A "Stache" Baby Shower

After experiencing my first miscarriage a little over a year ago, I'm excited to be so very pregnant and to feel my sweet baby move and wiggle - day and night! God is so good to restore what has been lost in our lives.

I didn't expect such a lovely shower for baby #3. We have what we need for another baby - boy or girl. But I have the very sweetest, most thoughtful friends and they wouldn't let the opportunity pass to celebrate this little gift from God.

Here's what they did to honor me and our soon-coming baby boy...

We celebrated with such tasty snacks, homemade decorations, and fun props. It was a blast!

My friend Valerie made the decorations by hand for her son's second birthday and got to use them to make my shower so very lovely! If you want to see more of her handiwork, stop by her Etsy shop - Creative Avenue 7. She makes the sweetest onsies for boys and girls, as well as beautiful hair things and necklaces for girls.

The beautiful hostesses - Val & Deanna

We played a few funs games...

Enjoyed a sweet photo booth...

And to top it all off, my daughter was dressed up with every sticky mustache available by our neighbor's daughters. We laughed till we cried!

This is how it all started.

 

Then she "drank my coffee" and grew hair on her chest  :o)

 

The end product... a hairy, silly girl!

 

We are blessed in so many ways... most of all our dear friends and family who care for us. God is so good! It was such a joy to have my mom and my mother-in-law at the shower. This was a first at any baby shower of mine!

Only 4 1/2 weeks left until this baby arrives... the nesting has begun!

Have a blessed week,

Summertime Strawberry Pie

Here in Texas we take our holidays seriously. We plan and prepare, gather friends and family around us and enjoy the freedoms that God has given us in this great country - the good ol' U.S. of A.

This year my family got to celebrate the 4th of July with both sets of grandparents and some very dear friends.



It started out cooler and breezy, and once my kids got into the pool it started to pour! I don't remember the last time that it rained on July 4th here in Texas. After the rain (aka thunderstorm) passed, the sun came out and so did the humidity. We all ate our feast of steaks, deviled eggs, corn of the cob, roasted potato wedges, and baked beans indoors.

As the sun began to set we headed back outside to wave sparklers in the air and let the kids run free in the front yard. What a lovely sunset we enjoyed too! It was a great ending to our time together.



Of course no 4th of July celebration would be complete without watching HUGE display of fireworks. So, at 9pm we headed into town to watch the best display of fireworks around. They were great! There was even a slight breeze that kept us cool and kept the mosquitoes away.

We turned in that night full of good food and fellowship. We are blessed indeed!

And now... here's a recipe that I enjoy making for a family get together or two each summer.
It's my favorite summertime pie!

Summertime Strawberry Pie

Shortbread crust:

1 cup flour
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup butter
2Tbl. water


Blend flour and sugar together, cut in butter and slowly add water to form dry dough. Press into bottom of greased 9" pie plate. Bake at 400 degrees for 10-15 min. or until slightly golden.

Nice and crumbly

Ready to shape into a crust.

 Pricked with a fork and ready to bake!

 Nice and brown at the edges.

Instead of this crust you can use a regular pie crust recipe that you have, or even purchase prepared pie crust.


Filling:
4 oz cream cheese (room temp)
2 Tbl. sugar
1 1/2 quarts whole berries


Beat cream cheese and sugar, spread carefully over bottom of baked pie shell. Arrange strawberries (cut in half or slices) in shell.

Glaze is bubbling... nice and thick.

 Ready to assemble.

 Spreading the cream cheese mixture evenly.

 Next is berries and glaze.

Ready to refrigerate! Yum!!!

Pour the following glaze over berries:


2/3 cup sugar (or less if you don't want the pie so sweet)
2 Tbl. Karo syrup (light corn syrup)
1 cup water
3 Tbl. strawberry Jell-O mix
pinch of salt
3 Tbl. cornstarch


Cook all ingredients except Jell-O over medium heat until thick. Take off heat and add Jell-O mix. Cool slightly before pouring over berries.

Chill thoroughly in the fridge before serving (about 3-4 hours).

Serve with a bit of whip cream and enjoy!

I hope that you had a Happy 4th of July with family and friends.

Stay hungry,

Summer Camp or BUST!!!

It's Texas and it's the middle of June. Needless to say, it's HOT!!! Along with the heat comes anticipation for GREAT things!

 What an awesome camp we had last year!

