Him Too?!

ok.. so in real life without a huge zoom, ya really can’t tell. but SERIOUSLY?!!!!!!!!! are we gonna have to deal with this with him TOO?! obviously so. UGH

I heart cookies

Having a little fun while practicing piping..  next week will be WILD as I have to decorate about 160 cookies for birthdays and valentines day.. I am praying that they all turn out well!

Amen, Brother Brees!!

my mother-in-law shared this with me… I wanted to pass it on to all of you.

New Orleans Lady

Charles and I went to New Orleans for a wedding this weekend - it was a crazy busy weekend..but lots of fun.

Charm Du Jour

Check her out:

This is a Lake Charles girl making beautiful and affordable jewelry...

take a peak and see what she's got...

http://www.charmdujour.etsy.com/

This is what I just bought:

Blessing

 

This picture is one I’ll cherish forever… I snapped it as Audrey was saying our blessing..  precious..

On the side…

I guess since I got two actual orders for cookies I am officially doing this "on the side."  This is a fun way for me to earn a little bit of money!  Let me know if you would like any Valentine's Day Cookies, chocolate covered strawberries (local orders only for this), or Mardi Gras Cookies (I have fleur de lis cookie cutter and crown cookie cutter).   Email me at christamac1@hotmail.com if you are interested!

MY ENTIRE COOKIE CUTTER COLLECTION INCLUDES:

• HEARTS (3 DIFFERENT SIZES)
• MEGAPHONE
• JERSEY
• BABY ONESIE
• BABY RATTLE
• #1
• #2
• CIRCLE
• STAR
• GIFT BOX WITH BOW
• WRENCH
• CRAWFISH
• FLEUR DE LIS
• PRINCESS/KING/QUEEN CROWN
• ROUND SCALLOP EDGE
• DAISY
• BARN
• PIG
• SHEEP
• GHOST
• PUMPKIN
• GINGER BREAD MAN/WOMAN
• CHRISTMAS TREE
• ORNAMENT

IF THERE IS SOMETHING ELSE, I’M SURE I CAN FIND IT FOR YOU!
*most cookies are $1.35/COOKIE.. includes clear treat bag for each cookie

Chicken Enchilada Soup

*I stumbled upon this recipe on www.allrecipes.com – delishhh! Tastes very much like the Enchilada soup at Chili’s

Ingredients

• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (*I used 3)
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup diced onion (* I used an entire onion)
• 1 clove garlic, minced (*I used 3)
• 1 quart chicken broth (*one box)
• 1 cup masa harina (*check mexican food section of store or by the flour)
• 3 cups water, divided
• 1 cup enchilada sauce (*I used whole can)
• 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

• TOPPING Suggestions: cheddar cheese, tortilla chips, sour cream & Cilantro – I had none :(  but I did add green onion.  I also used a pizza cutter to cut thin strips of corn tortillas and fried them for my crunchy topping.. I HIGHLY recommend it!

Directions (*with my added two cents)

1. In a large pot (*big enough to cook the entire soup in)over medium heat, cook chicken breasts in oil until well browned on all sides. Remove and set aside (*to cool so you can shred it later).
2. Cook onion and garlic in remaining oil until onions are translucent. Pour in chicken broth.
3. In a bowl, whisk together masa harina and 2 cups water until well blended. Pour into pot then add remaining 1 cup water, enchilada sauce, Cheddar, salt, chili powder and cumin. Bring to a boil.
4. Shred cooked chicken and add it to the pot. Reduce heat and simmer 30 to 40 minutes, until thickened.

Audrey, Will (yes the baby), Charles and I all loved it. I found it wasn’t very spicy at all but I left it that way so the kids could eat it and I added pepper to our bowls. Enjoy!

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Chicken-Enchilada-Soup-III/Detail.aspx

A desire to be different

Many of you who know me well – would agree that I love to cook hate to clean don’t have that clean freak gene that some others are blessed with.  Don’t get me wrong, we don’t live in a pig sty or anything – I do it – it is just like the last thing I feel like doing.  I ENJOY a clean house and  hate clutter, I know how to clean: thanks to my mom.  I just don’t have a strong desire to clean – until lately.  I made excuses why I couldn’t make time for it etc etc.. and even discussed getting a once a month maid to do the major stuff.. and then it dawned on me that this is an opportunity for God to work on me – I just have to ask him.  So I did.  My daily prayer {daily, because it is still a struggle} is that he gives me a desire to clean and opportunities to clean our home.  I’ll have to give Him the Glory that it is WORKING!  I even noticed a day or two that I forgot to pray about it, it was harder for me to do the daily chores.  The house is cleaner, I have found time to do it and it isn’t as big of a struggle… sometimes I even find JOY in doing it.  I’m so thankful He hears me and that he cares even about something so small!  What do you struggle with?  Is there something God might be calling you to ask of him?
Psalm 37:4-5 (NLT)Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you your heart’s desires.  Commit everything you do to the LORD. Trust him, and he will help you.

