Seagrove Beach Babes

Well, we have just returned from a wonderful week at Seagrove Beach, Florida. This was our fifth time to vacation in that area. We just love it. The water is clear, the beach is beautiful white sands, the people are friendly, and the town is quaint. This has become our family's favorite vacation spot. Last year, we decided to forego our beach trip in order to save money for our Disney trip in the fall. And I missed it! I was so happy to go back to our favorite beach spot this summer. And we totally lucked out with the weather and the clear water! We had several cloudy days and a few small rainstorms, which kept the temperatures down in the 80s. It sure was a nice break from our unbearable Houston heat!

This year, Drummer Boy's sister and her 2 kids joined us, which added to the fun. It's so much more of a vacation for the adults when the kids have friends to play with:)

Here are some of my favorite pictures from the week:

Drummer Boy gettin' serious about his Sand Castle

Our favorite snowcone stand in Seaside

Snowcones!

Mom and girls in the clear Florida Gulf

Cousins in the pool

Sweet Summer Smile!

Surfer Girl 

Playing Beanie Boos at the Beach

Our favorite VRBO beach house

Pumpkin catchin' a wave on the Boogie Board

Mid-week concert in Seaside

Dinner at Bud & Alley's Taco Bar

Beautiful Florida sunset

A Most Colorful Dish

Last week in my veggie co-op, I received blue potatoes. I don't happen to have any blue potato recipes on hand, so I searched the internet and found this jewel:

Fresh Corn and Blue Potato Hash

It was perfect because I also received 6 ears of corn in my share of veggies. The only ingredients I had to buy at the store were fresh spinach and manchego cheese.

Drummer Boy and I thought it was delicious with a little added salt and pepper. Princess also liked it a lot. Pumpkin balked at the fresh spinach, but ate the corn and some of the blue potatoes.
One thing is for sure: it is the most colorful dish I have served in quite some time. I thought it looked and tasted lovely. I loved the fresh spinach and fresh corn. It felt very healthy. And if you don't have blue potatoes, you can use any small, slightly waxy potatoes.
We will definitely be making this dish again!

9 Years Ago...

Nine years ago, I became a mother when this little pipsqueak was born, purple-faced and screaming. She's still just as LOUD and just as dramatic. And I still love her to pieces!

To celebrate her birthday, she invited 2 friends to join her at the American Girl Bistro. We had a nice girl's lunch and she dropped her doll, McKenna, off at the salon to get her hair done. After a little bit of shopping, we headed home. The girls played and swam together all afternoon and then we had family over for dinner. Princess requested that I make Hoppin' John (a black-eyed pea soup) for dinner, and she wanted lemon cupcakes for dessert. Of course the birthday girl's requests were honored.

It's strange to me to see her getting so big and acting so grown up in some ways, but also keeping that little girl part of her that loves to play with her American Girl doll and stuffed animals. I hope we can keep the little girl part of her close by for a while longer. I'm not ready for the pre-teen drama and sass and all that jazz!

First Christian Camp Experience

Last weekend, Pumpkin and I went to Tanglewood Christian Camp with a group from our church. We stayed one night. It was an introduction to church camp for the youngest kids, 6 and 7 year-olds. I was looking forward to getting to spend one-on-one time with Pumpkin, but I really didn't know how much fun it would be! The best part about the weekend was watching her get so excited about every part of camp.

On the way there, she continually asked me, "How many more minutes?" Once we arrived and found our bunks, she went straight to the swimming pool and diving board. She loved the diving board!!

She also loved roasting marshmallows and making s'mores, of course! And she loved the group games and the bible stories. She loved it all! 

I especially loved getting to talk with her about Jesus and tell her how special she is to him. She's so smart and sweet, and she has such a joyful heart. I think she's probably one of God's favorite people. She's one of mine, that's for sure!

A 6-Year Old in the House!

Last week, my baby turned 6 years old! I can't believe how big she is. She has been seeming very tall to me lately, so I pulled out the yard stick and measured her. She has grown 3 inches in the past year!! And she is 2 inches taller than her older sister was at this age. I knew she looked tall!

For her 6th birthday, she wanted to have her party at Chuck E. Cheese's. Drummer Boy and I tried our best to change her mind, but she would not be deterred. She told her Nana, "I am having my party at Chuck E. Cheese, and that is it!"  Well, okay then.

So Chuck E. Cheese it was. It actually wasn't too bad because we had the party at 4PM on a Tuesday and hers was the only party at that time. So there weren't a ton of crazy kids running and screaming everywhere. Pumpkin invited 5 friends plus her sister and cousins, so we ended up with a total of 12 kids. Pumpkin very generously agreed to collect food pantry donations from her friends in lieu of presents. I'm so proud of her, and I hope this is something we can start doing for all our family birthday parties.

After the party, all the family met back at our house for presents, cake, and ice cream. Pumpkin wanted a chocolate cake with chocolate icing and sprinkles, with her name in pink. And that's what she got. It isn't the prettiest cake I've ever made, but it was exactly what she wanted. And as long as the birthday girl is happy, everybody is happy!

