Preparing for Christmas

I have been so excited to give my Christmas tree a new look this year!  I am Loving how everything is turning out.  I was able to repurpose some of my worn out, boring ornaments with a few cheap items...Doilies from a thrift shop,  a $3 roll of twine and some pinecones from my sisters yard...Thanks Jessy :)  I'm not finished yet, but here are a few little details so far.

So sure the details are the small things, but I do get excited!  We are also enjoying preparing for Christmas reading this Advent story.  It is a captivating story for sure.  Last year we read the first book of the series "Jotham's Journey"  It was very thrilling yet uplifting, and it prepares you for the worship of Christ's birth for sure.  I would not recommend it with smaller children though.  Emma is 8 and is really enjoying it, although it can be a little brutal at times. Be prepared, It is written not to create a fairy tale version of Jesus's life, it portrays what life in Jesus's times were really like, and some of the dark sides of life that we may have to go through one day.  But it is a great read by far :)

Enjoy your Christmas season!

Little Blakey's 1st Birthday

I can't believe Little Blake is already 1.  I love this little boy so much.  He has such a gentle and calming spirit.  I love the way his whole face lights up when smiles.  His party was so cute and all the kids had so much fun!  Our family always has so much fun together and I just cannot help myself when it comes to taking pictures of these events.  Every now and then I will say, "No I'm just going to relax and enjoy this party with my family and friends"  But the thing is the whole time I am literally seeing the whole party through a lens.  I can't help it,  I may have a problem.  Ok its not that bad but I love capturing moments like these.  I just love it!  It's really bugging me though that my tones and exposures are all over the place in these pictures so bear with me as I am learning new editing techniques :)

           
 The photo Booth was a blast!  We all had a lot of fun goofing around for the camera

chocolaty goodness smoothie

I can not think of anything better to be addicted to than smoothies. Mmmm... I have to come clean and admit I have almost tried anything and everything blended into wholesome goodness.  Unfortunately not all have turned out delicious though.  This one on the other hand has to be one of my favorites.  I was hoping for my usual night time snack,  chocolate peanut butter smoothie.  I know peanut butter is probably not the best to have at night but it is a step up considering it used to be a big bowl of ice cream. (Which I do not even crave anymore, thanks to smoothies)  I needed to write down this recipe before I forget it.

Handful of Ice

1 1/2 cups of Dark Chocolate Almond milk

1 Banana

1 peeled and cored apple

handful of almonds  (probably around 10 almonds)

1 Tablsp.  Nutella

1 tsp.  agave nectar

2 Tbsp ground Flax seed

Blend and enjoy!!  

Agave nectar can easily be substituted with honey, and actually I also used 2 drops of liquid vanilla stevia which is completely optional. 

Hope you enjoy

Tornado

The "Pinterest" craze has definitely sucked me right in. So I thought I would add a little tutorial for the tornado costume we made for Halloween last year.  I've never been big on Halloween but when little "E"  kept mentioning she wanted to be a tornado I couldn't turn down that creative spark inside her, so I had to think quick.  I had lots of thoughts quickly pop into my head about how I could pull this off but these supplies are the ones that did the trick.

- A plastic LIGHTED hula hoop  (Small size if possible)  

- Flexible metal wire    

- Several bags of white and black spider web decoration

- Black spray paint,  Silver and silver sparkle spray (I used the kind that you get for kids hair)
- Duct tape
- Miscellainous toys (stop sign, cow, fence)

These are the main things I used.  YOu can use your imagination from here.   I will try to go step by step but I did not take pictures along the way.

THe Hula hoop I used was to big so I cut a section out of it and then taped it back together so it was smaller.  Spray painted it black.  Next the metal wire I found wasn't quite as strong as I had hoped so once again duct tape came in very handy.  I doubled or tripled it in about sections of 3 feet,  duct taped it together,  and worked it into the spiral shape i wanted, connecting the 3 foot sections as I went.
It took a lot of working with to get it into the perfect shape.

In order for it to stay on her  I made a "grid"  from side to side on the hula hoop for it to fit across her shoulders.  You can kind of see it in
this picture.  It is not what I was originally thinking of but it worked.
I used some extra padding on her shoulders so it wasn't uncomfortable.

Once I had the basic shape I used spray adhesive to attach the "web"  I used a mixture of white and black spider web decorations.  Starting at the top and wrapping it around the hula hoop, then stretching it till it reached the spiral metal wire.  The spray adhesive worked really well.  once I had it where I wanted it,  I cut out arm holes and had fun decorating the tornado.  We used little plastic horses and cows.  We even had a little witch from wizard of Oz, so we stuck her in there.  Then finished it all with some glitter spray.

Originally I had found some really cute silver sparkly high tops for her to wear then we came up with the dorothy costume underneath.  I couldn't find much on the internet about how to design this last year,  so hopefully this will help someone.
Have fun!

Really Really good Waffles

I love the feeling of eating healthy.  It is nice when you find great recipes that actually taste as good as they sound.  This waffle recipe is definitely a keeper. I thought I would share it. Next time I think I will add some fruit to it, maybe diced apples or bananas.  Holidays I might add some cinnamon or nutmeg.  Summertime, maybe some berries.

Whole Grain Waffles

• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 3/4 milk ( I use Vanilla Almond milk)
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup ground flax seed
• 1/4 cup quick oats
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, applesauce, vanilla, and lemon juice. Mix  in whole wheat flour, flax, oats,  baking powder, sugar, and salt until batter is smooth.
2. Preheat a waffle iron, and coat with cooking spray. Pour batter into waffle iron, and cook until crisp and golden brown.

You can serve it with honey and berries, agave nectar, even a scoop of peanut butter....Or just syrup, but they are delicious and Good for you. If you don't eat gluten, then try using this rice flour mix ( I get it from Whole Foods) Just omit baking powder and flour of course

YOu can try making a double batch and freezing some, even try some peanut butter and jelly on it for your kids lunch.  

Enjoy :)

'He has brought us to this place and has given us this land, "a land flowing with milk and honey" Deuteronomy 26:9

Father's Day

My mind can't help to travel back to the days when everything just seemed bigger in this world.  The sun seemed brighter, the days seemed longer,  the laughter seemed louder.  Even the table was bigger than I see it now.... The days when a little blue eyed blonde haired little girl would look up to this man that seemed like a giant to her,  Who had bigger muscles that of popeye she would say,  The man who always had the right words to make anyone feel comforted at just the right time.  THe man who could just give you a look and you knew exactly what his heart was saying.  A gentle, quiet and peaceful man that is who I am thankful for today.  One day this man could no longer fight this good fight of life,  His Father, the almighty God was calling him home.  He surrendered his lonely and quiet heart to a father he had not known, but he chose to trust.  His smile is one that will never be forgotten.

This little girl who now had no gentle giant to look up to, opened her heart to seek this peace she had seen on her fathers face the moment he left this wavering world.  Her heart full of confusion, anger, sadness, and doubt. 

 She asked a simple question,  If you are real and you are who you say you are... Show me, I want to know"  As supernatural as it seemed her heart understood as it was stripped of everything comfortable she once knew.  A new love came in and cleansed it of the tarnished ways of this world.  A hole was filled with A love that cannot be made with human hearts or understanding.  The Love of her Father the Almighty God and savior of her soul  Jesus Christ....

Happy Fathers Day to the father she was blessed to have for a short period of time on this earth, to the husband she is blessed to have and to the amazing father he is to an amazing little girl, and all Glory to an everlasting Father who gave his son for her and his children everywhere. Now this little girl is still marveling at How Big her Father really is..... "

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD.