Alden's Cat in the Hat Party

  It's taken me two months, but I'm finlly gonna post some pictures from Alden's 2nd birthday party. I plan on doing more with this post later, (adding links and ideas) but for now I'll just post some pics. It put Mama in bed for two days, but it was so fun and worth it to see Alden having such a good time. :)

                                             Cupcake, candy and snack table

               Drink table w/ Coke & IZZE in glass bottles & red "Thing Punch."

                                                      BIRTHDAY BOY!!! :)

                                               

                                         Alden, Baker & "CooCoo"

My Next 30 Years

   The only way I know to start this blog post is by saying, it's so weird that my 20s are gone! This past year has been so wonderful, getting to be with my sweet, little Alden & teach him & watch him grow.
   While thinking over the past 30 years of my life & how quickly time flies, I can't help but think about my NEXT 30 years as well. To avoid being long winded, like a lot of old people such as myself ;), I will just say that I want to be a better person in my next 30 years than I was the past 30. I want to be a better wife, mother, daughter, sister & friend. I want to be a better servant to all. I want to show love to everyone, even when it's hard. I want to love life; the wild & the calm. I want to grow old with my wonderful husband & watch Alden grow up. I want to help those in need whenever I can. I want to enjoy every minute, but use every minute to make a difference. I want to share God's love with those I come in contact with & let them know that they too can experience true love & joy. I want to be in God's will 100% of the time, because it's the only place to be where you can have true joy.
   You don't have to own a big company or preach to hundreds of people a week or open an orphanage to do big things for God. Just do what He wants you to do to the best of your ability. Whether its changing diapers all day, like where God has me now, or whatever He asks of you, He will give you the tools & strength to accomplish it if you truly live out His will.
   So, in the years to come, there will be many changes, ups & downs, good times and hard times. I want to do my part and live life unselfishly in my next 30 years or however many years I'm given.


[changes to fit me]
My Next 30 Years
I think I'll take a moment, celebrate my age
The ending of an era and the turning of a page
Now it's time to focus in on where I go from here
Lord have mercy on my next thirty years


Hey my next thirty years, I'm gonna have some fun
Try to forget about all the crazy things I've done
Maybe now I've conquered all my adolescent fears
And I'll do it better in my next thirty years


My next thirty years I'm gonna settle all the scores
Cry a little less, laugh a little more
Find a world of happiness without the hate and fear
[Live out the reason that I'm] here
In my next thirty years


Oh my next thirty years, I'm gonna watch my weight
Eat a few more salads and not stay up so late


My next thirty years will be the best years of my life
Raise a little family and [be a good] wife
Spend precious moments with the ones that I hold dear
Make up for lost time here, in my next thirty years
In my next thirty years
Phil Vassar

Six Wonderful Years

Matthew & I celebrated our six year anniversary on Easter. I truly can't believe we've been married that long! We like to go on a trip every anniversary, so this year we went to Chattanooga. We went the Friday before Easter. We stayed in The Chattanoogan Hotel & we had a wonderful dinner at a restaurant that's in an old train car. During dinner, Matthew surprised me with tickets to see Alison Krauss & Union Station right down the road, after dinner!

I was quite surprised & excited! When we got to the venue, it was an old theater house that was beautiful. It was a great concert by the greatest musicians I have ever seen & Matthew thouroly enjoyed it as well. The next day, we ate breakfast at the hotel & after we checked out, we went to Rock City & then to a place that told all about the Civil War battle that happened there.

