• A Little Purple Flower

    Those who know me have heard this story many times.  The other day as I was reflecting on my life and the many blessings in it my thoughts drifted back to this moment several years ago that so deeply stirred my heart.  I want to share this story with you to provide encouragement for those tough days.

    When I was in college I had an experience that left a lasting imprint on my heart and life.  Sometimes God uses the “tiniest” blessings to uplift and encourage us.  It had been a rough week at college with a lot of projects, tests, work, and activities.  I was a little more stressed than normal and homesick.  I had just checked my mailbox and once again it was empty.  As I quietly walked back to my dorm room I noticed a group of preschool children from the daycare nearby coming my direction walking in a single file line with their teachers.  The kids were talking, laughing and full of life.  Right as I was walking past them one little boy yelled “STOP!”  The whole line of kids, teachers, and myself stopped as he bent over at the edge of the sidewalk, looked at the ground, then started jumping up and down while yelling excitedly  “LOOK I FOUND A PURPLE FLOWER!”  What he had found was the tiniest little purple flower attached to a weed on the edge of the sidewalk.

    Everyday that week I had walked by those purple flowers but yet I was so focused on my own life, problems, and thoughts that I had failed to stop and notice the little purple flowers in my life.  Those purple flowers represent a multitude of blessings God sends my way to remind me (even in the tough times) that He loves me.  Often he uses the beauty of His creation to capture my attention but it could be many other blessings in my life that I didn’t stop to appreciate.  I never walked down that sidewalk again without looking for a purple flower and this moment has been etched in my mind as a reminder for me to continue looking for those purple flowers.

    There have been seasons in my life since that time when I had to look closely at the weeds (metaphorically speaking) to find a beautiful purple flower in the midst of the trial.  It was a simple illustration of God’s love shining through that little boy to remind me how truly blessed I am.  This moment made a priceless impact on my life and even though life isn’t always easy I know God cares enough to send even a tiny purple flower across my path.

    I want to encourage you if you are going through a rough season.  It’s okay to have tough days, God still loves you, cares about you, and is reaching out to show you blessings (no matter how big or tiny) everyday.  Although, you may have to look harder for those little purple flowers on the side of the walkway in the middle of the weeds you can rejoice in those little miracles of encouragement.  Take a moment today to reflect on the purple flowers in your life.

    Photo by donjd2

  • Family Celebrations: Girls Birthday!

    Happy Birthday Banner for Brina and Karlie!!!

    The girls had a blast celebrating their sixth birthday!  We made the day special for them and had fun!  It is still hard to believe that they are growing up so quickly.  Here are a few shots from our adventures on their birthday!

    Birthday Breakfast - Blueberry Bear Pancakes & Banana Pudding with Star Candles
    Brina and Karlie LOVE writing in their notebooks. At breakfast they got a pretty princess notepad with purple fluffy pen! Super exciting and cute! (Even better is I found them on clearance at Walmart.)
    Karlie playing with her little pony at TGI Friday's
    Brina playing with her little pony at the restaurant - TGI Friday's
    We celebrated their birthday dinner at TGI Friday's!
    Brina and Karlie enjoying their caramel & chocolate ice cream birthday sundae's at TGI Friday's!!! So delicious they got it all over themselves!
    Karlie and Brina using their gift certificates at Toys R Us!
    Brina picked out a pink & white puppy and baby doll supplies at Toys R Us!
    Karlie and Brina sharing their birthday goodies!
    Daddy helping Karlie putting together her Hot Wheels truck!
    Brina LOVES her horses, the stable, and books! We read one right away then put the horse and book back in the stable!
    Karlie so excited about her Stomp ROCKET! She even blasted a few off in the house that night!
    Brina and Karlie coming downstairs for some more birthday fun!
    Brina having a blast riding the go cart in the front yard! Peddle FASTER!!!

    Look Out MOM!!! Karlie's driving fast and you're in the way! Use the breaks!!!

    I have been very blessed with a sweet family.  Even though I am still in shock that my baby girls are 6 years old I am thankful for them and the privilege of watching them grow up.  Wishing them many more awesome years together!

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  • Family Celebrations: Valentine’s Day

    We had a blast celebrating Valentine’s Day together as a family.  The day was so packed full of fun that I didn’t have time yesterday to post what we were up to so I am doing it today!  Here are little snip-its of our family celebrations!

    Brina and Karlie's Valentine Breakfast Goodies

    While Brina and Karlie were getting dressed for school we set out a little box of sweethearts and heart necklaces for them to enjoy.  They ate heart shape blueberry pancakes and saved their candy until after school.  Although they did wear their heart necklaces ALL day!

    Special Valentine's Surprise on my Steering Wheel!

    Jake went with the girls to pick out something special for me.  They left these little goodies on my steering wheel.  When I got into the van to drive Brina and Karlie to school I noticed my Valentine’s surprise.  They picked out a flower, kitten candy and a Valentine’s Day card.  They each wrote their names and drew me a picture.  In my card I had a heart family of four, so cute!

    Valentine's Day Gifts

    Daddy and the girls each received a package of “Nerf Darts” for Valentine’s Day.  Now when we have our little nerf wars we won’t be knocking each other over to get a dart, hopefully.  Karlie was so excited she hugged the package, spun around, and ran out of the room (to get her nerf gun, of course).  Brina had her nerf gun loaded first and Mom was the primary target since I was cooking and couldn’t defend myself, don’t worry I got them back!

    Expression of "love"!

