AH-MAZE-ING! A friend had this posted on their facebook wall last week & I just fell in love with the song! Bought it on itunes this morning! In the search box, type in Rise Up (Dance Your Shoes Off 2011) and you should find it.
"The song is entitled "Rise Up" and was commissioned by Second Baptist Church for this event. It is produced by Joshua Moore. The singer is Lauren James Camey, a member of their church.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KX2-J6uS-o&feature=share
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Like a Christmas Present!
OOOH, the excitement of it! Who's going to have sent me emails, who's posted or left messages on Facebook...I get a rush just waiting for my email to open!
I realized that this morning as I was waiting for my work email account to pop up! It felt like I had a present in front of me waiting to be opened! How silly is that!? I wondered who'd sent me messages since I left the office yesterday afternoon!
I have three email accounts now! Our home email, my work email and I've set up a gmail account primarily for my Scentsy business. It's the little things that sometimes bring so much happiness & I guess that's a good thing!
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Boston Cream Cupcakes
This miniature version of the classic custard pie leaves nothing out, with rich vanilla pudding, buttermilk and a semisweet chocolate glaze.
Active Time: 30 minutesTotal Time: 1 hour 30 minutesRecipe Ingredients
Cupcakes
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp each baking powder and salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
Filling
1 package (3 oz) cook & serve vanilla pudding
1 1/4 cups milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Chocolate Glaze
8 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/3 cup each sugar and water
3 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
Recipe Preparation
1. Cupcakes: Heat oven to 350ºF. Line 18 muffin cups with paper liners.
2. In a bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt until blended.
3. Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, until well blended. Beat in vanilla extract.
4. With mixer on low speed, alternately beat in flour mixture and buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture, until just blended.
5. Spoon about 1/4 cup batter into each muffin cup. Bake 18 to 20 minutes until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack to cool completely.
6. Filling: Prepare pudding as package directs, using 1 1/4 cups milk. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Scrape into a bowl; cover surface directly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold.
7. Glaze: Place chocolate, sugar and water in a small saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring, until melted and smooth, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in butter until it melts and mixture is smooth. Let cool.
8. To assemble: Slice off top of cupcakes to come to top of paper liners. Spread cut surface with about 1 Tbsp filling. Top with cupcake top. Spoon about 1 Tbsp glaze onto top center of each, easing it over top
100 ways to keep little kids happy
Pretend-Play Games
1. Celebrate a new holiday. Announce that it's Polka-Dot Day or Purple Day.
2. Throw a doll's birthday party. Wrap up a few "gifts," decorate with balloons and streamers, and enjoy a mock -- or real -- cake.
3. Dress for the weather. Lay out items for different weather conditions, describe a certain day, and ask your child to pick an outfit for it.
4. Open a petting zoo. Place stuffed animals around the room, pet each one, and talk about what they like to eat.
5. Camp out in your living room. Climb into a tent and sleeping bags. Turn on a flashlight, and pretend to eat s'mores.
6. Form a family band. Have everyone grab an instrument and jam to a CD.
7. Imitate animals. Practice hopping like a frog, squirming like a worm, waddling like a duck, and stretching like a cat.
8. Play restaurant. In the real kitchen or a pretend one, alternate between being the customer and the server or chef.
9. Offer horsy rides. Let her bounce on your back while you "neigh" and chew hay.
10. Ride the laundry-bin "school bus." She's the passenger, and you're the driver. Make stops to pick up other kids, and wave bye-bye to the mommies at each stop.
Take-Alongs That Make Waiting Fun
11. Brain Quest. This "flip deck" of age-appropriate questions and answers for children as young as 2 builds smarts and keeps kids busy.
12. A dry-erase pen for dressing rooms. "My daughter decorates the mirror while I try things on," says Stephanie Simon, of Charlotte, North Carolina. "The ink wipes off easily with a tissue."
13. Mini Etch A Sketch. Ask your child to draw what he sees.
14. Bubbles. Blow them while she's in a shopping cart or waiting to see the doctor.
15. Long-lasting snacks. Consider mini bagels, breadsticks, or graham crackers.
16. Pipe cleaners. They can take the shape of a ring, a flower, or a headband.
17. Crayons and a coloring book. Or try Crayola Color Wonder markers.
18. Finger puppets. Act out a story while you're stuck in a long line.
19. A plastic magnifying glass. She'll love seeing objects and people close-up.
20. A little toy train. Introduce a special choo-choo that only appears when you're outside of the house. Create your own track: Tell your child that it's along his arm, up a chair, or over a table -- and he'll keep the train rolling.
