I mean, if you have to eat it...

When I began serious weight lifting I learned that cottage cheese is basically the 'perfect' food for fat loss and muscle gain. I'll admit, this did not make me all warm and fuzzy inside. In fact, when I bought my first container of cottage cheese and had my first taste... well, I wondered how in the world I could possibly eat it ever again!

Why all the talk about cottage cheese? Well, because I finally figured out the best way to eat it - for me, anyway! I'm so happy because honestly, it was one of those foods that I just had to suffer through... you know the old saying "eat to live" and "live to eat". I was definitely eating to live when I would eat cottage cheese.

Last week I purchased a jar of Smucker's Fruit Spread (strawberry flavor) for an add-in to my cottage cheese. Oh my! What a difference it makes! But, here's the truth... one tablespoon of this delicious spread is 40 calories... which isn't a lot, but be aware that there are added calories. I now enjoy eating my cottage cheese! Thank you Smuckers!

So, in short... cottage cheese is a super food, low in calories, low in fat and high in protein! When's the last time you ate cottage cheese?

For new and interesting ways to eat cottage cheese check out this website!

Everyone is a 'twitter

So, I'm now using Twitter. It has been blazing it's way through our church staff over the last couple of days and truthfully, it is a lot of fun.

I'll be honest... I never had any desire to use Twitter, but having begun using it, I've realized it is a tremendous tool for keeping up to date with your friends, much like Facebook.

I was trying to explain it to Randy last night because he was making fun of me for going back and forth between Twitter, Facebook and the Blackberry and basically, it is a one-line mobile blog... at least that is how I envision it to be for me.

So, truth time... do you use Twitter, do you like Twitter, how has Twitter changed your life - for better or worse? Be honest!

And if you are anything like me... say 2 days ago,... you might be saying to yourself... isn't that something the 'kids' are doing these days and aren't you a bit old for that? Why, yes, it is... and no, I'm not. Don't knock it 'til you try it!

So... you want to know?

So, you want to know how my first (and now second) day of work went?

It went well! There is a lot to do, a lot to focus on and a lot to learn. I expect the next few days (perhaps weeks?) will be just about getting a handle on what my job will actually entail. Which is frightening and exciting all at once.

Everyone has been so nice and welcoming, and I feel right at home. Plus, the added bonus that I already knew 1/2 of the people I am now working with makes things even easier!

So,... so far so good!

My first day!

I'm nervous about my first day of work today.

I keep telling myself...

• I WILL have an adjustment period
• I WILL not know everything the first day
• I WILL LIKELY forget something important (but, here's praying I don't!)
• I WILL LIKELY make myself look ridiculous
• I WILL LIKELY feel inadequate
• I WILL get over it...
  

So, I've offered up prayers today that God reaffirm the reason(s) why I was hired for this job and do His work through me AND give Him the glory for it. That's all I can do right?

I found this scripture on Sunday and I wanted to share!

Isaiah 66:1-2

1 This is what the LORD says:
"Heaven is my throne,
and the earth is my footstool.
Where is the house you will build for me?
Where will my resting place be?

2 Has not my hand made all these things,
and so they came into being?"
declares the LORD.
"This is the one I esteem:
he who is humble and contrite in spirit,
and trembles at my word..."

Basically God is saying... I'm the creator of the universe! What can YOU do for me? Nothing! Except be humble and obedient! Okay God... I hear ya loud and clear!

Two for one

Today is a two for one day because I just finished a book that I wanted to be sure to mention, but I also tried a fabulous recipe given to me by a friend and I wanted to give a shout out to her and repost the recipe for y'all!

First up, I just finished a book by Beth Moore called "To Live is Christ". It is a book about the life of the apostle Paul.

I'm the kind of person who likes the back story... the meaning behind the story... the history of the occurrence... Don't just tell me that I should do something, I want to know why it is done that way... That's just me. I think it helps me to better understand the situation.

Over the summer I noticed that Beth Moore (who is by far my favorite Bible teacher) had several books about key figures of the Bible. So, I bought three of them! My intent was to get to know these figures better... to get into their world, to understand the day in which they lived and to find out what their purpose was in our Biblical history.

"To Live is Christ" is an awesome study of Paul. Paul was amazing. And his life leaves me speechless. That's really all I can say about it. For me to try to put into words what Beth Moore does so beautifully would be ridiculous. So, if you have a desire to learn more about Paul, not only as the apostle, but as the man... I encourage you to read this book.

