My AWESOME Kids!

Often times some one will see Ansley and Justus then say, Oh they are so cute, or They are so Funny, I Just Love Your Kids! And my reply has always been, Thanks, they are so Rotten, or They are a Mess.
However.. Just last week some one told me How adorable they are. And as I started to reply, My mind was thinking Oh they are a mess, but my heart and my mouth was saying "Thanks, they are Awesome!"
You see, God gave us our kids and they are his children too! The kids do drive me crazy sometimes (for example right now, they are dragging everything out that they shouldn't be and find it extremely funny!) but still they are just so awesome!
I am going to try to make it a habit from now on, when someone compliments me on the kids I will have something positive to say in return!
I really do love these two Beautiful, Awesome, Silly kids of Mine, and I thank God everyday for giving them to me!

Singing

Have you ever tried to slow down while singing Jesus Loves Me, and sing it with much more passion? Almost like Amazing Grace. Try it, it is beautiful! Such a simple song and it is awesome. I love singing it to the kids.

"Mommy, Why are you going to Sing?"

I had to share this one:

Wednesday Night after Church I helped Dustin, my husband, take the kids out to the car. Ansley wanted to ride home with me, and I had to tell her No. She asked why and I replied, "Well Ansley, I have Choir Practice tonight. I am going to go Sing." (this is new for us, I just joined the choir) So my very Clever 3 1/2 year old then said, "Mommy, Why are you going to sing?" Me: "Well, God wants me too." Ansley: "Mommy, God doesn't like to hear You sing, it is Awful." Me: (while trying not to bust out laughing) "Well Pray for me Honey!"

Oh You have to love kids!

Bed Time Story with Ansley

Every Time I lay sit down to read Ansley a Story she wants to know who wrote the book. Tonight's Book was Splat the Cat by Rob Scotton. So she asked "who wrote this?" and I replied "Rob Scotton" Immediately she said "Scott Rotten???? That's Silly!" She is so funny.. Anyway it is a super cute book and we love it.. Thank You Ariel for buying it for us!!

Check it Out

There is a new page on the side bar called 'kiddo's" check it out!

I Praise You Because I Am Fearfully and Wonderfully Made.

I hear the verse, I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14) almost every single day. It is a song on a CD and DVD that the kids have. But never has it sunk in like it has today.
Today I attended a Ladies Brunch at church, the guest speaker was Shari Braendel. Her Testimony she gave was heart felt, and she is just a very amazing woman! She is very to the point about being modest and how to dress modest and what looks great and what does not with your body type/skin tone. (well that is her job after all!)
One thing she said was to stop looking in the mirror and pointing out the bad things especially if you have a daughter who hears you say things like "I'm Fat" and then someone tells your daughter how pretty she is and that she looks just like her Momma.. Chances are your daughter just might start thinking she is fat as well...
Ladies God made you, so STOP picking at his work! Right now I am "over weight" and I need to do something about it, but this doesn't make me ugly and I vowel from now on to never ever say bad things about myself when I look into the mirror... I AM FEARFULLY AND WONDERFULLY MADE! She does have a few websites one is her own and one is a site she contributes to, so be sure and check them out!
http://www.sharibraendel.com/
http://www.sharibraendel.com/speakers_blog.html this one is her Blog!!
http://www.proverbs31.org/index.php

By the way: Happy Mothers Day!

Your Hands with Lyrics JJ Heller

I Love this song, Your Hands, by J.J. Heller, when it come on the radio I turn it up and just start singing! I am sure Ansley will know all the words soon!! (I'm downloading it off itunes so she will hear it often!) Enjoy it!

Homemade Book Marks

I have been talking with my friend Aimee, (you know the girl over at "homespun threads" and "on the lap") we are talking about what to include in some up coming give aways over at http://onthelap.blogspot.com/ and one of things mentioned was bookmarks. Then my mind started turning and I wondered if I could come up with a creative way to make a book mark for myself. And here is how I did it! (Excuse the "non-perfectness" I am new at the whole sewing thing and have only had one class! But I think i am doing okay for starters especially since I didn't even know how to thread a sewing machine before now!)


