A Slow Change

Giveaway on my other blog....

2010-03-25T10:09:00.000-05:00

Hello all.... sorry I haven't updated in such a long time. Life has been a little hectic but the things I'm dealing with and experiencing just don't feel appropriate for putting on here. I'm afraid the wrong person would read something and take it the wrong way. So instead I've been 'blogging' to the Lord much more. Although I've always done that, it's become more frequent which isn't such a bad thing! ;)

Anyway if you click the button to the right called "Percolating Projects" you'll be taken to my other blog where Tanya and I are hosting our VERY FIRST giveaway. Let me just tell you I'm SO JEALOUS we can't win this thing cause it is so cute. Head over and enter as many times as you can!!!!

Alphabet Pillow Giveawy- REALLY CUTE!

2010-02-18T14:12:00.000-06:00

Wanna win a pillow????? ME TOO!!!!! Click here....

Grosgrain: Pillow Factory Alphabet Down Filled Pillow GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Shoe Giveaway....

2010-01-22T10:50:00.001-06:00

The UH-MAE-ZING Recessionista is giving away a FREE PAIR OF SHOES!!!! What?!?!?! Heck yes I'm all for that!

Head over to enter- and feast your eyes on what I want in the meantime!

Isn't it beautiful? I'll take 2 please- a right and a left. Hehehe!

Consolation prize if you don't win... they are having a full 3 days of 30% off!!!! These ladies are the epitomy of amazingness. Sale starts Tuesday Jan 26th so get to shopping!

Haiti Relief

2010-01-16T00:03:00.000-06:00

So I know TONS of people are blogging about ways to support Haiti, but I wanted to share with you a family that we know PERSONALLY! The Bundy's are living in Haiti and have for a long time. They are committed to the Lord and have followed His leading to be a part of the Haitian culture. If you are looking for a SAFE charity to donate to, the Bundy's mission would be a great one. Comment or e-mail if you have any questions we can help with. Pray and do as the Lord leads you.

Cake Wrecks

2010-01-07T10:37:00.000-06:00

Do you need a ~~good~~ GREAT laugh? How about a great laugh for several HOURS????? Yep. Thought so... I did last night and found a website that hit the spot! My husband left for work at around 10:00 and I jumped on Cake Wrecks for a 'FEW' minutes. At 1:15 I was still laughing my head off when my eyes caught a glimpse of the time. Woops! Knowing I had to be up early for work since we had snow I scurried off to bed and LITERALLY laughed myself to sleep thinking of all these terrible cakes.

Here are a few favorites so you can understand my temporary insanity last night....

How would you feel if THIS showed up to your baby shower?????

Apparently "Christmas" is overdone- welcome the new holiday "ChristAmUs"

Poor Nemo must have had a REALLY big dinner

Last but DEFINITELY not least.... the beloved Santa Claus

Who apparently had too much cheese and now needs some ExLax baked into his cookies

So enjoy Cake Wrecks it is FANTASMIC!!!!!

Troughs and Peaks

2009-12-22T12:47:00.001-06:00

Dave and I teach the High School Sunday School class and right now we are reading "The Screwtape Letters" by C.S. Lewis and doing a discussion on it. If you aren't familiar with the book or the writer, C.S. Lewis is most famous for his series "The Lion The Witch and The Wordrobe" and this particular book we are studying is a series of ficticous letters written from a 'Master Demon' (Screwtape) to his protege and nephew (Wormwood) a 'demon in training' type of scenario. Wormwood has been assigned a patient that is a new Christian/Believer so Screwtape is imparting his wisdom on tripping up followers of Christ.

I've been pretty impressed with how the students are responding to book. We don't require that they read it, but most of them have anyway. Every week we answer some questions on a couple of chapters. So far we have discussed topics like time management, prayer life, and family issues- figuring out that pushing your family's 'buttons' is a way the enemy gets a hold in our life.

This week's topic dealt with the 'troughs and peaks' in our walk with Christ. (Most people call them the valley/desert and mountaintop times) We discussed how ALL followers have both experiences and that it's okay to be in a trough sometimes. They concluded from their own lives that being in a trough sometimes brings the greatest strength in our relationship with Christ because you have to work harder at it. One student gave the example that you don't get very strong lifting a 2lb weight, but if you trade that in for a 20lb weight your muscles will ache at first but grow quickly! That is exactly what CAN happen in those trough moments if we allow them to happen.

Unfortunatley many of us enter a trough time in our life and think God has abandoned us. We get the idea that just because we are having a bad day or because life isn't going well that God has left us to fend for ourself. People begin going back to what they knew before they were introduced to Jesus- maybe not extreme cases like alcohol or drugs, but maybe selfishness or business? I know in my trough moments I try to busy myself with projects and busywork so I don't have to think of how junky my life is right then. My thoughts turn inward to how I can fix what's going on instead of looking to God for support and wisdom.

This week I challenged the class to think about the troughs and peaks they have experienced and to thank God that He has given them both experiences. Then I asked them to pray and ask that during this Christmas and New Years season when so many around us are depressed or lonely or feeling a trough moment, that God would reveal to them a hurting person. Maybe a family member, neighbor, friend, or even cashier at the store is going through a trough moment and God wants to use one of those students to get them through it.

Life can't be lived on the peaks- it's nice for a season and the snow is pretty, but life is lived in the troughs. If we never delve into the trough, who will we ever reach? Very few "unbelievers" are on the peaks, THEY LIVE IN THE TROUGH!!! So I will challenge you and me to do the same thing I've challenged my students with. Pray that God shows you someone in the trough this next week or two (or fifty two) and help them understand that it's okay to be there- God is NOT far away if you will just look for Him!

MERRY CHIRSTMAS!!!!

Packaging a GIFT CARD

2009-12-17T19:18:00.003-06:00

Anyone else hate giving gift cards for the simple fact that the "gift-ee" doesn't get to actually OPEN anything. Well a friend of mine called my Mom (who is also creative) and asked for some clever ways to give a gift card to her niece. I may be biased but she came up with some REALLY great ideas! Here you go:

Gift card ideas from Debby:

*Buy a package of gum you think they would like, put the gift card inside and then use hot glue to close the container back OR tape the gift card onto the back. You could also tape the gift card to a candy bar or move size box of candy

*Buy a cheap stuffed animal at the Dollar Tree and attach the gift card with a ribbon-you could use a hole punch to make a hole in the gift card envelope and then tie the ribbon to the stuffed animal.

*They have really cute plastic glasses for $1 at Wal-Mart. They’re clear plastic and have red and green polka dots on them-you could fill the glass with candy and stick the gift card in with the candy

*They have tons of cheap, cute little tins and boxes at the Dollar Tree that you could use

*You could buy an inexpensive ornament and attach the gift card to it with ribbon-write the name and the year on the ornament so they can keep it as a momento. I do this with my kids and grandkids every year

*They have lip gloss for $1 at Wal-Mart-you could attach that to the gift card

*They have those $1 magic gloves just about everywhere-you could put the gift card inside one of the gloves

*Put the gift card in a plastic Ziploc bag-make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and put the giftcard inside. Put the sandwich and a small bag of chips with a Little Debbie snack and a juice box (so it looks like a lunch). This is my favorite idea but you would have to make the sandwich that day so it wouldn’t mold or something gross but I think she’d get a kick out of it!!!

OK-I’m out of ideas-you’re on your own.

Debby

Thanks Mom!!! Isn't she great?!?!?! Hope you can use one of these- Happy Gifting!

The Nativity

2009-12-14T17:02:00.000-06:00

Dave and I had a fun weekend. Since he is still working 3rd shift I had Saturday morning and afternoon to myself. I spent the day making biscotti, homemade caramels, and a few Christmas gifts! Since both our birthdays are in December, that night Dave and I went to one of our favorite restaurants 9th Street Grill. It's like having gourmet food in the middle of hickville! (We like it because it reminds us of the food we used to eat when we lived near Chicago.)

We headed home, jumped into our jammies, pulled out the hideaway from the couch, and had a movie night. It's so fun cause I feel almost like a little kid when we do that and we love it. Our neighbors lent us "The Nativity Story" and we were so impressed. When the movie first came out a few years ago we didn't think much of it cause we thought it would be kind cheezy since unfortunately most Christian movies are.

Photo courtesy of Yahoo Movies

This movie was great. Dave and I really liked the way they portrayed the story. It gives SO much more light to the idea of what Mary and Joseph went through when they found out they were to be the 'parents' of the Messiah. Since the story is quite vague in the Scripture, not EVERYTHING in the movie is completely Biblical but it's definitley not straying from the probability of the situtation.

If you are looking for a GREAT Christmas movie to get you into the Spirit of Christmas or if you need a reminder of the sacrifice involved in Christ's life- even BEFORE he was born rent The Nativity Story or just buy it because you'll love it. Merry Christmas!!!

Percolating Projects

2009-12-08T15:54:00.002-06:00

Ever wonder what it would be like if you moved to a new home and met a neighbor that happened to become one of your best friends?

Well you would basically live at each other's house, watch each other's dogs while they are out of town, babysit on a moment's notice, come up with a routine of TV to watch together, have meals almost once a week at each other's houses, and have pancakes or waffles together AT LEAST one Saturday a month. Then on top of all that you would find in each other the creative drive you have been searching for! You would encourage her desire to cook and she would encourage your desire to craft which leads you to clean out your garage and turn it into a work area for crafts (including a table saw, circular saw, TONS of sandpaper, PLENTY of Mod Podge, a Cricut, and a sewing machine.)

That's never happended to you???? What?!?!?! Wow- guess I'm pretty blessed then cause this is what has happened to me over the last 10 months. Moving into our 1st home was a little scary cause it means I'm really growing up. On our street we already had some great friends from church that we knew so we were excited for the move. Then once we met our next door neighbors The Heralds we were even more excited! Two great sets of friends on the SAME STREET AS US!!!!

Tanya and I have now started our own cooperative blog "Percolating Projects" where we will be posting tutorials on recipes, crafts, and whatever we brew up in our little heads! Come on over and see what today's flavor is!

I'm not just a winner in my Mommy's eyes...

2009-12-08T14:07:00.000-06:00

SO I won a giveaway a LOOOOOOOOONG time ago and I'm just now getting around to posting about it, because I was too busy USING my new gift! :)

Alisa over at The Sweet Life gave away one of her beautiful aprons and I was ecstatic to be the reciever of the following eye candy!

Isn't it beautiful?!?!?!?! She had several really cute options to choose from but I chose this one because it's my favorite color combo. Seriously these were my wedding colors AND my whole house is done in green and brown- even my kitchen cabinets!!!

Anyway, the apron is REALLY well made and I love it so very much that while I was baking cookies and stuff for Thanksgiving I was so afraid to get anything on my beautiful apron. Then the 'duh' button inside my head went off and I remembed the PURPOSE of the apron! Head over to her blog and look around at what she has to offer because she is FANTASTICLY talented. She even has a few aprons in her Etsy Shop!

Want free stuff???

2009-11-21T15:57:00.003-06:00

How would you like to win a COACH PURSE???? Seriously not kidding at ALL- just go to the AMAZING Recessionista site and enter THIS giveaway here. Quickly, no go now and then come back cause I have something just as awesome to tell you.

Ok thanks for coming back.

How would you like to win something like this???

Go to the Creative Crate and enter this wonderful giveaway.

These ladies are AWESOME for doing these giveaways, so make sure to thank them!!!!

Melissa and Doug Giveaway

2009-11-20T11:30:00.003-06:00

Need a cute Christmas gift for a kid in your life? Want something that is not only fun but SAFE? Melissa and Doug products offer fun for kids and peace of mind for parents. Their products are safe for kids which is so important in the evergrowing 'lead paint' society we find our toys coming from.

Head over to "A Little Tipsy" and enter her giveaway for the Melissa and Doug Fruit Crate. It is ADORABLE! Your little one gets to actually CUT fruit with a little play knife- what kid wouldn't like that?

Blessings to you all, and I hope you win! (But not more than I hope I win) :)

Mixed Martha 'Motions

2009-11-19T16:18:00.010-06:00

It's supposed to be "emotions" but the 3 M's just taunted me too much. I give in so easily to that little voice that snickers in my mind at things like that- the voice sounds a LOT like my friend Danielle Wolf.