Truth Camp

One morning last Spring, as I was running through my neighborhood, a new idea popped into my head and began to develop. My idea involved helping kids memorize bible verses through fun crafts and activities, which is something that my girls and I have been doing the last couple of summers. The "new"part of the idea involved inviting the neighborhood kids to join in. I decided that I would host a 2-hour bible verse memory lesson once a week throughout the summer. I would invite my friends to drop off their children, and the kids and I would memorize bible verses, sing worship songs, do crafts and activities, eat a snack, play together, and pray together. The idea was for this to be a fun time for the kids, and a nice break for the moms. It would be my family's summer ministry project. I decided to call it Truth Camp.

I discussed my idea with one of my friends, and she was so excited about it, she offered to help plan and host. I am so thankful for her ideas and organization!

We have done 2 weeks of Truth Camp so far, and the kids have memorized John 3:16 and John 15:13. The first week we made gospel bracelets. And the second week we crafted these beautiful crosses using oil pastels and water colors. The kids did a great job!

So far I am getting good feedback from the kids and the moms. Actually, my 2 girls said the first meeting was boring, but they really enjoyed the second one. I hope they continue to enjoy it because I have some more fun ideas for hiding God's word in our hearts!

Summer Veggies are Here!

I am so excited about this week's lot of vegetables (and fruit)! There is nothing unusual, just good ole summer veggies (and fruit).

This week I got:
1 head of lettuce
1 pound of green beans
5 large carrots
3 beautiful large tomatoes
1 yellow onion
1 red onion
2 zucchini
1 yellow squash
1 bunch of arugula
AND
1 cup of blackberries

Yeah!! I'm so excited! Last night I made a Chicken and Rice Casserole, using the squash and zucchini. It was quite yummy. Everyone liked it. Princess even ate 2 servings! We also sliced up one of the tomatoes and ate it with a little salt and fresh ground pepper. I love a nice ripe tomato!

I'm also super excited about the blackberries.
Tomorrow night I'm making Chicken and Arugula Pita Pockets with Arugula Pesto, a Giada recipe. I don't typically like arugula that much because it's a little bitter. But hopefully the olive oil, Parmesan, and garlic in the pesto will tone it down a little bit. We'll see...

I AM: A New Creation

Last Sunday, our pastor spoke on Acts chapter 3. In the story, Peter and John go up to the temple to pray and they are stopped by a crippled man asking for money. Peter engages the man and then tells him to get up and walk, in the name of Jesus. The man is instantly healed and walks into the temple and praises God. The religious people who are also worshipping in the temple are surprised to see the man walk, and look to Peter and John wondering how they could heal the man.

This is where the story touched me...  Elaborating on the point of view of the religious people, our pastor said, "We know who you are, Peter. You are just a fisherman. How could you do this?" Then Peter goes on to explain that it was not he who healed the man, but the power of Jesus Christ in him.

As I listened to Pastor Chad speak, I heard him say, "We know who you are Peter", and I thought about my friends and co-workers in Houston and in Nashville. Do they know who I am? Do they even know? Most of them do not.

Ever since I started working as a Neonatal Nurse Practitioner in Nashville, I have felt like I was a fake. The nurses and doctors that I worked with always gave me great compliments. They trusted me and had great confidence in me. They acknowledged my leadership and approached me with challenges. They believed in me way more than I believed in myself. And I felt like I was fooling all of them. I felt very insecure and stupid inside, but they thought I was smart and a confident leader. Did they know who I was? 

Since moving to Houston, I have tried to be really real with people. I don't hold anything back. I invite people into my life, just as it is, thinking they can either take it or leave it! A couple of years ago, I started a bible study with other moms in my neighborhood, and it has continued to meet and grow each semester. I have such great friends! I am always telling them about whatever God is teaching me, and I am always looking for creative ways to encourage our children. Sometimes my friends will say things to me like, "You have such a heart for women and children" or "I think you have the spiritual gift of teaching" or "you are an inspiration to me."  And I wonder who they are talking about. Me? Do they even know me? Do they know who I am?

And here is the truth that I came to realize Sunday at church: Yes, they DO know me! Because of 2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." (ESV) They know who I am in Christ, and that IS who I am now. They don't know the old me, the girl who is afraid to speak in front of people, the girl who would never pray out loud, the girl who feels stupid and insecure, the girl who tries to be what people want her to be and keeps her truest self locked up inside. That girl has passed away. That's not who I am anymore. I am a new creation, and God continues to change me every day.

So when I wonder who my friends are talking about, or why my co-workers have such confidence in me, I can be certain that they are talking about and have confidence in me, with the power of Jesus Christ in me. This is who I am. I AM:  A New Creation.

Simple and Delicous Broccoli Cheese Soup

I love this soup! It is so easy and so yummy! I hope you enjoy it as well.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

1 T olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups chicken broth
1-2 heads of broccoli, chopped into florets and chunks
2 1/2 cups milk
1/3 cup flour
freshly ground black pepper to taste
12 ounces light Velveeta, cubed

1. Saute onion in olive oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and saute 1 minute more. Add broth and broccoli. Bring to a boil and cook 10 minutes.
2. Combine milk and flour with a whisk until well-blended. Add to broccoli mixture. Cook and stir 5 minutes or until thick. Stir in pepper. Remove from heat and add cheese, stirring until cheese melts.
3. With a hand stick blender, blend soup until desired consistency. You can leave some chunks or puree  it all.