10 Months

10 months, already?!!

  Lately Will has been cutting teeth like crazy! The last time I checked he had cut his 5th tooth and his top two teeth are still coming down.  He plays well independently for a while and ADORES Audrey.  They have been playing well together {for now}.   He is on table food alone now – no more baby food.. and we are trying to be better about offering a sippy cup since it we only have 2 more months with a bottle…. it went by so fast!I cannot believe that it is time to start thinking about his first birthday… wow.  I love him to pieces.

Lately Will has been the dress-up victim of his big sister, Audrey.  I feel really bad that he doesn’t even know how ridiculous he looks!!

  

 Oh, and he decided to “roll” our house the  other day.. toilet paper everywhere..

he is keeping us BUSY!

 

wow.

my friend, christine, sent me this link today- amazing testimony to Christ – publicly without holding back. love it!

Cookies: Step By Step

 

bare naked – ready to get fancy

 

outline on

I did the filling and the “1” at the same time so that the “1” would sink into the blue icing and be flat.

while I let the baby blue/white dry I added a navy blue border.

Then I added the red “1” on top so that it would be raised

A fellow blogger friend hired me to do 24 of these for her son’s 1st birthday party…  It was lots of fun trying to figure out how to make them coordinate with her color scheme and theme.. Charles was thrilled to find out I was actually making money and not spending it.. haha!! :)

Peddling

I've been peddling stuff all over craigslist and ebay lately.. out with the old and in with the new!  I hate clutter and keeping stuff that isn't being used.. why not get some $$ for it?!  I have sold 2 TV's from our house and a golf gps thingy for my in-laws and now I'm selling our TiVo.  We switched to DVR (*which is much harder to use) because we wanted to record more than one show at a time and to do that we'd have to buy a more expensive TiVo blah blah blah.. it is available if you want it.

http://houston.craigslist.org/ele/1539298727.html

Big Girl!

(talking to her MaMere before going to preschool)

Audrey went to “big girl school” today for the very first time.  She was so excited she was giggling and laughing all the way to the door and when we checked her in she asked, “Can I go to my class now?” but we had to wait a minute until the teachers were ready.  She found her name quickly and sat in her chair and began coloring… precious!  Her teacher, Ms. Cathy is a former librarian who is the sweetest lady in the world!  I have no doubt Audrey will LOVE it and want to go every day!

I made a quick trip to the post office and tidied up the house a bit as well as got a few things done that I had been putting off… Since she is done at 12:00 it comes around pretty quickly and I already need to get Will ready to go get his “sissy."

What a Game!

One of the perks of Charles’ job is that he gets to entertain clients at Houston Texans games! We had a great time with an amazing catered meal in the “luxury suite” and then a visit from the cheerleaders as well as a visit from the ice cream cart… YUM!  I enjoyed the game and the last minute win by the Texans as well as our friends, Chuck and Christine Chapman – Chuck works for BP who is one of Charles’ clients!

Back and Forth 2009 > 2010

Looking back at last year and ALLLL it had in store for us, I have to wonder what this year will be like.  Here are the highlights of 2009:

• Audrey was fully potty trained thru the night (Feb)
• We got news that we’d be moving to Houston (Feb)
• Doctor was concerned for low amniotic fluid and thought I was going to have a tiny baby. HA! (Feb)
• Had a baby. a big one. 8lbs 1oz and 22” long.(March)
• Charles turned 30 (March)
• Big Move – to Sugar Land (April)
• Vacationed in Cozumel (July)
• Audrey took Gymnastics AND Ballet
• Celebrated 5 years of marriage (August)
• Took many trips to Lake Charles *as I look back we went more times than I even remembered!
• Went to my brother’s football games
• Went to an LSU football game
• Hosted my first Thanksgiving
• Celebrated Christmas with family

 

Wow what a year of blessings it has been – I look back with an overwhelmed, yet grateful heart.  My mom was right, I look back and wonder HOW did I do it.?!  With blood, sweat and many tears.. i guess.   This year although filled to the brim with joy, was also filled to the brim with hard work and challenges.. Mainly with the move, making our new house a home and most of all a new baby.

  I pray for a slower, less eventful year this year as I enjoy my babies and husband.  I pray that we don’t have to move anywhere and that we can let our new friendships grow roots here while we still feed and water the old ones.  I pray that above all: my extended family, immediate family and friends all remain healthy.  I look forward to seeing Audrey begin preschool this year and watching Will’s first steps.  I plan on being more committed to keeping a cleaner home and simplified calendar and will continue to find ways to help our home run smoothly and more efficient. I also plan on being intentional about setting apart time without kids and having FUN!

  I welcome a new year and anything God brings – The good and the bad and the ugly… I know he works all things together for his glory.