ANYWAY- the real reason you are reading this post- MARTHA STEWART. That name brings strong emotions for many people. Some love her and emulate her every move, others loathe her and want nothing to do with her. I'm somewhere in the middle. I'm not a follower of her to the point that everything in my house is a soft breezy color and every gift or goodie I make is homemade but I'm also not a hater. She has some good ideas some of which I use and some I throw away knowing I will NEVER IN A MILLION YEARS use/make that!

No matter how you feel about Martha I have a link for you. On her website she has set up a "Santa's Workshop" page and it is CHOCK FULL of fantastic ideas! There are some really great recipes I'd love to try- these are just too cute!

And talk about GIFTS GALORE!!! They are all homemade gifts and you can search for different categories like 'for her,' 'for him,' 'for kids,' and others. I found several things that would be great ideas for not only Christmas, but birthdays and other celebrations!

Go check it out and if you make anything please let me know how it turns out!

Your hut

2009-11-12T12:36:00.006-06:00

I received an e-mail from my Aunt today. She's a twin and is the 'receiver' between them, which means that when her twin sister has any kind of pain, she can feel it. They don't even live in the same STATE, but she knows when her sister has even a headache! The reason I preface this post with info on my Aunts is because I want you to understand who sent this message to me, it makes the words so much more powerful.
Dad was the twins older brother and definitely took on some 'fatherly' roles since my Grandpa had MS. Grandpa passed away when all the kids were young, and my Grandma remarried to a WONDERFUL man that raised my Dad and my Aunts as his own. Skip ahead SEVERAL years and here is what has happened in my Aunt's lifetime: Her father passed away when she was young, her brother (my dad) passed away in his 20's (leaving a wife, a 3 year old son, and a 13 month old daughter), her mother and step-dad both passed away, her nephew (my brother) passed away at age 19, and in the midst of ALL this she and her sister both incur incredibly painful physical problems and no amount of surgery or medication can fully control the pain. Now remember with the pain problems, that not only is she experiencing her OWN pain, but also the pain of her twin sister!!! DOUBLE WHAMMY!

Anyway- all that to share this with you, and to remind you that no matter what your circumstance, God is doing something through it. Just trust Him since he has YOUR best interest at heart.

Your Hut
The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him. Every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming. Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect him from the elements, and to store his few possessions.
One day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, with smoke rolling up to the sky. He felt the worst had happened, and everything was lost. He was stunned with disbelief, grief, and anger. He cried out, "God! How could you do this to me?"
Early the next day, he was awakened by the sound of a ship approaching the island! It had come to rescue him! "How did you know I was here?" asked the weary man of his rescuers. "We saw your smoke signal," they replied.

The Moral of This Story: It's easy to get discouraged when things are going bad, but we shouldn't lose heart, because God is at work in our lives, even in the midst of our pain and suffering. Remember that the next time your little hut seems to be burning to the ground.

It just may be a smoke signal that summons the Grace of God.

Giving away PEARLS?!?!?!

2009-11-11T23:22:00.004-06:00

So thank you to Songberries for the scooparooni on this amazing giveaway. Bungalow is giving away $50 worth of PEARL JEWELRY from Pearl Necklace Source.com!!!!! Wahoo!!!!

My personal favorite is this pearl bracelet- called the Hannah.

Pick your mouth off the floor and wipe the drool off the computer screen. Go enter the giveaway HERE!!!!

Lost and Found- Friend edition

2009-11-08T00:54:00.002-06:00

I logged onto Facebook tonight after a LOOOOONG day. Woke up this morning and cleaned part of the house, then my sister and Dad came over for a few minutes since she was in town. A few other people dropped by had coffee and before I knew it my morning was GONE! I ran out to get measurement of the Kids Church room at church so I could make some curtains that I PROMISED would be finished today (which is why I was up so late in the first place.) After I got back home I got ready, went to a birthday party, then the whole family went to dinner and shopping with my Grandparents. Tons of family fun!

So back to the original story.... I logged onto Facebook (like I do every night before going to bed) and got a great surprise. A friend I haven't spoken to in about 4 years started a 'chat' with me! What?! Seriously?! At first I thought it was going to be a quick little "Hi what's new? Bye" kinda thing, but it wasn't and I was THRILLED!

This guy was my best friend at one point in my life, and when Dave and I started dating the friendship dwindled. Not that I wanted it to, but he had feelings for me and I think he was hurt. ANYWAY we haven't talked in about 4 years and it has caused me a lot of turmoil. Over the past few years I have told Dave COUNTLESS stories about Chuck and how much fun we had together. I tried calling him early on and seeing if he wanted to hang out but got no response. I commented on his blog and got no response, so finally I just gave up.

But tonight was different. Tonight was the "old Chuck and Jenna." I felt like I had my friend back and I loved it! Nothing huge was talked about, just catching up on life but it was so good to have him back. Even now I feel like some part of my life has been restored that I never realized I was so hurt about. How strange is that?! And right now- the total NON CRIER that I am has tears running down her cheeks because I'm so happy.

Chuck and I will probably never see each other face to face again since he lives in Hawaii now. We'll never have movie night. He won't teach me how to play video games again, or take me bowling, but I'm still happy. It took 4 stinkin years for us to come back to this point, but I'm glad I found my friend again.

Do you need a good laugh?

2009-11-05T15:54:00.004-06:00

Have you had a bad day? Have you had a good day? Have you just had a whatever day?

Well I have the cure for ANY AND ALL kinds of days!!! Hilgers wonder serum takes care of..... oh wait, just kidding! (No I really don't think I'm that funny- don't worry)

The real cure is two cute blogs that I've fallen in love with. Now be prepared to not only get some crafty ideas, but also to laugh so hard, while trying to be quiet that (a) your husband looks sideways at you wondering what you could possibly be giggling at while he is watching SportCenter (b) you have to excuse yourself to the restroom cause you just peed a little (c) you need to get a tissue to wipe the latte spittle that just came from some oraface on your face that is now splattered on your computer screen OR (d) all of the above **Disclaimer- I of course did none of these things, I just have a good imagination** ;)

Now that I have given you proper warning to prepare yourself- visit Matsutake (which is apparently some sort of Japaneese mushroom, but her site has nothing to do with mushrooms) she is hilarious and has some of the most RANDOM but fun crafts to do.

Then my next favarito is Lollychops. By the end of reading her posts I felt that I had been in some craft fanatic brain of a child diagnosed with ADD but not on any medication. Long story short- she's amazingly random. Just fantastic!

So go visiting and then come back and tell me what you think of my new finds!

Bloggie Giveawy

2009-11-04T10:33:00.002-06:00

Hello All~

I wanted to tell you about an ADORABLE Etsy shop called Jesse Janes. (Isn't that cute first of all!) She make some beautiful item and they are reasonably priced too! Can't beat that... or CAN you????

Go to Songberries and you could WIN one for FREE wahoo! Plus she has some really great recipe ideas. So head over to Songberries and enter the giveaway, and then take time to look through her recipes. The Chocolate Buttermallow Cake she has up looks TO DIE FOR!!!!!

Texas Style Chili

2009-10-26T20:30:00.013-05:00

In case you didn't know..... IT IS FALL!!!!!!

I love this time of year so much. Other than some memories th

at are hard for me at this time of year, it is probably my favorite few months of the year. The weather is just gorgeous, the trees are so distinct, and of course the FOOD! :)

Let's just be honest the food at any time of year is the biggest thing we look forward to. Fall brings wiener roasts, s'mores, pumpkin flavors, cinnamon, nutmeg, apples, caramel, soups, and of course CHILI! Confession ALERT: until the last year or two I wouldn't eat chili. NEVER in a million years would I have eaten, let alone MAKE it!

I've grown up though folks and here I am, a total chili LOVER! We

ndy's chili was what originally got me hooked and I only ate it because I was trying to eat a little healthier to fit into my wedding dress. Chili at Wendy's was a better option than the fried chicken sandwhich and french fries I used to get there! So now I love chili of all kinds but not too spicy. The following chili has become my all time FAVARITO! It came from my Mother-In-Law's friend and I have changed it a little bit to fit my taste and to simplify it. Feel free to do the same! :)

Texas Chili *This was a double batch in the pictures, recipe is a single batch*

3-5 lbs stew meat

1 Tbsp vinegar

3 beef bouillon cubes

1 envelope of dry onion soup mix

2 Tbsp chili powder

1 onion chopped (I only use a full onion if I make a double batch cause we don't like it much)

1 can of rotel (only used 1 can in the double batch and it worked fine)

2 cans kidney beans- drained and rinsed

1 can of chili beans

Toppings (Optional): Cheddar cheese, fritos, sour cream

Put meat in a 4-5 qt heavy stock pot with 1/2 cup of water (with

double batch don't double water.)

Cover and cook on med/high until meat is cooked and grayish. About 30 minutes.

Uncover and cook away juices, turn meat so that it browns as evenly as possible. About 25 minutes. Lift out meat and put into a separate bowl.

In original pan add 1/4 cup of water and vinegar. Scrape down sides to loosen any brown bits (YUMMY!) and add bouillon cubes, onion soup, chili powde

r, and onion. Cook and stir for 10 minutes.

Add rotel and beans.

Stir to mix well before adding the meat back into the pot.

Cover and simmer until the meat falls apart- 2 hours is good but

can simmer for a while if needed.

**I added some tomato juice and water to this batch because it was pretty thick. It IS a thick chili so add as much tomato juice as you feel comfortable for your taste. Have fun with it!**

Dave loves his with fritos and cheese, I also put sour cream on mine. Woop woop!

Lastly- keep your dogs away from it. My dogs accidentally got a taste of chili a while back and now ANY time they smell that wonderful aroma they go nuts! I was sitting here working on this post and looking at Facebook and had to snap this shot!

Just because I need a few pictures on here

2009-10-22T21:30:00.004-05:00

This is completely and totally random but I felt like I needed some pictures on my blog. And since my blog is ALL about randomness, WHY NOT?!

These are from this summer when Dave and I went out garage sale shopping. Dave had NEVER been to a garage sale before so I had to document the experience. Again- picture quality isn't that great, so just excuse those please. Later gator!

We got some good deals- mostly tools for Dave!

Bloggie Giveaway

2009-10-21T22:54:00.004-05:00

One of my 'new favorites' is hosting an ADORABLE giveaway! Sumo's Sweet Stuff is giving away a Seasonal Wood Board and it is TOO cute folks. Go enter her giveaway and look around her site for some super cute ideas. And if you enter and win this thing- you have to give me visitation rights with it so that maybe I can have it part of the year and you can have it the other half! :)

God's Fridge

2009-10-21T16:11:00.003-05:00

If God has a fridge- your picture would be on it, but of course mine would too- and no offense but my picture would be bigger! ;)

Just a happy thought to counteract my sourness from yesterday. We all have those moments.... right?!?!?!

Serenity Now

2009-10-19T23:27:00.004-05:00

This is going to be a vague post and I apologize for that- but it HAS to be.

Just be aware- your enemy WILL COME! We are having a week of services at our church (many churches call them revival services) and last night a Pastor from our area gave a message entitled "Your Enemy Will Come" and BY GEORGE he was right!

God BROKE me last night about my spiritual walk, or lack there of. I'm becoming so religious and not moving forward with my relationship the way I should be. There is no consistency in my prayer and Bible study time and I've finally had enough of it. So this morning I got up early and had my prayer time with God. My day went surprisingly well... until tonight.

Tonight I got mad, and not just 'oh I'm mad bleh bleh bleh' I got MAD ya'll! Ticked off red-faced mad! I know I shouldn't have and I know that most of what I was feeling was in the flesh, but I didn't care. Honestly I STILL don't care because most of it is justified. Again- I can't go into detail and I apologize for my vagueness but please know that I just can't give details.

God is trying to do something in me and it's going to be a rough battle, because the enemy WILL come. When I face my enemy/situation/whatever I have to remember that this is PART of my walk and I just have to make sure that I not only face my enemy but KILL it before I'm done. David never had a problem with Goliath again because he had killed him, and not only that he cut off his head to show the victory God had given him!

Even though it's nasty and bloody and totally gross- I can not be afraid to kill my enemy, because he WILL COME.

