Kenya, Uganda, adoption AND a guest post.

Today's post is a bit different from my usual post.  Today's post is a guest post from Shay over at Busy Budget Mom  Shay (whether she knows it or not) is dear to my heart! Why? Because she allows God to work in and through her. She is obedient to His calling for her life even when it takes extremely hard work. She doesn't mind rolling up her sleeves and working hard for the calling God has placed on her heart and she doesn't question it! I'm telling you she is ALL IN in her relationship with Christ!
Recently, I was chatting with Shay about a mission trip Stephen and I are planning on taking to Kenya with our church next year. She shared her heart for adoption with me. We shared our hearts about foreign missions..about Kenya, Uganda, she shared about the possibility of India and that was just the beginning. Here is where God has brought her and her family since!

I always had a thing for adoption. Ever since I was little, I remember dreaming about adopting a little girl from China after first learning about their one child policy and about how many girls need a home there. But, my dreams stayed just that, a thought. A wish, and my life went on.

A few years ago a new family joined our church, and we were blessed to get to know them very well. They were also in the beginning steps of adopting a little boy from Ethiopia. I have to laugh- because I did not have a clue where Ethiopia even was! But, my eyes were about to be opened.

I began hunting in scripture and doing my own research on adoption and orphans. I was surprised to find many, many verses telling us that we are to care for them. That pure religion is to care for the orphans, and how God adopted us as his children. I ran into videos from families picking up their children, videos of the children...the hundreds and hundreds of orphaned children in just one orphanage. I read the stories. I would stay up all hours of the night reading, weeping and praying. My eyes were opened to the need, to the plight of the orphan. God tells us that he knows when our eyes have been opened...and he holds us responsible to do something about it.

"Once our eyes are opened, we cannot pretend we don't know what to do. God who weighs our hearts and knows our souls, knows that we know, and holds up responsible to act.." Proverbs 24:12

In the next three years, after much prayer we became foster parents and fostered a sweet three year old little girl. After she was reunited with her family- my husband and I felt the call to do something more permanent about the orphan crisis and adopt. Might I say it again---it took three long years of praying! But, God's plans are never late and here we are, just a month in- adopting a child from Uganda!

I often look at our current four small children and laugh, because this is totally crazy! We are ready for what's ahead and excited to see how God is going to work in this and provide for us. We have learned, even over the past three weeks, that God funds what he favors. We don't have the money to adopt, but we are praying and believing that God is going to provide every single penny- and he will! He is already showing off, as we have raised $1825 in three short weeks for one of our fees! We have a bunch of fundraisers going on, and we'll pretty much sell you anything that does not have a birth certificate!

One our popular fundraisers right now is Ugandan magazine bead necklaces, from Uganda. For just $20, you can help us bring home our child and provide a home for one less orphan.

They are colorful, beautiful, and handmade! To order, contact Jennifer! Please pray for us as well! This is a long, hard road we're walking and will need all of the prayer we can! Huge thank you to sweet Jennifer for letting me blow up her blog, will you help us get our child home?

Sweet Home. . . .

"Oh. My. God. It's like the movie Sweet Home Alabama in here." My best friend uttered as she opened the closet door's in my childhood bedroom.
This past weekend was the Yemassee Shrimp Festival and like any two best friends- Suryia and I were getting ready together and freshening up before we headed out to the street dance. (I don't care how old you get, getting ready with your very best friend never gets old. The fashion advice, the laughs and the chit chat are always in order.)
We have been best friends since my freshman year of college but she has never seen my secret stash of trophies. Yes, pageant, softball, and 5-K trophies are stashed at the top of my closet....I thought I'd gotten away with hiding them all these years!
Embarrassing, but so typical of a small town girl. It's soooo 'Sweet Home Alabama',  and for those who know me well, it's sooo fitting, right? ;-)
I love my best friend so much! Like a true best friend, she makes me think and so i'm inspired to write this blog on my hometown, Yemassee- The place I grew up. The place where my roots go deep. My 'Sweet Home Alabama'.
I absolutely love going "home"!
I love the good, honest, hardworking people. Their friendly smile's. Catching up with those I haven't seen in a while. I love the older men who tell stories about getting off the train to catch the bus to Parris Island for boot camp and how their first stop was my Great Grandmother's restaurant for some good home cooking. I especially love hearing my Granddad tell the story of meeting my grandmother(who's mother owned that restaurant. See my roots don't just touch the surface..The go really deep!)

