Being What I Want to Be

I Heart Faces: Oh So Silly!

2012-01-29T23:47:00.001-06:00

I told Ella to hug Troy. This is what I ended up with, ha!

I Heart Faces: By the Book

2012-01-23T23:27:00.001-06:00

Ella has been so precious and funny lately when she reads books by herself. Sometimes the stories have something to do with the pictures on the pages, and sometimes not. When she was reading the book in the photo, almost every page began with her reading something to the effect of “When I was a baby . . .” followed by a bunch of made up words.

Drafting Dinner: Weekly Menu Planning

2012-01-23T11:13:00.000-06:00

This week is going to be a week of leftovers with a few new items thrown in.

Chicken spaghetti
Chicken enchilada casserole (using leftover chicken from my slow cooker salsa chicken). I’m also going to attempt to freeze one of these casseroles (I had enough chicken left over for two casseroles).
Pasta with meat sauce (I had a lot of meat left over after making these petite lasagnas last week. I didn’t follow the recipe exactly for the lasagnas, but we were not impressed – we will not be making them again. The wonton wrappers were dry/overcooked on the top, and undercooked on the bottom).
Steak with grilled veggies
Baked crusted chicken (not sure what I’ll coat it in yet) maybe with sautéed green beans

Speaking of new recipes I tried out last week, my husband loved the jalapeño coleslaw. I didn’t dress it nearly as heavily as the original recipe called, but I think he preferred it that way. My husband said it was the best coleslaw he’d ever had in his life! It turned out to be too spicy for my taste, but I think I might have liked it on something like a sandwich (which is what it was used for in the original recipe anyway).

Encouraging Independence

2012-01-23T07:07:00.000-06:00

For a while now Ella has been wanting to do everything by herself. This transition is kind of a strange for me – going from having to do everything for my tiny baby to allowing my toddler to do things by herself. Sometimes these changes are liberating to me as a mother: it is helpful at times that Ella can put her shoes on by herself or that she can pick up her toys or that she can buckle one of the buckles on her car seat. Sometimes, however, I struggle with allowing her to do these things herself. If we are in a hurry or running late (which seems to happen all too often), it usually is much faster for me to do those things for her, which is only discouraging to her. At times she can get quite upset when I “take over” her responsibilities. And, really, I do understand her desire to want to do these things by herself.

Sure, there are going to be times that I need to do these tasks for her for whatever reason. And she needs to understand that’s not a reason to throw a fit. BUT, I need to understand that I need to encourage her and help her to learn to do all these different things. I need to exhibit patience with her because she is only 2 (well, almost 3), and she doesn’t know how to do a lot of these things. Part of my role as her mama is to teach her these things, and to NOT get frustrated when she doesn’t do it right the first time or takes a long time to complete a task. When I let my impatience rule I’m only exhibiting a selfish attitude; very far from the attitude I ought to be exhibiting.

I’m amazed at the patience my husband displays with Ella (that I know I don’t always have!). He’s so good about letting her help him with special tasks – often things that he could get done more quickly by himself. Her eyes light up when he asks her to go help him get the trash together before the trash pickup comes or when he asks her to help him crush the cans for recycling (she picks up the ones he crushes and puts them away). I’ve also been trying to embrace giving Ella tasks such as putting clothes in the washing machine or taking the clean laundry to the appropriate bedroom. Yes, when Ella helps me out, these tasks take longer. BUT I need to train her to learn to do these things and much more, and I must have patience in the process!

I really do love watching her learn new things (I’m really amazed at what she picks up on!), and I don’t ever want to discourage her from learning. I need to encourage her independence without allowing my impatience to rule those situations. I love Ella so much: watching her grow and learn new things are great blessings in my life!

2012 Project 366: Week 3

2012-01-21T22:49:00.001-06:00

I admit that a couple of these photos were taken on the same day – which means I missed a day. But I’m ok with it. I’m taking lots of photos, and that’s a great thing!

Week 1

Week 2

Thankful Thursday: Days Like Yesterday

2012-01-19T09:41:00.001-06:00

Some days aren’t like yesterday around the house. Some days feel like every little task I need to complete is really a huge mountain that I have to climb. That wasn’t yesterday. Yesterday ran smoothly. Yesterday went kind of like I imagined most days would go as a stay at home mom (which I’m still figuring out, by the way). The kids ate well, without extra reminders to Ella to take more bites or to Troy to not throw his food. They played well together without injuries and without really any fussing. They took an uneventful bath together (so much so that I was able to clean the bathroom while they were taking a bath). I was able to get lots of little odds and ends done around the house, and even had time to sit down and starting reading my new book on my Nook.

Sure, yesterday had its challenges – it isn’t likely that I’ll have a day without challenges when I have two little ones (or even when they aren’t so little) in the house. Ella did everything she could think of to not take a nap (and I’m thinking in my mind, “Oh, what I would give for a nap!”), but she did eventually take a nap.

I’m thankful for days like yesterday, but also for days that don’t always run as “smoothly” as yesterday did. I’m thankful that I’m even able to have days like yesterday – I’m thankful that I’m able to stay at home with them. I’m thankful that I’m the one who is there to feed them their meals, to watch them play, and to give them their baths. I’m thankful that I get to direct and watch them as they are growing up.

Promises in the Book of Genesis (Chapters 16-20)

2012-01-18T13:49:00.001-06:00

It has been several months since I initially started this series, but it is time to finish it now!

Genesis 16

The promise that God would multiply Hagar’s descendants, and the promises of Ishmael’s future:

16:9-12: “9 The Angel of the LORD said to her, “Return to your mistress, and submit yourself under her hand.” ¹⁰Then the Angel of the LORD said to her, “I will multiply your descendants exceedingly, so that they shall not be counted for multitude.” ¹¹ And the Angel of the LORD said to her: “ Behold, you are with child, And you shall bear a son. You shall call his name Ishmael, Because the LORD has heard your affliction. ¹² He shall be a wild man; His hand shall be against every man, And every man’s hand against him. And he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.””

Genesis 17

The promises that God would multiply Abram (Abraham) exceedingly, make him a father of many nations, make him exceedingly fruitful, make nations of him, and that kings would come from him. Also, that God would give Abraham and his descendants the land of Canaan:

17:1-8: “¹ When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless. ² And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly.” ³ Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying: ⁴“As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. ⁵ No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations. ⁶ I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. ⁷ And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you. ⁸ Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.””

The promises that God would Sarai (Sarah) a son through Abraham, that she would be a mother of nations, and that kings would come from her. Also, that God would establish an everlasting covenant with Abraham and Sarah’s son, Isaac. Also, that God would bless Ishmael and make him fruitful, multiply him exceedingly, and that he will have twelve princes and make him a great nation.

17:16-22: “¹⁶ And I will bless her and also give you a son by her; then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples shall be from her.”
¹⁷ Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, “Shall a child be born to a man who is one hundred years old? And shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?” ¹⁸ And Abraham said to God, “Oh, that Ishmael might live before You!” ¹⁹ Then God said: “No, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his descendants after him. ²⁰And as for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall beget twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation. ²¹ But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this set time next year.” ²² Then He finished talking with him, and God went up from Abraham.”

Genesis 18

The promise that Sarah will have a son:

18:10: “10 And He said, “I will certainly return to you according to the time of life, and behold, Sarah your wife shall have a son.”

The promises that God would not destroy Sodom if there were 50, 45, 40, 30, 20, or 10 righteous souls found there:

18:26-32: “²⁶ So the LORD said, “If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.” ²⁷ Then Abraham answered and said, “Indeed now, I who am but dust and ashes have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord: ²⁸ Suppose there were five less than the fifty righteous; would You destroy all of the city for lack of five?” So He said, “If I find there forty-five, I will not destroy it.” ²⁹ And he spoke to Him yet again and said, “Suppose there should be forty found there?” So He said, “I will not do it for the sake of forty.” ³⁰ Then he said, “Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Suppose thirty should be found there?” So He said, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.” ³¹ And he said, “Indeed now, I have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord: Suppose twenty should be found there?” So He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of twenty.” ³² Then he said, “Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak but once more: Suppose ten should be found there?” And He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of ten.””

Genesis 19

The promise that Sodom would be destroyed:

19:12-13: “ 12 Then the men said to Lot, “Have you anyone else here? Son-in-law, your sons, your daughters, and whomever you have in the city—take them out of this place! ¹³ For we will destroy this place, because the outcry against them has grown great before the face of the LORD, and the LORD has sent us to destroy it.””

The promise that Lot and his family would be destroyed if they did not leave or if they looked back or if they stayed anywhere in the plain:

19: 15-17: “15 When the morning dawned, the angels urged Lot to hurry, saying, “Arise, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be consumed in the punishment of the city.” ¹⁶ And while he lingered, the men took hold of his hand, his wife’s hand, and the hands of his two daughters, the LORD being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city. ¹⁷ So it came to pass, when they had brought them outside, that he^[a] said, “Escape for your life! Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed.””

Genesis 20

The promise that God would punish Abimelech if he did not restore Sarah to Abraham:

20:6-7: “⁶ And God said to him in a dream, “Yes, I know that you did this in the integrity of your heart. For I also withheld you from sinning against Me; therefore I did not let you touch her. ⁷ Now therefore, restore the man’s wife; for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you shall live. But if you do not restore her, know that you shall surely die, you and all who are yours.””

Chapters 1-5

Chapters 6-10

Genesis 11-15

*All Scripture references are taken from the NKJV unless otherwise noted.

Drafting Dinner: Weekly Menu Planning

2012-01-16T11:12:00.001-06:00

Warm, toasted roast beef sandwiches with peppers and onions served with au gratin potatoes
Chicken and dumplings (I’ve actually never made chicken and dumplings, so I’ve got some recipe hunting to do!)
Breakfast for dinner
Chicken spaghetti
Slow cooker cilantro lime chicken (new recipe for me!) with cilantro jalapeño coleslaw (also a new recipe for me) and rice
Some sort of pasta dish with ground beef, ha. I was thinking about trying these petite lasagnas that use wonton wrappers.