Baby Gift Set

2009-10-17T14:11:00.004-05:00

Here is what I've been up to.... I actually made 3 sets of these, but forgot to take pictures of the other 2- whoops! This set was for my cousins wife who is getting ready to have a little girl after having 3 boys. We can't wait to meet little Laney!!! (Sorry the picture quality is so bad- I'm trying to figure out how to take better pictures so hopefully they will improve!)

These are the burp cloths. I think they turned out pretty cute! Here is the tutorial I used.

This is the diaper wipes case. Don't look TOO closely at it, cause it was a first attempt! Here is the tutorial I used for this one.

Finally this was the most exciting piece I made, a Changing Pad. It wasn't too hard to make, but my workmanship got better with each one I made. Again-don't look too close! :) The tutorial is here.

I really enjoyed making these and it got me excited for sewing again! So I'm hoping to do a lot more of this type of thing. I'll try to post whatever I make so you can all get ideas also! :)

Daddy Day Care

2009-10-16T14:31:00.003-05:00

So I PROMISE I'm going to share some of the stuff I've been up to, but all my pictures are at home and I'm at work of course!

My friend and neighbor is out of town for the weekend for a wedding and her husband is watching their 2 kids ALONE! He does this every Thursday anyway, but several DAYS alone is another story. Well yesterday on his Facebook he kept giving "Daddy Daycare Tips" and it apparently inspired him to write a blog of tips! How adorable huh?!

The Daddy Daycare Tips blog isn't just about how to wipe snotty noses and potty training, it is also going to be about being a Godly example to your kids and being the Godly husband a wife needs. I can personally attest that he is a WONDERFUL example for his family (who I adore to pieces!) So please go over and encourage him since he is just getting started.

Love ya'll!!!

Catch Up

2009-10-07T22:38:00.002-05:00

It's been quite a while since I wrote and I apologize deeply, but life has been a little crazy. And when I say a little, I actually mean pretty darn crazy! My mind that never stops has already begun thinking of Christmas- back in September. (Lauryn, my sister would be so proud of me!) She is the QUEEN of Christmas folks. So I've been trying to figure out what I can do to make our Christmas more affordable this year since Dave is going back to school. (Which I'll discuss more in detail in a bit) The internet and blogworld has become my closest friend lately getting ideas for gifts and decorations for the greatest time of year. I'm so excited!

Also I've had a Wedding Reception, Bridal Shower, and 3 yes THREE baby showers to get ready for. And since I've found so many neat ideas I decided to do personal homemade gifts for EACH of these events. It was time consuming and a little nutzo on my part but it was totally worth it. We ended up saving money in the long run and the recipients seemed to really like them. I forgot to get pictures of my 2 'wedding' related gifts but the baby gifts I'll be doing a separate post on soon with links to the tutorials on how to make them.

THEN the hardest part of my life at the moment is that Dave is not only going back to school (for nursing by the way) but his business isn't doing so hot, so a wonderful friend at church got Dave a job at a factory. It is SUCH a blessing because we are going to be able to use the money to not only pay the bills but to also put back enough savings that next semester when Dave is doing his CNA, he most likely won't have to work. But that also means that right now is full of 7 days a week of work (cause there is MANDATORY overtime) plus 2 FULL days a week of school.

Dave works 10:30pm to 7:00 am and I start getting ready for work right as he is getting to bed so he can sleep until 4:30pm and go to work again that night. Then on Tuesdays and Thursdays he has class from 10:30 am to 9:30 pm, and in the midst of all this, I have so much going on in my own life that we aren't getting to see each other more than 30-45 minutes at a time and no more than twice a day. Today I saw him for about 20 minutes after I got home from work, before I went to church and after church before HE went to work I got another 15 minutes. 35 minutes total today! This is only until the end of the year, and the plant closes down at Christmas which will give us the Holidays together which is SUCH a blessing.

This is all only temporary and I know that but it's so difficult in the midst of it. God has blessed Dave with this job and we are SO incredibly grateful for the amazing money but it's bittersweet. Your prayers would be appreciated in the next few months as we figure out how to live this way. I don't know HOW military spouses spend so much time apart because I'm at LEAST getting a few minutes a day! God is so faithful and I know He will be with us during all this. Thanks for listening/reading! :)

Should I play the lottery today?!?!?!

2009-10-01T12:00:00.003-05:00

Today I found out that I have won 3 things!!!! Wahoo!

1. I FINALLY won in the Pace Hand-pick and Win sweepstakes so I'm getting a coupon for a FREE jar of Pace

2. Stephanie at Somewhat Simple (a great site) hosted a giveaway for Sweet Jane's butterfly bows and I WON!

3. After I found Sweet Jane's site I found out she was also doing a giveaway and I won an ADORABLE purple hat with a big purple and white flower. SO CUTE!!!! I wish it would fit me! :)

PLUS a few weeks ago I also won the "Fireproof Movie" from Amber at Journey of Grace

No wonder I'm thinking about the lottery huh?! (Kidding by the way- I do not gamble at all)

Barkeepers Friend Cleaner-Review

2009-09-20T21:05:00.003-05:00

So I have a glass cook-top stove. It's really quite frustrating sometimes, but because I wanted a convection oven I had no choice but to take the glass cook-top along with it. You can't put ANY ceramic on it because it will scratch, you have to be careful what kind of cleaner you use, and stuff burns onto it- CONSTANTLY!

We've only had our stove since we moved in Feb/March of this year, but it has been used an INSANE amount of time due to my "Betty Crocker meets Martha Stewart meets Grandma's cooking" syndrome I've developed. My cook-top has been used more in the past 7 months more than I used my range stove in the 1 1/2 years we lived in the apartment! This thing was GROSS! It had burn marks all over the place that I couldn't get off with any amount of cleaner or elbow grease. I had resolved myself to the idea that my stove was just going to always look gross- it was really embarrassing actually.

That was before today... before Barkeepers Friend (which has become my new best friend!!!!) My Mom brought me some the other day at work and said she had used it for years to clean stuff and thought I might like to use it on my sink (which I've also had problems with.) Well let me tell you that my Mom is a GENIUS. With little effort this stuff took off every single burn mark that I thought would never come off my stove. I couldn't believe it, I kept yelling "Dave, this is incredible! The marks are gone!!!!" He thought I was nuts of course.

Anyway this is a fairly cheap cleaner that isn't abrasive but cleans like one. I used the basic cleaner, but from the looks of their site they have all kinds of cleaners. Hopefully I can find and try out a few others but for now I am ecstatic with my basic Friend. If you need a tough cleaner, I highly recommend this. It will clean metal/steel sinks to a beautiful shine, obviously is safe on glass top stoves, corian (my countertop material) and doesn't leave an icky film.

Too cute!

2009-09-17T10:15:00.003-05:00

So I found a new blog- Sweet Jane and she is just too cute! I don't have a baby girl yet, (unless you count my puppy Leah- KIDDING!!!) but I know so many people that do and my cousin's fiance is having a baby girl Laney and some of this stuff would be SO adorable! Her shower is in a few weeks so I may just need to do some quick shopping!

Head over to Sweet Jane and see all the cutesie little things she has to offer!

Passionate Homemaking Giveaway!

2009-09-17T10:01:00.003-05:00

One of my new favorite blogs is hosting a giveaway for 2 baskets of natural beauty products. They look FANTASMIC!!! If I win I'm hoping to get the Deep Penetrating Foot Creme, Radiance Facial Creme, Revitalizing Toner Mist, Natural Skin Repair Creme, Exfoliating Walnut Face Scrub, and the Intensive Cleansing Masque.

Head over to Passionate Homemaking and get the details about the giveaway. You won't be disappointed if you do!

Chocolate Molasses Cookies

2009-09-14T20:15:00.005-05:00

I made these quite a while ago, but they were so delicious that I had to make a 2nd batch- mostly for my parents! Since they have fairly small amounts of sugar in them they are a great treat for my Dad. He has been dealing with cancer of the blood and since sugar feeds cancer he's been staying away as much as possible.

ANYWAY- I get daily e-mails from Martha Stewart's website with the "Cookie of the Day" and it's fantastic! You have to sign up for some of her daily e-mails cause they are gold.

Chocolate Molasses Cookies

4 oz semisweet choc OR 3/4 Cup semisweet chips

1 stick of butter

1 1/4 Cup flour

2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

2/3 Cup light brown sugar

1 egg lightly beaten

2 Tbsp dark unsulfured molasses

1 tsp vanilla extract

*Preheat your oven to 350

*In a large bowl melt choc and butter in the microwave- stir every 30 seconds

*In a separate bowl whisk flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt

*Add brown sugar, egg, molasses, and vanilla to the choc/butter and mix well

*Add the flour mixture to that ^ and stir to combine

*Scoop by the tablespoon into your hand and quickly roll into a ball- about 9 per sheet

*Bake about 12-13 minutes until the tops are crackly but cookies are soft to the touch. (They will harden as they cool)

*Let cool 5 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely. Then sprinkle with powdered sugar

*Devour these tasty treats that can even be considered 'good' for you. Molasses has been proven to be great for 'women problems' so eat up girls! :)

I make children cry

2009-09-10T10:05:00.002-05:00

Last night was my first night in my new ministry outlet- JUST Kids. It's our Wednesday night kids program and we bus in close to 100 kids to feed them and then teach them the word of God. I'm on the GREEN team- 1st and 2nd graders and it's really quite fun.

During our lesson one of the little girls was playing with a bead necklace so I quietly whispered to her that she needed to put it on her neck and keep it there or put it in her pocket. Less than 10 seconds later it was again off her neck and being played with, so being the disciplinarion that I am I told her she needed to give me the necklace since she couldn't obey. She stated she would NOT be giving it to me and I told her she had to choice because she had disobeyed. Begrudgingly she handed over the necklace and promptly pulled her knees to her chest, flung her arms over her knees and cried. Yep- first night and I make a little girl cry. I'm going to be SUCH a good mother some day! ;)

After the lesson was over she was still crying so she and I went into the hall and were able to figure out our differences. Apparently it wasn't just me she was upset with- she also felt sick and wanted to stay home but her Mom made her come. She just needed a good cry and decided to unload on me. Like all children- once we finished she was my buddy the rest of the night!

Kids are so funny- they get frustrated with you so easily and then they forget about it just as quickly. I'm really excited about this new venture on Wednesdays. It gives Dave time at home alone to study for school and I still get to be involved with ministry. It's still hard not being in Youth but I know that this is what God has for now. Hopefully next week no one will cry on me!

Lessons in Worship

2009-09-03T10:56:00.006-05:00

Sorry this isn't a follow up with pictures and recipes as I promised- but those are at home and I am at work! Instead I felt that I would share something that God has been showing me OVER and OVER and OVER the past week or two. It's really quite strange how many different avenues God has shared this through without me even seeking it out! That's when you KNOW God is trying to show you something.

I'm considered a worship leader in our church- 3 other ladies and I each take turns leading the music on Sundays and spend the other weeks rotating as back up singers. I've known for several years now that God had a call on my life for this type of ministry but I've always struggled with areas of the ministry: am I being prideful in my talent? am I really listening to the Holy Spirit? am I choosing songs that God is leading me to or that I just want to sing? should I just sing the song and shut up (as I've been told to do by some in the church) or do what I feel GOD called me to do which is to LEAD people to worship through encouragement in between songs and even chastisement in some cases?

All these questions and struggles have just amplified lately because of some stuff at church. It's amazing how church's can get so bent out of shape about the music and how much it can effect our walk with the Lord! Now let me just say that I understand how someone that is new in their relationship with Christ can be swayed by the song service at church, but for a "MATURE" follower to get caught up in that?!?!?! What is wrong with us?????

The purpose for church services isn't to escape the world, but for us to come together with our brothers and sisters in Christ to CONTINUE what we already are doing in our personal lives- WORSHIPING GOD!

Worship isn't music, a service, a message, or any of the things we have made it into, it is the lifestyle we live.

Whether we are worshipping God, our family, our finances, our job, or any other of the millions of distractions out there we ARE worshipping something every moment of every day. The purpose of corporate singing before the Word of God is preached is not for some mystical or emotional experience but for us to focus our minds and hearts on Christ and to CONTINUE in our worship of Him.

