Christmas 2011

I'm sitting here reflecting on this year's Christmas season. For my family, for the most part it was absent of the usual busyness that comes with this time of year. The parties were few, the shopping was minimal and the feelings of needing to cram every possible Christmas activity in before the "big day" was non-existant and to tell you the truth I am so thankful. Thankful that this season was spent in much more reflection of its true meaning. Even though this Christmas season brought me closer to experiencing Christmas in a way that I believe honors God's greatest gift to us, I am still left with the feeling that there are many more aspects of our celebration of Christmas that need to be evaluated and changed. It is my desire that for the 2012 Christmas season that my family will experience Christmas in a new way. That we will spend our Christmas season focusing our hearts on Jesus and the mercy and grace He showed us and that we will in turn be a reflection of that mercy and grace to others. It is my desire that we spend Christmas 2012 with an attitude of giving. I believe that this attitude of giving however must start with the other 364 days leading up to December 25th, 2012. It is my heart's desire this new year to instill in my children an attitude of giving, and I believe that it must first start with me. I am desiring that God will give me an attitude of giving and guide me throughout this year to experience the joy that comes from giving back that which God has given to me.

Individual apple crisps

The other night I wanted to fix something sweet but wanted to do something super simple so I cooked Individual apple crisps. They were very simple and tasted good too.

I cut the very tops of of four apples (this recipe can be adjusted for however many you need) then took out the core. I didn't take out all of the center, I left enough at the bottom so the stuffing wouldn't come out of the apple. I place them in a baking dish and sprinkled them with cinnamon.
In a bowl I combined equal amounts of brown sugar and quick cooking oatmeal. I stuffed the mixture in each apple and them topped them with a pat of butter.
I put about a 1/4 inch of water in baking dish and covered it with aluminum foil. I baked them on 425 degrees for about 20-30 mins covered and then another 5-10 mins uncovered of until the apples were soft and then served them hot.

Shrimp and Grits

I tried my hand at shrimp and grits for the first time tonight and it turned out very well for my first time. I wanted to get the recipe down so I wouldn't forget it. It is super easy and fast. As I mentioned before some of the amounts are estimates.

two cups of chicken stock (one can)
1 cup of milk (I used 1% because that is what we drink)
I cup of water
I combined all of these in a pot and brought them to a boil then slowly added 1 cup of grits while whisking and turned the burner down to simmer and covered with a lid. They took about 5 mins to thicken.
At the same time I sauteed in olive oil in a cast iron skillet
1/2 onion diced small
1/2 cup bell pepper diced small
4 cloves of garlic diced
Seasoned with salt and pepper, red pepper and Italian seasoning
I seasoned one pound of deveined and shelled shrimp and seasoned them with salt, pepper, taco seasoning and Italian seasoning.
I added the shrimp to the hot skillet and let the shrimp cook.
When the shrimp was finished I removed the shrimp and veggies from the pan and then added about 2 TBS of butter and about 1-1 1/2 cups of shrimp stock I had defrosted from the freezer.
I let the sauce cook down a few minutes and used a spoon to scrape the bits off of the bottom of the pan. Then I added the juice from half a lemon and added the shrimp and veggies back to the pan.
While the sauce was cooking and after the grits were done I added about 2TBs of butter and about 1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese and salt and pepper to the grits. That is it supper fast and easy. We put our grits in a bowl then topped them with the shrimp and sauce. I am already thinking about how I could improve the recipe or change it up some but it was quite tasty the way it was.


Shrimp Stock

Shrimp shells
Water
Italian seasoning

combine in a pot and simmer with lid on until dark colored. Add salt to taste if necessary.

Christmas Pictures of the Kids!!!

This shows his personality perfectly!!!
She was not in the best mood, but still a cute pic.
My beautiful girl. Such a sweet smile.
I was very thankful to get a good picture of all three of them.
I love my precious babies!!!

