thankful thursday

I'm so very thankful....

• for God's provision! We have lived here in Ohio for about a year and have managed with just one vehicle for that entire time. That has meant a lot of rides to work for Josh from his brother and days stuck at home for Sydney and I. It hasn't really been a big deal and we're so grateful Josh has had the ride to work and we've been able to work that out for so long!! Recently it's been pretty clear that we need a second vehicle as where they work changes with what house they're working on and we definitely wanted to get something before the baby arrived. Well, after a couple of weeks researching, looking, test driving, and the like we purchased a van yesterday!! We are so thankful that God has provided transportation this past year, an opportunity to buy a vehicle, and the right vehicle to buy!
• for spending the holidays with family! It is such a blessing to live close enough to see everyone around the holidays. Josh, Sydney, and I will be heading to Indiana tomorrow and then Pennsylvania soon after that. We're so thankful to no longer have 10+ hour drives to see everyone!!
• for the little kicks and jabs in my belly that let me know our little guy is growing and lively! Now, I'm not so thankful for when they wake me up in the middle of the night but that's ok, he might as well start interrupting my sleep now as there's lots more of that to come!!
• for the Christmas season and the great reminder of all Christ has done for us! It's hard not to get caught up in the shopping, baking, gift giving and decorating. So, I just want to take a second to remind myself of what it's really all about. I'm so thankful for Christ, who humbly came to this earth as a baby, died on the cross for our sins so that we could be saved, rising from death, and giving us the opportunity to repent and be forgiven and redeemed. What a priceless gift he has given!

Merry Christmas to you and your family. I pray you each are blessed through this season!!

Here are a couple of my favorite verses from "O Holy Night" that have really been standing out to me this year. Blessings to you!

"Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope, the weary soul rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn."

"Truly He taught us to love one another;
His law is love and His Gospel is peace.
Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother
And in His Name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
Let all within us praise His holy Name!"

cookies for dark chocolate lovers....

I love dark chocolate. I'm not a huge fan of milk chocolate and honestly have to be in the mood for it, but I LOVE dark chocolate and can't recall a time I've ever turned it down. I was going to make a dessert for dinner with some of our family tonight and I was just craving dark chocolate. After searching the internet for a recipe I had the ingredients for, here's what I came up with and they are DIVINE!!! Enjoy!!

Dark Chocolate Crinkle Cookies:
(adapted from this recipe on Allrecipes.com)

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup dark chocolate chips
1 tsp instant coffee (optional...but recommended as it enhances chocolate!)
1 cup powdered sugar (in separate bowl for coating)

In a medium bowl, mix together cocoa, white sugar, and vegetable oil. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt; stir into the cocoa mixture and mix on low speed until smooth. Add dark chocolate chips and instant coffee and mix together. Cover dough, and chill for at least 2 hours.               
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or lightly greased foil. Roll dough into one inch balls. (works well using two spoons...one to scoop, one to scrape off) Coat each ball in confectioners' sugar before placing onto prepared cookie sheets.               
Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes. Let stand on the cookie sheet for a minute before transferring to wire racks to cool.               

thrifty tip tuesday...

Here are a few good deals I've found...

FREE 4x6 flip book from Snapfish (you just pay 1.99 shipping) with coupon code HPFREEBK  at check out.

$2 medium drinks at Caribou Coffee with this coupon  (tomorrow only!)

Very cheap Playtex sippy cup from Target with two coupons  (see this post from Totally Target)

Free item of your choice with a purchase of $10 or more at Bath and Body Works (online or in store)

Text discount rental coupon from Redbox for the until 12/24. Just text FUN to 727272

$10 off $20 purchase at Smokey Bones Restaurant with this coupon

Free sample of Nescafe Peppermint Mocha instant coffee (facebook sample, "like" Nescafe and fill out form)

what we're eating this week....

Tis the season to try new recipes :) Well, if your pregnant and bored with the usual food it is! So, that's the plan this week to try a bunch of new things (and apparently use my crockpot almost every day, not sure how that happened in my menu planning...hope the old pot is up to the task!)!! Here's what's on our menu....

Monday: Easy Crockpot Potato Soup
Tuesday: Slow Cooker Coconut Chicken Curry
Wednesday: Creamy Tortellini (the only not new recipe)
Thursday: Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff
Friday:  Caramelized Baked Chicken Legs
Saturday/Sunday: Not sure what the weekend holds yet :)

And some treats I'm going to try....
Homemade doughnuts from canned biscuits
Microwave Peanut Brittle
Two Minute Mug Brownie

family visit...

