Sweet Leilani

War on Family

2012-02-11T11:03:00.000-08:00

Now I know what you are thinking... who is at war with our family?

The Media!

My husband is taking this amazing bible study class called Fathers In Training at our church. The messages are available online and I get to listen to them too. Which is great because some of the messages are not just for fathers.

I have listened to the first ten minutes and the speaker showed this commercial for AT&T U-verse. Please take a second to watch it and then come back.

It may seem like a harmless, even funny commercial but when you stop to think about it is this the message we want in our homes. As a Christian family we are trying our best to keep our family together and focused on our faith. The end of the commercial shows how this family is able to come together and be so peaceful at the dinner table... because they all can be separate and watch their own televisions.

In my house this will never be the case. We have a television in the family room and one in the playroom. The only reason why we have an extra is because the boys want to watch a movie and so do mom and dad... and my boys are 2 & 4 and not old enough to sit through a "parents" kind of movie.

Please just stop and take some time to think about the media and how they are slowly trying to fight against your family values. Are there some commercials that you would rather your kids didn't see? Is there a show you wished you could keep from them?

Take the time and look to the Lord. Are you setting the right example for them?

Happy Valentine's Day!

2012-02-06T10:16:00.000-08:00

So I can't say that this was my idea but I saw it on Pinterest. I know, I know... who doesn't get their ideas there but hey I wanted to make them and I did.

My 3-D lollipop Valentine's card cost me about $5 for 25. So I made custom cards for my son to hand out to his Pre-K class for about the same price as buying some tacky, cheesy ones that aren't very special.

I begged my son to stand with his arm out like this and snapped his photo in his nice dress t-shirt that I made him. I did a little editing to add the graphics and then ordered them online through Shutterfly. I think they are an adorable way to add something special and personal.

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!!

Push Up Challenge...

2012-02-01T07:59:00.000-08:00

Ok... so I am getting married in a month and haven't done a lick of exercise like most brides. My main reason is that my dress fits perfectly and I don't want to have to alter it at the "rush" price. But I have decided that since it is strapless I will attempt to do push ups everyday until the wedding. This is partially a challenge for myself and my hope that my arms will look awesome. I can only do girlie push ups and have never been able to do more than 10 at a time... upper body strength is my weakness.

So here goes...

February 1 - 5 pushups

Food... Real Food

2012-01-31T19:14:00.000-08:00

Over the past few years my goal for my family is to get us off of processed foods and onto a whole foods diet. I have thought of the extreme of making my family of four going vegan and have found that I need to find a balance. I hope to find that balance once I have a garden of my own.

My mother has 2 acres and I was hoping to utilize her land to grow food for my family but it turned out to be a difficult task to drive 20 miles out of my way a few times a week to tend and harvest my crops. I have watched movie and movie and read book after book and am still convinced that this is what I need to do.

But I also think we need to make our vote at the grocery store with what we purchase. I am going to try over the next few months to re-educate myself (and plan and have a wedding) on food. I am currently watching a movie called Fresh. It is opening my eyes once again to where I need to get to.

Grow your food and know your food... that will be my family's motto.

Fierce Beauty

2012-01-27T16:01:00.000-08:00

If you have a daughter, you should read this. If you have a granddaughter, you should read this. If you are a woman, you should read this.

Far too many times in a womans' life she is tested. I personally, at one point, thought that being pretty would be enough. It wasn't until I came to know God that I realized that being pretty is nice but it isn't everything. Beauty really is only skin deep. When you look past yourself and share your love of Jesus with others that is where true beauty lies.

This book is one of the best books that I have read in a long time. I do not have daughters but I have nieces and other girls in my life that this will help. I recently heard how Jesus + Nothing = Everything. And this is true. If you hold to the fact that only a Disney Princess can live happily ever after that this, and God will change your life.

Fun with Felt... for Valentine's Day!

2012-01-19T09:28:00.000-08:00

I have suddenly become obsessed with two things... felt and wreaths. I made a sweet Christmas wreath (which is packed away and I forgot to take pictures of) and had so much fun I decided to make another. I bought the vine wreath with my 40% off coupon at Michaels the other day and had some felt on hand from making the boys Halloween costumes.

