Wordless Wednesday-A Boy and a Puddle

Ten on Tuesday

1. Last week I got 7 inches of hair chopped off! It feels SO different and it feels SO good!
2. I have been in such a blogging rut and I really hope that I am pulling out of it.
3. Last Friday our church had a ladies game night! I had so much fun! We played Bunko!
4. My little coffee drinker.

5. For game night I made a copycat Starbucks cold drink. Recipe: 10 cups coffee, 1/2 c brown sugar, 1/2 c white sugar, 1/2 c vanilla creamer! So yummy and easy-this is what Klayton is actually drinking in the above picture!
6. On Sunday we had a church fellowship and I made a Butterfinger Trifle-by the time I got to it I literally had to scrape the sides for some! It was a hit and so easy! Bake the brownies of your choice in a 13x9 pan, make 2 pkgs of chocolate instant pudding according to directions, use a bag of mini butterfingers and 16 ounces cool whip. I layered brownies (cut into small cubes), chocolate pudding to fill the cracks, cool whip, 6 mini butterfingers crushed and repeat!
7. If you own a Kindle and are a fan of Karen Kingsbury, as of last night they were selling the combo of Even Now and Ever After for $1.99!
8.

9. Yesterday morning I woke up to a little boy shaking me, why? Because he wanted to snuggle...those moments are priceless to me and will always be cherished. Those moments are perfect reminders to me of why Klayton was worth the wait and is my greater yes.
10. I have a lot on my heart that needs prayer. Would you please pray for me and my special unspokens today? Have a Happy Tuesday!

Three Strikes

Take me out to the ball game...

Yep, my little guy is now a baseball fan!

He has a bat and a ball!

And his own "stance"!
Just add this sport to the ever growing list of favorite sports!

Rut

I admit I am in a blogging rut. What to blog about, I haven't had anything exciting happen in my life as of late. And the "deep" things I would like to blog about would probably result in people calling me in frustration or sad about what I am blogging even though this is my blog and I should be able to blog about what I want. So, yes maybe I would like to blog about how I am a people pleaser! Or maybe I would like to blog about dreams that I am having to learn to give up and am struggling to do so? Mmm...I am still here in blog world and hope to return with a few posts this week!

My Heart Aches

Saturday night I was laying in bed checking out Facebook while I waited for another life in Candy Crush. I was scrolling across recent status updates and posts when I saw one in particular that caught my eye. I discovered my friend Benny Totter had passed away from a heart attack at 31 leaving 2 kids behind. Benny and I had went to college together and our freshman year allowed us to live on the same dorm floor. We shared many great conversations on the stairwell to the 2nd floor, we laughed together and celebrated my first birthday away from home "swooning" over Mickey Mantle.

Benny and I lost touch and thankfully through Facebook we were able to reconnect. We had been talking about reconnecting in "real life" if I could get through Chicago. I wish we could have had that day. I find myself visiting her Facebook page and scrolling through her photos because even though we were no longer "close" her death has deeply affected me. Benny was 31...I am 31...she was planning for her future with her kids and I have my plans for the future with Klayton. One of her last status updates made mention of the year 2021 when she would be 40 watching her daughter graduate from high school-a day that will never be hers. My heart aches. Benny's death has reminded me how fleeting life is, no one is "too" young to die.

I can't help but think of all those moments her daughter Hannah will want to share with her mom...how Benny will not be there to watch her little boy grow into a man. I can't help but to think the smile that made Benny's eyes crinkle will never be seen again on this earth. My heart aches.
I am sure Benny is not wishing she could be back here living life, she gets to be in Heaven sitting at the feet of the One who is the giver and taker of life...the One who saved her from the fire so she can live for eternity with Him. And though it didn't seem "fair" He wanted to die for us so that we could be given eternal life in Heaven. Who is the One I speak of? My Lord, Jesus Christ. If tomorrow were never to come for you do you know where you would spend eternity? If not, I would love the opportunity to chat with you about it.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Pet Peeves

I admit, it is no longer Friday-its 12:30 a.m and I missed linking up to A Blonde Ambition for Confessional Friday by 30 minutes. Do you think they will notice? Maybe.
I, however, could not miss this topic link up: pet peeves!

If you know me well, you have figured out that I have a few pet peeves! Though I just asked my husband if he knew what they were and are, his answer, "No!" Ha! I do know what they are, so go ahead-ask me!

To name a few, in no particular order:

1. Cars taking up two spaces.
I admit that I am not always the best person at parking; but I do know that you don't park OVER the line!

And, I also don't appreciate getting excited over what I think is a free parking spot! I often find myself speeding up to get there more quickly, only to realize there is car there. The car is either a stupid smart car or pulled all the way up in the space.

2. Spelling errors!
Oh. My. Word. I can still remember watching a news station KDLT in South Dakota that spelled Wednesday, WENDENSday! Yep, never trusted their sources again!

3. Mispronunciation.


4. Chomping.
I googled the definition:
Verb;
Munch or chew vigorously and noisily.
(of a horse) Make a noisy biting or chewing action.
Just thinking about hearing every, little crunch makes me cringe. Therefore, I find myself incapable of properly defining this pet peeve; but will simply leave you with this question, do you want someone to term you with this particular definition of a HORSE?

