Everyone Matters

I found myself unable to sleep tonight, kept awake by worries of an eternal nature. In light of the recent Duck Dynasty media frenzy, there have been tons of FB posts, comments, back & forth arguments. It reminded me of how Satan is the ultimate deceiver. He fools us into believing that homosexuality or what ever the hot topic of the day is real question. But it isn't. The real question, the most important one is who is Jesus and is he really who he claimed to be - the Son of God and Savior of the World. If we decide he is not, then arguing the rest doesn't matter. If we decide he is, then we can wrestle & work out those issues in context of who he is.

Frankly, I'm tired of how we, as Christians, get caught up in the debate. We get hot headed, argumentative, snarky, and down right rude. We aren't changing anyone's mind. And we sure as heck aren't acting like Jesus - which is what we're called to do. He is love and we are meant to be that as well. Jesus was also called numerous times in the Bible, "friend of sinners." How often do we get called that? He was constantly upsetting the religious fanatics of his time and calling them out for being so caught up in rules and missing out on the point. Once such example of this, is the account in Luke 7:33-50


For John the Baptist didn’t spend his time eating bread or drinking wine, and you say, ‘He’s possessed by a demon.’ The Son of Man,on the other hand, feasts and drinks, and you say, ‘He’s a glutton and a drunkard, and a friend of tax collectors and other sinners!’ But wisdom is shown to be right by the lives of those who follow it.”

One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to have dinner with him, so Jesus went to his home and sat down to eat. When a certain immoral woman from that city heard he was eating there, she brought a beautiful alabaster jar filled with expensive perfume. Then she knelt behind him at his feet, weeping. Her tears fell on his feet, and she wiped them off with her hair. Then she kept kissing his feet and putting perfume on them.

When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know what kind of woman is touching him. She’s a sinner!”

Then Jesus answered his thoughts. “Simon,” he said to the Pharisee, “I have something to say to you.”

“Go ahead, Teacher,” Simon replied.

Then Jesus told him this story: “A man loaned money to two people—500 pieces of silver to one and 50 pieces to the other. But neither of them could repay him, so he kindly forgave them both, canceling their debts. Who do you suppose loved him more after that?”

Simon answered, “I suppose the one for whom he canceled the larger debt.”

“That’s right,” Jesus said. Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Look at this woman kneeling here. When I entered your home, you didn’t offer me water to wash the dust from my feet, but she has washed them with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You didn’t greet me with a kiss, but from the time I first came in, she has not stopped kissing my feet. You neglected the courtesy of olive oil to anoint my head, but she has anointed my feet with rare perfume.

“I tell you, her sins—and they are many—have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love.” Then Jesus said to the woman, “Your sins are forgiven.”

The men at the table said among themselves, “Who is this man, that he goes around forgiving sins?”

And Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”


We keep heaping burden upon burden on our fellow man, further separating them from God's love. That's not what Jesus did. He loved, he forgave, he welcomed them into life with him. Friends, let us show that Jesus really is the way by our lives...by living with radical love, grace, forgiveness, like he did. I'm thankful for a pastor who knows the Bible and understand who Jesus really is. If you want to know how Jesus treated people, check it out here - Everyone Matters.

Confession time...if you've known me for anything length of time, you know I'm a pretty honest person. I won't say 100% of the time, but I can't just pretend something is true when it isn't. So my confession is, friends, that I'm pretty crappy at this. I don't treat all people like Jesus treated people. I'm selective. Sometimes I treat people well because it will make me look good. Sometimes I treat people well because it makes me feel good about myself. I can pat myself on the back and think,"How great am I?!" Ugh... Now maybe you wouldn't know that if you saw me, but God knows and I know...and now you know. But sometimes, I don't do that...I do things with pure, unselfish motives and I thank God that he's transforming me in that way.

Proverbs 25:15

Patience can persuade a prince and soft speech can break bones. - Proverbs 25:15

This verse was in my reading this morning. I was convicted of my sin, how often I get impatient with the kids or yell when they don't listen or aren't doing what I asked. God certainly has different ideas of how to get things done. Harsh words don't accomplish anything. I'm continually reminded of this in the Bible yet so incapable of doing it on my own.

God, forgive me for harsh words that I speak to me kids. I need your spirit to fill me so I can let my wants, needs & desires die and be a servant to my kids. A true, humble servant and not one that looks to be recognized. Be my example. Guide me, use me to bring glory to your name, not mine. I can't do it without you. Thank you for speaking to me today.

