to drift in and out sleep. I finally had to get up and move around simply because I had that "burst" of energy you hear about. So I tidied up the kitchen to keep my mind off what I hoped was happening and timing them about 5 minutes apart. This lasted through the early am until around 5:30 staying consistent at the 5 minute mark.

David woke up and asked me my status. I STILL was unsure if I was in true labor or not because they were not becoming more painful like I was told they would. At this point they were very manageable. However, right about that time I felt a strange vibration "down there" almost like a swift kick from the baby. I jumped out of bed and ran to the bathroom checking to see if my water broke, but nothing.

David and I decided to go ahead and go in just to be safe. So I changed clothes, put on socks and tennis shoes and low and behold... a big gush went down my leg all the way to my shoes! I was forewarned from my doctor that I would most likely deliver quickly once my water broke because my older son was that way. So the race was on to get to the hospital before we had to resort to my husband scrubbing up!

We got to the hospital shortly after 6:00. We don't live far from and in fact my husband timed himself as getting us there in 7 minutes! In those 7 minutes I had three very strong contractions and so the nurses wasted no time getting me to the delivery room. I was 95% effaced and dilated to 4cm at around 6:20. It seemed like an eternity but in less than an hour and only 3 pushes later our little guy made his entrance into the world!

It was a wonderful bonding experience with my husband as I had to lean on him for comfort from the pain. I hoped to go without the use of pain meds but I went so quick I would not have been able to get them even if I had wanted to. David was great though. he was constantly running to get me ice chips or wet my wash cloth and encouraged me the whole way. I would not change a thing about Elias delivery if I had to do it all over again. Elias is such a wonderful addition to our family. It' hard to imagine our family without him!

Our New Family of Four Pics

2009-07-03T10:19:00.013-05:00

Okay so I probably teased some of you making you think I've had the baby! Nope, 10 more days or so, although there are several; "bets" at work that I won't make it through this weekend! Wait and see is all we can do.

I wanted to share some great pics that my modest friend Margaret took. She loves photography but I think feels more comfortable with non-human objects so I'm so grateful she was willing to come out of her comfort zone for me. I had always wished I had more pregnancy photos taken when I was pregnant with Eian and with this child I am even more in awe of God's miracle that I wanted it captured!

I think Margaret did a great job don't you? She picked a great setting too and one I wouldn't have thought of on my own. It's actually our Historical Museum which is really and old home of one of the town's founder's. It's closed for remodeling so it was very quiet and peaceful. You would never know from the pictures that we're pretty much right in the middle of town would you?

My plan is to get some of these in black and white and sepia and get a large one to go in the living room. Sorry it's been so long since I've blogged last. My brain and body just doesn't function like it used to therefore making it harder for me to multi-task which in turn leaves less time for extra little things I enjoy like my blog. Anyway, I'm glad I made the time to share these with all of you. Hopefully the next photos I post will be of the baby himself!

God's gift to parents

2009-06-07T21:28:00.005-05:00

So David, Eian and I we were driving to church today. There was nothing out of the ordinary about the morning. David had the Sunday morning radio program on we usually listen to and I, as always, was running behind and so therefore putting my makeup on in the van. Don't worry, David was driving!

Halfway through our route I heard a faint murmur coming from the backseat. I turned around to see my son with his Bible open, his hands folded and laying in the Bible, his head was bowed, and I could see his little lips moving. I gently nudged David for him to peak in the rear view mirror. It was the sweetest sight that my eyes instantly welled up with tears of joy. Neither David or I made a big fuss or drilled him about what he was praying for.

It wasn't until this evening when Eian and I were alone that he told me what he prayed for. He admitted that he had been questioning his salvation for awhile and wondered if he really knew what he was praying for back when he was four and claimed to have been saved. The intent and sincere look on his face told me this was a big deal to him, which just touched my heart even more. So he was asking the Lord for forgiveness again and re-committing himself to live for the Lord, just in case he didn't really mean it when he was four. Too sweet!

It provided a wonderful opportunity for to discuss ways in which we can demonstrate our love and devotion to Christ in gratitude for dieing on the cross. We both shared practical ways in which we can live for the Lord every day. It was one of the most precious conversations I believe I've ever had with my son. God's so smart too because while I'm training my child in the way he should go (Eph 6:4) the Lord's teaching me as well!

Prego Pic... Finally

2009-06-03T20:46:00.006-05:00

I had my 34 week check up yesterday and everything is normal as can be according to the doctor. My weight gain is normal, my blood pressure is where it should be, and my belly is measuring right on target.

Speaking of belly.... many of you have been asking for me to post a prego pic. One of the girls at work likes to take belly shots of all the pregos in the office. She takes them once a month in the beginning, then twice a week, and she'll then take one every week during the last month. She only sent me this current week's though (week 34). So here it is!

I'm starting to think maybe I should have bought more maternity clothes. The shirt in this photo is just a loose fitting shirt that I was hoping to be still to wear after the baby's born. I don't how long it will be covering the tummy though!

The girls at work had a baby shower for me this past weekend and I will post some photos later this week. They went all out, especially with food! It was super thoughtful.

Enjoy the rest of your week,

Stef

I'm Still Here!

2009-05-09T15:36:00.005-05:00

Okay so I know all of you thought I fell off the face of the Earth, but I promise you that I am still very much alive! My life became busier than usual shortly after my last post. The Lord's been helping me focus on my main priorities and my blog once again had to take a backseat. A ton has happened since February so I don't even know where to begin but I'll just highlight the big stuff.

I'm sure you all are curious about the little bambino I'm caring and he's doing great. Yes, I said HE! I think most couples hope to have both a boy and a girl but we are just pleased as punch that he's healthy and another little boy is what God's planned for us so we are super excited! Eian was with us at the ultrasound and literally jumped out of his seat and clapped yelling, "Yes, yes. I just knew I'd get a brother!"

He's been the sweetest kid about this whole baby deal. He comes by at random kissing or talking to my belly, especially since I told him the baby can hear sounds from outside the womb now. I just had a check up last week and all is right on target for July 13 but as all of mom's know the due date doesn't always mean much!

For an update, my niece is still with us but things are going great with her dad. I'm not to discuss details but what I can tell you is that the Lord is totally in control and my brother submitted his life to Christ almost two months ago! Funny how his tremendous improvement started taking place right around the time he got saved, huh? Praise God!

My husband is once again out of work but we are hopeful that something will come through. In the meantime, the Lord has used David's time at home to open our eyes to focus more on our marriage, parenting, and most importantly our spiritual growth. My husband and I have had some of the best conversations and have grown closer than we have ever been. I would not trade these past few months of financial hardship for anything! Like I mentioned at the beginning of my post, God has been working on helping me prioritize. Marriage is something you consistently work at but He now has David and I focusing on being better parents.

Neither my husband and I grew up in Christian homes, let alone know the Biblical principles to marriage, parenting, money management, etc. So the Lord has been working on us like you would not believe and it's for this reason I have not been more faithful in my posting. I do hope to get my testimony posted soon though. I celebrated my third year of being a follower of Christ this past February and I know some of you have wondered about my testimony.

I can say that I have nothing to hide, especially after bearing my soul in front of 100 women at the women's retreat a few weeks ago! I DO NOT like speaking in front of large groups, yuck!! God asked me to do it, I obeyed (reluctantly at times), and He got me through it! So I'll get that posted soon I hope. The retreat went so good by the way. Thank you to all of you who prayed over the planning. I have a few pics that I'll share soon as well.

Well I can say with confidence that I do not lack for anything to post on but just the time to do it! Please continue to be patient with me. I have missed all of my blog buddies though and hope that now the retreat planning is done I can keep up with everyone more.

Until next time....

Stef

Hockey Game

2009-02-03T19:54:00.007-06:00

I wanted to post these sooner but just haven't gotten around to it. I have pictures from a hockey game we went to this past Saturday night. Eian was really looking forward to it since it was just the three of us. We all love having my niece live with us but have come to value one another more. Our time seems a little more limited to spend with just Eian since a busy toddler has come into our lives!
I wasn't sure how I would like hockey but I have to say it was quite entertaining. I was very thankful for the seats we had. We had a perfect view... not too far away BUT not too close to the action and have little ears hear colorful language! There were a few heated confrontations to say the least. It was funny when Eian asked where they were making the two guys who just fought go. David explained it was a penalty box. That was my opportunity to say, " See bud, even grown men have time outs!" My son then preceded to say, "Mooom, they're not full grown. They're probably only like 16 so it's okay for them to have time outs. They're technically still kids." Little does Eian know that in just a few (too short) years he will claim and protest that he IS fully grown at 16! Oh, David and I laughed our head's off later on that one!
We had a great time and are so grateful for the free tickets our friend gave us. Thanks Aaron!

Menu Plan Monday

2009-02-02T11:32:00.006-06:00

It's Menu Plan Monday again already. I have to say that so far (it's only week 2 though) I look forward to Monday's because it's when I get to share my meal plan with all of you! It was time consuming to go grocery shopping Saturday (6 stores in 4 hours, but NO kids!) because I had specific things I needed and they were on sale at certain locations. The good news though is all the stores I went to are only 2-3 miles from one another so it's not like I was wasting money on gas or it would not have been worth it! I think I did pretty good. I spent $132.00 for two weeks worth of groceries!

I went ahead and made a menu plan for two weeks instead of just one for the simple fact of saving time and less trips to the store means less cash coming out of my pocket! It felt good and a weight was lifted. I guess just knowing what you're eating for two weeks and knowing that you're saving money by going to the store with a plan makes a huge difference!

So here is what our dinners look like for the next two weeks:

Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches with Curly Fries

Chili and salad

Tuna Noodle Casserole

Chicken Quesadillas with Spanish Rice

Tater Tot Casserole & Salad

Chicken Pot Pie

Stir Fry

Sloppy Joe's with fries and veggies

Herb baked chicken thighs w/ garlic,parsley & butter noodles with broccoli

Chicken Tortellini Alfredo

Pizza

Hamburger Helper (what can I say, I need an easy one at least one night of the week!)

Grilled Cheese Sandwiches with Tomato Soup

As you can see I haven't added which days we're eating what, like I did last week. I kind of just pick what will work for us on which nights. For example, I don't pick something like Chicken Pot Pie that takes 45 minutes to bake, when I know we have church, play dates, appointments, etc.

So there you have it! I hope to link to my recipes once I get some added.

