Menu Plan - Lovin' Summer

Happy Monday, Everyone!!!  It's a beautifully hot June day... love!  There are about three months out of the year where I am not cold, and this is one of them!   I also like that Iced Tea and Water sound better than soda (or at least that's what I'm telling myself)... and this blue polish makes me want to spin cartwheels across the lawn.


Feet are funny, BUT June really is wonderful!

Here is what we'll be eating this week!

MONDAY
Pizza Noodle Bake, Salad, Fruit

TUESDAY
Baked Chimichangas, Carrots/Dip, Fruit

WEDNESDAY
Turkey Burgers, Sweet Potato Fries, Fruit

THURSDAY
Shrimp Skewers over rice, Fruit

FRIDAY
Taco Squares, Chips/Guac, Fruit

SATURDAY
Pasta Salad, Fruit

SUNDAY
Biscuit Pizza, Salad, Fruit

Hope you're having a lovely day!  Off to blow up a whale pool and then spending the afternoon tanning this white girl up!  :)

A beautiful day...

Today was more than lovely.  I turned 30.  Spent time with great friends.  Was spoiled by my husband and kids.  AND was reminded for the gazillionth time how truly blessed I am. 

If the next 30 years go as quickly as the first, I'm going to be sixty before I know it!  :)

**For those of you wondering about my 30 B4 30 list, I have a few things left to check off, most that require reading and quiet... I'll try to update soon!**

JJ Heller 2nite...

AND I CAN'T WAIT!

Menu Plan - and other ramblings

Hey everyone!  With the exception of what I'm memorizing for the last part of April and maybe a new recipe, this will probably be all you hear from me this week!  Can we say CRAZY???  This is a very busy week at CrossPoint as we prepare for the weekend and I decided that a quick out of town trip for the kids and I would somehow fit nicely into the end of week schedule.  :)  To keep myself in line and on task lately I have been brain dumping (doesn't that sound lovely) everything I need to do in a notebook... instead of having 10 million lists laying all around, I keep everything in one place.  See how dirty and wrinkled it is... that is a sign of production.  Glorious.

Here's what we are eating this week -

MONDAY
Burrito Bowls, Chips/Guac, Fruit

TUESDAY
Small Group - I'm bringing cheese, meat and crackers

WEDNESDAY (eating together at lunch)
Hot Dogs, Mac & Cheese, Carrots, Pineapple

THURSDAY
Eat Whatever, Whenever!

FRIDAY
Salad Bar -  lettuce, cheese, boiled eggs, grilled chicken, carrot, cucumber, tomato

SATURDAY
BLT's, chips, fruit

SUNDAY
Easter with the Family

One last thing before I go, have you tried these???


They are so yummy... Coconut M&Ms.  Eric would totally tell you they taste like suntan lotion... since he's tried it and all.... but I must say they are a little piece of heaven here on earth.  Plus, they make me feel like I'm on the beach somewhere instead of 40 degree weather.  Have a wonderful week!  AND Happy Easter....

He is risen, indeed!

One Thing Remains - Jesus Culture

Can't get enough of the song that we rocked at CrossPoint this weekend...

How do you like your chocolate???

Those that know me well, know that I love me some chocolate... with a Dr. Pepper on the side, of course.  It is truly my guilty pleasure. Chocolate may even be my love language.  Maybe Gary Chapman needs to add an extra chapter to his book for me.  :)  Anyway... I used to be a lover of all things milk chocolate... I especially loved Milk Chocolate Bliss Squares.  Heaven in a wrapper.

Something weird has been happening to me lately, though... maybe it has to do with me becoming more grown up... I mean, I am just a few months shy of 30... maybe my taste buds are just maturing a few weeks before the big day.... for-whatever-reason I recently made the switch from milk chocolate to dark chocolate (something I never thought I would do).  My chocolate change of heart happened overnight (imagine that, a girl changing her mind overnight... we'll leave that for another post).    Come to find out, Dark Chocolate Bliss Squares are my new heaven in a wrapper.  Who knew???

So, what do you prefer, milk or dark???

Little boys and their toys...

This is one of my favorite pictures from Christmas this year... our nephew, Corban, and Cole playing on the iPad... for a long time we wondered if these little boys would every play together, let alone snuggle together. Technology brings us together on multiple levels! :)

My heart is full...

I love these girls... great day with my besties! Aren't they beautiful!?


