Kingcade Kitchen

I've moved!!

2011-09-10T15:41:00.002-05:00

New name, new location, new blog altogether:

Chalk on the Walls

Join me on a journey of motherhood, wife-hood, decorating, baking and more!

2010-04-28T21:00:00.000-05:00

Mary "Lucy" Stansberry (with Mariah Lucy)
March 27, 1919-April 28, 2010

This beautiful woman went to be with Jesus today. I can't even describe how much she will be missed. I have so many incredible memories of her. We've known this day was coming for several months and she has fought such a hard fight. But, I still wasn't prepared to lose such an amazing lady. I am having a hard time grasping that I will never see her again. She was such an integral part of my whole life. I am so thankful she was able to go home in peace. I will forever miss my sweet Grandma! I love Lucy!!!

Here is a re-post from when we first found out:

Tonight I have thoughts and prayers for this beautiful Christian lady, I am so lucky to call "Grandma." What a wonderful Christian example my Grandma Lucy has always been! She is one of those rare jewels you find that has all of the qualities you can only hope got passed down! She is selfless, thoughtful, devoted, creative, witty, funny, silly, serious, hard-working, dependable, supportive, persistent, driven, generous, caring, loving, genuine, and so much more!!! But one of the things that sticks out, is her silent, yet sometimes found-out acts of giving to others. She is one of those people you know is a Christian because of her actions! LOVE that! I hope I can be more like her! Wow! What a lady!!

This beautiful 90 year old woman, who worked every day as the curator of the Old Town Museum in Elk City, OK, up until a month ago, loves Christmas more than anyone I know! She has a HUGE, museum-worthy collection of snowmen, gives every family member a Christmas stocking and gifts, decorates her house inside and out, and has always made amazing food and candies! We were able to celebrate with her in Elk City over the weekend and I cherished her expressions of contentment and joy, as she watched each of us open our stockings and gifts. I have never known anyone more happy than her to give and become so over-joyed by the recipients joy!

As a child I "worked" at the museum with her, was her "bed feller", cooked with her, watched her cook, she read to me, bought me special treats (Keebler chocolate dipped wafer cookies and chocolate dipped Oreos!!), drove me around town, wrote me letters, let me put lipstick and rouge on her (when I was really little), she "itched my back", went to church with her and really just acted as her shadow! She is definitely one of my very favorite people!!! She has taught me so much!

Today my prayers are for her as she suffers with terminal cancer. I pray and wish her only the peace and comfort that God can provide! Oh how I wish she could live on for fifty more years! I still have so much to learn from her! My little Mariah is a lucky little girl to share the name, Lucy, with her! I'm glad Grandma Lucy has been able to know her and share that sweet name!

Tot Trot...Mark your calendars!!

2010-03-12T18:35:00.006-06:00

5K Run and 1 Mile Walk

Friday, May 7th

6-9pm

Mitch Park

All proceeds benefit Christian Service's adoption, foster care and
maternity home ministries.

For more information, visit: http://www.christian-adoption.org/tottrot

This is a fun way for your whole family to help out many precious babies, women and families!!!

Also, be sure to mark your calendar for some wonderful shopping that benefits the Tot Trot! Tuesday, March 23rd from 7:30-9:00 shop at Adora!! It's the perfect opportunity to get started on your Mother's Day shopping!

The past month

2010-03-10T15:26:00.032-06:00

Josh and I were able to get out of town by ourselves a few weekends ago! Mariah stayed for the first time at Poppy and YaYa's house overnight! Josh and I went to Frisco to shop, EAT and relax! We had a great time and will have to go again soon!!

Since I'm basically just updating every few weeks or once a month or something, here are pics from Mariah's baby shower, her 18 month birthday and several of her new tricks!

On Valentine's Day, Mariah was given a WONDERFUL baby shower!! We had so much fun!!! Mariah had a blast playing with her grandmothers, playing with the other kiddos there and stealing chocolate off of the plates of several of the women:)

Once again, a HUGE thanks to my friend and co-teacher, Chiara, for volunteering to take professional pics at Mariah's shower!! I can't tell you how much more fun it is when you don't have to worry about remembering to take pictures! It was so nice to get pictures of people that I never even got to see:) Thank you, Chiara!!

We are so overwhelmed by the support we have gotten from our church family, family and friends! Their generosity and thoughtfulness has just been over the top! I spent the entire shower opening presents for Mariah. Even almost a month later, she is still getting gifts! We appreciate everyone for loving Mariah and automatically accepting her as "ours" before it was even official!!
The "Lucy" doll from sweet Haley! On a shopping trip to Pottery Barn Kids with my friends, I spotted this sweet doll named Lucy and it was a brown baby! I was showing the girls and crying because it was so sweet! Perfect for my Mariah Lucy! I had planned to get it for Mariah later on, but Haley surprised me with it at the shower! She also surprised me with this adorable pillow that she made for Mariah's crib! It matches perfectly!!!!

Loving on her doll from Chiara!
The beautiful table filled with yummy cookies and other goodies!!

Helping Mommy open presents!
A few of the wonderful handmade gifts!! Hooded "Mariah" towel by Sada and beautiful quilt with yummy fabrics by Jane!

Playing with YaYa!
Reading with Nan Nan!

Cousins!

Mariah and Mariah:)

All three cousins! I love these sweet girls!!
Aunt Mandy!
DADDY!! Thankful he came to help load gifts!!
Me and my momma!!

The precious hostesses (minus two)! What a fabulous job they did with the shower!! They are each so sweet!!
Mariah's new crib from YaYa and Poppy, new GIRLY bedding I got on clearance (had to make sure I had something with red) and room rearrangement!
Looks like we're ready for baby #2!!!! We will be adding a new foster baby to our family sometime this spring/summer! Just as soon as the funding is in for the foster program at Christian Services of Oklahoma! We are so excited and can't wait to see what blessing God sends our way!! The race and gender will be a surprise! So fun to see what God has in His plans!! We have been praying hard, specifically that God prepares each of our hearts to love this baby like our own and yet be prepared for it to return back home eventually, if that is the plan. We look forward to giving another precious baby a temporary home.

18 months!!! February 22nd, Mariah turned 1 1/2! I must say, 18 months is my very favorite so far! Mariah has been so much fun! She sings actual songs, she has "conversations" with me, and she really has such a fun sense of humor! She has also really started hugging and kissing much more, which I just love!! It really has been a blast so far! It's fun to watch her do "big girl" stuff and actually really enjoy it! I took her for her 18 month checkup today and she is doing great! He said she is just tall and skinny!! She is 20lbs exactly and is 31 1/2 inches tall!

Getting ready to kiss Mommy:)(
Yesterday I broke out the camera and had to take some pics and video of my funny girl! She had me laughing with several of her new tricks! (dancing above)
She loves to climb and stand in chairs (even though the standing up is not allowed:))

Her ballet pose!
Her cartwheel!
Her other version of her "cartwheel!" She does one of these two poses whenever I say "cartwheel!" Too funny!!!

Gotcha Day!

2010-02-11T13:59:00.015-06:00

I'm finally blogging about the day we officially became a family!! We've been a family since September 17, 2008. But, we legally became family forever on December 4, 2009! This was basically our family's version of "labor and delivery." We were so blessed to have our families there to witness this very special day!!

A HUGE, GIGANTIC, THANK YOU to Chiara Davidson, of Chiara Davidson Photography!! She volunteered to take all of our adoption day and party day photos! Thank you for your amazing work and gift of time!!!

Our GREAT social workers!!

The moment that reality set-in....waiting for the elevator immediately after court.

Mariah LOVED her sucker from Judge Shaw!!

Our wonderful attorney!

December 5, 2009...GOTCHA PARTY!!!

**Just realized that several of the fun Gotcha Day Party pics that I thought I posted didn't post....bummer!

January and February 2010

2010-02-11T13:24:00.011-06:00

Happy Birthday, YaYa!!

We have been home all week long, trying to get Mariah well. She's had a high fever, cough, runny nose, diarrhea, etc! Yuck!! She has been pretty miserable all week! SO sad! I think, as of today, she's on the up swing! I'm ready for my little girl to feel happy again!

Look how miserable and pale she was yesterday!

We got Mariah a big pink "baw" for an early V-day gift! She has been having fun rolling it around!

My sweet prayer group girls gave me a surprise bday party last week! Ashley made a yummy and cute pink cake! So fun! I just happened to have pink and green plates and napkins to match!

Mariah trying on Nan Nan's shades....she's one cool cat!
Outback dinner for my birthday!

My precious, thoughtful and amazing husband surprised me (and two of my besties) with a night at the Waterford Hotel last Friday night! The dads kept all of the kiddos and we ate TONS of food, talked into the wee hours of the morning (3am, to be exact) and did some fun shopping!! What a blast we had!! My husband is just awesome!! I got to the hotel early to relax, watch TV, read magazines and nap (hence the pic above:)). He also surprised me with a one-hour massage on my day off! SO nice!!

Haley and Mariah @ Cheesecake Factory for our Momcation! Super yummy food!!

Traditional birthday lunch at Cocina de Mino with Mom and Dad.
I caught Mariah rocking her baby and signing "baaa-beee, baaaa-beee". SO adorable!!! That was my old rocking chair, so it's so sweet to see her using it!
Mariah and her sweet friend, Brady, eating dinner together!
Admiring herself in her big-girl ponytail!
Mariah loves her baby dolls! She rocks, hugs, pats and feeds them so well!
Water color painting with Mommy. We've been having lots of fun with water colors, crayons, playdough, bubbles, dot markers, etc! I have a fun little crafting buddy! Love it!
In the snow after church with Daddy! My two VERY favorite people!!!!

17 months!

2010-01-27T14:32:00.004-06:00

Mariah turned 17 months old on Friday! SO hard to believe! Here are her current faves, etc.:

Favorite Book: Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you See?
Favorite Songs: Jesus Loves Me, Read Your Bible and Pray Every Day, The Wheels on the Bus, ABCs, Twinkle Twinkle
Favorite song to dance to: Pants on the Ground!!
Favorite activities: Ring Around the Rosies, spinning in circles, "running", dancing and climbing, bath time
Favorite foods: Grilled cheese, smoothies, crackers, yogurt, applesauce, beans and rice

She is getting so big and so much fun! I love how she pretty much understands everything I say and I love her sense of humor! She is busy, fun and hilarious! 7 months until 2 years...YIKES!!

I'm hoping to take some time and blog her adoption day/Gotcha party pics taken by Chiara Davidson very soon!! They turned out great!!!

City on a Hill

2010-01-27T12:33:00.005-06:00

This morning I took Mariah for a breakfast date at Panera with some friends. Just a few minutes after sitting down, a curious man (probably in his 30s) cut straight to the chase and asked if Mariah was adopted. I told him she was and then just turned my attention back to my friends and our conversations. A few moments later, he started asking me about the adoption process and if she was adopted domestically, etc. It was actually the first time I've been asked point blank if Mariah was adopted, without her daddy being there, so that was odd. I usually assume that people just think her daddy is African American or something. If he had been, that would have been a really awkward conversation today!!!

Anyway, I wasn't offended, but just kind of shocked, actually. In the 16 months we've had her, I've only been asked by other adoptive moms if she was adopted and never right off the bat! I am always happy to share our story, in part. It is nothing that we hide or keep private. Of course, there are parts of Mariah's story that are just for her and our family, but as for the basics of how we got her, I'm an open book! It did get me thinking today, though about how we will handle it as she becomes more aware. Right now Mariah doesn't know if someone asks about her relationship to me. But, in a few years, she will! I don't want her to have to think about it or for it to be an issue at all. So, in that respect, I was a little concerned. I really pray that people will be sensitive enough as she gets older.

Take a few minutes to read this post: http://urbanservant.blogspot.com/2009/03/we-are-city-on-hill-when-we-adopt.html . It is wonderfully written and she shares my sentiment, but I'll pass on the 11 kids!!

New Year's Eve 2009

2010-01-01T16:24:00.010-06:00

Sweet Grandma Lucy rang in the New Year in style in Elk City! I just had to post this pic of her because it's just precious!
Daddy and Mariah...I'm SO thankful for these two!! I'm so blessed to be called wife and mother by these amazing ones!

Me, Haley and Mariah....a few of my biggest blessings this year!! These girls are such precious friends!
Little Mariah in her 2010 shirt (thanks to Haley for the the great idea!!)
Our little family
Our little ones dressed in their cute 2010 shirts!!(Haley's 3 boys on the left and Mariah's little boy on the right)

We were able to ring in the New Year with two precious families last night! We enjoyed (too much) food, talking, game playing and watching our little ones play! These two girls (and their darling families) have been such a blessing to me this year!!!