Okay so first dis-assemble a Kleenex box.

see these piece's cut them off they will be your templates and the support of your book mark

now you should have 4 of those and then finish trimming the box up like shown below

use one of the templates to trace out six more. You should have 10 total now




Then trace out the template on some fabric and cut it. Make sure to leave your self enough room to sew it up.
Once you are ready to begin sewing be sure to keep the fabric turned backwards so you can turn it right side in once you are finished, and making sure to not sew the top up!
Once the fabric is sewn up and turned right side in. Insert the cardboard support and fold the fabric into the book mark.
Now you can sew around the whole book mark making sure it is all closed up.



So Here is the finished product! I am sure there is a much easier and neater way to do this but for now I am happy with how it all turned out!

Prom Hair, Alterations, Pictures and A Craft!! Really who Knew I could do these things all in one day!

My husbands Cousin, Selena, had her Senior Prom tonight.. She asked me last week if I could do her hair for prom and then some pictures.. Of Course I said yes and I had No idea how I was going to do her hair and the weather was not looking very promising for pretty pictures. Then My Mother In Law needed some help with the dress, I ended up sewing the bottom layer of the dress! (Thanks to some sewing lessons from my friend Aimee @ homespunthreads this was made possible) Then I cut a ton of tulle! To My surprise it all turned out well. I finally got her hair complete and used a new braiding technique I had previously learned from another blog. As we started to head out I realized she had no makeup.. SO of course I fixed that real quickly as well! Then later I took an old picture and frame apart. Spray painted the Frame Black and Covered the cardboard from the picture with some batting and fabric added some ribbon and created a new "picture" frame! My House isn't clean but I do feel accomplished today! SO YAY! Oh and I am about to head over to "on the lap" and post on a children's book. So when you get a chance head over there and become a follower read a few post and stay up to date! PS there are some pretty good giveaways @ on the lap (and you can find a link to that page at the top of this page!) coming up but you need to be a follower to enter!

The Prom Pictures!




The Craft Projects!


* I was about to send this frame and the picture that was in it to the Goodwill and then decided I could use it for something different.. It is not perfect but I like it! Oh and the "button in the middle is a Magnet I pulled off the fridge and covered with the same material..



And this is a Magnet board I also cover in some fabric I had.. I like it much better now than before!

A Girls Day

Ansley and I had a very Great "Girls Day" this past Saturday! She had a birthday party to go to that was at the Creative Discovery Museum.. Usually we go here as a family but this time it was just Ansley and I. She played and played and played! She made a crown at the party, then a paper kite in the museums craft center.. There is a ton to do at the museum but b/c it was a crowded weekend we decided to bypass most everything and head up stairs.. If you have little kids and like the discovery museum then I suggest you head over there. (check their hours before you go) I am not sure when the "healthy eating" exhibit will be over but my kids love this part. And I know they will be greatly disappointed when it is gone. It makes any little pretend kitchen look like nothing. They have a pretend garden and vegetable stand as well. After we played here a while we went out side to the roof top and Ansley played with some simple machines and bubbles! To end our day at the museum we went to the reading room, sat down and read some stories... But we couldn't let the fun stop there.
We walked to Ben and Jerry's grabbed an ice cream cone to share, stopped and talked to the horses, and went to visit some amazing penguins at the aquarium! Needless to say the poor girl passed out on the way home!









Oh and Check out these Monkies!

What's for dinner

Last Night we had hot dogs... unfortunately nothing was "on sale", yes the buns were cheaper and the hot dogs were buy one get one free.. However I did not have coupons for anything.. So to me it was not a good sale... Anyway to the point: I wanted to make home made cole slaw, my Mom makes the best cole slaw so I called her up and asked her for the ingredients.. I sort of guessed from there.. Here it is





Cynthia's Cole Slaw:



-1/2 a head of cabbage
-about 2 cups of baby carrots
-2 big spoon fulls of mayo (you can add more if you want, Mom adds a lot!)
-1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar
-1/4 cup of sugar



put the cabbage in a chopper chop it up as fine as you want it.

then chop up the carrots to about the same consistency

put it into a bowl

add the mayo

then mix the vinegar and sugar in a separate bowl

pour the vinegar-sugar into the first bowl (the one with the cabbage, carrots, and mayo)

And there you have it easy peasy!