Easy Art Project
21. Finger-paint with pudding. Place a dollop on a laminated place mat or a cookie sheet and have your child create sweet abstract art. (You can dye vanilla pudding with food coloring.)
22. Make jewelry. String painted Cheerios or hollow pasta shapes onto yarn and voila, a necklace or a bracelet.
23. Create fingerprint critters. Using washable paint, make thumbprints on paper or a flowerpot. Once the paint dries, use a fabric marker to draw on legs, a face, and antennae. For more ideas, check out Ed Emberley's Complete FunPrint Drawing Book.
24. Go splat. Channel your child's inner Jackson Pollock: Drag an old sheet outside and let him use a paintbrush to splatter it with waterproof paint.
25. Make a collage. Give him paper and a glue stick. Go nuts with decorations, such as torn pieces of tissue or construction paper, cotton balls, feathers, images from magazines, and photos.
26. Adopt a pet rock. Adorn stones from a nature walk with paint, glitter glue, and stick-on eyes.
27. Try Dot Art markers. They're super easy for toddlers to hold.
28. Design a T-shirt. Paint your child's foot or hand with fabric paint and imprint a T-shirt for her or to give as a gift. (To prevent color from bleeding to the other side of the shirt, place cardboard inside.)
29. Knead some goop. Mix a box of cornstarch with water to a consistency your child likes, then add food coloring.
30. Crown your prince or princess. Decorate a strip of construction paper or cardboard with markers, glitter, and stickers. Then staple or tape the two ends to size.
Games to Play with a Ball
41. Knock it across the room with a kitchen utensil. Grab a spoon or a strainer with a handle.
42. Roll with it. Facing your child with legs spread apart, roll a ball to each other, alternating between using your left hand and right hand.
43. Bounce it into a hula hoop. Hold the hoop and have her try to toss the ball so it lands in the center. Move back to make the game more challenging.
44. Design spin art. Dip a small ball, such as a golf ball, into nontoxic washable paint, then put it in a salad spinner (or a plastic container) along with a few coffee filters. Put the cover on and spin! (You can use your salad spinner again after you put it in the dishwasher.)
45. Go bowling. Knock over some empty water bottles or soda cans.
46. Size them up. Give your child an assortment of balls -- tennis, golf, Ping-Pong -- and an empty muffin tin. She'll have fun putting a ball in each compartment, dumping them out, and starting all over again.
47. Play air ball. Take turns hitting a beach ball up toward the ceiling, trying not to let it hit the ground.
48. Sing a silly ball song. Have him run around the room holding a ball, while belting out "The Ball on the Bus Goes Round and Round."
49. Toss it up a slide. She'll love watching it roll down.
50. Pass it through a "human" tunnel. Both parents and the child stand in a row, one behind the other, with legs spread wide. The first person bends over and tries to get the ball through the three sets of legs.
Rainy Day Ideas
51. Create a sunny scene. "My kids draw on the windows with washable window markers," says Stacey Marshall, of Charlotte, North Carolina.
52. Splash in a couple of puddles. If the rain is light, you can look for worms along the way.
53. Pop in a yoga tape. Have her follow your poses.
54. Measure the place. "My 2-year-old daughter, Meredith, loves to play with a plastic tape measure," says Heather Gillespie, of West Harrison, New York. "We see how big all our furniture is."
55. Bake cookies with care. Give her a lesson in altruism by baking cookies for an elderly neighbor or to send to the troops in Iraq. Let her sneak a couple.
56. Plant seeds. Try lima beans, marigolds, and zinnias in a variety of mini pots, clear plastic cups, or an egg carton.
57. Play tag. Make it more fun with Playskool's Tag Tails ($15). Each player wears a detachable animal tail, which you try to pull off.
58. Create an obstacle course. Jump on pillows, crawl under chairs, and burrow through a blanket-covered tunnel.
59. Hunt for under-the-sea treasure. Run a bubble bath, then have your child sit inside or outside the tub and feel around for objects you've "buried."
60. Practice math. "Change the words of 'If You're Happy and You Know It' to 'If You're Happy and You Know It ... clap one time or jump three times and hop two times,'" says Jackie Silberg, author of 500 Five-Minute Games. Keep changing the activity and the number of repetitions.
