All Because...

When we recently (over a year ago) moved into a new home, I had so many new walls that needed some sort of decor. I love decorating, but I am extremely picky. Lucky for me, my husband is also extremely picky, and sometimes that means making a decision on something to put in our home may take, well, a very long time. Don't get me started on how long it's taken us (ahem, him, but shhhhh!) to make a decision on tile for our currently-under-construction shower. But anyway. I love old family photos and had always wanted to have a wall to display them. I still don't have a wall for all kinds of random old photos, but what I do now have is a wall of photos of the couples who have gone before us. These photos include our parents, grandparents, and great grandparents, and this project got the stamp of approval from the hubs. I used wedding photos for all of the ones that I could, but those are pretty hard to come by. This is what you're greeted by in our entry way, and I just love it. The sign on top reads, "All because two people fell in love," and then our wedding photo is in the bottom corner. Just thought I would share with you. And if you have any decorating ideas, please share! I really need something over our bed. Any tips? I also probably need to get the ping pong table out of the formal living room, too, but oh well!

Time flies

Hard to believe, but my little Asher turned ONE last Saturday!! Wow!! We threw a "Splash with Ash" pool-themed party at my mom's house (thanks, Mom and Greg!) and had soooo much fun celebrating our baby boy's first year of life. We were so blessed by the people that drove in from out of town (and drove waaaay across town (my parents live pretty far out)). I realized as we were doing all the planning and executing that it's been a long time since I put something like that together without the help of a handful of others. Whew! Thankfully, once it was all set up we could just party it up and enjoy ourselves - and we did!

A few months ago, my mom and I came across a book called What's New, Cupcake? at Bed Bath & Beyond. The ideas in there are so cute! One in particular was perfect for our theme, so we stayed up kinda late the night before the party making these:

Talk about fun! Quite a bit of work, but definitely worth it in the end.

Last but not least, a shot of the birthday boy. He bring us such joy - we thank God for him every day!

So this week we decided to blog about random things! And I decided to blog about having a quiet time.

Several weeks ago I was really convicted about prioritizing and setting aside a specific time to spend with the Lord each day. Of course I spent time with the Lord everyday but it was whenever I got around to it. So everyday for the past two weeks I have been getting up at 6:15 am, getting completely dressed for the day, going downstairs, letting my dogs out, making a cup of coffee and then sitting at the kitchen table to read my Bible and spend time in prayer. And I have to tell you that I feel more productive. I feel like I can take on the day and battle whatever is thrown at me.

So my question to you is are you putting time with the Lord at top of your list or is it something you just get around to doing?

Location:Time with my Savior!

Sports Enthusiast

To wrap up our week on things to do in our city, I am going to write about the many options you have if you are a sports enthusiast. We live in the Dallas/Fort Worth area and pretty much every sport is covered here. We've got the Dallas Cowboys (football), Dallas Mavericks (basketball), Dallas Stars (hockey), and the Texas Rangers (baseball)...all big time sports teams. We also have several minor league teams...Frisco Roughriders (baseball), Dallas Burn (soccer), Fort Worth Cats (baseball), and Texas Brahmas (hockey), to name a few. Most of these teams have pretty good tickets prices and on occasion they'll even have ticket specials. For example, the Dallas Mavericks will have Dr Pepper Family Nights where you can get 4 tickets and 4 McDonald's Extra Value Meal coupons starting at $49. And I am almost certain that on occasion they will have some tickets going for $2 (in the nose bleed section). The Texas Rangers offer many great discounts throughout the season, from All You Can Eat Seats, Military Mondays, Free Kid Tuesdays, and so on. And my favorite...Fireworks Fridays! I love fireworks. Check out any of the above-mentioned teams' website and I'm sure you'll find a good deal somewhere.

Recently we went to Jerry World (a/k/a Cowboys Stadium) as an early Father's Day gift to my dad and husband. I had bought discounted tour tickets on Groupon (if you don't know about this, you must check it out) and it just so happened that the team was going to be practicing in the stadium that upcoming weekend. So we went, did the tour, and then got to watch the team practice. What a fun experience! Here's a few pictures of our adventure:

This place is Ginormous!














(Ah, Tony!)
















The O's















Future Quarterback

Favorite places...

