Wordy Wednesday

Sorry I haven't been as consistent as I wish the last week or so!  I have been dealing with a head cold that is taking its sweet time to leave.  I think today was the first day in three weeks that I didn't blow my nose! Crazy!

Wanna know what else I have been up to?  Let me share...

 I joined a bible study at a church we have been checking out.  So far I love it!!! I love Beth Moore studies because she is very real and talks and writes in a way that is easy to read and understand.  I am going to be doing this study the next 10 weeks and hoping it will really challenge and strengthen my faith.

 We have also been watching a ton of Halloween and fall themed cartoons!  I am careful to not show certain things to my kiddos but I've found that a lot of them are just fall fun.

 The Martha Stewart Show has become a new favorite daily treat.  I find her to be a little goofy but her ideas and recipes and crafts are so much fun to watch!  I am hoping some of her creativity will rub off on me :)

I had to add this "sick" picture to represent my sick days.  Too funny!  I never did throw up though (thankfully) but this was pretty awesome!  We also watched a show called Halloween Wars that showcased people using pumpkins and cake to make these incredible creations!  I am so amazed by people's talent!

This Sunday is my little boy's 2nd birthday and we are going to have a small party to celebrate.  But I still have some baking and planning to do so I probably won't be back to blog until next week.  Til then I want to wish you a fun and safe Halloween!

Word-Filled Wednesday

I love Pinterest and all the great quotes I have found on there!  I was sick the past week so I especially like the second quote I posted this week! Too true!!!  Which one of these quotes is your favorite?

Teach Me Tuesday~ Bbq Biscuits

One of my favorite meals as a kid growing up were these Bbq biscuits!  I was excited as I grew up to learn just how easy they are to make.  They are now a hit with my kiddos too!  The only change I made to the recipe is that I now use Ground Turkey instead of Ground Beef.  I hope that you will try them as well!

Ingredients:
1 lb Ground Turkey
Shredded cheese
1/2 cup Bbq sauce
4 tsp Brown sugar
1 (12 oz) package of buttermilk biscuits

Directions:
In a skillet, brown the turkey; drain.  Add barbecue sauce and brown sugar; set aside.  Separate dough into 10 biscuits; flatten into 5 in. circles.  Press firmly into the bottom and up the sides of greased muffin cups.  Spoon 2 tablespoons of turkey mixture into each cup; sprinkle with cheese.  Bake at 400 degrees F for 10-15 minutes or until biscuits are golden and cheese is melted.

I serve them with a veggie on the side.  Hope you enjoy!!!

Motivation Monday: Inspired to Give

A few weeks ago we had a speaker come to our MOPS group and talk about how to raise generous kids.  It was such a great talk and she made some really good points.  She talked about finding out what your kids special gifts and character qualities are so that you can encourage them to be giving in their own unique way.  But the absolute best way for kids to learn to be generous is to have generous parents.

This got me thinking...Have I been generous with others?  Have my kids seen what generosity means first hand? Can I do better in this area?  YES!!

I found this great blog through Pinterest about a lady who did 35 generous things with her kids on her birthday.  It was incredible and so inspiring!  I also discovered this web page: http://www.randomactsofkindness.org/Kindness-Ideas/  and it has tons of great ideas as well.

So this has motivated me in a strong way.  I want to raise kids who are generous, giving and loving and I need to be their example.  So we are going to do something different this Christmas season.  From December 1st-December 25th we are going to do one act of GIVING every day.  I've already made my list and I can't wait!!  It's going to take a little bit of planning but overall they are things I should be doing everyday anyways.  I will be blogging about our gift-full adventure here starting on December 1st.

I hope others will be inspired to do this too!!

Fun Friday: Remake of Bedside Tables

So last weekend one of the families down the street put two bedside tables on the curb with a FREE sign in front of them.  They looked awful and were filthy but I had hopes that I could make them into something cute.  I really liked the shape of them, the top has curved edges and the feet are like little claws.  So we headed over to Home Depot and got some sanding rings for the sander and some spray paint.  I chose a medium grey color because lately I have really loved everything grey.  Don't know why but anyways... Here we go.

 My husband helped me sand down the tables so the paint would stick.

 Each bedside table took up one can of spray paint.

 I let them sit in the garage for a day to try to get rid of the spray paint smell.  I can't stand it. 

 Here they are in our bedroom. They actually pulled out the light blue color in our bedspread which I hadn't anticipated. 

 I forgot to mention that I also painted the handle white too.  It brings out the white in my dresser.

 TA-DAA :) 

See how easy that was??  What do you think?

Thankful Thursday~My husband!

 I am sooo thankful for my husband.  Not only is he gorgeous but he is also smart, loving, kind, and my absolute perfect match.  Andy and I met 8 years ago in San Diego.  We were both invited by friends to go to a restaurant called Rockin Baja Lobster in Old Town San Diego.  There were about 20 people there but I noticed him immediately.  After talking we found out that we both attended the same church and had for years (it was a huge church).  We are so different but so alike also.  When it comes to our personalites we couldn't be more different.  Andy is very very outgoing.  He loves people, loves talking, and has never met a stranger.  I, on the other hand, am more on the introvertive side.  I love people too but am not as confident as he is.  He brings me out of my shell and for that I have always been thankful.  Soon after we met we started dating and were married 13 months later.  It was a whirlwind romance!

Andy has been an awesome husband.  We have our tough days like everyone does but we both always come around to finding a mutual place of respect.  One of my favorite things about Andy is his faith in God.  He truly loves God so much and I love how he desires to serve Him with his life and choices.  I am so thankful today and every day that God blessed me with such an awesome husband.

Word-Filled Wednesday

Teach Me Tuesday~ Banana Bread

Today I am going to share a new (to me) recipe for Banana Bread that I have used way too much over the last few months!! I hope you like it as much as I do.  If you are a health nut or don't eat white flour you can substitute  whole wheat flour and it still is delicious!

Here ya go:

Quick Banana Bread

3-4 bananas
1 c. sugar
1 egg
 1 1/2 c. flour
1/4 c. melted butter
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. chocolate chips (optional)

Mash bananas. Stir in other ingredients. Pour into greased loaf pan. Bake 55 minutes to 1 hour in preheated oven at 325-350 degrees.  Makes 1 loaf.  The kids love it!!!

Motivation Monday~ The Donkey Lesson

Hormuzd J Dadinath's Photos

One day a farmer's donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally, he decided the animal was old, and the well needed to be covered up anyway; it just wasn't worth it to retrieve the donkey.

He invited all his neighbors to come over and help him. They all grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well. At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly. Then, to everyone's amazement he quieted down.

A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well. He was astonished at what he saw. With each shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing. He would shake it off and take a step up.

As the farmer's neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and happily trotted off!

MORAL :
Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up. Each of our troubles is a steppingstone. We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping, never giving up! Shake it off and take a step up.

Remember the five simple rules to be happy:

1. Free your heart from hatred - Forgive.

2. Free your mind from worries - Most never happens.

3. Live simply and appreciate what you have.

4. Give more.

5. Expect less from people but more from God.

You have two choices... smile and close this page,
or pass this along to someone else to share the lesson .
God bless us all!

By: Hormuzd J Dadinath

I copied this post/lesson from something I found on Facebook!  It seemed perfect for this Monday morning.  Let's all just shake it off and step up onto higher ground!!  

Be Blessed,

Jamie