Ways to Make Every Car Ride Rock
61. Take along a cookie sheet and magnetic letters and numbers. You can count and sing the ABCs as she arranges them in proper order, says Trish Kuffner, author of The Toddler's Busy Book.
62. Entertain her with a dancing bear. "When I'm in the passenger seat, I hold a stuffed animal on my head and have it perform," says Lisa Depew, of Ashburn, Virginia.
63. Pack a Travel Go 'N Doodle. No worries about ink stains on the seats with this version of the Aquadoodle mat.
64. Burn a favorite-songs CD. Make sure you like a few of them!
65. Try the shopping game. Name a store your child knows well (supermarket or toy store), then on the word "Go" see how many things your child can name in that store.
66. Bring a storybook on CD. These sets signal when it's time to turn the page in the corresponding book, so nonreaders can follow along too.
67. Take pictures of the trip. With a child-friendly digital camera, such as Fisher-Price's Kid-Tough Digital Camera, he can snap (deletable) pictures through the window and view his shots as often as he'd like.
68. Play "Who Am I?" Offer clues about an animal or a community helper, and ask your child to solve the riddle, says Kuffner.
69. Pretend with a doctor's kit. Ask her to examine a couple of her dolls or stuffed animals.
70. Let him steer like you. A toy with a steering wheel can help your child feel in control. Try Tiny Love's Wonder Wheel.
Really Fun 5-Minute Activities
91. Let your child scrub, scrub, scrub. "I fill the sink or a bucket with soapy water and give my kids plastic dishes or their dolls to clean," says Jodie Fratantuno, of Los Angeles.
92. Hand him an old cell phone. Name a relative or a friend to call.
93. Have her talk into a big plastic party cup. She'll be fascinated by the echo.
94. Pound out some energy. Give your child some golf tees and a toy hammer, and have him bang the tees into Styrofoam.
95. Dance on bubble wrap. Tape a piece to the floor and go wild.
96. Wipe down the kitchen. "My 2-year-old loves it when I give her a damp sponge to go over the counter and cabinets like Mommy does," says Depew.
97. Mesmerize him with a calculator. Kids especially love ones with big buttons.
98. Lay out a foam place mat and foam stickers. "My 19-month-old sits for a long time sticking on each decoration and then pulling it off," says Jane Martin, of Overland Park, Kansas.
99. Present her with a photo album with plastic pages. She'll like seeing memories of her birthday party or pictures of her cousins.
100. Enjoy teatime outside. "My 3-year-old pours water back and forth between her plastic teapot and teacups," says Elli Goyette, of Newport News, Virginia.
1. Celebrate a new holiday. Announce that it's Polka-Dot Day or Purple Day.
2. Throw a doll's birthday party. Wrap up a few "gifts," decorate with balloons and streamers, and enjoy a mock -- or real -- cake.
3. Dress for the weather. Lay out items for different weather conditions, describe a certain day, and ask your child to pick an outfit for it.
4. Open a petting zoo. Place stuffed animals around the room, pet each one, and talk about what they like to eat.
5. Camp out in your living room. Climb into a tent and sleeping bags. Turn on a flashlight, and pretend to eat s'mores.
6. Form a family band. Have everyone grab an instrument and jam to a CD.
7. Imitate animals. Practice hopping like a frog, squirming like a worm, waddling like a duck, and stretching like a cat.
8. Play restaurant. In the real kitchen or a pretend one, alternate between being the customer and the server or chef.
9. Offer horsy rides. Let her bounce on your back while you "neigh" and chew hay.
10. Ride the laundry-bin "school bus." She's the passenger, and you're the driver. Make stops to pick up other kids, and wave bye-bye to the mommies at each stop.
Take-Alongs That Make Waiting Fun
11. Brain Quest. This "flip deck" of age-appropriate questions and answers for children as young as 2 builds smarts and keeps kids busy.
12. A dry-erase pen for dressing rooms. "My daughter decorates the mirror while I try things on," says Stephanie Simon, of Charlotte, North Carolina. "The ink wipes off easily with a tissue."