*Notice the little hand dipping in!! It is Ansley's! They love it!

free coffee sample

Don't forget to go buy a sunday paper.. there are a lot of great coupons... check out southernsavers.com

okay so another thing I started and didn't really finish..

A few weeks ago I was with a group of ladies and we were all asked one question, "Do you have a hobby, if so what is it?" As everyone took a turn telling their hobbies I sat their and thought and thought and thought. Desperately trying to come up with something that sounded great and thinking of how I would love to have a hobby.. So basically I shared this " I do not have a real hobby, Just ask my husband he will tell you in a heart beat, that when I think something will be fun I go out and buy all the stuff to start my new found hobby, I then work on it for a few days if even that and it ends up in a basket or box in the top of our closet. I have wanted to make hair bows, I have wanted to make a quilt, a rice bag, be a body shop consultant (in case you are wondering this is a skin care line), I have wanted to scrap book, I have wanted to make cakes and decorate them, and I sure there are many other things I have wanted to do but fail miserably." I said this with some sarcasm and it was sort of funny, but really I could not come up with a "hobby" Could I really not have a true hobby? One of my friends was sitting right next to me and said "oh you cook now." I replied I do Blog and cook some now but I have not been doing so great on that either.. but oh I do love to coupon!"
So maybe Couponing can be my blog, maybe I can come up with one recipe a week or every other week that you may find interesting from the food I bought using coupons and saving lots of money buying things only on sale (I will buy things w/o a coupon if and only if we really do need it or if it is a good deal already) The thought of cooking every recipe from Julie Child is very over whelming so I thought it could be fun to cook your recipe's that you give me, but really if I do not already have those things I have to go buy them and lets be honest it just is not practical to spend a ton of money on one meal that you have to cook your self.
In the end I have realized that I love the fact that so many of my friends have great hobby's that really make them who they are.. I guess I would like to think that I have my own unique hobby as well. And maybe do and do not realize it! But right now I am blogging and couponing call it a hobby or not, I do not care, as Long as I still have all of my crafty friends who totally support and love the fact that I am saving tons of money, and a few of them like to compare their savings with mine which is pretty fun!

Oh And A Couponing tip I have learned from another Couponer... DO NOT CUT OUT YOUR COUPONS UNTIL YOU ARE READY TO USE THEM, I REPEAT DO NOT CUT THEM OUT!!
Instead write on the top left corner of the booklets/adds the date that they were in the paper, and file them in an accordion file by weeks, so you can find them easier when Jenny from southernsavers tells you which week and booklet you can find a certain coupon in! Believe me this will save you so much time

What a Week...

Dear Blogger, sorry I have been neglecting you! :( This past week has been so crazy.. But through it all I have managed to attend Basket ball Practice, four birthday parties, my Moms Group, Church, and Grocery Shopping! Oh and My Kids are not Sick!! YAY!!!

Oh and I spent $113.96 grocery shopping... and this includes diapers and Detergents.. I Saved $116.56!!!! I Love Couponing!!!! The only thing I can think of that I didn't have a coupon for or that was not on sale was Milk!!

I do have a recipe for tomorrow as well! So Hopefully I can find time to get it on here sometime tomorrow night!!

Oh and my little girl is now 3 years old.... :( she is getting so big..

Easy Chicken Soup

Yesterday I really wanted some chicken soup, but Dustin was impatient and the kids needed to go to bed (they were very cranky!) So Instead of letting me do my thing, he pulls out a frozen pizza (that he bought) and threw it it in the oven... And honestly I am thankful he did that.. I was very tired and that pizza was pretty good! And b/c I did not have to cook I had time to do other things.. And I was in bed by 10:00!! I usually consider my self very lucky if I am getting ready for bed around 11:30. So the Chicken Soup had to wait for today!

