And my cute little Gabby!
What are you doing for the weekend?
Friday, January 28, 2011
Welcome to the Weekend!
Hooray it's the weekend...and it's going to be a nice one so maybe we will go out to the condo for some R&R. I will take these...
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Trying The Pioneer Woman's Cheesy Sour Cream Enchiladas Recipe....
While checking out the Pioneer Woman's blog I ran across her post on Sour Cream Enchiladas...They looked so good and so easy that I had to try them myself and so...
I gathered the ingredients...corn tortillas, sour cream, sharp cheddar cheese, green onions, ground cumin, cayenne pepper, and Enchilada sauce...mixed them together
Heated the tortillas in one skillet then coated them with the sauce from the other...
Filled the tortillas with the cheese mixture and placed them in the baking dish and smothered them with more cheese and baked them at 375 degrees for 20 minutes...
My goodness...for 15 minutes work...these are good :)
Get the recipe with beautiful step-by-step pictures from
Monday, January 24, 2011
The Gospel of Girlfriends
Remember when I told you my idea of having guests bloggers in 2011? Well, here it is the first of 12...read and be blessed!
I am blessed to know some incredible women. Women who give me reason to pause and think about something besides me, myself, and I! I am a member of a bible study at my church. The "title" of our group is J.O.Y. Which stands for Jesus...Others...Yourself. I believe and know it to be true that my relationship with Christ and others flourishes when I get myself out of the way. So every month while I entertain and hopefully encourage you in my blogposts I am going to make it a priority to "get out of the way" and let some wonderful women spread their special brand of JOY.
I asked my friend Sharon to be my first guest blogger for a variety of reasons. I gave her very little direction because I knew it wouldn't be necessary. She would pray and get direction and we would all be blessed. I met Sharon when I worked at Holy Nativity Episcopal School. She is beautiful and fun to be with but that's not what draws you in. After being around her for a very short time you want to ask "Sharon what is your secret?" ...Here it is!
The Gospel of Girlfriends
I am so excited and privileged to be a guest blogger for Kim Dodd’s wonderful blog. I have to confess that I am not a blogger at all and have never even been able to discipline myself to journal for more than four or five days in a row though I have always wanted to do that for my children. I am not a writer and told Kim she would get to do a great editing job for me. Her request was very open ended which is so scary for me because my mind can’t settle on one subject and it will tend to ramble if I don’t watch it carefully, but I am going to give this a shot and hope that you all will reap some little grain of joy or hope or just the feeling that you are not alone with the craziness of your world!
I titled this The Gospel of Girlfriends because I have prayed and asked the Lord to speak through me about a few of the most important milestones in my life and they have all involved girlfriends. I am beyond thankful for every girlfriend He has given me. The first girlfriend he brought to mind was my best friend in the 5th grade. Her name was Sandra and she was the kind of friend that could make me laugh until I wet my panties! We did a lot of laughing and pretending. She was the person who told me that I had a very big decision to make. Because I loved her so I listened carefully. She explained to me in a way that only a fifth grader can do that she knew that I loved God, but that I needed to ask Him to come in to my heart and make Him my best friend. I grew up in the Baptist Church and the thought of walking down that isle and making my love for Christ public was very scary to say the least. Sandra knew that and sat with me that Sunday and bravely walked down that long isle with me. I knew that my life was forever changed from that day forward. We still giggled in church and got in much trouble, but from that time to this day so many years later, He is with me still. That most important decision and milestone was sparked by the love of a girlfriend and for that I am truly thankful.
Many years later after a divorce and years of heartache and sorrow a precious girlfriend invited me and my daughter Lauren to go with her and her daughter to hear a lady speak at a Christian women’s gathering. I have to confess this was one of if not THE lowest point in my life. I was in the middle of major difficulty with my teenagers and suffering from a broken heart on a daily basis. When the day came to go I absolutely wanted to call her and tell her I did not have the time or the energy to go and had she not told me that we really needed to do this for our “daughters” I would have found a way out of it. I don’t even remember the lady who spoke, but I will tell you that the Lord sent her there for me that night. I also don’t remember a word that she said. I just know that He began a healing process in my life that put my broken heart and spirit back on the right track in a way that I unfortunately don’t have the space to explain. That night I promised Him that I would be back in bible study and have my children back in church on a regular basis. Thank you Lord for my girlfriend Donna.