Little Miss Attitude

It is hard to believe that our little unexpected blessing from God is almost 15 months. She is growing so fast and is now a full fledged toddler. She started walking right around her first birthday. In fact it was the day of her birthday party that she decided to display her new found talent. The whole family was at the house and she started putting on a show for them. By now she is quite thrilled about her new freedom and loves to explore the house. She gets quite upset if you put her in her pack-n-play. She believes she deserves the same freedom as her big brother and sister. She has a fairly large vocabulary and is starting to put two-word phrases together. She loves her brother and sister and is starting to interact with them in terms of playing. Her favorite game is to throw her toys out of the pack-n-play and wait for Cayden or Hannah to throw them back in. She thinks it is so funny. She is starting to want to wrestle with Craigan in the mornings. It is the tradition of Cayden and Hannah that when they wake up and get in our bed they wrestle with their Daddy. Now Zoe has caught on and does her form of wrestling with him. Over the past few weeks she has developed a little bit of an attitude. When something is not how she wants she will fuss and sometimes throw her body back like she is pitching a fit. It is quite cute but I am doing my best to discourage the attitude. If I say "Zoe Sarah that is not necessary" she puts her head down in shame. It is so cute and I am very impressed that at almost 15 months she knows that when I say her middle name that I am serious. Despite her little attitude she is a little sweet heart. I am so thankful that God in his sovereignty gave us a third child despite our fears. She is an absolute blessing (as are all our children) and I am humbled that God has chosen Craigan and myself to raise them to be godly men and women. It is an awesome and scary responsibility but we are trusting God for guidance.

I thought of a few other cute things to say about Zoe. She loves music. She loves to dance and it is so cute when she shakes her little rear end and twist her shoulder (which is her signature move). She likes to sing. Her favorite song is the ABC song. She can't say all of the letters but she gets the rhythm and you know what she is singing. She knows what sound a dog, duck and horse makes and she is learning her body parts and how to say them. It is amazing how much they can learn at this age.

Sausage and Lentil Soup

Today I came up with a new recipe. I needed something to cook in the crockpot because Craigan and I were going hunting and I wanted supper to be ready when we got home to avoid the usual take out meal that is our go to when I have not planned anything and we get home late. I have been trying to be diligent in planning meals so that we aren't tempted to fall back on the take out meal. I'm not one to be able to do any long term meal planning but I have found this week that if I take a few minutes in the morning to plan the days meals it makes a huge difference. I am in the process of becoming more organized in all aspects of my life and planning meals has been the easiest to accomplish. Once I realized that just by deciding what I will fix that morning I have been able to save money and time. So that lead me to a new recipe today. Like I said, I was looking for a crockpot meal and last week I had planned a "rough" weekly menu which included using ground sausage to make a stew or soup. I wasn't really sure what it would be but I had an idea. That is usually how I cook. I have an idea of what I want and then make it up as I go. Most of the time I do not use a recipe with exact measurements (unless I am baking, which is not a norm for me) so the following recipe contains estimates. I am typing it out to give me a guide the next time I fix it, but feel free to give it a try if you want.

One pound of ground sausage ( I used deer sausage because that is what I had, I think it would work with any kind of ground meat, but would probably need a little more spices if using plain ground meat.)
Diced tomatoes (I used some I had put up in the freezer from our garden. I would guess it would equal to about 2 cans of diced tomatoes.)
Dried Lentils (I used probably about 1 to 1 1/2 cups)
Beef Broth (3-4 cups depending on how "soupy" you want it. I used beef bullion granules with water.)
One chopped onion
1/2 - 1 cup chopped bell pepper
3-4 cloves of garlic
Spices (I have no clue how much of each but I will estimate)
salt and pepper to taste
chilli powder 1/2 teaspoon (I probably could have added more because it wasn't spicy, but I wasn't sure how spicy the sausage was so I was hesitant to add too much.)
ginger 1/4 teaspoon
dried thyme 1/4 teaspoon
paprika 1/4 teaspoon

I cooked the sausage about half way, then added all ingredients into the crockpot and it cooked on low about 5-6 hours.

It was a hit with my family. I fed my family of five and my in-laws and there was none left. The only one who didn't like it was my son Cayden but he has not discovered the joys of trying new things. I'm not sure if he actually tried it or not. Hopefully this phaze will end soon.

My Little Man

Three words to describe Cayden, full of life. There is never a dull moment with Cayden. He is full speed all them time. He loves to laugh and have fun and it is hard to get him to be serious and listen. So needless to say he gets to spend time in time out. He is such a little cutie that it is hard to discipline him sometimes. He loves trains, cars, balls, superheroes, pretty much anything boyish. The other day as we were watching the Gamecocks play baseball and he told us that when he gets bigger he wants to play ball on TV. Although he is quite full of himself he still loves to cuddle. He likes to get his sippy cup of milk and sit in your lap while he holds your finger and you hold his foot. He loves to give hugs and kisses and about every 5 minutes he says "mommy" and I say "Yes," and he replys "I love you" and I respond with "I love you." I don't think I could ever hear those words too often.