13. Mini Etch A Sketch. Ask your child to draw what he sees.
14. Bubbles. Blow them while she's in a shopping cart or waiting to see the doctor.
15. Long-lasting snacks. Consider mini bagels, breadsticks, or graham crackers.
16. Pipe cleaners. They can take the shape of a ring, a flower, or a headband.
17. Crayons and a coloring book. Or try Crayola Color Wonder markers.
18. Finger puppets. Act out a story while you're stuck in a long line.
19. A plastic magnifying glass. She'll love seeing objects and people close-up.
20. A little toy train. Introduce a special choo-choo that only appears when you're outside of the house. Create your own track: Tell your child that it's along his arm, up a chair, or over a table -- and he'll keep the train rolling.
Easy Art Project
21. Finger-paint with pudding. Place a dollop on a laminated place mat or a cookie sheet and have your child create sweet abstract art. (You can dye vanilla pudding with food coloring.)
22. Make jewelry. String painted Cheerios or hollow pasta shapes onto yarn and voila, a necklace or a bracelet.
23. Create fingerprint critters. Using washable paint, make thumbprints on paper or a flowerpot. Once the paint dries, use a fabric marker to draw on legs, a face, and antennae. For more ideas, check out Ed Emberley's Complete FunPrint Drawing Book.
24. Go splat. Channel your child's inner Jackson Pollock: Drag an old sheet outside and let him use a paintbrush to splatter it with waterproof paint.
25. Make a collage. Give him paper and a glue stick. Go nuts with decorations, such as torn pieces of tissue or construction paper, cotton balls, feathers, images from magazines, and photos.
26. Adopt a pet rock. Adorn stones from a nature walk with paint, glitter glue, and stick-on eyes.
27. Try Dot Art markers. They're super easy for toddlers to hold.
28. Design a T-shirt. Paint your child's foot or hand with fabric paint and imprint a T-shirt for her or to give as a gift. (To prevent color from bleeding to the other side of the shirt, place cardboard inside.)
29. Knead some goop. Mix a box of cornstarch with water to a consistency your child likes, then add food coloring.
30. Crown your prince or princess. Decorate a strip of construction paper or cardboard with markers, glitter, and stickers. Then staple or tape the two ends to size.
Games to Play with a Ball
41. Knock it across the room with a kitchen utensil. Grab a spoon or a strainer with a handle.
42. Roll with it. Facing your child with legs spread apart, roll a ball to each other, alternating between using your left hand and right hand.
43. Bounce it into a hula hoop. Hold the hoop and have her try to toss the ball so it lands in the center. Move back to make the game more challenging.
44. Design spin art. Dip a small ball, such as a golf ball, into nontoxic washable paint, then put it in a salad spinner (or a plastic container) along with a few coffee filters. Put the cover on and spin! (You can use your salad spinner again after you put it in the dishwasher.)
45. Go bowling. Knock over some empty water bottles or soda cans.
46. Size them up. Give your child an assortment of balls -- tennis, golf, Ping-Pong -- and an empty muffin tin. She'll have fun putting a ball in each compartment, dumping them out, and starting all over again.
47. Play air ball. Take turns hitting a beach ball up toward the ceiling, trying not to let it hit the ground.
48. Sing a silly ball song. Have him run around the room holding a ball, while belting out "The Ball on the Bus Goes Round and Round."
49. Toss it up a slide. She'll love watching it roll down.
50. Pass it through a "human" tunnel. Both parents and the child stand in a row, one behind the other, with legs spread wide. The first person bends over and tries to get the ball through the three sets of legs.
Rainy Day Ideas
51. Create a sunny scene. "My kids draw on the windows with washable window markers," says Stacey Marshall, of Charlotte, North Carolina.
52. Splash in a couple of puddles. If the rain is light, you can look for worms along the way.
53. Pop in a yoga tape. Have her follow your poses.
54. Measure the place. "My 2-year-old daughter, Meredith, loves to play with a plastic tape measure," says Heather Gillespie, of West Harrison, New York. "We see how big all our furniture is."
55. Bake cookies with care. Give her a lesson in altruism by baking cookies for an elderly neighbor or to send to the troops in Iraq. Let her sneak a couple.
56. Plant seeds. Try lima beans, marigolds, and zinnias in a variety of mini pots, clear plastic cups, or an egg carton.
57. Play tag. Make it more fun with Playskool's Tag Tails ($15). Each player wears a detachable animal tail, which you try to pull off.
