Do you know there is a war coming???

I didn’t watch the MTV Music Video Awards this year. I believe the last time I watched an awards show on MTV I was in high school, possibly even before that. I’ve never cared about watching an award show. I’m not getting an award. My kids aren’t getting an award. No one I love is getting one so, eh, I’ll watch something that interests me. We all have our likes and dislikes. However, I didn’t have to watch the show to hear about the amazing dancing I missed out on. I didn’t have to watch the show to hear how classy Miley Cyrus was. I didn’t have to watch to know about the stunning vocals of Robin Thicke and Miley Cyrus. How their performance left everyone with chills, a tear in the eye and utterly speechless b/c of the beautiful art they created. I was sorry I missed such a beautiful performance. I should have set up my DVR and you know I’m kicking myself for it.

Oh wait.

Wrong performance.

For the last week I’ve heard nothing but how distasteful, horrible, gross, slutty, pathetic she acted. I've heard how she is an embarrassment to herself & her family. I've heard she is an alcoholic and on drugs. I’ve heard that she is out of control. How she is no role model for young girls. (No! What? You're kidding me?) I’ve heard about the reactions from the audience. I haven't heard anything, if nothing at all about the married man, Robin Thicke, which she used to practice her “twerking” on. And ya know what; all I have to say is….

PEOPLE, ARE YOU SERIOUS!!!???? WHAT DID YOU EXPECT!? And do you even know we are on the verge of World War THREE!!!! Come on. This is MTV. This is Hollywood. This is pop culture. This is no shocker. Why do we act shocked that a half-naked girl was parading herself on stage with her tongue hanging out while thrusting her butt against a married man on TV? Why are we surprised that she used a foam finger as a sexual innuendo instead of using it for rooting for her favorite college football team? Why, people, why? Why is anyone watching MTV? Why are you letting your kids watch MTV?  Why do you allow yourself to be entertained with this garbage?

 

It should not be a shocker of what this world has come to. It should not be a shocker of what MTV has become. If you watched the performance, you saw the norm. What boggles my mind is why anyone cares and why anyone is judging. Why are we judging her for acting in a normal way that is Hollywood? THAT is what PAYS in Hollywood. That is NOTHING new in Hollywood. Is it wrong? Oh, of course. Is it sad? Absolutely. But we should not be watching the show in the first place. We shouldn’t act surprised and disgusted and then judge her and gossip about what a terrible person she has become. No one knows the real Miley. No one knows what she is going through. No one knows the pain and hurt she faces every day. She is paid to act like a moron. She is making MILLIONS to display herself in a way that gets attention! Do I want my daughter to act like her? Without a doubt- NO! But guess what, my daughter doesn’t even know who Miley is. She has no idea about Hannah Montana. She doesn’t even watch the Disney Channel. I’m not gonna show her what twerking is. And I can assure you, that if she finds out, and even thinks about doing it I will be the parent and put a stop to it. And that’s another thing…I’ve heard people say Miley is how she is b/c she didn’t have a good parent. Really? How do you know? How do you know if her mom didn’t teach her to act like a lady? How do you know if her mom and dad didn’t tell her about God? How do you know the way she was raised? I promise you that Adam and I do everything we can to guide, teach and show our children how to act. We teach them morals. We teach them character. We do what we can and pray that God blesses them and us with wisdom and clarity. Guess what, they act like hellions sometimes!!! My kids act like a FOOL at times. They can be rude, hateful, distasteful, and downright “un-Christian”. They have made some REALLY bad choices. They have disappointed me. They have made me so mad and have made me doubt that I am a fit mother. That is what being a parent does to you. It can leave you feeling hopeless and make you want to pull your hair out. But there is NO ONE who will love them more than me. Well, except God. He loves them more than I can ever comprehend. My kids are being taught everything I can teach them about life, God, love, morals and character but I’d be a fool if I thought they won’t ever go against those teachings. I’d be naïve to think that once they leave they’ll never do anything that Adam and I disapprove of. It doesn’t work that way. You can do everything possible to teach and train your child and they will eventually get the chance to make their own decisions. We have to release our kids to God’s care. We have to pray. Every. Single. Day. We have to trust God for their lives. I take God at his word. His word says that if I train up my children in the way they should go, when they are old they will not depart from it. Notice it doesn’t say when they are young…but old. Miley is so young. You think she’ll regret this performance when she is old. Maybe? Maybe not. I cannot judge Miley for her actions. Do you know how many stupid, ignorant things I’ve done in my life? Thank God I’m not on a stage with the world viewing me. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t endorse ANYTHING about her, but I sure am not going to act shocked when she does something ridiculous. I sure the heck won’t say her parents didn’t teach her to be a lady. And I am not going to let my daughter watch her on TV.