Baby Update

2009-01-28T20:21:00.004-06:00

I have to say, I love my blog, especially now after my preggo checkups. Friends and family are always anxious to hear how it went and I would love to call each and every one of them. Working full time and two kids doesn't allow much time to call 10 people though! So I'm going to start posting updates, starting with this one.

We went today for my 16 week checkup. My once tilted uterus is normal for now and allowed us to pick up the baby's heartbeat right away through the regular hand held thingy. It was a healthy 140 beats per minute! The doctor said all my labs came back normal, she says I seem to be in great health and everything seems to be progressing normally.

Our next checkup is the BIG ULTRASOUND where we can find out the sex of the baby. We have decided to find out, we're impatient people what can I say! No really, we had thought about not knowing but it would be nice to know if we can use Eian's old baby clothes or do we need a new wardrobe?

The doctor did briefly talk with us about labor and delivery. I went so quick after my water broke with Eian (dilated from 3 cm to 10 cm in 2 hours!) that she said we may want to schedule it just to be safe but it was our decision. Apparently your labors tend to go quicker with each additonal child. I don't know, I don't like "making" things happen unless absolutely necessary. I want it to be the Lord's time not mine or David's just because it's what's convenient for us. It would be different, and would pose a health risk, if we lived an hour from the hospital but we only live about 15 minutes away.

I did tell her that my goal is to go all natural with childbirth, no drugs. This may be the last chance God gives us for a baby and not going naturally with Eian was something I kind of regretted. Hubby and I definitely need to hone in on our pain management system though(breathing, massage, etc.). Do any of you have stories (good and bad) of going naturally? What kind of pain mngt method did you use and did it work? Please share!!

Word Filled Wednesday- Trusting the Lord

2009-01-28T05:07:00.007-06:00

Yay, it's WFW's again! I haven't participated in awhile just simply because of a crazy schedule but I'm so glad I'm doing it again today. Sometimes I can get carried away with the blogging thing (addicted at times you may say) and WFW's gives me a way to honor and glorify God through blogging. How cool is that? If you would like to join just visit 100AcreWoods.

So my verse this weeks is Proverbs 3:5-6. This is one that the girls in my accountability small group suggested for me. I have been trying to memorize it by carrying it on a note card in my pocket with me all day. I pull it out and read it at times I feel myself getting stressed, angry, worried or pretty much any emotion that's conveying that I'm not completely trusting Him.

This verse is such a great reminder to me that God loves me so much and wants to bless me if only I would trust in Him and follow His lead. He will guide my path and set me on solid ground but I have to be willing to follow Him instead of making my own trail. I find it tempting to just forge ahead through life without really stopping to reflect on God's word or pray before a decision is made. I have learned many lessons that are a result of doing the OPPOSITE of this verse. So I can tell you going your own way and trusting in yourself to do things does not work! Thank you Lord for being my great Counselor!

Menus Plan Monday

2009-01-26T05:28:00.008-06:00

It's my first week back to meal planning and I'm kinda excited. I guess it makes me feel like I have a little control in my crazy life!! No really I'm mainly anxious to get back into it because I won't have to stress about forgetting to leave something out for dinner and wondering what I'm going to make and the added bonus is saving some green! I used to be a meal planner and a weekend cooker which meant on I would make enough meals for the week and freeze some and leave the rest for leftovers through the week. I got away from cooking all day because it was a lot of work! I think though if I plan out simple, low cook time recipes that will take a lot of pressure off. Do you know how stressful it is to come home with two starving kids (and I mean ravenous and I give them snacks to eat on the way home!) and I can never seem to pull in the driveway before 6pm?

So my stressful days are over thanks to the encouragement of the ladies who are involved in Meal Plan Mondays!

So enough talk, here's my menu:

Monday: Pot Roast in crock

Tuesday: Ham, Cheese, Potato, and Broccoli bake

Wednesday: "Crazy Dinner" It's my son's way of saying we're having breakfast for dinner. He loves it!

Thursday: Herb Roasted Chicken thighs, butter & parsley egg noodles, and veggies

Friday: I don't have anything here yet because I have to go to the store really bad! We'll probably have pizza!

I'll try to post pics and recipes after I make them. Have a great start to your week ladies!

Getting Organized: I'm on a role!

2009-01-24T20:56:00.022-06:00

Like many of you, I too have been bit by the organization bug! My girl Bethany has been going crazy getting her house organized and she's asking her readers to share. I had planned on posting my before and after photos anyway and now this just gives me another excuse to give her a plug!

It seems I can't turn a corner without seeing a pile of useless things we don't need taking over our home! I wish I could just lock myself in my house for a week and have at it but I just make do with a few hours here and there.

I have several hot spots in my house. You know, the places that seem to be overflowing with junk that you look at everyday but it's too overwhelming to actually do anything about it! I'm only going to share two of them with you tonight and hopefully I'll continue to stay motivated and post more.

Hot Spot #1- My Jewelry

AFTER

It may not look that bad from where you're sitting but trust me, it is NO fun hunting through a jumbled pile of earrings when you're running late to work! The pic to the left is showing my necklaces taking over a picture in my bathroom. I have to be careful when I pull one off that I don't pull them all down, which I've done. So awhile back I purchased a door hanger style jewelry organizer from Avon and finally decided to put it to use. I love this thing. It even has an empty pouch at the bottom for me add more jewelry (hint, hint to my hubby!).

Hot Spot #2: My niece's toy corner

It may also not look bad from where you're sitting. If you look close though, there's a lot of empty and unused space on the shelves which means she has toys strewn over the house! Plus you might see a white basket with a pink liner. That's a basket I let her put toys in until I could get the shelf organized but I really want to use the basket in another part of the house.

BEFORE

AFTER

Just those two little things make a big difference.

Blog Makeover Giveaway

2009-01-24T13:42:00.004-06:00

Do you get tired having to pick from blog layouts that don't necessarily reflect the REAL you? Plus, isn't it disappointing when you spend an hour searching layouts and backgrounds, find one you like, and then a few days later see that someone else has it?

Well Alicia over at More Than Words is celebrating her 250th post by hosting a giveaway for a custom blog design. How cool is that? Hurry, it ends midnight tonight (West Coast time). Go check it out and good luck!

Finding Strength in the Lord

2009-01-23T17:45:00.004-06:00

Have you ever had an old hymn or Christian song that speaks to you so loudly that you can't get out of your head? Well I just added "Everytime" by Jeremy Camp because I figured I might as well not be the only who can't stop replaying it in my head, over and over.

I hadn't listened to this cd for forever but happened to pop it in today and I just lost it when I heard this song again. It reminded me of the verse Psalm 28:7 The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song.

I have been having a lot of trouble resting in the Lord and I guess you could say trust is really the bigger issue. I don't know why either because I have trusted him so much with even very recent trials so why now all of a sudden am I trying to rely on my own strength?

The best conclusion I can come up with is each trial is different, some bigger than others, but the Lord uses each one to address a different area of my heart that may have been hidden. I believe He's showing me to stop always trying to DO everything on my own and start resting in Him more. So I listened to this song on my way to work, bawled like a baby, repented of my stubbornness, and then guess what happened? I have been trying to remember Matthew 11:28-30 for almost two weeks. I even carry a note card with it on it in my pocket EVERYDAY and pull it out when I'm not resting in Him! I tried to recite it for my women's accountability small group last week and couldn't remember it. Well I got it, finally shortly after I prayed and repented this morning. Okay so here goes, and I promise I'm not cheating!

Matthew 11:28-30

Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and burden is light.

Well how'd I do?

Favorite & Least Favorite Chores

2009-01-23T11:21:00.005-06:00

One of my blog buddies, MomstheWord is asking us to share our favorite and least favorite chores. She's is asking we share three things...

What's your favorite household chore?

I don't know that I have ONE particular chore I'm just dying to do, but if I had to pick I would say laundry and cleaning the bathroom. I know, I'm sick right? Nothing makes me nauseous like a stale urine stench oozing from the potty room. I painted a real pleasant picture didn't I? You're going to go clean your bathrooms RIGHT now aren't you?

I love walking into a clean bathroom with the fresh clean smell of bleach! Really I do. If they would come out with a bleach candle I'd buy one!

What is your least favorite chore?

Dishes for sure! I don't know why because I love a clean and empty sink but I procrastinate when the dishwasher's needing unloaded and dirty ones put in. I sound so lazy don't I? I also loathe sorting, organizing and filing paperwork and bills! Uuuggghhh! I actually will post on that later as I am being asked my wonderfully patient husband to hunker down and get it down before tax season. You'll hear me whine about it on my blog all weekend I'm sure!

How do you motivate yourself to do your least favorite chore?

I think I just said it... my husband begging me! Seriously, I've been putting it off since spring!

So that's it. Now let's hear yours and make sure you visit Momstheword.

Make sure to share it with us both!

Something you don't see everday!

2009-01-21T20:32:00.005-06:00

So I had to share the strange and mysterious thing that happened at our house the other day. It was completely unexpected and shook me to the core. Eian wasn't playing computer games, he wasn't watching tv, and he wasn't playing his Nintendo DS. He was... oh are you ready? Brace yourself. He was , was READING THE ENCYCLOPEDIA!!!

He has a smile on his face because he thought it was silly I was taking a picture of him. I guess he didn't see his actions as being as picture worthy as I did. It was sweet though. He was asking David how to pronounce some of the words and how they're used exactly. It was neat to see his little mind working.

Looking Forward to 2009

2009-01-20T18:11:00.008-06:00

Since I did a post on Looking Back to 2008 I thought it was appropriate to include a post of what my goals are for the new year. I've never been great at making or keeping resolutions but I do think it's important to evaluate where you've been the previous year and see what you might like to improve for the next year, especially spiritually.

So my "resolutions" (I prefer to call them goals) this year are focused on prioritizing my life the way God designed it and resting in Him to help me be the woman He's designed me to be.

1.) He first and foremost designed me to walk with Him in a close personal relationship. He is always there ready to forgive and ready to speak to me through His Word. I however, am not always so attentive. Sometimes my actions, or lack there of, don't necessarily say "I love you Lord". So I have a few things I've been convicted of that I can do to bring me closer to my Lord and Savior.

I, like many of us who strive to walk closely with Him, neglect & forget the opportunities God has given us to speak with Him because of the death of His son.. I need to work on my prayer life and plan to to read a book soon making my prayers more powerful and heart felt instead of going through the motions. I'm up for suggestions if anyone knows of a good Biblically sound one. The next is finally reading through the Bible. I have maybe 10 books to go and then I'd like to start reading the Bible chronologically. The third thing I'd like to do to improve my relationship with Him is keep a prayer and blessings journal. I think being able to see where God has answered my prayers will also help me pray more boldly.