I made some cute little felt flowers and hot glued them to my new wreath... cute huh?

A Great Gift

2012-01-16T13:50:00.000-08:00

I got this book for me and my husband and found it to be full of cute ideas and great recipes for love. I would have liked the book to have a little more structure but I found it a nice quick read.

If you are looking for a gift for a newlywed or a wedding gift this would be a great book. It is full of interesting love facts, love recipes (for food) and cute ideas on how to spend time with your loved one.

It also offers great biblical quotes to help nurture the start of a marriage.

Day Two - Juice Fast

2012-01-14T10:44:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was not so bad. Since this is my 4th fast I think my body realized what I was doing. So here we go on to Day Two and I am excited.

Day One Weight Loss: 1 lb

Morning Juice - Green Orange
1 apple
1 celery stalk
1 red bell pepper
3 oranges
5 red chard stalks

Day One - Juice Fast

2012-01-13T10:58:00.000-08:00

Morning Juice - Vampire

1/2 mango, peeled
3 oranges, peeled
1 beet
2 carrots

Process in juicer in order.

Midday Juice - Mean Green

1/2 bunch red chard
1 cucumber
2 celery ribs
1/4 lemon, peeled
1/2" ginger root
1 granny smith apple

Process in juicer in order.

Lunch Juice - Rainbow Juice

2 red apples
2 oranges, peeled
1/2 lemon, peeled
1/4" ginger root
2 carrots
4 oz blueberries
small slice of purple cabbage

Dinner Juice - Black & Blue Lemonade
(ok so this was more dessert than dinner but it was yummy)

2 apples
1/4 lemon, peeled
1/2 cup blueberries
1/2 cup blackberries

juice and enjoy!

So I believe that was my last juice for the day. I will have to say it is very hard to feed two hungry boys while drinking only juice but I did it. I did have one spoonful of natural peanut butter. But my boys love helping me make juice so much that they started requesting their own. I made them an orange/apple juice to have with their lunch.

Here's to Day Two... may the Lord give me strength to make it through another day of juicing.

Juice Time Again...

2012-01-13T10:49:00.000-08:00

So my husband and I are off on another juice fast. We love how it makes us feel on the inside, not quite warm and fuzzy but all clean and energetic. This will be our 4th juice fast since August 2011 and we are so excited about it. Today is Day One and I will post all of my juices here along with my daily weight loss... since, yes, weight loss is one of those great bonuses that we get from doing them.

We re-watched Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead to get motivated and it helped. I know that many of us watch movies over and over again and get different things out of them each time. That is how it is for us. We love to see the transformation as well as the facts behind it.

My goal for this fast is just one week... seeing that our wedding is less than 2 months away and my dress fits now I plan to fast again after the wedding and throw in some gym time too. The gym is off limits for now since I have on a walking cast for 3 weeks.

So keep checking back for my updates on my juices as well as how I am feeling.

Bible Verse of the Week

2012-01-02T08:19:00.000-08:00

This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

1 John 4: 9-10

Secure Daughters, Confident Sons - Book Review

2011-12-26T18:48:00.000-08:00

I loved reading this book. I have two young boys and look forward to applying the ideas that I learned in this book.

Coming Soon...

2011-12-09T13:27:00.001-08:00

I am currently working on revamping my blog for the New Year... check back to see all the new changes on January 1st.

Thx-
Sweet Leilani

Dreaded Burner Covers...

2011-10-18T15:50:00.000-07:00

I am not a fan of cooking on an electric stove (I prefer gas just so I can roast my bell peppers and warm tortillas). But our condo has electric and we cannot convert to anything else. So I wanted to purchase some burner covers to help keep the kitchen looking nice but only found some moderately decent ones in a fruit and veggie theme.

After poking around on pinterest for the past few weeks I have been inspired to change them. I have packs and packs of scrapbook paper just lying around and recently found a way to make my own mod podge... so I went for it.

As you can tell my burner covers have been around for a while and are starting to look a little warn and rusted (tin roof)... so after a few coats of my homemade mod podge, I have a cute burner cover. I am not sure about the clean up on these things but I put 3 coats on and hopefully I will keep them looking nice.

