Brittany's Blog

Fashionable Friendships

2011-11-21T17:44:00.002-05:00

Not too long ago, I was at a baby shower for a dear friend, and while there, enjoyed delightful conversations with some beautiful women. One of the topics brought up through the ever-changing vine of conversation was friendship. My friend "Sarah" used a relationship I have with a newer friend (we'll call her "Kim") as an example. Kim is a newer member of our church, and Sarah wanted to know how we have become such good friends over such short period of time. Sarah wasn't asking out of jealousy; she, like most women, simply wanted in on the secret to friendships. She admitted to sometimes feeling alone in the realm of friendships... as if she was the one women in the world who felt "left out" of the friendship circle. I busted her bubble... I told her she isn't the only women to feel this way... we've all been there, right?

Here's the thing... you can be "best friends" with everyone. That would simply be impossibly time consuming. Insane would be more like it. Instead, if you learn to appreciate each friendship individually, you will find each one immensely fulfilling and beautiful in it's own unique way. In addition, in tweaking your mindset, you realize you have more wonderful friends than you thought.

What is more relatable to women than fashion? Not much, so let's put friendship in fashion terms.

Your closest friendships (the smallest category of friendships) are like your favorite bra. You almost always wear it, it's supportive and well-rounded, yet, doesn't scream for attention or get offended that you cover it up with clothes. A good bra is the foundation, the most important element, of a well-put together outfit, even though it's the least seen (trust me on this one, I've watched my share of What Not to Wear reruns to be an expert!). The desired qualities of a close friend fit the same description, yes? I can go weeks without talking, texting, or seeing my closest friend (she's horrible about returning texts by the way!), but I know the moment I need her, she'll be there, ready to lay her life down for me should that be necessary. I trust her with my life, and second to my husband, I am most comfortable being "me" around her than any other person. My favorite thing about this category of friendship is that I don't have to carry a banner that says "So-and-so is my BFF!" because titles don't matter at this level of friendship security.

The next category of friendships are like your favorite outfits... a group larger than the "bra" category, but not yet the largest. You interchange and wear these outfits proudly because you love how they make you feel when you wear them. Some may be comfortable, some may accentuate your best features, and some may make you feel beautiful (this could go on and on). These are your good friends who you frequently spend time with, but not at the same intimatcy level as the "bra" friends.

Now, this next category of friendships may be one of the largest groups, but not nearly unimportant. In fact, most "bra" and "favorite outfit" friendships start here... accessories! From scarves, earrings, necklaces, rings, belts, bags, headbands, and hair clips... who doesn't love accessories? They may be the smallest piece of your wardrobe, but the right ones can absolutely MAKE an outfit. Accessories keep things fresh, young, and lively. You may not spend tons of individual time with this category of friendships on a consistent basis, however you still cherish them! In fact, you are not "put together" without them!

Being successful at friendships has nothing to do with numbers. Stacy and Clinton (yes, another What Not to Wear example) even teach that quality is much more important than quantity. Um, hello! Are you not guilty of looking in your jam-packed closet of clothes, only to have "nothing to wear"?!?!? Think of your friendships the same way.

No matter how big, small, old, or new a friendship is, each one is absolutely important in its own way. After all ladies, you're not put together without a good bra, a lovely outfit, and perfect accessories!

Italian "Pepperoncini" Shredded Beef Sandwiches (crockpot!)

2011-10-14T20:59:00.001-04:00

I've made this several times, and every time, Marc raves about it! Ha, in fact, as I'm typing this out for you, I asked him how he would describe the flavors... the only thing he could come up with was "a meat party in my mouth!" It is one of the easiest things you could throw in the crock pot (prep is less than 5 minutes!), and you'll most likely have leftovers to enjoy later. So without further ado... the recipe.

Italian "Pepperoncini" Shredded Beef Sandwiches

(Sorry my picture has such bad lighting! The sandwich was long eaten before I realized it...!)

Ingredients:
3lbs boneless beef chuck roast
1 (2 ounce) dry onion soup packet
1 (10oz) jar sliced pepperoncini peppers (aka: mild banana peppers)
1 cup water
1 beef boulion cube
shredded mozzarella cheese
french rolls

Directions:
Place roast in crock-pot.

Rub roast with onion soup packet in crock-pot (most will fall to the bottom, which is fine).

Dump jar of pepperoncini peppers (including juice) in crock-pot, along with the water and beef bouillon cube. (You could substitute beef broth in place of the cup of water and beef bouillon cube if you had it handy.)

Cook on LOW for 8-10 hours.

Once cooked, take roast out of crock-pot and let "rest" for 5-10 minutes. This will allow the juices to remain inside the meat, keeping it moist. Once the meat has rested, it should break apart easily for you. Remove any fat that remains on the meat while shredding.

Split your french rolls and broil in oven until toasted.

Top toasted rolls with shredded beef, mozzarella cheese, and some peppers if you'd like - then drizzle some of the au jus (liquid remaining in crock-pot) over the top. (Personal preference: I like to pop the sandwich meat-side-up it in the broiler before drizzling the liquid over to brown the cheese.)

It is also yummy to serve some au jus with the sandwich as dip.

Seriously easy, right?????????? Trust me, it's delicious.

Mini Mexican Meat Loaves

2011-10-04T13:07:00.001-04:00

Okay, let me start this post off by saying I do not like meatloaf. At all. Never have. What ever inspired the concept of a "loaf of meat"? It even sounds gross! All that negative stuff being said, for some strange reason I tried this Kraft recipe and it's surprisingly reaaaaaaly good. Even better, its as kid-friendly as it is adult-friendly - SCORE!

Mini Mexican Meat Loaves

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef (I use lean)
1/2 cup finely chopped onion (I have used both yellow and sweet)
1 egg
12 saltine crackers, finely crushed (about 1/2 cup)
1 1/2 cups finely shredded Mexican/Fiesta cheese, divided
1 cup chunky salsa, divided

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400º and spray a 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray.

Combine ground beef, onions, egg, and saltine crackers with 1 cup cheese and 1/2 cup salsa.

Press mixture into the greased muffin tins. Using the back of a spoon, press an indention into the center of each.

Bake 20 to 25 minutes until meat loaves are done (160º). Top with remaining salsa and cheese and bake an additional 3 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

NOTE: I think it tastes even better when I let the ingredients marry in the refrigerator either overnight or at minimum, a few hours... so after the "combine everything" step, I cover and do just that. Then, when ready to cook, I preheat, spray the pan, and continue as listed. Added bonus: It makes for quick day-of prep... which is awesome for a workin' mom like me!

**10/5/11 UPDATE*** We had leftovers and decided to reheat them last night for dinner. Since it wasn't a whole lot, I used the toaster oven instead of the large oven (which I'm certain woudl work out the same). I preheated it to 400º and let them warm up for 10ish minutes, maybe longer. They were FABULOUS... possible better! My next trial will be freezing them to see if they reheat well that way... I'll keep you updated!

Guest Blog: My Miracle Testimony

2011-09-27T13:25:00.002-04:00

Today's blog comes to you via a guest blogger, Courtney Bootka. She recently shared her testimony during a ladies conference at her church, and I asked if she would be willing to share it via my blog as well. Her story is of infertility, disappointment, heartbreak, hope, and triumph.

Infertility and/or miscarriage is something that affects SO many of us women... but even more personally, it has affected more of my dear friends and family across the country than I can count, myself included. Whether you're struggling with infertility, miscarriage, or are just waiting on an answer from God, this story of His perfect timing is applicable to all of us. Open your heart, and get ready for her story encourage your tight grip on hope!

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Like most little girls, being a mom was something I dreamed about from as far back as I can remember. When I was seven years old, “Santa” brought me a life-size baby doll for Christmas that I named Meagan. I proudly toted Meagan everywhere with me until I was about eleven years old; even then, she had a special spot reserved on my bed and I faithfully would change her clothes with each passing season until the day I got married. I loved playing mom.

When my husband and I got married, we decided to take some time first to just enjoy each other’s company before having children. Even with the plan to wait in mind, it was on our honeymoon airplane ride to Hawaii that we came up with a list of names we liked for our future children. After three years of marriage, we decided we were ready to start our little family. Due to my older sister not being able to have children biologically, I always had a fear that I wouldn’t be able to either. After a year of trying for a baby, I realized that my deepest fear was becoming my reality.

I went to two different physicians and had countless tests performed. In the end, I was told I had a condition that wouldn’t allow me to carry a baby to term. The hopelessly shattering words that made up my diagnosis may as well have formed a knife that pierced the deepest depths of my heart. I was left heartbroken and couldn’t believe my childhood dream of becoming a mother may never come true.

Over the next two years, my husband and I looked at all of the options for becoming parents and decided to become “foster to adopt” parents. In July of 2006, we got our first placement, a twelve-year-old young lady we met during our observation hours. Six months later, we got two siblings, a four-month-old little boy and a two-year-old little girl. My dream of becoming a mom started to feel like it was indeed coming true.

Our first three children, however, ended up not being adoptable; which surprisingly caused greater heartbreak than hearing I’d never carry a baby. Even today, two years after losing each of them, hardly a day goes by that I do not think of them and wonder how they’re doing. Knowing they are out there in a “less-than-ideal” situation, yet, not being able to do a thing for them is such a helpless feeling. The only comfort I have is knowing that before they were my children, they were God’s, and always will be.

So, here we were in June of 2007, almost a year after our first placement, when we got the best phone call of our lives. A little blonde hair, blue eyed, twenty-two-month-old boy was up for adoption. When my husband and I met him for the first time on July 3rd, we felt an immediate bond and love towards him. It was truly amazing. He felt like our son that we had since birth, not a stranger at all. He was, and still is, perfect in every way; and absolutely gorgeous, if I may say so myself! His parents had already both signed over their rights (which is a miracle in itself), so all we had to do was wait the six months required in order to finalize the adoption.

On December 31, 2007, he became our forever son and we were able to name him Brendan Anthony (two of the names that were in fact on the list developed on the honeymoon flight to Hawaii). My dream finally came true, I was a mommy! Every time he said Mama or Dada, my heart melted; I was in heaven! What I find even more amazing is the countless times, even to this day, we have been told how much he looks like us. In fact, a week he was placed with us, we were checking out at Wal-Mart when a gentleman said, “I’m sure you get this all the time, but your son looks just like you.” He probably thought I was either crazy or extremely conceited because in thanking him, I smiled from ear to ear and back around again; on the inside I was thanking God, yet again, for the true miracle he had given us in Brendan.

Life seemed perfect. My husband and I were finally parents and enjoyed every minute of it. Over the next two years, I occasionally would daydream about what it would be like to have a natural-born child. I loved my son with all my heart, but I still had a longing to experience the many moments and feelings that accompany pregnancy and a natural-born child. Knowing it would never happen, I really didn’t share this desire with anyone.

God, however, knew the desires of my heart, and at LUV conference 2010 He promised me my second miracle child. At this particular conference, each service revolved around the theme "It's a time to...,” and the first night's service was "It's a time to sing." Sis. Karen Harding spoke that night about circumstances and that no matter the circumstance you are going though, to just sing… to always have a song in your heart. However, somehow the theme slowly morphed from "It's a time to sing" to "It's a time to heal."

To be totally honest, I wasn't thrilled about going to LUV. Conferences aren’t typically my thing, so the entire service I was trying to convince myself that the message was not really for me. At one point in her message, she stated that at the end of service she would call people up that needed special healings and miracles; I was totally convinced it didn't apply to me. I started thinking to myself, "No, my life isn't perfect, but how can I complain? I really don't need a major miracle. Of course, I would love to be able to have a natural-born child, but that's not what she is going to call people up for. She's going to call people up that need major healings and miracles. Plus, God has blessed us with an incredible child already."

By the end of the service I was thoroughly self-convinced I would be able to sit back and quietly pray alone in my seat. God had other plans though! Sis. Harding called two different groups of ladies down to be prayed for. One of the groups to be called down was for those that suffered from Fibromyalgia. The other group of ladies she called down were those that wanted to have a child and could not. I couldn't believe it! Of all things to call people up for, she said the one thing I secretly wanted but had tried all service to convince myself it wasn’t really for me. Even then, I remain seated, thinking, "Well God, yes, that's me, BUT I do have a child, a miracle child."

She continued, "Ladies that have been trying for a long time, but have been unable to conceive." I thought, "Yes God, that's me too, we tried for a very long time and the doctors finally said my body could not carry a baby… BUT again, you already gave us our child through adoption."

She continued once more, "Ladies that want a natural-born child." Finally, I whispered "O.K. God, I hear you!"

So, up to the front I went to be prayed for. Over the seven years I struggled with infertility, there were many services that I went to the altar to pray for complete healing in my body, never walking away truly believing I was healed. That night, however, I did not walk away thinking, "IF I have a child" but instead, "WHEN I have a child." I could not get the song "I'm claiming my promise" out of my head for weeks…. a blessing was on its way!

Two months after this conference, we found out that I was five weeks pregnant! Due to my history, the doctors coded me as a high-risk pregnancy and required me to come in every week for ultrasounds. At my eight week appointment, the doctor said the baby was growing normally and since everything looked perfect, I no longer would be considered high-risk. The doctor actually used the word "miracle" when describing everything to me. He didn’t have to tell me what a miracle this baby was, I knew at my first ultrasound that everything was going be okay. You see, the very first picture I saw of my baby looked as if there were physical hands holding my womb. At first, I thought I was crazy, but two other people said the same thing. I knew those hands were God’s and that He was going to protect my baby throughout my entire pregnancy.

He did just that; I had a perfectly healthy pregnancy, not a single complication or day of sickness! On December 28, 2010, I gave birth to a beautiful, healthy baby girl named Adelyn (a name I came up with during one of those daydreaming moments) that is now nine months old. Still, she hasn’t had a single day of sickness other than an occasional runny nose.

When I say my children are miracles, they truly are. The case manager (who I’m quite certain did not even believe in God) who placed Brendan with us said his case was truly a miracle from God. She told us parents hardly ever sign over their rights without a fight, and the way in which we were picked out of all the families in Texas who wanted to adopt was only by the works of God. Oh, and you should know this! Just last month it was reconfirmed (as if that was even necessary!) what a miracle Adelyn is. I had to go in for an ultrasound and rather than seeing my normal doctor who knows the story of Adelyn, I saw his Nurse Practitioner. Only a few seconds after starting the ultrasound, she asked in a puzzled tone, “How in the world did you ever get pregnant?!” All I could do was smile and thank God for my two miracles.

In the moment, it's easy to want to ask God why it took seven years for my miracle healing; however, when we step back and truly think about it, His timing was perfect. If we would had been able to have a natural-born child seven years ago when we had wanted to start growing our family, we would had never looked into fostering and we would never had been given our first miracle child, Brendan. And although they are not with us now, we cannot help but thank God for the time we were able to spend with our other three foster children.

Whatever miracle you need, trust that God knows the desires of your heart. God is truly a miracle working God and his timing is always perfect!

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Courtney currently resides in Round Rock, Texas, with her husband, Bryan and two children, Brendan and Adelyn. They attend New Life UPC church.

If Courtney's story has touched you and you would like to comment or leave a message for her, all comments from this blog will be forwarded directly to her.

Mexican Rice

2011-09-12T20:51:00.000-04:00

I have a confession to make. Until recently, I always used those little boil and serve Mexican/Spanish rice packages. Give me a break... the thought of making it from scratch intimidated me! However, after mastering the Frijoles a la Charra, I felt slightly braver to give it a whirl (or two).... and well, I'll never EVER buy packaged rice again.

Mexican Rice

Ingredients:
28 oz can whole tomatoes, drained
1 medium yellow onion
2 cups long grain white rice
1/3 cup oil
2 jalapenos
4 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
1 Tbs tomato paste
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup frozen corn
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 fresh cilantro, minced

Directions:
Process tomatoes and onion together in a food processor until pureed smooth. Reserve 2 cups of this mixture and discard the excess.

In a mesh strainer, rinse rice under cold running water until the water runs clear (about 1-2 minutes). Shake well to remove excess water. (Do not omit this step or your rice will be gloppy, not dry and fluffy.)

Remove and discard ribs and seeds from jalapenos. Mince flesh and set aside.

Heat oil over medium-high heat in a heavy-bottomed pot/dutch oven with high sides (I use a 8 quart pot). Once oil is hot (to test, drop a few grains of rice in... if they "sizzle," it's ready), add rice and cook until translucent/light golden, about 6 minutes, stirring frequently.

Reduce heat to medium, add minced jalapenos and garlic. Cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 1/2 minutes.

Stir in pureed tomato/onion mixture, tomato paste, salt, frozen corn, and chicken broth. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil.

Transfer to rice cooker and cook for about 30-35 minutes (until tender), stirring after 15 minutes. Stir in cilantro prior to serving.

**Note, if you don't have a rice cooker, the original recipe stated to use an oven-proof dutch oven (from the beginning) and at the last step, cover and place in the oven preheated to 350° for about 30-35 minutes, stirring after 15 minutes. Since I have a rice cooker, I felt it would be much easier and less energy using it than the oven...

PS: This rice re-heats and freezes incredibly well too!

Mexican Casserole

2011-09-07T15:17:00.000-04:00

FAIR WARNING: Absolutely nothing about this recipe is healthy. Some of my friends will not even consider it cooking... recipe blasphemy is more like it, right? Regardless, it's bad-for-you deliciousness that's perfect for this fall weather.

Mexican Casserole

Ingredients:
1 lb lean ground beef
1 can rotel
1 can cream of mushroom
1 can cream of chicken
1 can cheddar cheese soup
2 Tbs (heaping) perfect taco seasoning w/o salt (or a packet of low-sodium store bought)
tortilla chips
shredded mexican cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 300°.

Brown meat and drain fat. Mix all ingredients (except tortilla chips and shredded cheese) together.

Line a 9" square baking dish with chips (I somewhat crush them) and 1/3 of the beef mixture. Repeat two more times, creating 3 total layers.

Bake 1 hour, then sprinkle with shredded cheese.

This is great served with tortilla chips as well as on baked potatoes for a Mexican flair! Be creative... it's yummy! Oh, and it's even better the next day.

Perfect Taco Seasoning

2011-09-06T21:19:00.000-04:00

Try this recipe, and you'll never ever use store bought packets again... guaranteed! I make it in big batches and store in my spice cabinet (shaking well prior to each use to redistribute the spices).

Perfect Taco Seasoning

Ingredients:
2 Tbs Mexican chili powder
1 Tbs ground cumin
2 tsp. cornstarch
1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground cayenne (red) pepper
1 tsp kosher salt (OPTIONAL)

Directions:
Mix all ingredients together in an airtight jar.

Use about 2 heaping Tbs (or to your taste) in place of store bought packets, with 1/2 cup water or broth.

Note: On the optional salt... depending on what I'm using it for and if it's needed, I will add salt individually when the taco seasoning is added. When I make taco meat, for instance, I use beef broth in place of the water, which has plenty of sodium, none extra is needed. Most store bought taco seasoning packets are waaaaay too salty for me, of course, it's all to your taste.

Salsa a-la-mazing

2011-09-06T21:02:00.000-04:00

How do you like my recipe title? I thought it was quite clever myself! Without good tomatoes, you don't get good salsa... and good, vine ripened tomatoes are hard to come by all the time.This salsa recipe uses canned tomatoes, which in my opinion, yields consistent results all year round. I have never ever been a fan of jarred salsa, and so this is the perfect solution for this Texas-raised girl. I make it about once a week!

Salsa a-la-mazing

Ingredients:
1 - 28 oz can whole tomatoes w/ juice
2 - 10 oz cans Rotel (diced tomatoes and green chilies)
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, pressed (or minced)
1 whole jalapeno, quartered and sliced thin
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 cup to 1 cup cilantro (to taste)
1 lime, juiced

Directions:
Using a 12 cup food processor (or processing in batches and mixing together), combine all ingredients together. Pulse until you get the consistency you'd like (I like mine well-processed). Test seasonings with a tortilla chip and adjust as needed. Refrigerate for at least an hour so the flavors can marry.

Enjoy!

Labor (in-the-kitchen) Day Weekend

2011-09-06T11:15:00.002-04:00

This past Labor Day weekend I spent quite a few hours in my kitchen doing what I have come to love (for the moment anyway).

Friday I had made the iced coffee and syrups for some girlfriends I had over Saturday morning, where I also served the cinnamon French toast casserole. The girls came over while Marc was at work; we had a good time relaxing, chit-chatting, and enjoying each other’s company while the kids got some play time in. The adult interaction was a breath of fresh air after the potty training weekend I had previously.