Hannah B.

My sweet little Hannah B. is quite the little princess. She loves anything girly but also loves to get dirty in the dirt and she loves bugs. She would play in the dirt for hours if she could, but she also loves to dress up and be girl. She wants to be a superstar when she grows up and loves to practice singing, playing instruments and dancing. She has a sweet voice and I finally got her to sing at church one Sunday night. She sang "This is the Stuff" by Francesca Battistelli. She would only sing it if she stood behind the pulpit, so that people couldn't see her. She did a wonderful job and was swinging her hip the whole time. It was so cute, I just wish everyone else could have seen it.
She is a little on the bossy side and can convince her little brother to do about anything, which has gotten both of them into trouble. She can be a little sassy but we are working on that. She is a very big helper when it comes to her little brother and sister and she loves them so much. She still loves to cuddle and loves to have "mommy time." She is very inquisitive and loves to read. I can't wait to start homeschooling because right now she is eager to learn new things. We are so blessed to have Hannah as our daughter. I pray that she will always look to God for guidance.

Zoe's Eight Month Update

There is a lot to tell about Zoe this month. It seems like when she turned eight months she decided to start doing all kinds of new tricks. Right before she turned eight months she starting sitting up by herself and from there within about a week she was able to go from lying down to sitting up. As soon as she turned eight months see starting crawling. She has been doing the belly crawl for about a month but she is now a full fledged crawler and is so proud of herself. She has also started pulling up and she even cruises around her bed and pack-n-play. She has attempted to let go but isn't quite ready for that step. She should definately be walking by a year and probably before. You can tell that she wants to, she is a very determined little girl. So far she has started on two teeth, one on the top and one on the bottom. They are about halfway out and there partners shouldn't be too far behind them. She is eating cheerios now and loves them. I'm not sure if likes them so much because they taste good or if she likes the independence of being able to feed herself. I have started her using a sippy cup and she does pretty well with it. She is at the stage where EVERYTHING goes into her mouth, even the cats tail. She loves the cat and anytime he comes near her she gets excited and grabs him and usually she ends up with a clump of fur in her hands and they go straight to her mouth. She is starting to babble some she says "bybyby" and occasionally makes the "mama" sound but I'm not sure if she knows what she is saying yet. She loves to give nice slobbery kisses and we love receiving them. At her well baby checkup she weighted exactly 20 pounds and was 27" long. She has those chunky little legs and cheeks and I just love them. She is growing up too fast, but she is a complete joy. She is a happy baby (unless she is hungry, tired, or sick) and just a special blessing from God.

I absolutely love this picture.







My little beach baby.






Cayden was crying because he wanted to ride again.



Too precious.


Mister personality.