My girlfriend Dietra who facilitated several of the Beth Moore bible studies that I took, asked if she could sponsor me on an Emmaus Walk. I am Baptist and that is a Methodist thing, but I knew a spiritual retreat surely couldn’t hurt me! What a life changing experience that was! Four days of intense soul searching and time spent with the Lord. I had been a Christian for a long time at this point, but for the first time truly came to know and understand that Jesus was more than just someone to whom I ran when my life or someone else’s was falling apart, or to help me make some big decision, or to bring forgiveness that I so often need. He is with me always, in every step and turn of every day. I learned to “look” for Him in all things and low and behold I found Him!!! What a joy it has been to know that He truly is my best friend and He wants to spend time with me and walk with me through whatever comes my way. I can honestly say that the knowledge that nothing comes in to my life that He does not have a purpose for and wants to use to grow me, has brought more spiritual maturity to my life than I can tell you.
The other milestone I want to share with you that has changed my life has been realizing that “it’s not about me”. I can’t pin point a girlfriend that brought this knowledge to me. This one came through the “school of hard knocks” as my dad would have said. However, the Lord has given me the opportunity to share this knowledge with other girlfriends in ways that have saved marriages, relationships, and a lot of heartache. It took a long time for me to understand and confess that if I took the time to think about the things in my life that upset me most and caused broken relationships, I would realize that I was upset because of the effect that this person or situation had on ME. When I began to be able to get “self” out of the way I began to become the girlfriend, wife and mother that God has called me to be. I have to tell you that growing up in the “ME” generation with the strong influence of the Women’s Lib movement has not made that an easy process. The process has been necessary none the less.
So here’s to girlfriends. Cherish those whom God has given you. Encourage one another. Get in the word together. Kim and I had the joy of doing Beth Moore bible studies together with another precious friend and God brought us through a lot together. We are here for each other. You and I are to be Jesus in this sometimes cold and difficult world. I have seen Him turn my ashes into beauty. To God is the glory. I want to leave you with a few verses that have summed up my life. Jeremiah 29:11 which we love to hear…For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Awesome to know and I love the verses that follow…12-14...Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and will bring you back from captivity. God bless you girlfriends, He will bring you back if you seek him with all of your heart! Sharon
From Left: Denise, Me, Sharon, Jenny, Amy, and Ena...all sharing afternoon tea complete with hats and gloves at Magnolia and Ivy's in Baytowne Wharf. We had just come from Jenny's baptism at Sharon's church...(notice how Jenny is beaming)!
I am blessed to know some incredible women. Women who give me reason to pause and think about something besides me, myself, and I! I am a member of a bible study at my church. The "title" of our group is J.O.Y. Which stands for Jesus...Others...Yourself. I believe and know it to be true that my relationship with Christ and others flourishes when I get myself out of the way. So every month while I entertain and hopefully encourage you in my blogposts I am going to make it a priority to "get out of the way" and let some wonderful women spread their special brand of JOY.
I asked my friend Sharon to be my first guest blogger for a variety of reasons. I gave her very little direction because I knew it wouldn't be necessary. She would pray and get direction and we would all be blessed. I met Sharon when I worked at Holy Nativity Episcopal School. She is beautiful and fun to be with but that's not what draws you in. After being around her for a very short time you want to ask "Sharon what is your secret?" ...Here it is!
The Gospel of Girlfriends
I am so excited and privileged to be a guest blogger for Kim Dodd’s wonderful blog. I have to confess that I am not a blogger at all and have never even been able to discipline myself to journal for more than four or five days in a row though I have always wanted to do that for my children. I am not a writer and told Kim she would get to do a great editing job for me. Her request was very open ended which is so scary for me because my mind can’t settle on one subject and it will tend to ramble if I don’t watch it carefully, but I am going to give this a shot and hope that you all will reap some little grain of joy or hope or just the feeling that you are not alone with the craziness of your world!
I titled this The Gospel of Girlfriends because I have prayed and asked the Lord to speak through me about a few of the most important milestones in my life and they have all involved girlfriends. I am beyond thankful for every girlfriend He has given me. The first girlfriend he brought to mind was my best friend in the 5th grade. Her name was Sandra and she was the kind of friend that could make me laugh until I wet my panties! We did a lot of laughing and pretending. She was the person who told me that I had a very big decision to make. Because I loved her so I listened carefully. She explained to me in a way that only a fifth grader can do that she knew that I loved God, but that I needed to ask Him to come in to my heart and make Him my best friend. I grew up in the Baptist Church and the thought of walking down that isle and making my love for Christ public was very scary to say the least. Sandra knew that and sat with me that Sunday and bravely walked down that long isle with me. I knew that my life was forever changed from that day forward. We still giggled in church and got in much trouble, but from that time to this day so many years later, He is with me still. That most important decision and milestone was sparked by the love of a girlfriend and for that I am truly thankful.
