He Loves Me...

I love my Jesus. He is so good to me. I love my hubbie too. After writing the post Friday on insecurities this is what my hubbie brought home. A bouquet of Daisies. My hubbie has never bought me Daisies before. I asked him if he had read my blog and he said no. As he was getting some sushi from Whole Foods he saw these and thought of me. How sweet is that? It amazes me how sweet my Heavenly Father is to even send me the very flower I had defined my insecurities with. So the question has been answered and yes...He does love me!

She likes me/She likes me not!

I just read this blog post from Lysa at Proverbs 31 Ministries. How many of you out there struggle with this? I am so amazed at how many women responded to her post and still feel like the 13 year old girl picking the leaves off the daisy wondering if they are liked or not. I thought it was just an insecurity issue I was alone in feeling. How is it we still feel like we are in middle school when surrounded by other women? When I walk into a room full of women, whether I know them or not, I convert back into that 13 year old girl. Even as recently as last night when I went out with some friends I kept going over all my conversations and hoping I didn't say anything that made me sound dorky. I hate keeping the cool/dork point tally sheet. I am trying to learn I have value as a daughter of the King. It frustrates me to no end how easily I become insecure and self conscious. Hopefully one day I will be able to look at the daisy without playing the "she likes me/she likes me not" game.

Do you want some Gatorade?

Maddie not feeling well
Maddie trying to be a happy girl
Maddie's drink going in
I've got some fluid in me now let's go!

Maddie had a stomach bug and got dehydrated and had to go to Children's Hospital for some fluid by IV. She was such a sick little girl and not herself at all. After 6 hours of getting fluid she started acting so much better. My sweet friend Michelle brought me some dinner and sat with me for several hours. She made both me and Maddie feel much better by being there. I value her friendship so much. Maddie was released later that night and was feeling much better the next day.

Cap and Gown!

Luke and Ms. Celia
Luke and Daddy
The whole family

Last month Luke graduated from Kindergarten. He has done so well this year and we are very proud of him. His favorite subject is reading and it shows. He is now reading on a 2nd grade level. He is a little scared about starting first grade but we know he will have no problems. Congrats, Luke we are so proud of your accomplishments!

A look at me!

Hey everyone! I am so excited about Blawg Her 2008! It will be so cool to meet all the area bloggers. If you want to learn more about our catfish bash look here. I guess you need to learn a little bit about me. Well here it goes.....

I met my hubbie in October 2005. On April 4, 2006 we got hitched in Vegas baby. Here we are in front of Caesar's Palace. Aren't we so in love? Awwww!

Nine months and 1 day later Madeleine Claire entered the world. For those of you who want to do the math she was born on January 5, 2007. If you look at her hand you will see she wasn't very happy about being born. She takes after her daddy!

Here are the three punks boys! They are in order from left to right: Parker 4, Luke 5, and Caleb 5. They are all boy.

Some things about me you might or might not want to know:

*** I love wine. If you want to make me happy bring me a bottle of wine. If I had to choose between a nice present and a bottle of wine... I would choose the wine. No, I am not a lush. I don't overdrink. I just enjoy a glass or 2 of wine with my meal or if I am cooking a big dinner.

*** I love to cook. It is a passion of mine and it goes well with wine! I love cooking Italian food. I make my own noodles and sauce from scratch. It is so relaxing to be in the kitchen, jazz music in the background making my hubbie something good to eat.

*** I am learning how to sew. I enjoy what I have done so far but need lots of tutoring. Anyone want to teach me?

*** I love to read. I am at the library at least one day a week. I check out around 7 books at a time because I am a fast reader. I love getting lost in the book. I love to imagine myself in the story with the characters. Right now I am reading alot of historical fiction. Tracie Peterson and Gilbert Morris are my two faves right now.

Okay, now you know a little more about me. I am coming up on my 1 year anniversary of blogging. It has been a great outlet and a way to let my out of town family know what is going on with us. Can't wait to meet the rest of you out there.

Be true to your school!

Scott has decided with much prayer and talking to go to Birmingham Theological Seminary to get a degree in Biblical Studies. He feels this is where God is leading him. We are excited to see where God is going to lead him with this. Please pray for him while he is doing this.

Bloggy Sabatical!