Adam and I got pregnant with our first child at 16. My mom did everything she could to teach me about God. You think the news of my pregnancy shocked her? You better believe it did. Do you think she thought she failed? I’m sure she did. I was judged about getting pregnant at such a young age. I was told that Adam had ruined my life. I don’t understand that. I was there. Pretty sure he wasn’t alone that night. I’m sure people thought I was a slut. I’m sure people gossiped. I’m sure people thought my parents didn’t “raise me right”. Who cares what they thought. My God knows.  Robin Thicke is married yet let Miley rub all over him and we say nothing about him. We praise him for being a stud. Do you see how twisted this is? You know what a stud is? My husband. He didn’t blink an eye when his 16 year old girlfriend told him she was pregnant. He is loyal. He is Godly. He guides and leads his family. He provides an excellent lifestyle. We celebrate 19 years in October and he loves me more today and SHOWS me that love every day. You’ll never see that in the media. You’ll just hear about how cool Robin is for having a 20 year old half-naked girl throw herself at him but what a disgrace she is.

All I am saying is stop watching the filth. Stop judging what the normal behavior of what Hollywood is. They aren’t doing anything new and shocking. Be parents and teach your children. Don’t let them watch the filth either. Introduce them to people who inspire, love and give. Introduce them to real art and real music. Teach them self-respect. Teach them to love their siblings even when they hate them. Teach them your hobbies. Sign them up to play a team sport. Get them outside of themselves and their room. Introduce them to Jesus. Tell them about His stories and miracles. Release them to God so he can mold them into the people He created them to be. Don’t think you failed when they get on the stage of life and act a fool. Don’t think that all the good work you have done in them is lost when they disappoint you. Give it to God and let Him show you how to be the parent He created you to be. Take God at His word. I know it’s hard. I know it can be nearly impossible but God gives us a promise that when we keep our eyes focused on Him he can move mountains on our behalf. And please, don’t judge when you see other kids acting like they have no sense. They don’t! They’re kids! Instead of judging you could use your talents to help teach them. You could help them by lending a hand when they need it. You can help by not judging. You can help by praying for them. Prayer changes lives.

Can we move on from this now? After all, there is a war brooding. Our children are facing a very dim future in America. We are in debt we'll never get out of. Our children could possibly see the most gruesome war in history come to life. In America, we are slowly losing rights. We are turning into a Godless nation. We have poverty. We have some of the most dangerous cities. We are killing each other over petty disagreements. Yet, we are talking about a girl who is "disgusting" and "a hooch". We are talking about how much twerking she does and how far her tongue hangs out of her mouth. THAT is sad. Our nation is slowly failing its young people and instead of standing together in unity to teach them we are tearing them down even further.

I’m not a perfect parent but God is. I am leaning on Him to help me be the parent my kids need. I’m not watching what Miley does. No one should be. We should be so focused on God, our spouses and children that we don’t have time to see the next celebrity strut her butt on stage.

John 8:7 “… he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.”

Stop throwing the stones. Wake up and learn about the important things going on around you.

Until next time,
Reb

A new year is here

So, ya, it's been four months since my last post. Who's counting though, right? ;-) Sigh...

It has been a crazy four months. I literally could write a book. I won't. Hahaha...Sigh...

I'm sighing a lot lately....

Let's see. We now have a 17 year old son. We are officially in our senior year with that 17 year old. Which means I am officially feeling nostalgic. When did he grow up? When did he become taller than me? Why did time go by so fast? If there was ever a way for me to stop time it would be right now.

We also have TWO teenagers in the house at the SAME time! What were we thinking? Oh ya, we weren't. No, it isn't that bad. Really. I'm being serious. Stop laughing! I sort of like them only being four years apart. They are close enough in age to be friends, but also far enough a part in age that they also do their own things.

Then there is the girl. She is officially four. Serious to goodness. That happened WAY too fast. Sigh...

There's me sighing again....

I do not make new year resolutions. It's too....what's the word....responsible...no, restictive. Ya, it's too restictive for me. Instead, I make a to-do list. And mind you, I make it easy enough to ACTUALLY do them. I have a few things that are a little out of reach but hey, I don't want to get too....restrictive.

One of my things to do for 2013 is to start teaching my daughter how to act like a lady. On purpose. It is a serious epidemic in our world for girls to be lazy, have no confidence, to have no manners, to have no pride in themselves. I could go on and on. It's a shame. Too many girls seek approval from their peers and not from God. Too many hate themselves because they compare themselves to the string bean on the magazine. Music. Ugh. Today's music for our girls, shoot...for anyone really, is so demeaning. Seriously, my eyes have been opened. Flashed WIDE open.

I will not stand on the side and allow my carefree, sweet, caring, funny, gorgeous girl to be knocked down by trying to conform to what the newest fad  is or to the newest Jersey Shore wanna-be. Nope. I will...excuse me...with God's help WE will not allow this perfect gift from God to be anything less than what God created her for.