If the purpose of a 'worship service' is truly to worship Christ, then who cares what the music sounds like, if the leader is tone-deaf, if it's too loud or too soft, if there are lights, if a guitar is leading the music or if an organ is, if we sing a hymn or a newer song, if the music is fast or slow?! NONE of that matters, what matters is our heart and where it is focused, what we are worshipping- WHO we are worshipping. Songs are great, music is great- it does have the capability to swell our emotions and grip our hearts, but what about the words? Are the words of the song about me and what I want from God or are they about glorifying the One who saved us? Does it help me reflect on Christ's teachings or remember to share His Word with others? Remember that Satan was the minister of music before his fall. He ALSO had beautiful music and probably with some beautiful words- but where was his WORSHIP really directed?

A service should not be about us and what we want or need, it should be about God and how He has made sanctification available to us. It's not wrong for us to ask things of God- He wants us to do that, but my question is what is the primary focus of our worship services? If we are always asking for a deeper relationship but don't take time to glorify God or just to sit and listen in His presence, will that ever really happen?

Now I know this is a crazy long post and I apologize, I won't know if you stop reading at this point! :) I just want to share what's on my heart and hopefully someone will glean something from it.

I want to say this- as a worship leader my purpose is to be a true LEADER of worship. That means that when I get up on a Sunday morning to lead music my words, actions, facial expressions, body language, heart, and mind need be in continuation of what I have been doing the rest of the week. It puts a heavy burden on me to make sure that my life outside the church is really worshipping God and not one of those millions of distractions! I cannot expect the congregation I am leading to truly worship in spirit and in truth if I am not. I cannot berate them and shout at them to 'lift your hands! sing with your whole heart! sing like you mean it!' if their lives are not already in worship to God.

The last thing that has weighed on my heart, because I've HEARD this with my own ears is this: Telling someone that the presence of God is not felt because they did not 'enter into worship' is crap! The presence of God is always around us and whether or not we FEEL it or not has no bearing on how 'good' a service was. Our feelings don't matter for one thing and the other thing is that each person worships in their own way and at their own level of devotion. GOD through the Holy Spirit is the one that needs to deal with them on how intensely they are worshipping Him- not the Pastor, Worship Leader, Associate Pastor, Youth Leader, parent, or friend.
**If you are one of the Pastors, worship leader, assoc pastors, youth leaders, parents or friends trying to coax someone into worship- STOP! You are trying to do what ONLY the Holy Spirit can do and you will fail miserably!**

I pray that maybe this has helped someone the way it has helped me. This is only a SMALL snippet of what God has taught me, there is no way for me to express the full depth of His teaching in this area- I just have to actually live it out. May we all be worship leaders regardless of music, talent, or platform but just by living a life in worship of Christ.

Sophronas Bakery

2009-08-28T23:24:00.003-05:00

So someone I actually know outside of the 'blog world' has recently started her own blog and could use a little encouragement! Please stop by SophronasBakery and see what she has in store for your taste buds. She is incredibly talented and makes the most amazing cakes. I can't wait for you to see some of her work!!!!

Been a long time- shouldn't a left you, without a dope beat to step to... step to-step to.....

2009-08-25T11:09:00.003-05:00

I realized today that it has been forever since I did a post! Not sure why cause I've checked on my blog everyday and we've seen crazy slow at work. Oh well, better late than never.

Life has been pretty timid lately, nothing too out of the ordinary going on which is a nice change. My (step) sister and her family came down for her birthday over the weekend and we had a great time with them. Her mom and my mom planned a surprise party for her since it was her 30th and it went great! My nieces are getting so big- Kylee is taller than ALL of us now and is in the 8th grade. Moriah is sassy as EVER and in 1st grade, even DAVE couldn't believe she had gotten so big!

There has been LOTS of cooking and baking in our house over the past few weeks so I am excited to share some recipes and tips with you- especially about how to make your bread rise! Homemade bread was always a touchy subject for me because I couldn't figure out how to get it to rise correctly... NOT ANY MORE!!! Woop woop! :) I've made taco dip twice, a mississippi mud cake, cinnamon rolls, apple butter, strawberry jam, bread, and 2 batches of chocolate molasses cookies. Mmmm Mmmm!

Can't wait to share all my recipes with you and even a few pictures- cause we all LOOOVE pictures!

Pace Hand-Pick & Win Sweepstake

2009-08-05T09:17:00.004-05:00

Pace is having a 'Hand-Pick & Win' sweepstake! This is a GREAT sweepstakes because you win up to 5 JARS of Pace Salsa or Picante Sauce and since the promotion is lasting until JULY 31, 2010 you will have 360 entries to get your 5 jars! (That's one entry a day starting today!) Best part about this is that even if you don't have a lid from a Pace jar- they will give you a free code. Just click the 'I don't have a code' button and they will supply you a virtual lid. PLUS there are some really yummy recipes on their website. Mmmm Mmmm~ best wishes, can't wait to hear if you all win!
**Thanks to Freebies4Moms for the scoop on this!**

2009-08-01T18:08:00.003-05:00

Found a fun new one for you all...

Lindsay at "Passionate Homemaking" is a stay at home mother of 2 in the Northwest-Portland area. She has a TRUE gift for saving money and keeping her family healthy. Not just in the food she serves them but also in their cleaning supplies, laundry, and even toiletries! I've read through her entire blog and it's AMAZING! Please take some time to visit her because she has wisdom you can glean.

One of my favorite things about her and her family is their intense belief in modesty. Even on her wedding day she was completely covered- and for a woman in this day and age that is a DIFFICULT task! Her posts are inspirational and I am excited to get to know her better through her blog. Please join me!

New Recipe- Crescent Chicken Squares

2009-07-30T19:09:00.004-05:00

So last night Dave and I tried a new recipe- and I'm trying something new myself. I'm taking pictures of our meals and posting them with the recipe. A photographer I am NOT so please give me grace for my horrendous photos! The food looked better in person!

Crescent Chicken Squares

8 oz pkg cream cheese softened

1 tbsp butter softened

2 cups cooked chicken shredded OR a 10.5 ox can of chicken

3-4 tbsp milk

Salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup frozen peas or broccoli cut into small pieces

2 tubes of crescent rolls

1 tbsp melted butter

1/8 cup bread crumbs

Heat oven to 350* In a medium bowl beat cream cheese and softened butter until smooth. Add chicken, milk, seasoning, and veggies. Set aside.

On 2 baking sheets make 8 rectangles by pressing two crescents together. Scoop chicken mixture in the center of each and pull the four corners together and twist together to seal- brush with butter and sprinkle bread crumbs over top.

Bake 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

OUTCOME: It was okay-Dave said it was more like chicken salad than anything else. I think next time I'll use the same crescent pocket idea and maybe do BBQ chicken with some mozzarella cheese. It's a fun concept but needs some work. Any ideas???

Making friends- and maybe an enemy or two!

2009-07-29T14:53:00.003-05:00

I feel quite special today- a friend gave me a "Blog Award" and it's my first! So exciting!!! Here it is- the "Honest Scrap Award"

Lyryn thank you so much! I enjoy reading your blog so much and I appreciate your honesty and transparency about your life and what God is doing in and through you. It's an inspiration and I pray that in some small way, God allows me to be the same for you.

So here goes the 'rules' of the award- In order to accept I must post 10 things you might not know about me AND award 4 others. So I'm sending this award to 4 fellow bloggers because of their amazing testimonies, true hearts, and partly because I want to see their 10 answers about themselves! :) Truly selfish aren't I?!

Here goes:

1. It took me 20 minutes to compose this post because I was cornered in my office by a wasp I was scared to death of. (One of the ONLY things I am scared of!)

2. God has blessed me as a worship leader. I love singing. BUT when I was younger I couldn't carry a tune! My Mom even told me that she and Jesus loved to hear me sing, but that I shouldn't sing for anyone else. (She was trying to be nice!) :)

3. I LOVE my feet. It's one of the only physical aspects of myself that I have never criticized. They don't get fatter even when I eat too much ice cream, they don't break out when I PMS, and they don't turn red when I cry. I love them!

4. I've had a lot of tragedy in my life- but I wouldn't trade it for anything cause I've learned so much.

5. My husband is NOTHING like I imagined he would be- I love when God puts something better into our lives!

6. I've had gray hair since I was 15 so I have to dye my hair regularly to keep it looking nice.

7. My memory is TERRIBLE. I come across as ultra organized, and I am to a point- but I also come off as a ditz due to my horrific memory.

8. When I was 4 my dream in life was to work at McDonalds because my Mom told me once that my Dad worked there in college. (Still NEVER worked there or any fast food place, and I pray I never do!)

9. I ABHOR swimming. It's nice sitting out by the pool or going to a water park for a bit, but to just SWIM... NO WAY! The thought of having to change into an entirely different outfit (with no 'support' by the way) just to get in a giant bathtub with who knows how many germs swimming around with nothing to do but float around only to have to change out of that outfit, shower, dry off and get back into my original outfit- it's just too much work!

10. Lastly- I love trying out accents. Sometimes I speak in a southern drawl or a Pakistani accent just cause it's fun. My all time favorite though- I can do a PERFECT Asian woman. I used to call my Mom at work just to fool her with it!

Hopefully these ladies will be posting their answers soon- so check them out! And if they don't, just hound them until they do!

Tami Jo- The "Scheich" Family (One of my best friends)

Tanya- The Heralds (Another one of my best friends- who happens to be my neighbor!)

Amber- Humble Reflections (I love reading her thoughts about what God is teaching her)

Erica- Team Stephens Wins (Another wonderful friend that I adore)

Need recipes?

2009-07-24T10:01:00.005-05:00

Thanks to Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker- I have a PLETHERA of new recipes from fellow bloggers! She writes a "Thursday 13" where she lists 13 things, ideas, memories, or whatever topic she chooses. This week she wrote about 13 blogs she visits frequently and I am overjoyed that she did. I've stolen several of them and added them onto my 'Blogs with Recipes' list. There are some amazing recipes I just can't wait to try! Let me know if you try any fun new recipes cause I will be sharing several new ones in the next few days.

Check these out:
Bake at 350 - She has an incredible talent for decoarting cookies and cakes and give instructions on how to replicate her designs!
Bread Blog - dedicated to breads, pastries, scones, biscuits, basically anything with yeast :)
Gather Round Our Table - a simple blog giving some good recipes
The Secret Recipe Blog - gives recipes that replicate the 'well known' restaurant ones
Taste Buds - another simple recipe blog
AAAAAAAAAAND (drum roll sound please.....)
Mennonite Girls Can Cook - OH MY GOODNESS!!!! I'm so excited about this one I could cry! I LOVE me some Amish food and this blog is SPECTACULAR! Ladies, if you ever need comfort food then this blog is for you!

Have fun cooking, baking, and trying new things!

Life is never what we expect!

2009-07-14T10:41:00.002-05:00

Had quite an interesting weekend and beginning of this week...

Friday I left work a few minutes early to make sure and get to the ball field early for our game. We ended up winning which means we advance to the finals! (FYI...it's all local so it's not State or anything too huge) That night Tanya and I decided we wanted a girls night so we left her son with his dad and Dave and we headed out to Chili's after the game. It was nice to chat without distractions! Then we went to see The Proposal- definitely a girl movie! The movie was cute, but maybe a little crass- both actors have a nude scene where you don't see their FULL 'personal areas' but they definitely filmed without clothing. It showed a little more than I thought it would for Sandra Bullock. Oh well! Anyway it was SUCH a fun night getting to spend time with a good friend.

Saturday morning I got up and started cleaning the house when I got a text from Tanya that she had pancakes and bacon coming out off the griddle if we wanted to come by. It was the quickest I have EVER seen Dave get out of bed! Breakfast was fun and VERY tasty! Then I spent my day cleaning the house TOP TO BOTTOM- Dave also helped a ton which was so great of him! Plus I made some cake balls since we were going to a party later.

At 5:30 we headed for dinner with a wonderful family that our family has known for a while but that Dave and I have just gotten to actually KNOW. It was honestly supposed to be a quick dinner because my boss had a party starting at 6:00! Well we had such a wonderful time and didn't want to end it that we didn't leave until 11:00 from their house. The time spent with them was much needed for my spirit. I've felt torn, broken, and just beat up lately about some things and God used them to help us feel that we were not alone in our struggles and what we are dealing with. Thank you Lord! You always know what I need at just the right time!