Dustin woke up this Morning and cooked Blue Berry, Chocolate Chip and Plain Pancakes for Breakfast, and then we went outside and played in the snow for quiet a while.. Ansley had a lot of fun, Justus was upset b/c the Dogs were bothering him, but as long as they were not near him he has a blast as well! The kids were exhausted by the time we came back in. They laid down for a quick nap and the soup making began!! I tried looking for a recipe but couldn't find one. So finally I decided to make my own.. I am sure someone else has made this exact same thing before, it just seemed to easy for it to be a "first". But b/c I did not follow a recipe i will call it my own!

Here it is:


Easy Chicken Soup

What You Need!

-1 1/2 LB Cut up Chicken Breast
-Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
-2 TBSP Minced Garlic
-1/4 Cup Chopped Onion
-Sea Salt
-Black Pepper
-Box of Swanson's Chicken Broth (or whatever brand you prefer)
-2 cans of Great Northern Beans
-1 Can of Italian Style Diced Tomato's
-1 Small Bag of Frozen Classic Mix Veggies (Corn, Carrots, Green Beans, & Peas)
-1- 1lb box of Ditalini Pasta (NOTE: I only used 1/2 a box of this and this is Barilla Brand) You can Actually use any small pasta you want

-Cheddar Cheese (optional)

Directions:
-In a Large Pot Pour enough EVOO to cover bottom of pot. Add Chicken, Onions, and Minced Garlic. Then Add some Sea Salt (how ever much you want) and pepper. Turn Heat to Medium High and Cook Chicken thoroughly.

-Then Add The Whole Box of Chicken Broth, Great Northern Beans, Tomato's, And Frozen Veggies.

-You may want to Add a few cups of water

-Then Add desired amount of Pasta. After this is all stirred together add a little more EVOO, Salt and Pepper. It will probably take about 12 minutes for the pasta to cook. Make sure you stir this often so the pasta does not settle to the bottom of the pan before it gets ready.

I had some Betty Crocker Garlic Cheddar Biscuit Mix that I threw together real quick while the Pasta was cooking in the soup. You can serve whatever Bread you want or No Bread at all! Top the Soup with Some Cheddar Cheese!
Enjoy, and let me know what you think.

-Mary Beth

Lovin' the Snow!

Okay, I know some of you are wishing the snow would go away.. But I Love it!! It is so pretty and I am saying Bring It On! I honestly would love to get snowed in for a few days! We have groceries and a gas fireplace so why not! The only thing that is really keeping me from praying about this is that I realize some people are not as fortunate and some may freeze. So right now I am thinking when the kids wake up from their naps it would be fun to go out and make snow angels but that depends on their moods!! I know Justus would Love it, but I am not so sure about Ansley. She was not to happy about the snow last time. However I do believe she has warmed up to the idea. She did ask to go out and eat the snow earlier.. And she did! Then Dustin, my husband, got a brilliant idea and he made the kids Snow Cream! They absolutely loved it! So Go outside gather some "clean" snow and make some!
Here is how you do it..

He mixed about 2 cups of 1/2 and 1/2 (you can use regular milk if that is all you have)
with some sugar (enough so it seemed sweet enough)
then added a little bit of vanilla
then he filled up a 5 qt mixing bowl with snow.

you add the milk mixture with the snow and mix it with a mixer!!

Enjoy!!