Saturday evening I seriously spent three hours in the kitchen (4:00-7:00) preparing a Mexican feast for my two hunnies. I made frijoles a la charra, Mexican rice (my first time from scratch), salsa, and attempted beef fajitas. I’ve already posted the frijoles recipe and will be posting the rice and salsa soon… they were unbelievable. I will NOT, however, be posting the fajita recipe, ha. It was a major FAIL! Give up I will not… I WILL recreate this Tex-Mex amazingness eventually. (“Eventually” is the key word there.) At this point in the evening, I was pretty tired from the busy day and ever-so-thankful for my husband who cleaned up the disaster I created in the kitchen.

No sooner had we settled in to the couch for the evening, I had the bright idea that I needed to make spiced pumpkin syrup for my iced coffee. Of course, I HAD to make it right then and there. Guess who made my grocery run? Yep, my sweet husband. (No doubt, I could not survive without this man and I firmly believe that nobody else could survive having to deal with me.) I am privileged to have him as my husband.

Sunday morning I tested the syrup in my coffee… Y.U.M.M.Y. Am I a broken record when I say, “I’ll post the recipe soon!”? Because, I’ll be posting it soon! If you’re worried I’m bombarding you with food, I have a pretty busy week/weekend ahead of me, so I don’t think I’ll be doing much playing around in the kitchen… for the next few days anyway.

By Monday, the weather was GORGEOUS here in Louisville. It was a little misty, but with it brought cool, refreshing air. We caught up a little on house work and I made a batch of lemon poppy seed muffins for myself (they’re my favorite muffins EVER), and some pecan melt-aways for a friend. We then spent the Labor Day evening grilling out with friends. Lazy, no-stress, friendship perfection.

Potty Training Update:
It’s officially been a week since the 3 Day Potty Training method has been completed. Liam had only two accidents total since the 29th of August (at home no less), and he’s stayed dry at night for three days! (My son previously had NEVER woke up with a dry diaper. We have been adamant about not using diapers/pull-ups at night. How else will he learn?) He’s obviously learning! I can tell, especially the past two days, that his muscles are developing better. He’s learning to “hold it” for longer periods of time as well as learning to empty his bladder completely when he does go. I am so proud of him!!!

Cold-Brewed Iced Coffee & Simple Syrups!

2011-09-03T13:39:00.000-04:00

Along with the Cinnamon French Toast Casserole I made this morning, I also served this iced coffee. I think everyone had about 3 glasses worth, right girls? Basically, it's amazingly delicious if you ask me... you must try it!

Cold-Brewed Iced Coffee

Ingredients:
1/2 lb dark, rich coffee grounds
4 quarts (1 gallon) cold water
mesh strainer and cheesecloth

(For the delicious parts:)
Ice
Half and half
Simple syrup(s) (recipe to follow)

Directions:
Dump coffee grounds into a large container (I just use a huge mixing bowl I have on hand). Pour the cold water over the coffee, stirring to ensure all grounds are touching water.

Cover and allow to sit overnight (or at least 8-9 hours).

Line mesh strainer with a few layers of cheesecloth (this just helps make sure no coffee grounds gets into your coffee) and place over your storing pitcher or another large container. Slowly pour the coffee/water mixture through the strainer, allowing all the liquid to pass through. Discard grounds and cheesecloth.

Place coffee concentrate in the fridge and allow to cool. (Pssst! Do not cheat and "try" it right now, I promise, it's better if you let it actually get cold.) Oh, and if you have a pitcher that seals, the coffee concentrate will keep in your fridge for a while... although I think you will find it wont be there very long!

To make the iced coffee, fill a glass full of ice, then fill about 1/2 to 2/3 full with the coffee concentrate. Add a generous splash (really generous if you ask me!) of half and half and then some simple syrup to taste. (Oh, and don't worry, the half and half will make your iced coffee look very "milky." Trust me, this coffee is not the same concentrate as regularly brewed coffee, it's much stronger, so even though it might look wimpy at first, the coffee will still come through and knock your socks off.

Yes, you could use granulated sugar instead of the simple syrup, but since it's a cold drink, it doesn't dissolve well and trust me, the simple syrup is super simple... see below.

To make Simple Syrup:
It's called "simple" for a reason, people. Don't you dare spend $8-$13 at the grocery for "sugar water," when you can make it and store it yourself. It's probably even easier than buying it. Seriously.

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1/2 Tbs corn syrup (optional)

Directions:
Place sugar and water in a small sauce pan. Bring to boil and stir until all sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat, stir in corn syrup (if using) and cool.

If you plan on storing your simple syrup, it may be a good idea to add the 1/2 Tbs corn syrup into your mixture. It is not required and doesn't alter the taste... it just helps the syrup stay smooth. Again, not required, but I put it in mine.

For simple flavored syrup, such as vanilla or hazelnut, stir in 2 teaspoons of the extract into the syrup after it has been removed from heat (in the same step as the corn syrup).

I use the extract because #1: I like to keep it simple, #2: I always have vanilla extract on hand, and #3, I use a great quality Mexican vanilla extract. Good extract makes all the difference. Of course, you could get all fancy and use real vanilla beans, or even cinnamon sticks (experiment with whatever flavors you like). If you want to do it the "fancy" way, just pour the hot syrup over your "infusers" and allow to sit for about 10 minutes, then strain out the solids and you've got your flavored syrup.

Store your syrup in a sealed container in the refrigerator. I got the most gorgeous "syrup containers" half off at Hobby Lobby last night... you can see them behind the coffee in the picture. Weird how having a gorgeous container somehow makes the syrup more amazing and fun to use. =)

Cinnamon French Toast Casserole

2011-09-03T12:51:00.001-04:00

I made this casserole this morning for a few friends... I think it passed the taste test since we all had seconds! The most amazing thing about this breakfast dish? You prep it all the night before, so all you have to do is literally pop it in the oven in the morning!

Cinnamon French Toast Casserole

Ingredients:
1 loaf crusty Italian or French bread
8 eggs
2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
3/4 cup sugar
2 Tbs vanilla extract

(For the topping:)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp (heaping) cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 stick very cold butter, cut into pieces
(optional) fresh fruit

Note 1 of 2: Marc does my grocery shopping and couldn't decide what kind of bread to get, so he got an Italian loaf as well as a French bread loaf. Not wanting to waste (and hoping for even the slightest hint of a more complex flavor) I used half of each... and I think I will do this every time! (I plan on freezing the other half's for the next time I made this... you know, next weekend.)

Note 2 of 2: Out of habit, every time I make french toast of any kind, I always use "day old" bread whenever possible. Then, what I do is, slice the bread and set out on the counter (covered with a paper towel if you'd like) all day long either the night before I plan to use it, or in this recipe's case, the day I plan to prep it. It's weird that you would want slightly stale bread, but I promise, it's the secret to fantastic french toast. Okay, now back to the recipe.

Directions:
Grease a 9x13" baking dish with butter. Tear your bread into chunks (or cut into cubes) and evenly distribute in the pan.

Mix together eggs, milk, cream, sugar, and vanilla. Pour evenly over bread. Cover tightly and refrigerate several hours or overnight.

In a separate bowl, mix flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Using a pastry blender (or a fork), blend the butter with the dry mixture until it resembled fine pebbles. Store in a ziploc in the fridge.

When you're ready to bake the casserole, preheat oven to 350°. Remove casserole from fridge and sprinkle crumb mixture over the top. (If you're using fruit, put that on before the crumb mixture.)

Bake for 45 minutes (for a softer, more bread pudding texture), to an hour (for a firmer, less liquid texture).

Scoop out individual portions and top with butter and a drizzle of maple syrup.

Whala! You've got an insanely delicious, prepped-ahead breakfast!

Potty Training Finale (part 4)

2011-08-29T21:43:00.001-04:00

Once again, I set my alarm early so I would be ready when Liam woke up. When he did, he was not dry and cried immediately because his underwear were wet. Poor little guy! We ran to the potty... he went, put on a fresh pair of undies, helped me change the sheets... our day has officially started! Smiling like a crazy woman, deep down I was anxious, nervous, and now had a sore back to go along with my sore thighs. I...can...do...this...!!!

Using the extremely excited and high-pitched voice Mom's magically inherit on the day their child is born, I reminded Liam for the zillionth, billionth time to let me know when he has to go potty and that we have to keep our underwear dry. After breakfast and about two hours into our day he was accident free, but hadn't needed to "go" yet either. The make or break moment was soon coming. Would today be a repeat of yesterday?

Thirty minutes later... "Momma, I need to pee!" Ahhh no accident yet! We run run run to the bathroom, he goes in the toilet, flushes, washes hands... He did it! (FYI: I repeat "run" three times in my blog because I literally say it three times when we're running to the bathroom prior to jumping around in "excitement" because Liam's underwear are still dry.) I happily texted Daddy "Potty: 1 - Accidents: 0."

For the remainder of the morning, he told me every single time before he went... ZERO accidents! Did you hear me? I said ZERO!

After nap, he woke up DRY! Exciting! In my head I was throwing "stir the pot" moves and chanting, "Go Momma! Go Momma!" but don't worry, verbally I was chanting for Liam. He stayed accident-for the remainder of the evening until about 6:00 PM.

Regarding the above mentioned accident... He told me he needed to go pee just like every time before, but quickly changed his mind. Not wanting to force (but knowing he needed to go), I did ask if he needed to go potty, but since he said no, I just reinforced those repetitive lines from the book. Of course, less than 5 minutes later the accident happened, but at least he finished in the potty. It baffles me that he knew he needed to go, but just didn't want to for this one instance? The great thing is, that was the only accident of our entire day!

There was one more thing that happened today... At bedtime, he of course, wanted to go to the bathroom an extreme number of times in order to avoid going to bed. (By the way, the book/method I'm following does not mention what to do if you can't get them to STOP asking to go to the potty for these reasons!) After enough was enough, he was going to stay in bed no matter what. Keep in mind, bedtime is normally a completely drama-free time for us. We say prayers, give big kisses and small kisses... that's our normal. Today was very abnormal. He cried for milk, yogurt, juice, water, Cheetos, hugs, HELP, potty, momma, daddy, kisses... you name it, he cried for it. I was sitting outside his door just listening, hoping he would cry it out and go to sleep. Not happening. He was soon out of bed and sitting by the door screaming the pleas mentioned. Finally, I opened the door and after some hugs, toddler pillow talk, a song, and a few more hugs and kisses, he finally calmed down (he had been crying so hard his breathing was still breaking up).

I'm not sure if the bedtime thing was due to the stress of the past few days or what. He did SO GOOD today... and realizing he's made such a big change from the way his routine has been for the past two and a half years makes me a little soft.

SO... with one accident for the day, did the 3 Day Potty Training work??? (Yea, I'm asking you!)

Thankfully, I'm off work tomorrow as well to hopefully continue the "potty excitement!" I hope and pray he wakes up in a good and fresh mood, ready to tackle the day accident free! The only change to our past three day routine is his doctor appointment in the morning. Yes, I'm nervous... and I have a change of clothes packed. =)

In summary, I'd take labor over potty training any day (or three) of the week. To put it plainly, potty training, although today was very rewarding, honestly sucks.

Potty Training (part 3)

2011-08-28T20:57:00.000-04:00

W.O.W... Day two is officially over. I am still here with hair intact; I think I'm still sane.

The day started off super early. I set my alarm clock for 6:00 AM to guarantee I would beat Liam up. On typical days past, Liam got up around 7:30-8:00 and played in his room until I roll out of bed some time later. But not today! I was so anxious to see how he did overnight! (By the way, I did get him up around 11:00 PM last night to go potty. Still dry, he sleep-walked to and went in the potty, then right back to sleep.)

So anyway, this morning, my alarm goes off. I feel as though I have been shot in both legs. My thighs are so sore... painfully and unexplainably sore. It must have been all of the squatting down to be on his level, running up and down the stairs to make it to the potty that was done on Saturday. Ouch. This is worth it though; I can do this!

I get dressed and brush my teeth; he's still sleeping. Finally, I hear him stirring and I open the door. Was he dry? Nope. BUT it was just a tiny bit of leakage that seemed pretty fresh... plus, I expected it. We run to the potty and he goes! Whohoo! We're off to a good start!

Two hours later, still no accidents and he's gone potty several times. At this point, I'm thinking it might have "clicked" already. It's all of course, because my son is suuuuuper duper smart! No sooner had I updated my Facebook status of our good start... you guessed it. Accident. Even though he "finished" in the potty, I was still a little disappointed. Guess it hadn't really clicked yet.

Then, the darnedest thing happened. He would tell me he needed to go pee, and run run run to the bathroom... but then freak out and cry, not wanting to go, followed by running back out of the bathroom. Frustrating! He held it about 10 more minutes, then told me he needed to go pee, run run run to the bathroom, freak out, not go... eventually had an accident, followed by "finishing" on the toilet. WHY DIDN'T HE GO ON THE TOILET TO BEGIN WITH??? Repeat this scenario like 3 more times. (With this method, there is no forcing... so if he didn't want to sit on the potty to go, I can't force him. He has to decide to do it himself.)

Even though he always finished on the potty, I was still getting frustrated. I tried to keep the encouraging and positive attitude. I tried my best. And for the umpteenth time, I read that dumb book with all the rules and expectations. She says this is all normal. Too bad it's not easy. Thank goodness lunch and nap time was around the corner; we both needed a break.

He woke up from his nap DRY! This was the encouragement I needed to make it through the afternoon. He did have a few more accidents through the afternoon (always finishing on the potty), but had even more times where he made it to the potty before any accidents happened. I repeat for my own sanity: I can do this!!!

In summary, other than the meltdown of day one, day two was definitely harder. Reason number one: my thighs are killing me... Reason number two: it was easier to hope and anticipate Liam catching on and having zero to a few accidents today rather than the reality that this could take to the end of day three.

The good thing is... tomorrow is day three... we're almost through the program! And just in case, I'm off with him day four as well. Just in case.

Remember... all diapers/pull-ups are gone... there's no turning back now!

Potty Training (part 2)

2011-08-27T21:05:00.002-04:00

Well, it's the end of day one... only two more days to go. I am exhausted... more mentally than physically. Thank God for my mom and friends who kept me sane with texts of support today! (Marc has been wonderful too, mind you!) During nap time I did change my facebook profile picture to the one on the left. It's part of my self-motivation... I like it.

Liam woke up from his 2-hour nap DRY! Whohoo! It was exciting and and a surprise... I was seriously waiting with fresh sheets in hand. He immediately "went" in the potty and then for the remainder of the day only had one minor eh, leakage, before he finished in the potty. Other than that he made it to the potty every time! (With this method, you do not ask them, "Do you need to go potty?" Instead, you constantly say, "Tell momma when you need to go potty, okay?" Constantly. It gets annoying after the zillionth time, too.

Oh, and then there was the poop issue. If you aren't a parent, all this pee/poop talk is really disgusting, huh? I always thought so too, so no worries. Anyway, back to the poop issue. Liam typically asks us to go away (slamming the door of his room shut) when he's pooping... he likes his privacy. Needless to say, I've been wondering how this no diaper, running to the potty was going to work when it came time for you-know-what. Let me put it simply. It was DRAMA. He "went" before we could make it to the potty, fine, I expected that. In the ebook, she has 3 or 4 methods for dealing with poop issues... I used the one where you still put "it" in the potty, and let the child flush it. After a swell of alligator tears for making his underwear dirty (oh boy was he upset!), he flushed it and proudly told Dada he pooped in the potty. Ha. Hardly, but whatever makes you proud, Liam.

Unrelated to potty training, Liam has been flexing his control when it comes to dinner time. He uses excuses like he's done, he doesn't want it, it's messy, yada yada yada... the list goes on forever. The bad thing is, he has a set of stubborn, mean, and structured parents. We mean what we say. So, when we say, "If you don't eat your dinner, it's immediate bath and bedtime with no toys, cartoons, nothing!" we mean it! We got to practice what we preached today. Let's just say Liam was in bed at 6:30 PM, extremely upset and begging for the dinner he had just snubbed. I left him in there for about fifteen minutes, then, figuring he learned his lesson, let him come out and finish dinner. He ate it all without question. I truly dislike being so mean; I wonder how many times we're going to have to do this?

Okay, so back to the end of today's potty training. Soon enough came time to brush his teeth and go to bed for real. He tried the "I need to go pee!" thing 16+ times again. I let him go three times, then we called that enough. It's been an hour and I just checked on him; he's still dry. Will he still be dry come morning? Ahhhh, I'm not counting on it... but all in all, I feel like today was a step forward and a strive at success.

One day down, two to go. I can do it!

Potty Training (part 1)

2011-08-27T14:55:00.001-04:00

The day has arrived.

The day I have been dreading since February 27, 2009.

Potty training.

Is there honestly anything else a parent dreads more as far as "milestones" are concerned? If you answered yes, I think you're crazy, but lets just put our differences aside.

Marc and I have teetered and tottered around the potty training issue... never committing to any particular method, just letting Liam go potty whenever he asked... no consistency, no pressure. He is now 2.5 years old and since the "ideal age" for training boys is 2.5-3, PLUS the fact that he is going to have a baby sister around soon... we wanted to go ahead and give it a whirl. Once sissy arrives, I'm quite certain any sort of consistency in training will be pretty much impossible for a few months.

Anyway, a few weeks ago I was talking to a friend who has a little girl 6 months younger than Liam. She was telling me about a program that was developed by a mom called "3 Day Potty Training." It's an ebook you can purchase off her site and basically, she guarantees your child will be potty trained (including nap and night-time) within 3 days, as long as you follow all of her rules exactly. Sounds easy, right? Yea, I thought so too. Until today.

The rules really aren't that difficult and seem easy to follow, but an hour into our "training" this morning, I was very close to throwing in the pee-saturated towel. I can see how some moms give up at this point... easily. Reading on paper what the rules and expectations are don't quite prepare you for the real-life, pee running down the leg into a puddle on the wood floor, version.

So there I was at 9:00 AM, standing in the middle of the room crying like the toddler I am trying to train. What went wrong? I am a very structured person who has followed the rules for an entire hour and my son is suuuuuuuuper smart (this is the biased mom coming out in me)... he was supposed to catch on during the first hour! Yea, about that... According to this method, some kids catch on the first day, others at the END of the third day. Great. I soon calmed down and got my act together. I can do this. Everything that has happened (causing my meltdown) was to be expected, according to the book. Liam is honestly doing great at this point!

Skip forward a few hours and Liam continues to catch on. We have eaten lunch and now it is time for his nap. Miraculously, before he starts to go in his underwear, he tells me he needs to go potty!!! Ah, this is exciting for momma! He goes, flushes, and washes his hands (his favorite part). Okay, time for nap. Wait, what? You need to go potty again? Okay... so, he goes, flushes, and washes his hands... and yet, still has to go again? And again? And yet, again...? Yes. Repeat this about 16+ times. Seriously. Smart little booger knew just what to do to delay nap time. However, what he didn't realize is he got 16+ times worth of accident-free practice in! HA! Momma will prevail!

I'm concentrating on keeping my hopes high, and my frustrations low. It's almost 7 hours into potty training day 1 of 3 and I am JUST SITTING while he naps. Potty training is exhausting. Oh, and I'm pretty sure my tank-top has dried pee somewhere on it.

Oh, the wonderful joys of motherhood...

Cheater's BBQ Pulled Pork (yes, crock-pot!)

2011-08-23T08:37:00.000-04:00

When I decided to try this recipe, I kept Marc in the dark. In fact, since he does my main grocery shopping, I left these ingredients off the shopping list so I could get them myself later. He had this idea in his head that crock-pot-made BBQ has to be soggy and sauce-saturated, instead of smokey and delicious, sauce only added afterwards if an extra touch was wanted by the consumer.

When the day came around for me to make it, Marc was at work, and I avoided telling him the honest truth of what was for dinner. Instead of "pulled pork sandwiches," I told him we were having pork roast. Laugh all you want, but I myself wasn't 100% sure on how this cheater BBQ was going to turn out, and I certainly didn't want him entertaining the thought all day of having to make an emergency pizza run after a kitchen failure!

Turns out, worrying wasn't necessary. As I mentioned earlier, the meat was not soggy, but instead, pull-apart tender, smokey and delicious! Sure, it's not real BBQ pulled pork, but considering how super easy it was to prep, cook, and clean up... I'd say it's definitely a keeper in my house

Cheater's BBQ Pulled Pork

Ingredients:

one 5-6 lb Boston butt/shoulder pork roast

1/4-1/2 cup pork rub (I really cheated and used McCormick's... gasp!)

1/2 cup liquid smoke, hickory (this is located near the BBQ/hot sauces in the grocery)

Directions:
Cut the pork into 2-3" chunks (it doesn't matter how pretty or even they are, it will be shredded in the end).

Massage the pork rub into the meat, completely covering, and place into a large crock-pot (at least 5 quarts). Add the liquid smoke.