I have been in a bloggy rut for a little while. I don't know why but I am not wanting to blog right now. I have like 5 blogs I need to finish but it will have to wait. I had gotten to the point I was spending more time blogging and reading blogs than anything else. I wasn't keeping up with my house work or my relationship with my heavenly Father. Until I get my priorities back I will be on a sabbatical of sorts. I'm sure my hubbs and kids will appreciate a warm dinner and a clean house and clean clothes. Since I live with them and not you I will be focusing on them right now. Hope you don't mind and I will see you soon. In the words of T-I-GG-ER TTFN - Ta-Ta-For-Now!

My Maddie!

Bloggy Giveaway Winner!

The winner of my Bloggy Giveaway is Shannon! Thank you to everyone who entered.

Bloggy Carnival

**UPDATED** Sorry, This Giveaway is Closed! Thank you for visiting my blog. Please feel free to stay and look around. The winner will be announced in the next post.

Welcome to my blog. This is my first Bloggy Carnival . I am giving away a pillowcase dress I made last year. It will fit 6 months - 18 months. While it is not perfect it is the first thing I ever sewed. It does not fit my daughter anymore, so I decided to give it away here. It is a vintage 1939 pillowcase. It has a crocheted hem that is a pretty pink. This is open to bloggers and non bloggers. US and Canada only. Shipping is free. I will keep it open until 10:00 pm Friday. I will pick a winner and announce the winner either Friday night or Saturday morning. You have 3 days to contact me or I will pick another winner. To enter tell me your favorite comfort food and why! Good Luck!

2 Years Down.... 50 More To Go!

April 4th marked 2 years of marriage for me and Scott. I keep thinking back to the way we met and our courtship and thought I would share it with you.



After my separation and divorce I promised God to not date for a year. I wanted to devote myself to him completely. I knew I needed healing and my Heavenly Father was the only one who could do it. I went to all the Bible studies and conferences I could. I dove into the word and surrounded myself with Christian friends and activities. During this time I went on a missions trip to Sweden. It was my first international missions trip and my first time out of the country. It changed my life. It was also a turning point because it marked one year since my divorce. I decided I was ready to take that next step and start dating again even if I was scared to death. I was invited to join a course for getting your life back after a tragedy. It helped you get past the hurt and also helped you learn how to control your finances. The class started in August and went through November. There were about 15 of us in the class and Scott was one of them. He was still going through his divorce in the beginning. In September his divorce was finalized. I had been going to the Singles class for a while and Scott decided since he was officially single now he should go as well. The first time he went I wasn't there. It was the Sunday before Halloween and he was invited to the Singles party. He called me to see if I was going. He wanted to know at least one person there. I told him I would be there after I took Caleb trick or treating. When I arrived I was mingling with my friends and he came up to talk to me. We talked for a while and then I went to talk to some more friends. The entire night I found myself gravitating back to him. He then asked if I wanted to go grab some Starbucks. In my head I was saying no, but Yes came out of my mouth. I was very surprised to hear it. We went and drank some coffee and talked for a couple of hours. After we closed Starbucks down he asked if I wanted to go to 5 Points Grill to get a drink. So we did. We had such a good time talking and getting to know one another. We ended the night at 3:00 in the morning. After that night we were inseparable. We saw each other at least 4 days a week. We knew we wanted to get married right away. We had both had big weddings and wanted something just for us. We decided to elope to Las Vegas. It was the best decision we could have made. No family, no friends and no wedding headaches. We spent our honeymoon in Vegas and had a blast. God is so good. He sent me the man of my dreams. He is a christian, romantic, smart, funny, reliable, safe, patient and much more. He totally gets me. I love him more than I ever thought I could love someone. He is my true love, my best friend, my soul mate and my other half. He is the one I will grow old with. I can't wait for the next 50 years.

Happy 5th Birthday Caleb!

Five years ago today at 8:03 am my first born son came into the world. All 7 pounds and 15 ounces of him. He was so little and cute and I was in love immediately. I remember the joy and pride I felt when I looked at him. All 10 fingers and all 10 toes. Cute little button nose, beautiful pouty lips, big brown eyes and his angel kiss in between his eyes that really showed when he was mad! He finally made my dream come true. My dream to be a mother. That day is one of the happiest in my life.