We spent the day talking, eating, laughing and making these...


The three of us became friends back when Sadie was born... they both had baby girls that were a year older than Sadie and we learned to do life together. There is something to be said about friendships that are made when your children are young... there is authenticity in those relationships... I mean, after all, you get no sleep and spend most of the days in your pj's... you need people that love you for you! We have so many good memories together... and I'm thankful that although there are now miles between us, we can still pick up where we left off!

Oh... and here's our kiddos, too...


4 boys... 4 girls... even steven. Great day... great friends.

I think I'm maturing... or getting old and sentimental.

I used to have this thing with Christmas trees. In order for a tree to be beautiful they had to have white lights, coordinating bulbs and the garland hung just right. Also... they had to be without a corny angel tree topper that flashed enough to send someone into a light induced seizure.

Things have changed. I now have a 4 year old and a 2 year old who love crafting gluey and glittered ornaments that they are oh-so-proud-of. I've inherited some ornaments from our childhood and a few from my grandparents personal collection. There are memories attached to each ornament and they seem to run deep. So, this year, our tree has all the garb on it that I used to love (and still do) and old memories strewn throughout... and it's beautifully perfect.

Here's my Baby's First Christmas Ornament from 1981. I did have a white little dog like that but lacked in the hair department until about 1983... I was one bald little critter for the longest time. Maybe someday I will show you my baby pictures... wouldn't that be fun?! Back to Christmas...

This was the Mr. and Mrs. Clause that hung on my grandparents tree for as long as I can remember. I loved taking them out of their wrapping this year. I couldn't help but think that maybe my grandpa was the last one to hold Mr. and Mrs. Clause as they were wrapped up for me.


You know that I'm loosening up when Raphael makes a Christmas appearance...

Doesn't get any better than a hero in a half shell on your tree. He's hanging low getting ready to guard my gifts from sneaky little fingers.... good thing Eric picked this one out as a little guy.... hey... maybe I'll show baby pics of him too! *insert evil laugh*

Wishing you the most wonderful Christmas season yet! May we truly embrace the deep love that God has for each of us in His precious Son, Jesus.

My first review...

So... I've never done a review on Daisies 'n Dump trucks before... BUT by taking some time to shout out and tell you how much I LOVE Shutterfly, they will credit me with 50 FREE holiday cards... yet another reason to LOVE them! :)

I LOVE sending Christmas Cards and receiving them (or any card for that matter), but my favorites are by far the ones that have pics on them... cards with pictures on them make it to my refrigerator and then I smile at them all year long... a great reason to choose a photo card from Shutterfly!

This year I will be (obviously) printing Christmas Cards through Shutterfly. Next week we are going to try to get a photo that is card worthy (or maybe it will look like this) and then I'll pop it in a Shutterfly template, order it and send them off to our friends and family. Easy breezy.

Why I choose Shutterfly for photo printing:

• They store my pics FOREVER! I never have to worry about them becoming lost in cyberspace.
• The print quality is top notch... bright and crisp.
• They are quick! I ordered some Photo Wall Calendars for Christmas last week and they were at my door within 2 days! That was with FREE shipping! Holla!
• They have great offers... and send FREE things to your inbox.
  

Besides photo printing and Wall Calendars, I have also purchased Picture Mouse Pads through them... and you want to see the newest thing I am wanting??? Yeah, this Canvas Wall Art. Too cool! Swing over and give Shutterfly a try if you haven't... I think if you are a first time user, you even get some prints for FREE!

If you are a blogger, you can do this too! Check it out here!

A song that takes me right to my happy place...

So... before you think I have some great new worship song that takes me right to my happy place, I have a confession to make... I love country music. It started in high school with a little Deana Carter's "Did I Shave My Legs For This." My greatest memories of that song are cruising, windows down, with my friend Jenny in her Geo Metro... that girl... her and I could sing it... and I'm pretty sure you couldn't get much cooler than us back in '99. Anyway, I'm not the classic country type, but I love the country with a groovy beat that makes you want to bust out your best moves.

I love this song... and for the record... I'm stuck on my husband... through the ups and downs... stuck like glue.

So... here ya go... getcha groove on! :)

Roll a Pumpkin

I really enjoy holidays. Like, really, enjoy them. I love decorating, I love cooking to match the season, and as my kids get older, I love the holiday games, activities and conversations we get to have.