I Heart Faces: Family Fun

2012-01-15T23:40:00.001-06:00

2012 Project 366: Week 2

2012-01-14T22:16:00.001-06:00

Week 1

Ella’s House

2012-01-13T12:06:00.001-06:00

One of Ella’s Christmas presents this year was a large cardboard playhouse that you can decorate and color yourself. I wasn’t sure how she’d do with such free reign of markers (not to mention the whole idea that she is coloring on walls of a house), but she did great! She has been responsible with the markers, and only ended up with a bit of marker on her, and none on the floor (or my walls) (at least not that I’ve found!). She’s even been a great sport about not having the markers out when Troy is playing in the room with her.

Thankful Thursday

2012-01-12T11:29:00.001-06:00

I’m thankful for cold fronts. Yes, I like the cold. But then again, I really don’t think I know what “cold” is considering that I live in Texas. So maybe I should be thankful for cold fronts in Texas.

And, while I’m thinking about it, I’m thankful that I live in Texas.

I’m thankful for silly little girls.

I’m thankful for batteries for the ball popper. I think I am anyways, ha. The kids love that thing, but it is noisy!

2012 Goals

2012-01-11T15:11:00.001-06:00

Rather than making resolutions, I’m setting goals for myself in 2012. I guess it might just be a different way of saying “resolutions” but, to me, goals are generally more tangible than any resolutions I’ve ever made, and I hope to be able to check them off the list sometime during the year (or at the end of the year). I realize this list is probably very boring to you, but I wanted to have a place to make myself accountable.

Spiritual Goals:

Daily Bible Reading
Focused/Planned Bible Study
Write Bible study lessons (and execute them) for the kids.
Develop a deeper prayer life.

House Goals:

Get the house organized, and purged of excess junk at the beginning of the year.
Have a garage sale (sooner rather than later).
Keep up with Flylady’s daily assignments to help keep the house in a manageable state.
Handle papers (mail, or otherwise) when they come into the home, rather than just piling them up to handle later.
Get one “house” project done each month (paint the front door, repair the floor, etc.)

Health Goals:

Complete Couch to 5K (I’m currently in week 4).
Lose weight. (I’m currently down about 8 lbs from November)
Gain strength and endurance.

Family goals:

Eat at home more often.
Stick to our budget, and look for ways to save more (including getting back on track with coupons – it is always hard for me to keep up with those over the holidays).

Photography:

Complete Project 366.
Learn more about off-camera flash.
Learn more about Adobe Photoshop (I’ve only recently purchased Photoshop).
Work on posing.

Other:

Exhibit more patience towards everyone, but especially my husband and children.
Work on time management, including getting up at a more consistent time in the morning, and going to bed earlier in the evening.
Spend less time on the computer.
Get outside more (especially with the kids).

Journeying to a Healthy Life: 2 Month Report

2012-01-10T15:51:00.001-06:00

Two months ago I wrote about starting a new diet, well, actually about starting a new lifestyle in regards to forming healthy eating and exercising habits. I’m removing the word “diet” from my new venture because to me there is something that isn’t permanent about a diet – it is just an activity you do for a little while to produce desired effects. I don’t want to only do something for a little while. I want to make a serious lifestyle change that results in a lasting healthy lifestyle.

So, how have I done these past two months? Have I made any progress in the right direction? Overall, I definitely think I am moving in the right direction, but I’m not where I want to be yet.

I’ve lost about 8 lbs, which isn’t a lot, but it is something, especially for me. Most of the times I have tried to lose weight in the past, I’ve never even made it to 8 lbs before reverting back to the old bad habits. Combined with the fact that we’ve had Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s in the time I’ve been working on this new way of life, I’m certainly pleased with an 8 lb weight loss.

I’ve completed 4 weeks of the Couch to 5K program. Although I technically should have completed 7 or 8 weeks at this point (not really wanting to count it up right now), I’m excited that I’ve made it this far. I had a wicked cold/cough during December that prevented me from running (I have terrible asthmatic cough problems at times), but I’m back on track now that I’ve gotten past the cold. On top of completing those workouts, I can actually notice a difference in what I’m physically capable of completing. During the first week, I felt like I was going to die (well, almost) when I had to run for a minute and half. Yesterday, I was able to run for a total of 16 minutes – 2 3-segments, and 2 5-minute segments, which is good progress!

Finally, I feel like I’m slowly developing a better relationship with food. Two months ago, I was at a point where food controlled me. And, although I’m not 100% in control of the food in my life, I’m at a MUCH better place than I was two months ago. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed using the My Fitness Pal app, and I highly recommend it! The Couch to 5K app is also great.

No official after picture yet, but hopefully it’ll be coming in the next few months as I continue on my journey.

Drafting Dinner: Weekly Menu Planning

2012-01-09T13:03:00.001-06:00

Chicken and sausage jambalaya (postponed from last week)
Pot stickers with Asian slaw (if I can find wonton wrappers!)
Taco salad
Stuffed chicken or pork with couscous and a green veggie
Slow cooker whole chicken (I’m excited to try this for the first time, plus I’ll be able to make some chicken stock!)
Chicken enchilada casserole (made with extra chicken from the slow cooker chicken)

I Heart Faces: Best Face Photo from 2011

2012-01-08T23:07:00.000-06:00

As always for me when choosing a favorite, or even a few favorites, from the past year, I have a very difficult time. However, when it came down to it, I found myself especially gravitating towards a couple of photos I took in December. I ended up choosing the photo of Ella below, but I almost chose the photo of Troy with the bokeh Christmas lights – he was such a poser in that photo!

Oh, and if you are curious, check out the photos I entered from 2010 and 2009.

2012 Project 366: Week 1

2012-01-08T21:56:00.001-06:00

This is the third year that I’m attempting to complete project 365 (well, project 366 this year!), which is a photo a day, every day of an entire year. Although I didn’t officially complete it last year, I certainly appreciate the photos that I was able to take in order to document our lives, as well as to continue to improve my photography skills.

You can check out my 2010 project 365 here (I was very close to completing 2010, but I failed at documenting it along the way).

Thankful Thursday

2012-01-05T15:40:00.001-06:00

I had forgotten that today was Thursday (I lose track of time after the holidays), and was reminded when I was reading today’s Thankful Thursday post by my friend (who inspired me to write these posts in the first place). She also inspired/reminded me that now is a great time to reflect on at least a few of the ways I’m thankful for my husband considering that we just celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary on Tuesday.

I’m thankful that my husband always seems to remember to consider me first (even though I often get wrapped up in things, and don’t consider him first as often as I should).
I’m thankful that my husband knows how to make me smile and make me laugh, even when I’m down.
I’m thankful that my husband makes me smile and laugh everyday.
I’m thankful that my husband is a dedicated Christian man, who puts God first in his life, and that he is the spiritual leader in our family.
I’m thankful that my husband is extremely cute. : )
I’m thankful that my husband thinks about our future together, when I tend to get caught up in the here and now.
I’m thankful that my husband is patient with me, especially when I get crazy stressed out for no good reason.
I’m thankful that my husband is always there for me.

Excuse the poor quality photo (a scanned photo from Facebook). We have been married longer than Facebook has been around, ha!

Drafting Dinner: Weekly Menu Planning

2012-01-03T11:57:00.001-06:00

I thoroughly enjoyed the holidays, but I am very thankful to be home, and to get back into a regular routine. On a side note, do you call dinner, “dinner” or “supper”? I’ve always grown up calling it “dinner,” but I know a lot of folks (even who grew up in the same area as me) call it supper. I’m a dork, by the way, when it comes to words. I’ve decided to move away from calling my menu plan posts “Menu Planning Monday” simply for the fact that it always bugs me when I’m a day (or more) late posting the weekly menu.

Beef fajitas
Pasta in a light cream sauce with chicken and broccoli
Chicken (or maybe beef) noodle stir fry
Ground beef and rice casserole
Chicken and sausage jambalaya

2011 in Photos

2012-01-02T15:21:00.001-06:00

2010 in Photos

2009 in Photos

January:

February:

March:

April:

May:

June:

July:

August:

September:

October:

November:

December:

Christmas 2011

2011-12-31T22:57:00.001-06:00

No words only than these few here at the beginning, just lots of photos! Sadly, one of my memory cards became corrupted, and I am missing a chunk of Christmas photos. I’m hoping I can eventually get the photos off the card . . .

Top 11 of 2011

2011-12-29T23:11:00.001-06:00

In many ways it is hard to believe that I am already choosing my favorite photos of the year again. I love choosing my favorites (although it can be really difficult to narrow it down!) because it gives me lots of time to think back on the year. I love my family so much! I look forward to sharing more photos with you in a few days in a year in review (photo style) post.

Be sure to check out my top 10 from 2010!

Happy 15 Months Troy!

2011-12-29T22:43:00.001-06:00

Happy 15 Months Troy!

I never can seem to get these monthly posts for you out on time! Oh, well, I’m at least thankful that I remember to write them in the general timeframe because they serve as a great reminder to the life we are enjoying with you!

You still aren’t walking (I know, I know, you are making me eat my words that you would walk before Ella did!), but you have finally started taking some steps. When you turned 15 months old, you’d take a couple of steps at a time. You are quite capable of standing without holding onto anything. In fact, you’ll drink your bottle or sippy cup while standing without holding onto anything, and you’ve even thrown a ball while standing without holding onto anything. Although you aren’t walking yet, your crawling is always the talk of the room. You are a very fast crawler, and you even have what we call “high speed mode” where you put your head down and crawl like crazy!

You love playing with balls (any kind from a football to those huge inflatable balls that are bigger than you!). You love to throw or rolls the balls, and you continue to show off that you prefer to use your left hand. You are even pretty good a catching the large ball. When your dad rolls it to you, even if it is off to the side, you’ll move to it to put your arms around it to grab it.

You continue to jabber a lot, and you’ve added a lot of words to your vocabulary this month. You are very good at getting your point across even if you don’t know how to say the words. You are so expressive! You really hate getting your diaper changed, your nose wiped (which happened a lot this month because you were sick), getting your clothes changed, and riding in the car, and you let us know that you don’t like those things!

