This is just a quick little blog post. The weekends are SUPER crazy so I don't expect I will be able to steal away some time for a blog post however I had to link to my inspiration for my pantry. Delightful Order has the most amazing pantry and I just aspire to be that organized. I might have to take some of her ideas in order to whip my pantry into shape.
Check out Delightful Order to see all her amazing ideas. Her blog is my new inspiration for getting my behind in gear to get us organized this year.We can do it!!!! Click here for her post. Here are some pics from her website. Grab a tissue or something to wipe the drool before you look at these. Seriously it makes me not want to look inside my pantry right now. lol
Honestly just these two pics don't do it justice. You HAVE to jump over to her blogsite and drool...I mean SEE for your self. There are many, many more pictures. The containers and the labels alone make my heart palpitate. Oh glorious organization. I thought I was so organized.
I stand corrected. I have a new inspiration. Now I can't wait to begin 'Pantry Reorganization" phase 1. (Phase 1 is actually just being able to stand looking inside my pantry after seeing these pictures. LOL)
I started a new morning/evening devotion. I love listening to Alistair Begg and he had suggested reading from Proverbs in the morning for wisdom to start your day and the Psalms in the evening before bed. I thought that sounded good and I love what I read this morning. It has really been making me think. I started from the beginning as he suggested rather than jumping around.
"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge;
fools despise wisdom and instruction."
Proverbs 1:7
My study bible defines knowledge here as the focus on correct understanding of the world and oneself as creatures of the magnificent and loving God.
It then goes on in the study notes to define wisdom as the acquired skill of applying that knowledge rightly or as skill in the art of godly living.
When I look back to before I was saved I really knew nothing. Nothing correctly that is. My thoughts and opinions were like leaves in the wind. Any idea that 'seemed' appropriate or right was what I adopted. That was tough. There was never a set thing saying what was definitively right and what was wrong. What was right for one person may not have been what was right for someone else. I would never have told someone they were wrong. It was just what worked for them. How do you really live like that. When there is no wrong or right...well...that's just not right. I have no problem telling someone now that they are wrong. I still love them and am tolerant of them but facts are facts. Our culture has recently changed the definition of tolerance to try and force someone into more than just tolerating someone and views that are different to out right needing to affirm their lifestyle choices. God tells us what is right. Who am I to question Him. He is perfect. There are right and wrong ways to live in this life. That does not dimish the fact that God made us all different and unique but it does not negate the fact that there are still wrong ways to live.
I think I'm going to go with God on this one. He created us. He redeemed us. He most certainly is in the position to tell us right from wrong. If you don't believe that then you're wrong...but I still love you! (o:
God is showing me through His word that there most certainly are rights and wrongs. He is so merciful and gracious to tell us what those are and He shows us how we are to live our lives. That is amazing to me. That the Creator of this universe and everything in it would love us enough to tell us how we are to live. He doesn't just leave us here to stumble around and try to figure it out on our own. He gave us an instruction manual. With our eyes on Him, we are able to attain knowledge. It's not something we could attain apart from God.
How amazing is our God that He is weaving the story of human history even today. How amazing still that He told us how it will end.
Now off to paint something on this beautiful, sunny day!
My littlest girl, Lia, is getting too big! She just started crawling. I really kept saying I never thought she was going to crawl and that she was a little slower than Ian & Ava in this. Well she just starts to crawl and then decides she wants to pull herself up to her knees. Now she is pulling herself up to a standing position. This little girl wreaks havoc on anything she can get into. She cracks me up. She hasn't even given me a chance to get adjusted from one stage to the next. Baby proofing has gone right out the window! The little tricks we used to use with Ian and Ava do NOT fool this girl. She will find a way to get to whatever she wants and if she is actually thwarted in her plan she throws a little fit. She has quite the temper already. She's going to be a handful I can tell already. She seems to think everything is an adventure. She never cries when going to other people. She clams up is what she does in an almost "...well if I MUST" look as we leave her. She can make the funniest little curls with her tongue. This picture some what captures it. I don't know how she does it but it's funny. Everything this girl does is to try and make someone laugh. She can never seem to get enough of her buddy Ian who will do just about any silly thing to get her to crack up. She is just trying to talk and doing so many things now that I can't wait to see more of her personality come out. I can't imagine not having her in our lives. Ian and Ava treasure her. Ava tells me how beautiful and funny she is.
