Thursday, January 28, 2010

Beautiful Giveaway!

Hey Girls (and Guys of girls)
you absolutely MUST check out THIS BLOG.
Besdies the fact that their jewelry is Gorgeous,
they are blessing someone with a necklace,
to be given away to one lucky person
just for leaving a comment!
You would be CRAZY
not to check it out!
What do you have to lose?
Nada~just what I thought :)

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Most people who choose to make a New Year’s Resolution do so on around the beginning of a new year. Well, I am not like most people in that way (or maybe I am). I procrastinate. I work better that way. At least that’s my excuse! Besides, I don’t like long wordy resolutions-they seem more like punishment than anything else to me. I prefer short lists, phrases, or key words to jog my memory.


The past few years I have decided, like many others, to choose a word or short phrase that will remind me of what I want to work on for that year. Two years ago I chose “Be Still.” And it was amazing how God worked through me over that year to do just that and reflect on Him. It came at a pivotal point in my life. He knew. Then, last year I chose to “Be Intentional.” I wanted to really make sure what I said and did had purpose and meaning behind it. I am not sure how well I learned that lesson…

This year, after much prayer and thought, I decided on “CHOICE”- a word I use daily with my children. “Did you make a good choice?” “That was your choice, now here is the consequence,” etc. You get the picture. In 2010, I want to make better choices that are God honoring. I even went so far as to create an acronym to help me stay focused on my goals. I know, I know…I can be a bit OCD sometimes!

So here it is-my word (and acronym) for 2010:

                              C – Christlike


                              H – Humble


                              O – Obedient


                              I – Integrity


                              C – Consistent


                              E – Exercise

This year I strive to be more Christlike in all that I say and do. What exactly does that mean? Well I don’t know “exactly” what that means, but for me it means spending more time with God so I can get to know Him better. As I get to know Him better I pray I will think more like Christ, talk more like Christ and act more like Christ. I don’t have all of the answers (nor will I ever). But that’s what the journey of this year is, trying to figure out how I can CHOOSE to more Christlike.

2 Corinthians 3:18 says, “So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.” (NLT) I would like to attach at least one verse to each of the words in CHOICE. I am praying for guidance here to find a verse or verses that really speak to what that term means. If you have suggestions, please send them my way. Then, I will commit to memorizing each verse and making them part of my daily life. Please, if anyone is reading this, hold me accountable. I DARE YOU!!!

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Bringing Up Burns

Taking a cue from my sister-in-law, I will take the "Date My Mate Challenge" and challenge myself as well as my friends and family to do the same. All too often I leave that area to the end of my list, or the end of my day because, things are great! But like anything, my marriage needs regular maintenance. Think about it, if you don't maintain your car, what happens? If you don't maintain your home, what does it look like? If you don't maintain your body, what do you feel like, physically, spiritually, and emotionally? Well, our marriages require the same maintenance! Without it, they will break down, be messy, and feel terrible.

So, I will be taking more time to "Date My Mate." Will you join me? To read more about Erin's challenge or read about her other loves, click on the link below.

Bringing Up Burns

Saturday, January 9, 2010

Silly Stuff on an overcast day!

As I was perusing some fabulous blogs today
I found some really great ideas, tips, suggestions, etc. Whoa!

I made a list!
(Because that's what I do)!

Background ideas
Cool Crafts
Tips on Design
Sewing Patterns
One word resolutions
Freebies-lots of Freebies!
(I will post links and buttons a bit later)

I came across one Fab Mom who shared Silly things she does whith her kiddos.
One idea caught my eye.
She has her little ones go to one room of the house with an umbrella.
 Then she tries to catch a picture of their face.
Easy enough, right?






Well, not with my children!
Questions...
What's the name of the game?
Who wins? How?
How long do we play?
So...I had them pose for a picture
Then I rethought the game and made some of my own rules.
Still didn't work with these three.
So...I changed plans altogether.
How about Freeze Tag?
YEAH!!!
So here are some pics of the Silly Stuff we did on this overcast day. 


First, Katelyn had to decide by "eenie, meenie, miinie, moe"
who would tag first


Then the FUN began!


Gotcha!


FREEZE


Go Daniel!


FREEZE


FREEZE


Pudgy wanted to play too


Daniel counting



Then I made them pose for a few more shots ("AHHH Mooommm")


Pudgy was happy to obey










O.K. so I am NOT a great photographer,
but with Photoshop I could probably get them all smiling in the same picture
(That is, if I had Photoshop!) 

Our Favorite Snack

O.K. A little quiz:



What …


Is low in fat


Packs a powerful protein punch


Is fun to eat


(even by kids)


Is a tasty treat?






Give up?


It’s not chocolate!


It’s a vegetable!


It’s Edamame


(Pronounced “eh-duh-MAH-may”)





And my kids think it’s the greatest snack ever! We go through a bag almost every day! So, it was quite funny when we were watching the Food Network last night, after gobbling down our Edamame snack, and Alton Brown started talking about this versatile “wonder food.”






Edamame is a green vegetable, found in a pod which is more commonly referred to as a soybean. “Edamame” really means "Beans on Branches," and grows in clusters on bushy branches.


Some even suggest a diet including soybean protein may help to prevent and treat hypertension, reduce LDL or "bad" cholesterol, raise HDL or "good" cholesterol, and may help to maintain blood sugar levels.


Edamame can be served hot or cold. Many like to snack on them with an Ice cold mug of beer, instead of peanuts or pretzels. But really, the ways to prepare and eat Edamame are only as limited as your imagination. With a quick search online I came across recipes for salsa, avocado Edamame dip, Edamame Brittle, Roasted Edamame Salad, and more.


But my family just likes the simple solution: Boil with salt, cool until you don’t burn your tongue, then push or suck the beans out of the pod and into your mouth and throw away the outer skin or shell. Yum-O!!!


Saturday, January 2, 2010

Snow day!!!

We had so much fun using our new snow boards up at Grant's Grove. The weather was perfect and everyone had fun.

Sunday Shenanigans

So what did you do on this beautiful, un-winter-like, day? Our family headed up to a shooting range on a friend's property and took turn...