Second, I want to give a shout out to my pal Stormi, over at Hanging with the Boyd's for her amazing Tortellini Soup recipe. This soup is very hearty and rich in flavor. Oh, and did I mention that it is ready in under 60 minutes? Oh yes! That's the best part!


TORTELLINI SOUP
Stormi Boyd

"One of my favorite recipes I make because everything gets dumped into one pot and boils. Very easy! Here it is (from memory) because I change it up a bit every time I make it."

Brown 1 pound of meat - sausage, ground beef OR ground turkey

**I used Jimmy Dean Italian Sausage
3 boxes of Beef Broth
1 can of cut up tomatoes
1 can of tomato sauce
1 cut up chopped zucchini
1 small package of frozen green beans
1 package of fresh or frozen cheese tortellini
1 small garlic clove minced
Add basil, pepper, oregano, and any other spice to your taste

Once the meat is brown add it to the pot. Let the pot boil for 10-15 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Garnish with shredded mozzarella cheese.

I've got...

Starting Tuesday, I will officially enter the WORKFORCE! Whoa... that's huge news for me, especially since I haven't worked in... oh... 7 1/2 years!

I'm excited, but the most exciting part is how it all came about. Allow me to share!

For a long time I've 'known' in my heart that God had bigger things for me. Bigger, meaning that I had gifts and talents that were not being utilized to it's fullest potential. I haphazardly pursued God about it, wondering if perhaps my blog would be the outlet in which I would fulfill my potential. I mean, I love to write and I love to design (albeit, it's still just a hobby of mine) and what a better way to minister to others, but through my blog.

But as I mentioned, I haphazardly pursued God about the direction I wanted to go. What I mean by that, is that I 'knew' in my heart what I needed to do, but that was not what I wanted to do. This went on for about a year. But more on that in a minute...

The fall season comes along and I really begin to start to seek God. I still felt that there was more for me out there. I even shared this with several people close to me and what I felt God was telling me to do in order to get there. But, I was still resistant.

By December I was a mess. And finally God and I had a 'sit-down' of sorts and I finally(!) told Him that I was ready to let Him be in control. That it was not about me, but about Him and His glory. (That is why I've been preaching to y'all about obedience!)

So, finally, I told God I was ready to not only be reverently obedient to Him, but to be willfully obedient to Him as well. I finally came to terms with what that meant and I "let go and let God" do His work in me.

First I repented... to God! Then I sought forgiveness from people I felt I may have hurt in my previous ministry experience. There was some garbage out there that needed to be cleared out.

Second, I signed up again to serve in the same ministry that I needed forgiveness in. I felt God was telling me I not only needed to reconcile with people, but with the ministry itself. About that same time, I was asked to head up an organizational project at church for one of my good friends who is on staff at the church. While we were talking, I mentioned to her that if any job became available at church that I would like to know about it. The reason being, was that Randy recently took a company wide pay cut and I knew he was worrying a little about that.

Okay, HERE IS WHERE GOD BEGAN TO MOVE... (I hope you have kept up this far...)

That same week, I was asked to sit in on a marketing meeting at church. My 'assignment' was to give consumer-type feedback on the church's website. I was honored and excited to be invited. I had no idea why I was included, but God did!

The meeting went well. Later I found out that the people in the meeting were impressed with my feedback and thought it was right on target. A week later, my friend on the church's staff called and asked me if I would be interested in interviewing for a job at the church the very next day!

So, Wednesday I interviewed with the executive director of our church and he offered me a job! I'll be doing a variety of things, namely assisting him, but I'll also be working in an aspect of marketing as well. The hours will be part-time, which so totally rocks and best of all, it is at my church! HOW AWESOME IS GOD?!

So, to recap:

• I intentionally sought God!
• I repented!
• I relinquished my independence!
• I became obedient - by reentering ministry!
  
• God rewarded me in a way I never expected!

If you ever think that our God is not an intentional God... think again!

I had to chuckle a bit...

A little back story: We got a Sam's Club membership about a month ago. I've noticed that you don't really save a lot of money at Sam's if you typically buy store-brand items from the grocery store.

The problem with Sam's Club is that they only carry national brands. Oh sure, they have their "Member's Mark" store brand for medicines and few smattering of products here and there, but as a whole, it is a national brand bulk retailer.

When I head out to HEB, I buy store-brand items in just about everything imaginable. From bread to yogurt to toliet paper... I'm all about HEB. I love HEB and you can't go wrong with their store brand. Plus, it is cheaper. Waaaay cheaper. That is why I never clip coupons, b/c even with the coupons you get in the newspapers and mailbox flyers, the savings still do not compare to the actual purchase price of the store-brand item.

