If you are from the South, you may hear it at least once a day:  Bless her heart....Bless you!...You are so blessed.  

How do you define being blessed or not being blessed?

One of the most beloved sermons I heard from Dr. Adrian Rogers was entitled:  Too Blessed to be Stressed, taken from Psalms 37. I came away with this thought:  Lord, I am too blessed to be stressed and yet I am so stressed! ???

That was October of 2001 (don't think I'm freaky with dates...I just had the notes from the sermon written in my Bible, along with the date). Fast forward almost 9 years and I still cannot get that sermon out of my heart or my mind.  

Here is how the Word of God defines blessed:

"Blessed" = Happy (from the Old Testament in the following verses)

1. Psalms 1v1:  "Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked..." 

Am I "walking in the counsel of the wicked"...i.e. Am I defining blessed by the world's standards?

2. Psalms 32v1-2:  "Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.  Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit."

Am I basking in the Truth that my sin is covered...that it is finished? Am I daily, even hourly, standing amazed by the work of the cross bestowed upon me?

3. Psalms 34v8: "...Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!"

Is God really my refuge....can I really say that my life exemplifies that I am dependent upon Him?

4. Psalms 33v12: "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom He has chosen as His heritage!"

5. Jeremiah 17v7: "Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord."

The following verse defines how I will be if my trust is, in fact, in the Lord: "...like a tree planted by water...does not fear when heat comes...is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit..." Am I still joyful, still loving, still peaceful when I didn't sleep well the night before...when my kids are cranky...when I want something but can't have it? 

Now, let's turn to the New Testament.

Blessed = Happy, Happier 

6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

Matthew 5v3-10: "Blessed are the poor in spirit...Blessed are theose who mourn,...Blessed are the meek,...Blesssed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,...Blessed are the merciful,...Blessed are the pure in heart,...Blessed are the peacemakers...Blessed are those who are persecuted..."

That is how Jesus Christ defines being blessed.  Am I happier when I am poor, when I mourn, when I am meek, when I hunger and thirst? Go through that list.  That is radical.  That is not how the world, even the church world, most readily defines being blessed.  

The Lord used a broken straightener and a lack of blush (yes, a hair product and make-up) to totally begin to transform my mentality of what it really means to be blessed.  More to come...

Sweetie.  Do you know what today is?

Blank stare.  I saw those big eyes of his searching frantically for an important event to pop up such as an anniversary, birthday,...anything.

It's the first day of March!  Out with the snow, in with the sun!

He lovingly and kindly and even hesitantly reminded me that Louisville had one of the biggest snows ever in March of '08.  He prompted me to check the temperature outside.  It was cold. Not frigid.  Still cold though.  

Let's forget all that.  Let's forget that we may have snow here tomorrow in this lovely Louisville, KY that I call home.  Let's forget that the wind whipped our faces today most drastically while the girls and I were running errands.

Yes, let's forget.  And let's turn our attention to spring. Spring fling and spring bling, most accurately.

I've been brainstorming some fling-y and bling-y ways to get ready for spring indoors even if outdoors it still whispers (or even yells) of January's jitters and February's frights...

• Spring dishes!  I got out my pastel dishes that Mama Boe blessed us with last year. My spring tea glasses and tray. Even my little egg bread and butter knives.  Now, that just made me H.A.P.P.Y.
• White towels!  I usually sport red towels in our bathroom.  Red makes me think of Christmas cheer and Valentine love.  I need to think of white flowers and light skies.  White towels do just the trick.
• Ribbon! I am a big fan of ribbon wrapped around a candle or a vase.  I usually have quite a bit around the house from my sewing endeavors.  Ribbon definitely "springs" up a candle or vase.
• Artwork!  Now.  You know I'm not talking expensive here.  I'm talking about letting those kiddos get out the paint and go for it!  We did it yesterday and the girls came out with some very nice aqua-ish pictures.  They're needing a bit of change too in their bedrooms and old pictures need to be replaced. The frames are there.  Van Gogh, move out of my way!
• Paint! I'm thinking of taking a mirror or something else that won't be a big deal if I totally do not like the color and have to re-paint over again, and painting it a fun spring color. I'm thinking an aqua but I wouldn't mind an orange....
• Use what you have! I currently have at least 3 pillows, a lamp shade whose base is broken, and some clear glass vases that I'm just dying to recycle with a little spring fling and bling.  Maybe some fabric, a bit of paint and some springy Hobby Lobby floral thingies would do just fine.  
• Give me yours! How do  you like to add that spring fling and spring bling to your home?  One more question:  do lemons and limes stay fresh for awhile if I were to use them for a centerpiece?
• A stipulation.  As you can easily and readily see, my ideas will cost me next to nothing to implement.  If you share yours, do the same!  
• Happy March 2nd!

