Thankful Thursdays - 37

With a new year comes new challenges and as I wind my way through the ups and downs, twists and turns of life I always remember to be thankful. There are just so many things to be thankful for.

332. I'm thankful for being able to go to my first spa. It was an amazing birthday present from my friend, and the best part of it was getting to spend that quality time together and getting reminded why we have been friends for so long.

333. I'm thankful that even though I may not have a whole lot of friends, I do have friends that I can trust completely. They are friends I've had for years, and no matter what road life has taken us down, we have stayed close. I can count on this handful of friends to do more and be there for me more than a thousand "kind of" friends would be.

334. Speaking of friends. I am beyond, beyond, beyond thankful for the relationship I have with my husband. Don't get me wrong, we are just like any other normal married couple, but we are also friends. We do our best to keep each other clued in on whats going on in our respective lives. I know though that when it really comes down to the nitty gritty, he is my absolute best friend and I his. There is no one else in the world that I'd rather spend my life with.

335. I'm thankful for the way my mom raised me. I always think how different I would be had I been raised by anyone else...and I'm thankful that I wasn't. My life was challenging for a reason...and I have learned a thousand things from my troubles. Without my moms early guidance and her obvious strength in the face of adversity, I wouldn't be who I am, and I am strong.

What are you thankful for today?
Talk to you soon,
J

Choices

My mind is so full of ideas for posts. There are so very many things that I want to talk about and to share with the world, but I cant figure out a way to get them out of my head. I want to talk about my kids, my husband, my family, my life...just everything. Anytime I start typing something out though I delete it. Nothing sounds right anymore. Everything feels like I've already said it...but at the same time I know I haven't said everything. So today as I sit down and type this out, whats on my mind is the way I was raised, and how different I would be, and my life would be, had my mom made different choices.

Really, if you think about it, life is all choices. There is nothing that is not directly affected by any choice you make on any given day, when you do any given thing. If I had not decided to go to the races with my friends I wouldn't have made such a quick connection with my husband, I would have just met him in passing on another day. If I hadn't have decided to try those dreamsicle's, I wouldn't have developed such a craving for them so often. If I had let my body do the talking while I was pregnant with Max and not rushed my pregnancy I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have ended up with a c-section. And so on and so forth.

I've made it my mission lately to make sure I am making what I think is the best choice in any situation. Not only to make sure I end up with the best outcome, but to make sure my kids end up with the best outcome. I would hate to think that one faulty choice by me could impact the rest of their lives. I not only want, I NEED my kids to be successful in life. I need them to feel as though they have been given every opportunity possible to live their life to the fullest they can. I couldn't live with myself if something I did ended up hindering my children. That's not to say that even when you make the best choices, you end up with fabulous results, because sometimes they're horrible results. But I know that if I try and I keep praying, then my children will be fine and will be guided by not just me and Ryan, but by God as well.

So when my kids ask me for a cookie before bed, I say no. When they ask me to let them play outside, I say yes. When they are doing something unacceptable, I stop them. When the sign-up for various sports and other activities open up, I will sign them up. I will make sure to give my children enough to do that will not only keep them active, but also give them the tools they need for a successful social life, for good college applications, and lots and lots of distractions when it comes time for them to start paying attention to the opposite sex. (sigh....SO not looking forward to that)

What are you doing to ensure your children are going to be successful in life?
Talk to you soon,
J

It's That Time Of Year

Hi there!!

I know this blog has been completely lacking lately. Its like every year around Christmas time I lose the interest I once had for my little blog. The end of year madness and the beginning of the year calmness take over my life, and I develop some serious writers block! EEK! What to do then? Starting right now I am going to force myself to get on this computer and bang out a blog at least weekly, but hopefully more often than that. I have a ton of things to say, (like you didn't already know that haha!) I just have to figure out how to get them out of my head and onto this screen in an intelligent and understandable manner haha!

So for now I'll leave you with that because there are things to be done and babies to be taken care of this morning. Oh and also, if you're reading this, THANK YOU!! I hope you will share this blog with your friends and they might share it with their friends. And follow it! There are instructions once you hit that follow button to create a blogger or google account. You dont have to have a blog of your own at all. =)

Talk to you soon,
J

My 2011 Reading List UPDATED!

I know its still hot like its summer but technically in our house it isn't since Max is in school. So I changed the title of this post to My 2011 Reading List that way I can keep updating as I have been with books I want to read and crossing them off as I do read them. This list is going to end up being SUPER long haha! Everyday I find another book I want to read. Nothing wrong with that!

• Sue Monk Kidd - The Secret Life of Bees
• Candace Bushnell - Summer and the City
• Candy Spelling - Candyland 
  
• Sara Shepard - Twisted
• Kathryn Stockett - The Help
• Bristol Palin - Not Afraid of Life: My Journey So Far 
• Jessica Simpson - I Do: Achieving Your Dream Wedding 
• OJ Simpson/Released by the Goldman Family - I Did It: Confessions of the Killer
• Celia Rivenbark - You Can't Drink All Day If You Don't Start in the Morning 
• Judy Blume - Smart Women
• Billie Letts - Where the Heart Is
• Debra Borden - A Little Bit Married
• Celia Rivenbark - Belle Weather
• Elizabeth Joy Arnold - Pieces of My Sisters Life 
• Nicholas Sparks - At First Sight 

Some of these books I already have and some of them I still have to buy. Either way I will read them all!

Talk to you soon,
J

2011

Back when myspace was cool, and I didn't have a blog, I used to make a list of things I had learned in the previous year after the new year started. I thought it would be kinda neat if I re-started the tradition here on my blog, but made a few changes to the way I wrote it. Maybe I'll even share some of my old lists...and yes, my myspace account is still active, hahaha!

