I Called, You Answered

I wish I could say that's how my prayers go all the time, but God chooses to answers prayers differently for different people in different ways.
Sometimes he pauses for a period of time, says no, says wait, or answers quickly. And boy, am I thankful for those times He answers us quickly!

My sweet David tells everyone that Jesus is healing his eye. And that is the only medical explanation! No doctor is giving him medicine and they already told us that they see this lazy eye condition can stay in children to adulthood.

So,
Initial visit, Davids poor eye was at 20/100
6 weeks later, patching one eye and glasses it went to 20/50
Another 6 weeks later, patching one eye and glasses it went to 20/30.... almost perfect!!

Its kind of unbelievable in the optometry world.

We go back in 4 weeks and they anticipate perfect vision for my son! And ironically, I was secretly praying for David to not have to wear the patch to preschool which the first day is Aug. 23. (I know I am being THAT mom, but he gets hot and sweaty with it on and little kids come up and ask really loudly, whats wrong with your eye? Mommy has to step back and let David handle it, which is a little hard for me!)
And would you believe she asked me to come in on Aug 22, the day before his first day of school, for hopefully the last day of his patch? Seriously.

My mouth about hit the floor! She was so floored by his success that I told her, "Dr. Boardman, we have been praying that Jesus would heal his eye and I know that He has!"

She just kind of nervously laughed, but I didn't care. She had no explanation so mine was better!

I am so happy. And I am the most happy that my 4 year old has gotten to see and watch our Great Saviour answers prayers. To him, he asks for everything when he prays now. Because he has seen Him answer.

2 Fun Summer Recipes

These have been my favorite recipes so far this summer.
The first is just a good ole comfort meal. Perfect for entertaining, taking to a baby mama, or just for 4 hungry mouths like us over here! It is a medium on the healthy scale. Spinach and tomatos are in there, but it does have a pie crust and a bag of cheese!

The sweet old Publix chef feeds me every week while I grocery shop! He always gives me double and tells me to put some meat on my bones (i try and look extra hungry so he'll give me more) I'm kidding. But, we are big fans of the Aprons meals at publix. They are always pretty healthy, super quick, and they put the ingredients for it on sale.

so here is my new favorite, whatever you do, MAKE THE BROWNIES AT THE BOTTOM.

Some new church friends had us over for dinner and she made these. She is now my new best friend because these are the most amazing things I've ever had. They are like smores brownies! A layer of brownies, marshmallow, topped with peanut butter, choc chips, and graham crackers! Enjoy!

First, Publix's Italian Pie

Ingredients

1 (10-oz) box frozen chopped spinach
6 slices salami (1 1/2 oz)
1 1/4 lb ground meatloaf blend (beef/pork)
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1/4 cup diced pimientos, drained
1/4 cup turkey (or regular) pepperoni (1 oz)
1 (13.75-oz) jar bruschetta spread
2 eggs (or 1/2 cup egg substitute)
2 cups shredded Italian-blend cheese
1 ready-to-bake rolled pie crust

Prep

•Place spinach in colander, under cool running water, to thaw; break into smaller pieces, as possible.
•Preheat oven 425°F.
•Cut salami into bite-size pieces.


Steps

1.Preheat large sauté pan on medium-high 2–3 minutes. Add ground meat and Italian seasoning; brown 5–7 minutes, stirring to crumble meat, or until no pink remains. Drain spinach thoroughly by pressing firmly against colander.
2.Stir pimientos, pepperoni, salami, spinach, and bruschetta spread into meat; cook 1–2 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Transfer to a medium bowl and set aside 1–2 minutes to cool.
3.Stir in eggs and cheese, then transfer to a 9x13-inch baking dish. Unroll pie crust over meat mixture. (Stretch dough to fit or use extra dough that overlaps sides to cover extra space at each end of the baking dish; press edges together on each end.) Trim and seal or crimp edges.
4.Cut two small slits in center of crust. Bake 25–30 minutes or until mixture is bubbly and crust is golden. Serve.
CALORIES (per 1/8 recipe) 520kcal; FAT 36g; CHOL 130mg; SODIUM 720mg; CARB 22g; FIBER 2g; PROTEIN 25g; VIT A 90%; VIT C 10%; CALC 30%; IRON 15%

Blue Eyed Bakers - check out their site for more amazing recipes!



Graham Cracker Crunch Brownies
Makes 24 brownies
Adapted from Buttercup Bakes at Home



For the brownies: (or you can cheat like me and just use a box mix- still tasted great)
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1/3 cup unsalted butter
2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips, divided
2/3 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the topping:
1 bag (10.5 ounces) mini marshmallows
1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips
1 cup smooth peanut butter
1 tablespoon butter
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (larger pieces are fine)

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Butter a 9×13-inch pan and set aside.

To make the brownies, combine unsweetened chocolate, butter and 1/3 cup of the semisweet chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave mixture in 30 second intervals until completely melted. Set aside to cool for 5 minutes.

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk eggs until light. Add the sugar and vanilla and whisk until completely incorporated. Stir the melted chocolate mixture into the egg mixture and blend well. With the mixer on low, add in the dry ingredients and mix well. Fold in the remaining 1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips.

Spread the brownie batter evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few crumbs.