This was her restaurant. It was right across the street from the train depot.

The highlight of the year for my hometown is the Shrimp Festival. Every year my Mom busts her chops with the help of a few others to put this on..There are people riding their golf carts around everywhere as means of transportation for the weekend.
The festival is full of cook off's, beauty pageants, street dance's...

parade's...

Kids playing in the town circle....

 and my favorite- The Yemassee mud run!

I can remember going our there at a young age and watching trucks fly through the mud pit and sling mud into the crowd!
Go ahead and back your truck up to the guard rail and tail gait with us while it's raining mud! Then take your shoes off and race through the mud.

Just like this:

 It might have been a bit much but when in Rome, right?

Seriously though...there's absolutely  no better way to end a good old southern festival than being knee deep in the mud!
And with that said,
I love my Sweet Home, Yemassee!

Greater Faith

The past few months I've spent a lot of time studying the life of Noah.

I'm inspired by his courage, faithfulness, and obedience.
I'm encouraged by the fact that Noah stood against things he knew were not from God. He stood against the influence of those around him. He didn't stop because the odds were against him. He spoke boldly in God's name and the Lord blessed him for it.

Two verses stood out to me as I studied Genesis and the life of this righteous man.
Genesis 6:22 says that after God gave him specific instructions for building the ark, "Noah did everything just as God commanded him."
Genesis 7:5 is what stood out to me the most- It says, "Noah did all that the Lord commanded him."

Notice this- Not only did Noah do everything the way God told him, he did it ALL.
He didn't do his own thing his own way to get the end result. He went with God's plan.
He acted on and followed through with every detail, "just as the LORD commanded."
Noah was faithful to every detail of God's instruction, all the way to the very end.
I firmly believe that if Noah would not have been a man of Action; he would not have been a man of faith. PERIOD. There is no way to have a strong faith in the Lord unless we act upon the commands that require great faith.

Noah's godly fear is what I love most about his life. He had such reverence for the Lord that he would not do anything that wasn't pleasing to Him. It's what made him so obedient to God.
What if Noah had not been obedient to the Lord? He could have lost his entire family.
If he had not followed God's instruction in building the Ark, it could have sank.

If we apply this to our own lives it's a scary thought, right?

There is so much I'm still learning about the life of Noah but I know that the characteristics of Noah are one's  I  want to possess. I want to have the same courage, obedience and faithfulness to the Lord in all that I strive to accomplish for Him and in all that He asks me to do.

Leaving it All Behind. . .

There are three songs at the top of my list on my itunes "morning lifeline" playlist. You all know I am a huge fan of Kristian Stanfill. So, naturally one of those songs is The Stand, by Kristian Stanfill.  I absolutly love this. 

As I was driving home from running some errands tonight, I was listening to this song and thinking how incredibly grateful I am for my relationship with Jesus Christ and my eternal life through Him.

I am completely overwhelmed by God's grace and mercy. I'm humbled by the blessing's He continues to pour out on me despite my abundance of short-comings, countless mistakes and continued failures .  

God's love for us never ever fails. Never gives up. Never runs out. 

Even when we don't deserve it, He's right there waiting for us. 

{Talk about grace upon grace} 

I believe that's why this song is such an intimate song for me.

I love the chorus:

So I'll stand
With arms high and heart abandoned
In awe of the One who gave it all

So I'll stand
My soul Lord to You surrendered
All I am is Yours

When we moved up to Columbia we immediately got plugged in to Newspring Church. I could feel God at work in my life big time but I still felt like I wasn't giving Him my all. Somewhere between our Mirror Mirror, Adam & Eve, and Weird series (that weird series rocked my world) I became so disgusted with my lackadaisical approach towards God's will and calling for my life. 

I was so ready to embrace what He wanted to do in and through me. 

One morning during a very early quiet time I decided to flip over to Philippians 3 where Paul is teaching about no confidence in the flesh. Read the whole chapter here.

This is the verse that pierced my heart:

 "¹² Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. ¹³ Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, ¹⁴ I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus"

Ahhh!! I love these words from Paul.

He's admitting that No, he doesn't have it all together but he knows he is reaching for something better in Christ.