We have had such an incredibly blessed year! God has been so good to us and many of His plans for our family have come to fruition this year! His plans are always so amazing! We look forward to 2010!

My life will never be the same!

2009-12-30T22:54:00.005-06:00

I officially have a walker! Mariah has been toddling around for quite a while, but was very determined to walk when she wanted. We knew she would be able to, but that she would definitely be the one to decide:) Tonight after church was the time! She took off and has been walking everywhere and VERY fast! She also has decided that she has to carry her two purses she got for Christmas from NanNan. It's hilarious! I kept her up way too late, because I was just so excited to see her walking everywhere! Had to call the grandparents, take video and take pics, of course! I guess the baby phase is officially over, although most would argue that it was over several months back!

Snow and more celebrating!

2009-12-27T22:42:00.018-06:00

Mariah's first time in the snow! She was a little uncertain at first, but loved it when she got to throw snow at Daddy's face!

Bundled up in her blankie after playing in the snow
Christmas with my side of the family...

Me and Mom
Mariah with PaPa Stanz,
NanNan
Dancing with NanNan and Viv
with cousin Viv,
Uncle Joe,
Uncle Matt,
Mommy,
Daddy,
Aunt Mandy,
and cousin Vi.

We have been so blessed to spend the Christmas holiday with our precious, generous, hospitable, and loving families! We have been well fed, well entertained, well gifted, and well loved!!! Thank you to both of our wonderful families!!!

Celebrating

2009-12-25T20:55:00.022-06:00

Christmas Morning...stroller from Santa!!

Christmas Eve....pictures by the tree before bed! Mariah has become a pro at touching the tree with "one finger."

Making (eating) yummy cookies for Santa!

Looking out at the snow!
Loving on some wrapping paper!
Festival of lights with....Poppy,
YaYa
Uncle Reece,
Mommy,
and Daddy!
Quick family pic at the Festival of Lights in Wichita Falls, TX.

Opening her sweet Cabbage Patch doll from YaYa and Poppy.

Christmas at Grandma Lucy's!

We still have Christmas with my family tomorrow (it got snowed out today), but this is how we've celebrated so far! I hope you all had a wonderful and safe Christmas!! We look forward to our continued celebration!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

Chairs!

2009-12-06T22:26:00.005-06:00

If you saw me with smudged makeup at church today, this is what kicked it off.....seeing my BABY in a CHAIR for Bible class!! Where has the time gone? I can't believe she is no longer sitting in the table in those little baby chairs. I definitely had a little emotional breakdown this morning over that, followed by sweet comments from friends about Mariah's adoption and how we have a "daughter" (tear), the precious video during service and then final singing of "There's a Stirring" while the whole church surrounded the ministers and elders. Such a sweet and emotional morning. It finally sunk in today that we really do get to keep Mariah forever! I was wondering when the tears would just start flowing...guess I got my answer!

By the way, Mariah's teacher said that she stayed in her chair the whole time...very impressive! I was actually a little nervous that she'd topple over!

Introducing.....

2009-12-04T16:30:00.002-06:00

Mariah Lucy

We love you, precious baby girl!! We are incredibly thankful to God for giving us such the amazing gift of YOU! We are blessed to have had you in our home since September 2008 and call you ours forever on December 4, 2009! Welcome home, sweet baby girl! We love you more than you will ever know!!!
God is SO good!!!

15 months old (November 22nd)

The day we met you!!!

A HUGE thank you to all of our family and friends who have supported us through our entire journey!!! Mariah is so blessed to have such loving family and friends around her!!! Thank you for instantly welcoming her into your hearts, as we have!!

Pics for my book club girls!

2009-11-14T11:16:00.008-06:00

I'm not really blogging anymore, but my Book Club girls wanted pics. SOOOO....

These are the pics from Jessica's SURPRISE "Book" shower we had Book Club last night! We had a fun Dr. Seuss theme! Can't wait to see Jessica's new baby boy in February!!! Thanks, Liz for being a fun party planning partner-in-crime!
Waiting....
Waiting.....
Jessica arriving!
Jessica and Thing Two!
Jessica (Hop on POPcorn, Hop on Cake Pops, Ten Apples up on Top Dip, Great Day for 7-Up and Liz's super cute Dr. Seuss Gatorade bottles!
Eating...
Tables
Main Food Table: Green Eggs and Ham-wiches, There's a Wocket in my Pita Pocket, Dr. Seuss's ABC Tater Tots, One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Goldfish, Cat in the Hat Dip

Playing

2009-09-28T22:43:00.008-05:00

SO excited to play Daddy's guitar and mandolin!

M's friends taught her how to climb today:) This is one of the first things she did when we got home from playing!

While Josh is away....

2009-09-25T13:27:00.004-05:00

the spiders will come out to play!!!

Every picture I took of it, it glistened like that. Eyes??? YIKES!

EEEEEEEK!!!!! I'm terrified of spiders and make Josh kill all of them! My method of choice: bug spray! This spider is HUGE!! Hope it dies with the spray! I'll definitely be mopping later...when the spider is absolutely dead!

Josh took M out for the morning/afternoon for some father-daughter time so I could have a break! Just when I was starting to feel all relaxed, this little booger decided to ruin my moment!

13 months and playgroup

2009-09-25T12:29:00.008-05:00

Pics from Thursday: The only blog-able pic I have for her 13 month photo session.
Playing in Mommy's classroom before school.
Looking at the Rhino at the zoo while finishing up some lunch.
With her new friend, T. He is such a cutie pie!!

Tuesday, M turned 13 months! To celebrate she got to go the doctor and get on antibiotics for a bad ear infection. We stayed home and in pjs for 2 days, so her 13 month picture was taken a few days later. M is really starting to learn what she loves and what she definitely doesn't! She definitely is ALL girl and knows what she wants!

M is still a little one. Tuesday she weighed in (with clothes on) at a whopping 18 lbs 1oz!

Likes:
-giving kisses
-playing around older little girls...she gets so excited
-Baby Einstein videos
-bananas, grapes, wheat crackers, black beans, yogurt, wheat bread, MumMums, oatmeal cereal
-music/trying to sing
-dancing
-she goes through phases with words, but her favorites right now are: diaper, dog, Dadda, Mom-Mom, that (says "that" all day long as she points to things),
-brushing her teeth
-turning on lights, closing doors
-looking out the window
-blankets
-paci
-waving
-pulling up on everything
-refrigerator magnets
-Bible class/Sonshine School
-being around other kids
-zoo (fish and gorillas are her faves)
-frozen yogurt trips with Daddy
-Mommy's oatmeal cookies

Dislikes:
-getting her diaper changed
-waiting for her food to be made
-vegetables that aren't pureed
-going to the doctor (this is a new one)
-concert type things (loud noises in the dark)
-leaving her food on her tray
-getting her hair rinsed in the bath tub
-being put in her carseat
-getting her face wiped

After school on Thursday, we went to our Kaleidoscope Kids (transracial) playgroup at the zoo and had lots of fun with the other moms and kiddos!

Fall Cookie Recipe

2009-09-23T15:00:00.007-05:00

I LOVE the coolness of fall! It means lots of baking at the Kingcade house!! Today, I was wanting oatmeal cookies and thought the addition of pumpkin pie spice would be great! I had everything on hand for these and a few minutes of naptime left to spare!! So, I have a batch of Spiced Oatmeal Cookies in the oven right now. They may or may not taste that great, but they sound wonderful! I'll update this later with the verdict!

Spiced Oatmeal Cookies (adapted from Sherry Lewis' Vanishing Oatmeal Cookies Recipe)

Cream together:
2 sticks butter, softened
1 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. sugar

Add and mix well:
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs

Add and mix well:
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice *see update note below*

Stir in:
3 cups rolled oats

Drop by Tablespoon on ungreased (foil-lined for easy clean up) cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes, until golden brown. Cool and serve.

***Mine just came out of the oven and smell GREAT!! I'll let them cool and issue a verdict soon!

UPDATE: These are really good! My favorite combination of crispy on the outside and soft on the inside! BUT, if you really want that pumpkin pie spice flavor to dominate, DOUBLE the amount of pumpkin pie spice that you put in. Otherwise, leave it as-is and it still is really good!

Random Tid-Bits in Reverse Order

2009-09-21T20:19:00.005-05:00

Today's crafting adventures.....shirt, bib and trick-or-treat bag for M.

Saturday's Crescent Cinnamon Rolls (crescent rolls, butter, sugar and cinnamon)...easy-peasy!
Lazy Saturday with M in Daddy's sweatshirt.
When I get M out of bed from her nap, she always tries to give me her stuffed animal. She always points and says "that."
Celebrating M's current Gotcha Day (September 17th) with dinner at Qdoba...she just had tortillas.

The morning of Gotcha Day before leaving for school. Since it was her special day, she got to celebrate by playing with the forbidden remote!

One Year Ago (a little late)

2009-09-18T16:55:00.003-05:00

Between Sonshine School, celebrating our informal Gotcha Day (a new Gotcha Day coming soon!!!), and going to bed at 9:15 last night, I didn't get any blogging in! Those who know me much at all, know that 9:15 is extremely early for me! We all (M, included) got to sleep in until 10:30 today. Nice!!

On to the good stuff.....

One year ago, September 17th, 2008, I woke up from the restless night of sleep I had and started getting ready to meet our baby. I don't remember a whole lot about the morning before seeing her, but I do know that I was just trying to keep occupied. I was just so excited to get our first baby!

At 1:30 on that fall afternoon, I arrived at the agency, car seat buckled in the back of my car. Josh met me up at the agency to meet our little M. We knew so little of her, we just couldn't wait to see her! We waited in the office for several minutes, until M's (amazing) social worker, K, pulled up. We watched out the front window, as K pulled her from the back seat. I was instantly in love. M was so tiny in her little animal print pajamas. But, the first thing I noticed was her gorgeous dark hair. She had a head-full of straight, silky hair. She was sleeping and they handed her to me instantly. Although I've held so many newborns and taken care of babies, I remember feeling so nervous about holding my little tiny baby girl. She was so cuddly and so perfect.

After signing all of our paperwork, I loaded M into her car seat and headed to the church building. We took her to Josh's office to show his co-workers and allow Josh to have a little more time with her. We took lots of photos, then headed home, just me and M, to cuddle. But, the first thing I did when we got home, was put a bow in her hair!! We cuddled all afternoon and then went to Chick-fil-a for dinner with Matt, Mandy and Viv. We took more pictures, then went to church. I kept her in a little baby sling the whole time, but she wasn't very happy. There were too many new noises, people, experiences, etc. for one day. Looking back. I can't believe that I didn't take a week to just stay home with her to bond, give her some time to get used to her new home, etc. I guess I was just super excited to take her to church and show our friends and family this precious little baby that would be in our home for a while. If I had to do it over again, I definitely would have taken a week off to just be home with her and ease her in to new situations. But, she survived!

None of got very much sleep for the next several days, but we didn't care, she was just too perfect! From the moment that we saw her, my new prayer was, "Lord, please prepare my heart for whatever will happen with M (adopting her or giving her back)." I felt like that was what got me through the whole foster parenting thing, in general.

Here are a few answers to some questions I've gotten lately:

-We plan to foster more children in the next several months, after we take a break to just be the 3 of us, without any visits, paperwork, etc.

-We just found out yesterday that a date for finalization had been set for next Friday, but due to some clerical errors, we are going to have to be on a 30 day wait. So, mid to late October, hopefully she'll be officially our daughter. We'll keep you posted!

We feel like this past year has been filled with so many blessings! We are so thankful that God chose us to raise such a wonderful and beautiful baby girl!

Hard to believe

2009-09-16T08:00:00.001-05:00

One year ago, today, September 16th, 2008, I got a phone call. I had no idea this phone call would change my life forever!

My social worker called and said that there were two babies available for us to foster. She described both of the little baby girls and they both sounded just perfect, although I knew nothing other than names, races, birth dates and a little of their family backgrounds.

She asked me to choose the one I wanted, but how can you possibly choose one baby over another...seriously!! I easily could have said, just let me come pick up both of them! But, that wasn't going to work. So, I told her about how over the past few months deep down I kept feeling that for some reason we were going to have a black baby girl. I had told my mom and Josh about it several times. I didn't at all know where that came from. It wasn't anything I had thought about at all, until last summer. So odd that I had specifically thought that. After I told my worker that, I let her choose our baby for us. The other foster mom was open, to either baby, too. So, the social worker gave us our little M, and the other mother her precious S.