Cover and cook on high for 5-6 hours (or on low for 10-12 hours), until the meat is pull-apart tender.

Using tongs and a slotted spoon, transfer meat from crock-pot to a platter. Let the meat rest for a few minutes, then pull apart with two forks; it should shred very easily. (NOTE: I left majority of the fat on the pork while it cooked, but trimmed/picked it out at this step, prior to shredding as I do not like fat in my BBQ pork. I was afraid of losing flavor if I had trimmed it prior to cooking.)

NOTE: Boston pork butt and shoulder are the same piece of meat... different stores/butchers label it differently. Also, some sell it boneless, others sell it with the bone in; I've used both. When using bone-in, cook with the bone and pick the meat off during the shred step. (Personal preference: go anywhere other than Walmart to get your meat!) Also, there are tons of recipes for home-made pork rubs MUCH better than the store bought kind. I am just lazy and since this is "cheater's BBQ pulled pork," I'm going all-out cheating. =) Oh, and the liquid smoke? The bottles I've found are just a hair over half a cup, so I dump the whole thing in.

Serve:
While you can serve this pork any way you like, I simply piled it on my favorite sesame seeded buns and topped with my favorite BBQ sauce.

To serve the BBQ later, cover and refrigerate the meat when it has cooled; refrigerate the meat juice separately. To reheat, place meat in a covered dish with some of the reserved juices and heat in an oven at 350º for 20-30 minutes.

Updates on Baby Girl...

2011-08-22T11:00:00.000-04:00

Baby Girl was "sleeping" for the majority of this ultrasound, and like Liam, she was head down on my cervix, so face pictures are a little hard to get. (Liam stayed that way from 20 weeks on, and she probably will too.) She is measuring right on time with her due date, and I am measuring a little small (I always did with Liam too). Oh, and I've gained 0.2 ounces! Her heart rate was 138 bpm, and she weighs about 12 ounces. Her heart and kidneys all look perfect!

In the video above, you can see her little heart beating and her mouth moving.

Here's her little profile!

AND... we have a name!

Ainsley Alice Reed

Marc and I came up with her first name, Ainsley, individually (we both like Irish/Celtic/Welsh names)... and for it to be such an odd name and both come up with it, it stuck! It was between Ainsley and Ireland. We could always decide to change it, but for now, Ainsley it is! (pronunciation: AYNZ-lee)

Her middle name, Alice, is after my great grandmother, Adeline Alice Houston. I am the least sentimental person on the planet, until it comes to my granny. I am so thankful that Marc agreed without hesitation to let me use her namesake. There is no one more special and beautiful she could be named after.

Crispy (baked) Coconut Chicken w/ Apricot Dijon Dipping Sauce

2011-08-21T15:17:00.000-04:00

This is one of our absolute favorite dishes to eat. It is sweet, yet savory, and the dipping sauce is a MUST! (Psst! You won't believe how simple it is to make!)

Crispy (baked) Coconut Chicken

w/ Apricot Dijon Dipping Sauce

Ingredients:
1 cup sweetened coconut
1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 1/2 lb chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup butter, melted

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400º. Spray a large, shallow baking pan with non-stick spray (I usually line with foil and spray).

Mix coconut, flour, salt, pepper, and garlic powder in medium bowl (I use a pie dish actually). Dip chicken strips in egg, then coat with coconut mixture. (TIP: After several clumpy, yet still delicious, messes... I've learned to use one hand to handle the chicken/egg, and the other hand to handle the coconut coating.)

Place coated strips in a baking pan. Drizzle with butter. (I've used all kinds, but salted butter has proved to be the absolute best flavor-wise)

Bake 25 minutes or until chicken is browned and cooked through, turning after 12 minutes. Serve with Apricot Dijon Dipping Sauce (see recipe below).

Apricot Dijon Dipping Sauce
Mix 1 cup apricot preserves and 2 Tbsp. dijon mustard until well blended.
(HOW EASY IS THAT? I don't even like dijon-style stuff, but this is amazing with the chicken tenders, trust me!)

Mom's Healthy Version:
My mom tried a healthier version of the recipe by using whole wheat flour, unsweetened natural coconut flakes, and spraying the chicken with Pam (instead of using butter)... turned out great for her if that's up your ally!

Super Simple Marinated Chicken

2011-08-19T11:43:00.000-04:00

I used to buy the bags of frozen chicken breasts, but buying it fresh always seems to taste better and has a better texture (even if you end up freezing it yourself). So, last week I had a few fresh chicken breasts left over, and decided to marinate them and then pop them in the freezer for a later time. I used an Italian dressing/Parmesan cheese mixture and after cooking the dish last night, added it to my recipe book! Marc loved it for the juiciness and flavor of the entire piece of chicken... I loved it for the simplicity. (Oh, and Liam liked it simply because it was "chicken.")

Super Simple Marinated Chicken

Ingredients:
4 small chicken breasts
1/2 cup zesty Italian dressing
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Mix dressing and cheese, pour over chicken in a resealable freezer bag. Freeze up to 3 months.

When preparing to cook, simply thaw the marinated chicken in the fridge the day before...

Preheat oven to 425º. Remove chicken from bag and discard marinade (the chicken will be well-coated in the marinade by this point). Place on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until chicken is thoroughly cooked. (If you want a darker crust, broil the chicken an additional minute or so.)

I served with steamed veggies and cooked egg noodles (drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with salt-free seasoning).

Also, if you didn't want to freeze, I am sure you could marinate overnight in the refrigerator with great results.

Told ya! It couldn't be any simpler!!!

T.M.I.

2011-08-18T20:24:00.001-04:00

Hello, please allow me to introduce myself.

I am the rebellious teenager who does things out of spite.

I am the 16 year old “church girl” who loses her virginity; freely giving it to someone who really doesn't care all that much about her after all.

I am the 17 year old flirting with a commitment to a life filled with brokenness and abuse.

I am the daughter who blatantly disrespects and disobeys her parents.

I am the new wife, burdened by a past of heaviness.

I am the woman who is fearful to trust, full of insecurities and selfishness.

I am the murderer by mouth, spewing death, poison, and toxic words from my sharp tongue.

I am the friend who carries a prideful and envious spirit.

I am imperfect, blemished, broken, pained, sickly, hopeless, lustful, judgemental, desperate, vain, and lazy.

This is just a taste of who I am… so again, please allow me to introduce myself.

I am a sinner, saved by grace.

My name is...

Forgiven... Redeemed... Daughter of the King!

"Out of sheer generosity he put us in right standing with himself. A pure gift. He got us out of the mess we're in and restored us to where he always wanted us to be. And he did it by means of Jesus Christ." Romans 3:24, The Message

Frijoles a la charra

2011-08-13T16:52:00.006-04:00

BEANS. We've all eaten them, right? One of my favorite traditions growing up was the big pot of beans that would be made after Christmas and Thanksgiving, using the honey baked ham bones. The only other time I got excited about eating beans was when we went to Benito's (see reference in the Praline post). Their bean soup was divine... like, lick your bowl divine.

Today I tested out a recipe hoping it would take me back, like the pralines, to that little family restaurant... and I secretly hoped to really impress my husband, who really knows his Mexican dishes. I was up against big expectations! I think he would be confident telling you expectations have been met and exceeded.

Frijoles a la charra

Ingredients (part 1):

1lb dry pinto beans

3 large cloves garlic, pressed (or minced)

1 cup diced onion

1/4 cup jalapeno juice (from canned jalapenos)

1/4lb salt pork

Directions (part 1):

Rinse and sort the beans, then soak. (I prefer the overnight soak, but you could also do the quick boil method on the package.)

After soaking (or boiling if using that method), drain the beans and cover with 7 cups fresh water in a large pot.

Add to the pot the garlic, onion, jalapeno juice, and salt pork.

Bring the pot to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to a simmer, stirring occasionally.

After an hour, test the beans for doneness. If they're not yet tender enough, continue cooking, checking every 15 minutes until desired texture is reached.

Remove salt pork, add salt to taste.

(While the beans are cooking (above), begin part 2)

Ingredients (part 2):

4 slices bacon, chopped into 1" pieces

1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes (do not drain)

Jalapenos to taste... I used a few spoonfuls (from the can in part 1)

2 chipoltes in adobo, chopped

1 cup fresh cilantro

Directions (part 2):

Cook bacon in a skillet until crisp.

Add tomatoes, jalapenos, chipoltes, and cilantro to skillet. Cook on medium for 10 minutes.

Let mixture cool, then add either one cup of cooked bean juice, or one cup of water. (Since I prefer my beans more like "soup," I used water here... but it's up to you!) Puree this mixture in a food processor.

Stir puree into cooked beans and let simmer together for 20 minutes.

Serve soup-style (my preference), or use a slotted spoon to drain the extra juices. Either way, I'm certain you will enjoy!

Pralines, Texas-Style

2011-08-11T21:19:00.001-04:00

There is a restaurant in La Marque, TX called Benito's. It's a family-owned mexican restaurant that has been around for AGES (and hasn't changed one single bit). As a kid, I didn't like the food very much (other than bean soup), but I always LOVED going there. Why? Because of their pralines. Every time they brought your table's check, you knew your own personal praline would be there as well, always handmade by the grandmother. In fact, since we've moved to Kentucky, I have made it a point at every Texas visit to stop by and pick up a dozen of these melt-in-your-mouth pieces of amazing. They lasted me about 24 hours. Seriously.

I've searched high and low, tried recipe after recipe, only to fail at recreating - even coming close to - this secret family recipe. That is, until tonight. The look, smell, texture, taste, even aftertaste... it's all the same. Identical. I about screamed in my kitchen and couldn't call my mother fast enough to share this news. Silly yes, but you have no idea. I think nostalgia plays a big part of why they are so amazing to me, but after tasting them, Marc quickly agreed that yes, they were quite amazing.

Below, you will find the recipe to the most amazing pralines known to man. These are unlike any praline I have had before... they're not chewy, but instead have a crisp, crystallized-sugar, melt-in-your-mouth, yet creamy texture that is so hard to put into words. I am dead serious when I say if I never succeed at a new recipe again, I'm totally cool with that. These pralines are that awesome to me... and I hope you enjoy them just as much.

Pralines, Texas-Style

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups granulated white sugar
3/4 cups light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup whole milk
6 Tbs salted butter
1 tsp pure vanilla extract (don't ever even think about touching imitation!)
1 1/2 cups pecan halves, rough chopped (if you prefer, you could leave them whole)

Directions:
Lay out parchment paper or aluminum foil on your counter for the pralines. (You won't have time for this later.)

Combine all the ingredients in a medium saucepan that is at LEAST 4 quarts (I used a 6 quart with higher sides). Don't attempt with anything smaller.

Cook ingredients over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. When it comes to a boil, start stirring constantly. Let it boil for about 3 minutes, until the syrup reaches 238°-240°F on a candy thermometer.

Remove the pan from heat immediately and keep stirring. Stir, stir, stir! It will become creamy, cloudy, and start to thicken. When you feel it start to get grainy, the pralines are ready. (You can also kind of hear it if you listen closely; the crystals will make a scraping sound against the sides of the pan.)

Drop spoonfuls of the praline syrup on your waiting parchment paper/foil.(I held my pan sideways and used the spoon to push out each "spoonful" and just kept moving the pan along my foil until it was emptied.) Work very quickly, as the syrup starts to set as it gets cool.

Let the pralines cool and harden for at least 10 minutes before eating. Store in an airtight container for several days.

Baked Eggplant Parmesan

2011-08-09T20:38:00.000-04:00

Baked Eggplant Parmesan

Ingredients:
1 large eggplant (or at least 1 lb), sliced ¼” thin
½ lb sliced fresh mushrooms
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
1 ½ cups 2% shredded mozzarella cheese
1 jar (24 oz) spaghetti sauce (I used the HUNTS can, 26 oz)
kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

Directions:
Heat oven to 400º. Spray a 13x9-inch dish with cooking spray.

Layer half each of the eggplant and mushrooms in the baking dish; sprinkle lightly with Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper. Top with 1/3 each of the Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses. Repeat layers.

Top with spaghetti sauce; cover with foil.

Bake 35-40 minutes (eggplant should pierce easily with a fork). Remove foil (be careful, I almost burned myself with the steam here!). Sprinkle with remaining cheeses. Bake, uncovered, 5 minutes or until mozzarella is melted.

Serving ideas: Serve with a mixed green salad and garlic bread.

EGGPLANT TIP: When choosing an eggplant, look for ones that are blemish free, firm, shiny, and feel heavy for their size. Also, did you know that there are male and female eggplants? Yes, it’s true! The female eggplants have more seeds, and thus, have a more bitter taste (to deter nature’s seed-eaters). If you look at the “belly button” on the bottom of the eggplants, the female is more oblong and can be deeper, while the male is more of a round, flatter circle. (CLICK HERE for a great picture reference to go by) Obviously, you will want to choose a male eggplant if you can.

Pecan Melt-Away Cookies

2011-08-08T21:11:00.000-04:00

Pecan Melt-Away Cookies

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups Pecan Halves (divided)
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) Margarine or Butter, softened
1/3 cup firmly packed Brown Sugar
1 1/4 cups Flour
1 tsp Vanilla
1/4 tsp Salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°. Reserve 36 of the pecan halves for garnish; finely chop remaining pecans (I use a food processor).

Beat margarine/butter and sugar in a large bowl with electric mixture on medium speed until light and fluffy. Blend in flour, chopped pecans, vanilla, and salt. Shape dough into 36 balls (about 1" in diameter). Place 2 inches apart on baking sheets; flatten with floured glass. Press 1 pecan half into center of each cookie.

Bake 10-12 minutes or until edges are golden. Remove from baking sheets; cool on wire racks. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Roasted & Stuffed Poblano Peppers

2011-08-08T20:27:00.000-04:00

While this dish has several different steps, it is honestly super easy and practically impossible to fail! I made the "stuffing" out of what I liked and had on hand tonight, so there is ample room for your original touch! For example, you could skip the rice and add black or pinto beans... or just do the chicken and cheese... you could even skip the chicken and make it vegetarian! Really, the possibilities are endless!

Roasted & Stuffed Poblano Peppers

Ingredients:

8 Poblano Peppers, roasted, peeled, and seeded (see below for instructions)

Prepared "Taco Chicken" (see recipe below)

1 package of your favorite mexican/spanish rice mix, prepared according to packaged directions

Cheese (cheddar/mexican, your favorite), to taste

Salsa

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°.

In a large baking dish, cover the bottom lightly with salsa.

Combine prepared "taco chicken" and rice; add cheese to taste. Stuff roasted peppers with chicken mixture, and place in baking dish. Top peppers with salsa and cheese (to taste).

Bake 15-20 minutes until heated through and cheese is melted.

Be creative... and enjoy!

*Note: I only use 4 peppers tonight since I was just cooking for Marc, Liam, and myself... I simply had some "stuffing" left over.)

Instructions for roasting/peeling/seeding poblano peppers:

Heat broiler. Place the peppers on a foil-lined baking sheet. Turning occasionally, broil peppers 5 inches from the heat for 7-10 minutes, or until the peppers are covered with black blisters. Place peppers in paper bag (or resealable plastic bag) and close bag. Let stand 10-15 minutes until peppers are cooled. Remove peppers from bag, and run individually under cold water to help remove blistery peels. (Be careful not to break the skin.) To remove seeds, make vertical cut in each pepper and carefully remove/discard seeds attached to the base. Use peppers as directed in recipe.

"Taco Chicken" Recipe:

I actually make my own taco seasoning, but I'm sure you could use packaged taco seasoning. If using packaged, I would use water in place of the chicken stock due to the high amounts of sodium in packaged seasoning (my taco seasoning doesn't have salt).

2 Large Chicken Breasts (I use fresh)

2 Tbs Taco Seasoning

1 Cup Chicken Stock (or water if using packaged taco seasoning)

Place chicken breasts in crock-pot. Combine taco seasoning and chicken stock, then pour over chicken. Cook on high for 4-5 hours. I shredded the chicken at 4 hours and stirred, distributing the season well, then continued to cook for the next hour. (Just watch the chicken so it doesn't dry out in between the 4-5 hours.)

White Chicken Enchiladas (& Fresh Smashed Guacamole)

2011-08-06T20:23:00.000-04:00

White Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients:
1 Tbs. Butter
1/2 Cup Chopped Green Onions
2 Cloves Garlic (fresh pressed)
1 (4oz) Can Diced Green Chiles
1 Can Cream of Mushroom Soup (I use 98% fat free)
1/2 Cup Sour Cream
1 1/2 Cups Chicken Breasts (I use 2), cooked and cubed/shredded
1 Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese (mild or sharp, your preference), divided
Flour Tortillas
1/4 Cup Milk

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°.Lightly grease a 13x9 baking dish.

In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, melt the butter and saute the green onions until tender (about 3-4 minutes). Add the garlic, then stir in the green chiles, cream of mushroom soup and sour cream. Mix well.

Reserve 3/4 of this sauce and set aside. To the remaining 1/4 of the sauce in the saucepan, add the chicken and 1/2 cup shredded cheese. Stir together.

Fill each tortilla with the chicken mixture. Place seam side down in the baking dish.

In a small bowl, combine the reserved sauce with the milk. Spoon over the tortillas and top with remaining 1/2 cup shredded cheese.

Bake for 30 minutes until bubbly.

TIP: This can be made ahead earlier in the day and refrigerated (covered) until ready to bake! It actually helps "soak" in the flavors!

Fresh Smashed Guacamole

Ingredients:
2 Avocados
1 Small Sweet Onion, finely chopped
1 Clove Garlic, minced (or pressed)
1 Ripe Tomato, chopped
1 Lime, juiced
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Peel and smash avocados in a medium bowl. Stir in onion (to taste), garlic, tomato (to taste), lime juice, salt and pepper. Chill for half an hour to an hour to marry flavors.

TIP: The flesh of ripe avocados will yield when pressed gently. However, ripe fruits bruise easily in the market, so it's best to plan ahead, and ripen your own at home. Do not store unripened avocados in the refrigerator (ripen in a brown paper bag for 2-5 days, away from direct sunlight). Ripe avocados, however, can be stored in the crisper for up to 10 days. Oh, and did you know an avocado is actually a fruit, not a veggie? =)

Roasted Veggie Pizza

2011-08-01T14:53:00.000-04:00

INGREDIENTS

3 TBS Kraft Italian Vinaigrette Dressing (made with extra virgin olive oil), divided

1 small Red onion, cut into thin wedges
1 small Yellow Pepper, cut into strips
1 Zucchini, cut in half, then sliced crosswise
1 cup halved Cherry Tomatoes
1 cup Sliced fresh Mushrooms
1 can (11 oz) refrigerated thin pizza crust
1 cup mozzarella cheese (part skim)
4 oz crumbled feta cheese
1 cup baby spinach

DIRECTIONS
Heat oven to 425.

Heat 1 TBS dressing in a large skillet. Add onions; cook at stir on medium-high heat for 5 minutes, or until crisp-tender. Add peppers, zucchini, and mushrooms; cook and stir 5 minutes or until onions are golden brown and peppers are crisp-tender. Remove from heat; stir in tomatoes.

Unroll pizza crust on baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray, pat into 14x10-1/2 inch rectangle. Fold over edges of dough to form 1/2 inch-wide rim. Bake 5 minutes. Remove from oven; brush with remaining dressing; top with vegetable mixture and cheeses.

Bake 12 to 14 minutes or until edges of crust are golden brown. Top with spinach.

NOTE: The original recipe called for 1/3 cup sliced/pitted kalamata olives that I substituted mushrooms for. Marc and I both thought the cherry tomatoes were a little to watery and acidic for the pizza, and I will leave them out next time adding more pepper/mushrooms or another vegetable. You can also use arugula instead of spinach. It's easy to combine the veggies you love in this delicious pizza!

It's a GIRL!

2011-07-27T11:41:00.001-04:00

64% of you were right! We’re having a GIRL!

Baby girl was once again all over the place, but still cooperative. They will check again next month (20 weeks) just to be sure “she” is still a “she.” We are beyond thrilled, but I know we are in for a big change! I’m so used to my easy-going, hair-that-doesn’t-have-to-be-fixed, momma-lovin’ boy. A girl seem so much more vulnerable… it scares me! Then, you have the mother/daughter relationship that is ever so important. My friend told me this morning that God gave us the girl, so He knows everything will be just fine. I know it will be too – I just think too much.

How sweet is it that Liam guessed right? When asked if he was going to have a baby brother or baby sister, he always would say “baby sisser” and that he was going to call her “sissy.” He is going to be such a good big brother to his little sister… I am excited to see him in that role. My mom is so glad she gets to clean her attic out now; she kept all of my clothes for the first six years of my life, haha! Looks like Baby Girl will be wearing a lot of Feltman Brother dresses.