Ian is going to be 7 years old this year. *Sigh* I wonder how long he will cuddle with me on the couch when the girls are put to bed and call me "My Mama". He's so handsome and growing up too quickly. That seems to be the pace for all of them. I don't like this pace. Don't let his tough exterior fool you. Even though he is all boy and just loves to be rough and tough...he is a very sensitive little guy. I remember when he was upset at daycare with his best little friend Christopher. He was always easy to drop off but the one week not so much. I watched what was going on and his friend Christopher, who was much bigger than Ian would greet him in the morning by saying, "IAN!!!! My little buddy!" It hurt his feelings to have his friend call him little. Oh it broke my heart because I knew why he was upset about being dropped off. I spoke to his teacher and thank the Lord we were going to such a great daycare. They spoke to Christopher about it and the very next day Christopher greeted Ian with, "IAN!!!! My big buddy!" After that Ian loved his daycare again. It's a funny story and I know Ian will probably always be on the shorter side of his peers I want him to know that he has the best personality. He hits the playground and instantly starts rounding up kids to play. They just follow him. He's a born leader. I can see Ian growing up to be a biologist one day. This kid just LOVES science and I just love that he looks at life through the lens of God. He knows all the things he is studying and interested in all come from God. I see amazing things in his future. He is funny and smart but loving and sweet at the same time. He can try and play rough with mommy but as soon as I say 'Ow!' he is asking me if I am ok and telling me he is sorry. I am very proud I have the honor of raising him.
I want to remember when I was finally able to pull up Ava's hair. LOL We waited so long to be able to put her hair in a ponytail from time to time. She has such beautiful curls that I really don't like to pull it up too much but she is so stinkin' cute with her hair up. She looks so big. She looks like me when I was little. I need to get some pics from my mom to load to show you but I see me when I look at her. She has the sweetest, most gentlest spirit I have ever met. She is so adorable and everything is just always so cute to her. She saw a white alligator on Ian's science show he was watching and she thought it was cute and it was a princess alligator because she had a little pink on her. Oh how I love this girl. She makes me melt. I always realize that she is a sensitive little soul and has to be handled as such. One word to her that is a correction sends her to tears. She always wants to please. Jared had to start calling her his curly haired princess because she was kept telling us she wanted long hair down her back. You see her hair when it is wet is down to the middle of her back but she has such beautiful, tight ringlet curls that it doesn't go much past her shoulder and mommy doesn't make it better with my long straight hair. I finally had to explain to her that God made her this way because that is the way He loved to see her. She should love the way she looks because God loves her this way. As soon as she heard her God loved her that way she was good. No more complaining about her hair. PHEW! I love this girl.
Oh to be able to just freeze those moments. I know I can't but I really wish I could. I wish I had a mind like a steel trap but I don't. My mind is more like a sieve. I sit here with tears wondering what other beautiful memories from Ian and Ava have just been lost forever. I am so thankful and blessed for this blog. I want to capture every moment of our lives together. I want to freeze them so we can look back and say "Remember this picture of Lia. She kept pulling herself up onto the entertainment center trying to get super close to Shaun the Sheep."
I love these children. I love God even more for calling me to Him and giving me these children to care for and raise for Him. I am a better person for having known these three little souls. If I died today I can tell you that I am so happy with who they are and the path that they are on. I couldn't be more proud of these kids and my wonderful husband who works so hard to let me be home with them all day long and see just how wonderful & unique all three of them are.
NOW maybe one day in the future we will have another beautiful little soul I can share with you but for now we will have to see what God sends our way. I know I can't wait!!!
Alright...I have kept you in suspense long enough. The Italian Pot Roast I made for Valentine's Day is the best Pot Roast I have ever had. It instantly makes the house smell amazing. If you want the original recipe you can click here! It is a Giada De Laurentiis recipe. I love her cooking. It's very fresh and very easy. She rarely makes anything I feel like is so challenging that I don't even want to attempt it. This one has a little red wine in it so I just want to preface you preparing this recipe by saying I think it is mandatory while cooking this you have a little glass...you know...just to make sure the wine is good enough to put in the dish! (o; I will say "You're Welcome" in advance for this one.
The Italian Pot Roast ready to go into the oven for 3 hours and make the family drool while we wait!