I had a huge treat last night.

Kacie.

She came to Louisville for a conference.  I had not seen her in almost 3 years.

That definitely made me want to talk to her for 3+ hours.  But she goes to bed by 8:30.  Thankfully, Louisville is in the Eastern time zone, so 8:30 felt like 7:30 to her.  And 10:30 (the time I dopped her off at her hotel) felt like 9:30.  

Kacie is one of those.  You know. Those friends that feel more like family.

When our friendship started in 9th grade, I dopped her from a L-stand during cheerleading practice.  I sprained her ankle.  It was just the beginning of sharing many falls in life together, none of which could keep us down as friends.

As 14-year olds, we couldn't believe we both weighed 103 pounds and our parents both grew up in small town (and beloved) West Point, Mississippi.  We both had brown hair and were both the same height. We thought it was fate.  Later, I would come to realize it was our Heavenly Father's doing.

When no one else would go, we went.  We dressed up as hippies as 15-year olds and went trick or treating.

As 16-year olds, she was the one that was following me to watch me try on jeans one day after school. That day I totaled my car in front of our high school.

As Seniors, our cheerleading coach said we needed to work on the way we carried ourselves.  She said we crossed our hands in front of us when we were listening to  somone talk and that looked a bit snottish doing that.  Who knew? We sure did not.  When I cross my hands in front of my body, then quickly uncross them, I think of Kacie. 

College came and college went.  I used her house as my official hangout when my parents had moved away from Memphis and I was dating Aaron.  She (and her sweet parents) were all too kind to me during those years.  She used my house too when she came to Mississippi College and my parents were in that town. 

We both got married and still we stayed close.

I even coaxed her into taking a job with me one year teaching. I don't know how she found it within her heart to forgive me for that, but she did.  We found ourselves crying in our cars together on more than one occassion.  

Somewhere in there, she taught me how to bargain shop. Any and all thrifitiness I express when shopping, I give all the credit to Kacie.

I remember we always used to say we were going to look real cute when we got pregnant one day and wear overalls.  I totally could not pull off looking cute and pregnant wearing overalls.  Kacie totally could.

I stayed in Memphis and had babies.

She went to India. I'm pretty sure she did not wear overalls when she was pregnant over there because of their customs. 

She's now in Alabama.  Her path brought her to Louisville last night.

I noticed her cute black boots.  They were not heels, but flats. I told her I just did not enjoy wearing heels anymore.  She agreed.

There are a few people out there with whom you fit just so, and, amazingly, you keep fitting just so even after you have growth spurts (I did not stay at 103 as long as Kacie did/does) or lose weight or stop wearing heels. You keep fittting after you have children...quit your job (at an awful "school")...Somehow, God is gracious enough to give us a few of those people, people you can stretch into, people who don't go away, and whom you wouldn't want to go away even if they offerered to...(from Girl Meets God by Lauren F. Winner).

2. The other day, the girls and I were wrapped up in our big coats playing on our porch.  We had a little space heater humming along out there to keep our hands from freezing.  Just a few weeks ago it was even too cold to do that.  Now we get to do that.  And, in another few weeks we'll actually venture out of the porch to the real outdoors.  Maybe even without our big coats on.  Have I said I love seasons?

3.  Two passages in the Bible remind me of the mandate of seasons from the Lord.   In 2 Timothy 4 v 2, Paul urges Timothy to "...be prepared in season and out of season..." Ecclesiastes 3 declares seasons as changing, as well as God assigning different activities for those seasons of life.

