Easter... Peace... Jesus... Food!

I was really excited to make brunch for Easter. I was really excited about Easter period! I adore Good Friday, and SUNDAY! I love that Jesus is the center of attention, I love that people who normally don't go to church attend church on Easter. I love that His LOVE reigns!




I did some research on good brunch recipes and by the time it was ready to make the food I COULDN'T WAIT! In fact, I would be tempted to make it again! I LOVED IT!

We had homemade caramel rolls, spinach and strawberry salad with homemade dressing, there was fresh fruit, homemade garlic/herb/jalapeno cheese spread on the yummiest bread ever. Oh and I cannot forget the tasty homemade lemon-aid!



Daddy was in charge of hiding the eggs and treats around the house and Isaac LOVED finding them all!



I love watching him find his treasures!



Daddy hid the treasures all over the house, even in Isaac's playroom!



One of my favorite things about this time of year and remembering my Jesus is all the fresh flowers! I have fallen in love with flowers, of all types! I have learned more and more about gardening and hope to have a yard one day to plant flowers, veggies and herbs in!



The Easter Bunny doesn't visit our house, we haven't introduced "him" to Isaac yet, I am not sure if we will... after all, Easter has been just precious with the focus on Him...



Isaac got some fun things from Grandpa Marty and Grandma Cheryl that he adores and are a huge hit!



I adore the pictures of Isaac hunting for treasures :)





It has been fun to watch him learn about Jesus and enjoy the joy that comes along with His love!

Wordless Wednesday: Park Pictures

Time at the park...

We went to the park, all three of us... it was FABULOUS! I took A LOT of pictures!



Isaac is an outdoor kid, he would spend every minute outside if he could!



He ran around, he played in the dirt and he LOVED it!



This kid loves the park!



Mama took A LOT of pictures and I will share more as the week goes on...

Happy Birthday Jenny!

Today is Jenny Freyta's Birthday! I have known this woman 10 years. The very first time we met, the men we are married to were moving out of their apartment and talked their girl friends into helping them clean... we chatted as we cleaned...

Our friendship started off because of the men we dated and eventually married... but soon after we met, our friendship became our own. I love this woman...



I had the honor of witnessing her wedding. It was beautiful. She was beautiful. She loves me regardless of my spelling abilities and asked me to read at her wedding, which was HUGE honor for me and I will never forget that moment...



I have admired her style and love for shopping since I met her. Her love for jeans is something I adore about her. She has encouraged me to get out of my comfort zone, I have purchased clothing items because they remind me of her...

We have spent lots of time at The Olive Garden, chatting, sometimes crying and always laughing. She has seen me through some nasty times. She has challenged me, she has encouraged me, she has loved me when I did know right from wrong and she has always supported my marriage.

There is no better friend than this woman. And now, nearly 10 years later, I have had the opportunity to watch her become a mama, not once but twice. She smothers her kids in kisses, she plays with her daughter and cuddles with her new born son, she is confident in who she is...

This woman LOVES her husband and I am so encouraged by her devotion and passion for him. She is honest in her communication, she is affectionate, she is encouraging and she is supportive. She has made her home warm and comfortable for all those who live there and come to visit. I have watched this woman serve her husband in such a Jesus honoring way. I remember her husband saying that one of the things that attracted him to her was her heart to serve... this woman is one of the most generous servanthearted women I know.

This woman has confronted me on some icky issues in my life and loved me as I spoke honestly about what was going on. This woman has prayed over me. This woman has truly done life with me, the good and the ugly.

She is one of the strongest women I know, she has over come struggles with grace and she does what she needs to do with grace, even if that means returning to work on her birthday, no matter how hard it might be.

I wouldn't want to do life without her for one minute!

Happy Birthday Jenny! I love you! Have a great birthday and a blessed day back at work. I am covering your day in prayer and can't wait to hear all about it! I love you!

Oh Happy Dae!

Today is her birthday... Stormie Dae! You can follow her creativeness here. She and her sister have one of the coolest blogs/businesses I know of! Check it out, you won't be disappointed.

You see, today, Stormie Dae turns 25, I have known of her for years, but I have loved her as a friend for 3 and she has changed me.

She has loved me for me.

She has encouraged me to embrace imperfection, which has brought out creativity and freedom I never knew existed.

She has supported me.

She has befriended me.

We have had some of the coolest conversations two women could have in a parking lot.

She loves coffee and has inspired me to embrace it.

She loves Jesus.

I could listen to her worship Him every minute of every day. She has taught our youth band how to worship their Savor and she has led me into His presence time and time again.

She is strong. She knows what she likes and dislikes. She knows what she wants and she is a giver of grace.

Happy Birthday my beloved friend! I love you!

May Jesus bless your life in ways that blow your mind. It has been an honor to do this thing called life with you!

Not the same... but better...

For some reason, when I worked out of the home full time, our house stayed cleaner, our laundry got done, folded and put away and there wasn't so much "stuff" around...



... before I started to cook or prepare 3 meals a day at home, my kitchen was always spotless...



... I only ran the dishwasher once or twice a week and the counters were always clean and the sink was empty...



... but now, there is freshly made muffins and snacks, lunches are made at home most days and dinner...



... is something I have fallen in love with, I have cooked dinner at home at least 4 times a week for a few months now, sometimes, I even manage to cook dinner 5 nights a week...



... things have changed around here, there are dishes in the sink, I would love to have two washers, two dryers and two dishwashers... the sink is always full of dishes, laundry doesn't always get put away and the toys in Isaac's toy room actually have to be put away at the end of the day...

... I wouldn't have it any other way!

Family Nap Time... with a Marker...

Being pregnant means I get to do more of the two things I really like to do... first... eat, anything that sounds good ... second... sleep... and I take every opportunity to do both.

My fabulous husband lets me sleep in regularly and we have "family nap time" during the day in our house. Daddy works nights so he sleeps during the day, so during "family nap time", Daddy is sleeping, Mama rests on the couch which normally turns into sleep and Isaac sleeps... usually...

One day he asked to take his nap in his play room on his couch. Which had been successful in the past so I didn't give it a second thought... until...



... I woke up and noticed that he had been colored from head to toe...



... literally from head to toe... he even colored the area under his underwear...



... he was orange ... it made me laugh but we had to talk about not coloring on the areas under our underwear, we waited to show Daddy until he woke up and then we took a bath before bed... he is my favorite...