Multi-Layered Taco Casserole

Over all this was really good! Probably not something I would fix weekly but I could definitely see my self fixing it once or twice a month. Dustin said next time leave the pasta out but keep the cheese sauce for sure! He liked the pasta but he could live with out it. I thought that the pasta gave it something extra and with out it the dish would be missing something! I do suggest that if you fix this then go ahead and prepare all the ingredients before hand. For Example if it says something needs chopped then go ahead and chop it.. If not you may be slowed down. Also remember to keep your meat turned down to medium this will keep it from cooking to fast and drying out. This recipe makes a good bit (enough for 10-11 unless you have some that eat a lot then say 8-10) there was 4 adults and my 2 kids eating and we still had enough left over for probably 2 1/2 more servings. Also I liked the tortilla's on the top but that is not a must if you want to serve it with tortilla chips on the side instead. Dustin had chips with his and used it like a dip.. Justus and Ansley also really seemed to enjoy it. Thanks Lauren Your Awesome for sharing this one! So Here is that recipe again:

~ Pictures are at very end.. sorry it doesn't look as good as it really is, this is a messy dish! Messy But Good!

Multi-Layered Taco Casserole

Ingredients

* 1 package corn tortillas or any color corn chips
* 2 tablespoons vegetable oil or cooking spray
* 1 box elbow macaroni
* 1 tablespoon EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil
* 2 pounds ground beef
* 1 medium onion, finely chopped
* 6 cloves garlic, grated, divided
* 4 jalapeño peppers, finely chopped, divided (optional I did not use any)
* 1 tablespoons chili powder
* 1 tablespoon coriander
* 1 tablespoon cumin
* 3 tablespoons tomato paste

* 3 tablespoons butter
* 3 tablespoons flour
* 2 1/2 cups milk
* 1 14.5-ounce can chopped tomatoes with chilies, drained
* 3 cups shredded yellow cheddar cheese, divided

* 2 cans vegetarian spicy refried beans

* 5 to 6 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
* 1 small red onion, finely chopped
* 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
* Salt
* 2 limes, zest of 1 and juice of 2

* 2 avocados
* 1 cup sour cream
* Juice of 1 lemon

* Hot sauce to taste(I did not use any)
* 1/2 head iceberg lettuce, shredded
* 1/2 cup chopped olives with pimientos(I only used black olives no pimientos)
* 1 bunch scallions, chopped


Yields: 12 servings
Preparation

Preheat oven to 400˚F.

If using corn tortillas, cut them into thin strips about 1/2 inch thick, and place them onto a baking sheet. Toss them with some vegetable oil or spray with cooking spray and season them with salt and ground pepper. Pop them into the oven and cook until crispy and golden, about 15 minutes.

Bring a large pot of water up to a boil over high heat. Salt the water then add the noodles and cook to package instructions.

Place a large skillet over medium high heat with a tablespoon olive oil. Brown the meat, then add in the onion, 4 cloves grated garlic and 2 jalapeños, and cook until tender.


Season the meat and veggies with chili powder, coriander, cumin and tomato paste. Let the meat mixture cook for a minute or two with the spices,and let that cook down for about 4-5 minutes. Reserve.


While the meat is cooking, make the cheese sauce: In a saucepot over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the flour and give it a stir to combine with the butter. Cook for a minute or so then whisk in the milk. Cook until thickened.

Drain the can of tomatoes with chilies and add them to the thickened milk mixture. Fold in 2 1/2 cups cheese and the reserved noodles. Season with salt and pepper, and reserve.

In another saucepot, heat up the can of refried beans with a little bit of water.


To build the casserole, spread the beef mixture out in the bottom of a casserole dish. Top with the refried beans and finish it off with the mac and cheeses and the remaining cheese. Pop the casserole into the oven and bake until golden brown, about 15-20 minutes.

While the casserole is baking, make the salsa: Mix the plum tomatoes, remaining jalapeño peppers, red onion and cilantro in a small bowl. Season with salt, lime zest and juice, and reserve.

For the guacamole sour cream, scoop the flesh of the avocados into the bowl of a food processor and add the sour cream, lemon juice, remaining 2 cloves grated garlic and hot sauce. Process until creamy.
Step

Once the casserole comes out of the oven, top it with the crispy corn strips and shredded iceberg lettuce. Top with the salsa, then the guacamole sour cream and finally the chopped olives with pimientos and scallions.