Caleb, I love you. You are one of the funniest people I know. You are smart, handsome and genuinely a good boy. You take care of your mommy and baby sister. I have dreaded this birthday more than any other. This birthday is the one that takes you from being my little boy who gets to stay home to my big boy who will start school soon. I have 4 more months with you all to myself before I have to start letting go to see how you fly. You have made me so proud. Keep letting Jesus guide your life. Never forget the desire to know Jesus more. As I have prayed for you since you were in my womb I pray for you to fall head over heels in love with your Maker. I pray He will guide your thoughts and steps. You have such a sweet spirit and I know God will use you for His own work. This is a big year for you. You start school and start a new chapter in your life. You are on your way to growing up. Never forget you are still my baby and I love you to the moon and back!

Go Blue Lightening!

Caleb had his first soccer game on Saturday. It was so much fun watching all the itty bitties out there clustered around the ball running from one side to the other. Caleb's team is awesome! Even though you aren't supposed to keep score we did and boy did we spank the other team. By the way in case you didn't know I am very competetive! I love being a soccer mom!

Thomas the Train Day

Thomas the Tank Engine!
My kiddos
Tiger Woods look out!
Happy Birthday Caleb!
All Aboard!

Friday we went to the Thomas the train day in Calera. We met our playgroup friends there and had a day full of fun. There were clowns doing balloon puppets, tattoos, mini golf, bounce houses, Sir Toppemhat and much more. We decided to ride the smaller steam engine and had a blast. Caleb loves riding trains and this one was a fun ride as well. We had a birthday party for Caleb there and ate cupcakes and he opened his gifts. It was a full day of fun!

Easter Pics!

These are the only pics I was able to get of my girl on Easter. She wanted to play while I cooked. Banging on pots is one of her favorite pasttimes. Isn't her dress pretty?

Easter!

But I want that one!
What do we have here?
Look at this!
Yes, I got my momma's big mouth!
How about a kiss?

This was Maddie's second Easter. She was able to hunt for eggs for the first time. She wasn't real thrilled with the whole idea. Although, she did like to hold the eggs and chew on them. We went to a friends house and there were tons of our friends from church there. We had a cookout and picnic on the back lawn. We had a blast.

Maddie feeding herself for the first time!

Good Weekend!

It has been a while since I have blogged. Sorry to both of you that read my blog. I'll try not to take so long between blogs. I mean, I know you can't even enjoy your week without the daily going ons of this crazy girl. Anyway, we had all 18 kids this weekend. That makes for a busy, exhausting, crazy and good weekend. Saturday morning was spent at the house digesting the cinnamon french toast Papa Bear makes almost every Saturday. It is sooooooooooo good! Then my hubbie surprised me with an early anniversary present. He bought me 2 months of Nutri-System. Before any women get mad at him for being insensitive and suggesting his beloved needed to lose weight in the first place, this is what I wanted. He was going to buy me a set of golf clubs. (I love these and can't wait to get them soon.) Anyway, back to the Nutri-System(NS), if you come over for dinner I will be fixing dinner for everybody else and I will have my NS. If we decline invitations to go out to eat it isn't because we don't like you it is because that is all I am eating for the next 2 1/2 months. Can't wait for NS to get here so I can get this last 800 pounds off. Just kidding it is more like 40 pounds. After the kids naps we headed out to drive around and get out of the house. We ended up at Edwin Watts golf shop to look. I love the clubs I am going to get. Have I mentioned that yet? Then we decided to take our nice little family to a good and wholesome restaraunt to partake of our evening meal. We went to Hooter's. Of course, we went for the food not the service. I don't know why we went there but we did. We realized it isn't such a good idea to go anywhere Luke can read the walls. He got to watch the tv the whole time. After all that excitement it was time to head back home with any dignity we had left. Sunday was our annual church picnic and Easter egg hunt. I would post pics, but I forgot my camera. Did I mention we had all 18 kids? I'm just glad we all made it to church with all the kids, a picnic and Easter baskets. Thankfully I have friends that took some pics and I will post those soon. Maddie had her first egg hunt and hated it. Parker beat the other boys and found the most eggs. Scott sulked for not being able to get one of Nancy's box lunches. I guess a ham sandwich isn't good enough for our King of the castle. Our picnic was fun. Oh, and I got a sunburn! That topped it all off. Our weekend was wonderful. We love having all our kids home. Hope everyone has a great spring break and a Happy Easter.