The other day I was at Sam's picking up some stuff for Randy when I remembered the girls NEEDED syrup for their waffles that they have everyday for breakfast. And goodness knows you cannot eat a dry waffle... that's insanity!

So, I found the syrup, which by the way was sold in 2-2qt jugs (that's a gallon, people!) and the brand was Aunt Jemima. It was not cheaper by a long shot and now I have 2 large jugs of syrup to store in my pantry... But, that is not the gist of the story.

The gist of the story is this: While Elisan was eating breakfast today she said, "Mom, this isn't the same kind of syrup we usually eat, is it?" And of course, I said, "No, it is a new kind. Why?" And she said, "It doesn't taste too good to me."

Hmmm, you mean she prefers the cheap syrup I usually buy over the pricey national brand? Could be! Or, it could be I've programmed her taste-buds to accept the store brand varieties more.

Whatever the case may be... I couldn't be more proud because don't ya know... saving money is cool!

What is it about men and fluffy dogs?

So... the dog debate... it's still going on at my house, despite the dog verdict that was issued at my house in September. The problem is that I can't stop thinking about how much a dog will enrich our lives. I mean... who can resist a furry, playful, cuddly, fluffy dog?

Well, apparently, my husband can. See, the deal is that we finally wore him down about getting a dog. While I decided I didn't want a dog, I still kept the idea tucked away in the recesses of my mind. And then, IT came back... the idea of getting a dog. And this time, it's even stronger than before. The girls have now even chimed in on the idea, so in essence, Randy is outnumbered 3 to 1 and he finally gave in to us getting a dog. But, he had one criteria...it could not be a fluffy dog.

What's that old saying, "Idle hands are the devil's workshop?" Randy was killing time the other day and he got the bright idea that a hairless dog would be the ideal dog for us because no hair equals no allergic reactions for me. Riiiiiight...

So, he came home and said, "Let's get a Xolo dog" and he went on to tell us how extraordinary these dogs are and how smart, companionable, blah, blah, blah they were. Oh, and this particular breed dates back 3000 years ago with no breeder influence, so the dogs are "sturdy, healthier dogs all around." So, he pulls up the internet and shows me a picture of the Xolo dog.

Ummm, yeah. Can't you just see me walking this beautiful dog around the neighborhood? Our newest pet... our pride and joy?

And the worst thing about it is, that poor little Elisan is so eager to have a pet, she is going along with this idea. She actually WANTS a Xolo now. I mean, I love you Elisan... but c'mon!

Gimme a fluffy dog any day, but a hairless dog? No thanks. Yep... I think I'll pass on this one.

It's all about obedience folks

If you happened to miss my last few entries about obedience, let me refresh your mind...

All I can say is that if you are having trouble hearing from God and knowing his will pray for obedience. Let's face it folks, obedience is NOT a natural response, because hey, we are natural human beings! Remember Adam and Eve? They walked in the garden WITH God... they spoke TO God... they had RELATIONSHIP with God... and yet, they were STILL disobedient to God.

Obedience is hard. But, necessary. Discipline is hard. But, necessary. Anything worth doing well is hard... but necessary.

My latest project

I failed to mention back in December what Randy got me for Christmas!

I've been wanting to transfer my old camcorder tapes to DVD for years but could not stomach the $25.00 per DVD that some of the photo marts were charging for this service.

Well, as we all know, if you wait long enough, technology will catch up to the consumer and actually become affordable. So, for Christmas, I asked Randy to buy me the software that would allow me to transfer my tapes to DVD.

He bought me this brand (photo shown) and it works great for me. I will admit that I haven't taken the time to learn how to do all of the fancy editing, because realistically, I don't have the time to sit and learn it all, but the basic transferring is as easy as clicking "record now."

The reviews aren't great for this product on Amazon.com, but for the price, I definitely think it's worth it when considering you are preserving your precious memories!

A New Daddy

Yesterday, Randy literally crawled into the house after a particularly hard bike ride. As he lay on the kitchen floor in agony (yes people, he for real did this) the girls were hovering over him like rubber neckers at the scene of an accident.

Once he finally came to his senses Kyla Mae said, "Mommy, I'm glad Daddy didn't die. If he did die, we'd have to get a new daddy."

Oh yes... I'm feeling the love aren't you? Out of the mouths of babes...

Hap Haz Foodie

My last trip to Jason's Deli salad bar was the inspiration for this recipe. I don't normally choose pasta salads at the salad bar, but I love spinach in pasta salads. However, when looking for good recipes online for spinach pasta salads, I usually come up with recipes that don't appeal to me.

