New Year, New Blog Posts!!

Welcome 2012!! It's a new year, and my resolution was to start blogging pictures of the kids again for family and friends. Good thing my resolution wasn't to stop being late about stuff or procrastinating on stuff!! 

To start us off, here are some recaps from our lives in January and February...

Alan had a Youth Leader's Retreat to KC at the end of January, so the Houston girls made a trip down for some fun!! Aunt Jill played hide and seek with the little guy, Ali let him have control of her "hello" (phone), Grandma Bff (you know that beep sound Skype makes? Sounds like "bffff--bffff--bfff", well, Isaac named his Grandma Sherry "Bfff" after that sound). 

And below, a few favorites from Valentine's Day (Abi's first!!). Daddy started the day off by putting Isaac in the "Pretty in Pink" bib, which he wasn't too fond of. Abi made it her personal goal to eat her tutu (that was the day before V-Day...yep, she wore something with hearts and pink all week!) For Valentine's, Isaac got some new bath toys, and Abi got some new hair clips ;).

The Best Cinnamon Rolls Ever; The Worst Recipe Ever

I took a break from blogging this fall to blog on my design and photography blog instead. I managed to say blog 3 times in one sentence just now, didn't I?

It's 12:04am on CHRISTMAS EVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I love Christmas, and I love Christmas Eve even more :).

And a new tradition I started a few years ago is making home made cinnamon rolls for Christmas morning, or in this case, for Christmas Eve morning.

But it wasn't all sugar and spice.

I found a recipe a while back on www.allrecipes.com that turned out to be a great recipe, a no-fail recipe of sorts. I started the process at 9:04pm, after asking my hubby if he was planning on staying up late based on all the caffeine he'd had today. His reply prompted me to proceed with my late night baking project.

I gathered my ingredients which started with 4 cups of flour, one package yellow cake mix (called for 18.25oz but my boxed mix was only 15.25oz...hmm...first blunder of the evening), then add the yeast and water. This all went smoothly until Alan and I got to chatting which in the kitchen together, and I got side tracked at added 4 1/4 C water instead of 2 1/4 water.

OOPS!!! Soggy, wet mess of dough that wouldn't mix!!!

Quick! Add more flour and cake mix!

But we have no more cake mix...??

Well then add more flour!

Alan was quick to think to look up what's in a boxed cake mix to duplicate some of it, so we also added 2 teaspoons baking powder and about a 1/4 C sugar to the dough (um...ok, so I just threw a handful of sugar in, and as I type this, Alan admits to it being a HEAPING tsp of baking powder and nearly a cup of sugar).

We laughed as I tried mixing it, constantly asking for more flour, more flour, MORE FLOUR!!! SERIOUSLY, just pour the flour in already!! Alan kept getting frustrated and telling me it was too much flour.

After kneading the dough for...eh...forever at this point, we then decided to follow-through and try to at least see if they would rise. Forty minutes later....and yeah, not quite so much. As they were rising I freaked out realizing I didn't add extra yeast in any way after I put in too much water, to which Alan replied, "Yes, but a little bit of yeast leavens the whole batch!"

Even though the dough didn't quite rise, I proceeded to go ahead and punch down and knead the dough, and found it quite doughy. I added more flour, again, and started rolling it out with a teeny-tiny rolling pin (our real one broke last year), but then THANKFULLY realized I had borrowed one from a friend and have yet to return it ;). It's a sweet one too ;).

Nervously I put the first batch in, and 15 minutes later stood in front of the oven checking to see if they were done and getting slightly frustrated that I had, at this point, been on my feet for over 2 hours and should have been done with a cleaned kitchen.

I took a bite, and what to my wondering mouth did I taste? Well...it wasn't too shabby. But I couldn't decide if they were ok or not, and if I should proceed or not to bake the rest. I gave the plate to Alan to take a little bite, which he did. And then another. And another, and another, and another until it was all gone! I thought he was mocking me, but he looked up and said, "Hun {insert laugh}, those are the BEST cinnamon rolls you've EVER made!!!!"

We had been joking all night that 'watch, this will be the best ever'. And they were.

And we created a Christmas memory with our traditional Christmas cinnamon rolls.

Loved This Thought...

I've been reading "Real Mom, Real Jesus" by Jill Savage {Owner/Creator of Hearts At Home ministry}. I bought it for this reason:

Yep, that's a basket of dirty laundry on the cover. What can I say...it spoke to me! The only sad part is that my husband convinced me to buy it for Kindle, so I don't get to look at that amazing cover each time I pick it up, or for that matter, I don't get to dog-ear the pages, scribble thoughts in the margins, or use a nifty pink highlighter on special passages. 