4. While seasons may be changing and fleeting, I really do not like the common phrase: "This too shall pass..."  While whatever it is shall pass that you want to pass, lessons are to be learned during it. Learn those lessons.  Take heart.  Wait patiently. I'm very slow at really putting that all into practice during those seasons of life that I want to pass more quickly. 

5.  The season that I could not believe I was about to enter until I entered it was holding my baby (and all that comes with that season...).  I remember the morning I went in to deliver Savannah, I thankfully and excitedly breathed a sigh of relief when they hooked me up to the monitors and I could hear her little heart just a beating away.  10 hours later I was holding her.  Thus, we entered into the season of parenthood.

6.  The season that I failed to anticipate the most?  Wow.  There are a lot of those.  The one that sticks out in my mind the most (probably because it is the most recent) is the season that came with adjusting to life after a move to a new town.  Many lessons learned.  Many. Many. Many.  None which came very easily.  All which have truly impacted us forever.

7.  The season that came most naturally to me?  The Aaron season.  Call me crazy.  Right before Aaron and I started dating, I felt that the Lord was about to bring someone into my life.  Call me crazy again, but while I didn't know he was the one from our first date, I did know that we would never break up.  I know.  I am crazy using such description as that.  Perhaps I just did not want to claim him as my husband until he claimed me as his wife. 

8. The season we are in now?  With those precious girlies of ours:  we find crayons in every corner of our house and we done Dora band-aids unashamedly on every corner of our body, yes mine and Aaron's too.  While having two so close together had its definite breaking moments, it's like a breath of fresh air these days...we still we have our breaking moments but that just goes with having children. 

9. And about that Aaron season?  Well, we never broke up and we will never break up.  He's still the one that makes me laugh the hardest.  Just last night, I had tears streaming down my face and, I'm not ashamed to say it, I snorted because I was laughing so hard at him.  It's been almost 10 1/2 years since we've been together (dating and engagement time included) and while we have our ugly days, we have a lot more pretty ones. Take this with all the seriousness that it offers: The Lord binds us together and keeps us together. Period.

10. The season I'm most thankful for this day?  Well, this season of course.  Although we have recently been tempted to rush this season of preparing for full-time ministry, we are hopeful this day that He is, in fact, leading us into ministry somewhere, sometime for His glory.  We're in a season where Aaron tells me a lot what he's learning and I tell him a lot what I'm learning.  And where the Lord is teaching us together.  It's a bright time.  It's a humbling time.  It's a good time.

FYI: I'd love to hear about your seasons too!

• So, you remember how I told you I have a loud child?  Well.  When we don't hear her, we run, not walk, to see what she is up to.  I noticed a bit of quietness the other night going on while I was cooking dinner.  But, I thought: She is in the den.  There's not really anything she could get into in there.  And I went about my cooking.  I thought wrong.  There happened to be a red pen which now happens to be marked all over the arm of our couch.  Help!  Any tricks for getting out ink on a couch???
  

From an old English parsonage down by the sea

There came in the twilight a message to me;

Its quaint Saxon legend, deeply engraven,

Hath, it seems to me, teaching from Heaven.

And on through the hours the quiet words ring

Like a low inspiration: "DOE THE NEXTE THYNGE."

Many a questioning, many a fear,

Many a doubt, hath its quieting here.

Moment by moment, let down from Heaven,

Time, opportunity, guidance, are given.

Fear not tomorrows, child of the King,

Trust them with Jesus, doe the nexte thynge.

Do it immediately, do it with prayers;

Do it reliantly, casting all care;

Do it with reverence, tracing His hand

Who placed it before thee with earnest command.

Stayed on Omnipotence, safe 'neath His wing,

Leave all resulting, doe the nexte thynge.

Looking to Jesus, ever serener,

Working or suffering, be thy demeanor;

In His dear presence, the rest of His calm,

The light of His countenance be thy psalm,

Strong in His faithfulness, praise and sing.

Then as He beckons thee, doe the nexte thynge.