Chicken Etouffee

So tonight I fried chicken.... And this was a first for me (to ever fry anything! And a first for anything to ever be fried in my house!!!) I would say for my first time a did a very good job! Ansley liked the fried chicken and kept eating it, Luckily I had made extra! I don't know if maybe I should have chopped the onion and celery up finer or maybe even used a food processor, but they were still crisp when the dish was done so if you do not like that then I suggest steaming them a little before adding them. I did not have a bell pepper so I left that out. I think when I make this again I will leave the celery out (b/c I am the only one who really likes it) or chop it up very fine so no one knows it is in there. Also I will add Carrots and Broccoli, two veggies the kids really love! Dustin thought it needed some more salt, but b/c the recipe says to taste, I did not use a whole lot of salt and figured if it needed more then we could add it once it was on our plate. Oh and I used whole grain rice. Over all I was very pleased with this recipe, and thought that it was pretty easy to make. Thanks Summer!! (Recipe Pictured Bottom of Page)

Chicken Etouffee

Ingredients
1 1/2 pound chicken breast 1 large onion
1 bell pepper chopped red or green 4 stalks celery chopped
4 bay leaves 5 cloves garlic (smoked is best)
2 cups flour 1/2 stick butter
1/4 cup olive oil 2 cups white rice (plus 2 cups water to cook)
salt, pepper & cayenne to taste water to cover

Finely chop onion, bell pepper & celery and set it aside. Mix pepper, salt and cayenne with the flour in a dish. Cut chicken breast into finger sized strips and coat them with the flour. In a large pot (Dutch oven) add some of the butter and olive oil. Hold on to the rest of the butter and oil because you will need to add them in as you cook. Start frying coated chicken strips in the oil & butter, removing them as they brown and adding more oil and butter as needed. I hit them with some more cayenne as they come out of the pot. After all chicken strips are fried and set aside, add any remaining butter and some of the left over seasoned flour to make a roux. Just add enough to make it thick, but not like a paste...cook to a dark roux. Add garlic and bay leaves and the chopped vegetables. Stir so that all veggies are coated with the roux and start to soften. Fill with water to cover and simmer for about 10-15 minutes. Be sure to check for seasoning, salt and cayenne. This is a good time to make the rice. When it starts to look like a gravy add the chicken back in for the last 10 minutes. Again, check the seasoning. Once it reaches the thickness you like serve it on a pile of rice. Garlic bread cut into strips makes a great side and garnish.

Easy Fruit Dip

Okay So I had to get un-tired/un-lazy for about 10 minutes. I washed some strawberries and grapes that I need to take to MOMS Group in the morning and decided that it would be nice to have some Fruit Dip to go along with it... So I started searching for a recipe, and unfortunately I do not have Marshmallow Cream, Yogurt, Jello but I do have cream cheese.. So I set the Cream Cheese Out so it could soften, and started thinking...... a couple minutes later after searching through the cabinets and refrigerator I pulled out Heavy Whipping Cream, some Powdered Sugar, and Vanilla Extract! So Here Is My, very basic using what I have, Recipe:

1 - 8 oz. Pkg. of Cream Cheese Softened
1 Cup of Heavy Whipping Cream
1/3 Cup of Powdered Sugar (I am guessing on this, I really just added a few spoon fulls)
1/2 teaspoon of Vanilla Extract

Beat Cream Cheese and Heavy Whipping Cream together (I did this until smooth and when I thought it looked fluffy enough it didn't take long at all with the kitchen aid mixer but with a regular hand held it could take a few minutes)
Then Add powdered sugar and Vanilla Extract.... Mix this for another minute or so.. and YUMMY!!
It is sort of the consistency of Whipped Cream but with a sweater and cream cheesier taste!!!