Amen

Psalm 78

Psalm 78 gives an account of the Israelites in the desert. I found my self reflecting on their rebellion and judging them. How could they not remember what God had done? Sending Moses, the parting of the Red Sea, raining manna down from heaven every morning, sending even birds because they complained about the manna, causing water to flow from a rock...I wondered, how could they possibly have forgotten all these things and thankfully, I'm not like that...I'm not that bad. But then, this still small voice said,"Yes you are." It's true. Despite what God has done for me, I still rebel. I'm selfish every day. I was reminded of the message this weekend on hell. Specifically, I was reminded that I do not fully understand the depth of my sin and the height of God's holiness. I, so often, rank my sin. Oh, it was just a little lie, I was only going 5 over, my kids' or Jon's behavior certainly warrants my sarcastic response. No big deal. Right?

Nope. It makes me think of 2 Samuel 6:1-7
Then David again gathered all the elite troops in Israel, 30,000 in all. He led them to Baalah of Judah to bring back the Ark of God, which bears the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, who is enthroned between the cherubim. They placed the Ark of God on a new cart and brought it from Abinadab’s house, which was on a hill. Uzzah and Ahio, Abinadab’s sons, were guiding the cart as it left the house, carrying the Ark of God. Ahio walked in front of the Ark. 5 David and all the people of Israel were celebrating before the Lord, singing songs and playing all kinds of musical instruments—lyres, harps, tambourines, castanets, and cymbals.

But when they arrived at the threshing floor of Nacon, the oxen stumbled, and Uzzah reached out his hand and steadied the Ark of God. Then the Lord’s anger was aroused against Uzzah, and God struck him dead because of this. So Uzzah died right there beside the Ark of God.

And also Matthew 5:21-24

“You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.’But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell. “So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God.

In these two passages, we can see the gravity of our sin vs God's holiness. Uzzah had good intentions...to keep the ark from falling, but he disobeyed a direct commandment of God to not touch the ark and was struck dead. It seems kind of severe to me but then am I really understanding the holiness of God?

In Matthew, we can see that even our feelings can be subject to judgment if they are not holy. I'm not saying anger is always wrong but it can be. Also, the choices I make because of my anger can also be sinful. The verse points me to the importance of my heart being in the right place over my outward actions.

Singing

Tonight we watched a few music videos on YouTube. I wanted to play the new Shake song by MercyMe for the boys because I really enjoyed in. But, of course, that sent us down a rabbit trail of watching various videos. The final song was Gungor - Beautiful Things, per Liam's requests. Trying to bring it down a notch, I had Eli on my lap rocking to the music.

E - Can we just listen to the video sing? Me - What, you don't like my singing? E - No, it makes it worse.

Guess I won't quit my day job.

Faith

Recently our church participated in a city wide campaign called Explore God. It was a 7 week initiative to create a safe place for those who do not believe in Jesus (and those who do believe) to ask questions and wrestle with the answers. Maybe you are like me and have doubts from time to time. In the Christian world, it's kind of a scary thing to admit. Truthfully, Christianity can be somewhat difficult to believe. Is it hard to believe that we are sinful beings?

Romans 3:10 as it is written:
There is no one righteous, not even one.

Romans 3:23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

Is it hard to believe that God would, because of our sin, separate himself from his sinful creation forever?

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Is it hard to believe that God wasn't content to leave the situation as it was, but in love came to earth in the form of the perfect man, died on a cross as the sacrifice & payment for our sins, then came back to life again after 3 days?

Romans 5:8 But God proves His own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us!


And there is nothing we can do to redeem ourselves, to bridge that gap between our sins and God's perfection, aside from believing in what Jesus did and accepting Him as the leader of our lives

Ephesians 2:8-9 For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift— not from works, so that no one can boast.

Romans 10: 9-10 If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation.

You have to admit, it's a radical notion.

Last night, I was talking with a friend, who is an Atheist, and can I tell you, I LOVE talking with her. She is not what I expected of an Atheist, first of all. She doesn't claim to know it all or try to force her beliefs on me. She also asks tons of questions. I always leave the conversation refreshed and challenged to go dig deeper and not rely on the pat answers about my beliefs. This morning, even though I was given a pass to sleep in, I couldn't. My mind was just re-thinking the conversation and sifting through the idea of faith. I recently started reading a book called O Me of Little Faith. I'm not too far into it but I like what I've read so far...an honest & funny reflection on faith. He mentions a few methods Christians use to defend their faith. I want to mention these arguments but also state, as the author points out, there are also plenty of arguments against these methods.