We were called mid-morning on September 16th and told that we would be meeting our foster daughter later in the afternoon, as soon as everything got arranged. I had butterflies in my stomach, called and emailed close friends and family, started going around the house like crazy, making sure everything was good to go. We were going to have a little 3 1/2 week old baby girl in just a matter of hours!!! We ended up getting a call that we would have to get her on the 17th, instead at 1:30 in the afternoon. So, instead of picking up our little baby, we had to occupy our busy and excited minds with preparing for our new little one by buying her a few clothes, putting away the boy clothes and making the girl clothes front and center! I also had to make sure I had bows, just in case M had hair! I remember getting very little sleep, but not caring a bit. I just couldn't wait to meet the little baby girl that we would be caring for, "for a few months."

Reflecting on this today, I feel those same emotions that I did one year ago. A year ago I had no idea what God was going to do with our journey of miscarriage, infertility, and foster care. WOW! He is truly amazing!! It is so hard to believe how quickly this year has gone and how big my little baby girl is! I can't wait to write about tomorrow, the day we met little M!

M's 1st B-day in Pictures

2009-08-26T15:43:00.020-05:00

I could have posted a ton more of M with the fam, but had to choose those lovely side-shots of M:)

M's 1st B-day Sneak Peek!

2009-08-22T23:41:00.009-05:00

Here are just a few pics from M's big day today! Her Polka Dot Pool Party was a blast! I will share more pics later, but I'm just too tired at the moment to weed through all of them. We had a GREAT day today!! Thank you to all of our family for making M's day so much fun and so special!!! She loved every bit of it and enjoyed loving on everyone!! Yay for new toys, clothes, shoes, books, DVDs, carseat, etc.....THANK YOU!!!!!

My baby is one!

2009-08-22T08:57:00.007-05:00

The day we got M, 3 1/2 weeks old, September 17, 2008

11 1/2 months old, August 9, 2009 (portrait by Holly Austin)

I am in shock that my little 18 pound baby is already one! I am so excited to see how much she has grown and changed. I love her so much and as cliche as this sounds, can't imagine my life without her! She has gone from a little 3 1/2 week itty bitty baby who would wake up in the night, sleep all nestled up and stay wherever you put her to a crawling, pulling-up, sleeping through the night, little girl. We have been incredibly blessed to have her in our lives. I can't believe that God matched us so perfectly with such a sweet, beautiful and special little baby girl. I have shed several tears the past few days realizing that my little M is quickly becoming less of a baby and more of a toddler. I can't believe how fast this phase of our lives has passed and I guess it has hit me even more that I'll never get that time with her back. We truly enjoyed that time with her and savored it, but it still went too fast. I am super excited, though, to see her grow!

At the age of one (tear) this is what M is doing:

-crawling
-pulling-up
-cruising
-pushing toys (while walking)
-saying: God, thank you God (points to the ceiling while saying it), yeah, yay, yes, thank you, Momma, Dadda, Ya Ya, Nan Nan, duck, mmmuh (kisses), mmmmm (when food is good), several other words I can't think of at the moment!

-she loves to shake her head yes/no and cracks us up by doing so every time we ask her a question
-understands lots of words/phrases: no, turn off the light, where's your baby (gives the baby hugs and kisses every time she sees it), milk, eat, bath, book, toys, play, drink, yogurt, night-night, paci, etc. We are starting to spell lots of things around here!

-loves to clap and dance (anytime she hears music or a beat)

-could live off of black beans, yogurt and Mum Mums (but we don't let her:))
-hasn't had to go to the doctor (for illness) this whole year...YAY!!
-loves Bible Class and Sonshine School
-loves other children and babies
-loves to give hugs and kisses
-loves to be rocked
-loves watching the fish at the zoo
-loves books (one of her favorite "toys")
-gets SO excited when Josh comes home from work...immediately crawls up into his lap and gives him a kiss (unprompted)

We love you, M, Happy 1st Birthday!! We are SOOO thankful God placed you with us! We have loved watching you grow this year! You are an amazing and beautiful little baby girl!! You'll always be my BABY GIRL!!!

Long Hair

2009-08-15T23:37:00.005-05:00

I've heard several comments lately that M's hair is getting so thick or so long. Well, you ain't seen nothin' yet!!
Can you believe that? Crazy long when it's wet!! Gotta love the curls!

Past Several Days Randomness

2009-08-13T15:30:00.011-05:00

I'm really starting to have to get creative with blog-appropriate photos!
Fun at the spray park with baby B.

Her new favorite stance.

We have had a wonderful past week!!

Over the weekend we went to Wichita Falls to visit Josh's family. We drove down to Fort Worth on Saturday, since my MIL bought tickets for us (me and her) to see Legally Blonde at Bass Hall! It was a fun and very engaging show!! THANKS, Pam! We also got to see Josh's grandmother on our way back to Wichita Falls and see all of her fun house updates she's been working on!

M had an appointment yesterday and she weighs 18lbs 1oz and is 28" long. Looks like she will be rear-facing for quite a while more! She turns ONE a week from Saturday (the 22nd)!! I REALLY can't believe my baby is growing up so quickly! She is so much fun! She's got quite the quirky personality and I just love it! She started cruising on Monday and has really been on the move! I've been working on her polka dot pool party and getting her dress made, etc.. We're having our families up to celebrate next Saturday! Her adoption is taking longer than expected. We haven't been given an update with any potential timeline, but it is looking like late September or sometime in October. It's taking a while, but the good thing is that we have her and that's all that we really care about! However, we are looking forward to having everything finalized and having a huge Gotcha Day party in the near future!!

Yesterday me and M went and saw Viv and Vi. They are just too cute!! Mandy gave me tons of 12-18 month clothes for M to borrow...THANKS!! I've been sorting through them today! After seeing the girls, my mom took me for a deluxe pedicure! It was THE best pedicure I've ever had (not that I've had very many, but still it really was the best!!)!! THANKS, Mom!! Then, we went and had a fun lunch!

Today we had a playdate at the spray park and stayed for just a bit. M seemed to enjoy herself!!

I am excited to be writing over at an adoption blog twice a month on foster/adopt types of things! I'm thrilled to have an outlet for all my detailed, nitty-gritty, TMI foster/adoption info! For those who wish to follow, I will be posting the links soon!

Photo Shoot

2009-08-04T11:47:00.011-05:00

Last night we were able to enjoy our photo shoot gift from Holly (and her precious daughter, K), of Portratins by Holly Austin! She did such a great job! M wasn't super cooperative, but she was still able to get some great shots! As always, I'm only posting the back and side views of M. There are so many great shots of M that I really wish I could post!! Thanks, Holly, for the great work and gift!!

I Won!!

2009-07-24T10:17:00.004-05:00

I feel terrible that I have neglected to share with you the WONDERFUL item I won a few months back!! This is my first time to win something from a blog!! Andrea of Lil' Munchkindoodle made M this fabulous reusable sandwich bag! Her little name is on it and I can't wait for her to use it at Sonshine School this fall! Thank you SOO much Andrea!! Check out Andrea's other super cute things here!

New Fave Chocolate Chip Cookies

2009-07-23T10:58:00.000-05:00

So, I had one for breakfast, 2 for a snack, or was it three, another one for a snack and I still haven't even had dinner yet! I'm in trouble!! If you like a crispy on the outside, soft on the inside kind of cookie, these are for you!

Chocolate Chip Cookies---my mixture of a few different recipes

2 sticks butter (the REAL stuff), softened
3/4 c. brown sugar
3/4 c. sugar
2 eggs
2 1/2 c. flour
1 1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 heaping tsp. dark chocolate cocoa powder (like Hershey's Special Dark)
1 pkg chocolate chips

Beat butter, sugars and eggs together with an electric mixer on medium for 2 minutes. Add flour, soda, salt and cocoa, mixing just until blended. Fold in chocolate chips.

Drop by tablespoon on an ungreased, foil-lined baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes, or until lightly golden. Cool on cookie sheet for 2 minutes, transfer to cooking rack. Store in airtight container.

11 Months and Sweet Violet

2009-07-22T13:50:00.008-05:00

It's hard to fathom that my little baby girl is 11 months old today! I can't imagine life without her! She makes me so happy! Can't believe a month from today my little one will be a year old!! Life flies by!

M got a beautiful new cousin yesterday with tons of hair, and we got a new niece!! Violet Lane is gorgeous and is the perfect addition to my brother's family! I think big sis Vivian will have so much fun!! We're super excited!!!

Dallas Weekend

2009-07-20T21:34:00.010-05:00

Watching the ice skaters at the Galleria...she loved watching all of the kids

At the Rangers game
M in her cap from Daddy! Yes, she did get called "Buddy" b/c she looked like a boy in her blue cap:) She was still super cute, though!!
After the game with Mommy
After the game with Daddy...she was falling asleep on the way back to the car.

We decided to take a long weekend and get out of town to the Dallas area. We stayed in The Colony at a nice 2 month old Residence Inn....those are my favorite with a baby! We pretty much always go for a suite-type of hotel now that we have M. It was great, because we could put her to bed and then stay up late and watch TV in the other room. It also had a full kitchen, which was great for her meals.

We had fun eating, shopping (Ikea, Galleria, Central Market (where we got some GREAT video footage of M dancing to a live band), Home Goods, etc.), exploring some new areas, eating some more, and attending a Texas Rangers game! This was M's first baseball game! They were playing the Twins, which just so happened to be Josh's first game back in 1986! She loved clapping and people-watching!

Wish I could share all of the pictures from our fun weekend. Soon, very soon!! We really had a great time and M did great! I am so thankful she is such a great traveler!

Now, we look forward to meeting M's new cousin, Violet, tomorrow!!!

On a side note, thank you for all of the sweet comments and encouraging words on my last post. I am so thankful for the great support system that we (and M) have!! I hope that you will continue to support the voiceless little ones out there, because it's all about THEM!!

Thoughts on my heart: Ways I didn't know I'd be touched through foster adoption

2009-07-10T22:22:00.011-05:00

M's two new "teefers"
Styling some of Nan Nan's sunglasses on the 3rd of July
M's favorite place to be...standing against the ottoman, attempting to grab the remotes.

Watching Daddy play guitar during Family Fun Night at OC

It's been a weird past few months, working through M's adoption. I talk openly about a lot of it, the things that don't interfere with M's privacy and her story, to anyone who will listen. But, there are lots of things that I don't share, that have really been on my mind lately. I share the fact that her adoption will likely be finalized in September, I share that we fostered her first and fell in love and knew that God intended us to have her forever. But, what I don't share with just everyone are some of the behind-the-scenes emotions.

It's amazing how Josh and I have gotten where we are. What started as a struggle to get pregnant, going through miscarriage, fertility treatments and then the choice to foster earlier on in life than planned, with the intention of still having a biological child, but loving on some other babies in the meantime, led us to the adoption of our first child, who we love more than words could ever express (like that super long sentence:)). God really had to tear us down to get us to the point where we are now. I was one who never thought that adoption would be for me. I was supportive of others, I was supportive of it for myself as a "last resort," but I never planned on falling in love with the idea, more than the idea carrying my "own child" myself. That being said, God is still working on me throughout this process.

We hear so often what not to tell expectant mothers, but rarely, if ever, do we hear of things not to tell expectant (adoptive or foster) mothers. I'm writing these things, realizing that I had to truly be torn apart to be built back up and convicted of path my life is taking. A few years ago, I thought the things like I'm about to share frustration with. But, after living it and being torn down, I can say that I truly have a different view.

Old self:
I could never be a foster parent...I could never give that child back...it would just be too hard for me.

New self:
I'm not on this earth to serve myself or my own emotions. I can sacrifice my own emotions to provide a loving and stable home to an innocent child. Christ has called me to a larger life than my own.

Old self:
Adoption would be a last resort for me; I'd much rather have my "own" child.

New self:
I'm beyond thankful for the opportunity to adopt MY child. To raise a child with a loving family, the opportunity to know Christ, and to love this child no less than I'd ever love a biological child.

Old self:
I would never want to foster or adopt because there is so much red-tape and training and invasion of privacy.

New self:
A few weeks, months or even years are worth every minute, to love a child, who is alone, otherwise. There is no amount of red tape that I wouldn't go through to keep my little M forever. She is worth every last homestudy, financial statement, reference letter, physical, home visit, travel request, interview, etc.

I have been humbled the past few years by all of my preconceived ideals about family and what that would look like for us. I am SOOO amazingly thankful for that! I thank God every day that he humbled me in that area. I am thankful for infertility, I'm thankful for our pregnancy loss, I am thankful for the red tape. Through the heartache, nights of crying myself to sleep, failed fertility treatments, and other emotional roller coasters, I can come out on the other side and truly say, THANK YOU, GOD!!