Family Beach Vacation 2011

This week we had our annual family vacation at the beach. My in-laws rent a house in Garden City and we get to stay the entire week. This time my sister and her little boy got to stay the entire week with us. Her husband got to stay Saturday through Monday but had to go back home to work, and my father and step-mom got to spend the last few days with us. It is so nice to be able to be together and enjoy the beach. We never really make any kind of real plans and decide from day-to-day what we want to do, which usually involves relaxing on the beach. Most days we got up, fixed breakfast, got everybody dressed with sunscreen and headed to the beach for a few hours. We were usually some of the first out there and with four small children (my three and my sister's one) a morning trip to the beach worked out nicely. We would come home and eat lunch and then it was nap time. Even my oldest two took naps most days. We also enjoyed hanging out under the house where the kids could ride their bikes and we set up a pool for them to play in. We rented a golf cart this time so we got to go on some rides around the neighborhood, and the kids got to ride their bikes on the rode for the first time which was exciting for them (except when I unknowingly sent Hannah down a street that went down-hill, but she handled it well with no scrapes).
We got to see a lot of wildlife while we were their. Underneath the house (it is on stilts) we were priviledged to watch baby birds in three different nest. Two of the sets of birds actually flew out of their nest for the first time while we were there. On one of our golf cart rides we saw a raccoon and then during a trip to a near by park we encountered another raccoon. This one got a little too close for comfort and caused our trip to the park to be cut short.
We ate out three different times while we were there. The first was to Sara J's which is our usually can't-wait-to-eat- there place. However we were disappointed this time because they had cut back on their portion size but not the price. It was still very good, but we just felt cheated. The second was to Crabby Mikes for crab legs. We had never been there before and was pleasently surprised at the food. The third was the best. We went to our friends new restaurant in Aynor called Miss Ellie's Dinnerbell. It was delicious and we got to hang out with our friends which made it even better.
Our one big outing was to the Family Kingdom. The kids had a great time. There are some many rides that they can ride. It was so great to see their huge smiles as the got to ride each one. The most memorable one was the Log Flume. They had ridden all the rides that they could by themselves and so we were on our way back to the car when they saw the Log Flume and obviously didn't know what it was all about because they wanted to ride it and guess who got to go with them because they weren't tall enough to ride by themselves (not that we would have let them anyway)--mommy was the chosen one and I do not particularly care for water rides. But we got on and the attendant told them they were going to get wet which completely went over their heads when mommy tried to tell them they would, and they started to have second thoughts to which I explained that they were out of luck and had to finish the ride at this point. So we went over the first small hill and they were about ready to jump out of the boat. And again I had to explain that that was not possible and they had to finish the ride. I tried to be as positive as I could while secretly dreading the huge drop myself but I didn't want to make them panic anymore then they were, so I went on and on about how fun it was going to be. I think I convinced Cayden, but Hannah was not at all fooled. We made it to the bottom of the drop and came out of it not as wet as I had thought. The kids were not in fully panic mode and Cayden even said he wanted to ride again. Hannah still wanted no more of the ride and was all to ready to get off. We have a picture of us coming off the ride. We are all three wet(although not drenched) and Cayden is crying because he wants to ride again. I think it was more because he didn't want to home.
The weather was pretty nice. The temperature was very bearable, however the winds were a little rough a few days. It didn't rain the entire trip.
Our trips to the beach were fun. Hannah loved the water and sand. I think she would have played all day in the sand and ocean if we would have let her. Cayden on the other hand wanted nothing to do with the water. The ocean was just too scary for his little three-year-old self. He did play in the sand far away from the water but if you tried to take him to the water he would cry and ask to go home. Usually Cayden and Parker were playing in the sand near where we set up the canopy and chairs and Hannah was playing in the water with one of us. One day Craigan and her dug a huge hole near the edge of the water and sat in their "warm tub" as they called it. She enjoyed walking down the beach and collecting shells. Her and Memaw (my mother-in-law) were looking for a special shell which is called an olive shell I believe and were able to find three of them.
The trip to the beach was great. It was nice hanging out with the family and spending quality time together. I can't wait for next year.

Fun at the Park!!!

Zoe's Six Month Update!!!

Zoe turned six months old on the 30th of March. While I hate the fact that she is growing up so fast I was excited for selfish reasons. Zoe being six months old meant that I could drive again. If you are wondering why I couldn't drive until then it is because hours after Zoe was born I had an eclampic seizure because of high blood pressure. And because of the law I could drive for six months. It has definately made life easier since I can drive again. Didn't realize how much I missed it. Well enough about me on to the more important stuff.
Zoe weighed 17lbs 11ozs at her check up. While for us she seems like a big baby because the other two were barely 20lbs at one year of age, she is actually in the 50th percentile of weight. The doctor said she is growing great and doing everything she is suppose to. At about 5 1/2 months she learned how to roll over and is now turning over at will either way she wants. She loves to sleep on her tummy now. She is close to being able to sit up by herself. She can sit up while leaning on her hands but she can hold her whole body up for about 30 seconds before falling over. She likes baby food but still loves her bottle. She likes to jump in the Jump-a-roo, and has come to appreciate tummy time now that she can roll over. This has greatly helped her flat head, which is improving nicely. She is very nosey (just like her dad) and sometimes would rather watch the action than drink her bottle. She is such a loving little baby and gives great kisses and hugs. Just today she along with Hannah and Cayden were sitting in my lap and she started giving us hugs and sloppy kisses. It is so sweet. Most of the time she has a smile on her face and likes to flirt. She doesn't have any teeth yet but she is steady working on getting them.
She is such a joy and I am so incredibly grateful to God for allowing us to have a third child. I am humbled everyday at the blessings God has given me and I do not take any of them for granted.

Cayden is Potty Trained

I am pleased to announce that my little man is officially potty trained. Woo hoo. He has been pottying in the big boy potty for a while but he would only go if you reminded him. So a few weeks ago I decided to put him in big boy underwear because the pull-ups were just not working, and he was showing every other sign of being ready to be fully potty trained. I bought him some Thomas the Train underwear and put them on him, and within a few days he figured out that he could go potty whenever he needed to. He still needs a pull-up on at night, but during the day he keeps everything dry. It feels so good to only have to buy one set of diapers (for Zoe) and a pack of pull-ups every couple of weeks. It helps the grocery bill out tremendously. I am so proud of my little man. He is getting to be such a big boy. In fact in a few weeks he will be three.

Ramdom Cuteness!!!

Hannah informed me the other day that she wants to be a Superstar. When I asked her what she wanted to do she said "put on make up and sing and dance." I caught her in Zoe's room the other day playing her guitar and singing Randy Travis. I don't know if I am ready to be the mom of a superstar.

Hannah and Cayden went to the zoo the other day with my aunt and uncle. When they got back we were asking them what they saw and Cayden said, "we saw cows, it said 'Moooo'" It was so cute and the fact that out of all the animals he saw at the zoo the cow was the one that impressed him the most. I guess he's my little country boy.

I am sure there will be more random cuteness around this house and I will try to post them as they happen, because I tend to forget. Another symptom of my organizationally challenged self.

Zoe's Four Month Update

I know Zoe is almost five months old, so this update is a little behind but here it is. At her four month checkup she weighed 15lbs 9ozs. The doctor told us we could start giving her some baby food, so we have. She wasn't quite sure about it at first but has grown to enjoy her cereal and veggies or fruit. She is sleeping 12 hours at night which is a blessing. She takes short naps during the day, but I will take the twelve hours at night over long naps during the day. She is a happy baby and loves her brother and sister. They can make her laugh better than anyone else. She gives her daddy the sweetest smiles and it just melts my heart. I think she is going to be a daddy's girl. She has discovered the joy of jumping in her jump-a-roo. When we first put her in it she just sat there and talked to the toys, but now she has discovered the she can jump. She likes to talk and be talked to. Sometimes it sounds like she says "mama" but I know right now it is just her practicing her sounds. She is enjoying tummy time a little more now, but prefers to be on her back. She should soon be turning over and she wants to sit up. My baby is growing up, I am trying to enjoy every minute of it, but it is going by way too fast.

Confessions of an Organizationally Challenged Mom

I confess I am organizationally challenged. I don't always know where everything is, my house has clutter, the dishes are not always clean, the clothes are not always put in there place, there are toys everywhere. However, I am trying to get myself and house organized. Not because I want a perfect, neat house, but because I want to enjoy my family. I figure that the more organized my house is, the less time it will take to clean and the more time I can spend with my family. So, I am starting the process. It will be a challenge for me, but I am willing to face it and see the results.

Zoe update

My sweet baby is growing so fast. I am amazed at the new things she is doing. Today she laughed for the first time. She has been smiling and squealing for a while now. But today she let out a few full out laughs at her brother and sister who were wrestling on the floor. It was so cute. She loves her sister and brother and gets excited when she sees them. She is starting to recognize people and react to there presence by smiling and talking and looking around for them. She is even starting to give kisses. She likes to snuggle up with her face next to yours. It is so sweet. She is grabbing things and pulling them to her mouth. I think she might be starting to cut some teeth because she crams her hand in her mouth and chews away. It's hard to believe that in less than a week she will be four months old.

Let me start off by saying that God is amazing. He is awesome, powerful, ever present, loving, merciful, righteous, holy, worthy of worship, all knowing, and I could go on and on. Over these last few weeks He has been drawing me closer to himself. I have never experienced Him quite like I have these past few weeks. It hasn't been one of those revival type moments where He kind of shakes you and wakes you up, but it has been through His still small voice that is always present but is not always heard because of our lack of focus. He has been teaching me to simply trust Him and through that trust comes a deeper understanding of how God is speaking to me. The simple act of learning to trust God with everything brings about a peace that can only come from God himself. I am being brought back to the simple truths of God and who He is. God doesn't want my busyness, He simply wants me to trust and obey.