Many years later after a divorce and years of heartache and sorrow a precious girlfriend invited me and my daughter Lauren to go with her and her daughter to hear a lady speak at a Christian women’s gathering. I have to confess this was one of if not THE lowest point in my life. I was in the middle of major difficulty with my teenagers and suffering from a broken heart on a daily basis. When the day came to go I absolutely wanted to call her and tell her I did not have the time or the energy to go and had she not told me that we really needed to do this for our “daughters” I would have found a way out of it. I don’t even remember the lady who spoke, but I will tell you that the Lord sent her there for me that night. I also don’t remember a word that she said. I just know that He began a healing process in my life that put my broken heart and spirit back on the right track in a way that I unfortunately don’t have the space to explain. That night I promised Him that I would be back in bible study and have my children back in church on a regular basis. Thank you Lord for my girlfriend Donna.
My girlfriend Dietra who facilitated several of the Beth Moore bible studies that I took, asked if she could sponsor me on an Emmaus Walk. I am Baptist and that is a Methodist thing, but I knew a spiritual retreat surely couldn’t hurt me! What a life changing experience that was! Four days of intense soul searching and time spent with the Lord. I had been a Christian for a long time at this point, but for the first time truly came to know and understand that Jesus was more than just someone to whom I ran when my life or someone else’s was falling apart, or to help me make some big decision, or to bring forgiveness that I so often need. He is with me always, in every step and turn of every day. I learned to “look” for Him in all things and low and behold I found Him!!! What a joy it has been to know that He truly is my best friend and He wants to spend time with me and walk with me through whatever comes my way. I can honestly say that the knowledge that nothing comes in to my life that He does not have a purpose for and wants to use to grow me, has brought more spiritual maturity to my life than I can tell you.
The other milestone I want to share with you that has changed my life has been realizing that “it’s not about me”. I can’t pin point a girlfriend that brought this knowledge to me. This one came through the “school of hard knocks” as my dad would have said. However, the Lord has given me the opportunity to share this knowledge with other girlfriends in ways that have saved marriages, relationships, and a lot of heartache. It took a long time for me to understand and confess that if I took the time to think about the things in my life that upset me most and caused broken relationships, I would realize that I was upset because of the effect that this person or situation had on ME. When I began to be able to get “self” out of the way I began to become the girlfriend, wife and mother that God has called me to be. I have to tell you that growing up in the “ME” generation with the strong influence of the Women’s Lib movement has not made that an easy process. The process has been necessary none the less.
So here’s to girlfriends. Cherish those whom God has given you. Encourage one another. Get in the word together. Kim and I had the joy of doing Beth Moore bible studies together with another precious friend and God brought us through a lot together. We are here for each other. You and I are to be Jesus in this sometimes cold and difficult world. I have seen Him turn my ashes into beauty. To God is the glory. I want to leave you with a few verses that have summed up my life. Jeremiah 29:11 which we love to hear…For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Awesome to know and I love the verses that follow…12-14...Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and will bring you back from captivity. God bless you girlfriends, He will bring you back if you seek him with all of your heart! Sharon
Thursday, January 20, 2011
A New Year Means New Challenges...Right?
Okay, now that Christmas is definitely over and put away, Claire's birthday has passed and been scrapbooked (is that even a word?), Chelsea is back up at Auburn doing her thing, Kate's back in high school...counting the days, I have a new year to ponder and plan!
I love to start a new project, plan an event, map out a trip...
I have a couple of plans for my blog for 2011!! My first and by far best plan is that I am going to have guest bloggers for you my faithful readers. I am really excited about this and hope that you will enjoy the thoughts and encouragement of these special women that will be blogging during this coming year. Next week I will be featuring my first guest blogger so be sure to check back after the 25th for a fresh word from a wonderful woman!
My other plan for my blog this year is to do some sort of a challenge...one that might challenge you! I love to read. As a child I loved books. I can remember bringing home books from the school library to read aloud for practice. I remember my fourth grade teacher reading to us on Friday afternoons. I remember loving Nancy Drew books and for Christmas each year I would get a couple of new ones. I can remember the summer before my 15th birthday. I was spending a month in Florida with my family and I snuck the book Gone With the Wind out of my grandmother's house to take with me on vacation. It was an old hardback edition she bought when the novel first came out. The dust jacket was gone and the pages were yellowed and rather fragile. I spent many hours of my vacation absorbing the fascinating life of the south (I am from northern West Virginia...yes it's below the Mason Dixon...but no it's not southern). From that time on I always had a book going...
I still love to read but have let this wonderful ritual get away from me.
In 2011 I am challenging myself to read more...so here it is,
11 in 11
Here is how it's going to work for me. Starting in February I am going to read one book a month from my list...and here is my list:
February: A classic...A Tale of Two Cities
March: A series (now some series have 3, 5, 7 books...my goal is to start the series and then eventually finish the series, but not necessarily in March)...