The Transcendental Argument: since there is a general sense of morality & ethical behavior in this world, a ultra-absolute standard must exist - God.

The Anthropic Argument: the fine-tuned universe theory points to a Creator who made it perfectly for his creation.

The Teleological Argument: the complexity, order & purpose in nature point to a Creator as well.

So, what makes the difference for me? What pushes me over that edge from doubt to belief? Let me tell you.

- My sin...I cannot deny that I'm sinful. I'm selfish and having kids has pointed it out to me all the more. It's discouraging to think on one's depravity for any amount of time, trust me, I did it just the other day in my Biblical Womanhood study...take a listen if you want. Eye opening. But, what I can see in my own life is how Jesus is transforming that depravity. I'm not the person I was yesterday, a week ago, a year ago and that is amazing!

- Answered prayer...I was just reflecting on how God uses our prayers to transform a situation. There was so much prayer surrounding our friend James after he was in a car accident. He shouldn't be alive according to one of his doctors. Another said he wouldn't be surprised if James could never hold a conversation again. Thankfully, God does amazing things with our prayers.

- Hope...Do you ever think, "This can't be all there is?" Even Solomon explored that, tested all there was to do, learn, enjoy and found life wanting. When life is tough, when things don't satisfy, I'm thankful that this isn't the end. I'm thankful that I have a life after this one to look forward to.

- Jesus...I serve a God who was not content to let us be separated from Him permanently, who didn't leave us to our own devices to make our way to Him, but came to us! He was perfect yet took the consequences for all my sins so I could one day be reunited with Him. He befriended the outcasts (lepers, prostitutes, children, poor, lame) and invites us to live our lives to their fullest by following Him.

So sure, some days I doubt. But in those days, I'm digging down deeper & not hiding it. I'm remembering who Jesus is, how my life has been changed, how prayers have been answered. It's a pretty exciting journey.

The Menu

Breakfast & Snacks
Pumpkin Energy Bites



Caveman Crunch

Pumpkin Spice Smoothie


Dinner

Pizza

Pasta

Pulled Pork
Cavolo Nero & Bean Soup

Steak & Garlic Rice Pilaf

The Menu

Quinoa & Black Bean Chili
Turkey Chili with Apples
Crockpot Cashew Chicken
Salmon
Steak & Potatoes
Spaghetti & Meatballs
Herb Rubbed Pork Roast

The Menu

Beef Burgundy

Chicken Curry in a Hurry

Pulled Pork

Eggs

Spaghetti

Baked Potato Soup

Nutella Cheesecake

The Menu

Sesame Chicken

Sneaky Joes

Slow Cooker Baked Potato Soup

Fried round Steak with Mashed Potatoes

Mac & Cheese

Chicken Curry in a Hurry


Chocolate Cherry Quinoa Bars
S'Mores Bars

Windows Open

I posted this pic on Instagram with the comment...windows open & it's not even November yet.

So I'm a little sarcastic. Currently I'm lying  in bed (since I'm not feeling so hot), enjoying the cool breeze and listening to the outdoors sounds...the whistles & cheering from the nearby park as a football game is going on...my boys playing in mud left from the rain the day before. Someone's laundry scent blowing in...oh wait, it's mine. Smells nice. Even though I don't feel great, I'm enjoying this moment. :)

The Menu

Pizza

Turkey Tortilla Soup

One Pot Pasta

Bean Enchiladas - I'm using this recipe as a guideline.

Mediterranean Chicken with Quinoa

Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joe

Eggs

Nehemiah

I started reading in Nehemiah today. I was struck by how, in his moments of persecution from Sanballat, he remembers the promises God has made to the Jews through Moses and he prays them. So often I don't keep God's word in my heart, get discouraged or am deceived by the enemy. It's so important to remember God's word...to be thankful for his promises & ask him to fulfill them. But also to remember the consequences that he promises if we do not live according to his word. Granted, we are sinners and won't meet those expectations but praise God for his unfailing love & Jesus! I can't do it alone & I don't have to.

Summer Recap

Friends, let me tell you...I miss blogging. I can't ever seem to find the time to sit down and post pics and jot down thoughts. I mentioned to my good friend Abby that I missed blogging and she said,"You should do it." So, I'm going to try. Here's a quick recap of our summer.

June
We took an impromptu trip to visit my parents in Indiana, we bought the boys bunk bed, we visited the pool, the French cousins moved here, we had Rock the Rock (our church's VBS)and I had my very first overnight without Norah.