After we left their house we did swing by Rich's party where 'the stragglers' were gathered. We stayed for about an hour and really enjoyed ourselves while we were there. Once we got home we both crashed because it was such a full day!

Sunday morning we taught Sunday School at our church then headed to First Baptist to hear Adam preach! It was such a great message and EXACTLY what I needed to hear. That afternoon Dave had to work so I was left by myself for the day. I am convinced that Dave has done some sort of brain washing on me to make me obsessed with baseball! :) Fever Pitch was on TV so I watch that (and almost cried- weird!) then I watch The Benchwarmers right after too. It was great! Church was that night with an Ice Cream Social afterward- what beats HOME MADE ICE CREAM?!?!?! YUUUUUMMMMMM!!!!

Monday brought a NASTY headache that may have been from all that yummy ice cream. Woops! I was home all day yesterday without lights on and the TV down so low you could barely hear it. Thankfully the dogs were quiet- they must have been given a tranquilizer or something cause they normally play all day long. The headache began to subside so I planned the next two weeks of meals for us and then we watched the Home Run Derby. (I'm telling you.... brain washed!) All in all a fairly good weekend and beginning of the week.

Please keep us in your prayers for a few things though:
Dave needs to find a different job- they aren't giving him enough hours at the store
The truck's starter might be going bad- pray it isn't too much to fix!
I heard noises in the wall of the bathroom today- probably a mouse but I'm not sure- pray again that it's not too much to fix this problem!
Pray for Dave and I- we need some clarity and direction

Thank you and I pray that you all have a wonderful week. Let me know if I can pray for any of you this week also!

Hmmm.

2009-07-07T10:24:00.006-05:00

I just deleted an entire post I had started. It was loooooong, and I deleted it on purpose. All I was doing was hosting an on-line pity party. Then I was convicted. God always ruins my pity parties! ;)

There is a LOT of stuff I could complain about right now... A LOT- but why? Why give satisfaction to my flesh? Why give into my temptations of cynicism? WHY?! So I listened to the Holy Spirit that told me to delete that post- and I have to say I am quite glad I did. My whole attitude has changed by that one act. I can already tell that God is MUCH more pleased with my obedience rather than my pity party.

God is doing some things at the moment that I am excited about. I can't talk about them because He won't let me- but His will is going to be accomplished and I can't wait! Although I am absolutely TERRIFIED for His will to be done because I don't know exactly what it means for Dave and I and our future, I am excited. We just keep praying together that He would put us in the center of His heart and let everything else fall into place around us. Whether it be our finances, relationship, future, jobs, church, ministry, or other things we just want to be where He wants us, doing what He wants. Like I said- it's terrifying because we think there are going to be some big changes coming (like Dave going back to school) but we are excited. There is a sense of coming change and I can't wait to see how it all turns out.

I pray that if any of my friends that read this blog are dealing with frustrations, heart ache, confusion, or even cynicism (like me) that you turn it over to God and let HIM be your advocate. Let HIM fight your battle, let HIM heal your heart, let HIM make the changes and the choices- you will be so much happier for it.

It's the little things...

2009-06-30T09:09:00.002-05:00

I am so excited about today! Yes I know it's only Tuesday but I'm still excited. Nothing huge is happening- just lots of little things.

1. I'm working today. Of course I work EVERY Tuesday (and Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday!) but I'm realizing more and more that my job is SUCH a blessing! My paycheck is consistent, I have no fear of being laid off or let go, my boss feels like family, AND I work with my Mom which I LOVE!

2. I'm leaving work early today :) No this doesn't contradict my first statement- I'm heading to the dentist- again this sounds strange... Today I get my LAST SET of Invisalign braces!!!! That means 6 more weeks of wearing them and then I get my permanent retainers. WOOP WOOP!

3. Since I'm heading to the Fairview Heights area I'm doing a little shopping. No clothes or anything like that- I'm on a bargain hunt for groceries! There is a little grocery store called "Tom's" that has Kraft Ranch Dressing for 49c!!! We use quite a bit of it so I am excited!!! Then I get to go to Walgreen's for some cheap Oxiclean (in honor of Billy Mayes) and then to Schnucks for some great deals! Kraft Cheeses are only $1.77 a bag- AND you can freeze them!

It's the little things in life that make me happy and I'm glad. Hopefully I'll be able to even dig through the Dollar Bin at Target too... just don't tell Dave!!! :) May the little things bring you happiness today!

Gentle Reminders...

2009-06-25T12:40:00.004-05:00

God reminded me today that my life is not about me...

My aunt has Fibromyalgia, which I could never understand cause she always seemed so 'normal.' My grandma has a constant burnished taste in her mouth and a bad smell in her nose where she can't taste ANYTHING, but rarely complains about it. My father is dealing with cancer of the blood but didn't get sick throughout chemo and I have taken that for granted- just assuming he's okay all the time. My mother in her lifetime has lost a husband, her only son, two sets of in-laws, a brother to suicide, a brother-in-law to heart attack, and is now dealing with Dad's cancer-yet she isn't depressed and doesn't have the 'woe is me' syndrome.

HOW THE HECK?!?!?!

I complain when I get a headache! NEVER have I been able to understand how people deal with things like that, and I am one of those that tends to forget what people are going through. Then i either take for granted their strength, or condemn them for acting a certain way. SHAME ON ME! I am so selfish it makes me sick. God used a new 'blog friend' of mine to remind me of this and to show me just how my selfishness can effect others. Thank you for a reminder to stop looking at myself and how things effect me. I need to take more time to empathize with others and leave Jenna out of things.

What in the WORLD?

2009-06-24T14:09:00.003-05:00

I'm sitting here finishing my large Wendy's chili with 5 packs of crackers my boss bought me for lunch and searching the internet/blog world for quick and somewhat healthy recipes. Why? you ask... Because work is DEAD! This week is so strange. Mom is gone at camp all week so it's me and the boss-man holding down the 'fort.' Monday morning, boss-man was at a meeting in St. Louis until 2 and I was here all alone. I was SLAMMED! Claims, questions, a STACK of payments I couldn't even touch until 2:30, and so many calls I can't even tell you- if I still drank alcohol this would have been a Cosmo and White Russian night people! Crazy crazy crazy!

So this is what I look forward to all week right- 5 days of crazy nutzos and jerks... NOPE. Yesterday was a fairly average day for us lately. Mom still gone of course and Rich physically here most of the day yet non-existant mentally. Not a huge amount of stuff going on so I caught up on both mine and Mom's work from Monday. Wish I would have known then that today was going to be so slow. Seriously I've had my work done since about 11:00 and I'm here until 4:00 (usually 5 but the boss had to have lunch with his Mom and then run some errands.)

Waiting for 5:00 can be so frustrating! I try to stay busy with work stuff like cleaning, filing papers, cleaning out files, etc but I've done all that last week so there isn't much to be done. So I'm spending the rest of my day finding new blogs and new recipes! :) The silver lining to my day!

I found a GREAT blog that I want to share with you... Frugal Antics of a Harried Housewife She makes homemade breads, candies, and even BAGELS! I can't wait to try that recipe for myself!!!! There are TONS of recipes on her site and they all look fantastic. So happy reading all!

My Crazy Life

2009-06-18T13:43:00.002-05:00

Life is currently full of work, weddings, and BASEBALL in the Hilgers Home. Over the weekend we had a Customer Appreciation Day at work and it was crazy! I've been working pretty hard on it for a few months and I have to say that I am quite glad it's all over. Mom ended up being sick that day and couldn't even make it, which made it a little harder to get everything done. She and I are the only ones in the office other than our boss, and let's be honest- the boss does nothing! ;) He knows we say that by the way!!! Let me just say though that I am BLESSED!!!! My Dad showed up and helped ALL day, Dave came and was a big help even though he had a friend in town. The boss and his girlfriend showed up and actually were a big help too. All in all it was a good day- VERY hot but good.

Mike (Dave's friend) was in town and we had a great time with him. I got to try out some great recipes on him too... Apple Cinnamon Bread, Sausage Breakfast Casserole, and MY favorite new one- Marbled Chocolate Banana Bread! YUM! He and Dave had a great time, and his Mom even sent us an outdoor canopy which I am excited about cause I have been wanting one pretty badly!

We have a wedding the next 3 weekends. My cousin's is this Saturday, next Saturday is our good friend's sister, and the week after is my younger sister's friend. Brittany's this weekend is going to be a difficult one for our family. Her Dad passed away a few years ago and she told my Mom last night that is was just hitting her that he wouldn't be there to walk her down the aisle. She is also having a slideshow right before she walks down of just her and her dad... that's going to be pretty hard for the whole family. Please pray for us this weekend if you think of it.

On a happier note... Baseball is SO MUCH FUN!!!! We had a doubleheader last night and it was brutally hot and humid. Dave called and had me bring a cooler of water for the guys and I'm so glad I did cause they were exhausted after just a few minutes of playing! I had a great opportunity to sit and talk with some of the parents more and it was wonderful. Terry is such a sweetheart and she brings her new puppy Jacey to all the games so we have a perfect outlet to talk and get to know each other. Dogs are great for breaking the ice!

The boys are doing REALLY well in the games. We have only been able to have 7 games so far, but we've only lost 2! Last night we lost the 1st game and won the 2nd so we ended on a good note. Dave is having so much fun getting to know these guys and spending time with them. Apparently I'm even quite popular with them too which is hilarious! One of the kids keeps telling the rest of the team that he and I are seeing each other behind Coach's back, and last night another kept calling me his girlfriend. Of course I jokingly play along because it's funny to see their reactions and Dave thinks it's pretty funny too. I think it's just their way of 'accepting me' into their lives, or a least I HOPE that's what it is!!!!

Well work is slow today, but I guess I need to get back to it anyway. Hope everyone is doing well!!!

A New Favorite!

2009-06-11T11:02:00.002-05:00

I found a new favorite blog today- Culinary Adventures of a New Wife

She has pictures, recipes, and all sorts of good things! Some of her recipes are beyond my preferences, but her desserts look fantastic, and lets be honest- that's all I really care about! I'm a BAKER not a cook. My 'staples' include flour and sugar not salt and saphron. Yes I know I should expand my horizons, but why change something when it works?!

Be sure to check out my new favorite and let me know what you think... (she has a great spin on the cupcake bites I love so much!)

Food, Fun, and Foliage

2009-06-02T10:00:00.009-05:00

So I know my title to this post is a little strange but I couldn't think of another "f" that I wanted to use. I thought about "fupdates" but that may come across a little crass! Although it's not exactly a word, it almost sounds like a bad one!

I know I promised pictures of my finished landscaping, but there is a good reason I haven't posted them yet... IT ISN'T DONE!!! We worked SO hard that day from 6:45am-4:00pm but alas we had more to do than we imagined! The left side of the house is 1 step away from being done but the right side has given us a landscaping MIGRAINE! We hauled so much rock away from that side that I think we could have repaved our entire driveway as a cobblestone. Plus there were roots galore- We might have some tree roots growing under our house which is yet another fun thing! Then this Sunday I thought I would work on the right a little more... WRONG! There is about 3 inches of SAND under where all that rock was. Yep, sand enough for a sand box people. Ridiculous isn't it?

So now we have to figure out where we can dump all this sand so we can fill in the right side with top soil and plant all our poor plants that are just sitting in my garage. Thursday could be my work day/night but I'm not counting on it. After I finally get the rest of the plants in, we then have to spray paint the bricks my Dad gave us and put those in as our retaining wall. It's a long road but hopefully it will be coming to an end soon!

Off to another topic- over the weekend Dave and Adam were supposed to have their first baseball game of the summer. It did NOT end up happening because of the MONSOON season we seem to be in at the moment! Since the guys didn't have baseball, Tanya and I decided that we didn't want our whole Saturday to be a waste so made some quick clicks on the internet, made a phone call to St. Louis, put info into the Garmin, and BAM we were off! The guys kept trying to guess where we were going the entire 1 1/2 hour drive but we didn't give away our secret.

Finally we pulled up in front of a hole in the wall... Pointers Pizza. Let me just say it was AMAZING! They have been on the Food Network and the Travel Channel several times and we know understand for ourselves why. As you can see by the picture, this is NOT your normal pizza. It is 28" in diameter and is basically the size of 4 large pizzas! The Pointersaurus has a challenge (which we did not attempt) where if 2 people can finish all 28" covered in cheese and either 2 meat or 4 veggie toppings in an hour- they will receive $500! Since 2001 there have only been 16 teams that have acheived this, and one of the teams is from Salem. They also happen to be friends of my sister! All in all it was a fun day making memories with some wonderful friends. We (Adam, Tanya, their 2 kids, and Dave and I) ate almost half the pizza and took the rest home. Needless to say I think both families had pizza leftovers for dinner on Sunday!

HELP MY LANDSCAPING!!!

2009-05-22T11:17:00.005-05:00

Since tomorrow is supposed to be a nice day and I actually have some free time on a Saturday, I am hoping to actually work in the lawn tomorrow! The only problem is that I need some ideas!!!

We need some taller stuff to go in front of our gas meter, but nothing with thorns cause I don't want the gas meter reader guy to get mad at us! :) We also need whatever we put there to have a shallow root system cause our sewer line is right there. There were some beautiful rhododendrons there but we had to dig them out cause they got into the sewer lines and backed up our system. NOT fun.

Anyway here are some pictures I took this morning... PLEASE give me some ideas!!!!

Love coffee???

2009-05-22T08:40:00.003-05:00

Seattles Best is one of my FAVORITE types of coffee- Dave and I even got to visit their flagship store in Seattle while we were there for our honeymoon! Well they are doing a sweepstakes giveaway on an amazing prizepack.

Register HERE for the giveaway which includes: 2 lbs of Seattles Best Coffee Beach House Blend, 1 Toddy Cold Brew System, 4 Highball Double Wall Glasses by Bodum

The pack is valued at $113, but how do you really put a price on COFFEE?!?!?! :)

VOTE FOR MY MOM!!!!

2009-05-19T20:17:00.003-05:00

My Mom submitted a joke to Reader's Digest and was picked as one of the TOP TEN!!!! She was #7 in the issue AND won $500!!! GO MOM!

If you go onto readersdigest.com/americasbestjoke and vote for "Power of Perception" you can vote for her joke. If she wins this round, then she gets entered into a contest for "World's Funniest Joke"

I'm so proud of her, even though most of her jokes are pretty cheezy and we make fun of her CONSTANTLY! She's going to be pretty hard to live with now. Guess it's a good thing I don't actually live with her anymore! ;)

Anyway, please take a second to vote for her. AND if you wouldn't mind letting some of your other friends and family know that would be GREAT!!! Thanks!

FREE CHOCOLATE FRIDAY!!!

2009-05-15T09:00:00.004-05:00

Mars is giving away FREE CHOCOLATE ON FRIDAYS!!!! WAHOO!

Just log on to their website and request your coupon for a free "Real Chocolate" This is part of their Chocolate Relief Act campaign. Take advantage of free chocolate while you can!!!

My Last Night

2009-05-14T10:14:00.004-05:00

Well last night was my last night in Youth for a while. Dave is coaching a little league baseball team this summer and we are going to be quite busy, and since a lot of the games are on Wednesday nights, we decided to step down for a while. We are going to make these boys and their families our ministry focus for the summer. I am really excited, our first game is on the day after Memorial Day and I can't wait!!! Dave and I both are just praying for opportunities to arise so we can share with the families and allow God to speak into their lives through us. Please be praying with us!

Yesterday was a good last night... our District Youth Director was there (Paul Hinzman) and did a great job speaking. He kept the kids attention very well and impressed them that he could control his slideshow presentation from his iPhone. They thought it was the coolest thing in the world! Amazing how exciteable kids can be! :) Although I have to admit- I thought it was pretty neat too!

Paul is coming to speak again on Sunday evening, so I'm glad Dave will get to hear him also. We are considering taking the Wednesday nights that we don't have games, and visiting other youth groups. There is always something to learn and Dave and I would love to get some ideas to bring back to our church from other churches. No we aren't changing churches or church hopping, we just want to use our time wisely and glean from others.

So here comes my summer- full of baseball, sunflower seeds, bubble gum, and hopefully MINISTRY! God, help me do Your will and have YOUR way through this summer. May I walk the path You desire and be the hands and feet You designed me to be with these families. I give this ministry to You so just guide me.

Strawberries Galore!

2009-05-13T09:31:00.003-05:00

My new obsession has become strawberries- bad for Dave since he's allergic but good for me and the neighbors cause there is more for us! :) Sorry honey! Last week I went to Aldi though and got a pint of strawberries for $1 each!!!! WHOA NELLY! Since they go bad pretty quickly I have frozen them and I thaw them out as needed.

The strawberry shortcake cookies were AWESOME! I used some fresh strawberries from the grocery store cause the thawed ones turn to mush and juice when they thaw, you need firm strawberries for the recipe. Also, I used the coarse salt as instructed but I think when I make them again I will use regular salt since one of my bites I took had a large chunk of salt and it tasted kinda strange. If you like your cookies super sweet, this might not be the best choice because they do have some tartness because of the berries. They are a great summer treat! Can't wait to make them again!

Another thing I made for Monday was Strawberry Lemonade. This was a HUGE hit, and a lot easier than I thought it would be. Since I had the mushy strawberries I thought I would put them to good use! I found the following recipe online and it was pretty good once I made a few adjustments.

Strawberry Lemonade
2 cups lemon juice (if you do all fresh lemons it takes about 16- I used 2 fresh lemons and used lemon juice for the rest)
1-1 1/2 cups strawberries
1 3/4 cups sugar
Zest of 2 lemons (zested before I juiced them)
5 cups cold water

In a medium saucepan make a simple syrup by putting sugar, lemon zest and 1/2 cup water in the pan and heat on medium- simmer 5 minutes until sugar dissolves. Cool completely.

Squeeze the lemons juice and put all lemon juice into a gallon pitcher-set aside. Place berries (best used is the mushy thawed ones!) and 1 cup water in a blender. Process on high for several seconds until all strawberries are pureed. Be careful not to do what I did and make it frothy!

Sieve the strawberry puree through a mesh strainer or cheese cloth (didn't do this and wished I had) and add it to the lemon juice. Then add the simple syrup mix and stir. Here is where you can adjust your taste. I added a little more water to dillute it because it was pretty thick. Just add water to your taste. :)

Hope you get a change to try either the lemonade or the cookies. Let me know how they work for you!

Mmmmm!

2009-05-06T13:55:00.003-05:00

Monday nights have become a fun time for Dave and I lately. We've gotten into a circle of friends that we really enjoy. There are 5 couples (including us) that get together for dinner, sports for the guys, and conversation for the 'gals' and I went to school with ALL of them but one wife. It's so much fun getting to know them again because I didn't really know any of them in high school that well.

Anyway, this coming Monday is our night to host everyone and we've decided to grill out since it's supposed to be pretty nice out. Then for dessert I'm making Strawberry-Shortcake Cookies from Martha Stewart. I'm trying them out this weekend, but if you try them before me, let me know how they are. I'll give our report on them after dinner Monday!

Strawberry-Shortcake Cookies
Makes about 3 dozen

2 cups diced strawberries
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp granulated sugar
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 oz (6 tbsp) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2/3 cup heavy cream
Sanding sugar for sprinkling on top

Preheat oven to 350 Combine strawberries, lemon juice, and 2 tbsp sugar. Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and remaining sugar in a large bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or rub in with your fingers until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in cream until dough starts to come together, then stir in strawberry mixture.

Using a 1 1/2 inch ice cream scoop or a tablespoon, drop dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle with sanding sugar and bake until golden brown, 24 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool. They are best served immediately but can be stored in an airtight container at room temp up to 1 day.

I've not been abducted- just distracted!

2009-04-30T16:42:00.002-05:00

Yep it's been FOREVER since I did anything here. As you can tell I'm not really that great at follow through. SO I'm not promising anything about this blog. I have it, I like it, but since my work computer has issues sometimes with me posting here it's quite hard to keep up with. Again, not so great with follow through so I'll do what I can about keeping this updated.

Remember for the most up to date things on coupons, samples, etc. make sure to visit some of the sites on my sidebar. They also highlight things that I don't because either I don't use the products, or because they have stores around them that I do not.

Just for some fun, here is a picture of our new addition Leah. She is now currently shaved down for the summer so this is her 'fluffy' picture! :)

I need my Tami Jo!!! :)

2009-02-20T22:36:00.002-06:00

So it's been 17 days since I posted and I was supposed to be posting once a week- I blame this on my accountability partner being in Florida and unable to 'yell' at me on-line. Kidding Tams!

Anyway we have just been insanely busy getting the house ready... we move NEXT WEEK!!! The house is going so well but it's gonna be a close one! Can't wait to get some pictures up!!! Talk to you all as soon as possible and honestly I probably won't be posting for a while because of the house. LATER!!!

~Jenna

Health News!

2009-02-03T18:10:00.003-06:00

I get e-mails from Dr. Mercola all the time and he recently wrote an article about Vitamin Water. Please follow this link and read about it... for something that is SUPPOSED to be a healthy alternative this is just CRAZY!!!

Update on the house

2009-01-26T22:35:00.002-06:00

Dave and I were some of the 'crazies' on the roads tonight! We had to go to Mt. Vernon to do some house stuff and it was SOOOOO bad on the way home. It took us 45 minutes when it normally takes 20 to get home. God took care of us though and I am happy to be home safe and sound!

I have to just give a little recommendation and 'shout out' of awesomeness to Lowe's. They are AMAZING!!!! From the beginning they have been so helpful and knowledgeable about everything. Our kitchen designer not only helped us with that, but tonight after we finalized the last few decisions, he walked us around the whole store and helped us find the right faucet, door handles/pulls, then even went with us to pick out lighting for the entire house, french doors, bathroom stuff, flooring, and even siding! Of course he wasn't an expert on it all, but he helped us find the right people and just gave us ideas knowing the flow we wanted to go with and the style we had picked out. We DEFINITELY recommend using Lowe's for home renovation and projects!

There is so much still needing to be done on the house, but we are so excited that God has blessed us with all the resources and people we have in our life right now! I can't wait until it's just done and we are living there AND I can't wait until I can put up the 'Before and After' pictures!!! :) Love you all!

FREE Valentine's Day Cards

2009-01-21T22:47:00.004-06:00

Normally I would NEVER send any Valentine's Day cards but who can pass up FREE CARDS???? Literally free, no strings, no shipping, you don't even have to supply a credit card number!

Visit the great people at Stories for Everyone and create your cards. In the coupon area put in 'valentine' as your coupon code and you'll have a $0 balance. ENJOY!

Then as you are looking for some more free photo options head over to SeeHere.com and set up a new account to receive 50 Free Prints! You do have to pay shipping but it seems pretty reasonable. I am quite glad about this because Lauryn should be getting her Wedding Picture CD soon and I will be taking advantage of MANY freebies like this!

Thank you Tami Jo!

2009-01-20T22:38:00.004-06:00

I love having a friend that will actually hold you accountable when you ask them to! Tami Jo is one of those people and this post is my 'at least once a week' post and it shall be ALL about her! (I know you love it Tams!)

Tami Jo and I met in Masters Commission 7 going on 8 years ago. When we first met, we didn't really 'click' in fact Tami Jo thought I was quite pompous (which I was) and loud (which I still can be at times!) Our 2nd year at RMC gave us time to get to know each other better and we became QUICK friends. I spend TONS of time at her apartment and throughout the year I watched Moulin Rouge about a MILLION times at her place. They always had it on for some reason.... not complaining but strange! :)

After we finished our 2nd year we both moved on and things got crazy for us. There were MANY hours between us, yet we still kept in contact and knew that we had a special bond. We were able to move closer to each other and both made the effort to travel the 3 hours to make our friendship work and I am SOOOOO glad we did. Now we again live several hours apart and since we are both married and Tami Jo has a baby life gets crazy and we don't get to talk as often as we used to.

The great thing though is that through ALL of this, Tami Jo and I both know that the other is going to answer the phone at 3:30 in the morning when the other is having a hard time, or will drop everything when the other calls with a fun story. We pray for each other in not just the hard times, but the good ones too and when we do have those few and far between moments that we get to chat on the phone, it's like we've never spent any time apart.

