Sunday, May 31, 2015

I beat the alarm!

Even though I had my new, daily alarm set to remind me about writing I didn't need it. Yay, point for my memory. 

Let's talk cooking, shall we? There are many things I love doing. I am an artist, a poet, a photographer, and a dancer. Ok I am not a dancer but I would love to be. I have a small problem though, I have a hard time clapping and singing at the same time. I know, pathetic. The rest of the things are true and I am also a cook. About 3 or 4 years ago my twin posted a recipe on Facebook about a lemon chicken. She posted the link and that was it for me. The wonderful Ree Drummond of The Pioneer Woman had so many recipes on her page with step by step instructions and pictures for each of those steps. I am a full on visual gal and had wanted to learn how to cook a whole chicken because it would be cost efficient for my large family. She had the know how on her page. That sent me on a month of cooking and trying new things. I was hooked. My friend Rae bought my first favorite cookbook and I now have a million ( give or take a few) other kinds of cookbooks. 
               
I loved everything about this book. 
For Ree and her simple ways of teaching I am forever thankful. Now I love cooking more then any of the other things. To create and provide a meal for loved ones is a great feeling. 
I am also a huge fan of the Lodge cast iron skillet. I have three Dutch ovens. One small, one enamel covered, and the other a large black one. I also have two small pans, one large pan, and a flat pizza/burrito pan. Last weekend at our coming trip I had a normal ( not cast iron) metal stove top grill. It was sturdy and I used it often at home. At the camp I put it over the fire on a grill thing. It totally melted. I was a little embarrassed thinking maybe it didn't go on the fire. Then I remembered it went on the fire at home. It was just not up for a blazing ish fire. 
Today I went to Walmart and I replaced it with the best, a Lodge grill skillet. It cost only $20. 
I am pleased and can't wait to use it. 
I am thankful for a love of cooking and thankful for great cooking pans that won't fail me. I am thankful for an amazing stove. I am even thankful that it is dirty right now because it means we have food to cook and eat and full bellies.
What are some hobbies that you love and are thankful for?  

I forgot....

I challenged myself with this daily blog writing because I knew it would be hard. I am a very go with the flow person. I live in the moment, the here and right now. The whole saying "out of sight, out of mind" is mostly true for me. So last night with my daddy getting in town, my twin and two of her kids here in town, cooking dinner and cleaning up for them, then celebrating a birthday, it is no wonder I totally forgot about my daily writing. To fix that problem I have a genius idea....I will just put it in my calendar. 
            
Maybe this will solve the problem. 
My first thing I am thankful for is this calendar. For years I did not use one. My husband was a lover of the written in calendars and went no where with out it, I on the other hand, did not own one. Today this lovely phone calendar, that so kindly reminds me of important events is life changing. I would not show up to anything with out it. It maybe a sign of old age but I am going to go with the fact that I have 5 kids and it is just a lot to remember....ya, that is it. 

My twin is the only person in the world who can tell me she doesn't like something of mine and it not hurt my feelings. I had on a shirt that she was not a fan of and so when I went to change I chose one that I knew she would "love" even more. It has now been referred to the hamburger helper shirt. What do you think? 

My mother in law made the shirt and I am very thankful for her mad skills. She has made all of the kids special blankets and she has giving us a ton of things over the years. Some things are a hit and some are a miss, this one....well....not so much. 

I am thankful for a daddy, a papa, who plays with my kids and joins in with the things they are doing instead of getting aggravated that they didn't stop everything to talk to them. Kids do not just talk, they play, they pretend, they wrestle, and if someone wants to spend time with them they need to jump into that. Kids hearts are so open to talking and receiving when we do it in a creative way, not a forced way. My daddy is the best at doing things they kids love. He makes memories with them and starts traditions with them. 
     
He is also a pretty good nail painter. Miss ava is now rocking the navy nail polish. 

Today everyone leaves and it will be just 5 of us here. Melinda heads home with her crew and daddy heads home with two from my crew. I am thankful for the next week to get caught up on everything. 

I am a blessed woman. I am so thankful for second chances, for gentle reminders, and for family that loves everything about me. 

Friday, May 29, 2015

Breaking the routine

                    
Day four and already I almost forgot to post. I am about to go to bed and I all of the sudden remembered the blog....oh crap, the blog. I should probably do that real quick. 
Here is something i am pretty sure of. 
I am pretty sure little to no one reads this. 
Because of that I will say that I am thankful for girly personals. I am not on my period at the moment but was thinking about how I can't imagine living in a time frame where pads and tampons did not exist. I am very thankful for them. How did they even survive? 
I am thankful for medicine. It helps with so many things like headaches, back aches, sickness, heart attacks, and etc. So many lives have been saved and changed because of meds. 

Today my twin and I got to go do a photoshoot together and it is always so much fun working with her. I am so thankful that about 4 years ago we decided i would  also learn. Melinda and Ginger have been amazing teaches. They have taught me the best from the start and that has been a huge blessing. 
                     