58. Create an obstacle course. Jump on pillows, crawl under chairs, and burrow through a blanket-covered tunnel.
59. Hunt for under-the-sea treasure. Run a bubble bath, then have your child sit inside or outside the tub and feel around for objects you've "buried."
60. Practice math. "Change the words of 'If You're Happy and You Know It' to 'If You're Happy and You Know It ... clap one time or jump three times and hop two times,'" says Jackie Silberg, author of 500 Five-Minute Games. Keep changing the activity and the number of repetitions.
Ways to Make Every Car Ride Rock
61. Take along a cookie sheet and magnetic letters and numbers. You can count and sing the ABCs as she arranges them in proper order, says Trish Kuffner, author of The Toddler's Busy Book.
62. Entertain her with a dancing bear. "When I'm in the passenger seat, I hold a stuffed animal on my head and have it perform," says Lisa Depew, of Ashburn, Virginia.
63. Pack a Travel Go 'N Doodle. No worries about ink stains on the seats with this version of the Aquadoodle mat.
64. Burn a favorite-songs CD. Make sure you like a few of them!
65. Try the shopping game. Name a store your child knows well (supermarket or toy store), then on the word "Go" see how many things your child can name in that store.
66. Bring a storybook on CD. These sets signal when it's time to turn the page in the corresponding book, so nonreaders can follow along too.
67. Take pictures of the trip. With a child-friendly digital camera, such as Fisher-Price's Kid-Tough Digital Camera, he can snap (deletable) pictures through the window and view his shots as often as he'd like.
68. Play "Who Am I?" Offer clues about an animal or a community helper, and ask your child to solve the riddle, says Kuffner.
69. Pretend with a doctor's kit. Ask her to examine a couple of her dolls or stuffed animals.
70. Let him steer like you. A toy with a steering wheel can help your child feel in control. Try Tiny Love's Wonder Wheel.
Really Fun 5-Minute Activities
91. Let your child scrub, scrub, scrub. "I fill the sink or a bucket with soapy water and give my kids plastic dishes or their dolls to clean," says Jodie Fratantuno, of Los Angeles.
92. Hand him an old cell phone. Name a relative or a friend to call.
93. Have her talk into a big plastic party cup. She'll be fascinated by the echo.
94. Pound out some energy. Give your child some golf tees and a toy hammer, and have him bang the tees into Styrofoam.
95. Dance on bubble wrap. Tape a piece to the floor and go wild.
96. Wipe down the kitchen. "My 2-year-old loves it when I give her a damp sponge to go over the counter and cabinets like Mommy does," says Depew.
97. Mesmerize him with a calculator. Kids especially love ones with big buttons.
98. Lay out a foam place mat and foam stickers. "My 19-month-old sits for a long time sticking on each decoration and then pulling it off," says Jane Martin, of Overland Park, Kansas.
99. Present her with a photo album with plastic pages. She'll like seeing memories of her birthday party or pictures of her cousins.
100. Enjoy teatime outside. "My 3-year-old pours water back and forth between her plastic teapot and teacups," says Elli Goyette, of Newport News, Virginia.
Monday, March 28, 2011
BUYER BEWARE...
of 3buttonsn2bows! Cute stuff, but POOR to no SERVICE!
So I think I've decided that even on Etsy, you should check the reviews & maybe even do a google search on a company before you decide to buy from someone! That is definately true for 3buttonsn2bows! WHOA...so I find this seller that is using Pottery Barn vintage Batman material & making really cute valances & bulletin boards that I thought would be perfect for Tanner's new Batman bedroom! She could even do a custom lampshade in yellow with the batman logo for me! So, I place my order on Feb 7th, pay & am anxiously awaiting the products! Here comes March 9th & I'm thinking it's been quite awhile & where are my products...So I send her a message & no response. The first item arrived on the 19th after having been shipped on the 17th. Then I send another message on March 22nd as to the whereabouts of the valance & the lamp shade. Funny thing, when they arrived on the 24th, she'd just sent them on the 22nd! That was the day that I also went to paypal & filed a complaint. I was told by Etsy that you only have 45 days to file if something goes wrong. Amazing how well that worked to get all of my items from her! Bad review #1 for this company that I found & here's another
Sad to think that they are running a business like this, they really do have cute stuff!