So Tired

I am so tired this evening.. And very thankful that my Mom cooked some very good gnocchi soup tonight! I have been gone all day long.. First I had Justus this morning, then Ansley and Justus both.. Then just Justus again.. but it seemed like the day was not going to end.. I did not make it home until 6:45 this evening and I feel like I have drove all over the world! Tomorrow Morning I have MOMS (Mothers Outreach Ministry) @ Church and I am very excited about a few hours of "grown up" time!
So unfortunately I did not cook anything to day.... :( But tomorrow and Friday are looking very hopeful, Thanks to Summer and Lauren! Thanks Guys!! Oh and Mom gave me a new cook book tonight Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics. There are a few good looking recipe's in there so if I get a chance I may make something out of it on Saturday!

Oh and Lauren, you tell Daniel to share recipe's with me anytime!!

A Challenge?

So I am not 100% sure where this inspiration came from... I guess it all sort of fell into place...



--My Grandparents bought Dustin and I a 5 qt kitchen aid stand mixer for our birthdays and I got a blank recipe book (that is dieing to be filled with recipe's) for Christmas from Mom. Then Dustin and I purchased a new sink and faucet for the kitchen and he also bought a new oven for our kitchen (that is supposed to be my b-day present!) And then last night we watched Julia and Julie.... Oh need I say more, it is a slow movie but I just fell in love with it. I found myself wanting to cook a huge meal at 1:00 this Morning.--



So then I had this bright idea that maybe you could start posting recipes for me to try out! This could be fun, right?? Now keep in mind that I love my Mom's cooking and I will be eating with her a few times a week! So I will not obligate everyday to cooking like Julia did! And remember that I do not cook often so you may need to be a little detailed!! Dustin is sort of a picky eater but he is getting over it, and usually if I cook it he eats it.. the one this he 100% objects to is sea food. So if you are weary that I may not accept your recipe challenge and cook what you take time typing out then ask me first I will let you know! But I want to know how to really cook, I am not here for "shake and bake" recipes, but if you do have a yummy recipe that is quick to make then go ahead pass it my way! And for all of you who add everything to your dish (mom) I want those recipes as well. I will post pictures of them on here as well!



So what are you waiting for send a recipe my way!!

-Mary Beth!

A Selfless Heart

As Ansley is getting older she is becoming more responsible. We have not always been big on giving her "chores" sure we ask her to do things but we really don't have a chore list. So one of the new things I do ask her to do much more often and with out help is to clean her room. Yesterday she did not want to go clean her room, and to be honest I really didn't feel like fighting a battle with her. So instead of getting up and making her march into her room and demand she clean it up or she would get a spanking.... (which I personally believe if you say if you don't do such and such then you are getting a ..... then it is the same as counting to three... which I think is completely lame and your kid is still semi-getting their way, unfortunately I "count to three" quiet often, and there is a book out called "don't make me count to three" this book has been recommended to me and I should probably buy it...) So back to my story of my laziness and not wanting to "battle" with my toddler.. Instead of "counting to three" I just said okay Ansley when I go in your room I will pick up everything in your floor and put into a basket, then I will donate it to little kids that do not have toys. I thought this was pretty smart but before I could say anything to Dustin (who was sitting beside me) about how clever that was. Ansley loos at me and says "Mommy, Where is the Basket?" I told her she ran and got it and started putting her Toys in it... She was so proud when she came and told me that she had her toys ready to go to other kids.. These were not her old broken toys either, they were new, one was even one of her new favorite baby dolls she had just been playing with the day before...
What a slap in the face to me. Was I beginning to teach my child to be selfish by threatening her with her things?? Thank Go d she didn't take it that way, and Thank You God that you showed me to teach my children to be more selfless than selfish!! I assure you all that I will be thinking more about my actions in the future.
-Mary Beth

A Gentle Spirit

A friend of mine recently shared some things about themselves and requested that I read Philippians 1. I have read scripture out of Philippians so many times, as many of us love Philippians 4:13 - I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
So I went ahead opened my Bible and turned to Philippians. I read the part my friend wanted me to read about having Joy, how The Presence of Christ Jesus Brings Joy. But I couldn't stop there, I ended up reading all 4 chapters in Philippians. It is so amazing how something can be right in front of you for so long but you never fully grasp it. Tonight standing in the kitchen I read and took in as much as I could. I urge you all to pick up your Bible and read all of Philippians, it is not a long book at all, and Paul gives us so much knowledge through out the 4 chapters.
Look at the Guy (Paul that is), he is in jail writing a book, telling all followers of Jesus how joyful he is, and showing us how a "bad situation" can be turned into a blessing. Philippians 1:12-14 12.Now I want you to know brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the Gospel. 13. As a result it has become clear through out the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. 14 Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly.