The best part is that she is growing right on track, and she is healthy and as perfect as can be! We didn’t have a preference one way or the other (boy/girl)… just as long as he/she was healthy. (After Liam’s experience, healthy is all that really matters.)

I’ve been feeling great and have no complaints. I thoroughly enjoy pregnancy and love the little belly that comes with it. Baby girl even let me feel her first flutters on my birthday last week; it was so sweet and special! She is already so very loved! It’s mind boggling to think that she will be here in just five short months!

In the meantime, any “girl” advice from my mommy friends?

What's your guess? 13 days to go!

2011-07-12T14:50:00.000-04:00

I'm guessing Baby Reed will be a...

Dear God… I’ll meet you at my soul’s hammock

2011-07-07T09:33:00.001-04:00

2011 is now more than half over, with 177 days left to go. How does half a year zoom by so quickly? Time is a just a sneaky thing I suppose. I can’t help but look back over the previous six months and wonder what I did with all my time. Have I been effective? Have I made an impact, a difference? The bigger question that I really don’t want to ask myself is, “Have I progressed in my relationship to Christ… or have I remained complacent… slowly but surely creeping backwards?” See, I don’t want to ask myself that question, because, well, I know the answer.

I read a devotional this morning about being still, waiting and relishing in the quite stillness of Christ. The author described herself much how I would describe myself… Type A, very busy, organized, to-do-list driven (you know the type… create a list and check off #1 that says “create a list!”), and with all the busyness of everyday life, we feel in control and like we’ve got it all together. Quite the contrary! What tends to happen (with me at least) is my devotional time, Bible reading, and “time with God” becomes a task on a to-do list instead of the can’t-live-without-it-heart-craving that time invested in Him should be. What happens next? Well, when the busyness subsides and my to-do list is non-existent, evenings that once consisted of Bible study homework now are replaced with LOST reruns on Netflix… and my “time with God task” is now floating somewhere down the river of summer laziness, just to be picked up again in the fall… you know, on that good ol’ to-do list. Have you ever been guilty of this?

The author goes on to talk about taking the time to “just be” in the presence of God… and gave these beautiful scripture references:

“Be still, and know that I am God.” –Psalm 46:10

“The LORD said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by. Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.” -1 Kings 19:11-12

Has there been a time in your life where you had to step away from life, and simply “be still” in the presence of God… where nothing else matters, except laying down agendas and to-do lists, and resting in your soul’s hammock beside the shores of His peace? That, my friends, is what the remainder of my so-called “lazy summer” will be about.

Who’s joining me?

