The story is the same but the names have been changed...

     One of my favorite nights of the year is the night when we get to build our first fire in our fire place. Although we haven't quite made it to that point yet, the temperature outside suggests that we aren't that far away. The fire place in our home is the biggest part of the living room. My dad was the one who laid the rock work around the fire place by hand and welded the iron work for the fire place in the barn across the street. My parents started their life in this same living room around this same fireplace. I was raised singing on the rounded "stage" of the rock work on the living room floor that attaches to the fireplace. (I can't tell you how many concerts I packed out from the stage!) My sister and her husband began their life around the same fireplace and now my husband and I are doing the same. How many people can say that?

     We live in a world of change. People change jobs like they change socks... they change spouses like they alternate credit cards. There is no sense of home... it's just a place to stay for a while. I feel fortunate today that I am living this life. A life where my children are packing out the same concert staduim I did a child and my husband and I are drinking coffee around the same harth that my parents drank their coffee around.

     People may look at us and see a life of no adventure... no breaking the mold...no living outside the bubble. I can tell you this much: I feel blessed to be living this life. I love that the seasons change so I  don't have to. I love that from my back porch I have a veiw that people pay millions for now. I love that my kitchen is same one that so many people have enjoyed for 80+ years. The story of my life a great one though it's been told before. So sure... the story is the same though the names have been changed... and what a great story it is!

     I pray that whatever story your life is writing now... that it is one worth reading about later

Campfires!

     There are moments when life seems so complicated. Bills to pay, deadlines to meet, laundry to get done... AGAIN! Every day seems to bring a new set of problems that we have to work through. But when stop to look at our lives, it's really not as complicated as it seems. Bills DO get paid, deadlines all get met and the laundry gets done and folded all over again. And every problem that seems to arise on a daily basis somehow work themselves out. We spend so much of our time wishing for simpler time. What we fail to realize is that we are living in a simpler time. We may have to create it but when we take the time to make life simple, we get the best memories life has to offer. It's only then that our memories of time with children and moments with our spouse don't get over shadowed by "complications" and they are free to be exactly what they are: Precious Memories!

Here is Campbell and Carson having a tea party with Mim. What a priceless picture! These are the moments that will turn into precious memories not clouded or interupted by... well... life!

Camping trip in our new camper. What a great purchase! Going camping with your family demands that you spend time together. There is no crisis that can come up to take your mind away from each other.

Thank God for a husband who can set up a camper!

This is the veiw from our campsite... not to shabby!

Take a look at this! MERCY! This is what I'm talking about all wrapped up into one single shot! Perfection! Simple! Beautiful!

Family Time by the campfire! Carson is close by he just didn't make it in the shot

See... told you! There he is!

This is the best thing to ever happen to me. I chose wisely and after so many years together, I still feel as though I am the luckiest girl in the world!

Already priceless...

This sums it all up... A campfire! Smores over the open flames. There is nothing as mezermizing as a campfire. It is freakishly calming and somehow makes everything slow down.

Thank you Lord for simple days that I get to spend looking into a campfire.

I pray that someday soon... you will make the time to build a campfire with your family and take time stare into and take some pictures to document the calm...

Not my Will...

Most of the time, we pray for God to answer prayers but when we pray we are specific. "God, please do this or that... Please give me this... please heal this... please save so and so" and on and on we pray. But how often do we pray, "Lord, not my will but Yours"? When the Lord looks at our lives, He doesn't see the right now and the later... but He sees it all at once. What's more important than that... He already knows what we need BEFORE we ask Him. So if that's true... then it is more profitable for us to spend out time truly praying that His will be done. It seems like if we pray any thing else... we are wasting our breath and His time.

So Lord tonight... for my husband, for my family, for my friends, for my children and for myself... Not my will but Yours be done!

Amen

He knows and that's all I need to know...

Yesterday I had surgery on my ears for what seems like the millionth time! Long story short, my eustatian tubes in my ears don't work. (Well...let's say the didn't work) The doctor told me that my ear drums were almost completely collapsed inside my head. Which means that I am not hearing very well. They put tubes in my ear drums or what's left of my ear drums to try and equalize the pressure in my head. Today, I became very discouraged and I'm sure it was for no reason at all.

Have you ever had your mind made up about something and set your expectations so high that really, no matter what the out come was, it fell miserably short of the bar you had set in your head for the situation? Well, that's where I was today.

I had put so much hope on this surgery working miracles that when I woke up today feeling like I had cotton packed into my ears, my heart began to sink.

Then the questions start to come: Why am I going through this when I am a woman of faith?