This recipe is super simple and very yummy, but it's not what I'd call a 'healthy' low-cal recipe. I made this salad to bring to a pot-luck dinner and it went over well.

Basil Pesto, Spinach and Tomato Pasta Salad

Ingredients:
1 - 12 oz. pkg of Bow Tie (Farfalle Pasta)
1 - 3.5 oz jar of Alessi Basil Pesto
2 cups loosely packed fresh spinach
1 container of fresh grape tomatoes - sliced in halves
1 tablespoon olive oil to help moisten (if needed)
Salt and fresh cracker pepper to taste

Optional Ingredient:
3 tablespoons of toasted pine nuts

Directions:
Cook pasta according to package. Rinse and allow to cool completely. Add approximately 1/2 jar of basil pesto. Add spinach leaves and tomatoes. Allow to salad to refrigerate for about 2 hours to combine flavors. Toss and serve.

New Look!

I'm excited to roll out my new look for 2009 (or at least for the next few months!)

I've been playing around with various ideas over the past three weeks and haven't been able to get my creative juices flowing enough to come up something special... But, finally I think I've found it!

If you are a "feed reader" be sure to click on my link to check out my new look!

Random

Quickly...

I've been hitting the free weights hard the last two weeks and let me just say... I've lost a lot of my strength. Since I had my breast issue scare in October I've been undeniably unmotivated to work out. Something about having mammograms, breast biopsies and subsequent test results (oh, the waiting game!!!) kind of leaves you feeling listless and depressed.

So, after that all wrapped up (with good results, I might add!) I began my workout regime again! Then in December, my grandpa passed away and that kind of knocked the wind out of my sails again. Add in the holiday and what do you have? I blah attitude about working out.

So, I've been kicking it into high gear the last four workouts and as I mentioned in the beginning, I've noticed my strength has decreased a lot. I won't go into the nitty gritty details, but I'm shocked at how quickly everything fell to pieces. Hopefully that will change in the next month and I'll be able to crank out 20 military push-ups again and not the measly 10 I can barely do now!

I've been praying for God to introduce new ways in which I can serve up at my church and boy has He answered my prayers! Now, my prayer is that I have the wisdom to use my time wisely and in a way that is pleasing to Him. With that said, I've been very busy the last couple of weeks volunteering during the day while the girls are at school. It's been great to get back into the swing of things, but I really need to watch out that I don't get too overwhelmed and let my responsibilities at home slack off. That is easy to do. Being a stay at home mom is my JOB, no matter what popular opinion is. God wants to me to be faithful to my family responsibilities as well as my serving responsibilities. I have to remember that just because I say "no" to a new project/meeting/etc., doesn't mean I'm a bad person!

It's cold outside, but not nearly as cold as it is in Minnesota! YIKES! -18 below in Minneapolis? That's just crazy. That is "you can die if you are outside for lengths of time" temperatures. No thanks! Thank you Lord for moving me out of Minnesota... (sorry Heidi!)

Oh, and did you know there is a difference between roasted peanuts and cocktail peanuts? I know that sounds silly, but I had no idea. Hmmm, learn something new everyday!

Teacher, I am not...

I volunteered to serve at the 6:30 p.m. service in our Children's Ministry at church. This past Sunday was my first weekend to serve.

Um, let me just say... to all of you teachers out there... how in the world do you do it? I was the "lead" teacher in the 4-5 year old (not in Kindergarten yet) class. Here's a brief run-down:

I could not get control... I never gained control the entire evening...It was a total loss.

Luckily, the gal in charge of the evening classes for that service felt my pain and agreed to move me to the two-year old class for this Sunday. Um... if teaching two-year-old children is like herding cats... we may be in trouble.

You know, I've never had a desire to be a teacher. I'm not wired that way. Which makes me wonder if God is putting me in an uncomfortable place to grow me up a bit? Could be...

I'll keep ya posted!

You don't say...

I love this...
"TV NOT INCLUDED"

Really?

Obedience and Discipline

Over the last several weeks, I've been praying to for "spiritual wisdom and understanding" (which is what Paul prayed for the early churches in the letters he wrote to them.) I thought to myself, I need that too.

Well, God had different things in store for me! In Proverbs 3:11, it states, "Do not despise the LORD's discipline and do not resent his rebuke, because the LORD disciplines those he loves".

I'll be quite honest, I needed a little disciplining. Enter the word "obedience".

God has been dealing with me about being obedient to Him. Yes, I obey the commandments and I seek forgiveness for my sins, but that wasn't what He was dealing with me about. He was dealing with about "fearing" him, which is "reverent obedience" of which I did not have. Yes, I love the Lord, yes I believe in Him, yes I desire to do the things of God, but was I being reverent in my obedience? No.