This week, I was trying to think of something to do with Sadie. Sadie's favorite things to do are play board games, do crafts and bake... but I was looking for something that wouldn't require a huge mess or 111 board game cards strewn all over the living room floor. I remembered a game I used to play with my 1st graders... "Roll a Pumpkin." Actually, we played it every season, just switched it up a bit.... you know, "Roll a Turkey," "Roll a Snowman" etc.

You will need a dice, some paper and crayons. As you roll, look at the chart to see what part of your pumpkin you get to draw. If you roll a number you've already drawn, skip your turn. First person to make a complete pumpkin wins!

Happy Pumpkining! :)

One of my favorite pics of Sadie this summer...

Link Up

Here are some of my favorite articles that I've read lately....

Home is not my Stuff @ Org Junkie

Marriage Work @ girltalk blog

Super Easy Cool Comets @ Frugal Family Fun Blog

Tutorial - Ruffle Shirt @ Tea Rose Home - I REALLY want to try this!

Entering the wonderful age of 2!

We welcomed sweet Cole 08/08/08... super quick labor, super little baby - 41 weeks pregnant. He weighed 5 pounds 10 ounces and was 19 inches long! Pure sweetness.


Cole's 1st Birthday!


Cole's 2nd Birthday!


Is that not the sweetest little face??? Yep... I'm pretty sure that time goes way too quickly! I love being his mommy and pray that he would grow into everything that God desires him to be. Happy Birthday, little buddy!

Wordless Wednesday

Yep, they're crazy about each other....

And I almost threw you away

When my Grandpa passed away in September, I got to pick out a plant to take home. I chose a beautiful purple and white calla lily holding onto the hope that some how it might stay alive in my care.

I did everything I was supposed to do to take care of this plant, but slowly each stem began to turn brown and had to be trimmed back until there was nothing left but dirt. I struggled with this, that plant reminded me every day of my Grandpa and all of a sudden it was gone. As dorky as it sounds, there were days I wanted to cry over my dirt filled pot. It needed to be tossed, but I couldn't bring myself to it.

Easter weekend came around and to my surprise there we THREE sprouts in my pot!!! The calla lily had resurrected! I did my happy dance and re-potted the plant. On what would have been my Grandpa's 90th Birthday, the plant sent up another shoot and yet another on Mother's Day! Now I'm just waiting for the beautiful blooms!



God has used this precious plant to bring much blessing and joy to my life over the past few weeks. So thankful for the memories that I have of my Grandpa and the man he was.

Thief or Magician

Some stages in my children's lives I enjoy more than others. I'm sure you mommy types are picking up what I'm throwing down here...

You have the sweet baby stages where they rest so preciously in your arms AND THEN that adorable little baby that you've been cuddling for all those months wakes up one morning with the ability to say "NO." AND quite forcefully. How does that happen??!!

Back to the point... Cole is in an precious phase of life right now. He is spouting off words, keeping up with his big sister and coming up with his own tricks that he thinks are ABSOLUTELY HILARIOUS. His latest...

Sticking toy coins up his sleeve, pulling them out and shouting "ta-da" with his cute little "Mater-style" smile. Yep, it doesn't get any cuter than that... let's just hope this is a magician phase of life and not practice for being a future swipper.

Sadie Turns Three! :)

Seriously... how is it possible that three years can go by so quickly???

I will never forget welcoming little Sadie into our lives after praying so desperately for a child for well over a year... the moment seeing Eric hold her for the first time is forever etched into my mind (after 17 hours of labor, somehow he got to hold her first... what's up with that???). It seems that a wait makes the Lord's blessings so much more sweet. I am so thankful for this precious little life that God has entrusted to us.

Here's some highlights from Sadie's Birthday Party. She had decided several months ago that she had wanted a Strawberry Shortcake Party... so we ran with that and bought some stuff along the way. :) Up until a couple weeks ago she was cool with Strawberry until Eric's mom shared with her that her daddy had a Spider-man Party when he was 3... guess who then wanted Spider-man??? We decided that if she still liked Spider-man when she was 4 THEN we can celebrate Spider-man-style.

Here's the cake... I made my 1st attempt at doing a 500 thousand star cake. And it's Retro-Strawberry, nonetheless (I love how the things I grew up with are now RETRO!!!).
Savoring the moment....
Posing with the presents...
I think she really liked her Roller Skates....
And a little fun at the park with our friends...