Fancy Dishes!

I love bloggy fun like Rocks In My Dryer is doing at her blog. Showing off your fine (or not so fine) china. I have 2 sets of dishes in my house. One for everyday and one for entertaining. I will only show our everyday, which is Mikasa Italian Countryside, because I don't want to go get our entertaining dishes out of the closet.

Kim, I think we must have gotten some of our plastic china at the same place. I hope they haven't discontinued any of it. I think I need to replace a few pieces!

The finery our kids eat off every day. I would show the bowl, but there isn't one clean and I don't feel like cleaning one. Just imagine a green, blue, yellow, pink or orange bowl.

Here is our everyday set, Mikasa Italian Countryside. I love it because it is white and simple. It goes with anything and I love the detail on the edge. We eat off of this everyday time I cook.

Here is a closer view of the detail.

Just in case you were wondering I took the pictures on my stovetop. I didn't have a smudge-free area on my glasstop table. I decided not to get fine china. I am not a very formal person and hopefully would never have a formal dining room to display the fine stuff. If I have to handwash it you can forget it. Even my pizza stones and skillets go in the dishwasher. (I think I heard all the Pampered Chef ladies gasp) My mother would be so proud ;)- Anyway here is me!

Recipe Swap!

Thank you to all who are visiting from Proverbs 31 ministries. I am looking forward to getting some new recipes. Hope you enjoy these recipes. These are tried and true in my house. My kids ask for these meals all the time. I have four different recipes. 2 main course meals and 2 side items.


Rotini and Sweet Pepper Primavera

For the nights you have no time to cook this meal is very easy. A couple of shortcuts I use is with the chicken. You can use leftover chicken or canned chicken. Either way is very good. Also, you can use whatever combo of veggies. I play around with it and any combo is good. Of course, anything with alfredo sauce is divine!

14oz. Asparagus spears
8oz. Rotini
2 small red bell peppers
1c. halved squash
1c. zucchini
1c. mushrooms
1 jar Alfredo sauce ( I use sun dried tomato alfredo sauce)
red crushed pepper if you like it spicy
1 can chicken

Boil rotini for 5 minutes. Add veggies to boiling water and boil to your liking.(I like my pasta al dente and my veggies with some crunch) When done drain water put back into pot and add alfredo sauce. My kids love this. If you cut up the veggies small they will eat it better because it is smothered in cheese sauce. Enjoy!


Meatloaf Muffins w/ Barbeque Sauce

This recipe is a fun one if you have a little more time. A time saver is to make your mix the night before and pull it out the next night and all you have to do is cook it. In the time it takes to cook you can have your side and veggie done.

1 lb. ground round
1 tbsp. worcesteshire sauce
1 red onion(I grate my onion in because my family doesn't like onions but I do. If they can't see it they don't know!)
2 ribs celery
1 large egg
splash of milk
1c plain bread crumbs
2 tbsp. grill seasonings
1c. barbeque sauce
1/2c. salsa
salt and pepper to taste

Put beef in bowl. Add onion and celery. Add milk, egg, bread crumbs and seasonings. In a separate bowl mix salsa, barbeque sauce, worcesteshire sauce. Pour half into beef mixture. Brush muffin tin w/ oil. Fill muffin tins with mixture. With finger make a well in mix and fill with remaining sauce. Bake at 450 for about 20 minutes.

A really good side with this is smashed potatoes.

Smashed Potatoes

2 1/2 lbs. small red potaotes
1/2 c. milk
8oz. cream cheese
1/2 stick of butter
10 chives

Boil potatoes until fork tender. Drain and put back into pot. Add cream cheese and butter and milk. Smash with smasher. When smashed to your liking add finely chopped chives. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Pineapple Casserole
This side dish is easy. Every time I make it I am asked for this recipe. It is great to take to potlucks or to any gathering.

1 c. sugar
6 tbsp. all purpose flour
2 c. grated sharp cheddar cheese
2- 20oz. cans pineapple chunks, drained (reserve 6 tbsp. juice)
2 c. Ritz cracker crumbs
1 stick of butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, combine sugar and flour. Gradually stir in cheese. Add pineapple and stir well. Pour mixture into a greased casserole dish. Combine cracker crumbs, butter and pineapple juice and spread on top of mixture. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.