Before you can gain wisdom, you must gain fear and obedience. So, in essence I was praying for spiritual wisdom out of order from what God needed from me first.

Today as I was getting ready to bring the girls to school, Elisan came into the bathroom and said to me, "Mom, I know you love me, but sometimes you act like you don't." I was totally taken aback... Who wants to hear that? I was thinking to myself, 'I really need to work on the fruit of the spirit more. '

But then she went on, "Like when you get mad at me and tell me to go upstairs to my room."

I said, "Baby, I do that to show you that your behavior is unacceptable. I do that so you will know how to act... NOT because I don't love you."

I went on, "Doesn't God give us the 10 Commandments? And what do they tell us? They tell us how to act. The tell us how God wants us to be. And when we don't do what God tells us to do, He lets us know. That is why we ask forgiveness, right?"

She answered, "Yes."

And then I went on, "God loves us and he wants us to do the right things... make the right choices. That's all I want for you, baby. I'm not being mean when I have to discipline you. I do that because I love you."

Then she said, "So, you love me all the time, even when I do mean stuff."

And of course I answered, "Yes, baby. I love you all of the time!"

Isn't that just precious? And isn't that just what God wants from us? He wants us to obey Him, but not just His commands. He wants us to fully submit ourselves to Him, not because he is a 'ruler', but because He loves us and we love Him. Because HE knows what is best for us. Fully submitting our obedience to the Lord will only mean the best for us. Isn't that what we want for our children?

Thank you Lord for reminding me of your just ways through my little girl today.

The end!

For those of you who have missed it... Elisan is seven and in second grade. And up until Saturday, she believed in Santa. And, I'll admit, it was perpetuated by her parents.

Don't get me wrong, she KNOWS the story of Jesus' birth and can even recite the story from Luke, but she also held on to the belief that Santa was real. So much so, that when she left a note to Santa on Christmas Eve laying on the fireplace hearth, I knew we'd have to come up with a letter from Santa... and pronto!

So, I cut some red cardstock and made a notecard. I had Randy write a letter to her and he signed it in loopy cursive "Santa". She was probably more excited about the card Santa left for her than the toys.

A few days ago, she said she was going to bring her Santa card to school for show and tell. I told Randy about it and we decided that we should spare our little girls' feelings and let her in on the Santa secret. So, I told her on Saturday. I spilled the beans about the Easter Bunny and about the Tooth Fairy as well.

She took the news pretty good, but was literally SHOCKED about the tooth fairy. Why? I'm not sure...

I did let her know though that even though mom and dad were actually "Santa, Bunny and Fairy" that she'd still get gifts, a basket and money. The relief that passed over her face was priceless.

Driven By Eternity

I very rarely recommend books. I realize people have very different tastes in literature. What I like to read may be a far cry from what you like to read.

However, back in November, John Bevere came to our church one Sunday. He spoke about his new Bible study called "Honor's Reward" and it was awesome.

Fast forward to December... I was making my list (from the online library catalog) of books I wanted to check out at the library. I plugged in John Bevere's name and found a fiction book written by him called "Rescued". I read this book and was riveted. I found myself in shock and disbelief and in tears as the book came to a close.

At the end of the book, John Bevere wrote a note to the reader about a book that he wrote that dealt with the fundamentals of eternity called "Driven By Eternity". Since my library did not have this book, I ordered a copy on Amazon.

I'm about 1/2 way through the book and let me just say... it has changed my life! This book is packed with scriptures that deal with eternity, God's judgement and the fear of God (which is not actual "fear" but reverent obedience to God). It has changed the way I pray. It has changed the way I feel, act, think, behave, etc.

This is not a feel good "everybody goes to Heaven who believes" kind of book because as Bible scripture points out, even the demons believe! The scriptures are clear and the interpretation is straight forward. I strongly encourage ALL Christians to buy or borrow this book.

It is worth reading... over and over again. There is also a Bible study program. I'm going to send this information to a few people at my church and see if we can get a study group going about this very topic. So important!

No More Excuses

I posted this video last year, but it is definitely worth a repeat. Only a minute long, but packed with a lot of motivation!

Oooooh, I'm so excited!

Today we are meeting my in-laws in Houston to pick up the girls! Whoooohooo!

Let me say... I've loved, loved, loved having Randy all to myself this week. It has been a great week for us, but I am missing my girls something fierce!