Now, if you're curious about my boys. Trust me. They are confident. Um. One might say we have OVER done the job on their confidence. LOL...seriously. I need to work on the humble part with them. But that's just it...balance. We all need a healthy balance. This is my goal for all of my kids in 2013. Adam and I have started that balance as of tonight, actually. We've always had rules in our home. They have reinforced..or maybe reintroduced I should say, tonight with an idea I got off of Pinterest. I found a mom who wrote a iPhone contract for her 13 year old son. We changed it to fit our boys, but you get the idea here. Our rules are pretty simple:

1. Honor your mother and father the first time & at all times. No arguing allowed. Ephesians 6:2

2. Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. This includes music and movies, or anything you’re viewing online. Eph. 4:29

3. Be respectful in speech, actions, and attitude to everyone. 1 Peter 2:17

4. Treat the people in your family better than you would anyone outside your family. Luke 6:31

 

Number four might turn a brow ...however, my kids have this amazing love for people outside of our home. They will bend over backwards for a stranger and then come home and treat each other as if they have a disease. I have actually had people comment to me about how respectful, kind, loving and how my kids manners are the best they have ever witnessed and then we walk in to our home and a brawl breaks out. What gives? So, Adam and I felt we needed to instill a love of family in them. So, what better way to instill a value than to make it a rule and force it on them, right? LOL....

 

Back to me raising a confident girl.

 

Here is the way I will be intentional with my girl.

 

1. We will read our bible everyday. This is a GREAT one. It's a devotional bible. Adam and Kaitlyn were in a bookstore reading through books and came across this book. Without her knowing we purchased the bible for her birthday. When she opened it she squealed, "Daddy!!! It's the bible we read!!!" A winner in her eyes already.

 

2. She is already involved in sports. She cheers in the fall and does gymnastics year round. This spring/summer I am going to sign her up for softball. Both of the sports (cheer and gymnastics) are already pretty girly (no offense if you're reading this and your boy is a gymnast. But Kait is in an all girl group and they all tend to be super girly. I'm sure as she gets older it won't be this way.) However, I think softball will help toughen her up just enough to be strong physically & help with different coordination.

 

3. I have been doing school with Kait since she was about two. She is very smart. I want her to be a life long learner. I will be more intentional with my lesson plans. I'm also going to widen the topics. Instead of it being a typical preschool curricula I will add things like anatomy and how our bodies work, our country and the different countries/cultures, more science experiments...what kids doesn't love to blow things up? I found an amazing resource...yes, on Pinterest. It's called Kiwi Crate. Kait LOVED the first box we recieved. So did I!!

 

4. I will teach her manners. I will teach her to set a table. I will teach her that when others laugh at someone, it's cruel. I will teach her loving new vocabulary words to help her express positive thoughts. I will teach her that beauty isn't about what you look like, but what your heart looks like. I will also teach her that in order to give God our best, we should look our best. I will teach her that when she orders her food at a restuarant to be polite and kind to the server. I will let her pay with my debit card so she understands things cost money. We will pray together everyday.

 

5. I am giong to start giving her a small allowance. She needs to learn that sometimes we do things as a family service and sometimes we do things to earn money. Things are not just given to us.

 

These are my top five. I will add to it as I discover more on how to raise her into the confident lady God created her to be.

 

Now, how to teach my boys to be humble...

 

That will be another post...

 

Hopefully it won't take another four months of life to go by to share my plan with you.

Until next time,
Reb

A year of cooking...

I think this year will be defined as a year of cooking. I began the year by joining a cooking group on Facebook. It's called Cook My Book II. (two b/c this is the groups second year in existence). I was so very fortunate to be invited by the group's creator. Basically the premise of the group is for each member to pick one cookbook. Then we mail in a certain rotation that allows all of the members to get every cookbook for about 3 weeks. We write in the cookbook. I know. Some of you book lovers will cringe at writing in a book. I did until I actually saw how cool it was! We write on the recipes we made. What we liked, didn't like, if we changed things up a bit or a tip/trick we think that'll make the recipe better. It's sort of like a yearbook but the people in the group are from all over the US. We started in February and will end around October just before the holidays kick in.

I am now in two cooking groups. The other group is called 37 Cooks.

I still think it's funny that lil' ol' ME is in a cooking group, let alone two. I was never the one who was known for my recipes, cooking, or the time I spent in the kitchen. I mean I do love to cook. I love being in my kitchen. It's the very first kitchen that belongs to me. I love to make food that people can enjoy, but I never thrived in the kitchen. I never had a meal, other than Thanksgiving, that my family begged me to make. I was ok with that. It didn't hurt my feelings and I just made meals to feed my family. I didn't give much thought to my menu before CMBII & 37Cooks. I had a very boring, easy rotation of menus that kept us all in a rut. I like easy. Easy isn't always fun and delicious though.

I was invited to CMBII at the perfect time. I had tried to spice things up a bit in the kitchen. I had started to feel like I wanted to do more in the kitchen. I felt like the meals I was preparing for my family could be better and could actually mean something. I didn't want to just make meals for my family, but I wanted the meals to be an extension of my heart. I wanted my family to know that I took the time to plan the menu with them in mind. I didn't just pull out an already written menu from my files, but that I took the time to think about each and everyones likes and dislikes. I thought about their health. I thought about what would make them smile with excitment. I thought about what smells would make their tummy rumble. I thought about meals that would make them BEG for more. I thought about meals that when they think of them, they think of me and the love I put into it. I wanted them to have very fond memories of me in the kitchen.