He's shouting, Forget your past! Forget your abundance of short-comings, countless mistakes and continued failures! Keep running toward Christ and the great things the Lord has for you!

Don't. look. back.

{Stay focused on the prize}

I'm right there with you Paul. I have not obtained these things but one thing is true- I am leaving it all behind. I'm not looking back. I am running toward Christ. 

{I'll stand My soul Lord to You surrendered All I am is Yours}

Happy first day of Kindergarten, Ellie Kate!

"This is my first day of kindergarten. I'm so excited because my mommy is home-schooling me"

-Ellie Kate

"We are going to learn and have so much fun and be silly!"- Ellie Kate

                                              {Ellie Kate's Notebook}                                                                           

"This is Queen Esther, She trusted God, and cared for other's. She was very courageous and beautiful."- Ellie Kate 

 

"Can I practice writing on your board, mommy?."- Ellie Kate

{B is for Bumble Bee}

{D is for Daddy}

"Thank you for home schooling me mommy. You were right, this is so much fun!"- Ellie Kate

Bold Prayers.

"Normal people play it safe, weird people risk it all"

Four points for taking risks:

1. Desperation is the catalyst for great faith.
2. Sometimes we don't see God move until we move.
3. Our job is to obey. God is in charge of the results.
4. The greater the risk. The better the story.
-Clayton King

You know when you're sitting in church and the pastor says "what is God asking you to do?"
Well a few months ago I was sitting in church and after an awesome sermon on 2 kings in our 'weird' series at church, Clayton King asked, "What risk is God asking you to take?"
Immediately, the holy spirit placed something on my heart. *GULP*
No joke, this is what played out in my mind for a minute: What?! Haha, thats funny God ( I think I may have even let out a little chuckle under my breath)...wait...OH geez this is for real. Okay Lord, If i'm going to do this you have some major work to do in preparing me over the next few months.
AND
Do I have to get the really weird one? I mean, can't I just go on a mission trip next year or something?
Holy spirit: "Yes, I want you to do that too."
Me: Oh. okay? Are you sure because um..nevermind. YES LORD.
So what is this other risk I've decided to take?
Well with the support of my husband and as an act of obedience to our Lord, we are going to home school! That's right home school.
Why? Because I have to be obedient to something my heavenly father has placed on my heart.
Why is it a risk? Well, because my daughter's education is now in my hands. That is a huge risk and responsibility!
What if I fail? And with all these health issues, what if I'm not physically able. Those were a couple of the questions I had during my relentless hours of prayer over this. But God reminded me countless times that He honors our obedience to Him and that through Him all things are possible. He also reminded me to be a *risk taker* A risk like this requires great faith. It will only make me more desperate for His hand in my life; and make me rely heavily on Him. Remember, desperation is the catalyst for great faith! 
I have to say, there was no doubt God's hand was in this. That Monday morning following Clayton King's sermon, things had already begun to fall into place. God is awesome like that!
I knew God was going to make this work. As I continued to seek His will in the minor details, everything continued to fall right into place. For every prayer over this, He answered it almost immediately.
It is amazing to see the Lord's faithfulness and hand in our lives as Stephen and I choose to be obedient.
Please pray for us as we continue in our obedience with home school. We know God is in charge of the results but we also know we are going to have to work hard!
I love this quote from the Circle maker by Mark Batterson- "Pray like it depends on God, work like it depends on you"
I want to please the Lord and not only do this job but do it well; because in the end, its all for HIM!

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." Colossians 3:23-24

A Heart like Mary.

⁴¹ Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover. ⁴² When he was twelve years old, they went up to the festival, according to the custom. ⁴³ After the festival was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. ⁴⁴ Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. ⁴⁵ When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. Luke 2:41:45

Could you imagine being the Parents of the Son of God..and realizing that, after traveling for an entire day from the festival of Passover, you couldn't find him? 
Imagine walking a solid day through heat, mosquito's, steep hills and rough terrain.
And
I'm no bible scholar but I would guarantee the streets of Jerusalem were jam packed with people and livestock, during the festival so it probably created some heavy traffic through these areas which only made the trip more challenging.
From what I understand this trip from Nazareth to Jerusalem was a 3-3 1/2 day journey (64 miles) and that's just one way! 
Imagine getting 1/3 of the way home and having to turn around because you couldn't find the Son of God! 
I'm sure Mary was in sheer panic mode!