A Momma's Promise

2011-03-10T14:51:00.003-05:00

I wrote this blog on July 28, 2009 but never posted it. Since today is the two year anniversary of the miracle, I revisited it and decided to share with everyone. I want to again thank each and every one of our family and friends who prayed for and supported us during this experience. We are forever grateful.

~~~~~

This is a picture of my son Liam and I on the day he was dedicated to Jesus Christ, July 19, 2009. We dedicate our children to Jesus at a dedication ceremony, and it's basically when the parents, family, friends and church family come together and vow to play a vital role in the baby's life concerning their walk with God. It was a beautiful ceremony - however Liam had already been dedicated to Jesus. You see, four months prior to the dedication ceremony, Liam was in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at our local children's hospital fighting for his life.

It was a Sunday evening, and a good friend of mine came over to see our new baby. Within the first few minutes of her visit, life as we knew it took a sharp turn. Liam had an unusual diaper, and having three kiddos herself, she assured us this was not the normal "newborn" diapers and advised us to call the pediatrician. Being a Sunday night, the pediatrician's office was closed. The on-call service recommended we take Liam to the hospital emergency room for the pediatrician on-call to check him out. Once we got him to the hospital, the pediatrician took a look at the diaper we brought and tested it for blood. It was positive. She really wasn't concerned at this point and recommended we have an abdominal x-ray done "just to be safe". After the x-ray, we were seated back in the exam room and waited.

After what seemed like an eternity, the doctor came back in to give us the results. Before giving the diagnosis, I knew something wasn't right. Her smile was gone, the twinkle in her eyes had dimmed, and her skin colorless. Immediately, I felt the weight of the world on my chest. The abdominal x-ray came back showing a very serious disease called Necrotizing Entercolitis (NEC). From what I understand, NEC is a disease in which bacteria (good or bad) gets out of hand in the small intestine and eats into the intestine wall. This process is also referred to as pneumatosis. We learned that there is a high mortality rate for infants with this disease and that almost all require surgery and months spent in the NICU recovering post-op. The pediatrician was baffled, because NEC is generally a disease that premature babies get - and although Liam was a few weeks early (37 weeks), he wasn't considered a preemie, nor did he have any other known qualifications for this disease. Another scary issue was that NEC is typically found in one part of the intestine (large or small – I can’t remember)… but Liam’s was in both. Because of the severity of this disease, Liam was immediately started on antibiotics and transferred by ambulance to our local children's hospital.

Once we got to the children's hospital, we were put on a regular pediatric unit where the doctors were going to monitor him. We had a resident physician come in who neither my husband or myself liked... he focused on the negatives, and minimized the positives. For instance, with this disease, babies run a really high risk of the bowel wall perforating and causing the air and stools to leak into the body... obviously a very bad thing. He used phrases such as "when this happens...," setting us up for the worst case scenario. At this point, the positives were that Liam was basically symptomless other than the x-rays and stools. By this time it was about 4:00 am Monday morning. By noon, they were transferring Liam into the NICU where he could be better monitored and treated by neonatal physicians who dealt with this kind of disease on a more regular basis. He was scheduled for labs and x-ray repeats every 8 hours, IV antibiotics, no food for 7-10 days and had a tube put down his nose to suck any fluid and air from his stomach so it wouldn't go into his intestines. We were all in for a waiting game. The doctors were waiting for his bowel to perforate... we were waiting for a miracle.

I wish I could tell you that at this point in the story I was feeling at peace, completely trusting Liam's life to God... but I wasn't. There are absolutely no words on this planet that can describe those nauseating, emotion-driven feelings. I remember some of the horrid thoughts that went through my head during that time, but unlike the lingering feelings of pain after a heartache, my body will not physically let me remember the way I felt. Even looking at pictures of my baby boy lying in the bed with tubes and needles everywhere... I cannot recall those heavy feelings. Did my brain develop a defense mechanism to protect my sanity - or is it God who has blocked that part of my memory? I believe it is a combination of both.

Between Sunday evening and Tuesday morning, we had spent countless, exhausting hours at the hospital along with close friends and our pastor and his wife. Prayers had been going up for Liam across the country. On Tuesday afternoon, less than 36 hours after his admission, we received the incredible news that Liam's x-ray showed no signs of pneumatosis or NEC... it was completely gone! Liam received a miracle! (In fact, I have x-ray reports that state “necrotic bowel” was present (necrotic = DEAD)… and then this X-ray report states “normal abdominal X-ray.” DEAD TISSUE DOES NOT REPAIR ITSELF… it has to be removed/replaced…. BUT GOD!) The doctors were so baffled by his case - they tested him for every intestinal problem known to man... and everything was normal! For the remainder of the two weeks, Liam was kept off of food and finished the antibiotic regimen then continued to be monitored once he started back on formula. After almost three weeks, we were finally able to take our newborn baby back home.

As I write this, I look over at my sweet miracle and he smiles at me. We found out later that Liam received his miracle the very day a baby in the next room over died from the same disease. Why was his life taken and Liam's spared? Only God knows. I received something during this valley - the ability to let go. A few hours prior to Liam’s healing, I was emotionally drained and at a loss for words. I dug through my huge pile of books, looking for something to help me turn my feelings into a prayer to Jesus. I remember lifting my cupped hands up to Jesus, literally putting my son’s life in His hands. I told God that I was giving my son back to Him, and that whatever his intentions were for his life, that they be fulfilled. No matter the outcome, I told God that I trusted Him.

My sweet baby Liam,

I do not know why God places on us some of the things He does... but I believe in my heart that what you went through, that awful experience, helped me to learn to fully trust God's plans. I have a feeling that there will come a day in your life that I will again, have to let you go into the all-knowing hands of God. Whatever calling, plan, or intentions God has placed on your life, I trust in Him… I promise I will never ever hold you back.

All my love,

Momma

I'm not a bad mother, the Bible tells me so!

2011-01-15T23:30:00.003-05:00

Ok. Let me just say, the "terrible two's" are starting to make their debut on my sweet, sweet boy. Thus far, the ugly reply "NO" and mini tantrums (I only say "mini" to make myself feel better) have not happened in public, only around momma and dadda. Thus far. He is exploring his boundaries, we are exploring discipline.

My dear "Aunt" Courtney (she's more like a big sister... four years my senior), has a son roughly two years older than Liam. This child is the best behaved child I have ever been around. I confided in her a few weeks ago because it seemed I was always disciplining Liam. From Saturday-Monday (the days we're together 24-7), the kid was always in trouble... and it was beginning to make me feel like a horrible mother! Her words? Keep it up! The consistency will eventually pay off, Liam will learn his boundaries and will respect us in the long run. Certainly easier to say than do!

In January, I joined a friend of mine in doing "Siesta Scripture Memory Team." The idea came from Beth Moore's blog and more than 8,000 woman are already participating for 2011. The concept is that on the first and fifteenth of every month, you pick a scripture that applies your life at the moment... at the end of the year, you will have twenty four scriptures that are dear to your heart memorized! Pretty cool, right? My first scripture (for 1/1/11) was Luke 6:38, The Message.

Well, today is the 15th, and I just picked my scripture. If it's in the Bible, it has to be "ok" for me to pick it... yes? Then why when I wrote it in my spiral and posted on her blog did I blush and feel silly? As I skimmed through a few prior posts, I saw so many wonderful, encouraging scriptures for women... and here goes mine...

"Don't fail to discipline your children. They wont die if you spank them. Physical discipline may well save them from death." Proverbs 23:13-14 (NLT)

"Submit", it's done... posted... out there for every one in the universe to see that the scripture that most applies to the life of "Brittany from Louisville" is about spanking children. Nice.

But you know, it is so true. I love the way my NLT study Bible breaks down the scripture. It says, "Many parents are reluctant to discipline their children. Some fear that they will forfeit their relationship, their children will resent them, or they will stifle their children's development. But correction won't kill children, and it may prevent them from foolish moves that will."

Another great scripture reference is " Those who spare the rod of discipline hate their children. Those who love their children care enough to discipline them." Proverbs 13:24 (NLT). My study Bible breaks this scripture down by saying "It is not easy for a loving parent to discipline a child, but it is necessary. The greatest responsibility that God gives parents is the nurture and guidance of children. Lack of discipline puts parents' love in question because it shows a lack of concern for the character development of their children. Disciplining children averts long-range disaster. Without correction, children grow up with no clear understanding or right and wrong and with little direction to their lives."

Please be assured I am not in any way referring to abuse; this is basic, biblical discipline I am talking about. I love my son dearly, second only to my husband, and want the best of everything for him. This phase is certainly not easy, but I take comfort in knowing I'm not a bad mother, the Bible tells me so!

Masterpiece on the Rocks

2010-09-29T12:44:00.003-04:00

They say (not quite sure who ‘they’ are) that you find out a lot about the author by what he or she writes… that the author is subconsciously in the writing. I’ll just go ahead and save you the psychological wondering… this blog is written for me.

I have had more than one God-inspired-awakening in my lifetime. They were the kind of moments that left me in a state of awe and changed me for life. Immediately following those life-changing moments, I would be so steadfast in my walk with God and purpose to implement changes in my life. The changes would work… but only for a small period of time before I let things take priority over our relationship and soon after, found myself back at square one… sometimes it would even feel like square negative-one.

After so many of these failed attempts to get my life on the right track, I began to wonder if God had changed His mind about me. Maybe He thought that I could have been great and fulfilled the purpose promised for me - but now that I was so far behind where I could have been and should be… He decided to retract my purpose and replace it with a mediocre version that fit my mediocre commitment. This thought wreaked havoc on my faith in myself and my faith in God. I no longer focused my thoughts on the things of Christ and I felt betrayed by myself – how could I have done this? How could I have casually tossed my gifts and promises away? Thankfully, God doesn’t work that way. He sees past my faults, failures, and self-loathing… AND, He still loves me and wants the best for me. And guess what? He wants the same for you too.

I found my way to Ephesians chapter 2, verses 1-10. If felt like Paul was speaking directly to me when he explained that we are all sinners (dead) and have been made alive in Christ by his grace on the cross. My favorite verse is 10: “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” God knew that I would make mistakes, millions of mistakes, and yet, He loved me enough and still found me worth investing divine purpose in… creating me for such a time as this!

The artist Michelangelo once said “in every block of marble, I see a statue as plain as though it stood before me, shaped and perfect in attitude and action. I have only to hew away the rough walls that imprison the lovely apparition to reveal it to the other eyes as mine see it.” I think that’s how God views us at times – when all we see (even of ourselves) is a hunk of rock, imperfection, ugliness, a “nothing”, He sees the wondrous, radiating beauty within… and in each life event, mistake, or wherever your choices have taken you, He’s there, chipping away with the chisel and hammer, creating the masterpiece he knows resides in that hunk of rock.

I’m now at a place where I don’t dwell on thoughts of “should have/could have,” taking each and every new day as a gift from Him – a new opportunity for Him to be my foundation and my sculptor…

And I am thankful.

Installed, but Not Connected

2010-06-21T07:05:00.000-04:00

Two weeks ago, we found out that our house (built in 1974) was built without central air. I’m young, so even the idea of a house not having central air in my lifetime is baffling to me! “Was our house built with electricity!?” I asked my husband, who snickered, until he realized I was serious. (I told you the idea of no central air was baffling to me! Yes, I have since learned the history of air conditioners – you can find everything on wikipedia!) Anyway, we figured this out after dealing with extreme temperature changes between all three of the floors for the past five, almost six years we have lived there. You see, we have a 1970’s style tri-level… and no, it’s not orange – but it does suffer from some of the 1970’s décor faux pas! In any case, the basement part of the house would make you develop ice sickles on your nose and toes year-round, the middle level would vary from hot to freezing, and the top floor (with the bedrooms) was always stifling hot. We could keep our air set on 72 degrees the entire day, and come home to 80 degree temperatures upstairs. When we put our son to bed at 8:00 PM, it would sometimes be all the way up to 82 degrees. Like many of our spur-of-the-moment house adjustments, we decided we had HAD it with the heat and we wanted it fixed… like, yesterday!

That night, as I was rocking my little boy to sleep, my husband started looking at the return vents on the top floor of the house. They had all the necessary duct work… but shockingly, they weren’t connected - to anything. The previous owners had spent the time and the money to install an air conditioner, but hadn’t bothered connecting all the pieces! Since everything was previously installed and sealed up, it made it a rather difficult task (and impossible without demolishing half the house) for us to connect the existing pieces. However, after a long nine hours of working, my husband and a friend of ours had found a way to install another return vent– and to make a long story short – our basement is no longer bone-chilling cold, our middle level keeps a consistent comfortable temperature, as well as our top floor! At the end of that long, sweaty, and hard-working day, we were wondering “why didn’t we think of fixing this six years ago?” You know what? It makes me wonder what else in my life I have let go on just because “that’s the way it’s been forever,” when in reality… having addressed it long ago would have not only decreased my self-induced suffering, it could have improved my “air flow” with Jesus Christ!

You see, we’re born into sin – missing some vital parts that will be necessary as we live this thing called life – kind of like how my house was built without air conditioning. As a child, I was brought up in a Christian family, went to Sunday school, and had my “Christian beliefs” installed… but like my air conditioner, it all had to be connected to the Source! Without that connection, my relationship with Him was flat and futile, solely based on the beliefs I was taught, not learned. (Can you guess what the antonym for the word ‘taught’ is? Interestingly enough, it’s the word ‘learn.’*1) With all of the help and training we can receive as Christians, it is still our responsibility to connect ourselves to the Source, and our responsibility to develop and nurture our own relationship with Jesus Christ in order to have a ‘vertical’, fruitful, and limitless relationship with Him.

If there was a way I could magically imbed this next statement in your brain through the screen, I would… DON’T EVER BE COMPLACENT IN YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS CHRIST!!! Get connected with him. Stay connected with Him. Allow him to be your Source of Life, your Provider, your Comforter, your Deliverer, and so much more!

Get Connected!

Spend quiet, personal time with Him. Any good relationship requires time, respect, giving, and taking. Set aside time to just be with Him, finding his presence in even the little, intricate things. Trust me; He’ll be there waiting for you. “Be still, and know that I am God!” (Psalms 46:10)

Pray. You’ll soon find out that prayer is as simple as carrying on a conversation with your closest friend.

Study His Word. “There's nothing like the written Word of God for showing you the way to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another—showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God's way. Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us.” (2 Timothy 3:16, The Message)

*1 - http://thesaurus.com/

Blessing Beyond the Sneeze

2010-06-17T19:24:00.000-04:00

My search for answers started a few years ago. I was right in the middle of an ugly situation where I had been deeply hurt; however previously, I had inadvertently hurt those who were hurting me. Can you follow? (Already, I’m sure you can tell I’m talking about women here… we’re such emotional-driven beings!) I don’t exactly remember the entirety of the situation, nor do I remember how the ball started rolling... what I do remember, however, are the answers I found in dealing with hurt, prosecution, forgiveness, and being a daughter of the King.

The hurt felt like stinging wounds festering on my fragile soul. I was angry that it hurt me so much, and I wrongly wanted retribution. In hindsight, I imagine my shoulders decorated with a compassionate angel on my right and a destructive devil on my left, both in a tizzy, screaming contradictory recommendations on how I should handle the situation. I chose the difficult choice… the right choice. Once I cracked open the cover to my Bible, the destructive little devil seemed to dissolve… and pretty soon he and his repulsive suggestions disappeared as I dove deeper and deeper into the Word. What I found was life changing. I don’t even know how I managed to find such full and well-rounded explanations and advice!

My first stop was Romans 12. I read that we are to give our life to Christ as a living sacrifice, “letting God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” Regarding the body of Christ, we are to really and truly “love each other, with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.” Can we truly love our brothers and sisters in Christ, at the same time as wanting retribution for the hurt they have caused us? The answer is no… and Romans 12 continues at verse 14 saying “Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!” Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord. Instead, “If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads.” Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.” These words pierced my heart and made my soul sink with guilt. Still, I searched deeper.

Next, I stumbled upon Matthew 18:15-20. It states that “If another believer sins against you...” we are to follow these three steps: 1) Go to them in private and point out the offense. If they listen and confess (or try to make it right), you’ve succeeded. 2) If that is unsuccessful, take one or two others with you for a second visit with them, so that everything discussed will have two or three witnesses. If they still refuse to listen, go to the next step. 3) Take your case to the church (a leader). The scriptures that follow belong to the parable of the unforgiving debtor… Peter initiates the conversation asking Jesus how often he should forgive someone who sins against him. He suggests seven times, and Jesus corrected him, telling him he is to forgive the person seventy times seven! (I highly recommend reading the rest of the parable for more insight on showing grace and mercy!)

So far, I learned that I would have to fight everything my human soul wanted me to do, and instead of even ignoring them or the situation, I had to BLESS them and pray that God would bless them… (trust me, it’s much easier said than done) and then use the three steps from Matthew 18:15-20 to hopefully come across some sort of resolution to the situation. But how does this affect me and my worship? What about my relationship with God? Oh yes, that’s the next stop on this journey.

You see, Jesus knew we would be put in these situations. He even talked about it in the famous “Sermon on the Mount!” We’ll get to the beginning of Matthew 5 next, but first, I want to take you to Matthew 5:23-24. Jesus said “So if you are offering your gift on the alter, and there you remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the alter. First go and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift.” I know, we don’t offer blood sacrifices like they used to, however this teaching is not obsolete to us. Do we not offer up the sacrifice of praise (Hebrews 13:15)? We cannot worship properly if we know someone is holding something against us and we do nothing about it. In fact, we’re disobeying Him! You may ask “What if I did nothing wrong? What if they are carrying something against me falsely?” Well, chances are, you do have some fault. We’re rarely ever completely in the right when we’re involved in a conflict. Something as simple as failing to speak the truth in love is a breech of the beatitudes. No matter how small, sin is sin. What I learned was that even if I was the one who was hurt, it was my responsibility to go to them, (a part of the 3 step process mentioned previously) and repent of anything that I may have done. Why compromise my ability to worship God by not making every attempt at a resolution?

Lastly, regardless of the outcome of my pain, I learned that I am blessed.

“You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.

You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.

You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are – no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought.

You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God. He’s food and drink in the best meal you’ll ever eat.

You’re blessed when you care. At the moment of being ‘care-full,’ you find yourselves cared for.

You’re blessed when you get your inside world – your mind and heart – put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.

You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family.

You’re blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God’s kingdom.

Not only that – count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happens – give a cheer, even! – for though they don’t like it, I do! And all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company. My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble.”
(Matthew 5:3-12)

Be blessed,

Brittany

net weight

2009-01-30T14:50:00.001-05:00

My facebook & myspace status reads "you know you're pregnant when instead of going to the vending machine with a particular candy bar in mind... you search for the one with the most net weight!!! haha... it's true! For me, it turned out to be a butterfinger. I know - how unhealthy can you get? :) Oh well... get over it... I'm pregnant! 33 weeks now actually. All is still going fabulously... including sleeping through the nights. He is growing alot and still moving around a ton... sometimes his feet get underneath my ribs and the feeling makes me cringe! Of course, it makes me laugh and poke on him to make him move elsewhere - it usually works pretty good. :)

In other news, the ice and snow made a comeback. This morning, right as my alarm clock went off, the power shut off. Again. And to make things worse? Tonight is the concert!!! I had to pack my things so I could get ready at work (flat iron and all). It's 2:45 pm now... I'm still not put together all the way. I'll finish up right before I leave when I change clothes. Marc will be picking me up from work and dropping me off at Lisa's house - she's driving us to the concert in Lexington. Hopefully our power will come back on in the meantime, otherwise we'll be staying at their house tonight. Regardless, my camera battery is fully charged and I'm ready to meet Jessica Simpson! (Yes - I said meet. I've been praying about it! LOL!!!)

Marc's off tomorrow - and we have plans for a lunch date at The Cheddar Box! I'm also very excited about that! They have THE BEST soup - tomato artichoke. Oh it's to die for!

Well, now the butterfinger isn't agreeing too well with me - and I still have a ton of work to do. Only an hour and a half left!

Snow Shower

2009-01-27T13:56:00.002-05:00

I am actually writing from the comfort of my own home today! We had a snow/ice storm come in last night and my office closed down... Hooray! It's not looking much better in the forecast for tomorrow... so maybe two snow days in a row! The only downside is our hospital tour for tonight was cancelled AGAIN - and the next one before we're due is at the end of February. We went ahead and signed up for that one... hopefully it will be good weather!

Anyway, last night was my (or Liam's?) baby shower - and it was WONDERFUL! Lisa, Kristi, and Kristi out did themselves! The games were so much fun - oh, and the food was to die for! I've uploaded some of the pictures taken - you can view them HERE. We are beyond blessed and so excited for Liam to get to use his new things!!! (Today would be a perfect day for writing 'thank you' cards... but I can't go out to get them! AH!)

Alot of the "bigger" things from the shower we've decided not to open just yet - we may be moving! We have been approved for a MUCH lower interest rate on a 30 year fixed home loan - what a difference in house you can get with a lower rate! We are in the beginning stages of looking at new houses... and we've narrowed it down between two. One is completely finished with the exception of the basement... the other will be ready in about 2 or so months. Nothing is for sure just yet - but with the new house would come more options for a few life changes... the good kind that are nice with a new baby. We'll just have to wait and see!

Well, it's a little after 2pm, and I'm still in my pj's and robe from this morning... I think it's time for a shower, lol!

Have a blessed day!

Perfectly Imperfect

2009-01-22T09:52:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was just your typical work day... neither good or bad... just typical. To start the day off, one of Marc's employees called in, so he was going to have to pick me up about half an hour later than usual - which is no big deal and still beats driving two cars (and having to walk in the freezing cold instead of being dropped off/picked up at the front door!!!). I had my books and tweezers (my eyebrows are in desperate need of plucking!)... so I had stuff to do. Anyway, when he finally picked me up, we were in a rush to get home so we could get some information scanned and emailed to a home builder (that's for another blog) and eat dinner all before church.

We were within a minute of being home when Marc hit the breaks and nervously watched the cop gracefully flip around and serenade us with pretty blue and white lights. Yep... 54 in a 35. Oh, and the cherry on top? The insurance card I had in the glove box wasn't the current one! Same insurance company, but evidently they send you updated cards every now and again. Oops! When the cop came back up to the window, he informed us he knocked the speed down to just 15 over... to save us some money. Sarcastically I thought "oh how nice... save us some money by not giving us a ticket! Can't you see I'm pregnant!? Plus, Marc hasn't had a ticket since the 90's... give us a break!" (Yes, pretty pathetic, I know.) He was actually very nice and was just doing his job... Marc was the one speeding - he deserved the ticket. We chit chatted for a while - kids, church, guns, and police stuff, when the cop decided we were "really good people", and he'd like to help us out. Sometime before March 23 (the court date), we have to drop off a copy of our current insurance card to him at the police station - and he will get rid of the ticket. No court, no fee, no ticket! WHEW! See how much it pays to be "really good people?" LOL!

So we get home, get everything scanned... of course, we were running a little later than planned due to the police intervention - but we could still make it to church before it started if we went through a drive-thru for dinner. I have officially boycotted the Taco Bell in Mt. Washington... they are HORRIBLE - so we decided on White Castle. They took quite some time getting our food out - but we still had 15 minutes at that point to make it to church and eat on the way. I was down to my last chicken sandwich and onion rings when were pulling into the parking lot... 7:26PM... 4 minutes. I picked up my overfilled sweet tea - and in slow motion I watched the lid pop off and the thin sides of the cup cave in and pour out... everywhere!!! I was sitting in a puddle of sweet tea. A PUDDLE. I scooted up and there was still a half inch of sweet tea in the back of my seat... AFTER my rear was soaked and tea was running down my leg. I still had my food to finish!!! There ain't nothing that will keep a hungry pregnant woman from her food! Marc was in tears laughing, I was soaked, stuffing my face, while he tried to dry off my bottom with anything we had in the car. We were a MESS! And even though I was in black, you could still see the "wetness" on my bottom, so I had to keep my coat on all night. It couldn't have gotten any better!!!