So the another reason why I decided to do this project, which cost me nothing since I had all the elements in my house was that someone (I am forbidden to name names) turned the burner on and didn't remove the cover. So I started with this one since if it got ruined it wouldn't bother me to toss it in the trash...

Oil Cleansing Method... what?

2011-10-17T14:17:00.000-07:00

It has been a long time since I posted anything about anything but I am back and hopefully refocused and ready to dedicate more time to my blog.

First stop... Oil Cleansing Method

Yes this is cleansing as in skin care... with oil and yes you put it on your face. I cannot say that I came up with this on my own but took it from another blog. But I wanted to give it a try. As it turns out I was out of my normal cleanser and decided to try this before purchasing anymore.

Here's what you need:

Castor Oil (I got mine at CVS in the children's remedies aisle)
Olive Oil (had this on hand in Costco sized porportions)
Container

How it works:

The concept is easy... oil washes away oil. We all know that water and oil don't mix so why would water work on cleaning oil off our faces.

How you do it:

Mix your oils... normal skin (1:1) and oily (3:1)... castor oil to olive oil
Put a quarter sized amount in your palm
Gently rub into skin for about 1 minute
Next wet a washcloth with hot water (not scalding) and place it on your face
Let it cool to room temperature (about 1 mintue)
Wipe the oil off and your done!

I started yesterday and have to say I love it. I did it last night before bed and this morning when I woke up. I plan on doing it for a week to see how things go. I have to say my skin feels smooth and moisturized and not oily at all. In fact it feels softer then ever. I haven't used anything else on my skin, no moisturizer or creams or toner.

Try it and let me know how it works for you... plus it is cheap... the castor oil cost me under $6 for 4 ounces.

Good Luck!

A True Inspiration

2011-07-27T16:21:00.000-07:00

God is AMAZING. This book and young lady are living proof that he loves us and guides us to what we need to do. Sometimes that guidance can be painful and traumatic but if helping others find the glory of God then so be it.

I absolutely loved this book. I have never battled with depression or thoughts of suicide but I have lost a few friends from it. I only wish this book was available for them. Kristen talks about how she laid down on the tracks and how God saved her life. She discribes the battles she faced before and after she lost her legs.

Her story is once of triumph and a living testament to the power of God. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is in need of some grace.

A Lovely Read

2011-06-30T13:29:00.000-07:00

Lilies in Moonlight is an amazing story of grace and mercy. Many of the books I have been reading lately are non-fiction and this was a breath of fresh air. It transports you to another era while its story of hope and redemption still resonates today.

Savings in 2 days...

2011-05-30T11:25:00.000-07:00

So this is the combo of two shopping trips to Vons.

10 bottles of Wish Bone Dressing

4 bottles of KC Masterpiece BBQ Sauce

4 packages of Turkey Hot Dogs

1 bag of Dog Food (not pictured)

Total Retail: $69.01

Total Out of Pocket: $8.62

Total Savings: $60.39

That's 87% off full retail... now thats exciting!!

If you are interested in learning how to be a Super Couponer send me an email to leilanianderson2010@gmail.com and I will get you the info on the class that I took to learn these techniques.

Couponing

2011-05-26T16:37:00.000-07:00

Ok apparently there is this show, Extreme Couponing that everyone is watching. I have only seen one episode and those ladies are extreme. I recently started taking a coupon class with my friends and have save over $600 in just a few weeks. I am not spending like crazy just making the purchases that I normally would for my family.

Have you started couponing? Are you looking for a way to keep your coupons organized? I found a woman that offers a great binder to keep your coupons at hand and make it easier than ever to get started.

Click on the button to the left, Save at Home Mommy to get yours today!!

A TON of Motivation...

2011-05-26T10:40:00.001-07:00

This is a great book for anyone needing some career motivation. I am a stay at home mom and thought this book would be great for figuring out what to do when my kids start school... I was right!

Many SAHM's I know are trying to make a little extra money on the side and this book gives you the motivation and guidance to help to find our true calling. It is packed with God's wisdom and a man's motivation to help you find your path.