My mom, grandma, and brother visited this weekend and although the visit went by way too fast, we had a great time!! Here are a few photos from their time here...

Syd and her Gigi

Syd and her uncle PC (aka Nick)

 

Sydney and her Nana

and now some Christmas tree pics...

 

funny faces

Josh was the photographer for the other pics, so here he is with my bro

a fun photo shoot

and then Sydney got a hold of the camera when we were done ;)

Christmas Ornaments

Sydney and I had a great time yesterday making Christmas ornaments! Below are pictures of the fun we had making Cinnamon Applesauce Ornaments and Salt Dough Ornaments......

She did such a good job, I hardly had to help
her at all!

And to continue the homemade Christmas fun, here are pics of the Sweater Stockings I made for us this year....

Now I just need to find the motivation to make the last one for the baby so I don't have to worry about making it next year :). Once we decide on a name for the baby I'm going to get some kind of letter ornament on each of them.

In the next couple weeks I'm going to try and conquer making homemade goodies and candies with lots of new recipes I haven't tried before...we'll see how that goes :)

what we're eating this week...

Well after lots of Thanksgiving food all weekend, I think we need something NOT involving Thanksgiving leftovers for a few days! Although it was yummy, time to mix it up....

Monday: Sloppy Joe's (recipe below)
Tuesday: Veggie Chili in the Crockpot with Cornbread (recipe below)
Wednesday: Spicy Orange Chicken and rice
Thursday: Crescent Wrapped Lasagna
**...a couple changes I make to this recipe that work out well, I use the Crescent seamless dough sheets from Pillsbury (2 cans) which is the same as Crescent Rolls but without the seams so one less step for you! And I use fresh mozzarella instead of shredded...much creamier!
Friday: Buffalo Chicken Rolls
Saturday: Beef and Veggie Stew in the Crockpot  (see recipe below)
Sunday: Turkey and Noodles (see recipe below) with Heavenly Rolls

Recipes:
Crock Pot Sloppy Joe's (I took a recipe from a cookbook and made it my own and they are YUMMY!)
-1 lb ground beef or turkey
-1 sm Green Bell Pepper chopped
-1 Sm Vidalia Onion
-2-4 cloves garlic minced or through garlic press
-1 cup ketchup
-1 Tbsp + 1 tsp mustard
-1 Tbsp + 1 tsp vinegar
-1 Tbsp + 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
-1 Tbsp + 1 rounded tsp brown sugar
-1 tsp chili powder
-salt and pepper to taste
Brown meat with onions and garlic. Mix all other ingredients in Crock Pot. Add meat/onion mixture to Crock Pot (if it looks to thick add up to 1/4 cup water, too thin add up to 1/4 cup more ketchup) Cook on Low for 5-6 hrs or High for 3. Makes about 4 servings

Cornbread Cake (got this recipe from a friend a few years ago and have not made regular cornbread since)
-1 Jiffy Cornbread mix
-1 Jiffy Yellow Cake mix
-3 eggs
-1/3 cup milk
Mix all ingredients, will be slightly lumpy. Grease baking pan. Bake on 400 - 410 degrees for approximately 20-25 minutes. It will brown before it's actually done so if it looks done be sure to check the middle with a toothpick and it will come out clean when done. It may sink a bit in the middle. Can only know done-ness by toothpick test, not color. Makes 8x8 pan of yummy-ness!!
***UPDATE: I decided to try this recipe making muffins because my favorite cornbread pan now has a crack in it. They turned out great and were a lot faster. I did the recipe the same and at 405 degrees it only took 15 minutes.

Beef and Veggie Stew in the Crockpot  (a random improv creation...I think I make it different each time but here's my best guess at a recipe...)
-Approx 2 lbs beef cut into bite size pieces (I use cube steak because I like the texture better)
-2 tbsp flour
- 2 cans beef broth
-1 can tomato soup
-2-3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
-1 28oz can diced tomatoes
-1 chopped onion
-3 chopped/minced cloves of garlic
-4-5 potatoes (peeled and cut into cubes or bite size pieces)
- bag of frozen mixed veggies
- salt and pepper to taste
In the crockpot, toss beef with flour until it is coated. Add onion, garlic, potatoes, beef broth, tomato soup, diced tomatoes, and Worcestershire sauce. Cook on low for 6-8 hrs and high for 3-5 adding frozen veggies about half way through.