A quick recap of our week! I'll skip the work part (which included deep cleaning and organizing) and go straight to the fun stuff:

Monday - we ran errands at 7 p.m. That was fun. We hardly leave the house after 6 p.m., so getting out at that time of the night was fun!

Tuesday - we had dinner with Randy's former work friends who have now gone on to bigger and better things. They were down in Austin for the holidays and by a stroke of luck, we were all available for dinner that night. One lives in San Jose now and the other friend lives in the Philippines with his wife. I don't envy them AT ALL! But, it was fun catching up with them.

Wednesday - we had dinner a new local Italian restaurant. It was really yummy and I would like to go back again. We were home by 7:30 and didn't even think twice about going to bed at our regular 10 p.m. bedtime.

Thursday - we went to see a movie. We saw "Seven Pounds" with Will Smith. Um... what can I say about this movie. It was different, but in a good way. You could have heard a pin drop in that theater is was so gripping.

And that's about it! So, now... we're making plans to pick up the girls this afternoon! I cannot wait! I miss them so much!

Pray for the Church

When we lived in Minnesota, we attended a fabulous church. I've since been following the blog of the Pastor, Rob Ketterling and I wanted to pass along an article he referenced in his blog written by Chuck Colson. It reminds us that the hope of the world (and our nation) is the Church of Jesus Christ.

We're back!

Hello everyone!

We're back from visiting our families. We had a nice time, filled with blessings and of course, lotsa good food.

However, we're about 70 lbs lighter for the remainder of the year... yep, lighter! Our girls are spending their last week of the Christmas break with Randy's folks. That means that Randy and I are at home BY OUR SELVES until Friday.

I'll admit... I experienced a bit of separation anxiety about an hour before we left to come back home, but I know they are happy and safe and that is all I can ask for as a mom.

Fortunately, Randy has this entire week off from work! Yippee! But, this week will be spent doing stuff around here - cleaning, tossing, and more cleaning. Randy's list of stuff to do is longer than my list... go figure!

But, we will make time for some fun too (wink-wink). Randy and I have reservations for dinner on New Year's Eve, which we haven't done in ages and we'll probably try to sneak in a movie on New Year's day.

If I don't make it back on here by the New Year, I hope you all have a blessed remainder of 2008. I pray that 2009 will bring you peace that passes understanding (Phil 4:7) and hope for our future (and eternity) in Christ Jesus.

Much love,
Erica

25 Days of Christmas - MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I hope you have a joyful Christmas Day
and a safe remainder of the week!

25 Days of Christmas - Day 2

I didn't realize that I have not shown images
from around my house.
These were taken this morning.

Today, I've already put a pot of yummy Tortilla Soup on the slow cooker, baked gingerbread cookies, put the top shiny coat of icing on the cookies for decorating and I'm in the process of cleaning up the kitchen. I have yet to eat breakfast and I'm going to do that momentarily.

This afternoon, the girls and I are going to the Christmas Eve service at church. Randy is working today, so he will not be joining us! I'm bummed about that...

I hope everyone has a nice relaxing Christmas Eve with family and friends. And in the process, I pray that you will stop at some point in your day, fall on your knees and thank God for sending his son Jesus Christ to earth so that we may be saved and receive full life in Him.

Love,
Erica

25 Days of Christmas - Day 3

Merry Christmas from Us!

25 Days of Christmas - Day 4

The girls were so excited to wrap Daddy's presents today. I wish I could say I was more charitable when it came to letting them wrap presents, but I'm not. I'm kind of greedy that way! I like nice clean lines, smooth corners and minimal tape.

But, I knew that Daddy would not mind opening presents wrapped by the girls. And honestly, I wouldn't either. I'd probably "ooooh and aaaah" over their wrapped presents more so than a perfectly wrapped present with a big fluffy bow.

So, why can't I let go? Must be that 'control issue' I have...

Lord, help me to let go of the things that bring me joy, so that my girls can enjoy those things and BE joyful in the process.

25 Days of Christmas - Day 5

This is a must see! Our church broadcast this clip during our morning service today and at first I was stunned... but as it progressed and finally ended... I was in tears! Gushing with tears. This is phenomenal. Enjoy!





Upside Down from Pace Hartfield on Vimeo.

25 Days of Christmas - Day 6

A little manual labor never hurt anyone!
And for a $1.00 a bag too!

Notice the short sleeves and shorts?
Yep, it's 70+ something degrees today.
Monday, we'll have a high of 37 degrees. Gotta love that Texas weather!

25 Days of Christmas - Day 7

And... we're out! Out of school for two whole weeks! Whoohooo!