We were hilariously not put together - but you know, it was nice for a change. It was refreshing to know that we could laugh it off instead of complain that the events didn't fit into the way we scheduled our day. I guess sometimes you just have to go with the flow...wet bottom and all!

8 Months Baby!

2009-01-16T18:05:00.003-05:00

We've made it 8 months!!! Only 9 short weeks left until Liam's estimated arrival - how exciting! Here's a picture of what babycenter.com has for 31 weeks:

We picked up the glider and changing table on Wednesday - Marc is actually upstairs putting it together now - I can't wait! I'm hoping it all fits nicely in the room, so we'll see!

Other than that, I just finished a bowl of Edy's Thin Mint Ice Cream - and am in the process of cooking dinner (chicken and rice - easy and good!). A little out of order, but hey - I just consider it calcium! :) Also, today we scheduled the date for a good friend to come and visit me! I can't tell you how excited I am! Jenny lives near Baltimore, MD, but is going to move to Louisville someday... (Ok, I wish.) She's coming the weekend of February 20th... so we've got lots of planning to do! The only thing that's for sure: Cheesecake Factory for dessert! :)

Anyway, I have ALOT to do before tomorrow morning... so I'd better get going.

Oh, and should we do a vote on when you think I'll start waking up during the night??? :)

Recipe: Creamy Beef and Potato Stew

2009-01-15T11:45:00.000-05:00

Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: Low 7 to 8 hours - or - High 3 1/2 to 4 hours; plus 15 minutes (on low)
Makes: 4 servings (7 1/2 cups)
Slow Cooker: 3 1/2 or 4 quart

Ingredients:
12 ounces boneless beef chuck (I just bought the lean stew meat... I think it was a little more than 12 ounces)
1 16-ounce package frozen cut green beans
1 5- to 5.5-ounce package dry au gratin potato mix (I used walmart brand)
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
3 cups water
1 1/2 cups half-and-half or light cream
Finely shredded Parmesan cheese (optional)

Trim fat from meat. Cut meat into 3/4-inch pieces. (This is unnecessary if you get the lean stew meat... I just left it was it was.) Combine meat, frozen green beans, dried potatoes, sauce mix from potatoes, and thyme. Pour water over mixture in cooker. (I stirred everything together here.)

Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 7 to 8 hours, or on high-heat setting for 3 1/2 to 4 hours.

If using high-heat setting, turn to low-heat setting. Stir in half-and-half. Cover and cook for 15 minutes more to heat through. Ladle stew into bowls. If desired, sprinkle individual servings with Parmesan cheese.

(Per serving: 375 cal., 15 g total fat (8 g sat. fat), 84 mg chol., 845 mg sodium, 39 g carbo., 5 g fiber, 26 g pro.)

Enjoy!

Fureeeeeeezing!

2009-01-14T10:28:00.000-05:00

It's finally decided to act like winter around here... this morning it was 18º on our way to work... and I just heard on the radio to expect it to be only 2º sometime by the end of this week - and thats NOT the wind chill!!! Yep... it's pretty cold. It's also very snuggily weather - which makes it extreemly hard to get out of bed in the mornings!

We haven't been up to anything extreemly exciting recently. We are, however, in the process of trying to find a good day care for Liam. We've only toured two places so far... the first was downtown near my work and is listed as a "benefit" of Norton employees. Now, you would think to be listed as a benefit - there would be a significant discount, right? Hardly. Only $2.00 off $187.00 a week. $2.00? Please. Neither one of us cared for it much either. Last night we toured a place close to home - and liked it alot better. Each age group has their own rooms, and everything from age 2 up I loved... I just don't think there will be ANY place I feel 100% comfortable leaving him as an infant... it's just not home, and not me who will be taking care of him! They are still so tiny and vulnerable at 6, even 8 weeks old! I am sure every single working mother deals with that issue though. It's tough. We have another tour tonight for a place close to home... so we'll see. In the meantime, we're actually looking at what other options we may have. Nothing is for sure yet, but if anything unfolds, I'll be sure to keep you updated!

Last night I went to see Bride Wars with Kristi, Ashley and Jamie - and it was a GREAT movie! It's a comedy, but I still teared up at the end... just a little. I love budget ($6) Tuesdays - and it's always a pleasure to go out and spend time with the girls too.

The plan for tonight is church - and cleaning! I've lived on excuses for the past few weeks, and now I've got to get on the ball. It's pretty bad. Plus, I've got a Becoming meeting at my house this Saturday, so I have to have it all nice and clean for that!

Ohh I almost forgot!!! Of course, I personally LOVE my gmail (or anything else created by google for that matter)... and recently they've added video chat! They've had the chat for a long while now - but VIDEO CHAT!!! I installed it the other night (super easy, and works fabulous with the webcam on my laptop), but didn't get to use it until last night (thanks to the beautiful Jenny!) :) It's GREAT! So, if you've got a webcam/mic - download it! (CLICK HERE for more information). If you don't have a gmail account, it's free and easy. Just got to www.gmail.com and sign up! Don't forget to add me or send me a message - brittany.reed@gmail.com.

For now, I think it's time for a snack - so I must get going (and get back to work too)!

Have a blessed day!

Belly Update!

2009-01-06T11:19:00.002-05:00

Do I need to bother repeating myself again with how FAST this pregnancy is going by??? Liam is still doing good - just a kicking and flipping away all day! As well, I am still sleeping through the night - and I've made it so far that if/when I do start waking up or not sleeping so well... I can't complain. Not many (that I know of) make it this far. We'll see though!

Today was our first official 2 week check. Liam's heart rate was in the 130's which is good. My glucose test results were in and I passed with flying colors (thank heavens the test was before Christmas, right?!?)! My blood work revealed I had anemia, which is very common in pregnancy. To remedy, I received a prescription for an iron supplement which I'll get filled today. On top of the minor back ache that has continued, I also seem to be experiencing round ligament discomfort (I can't say pain - because it's not really painful...), as well as braxton hicks contractions per my nurse practitioner. Neither one is a big deal, just a ever so slight discomfort - more of a tightening feeling really. I've also gotten used to my 4 tums tablets before bed. At about 9ish every night, I get pretty heavy indigestion. It's worth every one of these though... so no complaints from me (...yet , lol)! We are simply blessed. Oh, and to top it off, I lost a pound! My total weight gain at this point is now 14lbs.

We've also ordered the bedding set and the rest of the nursery furniture thanks to Liam's Gramma and Grampa Zuber! Once it all comes in we'll be sure to post pictures of everything, so stay tuned!

Post Holidays...

2009-01-04T20:09:00.006-05:00

WHEW! We've finally made it through Christmas and New Years! It seems to have left just as quickly as it came. Sadly, I seem to be left with the "post holiday blah's". Not sure why - we had a lovey holiday! Maybe it's just getting back on a regular schedule - who knows. Feel free to check out our December/Holiday pictures by clicking HERE!

We were unable to spend Christmas with our families in Texas, however we were blessed to yet again be adopted into a few families here in Kentucky. We spent Christmas Eve with the Briscoe (Kristi's) family and had incredible food and good ol' family time. Really, the Briscoe's have become a part of our family - they are our family... and for that I'm truly thankful. This was a special Christmas too - it was Shealynn's FIRST Christmas ever!

Then, on Christmas we had dinner with the Masden family. It was the first time we were welcomed into their home for a dinner - and on such a special day! We were truly honored. Oh, and to make things ever better? It was incredible food! We had beef tenderloin, twice baked potatoes, asparagus... I could go on and on!

Marc and I opened most of our gifts on Christmas Eve this year (we're horrible about waiting!). All we can say is WOW and THANK YOU! We had lots of "biggies" this year! We got Liam's crib and mattress, a camcorder (this will come in so handy, right!?!?), the diaper bag I REALLY wanted, a really nice gift card to Cheesecake Factory (one of our favs!), Liam's 3 in 1 car seat, The Lord of the Rings trilogy (which we've already watched!), and some cute little outfits for Liam to name a few!

We spent New Years on the couch (watching The Lord of the Rings, lol!) just spending time together - trying to soak up as much time as we can in the next few weeks. :) I think we only have 10ish weeks left of life as we know it... if all stays on schedule. Crazy! Not that it's a bad thing by any means... just a total life change that we wont have on a permanent basis again for like 20+ years, depending on the number of kiddo's. For once I haven't felt bad about sleeping in, vegging out on the couch with Marc... and being a little laxed on my cleaning/cooking schedules. Pretty soon, it will be a distant memory, LOL! Getting this down on paper (or typed at least) helps solidify my thinking... (well, it makes sense to me anyway!)

I don't want to turn this blog into a novel, so I will stop now and hopefully blog again soon... all I can say is I am looking forward to 2009!!! From the small things (our baby shower, Jessica Simpson in concert, etc), to the big things (mmm the birth of our first baby, Liam!).... but that's for another blog.

In the meantime, be blessed - and stay tuned!

Quote of the week

2008-12-29T08:00:00.000-05:00

"Love means that no matter what a man may do to us by way of insult or injury or humiliation we will never seek anything else but his highest good... never... seek anything but the best even for those who seek the worst for us."

-William Barclay

Liam Updates... Holiday Plans

2008-12-23T13:08:00.010-05:00

Today we had another appointment to see Liam! (pictures below!!!) I had my glucose test (results will take a few days) first, and then we had the ultrasound. He was NOT very cooperative when it came to getting his picture taken!!! Stubborn little thing! We got his whole body just fine, but he kept his head hidden pretty good. He is head down, and it was tilted back - so even in the 3D face picture, you can only see his nose and lips. You can also see his hand up by his head - where he kept them pretty much the whole time. The tech even tried to startle him with a noise thing they put on my belly - but he decided to hide his head even more after that. Other than that, he seems to be doing pretty good! His heart rate was 151, weight 2.5 pounds, and he even measures a few days early. We now will go for checkups every 2 weeks - but we wont have another ultrasound for at least 4 weeks, if not more. The past month I gained 7lbs... which puts my total gain at 15. Winter pregnancies are great - but you have to get through all of the Thanksgiving and Christmas food!! ;) Oh, and yep - I'm still sleeping through the entire night!

3D face and hand

Profile (that's his arm/hand up below his chin!)

Boy parts... just to verify!

All 4 chambers of his heat... heart rate of 151

On our end, we've been SUPER busy (like everyone else I'm sure) getting ready for the holidays. It just doesn't ever seem to slow down honestly. Unfortunately, we wont be having a Christmas in Texas, but we at least wont be home alone! Just like last year, we are having Christmas with the Briscoe's (Kristi's family) on Christmas Eve (oh my goodness, that's tomorrow!!!). I am so excited and lucky to have such wonderful "framily" that takes us in like they do! THEN, to top off our Christmas, the Masden's (a wonderful family from our church), have invited us over to their family's Christmas dinner on Christmas! What an honor! I think we're having Christmas with the Goodwin's on Friday. We will definitely miss our family, but what a blessing it is to be welcomed into these homes!

Speaking of Texas, we are hoping to make it down there sometime around Thanksgiving 09! We will be so excited to see family and show off our little Liam! We will probably drive... Marc's choice, not mine - but I do see his point. Traveling a week or so with a baby, we will have so much stuff (car seat, stroller, pack and play, etc etc etc), it would be outrageously expensive to get it all on a plane. Plus, we will be able to drive from Houston to Austin/Seguine to see both of our families without having to worry about renting a car... and be able to bring back anything big that would cost a fortune to ship. Either way, flying or driving... I'm super excited!!!

Have a Very Merry Christmas!!!

Quote of the week

2008-12-17T10:00:00.000-05:00

"Many people think of peace as the absence of problems, as the feeling that is experienced when all is well. But the peace of the Lord is not related to circumstances at all. In fact, God's peace comes to us and endures... regardless of life's circumstances."

-Elizabeth George, A Woman's Walk With God

What a weekend!

2008-12-15T12:38:00.003-05:00

Saturday night we hosted Marc's work Christmas party at our house - and had a FABULOUS time! Everyone pitched in and brought a dish or two. Marc made a glazed ham, and I made my pasta salad, asparagus wraps, a delish salad (with mandarin oranges, dried cranberries, candies pecans, blue cheese and either balsamic vinaigrette or raspberry vinaigrette), a pumpkin roll, pecan tassies, and wassail. I hate to brag, but it was all soooo good! It was the first time I had made the asparagus wraps - and they turned out great. I'll definitely make them again. After the food, we played a fun game of dirty Santa! Oh, and I can't forget the cute goodies Shelby and I made for the party! I'll post a picture later on tonight... we dipped gold spoons in chocolate and sprinkled with crushed peppermint... and tied to a packet of hot cocoa and a candy cane... they were adorable and the chocolate spoons made the cocoa taste incredible! Everyone got one when they left. :) Unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures during the party though...

Then, on Sunday, we had the choir program (they did a GREAT job!!!) and the Christmas banquet afterwards. I suppose with us having such a busy week and then an even busier weekend... Marc and I were both ready to get home and relax. Do you ever get in those moods where you don't really want to be around alot of people? That was me on Sunday. It's not that anything was wrong... I was just getting agitated being around so many people. I felt bad about having such a non-sociable attitude - but at least it's an unusual thing. :) Marc and I came home and relaxed while watched The Bee Movie on the couch... just what the doctor ordered I suppose. Overall, it was a really great (and busy) weekend.

Although it started with me waking up an hour late, this week we aren't too busy... have to finish Christmas shopping, get gifts in the mail, tour the hospital (where we are delivering) tomorrow... and then A Becoming meeting and Christmas party on Saturday, as well as a Graduation party (Yeay Ashley!). I'm looking forward to a wonderful week!

Oh, and if you haven't tried the Espresso Truffle drink from Starbucks... add that to your to-do list this week!!!!!! It's fabulous!

Have a great week, and I'll post more later!

What kind of daddy will he be?

2008-12-11T14:10:00.003-05:00

I had forwarded Marc one of our parents.com emails a few weeks ago - and today he must have just opened it and read it. At the bottom on the emails, there are always several different links you can go to... some are interested, others not so much. Anyway, at the bottom of this particular one, there as a quiz titled "what kind of daddy will he be?" Marc went ahead and took this test for himself and emailed me the results...

"No doubt about it -- this dad-to-be loves to connect with people, and chances are he'll form a close bond with his own little one, too. Whether he's bringing the baby to his weekly poker game or teaching a toddler to toss a football, there'll be plenty of tickling sessions, silly faces, and knock-knock jokes. His parenting style will most closely resemble a friendship, with strong elements of camaraderie, affection, and loyalty -- he'll never miss a Little League game!"

How sweet, huh? (And no, he doesn't play poker!)

Random updates!

2008-12-09T13:33:00.000-05:00

Yes, it's been a long time since I've written a "real" blog on here... cut me a little slack - we've been pretty busy (and pregnant!!!)!

Marc and I have been doing well - nothing I can think of off the top of my head to update you on. Liam seems to be doing well too! This Friday we will be 26 weeks along - and the week after (27 weeks), we will be in the 3rd trimester... ALREADY! It is still zooming by. We even have the hospital tour next Tuesday (the 16th!) As of right now, I can still say I love being pregnant! I've yet to wake up at night to pee (or for anything for that matter)... we'll see how long that lasts though. I give it less than 2 weeks. My back, however, has started to hurt with a dull/throbbing ache pretty frequently now... especially if I am active during the day (walking around alot), or if I'm sitting for a long time (like right now!). It's not unbearable though... and definitely worth every kick, flip and wiggle!

I have also started my leave of absence from choir (Believers church). This past Sunday was my last Sunday to sing for a while. It was getting pretty difficult and very uncomfortable to stand up there for an hour+... but I do look forward to rejoining post baby! Since I wouldn't be doing the choir thing - I wanted to find a ministry less strenuous to be involved in that would still let me fully focus on my main ministry priority, Becoming Ministries - and I'm excited to say that I have been inducted into the Believers Ladies Ministry Team! I am thrilled about it and can't wait to get involved!

This week we are also busy planning Marc's Christmas party for his branch. It's scheduled for this Saturday evening - at our house! Yep, we have ALOT to do!

Well, I better go take some tylenol to kick this backache...

Until next time,

Brittany

Bundle Up

2008-12-05T15:09:00.001-05:00

"Patience serves as a protection against wrongs as clothes do against cold. For if you put on more clothes, as the cold increases it will have no power to hurt you. So in like manner you must grow in patients when you meet with great wrongs, and they will then be powerless to vex your mind."

-Leonardo da Vinci

Quote of the week

2008-12-01T08:00:00.002-05:00

"God's love is there for us to give, and we who follow Christ need to remember that those who are hardest to love are the ones who need it most."

-Elizabeth George, A Woman's Walk With God

Quote of the week

2008-11-24T08:00:00.002-05:00

"It's amazing to realize that, with the sacrifice of praise, the very hindrances to our joy become the soil out of which joy blossoms."

-Elizabeth George, A Woman After God's Own Heart

Quote of the week

2008-11-17T12:00:00.000-05:00

"Joy is distinctly a Christian word and a Christian thing. It is the reverse of happiness. Happiness is the result of what happens of an agreeable sort. Joy has its springs deep down inside. And that spring never runs dry, no matter what happens. Only Jesus gives that joy. He had joy, singing its music within, even under the shadow of the cross."

-Frank S. Mead

Diamond in the Darkness

2008-11-13T11:20:00.003-05:00

"When a diamond is placed against a dark background, the darkness makes it seem more brilliant. And, when the diamond is lifted toward a light, all of its facets are revealed and allowed to sparkle. A diamond is pretty all by itself, but putting it against a black background and lifting it up to the light enhances its radiance and glory.

True spiritual joy shines brightest against the darkness of trials, tragedy, and testing! And the blacker the background, the greater the brilliance. Similarly, life's dark struggles make Christian joy more intense and our heartfelt praise more glorious."

-Elizabeth George, A Woman's Walk With God

Quote of the week

2008-11-10T08:00:00.002-05:00

"To recognize that there is someone I do not love is to say to God, 'I do not love You enough to love that person.'"

-Jerry Bridges

The Fruits of the Spirit - All Are Love

2008-11-07T11:45:00.001-05:00

The women's group I am apart of (Becoming) recently started reading A Woman's Walk With God - Growing in the Fruit of the Spirit by Elizabeth George. In just the first few chapters alone, I have learned so much about all of the fruits. The most eye opening? They all have a common thread. LOVE.

Out of the nine fruits spoken of (Galatians 5:22-23), Paul begins with love. In Elizabeth's study guide, she has a section written by someone (name unknown) regarding this common thread...

"Joy is love exulting.

Peace is love in repose.

Patience is love on trial.

Kindness is love in society.

Goodness is love in action.

Faith is love on the battlefield.

Gentleness is love at school.

Self-control is love in training."

What a revelation it was to me! I cannot possess joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, or self-control without first cultivating a heart of LOVE!!!

Principles of Love (from A Woman's Walk With God):

#1 - Love is an act of the will.
#2 - Love is action - not just words.
#3 - Love reaches out to the unlovely.
#4 - We need God to help us love.
#5 - Love expects nothing in return.

"Love is not an emotion. It is an act of self-sacrifice. It is not necessarily feeling loving toward a particular person. It may not have any emotion connected with it (Romans 5:8). God always defines biblical love in terms of self-sacrifice." - Dr. John MacArthur

Elizabeth gives us a little guidance of "Things to Do Today to Walk in Love."

Love begins in the home.
Not feeling the love? Go to God throughout the day for a fresh supply of His love.
Remember the assignment - serve! (Galatians 5:13)
Remember Jesus... He "did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many" (Matthew 20:28)

Lord, create in me a heart that loves!

Quote of the week

2008-11-06T12:54:00.001-05:00

"Love is a feeling of the mind as much as of the heart; it concerns the will as much as the emotions. It describes the deliberate effort - which we can make only with the help of God."

-William Barclay

Proud Voter!!!

2008-11-04T08:10:00.004-05:00

That's me!!! I voted for the first time ever today and got a cool sticker to prove it! :) We woke up super early and got to the polls around 5:45 AM. At our facility there wasn't too much of a line - we were finished by 6:30. Then we were off for some BK breakfast and then to work. I think Marc plans on staying up tonight to see the results... not me. We've been going to bed pretty early recently (9:30 on Sunday, and then 8:30 last night)... and staying up much later just isn't very appealing to me. I can wait a few more hours to find out. Surely the results would be posted on msnbc.com in the morning? :)

In other news - Marc felt Liam move for the first time last night! He said it was "weird", but "pretty cool" (all in a big smile, good and exciting way). It's something he has to get used to... he's never felt that before! For me, it was really neat to get to share it with him. He's been so good to me too. I never in a million years expected him to be so proud of my belly... or to make me feel as beautiful as he does! I am so blessed!!!

A Time For Change

2008-11-03T15:02:00.003-05:00

Hopefully, everyone remembered the time change this past weekend... we were to set our clocks back an hour. Shelby stayed the weekend with me and had the nice idea that "if you mess up the first 2 o'clock... at least you get another 2 o'clock to fix it!" We both wondered how that worked... which one would count? Just a thought. Anyway... yes, it was the weekend for the time change... but for me personally, it was also a time for change.

If it makes ANY sense at all... the weekend went by so slow and so fast at the same time. I know... confusing. If I could describe it in one word... it would be POWERFUL. Never in my life had I experienced God this way... but luckily, I know it wont be the last time I experience Him this way either.

Friday night we (Marc and I) were at the Pastor's house for a prayer-type meeting with Bro. Ron Turner and fellow Believer leadership. If anyone has ever met or experienced Bro. Turner's ministry... then you know how incredible time with him is. The meeting blew my mind and expanded my "God experience" to a whole new level. You see, we've all probably had that "I need more of Him" hunger... but instilled into me Friday night was something much greater than that. Indescribably greater. It was the start of something new and unfamiliar to me... it was my time for change.

The power carried over to our Becoming meeting on Saturday. It was the first meeting for our new group study, A Woman's Walk With God (oh how appropriate and perfect in His timing!)! Sparing details, we had a meeting unlike any other we'd had before. It was a meeting that left you hungrier than when you came... desperately starving for more of Him.

Sunday worship was the cherry on top for me. As we (the choir) started service off - it was like singing in front of Him and only Him. I didn't see anyone else but Him. I didn't sing for anyone else but Him. The worship experience during and afterwards was transcendent. It was then that I received my confirmation... this really was my time for change.

There are many questions that will remain unanswered. For instance, I don't know what my road ahead looks like, but I do know that he is the light unto my path and will direct me step by step. I know I am nothing without Him. I realize that I am desperately desperate for more of Him. He is my source for life and my reason for living. He is my EVERYTHING!

I have fallen in love with Him all over again.

Belly Pics!

2008-10-31T17:56:00.006-04:00

Welp... we've made it HALFWAY through this pregnancy!!! Today is a great day... and also a sad one... mixed feelings I guess. I can't wait to see Liam's little face, count his fingers and toes, thank Marc for getting up at night :), and have all of the other new baby experiences... but at the same time, I know I will miss having him safe and secure in my little (haha or not so little) belly! I suppose 9 months is a pretty good amount of time though - elephants are pregnant for 2 years! Sheesh!

Anyway, according to babycenter.com, Liam weighs about 10.5 ounces, and is about 10 inches from head to toe (about the size of a banana). I've been able to distinguish his moves now (for instance, if he rolls completely around... or if he kicks/punches me - although I can't tell if it's a foot or a hand just yet!).

Since today was the halfway mark, I had Marc take a few pictures... hehe!

I have a TON more to blog about recent events... ladies conferences, etc... but I must be getting off here now - we've got a prayer meeting scheduled at our Pastor's house this evening and I have got to get some things done around the house - so check back soon!

Zap Zap Zap

2008-10-27T12:32:00.005-04:00

On Saturday afternoon, Marc and I set out on quite an adventure - REGISTERING for baby stuff. Who knew there was so much STUFF for such a little person?!?

Anyway, we started off at Babies-R-Us. Once we walked in, we both did a wide-eyed scan of the store (neither one of us had ever there before!)... and then we found the registry counter. The nice lady set us up with a scanner and a checklist of the recommended items to register for. After that... we were on our own in the strange store with a checklist, pretty much full of things we had never heard of!

In the first isle alone, we were amazed, overwhelmed, and pretty much clueless. Luckily, there were other "first-timers" there who were just as clueless, laughing along with us. Marc had the scanner, and I the checklist. I think watching Marc scan things was my favorite part of the whole day! He zapped anything and everything! :) Oh, and what a sweet husband... ANYTHING that had "I love Mommy", or "Mommy's little boy", etc... he made sure to zap. I had to eventually tell him that he didn't have to zap everything like that if he didn't want too - and he replied saying something to the effect that it was OK... but just be prepared if we ever had a girl - he would be getting all of the "I love Daddy", and "Daddy's little girl" items. :) It was really sweet to watch him get so into the zapping.

After Babies-R-Us, we headed over to Target. It seems that most people shop there instead of Babies-R-Us for registry shopping... so we wanted to do both. Although they do have a pretty good selection... of course, it's only a few isles... not an entire store dedicated to babies. Definitely not our "main" registry. They do have some things... and a GREAT selection of clothes at a much better price. The crib and changing table we like is there... as well as the bedding we picked out, although it is online only. (The bedding is actually online at target.com, burlingtoncoatfactory.com, and jcpenny.com)

Here's a picture of the bedding set we have selected. It is called "Creme Brulee". The furniture will be cherry as well.