Now, reality has sunk in. Don't worry, I'm not livng in a Julia Child's fairytale. I have had many failures in the kitchen this year. But to me, that is also succeeding. I know what NOT to do now. Plus, having Chinese take out on speed dial can be the fastest recovery for any cook.

If there is one thing I have gained this year it would be to relax. Relax in the kitchen. Take your time. Don't rush and don't set yourself up to be in a hurry. Planning is still crucial for me. But that's just who I am as a person. My husband balances me by being the spontaneous one. I do everything with a plan in my mind. Well, if I'm telling the truth it's written down b/c my memory stinks.

Another thing I have learned: read the entire recipe first. I had a pork loin I wanted to make only to find out I needed to have it marinate overnight before roasting it. How do you tell a hungry family that instead of dinner being ready in an hour; we're having a bowl of cereal instead? There is only so many times in a week you can call for the Chinese take out before they recognize you. And to be called by my name....oh the shame.

These are two important lessons one should learn to be a bit closer at succeeding in the kitchen.

My favorite thing that has happened out of all of this cooking is that my daughter cooks almost every single meal with me. She is learning so much. The other day she said something that made me realize how much she is paying attention. The sad part is I forgot what she said. I hate that. I remember it was cute and she was right, but cannot remember what it was about. I just remember thinking, "Wow. She has learned a lot!" I'm going to go put a spiral notebook in the kitchen so I don't forget these times.

Another favorite: I made new friends!!! And we're like our own little gang. These people are THE best people to learn from. I have enjoyed each of them in their own unique ways. I have a genuine love for them although I haven't met them in person. Well, I've known the creator, Sandra, for years through homeschooling in TX together. This group has so much fun via FB that if we met in person the cops might be called. Bow, what a story that would be. I gaurantee you that the people in this group would befriend and cook something delicious for their cell mates.

Another favorite: my family is asking for certain recipes and meals now. I made a cake last night. My son sat down beside me and told me why he loved it. He went into detail about why he generally doesn't like cake, but LOVED this one. He said that he felt like the cake (bread) part is usually dry. He generally eats more icing on the cake b/c it takes away from the dry cake. And he's not a big icing person anyway so cake hasn't always been a favorite. He told me that last nights cake was very moist, but the best part was that it tasted good. He went on to say he has eaten a moist cake with no flavor. Who knew he thought about this with such detail? Anyway, he continued by saying the icing was also perfect. I made a homemade whipped topping/icing. Neither of my boys like sweets that much. Store bought icing has always been detested by them. So much so that they would scrape off icing and eat the cake part at birthday parties so not to offend the birthday person. This whipped topping I made last night was airy, not too sweet and just about melted in your mouth. This cake is even better the next day when it's been refrigerated overnight. The topping caramelizes with the cake and is out of this world. I very much enjoyed listening to my son tell me why he loved this cake. I loved his thought process and I loved that he appreciated the effort I put into making it. He thanked me more than a few times. That is happiness to me.

Here's a few of the recipes I have made this year:

Balsamic Grilled Bruschetta Chicken

 

 

Chinese Chicken Salad

 

 

Grilled Orange Chicken Drumsticks

Onion, Tomato & Basil Mayonaise Sandwiches

 

 

Peppered Porkchops with Balsamic Sage

 

 

Pineapple Planter's Punch

Shanghainese Mini-Meatballs, Five Spice Potatoes with Sweet-soy sauced broccoli
 

Texas Tortilla Soup
 



My friend, Willie, his creation: Frito Pie Burger

My latest CMB book is Mexican. I had not even opened the book before my husband looked it over & said we needed to buy it. Another fave: my husband loves this cooking group and year of cooking just as much as I do.

Until next time,
Reb

Grandma's Chocolate Pie

My husband and I were in a bookstore looking at the next cookbook we'd like to use for a cooking group we belong to. We came across many awesome books, but I came across a book that touched my heart. The Homesick Texan. In case you haven't read my tagline or the "About Us" section on this blog, or even the name of my blog, I am a Texan living in Georgia. I'm always homesick. Always. I miss Texas. I miss the air. I miss the bluebonnets. I miss the "home" feel you get when you KNOW you're in Texas. You don't know that feeling unless you're from there. I love the people. I love the crazy weather. I love the food.

I swear Texas is in a seperate category for food. There is NOTHING like Texas food. Chicken Fried Steak with cream gravy....never had a better one outside of the state. Tex-Mex ... now I was raised on real Mexican food, but when you can't get the real stuff, Tex-Mex is a close second. The recipe for the Chalupas in this book....oh. my. word. I seriously could eat those everyday.

A staple for any Texan & my dad....Pecan Pie...and if you say "puh-can" you're saying it wrong. It's "pea-can". Ask any Texan. My dad taught me how to say it correctly. I love hearing him say, "pea-can". He stretched that one syllable into about 4. Peach Cobbler...serve hot with Blue Bell Vanilla. I have VERY fond memories of all five of us kids literally licking the pan the cobbler was baked in. When cold of course. We had it on rare occasions and it was another favorite of dads. Chocolate Pie...rich chocolate with a buttery crust and a cool, fluffy meringue. Again, my dad loves chocolate pie. Yes, he has a bad sweet tooth. Sopapillas. Now there is a recipe in the book for these, but I cannot bring myself to make them. My granpa Tony & Aunt Helen made the absolute best sopapillas EVER. There was no imitating their recipe. They've both passed and I miss them terribly. Maybe one day I can get my granma to tell me the recipe. Somehow, I doubt there was ever a recipe. I never saw either with a written recipe.