There are a few places that I find myself visiting pretty often. One place is Coneheads Snocones...this is one of the BEST shaved ice places I have ever had in the DFW area. Luckily, it is in Irving just down the street from where we live. The ice they use there is so yummy and the flavors are super fun- Randy and get so excited when they open for the summer...we visit there at least once a week. My favorite flavor is sour grape- even writing about it is making me crave one.

Another place I love to visit in the city is the Euless Public Library. Every Tuesday, the library offers a story time for toddlers, which is really fun for Allie. The teacher who leads the class (Mrs. Letta) always has really engaging activities for the toddlers, and it gives me a chance to expose Allie to community activities. I look forward to taking Allie every week.

Fly High and Sweat

In the great Metroplex, there are so many fun things to do. I could probably use some fresh ideas myself, but one new thing we did recently was attend a birthday party at the Frontiers of Flight Museum near Love Field Airport.

They have a fantastic children's area. In fact, we never even made it to the portion of the museum for grown-ups. The children's area included the front portion of a REAL Southwest Airlines airplane. The kids were able to climb up into the plane, buckle in, pretend in the flight attendant area, etc. I think this was their favorite spot. There was also a huge bounce house, a slide, an air control tower. There was another airplane that seated 6 or 8 people, plus two pilots. They really enjoyed playing in that one as well. I had never heard of this museum, so surely there's someone else out there who didn't know about it! The party was great, and the kids were worn out by the time we left. I call that a success. Oh, they also had a small theatre of sorts where the children can push a button to start a Jay Jay the Jet Plane show. From what I saw, they really just enjoyed pushing the buttons more than actually sitting still and watching the movie. Surprise.

One more kid-friendly suggestion I have for you is going to the Dallas Arboretum in August. That's right, in the heat of the summer! We went last year, and they were having Dollar Days. Now I think the Arboretum is a spectacular place, but in my opinion, it's not worth the full price admission to drive all of the way over there with younger children. It's pretty pricy. But if they do that again during the month of August, I highly recommend it. The children especially enjoyed the log cabin area. They could have played and pretended there all day, and it's nice that they can play inside the cabins (in the shade)! I had my children and my niece and nephew with me, and they all (ages 1 to 11) loved it. I definitely hope to make another trip over there this summer.

I have to add this in. I just called to see if they would be offering that special this August, and they said they did not yet know. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Are there any fun things you have to share, wherever you are?

Keep Austin Weird

There are so many things to love about Austin. In fact, the entertainment options can be downright overwhelming sometimes. Here are some of our tried and true faves:

1) Alamo Drafthouse Cinema - it's like "duh", why hasn't this caught on in more cities? Eat good food, drink good beer (or soda, or whatever), watch a great movie. Genius! An added bonus is that they are super-serious about people being considerate moviegoers. If someone is talking and disturbing those around them, they get a warning; if they continue to be annoying, they're outta there. This is made clear before the movie begins. Again, genius. I've never seen anyone get kicked out - people go to the Drafthouse because they want to watch the movie, not talk and goof off. Plus, you have to be 18 or older to go (anyone under 18 has to be accompanied by a parent or guardian). It's hard for us to see movies anywhere else. In addition to regular movies, they also do special stuff like: Sing-A-Longs (Grease, Ladies of the '80s, etc.); Feasts (the menu is specifically designed to correlate with the movie); Master Pancake (comedians John Erler and Joe Parsons sit on the front row and make fun of movies, very similar to Mystery Science Theater 3000) and dozens of other cool, different things. They also do Baby Days where people can bring their little ones and not get the stink-eye if said little ones get fussy or cranky. AND you always want to get there as early as possible because they show the funniest, most random stuff before the movie starts. Like if you go see Ironman, they'll show old Ironman cartoons and clips of Robert Downey, Jr. interviews and footage from his early days as an actor - stuff like that. I could go on and on. The place is just THE BEST. LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT.

2) Did you know that Austin is home to North America's largest urban bat colony? Over 1 million Mexican Freetail bats live under the Congress Avenue bridge, and every night between March and November you can gather at the bridge to watch them fly out to spend the evening eating bugs. It's usually quite spectacular (sometimes, though, they come out so late that it's too dark to really see them - a definite bummer).