July
More pool visits, fireworks & the 4th of July (which still doesn't compare to KC 4th!), Norah turned 1, Emily turned 10, we played disc golf, we went on a beach vacation, Gramma & Papa kept the kids for a weekend so we could have a couples' getaway.



August
Liam turned 7, we visited Barton Springs Pool, Jon started a new job (director!!) and traveled to Minsk, I took the kids to Indiana, then visited RI with Norah for my Gram's memorial service, the boys were spoiled by friends, and school started.

Weekly Menu

Stuffed Hatch Chile Cheeseburgers

Pizza

Chicken Fajitas

Sesame Chicken

Brats

Proverbs 20:23

The Lord detests double standards; he is not pleased by dishonest scales. (Proverbs 20:23 NLT)

Today in my reading, this verse hit me. Originally what came to mind was corrupt judges, politicians, etc. Then, the Spirit reminded me that I use double standards. I judge people's actions harshly but often don't see my own sin, give myself grace or find ways to justify how I've acted.

The Menu

One Pot Wonder Thai Peanut Pasta

Chicken Curry in a Hurry

Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes

Sour Cream Enchiladas

Mediterranean Chicken

Some things I'd like to try...

Homemade Granola

Quinoa Bars

Banana Oatmeal Chocolate chip muffins

The Menu

Mini Salsa Turkey Meatloaves with Mexican Rice

Pulled Pork Sliders and Coleslaw

Brats

Pepperoni Spinach Quiche

Roasted Veggie Quinoa Salad

Grilled Chicken

Pasta

What you sow...

As I was cleaning the kitchen this morning, I overheard screams coming from the bedroom. Eli had been organizing his Pokemon cards when Liam decided to mess up his piles.  I reminded Liam that we don't destroy things others made. I said,"you worked so hard on that Lego game, how would you feel if I threw it to the ground & smashed it into pieces." "Fine," he says. "Are you sure about that?" "Yeah."

Fast forward about 45 minutes, I'm relaxing on my bed when I hear little feet running towards me. "Mommy, Eli smashed my Lego thing." Is it bad that I just laughed?

The Menu

Fri - Grilled Cheese
Sat - Bean Burritos
Sun - Small Group Potluck (dessert)
Mon - Split Pea Soup
Tues - Chicken Nachos
Wed - Burgers & Beans
Thu - Quiche

Girls Weekend Recipes
Key West Chicken
S'Mores on a Stick
Rice Krispie Dessert
Caribbean Sangria

Some Assembly Required

We've been wanting to get the boys bunk beds for awhile now. I've been extra motivated with the arrival of Jon's sister Stephanie as two of her girls will be staying with us till they find a place. So tonight Jon went by IKEA & picked up the bed. If you know anything about IKEA, you know assembly is required. Jon was diligently reading over the directions beforehand & noticed these instructions (captions provided by him, of course).

Never work alone. Always have a friend to help. You hold the hammer, your friend can hold the pencil.

Don't crack the wood. Instead, place it on a rug & become one with the wood.

Finally, if you find yourself holding a hammer & instructions with questions coming out of your brain, don't hesitate to call IKEA.

Impromptu IN Trip

So...we moved to TX and trips to my parents are few & far between. It's depressing really. On Tuesday, my dad called & said the corporate jet of the company my brother works for was coming to town, did I want a ride back. Um..yes please! You see, the CEO works in Warsaw (where my parents are) & lives in Austin so often takes the jet to see his family. Friends & family can have the perk of taking a ride to wherever it's headed assuming they can be flexible to the CEO's schedule. In fact, we were supposed to leave Thursday but ended up leaving Friday...kind of a bummer because the weekend was CRAZY busy. It was both my brothers' anniversaries...so Jonathan dropped off his kids for the weekend and Brendan's were there Saturday night and several other times since they don't get cousin time often.

Friday I relaxed & let the boys play a lot of Wii. Then the cousins arrived and we hit 1st Fridays downtown...not to be confused with KC's 1st Friday..way less exciting that that but still fun. We ate, walked around, saw old friends and inhaled a lot of second hand smoke.

Saturday my best friends Sarah stopped over, we visited our friends & neighbors, the Heplers. Stan enjoys model trains and has a track in his backyard. The kids loved riding the train. Then I got my hair cut, which pretty much is always a great experience. And I don't know what we did the rest of the night but it involved getting 8 kids bathed & ready for bed.

Sunday was church, more taking care of kids and visiting with Sarah. She loaded me up with hand me downs...which was AWESOME. Now I look cute, for a change. We also saw my parents new house they are buying.