I adore cooking and I am sooo thankful for the many different ways I can go to "school" for free. Internet, the library, tvshows, and discount bookstores have been such a huge key to my learning new tips. 
I want my kids and grandkids to know and talk about the fact that I loved God and that I loved cooking and loved serving others. I have a few mottos and one is "see a need, fill a need" I cannot ,for the life of me, understand why someone would see something broken or spilled, or fallen and not stop to help.  Each situation is different and sometimes it is not possible but usually it is. 
If everyone asked them self " how can I be a blessing today?" And we acted on that the world would have a huge change. 
Are there some things that you can do tomorrow to be a blessing to those around you? Is there anyone who went to bed tonight having a moment of thankfulness for you and what you did today? 
Let's try to step out of our comfort zone tomorrow and bless the socks off someone < and then help them find themselves because socks are sneaking Iike that and get lost > 

Thursday, May 28, 2015

It's a new day.

                  

I love knowing that each moment and each morning I can choose to start over. If I have made poor decision with things like my time, eating, or even my attitude then I can always make a better choice the next moment. I can choose to do the right things at any giving minute. That is a very good thing. I am so thankful for second, third, and even fourth chances. 
Have you ever had something that you wanted to call a do over? 
Today is a great day. No do over for this. 
My twin is here today 😃. We live about 2.5 hrs away from each other so we don't get to see each other but every few months. I am thankful it is not more but pray for the day that we can live in the same town. Her daughter is my daughter's best friend and they plan out every moment they get to play together. Dinosours, and hide n go seek are on the list this time. 
am thankful for each day, the good and the bad ones. I am thankful that my family was safe through out the night and that each person woke up with breath in their lungs. We never know when it is our last and even a bad day is better then a no day. 
I love living in an area where grocery stores are all around and I can grab what I want, when I want....or when I forget that my sister is, in fact, coming up today. 😁 ( sorry sis, the day just snuck up on me) I can pop in for eggs and veggies to fit her Paleo life style. 
Four of our eight kids have been playing minecraft for the last couple of hours and you guessed it....I am thankful for that game. It has kept them contained to one area of the house instead of the normal -chasing each other inside the loop of the rooms. 
I am also so glad it is bed time. I have cleaned up part of my home. I have primed 4 corn hole boards, and then cooked dinner for 10 people. I am wiped out and so thankful for a comfy bed and kids that are going to sleep now. 😉 
Did you wake up today with a thankful heart? Was there something that you had to choose a thankful attitude about instead of a woo is me attitude?  

Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Thankful for...


                                         
Officially day one of my summer started at 12:45 pm. All my kids were home from school and alarms were turned off signaling the start of this short season. I love my kids, therefor I love having them home with me for any and all breaks. This summer though will be the test.....it will be my first summer following having all kids in school. I have enjoyed the lunch dates and grocery shopping alone. I have enjoyed the walking out of the house with just me, my purse, and keys. This may be the summer that I am counting down the days until those things can happen again. Until that happenes I will enjoy them and be thankful. 
So on that note here is today's thankfulness. 
I am thankful for.....
-More then one car so we are not waiting on each other to run errands. 
-For a mechanic that we know and trust for our cars. 
-for a mother who has prayerd for her kids through out the years and is very proud of who we have become 
-for a father who can fix just about anything in the world and whom I still call daddy 
- for a brother who is the perfect younger, bigger brother. 
- for the many available resources on health and making better decisions for my body and my family's health. 
-for full healing in my body, those that I see evidence in like MS and those I am still waiting for full evidence of the healing like my back. 
- for friends who love me, laugh with me, cry with me, and pray with me. 
- for my twin sister, my best friend and longest friend. I feel I am one of the luckiest people in the world to be giving a best friend from birth. She knows every detail of my life and we share more secret jokes then any other friend I have. 

Did your summer officially start today? If so what are you thankful for? 

Tuesday, May 26, 2015

A summer of thankfulness

Tomorrow is a half day of school and the last one of this school year. I am already a thankful person and pretty optimistic but I thought I might challenge myself to post each day of what happened that I am thankful for. So even though I  am officially starting on Thursday I figured I would start with a little pre summer thankfulness. 
I am thankful 
-for kids that have kind hearts.
-For kids that, for the most part, do their best. 
-for a husband who is driven to do his best and provide for his family. 
-for teachers that love my kids like second parents and want them to succeed as much as I do. 
-for a free country where I can worship Jesus with everything I have...legally. 
-for the trails I have gone through like being diagnosed with M.S. and losing two pregnancy in the second trimester ( given birth to one of them) because it is through those trials that my relationship with God has grown so much and my sphere of people I can relate to is so much bigger. 
-for Gods protection of my life and my family. 
-for so many other things, the list could go on and on 
-for God sending his son to die in my place. 

I would love for others to join me on the summer of thankfulness and tell me about it as well. What are you thankful for ?