I would recommend this book to EVERYONE... it helps you to see that, in this life, we need to find our passion and not just a job. Granted many of us just need a job to pay the bills but when one door closes another opens. If you were recently laid off this is a great read to help you find your way. If you know someone who is in need to motivation this is a great gift.

Even if you think you like your job you should read this book. I don't think there is a single person who wouldn't benefit from this. Get it and get it now!

No More Dreaded Mondays...

2011-05-26T09:40:00.000-07:00

I am currently reading a book titled, No More Dreaded Mondays by Dan Miller. All I have to say is wow... this book is a great motivator to anyone needing some. Being a stay at home mom I tend to think of myself as unemployed but that couldn't be further from the truth. I am a mom, the so called hardest job in the world. I am the CEO of my household. I keep the house in order. I decide on what my family will eat and what my family will buy. Most stay at home moms don't give themselves enough credit.

I came across a great paragraph that I want to share...

"In the busyness of modern life, I fear many of us have lost the rhythm between activity and rest. Just as exhaling without occasionally inhaling will cause a person to turn blue and pass out, busyness without rest will cause you to pass out on the things that matter. "I am so busy." We say this as a badge of honor, as if our exhaustion were a trophy and our ability to withstand seventy-to-eighty-hour workweeks a mark of real character. We convince ourselves that the busier we are, the more we are accomplishing and the more important we must be. But is this really so? Does more activity really mean more accomplishment? To be unavailable to friends and family. to miss the sunsets and the full moons, to blast through our obligations without time for taking a deep breath - are these really the marks of a successful life?"

It is true. In this age the more you have going on the more important you seem to feel. Have you ever come home from a long day of work and just wanted to be alone? Yet your family hasn't seen you all day and all they want to do is hang out, talk and play? Do you give of yourself so much to your job that your family doesn't get any of the "fun" you?

With Memorial Weekend coming up make sure that you take some time to share some time with your friends and family. Enjoy your life...

30 min Shirt

2011-05-17T11:22:00.000-07:00

I was given a bunch of remnant fabric and also the challenge to make something out of it. I found this large rectangle of green fabric... and loved the color but didn't know what to do with it. I held it up and envisioned a draped shirt of some kind. I am not a seamstress and my sewing skills are great for straight lines.

I started with cutting the fabric in half, creating two large squares. I sewed along the top edges to create the shoulders and down the sides (at and angle) to create a tapered waist line. I didn't have to finish the edges since this fabric doesn't fray... I have to say that this is great for my first try... I have blue and grey fabrics in the same size and material. I hope to make two more shirts.

Philly Cooking Creme

2011-05-03T15:49:00.000-07:00

I keep seeing these commercials of a mom staring at the chicken on her cutting board and just can't possibly think of what to do tonight. So she reaches for the Philadelphia Cooking Creme. It magically transforms her families chicken and veggies into a miracle dish that the whole family will love. Now I haven't personally tried this yet and am hesitant to do so. I am the kind of person that likes to experiment and make my own sauces and this is just not a product that I don't want to try.

I decided to look up the ingredients and nutritional facts before I made my final decision. Here is the breakdown for 1/4 cup. The first thing that strikes me is the saturated fat... 5 grams seems like a lot. Not to mention the 480 mg of sodium. I can also guarantee that we are not going to stick to the serving size. The tub is 10 oz and that is enough for my husband and I. So I imagine that we are both doubling these numbers.

Calories 110

Calories from Fat 80

% Daily Value

Total Fat 9g

14%

Saturated Fat 5g

25%

Trans Fat 0g

Cholesterol 30mg

10%

Sodium 480mg

20%

Total Carbohydrate 5g

Dietary Fiber 0g

Sugars 3g

Protein 4g

I know that chicken is a great go-to meat and we eat more of it than any other meat in my household but I can think of tons of things to do with it. You can make a simple white sauce with butter, flour and milk. Then you can season it a million different ways. This week I am going to try a Caprese Chicken... chicken breast stuffed with basil, tomatoes and mozarella cheese.

If you want to try this or you have please let me know. I don't see anything wrong with using this every now and it might taste great. But I am going to stick with making my families food homemade.

