Food for Thought

Since I'm always up for some good food, I thought I'd share a couple of good times I've had lately over some good food. :)

We have started meeting with our new community group in the last month or so and we begin every Sunday night meeting with a meal together. Talk about fun!!! We eat and talk ... and eat some more for over an hour and a half and then move to our time of Bible Study or like we're doing right now, sharing our "stories". It's been the best time and I love our group. We are age diverse, which is a blessing, because it's nice to not all be stressed out about finding a babysitter and we do not all smell like peanut butter (which is apparently my new perfume). :) Anyways, one of our ladies made the best dessert and I just made it for Scott's birthday. We are addicted and I'll just admit it now. Here's how you make it if you're interested in the best EVER dessert. :)

1/2 package of Oreos

3-4 large Butterfingers

1/2 package of Vanilla icecream

Mash the oreos and butterfingers together and layer 1/2 of the mix in a 8x8 pan. Layer semi-soft vanilla icecream over top then cover with remaining 1/2 of oreo/butterfinger mix. Freeze until you're ready to eat.

Alright ladies, I can't wait to hear how many of you try this. You'll love it!!!

At Christmas time, I'm going to a cooking class with my mom and sister at A Southern Season, which is the coolest grocery/restaurant/cooking class store you've ever seen. It's the ULTIMATE when it comes to all things food. Since this is one of my own little loves, I'm really looking forward to it. You can see their website under my "favorite websites".

Now.. back to dessert. :) oh, and the pictures.. while they have nothing to do with food, I thought you'd enjoy them.

The Beauty in My Chaos

By Angela Lenhart Parlin (this was written so well by my sister that I just had to share it with you all. I'm sure that you'll find it not only beautiful, but soo true.)

As hard as it is to remember, my life was once ordered and controlled. On my coffee table sat a tall mosaic glass hurricane, surrounded by small river rocks on a beautiful platter, along with a stack of scenic travel books from faraway lands we loved to travel to. The mantle was only one of many safe places for my pretty decorations to peacefully reside, and other than working hours, my time belonged to me. I worked out daily, chatted on the phone for easily an hour each day, kept my home clean enough for the President to visit, and ate leisurely dinners with my husband.

Then motherhood happened, three times in four years. As I sit here writing, my coffee table is covered with Mr. Potato Head parts, pacifiers, and extra clothes for when the baby spits up. We have traded in the exotic travel books for parenting magazines. The mantle is now the only safe place for anything breakable, and “my” time seems like nothing more than a faraway dream.

Becoming a mother has rocked my world, to put it lightly. For a time, my babies turned my life upside-down into nothing more than disappointing chaos. But lately, I’ve been noticing a whole lot more beauty in my chaos. The old saying goes, “Gold is where you find it,” and I’m pretty sure that in these three amazing little people, I can see a whole lot more than gold.

For the first few years of motherhood, I was all about getting my ducks in a row. My first child made that completely attainable, partly because he was easy and partly because there was only one of him! Then he grew into a spunky, energetic three-year-old boy, and we’re still trying to recover. We added a baby to the mix when he was just 16 months old, and then waited two and a half years to meet our third child, our baby girl. After all this, I can confidently declare that my three little ducks are most definitely never all in a row—instead one is hopping here and another is running there and another is bouncing here.

I have fought it hard, the chaos. But I’m raising my white flag in defeat. I no longer have it in me to rage against the chaos machine of our life. I surrender. I’ll need a huge dose of laughter in order to get through what the next years will bring our way—many huge doses, I guess. But from this day forward, I am dedicated to finding the poetry of our moments, the diamonds that are in the rough, and the beauty in our chaos. And this is where my blog begins, in hopes that you too might find more beauty in yours.

We took our pumpkins to the patch

It's that time of year again and our family just had to spend a Saturday at a local pumpkin patch. We went with most of our family and it was a great time. Jace, Ryder, and Ella fed two donkeys that were there and played with pumpkin stickers as well as picked out their own pumpkins. Ava and Skylar came along for the fun but were held the whole time, which is pretty typical for these 2 cuties.

P.S. potty training is coming along, but I think this could be a lengthy process. :)

Using the "Big Girl" Potty!!

I cannot believe that this time is already here. My little Ella Grace is beginning to potty train after months of telling me many times a day that she's going "poo poo".. which is the universal word for "all of it". :)

Anyways, we bought her a cute little potty that sings, so that she can sit on it whenever she'd like. She's so proud when she goes and she loves to show off for her babysitter or my sister who was in town this weekend. Ella, we're so excited for you in this next step of your life!!

Life has been so busy lately. We had dinner with our new Community group Thursday night, then Friday we had some friends over for dinner that are moving here all the way from Michigan to be a part of Southbridge (we are so blessed to have such a wonderful sharp couple coming that we truly regard as friends).

Then, my oldest sister came to town for the weekend and I haven't seen her in almost 2 years, so that was just the best time. I feel so blessed to have Aunts that love my girls the way my sisters do.

So, mixed in with all of that, Ella is trying to potty train.. and Ava turned 4 months old. :) So, we're loving it. Enjoy the pics of my big girl and a 4 month picture of Ava.