So I think I've decided that even on Etsy, you should check the reviews & maybe even do a google search on a company before you decide to buy from someone! That is definately true for 3buttonsn2bows! WHOA...so I find this seller that is using Pottery Barn vintage Batman material & making really cute valances & bulletin boards that I thought would be perfect for Tanner's new Batman bedroom! She could even do a custom lampshade in yellow with the batman logo for me! So, I place my order on Feb 7th, pay & am anxiously awaiting the products! Here comes March 9th & I'm thinking it's been quite awhile & where are my products...So I send her a message & no response. The first item arrived on the 19th after having been shipped on the 17th. Then I send another message on March 22nd as to the whereabouts of the valance & the lamp shade. Funny thing, when they arrived on the 24th, she'd just sent them on the 22nd! That was the day that I also went to paypal & filed a complaint. I was told by Etsy that you only have 45 days to file if something goes wrong. Amazing how well that worked to get all of my items from her! Bad review #1 for this company that I found & here's another
Sad to think that they are running a business like this, they really do have cute stuff!
Friday, March 25, 2011
I'm a Mom, but I'm also still a woman...
OK, so since church last Sunday, I can't stop thinking about this...He was talking about how being intimate is much more than just with your bodies, and that it's with your heart too.
He was trying to make a point to the high school students & now I don't even really remember what it was that he was saying b/c I got so focused on thinking of myself & what I really think of sex.
Wishing I'd of heard someone say that to me so many years ago! It would have changed the way I did many things in my life! For some reason I always thought it was going to make a guy like you & that is SO WRONG!
You have these movies that glamorized it & for one - I NEVER should have been watching these movies! I'm not even sure how I got by with watching these movies! Where were my parents? I know my Dad was not naive to what was out there or in these movies, but I really don't think my Mom knew what was IN these movies & what I was watching. All The Right Moves, Porky's, The Last American Virgin, Welcome to 18, The Breakfast Club, About Last Night, - I can remember being in 8th grade & watching About Last Night & LOVING that movie! But now, being an adult & having done the things I did growing up & having a son...there is no way I want my son watching movies like that at that age! I don't want him to see that promiscuous sex & thinking that it's just how it is and that there's nothing wrong wtih it. I want him to know that it's something that should be saved & treated as if it really does mean something. Don't just give your body to anyone.
I think I've also gotten to a point that sex for me isn't as much with my heart as it is with my body. Sure, I love my husband a lot & I do feel closer to him through sex & when we are more intimate but I honestly can say that I think for me - sex is more physical than it is emotional. I really hope that somehow we can make sure that our son knoss that as the pastor said - being intimate with someone is far more than just feelings with your body but it's also with your heart and your head!
He was trying to make a point to the high school students & now I don't even really remember what it was that he was saying b/c I got so focused on thinking of myself & what I really think of sex.
Wishing I'd of heard someone say that to me so many years ago! It would have changed the way I did many things in my life! For some reason I always thought it was going to make a guy like you & that is SO WRONG!
You have these movies that glamorized it & for one - I NEVER should have been watching these movies! I'm not even sure how I got by with watching these movies! Where were my parents? I know my Dad was not naive to what was out there or in these movies, but I really don't think my Mom knew what was IN these movies & what I was watching. All The Right Moves, Porky's, The Last American Virgin, Welcome to 18, The Breakfast Club, About Last Night, - I can remember being in 8th grade & watching About Last Night & LOVING that movie! But now, being an adult & having done the things I did growing up & having a son...there is no way I want my son watching movies like that at that age! I don't want him to see that promiscuous sex & thinking that it's just how it is and that there's nothing wrong wtih it. I want him to know that it's something that should be saved & treated as if it really does mean something. Don't just give your body to anyone.
I think I've also gotten to a point that sex for me isn't as much with my heart as it is with my body. Sure, I love my husband a lot & I do feel closer to him through sex & when we are more intimate but I honestly can say that I think for me - sex is more physical than it is emotional. I really hope that somehow we can make sure that our son knoss that as the pastor said - being intimate with someone is far more than just feelings with your body but it's also with your heart and your head!
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Black Bean Brownies
These were very good, don't let the name scare ya away! If you didn't know the can of black beans was in there, you'd of never known! They were very fudgy & tasted great!
I started with a GOOD brownie mix!
I started with a GOOD brownie mix!
ENJOY! We did...
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
God does work miracles! If you don't believe it...read this
This is a friends little sister, and old friend of mine from Oklahoma. It is an amazing story, and one that I can say no one really knew would play out quite like this...