Yes.  Sometimes that nexte thynge is glorious.  And then I sadly find when I have too many of those thynges, I forget Whose glory really matters.  Other times that nexte thynge just seems so mundane and I lose the beauty of His glory in the mundane.  And so I press on.  Press on to doe the nexte thynge.  

Like, popping popcorn and dividing it in 3 bowls.  And His grace falls over me.  Because in doing that nexte thynge, I see His glory.  His glory in the little things, the mundane.  Taking joy even in simplicity.  Doing the nexte thynge.  Because it is not about me and my happiness nor excitement nor comfortableness.  And, yet, I do find all of that and more in His delight and His glory...in His next thynge for me. 

2. And, how much love was lavished upon us as well!  From heart-shaped place mats and darling Valentine plates...

3.  To a book that had recorded voices of loves reading to the girls and heart-shaped barretes (tried to get them to show up in the pic)...

4. To a sweet friend giving the girls a Valentine's party (complete with heart shaped pizzas and brownies and balloons) while Aaron and I went out on a Valentine dinner date (which was yet another gift)...

5. Wow.  It was a special week!  Love lavished on us in such sweet ways!  And I think of the ultimate love lavished upon us:  "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!  And that is what we are!" (I John 3v1).

6. I get excited about having leftovers for lunch these days.  Like today, I'm excited about have the leftover pasta and bread from last night's dinner.  Yes.  I know.  It's the little things in life.

7. I have no Biblical, theological or even spiritual ground to back up my next statement: I'm not sure I really agree with having Wednesday night church.  My ground for saying that?  I am absolutely exhausted when I get home on Wednesday nights from church.  Really.  Perhaps it is because I help with 14 2-year olds. I don't know.  I just can't imagine how all those school-aged children must feel that have been at school all day and are getting home from church that night only to have to wake up early the next day for school again.  Phew.  Maybe I'm just getting old.

8. Let me not forget to mention that Savannah had her first friend to sleep over the other night.  I don't think she stopped smiling from the time Hannah got over until they got in trouble because they were not going to sleep and instead arguing over what color they wanted the ladybug that flashes stars in Savannah's room to be. While we've had the blessing of having friends stay over, S had not yet experienced a friend actually spending the night in her room. It was quite exciting as the smiles do proffer.

9. Another Cheerios story:  Savannah came into the kitchen the other night and said her nose hurt.  I thought maybe it was a sore or something. She recovered after a few minutes though.  The  next morning, I gave her Cheerios for breakfast.  She looked at me and said: "Mom, that is why my nose hurt!  There was a Cheerio in my nose."  Hmm...

10.  And, now I leave you with a thought that was spoken to me this week, something I knew but now it has really taken hold of my mind and my heart:  We are not a deserving people.  Nor are we entitled to anything.  We think we have a right to certain things, ways of living, to be treated a certain way, etc. We do not.  (I did not quote exactly.) I think when we truly realize that we do not deserve anything we have, we can bask in Christ's provision and gifts to us all the more. And stand amazed all the more as well. And, hopefully, fall to our knees all the more.

White Chicken Chili

(my second chili recipe for this series....would you believe I had never made chili before this winter???)

From GroupRecipes.com

1 T olive oil

2 med onions, chopped (didn't use that much)

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 4 oz. cans chopped green chiles

4 cups chopped cooked chicken

2 t ground cumin

1.5 t dried oregano, crumbled

.25 t cayenne or crushed red pepper

3 16 oz. cans, great northern beans, drained and rinsed (I suggest just using 2 cans)

6 cups chicken broth (use about 1 C more or add a bit of water to make it more soupy)

3 C grated monterey jack cheese

salt pepper

sour cream

1. Heat oil in large heavy pot to med/high.

2. Add onions and saute until translucent, about 10 minutes.

3. Add garlic, chiles, chicken, cumin, oregano, and hot pepper.

4. saute 2 minutes.

5. Add beans and chicken broth.

6. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 2 hours or more.

7. Add 1 cup of grated cheese.

8. Stir until thick and melted.

9. Season with salt and pepper.  Serve with remaining cheese and sour cream.

Just a note:  With the chiles, red pepper, and cheese, it sounds like this would be quite the spicy soup.  It really is not.  So, I would say if you want it to be spicy, add more of the red pepper and cheese.