Weekend Getaway

Craigan and I had the chance to go on a Pastors/Wives Retreat with six other couples this weekend. It was such a blessing to be able to meet with other couples in the ministry and relax. Everybody needs a time to just relax and get away from the everyday routine of life. I am thankful for grandparents who love their grand kids and were willing to take care of them while we were gone. We divided them between the two sets and everyone seemed to have a good time, even my sensitive little Hannah who always wants to be by my side. There were a few tears but she survived.
It is amazing how when God is teaching you something it shows up everywhere you look. Through the Bible study times we had as a group God continued to confirm what He has been teaching me these past few weeks. I am so thankful to our church for allowing us the opportunity to go on this retreat. I can't wait until next year.

Let It Snow! Let it Snow!

Today we had our second significant snowfall in less than a month. This is very unusual for South Carolina and I am beginning to wander if we still live in the Palmetto State. I told Zoe today that she is only three months old and has already had two significant snowfalls in her lifetime. The first one came on December 26th and we ended up with about four inches of nice fluffy snow. Hannah and Cayden enjoyed getting out and doing some exploring. Craigan made a snowman with them and I made snow angels. Hannah loved throwing snowballs and getting hit by them but Cayden was not too sure about that snow activity. That snow was the perfect snow, it came stayed long enough to play and didn't affect travel too much. However, the snow we got today was much different. It was a much heavier snow, and because the ground and roads had been much colder before this round of snow compared with the last, the roads were much worse. We got about 6 to 8 inches in our area and then on top of the snow a layer of ice formed when the precipitation turned over to freezing rain. Needless to say we have not been out in the snow this time. It has been very cold and windy and much slicker than last time. Hopefully tomorrow the temperature is suppose to be a little warmer and we will venture out to play. We did however enjoy a nice family day inside, highlighted by Criagan making several trips outside to gather snow for some snow cream. The first attempt was plain vanilla and was pretty good for his first attempt. The second time he got a little fancier and made orange snow cream with some oranges we had. That batch was very good. I think he is planning on making some more tomorrow. Got to enjoy it while it is here. It was so nice to be in our warm house (thanks to the fire Craigan made in the fireplace) and just enjoy family time. We played games, watched some tv, played the Wii, read books and ate some snow cream. I didn't worry about cleaning and our meals were simple. Just a perfect day in Westville.

My New Declaration

Today was spent trying to get caught up on house work and cooking. I has seemed like over the past few months that I just haven't been able to get caught up on all the house work. I got behind when I was pregnant with Zoe and the recovery time after her birth. It seem like I am just now beginning to get caught up. Cleaning is not one of my strengths. I start doing one thing then see something else that needs done and start doing that task and it just seems like it takes twice as long to complete a task as it should. In the past this has been a point of frustration for me, but I have decided to have a new attitude about cleaning and just take things one at a time. I have been trying to look at the smaller task and not look at the "big picture" so to say. I have also come to the realization that my house will never be the one you see in magazines with every element perfectly placed and organized and not a speck of dust or dirt to be seen anywhere. I have accepted the fact that my house will always have that "lived in" look. But you know what? I wouldn't have it any other way. When you come to my house I want everyone to feel comfortable. I want my kids to remember the fun times we have not a picture perfect house that they feel they can't have fun in. Do I want my house to be presentable? Do I want my children to keep their rooms where you can at least walk into it? The answer to both of those is yes. However, I am vowing that cleaning will not overrun my life. It will no longer cause me strife or effect my self-worth. I will have fun with my children. I will make my guest feel welcomed and I will spend time daily with my husband. Most importantly I will spend time with God, seeking His wisdom and understanding. Therefore, the cleanliness of my home will no longer define who I am as a mother and wife. I believe that by making my family and God the most important part of my day, my house will be presentable and welcoming to all who enter.