2.) My second most important relationship is my husband. David and I have been through a lot this past year and it's been a blessing in disguise. We realized our strengths and weaknesses in our marriage. We also have come to really appreciate one another more. So one of the things I'm doing to be a better wife to Him is to finish the book , The Love Dare. We're also starting to read The Excellent Wife by Martha Peace in my women's accountability group. I've learned from The Love Dare, The Bible, and Christian friends that I can't expect my husband to change if I'm not first willing to change. I also shouldn't expect my husband to change just because I am. I should focus on the knowledge that I'm changing and growing to be a better wife is not for my husband but for the Lord. This has made a huge difference in our marriage this past year. The timing couldn't have been any better either. I mean what man would be encouraged after he loses his job by a wife who's nagging at him and just waiting for failure? That was the old me but slowly she is dissolving, thanks to God!

The other thing I plan to do to strengthen my marriage is to make sure we have a date night at least once a month. With two kids, working opposite shifts, and dealing with a tired pregnant body there isn't much "Us" time. Therefore some issues that may seem small at the time turn into mountains once time goes by and then when you are together you don't want to spoil the mood by bringing up old stuff and the cycle just goes on and on. I'm really looking forward to spending some quality time with David. If anyone has cheap date night ideas I would love to hear them. That's the biggest hurdle... What do you do on a low budget?

3.) My third relationship I will work on nurturing this year is with my handsome boy.

I've been really feeling convicted of not making more of point to help bring my son closer to the Lord. I feel like I have my relationship with the Lord and he has his but it's normally not something we share together. Keep in my mind I'm still a "baby" Christian in a way. I think God has been working on me these three years pruning me and making me ready to where I can now pass what I've learned to Eian. So I have been getting him up early and we spend time reading a few verses that Eian usually picks out and then discuss their significance and what he thinks God wants us to learn from the verses. You can see he really looks forward to it when he jumps out of bed when I mention devotions. It just fills my heart to see his enthusiasm!

I also want to spend more time being a teacher to him. I would love more than anything to home school but God just has not made a way for my husband to solely provide for us at this time. So I have resolved to making the most of the time God has given me with Eian now. Eian and I plan to pick one country a month to study, study their culture, language, geography, and food. We'll then pick a weekend to cook something from that country. He's really looking forward to that and so am I.

Well I know I have my work cut out for me but I am keeping my focus on the Lord and He will be my helper. I can't wait to get to started!

Looking Back at 2008

2009-01-18T15:37:00.012-06:00

Awww.... it's good to be back in blogworld. I missed you all! I've actually had some time recently to visit a few of my favorite blogs. My girl Alexis over at Tales From the Back Acher inspired me by listing the happenings of their family for each month last year.

I however can barely remember what I had for breakfast! I thought it would be nice though to review at least the highlights (some good, some bad) from last year and be able to look back and see how the Lord's been working in our lives. So here goes....

January- The company I work for got a fresh start in a new building. We moved in Christmas Eve and spent most of January getting settled in.

February- My Avon business continued to take off and I won a $$$ prize for being a top recruiter. (please don't think I'm bragging because I get humbled by the Lord, see the review in May!)

March- We had a wonderful low cost swimming party for Eian's birthday with a Pokemon Pikachu cake and all for under $40! Woo Hoo!

April- I start to feel convicted of making Avon way too much of a priority and neglecting my family while still working my full time job.

My van poops out on me after being so faithful after 4 years, 250,000 miles and only $1800! My hubby's the master at good car deals.

My big Sis and her best friend from Florida come for a visit to go mushroom hunting, yeah it had NOTHING to do with me! I know, I know my family's twisted to drive 4 states to go mushroom hunting!

May- I feel a mild depression coming on from continued stress, pressure, and hopes of having more hours in the day!

A good friend of mine invites me to my first women's retreat. I go, reluctantly because off all my piling obligations. I went, was convicted that my walk with the Lord wasn't what He wanted it to be, repented and let go of so many things, and felt completely renewed and confident of what God wanted me to do. The bottom line... I wasn't trusting God to make a way for me to be a stay at home mom. Instead, I was trying to do it on my own and hurting myself and my family in the process. So the next day I called my Avon boss and quit the leadership program! I have never looked back and my family is so much better for it, thank you God!

June- We attended our annual company outing to the Indianapolis Indians baseball game.
My husband loses his job =0(

My husband's car ALSO poops out. Ironic timing huh?

I feel like the Lord asked me to mention to our church in having our own retreat. Little did I know that the one who mentions an idea at church is the one who heads it up! he, he A lesson learned!

July- I am really trying to remember something from July but I am totally drawing a blank!

Oh, I do know that my husband was still job searching! It was slim pickens job wise around here though and still is.

August- My little man enters the second grade!

Month three of no employment for my husband but he keeps his spirits up and finds a little work here and there.

We continue to trust God with finances and try to re-pay Him by seeking to be better stewards with the money He does give us. So we enroll in a free biblically based money management class at a local church.

September- Hooray, David finds a job! Praise the Lord!

We were given emergency custody of our little niece temporarily.

David decides to take a semester off from school to focus on helping me with the new changes in our world. Plus, I think he needed a break!

October- It was a busy month of trying to adjust to having another little person in our house. Everyone's getting along great though but are struggling with my niece's separation anxiety.

On Halloween our niece was removed from our home temporarily. It was a very scary, confusing, infuriating, but humbling time for all of us. My trust level in the Lord went sky high after this ordeal. Once again, praise God... even for the trials!

November- We're pregnant and thrilled!

We have a scare with my brother as he allows himself to get entrapped by his old ways. We continue to care for his daughter as he is placed in a treatment facility.

Myself and a friend at church begin the retreat sign up.

December- Busy, Busy, Busy but full of blessings! We took part in our churches Living Nativity again, Christmas for Everyone, took cookies to the women's shelter, attended both kids' Christmas programs, and my sister's family came in from Florida!

My brother seems to be thriving with his new program.

God provides for us for Christmas! We continue to struggle to get caught up financially from the job changes earlier in the year. My son got just enough goodies though but we only spent $50 on him! Our wonderful deacon gave us much needed but not asked for and completely unexpected help! We also had a friend of ours who cleaned out her son's room who just so happened to have unopened games and toys buried in his closet in which she gave to us. Well atleast that was her story. Thanks Andrea and Aaron!

Well there you have it. I'm sure I'll think of more highlights after I post this but I think I did pretty good for my memory! What I think is so awesome as I look back at our year is God's awesome faithfulness ( I plan to do a future post dedicated to this attribute of His). I honestly do not think I could have gotten through all of the trials and changes that happened without the Lord. Did anyone notice that all of the trials (except for the van pooping out in April) happened after I re-committed myself in May at the retreat? God is amazing! He is now blessing me and my family in so many ways with the baby, assiting my brother with his daughter and getting to witness to him, the joy of being involved with our own churches' retreat, and learning the lesson of trusting God is also trusting my husband to be the leader in our home and be a better helper to him. Thank you Lord!

I can't wait to see what God has in store for us in 2009!

Off to Ohio We Go!

2009-01-01T08:44:00.004-06:00

Happy New Year everyone! I wish I could say I made it until midnight to give my hubby that New Year's kiss, but I think I was lucky to see 10! This baby's making me TIRED! I just wanted to wish you all blessings for the New Year.

We're off to Ohio today, actually hubby is packing up the car I type, and I may not get to post until after the weekend. We're having Christmas at my in-laws this weekend and will post pics soon.

Darn my Uterus!

2008-12-30T19:26:00.008-06:00

Oh I knew I would get your attention with this post name!!! I think I'm taking after my girl at Little Toes and Cheerios (check out her today's post and you'll understand!). Actually my son's here and said, "Uh, Mom is that really how you spell utters?" Oh I died laughing!

Well let me just tell ya about my darn utters, I mean uterus. I went in today for what should have been a simple 10 minute appointment to hear the babies heartbeat. I had my 10 week and first prenatal check up two weeks ago and the nurse couldn't get the heartbeat with the little hand held thingy. She assured me I shouldn't worry and that it was still a tad early. Well I prayed about it, gave it to the Lord and got on with my life. I would be lying though if I said I wasn't the least bit anxious about today's appointment.

Since the miscarriage last year I guess I've been a little more cautious this time around. Even though I dared not to admit it to myself or anyone else, I secretly told myself, "Don't get too excited until you hear the heartbeat." I still trusted God with whatever the outcome may be but it's like I put on this steel armor for the last two weeks in order to not be too disappointed. Does that make sense?

Anyway, so I get into the doctor's office (finally) and she got down to business with the little hand held thingamajig. She slowly and patiently scanned my belly for any signs of a really fast swishing sound. After what seemed like an eternity, still nothing. As I was laying there I prayed, "Lord, I know your ways are not mine and help me to understand your will. Help me to be at peace and to trust you Lord. Please help me to see what you want me to learn from this however this ends up turning out. I trust You, Amen."

The nurse then asked if I knew if my uterus was tilted and I replied no, not that I knew of. She then said she just could not find the heartbeat and would get me in for an ultrasound down the hall. The cutest and sweetest (David and I met her already when we had an ultrasound at 6 weeks because of bleeding) little ultrasound tech welcomed me in. As she was scanning my tummy I turned my head so if what I feared had happened I did not want to see right away. She then turned up the volume and I heard music to my ears, the most precious sound, a wonderfully fast little heartbeat! I immediately burst into tears and thanked God. The ultrasound tech told me to stop because I was gonna make her cry. Seriously, I really had to stop crying because every time my belly moved the baby moved making it difficult for her to get measurements! The baby was so sweet looking with their little hiccups and all! It looked like a little jumping bean!

She then discovered the culprit to our heartbeat hearing difficulties... Yep you Guessed it, MY Uterus! It's tilted towards my tailbone and therefore made it difficult to hear the heartbeat but it should work itself out as the baby gets bigger.

I'll continue to keep you all posted on baby updates as I get closer to our little ones arrival.

New Favorite Appetizer Recipes

2008-12-28T14:16:00.006-06:00

I was curious, did any of you try new recipes this Christmas that are now mainstays? If so, it'd be so cool if we could all share either by comment on this post or post your own on your blog. Just link back to me so I can come check it out! I'm always looking for new recipes to try!

I don't know if any of you visit Kraft Foods for recipes. It's one of my favorite sites. All their recipes usually use ingredients I already have or are easy to get and for the most part they're pretty quick and simple. Quick and simple is crucial in this house!