Other than that... everything else is going great! Liam moves alot for me... but Marc hasn't been able to feel him yet... if he wanted to, he would have to pretty much keep his hand on my belly ALL the time and just wait. I'm sure he will be able to feel him soon enough. Also, this Friday is the halfway mark (20 weeks)! Yes, it's exciting... but with that comes a realization that time is FLYING by! I wish it would slow down! I am proud to say that as of now... I have never gotten sick, I am STILL sleeping through the night (not getting up to pee... yet), and I am honestly enjoying being pregnant! (And if you're thinking "just wait until March - you won't be enjoying it"... trust me, I've heard that from enough people. Please just let me enjoy it for as long as I can, OK?) And I know... you probably want belly pictures. We've GOT to take some! Maybe this week. Yeah... I can't get by with being "bloated" or "just ate a big lunch" anymore... there's definitely a baby bump. As of today, I'm at 135 lbs... having gained 4 pounds from the start (131 lbs). I'm not sure exactly what I should (or shouldn't) be gaining right now... but we go to the doctor tomorrow morning, so maybe we'll find out more then. Stay tuned!

In other news, Kristi went back to work today. Her six weeks was the 21st. I cannot believe how fast six weeks went! (I'm pretty sure they even went faster for her!) I know it was hard for her to go back... but I got a few texts from her around lunch time and she said it was going pretty good - better than expected... so I am relieved to hear that (for her sake, and mine in April). Shealynn is doing GREAT... except she's growing too fast!!! Of course, Kristi is doing great as well... proving "the glow" isn't just for pregnancy... she's got the "mom glow" I guess you could say. I am already looking forward to little Liam and Shealynn's play dates! Liam is going to have alot of "boy" friends too... Eli, Jedidiah, and Jackson to name a few... oh I just can't wait!

GOD IS GOOD!

We're having a BOY!!!

2008-10-14T11:27:00.007-04:00

Yes!!! A boy!!!
As of right now, we have decided on Liam Cole for his name. :)

Thank you to everyone who voted in the boy/girl poll - but 64% of you were WRONG! :) Only 35% guessed right (including my Dad!)

Surprisingly, I didn't have a hard time sleeping last night (that's never been a problem!) - but we were of course, so very anxious to find out what our little one was! After sleeping in my usual hour, I rushed to get ready in time for our 8:30 AM appointment. We stopped on the way to get orange juice - my morning habit - plus, our doc said that juice really gets the baby moving. How right he was! The baby was flipping and kicking and moving everywhere! As soon as she would get a good picture, he would flip completely over. He measured at about half a pound... so tiny!

Mommy and Daddy are so happy and excited!

Here are a few pictures!

This is his little face and arm!

Don't let this picture fool you. He wasn't sleeping.

He was just taking a break from moving everywhere!

Not 3D, but this is the face view

And we're definitely a BOY!!! We saw both legs moving!

Be the voice

2008-10-09T08:34:00.005-04:00

Any other Heroes fans out there?

Let's change it up a bit...

Save the babies - save the world!

Be their voice.

Apparently, their heartbeat isn't loud enough.

VOTE.

A Quote from Bill Johnson

2008-10-06T12:30:00.000-04:00

"I could not limit my values and pursuits to what makes others comfortable. Being possessed by a promise I live without options. I will spend the rest of my life exploring what could happen through the life of one who is willing to cultivate the God-given appetite to see impossibilities bow to the name of Jesus. All my eggs are in one basket. There is no "Plan B."

-Bill Johnson in When Heaven Invades Earth

♥beat

2008-09-30T10:40:00.004-04:00

We had an appointment today and got to record the heartbeat of our baby! Listen below... you can hear the "gallop" after about the 6 second mark.

Baby Beat.wav -

Think you know if it will be a Boy or Girl!?!? Vote! (See top of page)
We will find out for sure in less than two weeks!

Congratulations to Kristi and Greg!

2008-09-15T11:28:00.005-04:00

Shealynn Renee made her world debut on 9/9/08 at 8lbs 9oz, and 20 1/2 inches!
Isn't she a doll? Mommy and baby are both doing well!!! Congratulations to Kristi and Greg!

To clarify the picture...

2008-08-27T13:10:00.006-04:00

I had alot of people who had no clue what they were looking at... this might help! :) Can you read the small words? (If you click on the picture, it will zoom in!)

Baby Update (and pictures!)

2008-08-26T10:37:00.007-04:00

Here's the latest and greatest pictures of our little baby!

The first picture is the best. In the picture, the baby is on it's back, the head is to the right and the legs are on the left (pulled up over the tummy). The head is somewhat turned towards the camera, but I can't really tell what is what other than the eyes on each side of the white stuff. I have no idea what the other pictures are of though!

I had to empty my bladder prior to going back (for tests), and she said that is why the pictures aren't very clear... plus the fact that it is still so early, there isn't a whole lot of fluid around the baby yet. (I guess the fluid helps clarify the picture?) Who knows, but since my first picture was so clear, I did ask about the ultrasound equipment... and she said what they use is a bit higher quality than most other offices... which is nice.

The baby was moving a lot... we saw the legs are arms flying around and some pretty good acrobatics! We also heard the heart again... the heart rate was 161, which they said was very good!

We go back on September 30 (would have been the week before, but we are on vacation) for another visit. I don't think we get a picture at that visit... but they will be using the doppler thing. At this appointment we also have the choice to test for genetic disorders such as down syndrome through my blood work. THEN (drum roll please!) we have an appointment for October 14 to determine the anatomy... girl or boy! Of course, we will get pictures again then too... just 7 more weeks! :)

Keep our family in your prayers!

First Graduation! (10 weeks)

2008-08-22T09:14:00.000-04:00

Today our baby has it's first graduation! He/She officially graduates from an embryo to a fetus and has now completed the most critical portion of development. According to parents.com, the kidneys, intestines, brain, and lungs are all in place. The fingers and toes are separating into their 10 and 10 this week and tiny nails are forming on them! He/She is about 1.5 inches long from crown-to rump, and weighs about a quarter of an ounce.

On my side - I have been feeling pretty good! The coma-like exhaustion has now bumped up to only slight exhaustion :)... but compared to the previous weeks, it's wonderful! I still haven't had nausea worth complaining of... and no vomiting! My skin is still broken out, but it seems to be getting better. Marc is doing a fantastic job of taking care of me and baby as well... he even bought the baby's it's first toy! I will have to take a picture and upload it on here... maybe tonight. Speaking of tonight... we are celebrating by going to CiCi's (my favorite!) for dinner!

Our next appointment is scheduled for this Tuesday, 8/26/08. I'm pretty sure we get another picture too... so stay posted for updates!

New Pictures!

2008-08-12T19:30:00.001-04:00

I have finally uploaded pictures. It's been forever. You can go to the site http://picasaweb.google.com/brittany.reed, or click on each link below.

4th of July

Birthday Stuff

Misc July

Snuffles/Kristi's Baby Shower

Just for fun - Boy or Girl?

2008-08-11T08:00:00.000-04:00

Like I have said previously, we have no preference regarding a boy or a girl... just a healthy baby is all we want. However, for fun, I took a test I found on parents.com (CLICK HERE for the test). The test is an anchient chinese gender predictor that is supposidly 93% accurate.

The results:

67% a GIRL

33% a BOY

I guess we will find out soon enough!

FAQ's

2008-08-08T10:27:00.000-04:00

Since we've spread "the news", we've been asked so many questions... most of them are the same. I figured I would post the questions and answers as we get them!

Q: Were you trying?
A: Yes. Because of my colon disease (UC), we have been very careful to talk to my GI doctor, as well as get familiar with a perinatologist (high risk) who will be monitoring me closely during the pregnancy. (Although, we are praying for NO problems what-so-ever!) I got off BCP in December of 2007.

Q: Will you find out what "it" is?
A: YES! If you know us, we don't do surprises well at all. We are HUGE planners!!!

Q: Do you want a boy or a girl?
A: We don't care either way. We just want a healthy baby! No preference!

Q: How far along are you?
A: Obviously, this answer changes often - so you can always know by looking at the ticker on top of my blog!

Q: Have you been sick or had weird cravings?
A: It is still early in the pregnancy now (8 weeks) - but NO! Prior to testing I noticed slight food aversions when I would get ready to eat something... but not really any nauseousness which I am very thankful for and pray that it stays that way! (Hey, some women are lucky!) No weird cravings that I can really think of off the top of my head... sometimes I just get hungry for something, but that's pretty normal for me! :) The main symptom I have had has been exhaustion!

Any more questions??? :)

We're having a baby!

2008-08-07T09:54:00.009-04:00

Well... after five wonderful years of marriage... we are expecting a baby! He or She should be here around March 20, 2009... and right now He or She is about 8 weeks old! (Is this any excuse for my lack of blogging? I've been exhausted!)

A few weekends ago, I took a (ok, 2) pregnancy tests and they were all positive. I didn't tell Marc because we had a party to go to in the evening - and I wanted to be 100% sure before I told him. So, I thought I would wait until Sunday morning to test again... but I couldn't wait!!! I tested again when we got home... it was positive too!

If anyone really knows Marc and myself, we cannot keep secrets or presents from each other. (For example, we open Christmas presents in November!!!) So, I wrapped a test up in a Dillard's box (I was there earlier in the day) and of course... (after he figured out that it wasn't a pair of tweezers of a fingernail file!?), he was excited! I called the doctor on Monday and got an appointment for that Tuesday.

That is the first picture of our little baby! Marc and I got to see the baby, watch it's heart beat... and even HEAR the heartbeat! (Marc almost passed out!) It was wonderful. I always heard you aren't supposed to tell everyone until 12 weeks, but the doctor said everything looked perfect... the baby had a great heartbeat... and we were pretty safe to go ahead and tell. We told our family - but wanted to wait until after Kristi's baby shower to tell our friends up here in Kentucky. We didn't want to steal any of the spotlight from their special day!

This past Tuesday evening we spilled the beans! Marc threatened that if I didn't spill that night, he was going to just call and tell himself!!! :) I am surprised he kept a secret like this as long as he did anyway! Of course, the neatest thing of all is that Baby Shealynn and Baby Reed will only be 6 months apart! (Baby Shealynn is due September 8, 2008!)

This is what parents.com shows our baby to look like right now.... and according to babycenter.com, he/she is about the size of a kidney bean!

Please keep our family and the baby in your prayers, and we will keep you updated!

Check back often for our pregnancy updates! (You can click on "pregnancy" to the left under "Blog Subjects:" and it will take you directly to all pregnancy blogs!

Love,

Marc & Brittany

It's been a while...

2008-07-22T11:29:00.004-04:00

Wow... May 15 all the way to July 22... that's a long time not to blog! Things have just been busy at home and work - I haven't even thought about it really! My friend Jenny just updated her blog and that inspired me to do the same.

So let me think back to what has all gone on...

In May, we got a new roof put on our house and new carpet as well... What a difference it made!

On June 7, we had our first "kick off" meeting for Becoming Ministries... you can check out our website at www.shesbecoming.com. We went from a group of three to a group of eleven! We are currently reading Captivating by John and Stasi Elderidge. I highly recommend this book for all women!!! It's incredible!!! Do you have any recommendations for our next book?

In the beginning of July, Zoë (the dog), was diagnosed with pancreatitis... she has fully recovered and is doing well now. We (Marc, Shelby, and myself) also celebrated July 4th with fireworks! REAL fireworks! We don't have alot of pictures, but you can check out the ones we have by clicking HERE. Lol... my faves are the smokebombs.

And then this past weekend - it was my BIRTHDAY! Yes! Marc actually pulled off a FOR REAL surprise birthday party for me (with the help of Kristi of course), complete with a Baskin Robbins Mint Chocolate Chip Birthday Cake!!! I was seriously surprised... and it was wonderful getting to celebrate with such amazing friends. Kristi had a hard time convincing me (plus Shelby) to go get a pedicure with her and Adria on Saturday... after about 5 texts (and a threat or two), I finally decided to go. Well, after the pedicures, she said she needed to go home because Greg hadn't seen her all day... I'm thinking oooookkk...? So, we get to my house and to make a long story short... I walk inside and notice it's decorated for my birthday! I STILL didn't realize it was a surprise party... I just thought Marc had decided to decorate for me! Then I walk inside the kitchen and about 20 people are crammed into one side jump out and yell "SURPRISE!!!!" I was so surprised and happy, I shed a tear or two! :) Marc was very very sneaky. He had everyone park their cars in the backyard so when I pulled up I wouldn't see. He even cleaned up the house for me! We had a Becoming meeting that morning, and he cleaned everything up, made our bed (about 4 times to get it right he said, lol), and much more. It was very sweet and a special day for me. I am thankful for such a wonderful husband and friends who came and made my birthday celebration so much fun. You guys are the BEST! Check out my pictures from the weekend by clicking HERE.

Now... regarding my blogging... I've got a few things in the works blog-wise... I just need to find the time to put my thoughts together and actually blog. Sooo... Stay tuned!!!

Discovering God's Will (Part 2)

2008-05-15T00:00:00.000-04:00

(This is what I learned from Andy Stanley's podcast, Discovering God's Will - a 4 part series.)

Read my Part One blog HERE.

Part Two: Asking for Directions

Andy begins by speaking about Rehaboam in 1 Kings chapter 12. If you read and study out this story, you can see that God fulfilled the providential will of God through Rehaboam's choices.

How often have you heard something similar to this: "Did you ask or confide in anyone before making that decision?" "No, but I prayed about it."

Sometimes praying about things isn't enough... That's why God has given us each other!

You see, Rehaboam initially did the right thing. He asked the elders for advice... and they gave him good advice. He decided to reject it and ask the wrong people for advice... which in turn, helped fulfill the providential will. The kingdom was split and Jeroboam ended up the king over 10 tribes... just as prophesied

Ok, so... who do I ask for advice? Ah... glad you asked. Andy gave a few tips on how to choose the right people. Here are his suggestions:

Choose someone who has nothing to lose by telling you the truth. (For example, Rehaboam’s friends had a lot to lose – Friends will try to save the friendship over telling the truth)

Choose someone who is where you want to be in your life – don’t ask someone who is in the same boat as you! Don’t ask someone with a failing marriage for marital advice… Don’t ask someone in financial crisis for financial advice, etc. Find someone where you can say “I want to be where you are in your marriage, finances, etc. Can you help me get there?” Find someone who can share their map of success.

Whenever possible, ask more than one person.

Again, when possible, choose a person you know, and then another you don’t. By doing this, you will get more perspective.

Go into these meetings/conversations sensitive to the fact that God may speak to you.

After you've gotten a response from your "advisers", Andy recommends asking the following questions:

Are any of the options I’m considering outside the boundaries of scripture that you know of? (This is especially important to new Christians)

What do you think the wise thing is for me to do? We’ve already established it’s not about right or wrong (the moral will) but based on your wisdom and experience, what do you think I should do?

What would you do if you were me?

Be amazed how God will use the body of Christ to guide you!!!

Something to ponder...

Andy mentioned the two primary reasons we wont or don’t practice this (and unfortunately, I've been guilty of both...!):
1. Pride – we think we can figure it out ourselves – we don’t need anyone telling us what to do!
2. We already know what we’re going to hear and we don’t want to hear it!

Discovering God's Will (Part 1)

2008-05-08T00:00:00.003-04:00

(This is what I learned from Andy Stanley's podcast, Discovering God's Will - a 4 part series.)

Part 1: The Adventure Begins

Our lives (who we are today) are the sum total of the decisions we’ve made. However, most of us are not where or who we thought we would be at this point in our lives. Do you agree or disagree? Sometimes we're even afraid of the small group settings, because someone might just find the "real you".

What is God's will for your life? How do you know if you're in the will of God? Good question!

Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us "Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take." Hmm.. in other words, he will make our paths clear, or obvious.

First, we need to understand the will of God. Andy breaks it into these three categories:

The Providential Will – Things God will do no matter what

The Moral Will – Commands He has given us. (1 Thessalonians 4:3 – we know he wants us to be Holy, so we don’t really have to pray about it. For example, there is no need to pray and ask God if we can steal something… he’s already commanded we don’t… get it?)

The Personal Will – Our personal walk in the will of God.

Having trouble hearing God? Andy says it’s probably not His unwillingness to communicate His will to us... it’s more likely our unwillingness to follow through with what He says. Alot of times, we are guilty of asking for his direction – only with intentions to “consider” it. He doesn’t give us direction for consideration – he assumes participation! Sometimes, he waits for us to reach our lowest point where we say “Fine! Whatever! I’ll do whatever it takes, God!" The point where you’re no longer just considering.

Thomas Burton said “We receive enlightenment only in proportion as we give ourselves more and more completely to God by humble submission and love." Basically, the enlightenment follows the surrender.

We say “I’m not sure I want to follow, but can you just show me what it is?” He says "NO!!!" We need to grow in faith and grow in obedience to where we can say YES! YES! YES! before he even tells us anything. That’s when he tells us and that’s when we hear him. Andy also explains that “broken” people can easily discern God’s will. They are already shattered… what could it hurt to trust Him? We should always trust him this much… whether we’re broken or not.

He wants us to find Him and know Him. In seeking His will, we get to know Him. Philip Yancey said it well when he said "I do not get to know God and then do His will. I get to know Him more deeply by doing His will”

He created communication. He is the greatest communicator. Trust Him.

A Quote From Andy Stanley

2008-05-05T00:00:00.000-04:00

"Great leadership is not about making decisions on your own - it's about owning the decision once it's been made."

Are You Free?

2008-05-01T12:07:00.007-04:00

In Stormie Omartain's Book, The Power of a Praying Woman, she asks these questions:

"Do you ever have trouble with finances to the point where it seems you will never get ahead? Are you constantly sick with one thing after another or with one reoccurring illness that never gets diagnosed or cured? Do you feel that the things you do are never acknowledged as having worth? Are you hopelessly drawn to things that are not good for you? Are you drawn toward immortality? Do you find it impossible to rise above your resentment toward someone no matter how hard you try? Do you have continual strife in an important relationship? Do you always feel distant from God no matter what you do? Does it seem as though your prayers are never being heard or answered? Do you feel discouraged and sad more than you feel the joy of the Lord? Do you find yourself coming back time and again to the same old problem, the same old habits of action and thought, the same old unhealthy situation? Do you always feel bad about yourself?"

First of all, if you answered yes to any of these questions (who hasn't at one point or another?) - God wants you to be FREE! Proverbs 24:11 tells us He will "deliver those who are drawn toward death." He is our Deliverer!

Secondly, wake up and smell the coffee! Your struggles could be an attack of the enemy! It is important to note that yes, sometimes we are the ones who are responsible for what happens in our lives, but other times it's the enemy who rises up against us and we must be delivered by the hand of God. Regardless of how you got into your situation, Jesus came to set us free from ALL things that bind us. In fact, He paid the ultimate price for our freedom! To quote Stormie, "No matter how strong the thing is you're struggling with, God's power to deliver you is stronger." How true!

So, how do you find freedom? Stormie gives us several tips which I have listed below:

By praying for it yourself (Psalm 72:12)

By having someone else who is a strong believer pray with you for it (Psalm 34:17)

By reading the truth of God's Word with great understanding and clarity (John 8:32)

By spending time in the Lord's presence (praise & worship)

Now, it is important to not get discouraged when it seems as though you are falling back into the very thing you have been delivered from. Stormy writes "Often what seems like the same old thing coming back again may be a new layer surfacing that needs to come off. You're not going backwards - you are going deeper." She goes on to say "Those deep layers of bondage can hurt far worse than the earlier ones." Wow - I had never thought about it this way! I bet this is the point where most of us do get discouraged... we just can't see that it's a deeper layer and it takes TIME!

If you are battling something, I pray God gives you patience and strength to get through it, and that you will find the peace, security, joy, and hope that comes from deliverance.

A Quote from Pam Farrel

2008-04-16T00:00:00.000-04:00

"God's shoulders are big enough to handle your deepest and darkest fears and frustrations."

We approach life differently...

2008-04-13T00:00:00.004-04:00

(Taken from Men Are Like Waffles Women Are Like Spaghetti)

Consider these musings about the different ways men and women approach life:

Nicknames:
If Laura, Suzanne, Debra, and Rose go out for lunch, they will call each other Laura, Suzanne, Debra, and Rose. But if Mike, Charlie, Bob, and John go out, they will affectionately refer to each other as Fat Boy, Godzilla, Peanut-Head, and Useless.

Eating Out:
When the bill arrives, Mike, Charlie, Bob, and John will each throw in $20.00, even though it's only for #22.50. None of them will have anything smaller, and non will actually admit they want change back.

When the girls get their bill, out come the pocket calculators.

Money:
A man will pay $2 for a $1 item he wants

A woman will pay $1 for a $2 item she doesn't want

Bathrooms:
A man has six items in his bathroom: a toothbrush, toothpaste, shaving cream, razor, a bar of soap, and a towel from the Holiday Inn. The average number of items in the typical woman's bathroom is 337. A man would not be able to identify most of these items.

Arguments:
A woman has the last word in any argument. Anything a man says after that is the beginning of a new argument.

Dressing Up:
A woman will dress up to go shopping, water the plants, empty the garbage, answer the phone, read a book, or get the mail. A man will dress up for weddings and funerals.

Offspring:
Ah, children. A woman knows all about her children. She knows about dentist appointments and romances, best friends and favorite foods, secret fears and hopes and dreams. A man is vaguely aware of some short people living in the house.

Communication the waffle and spaghetti way

2008-04-11T00:00:00.001-04:00

(This is the second blog from the book Men Are Like Waffles, Women Are Like Spaghetti. You can read the first blog by clicking HERE.)

“If I say something that can be interpreted in two ways, and one of the ways makes you sad or angry, I meant the other way.”

Sometimes we try to change each other, instead of taking turns listening. As the wife is breaking down the walls that allow him to separate the issues in his life, he is trying to cut up her spaghetti into squares. It’s as if she is putting marinara sauce on the waffles, and he is putting syrup on the spaghetti of their lives. Gross!

So… we know we have to take turns in listening… lets look at what listening is NOT:

Listening is not an attempted to understand the opposite sex. Man will never fully understand a woman, and a woman will never fully understand a man.
Listening is not an attempted to become each other’s counselor. There is a time and a place for counseling, but it usually is not in the midst of your everyday responsibilities.
Listening is not an attempt to fix your partner. The goal is to grow a little closer and reaffirm your love.
Listening is not a personality trait. Listening is a skill, and we must practice it.

Now that we know what listening is not… let’s find out what it is! According to Bill and Pam Farrel, communication takes place on four levels:

The first level is small talk. This is where you deal with the straightforward stuff of life. “How is the weather?” “What do we need from the store?” etc. Issues like this need to be handled as simply and nonemotionally as possible.
The second is the level of thoughts and opinions. These areas require a little more than the obvious, but they are not inherently emotional. “Where would you like to go to dinner tonight?” “Which outfit do you like better?” We should provide freedom to one another to have our own opinions on these issues without loading them up with emotional freight. This seems to be the level at which most couples get into trouble. We ponder things like Doesn’t he know where I like to eat? -or - I wish she would wear things I like. We can put so much energy into these simple things that we never get to enjoy further steps of intimacy.
The third level is where people share their opinions and convictions. This is where the spiritual and moral convictions are revealed to one another.
The fourth level is the area of emotional intimacy. This is the level where you and your spouse give one another insight into who you are that no one else gets to see. You share your dreams, your fantasies, your fears, the ridiculous was you think and feel, and the things in your life you are most proud of. This is the area where most couples must deliberate if they are going to make headway, because every step in level four is vulnerable. Life requires you to communicate at the first three levels… you only reach level four if you choose to go there.

Incredible Worship Song

2008-04-10T09:30:00.004-04:00

I couldn't resist sharing... this song brings tears to my eyes every time I hear it. The words are so touching and true. It's so hard to describe my love for Him... this song says it well.

The more I seek You,
The more I find You,
The more I find You,
The more I love You

I want to sit at Your feet,
Drink from the cup in Your hand,
Lay back against You and breath,
Feel Your heart beat.
This love is so deep,
It's more than I can stand.
I melt in Your peace,
It's overwhelming.

Waffles And Spaghetti For Dinner

2008-04-09T07:58:00.005-04:00

I just started a new book called Men Are Like Waffles, Women Are Like Spaghetti - understanding and delighting in your differences. I'm only on the 3rd chapter... but wow - the first two chapters were pretty neat. I had originally bought this book a few months ago when it was on sale at the Christian book store for $5.00... then came home and added it to my pile of unread books. A few days later, Marc had bought me a present (willowtree) from the same store, and picked up the book too! He read it in like 2 days! Anyway, let me tell you what I got from the first chapter so far... it's a long blog... but there was a ton of information!!!

God made us different. "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness... So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them" (Genesis 1:26-27) God's original plan was to use our differences as a starting point for building intimate and fulfilling relationships... but as so many of us find out, the differences can easily turn into a source of frustration.

Bill and Pam Farell describe us this way, "men are like waffles, women are like spaghetti." WHAT? Waffles and spaghetti??? Let's explain...

Men Are Like Waffles
Men are like waffles because they process life in boxes. Think of a waffle... each box is separated from every other box... and they are used as holding places (syrup, right?) Well, men's thinking is divided up into boxes that only have room for one and only one issue. The first issue of life goes into the first box, the second goes into the second box, and so on. And get this... the typical man only lives in one box at a time. Social science labels this as "compartmentalizing" - putting life and responsibilities into different compartments. Because of this, men are problem solvers by nature. When they enter a box, they look at the "problem", and try to formulate a solution. Bill goes on to say that a man will strategically organize his life in boxes and then spend most of his time in the boxes he can succeed in. He chooses to ignore the boxes that confuse him or make him feel like a failure. Men also tend to take this approach to communication. Have you ever heard your husband say "Is there any point to this conversation? Is this conversation leading anywhere? Can you just get to the point?" If you haven't heard it, he's probably at least thought it. Those statements are usually made (or thought) out of frustration because he doesn't know how to make conversation with his wife work. Men also tend to develop hobbies that consume their time... mainly because if he finds something he is good at, it makes him feel good about himself and about his life. Bottom line: Men feel best about themselves when they are solving problems. As a result, they spend mores of their time doing what they are best at and try to ignore the things that cause them to feel deficient.