3) I've talked about BookPeople before, but it's worth mentioning again. It is simply one of the best book stores ever. The employees really know their stuff and they're friendly. The store is laid out in such a way that you will find what you're looking for and also stuff you didn't even know you were looking for. There are lots of comfy, out-of-the-way places to sit and chill and it's also an awesome place to people-watch.

I haven't even touched on the subject of fantastic eateries and music venues - they are legion. My suggestion - come check out Austin for yourself!

Strawberry Picking & Fresh Corn on the Cob

So this week we will all be blogging about fun things we like to do in the cities we live in. There are several fun things we do here in Illinois, but I will just blog about a couple of them.

For the first time this year I took Reagan strawberry picking. There are several places around here to pick. It was really fun, although Reagan was a little young to really have a good time. You just picked a row and grabbed a bucket and picked until you were done. We picked so many strawberries!! I froze half and with the other half made strawberry shortcake!

So Illinois is a huge producer of corn (this is an understatement). My subdivision is in the middle of cornfields. It is really neat to watch the corn grow (as high as an elephant's eye). And the best part is getting to buy corn from the local stand down the street. We got to eat our first corn of the season yesterday and it was so delicious!! On a side note, I owe my eating of corn on the cob to my fellow ADKOS blogger Amelia! I couldn't stand corn growing up an even into adulthood. Several years ago we had a supper club and Amelia brought corn on the cob one night and I didn't want to hurt her feelings so I ate it. And it my amazement it was fantastic! So thanks Amelia!!!

A Pinch of This

Let me start off by saying Happy Father's Day (to maybe the handful of men who read our blog). Hope you were blessed beyond measure today.

To finish off our week on recipes, here are a few you might enjoy:

Recipe for a Happy Marriage (for the husband and wife)

1 cup consideration

1 cup courtesy

2 cupfuls flattery carefully concealed

1 gallon faith and trust in each other

2 cupfuls praise

1 small pinch of in-laws

1 reasonable budget, a generous dash of cooperation

3 teaspoon pure extract of "I'm sorry"

1 cup contentment

1 cup each confidence and encouragement

1 large or several small hobbies

1 cup blindness to the other's faults

Flavor with frequent portions of recreation and a dash of happy memories. Stir well and remove any specks of jealousy, temper or criticism. Sweeten well with generous portions of love and keep warm with a steady flame of devotion. Never serve with cold shoulder.

Inedible Play Dough Recipe (for the kids)

1 cup flour

1/2 cup salt

1 tbls cooking oil

1 cup water

2 tsp cream of tartar

Food coloring

In heavy aluminum saucepan, mix dry ingredients. Add oil, water, and food coloring. Cook 3 minutes or until mixture pulls away from sides of pan. May add a few drops of oil of wintergreen, cloves, or cinnamon to give a more pleasant aroma. Knead slightly, almost immediately. Store in airtight container. Will keep several weeks. Has a pleasing texture.

Probably cheaper than store bought play dough and the kiddos will love helping make it.

And finally, I'd like to share a yummy staple we had growing up and which I've used several times since I got married (though my husband would probably say every week if not every other week):

Enchilada Casserole (for the whole family)

2 lb. ground chuck (hamburger meat) (though for just me and Scott I usually use 1 lb.)

2 cup grated cheese (we like cheese, so I use more than 2 cups)

10-12 corn tortillas

1/2 medium onion (chopped) (I do not like onions, so this doesn't go in my casserole)

1 (14 oz.) can enchilada sauce

In heavy skillet cook chopped onions and ground meat until done. Line a large baking pan with a layer of tortillas (usually 4). Layer meat and onion mixture, cheese and sauce over tortillas. Repeat. Place remaining tortillas on top and pour sauce over all covering all tortillas. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes, until hot and bubbly and cheese is melted.

Serve with your choice of beans and/or rice and chips and salsa. YUM!

Have a blessed week!

Cass

A Little Slice of Reality

I think it's clear by now that I have no great culinary wisdom to share with you.  However, I will pass on an easy recipe that's really tasty and takes very little time to prepare.  It doesn't really fit in with my quest to use less processed foods, but that's a work in progress, so we'll go with an old favorite from the Kraft kitchens with a little twist:

Baked Pesto Chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 packet of Shake and Bake Chicken Coating Mix

2 Tbsp Pesto (homemade if you're industrious, but I use a jar of Buitoni premade)

2 Roma Tomatoes - sliced

1/4 cup Mozzarella Cheese

PREHEAT oven to 400ºF. Coat chicken with coating mix. Place in baking dish.