So for Christmas I wanted to have some appetizers while the rest of the Christmas dinner was baking but I needed something simple but tasty and I found two!

Creamy Crab Dip and Spinach & Artichoke Dip. They were both sooo good. You'll have to go to the Kraft website to get the recipes but I'll share with you my substitutions and omissions.

Creamy Crab Dip
The only changes to mine were omitting the shredded cheese, switching out the green onions with 1/2 cup regular yellow onion, and using imitation crab (not by choice, price won) instead of the canned stuff. I was skeptical about the Grey Poupon at first but it really gave it the zing it needed. Oh it was sooo good. We served this with the Town House Toppers Garlic & Herb crackers.

Spinach & Artichoke Dip
We made this just as is but served it with tortilla chips. I was craving the dip from TGIFridays and this was definitely a very close runner up!

I hope you enjoy these as much as we do!

An Ode to My Christmas Decorations!

2008-12-28T10:43:00.013-06:00

So like I said in my previous post... I Love Christmas! I love the excitement and anticipation that comes immediately after Thanksgiving. I love the feeling of giving back to others (which I should do more often anyways not just at Christmas!) and finding new a creative ways to share the love of Christ. I love coming home from a long day of work to getting that warm and cozy feeling while being surrounded by all our decorations and lights. I love the swirl of outreach events our church participates in. I love looking at all the lights. I love all the food, the family visiting, sharing gifts, and the list goes on!

However, what I do not love is the break in my routine that the busyness of the Christmas season creates. Now I know this is my partial type A (I'm not a full-fledged type A, thank goodness) personality coming out along with a lot of selfishness. But I admit it, I am so looking forward to getting back to normal mode it's not even funny. I had to work the Friday after Christmas after having 6 days in a row off and I was really thrilled to get back into my old routine! So one of my attempts to "Get Back to Normal" is taking down the decorations, which I hope I can finish by Wednesday. We're going to Ohio to have Christmas with my husband's family and the last thing I want to do when we get back from our long drive is pack up stinkin' decorations! So I'm sharing some photos of my Christmas decor before they meet their demise!

Good Bye Christmas TreeGood Bye Nativity

Good Bye Kitchen Shelf Decorations

Early spring cleaning here I come!

Christmas Happenings

2008-12-27T22:58:00.023-06:00

Well it's been a busy couple days! We had my mom, dad, sister, bro-in-law and their two kids, and my brother and his little girl over for dinner and presents. This is probably the best part of our Christmas routine because we don't have several houses to bounce around from. We can stay in our jammies all day if we wanted! Everyone seemed to have a good time. My hubby is going to kill me for posting this photo of him playing Santa but I just can't help it!!!

Here's my son with one of his presents, an apron. A friend of mine is super talented at sewing and quilting and she was nice enough to throw in this project in the midst of all the others she does this time of year! Thanks Ruthie and show her some love by visiting her blog. Eian's taken an interest in cooking this year. Not just cookies, brownies and other fun stuff but actual meals. So I figured I better nurture this new passion of his before it's too late!

Here's my niece with one of her new toys. Imagine that, it's another baby doll!!! She was sooo excited to see all the presents under the tree when she first got to our house that she tried to go straight to opening them when we hadn't even eaten yet.

We then went and visited with my uncle on my mom's side Friday night to see family we hadn't seen forever. G'ma made a yummy wiener chili and tons of desserts. My nephew wanted to spend the night with us at first but then didn't want to leave my uncle's. I wonder why... all the guys were found in the basement watching iron man on awesome surround sound and playing pool! A man's paradise!

We didn't get home too late Friday night but Eian had been dying to play his new Spiderman Monopoly game (thanks a lot Stace!). So we started at around 9:30 and didn't finish until shortly after midnight! Boy it's hard to count your money and net worth when you're dozing off let me tell ya!

Then Saturday morning it was off we go again! We had my Dad's family Christmas at Noon. Eian was so excited, heck we all get excited to visit my Dad's family! We all just have such a good time catching up, eating, and stealing family bags! Yep we don't do gifts for everyone anymore. Our family has grown to nearly 50 people if you count all the great grandkids and spouses so each family brings a bag. We then either do trivia or some other game to get the bags but you can always steal a bag too. There's always one bag that everyone fights over. The kids just love it!

I wanted to share some photos but I have several so keep on scrolling. This first one is of us getting ready for the gift bag swap. Yep, I told you we had a big family and so big that we've outgrown my G'ma or Aunt's house. So we have it at my Grandma's church's rec hall.

Yep that's me in the jean jacket and pink top but I'm not sure what I was looking at.
My sister and brother-in-law, aren't they cute?

Here's Grandma Cathryn. She's my inspiration! We always put her front and center and make her open her gifts first. You can tell she hates all the fanfare! She's such a humble woman, gotta love her.

And here's a photo of my sweet little niece (the green sweatshirt) who's not so little anymore, actually she's now a sophomore in college, but she'll always be my baby. I took a pic with her and our cousin Kay. Such pretty girls!

And finally to wrap it up, here's a pic of my cousin Jenny with her cute little guy. He's a sweet little cuddle bug too! Well hope you enjoyed my photos. I know there;s a lot but it was too hard to choose which ones I wanted. Don't worry... there will be yet more photos to post when we have Christmas with my hubby's family in Ohio next weekend! I love Christmas but I am definitely ready for normalcy!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-25T08:50:00.003-06:00

Here it is nearly 10 am and my boys are still snoozing so I thought I would take advantage and wish all of my family & blogging buddies Merry Christmas! This has been one of the best Christmas' and ironically it's been our lowest budget one so far. Funny how becoming humble and not having what you're accustomed to can actually be a blessing! My husband, son and I have learned a lot about trusting the Lord and helping and appreciating one another more. Thank you Lord for NEVER leaving us nor forsaking us and providing for us this Christmas!

Merry Christmas Everyone and I Love You All!!!

Living Nativity

2008-12-20T08:23:00.004-06:00

It never ceases to amaze me that God blesses our church's efforts to reach out to the community through our Living Nativity. It's our 18th annual and each year the number of people who come to hear the gospel message gets bigger and bigger. I am by no means posting this to be boastful but simply to praise God for His faithfulness.

You can enjoy our nativity two ways. One is to drive through which is of course the warmest option but also the longest. The wait for drive thru's last weekend was 1 hour! The other option is to walk thru. This is the one I prefer because you get to be up close and personal with the cast and animals. The best part is going through Bethlehem and having the little "street kids" begging you to buy their fruit and the Roman guards asking you for taxes and if you have your papers! Too fun!

It was about 30 degrees last night which isn't brutally cold but it feels like it when you're out there for any extended length of time. With that said we still had over 400 people walk through and over 600 people drive through. God is just awesome! Every year we enjoy being a part of this ministry.

I posted a link in the beginning of this post. Feel free to visit and get the schedule for this weekend. We are however cancelling the nativity on Sunday night due to the windchill factor will be well below zero. Brrrrr!

I'm Still Alive!

2008-12-16T22:00:00.002-06:00

Okay so I don't have much time to blog but I have received several emails wondering why I haven't blogged and if I'm still alive. Well I am happy to say that I am very much alive and living a full life. So full, that my blogging has gone by the way side.

There's a few reasons to my bloggy quietness...

One, we had my niece come back to live with us again. She's two, need I say more?

Two, it's Christmas and between baking cookies, volunteering, church activities, school programs, shopping, and visiting family there's not a whole lot of time left in the day right now.

Three, I'm pregnant! Yep, the baby is just a tiny thing at 10 weeks today but the little guy/gal is causing their Mama grief which means sleep had taken precedence over blogging.

Four, it's the season to get caught up in the busyness of Christmas and forget all the blessings God's granted us and made us accountable for. This means I have been trying to make a conscious effort to slooowww down and sit with my son to drink hot cocoa and watch a Christmas show or watching some classic cartoons as a family or going to look at lights or giving my niece extra kisses and hugs while I rock her when she's having a rough day. These have become precious moments to me that I just can't let blogging, or any other earthly thing for that matter, take away.

So I hope all of you gals understand my absence. I promise to keep in touch more often once Christmas and New Year's are over. My big sissy's coming in from Florida this weekend with her family so I'm sure she'll keep me busy. As if I wasn't doing a good job of that myself!!!

Take Care All & Have a Blessed Christmas!

Stef

Home Invasion!

2008-11-13T21:59:00.004-06:00

HELP, WE'RE BEING INVADED!

Living in the country has it's perks. The perks are not as noticeable however, when the weather turns chilly. This means we get all kinds of little "roommates" whether we like it or not. A few weeks I woke up to an awful scratching, clawing sound right outside my window. I kept banging on the wall and it would stop, for a minute, and then the persistent clawing continued until it eventually ceased. The next morning I'm guessing what ever "it" was the morning before, finally found a way in as I heard the horrid sound of sharp nails on metal from our heat and air vents in our crawl space.

Then, this week we've had 3 mice that we know of, all of which we've caught. We're not mice lovers by any means (Ohhh, trust me on this one!) but our son begged us not to hurt the poor creatures. So... for some unknown reason we thought it a good idea to just toss the mouse out in the front yard! We've probably been chasing the same stinkin mouse all week! I think his time was up tonight though if it's the same one. Yep, Mr. Frisker's chased the mouse under the sofa, my husband tipped over the sofa so he could shew the mouse out, but he wasn't there. We looked everywhere in the living room and started to give up. Hubby lowered the couch back down and there it was... one small crushed mouse. Eeewww, nasty! I think I need to go sanitize my sofa cushions now. Oh I can't wait until the little vermin hibernate, so bring on the cold weather! Wait, DO mice hibernate?

WFW- Peace

2008-11-12T06:09:00.006-06:00

It's Word Filled Wednesday's again! Today I would like to focus on the amazing peace and quietness that our soul can be filled with by trusting fully on God!

I'm sure I'm not alone in this but often times we can get comfortable in our faith. We can be so comfortable in our faith that we can say we trust God and even trust Him completely even through a trial... until a trial comes that is and we REALLY have to trust Him! Well that's where I have been the past week. There has been trial after trial and not just tiny ones like losing car keys or spilled milk! But God has been amazingly faithful in putting certain individuals around me to remind me that He is in control and that my actions speak louder than words. I learned that through my actions last week, which I can now admit were NOT God honoring, were a result of not trusting in God. By not trusting in the Lord what I was really saying, God is not a good God, He doesn't love me, and He's not a merciful enough or powerful enough God to give me the grace to get through this.