You continue to show off your climbing skills. I’ve had to rethink how to babyproof the house – Ella never was a climber! You also get into everything whether that be presents under the Christmas tree or in the kitchen cabinets. And, no, I never did babyproof the cabinets (except the one with chemicals) when Ella was a baby – she just wasn’t interested in digging in them like you are.

You still love being outdoors, and you even enjoy getting wet from the rain. You love when your dad runs with you in the cold air – you grin and laugh a lot! Your laugh is one of the most precious things in my life – I always love hearing it!

You love, love, love to dance! At a Christmas gift exchange we ended up with a Johnny Cash ornament that played “Ring of Fire” and you and Ella played that song over and over, dancing along every time. Y’all played it so much the batteries died on it before Christmas! You would grab the ornament in your hand and wave it around while the music played. However, that ornament isn’t the only music you like to dance to – you’ll dance to almost any music, and you love to make the toys play the music over and over again. If you are sitting down when the music plays you sway side to side hitting your arms on the ground as the music plays. If you are standing up (holding on to something) you’ll bounce up and down and get absolutely crazy! I’ve added a video of your dancing skills at the end of this post because it is too great not to share!

Signs you do: more, finished, milk, hungry, thank you, please (although only once, maybe twice)

Words you say: bye, ball, Bible, bottle, bite, book, blue, mama, dada, Ella, “eeses” (Reeses, our dog), “anks” (thanks), “ish” (fish), “inished” (finished), duck, “ootball” (football), RhuRhu (grandma), Gigi (grandma), hey, hi, down, up, uh-uh, “eese” (please"). I also think you say something that sounds like “what’s that?”

Animal noises you make: chicken

Favorite foods: banana, beans, peanut butter crackers, green beans (although not as much lately), but mostly whatever is on someone else’s plate. You seem to be a lot more finicky about food lately, but I’m not so sure it isn’t just because you’ve been sick and we’ve been traveling.

Favorite activities: crawling and exploring everything, especially following Ella or chasing a dog; dancing (you love to turn on the music that plays on toys and dance to it); reading books; watching Blue’s Clues; taking baths; playing with balls (you love to throw any kind of ball); trying get any electronics or drinks you can spot.

Troy dancing from Lisa Kennedy on Vimeo.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T08:00:00.000-06:00

Christmas Activities (with a toddler!)

2011-12-24T10:32:00.001-06:00

Now that Ella is getting a little bit older, I was excited to do lots of fun Christmas projects with her this year. We didn’t get around to doing as many things as I had originally planned, but we did do a couple of fun projects.

First, we made a gingerbread house. We used a boxed kit, and Ella had a ton of fun directing me where to put icing and candy as well as placing some of the candy herself. She was even more excited when she figured out that she could eat some of the candy. : ) By the way, no judging on the quality of the finished product – I’m not very creative and my helper was a two year old! ; )

We also made salt dough ornaments. They were incredibly easy to make, and Ella really enjoyed picking out shapes as well as using the cookie cutters (or other utensils) to cut out the shapes.

(Ella was sick when we did this activity, so ignore the snotty face . . .)

Thankful Thursday

2011-12-22T16:51:00.001-06:00

I am thankful for the Almighty God who rules the heavens and the earth.

I am thankful for His sovereignty.

I am thankful for God’s perfect love and grace.

I am thankful for God’s salvation found through Jesus Christ.

I am thankful for God’s supreme knowledge and wisdom.

I am thankful for God’s holiness.

I am thankful for God’s truth and peace.

I am thankful that this list could never be complete because there is so much to thank God for.

Pep Talk

2011-12-17T23:13:00.001-06:00

I love the time of year between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I love the atmosphere of this time of year: everything from Christmas cookies to finding and wrapping the perfect gift to driving around looking at Christmas lights to receiving Christmas cards in the mail to traveling to see family and friends.

Time seems to fly more quickly these days, especially as I watch my children grow. We haven’t even reached Christmas yet this year, and I already feel like this time between Thanksgiving and Christmas has passed too quickly. Throughout this time I’ve felt a bit too spread thin, and, not only have I felt like I haven’t had much time to relish the season, but I have also felt like I haven’t been able to do many of the things I’ve wanted to accomplish. I had great plans to do lots of fun Christmas activities with Ella (who is really getting engaged into the whole idea of Christmas), but we’ve only managed to do two of the many fun ideas I’ve found. After three Christmases searching, I finally bought material to make Christmas stockings, but I didn’t even make it to the point of pulling the sewing machine out of the box.

This post isn’t about complaining, but simply a reality check for me. I can’t be everywhere at once. I probably won’t get everything done on my to-do list because it is too long and unrealistic in the first place. With two little ones in the house, projects will inevitably get put off and plans will change. Ella and Troy were both sick for a week (my husband and I didn’t feel great either). And, besides actually dealing with kids that didn’t feel good, we also had to deal with the severe lack of sleep (the kids don’t sleep well when they are sick and they share a room which only complicates that problem). On top of sick kiddos, I almost sliced the tip off of my index finger (so, please ignore any typos in this post), and was out of commission for an entire evening after that incident (what can I say, I have an extremely week stomach for almost slicing the tip of my finger off). Things types of things are not things to be worried or bothered by; they are simply things (and not really big things) that happen in life from time to time. But, I need to give myself that pep talk when I get bogged down by these things. And, when I say that I need to give myself a pep talk, I really mean that I need to listen to my husband’s encouraging words (because he is always the one who realizes I need the pep talk).

Hopefully this last week before Christmas will be a chance for me to slow down and breathe a little. As long as I actually figure out what to get for the last few folks on our Christmas list . . .

Holiday Bokeh Party

2011-12-14T15:04:00.001-06:00

I loved this challenge last year, and I’m excited to participate again this year!

I Heart Faces: Furry Friends

2011-12-13T15:10:00.001-06:00

“I’m not sick!”

2011-12-11T18:55:00.001-06:00

Our household has been teetering on the edge of sick all week long, and over the weekend, the sickness finally got the best of Ella and Troy (and me too, to some extent). Ella and Troy weren’t able to go to Bible class and worship service this morning because of the sickness. Ella was incredibly disappointed that she couldn’t go to Bible class and services. In fact, she was running around saying “I’m not sick!” trying to convince us otherwise. She portrayed the same attitude tonight as she also had to miss the evening services. Ella’s attitude about the whole situation amazed me, and I’m thankful that she already has such a perspective.

Ella’s actions and enthusiasm remind me about the attitude I ought to portray about an opportunity to learn more about God and the Bible, and an opportunity to worship Him. It is easy to fall into a pattern of Bible class or worship services just being another event on the calendar, rather than the blessed occasion that it truly is. A time to go to worship the Almighty, for He truly is worth of praise and honor. A time to partake of the Lord’s supper. A time to fellowship with the saints; to share in suffering and rejoice in salvation. A time to learn more about God’s magnificent Word. I’m reminded of David’s attitude in Psalm 122:1: “I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go into the house of the Lord”.”

Wordless Wednesday: Christmas Tree

2011-12-07T13:55:00.001-06:00

Happy 14 Months Troy!

2011-12-06T08:00:00.000-06:00

Happy 14 Months Troy!

Late again, I know, but you turned 14 months over Thanksgiving, so that’s a good excuse, right?

I’ve been having a lot of flashbacks to you as a tiny baby at this time last year now that we are in the holiday season. It is hard to believe how much changes in a year!

You still aren’t walking, but I think you physically could if you wanted to, you just haven’t decided to take that risk yet! You often end up in a squatting position after starting to drop down from holding onto something or as you almost try to stand up (although you don’t stand up on your own without holding on to something).

You continue to love being the center of attention, and you know how to get everyone’s attention. You are so incredibly vocal all the time! Although your words still aren’t that clear, you say the same syllables for certain things over and over again, and we are really starting to understand what you want (at least we think we know what you want or are saying). You are particularly good at the “ba” sound, and say “ball” as well as “ba” for “bible,” “bite,” and “bottle.” You also sign more consistently, and added “thank you” to the list of signs you do.

You love to play with balls. One of your favorite things to do is to throw the ball and chase after it, or to throw the ball to someone else (especially Ella) and wait for the ball to be thrown back to you. Although you are probably still a bit to young to know for sure, you certainly seem to favor your left hand in many ways, including throwing.

You also have a lot of fun giving high fives . . . in fact you often think it is funny to high five me or your dad (or someone else!) in the face, which is really not funny! You also started playing peek-a-boo with us. We’ll say, “Where’s Troy?” and you hide your face behind your hands. Then we’ll say, “There he is!” and you move your hands and you grin really big!

You started putting your hands together when we say prayers sometimes. I am very impressed by this action, because you started doing it simply from observation (when we encourage Ella to put her hands together).

Signs you do: more, finished, milk, thank you

Words you say: mama, daddy, Ella, ball, bottle (“ba”), bible (“ba”), bite (“ba”), fish (“ish”)

Favorite foods: banana, beans, peanut butter crackers, green beans, and pureed fruit/veggie pouches (these things are awesome because you can use them yourself, they are healthy for you, and they are easy to throw in the diaper bag to go, and you LOVE them!)

Favorite activities: crawling and exploring everything, especially following after Ella; reading books; watching Blue’s Clues; trying to get any electronics or drinks you can spot; playing with balls

I Heart Faces: Bust a Gut

2011-11-28T14:36:00.001-06:00

Ella LOVES this jack-in-the-box sock monkey toy. She was dying laughing at it each time it popped up!

Menu Planning Monday

2011-11-28T11:24:00.001-06:00

I hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving!

Beef and broccoli (something new for me)
Ground beef chili
Crock pot Santa Fe chicken
Grilled pork chops
Brisket

Thankful During Thanksgiving

2011-11-26T12:55:00.001-06:00

I’m sad to say that the first Thursday I’ve missed in writing “Thankful Thursday” posts was Thanksgiving, the day our nation takes time off to be thankful. BUT, I’m thankful that throughout this past Thanksgiving week that I really haven’t spent much time at all on the computer, and that a large portion of the time that I have spent on the computer has been spent looking up recipes for family meals or looking at family photos.