BAKE 20 min. or until chicken is cooked through (165ºF).

TOP chicken with pesto and tomato slices, and sprinkle with cheese. Bake an additional 5 min. or until cheese is melted.

It's super easy and super yummy.  And you can omit the Shake and Bake and/or the tomatoes and it is still pretty fantastic, but I like it just as it is.  And just a note - I don't know about you, but I'm a freak about making sure chicken is fully cooked, so I usually let this go a little longer than the 20 minutes suggested.  I could buy a meat thermometer and simplify this process, but why, oh why, would I make life easier on myself when I could spend all that time worrying and overcooking my chicken instead?

But let's be honest...if we're not eating out, this is what dinner really looks like at my house most nights:

I haven't inked my endorsement deal with Morningstar Farms yet, but if they could see my freezer, they'd totally hire me.  But that's beside the point.  So my secret is out.  My pantry/freezer staples have been revealed.  On nights when work has been killer and I just don't have an ounce of energy left, I can't bring myself to stand in front of the stove for what will inevitably be at least an hour (regardless of what the recipe  says) and then tackle the dishes afterward.  We're also on the go fairly often and sometimes time just does not permit.  Luckily Mark is pretty easygoing and he'll eat just about whatever I prepare.  (I did however, wait to tell him that the BBQ Riblets and Italian Chik'n fillets were veggie patties until after he ate and enjoyed them.  Worked like a charm!)  We do some grilling, we make some crockpot meals, and though I act like I don't, I really do cook warm homemade meals fairly often, but this is the stuff that gets us by in the in-between times.  Suzie Homemaker I am not.  And I'm really quite okay with that.

Great Cookbook

Since we are posting about recipes this week, I thought I would write about one of my favorite cookbooks. It is the Better Home and Gardens Cook Book- I have been using the recipes from this book for the last year or so and every recipe I have used has been an AMAZING dish! Just a few of my favorite dishes so far have been the Chicken and Creamy Mushrooms(p. 468), the Meatloaf(p.377), Beef Stroganoff(p.369), and Spinach stuffed pasta shells (p.431)...I have added these recipes to my dinner rotation. It has been fun to find a great resource to keep things interesting at dinner time. Hope you enjoy cooking!

Staci

Happy Anniversary to Us!

We've been blogging for a year now, friends! And like Beth said, we're going to be doing some theme weeks, so watch out! And if you have any ideas on themes you would like to see us all write about, please comment with suggestions.

I'm going to take this recipe thing in just a slightly different direction. Not like from East to West type of thing, more like from East to just a little bit Northeast. Anyway... I know I am always trying to come up with fun ideas for my children's birthday parties. Last year, Aidan was turing five (I know, how is that even possible?!), and he told me he wanted a knight birthday party. Okay. So I did some thinking, internet searching, etc. and came up with some decent ideas. I'll start with the food, since that goes with our theme. We had the following:

For the cake, we used a 9x13 pan and then just cut part of the cake to make the shield shape.

We had Dragon Scales (Doritos) and Dragon Eggs (grapes).

Dragon Snot Punch - This was a huge hit with the kids. Simply mix lime sherbet with Sprite or 7-up.

Shield Cupcakes - For these shields, my mom (gotta give props!) melted chocolate into the shield shapes on wax paper, let that set, and then used melted white chocolate to drizzle the cross on the shield.

Princess Popcorn - Well, since we had some little princesses at this party along with all those husky knights, we had to do something in honor of the ladies. Actually, it's just the only way I could think to name the popcorn. This popcorn is so yummy and SO easy! I use the Orville Redenbacher Natural Popcorn and then white chocolate chips. You can use food coloring if you need to make it a specific color. I used a little red here to make the chocolate pink. I usually pop two bags and then melt somewhere between 1/4 to 1/2 cup white chocolate chips. I'm not super precise on this, which means Mary will never try this. She likes exact measurements. :) Follow the instructions on the bag of chips, because it's easy to burn them in the microwave... and that really stinks, especially when it's the last of the bag that you use. And you don't want to totally saturate the popcorn, or it will get mushy. I usually drizzle a light layer, then stir it around and drizzle again. Then I let it sit for a little while before serving it.