I know this is my calling, but with every calling I think there also comes a little hesitation. I feel like I've had to give up a lot to get to where I am. Most days I am at peace with that, but there are those moments where I struggle. There are times that I realize I am giving up the ability to tell friends and family that I'm pregnant, or wear maternity clothes or hear my child's heartbeat, or find out the sex during an ultrasound. There are times that I get teary-eyed, realizing I've missed out on the first 3 1/2 weeks of my precious baby's life. I get tears in my eyes, not knowing where my precious baby was for those 3 1/2 weeks...did her foster family love her? There are times when I get hurt that people can't see beyond the color of my baby's skin. There are times I am saddened by the stereo-types placed on my child. There are times that I worry where are future children will come from. There are times that I feel like I don't fit in with others in conversation or phases of life.

However, even through it all, I still have the greatest sense of peace, because IT'S NOT ABOUT ME!!! It's about the baby who I hold in my arms every day and forget that I didn't give birth to. It's about the baby who calls me "momma." It's about the baby, who I look down at and forget that she's a different color until I see my bright white skin against hers and for a split second, think she has a tan (this really did happen!!). It's about the baby who I long for people to see as I do, as WE do, as OUR baby. It's about the baby that God has graciously given to me.

HE has broken me down. HE has lifted me up to a new place. HE has taught me it's NOT about me...it NEVER has been. It has always been about HIM and my service to Him. Thank you, God, for breaking me and shattering all of the hopes I thought I needed and allowing me to realize it's about YOU!!!

Past Week Happenings

2009-06-26T22:18:00.005-05:00

We've had a super busy past 2 weeks, but they have great! Josh has been working hard every day/night with VBS this year! He (and the TONS of others) did a SUPER job!!! It's over now, so I get my man back! It was lots of fun and I think the kids enjoyed it! I had the toddler group and they were super cute. Several of them were from my Sonshine School class this year, so it was fun seeing them again. Ya Ya came up and stayed a few mornings to play with M during VBS...I'm sure she didn't get spoiled a bit;)

We had a brief first Father's Day for Josh, but will do the majority of celebrating tomorrow, now that VBS is over. I am so thankful that M has Josh as a father! You can tell she loves him so much! She loves listening to him play guitar every night, giving him "fist bumps," sitting on his lap while he's on the computer, playing keyboard with him, giving him hugs and kisses and she gets SO excited when he gets home from work! I think that's her favorite part of the day! Whenever I say "Dada's home," she immediately looks at the garage door and gets excited! She is an even happier child once Josh gets home. Thank you, Josh for loving our daughter so much, for being so selfless, for joining me on our crazy journey to parenthood, for making M laugh out loud, and for being such a devoted father to our little girl!!! She is so blessed to have you as her father!

We had some good visits with friends, I did several sewing projects instead of cleaning house, had several raspberry (new flavor for me) snocones, drank too many Sonic vanilla Cokes, ate too many chips with onion dip, took several naps (a rarity), left lots of chores undone, and I didn't cook dinner at all this week. I literally told Josh every night to go to the freezer and pick out which Lean Cuisine he wanted and I'd "cook" it for him....bless his heart! Aren't I a great wife?!? VBS + 100 degree weather=microwave only! I did, however make Pioneer Woman's peanut butter pie! It is really good! I made it in a ready-made crust and today I added mini chocolate chips all over the top, which made it even better!

Last night we had a great time meeting some new friends through the Kaleidoscope Kids transracial playgroup! We met at a spray park that is literally 3 minutes from our house (had my house been clean, I would have invited them over:)) and had such a fun time! I enjoyed talking to the moms and seeing the precious kiddos! This is such a great idea and is obviously great for me right now, but will definitely be great for M in the future!

The rest of the weekend consists of our Father's Day celebration for Josh, Book Club for me, and Nan Nan keeping M, so Josh can have a night off while I'm away at Book Club!

This coming week we have our last week of swimming lessons for M. She has done so well and I look forward to seeing her swim these last 2 times! We also have our annual family Fourth of July cookout/pool party here on Friday and Saturday! It should be a fun weekend of celebrating!

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Patriotic Bandanna Dress

2009-06-20T21:33:00.004-05:00

Here is the completed July 4th bandanna dress for M. The black and white polka dot one is pretty big, so I tried to make this one a bit smaller for her. I took 4 inches in on the sides and 1 1/2 inches in length. Too bad she's asleep or I'd make her try it on:) I'll probably end up trimming the ribbon, too...she's too little to need 40" of ribbon.

Bandanna Dresses

2009-06-20T17:33:00.008-05:00

Just for fun, I got some bandannas when they were 30% off a few weeks ago, thinking I would try to make M some bandanna dresses. I found a great tutorial on Trey and Lucy (great ideas throughout the whole blog, by the way!!) and they were super fast and easy! I was able to get the ribbon 50% off today, so that was perfect! Basically it costs less than $4 per dress and you have enough ribbon left to make a matching hairbow:) I plan on making a July 4th one and a birthday one. M will have a Polka Dot Pool Party in August with hot pink, lime green and orange, so the ribbon and bandannas I found for that will be perfect!

On the July 4th one I plan on taking it up a little so it will actually fit my little girl! The great thing is that she can wear the black and white one for a few years!

M is growing up AND guest bathroom makeover!

2009-06-17T16:35:00.018-05:00

Our baby girl is growing up so fast!! The past week has been filled with lots of fun new things it's all happened just suddenly! Lately, every day is bringing something new!

-She started crawling on Sunday, but isn't a big fan. She'll crawl a little bit and then decide it's not worth it and roll over.
-She got her first tooth! Thankfully, without any issues at all!!!
-She has started saying ut-dat and pointing...meaning "what's that"
-She can say duck, Dadda, Momma, Bye, she said NanNan and PaPa today for the first time
-She loves to give kisses and hugs while saying mmmmuh and can do it on command
-Waves, especially bye-bye
-Nods her head yes and shakes her head no
-Claps
-Gives fist bumps
-Feeds herself well...she loves black beans and pretty much every other food
-Loves opening and closing doors, turning on and off lights, etc.
-Loves to give all of her babies (and real life baby friends) hugs and kisses, saying mmmmuh
-Squeals REALLY loud and high and then shakes her head no, because she knows she's not supposed to do that!
-Likes standing against things, but refuses to pull herself up yet.
-Loves swimming and started her swimming lessons last week! She doesn't mind getting her face wet.

She is really making us laugh and we're having a blast with her! She's got quite the little personality, that's for sure!

This past weekend we did a total bathroom makeover for our guest bathroom! Josh worked really hard and did a great job!!
We moved in to our house 3 years ago and almost every room had been updated. The guest bathroom had a new light fixture, mirror and paint treatment, but the cabinets were still the ugly original 1970s wood and all of the accents were gold...not really my color. So, it was always kind of the catch all for random decor. We decided it definitely was time for a makeover and our leftover Asparagus paint from the dining room would make the perfect wall color! I wanted something cheery, fresh and different! I love the way it turned out! Josh spent a LOT of time working in there on the new faucet (thanks, previous owners for the 2 toothbrushes that were stuck down the drain), installing the hardware, etc. Three days later, it looks like a new room and is finally updated! I really wish the pictures would do it justice!

Here are the changes we made:
-Painted woodwork black
-Added new brushed nickel hardware to cabinets
-Installed new brushed nickel faucet
-Installed new light fixture
-Painted the previously gold mirror black
-Painted the walls Asparagus
-Made a new curtain for the window
-Installed brushed nickel toilet paper holder
-Moved random accessories from other rooms of the house in there!

Bathroom Before
Bathroom After (green is softer than pictured...gotta love lighting!)
After

Before
After
New light fixture
New Faucet
Once the towel bar was removed, we were able to bring this in from the dining room.
Before
New curtain

After (with shower curtain open....lovely toys and duck tub:))

Ice Cream

2009-06-04T11:07:00.003-05:00

My first try at applique! It was fun, although I had to rip the seams about 3 times...my sewing skills definitely need improvement and LOTS of practice!! I used M's leftover quilt fabric for the shirt and for her flower "bow". I also made a flower pin for myself and we had a matching mother/daughter day yesterday:)

9 months old!

2009-06-02T15:30:00.009-05:00

M is on week 2 of being 9 months old and is getting to be SO much fun!! We had her 9 month appointment today. She weight 16 lbs 14oz and was 27 and 1/4 inches tall! She is in the 50th percentile for height and a little over the 25th percentile for weight. She is exactly 2 pounds heavier than at 6 months and 2 and 1/4 inches taller.

I can't imagine life without her! She is such a blessing! Her little personality is definitely coming alive! She is going to be a very spunky little one, that's for sure!

Currently she loves to eat baby food, drink from her sippy cup, roll to get places, give kisses (says mmm while grabbing your face and kissing you on the mouth...too sweet!!), read books, dance, squeal, be held, be outside, go to the zoo, get on all fours and rock (not crawling yet), stand up against the ottoman, "sing", shake her head, watch Daddy play guitar, etc.

The past few weeks she has had her first trip to the zoo, time in the moonbounce, bath time in her big girl duck tub (she's not a fan!!), foods (biter biscuits, Cheerios, bread, pieces of banana, etc.).

Check this out!

2009-05-20T10:44:00.002-05:00

Andrea of Lil Munckindoodle has done it again! Check out her new green sandwich bags! Too cute!! Crossing my fingers!!!

Week of Firsts

2009-05-14T22:57:00.008-05:00

Quilts and 5 years!

2009-05-07T22:13:00.007-05:00

I'm super excited that my quilt is finished!! Jane, the amazing quilt maker, has been so gracious in showing me (and Mandy) how to quilt! She has even held my crying baby for hours so that I could sew and she has been super patient with me and my lack of hand-sewing skills!! I had a great time and was surprised by how much fun quilt making is! Thank you SOOO much, Jane, for helping me make my very first quilt!

I tried to choose colors that would go with my house and M's room, so M could play on it and it wouldn't clash with the decor:) So, it turned out pretty whimsical, but I like it!
Here is the beautiful quilt that Jane made for our wedding 5 years ago! It is such a gorgeous quilt! LOVE it! She is definitely talented!

WARNING>>>>Lots of details and mushy stuff ahead!! This is obviously for my own personal record:)

May 8, 2004 I married the man of my dreams!! I can't believe tomorrow is our 5th anniversary!! Life has flown by and has been really pretty crazy in such a short time! In fact, I'll outline a little bit for you for what we've done these past 5 years:

-I graduated from OC
-lived in the OC apartments (thankfully only May-December!)
-my brother got married a few months later
-lived in an apartment in Yukon
-I lost my grandfather
-Josh worked as a minister in Yukon
-I worked as a teacher in Yukon
-started trying for a family, got pregnant and had a miscarriage (eventually did fertility treatments)
-bought a house in OKC
-Josh worked for my dad while finishing grad school at OC
-got my first niece (another one soon!!)
-I taught at Sonshine School at Edmond C of C
-Josh got accepted to do doctoral work in Fort Worth
-I interviewed for teaching jobs in TX
-Put our house on the market (came REALLY close to selling it)
-Josh graduated with his MDiv
-Josh got a ministry job at Memorial Road C of C (if I'm not mistaken, he was hired on our 4th anniversary or at least soon after)
-I started teaching at Sonshine School at MRCC
-got trained to be foster parents
-Josh lost his grandfather
-currently in the process of adopting our foster baby
-possibly having another foster child on the way!

I'm sure I've left out some other big milestones from the past five years, but it's obviously been full of ups, downs, and surprises! God has blessed our lives and our marriage! I can't think of anyone I'd rather be on this journey with, than Josh! He is an incredible husband, father and man! He is the most selfless, calm, and thoughtful guy and I feel truly grateful to get to be with my best friend every day! Thank you for 5 amazing years, Josh!!!

Weekend

2009-04-12T22:49:00.008-05:00

On Friday, Josh and I tried out Cuppies and Joe. We really enjoyed it! Good cupcakes and coffee, but better than that, is the atmosphere! Just a fun and cute local place to hang-out! I want to go back when they have live music sometime.

We had a good Easter weekend with family! We spent Saturday in Wichita Falls to be with Josh's family. M enjoyed playing with her Poppi, Ya Ya and Uncle Reece! Today we put M in her Easter dress, went to church and had lunch with PaPa Stanz, Nan Nan and Uncle Matt. M is not a fan of Sundays messing up her nap schedule! She was pretty cranky most of the day, but it's okay...she looked super cute! After lunch she prety much decided to sleep the rest of the day away....who can blame her! It's hard work looking so cute all the time!

Here's a pic I took before school on Thursday. Because pics of M that don't show her face are hard to come by, enjoy the one of her eating her shoes! I'm just glad her shoes are still clean at this age! I'm loving how curly her hair has gotten!! Love the little soft ringlets!!!