Stay warm!  Enjoy!

Little Girls

Candy Land. And Memory.

Watercolors and Rainbows.

Little girls.

Learning to jump in a pillowcase.

Dancing to the Beatles.

And, of course, a dose of Elmo's World.

Little girls.

Spreading out a blanket.  Talking about the sunshine and "Oh, it's so bright we better grab our sunglasses!" Even if we are just pretending (and dreaming) it's a real picnic.

Puzzles and just pausing.

All with little girls.

That's what the snow makes us do.

And I complain?  Just plain foolish of me. That's what that is.

And something better than Candy Land came to my heart as well...

Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow...Isaish 1v18.

And I complain?  Just plain foolish of me.  That's what that is.

It's 10 1/2 inches out there right now, just so you know (from last week's snow plus today's).  

And here's a "just so you know" for Pop Pop~Aaron said:  "It's a good thing we built that deck strong because the snow is heavy."

A winter's day refection for you from us.

Oreo Love-Loves

1-20 oz. pkg. of Oreos

1-8oz. pkg. of cream cheese

12 oz. chocolate flavored bark coating

(found near the chocolate chips; the package comes in a 24 oz. package so though the recipe calls for it to be half of that, I use a bit more)

Let the cream cheese sit out until it is room temperature.  Crush the Oreos until they are like dust.  A food processor works best.  Cream the cream cheese in a mixer.  Add the crushed Oreos in small batches. Roll into balls and place on cookie sheet and them let sit in freezer for a while (about an hour). When balls have hardened, heat bark following the direction on the pkg.  Drop balls into choclate to coat and place on a wax paper lined tray.  Chill for a few minutes to set.  Serve at room temperature.

Now.  Go share those sweet Love-Loves with your sweet loves!

The girls wanted to join in for this Try It post.  So, here is a short clip from the week of the mamma trying to make her silly girls say Aubrey's name correctly..."AuBRey" versus "AuBey".

2.  Or perhaps I've been moping a bit over the loss on Sunday.  "...Our heads may be bloody but they are not down..."!  Don't you love Coach Caldwell's speeches??? We sure did cheer away for our Colts on Sunday and we'll keep cheering for them.

3. I did fight the urge to hibernate and took the girls out in the snow on Tuesday. Aubrey just ate it.

4. Aaron and Savannah shoveled it.

5. And I tried to get a good family pic to not much success.

6. And then we came in and I let the girls do things like drag the clean sheets all over the house and lay on them because, quite frankly, I've run out of ideas of occupating them lately.

7.  How ready am I for spring?  Very. Very. Ready.

8. I have found myself liking kitchen time these days.  Of my favorite pasttimes, olive oil, shredding cheese, making sweet potato fries, and using the bread machine are at the top.

9. I've also seen such valuability in hobbies these days. 

10. Any good book suggestions?  I've been reading a lot of John Piper and Elisabeth Elliot as of late, so I'm needing something a bit more relaxing?

1. It has been a week of tent making...

2. Take 1...Take 2...Take 3...Take 4....

3. Diaper creme fun...

And, yes, I would be that mom who after reprimanding my daughter for getting into that diaper creme, said:  "Wait, Aubrey, don't move. Let me go get the camara...Now, smile!"

4. And quite possibly the reason why I just don't have the energy to dish out more than 4 things today.  A little library story for you:  After a delightful story time hour at our wonderful little neighborhood library, we headed to pick out some books for the week, a very loved event for both of my girls.  Savannah picked some out.  Aubrey picked some out.  I said: "Look, Aubrey, it's a Winnie the Pooh book!"  She grabbed it as excitedly as I said the words.  Savannah wanted it as much as I excitedly said the words.  She grabbed it.  Aubrey let out a scream.  And, I do mean a scream.  It wasn't a quick one either.  And, after it was done, A grabbed it back from S.  S did a similar scream with a bit more high-pitched-ness sound to it.  Mom enters the scene:  "Girls, if you do not calm down right now and gain self-control, we are leaving this library with no books." I'll spare you the ugliness of the scene.  Just know: the screams did not stop from either girl. We left the library with no books in tow. And, I'm pretty sure the further screams were heard from the parking lot from inside the building...we may,  just may, have even gotten some stares from onlookers staring out the library window.  It was not pretty.  Not at all.