Water for Elephants

2011-05-02T11:37:00.000-07:00

My girlfriend and I went to see this on Saturday night... movie night without the kids is a rarity these days. I found this movie enchanting yet it seemed to leave me wanting more. Set in 1931 during the depression Jacob (odd name choice for Twilight's Edward to play) joins the circus and falls in love with the boss' wife. Reese Witherspoon is gorgeous, as usual and Robert Pattinson is handsome and dashing but neither performance was anything to write home about... or blog for that matter. I can see this film grabbing Oscar nods for costume design and other artsy avenues. The visuals were breathtaking and made me want to run away and join the circus.

The star of this movie is August, played by the amazing Christoph Waltz. He does not disappoint as the tyrant circus owner who seems to run his circus like he ran his Jew search in Inglourious Basterds. He won as Oscar for his role as the brilliantly evil Col. Landa in Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds. He brings the same instensity and anger to this role. He just might get another Oscar nod for this role as well.

The elephant, Rosie, was also a great contender for the top stop. This movie is packed with excitement and spectacle but is nothing you need to rush to the theater to see. I give it a B- just because it wasn't horrible but it wasn't the best I had seen. If you like any of the actors then you will enjoy this movie.

Homemade Chicken Nuggets

2011-04-29T12:01:00.000-07:00

Many of you may or may not know that my family rarely visits fast-food restaurants. This was a huge struggle for me in the beginning since during my college days I survived on Jack-in-the-Box tacos. But after my first son was born I began to hear myself saying, "I would never feed my baby fast food". So the natural question was then why am I eating it. So my family made the decision that fast food was not going to be in our vocabulary.

Since my job is to feed and shop for my family I have been trying to find ways to feed them the best and healthiest way possible. My oldest son, at 3 1/2 does not know what McDonalds is although he does know what a double-double is. Because of living in Southern California we have In-n-Out... the best hamburgers in the world. So on occasion when time does not permit for me to make a meal or if we happen to be craving some In-n-Out we do stop in. But I can vouch that In-n-Out is one of the only fast food joints we will go to.

The other is Chick-fil-A. The only reason I say this is because my husband got some free meal coupons from a co-worker and we decided to use them. We got the sandwich and waffle fry combo for us and the chicken nuggets for the kids. When we opened them I was surprised to find that the chicken nuggets were just that. They were chunks of breast meat cut into bite size pieces, breaded and fried. Aside from the frying part these chicken nuggets have made my fast food approved food list.

But I still have to stick to my guns about eating fast food. While it is done in my house (maybe twice a year) I still don't want my boys to think that this is good food to eat all the time. So I decided to make chicken nuggets at home. I have made them in the past but always to order and this time I wanted to make a bunch of them, freeze them and then use them when I needed to.

I started with 3 chicken breasts. I trimmed any extra fat or stuff that I don't like off of them and cut them into bite sized pieces. I then dipped them into milk and then tossed them in my breadcrumb mixture. Sometimes I have homemade breadcrumbs but this time I used store bought. I then put them in a single layer on a baking sheet with some extra breadcrumbs sprinkled on the bottom so they would not stick. I put them in the freezer overnight... and viola... homemade chicken nuggets.

I labeled the freezer bag with the cooking directions just in case Papa or a grandma wanted to cook them. And into the freezer they went. We are going to have some next week. I hope that you try these at home. You can take a few minutes a month and make a ton of these. You know exactly what you are feeding your family and you can feel good about what they are eating... good luck!

Toy Sling

2011-04-27T14:56:00.000-07:00

Since I was blessed with boys this means that I cannot be the kind of stay at home mom who makes pillowcase dresses or giant flower headbands for my kids. I am left being more creative to find things to make for my boys that are cool but functional.

We are working on turning their "bedroom" into a playroom. We have taken off the bed frame and turned the bed into a couch. We put a television in there just so they can watch their movies while we watch ours. As it turns out they have more stuffed animals then I realized and needed somewhere to put them...