One year ago

2009-04-01T10:57:00.006-05:00

One year ago, today, we put our house on the market. Our plans on April 1, 2008 were to sell our house, move to Fort Worth, TX, start a new 2nd grade teaching job in Mansfield, TX, start Josh on his doctorate at Brite, live in an apartment, etc!

A year ago we had a storage facility full of boxes of things ready for the big move. We had our house completely spotless and cleared of all the personal items (photos, etc.). We had resumes sent out, interviews scheduled, lists of properties to check out, packing lists compiled, and more!

Towards the end of the month, we would get an offer on our house. We would also have a possible OKC ministry job opportunity in the works. I can remember the major anxiety of last spring! I remember waiting to hear back by 6pm for the counter-offer on our home. I remember praying so hard that we would be able to pull our home off the market and get to stay in town. I remember 6pm on that Wednesday night rolling around, and the counter-offer not making the deadline! I remember joyfully pulling our home off of the market, trusting that God had plans for us to not make the move after all!

Last year was filled with SO many emotions! I really wanted Josh to fulfill his dream of getting his doctorate, but was also filled with so much hesitation. I knew this move would mean going back to full-time teaching, which I dreaded. I knew it meant not spending as much time together because of work and studying commitments. I knew that the 2+ years of trying for a baby would have to come to a halt, because fertility treatments would be too expensive and too time consuming to do while teaching. I feared being away from friends and family, too.

God taught me last year to TRULY trust him and HIS plan. I have always been a huge planner. I like to know at least a week in advance what I'm doing the following week. I like lists, long-term plans, short-term plans, and more. Last spring, God taught me that I am NOT in control. I think I thought I was. But, I was humbled and He showed me that His plan is much better than my own. It's sad that it took so many tears, so much anxiety and so many crazy events to teach me to trust Him. But, it worked.

Now, one year later, I have tears writing this, know that God is SO amazing and faithful! His plans exceed any that I could ever dream up! I now hold true to this verse: The mind of man plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps. Proverbs 16:9

Because of God's plan, we have been blessed this year with....

-Josh's wonderful new ministry job at MRCC
-My Sonshine School job at MRCC
-Joining a new church family
-Staying in our home
-Staying close to family and friends
-Becoming foster parents (earlier on in life than expected)
-And best of all.....being able to adopt our precious daughter (to-be), baby M (can't wait to share REAL pics of M and share her name!)!!! To think that we would not have her, had we moved, makes me so sad!

I hope I can continue to reflect on these blessings each day and remember that God's plans are of utmost importance! He has brought us to a wonderful place in our lives. For that, we are truly grateful!

Dining room and other projects

2009-03-27T10:48:00.012-05:00

Quilt fabrics for the quilt I will be making with Mandy and Jane! I hope M likes it!! I'm loving the vibrant colors that will work in M's room and the living room for playtime!

Home office wall art! I had been searching for inexpensive art with turquoise and black, but came up empty-handed! So, I tried my hand at the embroidery hoop method I have seen several places online. SUPER easy and cheap! All you need is fabric, scissors, hoops and a glue gun. It totally works with the whole modern/mod vibe we went with in this room.
Before: a few things had already been removed from the room, but it was still really blah

After! I went bold with the wall color, but after a few days of shock, I love it! It is so happy and makes everything pop! It really makes the crown molding pop, too! My dining, living and kitchen all tie together well, now!

view into kitchen
view into entry
view into living room (obviously there is no overhead lighting in there!!)

No-sew curtains: 3 yards toile + 1/2 yard houndstooth check (used iron-on hem tape for the bottom of the houndstooth check and just clipped the rest to the rings!) EASY!!! I cheated and didn't even hem the rest of it!

Adventures in painting

2009-03-21T13:41:00.011-05:00

This is what our living room looks like while we paint the dining room. Cute, huh!
Dining room before
Dining room in progress....still lots of work to do!! We're waiting to put up the 2nd coat. The paint color is not showing up accurately, but oh well!

wall before
Wall after

I've been sitting on a paint color for several weeks that I have loved, but wasn't for sure which room to use it in. So, the dining room is currently being painted Behr's asparagus green! It's a really nice color that goes with my red/creamy lime/black decor. I'm excited (and nervous) to see how it turns out!

Yesterday I picked up an old dresser from my sister-in-law (thanks, Mandy!!). It was painted a magenta type color and I painted it red (leftover kitchen paint). I had the perfect wall in my living room that has needed a weightier piece, so this is perfect! I topped it off with a lamp that I painted black. It was previously a mint green color. So, that wall is now complete. Thankfully, it looks better in person!

Dining room after pictures will be coming soon (tomorrow at the earliest!)

6 months!

2009-03-03T17:00:00.001-06:00

M had her 6 month appointment yesterday and is a growing little baby girl! She weighed in at 14lbs 14oz and was 25 inches long. She is in the 25th percentile on pretty much everything, but still growing well. She got her shots and did great. She ended up sleeping from 6pm-7am and then slept a lot at school today, too. Poor baby has been running a fever, so she's been quite the cuddlebug!

Banana Bread

2009-02-28T09:59:00.005-06:00

Everyone usually has their favorite banana bread recipe, this just happens to be mine. It's nothing fancy or out-of-this-world delicious, but it is really tasty and very easy! As long as I have bananas, I always have everything to make it. I happened upon this recipe my junior year of college when I was living in the apartments at OC with Kara (Best roomie, ever!!! Miss you, girl!). I was looking for a recipe that didn't call for baking powder, since I didn't have it or plan on buying it. So, this one was found online and apparently is served at the Jam N' Jelly Inn...not sure where that is!

Banana Bread

A ingredients:
2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt

B ingredients:
1/2 c. butter (or margarine), softened
1 c. sugar

C ingredients:
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla

3 ripe bananas, mashed

Measure and sift (or use wire whisk) A ingredients. Cream B ingredients and add Add C ingredients. Add A ingredients. Stir in mashed bananas and mix well. Pour into well-greased loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes. **I sprinkled the top with raw sugar before baking.

2 new recipes

2009-02-27T15:22:00.005-06:00

Here are a few new EASY and yummy recipes to share from this week! The soup recipe is a hand-me-down from my mom and VERY healthy, light, and delicious!

Chocolate Trifle
1 box chocolate pudding, prepared (allow to set in fridge)
1 box vanilla pudding, prepared (allow to set in fridge)
1 box brownies, prepared according to pkg (I like to add chocolate chips and/or butterscotch chips)
1 container Cool Whip, thawed
2 Butterfingers or Heath Bars, finely chopped

Layer (in order) crumbled brownies, vanilla pudding, chocolate pudding, Cool Whip, and Butterfinger bits....REPEAT.

Chill and serve.

Cheese and Chicken Soup (serves 4)
2 cans chicken broth
1/4 c. chopped onion ( I use frozen)
6oz. Velveeta cheese, cubed
1 can Rotel (I use mild)
1 c. chicken, cooked and chopped
3 c. broccoli, chopped (I use frozen)
1 1/2 c. carrot, chopped (I use frozen)

In large pot, bring chicken broth and onion to a boil. Add cheese and cook, stirring often, until cheese it melted. Add Rotel and vegetables and chicken. Simmer until vegetables are tender (20-3o min). Serve with cornbread.

***Use any veggies you wish, fresh or frozen. Squash and zucchini are especially tasty in this soup!

Just arrived!

2009-02-23T14:05:00.005-06:00

I have had my eye this painting for several months and it arrived TODAY!!! I just remembered last week that I had a little extra $$ in my PayPal account, so I went ahead and ordered it and it arrived just about 30 minutes ago! If you haven't checked out this blog, you must! Sara has such a fun style and love for color! I love my new Sara Mincy print SO much!! It has the perfect whimsical red, lime and black combo! I hope to order some more (very inexpensive @ just $6) prints in the future! For now my print has made it's home in my kitchen, in a frame that I already had!

Valentine's Day 2009

2009-02-15T16:47:00.005-06:00

Krispy Kreme Doughnut (heart shaped and CHOCOLATE of course!)
Flourless Chocolate torte w/ whipped cream and strawberries

We had a really nice and relaxed Valentine's Day! We didn't really do a whole lot, but that made it nice! We all slept in until 9:30. We had planned to wake up and go out for a real breakfast, but we slept too late (fine by me!). So, we went with everyone else in town to get a Krispy Kreme doughnut. I hadn't had one in quite a while. They were really yummy! Then we went home, put M down for a nap, exchanged gifts and cards, watched movies, ate either a very late lunch or very early dinner (linner? lupper? dunch?). Anyway, Josh got us take-out from Qdoba....my new fave! He gave me a nice list of dinner options, and that's what I chose. I passed up the roasted chicken, etc., for some good ole' Mexican food! So, I of course needed a siesta. We finished off with a flourless chocolate torte for dessert and watched movies the rest of the evening...NICE!

Hope you had a nice Valentine's Day!!

Dark Chocolate Truffles

2009-02-13T18:41:00.006-06:00

chocolate truffles

Today was Josh's day off, so he let me have a few hours at home to myself...nice! With my time I cleaned house, did laundry, made truffles and a flourless chocolate torte for dessert tomorrow night. I also decorated the table a little for V-day. We have a tradition of placing a to-go order and eating at home. I usually make dessert and try to make it Valentine-y. We refuse to go out to eat with the thousands of others!

It was fun to have some time in the kitchen by myself! Sadly, my truffles didn't turn out very well. They taste fine, but they're kind of dry and they fall apart. I'm trying to figure out where I went wrong. I followed the recipe exactly. These are the truffles from the cooking class I took. I'll have to try again soon. I will say that they contain 72% cacao, so they are very rich!! Instead of cocoa powder, I dipped them in crushed Heath bar. That was a nice relief to the bittersweet chocolate.

I will try to get pics of the flourless torte. Hopefully it will turn out better than the truffles!

Chocolate and Organization

2009-02-07T23:08:00.014-06:00

Ikea jars...LOVE these!! Josh and I each have one with cereal and a scoop. It makes breakfast easier, since our pantry is in our laundry room. The bowls, spoons and milk are all pretty much right there. And, they just look cute:)
M's "In-Box"---This sits outside her bedroom door and is a great catch-all for things that go in her room to be put away later. I usually put things in there while she's sleeping.
My "Out-Box"---my new trick for not forgetting everything
My "In-Box"---a nice huge Pottery Barn tub that conceals all of the paperwork, mail, etc., until I'm ready to sort through it.
Self-explanatory:)

Meal Planning
Menu Calendar
Monthly Grocery List

One of my New Year's goals was to be more organized. I have found a few new tricks for myself that seem to work much better! I am in love with those wonderful collapsible storage totes in a great array of colors from Target. They are cheap and match every room of my house! They are perfect for toys and I have one that makes a great "out-box". I keep it by the laundry room door, so I don't forget to leave the house with something. I've always been a label freak, so they get their own labels, of course.

Another goal I made in January was to eat at home more often/cook more. My new system of planning a month in advance, instead of a week or not at all, has worked really well. Towards the end of the month I go through my calendar and see when we'll be home to eat, etc. and then make a menu calendar for the month on my computer. I set aside an hour or two and go through all of my recipes and try to get a wide-variety of meals for each week and I typically stick to one type of meat each week, since there are only two of us. That seems to help with the budget. The other thing I do is make a master grocery list for the month. Once I have my menu calendar set, I write out all of the weekly/recurring things that I buy (bread, milk, eggs, etc.) and then I go week by week and write out everything that will need to be purchased for the meals for that week (pictured above). This helps me jot out a quick grocery list each weekend and then I go to the store on Sunday night, when it is completely empty and quiet! This really doesn't take too long and has helped with budgeting and eating at home, because I have everything completely scheduled out.

As I mentioned in my previous post, my thoughtful hubby got me cooking lessons as part of my b-day!! We were able to go last-minute on Tuesday and it was SOOO fun!!! We went to Kam's Kookery and had a HUGE feast of chocolate!!!! We got to try our hands at making chocolate crepes, truffles, etc and we ate full-sized portions of everything that Kam made! We had chocolate truffles rolled in toffee, chocolate crepes filled with chocolate mousse and topped with homemade caramel and whipped cream, flourless chocolate torte with raspberry sauce and whipped cream, molten chocolate cakes with strawberries and whipped cream, and pots de creme with whipped cream! WOW! I am a huge chocolate junkie, but I don't think I've ever consumed that much in a 3 hour period in my entire life! It was all incredible! Everything had butter, eggs, cream and DARK CHOCOLATE! This was definitely a wonderful gift! Thanks, Mom, for keeping M on a moments notice so Josh and I could enjoy this evening together! If you ever want to go for a fun date or girls night and have cooking demonstrations and EAT, this is for you!! Visit http://www.kamskookery.com/ for her calendar of events. On a side-note, I was SO sad that I forgot my camera!!! So, I didn't get any pics of the fun night or the delicious and beautiful food...bummer!