Turkey and Noodles (adapted from my sister Holly's recipe)Leftover turkey I froze at Thanksgiving
1 bag frozen Egg Noodles (must be the frozen kind, not dry egg noodles!)
2 cans chicken or veggie broth
Boil Egg Noodles as directed but use chicken broth instead of water. Half way through the boiling time, add shredded chicken. Add salt and pepper to taste. Eat over mashed potatoes and be prepared to be amazed :)

week in photos...

well, not much to show for our week! We all spent most of the week sick and although we did have a great thanksgiving with Josh's brother and his family, I forgot to take pictures! So here are a couple from this weekend......

syd posing in front of our Christmas tree
(which we've had up since last Saturday :)

and here is a pic of my progressively growing belly...been meaning to post the progress for a while but kept forgetting!  And I have to say, I feel WAY bigger than I look in that last picture :) Only 15 more weeks to go until we get to meet our little guy!

Bzz Agent post #2: Truly Awesome Cookies!

Ok, another Bzz Campaign I'm in (see post below for further explanation) is The Truly Awesome Homestyle Chocolate Chip Cookies from Kroger. With my Bzz Kit (that they provide me to help me spread the word) I received two boxes of these cookies and let me just tell you....they are incredible. If you like Chips Ahoy (which are my fave store bought cookies), you would LOVE these cookies. What makes it even better is the list of ingredients...it's stuff you would use to make your own cookies! If you have a Kroger near you, buy a box of these.....you won't regret it!

An introduction to being a Bzz Agent and Meijer's photo canvas! :)

I've been meaning to write a blog on this for ages, so....

First, let me tell you a little bit about Bzz Agent. It's basically a community of consumers that spreads the word about new and/or upcoming products. It's something I volunteer to do and in the mean time I typically get to try new products and share new products/coupons for free :) (more info on Bzz Agents here.)

I'm a Bzz Agent and my latest campaign is kind of exciting as I love taking photos and love when I can find one good enough to hang on the wall. Have you ever heard of turning your photos into a canvas wall hanging? I've heard of it but never done it...and now I get to!

So if you have a Meijer near you and would like to try this as well, print this coupon  for 10% off and give it a shot.  Could make a great Christmas gift!! (let me know if you do, I'd love to hear how yours turns out as I try to pick the perfect photo for mine!)


Here's an explanation of how to do it...
Meijer's new Gallery Wrapped Canvas Print service makes it fast and easy to turn your photos into canvas works of art. Here's how it works:

1. Bring a digital version of your photo(s) to your local Meijer store, or scan your image in-store. The HP kiosks can take CD, USB, memory stick duo, MiniCD, RS-MMC, SD and XD
2. Upload your photos to the HP photo kiosk and select "Photo Products"
3. Select "Posters, Canvas, & Banners" and then Select "Canvas"
4. Choose a canvas size, add your image, and check image resolution (adjust or crop as desired)
5. Once you're finished, select "Add to Cart" and follow the "Checkout" process
6. Click "Proceed to Cart," order your print and take your receipt.
7. Present your receipt and a printout of the unique coupon on your Campaign Homepage to pick up your discounted 11x14 Gallery Wrapped Canvas Print the next day.

thrifty tip tuesday

Well it is one yucky day out today and the yuckiness is hanging around inside too as we're on day 3 of fevers with Sydney and just an all around not feeling great with her and I. Luckily Josh is still feeling good so hopefully we'll get past this soon....and hopefully soon enough to enjoy some Thanksgiving grub!!

Here are the deals I'm finding this week. Obviously there are TONS of Black Friday sales and deals so here are a few that are not in that category which will hopefully add to all the deals you get this week :)

- "Like" AMC Theaters on Facebook and click on the coupon tab on the side to print a coupon for free small popcorn valid 12/2-12/4

-GREAT deals at Bath and Body Works, including free item with purchase of $10 or more  (see this post from Deal Seeking Mom)

-"Like" Seattle's Best Coffee on Facebook and receive a free sample and $2 off coupon

- 5 free holiday cards from Mypublisher.com plus free shipping!  (offer ends tomorrow!!)

-Get Twilight Saga movie FREE from Blockbuster Express (click here to find one near you). Use code: TWILIGHTSAGA. (exp 11/30)

-Free Waffle coupon from Waffle House  (exp 12/16)

-Get cheap gift certificates from Restaurant.com by getting 80% off using the coupon code SHOP at check out!! AND you can give away $10 egift cards with their Feed it Forward program here

-$10 off $20 purchase at Smokey Bones restaurants   (exp 11/27)

-"Like" Hallmark on Facebook and receive a $5 off any $10 purchase at a Hallmark Gold Crown Store

-

thankful thursday

In this season of thankfulness, it definitely prompts my heart to focus in a bit more on what I am grateful for and when I do that I see that I have too many things to list! Here are just a few that are standing out to me today...