Proverbs 3:1-4

As I said in an earlier blog I am going through Proverbs 3 during my Bible study time, trying to get every bit of insight God gives me on these verses. Tonight I went back to the first four verses. It is amazing how the truths of God weave themselves all throughout His Word. Before Proverbs I was studying Deuteronomy and the message that kept showing up in those verses were to remember and keep God's commandments. Over and Over again in those verses Moses was reminding the Israelites as they were getting closer to entering the Promised Land, that they were to not forget the commandments of God. And not only that but were to pass them on to their children. Here again in the first few verses of Proverbs 3 the same theme is revealed. The verses read:
1 My son, do not forget my teaching, But let your heart keep my commandments ; 2 For length of days and years of life And peace they will add to you. 3 Do not let kindness and truth leave you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart. 4 So you will find favor and good repute In the sight of God and man. (NASB)

What God wants from us is obedience. His desire is that the teachings in His Word are so ingrained in our hearts that they define who we are. When His commandments are written on the "tablet of your heart" (vs. 3), every aspect of our lives are governed by them. Too many times people "accept Christ as their Savior" but never step beyond their conversion and become a true follower of Christ. God's commandments are not merely suggestions, but they are guidelines for which we as Christians should be compelled to follow. And as in Deuteronomy, along with the command to follow God's Laws is the promise that following those commands bring a reward (vs. 4).
But first in order for us to be able to keep God's commands the driving force in our lives, we must know them. Not only with a head knowledge but a heart one also. They are to be so ingrained in our heads and hearts that when faced with any situation we will be able to stand firm knowing that our actions are a result of godly wisdom and understanding and not our own sinful self. I pray that God's commands will be the driving force behind everything I do.

Zoe Update!!!!

I figured since Zoe is already three months old I need to update on her growth. She is such a sweet little girl and a good baby. At her two month check up she was 12lbs 15ozs. She is definately my biggest baby. She loves her brother and sister and just gives them a huge smile when she sees them. She has dimples and those fat cheeks just like Hannah, which makes her smiles all the more sweet. For the most part she is a happy baby. She gets fussy only when she is hungry, sleepy or just wants to be involved in the rest of the family activities. She is starting to do a lot of cooing. She will carry on a nice conversation with you. She is gaining core strength and loves to sit up with help of course. She can grasp onto objects and is starting to pull them towards her mouth. She likes a pacifier to go to sleep but is discovering that her hands taste pretty good. She is sleeping all night long. I usually put her to bed about 8:30pm and she sleeps to about 7:00am or so. I have been very blessed with all of my babies sleeping well through the night.
Zoe has been such a special addition to our family. With all I went through after her delivery, I do not take any day for granted. Even though she was an unexpected gift from God, she has given us so much joy. I feel so blessed to have two beautiful girls and one handsome little boy. I pray that God will continue to guide Craigan and me as we raise our children under His loving hand.

Trust, Wisdom and Understanding

Right now in my quiet time I am absorbing Proverbs chapter 3. It has those well know verses "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight." (verses 5-6; NASB). These verses are my life verses right now. I know trust is an issue in my life. I want to have control over what happens in my life and it is hard to let go and trust God in everything. So, I am holding onto these two verses and trusting that God will lead me to a place where I can trust Him fully, without reservation. It is not that I don't trust that God can do anything it is that I wander if He will. It's the "all your heart" part that I have trouble with. I have a very bad habit of worrying about things I can't control and that is what leads to the problem with trusting God with all my heart. So today and everyday afterwards I will start my journey of trusting God with my whole heart, not just the things I can control. I know that it in order to do that I have to change my thinking. I have to choose not to worry and trust God. I know the more I let the worry go the more I will trust Him.