Paul continues to tell the church and the followers of Christ to Rejoice in the Lord always, to serve the Lord and to do everything with out complaining. He also says to Forget what is behind and Strain towards what is ahead. And again he says in Philippians 4:4-7 4. Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say rejoice! 5. Let your Gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with Thanksgiving, present your request to God. 7. And the Peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

It is crazy for me to think how some act today, how one may think that a gentle Spirit is a Wimpy one or maybe a "Gentle" Person would be thought of as to Passive. (I to have been described as Passive before, a few of you may be reading and laughing at the thought of me being passive and others may agree that I am a passive person. I admit that at times I think of myself as Gentle and then at other times to aggressive. And believe me after today I will be praying for a quiet and gentle spirit.). I wonder how in today's Culture people feel as though they need to be tough and strait forward and pushy or rude to get through life. As You read Philippians Paul explains how we should all have a Gentle Spirit about us. That when one doesn't agree with another they shouldn't jump to conclusions but rather sit back and look at both sides and come to an agreeance on the situation.

I totally understood Philippians tonight, I understood how we should act and how we should find joy in all things and how we should have a Gentle Spirit even during the roughest toughest times in our lives. And in doing this we can be relieved by knowing that the Lord is always near us and that we are never going through these things alone.
I pray that all of you read this book, and really try to understand it. I pray that you will also have a gentle Spirit and that when you go through some of the toughest times in life that you can be joyful knowing the Lord is near.

Good Night,
Mary Beth

A Brand New Year.... A Brand New Way of Living!

So it is 2010! Dustin and I have been married 4 1/2 years, God has blessed with 2 beautiful Children, Ansley will be 3 and Justus will be 18 Months old in February! Time has flown by. So many things have happened over the past year and it is so hard for me to sit back and remember every little thing. It is so sad for me to say but it is even hard to remember Justus' first steps and Ansley's first day of "school". Everything just seems so foggy.

Dr. Anthony our Pastor at Peavine has dared everyone to take a Challenge, a 30 day Challenge. It is called "Take The Plunge, Thirty Days To A Whole New You"

We will be Prioritizing our Lives and Making life Changes. Watching what we eat, using the Internet and phone less, and watching less TV is some of the hard part. Also we will be making more time to read our Bibles, Worship, and making more time to Pray. Family time is also a biggy, not eating out, and playing board games is just the beginning!

I have a feeling the next 30 days may be a little tough but I am excited for the end results! I am excited to start 2010 off this way!

Why do this??? Well.....

Every Night I pray to God, and I do find myself talking to him during the day, but it isn't enough. I want more than that. I want so much more not only for me but for my family. Ansley Loves Jesus, (as much as she can understand) and she loves for me to read bible stories to her and she really loves going to church. But still I want more, I want to be a better example, and I want to be an example through God.

Dustin and I talk about the kids and have everyday conversations, and Still I feel like we do not Talk enough, I want to be able to talk to Dustin 24/7 about anything, I want to be able to pray together at anytime and it not be awkward. I want us to have a very Strong Relationship together through God!

I want such a strong bond with God, with Dustin, with my Children and all my Family and Friends. I want to do this through God and With God!

I want my children to know how to talk to God and know they can talk about anything with him, I want them to know that they can come to Dustin and me for anything, I want such a close knit bond through God. Please Pray for me and my family that we learn to do this.

I feel like this 30 day challenge will be a great tool to get headed in the right direction! I am going to try to make a little time during the week to blog about this 30 day experience.. So check in soon!

-Mary Beth