Why do I have to deal with this imperfection?

Why won't the fix that fixes everyone else with this condition fix me?

Then, I am reminded with a still small voice in the midst of my sorrow and pain, questions and disappearing faith...

A simple verse, though quoted often, one rarely thought about:

"For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for

good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope." 

-Jeremiah 29:11

So, what am worried about? Why am I crying? What am I questioning?

He knows the plans... that's all I need to know... 

Italian Chicken

Italian Chicken

4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast
1 Bottle of Italian Dressing
2 Cups of Rice

Cook rice according to directions on package
Place chicken in a preheated skillet
Pour the dressing over the chicken and cook over medium heat
Turn the chicken untill golden brown
Pour remaning liquid from skillet into pot with rice in it and stir well

Serve the chicken over the rice
I usually serve this with something green... green beans or maybe a salad.

Precious Moments

We had a spectacular weekend celebrating Mike's birthday. It was a huge success as always. He got alot of stuff for the camper. We just bought a camper this summer and it has become our new family hobby. So much fun!

He got a whole lot of stuff that we didn't even know we needed... which is always the funnest!

                                                      

He wanted a red velvet cake so that's what I made him. It was beautiful and delicious.

Then we went to church on Sunday and we had a great service. We are in the process of building our new church building so our whole church went out to the slab and took a tour of the future location.

It was a amazing however my son was a little hot and I forgot his hat and so we sat in daddy's truck and listened in on the festvities and of course, I took the oportunity to make it a great photo opp!

These are the best kisses and the most precious moments of my life. I am grateful for so many of them.  I pray that your life is filled with many great moments!

Spinach and Woodpeckers...

This past week I have had a rejuvination of vision for my children and their general overall well being. Campbell never has been a great eater of anything good for her. Her food of choice is ALWAYS pizza. Well, I believe that her lack of nutrition has been affecting her health.

So, I decided that, as her mother, I would NOT allow for her health to deteriorate one more moment without giving it my very best effort. Honestly, I haven't been... giving it any effort. I haven't made her eat her veggies... I sometimes don't even put them on her plate because I know that it would be a waste. So. I made a change... in me and allowed Campbell to be the beneficiary of this change.

My sister gave me a cookbook called Deceptively Delicious. It's all about hiding veggies in your children's food. I have done ALL sorts of things this week. Spinach in eggs, Broccoli in chicken strips, Carrots in meatloaf, Beets in pancakes... YES! I have been giving myself to my daughter's health and am already seeing the benefits of this endevour.

Yesterday, is was a beautiful day outside and I decided to do something a little differently.

We made sandwiches, littered with spinach leaves!

Fruit and baked chips and we went outside and had a picnic

As everything with kids this age... it was difficult and I was sweating by the time I got all of us out there and seated.

But my kids enjoyed every minute of this experience!

Campbell kept calling for a woodpecker in the tree above us and Carson... well... was Carson!

They had a great time as did I. I find that my very best days as a stay at home mom and when I am giving myself to being just that! A stay at home mom!

It ended with this:

This was another revalation and day worth remembering forever!

I pray you find joy in... well... looking for woodpeckers and eating spinach...

A Day Worth Blogging About

Here is Goes:

So this morning my husband left at 10:30 for a football game and I was left with the kids all day and all night. The game didn't start until 6:00 pm. So I was trying to think of what I could do with the kids that would help pass the day. The only thing that Campbell has asked to do was bake cupcakes. I told her that we would but after I decided that I would put up my fall tree. It's a little early but my mom and sister and one of my best friends already has theirs up so I fell to peer preasure. I went to the shed, climbed up the ladder and pushed a huge Christmas tree to the side and pulled down the box with the fall tree decorations in it. I drug the tree and the box into the house.

The tree usually goes in the corner of the house beside our dining room table but since last fall, we aquired a new table and it is substantially bigger than our previous one. Because of that, the tree wouldn't fit in it's normal spot. So I had to move it. I decided to move out one of our end tables and put the tree in that spot.

 Because of that decision, I had to find another place for the lamp to go that was on that end table. Where, there wasn't another place. So that was the first problem. The second problem was that after I pulled the lights out of the box and plugged them in to put them on the tree. The didn't work... of course... So then I made the decision to go the Hobby Lobby to purchase more.

Carson woke up at 11:45 and he had to eat at 1:00. That was time enough to throw them in the car and go get lights and get back home. By the time I got both kids changed and loaded in the car it was a little after 12:00. I started driving down the road and realized that I had forgotten my wallet. So I had to turn around and go home and get it. By that time, I knew that I wouldn't make it back for Carson's 1:00 lunch. I ran into the house, packed his lunch, got Campbell a drink and grabbed my wallet.