Here's my take on her recipe. WARNING!!!! You need to use a pan that you can use on the stovetop and then pop in the oven. I just want to preface this recipe with that or you could get to the oven part and not be so happy at me. Consider yourselves warned.
Italian Pot Roast
(Adaptation fromGiada De Laurentiis - Stracotto with Porcini Mushrooms)
Ingredients
1 (5-pound) boneless beef chuck roast
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil, divided
2 onions, chopped
6 cloves garlic, crushed
1 cup red wine
1 (15-ounce) can low-sodium beef broth
1 package of sliced mushrooms
1 large sprig fresh rosemary, leaves removed and chopped
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Pat the beef dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.
In a heavy 6-quart pot or Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat.
Add the beef and cook until browned on all sides, about 12 minutes. Remove the beef and set aside.
Reduce the heat to medium.
Add the remaining oil and the onions. Cook, stirring frequently, until tender, about 8 minutes.
Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute until aromatic.
Add the wine and scrape up the brown bits that cling to the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon.
Stir in the broth and mushrooms.
Return the beef to the pot as well as sprig of Rosemary and bring the liquid to a boil. Cover the pot and transfer to the oven. Cook until the beef is fork-tender, about 3 hours, turning the beef over halfway through and adding more beef broth, as needed.
Transfer the beef to a cutting board. Tent with foil and let stand for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, spoon any excess fat off the top of the pan juices.
Puree the pan juices and vegetables in a blender until smooth for a gravy.
Shred or Cut the beef into 1-inch pieces and place on a platter. Spoon some of the sauce over the meat and serve the remaining sauce on the side. I also try to remove any excess fat from the beef.
I wanted to share another yummy recipe I just made. It is Smore's Brownies. They are so wonderful because you get Smore's AND a brownie all in one bite. The kids loved this recipe and it was so easy to make. I had bought a huge bag of Mini-Marshmallows at our local BJ's for Ian to take to school. They were celebrating the 100th day of school in their Kindergarten class so they were going to be counting lots of different things. The only problem is the day I brought them home his teacher sent an email saying what she still needed. The marshmallows were already covered. Man! Now what am I going to do with ALL these marshmallows? Well I made some Rice Krispy Treats. I love these but I forgot how sticky and messy they are to make. Maybe that would be why my brain conveniently tucks away that recipe. Then I saw this recipe on the side of the box of brownie mix from Duncan Hines for Smore's Brownies. I like Smore's and I love brownies. Hmmmm.
First you make the brownies according to the box. As soon as you pull them out of the oven and the brownies are still nice and hot put about 4 cups of Mini-Marshmallows and 1 cup of Chocolate Chips spread over the top. Then place it back in the oven for a minute or two. You just want them to get nice and soft but not totally melt all the way. Then pull it out of the oven and while that is hot take 5 graham crackers and break into small pieces. Place these pieces into the top of the mixture and cut when the whole thing has cooled. Here's how mine turned out.
My son was not pleased at coming home from school and smelling these fresh from the oven only to be reminded that they were for after dinner only. I did feel bad about torturing him like that with the smell of them. He did get to eat one then...after dinner!
I still have enough marshmallows for another recipe so I am sure you will be seeing another marshmallow ingredient recipe in the near future.
It's a rainy day here today and I can tell you all I feel like doing this afternoon is sleeping so you know what that means...MORE COFFEE!!!!! Speaking of coffee can someone tell me how this works? I am drinking coffee with Fat Free Hazelnut Creamer in it and having a piece of the Smore's Brownie. Is that equivalent to eating a burger but having a diet coke from a fast food place? They even themselves out right? I mean the fat free cancels out the fat in the actual brownie, right?! LOL This dabbling in baking is really going to be bad for my waistline. Whatever...it's a Monday...anything goes on Mondays!
So I just wanted to say please excuse the appearance of my blog site while I am under a little bit of construction. I am adding some tabs for an easier time finding recipes and crafts as I start to add more. So far those are the two categories I have come up with. I am hoping to get some more once I think of them. Seriously I told it was under construction. (o;
Anyway...I wanted to make sure I posted that so nobody wonders what this crazy woman is doing now! It's my disclaimer. LOL
I am just in blog heaven right now with all these cute little features, etc. I am definitely going to be posting some more yummy recipes and crafts so stay tuned!