And, I must add:  I'm a bit thankful this Thursday is just about over.

The End

I do want you to try something, a few things, actually, this Tuesday...

Try not to get too excited that....

LOST is premiering tonight!!!!

The Colts are in the Super Bowl on Sunday!  And, maybe just maybe, we'll get a glimpse of his wife win they win!

That I'm feeling spring approaching!

The sun is staying out longer! And pretty soon I'll be telling those babies of mine to shut their eyes real tight and just pretend that it's dark when it's 8:00 p.m. and the sun is still shining!

I have Coconut Lime Verbena smells all around my house!

And, it's suppose to be 45 and almost all the way sunny on Thursday...definitely declaring that a Perfect Day in February for the Park Day!

So, until next time and my oven is all better....try not to get too excited about such things as these.

Happy Tuesday!

I heard a story the other night and it went something like this....

Two Christian families.  One family is a very familiar one to any household, believer and non.  (I won't reveal the names just because I did not hear the story from the actual people, so obviously details are are not perfect.) It's about their children.  The daughter from the E. family went on several mission trips where the son from the T. family was a leader of the trip.  The daughter was still in high school.  After a few years, she reached college-age. The son of the T. family approached her and said something like...."I have loved you for three years but could not pursue you because of the age difference.  I want to pursue you now with the intention of marrying you...."

Wow. 

That was my response.  You don't hear stories very often like that, do you?

One of the girls that I was talking to (Hah!  Is it funny that I still refer to peers my age as girls?  Well.  Actually this particular girl is still in her mid-twenties, so I guess she is more of a girl than I am...I'm sidetracking.) posed this question: How do we get our daughters to wait for someone like that?

Now, I know.  It's not going to happen just like the above story.  But I will say that it is a pretty neat way (set aside the bit of creepiness it may cause at first) to approaching the persual of someone.

Now I'm not saying dating is wrong.

I am saying that purity is what I long for my girls to pursue and to wait for. I would also say that I want to teach them that there is not a reason to date a guy unless you know that you would marry that guy.  Can 15/16 year-olds really know if they want to marry somone?  Sure, given their spiritual and emotional maturity...I know many couples who were high school sweethearts who went on to marrying one another. I'm also not saying that lack of dating or dating equals or does not equal purity.

I know I can pray for my girls.

I know that I can speak Truth into their lives from the Word.

I know that I can teach and show them what is means to be modest, and not just in dress.  Though Savannah is already noticing lack of clothing on people (a tube top, strapless dress, etc.)

Are there other ways we can teach our girls purity? I'd love to know your thoughts...your strivings to do so.

Last thought: The girls and I just watched a princess movie today.  Not that I'm knocking them (because obviously I just watched one today with my 1 and 2 year old daughters), but here's something very real about princess movies~they teach our little girls that Prince Charming will one day sweep them off their feet and they'll ride into the sunset.  Now. My Prince Charming did, in fact, sweep me off my feet (and is still sweeping me) and we did, in fact, ride off into the sunset and have enjoyed many a sunsets over the past almost 8 years of marriage, but let us not forget that the Lord uses marriage as one of the primary ways to sanctify us. May we teach our little girls that too.

Okay.  So I feel like I have gone off on quite a tangent here. Just a reminder of the inital question...

How are you teaching your little girls what purity means?

Yet I do love my little adult world from time to time. 

You know, things like....