My friendship with Tami Jo is one of the biggest blessings in my life and I am SO grateful for her. She encourages me, prays for me, loves me unconditionally, and of course KEEPS ME ACCOUNTABLE! I pray that each of you has a Tami Jo in your life, cause I don't know how I would survive without mine. Call your Tami Jo and tell her how much you appreciate her- or if you're like me and can't call cause you are up too late... blog about her! :)

Been a while, huh? ;)

2009-01-11T15:30:00.002-06:00

Quite a bit has happened since my last post:
1. My beautiful not-so baby sister got married. It was a GORGEOUS wedding and her husband is fantastic. They are currently on the way home from their honeymoon in Disney and as far as I've heard they had a great time. OTHER than Jesse being sick with the flu on one day. We felt SO bad for them but grateful it was only one day and not the whole week!

2. WE BOUGHT A HOUSE!!!!! We close on Friday but won't be able to move in until some renovations are done. Most likely we'll have everything done with 4 days to move in and be DONE by March 1st! Dave and I are so excited we can't stand it! Last night we went and bought our appliances (since it's a foreclosure and they took them) and got a GREAT deal. We came in RIGHT AT budget AND got a convection oven, awesome fridge, and a mico-hood. I already can't wait for construction to start and be over. Now all I have to do is pick out paint colors for all the rooms, and pick out everything for the 1/2 bath we are remodeling.

3. Life is pretty much great. Dave and I are just enjoying this point of our life and we look forward to what God is doing in and through us. 2009 is going to be a great year in our life and we are so excited about it!

One of my resolves for the new year is to write on here at LEAST once a week. So hold me to it if you see me slipping! :)

OH MAN!

2008-12-09T11:07:00.002-06:00

Well a few things...

I know this might sound bad, but I am ECSTATIC today because our Governor got arrested on corruption charges...FINALLY!!! He is a jerk, a creep, and an all around bad guy for Illinois. God puts our leaders into place for a reason, and I know that but I am SO glad that God is now taking him OUT of leadership for us. The state will be better for it! Although I say I am happy about it, it's really quite sad and pathetic that our country has come to this.

We took Boaz for a walk/run last night and had such a good time. Dave and I both need excersie and so does our poor little dog, so we bought him a couple sweaters and even a coat and we are going to be taking him with us on our walks. Last night he went an entire MILE which is the longest he has gone- and he ran MOST of it too! He was so tired last night when we got home that he just pooped out and rested the entire evening... it was kinda nice! :)

Lauryn's wedding is only 25 days away!!! We finalized our hair appointments today and I should be taking my dress to be altered soon to get that done. This weekend I'm spending my Saturday making favors, christmas gifts, and getting a Mary Kay makeover since I won $50 in make-up at a wedding show here in Salem! (Good thing b/c I needed new make-up BADLY)

Dave and I had a great weekend together. Friday night we had a game night at church with the youth- we did a Christmas "around town" scavenger hunt and it was SOOOO much fun! We also decorated Christmas cookies and played a few other games that had a Christmas theme.

Then Saturday we got to actually sleep in before we headed out for Fairview Heights. We went to PetSmart and got some fun toys for Boaz since he has DESTROYED his other toys we bought him! (That place is so much fun by the way...) After that we headed to St. Louis for dinner at Maggiano's. OH MAN it was so good! Calamari and Spinach Chicken Manicotti... FANTASTIC! Plus we split a chocolate and candy cane ice cream dessert... MMMMM. We finished the night looking at Christmas lights and then headed home.

Sunday was church, a party with friends in Orchardville where we had a White Elephant and had some pretty funny gifts exchanged! That night we headed to my parents after church and decorated their Christmas tree. The sad part is that this is probably the last year we will ALL get to do this together. With Lauryn getting married and living in Edwardsville, and Dave and I thinking of starting our own traditions as a family it's a little sad. I mean we will all still be together during the holidays, but it won't be the same when we all have our own families and stuff. I guess we'll just all start NEW traditions with each other! :)

What type of traditions do you all have with your families? Are there any traditions you no longer do that you miss or are glad that are gone? ;)

New Resolve!

2008-12-02T10:39:00.003-06:00

I had a breakdown last night and into this morning... I've decided that I am DONE with several things:
1. My apartment being dirty all the time (unless people are coming over)
2. Dishes NEVER being done
3. EATING OUT!
4. Not excercising
5. BEING OVERWEIGHT!!!!!

Starting today I go back to my 'wedding diet' which I lost 15 lbs in 2 weeks right before my wedding. Hopefully I can do this again because my sister's wedding is only a month away and I need time to get the dress altered!

Meal Plans include: 1 piece of bread per day, NO condiments (mayo, BBQ, ketchup, etc), no meat other than turkey and chicken, no chips, NOTHING FRIED, only water to drink with meals, 1 cup of coffee a day with no flavored creamer, no dairy products, and only ONE SMALL sweet snack a day.

I'm also going to start walking everyday again. This really helps with not only the weight loss, but my energy level, helping me feel better about myself, and since I'll be taking Boaz- hopefully he will get some good energy out and sleep through the night again! (We've been having a problem with him sleeping all night lately!)

I have 32 days until Lauryn's wedding, and I hope to be at least CLOSE to the size I was at for MY wedding. That way I won't have to go out and buy some new clothing for winter OR for the wedding events. Over the next few weeks I'll try to let you in on how I'm doing with it all and maybe at some point post some pictures... depending on how I feel! :)

Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T23:20:00.002-06:00

I am so thankful for God's MANY blessings in my life. Thank you Lord for your provisions and meeting my needs, and for ALL the wonderful things I have been given from YOUR hands. My life is forever yours.

2008-11-21T14:38:00.002-06:00

I wanted to thank all of you for your prayers. God did hear them, but answered in a way that was different than what we wanted. Trent went to be with the Lord yesterday at 2:29pm, surrounded by his family.

The follow up testing yesterday morning showed no brain activity and the Dr. said there was nothing that could be done. Terry and Sandra made the difficult decision to give their baby boy back to God. All of their family was able to be there and say goodbye in their own way before they released him and Terry, Sandra, and their two daughters even had a last family picture with him.

Their daughter Emma is old enough (4 yrs old) to know and understand what has happened and it has been EXTREMELY hard on her. She apparently hid in a closet and cried for quite a while. Please pray for her and her baby sister Eva (3 months) as they learn to adjust to life without Trent. He was an adorable and very joyous little boy, even in the midst of his sickness.

Please continue to pray for the whole family as they make preparations for Trent and as they ALL learn to continue living without him. Losing a loved one is so hard, but losing a young child is unimaginable. Thank you again for all your prayers, the family appreciates them all.

~Jenna

PS… If you want to read their Family Blog Updates, visit this site http://schoessowfamily.blogspot.com/

Prayer for Trent

2008-11-19T11:25:00.000-06:00

Early this morning my best friend called me to let me know that they have taken her nephew, Trent to the hospital. He is 2 1/2 years old and has been quite sick since birth. His mom Sandra was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma right after his birth and he was also diagnosed with Nephotic Syndrome (kidney disease) along with Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia. Sandra has been healed and has been cancer free for over a year.

Trent has had several Rituxan chemo infusions, one of which he just finished the beginning of the month (the photo was taken during that treatment) but has been fairly sick since then. Last night he had a fever of 100.3 and was throwing up, this morning he still had the fever and was sick, then his eyes rolled into the back of his head. They rushed him to the ER in an ambulance and they had to sedate him to put in a feeding and breathing tube.

Due to the sedation and the disease itself, the Dr's think that he may have some brain damage. A brain surgeon has been called in and they are now just waiting to hear how that plays out. The outlook isn't great, but we serve a BIG GOD that does miracles EVERY DAY, and Trent needs one.

Please pray and pass this along to anyone you know that will pray. Thank you thank you thank you for joining with me.

~Jenna

My Friday

2008-11-14T13:19:00.002-06:00

Tonight we are having our Young Adult Sunday School Class over for dinner. Thanksgiving type dinner that is! Dave and I are in charge of mashed potatoes, gravy, rolls, and TURKEY! I'm using THIS turkey in the crockpot recipe to make things easier since I'm doing THREE turkey breasts! 2 are in crockpots and 1 is going in the oven.

Everyone is bringing salad, corn, sweet potatoes, stuffing, cheesecake, and we are also doing FONDUE for dessert!!!! Wahoo!

I'll let you know how everything turns out later!

~Jenna

Say it ain't so!

2008-11-10T14:59:00.002-06:00

Has it REALLY been 2 WEEKS since I last wrote here??? Guess I've been too busy with the craziness that is my life to realize!

Well I wanted to let you all know about a recipe I tried that was AMAZING! Now I do NOT claim to be Suzy Homemaker by any stretch of the imagination, so when I made this Apple Butter I think Dave was quite shocked. (In a good way!) Since we are having a 'light' Christmas this year and scaling back on purchases for others, this might be an idea for me to make for people.

As Christmas draws ever closer, and along with it my sister's wedding, I'm getting busier and busier so I am going to start working on gifts probably this week or next. Like I said, we are going 'light' so most if not all gifts will be homemade. I don't want to do too much food, because almost all my family is on diets and my Dad can't have any carbs so most holiday snacks are out for him. I'm thinking about doing a "Coffee/Tea Basket" for most people.

I found a bunch of different recipes for making Coffee and Tea mixes that you just add water to, along with homemade flavored coffee syrups, and maybe biscotti? Then for those that don't like coffee or tea I could make the apple butter and some soup mixes or something.

What do you think? Is it too cheap sounding, or do you think people will like it????

Free Samples and such

2008-10-27T19:20:00.002-05:00

Hope all is well. Found a few things you might be interested in. Make sure to continue checking out the other people I pull information from because they each bring a different perspective on how to cook for your family, save money, and get free stuff!

Betty Crocker Potatoes
Vaseline Intensive Rescue (You don't have to be a Costco member to sign up!)
Dunkin' Donuts Dark Coffee
Fruit Roll-Up and Box Tops

I'm an Organizing Junkie is giving away a Couponizer and a Week over Week Calendar!

Thanks to Freebies4Mom for letting us know about FREE TACOS at Taco Bell

Stuff from Others

2008-10-22T16:34:00.002-05:00

Make sure to check out a few sites that I saw today and it's a little easier to give you two links instead of several! Check them out because they are some great deals!

Freebies4Moms

Coupon Cravings

High Fructose Corn Syrup- the REAL truth

2008-10-21T23:42:00.003-05:00

So I'm sure most of us have seen those new TV ad's about high fructose corn syrup. I know it made me cock my head to the side and say out loud, "Hmm... I wonder if that is really true?" Well I haven't been able to do much research on my own, then this week I got my newsletter from Dr. Mercola whom I trust VERY much regarding health issues.

He has some great insight on this, so please check out his article and comments HERE.

2008-10-21T13:51:00.002-05:00

So I've obviously been a little busy with my puppy and haven't found a lot of time to post. I'm actually taking a few minutes at work to do this, just don't tell my boss... although I'm sure he wouldn't really care since he checks his MySpace a million times a day anyway!!! ;)

We have also been pretty busy because at church this week we are having a Seminar on "I Found Freedom" from Wellspring Ministries. It's quite interesting and a lot of people are seeing some emotional healing from this. The teaches show us that things like bitterness, self-hatred, anger, fear, and other things are not from God and that bad things really DO NOT come from Him either. Ergo when people say things like "God did ______ to teach me/you a lesson" or "Maybe ________ happened because you have sin in your life" those things are LIES! Even well-intentioned people can lie, and unfortunately I may have been one of those in my life.

If we don't realize these things are lies and that the feelings of bitterness, anger, etc are from the ENEMY then we can't truly be healed. It's something that for me seems fairly easy to comprehend, but who knows what God is going to do in my life down the road that I may need to refer back to these teachings.

I'm grateful that our Pator is willing to allow someone else to come in and teach his flock, because this doesn't happen at all churches. So we will go and listen, and learn, and pray because this is powerful information and God IS using it.

Speaking of being used... can I just say that I am thankful that even though I don't have a terrible past with dating and 'going too far' with a guy that I wansn't married to, God is using me to teach and mentor people in the avenue of dating. When I was going through all my past relationships I would get so discouraged because I felt like a flake, or that I wasn't hearing God telling me who/how to date. Well now I am seeing the full picture that even though my mistakes weren't huge, they are still able to help shed light on some young girls lives.