Every year I’m more appreciative of the blessings that I have in my life. I’m blessed with a beautiful family. I’m thankful that my husband is leading our home to be centered on God. I’m blessed spiritually (Ephesians 1:3) because I’ve been baptized into Christ Jesus. I’m blessed by my spiritual family (the church), and I’m blessed to be able to labor with them in the Lord. I’m blessed physically with a house (much more than we need), a warm bed on cool nights, clothing, and plenty to eat. And, even with some of the awful things that we see in our nation, I am blessed to be living in this Great Nation.

I hope you and yours had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Thankful Thursday

2011-11-17T17:24:00.001-06:00

Just one thought for today, but lots of photos.

I’m thankful for kiddos that, at least at this point in their lives, enjoy playing with each other.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-11-16T09:28:00.001-06:00

Menu Planning Monday

2011-11-14T15:08:00.001-06:00

Bacon-wrapped, cream-cheese stuffed chicken breasts with parmesan asparagus
Chicken with Asian slaw salad (something similar to that recipe, but not quite)
Baked eggs cups with toast or biscuits (this keeps getting pushed off the menu!)
~~Pasta with meat sauce~~ Hobo Dinners

Thankful Thursday

2011-11-10T21:11:00.001-06:00

I’m thankful for my little boy who is turning into a toddler before my eyes.

I’m thankful that my husband has endured all the really bad meals I’ve cooked during our marriage. I’m also thankful that there are a lot less bad meals these days . . . I’ve learned a bit over the years!

And, I’m thankful for our house, and for all the hard work we put into making the house our own.

(kitchen before – excuse the facebook quality photos)

(kitchen after – well, close to after)

The Ugliness of Sin

2011-11-10T16:13:00.001-06:00

As a mother, I often think about the world in which my children are growing up and are forming who they will become. I’m a news junkie (and my fairly recent conversion to Twitter has not helped me in that area), and I see story after story of the effects of sin in the world today. One such incidence that would be hard to miss if you keep up with any news at all is the scandal that is currently rocking the sports world within the Penn State football program. There are so many things about the situation that are sickening to me: the alleged molestation of children; the alleged mishandling of reporting of the incidents; and, the protestors who seem to care more about football than young children who may have been assaulted. The actions of many within or near the entire situation are clearly revolting.

I hurt when I think about the day when my children are old enough to ask questions about such situations as the one mentioned above. I want to keep them protected from such sad and evil examples; I want to keep their minds pure. However, I know that I cannot protect them from the world forever, and eventually they will (and must) learn about sin and the consequences of sin. I’m thankful, though, that as they learn about the ugliness of sin, that I can teach them about Someone who can take away sin if we obey Him; Someone who sacrificed His life that we might live – Jesus Christ. As Romans 6:23 states: “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

1 John 4: 7-11: “7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. ⁸ He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. ⁹ In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. ¹⁰ In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. ¹¹ Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”

I need to take a before picture

2011-11-09T11:43:00.001-06:00

Ugh, this has to be about the 500th (ok, maybe 1000th) time in my life I’ve decided to start a diet. Except this time I’m planning for it to be different. I don’t need a diet. I need a lifestyle change. And, I need to take a before picture, because I’m determined that there will be an after worth seeing.

I started this new life on Monday, and so far have managed to stay focused. I started Monday morning off bright and early by doing the Couch to 5K workout. (If you aren’t familiar with the Couch to 5K program, it is a program that you follow three days a week to slowly build yourself up to running a 5K in 9 weeks). I’m not going to sugarcoat it – I felt absolutely awful after completing the workout. I complained to my husband that I thought exercising was supposed to make you feel good, but I felt anything but good. But, I did it. I made it through the first workout. And, then I made it through a day of counting calories and staying below my calorie target. And then Tuesday came around, and I made it through a second day of counting calories. And then today, even though I absolutely didn’t want to get up, I completed the second day of the Couch to 5K workout.

I know that I’m really going to have to do some serious training when it comes to food. I certainly have some internal struggles with food. For instance, yesterday we had a soup and salad luncheon. I counted calories, was barely able to eat anything {especially considering what I normally eat}, and left hungry and unsatisfied. I really thought eating at a soup and salad luncheon would be easy. But it wasn’t, not even close. I need to learn to exercise self control in my life. I know I can do it; after all, I had to follow strict food restrictions in both my pregnancies because I had gestational diabetes. My actions must reflect the importance of being healthy.

Menu Planning Monday

2011-11-07T14:16:00.000-06:00

Meat lovers quiche (with lots of breakfast sausage and bacon)
Taco salad (I keep intending to make this, and it keeps getting put off)
Roast
Grilled Balsamic flank steak with the Pioneer Woman’s green beans

I Heart Faces: Black

2011-11-06T22:00:00.001-06:00

Thankful Thursday

2011-11-03T15:29:00.001-05:00

I’m thankful for blogging. I’m especially thankful for the opportunity it has allowed me to document precious moments in my children’s lives.

I’m thankful for a certain little girl who is anxious to help with everything.

I’m also thankful for the patience that a certain little girl is teaching me when she is anxious to help with everything.

And, I’m thankful for the wonderful cool weather we have today.

Happy 13 Months Troy!

2011-11-03T12:08:00.001-05:00

Wow, I am really, really late writing this post, but hopefully I’ll be able to remember what things you were doing when you turned 13 months old (and not since then!).

Happy 13 months, my sweet baby boy!

You can do “touchdown,” and you are always so proud when you do it, looking to see if everyone is watching. You also do the movements for the song “Read your Bible, and pray everyday” as well as put your light up for “This Little Light of Mine.”

You are standing more and more these days (still holding on to something), but you seem to be getting more and more confident. I am starting to doubt that you’ll walk before Ella did (at 14 1/2 months), even though I had convinced myself of that a few months ago. I’m not worried about the fact that you aren’t walking yet though – you’ve gotten to be a really, really fast crawler (after belly-flopping for so long).

You really enjoy playing with Ella, and you and Ella have really taken to playing in your new(ish) playroom. I initially intended on it being a place for Ella to play since she is older and has some things that aren’t really age appropriate for you, but you two would rather play together most of the time!

You love being outside, and the weather has been really nice lately. We went to a pumpkin patch, and you had a great time. You wanted to crawl everywhere and even tried to eat the dirt (not surprising since you put everything in your mouth!).

You continue to be extremely vocal and animated, even though you still don’t use a lot of words we understand. You have also become a very frequent signer, and you are pretty good at letting us know what you want.

Signs you do: more, finished, milk

Words: mama, dada, Ella, ball, bottle, hi

Food: banana, pear, noodles, beans, whatever everyone else is eating (you always want what everyone has)

Favorite Activities: crawling and exploring everything, especially following after Ella; climbing things (which scares me!); reading books; watching Blue’s Clues; trying to get any electronics or drinks you can spot

Leap of Faith

2011-11-02T15:45:00.001-05:00

I’m currently taking a class for my Masters degree about philosophy in education. In this class, I’m learning about all sorts of different philosophies (which is somewhat interesting to me – I never took anything like this as an undergrad) from idealism to realism to pragmatism, and on. (I’ll try not to bore you too much with the details of philosophy.) As I’ve been reading about the history of different philosophies, I’ve been saddened by the negative effect that some ideas have had on true Christianity. One particular idea especially that struck me was the origination of the idea of “leap of faith.”

Søren Kierkegaard was a philosopher who lived from 1813-1855. He proclaimed Christianity (although I have no idea what type), but yet falsely believed that there is no proof God exists. Kierkegaard proclaimed that people must take a “leap of faith” because there was no evidence for God, and thus there was no logical or rational way to know God. This “leap of faith” would allow one to truly follow Christianity.

So many in the world today wrestle with the idea of a Biblical faith. The word “faith” is misused in more ways than I’m going to express now, but one of those misuses is described by the idea of “leap of faith” – that faith is something you have to jump into without any real evidence. Biblical faith isn’t unfounded – quite the opposite. Consider Hebrews 11:1: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

If you struggle with seeing the evidence for God, I encourage you to turn to the Scriptures. The Bible is the inspired Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1: 16-21) and provides great evidence for the existence of God. Additionally, sites by faithful Christian brethren, like Apologetics Press, provide great resources on topics ranging from the existence of God to the inspiration of the Bible (and much, much more!).

Happy Fall Y’all!

2011-11-01T13:40:00.001-05:00

Ella was not much in the mood for pictures at the fall festival (she’d been sick pretty much the whole week before, and was still very tired), but I loved her costume – it was perfect for her considering how much she loves her sock monkey. Troy went as a “mini-me” of my husband – do you think they look alike?

It is amazing how much changes in a year!

Menu Planning Monday

2011-10-31T16:08:00.001-05:00

Chicken enchilada casserole
Chicken tortilla soup
Grilled steak with salad
Baked egg cups with toast or biscuits (I ended up making quiche last week instead)

Thankful Thursday

2011-10-27T15:58:00.001-05:00

I have a friend who always writes the most beautiful thankful Thursday posts, and it has inspired me to do the same. I think it really is a great time of reflection for the blessings in my life!

I am thankful for the reminder of how much my husband helps me and my family, even if it is because Ella is throwing up when he isn’t here.

I am thankful for a friend who has devoted his life to missionary work in a foreign country.

I am thankful for Troy’s new signing skills, and how much I really love communicating with him.

I am thankful for Ella and her constant reminder for me (and everyone else around her) to “be careful.” I must be really concerned that she is careful, because she loves to mimic me.

And, I am thankful for cheesy grins.

Menu Planning Monday

2011-10-24T13:47:00.001-05:00

Chicken Enchilada Soup
Grilled pork chops with veggies
Baked Egg Cups with toast or biscuits. Maybe Mexican style with salsa.
Taco Salad
Hurry Up Chicken Pot Pie

I Heart Faces: Let Them Be Little

2011-10-24T10:59:00.001-05:00

Troy’s Cake Smash

2011-10-19T16:56:00.001-05:00

Menu Planning Monday

2011-10-17T12:00:00.001-05:00

I’m not sure what this week has in store yet, but here’s what is tentatively on the menu.

Taco Soup
Ground beef and rice casserole
Sesame chicken and Asian cole slaw salad (I’m addicted to this salad!)
Brisket with probably some sort of potatoes, beans, and a green veggie

I’m not loving the photo above – I just don’t have the perspective and lighting right, but nonetheless, the meal was yummy. Baked bell peppers stuffed with a mixture of cooked ground beef and ground turkey, topped with cheese, and served with tomatoes, avocados, and rice.