1. That our baby boy is growing and healthy as far as ultrasounds and measurements can tell. I'll be 24 weeks on Saturday which means approximately 16 weeks until we get to meet this little guy!!! So I'm thankful that it's a short time until he comes and also thankful for the 16 weeks we get to enjoy life with Sydney before life gets a little fuller ;)
2. I'm so thankful for Josh and Sydney. I'm very grateful for the friend, companion and husband Josh is. I love who God has created him to be and I love him more each day. I'm so very thankful for who Sydney is. She makes us smile daily She has such a sweet and tender heart and I CANNOT wait to see what God does in and through her. She amazes me.
3. What is really standing out to me today is how good God is and how THANKFUL I am for His faithfulness. I read this entry of My Utmost for His Highest today and it brought me back exactly one year ago when I read the same entry. A year ago today, I was in a much different place (in every way...mentally, emotionally, spiritually, physically). I was coming off of one of the hardest things I've ever been through (which some of you know about, those who don't....sorry not the time or place to share) and this particular entry from that devotional spoke to me like nothing else. It was a call, a challenge. It was a fork in the road. It was time to choose....will I choose Christ and what he wants for me or will I give in to what I want to feel, how I want to deal with things? Will I let him heal me and be obedient to the steps of healing he was calling me to or would I let myself give in to anger, self pity, bitterness and hurt? Well praise God, because he gave me the strength to choose Him and I have seen the truth in what Oswald Chambers was saying....as I was obedient, I saw the promises and nature of God come to life before my eyes. It brings tears to my eyes today to think about how kind, gentle, and faithful God has been in this healing process over the past year. So I could not be more thankful for that! My favorite part of that entry is when he quotes the hymn "My goal is God Himself" ....
"My goal is God Himself, not joy, nor peace,
Nor even blessing, but Himself, my God;
'Tis His to lead me there—not mine, but His—
At any cost, dear Lord, by any road.

So as I chose a year ago, I choose again......my God...at any cost, by any road.

thrifty tip tuesday

Here are a few good deals for the week....

FREE Curly Fries at Arby's  (TODAY ONLY)

Best deals this week at CVS      (from Deal Seeking Mom)
*Lots of Black Friday Extra Care Buck deals to look forward to next week too!!

Bath and Body Works $10 off $30 purchase (exp 11/20)
and Free gift with full size Signature series purchase this Saturday   (from Deal Seeking Mom)

Buy one get one free holiday drink at Starbucks   (November 17–20 from 2–5 p.m)

20 free holiday cards from Staples  (Exp 11/19)

$10 off $25 purchase today and tomorrow at JC Penny or jcp.com      (exp 11/16)

5 free cards plus free shipping from Mypublisher.com  (exp 11/22)

what we're eating this week....

After a great weekend with company, mama's taking the night of cooking off ;) But here are the delectable recipes we'll be enjoying later this week....

Tuesday: Creamy Tortellini
Wednesday: Chicken Divan
Thursday: Taco Night!
Friday: Veggie Chili with Cornbread (recipe below)
Saturday: Biscuits and Gravy (I use this white sauce recipe and add cooked ground sausage and pepper)
Sunday: Leftovers or Pizza!


Recipes...
Cornbread Cake (got this recipe from a friend a few years ago and have not made regular cornbread since)
-1 Jiffy Cornbread mix
-1 Jiffy Yellow Cake mix
-3 eggs
-1/3 cup milk
Mix all ingredients, will be slightly lumpy. Grease baking pan. Bake on 400 - 410 degrees for approximately 20-25 minutes. It will brown before it's actually done so if it looks done be sure to check the middle with a toothpick and it will come out clean when done. It may sink a bit in the middle. Can only know done-ness by toothpick test, not color. Makes 8x8 pan of yummy-ness!!
***UPDATE: I decided to try this recipe making muffins because my favorite cornbread pan now has a crack in it. They turned out great and were a lot faster. I did the recipe the same and at 405 degrees it only took 15 minutes.

lack of blogging...

We've had a busy couple of weeks which has obviously resulted in a huge lack in blogging. However, not too much to report from the gap of no communication.  Josh's parents are visiting right now and we're enjoying our weekend with them. We have another doctor appointment on Tuesday where we'll get to catch another glimpse of our baby boy! (the couldn't measure a few things in the last ultrasound so need to do another one). He is a very active boy and his firm kicks have been waking me up in the early morning hours. Well...until next time, here are a few good recipes to leave you with....