B-day Weekend

2009-02-01T21:39:00.007-06:00

Friday night before dinner~
At dinner~
Saturday~
Lunch with Josh's mom~

I had a great b-day weekend! My mother-in-law came down on Friday and stayed through Saturday to take care of M so me and Josh could have some time together (THANK YOU, PAM!!!). It was wonderful! Friday night Josh took me to Tom & Jerry's for dinner! It was really tasty....great Caesar salad, truffle fried chicken, mashed potatoes, bread and chocolate mint brownie dessert thingy with ice cream...YUM!!! After a late dinner, nothing else was open, but we wanted to still hang out, so we went to our favorite hang-out, Barnes and Noble, for coffee and reading. I enjoyed my stack of about 6 magazines!

Saturday we went to breakfast at Joey's Cafe (love the place!), shopped and went to a movie. We hadn't been in forever! It was great to have a nice relaxed day with just the two of us!

Oh, and among other thoughtful things, Josh surprised me with a cooking class!!! So, we get to go sometime this month and learn how to cook together! I'm super excited!! One of my secret "dreams" has been to go to culinary school. Although, I would use it for myself and not use it professionally.

Yay for 26! I can now say that I'm closer to 5o than I am my birth....weird!

Perfect Friday

2009-01-16T19:00:00.001-06:00

The following events actually happened today! I didn't even dream them! Thanks to my extremely wonderful and selfless husband and easy baby, I got to have a dream of a day (at least in my terms)!

-slept until 10:30am (all of us, even the babe!)
-had cinnamon toast and chocolate milk for breakfast (maybe it was lunch, considering it was around noon!)
-stayed in my pjs all day!
-hubby got us Chili's To Go (for only $1, thanks to a gift card) for lunch
-hubby took baby for almost 2 hours so I could have the entire house to myself for the first time since September!
-read magazines, watched TV, ate tons of M&Ms and drank lots of iced green tea while lounging on our oversize chair
-took a long hot shower and actually shaved my legs (yeah, I totally didn't get a shower until about 5pm!)
-put a clean pair of pjs on
-got good news from some bloodwork taken earlier (for possible thyroid or celiac disease issues) this week...everything was perfect!
-will have a quiet evening at home with hubby and watch a rental while we eat little pizzas!

Quite a great day in my books! I'm feeling so relaxed! Next up...housework! Thankfully I'm now re-energized enough to enjoy it!

A Few New Recipes

2009-01-10T12:05:00.003-06:00

These are both easy and quick Crockpot recipes. I just threw things in, so measurements are approximate. You can season according to your liking!

Crockpot Orange Chicken (recipe for 2 chicken breasts)

2 frozen chicken breasts
1/2 c. orange marmalade
salt, pepper
1/2 packet onion soup mix
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp Teryaki sauce or soy sauce (I used Teryaki)
1/2 c. water

Spray Crockopot with cooking spray. Place 2 chicken breasts and water in pot. Season with salt and pepper. Smother each chicken breast with marmalade. Sprinkle on soup mix, sugar and Teryaki sauce. Cook on low for approximately 4 hours or high for about 3 hours??? Basically just cook until done:) Serve over rice.

Crockpot Tomato Basil Chicken (a variation of tomato chicken)

2 frozen chicken breasts
1/4 c. water
salt, pepper
dried basil
minced garlic
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
*angel hair pasta and freshly grated parmesan cheese (for serving)
***grated mozerella cheese (higher-fat version)

Spray Crockpot with cooking spray. Place chicken breast in pot. Lightly season with salt, pepper, basil and garlic. Pour can of tomatoes over chicken. Season with salt, pepper, basil and garlic. **At this point, you can also top it off with grated mozerella cheese before cooking. Cook on low for 3 to 4 hours. Serve over pasta with freshly grated parmesan cheese.

January Meals-weeks 1 & 2

2009-01-10T10:06:00.003-06:00

Week one went well (I realized that I planned too many Italian meals...oops!), we're basically only eating out if we have a gift card, are going on a date, or are going out with friends, etc. I grocery shop on Mondays, therefore, my week of meals starts with Monday and ends with Sunday.

Monday: Tomato-Basil Chicken (crockpot)
Tuesday: Chicken Parmesan
Wednesday: Soup, Salad, and Cornbread
Thursday: Last-Minute Lasagna
Friday: Jiffy Pizza
Saturday: Leftovers
Sunday: Gift Card Meal Out/Leftovers

Monday: Rotisserie Chicken
Tuesday: Chicken and Rice (w/leftover chicken)
Wednesday: BBQ Chicken Sandwiches (w/leftover chicken)
Thursday: Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas
Friday: Jiffy Pizza
Saturday: Date Night
Sunday: Breakfast for Dinner--Eggs and Cinnamon Rolls

There's nothing new around here, although we are gearing up for the 24 premier! Josh and I LOVE to watch 24! It's one of our favorites!

Office Makeover on the Cheap

2009-01-05T22:13:00.009-06:00

I have never been a huge fan of our home office. It's always been kinda blah, but we haven't wanted to invest a lot of money into it. In fact, when we needed new office desks, we were in search of a long table to seat both of us, but refused to pay hundreds of dollars. So, we went to Target and found their "wood" and "leather" card tables and put 2 of those together to give the appearance of a long desk. We also thought that would be good in the long run, because we might not always be able to have a home office. At some point, kids might kick us out!

Anyway, I was ready for a little punch of color and a new arrangement. This is what I came up with. Basically I just took our old curtain panels and sewed fabric on them and hung them near the ceiling. Used our old valances to curtain our desk to hide cords, etc., used leftover fabric to cover a pillow, got a small amount of fabric to cover our ottoman, used leftover fabric to make "artwork" and borrowed furniture from around the house. The only project I have left, so far, is to paint some canvases for the blank wall. I think I'll paint 3 of them and do turquoise, black, turquoise or something like that. I'll blog about it if I ever get to it.

It won't necessarily knock-your-socks-off, but it is a big improvement! (I'll post before pics if I can find them.)

Goals for 2009

2009-01-03T16:45:00.006-06:00

I'm not a huge "resolution" kinda gal, but I do think it's kind of fun to feel like you can get a fresh start with each new day, and especially each new year! Some of my goals this year include:

-eat at home even more often (I made a calendar for the month of January already, so I can easily shop for groceries and be sure to cook a nice meal, not just something thrown together)
-prepare healthier meals
-be a little more laid back....I'm definitely the "Patty Planner" type!
-keep my home more organized
-get involved in deeper Bible study and make that a priority
-date my husband more
-truly savor each day...you never get a minute of it back!
-save more money for future
-keep in better touch with family, even though I hate talking on the phone!
-go to bed earlier!!!!

Immunizations: A love/hate relationship

2008-12-29T23:19:00.003-06:00

M had her 4 month immunizations today. I always hate these! She screamed and cried and made me tear-up, of course. But, she did well and was smiling before I even got her in her carseat. But, you can definitely tell she's not herself. She is so lethargic and after being rocked for only a few minutes, lunges as if to say "please put me down" so I can sleep. And, that is exactly what she has done. From 3:00 until 10:45 tonight, I think she has only been awake for an hour, and that was just to eat, etc. I actually had to wake her up a few minutes ago to feed her so that she'd sleep through the night, but she only took 2 of her normal 6 oz....so sad!

Although it is so sad to see her so lethargic, etc., I will say that immunization days allow me to get so much done! Tonight while M slept and Josh went to the Thunder game with my dad, I was able to take down all of my Xmas decor, rearrange the living room furniture, dust, clean bathrooms, do dishes, laundry, and vacuum half of the house. This was a MUCH needed quiet evening.

M should be back to herself tomorrow. Thankfully she's still smiling through it all! Today her stats were all pretty much on the 50th percentile, except for weight, which was between 25 and 50! She weighed 12lbs 9.9oz and was 24 1/4 inches long. At her 2 month appt she weighed 9lbs 13oz and was 22 inches long. Now we get to start rice cereal! She's growing too fast!!!!

Four Christmases...our version

2008-12-27T18:30:00.008-06:00

Our Christmas dinner on Monday night: pan-seared steaks, mashed potatoes, green beans and crescent rolls
dessert: triple chocolate bundt cakes with whipped cream and mixed berry sauce
Christmas at Pa Pa Stanz and Nan Nan's
Christmas at Poppi and Ya-Ya's
Lights in Wichita Falls, TX. We took our pic in front of this when I went home with Josh for the first time, 7 years ago. I'll have to find that pic later. We bundled M up with a hat and mittens, so she enjoyed looking at all of the light displays!

We had 4 wonderful Christmas celebrations this year! Josh and I enjoyed our Christmas on Monday night with a yummy dinner, gifts, dessert and then drove around with peppermint mochas while we looked at Christmas lights and listened to our new CDs! Our Christmas celebrations were all wonderful with great family, food and thoughtful gifts! We enjoyed introducing M to some of our family and M enjoyed getting spoiled rotten by her grandparents and many others!!! I need to work on getting more pics of M that I can actually post. We have so many wonderful pics, but these are the only ones I can post. Hope you had a very merry Christmas!!

A NEW Post...finally!

2008-12-23T14:08:00.016-06:00

Christmas Tree....I purchased a small one on clearance at Hobby Lobby before we got married, since I knew we'd be apartment dwellers. I'm glad to have such a small one! It fits almost anywhere! I made garland last year after Christmas out of ribbon to make a chain link type of thing. I stored it to use for the first time this year.

M's little Christmas tree covered in ladybugs
M LOVES stuffed animals!
M's precious little feet

One of our attempts to get a pic of M in her hilarious "Santa" hat from Ya-Ya
Blurry pic of Christmas tree in kitchen, covered with cookie cutters
Mantle with THREE stockings this year!!! Truly a blessing!!! We LOVE having M with us this Christmas!
Dining Room Mirror
Dining Room

Pa Pa Stanz reading a Thanksgiving story

Apparently a few of you are getting sick of seeing the same post for nearly a month! SURPRISE!! I'm back! I am going to TRY to be better!

When it's been a whole month, where do you begin? I'm thinking I'll just do a re-cap over the next week or two and *hopefully* catch back up!

Since my "thankful" post, we have had a great Thanksgiving at my mom and dad's and decorated for Christmas, to name just a few things. I have few pics of M that I can actually post. So, I've posted the ones that don't actually show her face.

In case I can't hop on tomorrow, have a VERY Merry Christmas!!

Coming Up:
-Home office makeover for about $15
-Christmas celebrations
-Cheap and easy meal ideas
-Handmade Christmas gifts
-M's 4 months old
-Christmas dinner
-Recipes

Truly Thankful

2008-11-26T23:59:00.003-06:00

I feel so incredibly thankful to have so many wonderful blessings! Last year I did a list of 100 things I was thankful for, but, I'm going to have to go to bed in just a few. So, here are a few of the wonderful blessings that I thank God for:

-Husband
-Baby M
-Family
-Foster Parenting
-Friends
-New Jobs (me and Josh both) this year
-Staying in Oklahoma
-Staying in our house
-Church family
-Food
-Cars
-Health
-Clothes
-Overcoming challenges
-Seeing God's plan revealed

Happy Thanksgiving! May we all be reminded of the tremendous blessings we have in our lives.

Birthday Boy

2008-11-23T16:00:00.007-06:00

Last weekend we headed down to Texas for Josh's b-day to kick off a week of birthday celebrations. We spent Friday and Saturday night with his parents in Wichita Falls and Saturday his parents kept M so we could drive down to Dallas for the day and celebrate by ourselves! It was our first time to spend an entire day by ourselves since we've had little girl! We had breakfast at Atlanta Bread, went to a huge book store, went to the Dallas Museum of Art, shopped at a mall and ate some yummy food (all day!!). Even though we missed M a lot, it was so nice to have time to ourselves and talk about other things than feedings, naps and poop!

Monday M gave her present to Daddy. It was a Bob Dylan book for children and she even begged me to let her sign it with her footprint:) Tuesday I gave Josh his presents when I got home from book club. Wednesday was the big day! We had a breakfast of chocolate sprinkled donuts...yum! Then, we went and had our traditional Mexican birthday lunch with the other 2 b-day girls! We went out for a family (the 3 of us) birthday lunch on Friday to Qdoba...one of our new favorites! I don't know about Josh, but I sure had fun celebrating his birthday!!