Monday was spent packing up, straightening up and helping my mom get rid of some stuff for their future move. Jonathan & Erin came up to get the girls so we were able to see them.

The ride home from the airport...yep, this about sums it up.

Oh and we met Eloise! My new niece. She's adorable...though I don't have pictures to prove it.

And as I was looking through my phone pics, I was reminded of an incident with a crazy rubber ball that got popped. We thought it would be funny to wear it, so we all took turns. Mom kept saying,"Oh, we have to put this on Norah, it will be SO funny!" Well, Norah woke up from her nap and you could see she wasn't too sure. She kept pulling back. At some point, she was sitting on the floor and while she wasn't looking, Eli put his heading (while wearing the thing) in hear lap. She turned, looked and FREAKED! Blood curdling scream. And we laughed...yep, Mom & I are sick that way.

The Menu

I'm not sure why I make up a menu since I don't seem to stick to it. Oh well, a rough idea is good.

Fri - Pizza
Sat - Chicken Tikka Masala
Sun - Spicy Garlic Lime Chicken w/Grilled Veg
Mon - Pesto Pasta
Tues - Chili
Wed - Quiche
Thu - Lamb

The Menu

Soy Ginger Pork Chops

Pizza

Chicken Tikka Masala (I never made it last week!)

Coconut Curry Chili (Also did not make last week!)

Crockpot chalupa

The Menu

Pasta
Giant Burger
Sausage & Peppers
Chicken Tikka Masala
Coconut curry chili
http://m.allrecipes.com/recipe/223171/coconut-curry-chili

New Words

"Disobeyment" - If I stop doling these out, apparently Eli will stop misbehaving. Good to know.

I'm That Crazy Lady

Norah reached 9 months old and as I mentioned earlier, she's been dropping weight. So I did what any crazy, nursing mother would do and started researching things to improve my milk supply. I came across these cookies. After buying the weird ingredients at the store, Eli & I made them up today. What does it say about me that I let him taste them first to see his reaction? I substituted dried cherries instead of cranberries and cooked them for 12 minutes. Overall, I think the cookies turned out okay. Flavor wise, they remind me more of a muffin or granola bar...not super sweet, somewhat healthy tasting. For sure, if you are trying to improve your supply, they aren't bad...we'll see if I notice a difference. Or if you are looking for a healthy dessert alternative...the stuff in there is good for anyone. Otherwise, I wouldn't bother. :)

Texas Stars

We had the opportunity to go see the Texas Stars play. Our friends, the Garrett's, have some neighbors that had spare tickets so they invited us. Sweet! Unfortunately, Liam ended up getting strep, so I was the only one who went. I tried to convince Eli to come but he wouldn't...and of course, Liam wanted desperately to go. The game was lots of fun & not as rowdy as some NHL games I've been to. I was a little concerned about what the kids might hear or see, but it all seemed pretty family friendly. We stayed through all three periods. After the game, they let you go down on the ice, that was fun too. I took plenty of pictures & some video per Liam's request.

Our Family

9 Months!

Norah has officially been outside of my body as long as she was in. Well, I guess if I technically were to count the weeks, she wasn't..but who is counting. I'm just thankful she's out! She continues to sit up better, is waving good bye, still not enjoying solids too much but as I posted a bit ago..ate some table food - vegetable barley soup. Her fifth tooth poked through and in the last two weeks has started the early stages of crawling. Big month. Her weight is down a bit unfortunately. The doctor feels it's because she has been sick, but I'm not so sure. She hasn't been eating great but we're trying our best. We'll go back in a month for a weight check to see if there's been any improvement. Norah continues to be a joy, even smiling for the camera. Maybe I'm taking too many pictures? Nah. I mentioned today something about Norah having problems sleeping and Liam says,"Well, maybe you shouldn't have had her." When I asked him why, he said,"Because you are having problems with her." To which I replied,"Well, I have problems with you sometimes...sometimes you don't obey. Maybe I shouldn't have had you." He said,"No, you love me." "Well, I love Norah too." Ah...brother logic. We love her and I worked too darn hard to get rid of her. ;)

Eli's Birthday Party

We celebrated Eli's birthday Friday. We always try to do something low key - basically dinner & cake with friends. This year was no different. We invited the Garrett's but sadly they got sick. :( When I told Eli while we are his well child check up, he said,"Can we invite some other friends?" Sure, I'll get on that. So I messaged my friend Susan and praise God, they were free. Susan, Chris & kids came over. It was the first time our kids had really met and they had a great time together. It was a fun night and we look forward to a future game night with the K's!

