Crochet Project

I need a new blanket.  Well, maybe not need, but my comforter is on the way out and I haven't found a new one that I really like so I decided to just make my own.  Matter of fact, I'll crochet one.  I live in Texas where it is hot most of the year so who really needs a big heavy comforter anyways?  And I have had this teal yarn sitting up in my closet for quite some time now just waiting to be turned into something great.  Here's where I'm at in the project:

Not too far...

It's a cell phone picture so...and the flash is a bit bright...

But you get the basic idea.  So far it is just two teal rows of double crochet wide enough for our bed...

Oh, and I am crocheting just in the back of each stitch.  It makes a really great textured look when it is finished.  I think this might possibly be the largest crochet project I've attempted...wish me luck!

7 Days of...JOY!

Day 3

I remember in our early married years getting so frustrated and overwhelmed.  I was in school, pregnant with small children, bills, budgets, dinners, studying...there was always something going on.  Oddly enough, I found my quite time doing laundry.  Our washer and dryer was in our garage in our first home.  I had a radio out there and would listen to one of my favorite bands, the O.C. Supertones.  It would take me a while to fold the clothes because I would start singing and (since no one was watching) dancing.  It brought me so much joy.

There are tons of verses throughout the Bible about singing to the Lord.

Clap your hands, all peoples!  Shout to God with loud songs of joy!  Psalms 47:1

Shout and sing for joy, oh inhabitant of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.    Isaiah 12:6

But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may exult in you.  For you bless the righteous, O Lord; you cover him with favor as with a shield.  Psalms 5:11-12

So, next time life is piling up on you, stop, breathe, turn on a favorite worship song and close your eyes.  Let your heart sing, let your lips glorify God.  Raise your hands to Heaven and get lost in the Joy of Jesus.  Before you know it, you will be refocused and ready to tackle the rest of the day!

Proverbs 31:21

"She is not afraid of snow for her household,
For all her household is clothed with scarlet."

Here in Texas it doesn't really snow too often.  However, I'm sure it didn't in Palestine, either.  It does get pretty cold though.  A Proverbs woman doesn't worry about the cold weather when it does come because she is already prepared.  She has warm clothes for her family.  Wool fabrics in wonderful colors, sewn to protect them from the elements.

It can get a bit pricey trying to buy outerwear and sweaters, jeans and warm shoes.  Looking ahead and preparing for the seasons in advance can help.  Looking for sales, renewing hand me downs, heading to the thrift stores...just start early enough so that come that first wintery day, the family is dressed and ready to brave to frost!  Makes me want to purchase a smart, wool peacoat in scarlet!  :)

7 Days of...JOY!

Day 2

How do we get joy?  Where does it come from?

As Christians we find our source of joy in God.  It is through our relationship with him, worshiping him, praising him that we find real joy.

Sure, we can find joy in hobbies or activities, but it is temporary.  Lasting joy, eternal joy comes from God.



  

Formal Shopping

My daughter, Tori, needs a formal, but she's not really a formal kind of girl.  She's not into flashy glitter or sequins when it comes to her dresses.  Being a smart cookie, she looked up the style that she was after before we set out and saved some images on her phone.  We knew we were looking for short because she is, well, short.  She also wanted a simple and romantic style.  It actually didn't take too long, but we went through a couple dresses.

She's not a fan of purple, but I made her try on several different ones.  

Most of them got a quick no.

Some of them she wouldn't even zip because she looked like a swan.

Then she put on this one.  Very simple, very her.  It's a beautiful dress and we picked up some great accessories to dress it up.  We did a practice dress up; she looked like a princess.

<3

7 Days of...JOY!

So, I want to start a new series on my little blog called 7 Days.  It will be little personal Bible studies.  The duration of each topic will be, you guessed it, seven days.  There are so many things that I struggle with or just feel I can use a little more of.  I hope it might be helpful for anyone who stumbles upon my tiny bit of the internet.  :)

The very first 7 Days series will be over joy, something I can use some more of!  

Day 1

I have experienced lots of ups and downs during my life.  There have been moments of great joy and moments of terrible sorrows.  All of it has shaped me into the person I am today.

Joyful moments are blessings from God.  Falling in love with my husband, holding my daughters when they were babies - joyful memories that I will hold dear to my heart forever.  But what about those times when joy is hard to find?  There have been numerous times throughout my life that joy has escaped me.  Fights with my spouse, fights with my kids, not feeling appreciated, not feeling loved...who can find joy in that?

With God, I can.  When these life trials take place, my own personal tribulations, I find that the only way to recover that joyful feeling is by going to God.  There is such joy in having a relationship with God.  Knowing that he hears my cries, that he knows my heartaches, he accepts me when I am a broken mess - that gives me joy.  Sometimes it is really easy to lose sight of that when my sky is falling.

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."  Romans 15:13

Believe in God.
 Seek God.
Find joy.

Gluten...Going...Going...Gone?