Attitude Check

2011-10-12T15:15:00.001-05:00

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the type of attitude and general “vibe” I give off to those around me. I know that I often portray a more negative attitude, even though I don’t necessarily consider myself a negative person. I’m very happy, and yet I know that I have a tendency to get bogged down in little things that might make me seem otherwise. I think that sometimes the reason I come across negative is because I have this silly feeling that if something isn’t going exactly right with me that I need everyone around me to know about it, and perhaps feel sorry for me, or something along those lines.

I started thinking about these things because I was noticing a pattern on Facebook (as well as on blogs and Twitter) of individuals whose statuses or updates or comments are mostly negative or depressing or, on the flip side, mostly positive or uplifting. I started noticing that I would quickly click “next” in Google reader when coming across certain blogs because I knew the post would likely be a downer, or that I could already predict that someone’s status was going to be a complaint before I even read it. Conversely, I found myself looking forward to reading updates or notes from others because I knew their words would be encouraging in some way or another, whether that be a sweet compliment to someone, a comment of thanks to God for rain, or something great or funny their children said or did.

With all of that said, this post isn’t about the idea that I think that someone should only post happy or uplifting things. Life is life, and sometimes we’ll be down, and expressing those things to others whether it be on Facebook, Twitter, a blog, a text, or over a Sonic drink (I’d say coffee, but I don’t drink it!) is part of the human experience. However, I want to be careful about the attitude that I’m giving off to others. In addition to being careful about the attitude I’m giving off to others, I need to be careful about what is really in my heart. After all, outward expressions (whether written or verbal or otherwise), are likely a reflection of the heart. I don’t want to be the blogger or the poster that turns readers away with negativity; after all, I’m a Christian, and my joy should be never shaken because it is founded in Jesus Christ.

(On a total side note, this is the photo from my good to wow entry last week. I never got around to showing the edit, but there it is!)

I Heart Faces: Raise Your Hands

2011-10-11T00:13:00.001-05:00

10 on 10

2011-10-10T23:55:00.001-05:00

I’m excited that I finally remembered to participate in the 10 on 10 challenge. If you aren’t familiar with the 10 on 10 challenge, the idea is to take ten photos on the tenth day of the month over the course of ten hours – one photo on the hour for ten consecutive hours – to document your day.

More Star Trails

2011-10-06T20:36:00.001-05:00

About a month and half ago, I attempted to take some photos of star trails (the movement of the stars in the sky). At the time, I didn’t have a remote shutter release for my camera, which meant that my star trails were not smooth, but instead shaky. I now have a remote shutter release, so I was able to take one long exposure shot (using the bulb mode on my camera) instead of making a composite shot, so the trails are much smoother this time around. I have a feeling I’ll be taking many more star trails photos – hopefully with some more interesting foregrounds as well.

These photos all have somewhat different settings. The first two are more traditional star trails photos while the last one has more of a "twinkling" star effect (much shorter exposure than the first two).

28mm, focused at infinity, f/4.5, ISO 400, SS 805 seconds (exposed using bulb mode)

28mm, focused at infinity, f/18, ISO 400, SS 1002 seconds (exposed using bulb mode)

Notice how much darker this one is because of the aperture difference even though this one was exposed for a longer length of time.

28mm, focused at infinity, f/4.5, ISO 400, SS 90 seconds

Photo Challenges

2011-10-04T22:46:00.001-05:00

What makes you smile?

Favorite Photo from September:

Good to Wow:

Not exactly orange . . . but close enough for this busy mama! :)

Quarterly Top 5 of Ella and Troy

2011-09-29T17:43:00.001-05:00

Quarter 1 Photos

Quarter 2 Photos

Happy 1st Birthday Troy!

2011-09-28T09:27:00.001-05:00

Happy Birthday Troy!

Wow, I really cannot believe you are a year old!

When Ella turned a year old, I commented that I had become a better person because of having her in our lives. I can say the same thing about you being in my life. I am so thankful for the blessing that you have been and continue to be in my life.

I love how you are a snuggly baby when you are sleepy. I love how the song “Jesus Loves Me” calms you unlike any other song. I love how you like the company of others, and hate when anyone leaves your sight. I love your face and laugh when your dad gets a “Troy snack” and cuddles and tickles you at the same time. I love how when you are really sleepy and I am in the process of laying you down, you stick your thumb in your mouth before you even hit the crib. I also love how you immediately roll over and tuck your legs under you when you hit the crib. I love how you can get your point across without even knowing many real words. I love how you smile and laugh at your sister. And, I could go on, and on, and on.

This month you have really seemed like you’ve grown up quite a bit. About a week before you turned one, you finally learned to crawl properly (rather than just bellyflop/inchworm). You are getting better and better at pulling up and cruising along the furniture. You attempted to take one step without holding onto anything, and you fell flat on your face, but you didn’t seem to care. You’ve figured out how to push my barriers out of your way. You sit on your knees a lot, and I think it is funny. You’ve started throwing things out of your crib. Although we haven’t transitioned you off the bottle yet, I think you are ready for it. You don’t seem that attached to it, and you often throw it aside (Ella would carry it around with her everywhere). You learned how to do “touchdown” and you also put your arms up to “grow” when we sing “Read your Bible and pray everyday.”

Sign you do: more

Words you say: Dada, Mama, and something that sounds kinda like Ella : )

Favorite Food: banana, whatever everyone else is eating (you always want what everyone has)

Favorite Activities: crawling and exploring everything, especially following after your sister; trying to get any electronics or drinks you can spot : )

Promises in the Book of Genesis (Chapters 11-15)

2011-09-27T23:22:00.001-05:00

Genesis 11

The promise that God would confuse the language of the people (tower of Babel):

11:6-7 “ ⁶And the LORD said, “Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them. ⁷ Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.”

Genesis 12

The promises that God would make Abram a great nation, bless him, make his name great, bless those who bless him, curse them who curse him, and that all the families on earth would be blessed through him:

12:1-3: “¹ Now the LORD had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you. ² I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. ³ I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

The promise that God will give Abram’s descendants the land of Canaan:

12:7: “⁷ Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.”

Genesis 13

The promise that God will give the land to Abram’s descendants forever and the promise that God would make Abram’s descendants as the dust of the earth (unable to be numbered):

13:14-17: “¹⁴ And the LORD said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him: “Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are—northward, southward, eastward, and westward; ¹⁵ for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendantsforever. ¹⁶ And I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth; so that if a man could number the dust of the earth, then your descendants also could be numbered. ¹⁷ Arise, walk in the land through its length and its width, for I give it to you.”

Genesis 14

The promise of a biological heir to Abram, and the promise that his descendants will be as numerous as the stars in the sky (unable to be numbered):

14:4-5: “⁴ And behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, “This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir.” ⁵ Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.”

The promise that Abram’s descendants would be strangers in a land that is not theirs, will serve them, and will be afflicted for four hundred years.; the promise that God will judge that nation and that Abram’s descendants will come away with great possessions; the promise that Abram will die at an old age; and the promise that Abram’s descendants will return in the 4th generation:

14:13-16: “¹³ Then He said to Abram: “Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years. ¹⁴ And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions. ¹⁵ Now as for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age. ¹⁶ But in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”

The promise that the land will be given to Abram’s descendants:

14:18: “¹⁸ On the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying:“To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates— ¹⁹ the Kenites, the Kenezzites, the Kadmonites, ²⁰ the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, ²¹ the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.”

Genesis 15

The promise that Hagar would bear a son and call his name Ishmael; the promise that Ishmael would be a wild man, that his hand will be against every man, and that every man’s hand will be against him; the promise that Ishmael will dwell in the presence of all his brethren:

15:10-12: “¹⁰Then the Angel of the LORD said to her, “I will multiply your descendants exceedingly, so that they shall not be counted for multitude.” ¹¹ And the Angel of the LORD said to her: “ Behold, you are with child, And you shall bear a son. You shall call his name Ishmael, Because the LORD has heard your affliction. ¹² He shall be a wild man; His hand shall be against every man, And every man’s hand against him. And he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.”

Chapters 1-5

Chapters 6-10

If you are writing about this on your blog, feel free to leave the link to your posts in the comments!

*All Scripture references are taken from the NKJV unless otherwise noted.

I Heart Faces: Favorite Summer Face

2011-09-26T11:15:00.001-05:00

Menu Planning Monday

2011-09-26T08:00:00.000-05:00

Hamburgers
Taco Salad
Chicken Parmesan Pot Pie (a new recipe for me)
Quiché (not sure what kind yet . . . )

What are your favorite slow-cooker meals? I usually end up making at least one meal a week in my crock-pot, and I haven’t found a ton of slow-cooker recipes that I love.

I’ve made baked egg cups a couple of times now. They are delicious! I added some diced jalapeño at the bottom of the cup, and it was a nice addition. I also think they would be great with some salsa on top. (Can you tell I love spice (at least some!) and Mexican food?)

Menu Planning Monday

2011-09-19T11:00:00.001-05:00

Fajitas
Roast
Chicken with Asian slaw salad (I want to keep the chicken and the salad separate)
Taco Salad

(Chopping shallots for a green bean and bacon salad.)

I Heart Faces: A Touch of Sun

2011-09-19T00:19:00.001-05:00

My precious newborn nephew:

Photo Challenge Edits

2011-09-15T10:38:00.001-05:00

Night EDIT for Shoot and Edit:

(See my SOOC shot)

Edit Me for My Reflection of Something:

First off, let me just say, I loved the SOOC shot on this one, and those kinds of shots are the hardest for me to edit sometimes!

Here's the SOOC shot:

Here are my three edits (black and white for judging):

For the first one, I cropped, brightened a bit, and played with the tone curve to give it a bit more pop. For the second one, I cropped, converted to black and white, did a few other minor adjustments, and added a slight split tone. For the third one, I cropped, brightened a bit, desaturated the color a tiny bit, and then added a split tone (all in Lightroom 3).