This has nothing to do with the food, but I made these flags to go along with our theme. Simple and cheap!

Happy Humpday!

recipes

So we have decided to start having themed weeks! Each week we will choose a theme and each write on that theme on our specific day. This week we have chosen to write about our favorite recipes. So here are a a few from my collection:

King Ranch Chicken

4 chicken breasts cooked and shredded
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can rotel
8 oz sour cream
corn tortillas broken into fourths
2 8oz pkgs cheddar cheese
salsa

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Soak tortilla pieces in salsa and place a single layer in a 13x9 pan. Place half the shredded chicken on top of the tortillas. In a separate bowl mix soup, rotel and sour cream. Spread half the soup mixture over the chicken. And then sprinkle one package of cheddar cheese, then repeat layers ending in cheese. Bake for 30 minutes.

Crock Pot BBQ Chicken

4 chicken breast (I use frozen)
1 pkg McCormick slow cookers BBQ pulled pork seasoning
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup water

Put Chicken in crock pot. In a separate bowl mix remaining ingredients then pour over chicken. Cook on low 5 to 6 hrs. Remove chicken and shred then place back in crock pot. Serve on hamburger buns.

Spinach Pie

1 lb lean ground beef
oregano
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 pkg frozen chopped spinach (thawed)
8oz mozzarella cheese
1/2 a sleeve saltine crackers
1/2 stick butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brown ground beef (sprinkle in a little oregano) and drain fat. Mix in soup and spinach. Pour into a greased corningware dish. Top with mozzarella cheese. In a separate pan melt butter and mix in crushed saltine crackers then spread over the top. Bake for 30 minutes. I usually served this with canned sliced peaches.

Beef Stroganoff

1 lb lean ground beef
1 can cream of mushroom soup
8oz sour cream
hot cooked egg noodles

Brown ground beef and drain fat. Mix in cream of mushroom soup and sour cream. Cook until all heated through. Pour over egg noodles and serve.

Lasagna

1 lb lean ground beef
1 lg can of spaghetti sauce
2 eggs
1 30oz ricotta cheese
8oz mozzarella cheese
9 lasagna noodles uncooked
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp italian seasoning
1/2 tsp salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brown ground beef and drain fat. Stir in spaghetti sauce. In a separate bowl beat eggs, add ricotta cheese, 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, garlic powder, italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Mix together. In a 13x9 pan pour 1 cup of the meat sauce onto the bottom. Place 3 noodles on top. Spread half the cheese mixture on top of noodles. Repeat 1 cup meat sauce, 3 noodles, rest of the cheese mixture. Top with remaining 3 noodles and rest of the meat sauce making sure the noodles are covered. Top with the remaining mozzarella cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes.

I hope you will find these meals to be pretty easy to make!

From my kitchen to yours!!!

Hot or Cold

You know when you've had something on your mind that you know you need to work on and then God affirms those thoughts by either a sermon or bible study lesson at church or an encouraging word from a friend? Well that is exactly what has happened to me in the last couple of weeks. I'm about to be vulnerable and let you know that I have been struggling in my spiritual life for quite some time now. More specifically, my prayer life and my time spent in God's word has been, shall we say, lukewarm. Sure, I can say a prayer here and there when something comes to mind, but there's not a set aside time of my day that is spent in prayer. The same goes for reading my Bible. This has been on my heart lately and God, in his own special way, has shown me that he knows my heart.

Last Sunday we were in our Connection Class (like Sunday School) and the guys and girls split up for a more gender-specific lesson. Well lo and behold, the ladies lesson was about being lukewarm in our spiritual life and how God would rather us be either hot or cold. Revelation 3:15-16 says, "I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm - neither hot nor cold - I am about to spit you out of my mouth." Talk about a slap in this girl's face. God doesn't want me to be lukewarm in my spiritual life...He'd rather me be either on fire for him or cold as ice. And oh how I long to be on fire for him. The lesson was also about how we need to be praying for our husband, another area that I need to work on, and how we need to be accountable to one another as wives. I don't know about you, but when I know that someone is going to be asking me how I'm doing in a certain area I want to be able to have a good answer...I want to be able to say "yes, I'm doing that."