So back to The Homesick Texan cookbook. I walked out of the door that day not buying a single book. I was a little sad going home without the book. A few days went by and I made a comment about the book to a friend. She had the book. Well, it is her husband's cookbook. He got it for a Father's Day gift. She lives 45 minutes away so she put it in the mail and I had it the next day. I was giddy!! I immediately knew the recipes I wanted to try. I had mentally taken notes of some of the recipes while I was at the bookstore.

I have eaten most if not all of these recipes in some varied version at one time or another in my life. It's the reason I love this cookbook so much. It makes me feel like I'm home. Certain recipes remind me of people or a time or a tradition. It helps relieve that homesick feeling just for a moment, one sweet or savory bite at a time.

So, which recipe is this post about: Grandma's Chocolate Pie. There are two pies my dad loves. Pecan pie & a Chocolate Pie. I miss my dad. I made this pie to remind me of the great man he is and how much he would love a slice of it.

Grandma's Pie Crust
Ingredients:
For the crust (Makes enough for two. Cut the dough in half. Freeze the half for up to 6 months)
2 cups of flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup milk

Method:
Mix flour and salt. Mix oil and milk. Pour oil and milk into flour and salt and stir until combined into a dough. Can add more milk if dry. Separate into two balls (save one ball for another pie). Roll crust out between two sheets of wax paper, line a buttered pie pan with crust.

Grandma’s Chocolate Pie
Filling ingredients:
4 tablespoons of cocoa or 1 1/2 squares of baking chocolate
3/4 cups of sugar
5 tablespoons of flour
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1 1/2 cups of milk
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
2 egg yolks, beaten slightly
1 tablespoon of butter

Meringue ingredients:
2 egg whites
1/8 teaspoon of salt
4 tablespoons of sugar

Method:
Mix your sugar, flour, salt, cocoa, eggs and milk (all except vanilla and butter) with a whisk.
Cook while stirring on medium until it bubbles and thickens, about five to 10 minutes. If it becomes lumpy, just beat out the lumps. (It will not get any thicker in the oven so cook until it's as thick as you want it.)

Remove from heat and stir in your vanilla and butter. Meanwhile, poke holes in your pie crust with a fork and bake it at 350 until it’s brown, about 20 minutes.
 

Beat your egg whites with salt and when they start to get fluffy add the sugar. Pour the chocolate custard into the baked pie shell and top with the beaten egg whites. Bake it until it the peaks on the meringue are lightly browned, about 10 - 15 minutes.

Grandma says: “It’s real good hot, wonderful cold and you can even eat it frozen—then it’s like a popsicle!”

Note: All that's happening in the oven is the browning of the meringue. So be sure and keep cooking the custard in the pan until it's your desired consistency.
 

 

 

My dad would love this pie. Since I can't send him a slice, I'll eat it in his honor. Love you, dad!

 

 

Until next time,
Reb

Traditions

I don't know why I started thinking about traditions. But I did. I started thinking about the things we do at holidays, birthday's, special occasions, random days, and traditions that I'd like to start. I think it's important to have traditions. It helps carry down a legacy to your kids. It gives everyone involved good memories, fun times and typically a lot of love and laughter are shared....at least that's always my goal.


This may not be a tradition, but I do it when we cook spaghetti. It might be considered just plain silly and I'm ok with that. Some traditions are suppose to be silly. I don't even know where I learned about this or where I read it, but every since that day we have done it. Do you know there's a funny way to check to see if spaghetti is ready? A really funny way. And the kids love it everytime.

See her hand behind her head...she has (what we hope) is cooked spaghetti....and yes she is about to throw it...

She threw it at the cabinet above her. If it sticks it's ready. If it does not stick, it needs more time to boil. Funny, right? Now, there have been times when we threw it and it was not ready but it stuck anyways...I never said this was full proof. But it does work 99% of the time. And if we catch a time when it doesn't work that just means we get to throw it again!!!!

 

Birthdays. I love birthdays. I love to celebrate the people who are in my life with the day they were born. Make them feel special and loved like they make me feel. My husband says I go WAY overboard on birthdays, but I think it's once a year and so who cares! ;-)

 

 

Every year on each of my kids' birthday I decorate their door like this. I have a ton of pictures of their doors throughout the years, but not on this computer. I love doing this even with my boys who are almost 17 and 13. I don't care how old they get, if they're in this house I will decorate their room door. When they move out, I may even go to their house and do this.
I love seeing their faces when they open up their door to a curtain of crepe paper, balloons, and the same birthday banner that I have used for each of them for YEARS.

Speaking of doors...I started this tradition this year on Valentine's Day. I wrote things I love or admire about each of my kids and taped their "special" hearts to their door.