We loaded in the car and headed back to town. By the time we got to town, it was 1:00 and Campbell was hungry so went went straight to McAlisters. Fed myself and both my kids and we back to original mission... to retrieve orange lights from Hobby Lobby.

Once in Hobby Lobby, we found the orange lights and several other fall decorations that I was not in need of the went I started the mission but found them of the utomost neccessity at the time. I decided to do a center piece for the table with them.

During the time at Hobby Lobby, I had to go the bathroom. Well, there was no place to put Carson so I had to set him on the floor of the handicap stall. I know I know... But there was NO option. On the way out of the bathroom and to the check out stand with a buggy full of fall foliage... I passed the discounted furniture isle. I was in need of smaller end table for the displaced lamp. I found one that was perfect and on sale. So as I picked it up to put it in the buggy the glass top fell out of it and on my face. It hit my cheek bone so hard that there is a good possiblity I will end up with a black eye...

After I recovered from the blow, I went to the check out line and let Campbell pick out a wooded horse to color when we got home. I paid for it she loved it until she saw the bubbles. Then, I became the parent of one of those children who people stare at in the store... I did get it under control but not without me sweating and trying to teach a 3 yr old a lesson in thankfullness.

So, 3 hours later, after a short trip to retrieve orange lights, I am on the my way home with fall foilage, a table (with a removable plate of glass), both kids (fed and thankful) and yes... orange lights...

We did make the cupcakes...

Kids update in pictures!

Carson is feeling much better. He has developed a touch of a cough so here he is in a vapor bath. Yeah for vapor baths. I'm not sure if they really help but they smell like they are making a big difference!

By the Way, My son is big enough to take baths in the sink! Life just got sooooo much easier! Yea for him sitting up by himself.

Ok if you think that is cute check this picture out!

So it rained for the first time in forever and we were all enjoying it! Campbell likes to help me clean so when she saw the water outside she couldnt' help herself!

She is always so much help! I love the rain boots under the rain coat!

Last week we were on vacation in Tenn. We went to a very good friends of ours barn and their dog had just had puppy's. Campbell was LOVING it!

After we saw the puppy's she climed her first tree! Very momentous occasion.

Everyone is feeling better in my household and that is always a very good thing. I am greatful to the Lord for His healing hand over my children and the Holy Spirit for the wisdom that only He can give a mother in the middle of the night with a screaming baby.

We had a great summer and are more excited about fall than ever! It's our favorite season. Plus,,, it carries the added bonus of producing the cutest pictures.

Pepper Hamburger Steak Recipe

Ok so I had some ingredients left over from a dinner I had done the night before and I came up with this dish and it is spectacular.

Try It!

4 Hamburger Steaks
1/2 Yellow Bell Pepper Sliced
1/2 Red Bell Pepper Sliced
1/2 Green Bell Pepper Sliced
1/2 Yellow Onion
1/2 Cup Crushed Tomatoes
2 Tbs. Vegetable Oil
2 Tbs Minced Garlic

Heat Oil in a large skillet. Add peppers, onions and garlic. Let cook for 5 to 7 minutes. Add steaks under onions and peppers. Put top on skillet and let cook for about 10 minutes. Turning steaks often and stirring the onions and peppers. Mix in crushed tomatoes and continue cooking until steaks are done.

Serve steaks over rice or with mashed potatoes. Top with pepper mixture. Enjoy!

Lessons from my daugher....

So yesterday after Campbell woke up from her nap... she was running a fever! Yes that is how the evening started... Let me back up a tad:
All day long she had been playing at a friend of ours barn. She was in the greatest mood of her life. Nothing wrong. Zero symptoms...
When she woke up she wasn't acting right. She had been bitten by a bug the day before and it was swelling on her arm. She is prone to blood infection called Cellulitis. So, I put her in the car and took her to the walk in clinic. They checked her out and couldn't find anything other than that she was running a fever. So they did blood work and took her temp again. It had risen a degree in about 20 minutes and they sent us to the ER. So, we checked in there and sat in the room for 2 1/2 hours before a nurse practitioner ever came in. She came in and checked her out and again, found nothing except a fever. So she ordered more blood work. It came back with same findings... after 6 1/2 hours of being at a medical facility of some kind or another with a sick 3 year old... never having seen a doctor... they sent us home with a general antibiotic and co pay of $200.00 and no diagnosis... That's where we are still....fever... a sick baby girl... no diagnosis....