The Menu

Giant Burgers - Eli's birthday request

Chicken Tikka Masala

Sesame Chicken

Grilled Turkey Tenderloin

Italian Sausage & Peppers

Steaks & Smashed Potatoes

Quesadillas

Happy 5th Birthday Eli!

Today, Eli turns 5 though he doesn't believe me since we aren't having his party today & I won't let him open presents yet. Here are some questions we asked Eli on his birthday.

1. How old are you this year? Uh, I don't know. You don't know how old your are going to be? Five! Five!

2. Who are your best friends? Gramma & Papa

3. What is your favorite movie? The Land Before Time & Transformers

4. What is your favorite food? Cake

5. What do you like to wear? Sweat pants & a sweater

6. What do you want to be when you grow up? A Monster Truck Driver

7. What are your favorite hobbies? Jump on a trampoline

8. What is your favorite book? National Geographic Little Kids First Big Book of Dinosaurs & The Ultimate Dinopedia

9. Where do you like to go on vacation? Corpus Christi

Eli brings so much joy & laughter to our lives. He's a goof and loves to make people smile. He also has been a great helper this year with Norah and as always, around the house. Lately, he's been growing his math skills by playing Ticket to Ride. Even surprising me by counting out points. For example, I told him to add my 8 points and he counted out,"Three, three, two."

Fun & Games

I was inspired by our talk at MOPs regarding kindergarten readiness to do some different things this week. We cracked open a cookbook included in a book Gramma sent - The Hungry Giant. So we made up Giant Crackers & a Pizza Cookie. They turned out yummy & Eli requested we make some of the other items for his birthday dinner.

One of the fun books we picked up at the library this week, Captain Flinn & the Pirate Dinosaurs: the Missing Treasure, had a game of snakes & ladders in the back. It said to get our pirate hats on to play, so we did. We have yet to finish our game since presents arrived at the door from Gramma & Papa. Eli opened one and is now devouring a book on dinosaurs.

The Menu

A lot of grilling this week though the weather doesn't look great, but I didn't want to think too much about the menu.

Grilled pork chops
Steaks
Edamame Fried Rice
Grilled Turkey Breast
Turkey Salad - after Norah arrived, one of the ladies from MOPs brought over this yummy chicken salad. I thought I'd make it up with the leftover turkey from the night we grilled turkey breasts. Here's the recipe.

Blythe's Turkey Salad
16 oz pasta cooked
1 1/2 cups buttermilk salad dressing
1/4 cup honey
1/2 t poppy seeds
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 1/2 cups quartered red seedless grapes (4-5 dozen)
1/3 cup chopped red onion
chopped pecans (optional)

Recipe for buttermilk dressing



Cook pasta as directed on package; drain. Rinse with cold water to cool quickly; drain well. Meanwhile, in small bowl, stir together salad dressing, honey and poppy seeds; set aside. In large bowl, combine cooled pasta, chicken, grapes and onion. Add dressing mixture; blend thoroughly. Salt and pepper to taste. Cover; chill. Serve sprinkled with chopped walnuts if desired. Makes 8

Eli's the Man...

I was scrolling back through my FB page when I came across this post from Jan 17th....so had to put on the blog.

Had to walk Liam to the bus but Norah was fussing so I set her down & asked Eli to keep her happy. I came back to Eli singing,"oh Norah, Norah, do do dee!" And she was giggling! He's a great big brother!

1st Foods

We've been struggling in the arena of eating for Norah. She is most definitely not like the boys. Today I tried again with squash & she completely clammed up. I thought,"well, maybe she isn't hungry." But then I tried banana/apple/pear...she ate the whole thing...the stinker. Tonight for dinner, vegetable barley soup was on the menu. Out of curiosity, I puréed a cup of it. She tentatively opened her mouth, I put the spoon in...and she was kicking in Jon's arms for more. So apparently, she has a more distinguished palate than the boys.

It tastes better than it looks.

1st Attempts at Crawling

We've progressed from rolling everywhere to an army crawl!

Trip to Houston

Back in November..(What?! Yes, I'm blogging about November 4 months late), Abby traveled to Houston for her good friends, Valeria & Jonathan's wedding. I benefited by driving down there, with my trusty sidekick Norah, to visit with Abby. Even though we had booked a hotel elsewhere, a friend of Abby's canceled last minute but couldn't get out of her booking at the fancy hotel...and for the life of me I can't remember the name of it. Well, we got the Kama Sutra room...seriously. ;) It was pretty.