As you can see my pastor's wife did not sugar coat things when she was counseling me on this. Thank you so much for being straight forward Janet! So once she got this into my thick skull, I realized how prideful and sinful I was being and repented.

As I was seated in court Monday (sorry, I shouldn't discuss details) I could honestly believe and live Phil 4:7. Thank you Jesus!

It was just one of the greatest feelings in the world to sit there and honestly and truly be at peace with whatever the judge through our way. The hardest part was knowing our innocence and knowing that even with that truth she may not let things fall in our favor despite our innocence. Trusting God was crucial through this and knowing that whatever the judge's decision was was what God was allowing and would use it. The peace in my heart that I felt was like receiving a BIG HUG from the Lord himself.

I feel like my trust in Him was good but now it's more than I could ever have imagined.

I pray that everyone can and will know this kind of peace, it's amazing!

Go visit 160 Acre Woods for more inspiring photos and verses.

Fall Fave Recipe- Loaded Baked Potato Soup

2008-11-11T18:59:00.007-06:00

As I mentioned in an earlier post, Kim at a Homesteader's Heart is hosting a giveaway for a Gooseberry Patch Cookbook. One of the ways to enter is to post one of your favorite fall recipes on your blog and let Kim know about it.

One of my fave's that we have quite often in cold weather is Loaded Baked Potato Soup! I can't remember where I found it but thank you to whomever or what ever site I got it from, it's so good and easy!

Please keep in mind that the amount of ingredients listed is a good amount if you have a small family or want no leftovers. I usually double this since we usually have seconds and I like to take it to work for lunch!

Ingredients:
Soup:
1 can cream of potato soup
3-4 cups milk (depends on how creamy and thick you like your soup)
2 cups of home style (cubed) frozen hash browns
1/2 stick of butter
salt & pepper to taste

Topping:
2-3 tbsp bacon bits
2-3 green onions chopped
Shredded cheese to your liking

Directions:
Mix soup, milk, frozen taters, and butter in a medium to large saucepan and preferably non-stick. Heat until a slow boil (watch carefully so it doesn't scald the milk) and simmer for about 10 minutes or until frozen taters are heated through and tender.

Top with bacon, onions, and cheese. Viola!!! A delicious semi-homemade potato soup in less than 15 minutes. We like to eat this with grilled cheese and bacon sandwiches and dip them. Hmmm, so good! I hope you gals like this one.

My First Blog Award

2008-11-11T17:02:00.006-06:00

This is my first award and feel blessed that Kim would nominate my blog because most of my posts are just me rambling! Kim over at Home Steader's Heart gave this award to me, thank you Kim. I love Kim's blog for her candidness, her love for the Lord and her love for homemaking so show her some love by paying her a visit!

So I'm told this award acknowledges the values that every blogger shows in his/her effort to transmit cultural, ethical, literary, and personal values every day.

The rules are:

1. Accept the award and post it on your blog along with a link to the person who has awarded you.
2. Pass the award on to 15 other blogs that are worthy of this acknowledgment. Remember to contact each of them to let them know they have been chosen for this award.So here are my nominees for this award:

1. Bethany- Happy to Be Called Mommy

2. Blue Yonder

3. Stacy- Mom in Training

4. Katy Lin- The Great Adventure

5. Kim- Coffee in the Morning

5. Lori- Beyond the Garden

6. Little Missy Homemaker

7. Monica- Beautiful Ordinary

8. Tamy- 3 Sides of Crazy

9. Chelsey- Joyfully Living

10. Jenn- Country's Girl's Ramblings

11. Joyful Living

12. Ashley- Putting God First Place

13. Alexis- Talse from Back Acher

14. Sunny- A Damsel No Longer in Distress

15. Little Toes & Cheerios

So go visit all of these wonderful gals and tell em I sent ya!

Thanks Kim,

Stef

At the Well Mondays-Getting to Know Me

2008-11-10T20:44:00.004-06:00

Chelsey over at Joyful Living hosts Living at The Well Mondays and this week is all about getting to know one another. So I thought I'd join in and tell a few random things about myself.

I love to cook comfort food on dreary and rainy days.

I'm a lover not a fighter.

I appreciate those who are honest with me , even if it's brutal. I find it hard to do the same though, being brutal that is.

My sister teasingly calls me Polyanna.

I strive to find the best in people (hence my nickname!).

I'm rarely negative unless it's with money.

I like lavender and vanilla fabric softener.

We eat spaghetti here at least once a month.

We do not eat out much.

My favorite candles are baked apple pie, vanilla, and any other candle that smells like dessert.

My feet get extremely cold at night, even in the summer so I usually where socks.

I love to pray while taking a shower.

One of my first Bible verses I memorized was 1 Corinthians 10:13.

I currently work outside the home as I have been before becoming a believer and follower of Christ. I once felt as if my place was at home and still do, it is impossible at this point financially though but is a goal of mine and my husband's.

I consider my work place a mission field God has given me.

I have two believing co-workers I fellowship with and we pray once a week for co-workers, the economy, our boss, etc.

I am beginning to really loathe TV and would get rid of it if hubby was all for it.

I love it when hubby puts his hand on my back while we're singing on Sundays in church.

I have a fear of worms and they send a shiver up my spine when i have to tiptoe over them after a hearty spring rain...eeewww!

I LOOOVE to blog!

Okay, now it's your turn!

Lessons In Love- Be Transparent

2008-11-08T14:57:00.008-06:00

So I found another blog that hosts Lessons In Love Saturdays. Yes it's becoming a sickness, blogofever! This one is yet another great tool for me though to honor my husband

and the Lord by sharing what I have learned from my three years married, but nearly nine years total with my wonderful man!

This week's topic for me is to be transparent. We continue to hear that a secret to a great marriage is that yucky word for us who are challenged in this, yep you guessed it....Communication!!! One thing I've learned in my own marriage is that I can't expect my husband to communicate with me if I'm not open and honest with him, hence being transparent.

So what does being transparent look like in a marriage? A wise pastor's wife at church told me if I want to honor God by being a Godly wife I have to help my husband be the leader. Most men I've been told, have a built in or God given desire to lead, but that desire diminishes each time a wife criticizes, belittles (even if you think you're just joking, it's not a joke to him), continually nags (which really means you don't have faith in or no trust in your husband) or under appreciates her husband.

A way to nurture his God given desire to lead is by being his biggest supporter and helper. Ironically enough one of the best ways, my pastor's wife told me, to help him to lead is by showing him how to help you. Weird huh? Now I'm not talking help as in having him do your honey do list! I'm talking emotionally and then yes we're back to my point of being transparent. Most men cannot confidently lead his wife if he doesn't feel he knows what makes her tick. If he doesn't really know his wife then he'll be less likely to be secure in making big decisions in the home. He may feel as if he'll be criticized by you and so on.

So see ladies... Our men feel secure when we gently help them to see what we need from them which makes us better helpers! I sure hope I didn't just confuse everyone and if I did, then just shoot me an email.

Happy Communicating!

My Husband Rocks-Taking Charge!

2008-11-08T13:50:00.010-06:00

Okay, so I know it's not Friday but I really wanted to participate in this. I stumbled upon

Katy Lin's blog, who started My Husband Rocks Fridays! I thought, what a great idea! Learning to appreciate and support my husband positively is an area the Lord has been asking me to grow in. This is a great tool to help me get there. Each Friday you list an attribute of your husband that you're thankful for that day or from the week and how it impacts you and your family.

I would like to say My Husband Rocks in growing to be a better leader of our home! My husband will tell you that he and I are not on the same level spiritually and admits he still has a lot of growth. But really though, who is ever done growing, spiritually? I know that I am definitely a work in progress. So therefore he really, until recently, didn't quite understand God's role for him as a husband in the area of leadership in our home. To my hubby's defense, it doesn't help matters to have a wife who can be overbearing and has the "Oh, just let me do it!", attitude. I am thankful that the Lord is also working on my role as his wife which includes having a gentle spirit who helps him to lead.

So anyway, the past two week's have been very trying with multiple family issues and to top things off, our septic tank backed up in our tub and toilets! Talk about NASTY! David handled it like a champ though. The old David probably would have gotten very angry and maybe even put it off and procrastinated until he got tired of bathing and doo dooing at someone else's house. Nope, he was calm. cool, and collected! he made all the phone calls, shopped around for the best price(I was so proud), asked my Dad to find and dig up the septic cover, and cleaned out all the tubs and stand up shower before I got home so I wouldn't have to clean it.

I love that he handled the stress of all this in a way that honored God. I think that was great for Eian to see what problem solving and honoring God at the same time look like.

What a guy, you ROCK Honey!

Gooseberry Patch Giveaway!

2008-11-06T05:50:00.002-06:00

I wanted to share with all of you a giveaway Kim over at the Homesteader's Heart is having. She is giving away a book from the Gooseberry Patch. You are missing out if you've never read one of their cookbooks or craft books. They are actually two Midwest gals who were neighbors and started the business while talking over their fence in the backyard! How cool is that? They have down home, pratical recipes that use most items you already have on hand. I've also used a lot of their crafts for Christmas gift ideas.

So go visit Kim's blog and get signed up today!

Word Filled Wednesdays

2008-11-05T21:36:00.006-06:00

I know Wednesday's almost over but I've been wanting to participate in Word Filled Wednesday's for awhile. A blogger hosts it over at 160acrewoods .

I chose this verse because I think it's so easy for us to get caught up in everyday happenings, good or bad, and forget to just simply rejoice in the Lord! I also think we take the wonderful gift of our undeserved salvation for granted. We should be doubly rejoicing of the hope and joy of our salvation is in our Lord Jesus Christ!

This verse helps me put all the "crud" we're dealing with right now into perfect perspective.

Election Thoughts

2008-11-05T21:09:00.003-06:00

Isn't it nice to know that God's in control and can use all things? Well I had to remind myself of that today with the election results being as they were. If God didn't want Obama in office then he wouldn't be there. Plain & Simple!

I read an analogy today on one of my email daily devotionals. Politicians are like ants on a log in a river. You get one who scrambles to get up front and thinks they're steering the log downstream. However, the log is just floating along no matter what the ant does and the log's going to end up in the place it was meant to anyway. God's the captain, not the politicians.

Just food for thought!

Kids Say....

2008-10-28T21:42:00.002-05:00

Kids say the darndest things don't they? However, the funny things you get to blackmail your kids with later, seem to come further and farther between the older they get. That's how it's been with Eian anyway. Every now and then he'll say something he's totally serious about but used a word out of context or something.