In came the Toy Sling idea. I took some leftover fabric that I had from making their pajamas and turned it into a place to store their stuffed animals. My original design was more of a pouch but you couldn't see what was in there and if you can't tell what you have then we might as well donate all the toys... so I made this...

This is the view from the bottom. And it is a simple triangle and I have attached it by sewing button holes along the front and two at the back. I used some mug hooks I got on sale from CVS and instant room changer... love it!

I really like it and plan to make a second one for the opposite corner since I didn't realize that they had some bigger ones that just don't fit in their right. I will post pictures once their room is done. We are planning on painting the walls since Franco decided to paint it with a sharpie one night...

An Inspiration for Us All

2011-04-25T16:12:00.000-07:00

Life Without Limits by Nick Vujicic

Just by looking at Nick you know he has overcome a lot. The reason why I wanted to read this book was because I saw a YouTube clip of him. I knew that he had something to say.

His tale is of heartbreak and surpassing the limits. He has learned to overcome the most simple of tasks and has done so with the help of God's love.

This is a fantastic book for anyone to read. You don't need to be looking for motivation but you will find it here. He talks of his dark past and how God was able to help him move past it and find that he had a purpose in life.

For me that was the most important message. He talks about God's love and how you can use it to your advantage. I am looking to start a new career and this is just the motivation that I needed. But unlike him I am not going to learn to surf... which is an amazing feat with arms and legs.

Nick is a true inspiration to us all. I feel that I am able to tackle everything once reading his words of encouragement. Heck, if he can do it... so can I.

I urge you to check out Nick's website Life Without Limbs...

Mom Spotted

2011-04-25T11:21:00.000-07:00

This is a super cute blog about different product reviews. She covers all kinds of products that my family would use and buy. I love this giveaway right now for a BBQ set for outdoors.

Check it out here... momspotted

Enjoy!

Good Friday

2011-04-22T11:19:00.000-07:00

I know that today is Earth Day and it seems that most people are concerned about the earth these days... so am I. It seems that as long as I can remember my dad started recycling... even buying me a can crusher for Christmas one year. But another day has become more important to me these days... Good Friday.

I am a new Christian and have found great peace in knowing that God loves me and sent his only son to pay for my sins. I am overjoyed that he has touched my families life and I want to share it with my friends and family. Tonight my husband and I are attending the Good Friday services at Emmanuel Faith Community Church in Escondido. The pastor has asked us to share our testimonies with the gathering tonight... and I am nervous. Speaking in front of large groups is not my cup of tea but what if someone out there was like me and needs to hear my story? So before I share it tonight I have decided to share it with you.

My Testimony

I did not grow up in a Christian home. I grew up in a loving home that taught me about love, family and being a good person. I attended a Presbyterian Church school from kindergarten through second grade and then made the transition to pubic school. I remember going to chapel in school and I did not like it at all... but then again God and Jesus were not big topics in my home. God was not shunned but not the focus either.

As I grew up I began to question just like every other kid in the world. When I got to junior high I became friends with a girl who grew up in a very Christian home. She attend a youth group on Wednesday nights... and me wanting to hang out with my best friend started attending church. The only thing it did was present me with even more questions. I needed proof... physical proof in order to believe. But was given none. My best friends mom even offered to have a private bible study with her daughter and I.

It started off great. I thought I would be the "smart" teenager and ask the hard questions... abortion and gays. I do not recall what we actually talked about and I think looking back that that was part of my journey. I was only to be exposed to it and it wasn't my time. I started to believe that I didn't need church nor faith in order to go to heaven. I only needed to be a good person... and that's the point, right?

Treat others and you would like to be treated... I was a good kid and I figured that would be enough. Throughout high school and college I never gave much attention to religion or spirituality. I did start to explore Buddhism with my ex-husband and found great power in the belief that all things are connected. I loved the focus on family and relating to others but it never felt right.

It seems that 2004 was the start of my path toward God. My father got diagnosed with cancer. My dog of 18 years passed away. I lost my grandfather to prostate cancer. I got divorced. Then I lost my other grandfather. It was a rough time... it seems that all the men in my life were being slowly taken away. And if things couldn't get any worse my father died in May 2005 and then his brother was diagnosed by the very cancer that killed my dad and their two sisters. In my eyes, God turned his back on us.