Remove the brownies from the oven and cover with the marshmallows over them. Place pan back in the oven for 3-5 minutes, until marshmallows puff and melt slightly. Remove from oven and set aside for 5 minutes.

While the marshmallow layer is cooling, combine milk chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave mixture in 30 second intervals until completely melted. Add in graham cracker crumbs and mix well. Allow to cool for 3 minutes.

Spread chocolate graham cracker mixture evenly over the marshmallow layer using a spatula. Chill bars before cutting.

Happy Summer Baking

Roll With It

That's my theme for the summer so far!! Because that's what I have to kind of do.... just roll with it! And Tim and I are crazy. We realize we are not normal people, and we kind of like that!

Here is a little update on all of us:

Tim- HVAC is more than insanely busy. Tim has been consistently working 12+ hour days. The rubber has met the road and let me tell you, he loves what he does and takes extreme pride in his work. If there were ever a test of commitment, he has passed. He has lost 10 lbs this summer and spent a day in an attic that was 144 degrees. But, he still comes home happy. And he still has energy for me, the kids, and good ole Nellie Mae. It is A DIFFERENT world watching your husband slave at a job he hates verses working all day at a job he loves. So, the company is still growing like crazy and God continues to show us we are 100% on the right road. Praise the Lord for clarity right?!

We have been able to do a small group with our church this summer and I am just so thankful to make some friends!! It's SO hard making new friends!! I am grateful God is putting people in our path and I'm just praying he maximizes our time with them.

Me- The first thing most people have asked is, How in the world do you do it with no break from the kiddos?! ha! First, there are many mothers out there who are single moms, there husband is overseas, travels, or they are living apart for work. So, I am very aware that I am just lucky to have my husband come home every night. Second, I've learned expectations can destroy. If you expect your husband home at 6 for dinner and he is late... you are mad. If there is expectation on when he is supposed to be home.... you will always get beaten down. Over here, we just move on. Literally. We have dinner, baths, and I plan everything if I were to be by myself. That isn't the case though.... at some point in the evening... Tim comes home. And since there wasn't a specific time I was waiting for him to walk through the door, we just celebrate him coming home and he picks up where we are. Most nights I heat up a plate for him!

This is also for a season. Heating and Air is obviously at it's peak. It will slow in the fall and spring. Winters are busy with heating.

Another really fun thing I'm glad I did was make a little "me" time. Every Tuesday night I take pottery classes. And although I'd love to be at home with Tim, it has been completely worth it to just go do something by myself. And I love it. I also try to go to the Ymca 3 times a week. They have free childcare so I take an hour break and go do some cardio and am excited to see my babies again! And they love the break from me too I think! Another update, I did keep my last 2 house cleaning clients. They live close to me and close to eachother so every Thursday my cousin babysits the kids for a few hours while I do that. Our Saturdays (when Tim isn't on call) and Sundays are family time now. I also have become a personal assistent for one of my clients and it has been really fun to run errands, do projects, and mail things for someone else while I'm out and about anyway. Lastly, I picked back up my Mystery Shopping job I did in Athens a long time ago. I just do a few a week, where you are an undercover shopper and rate a store. This week I am pretty excited b/c I will get paid to go mystery shopping at the zoo with my kids! And I forgot, I've randomly been re-finishing a few pieces of furniture. Thats another blogpost. I've also been bookreading, its fantastic.

The kiddos-

David starts preschool in a little over a month! He is so excited. He did VBS this summer and loved it. It confirmed Tim and I's decision that this will be the best thing for him this fall. He is still wild, crazy, but also has a very serious and sensitive side to him. He is developing a very intense and passionate personality. And he is a little OCD like his mama ;)

Mackenzie is just a handful. She is so dramatic, full out tantrums, and I have to keep reminding myself she is only 2. Whew and she acts like it! She is VERY sweet at the same time and you would swear she is a newborn with how she acts. She still thinks she is a baby and sleeps like one, wants to be held like one, and dont get me wrong... I love it!

They have loved pool dates with friends this summer, our garden- which hallelujah has been fruitful, and just being at home for some hot summer days.

The more I am with them, the more I learn about myself and the kind of mother I am supposed to be. I have almost been a mommy for 5 years. I will never have a mass herd of children, I will not homeschool them, and I will not sew their clothes. Although let me just tell you Target has clothes clearanced down to like $2 each and I totally have their wardrobes for next summer for way less than I could make clothes! Not that there is ANYTHING wrong with those. Parts of my mind fantasizes about tons of children, me being this crafty mom, and me wondering if God wants me to homeschool. For me, He has answered these questions very clearly. And for that I am grateful. Don't beat yourself up and chase after something that even you yourself don't really want. I think I have broken out of any kind of mold and I want to be my own mold. I want to teach my kids to make a decision and be confident in it. So, I hope to model that for them.

However, I do value staying at home with them and pouring into them everyday, cooking and eating as fresh and healthy as possible, and giving the best life we can give them.

I am just so grateful for this stage of life, I love being a mama and I love being a wife to Tim. Ask the Lord to give you clarity in specific areas of your life and keep a journal, He will answer! And ask him for outlets in your life that can keep you still being "you" not just wifey and mommy.

Other fun things this summer..... here is some pottery I've made and I also chopped my hair 6 inches and went back to blonde. Just for fun! I have NOT been good with my camera and these are all straight from the phone!