Another God moment happened this morning, again in my Connection Class. Our teacher was talking about our spiritual life and the ways that people 'get close to God.' What I loved about the lesson was that he said that we were all created uniquely and that we all have a unique relationship with God...so my relationship with God is not like anyone else's relationship. He also said that the main measure of your relationship with God is not your devotional life but simply your life (and how you live it). He then asked us what kinds of things we do to renew our spiritual growth. And again, it's not the same for each person. Some may find that listening to worship music does it, or helping others, or reading books/devotionals...this is your unique relationship. So the question is, "what brings you life?" I encourage you to sit down and figure out what it is that you do to renew your spiritual growth.

Thank you for letting me be vulnerable here. As you can see, I am not perfect. I am, however, a child of God, whose sins have been forgiven and am covered with His grace.

Have a blessed week!
Cass

Biting the Bullet

I'm feeling apprehensive.  Very apprehensive.

Mark & I have been throwing the idea of joining a gym for awhile now.  Let me correct that statement - Mark has been throwing around the idea of joining a gym for awhile now.  I have been throwing around the idea of trying to lose weight by doing everything but joining a gym.  Yet somehow, we found ourselves in LA Fitness last Sunday...joining a gym.  We decided to stop in for a tour as we passed the club on our way home from dinner.  After checking everything out we got some info on their current rates, and of course they were having a "special that ends today".  I had done some research on gyms in our area and it was actually a decent rate.  No lengthy contracts, you can freeze for up to six months for free, and you can quit anytime for no extra fee (very important in my gym criteria).

I guess we timed this visit just right, because I was feeling just desperate enough about the tightness of my jeans to go for it.  I must tell you, I'm now mildly terrified.  Skinny people go to gyms.  I am not skinny people.  This is going to take some gumption.  Water aerobics at the local community pool with the 50+ crowd is one thing, but water aerobics at the gym with a big wall of windows looking in to all the people working out is entirely another.  But nothing motivates me more than the fact that I am shelling out some bucks whether I go or not.  So I figure I can work my way up to the water aerobics classes.  Spy on them first, lose a couple of pounds on the cardio machines, and then dive in.  (Get it? Dive in? Har, har)  

Wish me luck my friends.  I feel certain that hilarity will ensue.

Anne of Green Gables

So, today for some reason I was thinking about the mini-series Anne of Green Gables...have you heard if it? It used to show on PBS channel 13 from time to time. It is basically about a young girl named Anne whose story set in colonial days that was adopted by a farmer's family, and the story evolves into a love story between Anne and Gilbert. It is just fabulous! The love story just keeps you in knots until the very end, really, which kind of reminds me of the twilight series...minus the vampires and wherewolves. There are actually 9 hours involved with the AOGG series- I actually have them all on VHS (yes, we still have a VHS player). So, if you haven't watched these in a while, now may be the time to dust off those VHS's and pop them in for an escape to Green Gables...enjoy!

Five and Dime

Does anyone remember going to a Five and Dime store?  I remember going with my mom and my aunt when we were little.  It was a pretty exciting event.  And now that I think about this, the dollar store is probably of equal excitement to my children.  And it really just makes me cringe.  So many opportunities for toys with lead paint or something that will surely lead to cancer if they lick it... I'm not paranoid.  Anyway, I was recently at the Dollar Tree for something and I noticed these frames.  They were document frames, which mean they hold an 8.5"x11" sheet of paper just right.  I had been looking at different frames to show off some artwork my children have done.  Emerson drew a picture of our family a couple of weeks ago, with the word "Family" on it and everything.  She learned that thanks to a song on Nick Jr.  (Sometimes it really is "like preschool on TV.")  :)  Anyway, I looked at a few options for frames, but they were going to be around $20 a piece.  And for three kids, a couple of pictures each, that would really add up quickly.  So when I noticed these frames at the Dollar Tree, I got excited.  I could envision a little gallery for my artists immediately.  So here it is...$6 later.  Oh, and a little paint that I already had, because they were bare wood.    The ones on the left are Aidan's - a bird in a cage and a catcher.  The ones in the middle are Emerson's - a picture of me and her and then the family picture.  Ivy's are on the right.  They may look unrecognizable, but she will tell you (with great conviction) what they are!

And if you're looking for a little something extra today, click here to see a few pictures and a video from a sweet family's photo shoot I got to do last weekend.  Cooper is a little miracle baby, and I'm just excited to share!