The Many Lives & Secret Sorrows of Josephine B. by Sandra Gulland
Tales of Passion, Tales of Woe by Sandra Gulland
The Last Great Dance On Earth by Sandra Gulland
April: The New Testament of the Bible (I will actually start this in March on Ash Wednesday and finish by Easter Sunday)
May: Historical Fiction
June: Chick Lit/ beach read
July: A memoir or biography
August: Science Fiction (this is gonna be a real stretch for me.....: ( So if you have any stellar ideas...
September: A young adult novel...maybe a new one or maybe I will cave and read Harry Potter...finally (Ok Kate...I'll read Harry Potter)
October: Nonfiction...The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
November: My husband's favorite author...Richard Russo...
That Old Cape Magic
December: A top ten book from the New York Times best seller list
Each month I will keep you updated on my progress...you will be my accountability group! Now my challenge to you is to come up with your own 11 in 11 list and share it with me and the other blog readers. It will be a book club without the get together and the food and all of the side conversations...but it will be interesting to see what all of you like to read.
As a tease...the first five people to send me their 11 in 11 list will get a copy of a great book (no I am not going to tell you what it is). I wish you a Happy New Year of reading some great books!
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Tulips
The house is back to "normal" after the weekend birthday festivities and one of the leftovers from the weekend are these beautiful tulips...
So thankful that God included beauty in the landscape of our world : )
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
The adult version of the ice cream truck!!
"I'd love me a cupcake right about now...but I am just too crunched for time to get in my car and drive down to the pastry shop...Oh wait, the cupcake truck should be coming through my neighborhood in about 5, 4, 3, 2, 1...yep there's the music (I am not really certain yet what music this should be...)
Now to find some cash...oh wait, they take debit cards!
Winter white double chocolate espresso cupcake with angel flake coconut...you are mine (totally made up that name, but if you are a cupcake baker...feel free)!"
One can only dream...cause this reality is coming to my neighborhood no time soon : )
This is just another thing I like about Birmingham, Alabama!
Note: I am pretty certain that this truck isn't going to be going street to street...but wouldn't it be nice!!
Saturday, January 15, 2011
It's a Winter ONEderland kinda birthday party for Claire
Claire has turned ONE, but the family party has not yet begun!!
This post will be ongoing as it is Saturday and her party is Monday...however, I am in my element right now and so I have to share...
This post will be ongoing as it is Saturday and her party is Monday...however, I am in my element right now and so I have to share...
Nicole found some adorable invitations on Etsy and we all received an E-vite to Claire's birthday party. I printed a copy on kodak paper so I could put it in her birthday scrapbook!
Nicole chose turquoise and pink for the invitations so I am keeping with those colors for her birthday scrapbook and oh my I had some kinda fun in Michael's yesterday! I love ribbon and sequins and paper and stickers!!
The scrapbook is ready for Monday. Each guest will write a message to Claire on the pre-cut paper and will take a special birthday photo with her...(she is gonna love this part ;)...Photos will be printed and put on the page with the message...add a few embellishments (my specialty) and Voila...a birthday keepsake!
Yes, I have created a little shrine...but I think it will be okay because everyone attending this party feels the same way I do about Claire Elizabeth!!
On Sunday after church we continued getting ready for the party!
Kate made a picture frame for Claire using pink and turquoise ribbon and sequins.
Chelsea made her own Doodle Frame art creation for Claire...
Although the party is tomorrow...we started celebrating a little early!
Claire is a bit wary of her new toy!
Meanwhile, Nicole was all wrapped up with the 100 foot snowflake streamer!
Finally it is party day.....
Claire is wearing the new romper that Nicole made especially for her birthday!
And times like these I just think she is too adorable for words!!
Her Uncle Aaron (a pastry chef at Dreamcakes in Birmingham, Alabama) arrived in town with her cake...which included a special cupcake for Claire!
After cake and ice cream...it was time for presents!!
She loved pulling out the outfits all wrapped up in this box!
But once she opened this book...it was all over...
She looks like she is reading it aloud to the crowd (so the book is upside down ;)
Group Shot!
At the end of the first of many birthday parties she is still all smiles...Claire and David held up nicely too!!
Friday, January 14, 2011
Intervention...Please!
It's official I am addicted...
Yes...I am definitely going to need an intervention here!
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
WAR EAGLE...HEY!
The Auburn Tigers are the National Champs
That makes our football enthusiast and Auburn girl Chelsea VERY happy!
Minutes to kick-off she poses in her Cam Newton jersey with Gabby...in her Auburn sweater!
The grandparents joined us for dinner and the game...
It was a nail-biter kinda game and you know the old saying...when the going gets tough, the tough take a nap (something like that)!
No matter...we love those Auburn Tigers!
Cause with one second left in regulation time...they get the job done
WAARRRR EAGLE!!
And that makes us very happy indeed (this pic is from the Clemson game back in September)!
Note: Rich checked out my blog and said "I didn't sleep one minute during that game! My bad...the picture is actually referring to Gabby ; )
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