Over the Lent season I gave up, well, pretty much flour.  Any bread, pastry, cupcake; pretty much anything made with flour.  And after Easter I noticed something.  My skin gets really dry and flaky on my scalp and around my nose and on my chin, oh and behind my ears.  I am constantly putting on sensitive skin lotions and using Head and Shoulders, which strips my hair color!  Oddly, over Lent, it was pretty okay.  My digestion, eh, it's not so good.  Over Lent, hmmmmm...I also complain about how 'my bones hurt' to Mr. H2 all of the time.  He looks at me like I am crazy.  But it is my bones, not just the joints...down in the bones.  Seriously, I was thinking I had bone cancer, but of course I was not going to go to the doctor for that...

Then I stumbled upon all these gluten free recipes and read over a list of symptoms for people who are sensitive to gluten.  As I was reading I was like, yep, got it, that one too.

So I have decided to go gluten free.

This is major.

Probably the hardest thing I am going to do.

I love baking and eating the things I bake...

Ugh.

Anyways,  here we go.  Goodbye, Gluten.  I will miss you...

Disney Break

I have been working around the house the past several days that I have not been working at the hospital.  Cleaning, clearing, organizing...  I need a break and a bit of a 'vacation' so here is our last trip to Disney so I can have a tiny mental holiday!

Well, back to it then...

Day 3 of the Diet

So day three went like this...

Didn't eat anything all day because I slept after work, ran errands after I woke up, errands took longer than I thought, got sooooooo hungry, did not want to eat green beans, ate popcorn chicken from Sonic, a large vanilla Dr. Pepper and Reese's Pieces...

Epic fail, but my tummy is full and I am happy.

There has to be a better way...

:)

Diet Day 2

Okay, so here we are on vegetable and potato day.  All you can eat, non starchy veggies and 1 baked potato.  I got the large potato and then cut it in half to keep me full throughout the day.  Yesterday, I'm not going to lie, I was starving!  Watermelon and cantaloupe don't last too long in the tummy.  Today...a bit better.  I just woke up and cooked green beans for breakfast, but what the hay.  I mean, I did lose 2.4 pounds since yesterday :)

So here's the menu for today...

It's a lot of green beans, I know.  Those just happen to be my favorite non starchy vegetable.

:)

Day 1 - Fruit Day...

So, I am doing day 1 of the Eat Your Heart Out diet.

I'm hungry.

I don't think I can eat anymore fruit...

But here is what I have eaten today.

Tomorrow is veggie day...I'm not a veggie fan so I anticipate a lot of green beans...

I can do this.

A Post with Mr H2

So, I'm trying to get everyone in the family blogging, but Mr. H2 likes to stay 'off the grid'.  I did convince him to participate a bit with me on my blog though :)

Today's topic with the Mister

(drum roll)

Top 10 all time FAVORITE Movies!

Kelly's List

1)  Star Wars 

(the original trilogy, I didn't really care for the new ones...)

2)  Footloose

Kevin Bacon dancing - nothing says classic like an angry dance scene :)

3)  The Three Amigos

Three of the best comedians - shall I dare say, a plethora of great comedians?

4)  The Holy Grail

A comedy classic :)

5)  The Princess Bride

I LOVED this movie growing up!!! <3

6)  Forget Paris

'You asked for it, You got it...' hahaha

7)  Singing in the Rain

Best Musical Ever!

8)  Rear Window

Jimmy Stewart and Alfred Hitchcock - need I say more?

9)  Grease

It is the word...

10)  Encino Man

This is my guilty pleasure movie.  I secretly think 'weasin' the juice' is funny.  Don't judge me...

Mr. H2's List:

1)  Star Wars

"Has always been #1"

2)  The Lord of the Rings

"Because I wasn't nerdy enough putting Star Wars in the #1 spot"

3)  Dances with Wolves

"Because I've got to represent my people.  I'm 1/316th part Cherokee and so are you."

4)  Rear Window

"Because finding Hitchcock cameos is like a fun game of Where's Waldo.  Besides, it's good to see someone as nosy as my wife."

5)  The Red Violin

"Because mysteriously  this movie becomes my #1 when I am talking with someone who is a film expert."

6)  Three Amigos

"Probably my favorite comedy movie of all time.  It also taught me how to get my family's attention with bird calls."

7)  High Noon

"Don't tell my wife, but this is the second Grace Kelly movie...odd because I married a girl named Kelly...just saying."

8)  Bobby Jones

"For my inner golfer."

9)  Back to the Future

"It's all about the flux capacitor."

10)  The Incredibles

"Wish I could get my family to wear cool matching outfits."

Eat Your Heart Out

I follow this blog that posted this diet called the Eat Your Heart Out diet.  Ashley, the writer of the blog, followed the diet and lost 10 pounds in 7 days, 1 whole dress size.
So I have decided, what the heck, its worth a try.

So THIS is what I am doing.

Should be interesting...

I'm off to the store to get something delicious for dessert for tonight and the first 3 days worth of fruits and veggies.  I'll take photos of everything I eat and keep you posted on the results!

Wish me LUCK!!!!

Neiman Marcus Cake

This rich and scrumptious cake has been a favorite of mine.  It's another cake that reminds me of someone I loved!  The recipe is so easy and it is always a crowd pleaser, well for crowds that enjoy cream cheese sugary goodness!