⁴⁶ After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. ⁴⁷ Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. ⁴⁸ When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mothersaid to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.” Luke 2:46-48

I love that Mary reacts the way every mother would- After the panic wears off the anger sets in! She wants to know why he did that to them? Why didn't he tell them he was staying behind? Didn't he know they would be panicked and that they would be anxiously searching for him?

I love how Jesus responds.

⁴⁹ “Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?”^[f]50 But they did not understand what he was saying to them. Luke 2:49-50

Didn't Mary know that his relationship with his heavenly father was important. I love how he gently tells Mary that he was doing what God wanted him to do and that they must entrust him to his heavenly Father. 

⁵¹ Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. ⁵² And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man. Luke 2:51-52

I also love how Mary responded to Jesus after this. It says she treasured these things in her heart. Which means she wondered about them and pondered them. Meaning she learned from her son, Jesus. 

I love how this translates to modern day parenting.

I was thinking about how Ellie Kate and Jude are growing so fast and someday they will become adults. My prayer for them is that they follow God's calling, seek Him, and listen to His voice. 
Although I, like Mary, may not always understand that calling I pray that I will not discourage them, but encourage them. 
I pray that like Mary, I will keep an open mind and heart to learn from the things that God is teaching them.
My prayer this morning is that I have a heart like Mary for my children.

There's a hacker 'round here!

 ilovemy mom a1ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Yes, you guessed it! This is courtesy of Miss Ellie Kate Love! 

When I opened my computer this is what I found in my posts;-) I decided I would leave it because...

I love this precocious little girl so much! She is my spunky, outgoing 'steel magnolia' and like every true southern girl- She has a flare for the dramatic! She makes sure you know she's around and when she leaves, you definitely know she's been there!

Ellie Kate is smart. She is my leader and she doesn't take 'stuff' from anyone. She's a perfectionist. She's determined and on the exterior-one tough little cookie!

But,

Underneath that tough skin and spunky attitude lies the sweetest, loving, most tender-hearted little girl you've ever met. 

She's compassionate and doesn't mind shedding a tear at the drop of a hat. If things don't seem right, it really burdens her and she wants to fix it.

She loves to snuggle with Stephen and me. 

She loves to take care of and 'mother' her little brother. She looks out for him like any big sister would do and when she thinks we aren't looking she gives him kisses and tells him she loves him. 

Ellie Kate already has a heart for the Lord. At any given time during the day she will bring us her bible and ask us to read her a bible story. Her bible is already falling apart. That makes my heart beam with joy! Of all the things that we could accomplish through our children, their relationship with the Lord is the most important.

I love this quote by Charles Spurgeon -"A bible that's falling apart usually belongs to someone who isnt." 

I hope Ellie Kate will cling to God's holy word for the rest of her life.. In fact, that's my prayer for both of my children.

I'm so thankful that the Lord has entrusted both of my children to Stephen and me and I look forward to watching both of them grow!

Household rules, chore charts, numbers and math!

After the past few weeks, I am so ready for life to be back to normal! Of course, a few things with my health are still up in the air, but right now I'm choosing not to focus on that; but to focus on getting things 'back to normal' and start back with our normal routine for the kids. 

So....

Today we worked on numbers, math

and learned about nutrition

I printed off and laminated our Household rules............

and a chore chart before the school year officially starts. 

The kids love learning which makes things so easy for me. And since the chore chart is new they are even excited about their chores..(despite the fact it's actually part of their punishment! Ahh, its ok...it may be fun now but they will be whining about what harsh punishment it is before long!)

I still have to finish these...but if you'd like to see the finished product click here.

I found this website through a friend. It is loaded with tons and tons of ideas if you home-school (even if you don't there are tons of ideas for the kids). I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

"And how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."

2 Timothy 3:15-17

 

Background noise

This past week has been one of the most fulfilling weeks I have had in quite a while. 

On tuesday morning my mom came up here to Columbia to spend the week with us! We had so much fun. 

My mom is the type of person who is there to help and take charge when you need her. She is faithful, honest (even if you don't want her to be,lol) kind, generous, compassionate and loves the Lord above all things. I love my mom so much.

This week she helped me out with the kids while I went to appointments. She took us all to party city and even though Jude's birthday isn't until August 2nd, she bought all of his party stuff so that it would be one less thing I had to stress over(Just because she is good like that!).