Promises in the Book of Genesis (Chapters 6-10)

2011-09-15T00:09:00.001-05:00

Genesis 6

The promise that the days of man will be 120 years:

6:3 “3 And the LORD said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.”

The promise that God would destroy man, beast, creeping thing, and birds because of evil:

6:5-7; 13: ”⁵ Then the LORDsaw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. ⁶ And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. ⁷ So the LORD said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.”; “¹³ And God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth.”

The promise that God would destroy the earth with a flood; the promise that God would save Noah, Noah’s wife, Noah’s three sons, and their wives; and the promise that God would save some of every living thing of all flesh:

6:17-20: “17 And behold, I Myself am bringing floodwaters on the earth, to destroy from under heaven all flesh in which is the breath of life; everything that is on the earth shall die. ¹⁸ But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall go into the ark—you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you. ¹⁹ And of every living thing of all flesh you shall bring two of every sort into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female. ²⁰ Of the birds after their kind, of animals after their kind, and of every creeping thing of the earth after its kind, two of every kind will come to you to keep them alive.^”

Genesis 8

The promise that as long as the earth remains, God would not curse the ground for man’s sake; that God would not destroy every living thing; and that the seasons and day and night will not cease:

8:21-22: “²¹ And the LORD smelled a soothing aroma. Then the LORD said in His heart, “I will never again curse the ground for man’s sake, although the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done. ²² “While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and summer, And day and night Shall not cease.”

Genesis 9

The promise that all living creatures will be given into man’s hand:

9:1-4: “¹ So God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them: “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth.² And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be on every beast of the earth, on every bird of the air, on all that move on the earth, and on all the fish of the sea. They are given into your hand. ³Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. I have given you all things, even as the green herbs. ⁴ But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood.”

The promise that the earth would not be destroyed by a flood again:

9:8-17: “ ⁸ Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying: ⁹ “And as for Me, behold, I establish My covenant with you and with your descendantsfter you, ¹⁰ and with every living creature that is with you: the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you, of all that go out of the ark, every beast of the earth. ¹¹ Thus I establish My covenant with you: Never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood; never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” ¹² And God said: “This is the sign of the covenant which I make between Me and you, and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: ¹³ I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. ¹⁴ It shall be, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud; ¹⁵ and I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. ¹⁶ The rainbow shall be in the cloud, and I will look on it to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” ¹⁷ And God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between Me and all flesh that is on the earth.”

Chapters 1-5

If you are writing about this on your blog, feel free to leave the link to your posts in the comments!

*All Scripture references are taken from the NKJV unless otherwise noted.

Photo Challenges

2011-09-13T15:48:00.001-05:00

Things have been, well, a little crazy (in a great way!) over the past couple of weeks, but because of that, I’ve really been slacking on photography challenges lately. I’m excited to jump back in this week.

Night SOOC for Good to Wow:

Remember for The Paper Mama:

(Ella hugging Troy for the first time at the hospital)

Sweet Shot Tuesday:

Menu Planning Monday

2011-09-12T11:05:00.001-05:00

Beef fajitas
Pasta with meat sauce and salad
Paula Deen’s Hurry Up Chicken Pot Pie
Grilled pork tendorloin with grilled vegetables

10 years

2011-09-11T14:55:00.001-05:00

Ten years ago I was adjusting to life as a freshman in college. College was still very new and exciting to me: I’d only been in school for a few weeks. I was still beaming over the fact that I finally got my first cell phone (wow, isn’t that crazy?). I was trying to adjust to my odd randomly-assigned college roommate. I was working hard to do well in school and get off on the right foot. I was hoping to make lots of new friends. At the time, I had no real understanding of the types of evil that exist in our world. I had no idea for the level of hatred that some have against our Country.

I came back to my dorm room from my morning classes, only to find my college roommate telling me that we were at war (or something along those lines). I really didn’t have much confidence in her word – she’d been nothing but strange (although nice) to me, and I really didn’t believe she could have any idea about what she was talking about. The fact is, that at the time she told me that we were at war, I’m not sure anyone really knew what was happening. I started watching the news coverage intently in disbelief. I heard the newscasters wonder how such an awful “accident” could happen, only to realize a few minutes later that this certainly wasn’t an accident. I was glued to the television, anxious to hear what was happening. I felt scared, utter sadness, empty, and lost. I also felt pride and honor when I thought about my Country, and the brave men and women who were handling the situations that were taking place.

A lot can change in ten years. I’ve graduated from college, gotten married, moved twice, bought my first house, acquired two dogs, and had two children. When I think about all those things, it makes ten years seem like a long time. Yet, when I think about what happened ten years ago, in many ways it feels like yesterday. We are still battling the enemy. American forces only recently killed Bin Laden. We are still working hard to protect our Country from those trying to infiltrate it to attack us.

I will never look at the world as I did before 9/11. My children have spent their entire lives in a post 9/11 world. I will never forget what happened that day, and I will work to teach my children the importance of that day in history along with so many other days. As awful as these things were, my children need to know about them. I am so thankful and blessed by living in America, and my children need to know that too.

Promises in the Book of Genesis (Chapters 1-5)

2011-09-07T06:34:00.000-05:00

Throughout our time at the spiritual workshop (Polishing the Pulpit) we attended a few weeks ago, I was challenged to become a better student of God’s Word. I needed that challenge, and I’m thankful for the blessing of the challenge to dig deep into God’s Word. A ladies Bible study Facebook group has grown from the challenge of digging deeper into God’s Word, and I’m excited to be a participant (by the way, feel free to join in!). During the month of September we are digging into the book of Genesis with a few goals in mind: 1) read through the entire book of Genesis and note every promise God makes; 2) be able to tell the story of Genesis in sequence; 3) memorize Genesis 3:15 and Genesis 12:2; and 4) understand that the theme of the Bible from Genesis 3:15 forth is “redemption.”

I’ve decided that I will document my notes about the promises on my blog. Documenting these promises here will not only keep me accountable to myself, but hopefully be beneficial to others as well. I’m sure that I won’t get every promise, but I am trying to do my best to consider the book of Genesis with the perspective of “promises” in mind.

Genesis 2

The promise that there are consequences to trespassing God’s Law:

2:16-17: ”¹⁶ And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; ¹⁷ but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”'

Genesis 3

The promise of the serpent’s punishment; the promise (prophecy) of enmity between the serpent and woman; the promise (prophecy) that Satan will bruise the heel of woman’s Seed (Christ), but that Christ will bruise his head (ultimately the promise of redemption through Christ); the promise of difficulty in childbirth for the woman; the promise of hard/difficult work for the man; the promise of man returning to the dust of the earth:

3:14-19: “ ¹⁴ So the LORD God said to the serpent: “ Because you have done this, You are cursed more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you shall go, And you shall eat dust All the days of your life. ¹⁵ And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.” ¹⁶ To the woman He said: “I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children; Your desire shall be for your husband, And he shall rule over you.” ¹⁷ Then to Adam He said, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’: “ Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life. ¹⁸ Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, And you shall eat the herb of the field. ¹⁹ In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return.”

Genesis 4

The promise of Cain’s punishment:

4:10-12: “¹⁰ And He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground. ¹¹ So now you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. ¹² When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength to you. A fugitive and a vagabond you shall be on the earth.””

The promise of Cain’s protection:

4:15 “¹⁵ And the LORD said to him, “Therefore,whoever kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” And the LORD set a mark on Cain, lest anyone finding him should kill him.”

*All Scripture references are taken from the NKJV unless otherwise noted.

Shouldn’t I do that everyday?

2011-09-06T09:11:00.000-05:00

My husband celebrated his birthday over the weekend. Leading up to his birthday I kept trying to think about what things I could do to make his day special; what things I could do to make his day easier; what things I could do to show him that I love him.

Many of the things I thought that I should do were things that I should do for him everyday (but don’t always). I was thinking about making him breakfast'; letting him choose where we ate for lunch; getting up first with the children in the morning so he could sleep a bit more; changing dirty diapers without trying to *pawn* it off on him; etc.

In several ways, I actually felt like I failed on his birthday in doing all the things I wanted to do. I was very tired (thanks to my children who have been waking up way too earlier these past couple of weeks), and I think I let my tiredness get in the way of how I had planned to treat him throughout the day. But, the truth is that I should as his wife, I should treat him like he is special everyday regardless of whether or not it is his birthday. He is special. He is deserving of me treating him as such. I should support him in all that he does. I should do my best to make his life easier. I should go about my daily business without complaining. I should seek to please him. I should I should seek to his best interests because I love him, not just in a *feel good* way, but because I should love him with an agape love; a self-sacrificing love. I know I don’t always do as I should as his wife, but I hope that I am growing more and more into the type of wife that always seeks out the best in and for my husband.

Menu Planning Monday

2011-09-05T22:50:00.001-05:00

Poppy seed Chicken
Meatloaf
Baked fish (not sure what kind yet – depends on what looks good for a good price)
Enchilada Casserole
Creamy mac, chicken, and cheese

The Books of the New Testament

2011-09-02T10:21:00.001-05:00

Ella can almost say all of the books of the New Testament. I’m amazed at how well she seems to be able to memorize things, and I can’t wait to dive into teaching her more Scripture - she can already quote Mark 16:16 (challenging myself to memorize more as well!).

One of her favorite Bible characters right now is Peter. We taught her that Peter wrote two books of the Bible, 1st and 2nd Peter. Because of that, every time she gets to a “1st and 2nd” in the list of the books of the New Testament she wants to say “1st and 2nd Peter!” She’ll get it before too long, though, I’m sure.

Please excuse the poor phone quality video and the crumbs on the table (can you tell where Ella ate?).

Cinnamon Fudge

2011-08-31T11:21:00.000-05:00

I’ve found so many great ideas and recipes by browsing Pinterest, including several fudge recipes I’ve wanted to try. I like the idea of having something like fudge around the house because I can get a bite of something sweet and be satisfied without going overboard (it is too sweet for me to eat more than a bite or two). I finally gathered all the ingredients I needed to make this red velvet fudge. And, it was a disaster. Twice. I think part of the problem is that making traditional fudge requires a lot of attention, and well, sometimes, especially if my kids are around, that kind of attention to detail is lacking. So, I decided I’d give up on the red velvet fudge for now, and go back to a version of cappuccino fudge I made over the holidays last year (my husband and I modified the recipe from Annie’s Eats a bit). However, I don’t like coffee, so I left the coffee powder out, and was left with a yummy cinnamon fudge.