Ingredients:

1 box yellow cake mix

1 stick melted butter

4 eggs

1 8oz package softened cream cheese

1 box powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease 9x13 pan and line with baking paper if desired.  Mix yellow cake mix, melted butter and 2 eggs.  Pour into the prepared pan.  Spread it evenly, the batter will be very thick.  Next mix the cream cheese, powdered sugar and 2 eggs together and then pour that on top of the cake mix.  Spread cream cheese mixture evenly over the cake batter.  Bake for about 30 - 35 minutes.  Allow cake to cool before serving or removing from pan.

This is so good, I don't even know what to say...

Where I Spend Many Nights...

As I have mentioned before, I am a RN in labor and delivery.  I work 12 hour night shifts.  

This is where I spend several nights a week:

People always hear that I work in labor and delivery and say something like, "You must love your job, you work in the happy part of the hospital," or "Oh, you get to play with the babies, how fun."

Sometimes it is happy.  A lot of the time it is stressful.  Sometimes it breaks your heart.  

Being a labor and delivery nurse is more than happy, perfect deliveries.  It is crashing babies, sick moms, not-so-sick moms coming in for the eighteenth billionth time for a stomach cramp.  It is constantly trying to understand why the cocaine positive party mom comes in with no prenatal care and pops out her eighth baby while the sweet couple who has been trying and trying to have a baby just had their second miscarriage.  It is nurturing and encouraging and being a cheerleader and then five minutes later sternly telling this same woman she needs to get serious and push out this baby because you know that the baby's heart rate is way to low and not wanting to come back up.  It is doing way too many vaginal exams, cleaning up vomit and other bodily fluids, getting the occasional amniotic shower and then smiling even though you want to scream.  It is taking photographs and footprints of stillborns.  It is sitting down after a delivery, even the good ones, feeling so emotionally drained that all you can do for at least five minutes is just sit there.  It is having coworkers who become your dearest friends and y'all laugh at really crazy things and you know that they are the only ones who will really understand your work life.  

Somedays I walk out the doors to the hospital with a smile on my face, joking with my friends.  Somedays I walk out and think how can I come back tonight.

But I do come back.  

Three days a week, twelve hours a day.

Now it is time for a nap so I can get up and do it all over again...

Margie's Strawberry Cake

My aunt made a strawberry cake that was so yummy.  Moist and with chunks of berries in the cake and the icing.  She passed away from breast cancer several years ago and I really miss her.  I made her cake and thought of her and it really made me happy so I want to share it with you and hopefully you'll make it and be happy, too!

Ingredients:

1 box white cake mix (no pudding mix)

1 4 oz package of strawberry jello

2/3 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs

1 box frozen strawberries, thawed

(I ended up using more strawberries from the second box because, well, I love them)

Icing:

1 stick of butter

1 box powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9x13 cake pan.  You can line the pan with baking paper if desired.  Mix the cake mix and the dry jello mix.  Add vegetable oil and 1/3 cup of strawberry juice and 1/2 of the strawberries (I ended up adding extra strawberries because I just couldn't help myself).  Add eggs one at a time mixing well.  Pour into cake pan.  Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.  Cool before icing.

Icing:

Mix 1 stick of butter and 1 box of powdered sugar.  Add remaining strawberries and juice and 1 tsp of vanilla.  Mix several minutes until sugar is well incorporated.  And if you are me, extra strawberries until I was satisfied with the strawberry/powdered sugar ratio.

*my icing tasted a little 'sugar gritty'.  I've read that if you use powdered sugar made from pure cane sugar vs beet sugar you will get a less gritty texture.  I'm not sure what I used, but next time I'll pay more attention!

Ice and enjoy :)

**The recipe states to cool before icing, but I think I am going to ice it while warm like a poke cake next time.

Cleaning Out the Closet...

I was cleaning out my closet this afternoon and found some really cute skirts folded in the back corner.  I stashed them there when I put on too many pounds to fit into them.  And then I think I must have gone to eat and eat and eat some more because now they are not even close to fitting!

So, now the diet begins tomorrow so if I whine and complain, which I probably will, just bear with me.  I have some work to do and some skirts to fit back into!!  

I might post some boring dinners and some boring fitness stuff, but I need to shed these pounds that have mysteriously attached themselves to my midsection...

Wish me luck!!!

Family Functions

I love the fact that my family, the whole extended family, still gets together.  My aunt and uncle have some land in a wooded area and me and my sisters used to run through those woods with my cousins when we were growing up.  I have some really great memories there.  We would come home when she whistled.  My aunt does that really cool whistle that can be heard, well, everywhere.  We'd come back covered in mud and grass stains because we would be down in the creek.  Just great childhood fun.  Nothing topped swimming in the lake!  When we would get back to the house there would be the 'leach' inspection - every person should have some story where they had to be checked for leaches.  

I am so glad that we still gather there and my kids get to experience some of the fun that I did.  While we were out this past time I brought my camera and tripod and snapped some photos!

(Mr. H2 hates his picture being taken, but he is such a good sport on my behalf.  He talks the whole time though so he's usually making some crazy face.)

Such an awesome childhood!  Man oh man, but we had a lot of fun!