Well I wanted to guide us all down memory lane with this blast from the past. Of course, I think it's hilarious but it may have been one of those moments where you had to be there. Okay so anyway.... It was two years ago and Eian was in kindergarten. We were on our way out the door and to my surprise Eian was done before me and was patiently waiting and watching me as I put English Muffins in the toaster. He asked me what they were when I took them out of the toaster. I told him, "They're called English Muffins honey." I explained to him that it's kind of like a bagel but smaller and not as "bready".

So then to make small talk, he proceeds to interrogate me about them, are they good, are they better toasted than not toasted, what all can you put on them and so on. He then asked me a question I was sooo not expecting. "Hmmm, they sound good but do they also come in Spanish?" So I realized that he was hung up on the fact they're called English muffins and I begin laughing uncontrollably!

He then gives me that look like he has no idea why I'm laughing and then says, "What? Well, they make French Toast why wouldn't they make a Spanish bread?" Oh my goodness I nearly died laughing but then had to quickly gain my composure when I realized he was serious and did not appreciate my finding humor in it all! But boy, it'll be one that I'll never forget and probably tell his kids some day!

The Casserole Queen

2008-10-27T21:18:00.006-05:00

I was not an experienced cook when David and I met nearly nine years ago. I had just turned twenty-two and although did not have a plethora of dishes I made I felt I had a little more to offer in the culinary category than my fellow twenty something chicas.

We lived in Orlando at the time and I was slowly becoming homesick. So therefore I loved making comfort food that made me feel back at home and thus my future hubby dubbed me The Casserole Queen!

He may tease but there are a few staples to our cooler weather eating habits that have become a mainstay in our home. I'd like to share a few with you. I should point out that a few of these are new ones that I've attained over the past nine years.

Tater Tot Casserole (thanks to Crissy for this one!)
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees

Ingredients
1 lb hamburger
1 small onion
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup milk
garlic powder
salt & pepper to taste
2-3 cups frozen tots (about 1/2 a regular pckg)
Velveeta slices or chunks

Directions
Brown hamburger and cook onion with it then drain. Add soup, milk, garlic powder, salt, and pepper to skillet and stir till blended. Pour into a 13 X 9 casserole dish. Cover mixture with velveeta slices or chunks. Top with an even layer of tots. Place in oven for 25-30 minutes or until bubbly and tots are browned.

Taco Pie
Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Ingredients
1 lb hamburger
1 cup diced green pepper
1/2 cup diced onion
taco seasoning packet
1 small can of tomato paste

1/3 cup water
10 small refrigerated biscuits
2 cups colby jack cheese
sour cream to taste for garnish

Directions
Brown hamburger, green peppers and onions together and drain. Place back into skillet. Add seasoning packet, tomato paste, and 2 tbsp water or whatever packets directions call for. Heat mixture on medium high heat until simmering and thickened.

Add biscuits to bottom of 9 inch pie plate sprayed w/ cooking spray. Press biscuits into bottom of plate until they form a continuous crust. Add half of the meat mixture and spread to cover crust. Spread half of cheese evenly, add remaining meat mixture and top with cheese.

Place in oven for about 20-25 minutes or until biscuits look browned.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream and a salad.

Well there's just a sampling of the Casserole Queen's recipe box. I hope you enjoy them as much as our family has and continues to!

Blessings,
Stef

The Unexpected Change

2008-10-25T21:14:00.005-05:00

Yep, it happened! My seven year-old is on his way to manhood, already! Now us mothers would gasp at the thought and say "He's only seven!" but the fathers however say (with a deep masculine tone), "That's my boy!".

Thank goodness I'm not talking about signs of chest or facial hair or God forbid any other bodily things changing on my son. It was unknown to me that this sort of thing could happen so young. The "thing" in which I speak of is this....

I was going on about my business on the computer the other night with blogging, putting bills on the calendar, checking email and so on. It was close to bed time and I knew Eian was in our bedroom watching tv and winding down. Then IT happened! I heard a loud boisterous "Yeah, Yeah! Go, Go, Go! Touchdown- woo hoo, woo hoo! It sounded kind of boyish but I quickly looked in the living room to where I thought hubby had been. Yep, he was still there.

I proceeded to go in the bedroom to my dismay I found my little baby sitting on the edge of the bed with one arm rested on one leg and the other arm and clenched fist were waving vigorously in the air as his team scored! I didn't even know he had a team much less hoot and holler for them!

Nobody warned me that this would happen and at SEVEN! I thought ya know sure he would get interested in sports and watching them with Dad at maybe 12 or 13, NOT 7!!! I asked him naively, "Watcha doin honey?"

"Oh, nothin mom just watchin the game. You just missed it though, so and so (at this point all I can hear is, I am not your little boy any longer) just kicked a 40 yard field goal and now they're up by three! So and so also just made two interceptions, man he is awesome!!! The whole team's looking better this year than last. Their record's really improved."

Huh, what? I wanted to scream "What the heck is a field goal and what's an interception? How do you even know what the team's record was last year and why do you even care?" However, I refrained from such commentary and politely asked what happened to the Disney show he was watching. His response? Na, I'd much rather watch the game! Now mind you, my husband's not even in the room. So my son did this all on his own. I now feel like an outsider because I don't just have one but two men speaking the foreign sports language!

So I guess the next thing I should prepare for is boxer's only and the Go Diego pj's will go out the window! Oh well, this is just a sign my little guy's growing up and I find it an honor that God would let me be a part of it. I guess I need to learn to go with the flow and enjoy my guys while I have them and by a NFL dictionary of sports terms!

Grandma's House

2008-10-24T21:35:00.010-05:00

Okay so these are a little late coming but here they are anyway. I took a few days off about two weeks ago. Hubby, the kids and I went to visit my grandma up north. We only had a few hours but it was still great. She was so happy to see us. All of us grandkids (all 29 of us) just love her to death but we all get busy with our own lives that she rarely has visitors. It made me realize we should appreciate the time more the lord gives us with her here.

We arrived right before lunch time. Good timing for us because we received the royal treatment! She made us homemade mashed potatoes (no boxed stuff for granny!), homemade chicken and noodles and fresh homemade apple pie. Mmmm, Yummy!

We went to a park to let the kids play right around the corner from Grandma's house. It was a really nice park for being a itty bitty town. Then we let the kids play in the playroom while we talked about things of spiritual nature with Grandma. Then as we had to leave we were sent home with about 10 bags of pears! Mom canned some and since I don't have time to can I've just been sharing with friends, co-workers and anyone else who'll take the stinkin things!

Here are some photos of our visit:

Table for 2 Please

2008-10-24T21:09:00.007-05:00

Aha, you thought I fell off the face of the Earth, didn't you? Well I am actually adding a new post with new pics!

This was from last week and thought it was too sweet not to share. Eian's been under my feet so to speak when I'm in the kitchen since he was little. We've made cookies, brownies and other stuff to BAKE but never over the stove really. So you can imagine I went into protective mama mode when he told me this past February that he wanted to make me dinner for my birthday. Now it was just hamburger helper but what if burned his teeny weeny finger? Just kiddin, I loosened the strings and let him do it and he certainly felt a since of accomplishment.

He hasn't really asked to cook since and I haven't encouraged it for no real reason. So the other day I was scrambling to find something to make for dinner quick, since it was already 6:40. He stepped in like the little hero and asked to make hamburger helper and there was already meat thawed. He did a great job and loved the satisfaction from serving Paige and I. He asked if we had one of those big white chef hats but we don't. I think I have a new gift idea for him!

So here's my little chef, isn't he cute, oops I mean handsome?

Yeah, I Know!

2008-10-14T19:14:00.004-05:00

I know what you're thinking... I said I was going to blog up a storm this past weekend and here it is almost a week later and nothin! I reeeaaalllly do have tons to update all of you on but I guess I've been too busy living life that I just don't have time to blog about it!

I know I sound like a broken record but we're STILL adjusting to having another little person in the house, or should I say... I'm still adjusting. I honestly don't know how ya'll all do it with three four or even five little ones at the same time. All of you women who God has blessed, A LOT, with oodles of children are my new heroes, except for Jesus of course!

I promise I'll finally put up the photos of the kids when we were at Grandma's and get some other stuff I keep meaning to post up.

Later Taters!

Latest Niece Update

2008-10-08T22:05:00.005-05:00

Yay! I get two days off! Eian's school has fall break/ teacher conferences tomorrow and Friday. I had time left to burn before the end of the year and I'm so glad I reserved the time off. I never knew over a month ago when I put my request in that we would have my little niece living with us. It's true that she has been a wonderful addition to our home and am grateful for the opportunity to help her, my brother and to serve the Lord in this way. However, this wonderful blessing has not come without some growing pains, so to speak. My husband, son and I have all felt the pressure of a hectic schedule as we arrange for her supervised visits with her dad, giving up space and just re-configuring our routines in general.

So with all that said... a two day break is definitely welcomed! I say all of this gingerly because I certainly do not want to seem as if I am complaining or trying to get a pity party! I guess I'm posting this to vent a little and ask for prayers. Please pray for continued guidance, patience, meekness (oooh... I just learned the true Biblical meaning for this recently & I'll share more on this later!) for all of us and that God will be glorified though this. Pray that He keeps us humble and we recognize our need to rely on Him to see us through. Pray that all of my family involved will have their hearts opened and that their innermost being would be stirred by the Lord.

Thank you so much to all of you who have prayed so far. The next hurdle in this journey is coming this Friday. We will be having a 4 hour in home inspection. I'm not real sure what to expect other than I know he'll ask tons of questions and look over the mound of paperwork he asked us to fill out and go through and jot items in the house he wants corrected to make our home "child-safe". I'm trying real hard to remember God's in control because my biggest fear is that they find some reason for my niece not to stay here. I don't know why because it's not like my home's extremely filthy and we have the room for her (well we created room for her that is). So I will be praying about this in the morning and ask God to help me to trust Him. It's so easy for us to praise Him one day and then next day question Him when we're fearful, isn't it?

Anyway, we all felt a need to reconnect with one another and have some family time. So we're going an hour north to the sleepy little town my Grandma lives in. It's been awhile since we visited and she's just thrilled to have us. We'll just be going up for the day. So we're all looking forward to getting out of our normal environment for a day.

Thanks for listening to my ramblings and I hope to post up a storm this extended weekend! I have all kinds of posts drafted but not finished because it's just too hard to find time during the week. So stay tuned for more blogginess....

