• Mother’s Day Celebration!

    Happy Mother's Day! Family Picture!My family

    Thankful for an opportunity to be a Mom! Being a Mom is an amazing honor and privilege that quite frankly scares me some days.  It’s good to know that the call of Motherhood is not a place for us to be alone, but a place where we get the opportunity to live life alongside other Mothers and sisters who can pray, encourage, and support each other throughout this incredible journey.

    I am thankful for my Mother and the many Mothers and sisters in my life that continue to make an impact on my heart.  We live in a broken world full of broken people therefore it is impossible to be perfect and being a Mom tends to make that oh so clear.  It is essential and refreshing to have people who are willing to speak truth and love into your life on a regular basis.  I am grateful for each and every one of these ladies in my life.

    Mother's Day - Breakfast in Bed

     Breakfast in bed – fresh cherries, fresh pineapple, yogurt, and an omelet (ham, cheese, mushroom, spinach, and tomatoes)!  Delicious!

    Jake and the girls made my Mother’s Day extra special.  I received breakfast in bed, hugs, and well wishes.  After breakfast we went to church together and heard a powerful message that hit home in my heart.  When we got home Jake and the girls (okay, mostly Jake) made an amazing lunch followed by a relaxing evening.  The girls gave me sweet cards, beautiful flowers, a blueberry bush, a swing cushion, and other goodies.

    It is not always easy being a Mom, however, there are more good days and great memories than I can count.  Some days are a little tough and I get frustrated with myself for not being able to do better, but I never regret becoming a Mom.  Motherhood is one of life’s greatest gifts and callings.  It is an honor and a little scary at times raising kids.

    Although life gets a little crazy at times I wouldn’t change it for anything.  It has been a wonderful gift seeing these two little blessings grow up.  They continue to amaze me and it is awesome seeing them use their talents.

    Happy Mother's Day

    One of the several beautiful and Sweet Mother’s Day signs.  This one is from Karlie and I discovered it sitting on my desk!  Love my girls!

  • Mother’s Day Celebration

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    Huge Mother’s Day chalk message on the driveway from Karlie!

    I am blessed.  Yesterday I was reminded again of how much God has given me.  A family that loves me despite all my imperfections.  Jake and the girls showered me with love on Mother’s Day.  Even though Jake was on call this Mother’s Day weekend and was a little busier than normal, he made time to celebrate.  It was a great day with the family.

    They made me breakfast in bed.  We went to church.  Jake and the girls made an amazing lunch.  That afternoon we relaxed, read books together, opened gifts, played games, and had fun.  Thankful for my family and a chance to spend the day together.   Their thoughtfulness made me feel loved and appreciated.

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    Breakfast in bed – cheesy scrambled eggs, ham, and sauteed mushrooms! Delicious!

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    Fresh flowers from the girls (they got them from Children’s Church)

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    Putting together the pinwheel steaks!

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    They choose what ingredients to stuff the steak with for lunch

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     Pinwheel steaks ready to go into the oven!

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    Stuffed with tomatoes, swiss cheese, goat cheese, bacon, ham, spinach, mushrooms, sunflowers, cranberries, and more goodies!

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    My steak was AMAZING!

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     Huge stuffed portobello mushroom!  Stuffed with spinach, hummus, and topped with toasted granola – so tasty!

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    Mother’s Day cards from Jake and the girls.  Karlie’s was the kitten and Brina’s the puppy.

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    Brina picked out a beautiful pink rose bush for me!

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    Karlie picked out a gorgeous red rose bush for me!

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    Adorable handmade flowers from my girls!  Brina made the bright yellow one and Karlie made the blue and red one!

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    A place to sit and talk with Jake or read with the kids.  Very comfy!

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     Sweet note from Brina.  The top says “I am thankful to have a Mom like you because you are nice to me and play with me.”   The bottom has a cute little poem!