Today's Happenings

Today was a pretty normal day at the house. It started out at about 7:30am with Cayden and Zoe waking up. Hannah spent the night with her Memaw and Grandaddy. We normally end up with all five of us in the bed in the mornings but Craigan had to go get tires on the Montero so it was just Cayden, Zoe and myself. I got some cuddle time with Cayden. I love it when I get to spend some one-on-one time with my kids. Today it was Cayden's turn. He is such a sweet little boy and loves to cuddle. He is so cute when he drinks his milk (which is the first thing he ask for in the mornings and will not stop asking until he gets it) he loves to be cuddled up in your lap while he holds your thumb and he wants you to hold his foot. Too cute. Zoe took a nice nap this morning after her bottle and short awake time. This gave me the opportunity to spend the time with Cayden.
From about 11:00am to about 2:00pm I was in the kitchen either cleaning or cooking. I got on one of my cooking binges, which is where I decide to cook several things at one time so that I don't have to later. Earlier his week I bought some chicken breast on sale for 89 cent a pound which is about as good as it gets for bone in chicken breasts. I got two packs and I needed to finish using up what was left. I had three left so I deboned two and split them in half. I put some garlic salt and pepper on them then brushed them with mustard before coating them with breadcrumbs and baking them in the oven. I them put them on sub bread (wheat of course) and put provolone cheese and a mayo mixture (mayo, scallions finely chopped, cilantro finely chopped and garlic). I them Heated them in a pan on both sides to melt the cheese. I had also cooked some potatoes as a side. Ended up being a pretty good lunch. At the same time I was cooking lunch I started on Chicken noodle soup. I had one chicken breast left and I had saved the bones from a few other ones I had deboned earlier in the week (I put them in the freezer in a bag labeled "For Chicken Stock") I put them in a pot along with some water and veggies I had been saving in the freezer (everytime I cut onions, celery or carrots I save the parts I would normally discard and put them in the freezer in a bag labeled "For Stock") I added salt, pepper and italian seasoning and let it cook until the chicken was done and the stock tasted good. I then took out the chicken and strained the stock to remove all of the veggies. I then used the stock and the chicken to make my chicken noodle soup. All I needed to do was cut up some carrots, celery, onions and garlic and soften them in the post with some olive oil then add the shredded chicken and stock back to the pot then when it was time for supper I just added the noddles and cooked some cornbread and supper was done. And it was good if I do say so myself.
I also made what I'm gonna call a chicken gumbo. Last night I cooked five of the chicken breast in a pot with onion, carrots, celery, garlic and mushroom to which I added some chicken stock, a large can of crushed tomatoes and some italian seasoning and salt & pepper. I let it simmer until the chicken was done (about an hour). I had some of the chicken left over and a lot of the liquid which I didn't want to waste, so I planned on making some veggie soup. However as it developed it kinda turned into a chicken gumbo type dish. I took the leftover liquid and put it in the pot with some cabbage frozen greenbeans, peas and okra and let it cook until the veggies were done. Because it was kinda thick I though about gumbo and added the leftover chicken, leftover rice and some cajun seasoning. This will probably be either lunch or supper tomorrow so I will let you know how the family likes it.
The rest of the day was spent feeding Zoe, changing dirty diapers, trying to get Hannah and Cayden to clean up their room which was a total disaster and giving Zoe a bath.
We had a nice supper together at the table. Until lately we have been eating in the living room in front of the TV. However, I am determined to change that. Tonight we all ate at the table and it was such a nice family time. We even had dessert (fruit salad with whipped cream and cookies).
About the trying to get Cayden and Hannah to clean their room, After a couple of hours of Craigan and me telling them that they had to clean their room or they would loose their toys, Hannah finally started cleaning when we bought the trash bags out to take the toys away. Cayden however did not want to clean and lost some of his toys which he was not too pleased with. Hopefully next time he will understand that we are serious when we tell them to clean up.

Well that has been my day. It ended with me putting Hannah and Cayden to bed because Zoe needed some daddy time. Then me putting Zoe to bed. They are all so sweet and such a blessing from God. I am so thankful for the wonderful family that God has given me.

I hope I didn't bore you too much, but I am using this to keep up with everything I do even the recipes I make. I don't normally write them down but now I can keep up with them on my blog.
Time to put myself in the bed and get ready for a new day.

Something New!!!

So today I have decided to start using my blog more. If you take a look at my blog you will see that I am sporadic with my posts. Part of the problem is that I don't make the time to write and the other problem is that I am not that technically savvy so trying to manage my blog takes me forever. I am currently trying to figure out how to remove the huge picture of the beach at the beginning of the blog. Don't get me wrong I love the picture and wish I could be looking at that scene right now in person, but the picture is way too big and I would like to replace it with another one. Perhaps soon I will figure it out and get some new pics up soon. Anyway, today as I was in the kitchen doing some cooking and cleaning I decided that I was going to take advantage of my blog and use it as a way of keeping up with everything that is going on in my life. There are always things that happen during the day that I don't want to forget but I never take the time to right them down. That lead me to the conclusion that my blog would be the perfect place to keep up with all the small details of my life that I don't want to forget, especially the growth of my children. So I am going to use this space as a way to remember those things I don't want to forget. I figured that with all the clutter I am trying to organize in the house (a task that does not come easy for me) the blog would be a way to organize my life without cluttering up my house with more papers or books. If you follow my post I hope you don't get too bored with the everyday routine of our life, but maybe you will find something that interest you or maybe helps your life become a little easier. More importantly I hope that you will see God being glorified through the life of my family.