The Fireproof Movie

2008-10-04T18:51:00.005-05:00

Oh I cannot wait to see the movie, Fireproof. We may have to wait until January when it comes out on dvd though. Oh well, I can live through those of you who've seen it. So share your reviews with me if you've seen it. I would love to hear them. I know a few who've seen it and just loved it. I over heard one woman at church say her husband even got a little choked up!

It's so awesome to see that God is using a church body from Georgia to make His movies! I also heard on the radio that the movie is #4 in the country! So go see your movie with your hubby or heck even if you aren't married, you should go! They interviewed one woman who went and isn't married but dating. She thought it was great to see some of the pitfalls couples can get in and felt like she now has an advantage to "fireproof" her future marriage.

So my anticipation grows and I look forward to snuggling on the couch with David when the dvd's released!

Sailin' Through Saturdays

2008-10-04T16:08:00.006-05:00

I just love my Saturday's these days. I used to feel like I DESERVED to sleep in till 10 and then slither to the recliner and veg on TLC and HGTV shows and throw my kid a pop tart if he got hungry. I used to play this poor me act and deceive myself into thinking I needed my "Me" time after a long week at work.

Well I am so glad that I have been saved from a self-centered lifestyle! I still have my moments but I realize that no day truly belongs to me. They are all days the Lord has given to me as a gift. We all know, believers or not, that you can be here today but gone tomorrow so why shouldn't I make the most of any day, especially Saturdays, to be a blessing and to make the most of them?

So my NEW Saturdays include getting up around 6:30 or 7am (most days), Bible study, exercising, catch up on chores, soccer game mid-day, lunch and then get caught up on tedious projects at home that I can't get done during the week, grocery shop and sometimes a playdate at the park. Today however, I have been feeling a little "sluggish" and have been blog lurking. I turned my "lurking" into productivity though!

This afternoon I made homemade tomoto soup that I got from Tammy's Recipes. My mom and dad had a great crop of tomatos this year and I needed to do something with them before they went bad. I have to say, this is the BEST tomato soup. It beats the canned stuff for sure! It does take a lot more time obviously but I made a large enough batch to have a few bowls right away and then froze the rest in baggies. It made so much soup that I'll have enough for several months. Not to mention that I can turn some of the soup into pizza sauce and spaghetti sauce. The best part? It's super cheap.

I also decided to try to make my own iced coffee. It's a great recipe I got from another blog I lurk in from time to time. How ingenius is it to freeze leftover coffee? Why didn't I think of this before? I always have just a wee little bit left in the pot when I leave for work and now I just pour the last few drops into the ice tray. I just made mine and it is delicious! I made a little different variation though. I added a little vanilla extract and some of Eian's Nesquick to make it an Iced Coffee Vanilla Mocha! Instead of feeling guilty for being wasteful and leaving a few drops of leftover coffee I'll now look at those last wonderful drops as my little Saturday treat!

Well I'm off to have some Momma and Son time and finish a few chores! Enjoy the rest of your Saturday and I pray you have an even better Lord's Day tomorrow!

Gift Exchange or No Gift Exchange?

2008-10-02T21:05:00.006-05:00

Gifts or no gifts for Christmas? That's the question I've been asking myself lately. I'm sure the idea has been triggered by our playing catch up on bills and just the conviction from the Lord lately to be better stewards of our money. It may also be triggered by the "trap" you get into with gift exchange.

I don't know about all of you but I feel extreme pressure to make sure everyone knows how special they are to me by giving them a gift. I tell myself when I'm standing in line at 4 am wrapped around a Best Buy store freezing several body parts off that, "This is to show ________ how wonderful I think they are. I really want to warm their hearts this Christmas with this awesome gift. They're going to be soooo surprised!"

I also have that voice telling me that it'll hurt their feelings if I don't buy them a gift. What will they think of me if I don't get them this or that they've been wanting? It'll show them I don't care and then what'll they think of me? I say it's because it's in the spirit of giving, which should be to make the other person feel special, but who is it that I'm really trying to make feel special?Hmmmm.... I'd have to say ME! Where's the Christmas spirit in that huh? Kinda sounds like I'm really not thinking about anyone else at all!

I haven't ran it past any of the fam yet but I am tinkering with the idea of suggesting we maybe give to a charity or help a less fortunate family this year instead of gifts. It may get completely shot down, we'll see.

It's not just the fact that we are tight on money this Christmas, but the more I grow in my walk with the Lord the more I see the true meaning getting lost in the sea of useless kitchen gadgets and toys the kids never play with. I mean... how many foot spas and ugly sweaters does one person need?

I wanted to be brutally honest about some of my own personal thoughts and wondering if I'm alone?

Blessing

2008-09-29T05:38:00.005-05:00

I had to take a break from the blog world this week, but I'm back! I posted last week about our "unexpected blessing" and that blessing has caused me to have to re-prioritize and my blog got pushed down to the bottom of the list.

You're probably all on the edge of your seat wondering what the blessing is aren't you? I knew you were! Well the blessing we received last Monday is my two-year-old niece. We have temporary custody of her while my brother trys to get himself to a more stable position to be able to put my niece's needs first.

We love having her and she has taught all of us, including the cat, that we all had a lesson to learn in being flexible and realizing it's not always about us! I've really been proud of my husband especially, who admits he is a man set in his ways, but he has really embraced the situation and is a great uncle. My son has been handling it like a champ as well but he did ask to have a movie night the other night just him and I after my niece went to bed. I 'm trying to be mindful that he has been an only child for 7 years and a two year old takes up a lot of my time.

I may be the one (other than the cat of course) that's having the most trouble adjusting. My niece has helped me to realize how self absorbed I can be and that I have to learn that I don't have to be super mom. I think I sometimes try to make up for working full time by working my tail off here at home on the weekends. It's that constant struggle to find balance and it makes it even more difficult when you have a busy two year old under foot.

Don't get me wrong though, I am NOT complaining about having her. I know God has her here for a reason and I feel honored to be a part of His plan. Thank you for all your prayers and please don't stop. Please continue to pray for my brother and that he would open his heart to the Lord and commit to live his life for Him.

Gotta go for now but I'm sure I'll have many mis-adventures to post on now! I forgot how interesting life can be with a little one.

Just a Quick One

2008-09-22T20:58:00.008-05:00

Isn't it funny how God has a way of answering our prayers but not always how we expect Him to? Most of you know about God's slight change in our plans to have another child. We were expecting our second child last year but God thought otherwise and took our little one to Heaven. All I can say at this point, until it's made official, is that He has given us a blessing beyond imagination, even if it is a temporary one. He has entrusted us with a very important responsibility and I pray that David and I can be strengthened as a couple and grow in our ability to work together as a team and in our communication as a whole.

Please pray that the Lord would be glorified and others involved in this ordeal would be brought to their knees through these circumstances and recognize and admit there need for Jesus Christ as their Savior. Wow! Lots to pray for so I better go and get busy!

Good night all and God Bless,
Stef

My Hubby Turned 40!

2008-09-20T17:16:00.015-05:00

So my husband David is officially an OLD man robbing the cradle with me as his lovely wife! It's hard to believe how fast time has flown and that he's now 40 and we have been together for nearly 9 years! No really I tease when I call him old because to me, age really is just a number. It's what's inside a person that really matters and what's inside them that makes them young or old.

Still though, I felt extreme pressure to make David's 40th a great birthday. Most people who know Daivid, know he's hard to buy for and really doesn't have a lot of wants or needs. The only thing I could come up with that he really wanted was to see his mom. David's job situation has made it difficult financially to afford the gas to drive 4 hours to Ohio and visit her. So her and I conspired together to surprise him with a visit from her. Geesh, he's no fun! He called me from work the day she was "sneaking" in and asked if she was here yet! He suspected the whole time. Oh well, I know he enjoyed having her here and that's all that matters.

Lack of funds made it difficult to go out and buy him this super great gift so Eian and I did the next best thing.... a homeade (with the help of Pilsbury)strawberry cake (isn't it lovely?),

a handmade card with some of my scrapbooking supplies,

and a customized crown fit for a KING!

The King & His Queen!

Dad and His Boy!

Happy Birthday Sweetie, we love you!

Glad I Went

2008-09-17T20:49:00.008-05:00

Let me know if any of you have been where I was tonight.

I have on several occasions tried to talk myself out of going to a church function, a Bible study, a small group meeting, a serving opportunity or just church on Sunday all together. Well I have learned from experience that the more I struggle with the decision to go or not to go and then just do it and go, the more the Lord blesses me. He blesses me with revealing an awesome truth form His Word to me, an encouraging word from a pastor or touching my heart deeply while serving His people. The more I struggle, the more I realize there's something God wants me to learn from Him that Satan obviously does not!

Tonight, I thought, was no exception. I struggled within myself as whether to go to Wednesday night church classes or not. I wasn't feeling the greatest, I wanted to spend more time with my mother in law visiting from Ohio, I was tired and the list goes on of reasons why I wanted (keyword here being wanted) to stay home but then as if the Holy Spirit took over, I said "Nope, I'm going. I need to go!." I even told my husband that I couldn't wait to see how the Lord was going to bless me tonight because that's how this usually works. So to make a long story short, I went to class.

It's the fifth week in this class titled Women of Character. Each session has been powerful and has revealed a deep rooted lie taught to me over the years from the world's view. Each session leaves me feeling incredibly free. So here I am driving to church assuming this great and powerful blessing is coming to me. Then this thought came to me, "Is that why you're going? Just to be blessed? You need to go just because you want to be obedient, period." So I went to class and it was good, very good. Here, let me share some of the "blessings" from tonight's lesson.

The basic premise of tonight's study was taking what we learned from the previous week, the lie of self love, and turning our focus from within ourselves to outward and upward toward God. The world teaches us that we have to love ourselves before we can love others (I totally bought into this one), you deserve happiness, we all need and deserve our "ME" time, self esteem is the most important thing a person can have, etc.

We learned last week that this is such an empty promise because if you finally learn to love yourself then we, being sinful creatures, will soon start wondering why everyone else doesn't love as much as we love ourselves. A person then spins into a whirlwind of trying to get everyone else to love them just as much, gets angry or bitter when they don't and is just left feeling empty all over again!

However, when we have the love that Christ offers us and we accept it, all our needs are met. He loves us not because of who we are but because of who He is. He is an amazing God who loves us no matter what we do or don't do, He just loves us unconditionally. There is nothing we can ever do to lose it nor is there anything we can do to attain it, it's just there.