 

This is Ethan's door. Our oldest. His hearts stayed on his door for months. I loved that. Some of his hearts say: Dimples. Leader. Out going. Good heart. Strong faith.

 

 

 

This is Kaitlyn's door. She's 3. Hers are on the lower part of the door so she could really see them. Her hearts say: Baby girl. beautiful. Love bug. Friendly. Girly.

 

 

This is Braylin's door. He just turned 13. His hearts say: Beautiful eyes. Good friend. Athletic. Shy. Loyal.

 

Adam and I have NEVER gone out for Valentine's Day. We say everyday around here is V-day. We don't need to celebrate it just one day a year. So, instead every year we take off from school. I make goodie bags for the kids. We play cheesy games. I bake a heart cake or cupcakes and we have a special Valentine's Day themed family dinner. It's always a hit with the kids. I'm sure that's b/c they get a free day from school. Whatever the reason, it's a favorite tradition of mine.

 

Holidays: Thanksgiving is my absolute favorite holiday. It has my favorite things: faith, food, family & football. A tradition that I got from my mom- I cannot remember ONE Thanksgiving that my mom didn't cook or one that we weren't at home. Thanksgiving dinner is ALWAYS at my house and I ALWAYS cook. Now, there have been times in the 17 years of our marriage that this tradition has been broken. Ask Adam. I'm miserable! I know. I know. It's a day for thankfulness, I should be happy and full of thanksgiving. But I just hate it when we go somewhere else and I don't get to cook. Plus, my menu is a tradition. It's ALWAYS the menu and I never change it. I love being in the kitchen and preparing my menu for my family. Some of the recipes ONLY get made on Thanksgiving. I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving even more this year b/c we have MORE family coming to our dinner!!! I love when my house is FULL of people. My table this year:

 

Again, my actual picture of my Thanksgiving table is on a different computer. I got this picture from Martha Stewart as an idea for this year's table.

 

Halloween- 2nd favorite holiday. A new tradition started last year for us: The Halloween Party. Everyone had to dress up. We had great food and played games. It was a blast. It'll happen every year now.

 

 

Donna was a hippie. Lesia was Queen bee. I was Red Riding Hood. I can't find the picture of the guys!!! Adam was the Big Bad Wolf. Darin was also a hippie. Wonder what we'll be this year?

 

 

The kids were: Braylin a jester. Jordan a cowgirl (she's hugging Brae.) Ethan was Elmo. Danielle and Caleb were a redneck couple. Preston was a knight.

 

Kaitlyn was Princess Belle.

 

Christmas: We have a lot of Christmas traditions. One is an advent box. I do not have a picture of this and can't believe it!!! I love our Advent box. I will get one soon. Here's one very similar.

 

 

 

I do something a little different. I put a little candy in each day. But I also put in a piece of paper with maybe a joke, an extra special gift like $5 Starbucks, a verse, a freebie like no chores. One year I put in no school for the day, movie night, stay up until midnight. One time I asked for the child to pray for their family. I change it up so my kids never know what to expect. I also rotate who goes first each year. This year Kaitlyn gets to go first, then Braylin, then Ethan. So each kid gets to open every 3rd door.

Another tradition: The gingerbread house. We've been making one every year for about 7 years.... since we moved to GA.

 

 

A new tradition this year: Elf on the Shelf

 

 

Excited about this one!!!

 

Another tradition: We always decorate together & Braylin always puts a fire on for us.

 

 

 

Christmas music is a must in this house. I have it on very lightly in the background while we do school. I love Christmas music. Don't you?

 

 

 

 

We have a Jesse tree that we decorate daily as we read about the Advent story. I can't find pictures of our Advent tree. I'll post one this year.

 

Christmas Eve: This tradition started last year for us but I hope to continue with it for many, many years. We go to Olive Garden. We go with a group of close friends and have a ball.

 

 

 

 

New Years...of course we have a PARTY!!!!

 

 

This picture says it all. I'm sworn to secretsy on what they're laughing at.

On New Years Eve we always drink Sparkling Apple Cider from wine glasses. We eat fabulous fatty food. I have never eaten black eyed peas on New Years Day. Have you??

 

 And our cake from last year's NYE party....

 

 

Walkfishory....a very special meaning. :-)

 

 



 A tradition I want to start this year will be for Thanksgiving. I want to make a thanksgivng tree. Each day in Nov. up until T-Day we write down somehting we're thankful for and hang it on our tree.

 

These are our traditions. These are the things & days that I hope my kids look back on with fond memories. I hope they carry down some of these traditions. I pray these days surround them with love, joy and comforts of home like they do me.

 

 

Until next time,

Reb

 

 

 

 

 

 

My hearts content...

