Changes!

Oh, I’ve missed your comments and emails! I apologize for not posting in such a long time, but I do have an excuse. We sold our house in seven days and moved into an apartment while our new house is being built. It’s a fun and exciting time for us, but never a dull moment. The toughest part — keeping my four-year-old’s voice level low while he’s “doing battle” with his Star Wars legos or flying through the air like Batman. Good times, I tell ya! So far, no complaints from the neighbors

As for my blogging, I’ve been asked to write with a group of amazing Christian women at www.sozowomen.com. I’d love you to check it out and subscribe for free. The subscription works the same as with my blog — please enter your email address and you will receive an email when a new post is available.

“Sozo” means to be made whole. We are all a work in progress. We’ll be using our real-life experiences (and our mistakes) to show how God is making us better each day. And, we’d love for you to share your stories too. We’ll be posting daily on parenting, devotions, family activities, marriage, recipes and much more!!

For now, I will continue to maintain this personal blog and post periodically. I really hope you’ll join us at www.sozowomen.com!

10 Things I Never Said … Until Motherhood

Out of my 2011 posts, this was rated as the most viewed! Thanks for reading, I had fun creating this list :)

10.       “It is not okay to pull down your pants and pee, when waiting in line at Six Flags.”

9.         “I love my minivan.”

8.         “You did go swimming this afternoon, so you don’t have to take a bath.”

7.         “We can maybe go to a Justin Beiber concert.”

6.         “Oops, I only had time to shave one leg in the shower.”

5.         “You are not really the blue Power Ranger. Please stop drop-kicking everything, including your sister.”

4.         “I’m glad the puke is on me, instead of the couch.”

3.         “Do not pee on the floor, the wall or in your room. The only place we pee is in the toilet, and please aim for the water.”

2.         “You cannot eat dinner naked, with only your Batman cape. At least, put on some underwear.”

1.         “I love you bigger than the world.” {literally}

Motherhood is a gift to enjoy, but it is definitely not for the weak!

{Yes, an entire bag of potato chips scattered in our living room as he yelled, "Surprise!"}

What would you add to this list?

Merry {not crazy, busy and stressed} Christmas!

Every year about this time, it happens to me. I get completely overwhelmed. Shopping, wrapping, Christmas parties, teacher gifts, Christmas cards, decorating, baking … the list goes on. Ugh, I want to lock myself in the closet! 

Then, the guilt sets in. When did I become so materialistic? Why do I allow myself to get caught up in all the craziness? I have to reorganize my thoughts and remember the importance of the birth, the precious baby who changed the world forever. The peace, love, joy and hope that only He brings. I have to stop and be still. 

I have a tradition to help me focus on this truth. (I need a visual reminder so I won’t get sucked back in to the busyness.) I print the following words and post them on my fridge. I’ve been doing this for several years now. The author, Sharon Jaynes, was gracious enough to give me permission to share the following excerpt from her book, Celebrating a Christ-Centered Christmas.

I hope and pray it blesses you as much as it does me.

1^st CORINTHIANS 13 [CHRISTMAS VERSION]
Author: Sharon Jaynes
Taken from the book, Celebrating a Christ-Centered Christmas
www.sharonjaynes.com

“If I decorate my house perfectly with plaid bows,
strands of twinkling lights and shiny balls,
but do not show love to my family,
I’m just another decorator.

If I slave away in the kitchen,
baking dozens of Christmas cookies,
preparing gourmet meals
and arranging a beautifully adorned table at mealtime,
but do not show love to my family,
I’m just another cook.

If I work at a soup kitchen,
carol in the nursing home,
and give all that I have to charity,
but do not show love to my family,
it profits me nothing.

If I trim the spruce with shimmering angels
and crocheted snowflakes,
attend a myriad of holiday parties
and sing in the choir’s cantata,
but do not focus on Christ,
I have missed the point.

Love stops the cooking to hug the child.
Love sets aside the decorating to kiss the spouse.
Love is kind, though harried and tired.
Love does not envy another’s home that has coordinated Christmas china and table linens.
Love does not yell at the kids to get out of the way, but is thankful they are there to be in the way.
Love does not give only to those who are able to give in return; but rejoices in giving to those who cannot.

Love bears all things,
believes all things,
hopes all things, and
endures all things.
Love never fails.
Video games will break,
pearl necklaces will be lost,
golf clubs will rust;
but giving the gift of love will endure.”

Thank you, Sharon Jaynes, for those amazing words!

 

With that, I’m taking a break from my blog to enjoy this season and love my sweet family. I’ll be back to blogging next year. Hope you and yours have a Merry CHRISTmas!!

Roasted Turkey Recipe

Normally, I am all about the quick and easy when it comes to making meals. Crockpot and casseroles, that’s how I survive. But, Thanksgiving is that one special meal I look forward to each year. I actually enjoy getting up at 5:30a, lighting my pumpkin-nutmeg candle and cooking all morning!

Several years ago, I found a great and simple recipe by Kraft (www.kraftrecipes.com) for a roasted turkey. If you are making a turkey for the first time or looking for a new recipe, here you go!

Ingredients:
1 frozen whole turkey (10-16 lbs), thawed (I only use Butterball)
1 lb pork sausage
1 1/2 cups hot water
2 pkg (6 oz each) Stove Top Stuffing Mix for Turkey

**Note — We don’t eat this stuffing. I make mine this way because it gives the turkey a great flavor.

Step 1:  Thaw your turkey! I just moved mine to the refrigerator. Typically, it takes one day for every 4 lbs.

Step 2:  On Thursday morning, preheat oven to 325 degrees. Remove all bags of yuck (this is the worst part), rinse turkey and pat dry.

Step 3:  Brown sausage. Drain, but place 1/2 cup of the drippings in large bowl. Stir in hot water. Add stuffing mix and cooked sausage. Stir well.

Step 4:  With turkey breast side down, fill neck cavity lightly. Don’t overstuff, it will expand when roasting.

Step 5:  Fold wing tips around turkey back to hold neck skin in place. This is always so difficult for me! I’ve watched video clips at 6a just trying to figure it out. If you can’t get the wing tips secure, don’t worry!!

Step 6:  Turn turkey breast side up, fill body cavity lightly (again, it will expand). Return legs to tucked position or tie securely with string. Place in large roasting pan sprayed with cooking spray. Brush skin with oil.

Step 7:  Roast turkey immediately after stuffing. Roast approximately 3.5-4.5 hours, until the internal temperature of the thigh is at least 180 degrees, breast is 170 degrees and stuffing is 165 degrees. Make sure to cover loosely with aluminum foil about 2/3′s of the way through.

Step 8:  My favorite part, make it look pretty! Garnish with parsley and slices of orange, lemon or apple.

I typically wake up at 5:30a, the turkey is ready to roast by around 7a and I cover with foil around 9 or 9:30a (wait until it is golden brown).

Butterball (www.butterball.com) has an awesome website with video tutorials, ”Turkey Talk-Line”, chat line and easy conversion charts.

I hope your Thanksgiving meal is awesome. More importantly, though, may you be blessed with family, friends and fun!

{Thanksgiving 2010}

Spider Crackers

These are so easy to make, and you may already have the ingredients in your pantry.

Whole grain round crackers
Peanut butter
Pretzel sticks
Raisins, sprinkles, etc.

1.         Spread peanut butter between crackers.
2.         Add 8 pretzel sticks to the peanut butter (between the crackers) for the spider’s legs.
3.         Add a thin layer of peanut butter on the top cracker and decorate your spider’s face. We used raisins and sprinkles, but anything will work

Fun for the kids and easy for us — now, that’s my kind of snack!

Please share any other ideas you may have!

Baked Apple Cinnamon Dessert

Sounds like the perfect fall dish, right? The seasonal aroma was wonderful this morning when I baked it for my Bible study group. If the temperature in San Antonio could just get out of the 90′s, it would really be time to celebrate!

I received this recipe from my MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) mentor — another great thing about MOPS, you find awesome mentors who have mothering wisdom and lots of great recipes You can find more of Karen’s recipes at www.karenworth.wordpress.com

Ingredients
1 Granny Smith apple
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 stick butter
6 oz Mountain Dew
1 can crescent rolls

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Peel, core and cut apple into eight slices. Roll each slice in sugar and cinnamon mixture.

Roll one crescent roll around each apple slice. Place in dish and pour remaining sugar and cinnamon on top. Pour melted butter over top, then 6 ozs Mountain Dew.

Bake 40 minutes at 350 degrees.

You can serve for breakfast or with vanilla ice cream for dessert. Just a note, for our family of four … we always have leftovers. If you’re making for a larger group, of course you can double the recipe.

Happy Fall, Y’all!

New Season of Mothering

Last week, I met my {baby} boy’s Pre-K teacher. As we were talking about the things he needed for school … she said, “And no napmat is required, this is the big kid room.” Fighting back tears.

She went on to say, “Homework will go home on Tuesday and will be due on Thursday.” Tears.

From that day until now, I’ve been praying for God to give me strength. As my children grow, I think the most difficult thing as a mom is letting go. It happens slowly, but you see this little independent person developing over time. It’s beautiful and heart-wrenching at the same time. So bittersweet. 

This morning, I dropped him off for his first day. He was excited for a new classroom, more friends and he said, ”I’m big like Ella now.”

With my {baby} boy in Pre-K two days a week and speech preschool on different days, my life will change this year. I’ve graduated from the land of spit-up, diaper changes and temper tantrums and have walked through a new door. For the first time in seven years, I’m not in a Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS) group. It’s a really weird place.

I’m making adjustments in my own life to help with this new season — Bible Study with wonderful friends, training for my first 5k and continuing to work on my freelance work. It’s a good step, that I must be willing to make.

One thing I will not miss is the isolation that I sometimes felt as a stay-at-home mom of young children. It is more work (mentally) than I ever thought possible. So, if you are in this season (where the nights are long and the days are chaotic), I want to encourage you. It does end. And, when you feel like all your work goes unnoticed, it doesn’t. You are shaping a little soul! All of your loving efforts will show in their personality.

Today, I’m focusing on the positive. I’m remembering the special moments and looking forward to all those we have yet to experience … those memories belong to us. They are uniquely special for our family and no age or independence will ever diminish our bond. Motherhood is such a gift to be cherished! 

Now, it’s your turn — What season of mothering are you in? If your children are out of the baby/toddler stage, what changes have you made to your own schedule?