So why in the world would we ever want to settle for the love that we would ever be able to offer to ourselves alone? We know, and God knows, that we are incapable of that kind of pure love. Man what a sham, was all I could think about all those self help books I've read in the past! Another lie the world teaches us is that denying ourselves and putting others first is weak and obviously shows our need for approval from others and thus proves our lack of self esteem and validates our need to love ourselves!

Thank the Lord though for verses like these, that tell us differently: Phil 2:1-5, Matt 22:37-40,Matt 16:24-26, Luke 9:23 Then another point which I know is a basic truth of the Christian faith and a phrase we hear quite often at our church is, "It's not about me!" The only reason we are even here at all on this earth is because of Him and we are here and created to please God, not ourselves Matt 6:33, 1 Cor 10:31, 2 Cor 5:9-15.

Ahhh... "ding, ding, ding", the Lord seemed to say to me. Then I started thinking "Now what was I saying on my way here? I wanted to see what blessings were in store for me? How selfish of me, how could I expect God to bless me? I should want to learn more of Him and grow in my walk with Him and do things for Him just because I love Him and I have been called to follow Him and want to be more like His Son. Ah man, how stinkin selfish can I be?"

I left class feeling FULL from the awesome teaching and began my drive home. I immediately began praising Him and thanking Him for many things... our church family, for the woman teaching the class and the work He's doing through her, His unconditional love for me and for all of us who are so undeserving and finally for teaching me about obedience and that tonight was never about me and blessing me. Tonight was about Him. I asked for forgiveness and thanked Him for the gift of forgiveness He freely gives because of what Christ did on the cross. I finished my prayer and said my "in Jesus' name I pray, Amen."

My mind then went silent for a moment and for just a minute I felt extremely close to Him and then it was as if He was saying, "A Ha! You finalllly, get it my dear." And you know what... I felt extremely loved, comforted and "blessed" by the time I pulled into my driveway. Isn't God sooo AWESOME?

All I can say to sum up this post is.. "I Am Glad I Went!"

Good Night All
Stef

Hope for Climbing Out of the $$$ Rut

2008-09-08T21:02:00.004-05:00

My Husband and I have not been the best savers I guess you could say. Now with me at the ripe old age of 31 and my husband approaching the BIG 40, we realize that retirement really isn't that far off, let alone our baby heading off to college in a blink of an eye (okay so we've got about 10 years)! We have finally agreed that if we keep doing what we're doing then we'll keep getting what we've been getting, which isn't much!

Some friends of ours' church is offering a money management class called New Focus. Has anyone heard of this or taken the classes? I tried to find a website for them but couldn't. Anyway it's a faith based organization that offers this FREE 12 week course that teaches the ins and outs of money management, budgeting, saving, pitfalls, etc. I love that they are striving to make this as less hassle for their attendees as possible (they try to eliminate ANY excuses!). They offer free dinners, childcare (my son's best bud will also be there so he's super excited) and at the end of the open lecture session each person/couple is given 30-45 minutes with their own financial coach.

Hubby and I just went to the call out for more info and signed up. It starts next Monday and I think we both felt a huge weight lift from our shoulders as we walked out of the church. I found this verse that describes how I feel about the relief now that we are taking action, Biblically to better our situation.

Nahum 1:13Now I will break their yoke from your neck and tear your shackles away." Debt is our yoke right now and though I know we didn't get in this bind by accident and this won't be easy, my hubby and I are willing to begin being faithful in this area of our life for Him.

So I can't wait to get started and share the helpful tips I learn with all you gals!

Inspiring Quotes

2008-09-08T20:33:00.005-05:00

I've had two quotes that have been lingering on my mind and thought I would archive them down in blog history so I won't forget them. Okay so here they are...

"The owner of a falling apart Bible, ISN'T falling apart!"- Author Sharon Jaynes

"Bleach won't clean you up and make you "presentable" for God, only BLOOD, His blood, can." My Pastor, Steve Viars @ Faith Baptist Church

I love these. I hope you enjoy these as much as I did and do. They just bring a smile to my face =0)!

I am domestic, hear me roar!!!

2008-09-06T13:55:00.013-05:00

I had always considered myself pretty"domestic" in my own right. Until... I discovered the Blog World (darn you Sami!) and found all these blogs by seemingly normal women. It wasn't until further inspection of their blogs did I discover their hidden talents. Most of the blogs I was reading were from SAHM and Homeschooling Moms. Ironically enough, I am neither but felt drawn to these blogs (maybe the Holy Spirit's trying to tell me something?)

Long ago when I first became a mother, I used to think of SAHM's as whiney crybabies. I remember thinking, when I briefly became a SAHM until my son was nearly 2, "What the heck are they complaining about? Why do women think being a SAHM is soooo hard? Big stinkin deal, you get stay home and play with your kid all day, so what? The REEEEAAAAL work is out there in the REEEAAAL world, not at home!" Now just hold it right there and wait a minute before you click on my comment link to shoot me a few nasty words!

Please keep in mind that I was first of all, not a follower of the Lord and was very selfish. I resented staying home (which was mostly my husband's desire) and bought into the lie of the world that a women's real worth has to be found in a job, a career or anything else outside of the home. Secondly, I found no real passion in really wanting to keep up my home let alone wanting to make it my family's retreat. I did keep things fairly clean though but it was just routine, no joy put into it what so ever.

I was saved nearly 3 years ago and that's when my viewpoints and outlook on this began to change. It hasn't been until recently though that my respect and admiration for SAHM's has really grown strong. So here I am, a Working Full Time Out of The Home Momma (posts to come soon on why I do this) who is learning through my Bible study on my role as a woman, wife and mother and comes onto the blog scene. I soon discover this wonderful network of SAHM's who are Amazing Domestic Diva's! You girls rock!

I have learned to make my own homemade buttermilk and now my new fave... 100% Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread (using the homeade buttermilk =0) and learned more ways to stretch a buck than I can list! My next project may be homemade yogurt and cream cheese, we'll see! I've also gained so many new recipes and cooking tips that you just can't get in the Betty Crocker Cook Book! My Domestic Senses are tingling and I love it. I think my hubby does too! ;o)

You can check out Candy's blog http://myblessedhome.blogspot.com/ for the recipes.

My Son Going to Town "Punching" the Bread

Homemade

Buttermilk

Pancakes I made
With the Buttermilk!

My son loves pancakes but weekday mornings around here are too crazy for homecooking in the AM hours! Soooo... I made a whole batch of these over the weekend, let them cool and wrapped them up in plastic wrap to freeze. This allows me to take 2 or so cakes out of the freezer, stick them on a plate and nuke for about 20-30 seconds and viola!! Homemade pancakes!

Helpful tip: Put plastic between each cake so they don't stick together when you take them out of freezer!

Me

2008-09-01T09:04:00.007-05:00

As I said in my first entry, this is brand new for me and have tons of things I would like to post but where do I begin? So sharing a little about me might be a good place.

1. I am a Christian as of almost 3 years ago. I am grateful to God for my testimony and the dramtic transformation He made in me. I am by no means complete or perfect. I am a work in progress and believe that I will not fully arrive to a place of completeness until the day I meet Jesus in Heaven.

2. I have been married to my wonderful hubby for over 3 years but we have been together since 2000. We have one child and would love to have more but are trying to be patient knowing that it's up to the Lord.

3. I really do consider myself a simple gal, hence my blog name, and love being "simple". I'm sure my husband would disagree though as he has been trying to figure me out for years and would consider me anything but simple!

4. Family is important to me and I could easily become one of those Family Tree fanatics if I had the time. My Mom seems to be doing a good job of tracking down our families' roots for now though. So I must get it honest.

5. I am a work full-time outside of the home Mom but envy those who stay home. BEWARE... this Does Not mean I want to hear about everyones wonderful work at home schemes, been there done that! Pleeease do not bombard me with your business offers.

6. I love living in the country and love the midwest. Most people look at me like I'm crazy when I say that, but it's true! I moved to Orlando for about 3 years and thought I was one of the lucky ones and getting out of the small town rut and was on my way to bigger and better things! Then I met my hubby, had a baby and got extremely homesick. I missed the change of seasons, the harvest time, down home cooking, friendly farmers waving at you as they passed on their tractors, old and ready to crumble barns in the middle of an empty field, my family, and yes I missed SNOW! There is honestly no place I would rather be than right here.

7. Some of my interests are reading the Bible and other books to help me grow spiritually, Bible studies,yard sales, spending time with hubby and son, festivals, trying new recipes, crafting, scrap booking, gardening (although I don't have one yet), TRYING to keep a clean and organized home, getting back to basic cooking methods (like grandma used to do), and drinking tea & coffee.

8. I also love frugality and finding new ways to pinch a penny. I clip coupons, scan sales ads, comparison shop, and am now trying to bake from scratch more if time allows. I can't just grocery shop like a normal person either and my hubby hates to go with me ;-). I'll write more on my grocery shopping strategies later.

9. My sister jokingly calls me Polyanna. Apparently my sister views me as this lil' angel that onlys see the good in all things and floats around on my lil' cloud as if all is right with the world and I wouldn't harm a fly. Well, I do try to always see the good in ALL people and ALL things. I especially try to trust God with the uncontrollable things in my life and keep one of my favorite verses close during these times: (Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.) I have learned the hard way that I cannot control what happens to me, how others treat me BUT I can, through the power of the Holy Spirit, control MY actions, MY thoughts, and MY words. Funny thing about that, when I focus on my behavior and pleasing the Lord and stop worrying about trying to change others, they start to take notice. Sometimes they change their ways and sometimes they do not, but I at least know I am pleasing the Lord and that's enough for me! By the way, I have been to kill a fly or two and... maybe a few spiders!

10. So I guess that's pretty much me in a nutshell!

New to the Blog Experience

2008-08-30T20:32:00.001-05:00

Okay so I've only been introduced to this whole blog thing maybe a month or two ago. I've had a myspace account for awhile but you can't control it as much as you can a blog. So bare with me to all of you reading this, if anyone's reading this (I think I can hear crickets).

I do have so many things I would love to share with the big world. I felt that a blog will be a great way to share my faith and to meet other Christian women or anyone who wants to know about Christ. I also love to cook and I am growing in my love of organization. I've learned a lot through my 30 something years and some from wonderful gals here on line. This is my way of feeling as if I am also contributing.

So I'm sure you're all on the edge of your seats and dying with anticipation to see what my blog will look like and for my next post. Please be patient...there's good stuff to come!