Cause for a Tongue Burn

As I've admitted before, I LOVE desserts. Oftentimes when I'm baking and that timer goes off, I have to taste test before the dessert has had any time to cool at all...resulting in one burned tongue! But hey, I guess it's worth it =)

My most recent tongue burn came from testing this pie straight from the oven:
Sister Lizzie's Southern Buttermilk Pie

I got this recipe from Aunt Ruthie's Sugar Pie Farmhouse.

You'll love her site! Check it out!

I really didn't know what to expect b/c I'd never had Buttermilk Pie before but it was soo good!! My pie doesn't look nearly as pretty as Aunt Ruthie's (I think it was in the oven a little too long--my burn is more severe than usual hehe) but it sure tasted delicious!! I had a lot of fun making it too--baking is relaxing to me.

YUM!

Sunday Selection

I love quotes. I think they can be incredibly powerful. And obviously ALL Scripture is God-breathed and has transforming power.

So, each Sunday I'm going to start posting a favorite quotation or scripture. The quotes will focus on Christianity/life. They are meant to edify and challenge; not only myself but any reader as well!

If you'd like to be a part of Sunday Selection, please read the following guidelines of participation:

1. Share a favorite quote or scripture. (It doesn't have to be a certain length, just whatever it is that speaks to you!)
2. If you want to, share why you chose the selection/how it spoke to you.
3. Always include the source of the quote or scripture.
4. Publish your Sunday Selection post on your blog.
5. Please offer a link back to the main page of my blog; that way, others can join in too!
6. If you'd like, grab the button from my sidebar--it'll also link back to my blog.
7. Copy the "permalink" from your Sunday Selection post and add it to Mr. Linky.

Thanks! I hope you'll join in!


My selection today is a quote by A.W. Tozer. Anytime I read something of his, I usually feel convicted. He doesn't sugar coat anything--he speaks the truth!

“No man should desire to be happy who is not at the same time holy. He should spend his efforts in seeking to know and do the will of God, leaving to Christ the matter of how happy he should be.”

Too often, I think more about how I can be happy in this life rather than what I can do to be more holy. I believe if we are seeking a holy life, we're going to be happy--or better yet--joyful! I've got to remember that this life is not about me!

The Big Change

Well, if you haven't heard already or didn't watch Monday night's episode of John and Kate Plus 8, J&K have decided to divorce. According to the show, the legal proceedings were to begin on Monday, June 22, to "dissolve" their 10 year marriage.

I was hoping the "Big Change" was going to be that they were quitting the show to work on their marriage. I was hopeful. I hate hearing news of marriage break-ups. We get enough of it from the Hollywood scene, but more recently, I've known a lot of people personally and through friends that are calling it quits--some only after 6 months of marriage. It breaks my heart.

**Marriage is tough; and we don't really ever hear the whole story of why a marriage breaks up, so I don't want to pass judgment or make anyone feel guilty if they are divorced--I know several people that divorced or have divorced parents whom I love and care about deeply!**

Monday's episode made me want to work so much harder on my marriage to Bob. Kate said she never expected to be where they are today--I'm sure no one ever expects to get a divorce.

I don't want to wake up one day and wonder what happened--I want to work to keep our marriage alive. I know tough times will come and those times will cause strain, but I don't even want to think of divorce as an option--b/c it's not an option. I took a vow before God Almighty that I would stay married to Bob until death (I'm praying the rapture happens 1st, though! hehe)

"Marriage is the hardest thing you will ever do.
The secret is removing divorce as an option. Anybody who gives themselves that option will get a divorce."
-Will Smith

One of the blogs I enjoy following is Domestic Felicity. She is an incredible writer and always has such a positive view on life. One of her recent posts was about how spouses should challenge each other to improve and work on areas that "have previously been neglected." Tikkun midot is the Hebrew term she used in her post, which "can be roughly translated as working on one's character." It was an inspiring post for me to read! You can read the entire post here.

"Success in marriage does not come merely through finding the right mate, but through being the right mate."

~Barnett R. Brickner

I love my husband more each day. I'm so thankful to be his wife! I know there are times when I'm lazy in our marriage, whether it be slacking on the housework or not putting in the effort to talk about his day or what's on his mind. But he's worth it--we're worth. For God's glory.

"So they are no longer two, but one flesh.
What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate."
Matthew 19:6

Happy Anniversary!

I would like to wish my sister and brother-in-law a very Happy Anniversary!!
They've been married 4 years, today.

"The highest happiness on earth is marriage."
~William Lyon Phelps

I Just Love Desserts...

they are my weakness.

Especially a dessert with CHOCOLATE!

Anything chocolate usually works wonders for me if I'm having a bad day...or a good day...or...well, really any kind of day!