When Stephen and I moved to Columbia we got season tickets to Riverbanks zoo so we decided to make wednesday our zoo/movie day!

This is a pic of my mom and Jude on the train ride at the zoo

She also bought masks for the kids for before we took them to see Madagascar 3;-)

Oh and I didn't mention that my daddy was able to be here for evening and spend the night with us too. I Love this man dearly! He is a man of few words but when he speaks I listen. Even as a child he never said much but I knew when he spoke it was important. He is kind, quiet, and gentle, but strong, steadfast, and unwavering in the things he believes in.

Here is a picture of him and Ellie Kate

I hated to see everybody leave because as much as this only child enjoys quietness, there is something about background noise that makes my heart feel full! Which is why......When my friend Anna called last week and asked if I would keep her two boys yesterday, without hesitation I said ABSOLUTELY! I knew my mom was going to be leaving the day before and the quietness after that extra background noise is always the loudest! 

Whether its the sound of my mom or dad's voice; the sound of laughter, screaming kids, chit chat, whatever it may be- there's something about those sounds. The sound of feet running up and down the hall, the sound of the dishwasher running from all of the dishes, the sound of the washer and dryer constantly running because of all the laundry, All of this  background noise in my home is the sound of life and as much I love quiet nothing makes my heart feel more full than these sounds!

Here's a pic of the kids (oh add a set of twin girls to the mix! Grace and Zoe. Two sweethearts!!)

Part 2 coming soon!

Jalapeno popper grilled cheese and honey roasted almond fruit salad with lemon vinaigrette

This sandwich. This salad. The fruit.

This meal is the ABSOLUTE PERFECT combo of spicy sweet and if  your a fan of grilled cheese and spicy peppers. Have a bite of heaven.

I saw the recipe for this jalapeno grilled cheese sandwich on Closet Cooking and immediately went to the grocery store to purchase the ingredients in the recipe as well as a few ingredients of my own!


Ingredients for the sandwich

• 2 jalapeno peppers, cut in half lengthwise and seeded

• 2 slices sour dough bread(I used italian bread)

• 1 tablespoon butter, room temperature

• 2 tablespoons cream cheese, room temperature

• 1/2 cup jack and cheddar cheese, shredded(I used sargento medium cheddar cheese)

• 1 tablespoon tortilla chips, crumbled (I omitted)

Directions for the sandwich
1. Place the peppers on a baking sheet with the cut side facing down.
2. Place the baking sheet on the top shelf in the oven and broil until the outer layer of the skin has blackened(about 10 minutes)
3. Place the peppers in a zip-lock bag or other sealable container, seal and let them cool until you can handle them(about 15-20 min)
4. Remove the skins from the peppers. 
5. Butter the outside of each slice of bread and spread the cream cheese on the inside. Place sliced cheese on top of the cream cheese.
6. Heat a non'stick pan over medium heat.
7. Add the sandwich and grill until golden brown and the cheese has melted.


Ingredients for the honey almond fruit salad
1. Mixed green lettuce
2. Honey Dew melon
3. Strawberries
4. Mozzerella Cheese
5. Honey roasted almonds
6. Lemon
7. Balsamic Vinaigrette
8. 1 1/2 tablespoons of sugar


Directions for my lemon vinaigrette
I like to use an entire bottle of ken's balsamic vinaigrette and mix it with the juice from 1-1 1/2 squeezed lemons mix the ingredients in a bowl with 1 1/2 tbsp of sugar and chill until the salad is prepared.


Directions for Mixed fruit
Place the chopped watermelon, cantelope and honey dew in a mixing bowl sprinkle with sugar then serve.
Prepare your plate with the 'slap yo momma good' grilled cheese and honey roasted almond salad then garnish with a jalapeno pepper, a bowl of delicious fruit and enjoy!

Quick remedy for a stomach bug and ramblings of an exhausted mommy!

This is what my morning is looks like thus far.

I just wanted to share this remedy that has been passed down in my family for who knows how long. Coffee for Mommy, a thermometer, Emetrol and ginger ale for baby:(

I'm no stranger to late nights and cleaning up throw up messes. For the first two years of Ellie Kate's life; my early mornings, midday's, evenings and nights were spent cleaning up throw up messes and comforting my sick baby girl. (We didn't find out the cause of her stomach issues until she was 2+ years old she had celiac disease) Unfortunately this remedy didn't help with her Celiac disease but it was always a quick fix to a stomach bug!