Summer Fun: Recipes

Today is our final post for the Summer Fun series and I am excited to have Hollie from Blog-a-Holic sharing a favorite recipe! I have been following Hollie's blog for a couple of years now and have had the opportunity to "chat" with her via email a few times and really enjoy her sweet spirit! Thanks Hollie for sharing!

Summer is here which means long days, sunshine, grilling outdoors, pool time, and fun! Here is a great recipe for a fresh, summery salad. You can serve it cold with tortilla chips or hot over grilled fish! It is so versatile and has all the great flavors of summer wrapped into one super easy dish! Enjoy!

Source

Roasted Corn Salsa

16oz pkg frozen corn

1 diced tomato

1 diced jalapeno

1 diced green bell pepper

The juice from 1/2 lime

Chopped cilantro to taste

A swirl of olive oil

Salt & Pepper to taste

Dump the corn into a saute/fry pan. Cook over medium heat until corn begins to brown slightly. Add corn into a large mixing bowl and allow to cool. While the corn is cooling, dice your other veggies. I cut the ribs & seeds out of the jalapeno, but they can be added in according to your heat preference. I also cut the innards out of the tomato to keep it from being too wet. Add all the ingredients into the mixing bowl with the corn and toss well. Taste and season accordingly. Refrigerate overnight. 

Bucket List-Book Review #4

Well, another book to check off the list and 8 more still to read!

Not a Sparrow Falls, by Linda Nichols



I enjoy fiction; but tend to be picky about it as time goes on. I have read Karen Kingsbury and enjoyed her books; but have grown tired of them. Lori Wick is another favorite of mine, I especially enjoyed Pretense and Sophie's Heart. It seems to me that Karen Kingsbury and Lori Wick have the same tendencies in writing and I wanted to try a "different" style; but was hesitant-know what I mean? Well, I was pleasantly surprised with this selection, I was able to download it for free on my Kindle Fire!
I enjoyed this book from start to finish! The author did a wonderful job painting each scene and each character jumped out of the pages into "real life". I was captivated by real life struggles and the love and redemption that God offers! I would definitely recommend this book and would like to read more of her work!

Ten on Tuesday

1. Busy week ahead as I prepare for Klayton’s grandma and grandpa to come visit!
2. This photo really puts into perspective how tiny my niece is!

3. I must confess that I was nervous about the post I did on infertility. But, I am SO thankful that I did, I received comments and private messages from some sweet ladies that are now added to my prayer list!
4. Keep praying for my Grandpa Collins, he is still in the hospital with some bleeding on the brain. We are hoping he will be released sometime this week.
5. I am thankful for friends who have become adopted family! We have a sweet couple in our church, Adam and Afton who love Klayton and well Klayton just LOVES them as well. He loves them so much that he may have thrown a fit when they told him goodbye.
6. Klayton and I have now read over 60 books for the summer reading program! Woohoo! One of our favorite books has been, Goldilocks by Dom De Luise! Such a cute version!

7. Dear Candy Crush, Would you please consider letting me pass level 169 sometime VERY soon? Pretty please and thank you for your consideration! Sincerely, Defeated Player of Two Weeks.
8. I am working on a post about Obedience and I would LOVE for you to answer this question, why is obedience important?
9. So, I'm just going to say it...when is Kendra going to get into shape? I'm hoping she will start making an effort yesterday!
10. What is a post without a picture of Klayton? Not happy...so to make things happy here he is!

Happy Tuesday!

Bucket List-Book Review

Well, here's to checking off another book from my bucket list, goal 4-Read 12 books I've never read before! And with this book under my belt I have now read 3!

I read, Beyond Ordinary···When a Good Marriage Just isn't Good Enough by, Justin and Trisha Davis.



What I appreciated is how honest and transparent the couple was in documenting and sharing their marriage struggles. Most people in general are not willing to be transparent and then to be transparent on paper and publish it?! That rarely happens because, "what will people think?!"

I found myself relating to Trisha and that made me want to keep reading even more! There were a lot of good points; but does not use the King James Bible I just don't feel like I can 100% endorse it. I also was not fond of the final chapter and found myself briefly skimming it.

Points I took from the book...just a few:

·It is a dangerous prayer to pray-God change me. You know why it's dangerous? Because this is a prayer God will always answer. God longs to transform you. As much as you want to change your spouse, as much as you try to modify your behavior, God wants to change your heart. This prayer is where lasting change starts.

·Marriage is physical and emotional, but more than anything else, marriage is spiritual.

·None of us has the capacity to change a human heart. We think that by trying to change our spouse's behavior we are changing their hearts, but that isn't true. By trying to change our spouse's behavior we are actually damaging their hearts.

·Oneness in marriage is possible. It isn't easy, but it is possible. And it only comes as each spouse individually pursues God.

·Less than 8% of Christian couples say that they pRay together on a regular basis.

·Distorting truth and compromising truth often seems innocent and harmless, but it always comes with a price.

·We fear the consequences of confession because we have yet to realize the consequences of concealment.

·If God is powerful enough to do so many miracles, it seems reasonable to conclude that He will also be good with directions.