I recently tried one of these cookies at a picnic and I just HAD to get the recipe!
*Bear with me. For some reason I like taking pictures of food* So here are a few pics of the same exact thing.



Hope you enjoy these as much as I did!!


-Chocolate Raspberry Crumb Bars-

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups (12 ounce package)
Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels, divided
1 1/4 cups (14 ounce can)
Sweetened Condensed Milk
1/3 cup seedless raspberry jam
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 13 x 9-inch baking pan.

Beat butter in large mixer bowl until creamy. Beat in flour, sugar and salt until crumbly. With floured fingers, press 1 3/4 cups crumb mixture onto bottom of prepared baking pan; reserve remaining mixture. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until edges are golden brown.

Combine 1 cup morsels and sweetened condensed milk in small, heavy-duty saucepan. Warm over low heat, stirring until smooth. Spread over hot crust. Stir nuts into reserved crumb mixture; sprinkle over chocolate filling. Drop teaspoonsful of raspberry jam over crumb mixture. Sprinkle with remaining morsels. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until center is set. Cool in pan on wire rack.

Here They Come!

There has been A LOT of drooling lately (just a small sample in the picture above). I've noticed, too, that Ethan's gums are swollen and there are little white "dots" down on the bottom row... which probably means something like this is in our near future:

I love baby teeth! They are so cute! ...but I'm not looking forward to figuring out the whole feeding situation when baby teeth are involved!

I know I still have some time before actual teeth show up, but are there any tips from moms who nursed while their children were teething?? (My mom keeps telling me paybacks are coming..I'm scared!) haha.

Until those teeth make their appearance, I'm gonna enjoy Ethan's gummy smile! =)

Bob, I'm so thankful God brought us together! You are a wonderful husband and an incredible daddy to Ethan. I know you'll be a great example to our precious son--I love you so much!!!

Thank you, Dad, for showing the love of Christ through the way that you live. You are so strong, hard working and selfless; yet you can cut loose and give us all a good laugh, too! I love you SO much and I'm very thankful that you are my "Daddio"!

I also have a wonderful father-in-law who is always willing to help anyone, anytime no matter how busy he is! He has the best BBQ in town, too!!! Yummy!!! He raised a wonderful son through the examples he set.

Happy Father's Day to all the wonderful men in my life!

Most importantly, thank You God for being my Heavenly Father and for loving me unconditionally. You are my Savior and my Lord. I love You!

Step Into My Time Machine

“We all have our time machines.
Some take us back, they're called memories...”
~Jeremy Irons


The other day, Bob and his dad loaded up a bunch of limbs they had cut down in our back yard to my grandparents' tree farm. Carol (my M-I-L), Ethan and myself followed behind in the car to keep an eye on the trailer and so that I could help direct them to the farm just in case they couldn't find it.

I hadn't been there in several years, so when we turned into the drive, it brought back a lot of memories--it's almost like I stepped into my own time machine.

Here's the entry to the tree farm. It has grown up a lot. It still looks beautiful to me, though. =)

Here's a picture of the field to the left of the drive. Lots of wildflowers.

As I sat in the car, I couldn't help but think of my grandpa. He loved coming to the tree farm to fiddle around on old cars, drive his tractor, etc; ya know, "guy stuff". It's hard to believe he's been in heaven almost 9 years. I miss him so much sometimes. This is one of the last pictures taken of him and I think he looks so handsome!

I'm sooo excited to see him again one day! Praise God!!

"The memory of the just is blessed..."
Proverbs 10:7a

Future Rocker??

The other day, Bob was playing the drums on Rock Band 2 (he's so good!) and decided to let Ethan in on the fun.
We just might have a future rocker on our hands....

He had a strong grip on those sticks--I literally had to pry them out of his hands!
I hope Ethan has his daddy's musical talent!

Sing unto him a new song; play skilfully with a loud noise.
Psalms 33:3

My Stronghold

My best friend Holly and I recently started the Bible study by Beth Moore entitled, "Living Free: Learning to Pray God's Word". The other day we talked about strongholds and how they can put us in bondage--they can be so hard to break free from!

Instead of only focusing on the negative aspect of a stronghold though, Beth Moore also shared the often-overlooked positive aspect of what (or better yet, Who) a stronghold can be.

I grew up playing basketball, so how she explained Christ's stronghold over our lives was pretty neat to me. She related it to a basketball player holding the ball up high so that his opponent(s) could not reach it. I've seen that over and over in basketball and know first hand just how frustrating it can be when you can't steal the ball from the opponent's strong hold!

I really enjoyed the study we had and every day since, I often picture a tall basketball player holding the ball out of the defense's reach. It makes me smile. =)

...Because this is sometimes how I feel in life....


That ball is me and I'm open game for all my enemies to attack.

But according to scripture, I shouldn't be afraid of anyone!