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    Colorful Mother’s Day Butterfly from Brina

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    Cute card from Brina

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    Mother’s Day note from Brina wanting to know if I can play or cook with her!  Love my girls!

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    Vibrant Mother’s Day drawing from Karlie

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     Sweet poem and note from Karlie on the back of her drawing.

    Roses are red,

    Violets are blue,

    But no one a flower,

    Just like you!

    Happy Mother’s Day! Hope you are having a nice and relaxing day.  Do you like the card and rose?  The rose is a rare blue rose that only grows on Neptune!  May you please read to me on the deck? 

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    Thankful for my family!  I treasure these times we have together.  I am blessed.

  • Heart Reflections: Raising My Girls

    My Girls - Brina and Karlie

    Sweet Brina Bee!

    I am so thankful for my girls!  They are growing up too quickly.  It doesn’t seem like it was that long ago when they were little ones crawling around the house.  God chose to bless us with these girls.  It has been a fun adventure raising twins!  Not everyday has been perfect, but we have so many reasons to be grateful for these two blessings.  They have made me grow more as a person.  They bring more love and laughter into my life than I ever realized was possible.

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    My sweet Karlie Kool Kat is always game for a road trip!

    Both girls are very different, yet perfect and gifted in their own special ways.  I pray that God will give us as parents the wisdom to raise them into amazing young women.  I know I will make mistakes as their Mom along the way, but hopefully they will overlook those mistakes and  know that I love them despite those not-so-good-moments.   It is my prayer that they will seek God’s wisdom and direction in their lives.

    I want to go through life focusing more on the good memories and letting go of the little things that get my feathers ruffled.  Life is too short to not have fun, smile, and enjoy the blessings God gives us everyday.  For those of you who are new to my blog these two girls were the inspiration for my blog, Blessings Multiplied.  They continue to amaze me with their creativity, learning, talents, and their love for life!  I look forward to many more awesome memories with these two sweet girls and seeing how God uses them to make an impact in the lives around them.

  • Family Recipe: Grandma’s Stuffed Pork Chops

    Jake’s Grandma Marge is a wonderful cook and she has an amazing recipe for pork chops & stuffing.  I am not a huge pork chops fan but these are really delicious.  She is a great cook and the pork chops are awesome.

    Grandma’s Pork Chops & Stuffing:

    • 4 Pork Chops (about 1 lb)
    • 3 cups Bread Crumbs
    • 2 Tablespoon chopped Onion
    • 1/4 cup melted Butter or Margarine
    • 1/4 cup Water
    • 1/4 teaspoon Poultry Seasoning
    • 1 can (10 1/2 oz) condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup
    • 1/3 cup Water

    Brown chops on both side, place in a shallow baking dish.  Lightly mix together bread cubes, onion, butter, 1/4 cup water, and poultry seasoning.  Place a mound of stuffing on each pork chop.  Blend soup and 1/3 cup water; pour over.  Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until tender.

    Photo by Dan Perry

  • Pampers Gifts to Grow – 10 Free Points

    Receive 10 free points from Pampers with the a new Gifts to Grow code!

    This code is different from the previous codes I have given.

    Use Code:  WELCOMEGTGPTS10

    The code doesn’t have an expiration date listed  so don’t wait to use it just in case!

    You can save up the rewards to purchase gifts!

    For more information about the Pampers Gift to Grow Program and how you can start earning Pampers “Gifts to Grow” Rewards for your family go to Pampers Gifts to Grow!

  • Pampers Gifts to Grow – 10 Free Points

     

    Receive 10 free points from Pampers with the a new Gifts to Grow code!

    This code is different from the previous codes I have given.

    Use Code:  GTGREWARDS4MOMS

    The code doesn’t have an expiration date listed  but typically they expire within a few days!

    You can save up the rewards to purchase gifts!

    For more information about the Pampers Gift to Grow Program and how you can start earning Pampers “Gifts to Grow” Rewards for your family go to Pampers Gifts to Grow!