Proud Parenting Moment

My little girl will be 18 months old next week! Just typing it seems crazy! It feels like yesterday she was born. Every night I have been putting her on her little potty before bath time. She has just sat there smiling every night until last night. She went tee tee in the potty last night! I couldn't believe it! I am so very proud of her. Now I know this is only the beginning of a long process, but a victory is a victory! And of course I put her on there 3 or 4 times today and nothing. But she is learning. It is so fun and fascinating to watch her change and learn everyday! She is also talking up a storm. I can understand about half, but she is on the verge of talking in full sentences! I am sad to say that she is starting to give up her morning nap. I have enjoyed that hour and a half in the morning to get dressed and work on my bible study. But on the flip side I get to spend an extra hour and half with my little munchkin! Our kiddos sure do grow up fast! So seize every moment with them!! I have attached a couple of pics (one of Reagan's very first pic and one taken back in April)

I Like It Hot, Hot, HOT

Yesterday Scott and I went to Chick-fil-A to try out the new Spicy Chicken Sandwich. We headed to Chick-fil-A during our scheduled time frame and were treated like royalty upon arrival. I had printed off my "reservation" and when I handed it to the cashier he immediately called over another lady, who took us to a table and placed a sign down that said "Reserved for Spicy VIP." Now we knew that we were getting the sandwiches free but then she said that they were treating us to a full meal...SWEET! Or should I say SPICY!! SO we got two sandwiches, two medium fries, and two medium drinks FREE. The Spicy Chicken Sandwich was so good...lots of spicy flavor...even more so than Wendy's or Jack-in-the-Box's spicy sandwiches. I like spicy things and this sandwich had some kick to it...I definitely give it two thumbs up! So if you're into spicy things, then I highly recommend the Chick-fil-A Spicy Chicken Sandwich...that is, if its available at a Chick-fil-A near you. (Sadly the picture I took with my phone is taking its sweet time uploading to Snapfish or else it'd be right here).

Has anyone else tried the Spicy Chicken Sandwich yet? If so, what'd you think?

Cass

Old posts, revisited

Several of my recent (and not-so-recent) posts either promised or suggested the promise of some type of follow-up, and now seems like a good time to do just that!

1. In my first post I instructed readers to "stay tuned" for "a discussion of work." Good job, all of you. Continue as you were. I haven’t forgotten, I just can’t seem to get started on what is sure to be a pretty in-depth post.

2. Little crafty critters and such: I have made exactly…zero. Zilch. Nada. NONE. Don’t give up on me. I’ll get around to it, eventually. Maybe I should write a post about how work (see number 1) keeps me from having sufficient time to do things like make little crafty critters and such. Food for thought.

3. Housework schedule: *sigh*. Such a good idea in theory, so hard to carry out in real life. Strangely, just having the list on the fridge comforts me. You might think it would be a constant reminder of my housekeeping shortcomings, but no – instead it’s like a beacon of hope and encouragement. It’s nice to know that if/when I happen upon a few spare moments, I can look at the list and start somewhere. I do think Adam takes care of certain items when he’s home during the day, so I’d say it’s helpful for us overall. Definitely a continuing work in progress.

4. Mental clutter: After taking care of 2 of the clutter-ing items this weekend, I went back and re-read the original list and, lo and behold, 4 out of the 6 are done! SCORE!!! The framing one was more long-term so that pretty much just leaves one – hanging that picture in the guest room. With my decorator mom-in-law visiting this week, maybe we can get that one knocked out, too! With that exception, my mind is rather clutter-free at the moment. I do need to go to Toys R Us to try to get a price adjustment on something we bought over the weekend, but I’m fairly certain I’m going to do that on my lunch break tomorrow, so it doesn’t count (at least not yet!). Ok, I did just think of one – for Christmas I got a gift certificate to a spa here in town and I really need to schedule my massage! I need one sooooo bad!!!

5. Cloth diapering: so much easier than I expected! Yes, we do more laundry, but it’s not like that’s cutting into some super-busy social schedule we’ve got or something. Even Adam has been surprised at how simple it is. The cloth wipes haven’t really been put into regular rotation yet, but we’re easing into it. I’m sure it will be second nature soon.

So now you’re all updated, kinda, for the most part. Let me know if I left something out that you’re just DYING to know the status of. I aim to please :)