Lipstick!  And I like it Wet n Wild! My color?  Cafe au Lait.  The price?  $1.99.  I know.  Crazy and it's my favorite.  Here's the thing though:  apparently the 4 Walgreens I have been to (because that is the only store that I know carries the brand), have not had my color.  Annoying!  I even went to the one in Memphis over Christmas to see...nope.  I just happened to be passing a Walgreens the other night with no kiddos in the van, so I hopped right on in there to see if they had it~NADA!  I asked the lady if they were perhaps discontinuing this (fabulous, cheapo) brand trying not to sound a bit paniced.  No worries.  They are indeed still carrying it but they were moving things around in the cosmetic department and it was in the back.  It took all of the sanity in me to hold myself back not to ask if she (or I) could go to the back and get what I needed.  She must have sensed the question coming on because she assured me with as much assurance as one can have that it was boxed up in the back.  Oh well. I am currently digging the very last bit of it out that I have with my finger.

Who knew?  We have one in Louisville!  That shows how much I get out = ). Amanda announced they now have one in Memphis...I've heard great things about the one in Nashville.  Well, what do you know?  I know now.  We have a Gigi's Cupcakes in Louisville.  And, it's 11 minutes away from our house.

Feist! I love her.  Yes, I fell in love with the song on Sesame Street.  Every time it comes on the Sesame Street video that we have, I make the girls be very quiet and let me have a moment.  I'm sure I look like a crazy mom singing with all my heart, but I just love her voice.  And because I am in that diapers, tee-tee breaks, tickle time, Elmo, dinks and crayon doodles world that I am in and, by the way, truly loving that world, I take what I get when I can get it.  But, I may just have to purchase some of her music for my iPod.

Speaking of which, we just won an iPod Nano from a blog giveaway!  That worked out great for me as my iPod had just sung its last song and would not crank up again a few months back.  Now, that just totally rocked my adult world currently!

1. We had a bit of snow this week.  Just enough to cover the grass.  More is expected tomorrow.

2. If you are wondering where Aubrey is in the above picture, she was scared.  Not of the snow.  Of the recycle truck that was across the street.  It took a lot of coaxing for me to even get her to step out of the door.  Just one thing among many she is scared of these days.  The space heater, the stars that Savannah likes to turn on to light up her room at night, trucks...

3. To keep us from being exceedingly lazy on these cold winter days, I'm trying to have more of a regular "class time" with the girls.  Really, it's for Savannah but Aubrey joins right in.  They now want to do it every day and will just go down to the playroom and "teach" each other.

4. We're also trying to have a special art day each week.  Trying to move myself beyond just crayons and stickers is, I confess, very challenging.

5. It's official.  Our girls are best friends.  Even surrounded by a ton of other kids, I find that they gravitate to one another.  Though, of course, I am the analytical mother and expressed concern to Aaron about it the other day, feeling perhaps they were too into one another to develop socially with other children.  He told me not to analyze so much.

6. Just so you know, they play well together but they sure can put up a good fight with each other too.

7. This is Savannah at the end of the day...

8. And that is Aubrey at the end of the same day. 

9.  How I am learning the need to pray for such wisdom and discernment as we raise these two, very different little girls!  How we love them so!  How parenting is bringing us more to our knees with each day!

10. I'm suppose to take a dessert to something tonight.  I have the ingredients to make banana bread, which is so not a dessert to me.  Hit me with a good icing that has powdered sugar in it if you have the time.  I figure a good icing could justify my bringing banana bread for a dessert.

another from Southern Living, January issue

1 (32 oz.) container of low-sodium chicken broth

3 cups of shredded cooked chicken

1 (10 3/4 oz.) can reduced-fat cream of chicken soup

1/4 t. poultry seasoning

1 (10.2-oz.) can refrigerated jumbo buttermilk biscuits

2 carrots, diced

3 celery ribs, diced

1. Bring first 4 ingredients to a boil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes.  Increase heat to medium-high; return to a low boil.

2. Place biscuits on a lightly floured surface.  Roll or pat each biscuit to 1/8-inch thickness; cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips.

3. Drop strips, 1 at a time, into boiling broth mixture.  Add carrots and celery.  cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent dumplings from sticking.

Laurin's suggestion:   I did not use nearly all the biscuits it's calling for.  Next time, I may even go a step further and instead of actually dropping those bisucits in there, I think I'll skip that part and put all the ingredients into a pie crust and make it more of a chicken pot pie.  Which I realize would change the name of the recipe.

Aaron's suggestion:  use more celery.