The LORD is my light and my salvation—whom should I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life—of whom should I be afraid?
Psalm 27:1 (HCSB)

The way of the LORD is a stronghold for the honorable,
but destruction awaits the malicious.
Proverbs 10:29 (HCSB)

And be not grieved and depressed, for the joy of the Lord is your strength and stronghold.
Nehemiah 8:10b (Amplified Bible)

No one can pluck us out of the Father's hands! (John 10:29)
Jesus is our Stronghold!

"Freeeeee Credit Report Dot Com"

Okay, I CAN NOT stand those Free Credit Report commercials! They drive me insane!
However, Bob and I were watching one of our favorite comedians the other night and he did his own version of those commercials.

I would love it if this is how it went:




Love it!

Hope you all enjoy your Friday!

Playing Catch Up With Lots of Pics!

There's been a lot going on lately! If I were more consistent with my blogging, I wouldn't have to post a million pictures at a time--so hang in there if you can, b/c this is a pretty long one!

Anyway...here are some pics/captions to let you know what's been happening lately in our life...

We recently went to a Minor League Baseball game with my parents...we had a blast! We got the tickets from Bob's parents. The sun was still shining here...we look a little ghostly..haha.

Here are my wonderful parents! My dad was a tremendous pitcher and was even scouted by a few pro teams but he suffered a really bad injury to his arm and ended up just playing college ball.
He was really into the game. He LOVES sports!

All the little kiddos loved the team's mascot...here's a little girl getting an autograph. How cute!
We had such a fun time...I hadn't been to a baseball game in years!

Ethan spent time with his Nana and Papaw (Bob's sweet parents) that night.
They had a blast!

My cousin Luke was recently promoted to Captain! He's already served one tour of duty in Iraq and will soon be deployed again. I'm so proud of him! (He's the one in the middle)


We went to Bob's company picnic this past weekend...I used to work for the same company so it was fun seeing a lot of my friends! As much as I miss working with them, I wouldn't trade staying at home with Ethan for anything!
Here we are on the way...I had Ethan try out my new sunglasses. They're just a tad big, don't ya think?

Everyone wanted to hold him!

He wasn't too impressed with the hat I picked out for him but that sun was blazin'!

Here's Bob's boss. He's been a friend of the family for a long time. This was his first time holding Ethan......and maybe his last! Haha, j/k. Ethan was starting to get hungry here.

Ahh...He finally fell asleep.


Visiting Nana and Papaw after the picnic. Look at him holding his head high. What a big boy!


That same night we went to my parents' home for my early birthday celebration.
I LOVED my cake! These Snow White decorations were the same ones used on a cake when I was a little kid! They're atleast 15-20 years old! I'm very sentimental so this cake meant a lot to me. It brought back some great memories =) Thanks for making it mom...I wouldn't have had it any other way!

Ethan was worn out after the wild party we had...haha.

...So I turned 25...and I was actually kinda sad about it. But I got a call the morning of my birthday that cheered me up! Praise God, Ethan's monitor is off for good!!!!

He had to wear that band at the top right of the picture around his chest. Those black squares were the leads that monitored his heart beat and any signs of apnea.

The long cord in the previous picture connected to this machine...it was sooooo loud when it went off!! I will NOT miss having to hook Ethan up to that thing at night after he'd fallen asleep in my arms..b/c then I had to wake him up to put the band on and he was NOT a happy camper! Ethan went home from the hospital with the apnea monitor March 2nd. He had to be monitored 24-7 from March 2nd-April 1st. April 1st-June 7th he was only monitored at bedtime.
Here's his first picture monitor-free!!

Later that day, my best friend Holly brought her son Nathan over to play with Ethan. (Actually it was more of a "playtime" for the moms..haha..the boys pretty much slept the whole time) They're already best buds and they don't even know it!

I had a wonderful birthday, and was a little sad when it was over! It's kinda scary getting older...I'm not a kid anymore!


I'm posting this picture because it reminds me of the day I got saved! I was saved the day after my physical birthday in 1993. I like the fact that I have two bdays (physical and spiritual) in a row..and believe me, I milk 'em for all they're worth! haha.

The night after my birthday, there was a horrible storm and a tornado actually went over our house. I HATE storms, so needless to say, I was mortified that night. I knew I was a sinner--so I realized that if the tornado came and swept me away, I would go to hell...and I didn't want that to happen! Thankfully, it was only an F-1 tornado and it passed over quickly with no damage except for a few missing shingles. Later that evening, we went to church and I gave my life to Christ!I love celebrating my physical birthday, but there's something extra special about my spiritual birthday. I praise God for sending His Son to die for me so that I could have eternal life!

So there you have it...my highlights of the past few weeks.
I hope you made it through! Sorry it was so long--I'm just trying to catch up =)

Oh, and I think I'm going to change the layout of my page too..so be on the lookout!

God bless!