Just as a teaser...a little something I made for our Valentine's Day dinner for the family. Recipe to follow.
There...I have you...now you HAVE to come back and check out the blog...and YES I know I am behind being that this was for Valentine's Day. Patience. I know I don't have it but I just thought I could torture someone else.
Wow! My last post was the end of January and now it's almost the end of February. Where does the time go? I guess we have just been so busy some days I really feel like my head is spinning.
I don't know if anyone has seen The Truth Project from Focus on the Family but it is amazing! Really. The hubby and I attended the training event and have the DVD's which is just such a bad thing for me because I just have to watch them and I mean all of them in a short period of time. We are watching them with our church right now Sunday nights and it has just been a blessing but I watched them all right after we got them. They are excellent. I especially have loved the science section. It's been really informative. It's been awesome for the correction in some of my thinking that was not biblical and things I never even thought about before. I have already heard lots of positive feedback on the video series from people who are attending so that is really encouraging. I think really that is the most important thing we are focused on right now is just growing spiritually and using our spiritual gifts to bless others.
My wonderful and extremely smart husband, Jared, is doing awesome in his classes he has been taking. He is consistently on the Dean's List so I have to give him a big shout out there. I am so proud of him. He totally is the smart one in the family...not on ALL things (o; but on most. I am the smarter one when it comes to domestic issues such as how to get a stain out or what to make for dinner when our pantry is dwindling on supplies but if you want to know pretty much anything else he's your man and if he doesn't know he will become the expert on it. I ask him random stuff all the time. He's the spiritual leader in the family so he becomes my personal pastor I suppose you could say.
I have personally been suffering with my migraines much more frequently since Christmas. That has been putting a crimp in the schedule as well. People sometimes ask how I do it all and I tell them it's God. I don't know how all this would work the way it does unless He holds us together. I don't know why I get my migraines but I have been forcing myself on most episodes to rejoice in them. I do thank God for the doctors who have been given the ability to come up with the medication that I can take in those instances. I do that because I know I am going through it for some reason and I know God will work good out of it. I can tell you that I certainly do appreciate what it feels like to have a clear non-throbbing head when I do have it.
On a crafty note...I have some awesome ideas for crafts coming up for the spring. I can't wait to post about them. There is someone special that I am especially bubbling over about making one project for. More than anything I just love blessing people with something little I made with the gifts that God has given to me. I am at an unfortunate stand still in my crafting for the moment because I need paint for the two projects I want to do and I just can't seem to squeeze in running to the store to get the right paint that I need. I am hoping that I will have some time this weekend.
I also have two recliner rocking chairs that were given to my by my parent's that I am extremely excited to reupholster and paint/distress the wood arms. There is also two children's rockers and the full size rocking chair that my parent's rocked me to sleep on that I want to completely re-do. Oh that is going to be so awesome. It will be my first time and the recliners were my grandparent's so I can't wait to see how they are going to turn out. It's pretty neat that these pieces each have a little story to tell with my family. I have been just besides myself wanting to tackle some furniture make-overs. I currently have my eyes peeled for a small entertainment center OR something to turn into that for our bedroom. We have our TV on Jared's nightstand right now. It's almost the perfect first project because we don't really need to have something so I can totally take my time working on that. I am sure it will be a learning experience. OH and I have a really awesome desk that was my grandfather's from the navy which is just so beautiful. I can't wait to do something with that as well but it may be last on the list just because I am so hesitant to mess that up. I just love it so much! PLUS I think I a wonderful friend from church is giving me her old sewing machine. This may just be the most exciting thing for me of the year. I have been dying to get my hands on a sewing machine but just don't have the money to buy one now. God is awesome! I have been praying about that one. I didn't know how I was going to get one but I think it is imperative I do so I can only expand my growing little craft experiment that will prayerfully turn into some kind of way to bring extra money into the house. I don't know what God's going to do with this new obsession of mine but I know He will use it for great things. I don't mean like I am going to get an award for being the best crafter in the world. I don't know I guess I just have to just keep going and see what happens. That's the most exciting part of it. (o:
I am finding it very difficult to wrap my brain around how to sort and organize my digital photos. I have Picasa loaded onto the computer but I really just need to devote some time to sit down and sort and go through all those pictures. If anyone has suggestions please let me know what you have done that has worked for you. I might just have an easier solution that way! That just seems so daunting of a task I can't think about it without almost hyperventilating. I also have the same issue with making a 2011 project list. I need to pencil in some time for that while my lil' girls are napping one day and Ian is at school to work on this. I also have lots of things I want to do to the blog which by the way if you see me constantly changing things around it is because I get bored easily and I like to keep things interesting!