Laurin's question for all you non-processed foods cooks out there:  So, do you not use canned soups, etc.?  Obviously, I'm thinking you would never use canned biscuits...would you just make your own for that part?  Seriously.  I salute you. Big time.

Very. Very. Much so!

But, tell me this.  Why did they show his brother and his mom and not his wife?  I know she's really real.  Come on, now.

I'm talking about Peyton's of course.

I  started to feel better when they didn't show Coach Caldwell's wife, but then I'm pretty sure I even saw her towards the end of the trophy ceremony.

I just firmly believe that there's got to be a good woman beside every good man.

Moving on...

I was rooting for Favre.  But, he sure does look old. 

He needs to move on I do believe. I almost felt sorry for him last night after that interception.  Aaron told me I need not feel such things.

And that's some football talk for you. 

Go Colts!!!!

Apparently, I would have loved it anyways whether or not it is the color of the year.  I just love turquoise.

Here are some of my favorite Ten (plus 1) finds for the color, from fashion to home decor....

~I'm a big fan of accessorizing because, I can assure you, that while Turquoise is the color of 2010, I am sure not going to go out and buy all new turquoise dresses, skirts and shirts.  But, I may be willing find a few turquoise accessories (perhaps that are presently in my jewelry box and closet...now that's a fun find!). Another accessory thought is that I think they can be very bold without looking very overwhelming. Okay, on to the good stuff...

~I sure have been loving scarves these days!

~On to the number 4. picture....Can't you just feel the warmth of 80 degrees and sunny?

~Sutile hints of the color of the year.

~And, for the home....

this lovely rug

a fabulous handcloth (one of my favorite kitchen accessories)

a dynamic duo of red and turquoise in this tablecloth

burn brightly and turquoise-y

~And, here's my number 10. plus 1

the one I could handle wearing....

and the one I could not, but it's still fun to post...

I like to give credit to whom credit is due: Ann Taylor, Anthropologie, and Piperlime are my picks for these turquoise finds. Now, I must add: most of these items are beyond what I would pay, for, you see, I never buy anything full price at stores such as these.  Why pay full price when you can get them on sale if you just wait a bit??? 

Another credit due:

The books that helped me with today's blog title....great reads for little girls!  Language and attitudes are a bit cranky at times, just so you know.

Have a Turquoislicious Day! Or Pinkalicious, Or Purplicious! 

I love trying new recipes. The easier, the better.  The yummier, the wonderfulness of it. With a bit of healthiness thrown in there...just keep it mind the word bit there.  I did learn to cook from quite the Southern cook (Honey) and we Southerners do love our butter, sugar and sour cream!

So, here's my goal:  try a new recipe each week and if it's good, I'll share it with you the following Tuesday.  Go ahead.  Try it out too. And, if you don't want to, that's okay...we love company and we especially love to eat with company. 

Just so you know: I'm quite the fan of Southern Living.  So, a lot of the recipes will probably be from there, as is this one.  Bon appetit!

Turkey-Black Bean Chili

6-8 servings

3 (15 oz.) cans of black beans

1 large sweet onion, chopped

1 lb. ground turkey

1 T. olive oil

4 t. chili powder

1 t. ground cumin

1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. pepper

1 (14 oz.) can low-sodium fat-free chicken broth

2 (14.5 oz.) cans petite diced tomatoes with jalapeno peppers

1. Drain and rinse 2 cans of black beans.  (Don't drain 3rd can.)

2. Saute chopped onion and ground turkey in hot oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat, stirring often, 8-10 minutes or until turkey crumbles and is no longer pink.  Stir in chili powder and next 3 ingredients; saute 1 minute. Stir in drained and undrained beans, chicken broth, and diced tomatoes.

3. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 10 minutes.  Serve chili with desired toppings.

Toppings: sour cream, shredded Cheddar cheese, slicked jalepeno peppers, chopped fresh cilantro, chopped tomatoes, lime wedges, corn chips

Laurin's pick for toppings:  Cheese, chips and lime wedges

Aaron's (my sweet husband who has quite the culinary take on things) Suggestion:  Don't add so many black beans...maybe 2 cans instead of 3.