I'm full of ramblings tonight because I need some time to wind down from the adrenaline rush of a sick kid. (I know all you Mom's out there know what I am talking about!) 

Blogging helps me do that so, I thought I'd also share my innermost thoughts of the moment with you....

It never fails, as i'm whispering "its ok" while rubbing their backs, getting them cleaned up and into some fresh p.j.'s, then tending to the awful job of leaning over that awful smell to clean up the aftermath, I am beyond humbled.

In my short 5 1/2 years of mothering, I have learned a big life lesson-

Being a parent is full of humbling moments. It's full of laughter, tears, frustration, and sometimes what feels like insanity

BUT

I would not trade the gift of mothering for any other thing on earth.

 Not only is it a gift, it is my full-time job. My career. My occupation. 

 I would not trade changing dirty diapers, cleaning up throw up messes, toy trucks, barbie dolls, bedtime stories or smiles that could light up a night sky for anything in the world!

Sure, There are times I'm so sleepy I could cry. 

There are times I'd like to take a vacation without a care in the world or put my make up on without a certain little someone dumping my powder on the floor or using my eye-liner for a pen...... 

However, I do not believe that there is anything- no amount of sleep, no vacation on earth or endless supply of material things that could ever come close to making me feel as full-filled as the love I have for my children and knowing that God has entrusted me with the responsibility of raising these two precious, sometimes naughty, needy, and way too energized kids. 

Melt in your mouth Mountain Dew cake!!

This is the melt in your mouth, YUMMY Mountain Dew cake I fixed for our home-group get together this Past Monday. It's an amped up version of a Paula Deen recipe that mom found a while back. 

My mom and I love getting our hands on yummy recipes and jazzing it up to fit our own creative palate!

After several compliments and people asking for the recipe I figured I would just post it on here! Hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Ingredients

1 box of Duncan Hines lemon cake mix (18.25oz)

1 box of lemon flavored instant pudding mix (3.4 oz) 

1 12 oz can of Mountain Dew

3/4 cup vegetable oil

4 large eggs

Half of a small carton of sliced strawberries

Half of a small carton of blueberries

3 tbsp. of sugar


Preparation
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly grease a 10 cup bundt pan.                                                    Rinse Strawberries and Blueberries thoroughly. Slice strawberries and place them in a bowl. Add rinsed blueberries to strawberries sprinkle with 3 tbsp. of sugar. Gently stir until the sugar is evenly distributed. Place bowl in the fridge.

In a large bowl, combine cake mix and pudding mix. Add mountain dew, vegetable oil and eggs. Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Pour batter into prepared pan, and bake for 45 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and place on your favorite serving dish. 

Remove berries from fridge. Fill the middle of your cake with strawberries and blueberries then garnish the top of the cake with remaining fruit...or garnish it to your heart's desire!

Enjoy!

The things you can learn from a lullaby.

Shhhh... I whispered as I brought Jude's warm little head into my chest and cradled him in my arms. He rubbed his eyes and let out a yawn along with a small whimper. 

I wrapped him in his blanket and began to rock him while I played Nicole Nordman's 'you are good' softly in the back ground. (If you read my "keeping the home fires burning" blog back in jan 2010, you know this has been his favorite since he was born!)
As I listened to the song for probably the hundredth time, it kind of brought things home for me this time around.
I started thinking about how God has been so good to my family and me over the past year.
He has continued to pour out His grace and countless blessings on our lives and just like so many others, I sometimes take it for granted.
Personally, I don't want to take anything for granted anymore.
You can never be sure of what's around the next bend in this road of life.
Someone can be here one day and gone the next. You can love someone with all your heart and get nothing in return. You can trust someone and they will let you down. You can forgive someone and not be forgiven.
If we depend on man( our friends, spouses, children, etc.) or earthly things to fulfill us we are probably going to be disappointed.
People, and life especially, are so uncertain...but there is one thing you can be certain of: if you are depending on God to fulfill you you can have full confidence He will!
He's going to be right there with you wether you are scared, hurt, or lost along the way.
He won't let you down. He will always love you (even when you don't deserve it) and you will always be able to place your trust in Him; being confident He will never let you down.
And as for His forgiveness?
"In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace."
Ephesians 1:7