Then life started to turn around. I met Hermann while working at Starbucks. For me it was instant... I knew I loved him right from the start. We started living together in 2007 and within days found out we were having our first child. We had our first son in December 2007 and our second son in January 2010... suddenly religion became even more important. Hermann's aunt became a Christian and it made me start to question God all over again.

I decided that it was time to rent The Passion of the Christ. I had heard a lot about this movie but didn't really know what to expect. As I watched I began overcome with emotion. If nothing just from a human stance that someone endured all that he did and never had any hatred toward the people who did it. People tell you of what Jesus endured during his last hours but when you actually see what was done and how it was done... it just broke my heart. I needed to know more.

My husband and I spent many late nights discussing different religions and searching for churches in our area. It seems that we were both ready to give it a try. But it wasn't until September 2010 that we actually went to church. We never really discussed going but we just went to be the night before and decided that we were going to go the next day. We had often came up with a ton of excuses of why not to go and I don't know if we ran out of excuses or what but it just seemed like the right time.

I remember walking in to church and feeling completely out of place. It wasn't until about our 4th or 5th Sunday that I began to feel a strange calm come over me. My older son was talking about God and how he made the whole world and it didn't make me mad (like it used to) instead I was overjoyed that he and his brother will grow up with God's love. A few months after going to church and seeing the great impact it was having on my children I accepted God into my heart... and that was the best decision that I have ever made.

I feel that I am raising my children better now then I ever did. I am giving them God's love and letting them know his love every day. I appreciate things more now than I ever did. I am at peace and am so happy that I get to spend eternity with my husband and my children. When I look back on it I believe that God has given me back the men in my life. I have an amazing husband and two sons that I absolutely adore.

My husband and I plan to be baptized this year. God's love has blessed my family and I couldn't be more happy.

Real Food for Thought

2011-04-20T14:42:00.000-07:00

What's for Dinner?

A simple enough question but how much thought do you put into your food. For most American's and families these days I am sure it starts with some sort of packaged or boxed product that vaguely resembles food and if you simply add water it magically becomes dinner. Or how many times have you simply driven through your local fast food joint and called that dinner?

How did we get like this? How did we go from having great, homemade food to eating food that could last years on our shelves? Is it out of convenience, laziness or brain washing?

Don't get me wrong... I do it too. There were times when I was growing up that my mashed potatoes started life out as flakes. I have even driven through any number of fast food places and served it to my family as dinner. But one afternoon a few years ago I decided that enough was enough. I was a stay at home mom and I needed to make my families food as fresh and healthy as possible.

I started really simple... I watched Food Inc. A great documentary that shows you basically where your food comes from. Since so many of us are not into slaughtering our own beef we buy it neatly packaged under cellophane and assume that it is good for us. We purchase our fruits and veggies from the supermarket and don't pick them ourselves.

My first call to action is to look at what you are making our family for dinner.

Tonight my family is having Turkey Burgers (on whole wheat buns) covered in bacon, swiss cheese, and sauteed mushrooms and corn on the cob. Granted I didn't make the buns but I am making the burgers myself. If you are opening a box tonight for dinner just take some time and stop and think about how much effort it would take to make this meal from scratch... I don't want you to feel guilty about using it but I want you to start thinking about it.

The first step is to be aware of what you are eating. I am making my family spaghetti in a few days and am using jarred sauce. I can easily make sauce from scratch but it was on sale a few weeks back and I figured it would be nice to have some on hand. I just want you to start thinking about where the changes can be made.

I want to try to post every Wednesday some sort of food related, educational post to try to hold myself accountable in keeping with my new found food values but also to help educate and inspire my friends and family to make simple, little changes in their diets to help remove processed foods from our diets.

Lizards and Snakes Alive... blah!

2011-03-03T14:21:00.000-08:00

I just took my sons to the San Diego Natural History Museum to see there exhibit, Lizards and Snakes Alive... I have to honestly say that it was definitely worth the FREE Resident admission but not worth the drive. While my 3 year old loved every minute of it... I could have just as easily took him to our local reptile store and had just as much fun. If you are planning a trip to Balboa Park make sure you hit up the other museums while you are there.