As a parent we all see things in our kids that make us tear up or fill our hearts with pride. We see them doing things that makes us laugh and then we see things we wish we never had. Over the years we forget these little moments. I was thinking about these "moments" the other day b/c I came across some pictures that I need to get into a scrapbook. Some made me laugh. Some made me sad. Some made me tear up. Some made me wish I could go back to the age they were at the time the picture was taken. I would tell myself to relax and enjoy them more. Being a parent is, without a doubt, the hardest job I've ever had. It makes you feel worthless, little, scared, pathetic, and downright lost at times. There are times that being a parent makes you feel joyful, pride, more love that you can ever imagine and downright happy. Sometimes the bad days outweigh the good days. Sometimes the good days make you feel like you've NEVER had a bad day! I love my children with an unconditional love they'll never know until they have children of their own. I fail everyday, but I gain more knowledge everyday in how God would want me to mother them. It is always my prayer that my children, no matter a good day or a bad, never doubt the love their father and I feel for them. There is never a day that goes by, not even a minute, that we are not thinking of how to be the parents they need us to be. It is my prayer that God would give us the wisdom, grace, love and compassion and to mold and teach Adam and I to be the parents he intended for us to be for Ethan, Braylin and Kaitlyn. They deserve that from us.


So, back to those little moments that fill our hearts with such emotions...

I love this picture of Braylin. There's nothing like being a carefree kid. This fills my heart with laughter.

Kaitlyn is full of life. She is always happy. This fills my heart with delight!

Ethan likes this pose. I have noticed through the years I have several of this pose. It's funny when I see them all together b/c he has changed in such dramatic ways throughout the pictures. This fills my heart with nostalgia.

Until next time,

Reb

Hand Made Egg Pasta

I have never made pasta from scratch. And especially not by hand. I've never considered doing it  b/c I buy pasta in bulk at Sam's. Why make it when I have 600 pounds of it sitting on the pantry shelf? Besides, I like simple & easy. It's nothing to toss in some pasta with a pot of boiling water. Set timer and drain. Nothing to it. However, I am in this cookbook group. The main premise of this group is to cook from another persons cookbook (within the group) and to challenge yourself while finding some incredible recipes.

When I took a glance at this recipe it was just that. A glance. I didn't give it a second thought. I bookmarked the recipes I wanted to try and hand made egg pasta didn't make the cut. Again, I have that 600 pounds of pasta all ready for some boiling water.

Then for some reason as I was getting the book ready to send off to the next member of the group, I asked myself if I had done one recipe that I was afraid of. My goal is to always learn something new and to become an amazing cook. I want to carry down a legacy of loving the kitchen and make memories my kids can share with their kids about mom being in the kitchen and great food. I want them to crave "mom's cooking" when they are older. I also want them to laugh with me at the mistakes I make in the kitchen. It is going to happen. As a matter of fact, I made a terrible chicken recipe just the other night. It was way too dry. The kids liked it and scarfed it down, but Adam and I gave that look to one another that said, "horrible".

So, I had not made one recipe I was afraid of. I made an incredible Patate e pomodori al forno aka Potatoes Baked with Tomatoes. It was awesome. I will make that again. I also had made a Granita di limone aka Lemon Granita that was so refreshing and delicious. I love anything lemon. I need to grow a lemon tree...anyway...

So, I had made nothing too hard. And then it hit me...MAKE THE HAND MADE EGG NOODLES. Yup, that'll make ya stretch. And it will teach you something new. Instead of packaging it up to mail, I opened up the book to the recipe and started Mise en place!

Adapted from Cook's Encyclopedia of Italian Cooking by Carla Capalbo
This recipe is for 1 - 2 servings.
Ingredients:
1 cup flour
2 eggs
pinch of salt

(Did you know that that is all you need to make pasta? I didn't. Probably why I never considered making fresh pasta.)-- HEY! I'm learning!

You will need toppings: cheese, red or white sauce or whatever color you want, pepperoni, chicken, red pepper flakes, pepper, butter. etc....what are you in the mood for?

For more servings add one egg for every 1/2 cup of flour...so if I had 1.5 cups of flour = 3 eggs serves 4-6, 2 c. of flour = 4 eggs serves 6-8 etc.

Make a well in the middle of the flour. (BTW- let me apologize for the photos up front. I like to think I take better pictures normally, but these aren't that great.)

Add the eggs and pinch of salt. See the fork? Take the fork and gradually mix the eggs and flour until you have the below pic....

Roll until it's a nice elastic. Your fingers will be sticky, just add more flour. The excess flour gets shaken off and when you boil it, the flour washes away. Roll out the dough until paper thin (for spaghetti or angel hair.) I made mine a little thicker b/c I like a thicker  noodle.

Take a sharp knife or pizza cutter (that's what I used) and cut the dough into strips. You can cut them however you like...big, small, just remember the noodle will swell a bit once boiled.

Shake off excess flour and place in a bowl. Set aside. Get a pot of water boiling. Add salt to water.

Don't forget to give the kids some of the dough so they can kneed and cut, too. It's about memories and loving the kitchen, right?

Notice her sleeves are rolled up. She did that. Not me. She's serious about this noodle business.

Now, as tempting as it might be-- DO NOT add noodles until the water is a rapid boil. Once water is boiling, add noodles. They only need to cook 30 seconds after the water comes back to a full boil.

Drain but don't rinse the noodle. This keeps the good starchy goodness on them. Add your favorite topppings or sauce. I added red pepper, fresh shaved parmesean and romano and butter.