There is one point at Rock City where you can see 7 states! It was a beautiful day to be there. We had a great, little trip that I'm so thankful for, but I'm even more thankful for the six wonderful, loving years that Matthew & I have had together.
"Every good & perfect gift is from above." James 1:17
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Doubting The Prodigal Son

   This has been on my heart for some months now, and though I'm not taking much time to totally organize my thoughts, it's better to be out there in a jumbled mess than just stuck in my head.
   All Christians know the story in the Bible of the prodigal son & we all have that self-righteous feeling that, "If I had been his brother, I would have welcomed him back with open arms!" And maybe, if it only came down to concurring jealousy in regards to your father giving the once wayward son a party instead of you, his "perfect" child, then maybe you would welcome him back. But what about another scenario... What if, instead of jealousy holding you  back from participating in the return of your brother, it was doubt; Doubt fueled not only by the past actions of that brother, but by the negative words of others toward him as well.
   The Devil loves using doubt as a stumbling block in many areas of our lives, and one of those is doubting someone's sincerity when coming back to God from a wayward path. The penalties for your doubt can be costly in many ways.
   First off, if we have been praying for this person to turn from their sinfulness for however long they have been in it, then the fact that we have doubt is not only doubt of that person, but of God as well. Were you really just praying for them because it's what you're "supposed to do," but you actually never had faith that God could or would answer that prayer?! Well,  that's what is interpreted from your doubt. Anyone can be transformed by God's amazing mercy & love, but why do we doubt it when it hits close to home? If you feel this way, you need to examine your heart and ask God to give  you faith.
   God commands us to "Bear one another's burdens." - Gal. 6:2  By letting doubt creep in, we pull away from any chance of truly helping to bear the burdens that  person is still carrying. We actually make it worse for them by adding more burdens because you will come across as self-righteous and that is not only a burden for them, but could actually push them away so much that they fall back  into sin.
   Another negative aspect of doubting a prodigal's return is you, yourself missing out on one of the greatest celebrations of life. What a wonderful opportunity to worship God & thank Him for His marvelous ways! Why would you keep yourself from missing out on that?!
   Bottom line, we are commanded to love our brother. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 says, "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with  the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." Unless you know for a fact that your brother is lying, you must trust. If it ends up that he is lying about his transformation, who is in the wrong but him alone? If you do not show trust, support, hope & love then you are the one in the wrong. We must "keep no record of wrongs." If our doubt is because of past actions & "wrongs" then we are not loving that brother like we are commanded to do.
   It all boils down to two things: Love God & Love People. Pray for the love of God to fill your heart for that prodigal and He will use you in ways you can't imagine.
"Hatred stirs up strife, but LOVE covers all offences." - Proverbs 10:12

12/22 - To add to what I already wrote, since something else has come into play & come to my attention; If you DO find out that the prodigal is still a prodigal, you still must love him even if he doesn't love you back. Some people have issues beyond our coontrol: mental, spiritual & otherwise, that we can't do anything about. All we can do is love and pray, even though it may be very hard to do. They may accuse you of not being loving just because you don't agree with them, but God knows your heart.

Soft Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Everyone that truly knows me knows I have a major sweet tooth. I love sweets. That's all there is to it. I can't do anything about it and I really don't want to. I do have pretty good self control most of the time, but as far as some of my favorites, it's hard to hold back. One of my top five favorite sweets are cookies, but not just any cookies. They can't be the nasty processed, grocery store cookies; they must be made from scratch. And they can't be crunchy; they gotta be soft. And as far as flavors go, I have a few favorites: peanut butter, snickerdoodle & oatmeal raisin are my top three. So, I am going to give you the recipe for the best cookies I have ever made and the best oatmeal raisin I have ever put in my mouth. I got the recipe from my dad's cousin, Nora, who passed away a few years ago. She brought us some at some point when I was a kid and I begged my mom to find out how to make them. I'm so thankful to have the recipe. I hope you love them as much as I do!

P.S. These make quite a few. Maybe 5 dozen? Not exactly sure though, because I always eat so many as each batch cools. :-/

2 sticks butter, softened
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 small box vanilla instant pudding
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/4 cup flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon (To make this more of a "Christmas cookie" I put 3/4 tsp. instead.)
3 cups Quick Quaker Oats (Make sure to use the Quick Oats that say "Quick 1-minute." It makes a big difference on texture.)
1 cup raisins (If you don't like raisins you can use chocolate chips or whatever other kind of chips you like, but I prefer raisins in these.)