As told by Erica on Feb 22, 2011:
Today was phenomenal as far as accomplishments are concerned. Jeff got in the recliner again this morning. He is off all IV drip medications, he has no catheter, no central line, no 24 hour dialysis machine and to top it all off, he walked!! Not only did he walk around the room like a crazy man, but he walked a lap around our wing of the hospital. He also met w/ the physical therapist and the occupational therapist. We were on visitor restriction again today but it wasn’t strongly enforced so we had several visitors. Not sure that will be the case tomorrow. He will have hemodialysis tomorrow morning in the room. This should take between 3-4 hours. Then about 3:30pm he will go downstairs and have the defibrillator/pacemaker (thank the Lord for spell-check) installed. Nobody has told me this, but I really feel like we will get to go home towards the end of the week! What a difference a week makes!!
Unfortunately all that busyness throughout the day has made for a rough evening. The pneumonia is really kicking his rear. He’s got a horrible dry cough. His chest is tight and he’s miserable. Everyone keeps telling him how great he’s doing, but for him, he can’t remember all of the really bad stuff that he went through like we can. He just feels like he got hit by a mack truck. Poor thing. After all he’s been through this is what’s hindering him!!
So today I have been in awe of what God has done. It’s really starting to set in the magnitude of what has happened here. If you are skeptical and you think maybe we didn’t experience a true modern day miracle after what I’m about to tell you, then just know that I will be praying specifically for you this week. I was looking at Jeff’s chart today and talking to the nurse. Please bear w/ me as I’m still trying to grasp this. My husband had NO HEARTBEAT, that’s NO heartbeat for one hour and thirty minutes. That’s three full episodes of Friends w/ commercial interruptions. That’s a lunch hour and a half of another one. That’s the ability to drive 90 miles going approximately 60 MPH. All that time and he had no heart beat. He was literally kept alive w/ a combination of chest compressions, CPR, shocking, medication and God’s grace. My husband’s heart did not beat for 90 minutes and he is sitting next to me right now complaining about a cough. Praise God! I can’t believe what he has done for us. I am in awe of the God we serve and I’m fervently praying that this is not something any of us soon forget.
A message from Jeff on March 7, 2011:
At 9:41pm tonight Erica asked me “Is it hard to imagine that 3 weeks ago today, right now, you were dead?” Wow, I hadn’t thought about it in such direct terms. I do know that in the last three weeks I have done a lot of reflecting about the few things that I remember, but more on the things I have been told regarding the events that took place on and after Valentine’s Day.
I wish at this time I could say that I can remember everything that led up to the event, or that for the approximately 90 minutes that I was not living on my own, I was spending time in heaven or had seen the light, or that I can remember the events that took place the entire week following the event, but I can’t. I remember very little if anything until the following Monday evening, BUT, the stories I have been told and continue to hear leave me humbled, amazed, and thankful to say the least.
First, HUMBLED, that my God would take a normal and selfish guy as myself and work such a miracle that would change lives all over the world. He could have used anyone, but chose to do this miracle through me and my family. Not in any way so that we would receive the glory, but so HE would receive the glory and be praised for who HE is and what HE can do and has done. As I continue hearing story after story of how lives are being changed, how lives are being saved, and faith in our awesome God has been raised to an altogether new level, I have to say that if it all ended today, it was worth it and I would be honored to do it all again, BUT, I know this is just the beginning of what God is about to do.
I find myself not talking as much as I’m accustomed to, but truly reflecting and being prayerful about what we are supposed to do next, how we are supposed to share our story, and how we can ensure that the entire world knows that God still does miracles and He receives all the glory that he deserves. Our God is amazing and I belong to Him.
From every place within me, I want to thank you for your prayers, your extreme faith and your support of our family. Be prepared and please be in prayer for what God has done and is about to do. May the momentum never end and our God continue receiving the glory and honor He deserves.
As told by Erica on Feb 22, 2011:
Today was phenomenal as far as accomplishments are concerned. Jeff got in the recliner again this morning. He is off all IV drip medications, he has no catheter, no central line, no 24 hour dialysis machine and to top it all off, he walked!! Not only did he walk around the room like a crazy man, but he walked a lap around our wing of the hospital. He also met w/ the physical therapist and the occupational therapist. We were on visitor restriction again today but it wasn’t strongly enforced so we had several visitors. Not sure that will be the case tomorrow. He will have hemodialysis tomorrow morning in the room. This should take between 3-4 hours. Then about 3:30pm he will go downstairs and have the defibrillator/pacemaker (thank the Lord for spell-check) installed. Nobody has told me this, but I really feel like we will get to go home towards the end of the week! What a difference a week makes!!