Rueben H. Fleet's Kid City was a great time and they even have an area that my little 13 month old could safely crawl around. We had tons of fun and will definitely be heading back.

How Good is Good Enough?

2011-03-03T12:35:00.001-08:00

Being a new believer in Christ myself I found this book to be a huge help in understanding where my mind was all the years I did not believe. I think that something needs to happen in your life in order to find your way to Christianity but this book serves as a start.

When you actually stop to think about the idea that many of us have, "Good People Go to Heaven", it sounds great on the surface. But it really is not a guaranteed mind set in order to get into heaven. Andy Stanley helps guide the non-believer or the new believer alike.

I found this book to be a nice, quick read and a great introduction into the beliefs of my new found religion. Looking back on my life I always said that I live my life as a good person and that should be enough. He outlines the problems with this view and how you can honestly analyze why it isn't the way into heaven.

If you are searching or have found Christ I recommend this book if nothing to more solidify your choice but also as a great way to talk to people about Christianity. This is a nice book to give to your non-believing friends and family and a great way to get them thinking.

http://www.waterbrookmultnomah.com/bloggingforbooks/reviews/view/4822/bmc:1/bc:21/month:all/year:all

Improv Garlic Bread

2011-02-15T12:29:00.000-08:00

If you are like me you hate menu planning. I have tried it in the past but I like to just buy what is on sale at the grocery store and let my imagination take over. Well after making a large batch of homemade ravioli's I needed some garlic bread to go with them.

I didn't want to run to the store and looked around at what I had...

butter
garlic powder
salt
dried parsley
hot dog buns

So I went for it. Take your hot dog buns and break them into "breadsticks". Butter each one and top with salt, garlic and parsley (you can use fresh garlic and omit the salt if you want)... let your imagination run wild... anything goes. Put them under the broiler and in a few minutes you are done.

Won Ton Ravioli's

2011-02-14T14:20:00.000-08:00

Every week at the grocery store I see the packaged won ton wrappers and always wanted to make ravioli's with them... so last week I took the plunge and purchased them. I had no idea what to expect but the results were so delicious. I picked up some mushrooms and made a delicious mushroom sauce to accompany them.

There were 60 wrappers in all so we were eating them for days... my mom sprinkled a little parmigiana cheese on hers and we topped ours with mushroom sauce one night and a marinara the next.

Spice Jars

2011-02-12T16:05:00.000-08:00

I have been trying to find a use for all the empty jars of baby food that we have. So I decided that I would use them for my spices. At Henry's I found these great spices that are only $1...

I cleaned the jars and added some nifty little labels and my spice cabinet is looking cuter than ever...

Love Oatmeal

2011-02-12T09:00:00.000-08:00

One of my new favorite breakfasts is steel cut oats. I usually keep it simple with just a little brown sugar and milk but with Valentine's Day just around the corner I decided to doll it up a bit. I had made some apple-plum butter over the summer and decided it was time to use it.

The result was delicious!

Inspiration

2011-02-11T18:10:00.000-08:00

Inspiration comes in all different forms. I was doing laundry at my mom's house today and spotted this magnet on her fridge...

a lovely picture of my grandma. My aunt had it made into a magnet so it sits on my mom's fridge for all to see. I started thinking about how life was back then. Was it maybe easier since technology wasn't there? Or was it harder because there was no technology?

I think it might have been a little of both. No computers and little television probably made for a more active family. I picture family picnics and vacations... like the one from Dirty Dancing (minus the dirty dancing part). Kids playing outside having fun and parents inside not worried about someone taking their child.

I long for a time... a simpler time. We cancelled our cable and only have the basic 23 channels. It has been hard but we spend less time in front of the television and more time outside. The kids have their movies that they watch and we have Netflix so we can watch our movies too.

I would like to take my family back to a simpler time. One that doesn't include hours spent in front of the television or on the computer. I plan on taking my family back to a time where food was made from real food and not processed. A time where mom sewed clothing for the kids... this is my place to do just that.

Join me for some fun as I attempt to go down this path...