Beat together butter, sugars and pudding mix until light and fluffy.
Blend in eggs and vanilla.
Add combined flour, soda, salt and cinnamon. Mix well. Stir in oats and raisins.
Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Remove with spatula while still a little warm.

Hearty Salmon Potato Chowder

This is my very own recipe for salmon chowder. There are many chowder recipes out there, but I wanted a healthier, heartier version. Most recipes call for heavy cream, butter or both. Neither one is in my recipe, but I have a way to still make it thick and oh so good. Some of you may not like salmon. That’s ok. You can make it with crab instead or it would probably even be good with no fish or meat at all, but I prefer salmon. Salmon’s main health benefit is that it is an excellent source for Omega-3 fatty acids. Vitamins A, B and D as well as calcium & iron are also in salmon. My husband really likes salmon and this chowder is his favorite salmon meal. This is a great recipe to make in the Fall and Winter as well, since it is a warm, filling dish. So, here’s to eating healthy, cooler temperatures, and tasty food. And here’s the recipe:

Olive Oil

½ onion, chopped

3 ½ cups chicken broth

1 Russet or Yukon potato, sliced thin (Cut large slices in half.)

1 can whole kernel corn, drained

Fresh ground Black Pepper (to taste)

1 pound salmon fillet, cooked (I buy a bag of frozen filets, so I can have them on hand. I cook mine in the over at 350 for about 20 minutes.)

¾ cup milk

1 can evaporated milk

1 teaspoon dry dill

2 green onions, thinly sliced

½ - 1 cup Idahoan Real Premium Mashed Potatoes (I’ve tried other brands & they just don’t cut it.)

In a large soup pot, sauté onions in a little olive oil.  When softened some, add the chicken broth, potatoes, corn & pepper. Bring to a boil, then simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, tear apart salmon fillet, checking for bones. Add salmon, green onions and dill. Simmer 10 more minutes. Add milk & evaporated milk. Stir and cook until heated through. Take pot off of heat and add potato flakes a little at a time, stirring well after each addition. Add as much as you like for preferred thickness. Serve with some Ritz crackers on the side. (I like crumbling them up in mine.) Enjoy! :)    Note: Chowder will get thicker as it stands. To test true thickness before adding more potato flakes, let stand 3 minutes and stir, checking thickness.  

Garlic & Rosemary Sweet Potatoes

I'm gonna change up my blogging a little and start throwing in some recipes. I have become quite addicted to Pinterest, especially the recipes I find on there, & thought I would add some of my own. So, here's my first one: Garlic & Rosemary Sweet Potatoes. Growing up, I only knew sweet potatoes in two forms; sweet potato casserole with marshmallows on top and sweet potato casserole with brown sugar & pecans on top. I did not care for either. I have started eating more healthy over the past few years, especially now that I have a child that I want to feed well. I know sweet potatoes are a good source of all kind of things our bodies needs, like vitamin A, but I didn't think I liked them...until I tried some my mother made. It sounded odd to put garlic & rosemary with sweet potatoes, but I tried it & loved it. My husband & son love them too, so now I make them quite often. It is a very quick, easy & cheap recipe.








3 Sweet Potatoes
Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper
3 Garlic Cloves, minced
2 Tablespoons Fresh Rosemary

Preheat oven to 400. Peel potatoes & cut into cubes, about 1in. Place on a large baking sheet (the kind with sides.) Drizzle with olive oil & sprinkle on salt & pepper to taste. (I use course sea salt & fresh ground pepper.) Mix well with your hand until all potato cubes are coated with oil. Place all potatoes close together, but not on top of each other. Sprinkle minced garlic & rosemary evenly over potatoes. Cook for 30 - 40 minutes or until the inside of the potatoes are soft. Enjoy!