Here's a little pic of the my daily projects...
...keeping these three happy! (o:
I also wanted to share a song that always, always, always comes into my head. I just love it and I have known it for quite some time now. I hope it blesses your day!
(if you want to watch and listen to this scroll all the way down to the bottom of this page first and hit the pause button on my blog music. Yes, it is a song on my blog list as well!)
Here's the lyrics...
Ginny Owen - If You Want Me To
The pathway is broken
And The signs are unclear
And I don't know the reason why You brought me here
But just because You love me the way that You do
I'm gonna walk through the valley
If You want me to
Chorus:
Cause I'm not who I was
When I took my first step
And I'm clinging to the promise You're not through with me yet
so if all of these trials bring me closer to you
Then I will walk through the fire
If You want me to
It may not be the way I would have chosen
When you lead me through a world that's not my home
But You never said it would be easy
You only said I'd never go alone
So When the whole world turns against me
And I'm all by myself
And I can't hear You answer my cries for help
I'll remember the suffering Your love put You through
And I will go through the valley If You want me to
This weekend was a fun time! I went to the coolest girls night out party you have ever heard of. It was a "Pity Party". It was hilarious. When you can sit around with some other 'mom' friends with out your children in tow you know it's going to be a glorious time! We played games, shared our 'pity party' stories, and even had a dessert competition. I had the best time getting to know these ladies better. I feel so blessed to be able to call them friends. There are rumors of another one in June so I am really praying this pans out because I had so much fun at this one!
I wanted to share with you what I made for the dessert competition. Never have I ever...made fancy cupcakes and practically had heart palpitations while doing it before now. I know how amazing these ladies are with their cooking and baking skills so I knew I couldn't just make a tray of brownies and be done. Anyone who knows me knows there are certain things that are just me.
I do not enjoy baking nor am I good at it. I love to cook. I guess I have never really been a 'sweets' person.
I love chocolate.
I love coffee.
These are the three things you really have to know about me. Yes I admit them. That's the first step. (o;
Well I found this blog that had this amazing cupcake recipe that sounded like I might be able to pull it off. Caramel Mocha Cupcakes...WHAT?! Coffee AND Chocolate in the same recipe. It didn't even just call for any chocolate. It was dark chocolate. I know. Amazing right?! Ok...I'm making it. Done deal.
Well I was so stressed out about making this since I had to make the icing from scratch and the last several times I tried that, my icing got all drippy. It was not pretty and I was very discouraged. It also called for homemade chocolate ganache to be put on top the cupcake before adding the icing. Oh boy...what did I really get myself into this time. I decided if I was going to do this I was going to do it right and get a decorating kit for the first time in my life so I could make the frosting look some what cute. I don't know if it was all the chocolate covered espresso beans or Dove chocolate caramels I was munching on that was making me shaky all day but holey moley. I kept blaming it on the sugar but I really think it was nerves.
BY THE WAY...this is a little embarrassing or I guess maybe it should be since the hubby cracks up at me each time. He brought to my attention that I pronounce espresso as 'EXpresso'. Whatever! I know what I am talking about. It's not the only thing I mess up. I still have a very difficult time pronouncing 'Psalm' correctly. I pronounce it 'Palm' and that is not correct. It should be pronounced as "Salm" but I am sure you already knew that. Oh well. It gives my husband something to crack up at me about (although there are myriads of things he has the opportunity to laugh about with me in his life).
Anyway, here is the finished product...
Not too bad, right? I was pretty impressed and felt like I could definitely try and make 'fancy' cupcakes again sometime. I added some chocolate sprinkles and a chocolate covered EXpresso (lol) bean to top them off.
I did not win the competition however the girl who won definitely deserved it. She made a canoli cake creation that was to DIE for. I never heard of or had that before and it was amazing. I am really hoping I can get that recipe. Oh it was heavenly. YUM!
If you want the recipe and full tutorial click here. I am pretty sure you can substitute one of these for your morning coffee. LOL
Maybe I CAN bake after all...but my heart will always belong to cooking. (o;