I'm still very close to a few girls from a youth group we belonged to in Wheaton, and let me just tell you that I love and care about those kids like you would NOT believe. One of the girls is like my little sister, and she is the most recent person God is helping me mentor in this area. Just last night I was able to share a story with her about a relationshp I was in, and it paralled her current situation so much it was eerie! But my errors, and my reflection on the situation has now helped her fine tune and accept what God was already putting into her heart. How amazing!

This has turned into a bit of a praise report on my life more than a post about Frugality, but I hope you don't care because I think we all need to be able to rejoice with each other in these type of victories. God is still working today, whether we chose to accept it or not.

Meet Boaz

2008-10-14T22:43:00.003-05:00

We got Boaz last night on a whim! There was NO plan on getting him, but when we saw him our hearts melted, then once we started asking questions about him and how he was, everything checked off right.

Shedding: NO
Good with kids: YES
Yippee: yes, but haven't heard him bark yet... GOOD STUFF
Price: ON SALE!!! WAHOO!
Size: 12 lbs MAX- GOOD

So of course, here are some pictures!!!

Freebies Again!

2008-10-14T15:55:00.004-05:00

I don't know if anyone else has noticed this, or if it's just me but it seems that the amount and quality of "Freebies" has been slipping! Walmart epecially, doesn't have as many samples, and they don't have a very quick turn-over. Is is just me????

Well, it's a good thing I found these today to put a little redeeming quality in Walmart for me! ;)

Always Infinity
Pur Filter Shopping List Pad

Also make sure to check out "BeCentsAble" to see how she found a way to use a T-Shirt as a reusable shopping bag!

~Jenna

BUSY LIFE~

2008-10-07T11:27:00.003-05:00

Yes I am still around, and I am incredibly sorry I haven't posted in so long! Life has gotten a little crazy because I was sick for several days, then my Mom was sick several times with migraines and since we work together it's hard when we are both sick!

Dave and I are doing really well, and are so excited that we are starting a new lifestyle change together in our eating habits! My baby sister is getting married in January and my bridesmaid dress came this weekend... enough said right?! Agh! We are now eating healthier and are walking every day together after dinner. It's so nice because not only is it getting out for excercise and fresh air but it gives us time to connect with each other. Although we may 'see' each other a lot, we rarely have time to really connect.

I've been doing a TON of planning over the last few days for Lauryn's Bridal Shower and also her Bachelorette Weekend we are planning in Chicago! We are so excited because we are going at Christmas time (her FAVORITE time of year!) and I got the PALMER HOUSE HILTON as our hotel!!! She is ecstatic! It's going to be a fun time for us three sisters to have time together.

If you have any ideas of neat places to go in Chicago at Christmas that are inexpensive I would welcome ANY of them!

~Jenna

Recipes

2008-09-25T11:27:00.003-05:00

Okay I am SO sorry I haven't posted those recipes yet for you!

Cornished Game Hens: Makes sure they are thawed and rinsed. Individually wrap them in foil after seasoning them with a mix of 1/4 tsp thyme, 1/2 tsp lemon pepper, and 1/2 tsp salt. Cook at 350 degrees for 45 minutes then open each and brush with melted butter. Cook another 15 minutes or until thoroughly cooked. Make sure to cook these on a RIMMED baking sheet. I didn't and we had a MESS from the juices while they cooked.

Orange Ginger Green Beans: Use 1lb fresh green beans- snap off the ends and cut in half if you want. Simmer them for 5 minutes drain and put them in a bowl. If using fresh ginger: place 1tbsp butter with 1/2 c chopped shallots and 1tbsp finely chopped ginger in a sauce pan and saute 5 minutes. Once shallots are tender toss mixture with green beans and 1/2 tsp grated orange peel.

Hope that takes care of the ones requested. I'll try to get recipes out quicker next time someone asks!

~Jenna

One Year Anniversary!!!

2008-09-24T08:57:00.002-05:00

Monday night Dave and I had a great time. Actually it started Monday morning when I woke up and had a box of Dove Chocolates in my purse. They are actually Bananas Foster flavor and are TERRIFFIC!

Throughout the day it was just a normal Monday at work. Went home for lunch and Dave asked if I would want to look at getting a new car!!! We have talked about this for a LONG time and have been able to save almost HALF of the price for the car. After sharing ONE car for THREE years, I am so ready to have a 2nd. Over the past few days we have looked around, and our wonderful sales guy Ben has found our PERFECT car. It's a NEW 2008 Chevy Malibu LT1 Dark Gray Metallic with Titanium interior. The package we are getting has 6 way power driver's seat, keyless entry (I know most cars have this, but I have NEVER had this!!!!), REMOTE START, XM Radio, AND On Star free for a year!!!! We get to pick it up tomorrow! WAHOO!!!

Well back to our actual Anniversary! Since we live in such a small town now there aren't a lot of options for a nice dinner out, so I went on the internet and searched Effingham which is about 45 minutes away. Found a few places and got a recommendation from another SF Agent's office staff. I could KISS her right now because the place was AMAZING!

We went to the Firefly Grill in Effingham. It sits on a lake and has such a nice atmosphere. Dave and I got to sit in the back which was semi-secluded from the rest of the diners. The food was great, and the menu was eclectic and reminded us of Seattle, which is where we Honeymooned! The night was great, we just sat and talked about life and plans for the next year together and really enjoyed ourselves. Normally we are so busy, or the restaurant is so busy that we rush through dinner. That night we sat and just took in everything. The food was so great we ended up getting TWO appetizers in addition to our meals! For dessert we got an assortment of homemade Sorbet, which I am a SUCKER for anytime it's on a menu. ;)

The server was so great and even put "Happy 1st Anniversary" on our plate in chocolate. I took a few pictures to remember everything and I'll try to post them later. After our 2 1/5 hr dinner (told you we took our time!) we headed home and ate the top to our wedding cake.

Let me tell you... it was GOOD! It was still just as moist and fresh as the day we had it a year ago. My Mom did an amazing job wrapping it up, and I know that has something to do with it, so I am very grateful. We fed each other cake, read our cards, and had fund taking some pictures of each other.

Our first year together as a married couple has been wonderful, and I could never have dreamed of a better husband for myself. Dave is truly the love of my life and I am so grateful for who he is, and all he does for me. As the head of our household, I am thankful that he looks after and cares for me not just physically but also Spiritually and emotionally. God has truly given me everything I could want right now, and I feel IMMENSELY blessed to have Dave in my life.

I'm so looking forward to what is in store for our NEXT year of marriage! Only God knows what I will be writing about on here next year!!!! :)

Meal Plan Monday

2008-09-22T13:22:00.002-05:00

Well this week will be a little odd due to our schedule but that's okay with us!!!

Monday: ANNIVERSARY DINNER and Wedding Cake Topper
Tuesday: Lasagna and homemade garlic bread (whole wheat)
Wednesday: Church so leftovers
Thursday: Tacos- We have these all the time cause Dave LOVES them
Friday: High School football home game- Frozen Pizza
Saturday and Sunday we will be in Louisville, KY on our Anniversary trip

Free Stuff!

2008-09-17T14:59:00.002-05:00

I found some more free things off of Coupon Cravings!

Bear Naked Fruit and Nut Granola

Eucerin Plus Intensive Repair Foot Cream

Natures Bounty Tote Bag

Paul Mitchell Tea Tree Gel

Enjoy them!!!
~Jenna

Meal Plan Monday

2008-09-15T19:05:00.003-05:00

Sorry this is late in the day, but I've been sick since yesterday morning! Missed church all day yesterday and work today.

Monday: Taco Soup
Tuesday: Dave is on his own b/c I'm having dinner with my sister!!!!
Wednesday: Lasagna with homemade bread and lima beans
Thursday: Frozen Primo Pizza (all natural ingredients) and salad
Friday: Cornished Game Hens with Orange Ginger green beans- this is so easy that I am having over my sister and her fiance and our parents. Can't wait!!!

Meal Plans!

2008-09-11T11:30:00.003-05:00

Okay... so this will normally be on Mondays but since I have the list for this current week, I figure that I would put it up even if it's late! Since I work outside the house and we don't have kids I'm planning dinners only. Dave usually has a healthy smootie for lunch while I have leftovers or cereal and we both have yogurt or cereal for breakfast.

Monday: Baked Whole Wheat Ziti (used a little too much ricotta... oops!)
Tuesday: Teriyaki Chicken Strips and steamed baby carrots- Daves FAVORITE entree
Wednesday: Nachos/Tacos made with ground turkey meat- Was VERY good
Thursday: Orange Chicken with wild rice and coconut cornbread
Friday: Leftovers and pizza at church b/c we have a youth hang out

Next week will be fun because I will get to plan another 2 weeks of meals and look for some more new recipies! Let me know if you have any healthy and easy recipes!!!

~Jenna

Another Sample

2008-09-09T19:56:00.002-05:00

Sorry it's been a little while. I'm trying to be more disciplined so my goal is to try and at least put SOMETHING on here 3 times a week. I've started also doing a dinner meal plan for Dave and I since we are trying to get healthier. I'll start posting that on Monday's and if you would like the recipes just let me know!

Anyway... not a lot of samples this time, but one is better than none! :)

Carefree Panty Liners

See you Tuesday!

2008-08-28T19:06:00.002-05:00

Well I'm off until Tuesday. Dave and I are headed to the North for the weekend to see some friends and family. Then with Labor Day on Monday I won't be posting anything until at least Tuesday. Have a great weekend everyone!!!!

Free Samples Anyone???

2008-08-26T21:13:00.004-05:00

Well here are a list of some free samples I've requested. There are more than what I have listed, but I am only listing the things that I have ordered. Wal-Mart has got some GREAT ones and they change pretty often, so make sure to keep checking back!

Scott Bathroom Tissue and Paper Towels

Gain with Baking Soda

Tampax Pearl

Kotex Products

Playtex Sport

Cascade Complete

Sundance Tea

Always Infinity

Head and Shoulders

Pantene Expressions

Seattle's Best Coffee

2nd Kotex
You do NOT have to be a Sam's Club member to get this!

Ponds Clean Sweep
Again, you do NOT have to be a member

Enjoy them all, and let me know when you start getting them!!!

Wendy's Instant Win Game

2008-08-15T16:48:00.003-05:00

Want a chance to win a free "Twited Frosty?" Follow the link and enter your e-mail for a chance!

Wendy's

By the way, you do NOT have to provide your cell number- it is OPTIONAL!

Free Food at TGI Fridays!

2008-08-14T11:32:00.002-05:00

My parents went to "Fridays" the other night and got info on their rewards program. We don't have a Fridays close, but I do LOVE their chicken strips! Mmmm! Anyway, if you sign up for their rewards program they will send you a coupon for a free appetizer OR dessert. Plus with the membership you get $8 back for every $100 you spend. (The accumulate so you don't have to spend all $100 at once.)

This might be great for those of you (Neldys) that live in bigger cities away from Southern Illinois now! :(

ENJOY!

$74 in COUPONS!

2008-08-12T14:29:00.008-05:00

Procor and Gamble is a HUGE company offering MANY products and you are now able to get $74 in coupons just by completing THIS survery for them. The survey takes about 10-15 minutes which isn't much time considering the payoff! Hope you take this opportunity!

**UPDATE** Sorry... this opportunity has ended.

New movie in September

2008-08-12T14:22:00.002-05:00

The creators of "Facing the Giants" have done another movie that looks wonderful. Starring Kirk Cameron (from the 80's TV show "Growing Pains") this film follows the life of a firefighter that looked at as hero from everyone, except his wife. From what I can tell the movie focuses around Cameron's marriage and the troubles they are experiencing. He is challenged by his Pastor to try treating his wife differently for 40 days, and it looks as though she QUICKLY notices the changes.

This church's first film was powerful and touched many lives, and I can only imagine that this movie will be JUST as impacting. I can't wait to be able to see it!

http://fireproofthemovie.com

Visit and let me know what you think of the movie trailer!

2008-08-12T12:38:00.000-05:00

Well this is going to be new for me. Hopefully this will be a place where friends new and old can visit and join me on my journey to managing my finances so God may bless them.