Packin' a punch

"Pride only breeds quarrels,
but wisdom is found in those who take advice."
Proverbs 13:10

I read this in my quiet time today and Wow! it really got ahold of me.
God has revealed things in my life that are hard to swallow and today this verse really convicted me. I won't ramble on and on about my personal struggles but I do want to praise Jesus for helping me see that I have pride. Yes, it's hard to admit, but it lifts a lot off my shoulders. When I stubbornly admitted it to Stephen this morning, I immediately felt walls coming down.
I am so thankful that God loves me enough to reveal my sin and also give me Scripture to show me how to deal with it and move on. It's not in my own strength that I will rid of my pride, it's through Jesus. And for that I am grateful. I am looking forward to Christ's humility in me producing the courage to heed advice. What a joy it will be when I don't feel the need to defend myself but to learn from and admit my mistakes. It's not about me, it's about Jesus and the freedom He gives.

Craziness

Jubal and I ventured out to the mall this morning to meet a dear friend of mine to exchange gifts and hang out. It was rainy so our option for hanging out was limited. Holy Moley!!!! There were so many people. I knew there would be because of last minute christmas shopping but the reality was a little more overwhelming. Jubal was so good though, so it made the trip more pleasant. He had a good time playing with the other kids in the little play area. Karen and I had a great time talking while our kiddos played. Adult conversation is so nice.
Karen, if you are reading this, I had a great time seeing you and it was nice to get out. Thanks for being my friend!
When we got home, I started a fire in the woodstove and we both cuddled up and read a cute book. After the book, we headed to bed for our daily nap. Aaaah, so nice!

Another Meal

Since I know some mommies (and daddies) are reading my blog, I want to help give some ideas to make your lives easier. In fact these things can be helpful for anyone reading this. I have learned so much in the past few years so I would love to share some of those things with you.
One of those areas is making meals. Sometimes I have days where it's hard for me to think about making dinner. I don't want to make the same ol' thing all the time and I want it to be healthy and yummy too. I try to make all of our food from scratch to save money and our health. Before I give the recipe, I want to share what has helped me to think through our dinners so that they are not last minute all the time. I have started taking a block of time where I can sit and plan a menu for the week. Yes, it takes some effort but it is well worth it. It also saves multiple trips to the grocery store. I keep the list in my kitchen drawer so I can refer to it throughout the week. Now when Stephen asks what we are having for dinner, I actually have an answer other than "I am not sure yet." (most of the time ;).
Here is one recipe that we enjoy that my mother-in-law gave me when I married Stephen. It has stood the test of time so I thought I would share it with ya'll. It is Chicken pot pie. It's easy and not much to clean up. My kind of meal!

2 cups chicken, diced and cooked
1 cup chicken broth (sometimes I use vegetable broth)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can of mixed veggies (or steamed fresh/frozen veggies, to make it healthier)
1 cup milk
1 cup unbleached flour
3 tsp baking powder
6 tbsp butter, melted

Mix chicken, broth, soup, and veggies in large bowl. Spread evenly into baking dish.
Mix remaining ingredients and pour over mixture and evenly spread. Bake at 400 degrees for about 45 minutes.

Happy Baking!

Awesome!!

Here is Jubal and his longboard. He had a blast! (So did I...he he).

Opening Presents in VA

This weekend we went to VA to exchange gifts with my parents, my brother and his family, and my grandmother. It was great seeing my grandma. She is in her mid 80's and she is so great. Although the years are taking their toll, she is still so independent and does a lot of stuff on her own. She lost her husband (my grandpa) to cancer right before Jubal was born and I really cherish every time I get to see her. I love her so much. I also got to spend some quality time with my nephews which was so great. They are getting so big and so handsome and I love getting to hang out with them. My oldest nephew is learning to play the guitar and he played a couple songs for us. I am so proud!

Jubal had a blast opening all of his presents. He got some neat things. He got a big aqua doodle, a blinky ball, and an awesome handmade longboard. I will post a picture soon because it's really incredible. A good friend of ours made it and it will be in our family for a long time. Jubal is so excited about it and will be our extreme longboard dude in the family. (Stephen and I will enjoy riding it too ;).
On our way home we got to see it snow. It was exciting. We love the snow. I am hoping for a nice snow storm this winter.
It's good to be home.

Jubal's christmas play

This morning was Jubal's little christmas play (or show, as he calls it). He did a really cute job. We started out with singing Happy Birthday to Jesus and lit candles for 2 huge cakes. The kids actually put the lit candles in the cake unscathed. Amazing! Then after a potty break and some songs, his class went on stage. They shook maracas to Feliz Navidad, rang jingle bells to Jingle Bells, and hit sticks together for Mary Did You Know. Jubal was so cute and stayed on his little green dot the whole time. He even broke it down a few times during Jingle Bells. I am so proud! I love my little boy.
***Jubal is the one with the striped shirt on in the picture. If you click on the picture you will get an idea of how excited Jubal was at that point. I love it!

Baking blues

I have had rough couple days with baking. Has anyone ever had those times? I consider myself pretty good at baking and cooking but I am starting to doubt myself. In the past couple days, I have ruined 2 batches of toffee and a loaf of bread. I know I shouldn't get worked up about it but it is sad that I have wasted so many ingredients. Boo Hoo. I am not trying to complain about it but I have to vent somehow today. I thought my blog would be a good place.
I am not sure why I ruined the bread. I make it at about once a week so it's not that I am new at making it. It has really baffled me why it came out so dense. Hmmmmm......
As far as the toffee, it was my first time making it so that makes it a little easier. The first batch I made, I cooked it too long so I burned it. Then the second batch ended up doing some funky foam thing so I couldn't see that it was burning. I found out later that the butter seperated from the sugar. My sweet hubby experimented last night and this morning to try to figure out the trick to making it good. He figured out that adding water helps it cook effectively if it seperates. Yet, his batches came out a little too runny. I actually don't feel so dumb now bc I think Stephen got the same bewildered feeling I have.
Wow! Who knew toffee could be so hard to make???? Oh well. I will try again next week, after my frustration subsides and we have more money for butter and sugar ;).
Ya know, I feel better already. I think I am about ready to try the bread again......
Thanks for listening!