And it could not come at a better time. I'm so ready for some downtime. I'm sure next week will not really be "downtime" per se, but at least we won't be running out the door for school each morning. I foresee lazy mornings in my immediate future!

Today was Elisan's class party. Here she is with her BFF and Kyla. Sugar highs abound!

25 Days of Christmas - Day 8

Goodness, I am beat! Today was a busy day...

I've been up since 5:15 a.m. and have pretty much been on my feet all day long! I'm ready for a nice cup of hot cocoa and soon... my soft bed!

Here's a cute picture of Kyla Mae at her Christmas Tea Party. She had a lot of fun and the kids were just so sweet! By the way, that's watered down apple juice, not tea! But, the kids didn't seem to mind!


And finally, I leave you with this. I pulled up next to this car in the parking lot and saw this... I thought it was a perfect photo opp, don't ya think? Is this some newfangled air freshener?

25 Days of Christmas - Day 9

This video is almost 2 mins long. I don't expect you watch the whole thing... this is mainly for family... But, do click on it for a brief moment to see and hear my sweet little girl! She's just precious, don't ya think?

Luke 2:1-14 (New International Version)

Luke 2
The Birth of Jesus
1In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2(This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3And everyone went to his own town to register.

4So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

The Shepherds and the Angels
8And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ[a] the Lord. 12This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

13Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

14"Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

25 Days of Christmas - Day 10

It's true. People don't move to Texas for the cold weather. In fact, they move here because it is the greatest state in the lower 48... but that's beside the point. The point is... the weather here in Texas is temperate - or at least temperate in the fall/winter seasons. We're probably more on the extreme side of things over the summer... which is dry and hot. But our winters? Are usually mild, with an occasional Arctic blast to make things interesting.

So, when in the course of one week Texas gets hit with two major cold blasts, people around here get all freaky. You may have even heard that there was snow 'round these parts last week and I am here to say that it is true. In fact, here's a picture of my nephew (and some other random neighborhood boys) with the snowman they built in the wee small hours of the morning... before the sun came up and melted it all away.


Last night Randy and I got a big chuckle at the scrolling news bulletin at the bottom of our t.v. screen warning of icy conditions and possible snow again. But, what caught our attention was not the snow warning, but the "potentially hazardous conditions due to snow and cold..." Cold? Hazardous?


Yes, I guess that's true...if you are a Texan.

25 Days of Christmas - Day 11

Last night I started wrapping Christmas presents that have been piling up in my spare bedroom. I waited until the girls went to bed so I could get through it quickly. I know... mean mom! As much as I know they would love to help me, I was not feeling very well and I just wanted to get it done.

This morning, while the girls were getting ready for school Kyla Mae shouted to Elisan, "Santa came last night! Santa came last night! There's presents under the tree! Let's go check our stockings!"

I had to burst their little bubbles and tell them that I had wrapped those presents the night before and that Santa had not made an early appearance. Silly girls!

Over the weekend, I was at Target and noticed in their "Dollar Spot" some really cute wrapping paper. It was the last roll, or else I would have bought more than one. I love the white polka dots and pink stripes. Just perfect for two little girls! I wish there had been more. This paper would be great for birthdays too!

P.S. - Notice the obvious absence of a Christmas bow. It's not that I don't love bows... I do! But for all intents and purposes, bows have not made my Christmas packages for years now. I think it is because we usually travel during the holidays and bows tend to get smushed in our travels.

25 Days of Christmas - Day 12

I posted this last year, but it is worth a re-run!

25 Days of Christmas - Day 13

Hi Friends! Wow, I haven't blogged in almost a week. As you all know, my grandfather passed away on Monday and that put me in a tail-spin all week. The girls and I left Wednesday morning and drove 300 miles to my hometown to be with my family.

We have a large family on my dad's side. My father is one of five siblings. Together with his brothers and sister, they have 11 kids. All of us grandkids have our own kids, which gives my grandparents 22 great-grandkids. Like I said, it's a big 'ol Sullivan clan (as they like to call us).

So, today, in honor of my Paw-Paw, I'm going to talk about the Sullivan Christmas Eve tradition.

As long as I can remember we would spend Christmas Eve evening at my grandparent's house for our yearly Sullivan party. Back in the day, before great-grandchildren came onto the scene, we'd all pile into my grandparent's house to celebrate Christmas. Each family would bring a food dish and I remember how yummy the food always was. After we ate and ate, we'd all sit around in the living room and open presents.

