Monday, February 28, 2011

See This?

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See this futon?  We don’t anymore.  Sold it on Craig’s List and the people were very nice – not serial killers.  We were using it as our main furniture ONLY because Maggie DESTROYED our previous couch.  So now the hunt is on.  For a nice, mega deal couch!

Leftover Lemons?

Or citrus not as plump because of too many days in the fridge.  We always have leftover fruit and here’s my solution to leftover lemons, Clementine's, oranges or limes…

Citrus Baked Chicken

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Stuff the bird with whole citrus fruit (I used two clementines). 

Cut up extra fruit into slices and slide under skin on chicken breast.

Cut up pieces of butter and slide them under skin as well and butter top of skin as well

season with salt and pepper.

Bake on 350 with your favorite veggies (sometimes I parboil or precook in microwave potatoes before I bake).

Cook until done (1.25 – 3 hours depending on weight of bird).

Some chickens come with pop up timers or use a meat thermometer (it indicates appropriate temp for poultry).

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And… I just learned of the most fantastic fun place for children under 5!  Storyville at the County Library. 

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Check your local library for fun FREE opportunities for you and your toddler.

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We went on this rainy day and had  a blast!

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In the tree fort.

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In the upstairs of the house playing with the doll house.

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Interactive activities galore!

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don’t forget to become a follower of my blog and help me beat my best friend and a competition!  Click follow on the right.  Thanks:)

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Doing the dishes in the kitchen.

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Cooking on the stove.

Photobucket

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Today So Far…

Getting ready for church

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Lunch with friends at Ikea.

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Did you know you can shop online at Ikea now?

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don’t forget to become a follower of this blog by clicking follow on the right hand side!  thank you!

Now it’s almost 65 degrees, so I am going to wait for the people who might buy our futon from craig’s list (hopefully they are not serial killers) and then take a walk!

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Linky Love

Okay, okay, so this is my first link love.  I was inspired to do it by my cousin Myriah, my best friend and a most talented individual.  We had a lovely evening at Rye’s house last night because of this

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Speaking of cousins, I have lots of talented cousins and I have to brag about them in linky love as I did above.

Annie Pease Gray

The next cousin who is ultra talented is hailing from London – Annie and her husband and her sewing machine and her new fancy camera (I am infinitely jealous of the new camera and maybe the London thing too).  You can find photos of her Maine wedding here.

The next uber, gifted girl cousin is my complete inspiration for ever even daring to start sewing.  Kathryn has style.  Kathryn has talent.  Check out her bags.

Wow, with this much talent on both sides of the family, maybe there’s hope for me yet!

So, though I would love to continue bragging about my relatives let me expand your linky love horizons.

We are considering renovating this house.  If we do I am DYING, I mean I am DYING to put one of these doors in or maybe two.

yellow sliding barn door

Photo credit

Do you absolutely love?  Are you in love like I am?

Okay, okay, so I lied.  I have another gifted relative (well many more) whom I have to mention.   Drum roll please…. my mother.  She is THE BEST care giver, so if you have a relative who needs a nurse to accompany them on air travel, SHE IS THE GIRL!

Back to the unrelated…

I love this woman, not JUST because she has the same name with the same spelling, but because I have fallen in love with her family through her blog.

And this precious woman seems to have stolen my dream job.  Ha-ha.  She works with a Christian organization that helps Ukrainian orphans.

What this fabulous woman is doing this weekend is totally making me green with envy (I am just joking if you are freaking out about my jealousy problems).  She is getting training by some of the most fantastic photographers I have EVER seen.  I can’t link them because I forgot their names but I am seriously IN LOVE with their photography.

If I could link to Lisa Schaller I would because I have to give her a shout out for getting her real estate license, for being a faithful woman of God and a dear friend to my little family.  We love you Lisa!!

If I could link to my Aunt Teresa I would.  I love her heart after God and her infinite love for her family.  I haven’t spent a lot of time with her over the year but I believe God has knit our hearts together and I love her very much!

Now, I just want to put a major request in – PLEASE become a follower of my blog!  I am trying to beat my cousin in a competition!

And leave a comment if you have never met me.  I’d like to know you stopped and where you are from.  Thanks for visiting!

Please Become a Follower of My Blog

Click on the right hand side to become a follower!  I want more followers than my cousin.  Please!

Friday, February 25, 2011

Trees DOWN!

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Looking out our front door.

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This one almost took out the Schaller’s house. 

The wind was blowing REALLY, REALLY hard in the early afternoon.  Henry and I had a play date scheduled for 2:00 but wanted to confirm it and didn’t hear back until 2:30.  The power went out just as we were leaving the house and there was a very eerie (not sure of spelling) feeling as I walked to the truck like one of the massive pine trees could topple over and crush us or a house at any moment.  I turned out of the driveway to see what looked like a tree going towards the Schaller’s house and possible in their house. 