Oh, I forgot to mention...I arrived Saturday night, just in time for dinner. I randomly found Phoenicia Specialty Foods. I loaded myself up with tabbouleh, hummus, pita and a not so tasty spinach pie type thing. The rest was delish! I pretty much just chilled that night. In the morning, we met up with a blogging friend of Abby's & one of the other bridesmaids for breakfast at Panera.



We went back to the hotel to feed Norah & play some games while she napped. We love us some games. Then tried to figure out what to do with the rest of our day.


We ended up visiting the nearby park since it was such a beautiful day. They had a lovely Japanese section to the garden but somehow I didn't really take any pictures except for the passing tram since the boys like transportation of all sorts. At one point, we stopped to feed Norah. Imagine it's bench after bench lined up...they were back to back then spacing and another set of back to back. So, benches also faced each other with a bit of space. Of all the benches, and there were a TON, a guy rides up on his bikes and stops to sit across from us. Awkward...all in all it was a nice trip and I was glad to see Abby and have her meet Norah!

The Menu

Still haven't made Buffalo Chicken Grilled Cheese or Orange Chicken, so guess those will go back on the menu since I have the ingredients! How do I manage that...surely we ate something.

We are having some friends for Easter that don't eat pork...so forget the massive ham I have. Thinking of this

Grilled Corn on the Cob and Honeysuckle White Marinated Turkey Breast and probably a salad.

Grilled Steaks & Oven Roasted Potatoes

Quiche

Edamame Fried Rice

Vegetable Barley Soup

Easter Sewing

A while back I found a blog post on some cute and easy Easter sewing. I decided to try it out. I had some fun fabric I picked up cheap at Walmart, so I used that. The plan is a bow tie for Eli, tie for Liam & dress for miss Norah. I finished up her dress tonight. Eli's bow tie needs a clip on attached. Liam is left...just got the pattern tonight finally. I had high hopes of making the boys some coordinating shorts but I don't think that's going to happen. Oh well!

The Menu

Friday
Kabobs maybe?

Saturday
Buffalo Chicken Grilled Cheese for the adults...boring grilled cheese for boys!

Sunday
We have a party to attend..maybe some
Black Bean Hummus & Chocolate Turtle Cookies

Monday
I have MOPS & it's our table's turn to bring the food. Here's what I'm planning for the ladies...
Taco Braid using my traditional Pizza Dough

Chuy's Creamy Jalapeno Dip

Tuesday
Spaghetti & Meatballs

Wednesday
Burgers & Beans

Thursday
Orange Chicken

The Menu

Fajitas

Spinoccoli Pizza

Thai Fried Quinoa

Steak & Crash Hot Potatoes

Moroccan Chick Pea & Sweet Potato Stew (never made it last week!)

Lasagna

The Menu

Chicken Alfredo Lasagna

Chile Colorado Burritos
Moroccan chickpea & Sweet Potato Stew

Meatball Sandwiches

Pizza

Migas

Pump It Up

Today we visited Pump it Up with one of my MOPS friends, Kristine & her boys. A good time was had by all. Eli was sufficiently worn out afterward.
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Deer in a Mud Puddle

My mom recently posted thus video for the boys to watch. The following commentary ensued...




Eli said,"is he going to get shot?" I said,"I sure hope not, that would be horrible." Then Liam said,"that would ruin his whole life."

The Menu

Chicken Parmesan Caprese Burger - I'm kinda wingin' this. I have ground chicken pre-seasoned to taste like Chicken Parm and I thought Caprese would be a nice touch. Using this Chicken Burger recipe and this Caprese Burger Recipe

Sesame Chicken

Pizza

Smothered Chile Colorado Burritos

Chicken Stroganoff

Spaghetti & Meatballs

Baby reflexology

The Menu

Pasta w/Pesto Alfredo

Beef Barley Soup

Mushroom & Edamame Fried Rice

Beans & Brats

Beef Burgundy


This weekend I also have to do some baking for one of the local elementary schools our church helps out. I'll be making the following:

Nutella stuffed oatmeal muffins

Cranberry almond muffins

Cinnamon Sugar Scones

Blueberry muffins

Banana bread

Almond Poppyseed Bread

Zucchini Coconut Bread

7 months old!

It's Norah's 7 mo bday today. I told Eli & he wanted to know if we were going to have a party for her. He makes me smile! It's been an eventful month with rolling from front to back, sitting up better and still not eating solids, at least not much to speak of.

Day tripping!