But the awesome part? It's jam packed full of great thoughts on the Lord and how He truly can relate to ME! A mommy!! A wife!!! A crazy, coffee-injected-caffeine-addict-wife-to-one-and-mother-to-two!!! 

Here's the Truth and reminder that I read today: {please pause while I click my way through the pages, you know, since I can't BOOKMARK it with a pretty receipt or scrap of a coloring page paper. Incase you haven't caught on, I'm a V-Book kinda person...that's V for VINTAGE-where you can FEEL the paper in your hands and HEAR the pages turn...}

Everyday life gives us so many opportunities to bless our family; pray for wisdom, protection, and direction; and just spend time talking with God.

He wants to hear ME talk to HIM. It's a two-way street. I need to talk to Him and He wants to hear me; He wants to talk to me and I need to hear Him.

I love how she explains a way, even as a busy mom of five, that helps her remember to spend time in prayer, and something I hope to challenge myself to do from now on.

As I folded Mark's T-shirt I began my conversation with God. "God, thank You for my husband. Thank You for all that You have created him to be." I smoothed out a pair of jeans with, "Lord, help him to look to You for his value rather than his job or what the world falsely offers. I pray that he will be a man who longs for Your truth." As I began to pair his socks I prayed, "Keep his feet on Your path, Lord. Help him to walk in the Spirit more often than in the flesh."

As I pulled a couple of Erica's shirts out of the laundry basket, I prayed, "Lord, help Erica to want what You offer more than what the world has to offer. Keep her strong against the peer pressure she experiences in high school."

As I read on, Savage depicted how she prayed for her family while folding their laundry. I loved that idea, the simplicity of the prayers, and the reminder that He constantly wants to hear me talk to Him.

 

 www.hearts-at-home.org

 

The Inaugural Playing of Winter Snow for the Season!

This is probably one of my favorite *winter* {if I say winter, does that make it less harmful than saying I'm playing Christmas songs already?} songs. There's a chance of snow today {seriously!?}, so we're going to welcome it appropriately. 

Winter Snow by Audrey Assad

Could've come like a mighty storm 
With all the strength of a hurricane 
You could've come like a forest fire 
With the power of heaven in Your flame 

But You came like a winter snow 
Quiet and soft and slow 
Falling from the sky in the night 
To the earth below 

You could've swept in like a tidal wave 
Or an ocean to ravish our hearts 
You could have come through like a roaring flood 
To wipe away the things we've scarred 

But You came like a winter snow 
(Yes, You did) 
You were quiet 
You were soft and slow 
Falling from the sky in the night 
To the earth below 

Oh, no, Your voice wasn't in a bush burning 
No, Your voice wasn't in a rushing wind 
It was still 
It was small 
It was hidden 

You came like a winter snow 
Quiet and soft and slow 
Falling from the sky in the night 
To the earth below 

Falling 
(Oh, yeah) 
To the earth below 
You came falling 
From the sky in the night 
To the earth below

Fall For Fun

Found these from 2008...

New, New, New!

New blog design...
     ...New daughter!...
          ...New & refreshed me!

I haven't blogged in FOREVER. Well, except for earlier today ;). But I'm back. Consider that a warning ;).

What's new that you'll find, other than brighter colors and an updated picture? You'll find a glimpse inside. I'm stepping out and making a point to make my life healthier. I'm working out, eating right, and trying to be a better mommy and wife {ok, so all of that is in backwards order}. I'm trying to do a better job of PLAYING with my kids, TALKING with my hubby and trying to be an encourager to him. Spell check doesn't like my word encourager and is telling me it's not correct, but I know it is because it's what I'm trying to be.

As for the exercising part...I hope to be at least a little transparent here in order for you, my (2?) readers to help hold me accountable. I NEED accountability like none other on this!!! I'll fill in more later, but let's just say that I've set some high goals that I desperately hope to accomplish, and I'm willing to be open if it means it'll help at least one other person who struggles with the same things I do.

And on top of all of that, I'm trying, deeply, to be a better daughter of the King. I slack. I disobey. I neglect. I run the other direction than He wants. I cave. I fail.

I need. I desire. I thirst.

I'm ready for HIM to transform me, from the inside out.

A New Found Love

I stumbled across this new blog.

Ok, I lied. I kinda stumbled across it. I won't go into detail here just how, but let's just say God works everything to the good of those who love Him.


Here's the site: www.incourage.me

Real name is (in)courage. Don'tcha love that name?

Anyway, it is a site/blog for women who love the Lord to come and share, be encouraged (hello Captain Obvious!), and to grow in friendships, relationships, and more importantly in the Lord. Check it out:

They also have a new fall Book Club book by Angie Smith (wife of Todd Smith from Selah). I haven't started following this yet, or gotten the book yet, but am hoping to soon. You can find more on this at this link http://vimeo.com/28911850