YUMMY Chocolate Cookies with Peanut Butter center  (I know I've posted this recipe before but I just made them this weekend and it was a reminder of how DELICIOUS these cookies are!!)

Buffalo Chicken Rolls

Pork Tenderloin with Preserves   (made this with Apricot Preserves and it was yummy!)

halloween pictures :)

Here is a view of our week so far! Happy Halloween everyone :)

my yummy birthday cake :)

our little helper

Syd "helping" daddy with the leaves

our jack-o-lanterns!!

and our cute little halloween kitty :)

week in photos...

we went to a pumpkin patch to pick
out pumpkins

and painted a little pumpkin
(going to carve the big pumpkins tomorrow)

Syd picked out a blanket and outfit
for her baby brother but decided
to use them for her baby doll for now :)

and then she had fun playing with our camera :)

thankful friday :)

well, I'm thankful on Fridays too :).....

1. Dental insurance!! I haven't had it in a while and only have it with the insurance I'm on during the pregnancy but I had to get a tooth pulled (yuck!) on Monday and I'm so glad I had the coverage to do it. I'm still pretty sore from it...so I guess I'm thankful for Tylenol too :)
2. Halloween time!! I know that sounds funny to some but Halloween has lots of fond memories for me...of the traditional dressing up and getting candy as a kid, but also as fun family time. Halloween is my dad and sister's birthday and mine is the day after so it's a time of celebrating with my family. Wish I could be with Dad and Holly this year!!
3. Chocolate cake :) I'm making myself a dark chocolate cake with dark chocolate icing for my birthday...it's my present to myself and let me just tell you I'm pretty excited for it!!
4. Apple season! I love the fall because apples are on sale every where you look and I LOVE apples! Just made some Apple Butter in the Crockpot this morning and boy is it yummy!! Probably going to make these again later next week too!!
5. for possibly finding a home church! One thing we have not had since we left Arkansas was a real home church. We hopped around from church to church the whole time we were in SC and have tried a few here as well but we think we may have found a church to call home here. We know that is so essential to Ohio being home so pray with us that this is the one or that God will guide us to the right one soon!!
6. for Josh and Sydney (and the little guy growing in my belly). I am so very thankful for my little family. They mean so much to me, more as each day passes!!

Enjoy the weekend and carve a pumpkin (that's what we're doing anyway :)!!

thrifty tip tuesday

Here are a few deals I've found this week....

80% off Restaurant.com Gift Certificates with code PUMPKIN at check out   (code expires 10/31)

12 FREE $1 DVD rentals at Blockbuster Express Kiosks with the codes 22MAYB2, 52ABDP8, 22KRFT9, 33WHZS5, 63JRTW5, 53BPSP5, 64KJRD4, 33JBHG4, 73SGLM3, 37CDJS2, 73KWMR8. Codes expire on 10/28. You can also use the code 39HLG2 that expires on 11/4/11. Click here to find a location near you.    (from The Freebie Blogger)

 and 9 FREE $1 DVD rentals at Blockbuster Express Kiosks with the codes 56WHZS3, 58JRTW6, 68BPSP6, 74JBHG9, 23SGLM4, 74CDJS8, 34KWMR7, 75DABC2, 73CEHW9. Codes expire on 10/31/11. Click here to find a location near you  (from The Freebie Blogger)

Possibly free nail polish at CVS   (from Deal Seeking Mom)

Best deals at CVS this week    (from Deal Seeking Mom)

Best deals at Walgreens this week    (from Deal Seeking Mom)

what we're eating this week...

Well, our menu from last week didn't really happen due to changes of plans here and there so that left me with some repeats this week...

Monday: Beef Stew (from freezer)
Tuesday: Chicken and Noodles with Mashed Potatoes with Heavenly Rolls
Wednesday: Pork Tenderloin with Apricot Preserves
Thursday: Spaghetti
Friday: Crescent Wrapped Lasagna

Nothing exciting to try this week...maybe next week I'll be more inspires :)

thankful thursday

We are so thankful this week for the little one that will join our family in just 20 short weeks. We had the privelage of seeing the baby on an ultrasound on Tuesday morning and found out that we are having a BOY!!!!! We are all so excited to meet this little guy in March and the planner in me is pretty excited to be able to plan a bit now that we know and start to think about some names :) Below are a couple pictures of our baby boy :)!!

it's a boy!!

his legs stretched out

his face (slightly creepy picture :)

this is a view looking down on his head, he's sucking
his thumb :) You can see his fingers and the round to the left is the
top of his head. We got to see him put his hand in his mouth
and suck his thumb during the ultrasound!