Cinnamon Fudge

1 jar of marshmallow cream (7 oz.)
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 package of white chocolate chips
1/2 package of milk chocolate chips

Heat marshmallow cream, sugar, whipping cream, butter, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt over medium heat, stirring constantly. Bring the mixture to a boil, and boil for five minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and the white chocolate chips and milk chocolate chips into the mixture, and stir until smooth. Pour the mixture into a lined pan (with wax paper or foil), and place in the refrigerator for several hours. Once the fudge has set, cut into squares.

To make the cappuccino version of the fudge, reduce the amount of cinnamon to 1/4 teaspoon, and add 1 tablespoon of instant coffee powder.

Happy 11 Months Troy!

2011-08-31T08:45:00.001-05:00

Happy 11 Months Troy!

I think I’m still in denial that you’ll be a year old in less than a month (only about 3 weeks – I’m late writing this post!).

You continue to give us a “cheesy” grin when you are excited or happy about something. I finally caught it on camera. It cracks me up . . . I don’t know where you learned to make that funny smile!

You learned to pull yourself up in your crib this month, and at times, it has been quite the distraction to you going to sleep (especially if Ella is in the room). If we put you and Ella down at the same time for a nap, you pull yourself up, and start “yelling” at Ella to get her attention across the room. She can’t resist talking to back to you, and I think y’all both love talking to each other. I love that y’all like to interact, I just wish y’all would sleep sometimes!

You went to your first baseball game this month. You did pretty well even though the game was late and it was VERY hot outside. You love being outside even though it has been extremely hot.

I always say that Ella was an expressive child, and she is, but she is very expressive with her face. You, on the other hand, are very expressive vocally. If you don’t like something, you’ll let us know with your fussing, and if you like something, you’ll be very vocal about that as well. Speaking of vocal, you finally said “mama” this month! A very sweet word to my ears!

You get into everything these days, including your diapers. You love exploring, and you love to go after the things we’ve told you not to touch, including the dog water bowl! You are pretty funny, because many times now you’ll look back at us and raise your hand up before you touch something you know you aren’t supposed to touch as if you are asking permission to touch it. You still bellyflop/inchworm everywhere. You also sometimes get up like you are going to bear crawl, but you haven’t mastered that yet.

You have become really good at eating finger foods this month, and you like most things we’ve given you. You aren’t a big fan of eggs, but you finally ate them the third time we gave them to you. We’ve cautiously been giving you are few things that have milk in them (since Ella is allergic to milk), and so far you seem to be doing OK with the milk products.

Troy @ 10 Months

Menu Planning Monday

2011-08-29T21:26:00.000-05:00

Last week we ended up having a lot of leftovers, so I didn’t get around to making a few of the meals I planned, so they are on the menu again this week.

Steak Salad
Quiche
Crock pot Santa Fe chicken
Taco Salad

Renewed and Challenged

2011-08-25T09:24:00.001-05:00

Last week my husband and I were blessed with the opportunity to attend a spiritual workshop called Polishing the Pulpit. There were over 2000 in attendance throughout the week, and it was a blessing to be surrounded by such a large group of Christians with a unified goal in this life: get to heaven and take as many people with you as possible.

Throughout the week I was able to hear wonderful lessons from God’s Word ranging from modesty to disciplining children to how to dig deep in the Word to how to mark your Bible to why true science is a Christian’s friend to what it means to love God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind. I was blessed to worship with over 1200 Christians Sunday morning, and to feel a glimpse of what heaven must be like when we sang together. We were able to fellowship with wonderful Christian families, and I am so thankful for their friendships.

The week greatly challenged me, and I’m thankful for the challenge. I need to be a better student of God’s Word; I need to be a better influence to those around me; I need to be a better spouse; I need to be a stronger parent; and I could go on.

(Ladies’ Session)

During our time there we were able to do a little bit of sightseeing in the Smoky Mountains. It was a beautiful location, and the weather was a wonderful reprieve from the 100 degree temperatures we’ve been having in Texas. I rented a lens for our vacation – the Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 lens – and I really enjoyed it. I didn’t want to send it back in! However, I’ve decided that I do not have an eye for landscape photography, and I need to do a lot more practicing. I feel like it should be so easy to take a photo of something that isn’t running away from me (like my toddler), but it is definitely a skill I don’t possess!

(Cades Cove)

(Clingman’s Dome - the highest point in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park)

Menu Planning Monday (er Tuesday)

2011-08-23T10:22:00.001-05:00

I’m a little slow getting going this week (it is always hard to get back in the swing of things after vacation!), but I’ve finally got my menu planned. Several of these recipes are new to me this week, but I can’t wait to try them!

Balsamic and brown sugar glazed pork
Steak salad (or steak with salad as my husband prefers!)
Quiche
Ham with black-eyed peas
Crock pot Santa Fe chicken

Have you tried any new recipes lately? Any great slow cooker meals? It has been so hot, I’m always looking for a new slow cooker meal because it doesn’t heat up the house as much.

I Heart Faces: Pets

2011-08-22T14:55:00.001-05:00

Here’s my sweet Ali.

I Heart Faces: Beautiful Eyes

2011-08-15T22:04:00.001-05:00

This is an older photo of Ella, but I love her eyes in this one.

Wordless Wednesday: Cheese!

2011-08-10T09:48:00.001-05:00

Photo Challenges

2011-08-09T12:40:00.001-05:00

Whatever @ The Paper Mama:

Sweet Shot Tuesday @ My 3 Boybarians:

52 Weeks of Happiness @ Leigh vs. Laundry:

The Night Sky

2011-08-08T09:42:00.001-05:00

Recently I read about taking photos called star trails that map the stars movement across the sky. My first opportunity outside the city, I had to try to take a star trails photo (not that it couldn’t be done in the city depending on where you are, but you can see so many more stars outside the city).

(f/3.5, ISO 640, 30 second exposure, 28mm, focus at infinity)

I took the above shot by combing 32 consecutive 30-second exposure shots. You’ll notice that my star trails aren’t completely smooth. The “shakiness” is a product of the fact that I don’t have a remote shutter release for my camera, so I have to manually press the shutter every 30 seconds. For one, I’m shaky, plus I’m taking my hands on and off the camera during a longer exposure. Secondly, I didn’t always hit the shutter as quickly as I needed to hit it, so there may have be a brief “gap” in the trail. I cannot wait to take a more star trails photos once I have a remote! Oh, and the random streak across the sky is a plane.

There are a couple of common methods you can use to take a star trails photo. You can take a single long exposure shot (say 20 or 30 minutes or even longer) using the “bulb” setting on your camera or you can take many shorter exposure shots (only 30 seconds - shorter compared to a 30 minutes exposure at least!), and make a composite image. This article and this article explain it in more detail. The second article includes a program that automatically makes a composite image for you – it is awesome! I used it to make my image.

Here are a few other photos I took last night. Do you recognize a famous constellation in the first one?

Isn’t God’s creation so beautiful and amazing? My photos don’t do it justice!

Photo Challenges

2011-08-03T12:18:00.001-05:00

Yellow @ The Paper Mama:

This is an older photo, but it is one of my favorites of Ella. : )

Sweet Shot Tuesday @ My 3 Boybarians:

Still Life Standout @ The Mommy Matters, My Reflection of Something, and Perfect Imperfections:

Held Accountable

2011-08-02T14:58:00.001-05:00

When we moved into our home, we did a ton of work in the house. I think we did at least some sort of work in every room of the house, with the exception of our bathroom. Some days I’m thankful that we haven’t gotten around to remodeling our bathroom yet. Last Thursday was one of those days.

We were sitting in our living room when Ella came back from going to the bathroom (she’s pretty sufficient to use the bathroom by herself now – it is wonderful!). When she came into the room, she was hiding her hands behind her back. She came in quietly and went behind the couch, keeping her hands behind her back the entire time. We figured she’d taken something out of the bathroom she wasn’t supposed to bring into the living room, but it was worse than that. When my husband finally got her to open her hands up, her hands revealed that she’d been playing with my fingernail polish in the bathroom. Somehow she only managed to get a couple drops on her dress and a few spots on her hands. There were, however, several large dark pink spots on the bathroom floor. This is why I’m thankful we haven’t gotten around to fixing up our bathroom yet.

As we went through the process of disciplining her for her actions (this is the second time she’s gotten into my fingernail polish) I was thinking about what someone from the outside might say about the whole situation. Such things like, “Why was the fingernail polish in her reach?” or “Why was she allowed to go to the restroom by herself?” It made me think about how those type of questions put guilt off of Ella. Now, please don’t misunderstand me. I do not advocate sending children into dangerous situations or even trying to “tempt” them. My fingernail polish was not easily accessible by Ella (she really had to try to get it), and she knew that she was not supposed to get into it in the first place. I realize that she is only 2 1/2 but there are definitely things she knows to do or not to do. The fact that she walked into the living room hiding her hands testifies to the fact that she knew she had done something she wasn’t supposed to do.

I think it is important to hold children accountable for the their actions. I don’t enjoy seeing Ella doing things that she shouldn’t do, but I think I would only make the situation worse for her (and us) in the long run if I made excuses for her and did not hold her accountable for what she has done. I know that I have a great responsibility in showing Ella what is right and what is wrong, and part of that responsibility includes making sure she knows there are consequences for her actions. Ultimately, as she grows up she needs to realize that God will hold her accountable (just like we all need to realize) for the things that she does. Consider 2 Corinthians 5:10: “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” I do not say this meaning that we must work our way into heaven (or earn our way into heaven), but rather that we will be judged by whether or not we are living a faithful life in accordance with God’s Word. I know that one way I can help teach Ella about faithful living is to hold her accountable for the things that she does.

Menu Planning Monday

2011-08-01T11:43:00.001-05:00

It is going to be a crazy week, so only three meals this week.