Unfortunately all that busyness throughout the day has made for a rough evening. The pneumonia is really kicking his rear. He’s got a horrible dry cough. His chest is tight and he’s miserable. Everyone keeps telling him how great he’s doing, but for him, he can’t remember all of the really bad stuff that he went through like we can. He just feels like he got hit by a mack truck. Poor thing. After all he’s been through this is what’s hindering him!!
So today I have been in awe of what God has done. It’s really starting to set in the magnitude of what has happened here. If you are skeptical and you think maybe we didn’t experience a true modern day miracle after what I’m about to tell you, then just know that I will be praying specifically for you this week. I was looking at Jeff’s chart today and talking to the nurse. Please bear w/ me as I’m still trying to grasp this. My husband had NO HEARTBEAT, that’s NO heartbeat for one hour and thirty minutes. That’s three full episodes of Friends w/ commercial interruptions. That’s a lunch hour and a half of another one. That’s the ability to drive 90 miles going approximately 60 MPH. All that time and he had no heart beat. He was literally kept alive w/ a combination of chest compressions, CPR, shocking, medication and God’s grace. My husband’s heart did not beat for 90 minutes and he is sitting next to me right now complaining about a cough. Praise God! I can’t believe what he has done for us. I am in awe of the God we serve and I’m fervently praying that this is not something any of us soon forget.
A message from Jeff on March 7, 2011:
At 9:41pm tonight Erica asked me “Is it hard to imagine that 3 weeks ago today, right now, you were dead?” Wow, I hadn’t thought about it in such direct terms. I do know that in the last three weeks I have done a lot of reflecting about the few things that I remember, but more on the things I have been told regarding the events that took place on and after Valentine’s Day.
I wish at this time I could say that I can remember everything that led up to the event, or that for the approximately 90 minutes that I was not living on my own, I was spending time in heaven or had seen the light, or that I can remember the events that took place the entire week following the event, but I can’t. I remember very little if anything until the following Monday evening, BUT, the stories I have been told and continue to hear leave me humbled, amazed, and thankful to say the least.
First, HUMBLED, that my God would take a normal and selfish guy as myself and work such a miracle that would change lives all over the world. He could have used anyone, but chose to do this miracle through me and my family. Not in any way so that we would receive the glory, but so HE would receive the glory and be praised for who HE is and what HE can do and has done. As I continue hearing story after story of how lives are being changed, how lives are being saved, and faith in our awesome God has been raised to an altogether new level, I have to say that if it all ended today, it was worth it and I would be honored to do it all again, BUT, I know this is just the beginning of what God is about to do.
I find myself not talking as much as I’m accustomed to, but truly reflecting and being prayerful about what we are supposed to do next, how we are supposed to share our story, and how we can ensure that the entire world knows that God still does miracles and He receives all the glory that he deserves. Our God is amazing and I belong to Him.
From every place within me, I want to thank you for your prayers, your extreme faith and your support of our family. Be prepared and please be in prayer for what God has done and is about to do. May the momentum never end and our God continue receiving the glory and honor He deserves.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Skinny Buffalo Chicken Dip (yes there is such a thing)
Love that Gina! She came up with a recipe for Skinny Buffalo Chicken Dip ! LOVED it! This is one of our favorite party appetizers & now, even though I'm counting my points & getting my old body back, I can still enjoy this one! YEA!! Thank you Gina, you rock!
Sunday, February 27, 2011
It's working!
I've made it like a game of sorts in counting my points. Thank goodness I found this website called skinnytaste.com! I have found some really good recipes on here. Now my husband might now agree with me when I say that...Last night was HILARIOUS! I made a potato soup recipe from there & he said it looked like porridge & was just wrong! You pureed the cooked cauliflower & potatoes so yes, there were no big chunks of potato & he was so not happy about that! I have several other recipes picked out to try this week! I did make a recipe from the site that he did like this week though & it was PHENOMENAL I must say! Crock Pot Santa Fe Chicken is a MUST TRY! So good!
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