Tonight

2008-11-20T23:26:00.007-06:00

Tonight was my first night to be at home without some activity, etc. since Tuesday night at last week! It has been a busy time the past week with girls nights, church, a trip to Texas (post to come soon), etc! So I tackled a few projects that have been on my list! One project will be blogged about after Christmas. The picture above is of my first attempt to make a Christmas stocking. This one is for M! Josh and I have black Target stockings, so this will be a little different and add some pattern, plus it only cost about $3 max. to make! This is no where near perfect, but does the job! Sadly, the trim is a little uneven, but oh well! I wanted to get this done so that I can start decorating for Christmas after Thanksgiving, which is next week!!!! Crazy!!

The other pic is of M sitting in her new Bumbo (thanks Gene and Pam!) and watching her daddy play guitar! She LOVES watching Josh play! She pretty much does that every night!

Happy Birthday to a few of my favorite people!!!

2008-11-19T12:00:00.006-06:00

Three of my favorite people share the same birthday today!!!

Happy Birthday, Joshy!!! You are an amazing husband, father, friend and companion! I am so blessed to have you in my life! Thank you for making life fun!!!! I thank God for you every day!!! I know your 26th year of life was full of lots of ups and downs and quite a few challenges, but I am amazed to see how you've trusted in God and continued to persevere through all of the unknowns we've faced this past year! I love you, babe!! Happy 27th!!!

Happy Birthday, Mom! Thank you for being such a fun and supportive mother and friend! I am so blessed to have such a wonderful mom! You are such a beautiful and talented woman! Thank you for always taking time to invest in our relationship, from pulling me out of school for fun lunch and shopping trips to our current regular lunch dates. You are so fun to be around!! Happy ____Birthday:) I love you!

Happy Birthday, Viv! I can't believe a year has already past!! I can't remember our family without you in it! You are a precious niece! You light up the room with your beautiful big blue eyes, wonderful smile and your new little princess wave!! We love you so much and are so happy you are in our family! We are excited to watch you grow up! We love you!! Happy 1st Birthday!!

Blown Away!!!

2008-11-13T22:58:00.005-06:00

I just got home from what I thought was our church class' girls night out. Which it was (and, it was very fun, btw), BUT, it was also a surprise baby shower for me, M, and our future foster babies! I am completely blown away!! I was completely surprised!!! When they yelled "surprise" as I walked through the door, it didn't even cross my mind that it was anything for me! In fact, I thought they were being sarcastic, since I was actually fairly late (thanks, Erin:)). So, they totally pulled it off!!!

It never crossed my mind to have a baby shower, much less from people that I have only been at church with for 5 1/2 months! It makes me teary at the thought of how wonderful these girls are and how close I have grown to so many of them over the past few months! They have been such a support to us as we transitioned into new jobs, a new church and parenthood, since June! I am so grateful for the friendship and support they have given us! You know who you are!! Thank you SOOO much!!!

When M wakes up, I'll be excited to show her all of her wonderful new things!!! She got cute clothes, TONS of diapers/wipes, toys, baby gear, accessories, diaper genie, gift cards and MORE!!! I know she'll love every bit of it!

Thank you all so much!!!!

Quick and Easy

2008-11-03T15:51:00.005-06:00

I've been pulling out the easy recipes in my repertoire lately! So, I thought I'd share. The first one is "white trash". This isn't necessarily and original recipe, but one that I love and it is the easiest ever!! I've been trying to name it more thematically lately. So, you have "Skeleton Crunch" or "Snow Crunch", etc.

White Trash

Melt Almond Bark and stir in Crispix or Chex cereal and broken pretzels until lightly coated. Add as much as needed to lightly coat. Stir in M&Ms until coated. Spread onto waxed paper. Allow to cool and then break in to smaller pieces. Put in a canister with a scoop and it's ready to serve!

The recipe below is what we're having for dinner tonight. I'm serving it with roasted vegetables and salad.

Tomato Chicken
1 can diced tomatoes (regular or seasoned...if cooking more than 4 chicken breasts, use 2 cans)
Frozen chicken breasts (2 to 4)
1/2 can water
salt
pepper
minced garlic
onion powder

Put chicken breasts in crockpot. Pour tomatoes and water over chicken. Season with salt, pepper, minced garlic and onion powder. Cook on low for approximately 4 hours, or until done. Serve with veggies and a salad and/or over rice or noodles.

2 Month Ponytail!

2008-10-29T17:47:00.004-05:00

Here is M's first ponytail at 2 months old! She's our little Yankee Doodle gal! She's had this cute little "rat tail" since she was born (or at least since she was 3 weeks old) and during tummy time last night I thought it was about time we tried a little ponytail with a bow! Haha!

By the way, I'd love to have her muscle tone!

2 month stats

2008-10-27T18:49:00.002-05:00

Little M had her 2 month check up today. She weighed 9.6 lbs (25th percentile) and was 22 inches long (also 25th percentile). She is a petite little one, but still growing and healthy! We go back next week or the week after for shots:(

The extent of fall decorating.....

2008-10-23T00:16:00.006-05:00

This is pretty much all I did this year for fall decor: the 2 pumpkins I painted for Girls Night Out. I finally sprayed them with acrylic sealant today so they'll last a long time! Well, there you have it! Happy Fall, Y'all!! Oh, and happy 2 month b-day, M!!!!!

Spilled Milk

2008-10-14T16:48:00.002-05:00

I'm trying to figure out what the deal is with milk today! At lunch, one of the little girls in my class at Sonshine School unscrewed the lid to her cup and dumped the whole thing on the floor. After school, M's bottles leaked all inside her diaper bag and got on everything!!! Then, when we got home from Walmart a few minutes ago, I took the milk out of the bag and it had leaked everywhere! What's up with that???

Other than that, everything is going great! M had her first school pictures today and did great. She has been growing so fast! She is sleeping a lot still and even slept through the night 2 nights in a row and slept through class and worship service on Sunday! She is starting to smile a lot more now, too. So, that is lots of fun!!! She loves books and loves being talked to. We're having a great time having her around!

Paw Paw Fenter

2008-10-05T23:49:00.004-05:00

Josh's sweet grandfather passed away on Friday night after a long battle with cancer. He was such a kind man who truly loved his family. Josh and I have enjoyed many visits down to Texas to see his grandparents over the past 7 years. I will always remember Paw Paw as a man who loved to play with his grand kids and great grands and always remembered details of your life, even if you were an in-law. We feel very fortunate that we were able to see him on Friday afternoon and say our final goodbyes on our way to Dallas, although we didn't expect him to pass quite so soon. He will be greatly missed.

Randomness

2008-09-27T10:21:00.003-05:00

-We sold my car yesterday (finally!!)!! Now we have to look for a small SUV or a minivan! I want something family friendly and that won't hurt my back as much to get a carseat in and out of.

-M slept 5 hours straight last night!

-Josh and I got to clean house yesterday (we did the tag-team approach during M's 45 minute nap)!! It was getting so gross (Erin can vouch for me on this one!)!

-M is now 5 weeks old, 8 lbs 8oz and 191/2 in.

-We are going to Freshman Fanfare tonight! Josh and I try to make it each year whenever possible, because it brings back fond memories of September 2001, when we met during the show! Here we are 7 years later! My aunt, uncle and cousin are coming up, too, which should be fun!

-I feel like I'm finally beginning to get this "mom" thing down! I'm having so much fun and feel so blessed and content! I'm really starting to see how God's hand has guided our lives thus far. To think that 5 or 6 months ago we had our house on the market and were ready to move to TX is so crazy!! I thank God every day for guiding us to stay here in Edmond, blessing us both with great jobs and allowing us to help precious babies, like M. While the journey to where we are now hasn't been easy at all, I can truly see that God really does know what's best for us. While things like infertility have been so devastating the past 2 1/2 years, at this very moment, I can finally consider it a blessing, because now I get to love a baby, like M, who otherwise, I would have never known.

Have a blessed weekend!

Doing Great!

2008-09-23T22:14:00.003-05:00

Well, we got through our little rough patch of sleepless nights and illness and everything is going great! M is beautiful and quite the little angel! She is sleeping about 4 hours at a time at night, which works great! Saturday night she went 5 hours without a feeding. Except for during the night, we have finally established a schedule, for the most part, that seems to work much better! By the way, the BEST product I have had so far with her is the Infantino Sling that I purchased at Target the day before we got her. Not only is it cute (black and cream toile), but she falls asleep in it every time and feels so much more secure. It keeps her from feeling so overwhelmed with people, etc. and she is able to stay close to me. Last night M especially enjoyed it while I vacuumed. Apparently she likes a clean house, because she screamed and screamed until I finally decided to try the old vacuum trick...worked like a charm! Anyway, things are going great and we're happy to have her for a while!! Thanks everyone for the kind comments, phone calls, emails, cards, donations of clothing/toys/gear etc., gifts and food! We truly appreciate our wonderful friends and family!!

Quick Update

2008-09-20T08:16:00.003-05:00

I thought I'd do a quick update for you! Precious M (that will be her name on the blog, since I will not be disclosing information on the blog) came home with us on Wednesday and is absolutely beautiful and perfect! We are so glad to have her at our home for a while! She has enough hair for bows, so that has been super fun for me! I'm in love! She is the most precious and tiny little one! She sleeps most of the time, but we're still working on figuring out her little timeline!

We definitely feel like new parents! M is only 4 weeks old (as of yesterday), so we are working on getting a schedule and figuring out everything. A HUGE thanks to my husband for staying up with M the past 2 nights to change, feed and diaper her so I could get some rest. (I went to the doc on Monday, not feeling well (sore throat, etc.) and was told I had a virus, no big deal. So, by Tuesday afternoon I was feeling much better and Wednesday, I felt great, but started getting laryngitis. After getting a combination of maybe 3 hours of sleep for the whole night and then going back to school to teach, I started having a spiral down hill by Thursday night, which led me to go back to the doctor on Friday (thank you, urgent care clinic!!) to reveal that I now had an upper respiratory infection and last night that led into an ear infection and of course, after taking tons of prescriptions and over the counter meds all week, I felt so sick at my stomach.) I say all that to say, that my VERY precious and patient husband has sacrificed all of his sleep for the past 2 days for me and M. He is such a wonderful husband and "father"!! Thanks, Josh!!! I feel much better today, thankfully! So, I owe Josh big time! If you see Josh in the next few days, you'll know why he's tired, it's because he has been so incredibly selfless!
Oh yes, and thanks to my mom for the wonderful homecooked meal last night (italian tomato chicken, red beans and rice, cornbread, green beans, salad, strawberries and cherry cheesecake)...it was perfect!!!!

Josh is sleeping on the couch with M on the bouncy seat asleep next to him, so I'm going to see if I can snag a quick shower before they both wake up!

Last Free Weekend Fun!

2008-09-16T18:52:00.006-05:00

~Sunday at the Lake (VERY beautiful day, but also very windy!)~
~Saturday night at the hotel~

Well, we got our fingerprints back last Tuesday and were told to expect a call next week (aka THIS week) about a baby! So, Josh and I decided on an impromptu date weekend. We didn't want to pay the gas to be out of town, so we went to Bricktown and stayed at the Courtyard, ate out, and just enjoyed hanging out together! Josh has Fridays off, so we spent Friday afternoon eating, watching a movie, drinking coffee and just enjoying the cable in our hotel room (since we don't have cable). Saturday we slept in, ate some more, went home and watched movies, went to Barnes and Noble, etc. Sunday after church we had a picnic lunch (Josh's idea:)) at Lake Hefner, followed by coffee and magazines at Barnes and Noble. It truly was the most perfect weekend! It was so relaxing and great for me and Josh to spend some quality time together. The past 2 weeks were full of evening activities for us both, so this was the perfect last weekend together before bringing home a baby.

I'm so glad we had the wonderful weekend that we did, because here we are exactly a week later and we get to go pick up an itty bitty baby tomorrow afternoon!!!! Sorry, I will not be posting specifics on my blog. Feel free to email me if you'd like information!!! We are super excited!!! SHE will be such a blessing to us and I hope we are to her, too!!

Book Club Brunch

2008-09-06T15:33:00.004-05:00

It was my turn this go around to choose the book for book club, so I chose The Last Lecture, which was inspiring and a tear-jerker! I highly recommend it! So, I had all of the girls over for brunch! It was a fun 4 hour event with girls that I've just met over the past few months, all of us with different backgrounds and in different stages in our lives. It's fun to meet friends of friends and share life experiences with others! We enjoyed discussing the book, watching a clip of the lecture and eating, too! I'm excited about the next book: How Starbucks Changed My Life: A Son of Privilege Learns to Live Like Everyone Else.