This momma has been busy gearing up for our annual summer camp trip with our kids club group. I have been making and freezing cookie dough, hole-punching foam sheets and paper to make craft journals, preparing a sermon, practicing worship songs to lead, praying for my kids and those we are taking with us, calling parents, making spreadsheets for EVERYTHING, and writing and re-writing lists. Whew!

Last year we took 18 youth with us to Beaver's Bend, Oklahoma and this year we are at 29 kids! We will be quite a caravan as we drive North.

Our group cap site will have over 50 kids and over 20 adults. What a blessing! I'm SO looking forward to seeing what God does in the lives of those we are taking with us, and in my  own life.

Just one year ago at summer camp, my husband and I announced our 3rd pregnancy to his parents and the rest of the camp. We are ecstatic with excitement and so happy to be blessed with new life.

One week after camp I experienced my first miscarriage. It broke my heart... but God is faithful to repair broken hearts.

 

"He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds."      

Psalm 147:3

God has healed our hearts and has blessed us, yet again, with new life!

I am 30 weeks pregnant this week with a son! What a joy to my heart! He is a mover and a shaker in the womb and I know that God has a great future in store for him.

So... we are headed back to camp in only 2 days with a testimony of God's goodness and faithfulness.

If you think of me and my family, please pray for strength and wisdom as we help lead these precious kids at camp.

Some of my favorite childhood memories are the fun times at summer camp - making crafts, singing songs, roasting marshmallows with new friends and all the while knowing my Daddy was near by.

My Daddy and my little girl

My father was always a counselor and/or activities director at summer camp each year and this year he will be assisting my husband in his cabin. He will also help with activities. It's a dream come true! We get to lead camp together!!!

I look forward to sharing a camp update with you after we return.
 

Blessings,

Soft and Chewy Snickerdoodles

 

 

Here's a family favorite that I love to make for friends too! We are visiting a neighbor tomorrow, so my daughter and I decided that baking some cookies to take with us was a must.

She helped me whip up a batch before nap time. And then it took her over 30 minutes to fall asleep. I think she was too excited to try a cookie  :o)

Here's the recipe... you won't be disappointed! (I posted this recipe on my blog over a year ago but decided it's time to give it a picture face lift and share it again.)

Soft and Chewy Snickerdoodles

(my father-in-law's favorite!)

Ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter (softened)

1 ½ cups sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

2 ¾ cups flour

2 tsp cream of tarter

1 tsp baking soda

¼ tsp salt

 

To roll cookies in:

3 Tb sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

 

Directions:

 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Cream butter and sugar together.

3. Add in eggs, one at a time, add vanilla, until well-combined.

4. Mix dry ingredients in a separate bowl and add it to the wet mix in 2-3 stages.

5. Mix the 2 Tb of sugar and cinnamon together in small bowl.

6. Use your hands to roll dough into little (ping-pong ball sized) balls.

7. Roll dough balls in the sugar mixture until covered. Place on un-greased cookie sheet, 2 to 3 inches apart.

8. Bake 7 to 8 minutes, until they spread out and have JUST started to turn brown. Let sit on baking sheet 2 minutes or longer. Remove from cookie sheets and place on a cooling rack. Don’t let them cook too long or they will be hard.

You want a chewy cookie with a crisp outside.

9. Enjoy a few and share the rest!

I got too excited to finish the last few cookies and they got crowded.

Oh well, still so tasty!

 

 

 

Piled high and ready to share!

I love to bless others with home-baked goodies and it's a great time to teach my kids so many things: measurements, how to follow directions (in the form of a recipe), patience (to wait to enjoy the end result or lick the spoon) and that making things from scratch is a better choice every time.

My girl, a baker at heart  :o)

 

Have a blessed week, 

My God-Given Mandate for 2013

Bloom where you're planted.

 

Just as Paul encouraged and charged Timothy, his words resonate in my heart today.

These words are for me.

These few verses make me alert, aware, and increase my hunger to KNOW God and to DO His will no matter what comes my way.

"I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom:  Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.  For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers;  and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry."

2 Timothy 4:1-5

Even though I am not a world evangelist, traveling the globe and preaching from a platform, I am called to preach the gospel.

I am called to share my testimony, to love those around me in word and deed, to lift the name of Jesus higher and to bless my family.

May God make it very clear to you what His will is for you in 2013.

We have been given a new year, full of new mercies! Each day is a new beginning in Christ.

 

"Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not.

They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness."

Lamentations 3:22-23

Be encouraged today and hope in God!

Happy New Year and God bless,