Good news is that it came to their front door and took out the power lines and JUST missed their house like the huge pine tree that fell JUST last week. 

While we were at our play date, we got a call from Lisa stating a tree fell from our property line.  It took out another power line and snapped a telephone pole.  THANK YOU God, it didn’t happen while we were leaving or while we were home. 

So, both ends of our street were blocked off this evening meaning we couldn’t get into our driveway.  We were able to walk on our neighbors’ lawns to get into the house but no word on when the power is coming back.

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The cop let us park the truck on the street so we could get to the house.

Struggling

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Wow, listening to Grace Hour on God’s answer to passivity and apathy. Should be good.

Struggling… I finished Shattered Dreams by Larry Crabb.  I have mixed feelings about it.  Especially the ending.  I believe his overall goal of the book is very similar to Watchman Nee’s Breaking of the Outer Man to Release the Spirit (I think that’s how the title go).  Also, Nee’s Normal Christian Life deals with some of the same topics.  I guess I got spoiled by Nee because in a simple yet profound way he breaks down the normal Christian life through the book of Romans and based on Galatians 2:20.  It is no longer I, but Christ who lives within me.

Maybe I was missing it, but I didn’t hear the “no longer I” message from Crabb’s book.  Especially when he mentioned Bonhoeffer’s cheap grace.  I just don’t agree.  Grace is free and God paid the price and we never can.  He chooses who receives grace and how much.  We cannot cheapen it if we don’t earn it.  If think we can continue in sin, we deceive ourselves whether we call it God’s grace or not.  We are paying a price with our sin even if we think we are not.  I am speaking from my own experience here. 

As Nee says – Jesus Christ is the ANSWER for EVERY problem!  Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with Christ never the less I live yet not I but Christ lives within me.

I either live in the Spirit or I live in my flesh.  You can’t fix flesh.  We all have it.  Thank God He gives us a not cheap but FREE gift of salvation AND a FREE provision on how to live this life.  WE only RECEIVE!  Wow!  Now that is more than cheap, it’s free!!  Praise God! 

Thursday, February 24, 2011

ArOuNd the HoUsE

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Feet crossing love buckets…

 

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About to finish one book and need to figure out which one to start next AND our next new recipe!

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feeling some new furniture but it’s not realistic right now…

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Whirlwind boy….

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Keeps me on my toes…

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

The Dresses Mentioned on the Previous Post!

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AND… my cousin’s other blog.  Same cousin, just MORE talent.  Makes me kind of jealous.  Just joking.  Proud to be related to such a gifted girl!!

http://laughinglivingandlovinginlondon.wordpress.com/

I Can’t Believe IT!

I can’t believe I am just finding out about my cousin’s fabulous blog!  Come one guys!!

http://onlyastitchaway.wordpress.com/

Enjoy!  These ladies have talent 3,o0o miles apart!

If We Had Another Name…

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It would be chocolate…

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(Lunch)

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(Breakfast)

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Or maybe house…

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You like?

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I went to see it today. 

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God has a plan and we will see if this is part of it…

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I like this photo even though it didn’t come out.  I asked Henry where the castle was and he pointed to it.  So smart.

Going ONs

I had a great night out last night thanks to my amazing husband.  My cousin Rye had a young married woman’s event at her house for her church.  I met a lot of wonderful women – some (maybe 1 or 2) were even as old as me!  That was comforting since most of the crowd was mid twenties like Rye.  Amazing hearts after God.  So refreshing to be around like minded people.

My husband did a fantastic job taking care of our son as always and even made his salad for his food day at work.  Big relief since I was planning on making it at 10 pm last night.  He called me and let me off the hood (hook!) and then I didn’t get home until 11!  Big mistake, David!  You gave me a license to be late!

I just reconnected with a friend down here whom I dearly love!  Pray for her and her husband.  They are beefing up their business and selling their house to support a move to Austria to plant a church!  Her husband has an amazing story of escape from communist Czech Republic.  These people set my heart on fire for the Lord.

My aunts Molly and Stacey, my grandmother and Sam are heading to Flor-ee-da today for a vacay.  I am praying they have the time of their lives!

I am looking forward to getting some photos from my mom on her kitchen renovation!

P.s – my son is STILL sleeping!  His late night partying the last few nights did him in!

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Story Time

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This should have been close to his bed time.

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BUT…  Mr. Man has had his internal clock changed or not working or something.

I think last night he finally went to sleep around 2:30 am the night before it was after 3 am.  Hmmm.  NOT GOOD!

I think this teething thing is really throwing us all for a loop!

On another note – the endless chore lists I (we – brothers included) loathed as children are coming in handy now!  I seem to get more done when I write myself endless lists!

Monday, February 21, 2011