    I had a package of Starbursts so I spelled the word “Love” on the table.  The girls thought this was so neat.  They were excited that they could read the word and could barely wait for Daddy to come home so they could eat the word!

    "I Love You" Balloon

    I picked up an “I Love You” balloon at Dollar Tree for $1.  The girls thought this “ape” was so adorable and managed to drag it almost everywhere they went for the rest of the night!

    Brina celebrating Valentine's Day with her class!

    I was able to help with the girls Valentine’s Day party.  The kids had a lot of yummy treats to celebrate the day.  Brina was so excited to have me come spend time with her in the classroom.

    Karlie enjoying chips during thier Valentine Party!

    Karlie ate all the non-sweet goodies first, including a yogurt and Doritos, as you can see from her orange mouth she really enjoyed the chips.  She was telling all her classmates that I was her Mom and that they should wish me “Happy Valentine’s Day”!

    Homemade heart shape Valentine's Day white pie pizza!

    I made homemade heart shape white pie pizza with mushrooms and olives on top for supper!  The girls thought it was funny the pizza was a heart and the slices were different shapes from “normal” pizza.  It was a fun and easy way to spread the Valentine cheer!

    Minor casualty, nerf dart was shot into the oven!

    I was pulling the pizza out of the oven in the middle of a nerf dart storm and this little guy didn’t survive.  It managed to hit the hot oven, when I went to pull it off the dart tore.  The girls were sad that a dart was broken but it gave me an opportunity to demonstrate why they shouldn’t be aiming in my direction while cooking!

    It was a super fun day with the family.  Having children have makes the Holidays even more of a special treat, they get excited about celebrating.  I am thankful everyday for my family and the memories we create together.

  • Merry Christmas!

    Wishing you a very Merry Christmas!  I am looking forward to a wonderful day with my sweet family.  Jake doesn’t have to work today and the girls are excited about celebrating the Holiday.  Each Christmas is slightly different since we occasionally travel during Holiday season.  This year we will be having a relaxing breakfast with the family, open the stockings, then read the Christmas story and take our time enjoying the day together.  It is important to us to discuss with the girls why we celebrate Christmas so they can have a greater appreciation for this special day.  May today be full of great memories, laughter, and precious time with your family.

    Merry Christmas!

  • Recipe: Orange Dreamsicle Cookies

    Our family enjoys baking special goodies for family, friends and neighbors.  The Orange Dreamsicle Cookies are from The Ultimate Cookie Kit by Scholastic.  It is a great cookbook for kids and comes with a rolling pin, wooden spoon, measuring spoons, cookie cutters, frosting bag, and tips.  If you like orange creamsicles you’ll enjoy these cookies.

    Orange Dreamsicle Cookies

    • 1/2 cup Orange Flavored Powdered Drink Mix
    • 3/4 cup White Sugar
    • 1 1/2 cups Vanilla Baking Chips
    • 1 3/4 cups All-Purpose Flour
    • 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
    • 1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
    • 1/2 cup Butter
    • 1 Egg
    • 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

    1.  Preheat oven to 350° F.

    2.  Combine all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.  In a separate bowl, mix the butter, egg, and vanilla.  Pour into the dry ingredients and blend completely.

    3.  Roll heaping tablespoons into balls.  Place 2 inches a part on a lightly greased cookie sheet.

    4.  Bake the cookies for 12 to 14 minutes or until tops are very lightly browned.  Cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

    Makes about 24 cookies.

  • Recipe: Cheerios Christmas Trees

    We made these little Christmas Trees on our Christmas Baking Day.  These were super fun but a little more difficult than I first anticipated.  The trees were a little hard to make into the correct shapes and it took a little extra time to decorate.  I had to keep reforming the trees but they did end up pretty neat once we figured out what we were suppose to do.  I don’t think they looked as amazing as the ones from Betty Crocker but they looked cute and the kids thought they tasted great.

    Cheerios Christmas Trees

    • 6 cups Honey Nut Cheerios Cereal
    • 6 tablespoons Butter or Margarine
    • 4 1/2 cups Miniature Marshmallows
    • Green Food coloring
    • Red Cinnamon Candies, Decorative Pearls, Sprinkles, Icing, and String Licorice

    1. Line a cookie sheet with waxed paper. (May want to lightly grease because our stuck a little when pulling them off)

    2.  Pour the cereal into a 4 quart bowl.  Set the bowl aside,

    3.  Place the butter and marshmallows in a 3 quart saucepan (I used the microwave instead).  Heat over low heat, stirring constantly until mixture is smooth.  Remove the saucepan from the heat.

    4.  Stir in the food coloring until mixture is evenly colored.  Pour the marshmallow mixture over the cereal and stir until the cereal is evenly coated.

    5.  Lightly spray your hands with cooking spray.  For each tree, shape about 1/4 cup of the cereal mixture into a Christmas tree shape on the cookie sheet.

    6.  Press the candies into the trees to decorate.  Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.  Store the trees in a a loosely covered container.

    Makes about 18 trees.  I did the whole box of cereal which was about 1 1/2 of the recipe.  Our recipe made about 25 trees.  Thankfully I had someone around to keep spraying my hands with spray because it was really sticky and I had to keep reforming the trees.  They ended up looking pretty cute and seemed to be holding up okay but would probably be better if you ate it the same day.  The Honey Nut Cheerios flavor really comes out in this recipe so if you like the cereal you’ll probably enjoy this too.  You could do with any flavor of Cheerios, I think next time we’ll try the Multi-Grain Cheerios for different flavor and color.  It was fun to do something a little more unique!