So, there ya have it! I challenged myself to do something I have never done before. I can't fib. I did feed my kids a different meal just in case I completely messed this up. Boy, did they miss out!

Until next time,
Reb

Our summer

This has been a very busy summer. It's been a very fun summer, too. It started with us taking a vacation to the northeast. My youngest son and his baseball team went to Cooperstown, NY to play in the Little League Baseball Hall of Fame. We didn't want to rush to NY for the baseball tournament, so we took our time and enjoyed getting there. We drove about 4 or 5 hours and would stop to see different attractions. I really like doing that. Who wants to be in the car with 3 kids for hours on end with no ending in sight? Not me. And not the kids.

We left a week prior to the tournament to take in a Reds game and to go to Canada to see Niagra Falls for a few days. I LOVED the Falls. What a beautiful area. Canada was much different than our expectations, in a wonderful way. We've talked about going back to visit for longer.

On the Canadian side, looking to the American Falls.

My husband and I have a goal of seeing a game in every baseball stadium. We wanted to check a few off of our list with this trip. On our way to Canada we went through Ohio and saw the Reds play. THAT is one gorgeous stadium. Most definitely in my top 5 faves.

The Great American Ballpark, Cincinnati, OH.

After a week of taking a baseball game and enjoying Canada (night time is even more beautiful), we drove on to NY for the baseball tournament.

Cooperstown is a whole post in itself. I could write for hours about the week. I'm thankful for the opportunity to spend a week with these kids & coaches and their families.

After a very hard, tiring week at Cooperstown we went up to New Jersey to have some sweets!! What better place than the Cake Boss' bakery!!!! I can still taste the fruit tart. Mmmmmm!!!!

They don't look thrilled do they? They were. Really. They just hate mom taking a hundred pictures for everything we do.



The infamous Chocolate Chip Cannolis. They were AMAZING!

 Everyone needs a cupcake to try, of course! Kaitlyn tried a pretty yellow cake with a purple flower. Braylin tried the Chocolate cake with Chocolate Sprinkles, Ethan tried the Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese icing, Adam and I tried the Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese icing. When I saw the fruit tart, I had to try it. It was the best I have ever tasted. Seriously amazing.

Next up- NYC!!!!!!!!! What a busy place! Holy cow. Whatever you have heard, or seen on TV does not do the city justice. That place is PACKED! We loved it. Not the busyness of it, but the uniquiness, the charm, the people, the culture. It works so well together and it's a place everyone needs to visit. And night time is a whole other story. NYC at night is simply cool. The lights, the stores, the food, the party is non stop. I could see us all going back and staying there for a while. With all that said, it is nice to get back to the quiet country. It makes you appreciate the beauty of where we live all that more.

Look at all the people!

We were able to do so much in New York: Times Square at night, The M&M Factory, The 9/11 Memorial (such a solem, yet beautiful memorial), The Statue of Liberty, The Hudson River, Yankee Stadium (THE coliseum of baseball stadiums!!!!), The Mets Stadium (Citi Field- check that baseball field off the list!), ate REAL NYC pizza...I had a Chicken Parmigiana Pizza. No, I did not eat it all...not even half.

I have so many pictures of our vacation...a few of my favorites....

Ending ceremonies.

At The Hudson River with NY in the background...on the Jersey side. Stretching is important.

Watching the ships pass in The Hudson River.

Me...ready for the Mets game.

I swear I can never get a serious picture of these two. Braylin is ecstatic that he's almost as tall as his bigger brother, Ethan. Ethan just thinks he's goofy.

Daddy & Kaitlyn at the Mets game.

Us *love*

Dancing with the Statue of Liberty.

The North Side 9/11 Memorial

Lego land!!!

NYC at night!!! Times Square.

Adam successfully navigated his way through the Holland Tunnel, Lincoln Tunnel & NYC traffic. That IS an accomplishment!!  

 
Citi Field (Mets)


After NY we headed to PA. We saw were those dreaded Phillies play. The Liberty Bell, Ben Franklin's grave, and we ate at the legendary Geno's Steaks...




Then on to Washington DC. We toured The White House, The Lincoln Memorial, The Capitol, Smithsonian Historical, Space & Flight and Science Museums..

And then we headed to Myrtle Beach for a few days in the sun before heading home.

It was an amazing, unforgettable vacation. These pictures are just the tip of the iceberg. I need to get on to scrapbooking them all!

Fun family times.

Just this last 2 weeks we have had the pleasure of having family visit us. Adam's step mom and step sister visited for a few days. Of course they have to see the World's Largest Aquarium!!!

And of course, you have to have a smores night during the summer!!

You have to have Apple Pie when you're coming from Mexico to the USA, right??

And then a day after they left we had Adam's brother, sister-in-law, and nephew visit. This kid is absolutely adorable. And such a sweet boy!!!! I am in love with him.

So, needless to say, it has been a packed summer....we finished up baseball with districts, we have officially started football & cheerleading season, we got in a few White Water trips, finally finished the painting, and Adam has walls up in his warehouse! I would say this has been a very productive summer. Now for some rest....school starts August 20th, but maybe September!!!!!!!

Until next time,
Reb