Chicken Scampi. This is a new recipe for me to try this week, but it looks simple and delicious!
Chicken Enchilada Casserole. I’m going to boil my chicken with onions, carrots, celery, and spices and then shred it. Then I’m going to strain the liquid and freeze it to save for homemade chicken stock.
Tamale pies (I know, this has been on my list for three weeks, but it keeps getting bumped!) or possibly grilled steaks.

Happy 10 Months Troy!

2011-07-27T17:25:00.001-05:00

Every month seems to fly by faster than the month before! I cannot believe you are already 10 months old . . . so close to a year already!

Your personality really continues to grow! It amazes me how much difference I can already see between your personality and Ella’s personality. You are both so precious in your own way!

You love being outside (even though it really hot outside!). In fact, you can be incredibly sad and tired (to the point of crying), and we can take you outside and you’ll instantly calm down. You love for your daddy to swing you and throw you up in the air. You are pretty funny when your dad throws you up because you curl up almost in a ball on the way back down!

You love Ella, and I love watching y’all interact. You aren’t too happy if she takes your toy away (we’re working on that on her part), but she almost always brings a smile to your face.

You still inchworm around, and it is so funny to watch! You don’t try to crawl in a traditional manner – you just inchworm/bellyflop. You are getting really fast though, and you love to explore. I think you must have good eyesight because you are constantly going after the little leaf or stick on the ground to put it in your mouth. Your legs are getting stronger everyday, and I’m already making bets that you’ll walk before Ella did (she didn’t walk until she was 14 1/2 months old).

You finally started sleeping through the night this month, and you have also been taking more consistent naps. It sure has been nice! ; ) You still aren’t fond of the car, although sometimes you’ll be happy if you have a toy. I’m really hoping you get past your car issues soon. It makes trips (long or short), pretty miserable at times.

You have been loving swimming. The first time we put you in the pool, you immediately flopped onto your belly and tried to crawl (except you were almost underwater!). You did that several more times after we kept sitting you up! It was pretty funny. You love to splash and play with Ella in the pool.

You went to your first Family Bible School this month. You did pretty well even though most of the classes started about the time you like to be in bed when we’re at the house!

I haven’t gotten a good photo of it yet (I’m determined to get one!), but you have the cheesiest smile at times. It cracks me up! You also love to screech when you get excited or happy about something.

Troy @ 9 Months

Photo Challenges

2011-07-26T11:36:00.001-05:00

Summertime @ The Paper Mama:

Hair @ The Trendy Treehouse:

Menu Planning Monday

2011-07-25T09:52:00.001-05:00

Taco Soup
Pasta with meat sauce
Chicken Fried Rice
Tamale Pies (we ended up making this crock-pot cream cheese chicken recipe last week instead of the tamale pies)

As one of our sides last week, I made this “Best Broccoli of Your Life,” but also added in carrots to roast with the broccoli. I love how the broccoli and carrots roasted up in the oven, and it was very easy to make. I will definitely make it again!

Last week I also made these s’mores cookies, except I didn’t bake the cookie dough on the graham crackers. The cookies were delicious – I would actually make the batter for just plain chocolate chip cookies. A word of warning though, rather than mixing the marshmallows into the dough, I’d stick a few on top of each ball of cookie dough right before you put them in the oven. If the marshmallows were in the dough, they had a tendency to seep out and stick to the cookie sheet (because I didn’t cook the dough on the graham crackers). An added bonus to putting the marshmallows on top is that you get that golden brown s’more marshmallow goodness on top of every cookie!

I Heart Faces: Water

2011-07-24T23:43:00.001-05:00

“I already did it! I already said it!”

2011-07-21T22:06:00.001-05:00

Lately Ella has been adamant that once she has done something she’s not going to do it again or once she’s said something she isn’t going to say it again. For example, we’ll ask Ella to repeat a word that she’s learning for the first time, and she doesn’t want to repeat it because she thinks she’s already said it correctly. The words “I already did it!” and “I already said it!” are commonplace around our house lately.

I’ll admit that her attitude has been a bit frustrating to me. I have to remind myself that she is only 2 1/2, and she has so much to learn. It occurred to me that one of the reasons she probably says those things so often to me is because I say them to her. When I tell her for the fifth time to put her shoes on (it is absolutely great that she can do this now, by the way!), I know that I tell her something along the lines of “I already told you to put your shoes on.” Or when she asks for the tenth time in a five minute span what I am doing, I know that I respond with, “I already told you what I am doing.”

I need to have patience with her. I’ve said it before, and I know that as my children get older, I’ll only say and think it more often, but raising children is hard work. I have to be patient, yet firm and steadfast. I have to let her know that I mean business when I tell her to do something, and that it is important for her to obey me, but I have to show her that with a loving and caring attitude. I have to remember that there are times she’ll need to be reminded to do things more than once. After all, don’t we all need to be reminded of things at times? I am humbled when I think of the many things that God reminds us of over and over again in His Word. I am so thankful that God has left us His Word to guide us as Psalm 119:105 states: “Your Word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path.”

Photo Challenges

2011-07-21T16:20:00.001-05:00

Black and White @ The Paper Mama:

Sweet Shot Tuesday @ My 3 Boybarians:

Edit Me @ My Reflection of Something Photography:

(My edit is first, followed by the original photo)

In Lightroom 3, I cropped a bit, and straightened a tiny bit. I converted the photo to black and white and added a slight split tone.

My photo of my husband and Troy was chosen as a favorite last week at The Paper Mama, and my photo of Ella putting money in the piggy banks was chosen for first place last week at The Trendy Treehouse!

I Heart Faces: Props

2011-07-19T16:32:00.001-05:00

Ella and her favorite monkey.

Menu Planning Monday

2011-07-18T12:52:00.001-05:00

I know it has been quite a while since I’ve posted a weekly menu, but hopefully I’ll be posting regularly again! I’m looking forward to trying some new recipes that I’ve found on Pinterest. Are you on Pinterest? I’d love to follow you, or you can follow me.

Tator Tot Casserole
Tamale Pies
Chicken Fettuccini Alfredo
Beef Enchilada casserole
Grilled Pizza Pockets

The photo above is a picture of a s’mores pie that my friend made. It is easy to make and yummy: graham cracker crust, layer of chocolate pudding (let sit in the fridge for an hour before adding last layer), and a layer of marshmallow cream toasted briefly under a broiler.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-07-13T13:20:00.001-05:00

Photo Challenges

2011-07-12T12:05:00.001-05:00

Sweet @ The Paper Mama:

Share @ The Trendy Treehouse:

Sweet Shot @ My 3 Boybarians:

Let’s Talk About Noah

2011-07-08T12:49:00.001-05:00

Teaching my children about God’s Word and hiding it in their hearts is one of the most important tasks I have as a parent. There are so many ways to teach and engage children so that they learn God’s Word, and I want to share a video of one way with you. The video is Ella talking to her dad about one of her favorite Bible stories right now: Noah. We talk about something like this almost every night before Ella goes to bed, and Ella really loves to talk about these different stories and things from the Bible. Teaching children about the Bible doesn’t always require a formal lesson; rather, it can be something as simple as a conversation.

Let's Talk About Noah from Lisa on Vimeo.

Growing Up Too Fast!

2011-07-07T15:50:00.001-05:00

People say it all the time, but it is so true – the older I’ve gotten the more quickly time seems to pass. Time seems to pass even more quickly now that I have children. The fact in and of itself that I have children and not just a single child only emphasizes how quickly time passes to me.

Ella amazes me everyday with something she says or does. She’s not a little baby anymore {and hasn’t been for a long time} but as she goes about her daily activities, it is hard to believe that 2 1/2 years ago she was just a little helpless newborn in my arms. In a five minute span yesterday Ella proved just how “grown up” she has become.

By herself, Ella got up from her nap (from her special palette in our bedroom so she doesn’t disturb Troy during his naptime), took off her diaper panties (aka pull-ups – she’s potty trained, but not fully nap- and night-trained), threw her pull-up away, went to the bathroom by herself, got panties out (although she grabbed them from the dirty clothes pile, ha!), got a clip for her hair, put on a “necklace” (my headband, lol), and came into the living room to see me. When she got in the living room she promptly asked me to put the clip in her hair, help her with her panties, and to get her milk out of the fridge for her. She also got her play phone out, and started acting as though she was calling someone. It is so crazy to me, that 2 1/2 years ago she couldn’t do anything really by herself, and yesterday I’m watching her do all those things (although little things, still amazing to me). Watching her grow up has been such a blessing, and I am looking forward to continuing the journey as her mother.

Happy 9 Months Troy!

2011-07-06T00:07:00.001-05:00

Happy 9 months Troy!

You are quite the little boy! You love to stick things in your mouth; in fact, you are constantly searching for something to grab to put in your mouth whether it is grass, Ali’s fur, a straw in one of our drinks, or Ella’s book. You give us a good challenge because we have to make sure everything is out of your reach!

Although you haven’t been that vocal (unless you count crying) up until this point, the month you suddenly decided to babble up a storm. You talk and talk and talk! I am pretty surprised because Ella talks enough for both of you! You said your first word this month: dada! You still haven’t said mama, but you most definitely know who I am! One Sunday you were really vocal during services. Many folks commented on how talkative you were . . . hopefully you weren’t too much of a distraction! The day you turned 9 months old, you signed “more” for the first time.

You really love your people, and you don’t like when anyone leaves the room (especially me!). The older you have gotten, the more you have enjoyed playing with Ella. Y’all tolerate each other well, especially considering how young you both are. I love watching y’all play and laugh together. Ella loves to go get you up from your naps. When she hears you peeping over the monitor she asks with great enthusiasm “Can I go talk to Troy?” She even brings books into your room to read to you when she goes to get you up.

You love to be outside, and, just like Ella, you can be very sad, but quickly have a mood change when we take you outside. Too bad it is SO hot these days!

You are really little (0th percentile for weight and 5th percentile for height), but the doctor said you are very strong. You are really difficult to hold at times because you are SO wiggly. You might get that from your mom.

You started crawling this month. You get up on your hand and knees and rock, then lunge forward and belly flop. You have gotten quite fast at your “inchworming” Although you still need assistance to stand, you seem very strong when you hold my fingers to stand or stand in your walker.

Troy inchworming from Lisa on Vimeo.

Troy @ 8 Months