The brunch menu included:
-Green Chile Breakfast Casserole
-Cinnamon Rolls
-Sausage Balls
-Fresh Orange Muffins w/Strawberry Butter (which turned out dry this time...sorry girls!)
-Grape Salad
-Fresca Punch

Here are a few of the recipes:

Green Chile Breakfast Casserole (adapted from my mom's recipe....*=my variation)
-14 eggs
-1/2 c. flour
-1 tsp. salt
-1 larger or 2 small cans diced green chiles
-1 small container cottage cheese
*1/2 to 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
*4 slices bacon, cooked (I bought the heat and serve bacon)

Whisk Eggs, whisk in flour, salt, chiles and cottage cheese. Pour into greased 9x13, top with cheese and bacon. May be made the night before and refrigerated.
Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

Sausage Balls
2 cups Bisquick
1 pkg shredded cheddar cheese
1 lb sausage

Mix all ingredients together. Roll in balls and bake on cookie sheet (lined with foil and sprayed with cooking spray) for 20 minutes at 350 degrees. (makes approx. 45 sausage balls)

Fresca Punch
(This is my mom's punch recipe that great for breakfast and was the same punch we served for our wedding)

White grape juice, chilled
Fresca, chilled,
Sprite, chilled

Mix equal parts white grape juice, Fresca and Sprite. I usually end up adding just a little more white grape juice for a stronger flavor.

Grape Salad Recipe

Cinnamon Roll Recipe

I'll post the orange muffin recipe and the strawberry butter recipe later. The muffins are best fresh out of the oven....that's when they are most moist!

Have a super Saturday!

Fresh Southwest Salad

2008-09-02T16:30:00.006-05:00

Josh gets to come home for a brief dinner tonight, so I wanted to make something quick and healthy that required no cooking and would be ready when he gets home! So, I combined a few recipes and created my own version of a southwest salad. This one is low fat and is a good source of protein and fiber. I had everything on hand to make it, except for a lime. So, I just picked that up on my way home from school.

Fresh Southwest Salad
(recipe is for 2 people and is very easily doubled!)
(the following measurements are approximate...I pretty much just threw everything in!)

Lime Vinaigrette:
1 Lime, juiced
1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
1/8 to 1/4 tsp. cumin
1/8 tsp. coriander (optional)
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. freshly cracked black pepper
1 bunch of cilantro, roughly chopped

Whisk together and set aside.

Salad Mixture:
1/2 can chicken, drained and rinsed (grilled chicken would be best....but I was all about quick and easy!)
1/2 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 can corn, drained and rinsed
1/2 can diced tomatoes, drained and rinsed

Combine together in bowl and toss with lime vinaigrette.
(Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes for optimal flavor.)

Top torn romaine lettuce (I use the bagged salad) with chicken mixture and serve!

Literal

2008-09-01T18:57:00.003-05:00

Sorry for the lack of posts lately! We haven't been home much, therefore, I haven't been able to cook or do any fun crafty projects! We have been in town for the most part, but have had meetings and other events in the evenings. It will be like that for the next 2 weeks, too! I think Josh and I will be home for dinner on Friday this week, but that's all!

We had a good weekend, that started in Wichita Falls to see Josh's family! Josh's brother had a gig at a coffee shop down there, so we got to see him play! He did a great job! We drove back Saturday in time for the Heartbeat for Hope benefit concert and watched my brother play. We had a great time! After that, we went with my family to Chili's to hang out. Friday and Saturday were filled with wonderful music and time with both of our families!

Josh and I decided to take Labor Day literally today! So, we set our alarms, ate a yummy breakfast of donuts with sprinkles:), and headed outside to work in the yard for 3 hours! The weeds were horrendous! So, I spent 3 hours working in the flower beds in both the front and back yard, trimming bushes, pulling weeds, spraying for bugs, etc. Josh did the mowing, weed eating, disposal of tree limbs, etc. I feel very accomplished! It was the perfect day for yard work and as a bonus, I didn't see any bees or wasps! That made it MUCH nicer!! After that, we took showers, headed to Red Robin to split a delicious bacon cheeseburger and had their yummy Freckled Lemonades (strawberry lemonade). Then, we came home and took a 3 hour nap...nice!

I start Sonshine School tomorrow! I'm excited to be teaching in the toddler class! So many darling babies! I will try to have some more posts this week!

Dinner Tonight

2008-08-26T17:12:00.003-05:00

I'm excited, because for the first time ever, I have all of the ingredients on hand to make my mom's super yummy enchilada casserole! It's a family get-together favorite! It's perfect with a side of tortilla chips and salsa. Here is my mom's version of this delicious casserole! Can you tell I'm hungry?!? I'm ready to eat!!!

Nancy's Enchilada Casserole
1/2 large onion, chopped (I'm cheating and using frozen)
1/2 bell pepper, chopped (I'm not using this, but it does make it extra delicious!)
1 lb. ground beef
1 can mild enchilada sauce
1 can chopped green chilies
1 pkg corn tortillas (Actually, I lied, I don't have these, so I'm using tortilla chips!)
1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, grated
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cups Velveeta cheese, grated

Brown beef in skillet w/salt and pepper, onion and bell pepper. Drain off grease. Add soups, enchilada sauce, chilies and milk. Stir well and heat. Cut tortillas in fourths and line greased casserole dish with half of the tortillas. Add half of beef mixture, half of both cheeses. Then add the rest of tortillas, the rest of beef mixture and rest of both cheeses. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

This feeds quite a few! I'll probably put some in the freezer for another day. Enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Crumb Bars Recipe

2008-08-20T14:24:00.004-05:00

While I wait for paint to dry....

Here is the recipe for the Chocolate Chip Crumb Bars (these are pictured in a previous blog). These are really good, but not necessarily my favorite bar recipe ever. Josh liked them better than I did. They kind of taste like a chocolate pie, but in the form of a cookie bar. If you like chocolate chips and shortbread, then this is for you!

I adapted this recipe from the Nestle Toll House cookbook. The original recipe is called "Chocolatey Raspberry Crumb Bars". I was actually just looking for a recipe that called for everything that I had on hand. Apparently I didn't have eggs, so this was perfect:)

Chocolate Chip Crumb Bars

1 c. butter, softened
2 c. flour
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
2 cups chocolate chips, divided
1 can sweetened condensed milk (14 oz)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 13x9 baking pan

Beat butter in large bowl until creamy. Beat in flour, sugar and salt until crumbly. With flour fingers, press 1 3/4 c. crumb mixture onto bottom of baking pan; reserve remaining mixture.

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until edges are golden brown

Microwave 1 cup chocolate chips and condensed milk in medium bowl, uncovered, for 1 minute. Stir. Chocolate chips may retain some of their original shape. If necessary, microwave at additional 10-15 second intervals, stirring, until morsels are melted. Spread over hot crust.

Sprinkle reserved crumb mixture over chocolate layer and sprinkle with remaining chocolate chips.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until center is set. Cool on wire rack. Cut into bars.

Makes 3 dozen bars

Homemade Chocolate Syrup Recipe

2008-08-19T11:44:00.003-05:00

I ran out of chocolate syrup, but had a craving for chocolate milk. I didn't feel like getting out just for chocolate syrup. So, I found the recipe below. The great thing is that it is much cheaper, preservative free, you more than likely already have the ingredients on hand, and it tastes great in chocolate milk and on ice cream!

Homemade Chocolate Syrup
recipe courtesy of Recipezaar....**I halved the recipe below

1/2 c. cocoa powder
3/4 c. sugar
3/4 c. water
pinch of salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Whisk together cocoa, salt and sugar. Add water, and cocoa/sugar mixture to a 3 qt pot. Boil for 2-5 minutes (I boiled for 3 minutes), whisking continuously. Take off heat and add vanilla. Transfer to another container (jar, clean old syrup container, etc.) and store in the refrigerator.

One last giveaway for the summer...

2008-08-18T17:38:00.003-05:00

I won't bore you with the details here. So, check it out at my Blessings and Bows blog! Good luck!

Rainy Days and Mondays

2008-08-18T15:40:00.003-05:00

I am having one of those days where I have a long "to-do" list, but little energy/motivation to complete any of the items on it! These dreary days make it really hard for me to be motivated!
Maybe a Cherry Coke and some peanut M&Ms will do the trick!

The icing on the cake

2008-08-16T21:09:00.004-05:00

I'm sitting here daydreaming about how nice it would be to win THIS!! It would be just perfect! We have a carseat/stroller combo for infants, but this would be great, too!! Check it out, courtesy of strollermama.com on momdot.com

I want to cook!

2008-08-16T12:49:00.006-05:00

Chocolate Chip Crumb Bars

I haven't cooked in several days and I'm missing it! I've baked this past week (Freckle Face's Symphony Brownies, Chocolate Chip Crumb Bars (pictured), and Chocolate Chip Cookies...I'll post recipes soon!), which I love to do, but I only cooked about 1 or 2 dinners. I'm really wanting to try this recipe! I've had it on my menu for 2 weeks and I still haven't gotten to it! Hopefully this will be the week! One super easy and good recipe from my favorite source, Real Simple, is for Teriyaki- Glazed Burgers. I have never had a bad recipe from Real Simple! They're all great! You should try them out!!

Another Chance to Win!

2008-08-14T09:27:00.000-05:00

http://www.momdot.com/?p=723

Check out this link for a chance to win a clipboard at MomDot!!

Waiting Game

2008-08-12T23:17:00.002-05:00

We had a successful home study tonight! It was easier than I expected, so that's good! Now we just have to wait to get our fingerprints back and then we're ready to go. So, please pray that those go through quickly and do not get rejected! We just have to be patient now (easier said than done)!

Thanks for all of the offers for us to borrow baby goods! I will definitely keep you all in mind if/when the need arises! Thanks so much!! Thank you also for all of the kind comments!

Having the home study got me inspired to do some "spring cleaning". I never did any of that this spring, so I spent all day deep-cleaning my house, organizing closets, finishing projects, etc. I feel so much better now!

Projects Completed!

2008-08-11T20:21:00.011-05:00

I have been working on a few kitchen projects around the window.

Curtain Before: Curtain After: (notice the black "bistro" letters)

Bistro letters got a facelift:

More pics of the new curtains I made (I heart the fabric!):

Baby room letters: (this is why I paint usually and don't decoupage....notice the bubbles?!?)

More baby room pics with the crib!!

Updates

2008-08-07T23:49:00.009-05:00

The Blogger Bash tonight was super fun!! Glad that so many of you gals were able to come out!!

We are at the final stages of preparation for foster parenting and are getting super excited!! We have a half day of training on Saturday, a home study on Tuesday and then we're ready to go! I have been working on getting the nursery ready to go. Thanks to some very wonderful people, we have had to purchase very little for the nursery! We were given a crib, rocker and money for a mattress by my wonderful in-laws!! Some friends provided us with a bathtub, swing, stroller, bouncy seat, car seat, tons of clothes, bottles, burp rags, blankets, and LOTS more!! We appreciate our supportive friends and family for their prayers, donations and general support! We are super excited to get everything going!!

The nursery was painted before we moved in
The 2nd row (covered with curtain) is completely full of children's books!

The view of the room from the door. I still have several things to do, including getting the crib up (on the left wall)
I made this salad on Wednesday and I loved it! It was super easy and "real simple":) Here is the recipe for this fresh, yummy, and light southwestern salad! Serve it with Mexican food for a great side dish!

Cool Southwestern Salad with Corn and Avocado

Recipe courtesy of Real Simple magazine

2 small heads romaine lettuce, cut into bite-size pieces (about 12 cups) (I used bagged hearts of romaine salad)

1 15-ounce can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

2 ears corn, kernels cut off the cob (about 1 cup)

2 avocados, chopped

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

1/2 cup fresh cilantro sprigs

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil (I used about 1/2 c.)

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Kosher salt and pepper

I added probably 1 to 2 cups of halved grape tomatoes

In a large bowl, combine the lettuce, beans, corn, avocados, onion, and cilantro.In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, lime juice, cumin, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Drizzle over the salad and toss. Yield: Makes 4 (main dish sized) servings

**My variations are in italics**

THIS THURSDAY!!!

2008-08-04T10:20:00.007-05:00

Calling all bloggers and stalkers! Hope to see you there!!! I will have a few things there available for purchase and custom order. I am debuting a few new products, too! There will be some other wonderful shops, too!!

Please email me for location details!!!

EVENT COUPON
As an extra incentive, print out THIS BLOG ENTRY and receive 15% off one Blessings and Bows item (one coupon per person)! Yes, tonight's blog is actually a coupon!! Just bring it with you to the party on August 7th and pick out or order something for yourself or for a gift! This offer is only good on August 7th during the Blogger Bash, may not be combined with other discounts/offers, must be presented in person and can only be used once.