Women Are Like Spaghetti
Women process life like a plate of pasta. Think of a plate of spaghetti... if you attempted to follow one noodle around the plate, you would intersect alot of other noodles... and without thinking, you may even switch to another noodle. That's how we as women face life. Every thought and issue is connected to every other thought and issue in some way. With women, life is more of a process than it is for men. Typically, we are better at multitasking because all of our thoughts, emotions, and convictions are connected, and so we are able to process more information and keep track of more activities. As a result, most women strive to connect life together. Women constantly feel the need to talk things through. In conversations, we can effortlessly connect the logical, emotional, rational, and spiritual aspects of the issue. Once the issues are connected together, the answer to the question or problem bubbles to the surface and is easily accepted.

As you can see, our approach is much different than his! While we are making all of the connections... he is frantically jumping boxes trying to keep up with the conversation. (This is the point where he asks those questions like "is there any point to this conversation?") When she is done, she feels better and he is overwhelmed.

One box men have that women just do not understand (guilty over here) are the ones that have no words. For women... this is just crazy! We have words to explain EVERYTHING! These boxes simply contain thoughts about the past, their work, and pleasant experiences... and cannot be put into words. Think that's crazy? Get this! There are even boxes in the average man's waffle that do not contain thoughts OR words! These boxes are as blank as a sheet of paper. EMPTY! They "park" in these boxes to relax. We as women see this as an opportunity to start a conversation, so we ask "what are you thinking?" He immediately freaks out because he knows if he tells us the truth ("nothing"), we may think he is lying or hiding something (surely he has to be thinking about something!) He doesn't want to disappoint us, so he may even try to find a box that has words in close proximity and engage a conversation about them. However, if he is slow in finding a box with words, her suspicion rises and he feels like a failure. He wants his wife to understand that sometimes he just goes blank... but we cannot even imagine that.

We are made different by design
We think differently , process emotions differently, make decisions differently, and learn differently. Studies show that human male brains are, on average, about 10% larger than a woman's. However, certain brain areas in women contain more nerve cells. The book goes on into several other studies and tests on our brain difference... but I wont bore you with them.

Here are just some of the examples in the book on how men and women approach life differently - do any of them apply to you?

Men are more aggressive than women when they drive sports cars and light trucks. Women are more aggressive than men when they drive SUVs and luxury cars.
Most people believe men are safer drivers than women.
Women are less likely to be caught and convicted of speeding than men.
When men perform as well as they expected at a particular task, they tend to attribute their success to their own skill or intelligence. If they perform below their expectations, they tend to blame it on bad luck or some factor that is out of their control.
When women meet their low expectations, they tend to attribute it to their lack of ability or intelligence. When women exceed their low prediction for achievement, they tend to attribute it to good luck or some other factor that is out of their control.
American men overwhelmingly feel that it's harder to be a guy today than it was 20 years ago and men are split on their opinion as to whether it's harder to be a woman than it was 20 years ago.
Within relationships, women resolve the day-to-day issues while men settle the life-changing disputes.
Women ask more questions.
More than three-fourths of interruptions in conversations are made by men.

A quote from Stormie Omartian...

2008-04-04T00:00:00.003-04:00

"None of us enjoys going around in circles, always passing through the same territory and coming back to the same problems, same frustrations, same mistakes, and same limitations. We don't want to become calloused, hard-hearted, bitter, unforgiving, anxious, impatient, hopeless, or unteachable. We don't want to end up with a negative attitude that says, "My situation will never be any different because it hasn't been any different for a long time." We want to break out of any self-defeating cycle of repeated patterns and habits and be able to transcend ourselves, our limitations, and our circumstances. We want to be more than just a survivor. We want to be an overcomer. We want to be a part of something greater than ourselves. We want to be connected to what God is doing on earth in a way that bears fruit for His kingdom. We want to have a sense of purpose in our lives. We want to abound in God's love and blessings. We want it all. All God has for us. But we can never achieve that quality of life outside the power of God. And then only as we pray."

-Stormie Omartian, from "The Power of a Praying Woman"

Beautiful Savior

2008-04-02T09:00:00.000-04:00

Artist: Planet Shakers

Jesus, Beautiful Savior,
God Of All Majesty, Risen King,
Lamb Of God, Holy And Righteous,
Blessed Redeemer, Bright Morning Star...

All The Heavens Shout Your Praise!
All Creation Bows To Worship You!

How Wonderful!
How Beautiful!
Name Above Every Name!
Exalted High!
How Wonderful!
How Beautiful!
Jesus Your Name,
Name Above Every Name, Jesus!

I Will Sing Forever...
Jesus I love You...
Jesus I love You...
I Will Sing Forever

Jesus, Beautiful Savior!

"Yes, but the laundry isn't folded!!!"

2008-03-31T09:59:00.007-04:00

Do you ever have an internal struggle between what you know you should do... and what you feel like doing?

We all know we should pray and strengthen our personal friendship/relationship with our Lord, Jesus Christ, on a daily basis... but sometimes (for me at least) it can be difficult to see past the mountainous pile of papers on the desk... or how long it's been since the carpet was vacuumed. I'm ashamed to say... that sometimes (OK, more like ALOT of the time) those kinds of things get my focus and attention, and then before I know it, the day is over and I have slipped off into sleep without thinking twice about my friend, Jesus!

In Elizabeth George's book, A Woman After God's Own Heart, she talks about this very same issue! I found some hope when reading realizing that I wasn't the only one who has ever felt this way! One of the key phrases she uses throughout the first few chapters of the book is "something is better than nothing." This little phrase really helped me break through the terrible habit of being a "Martha" instead of a "Mary". (Funny... our pastor just taught on this last night!) Martha was so worried about the "little things" in her life that had absolutely no eternal value... when she could have been like Mary... who took the time to sit at his feet. Mary realized all that other "stuff" could wait... it was more important for her to spend time with Jesus. "Something is better than nothing" is so true. If you have to start out with 5 minutes of prayer/talking to your Creator... isn't that better than nothing? YES! NEVER EVER EVER let yourself think you have to wait to "officially commit to a prayer life" until you can without fail devote a certain number of minutes/hours a day in prayer... wait for what??? It starts small! "Something is better than nothing!"

In her book, she also includes a story (or poem... whichever you would call it). I believe it is written by J. Sidlow Baxter. It is about taking your "will" with you to prayer... and having your emotions struggle against it. I found it funny (describing me to a "T")... and SO true! I have included it below... enjoy!

________________________

I found that there was an area of me that did not want to pray... and there was a part of me that did. The part that didn't was the emotions, and the part that did was the intellect and the will...

So I said to my will: "Will, are you ready for prayer?" And Will said, "Here I am, I'm ready." So I said, "Come on, Will, we will go."

So Will and I set off to pray. But the minute we turned our footsteps to go and pray all my emotions began to talk: "We're not coming, we're not coming, we're not coming." And I said to Will, "Will, can you stick it?" And Will said, "Yes, if you can." So Will and I, we dragged off those wretched emotions and we went to pray, and stayed an hour in prayer.

If you had asked me afterwards, Did you have a good time, do you think I could have said yes? A good time? No, it was a fight all the way.

What I would have done without the companionship of Will, I don't know. In the middle of the most earnest intercessions I suddenly found one of the principal emotions way out on the golf course, playing golf. And I had to run to the golf course and say, "Come back!" ... It was exhausting, but we did it.

The next morning came. I looked at my watch and it was time. I said to Will, "Come on, Will, it's time for prayer." And all the emotions began to pull the other way and I said, "Will, can you stick it?" and Will said, "Yes, in fact I think I'm stronger after the struggle yesterday morning." So Will and I went in again.

The same thing happened. Rebellious, tumultuous, uncooperative emotions. If you had asked me, "Have you had a good time?" I would have had to tell you with tears, "No, the heavens were like brass. It was a job to concentrate. I had an awful time with the emotions."

This went on for about two-and-a-half weeks. But Will and I stuck it out. Then one morning during that third week I looked at my watch and I said, "Will, it's time for prayer. Are you ready?" And Will said, "Yes, I'm ready."

And just as we were going in I heard one of my chief emotions say to the others, "Come on, fellows, there's no use wearing ourselves out: they'll go on whatever we do."...

Suddenly one day (weeks later) while Will and I were pressing our case at the throne of the heavenly glory, one of the chief emotions shouted "Hallelujah!" and all the other emotions suddenly shouted, "Amen!" And for the first time, all of me was involved in the exercise of prayer...
________________________

REMEMBER... "something is better than nothing!"

Three in one

2008-03-28T18:40:00.021-04:00

Marc and I were talking on the way home from work the other day... and our conversation somehow ended up on the soul and spirit of a person. Thinking hard... I asked what the difference between them was. Of course, Marc said that if he told me everything... I wouldn't learn it for myself... I can't always be spoon fed. :) So... I studied it out for myself... and this is what I found.
_____________________________________________________

Hebrews 4:12 says "For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul (psyche) and spirit (pneuma), between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires

As humans, we all have a body, a spirit, and a soul. (Three in one!)

We are created with a soul... and an "empty" spirit.

Our soul (psyche) facilitates our mind, will, intellect, and emotions (all rational things).

Our spirit (pneuma (where we get the word pneumatic, dealing with "wind", "air"... or get this, "breath")), is an empty vessel until filled with the "holy spirit" (holy ghost). Then, after being filled with the holy ghost, through our spirit we are able to capture the presence and motions (windy movements? ie: Acts 2:2 "And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind...") of God.

John 4:24 says "For God is Spirit (pneuma), so those who worship him must worship in spirit (pneuma) and in truth."

The soul is the horizontal of our lives... the spirit is the vertical... it is what connects us with God.

The soul works as a mediator between our flesh and the spirit... it struggles to choose between promptings of the spirit and promptings of the flesh... therefore, our spirit must become manifest enough to "over power" the soul's struggle to where the soul has no choice but to submit to the spirit. However, in order for the spirit to reign supreme above the soul and flesh, it must be completely free from all impurities and all bondage.

-

So the question is... does your spirit reign supreme?

Catchup!!!

2008-03-25T13:06:00.004-04:00

Ahh so the blog got the best of me... I haven't been updating! My last post was a week old yesterday - sheesh!

We've been pretty busy... but not overwhelmingly.
Last Sunday, Shelby got sent off to Boot Camp (through her ROTC program at school) and came home early on Monday. I was secretly glad :)... but hated she had to leave early. I think she was ready to come home though, lol! Turns out asthma caused her to have similar symptoms of a panic attack... so she got a cute new inhaler and everything over this past weekend to help treat it.

Then... on Thursday we (myself, Kristi, Jessica... and a few others from church) had a baby shower to go to for a new couple in our church, Jennifer and Gary... that was nice and I am so glad I was able to be a part of it!

On Friday, we (myself, kristi, jessica, etc) had a "pajamma party"/bachelorette shower for Tiffany (although I kept calling her Amanda!) from church... it was a lot of fun! I think we should definitely have more PJ parties! I have a FEW pictures...

On Saturday, we had our Book Club meeting... Kristi E made homemade mocha chocolate chip scones! They were wonderful! I was sooooo looking forward to our meeting! We discussed chapters 15 and 16 (15 - relationships, and 16 - being in the perfect will of God) and let me tell you... so far, those have been the BEST chapters! I really enjoyed studying them and hope I can continue to implement what I have learned in my life. Who knows, I might write more about it later. Anyway, Saturday afternoon we picked Shelby up on our way to have Easter dinner at the Powell's. Ever since we have lived here they always invite us to join in their family celebrations! We had a delish dinner, and then the annual egg hunt began! Granny Powell makes homemade chocolate eggs (cherry, reeces, and macaroon - my fav), then they tape money to the wrapper and hide them all through their house (EVERYWHERE... drawers, cups, pillows, window seals, tissue boxes... anywhere you can think!)! This year they had 2 prize eggs, a $5 egg and a $10 egg... Doug found both! It was a blast though - and the money doesn't even compair to how yummy the eggs are! :) We are so blessed to have such a wonerful adoptive family! Later in the evening Shelby and I dyed eggs... it was MESSY - but much fun! We had some pretty unique creations!

Sunday was Easter... and we had church earlier than usual... 11 AM. Of course, Marc had to get there at 8, and Shelby and I at 9... shoot! What a difference 3 hours makes! Service was awesome though... and afterwards we went home to do chinese takeout and then a little egg hunting of our own! We got plastic eggs and had most stuffed with chocolate, but 10 had the $1.00 gold coins... Marc hid them inside and we hunted! It was a ton of fun.... The Easter Bunny had visited Shelby earlier that morning.... I have pictures of that too! After all that, we sat down to watch Enchanted... it was a WONDERFUL movie!!! Very clean, and soooo cute! (Marc and I actually watched it AGAIN last night!) We took a snack break, only to find it was SNOWING outside!!! AHHH I am SO ready for warm weather! (Speaking of warm weather, our trip to Texas is less than 3 weeks away now! Whoo-hoo!)

Tonight the plans are to clean the house! I was soooo embarassed, because usually my house is pretty much spotless... well this morning, I thought I had left my flat iron plugged in... and since Marc drove me to work, there was no one at home to check and/or unplug it for me! I tend to always THINK I left it plugged in, but I usually don't. Anyway... Kristi and Greg have a spare key, and he was on his way home from work, so he stopped by our house to check... and it was a TOTAL wreck!!! Seriously... last nights dishes and all! Guys (especially Greg) don't usually pay attention to that stuff... plus, they've seen it messy before... but still... I wasn't home to throw stuff in the hamper and clear off the "hot spots"! Hmm I guess that's just another reason to always always always keep it clean! You never know who might stop by! Needless to say... tonight is a night for cleaning!!!

Britt

"The Love Of God" by Mercy Me

2008-03-17T09:05:00.002-04:00

The love of God is greater far
Than tongue or pen can ever tell
It goes beyond the highest star
And reaches to the lowest hell
The guilty pair, bowed down with care
God gave His Son to win
His erring child He reconciled
And pardoned from his sin

Could we with ink the ocean fill
And were the skies of parchment made
Were every stalk on earth a quill
And every man a scribe by trade
To write the love of God above
Would drain the ocean dry
Nor could the scroll contain the whole
Though stretched from sky to sky

Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah

O love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure
The saints' and angels' song

Decision: your life... or theirs...?

2008-03-10T12:51:00.005-04:00

How to you tell someone they have to make the choice to save their life or someone elses... right now? How does someone do that... make that choice?

What would you do if you were faced with that decision... your life... or theirs?

What if the "someone else" was your unborn baby? You found out you were pregnant (1 month) just moments before you learned you had an aggressive cancer or disease that would consume you without immediate surgery and chemotherapy... but the chemotherapy would mean the baby would not survive?

The doctors give YOU the choice. Your life... or theirs.

These types of situations are somewhat familiar to me because of my work... but it makes you think... what if I had to make that decision? What if I were in her place?

This woman's particular situation had weighed on my mind for quite some time... so I talked to Marc about the situation... her decision... and if I were ever faced with a decision like that... basically, HOW do you make that decision? He lead me to John 15:12-13 which says (NLT) "This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. "

Wow... he commands us to love the same way he loved us... he died for us... and there is no greater love than that.

It immediately brought Rachel Lampa's song to light for me...

No Greater Love / Rachel Lampa
Before I knew your name
You knew my every breath
Before I found my way
You knew my every step
Before I knew everything that I need
You gave it all to me

No greater love than this
That you should lay down your life
For someone such as me
I'd spend a life time wondering why
The beauty of heaven is here in my heart
And I know there can be
No greater love
Than this

I never understood
How merciful love could be
Until I felt His flame
Light every part of me
And I would give everything that I am
Cause I have been saved
Yes I have been saved

The beauty of heaven is here in my heart
And I know there can be
No greater love
For someone such as me
No greater love
Than this

Nose Blower

2008-03-05T08:13:00.003-05:00

Here's something you probably didn't know about me...

I absolutely cannot go to bed unless I have put lotion and chapstick on... and blown my nose! I have subconsciously made it a habit over the past few weeks... and now if for some reason I forget before I get into bed... I have to get out and do the routine. (This is all done AFTER I brush my teeth and all that stuff.) Even if I blew my nose before I brushed my teeth... it will bug me so much that it wasn't done last... I'd have to repeat the routine. Funny huh?

In other news... I got a new dress last night! Marc wanted to get a new X-box game, so he dropped me off at Dillards and I bought this beautiful Jones New York dress... reguarly $134.00... for $34.00!!! How exciting is that? :) I also got a very healthy dinner... Chic-Fil-A!

Kristi called me this morning. Her manager was involved in a car accident a few days ago while driving into work. (A drunk driver hit her.) She has serious (but not life threatening) injuries, and is still in the hospital with multiple surgeries pending and months of rehab to look forward to. She is a single mom with three children, and her mother (who works two jobs and battleing her own health issues) is stepping in and helping take care of them. Don't you see the need? Kristi is pulling together friends to help this family out! A few ideas are... making dinners that can be frozen and easily re-heated... buying frozen dinners and other groceries like cereal, granola bars, fruit snacks, crackers, soups, etc., and even getting things like McDonalds giftcards/coupons. You see... MONEY isn't the issue... they may or may not be able to afford these kinds of things... it's about the LOVE. Jesus talkes about this kind of neighborly love in Luke 10... and this is just one way we can "be the church".

Can you fill a need today?

Brittany

Dog eat dog

2008-03-04T13:58:00.004-05:00

2.5 hours left until Marc picks me up from work... I can't wait! Why you might ask? Well... I have LAUNDRY to DO... DINNER to COOK... a HOUSE to CLEAN... and ANIMALS to FEED. Whoohoo!!

Speaking of the animals, we've put Zoë and Huey on a diet. They used to have the automatic feeders... but they were obviously eating a little too much so we took them away. We are now trying to adjust how much they eat. Zoë is taking it better than the cat, Huey. Poor thing thinks he's starving! He stays under our feet constantly just meowing. Trust me, he's FAR from starving. His belly is close to hitting the ground! I also stated Zoë on some doggie vitamins... I think she thinks they are treats (which is good).

I'm not sure what is for dinner tonight. I have been slacking off on planning my menu ahead. I've been slacking off alot actually. People seem to think I am an organizational machine... but I'm not... at least not as organized as I wish I were. After reading "A Woman After God's Own Heart", I learned the value in prioritizing daily activities, writing them down, praying over them, and following through with them... I haven't been doing that. Today feels like a good day to start that again.
So...
TO DO: make a "to do" list
STATUS: in progress

(Well, I better get to listing!)

Brittany

Anti-Virus... Anti-Fast!

2008-03-03T19:31:00.004-05:00

Hello there! I am just waiting for my anti virus program to download and figured I would update my blog (it seems to be taking quite a long time)!

So today we had the most beautiful weather you could imagine... sunny skies... in the 60's... just gorgeous. Tonight however... and for the next few days there is 100% chance of rain... hello flat hair days! Ugh! At least we had a nice day prior to... something to be thankful for I suppose.

Marc has been driving me to work alot lately... saves tons of money on gas and gives me extra sleep. :) Today he picked me up and had my favorite holiday treat! Mr. Bunny Big Ears! I get one every year for Easter... but usually have to remind him to get it for me. (One year he waited until the day of and had to buy a huge basket just for the hollow chocolate bunny, lol!) I also got some Peeps too. Very sweet!

Also, the online Women's Book Club/Study Group has taken off well. I have had 6 new members sign up (7 including me). The group's page is new, so there isn't much to it just yet... but I think it will get there. Are you interested in joining? CLICK HERE

10 minutes later and the download is just at 8%. Marc just finished doing dishes from dinner... (chinese take out) In the meantime, I better get some laundry in the wash!

Britt

Breakfast at Tiffany's

2008-03-03T09:12:00.003-05:00

Happy Monday!
Haven't blogged in 2 days... sheesh! It was the weekend... I deserved a break!

Anyway, I picked Marc up from the airport at about 1:15 AM Saturday... (laaaaate Friday night). It was so nice to see him! Turns out, the second and third days were MUCH better in Vegas than the first. He took some pictures with his phone... I will upload and post them soon. Also, he brought me home a surprise!!! A necklace from Tiffany & Co.! It's a beautiful silver necklace with 5 dropped pearls as a pendant. I was in shock! I can't even picture Marc walking into a Tiffany's!!! :) It's BEAUTIFUL! I will take some pictures.

UPDATE: Here are the pictures!

We slept in on Saturday... it was so nice to have an unplanned day... we woke up and just took our time and simply hung out all day. We went to Clarksville, IN and went to a few shops they have there. We thought about going to Hubers... but that's for another Saturday.

Sunday was nice too... really good worship service. Afterwards we went to the Scalf's for dinner and a little wii time. I didn't play, but the bowling looks really fun!

I feel a little tired today. I think I am going to need coffee to officially wake up this morning!

Off to get coffee...

Brittany

Naked

2008-02-29T09:07:00.003-05:00

Can a phone clothe you? NO! Then why do I feel so naked without it? Hmmm... Needless to say, I left my phone at home today... it stinks.

In other news, I slept better last night. I went to bed around 11:30... woke up WIDE awake at 1:10 AM thinking it was time to get up... after that I slept until Kristi called me... and thank goodness she did! I am so used to not paying attention to the three alarms I set, I would probably have slept right through work! LOL! Zoë slept right beside me... she was really good last night.

I heard on the christian radio station yesterday that Larry Norman passed away. My dad introduced me to him a few years ago... he was like a hippie christian rock kind of singer, lol. He did a song with Jars of Clay (remix of Jesus Freak) before, and had some other songs (U.F.O is one of them) that I enjoyed. You can listen to a song clip by clicking HERE, or visit his multimedia page HERE.

And... today is Leap Year Day! Whoohoo! How do we celebrate that?

Brittany

Walking Zombie (Part 2) :)

2008-02-28T23:16:00.004-05:00

I started a DVD series tonight called "ReGroup" by Henry Cloud, Bill Donahue, and John Townsend. It is a small group training DVD... "training groups to be groups". So far it seems awesome and I think it will be a great asset to our group. I will have to find time to sit down with it and watch it all before presenting it all to the group... does anyone know where I can purchase time? :)

Anyway... I went to the hair salon today and freshened up my "do". I just love going... Jessica (my stylist) is awesome! I have been going to her now for 2.5 years! In fact, you should go see her! Let me know if you want her info! :) Kristi met me there tonight too... I was so glad too! (I've been lonely without hubby around!) Afterwards, we went to Taco Bell for a gourmet dinner... and she went home to bed, poor thing! She's been really tired lately. I am really looking forward to tomorrow though. I have to work... but afterwards Kristi and I are meeting up for dinner and then off to do what we do best... shop (don't tell Greg though, lol)!

Just got a text not too long ago from Marc. He sent me a few pics of what's going on in Vegas... I'll try to upload them soon and post them for you. I think he is having a good time... earlier today he was a little bored (hotel room and TV all day), but they might get to go see a show (Sigfried and Roy) or something tomorrow... that would be fun I'm sure.

As I posted earlier today... I was exhausted from no sleep last night! Right now, it is 11:30 PM and I am about to sign out for the night. Hopefully I will get good sleep and wont have bags under my eyes tomorrow!

Night!

Brittany

Walking Zombie

2008-02-28T09:09:00.000-05:00

Wow - two blogs in a row!!!

Today is Thursday and I wish it were Saturday! I am EXHAUSTED! Marc flew out to Las Vegas yesterday... his plane was delayed a few hours though. Anyway... I hardly slept at all last night. First of all, I was on the computer and found google groups... and started one for our book club (http://groups.google.com/group/book-club-louisville) so when I did get to bed, I was so scared I would oversleep (Marc is the one who makes sure I get up every morning)... so I kept waking up every few minutes. When I finally got to sleep... the alarms went off and it was time to get up. Ugh! I hope I can get some sleep tonight!

I'm not sure what's on the menu for dinner tonight. Last night was yummy pasta... maybe chic-fil-a? Surprisingly, I'm not really feeling that. Hmmm. I do have a hair appointment after work... so maybe something on the way home from that. We'll see.

Well, my desk is a total wreck over here... I better get to work... maybe I'll write more later!

Have a GREAT day!

Brittany

Undercooked Pasta

2008-02-27T18:17:00.000-05:00

As if I had time for anything else... I decided to utilize yet another tool gmail (google) offers... Blogger! I have a history for starting these things and NEVER updating them... who knows -maybe this time will be different? Hopefully so.

Either way, right now I am sitting in the kitchen eating my undercooked pasta. Marc left for Las Vegas this afternoon... leaving me 3 days and 2.5 evenings to do three things I love... shop, eat chic-fil-a, and undercooked pasta! Yes... I love pasta when it is still a little crunchy in the middle. Marc HATES it. (wonder why?) No sauce... no meat... just pasta that's crunchy on the inside... yum! :)

Anyway... not too much going on... or at least that I can think to write about... We have been quite busy over the past few weeks, months... whatever... we seem to ALWAYS be busy and have something going on all the time. To top it all of, I have actually been a little busy at work too! It's not so bad though because the days go by much faster.

Well, my pasta is getting cold... and I have to leave for church (teaching the kids tonight) in hmmm... 4 minutes!

Be blessed!

Brittany