Pinterest and I

I recently discovered this awesome website called Pinterest. And I confess I'm slighty addicted to it! It's basically a place where people post things that they like whether it be crafts, projects, pictures or whatever inspires them. You need an invitation in order to create your own boards. If anyone wants one, just let me know in a comment and I'll be more than happy to send you an invite. Go ahead and check it out, if you haven't already at pinterest.com. :)
In my defense, it's not just a timewaster, but I'm actually getting so many creative ideas from there. The first project I did was sewing skirts for the girls. They were really easy and turned out pretty. The girls love them. Lexi was so excited and kept grabbing it and hugging it before it was finished.

Isn't Lexi's cheesy smile absolutely adorable?! Notice the concrete floor in the picture of the girls? Well, now there's a beautiful tile floor there instead! My brother Joseph and his wife, Stacie put in the tile floor for an early Christmas gift to Mom. It's very nice!

Mamaw and Pops with the Grandkids on Thankgiving Day

Why Timmy is wearing his sneakers instead of his boots is a mystery to me! 

Another idea I got off of pinterest  was this cute Thanksgiving banner. We went outside and gathered most of the stuff we used. They had fun and so did I. :)

I find it kinda ridiculous that I don't have any pictures of the kids making it, but it was kinda hectic so it didn't happen.

 These pics are just so sweet that I had to share them. Lexi is definitely Daddy's girl. But then, so is Brittany. I don't blame them, I'm his girl too! :)

Awww!

I've got to go now, but I'll be back and hopefully sooner than last time! 

Thankfulness v. Tunnel Vision

There's quite a few negative things in the world, in Texas and in my own life right now that I could focus on.

The fires here in Texas

All the families who lost their homes

Here's a really beautiful picture, but sad when you realize that he's moving his horses to safety away from the fire.

Also we are in the process of moving to Fort Worth, but we're waiting till Isaiah has a for sure job up there. We are packed up and staying with my family right now. Having patient faith that God has a plan and it's a good one is something I have to work on everyday.

I was focusing way too much on the negative when I realized that I was developing tunnel vision and all I could see anymore was the bad stuff. You know how the great motivational speakers like Zig Ziglar and....... (ok, I'm sure there's others even if I can't think of them right now!) say that we should make a list of the things we're thankful for and how it can change your whole outlook on life. Well I decided to do that and I'm going to share with ya'll my list for today. :)

I am thankful for..................
1. a God who is so rich in Mercy, Grace and Love that never ends
2. my awesome husband who is doing a great job at hunting down jobs and has a very good prospect
3. our four beautiful children
4. living in a state (TEXAS!!!) that rallies together and helps their neighbors in hard times
5. Walmart :) - they honored the warranty on our battery and we got a brand new one absolutely free for our excursion
6.  people who make good, Godly movies that actually make it to the theaters (there's several but last night we watched "Seven Days In Utopia" and enjoyed it

7. my baby girl who is doing really good with her potty-training!

And sometimes you get a fan crowd!



(I hope these pics didn't offend anyone or gross you out!) :D



8. a wonderful church waiting for us in Fort Worth (it really feels like coming home!)
9. my family who is very generously letting us stay with them and barge into their daily life with no apologies. I love ya'll! ;)
10. and finally, I'm thankful for this blog where I can write down my thoughts and in the process sort through and gain perspective on situations.

Thanks ya'll for listening! I feel better already! I really do have a LOT to be thankful for and the negative things are fast fading away into oblivion.

One more thing. How do I know whether I'm using a copyrighted photo? I'm guessing if I can save it to my computer, it's ok to use it. If anyone has any info, please share it with me. :) Thanks!!!

Later!

My First Blog Post!!!

Hello and welcome to my Blog! I have been thinking about creating a blog for quite some time now and I've finally done it! Having a blog appealed to me as a place for me to write about the happenings in our family and also where I can share my thoughts and views on things. Sometimes it's hard to fit everything I have to say in a single Facebook post. Lol!

Today for lunch I tried a new recipe for spanish rice and it turned out pretty good. Lexi ate it with much gusto and was clapping her hands between each bite. :)

Easy Mexican Rice (Spanish Rice)

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1/4 of a medium onion
• 1 1/2 cups rice
• 3 cloves finely chopped garlic
• 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup plain tomato sauce
• 4 heaping tablespoons of finely chopped parsley or 4 teaspoons dried parsley

Preparation:

In a medium sauce pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add in the fresh onion. Saute for 1-2 minutes until softened. Add dry rice and cook with the onions for about 5 minutes or until rice becomes a golden brown color. Add in the garlic to the rice and saute for one more minute.Add in broth and tomato sauce (add slowly into the rice, not directly onto hot pan!) And then add in the parsley if you're using it. Stir it up and bring to a boil. Once it starts boiling, turn the heat to low and cover. Let it simmer for 20 minutes and fluff with a fork.

Years ago me and my sister, Ruth went to Monterrey, Mexico and stayed at this awesome hotel where they served some amazing spanish rice. Every grain was an individual and it didn't just stick together. I ate it for lunch and dinner every day for a week and I would've eaten it for breakfast had they served it! I have been looking for a recipe to recreate it. The above recipe isn't it, but's it's still good!  So..... I'm still looking for the perfect recipe. :)

Well, this is going to be all for today. I'm excited about my blog and hope people will enjoy reading it! Here's a shoutout to my sister, Dorcas who is already following my blog even though there is nothing to follow until now. You're the best, Dorcas and I hope my blog won't be too offensive to your lofty (but awesome!) blog standards! Lol! ;)

See-ya! I will be back!