My grandparents never had a lot of money, but they always bought gifts for all of the grandkids. And I remember those gifts were always the best. One year, I remember my Maw-Maw made me a whole case full of Barbi clothes. Meaning, she designed and sewed up an entire wardrobe for Barbi and friends. Complete with a formal gowns and accessories. I remember even then being so proud of that gift. One year, she made some of us grandkids a quilt and she hand-embroidered little animals on each of the patchwork squares. I still have that quilt and I cherish it to this day. I remember being 12 years old when she made the quilt for me and busting out in tears because I couldn't believe she had put that much effort and time in making something so special for me.

My Paw-Paw, never the over-emotional kind of man, always stopped us at the end of the Christmas present opening chaos to tell us how much we all meant to him and my Maw-Maw. And I knew he meant it. He may not have gushed over us, but we always knew he loved us.

It's hard knowing my Paw-Paw died at Christmastime. Seeing as how our Sullivan Christmas Eve Tradition played such an important part of my growin' up. And I know, as my family gathers this year for their Christmas party (which incidently is no longer on Christmas Eve OR at my grandparent's house because our family is just so big and loud --and part Cajun) I know they will celebrate my Paw-Paw's life in a way that will honor him and my Maw-Maw. Because he is man that deserves a lot of honor.

He is responsible for a family who still to this day loves each other, respects each other and yes... get's into each other's business... but our family is strong because of one man and one woman who saw to it that we all stayed that way.

I love you Paw-Paw and I will miss you sorely. I'll miss your gruff exterior and your teddy bear hugs. I'll miss your loud and boisterous "Hey!"s and I'll miss it when you say, "Paw-Paw loves you!"

I'll miss you Tom Sullivan. I love you.

Paw-Paw

Today, my dad's father passed away... my grandfather.

I'm very sad, but I'm even more heartbroken for my father.
We will miss you Paw-Paw Sullivan.

My father, grandfather, me and Kyla - July 2007

Not sure of any details yet, but I'll likely be heading out of town tomorrow to be with my family. Please say a short prayer for my family and for safe travels.

25 Days of Christmas - Day 19

One of my favorite things to drink in the winter is hot chocolate. I love it. I drink hot chocolate (or hot cocoa - depending on where you are from, I suppose) every night. It is my "dessert" before bedtime.

My favorite recipe for making hot chocolate is from a friend of mine from church. She gave me this recipe about five years ago. I make one big batch and it lasts me all winter long. And it makes A LOT!

I've posted this recipe here before, but it is worth posting again!

Enjoy!


Cheryl's Hot Mocha Mix

You will need:

Large pot
Large sifter if you have one. (I just used a strainer)
*Keep all the containers to refill with mocha

Ingredients:
8-quart instant dry powdered milk
Largest size Nestlé’s Instant Chocolate Milk Mix
Largest size Coffeemate Creamer (Original Flavor)
1 box Powdered Sugar
½-1 cup Cocoa (either “dark” or “milk” chocolate)
6 tbsp. Cinnamon
Optional: Container of instant coffee mix.

Use the better-known products like Nestlé’s, Coffeemate, etc., because they tend to have a richer flavor.

You will need to sift all ingredients by putting small amounts of each ingredient in sifter, (alternating ingredients) sift it into pan and then just keeping doing it until you have mixed all of it ~ then use the empty containers to refill. You will still need a couple of extra containers because it makes so much. Be prepared for your kitchen to be dusty ~ you and everything around your preparation area will be dusty, but it is worth it!!

OOPS! Edited to add: Mix 2-3 tablespoons with 8-10 oz of hot water.

25 Days of Christmas - Day 20

Today we visited Santa at the local H-E-B grocery store. I'm glad we made the decision to go there, instead of the mall. They were selling their 4x6 prints for $.35/each. That sure beats the $15.00 the mall tries to take you for. (Granted, this Santa set-up is not as nice or realistic as the mall, but the girls obviously did not care!) And, they let me take my own pictures. I love H-E-B!

A look back - Elisan visiting Santa for the first time at 16 mos old.

25 Days of Christmas - Day 21

Today is my birthday! And, today is my 10 year wedding anniversary! Oh, happy day!

I love our love story. But, because we started dating in the month of April, got engaged in the month of September and got married in the month of December - a course of 7.5 months... well, I've always wondered if other people thought we'd make it THIS long.

I have a sneaking suspicion that even a few of my friends are a bit surprised... perhaps even some of our family members.

But, we've made it to 10. And it feels great. I love Randy more today than I ever could have imagined. I won't gush, because I've already done that here and here...

And let me say... anyone who could love this poor girl as much as my husband loves me... well, he deserves an award! Oh! Wait, that's me!