We headed down to San Antonio today. Dad had a business trip scheduled and is staying at the fabulous JW Marriott resort. This place is HUGE, beautiful and very Texas-y, complete with pictures of longhorns, spurs, leather and a cowhide footstool Liam was amazed at. We met up with dad & he snuck us in for lunch. The highlight was dessert - fudgey chocolate brownie and Kahlua caramel flan. We snuck out with four brownies for the road. :)

After lunch, Jon worked his charms on Norah to get her to sleep while I took the boys down to see the pool. It is pretty amazing with a lazy river, kids pool and two large water slides. Despite the lousy weather (68 & occasional drizzle), they wanted to brave it. Jon & I switched off so I could relax and the boys could enjoy the pool.









After that we played games in the room and Papa brought up snacks. Then he went back to his meeting while we explored the grounds. Pretty glorious place. The boys keep talking about coming back. We wrapped up the day with sushi & teppanyaki. What a day!

Menu

Pesto Pasta with Chicken & Sausage

Slow Cooker Cilantro Lime Chicken

Lasagna

Minestrone

Scrambled Eggs


For the Super Bowl...
I'll be tweaking these two recipes to come up with a Buffalo Chicken Dip
Buffalo Blue Grilled Cheese

Buffalo Beer Chicken Cheese Dip

And making some
Guacamole Hummus

She kinda likes herself!

Menu

Beef Bourguignon

Raclette

Blue Buffalo Grilled Cheese

Pesto Pasta w/Chicken Sausage & Brussel Sprouts

Giggles

I have a hand!

Recently, over Christmas, Norah discovered her hand. It always cracks me up when babies do this. They just look at amazement at their hand, turning it over, examining it ...completely fascinated. Today, it was her thumb. She was staring at it mesmerized - bending & flexing it. Too sweet. As I was typing this, I had a thought. So should we be enthralled with the wonder of God's creation...we are fearfully and wonderfully made in his image. All glory to Him!

When Daddy's Away

I'll be honest...it was a rough week. Jon was away for the first time since we've had Norah. Today was my tipping point. I found myself getting more & more worked up b/c the boys weren't doing this or that. I was getting edgy. It wasn't good. So I stopped to pray,"God, get me through this...help me to know how to respond in a way pleasing to you." Or at least, that's what the Holy Spirit was praying on my behalf b/c I couldn't even get that much out. I found myself wondering what a little divine intervention to get through the rest of the evening would even look like.

Well, God is in the business of hearing & answering our prayers in sometimes the most unexpected ways. As I was getting the boys into bed, holding Norah in my arms, she started giggling...not just a bit, or quietly, but loud, continuous, crazy giggling. And...for no particular reason, at least to us it seemed that way. The boys weren't doing anything funny, they were just lying in bed. Yet, she belly laughed. Then, we were all laughing. It was good. We needed some joy to wash over the craziness that our evening was. Some smiles and some love to end the evening with fresh hearts and minds. Thank you God for your unexpected blessings and for this joyful little girl.

My helper

Norah was overdue for a bath, so after lunch I decided to give her one.  I set her down on a blanket on the floor and started gathering the necessary tools.  I decided to ask Eli to get her undressed.  He struggled to get her arms out since they are stick straight, but finally he managed.  She was giggling the whole time.  Norah & Eli have a special relationship. For example, last night as I put the boys to bed, I gave each one an opportunity to snuggle her by laying her down next to them.  First with Eli, she gazed up at him smiling.  Then I moved her over to Liam but the whole time she was looking at Eli and then a bit at me.  I'm sure it's because we are the ones around the most and even when Liam is around, he isn't terribly interested.  Anyway, back to the bath...

I put her in the sink and Eli pulled up a chair to watch.  Pretty uneventful bath, so after I dried her off and since undressing had gone so well, I decided to have Eli dress her.  Of course, it was more challenging then undressing.  He was so funny, trying to pin her legs down or get her arm in all the way.  He's a great big brother and loves Norah so much.



I didn't help him too much after I stopped recording, but a nice added bit of comic relief to get Eli through was Norah letting out a big toot before he finished.  We both started laughing!

Months 4,5, and 6!

Can you tell this is a 3rd child?  She'll have to be thankful that we even took monthly pictures.  Here they are!

 

The Menu

Taco Braid

Chicago Style Pizza

Mushroom Edamame Fried "Rice"

Baked Egg Boat

Pumpkin Pie Quinoa Breakfast Bake

Minestrone Soup

And some desserts...

Caramelita Cookies

Snickerdoodle Cupcakes