So instead of literally making a numbered list, I'm just going to talk about a few things that have caught my attention, taught me something, or jolted me awake through out the year.

First things first. My faith in the Lord has grown exponentially. I have always carried him in my heart but this year has really shown me how present he can really be when you ask for him. I have not only leaned on him to get me through the hard times but also asked him to be with me during the happy and easy times.I have turned to him to show me the way to handle situations that I am new to, and asked him to guide me through the things that are definitely not new to me. He has shown me how to calm myself before I let my temper...or mouth get the best of me.

I've grown as a mother this year in a few different ways. I have developed a new kind of calmness in my mothering. I used to get pretty high strung in situations where things weren't going quite my way, but as my kids get older I see that things most definitely cannot always go exactly as planned. I have found my niche in Max's school classroom, and learned my boundaries. I have learned to FIGHT the urge to crowd Max and play MAMArazzi with him. I learned to hang to the sides, where he knows I am there but I am not embarrassing him. The urge to coddle and direct him in every movement comes so naturally to me, and learning to overcome has been hard, but at the end of the day I know that I would rather not embarrass my child.

There have been a few instances this year that have not only shook me to my core but also my husband. We have seen quite a few divorces this year. Whether they were celebrities (cough, Kim K., cough cough), acquaintances, or even close friends. There is something about seeing bad relationships, seeing divorces, and hearing about what goes on behind closed doors, that can really put your own relationship into perspective. The best way to say that we have learned from all the bad things that happened and are still happening is to say that we have become more AWARE. I have always been pretty perceptive to his needs because thats how most women are, but as many of you probably know, men are not like that. Men work better with detailed instructions and a guide hahaha! So, I can't actually speak for him because he is his own person, but I can say that I have seen a change for the better within him. 

A few more things I have learned this year are:

Good things do come to those who wait...even if you have to wait a long, long time.
Most things are not as good as they look on the internet.
Don't compare yourself to other people. Your husband didn't marry them...he married YOU.
When you just cant stand it anymore, kneel. (Yes, I totally got that online, but it makes TOO MUCH sense)
You can't always get what you want.
Your kids will only be kids for so long, soak up as much love, time, and attention as you can...because then they become teenagers....dun dun duuuuunnnnn.

There is a whole bunch of other things I learned this year, but I wont drag this on any longer haha! I wish nothing but health and prosperity on you (yes, even you) and I hope you ALL have a wonderful year!

Welcome to 2012!

Talk to you soon,
J

A Little Holiday

Warning! There are a lot of pictures!

Well! Its been quite the few weeks!
We have had some out of town visitors and the holidays and Bella's birthday to keep us MORE than busy!

I dont think I'm going to go into too much detail about every single thing that we did but I'll give a run down and share pictures!

On Christmas Eve my mother in law and myself cooked a HUGE ham with all the fixin's and had a big dinner with my mom, brothers, sister in laws, and my MIL & FIL. It was a lot of fun with a lot of clean up. (haha!) 

On Christmas Day we got up bright and early with the kids to watch them open all of their presents. Then we headed over to my moms to open presents, and after a few hours over there we went to visit with some more of Ryan's family. We had another big dinner that night at my moms too! We probably ate way too much this week!

The day after Christmas we drove to L.A. to pick up my grandparents who had flown in from Texas a few days before. They spent part of their trip with the family that I have in L.A. and then spent the rest here in Barstow with us for Bella's birthday and what not.

The next few days were filled with a lot of food, fun, laughter, toys (and their trash), and celebration! Bella's party ended up being a major success. I had so much help from my MIL and my Grandma that there was no way it wasn't going to come out great! I mean of course Ryan, his dad, and my Grandpa did their part too with the running back and forth to different stores picking up this or that haha!

Overall this holiday break has been amazing. I am so so so so very BLESSED. I have an amazing support system, an amazing family, and the most wonderful man at my side taking every step with me. I couldn't have asked for any more than what I have.

Enjoy looking at some pictures from our break! Of course there are a ton more but I thought twenty something was enough! hahaha!

Christmas Eve with the Hill family

I'm surprised we even got this picture, he was making faces in all the pictures!

Me and my three "little" brothers haha!

Me-The hubs-Melissa (MIL)-Scott (FIL)

Our annual pajama picture =)

The kids were READY for Christmas!

Our tree with all of the gifts under it.

The kids on Christmas Day

Merry Christmas from the Hill family!

Wela and Bella

The oldest Hill men

My door bow =)

Tutus for all the little girls

The favor table

Owl lanterns!

Tulle pompoms!

Personalized favor bags!

Food table!

I hope you all had a good holiday break too!

Talk to you soon,
J

Tasty Tasty

Lasagna Edition

I know this is a little late since I cooked this last Wednesday, but better late than never!

Once again while pinning a few weeks ago I came across this recipe for Crock Pot lasagna. It looked so easy and delicious that I knew I had to try it.

I'm not the biggest fan of lasagna but my sister (who was here visiting) and my husband both love it so I knew it would be a hit with them. As for my kids they're the pickiest eaters ever sooooo I didn't know quite how it would go over with them.

The Ingredients:

NOTE: I tend to buy generic when it comes to things that are going to be flavored/flavoring other things. Save money when you can!

These are the measurements from the recipe I used but of course things should be done according to your taste, so adjust as you see fit.

1lb of ground meat (I used turkey)
29oz can of tomato sauce (I ended up needing more)
8oz package of lasagna noodles uncooked
4 cups shredded mozzarella (I used all of it! We're cheese lovers!)
1.5 cups cottage cheese

Optional:
parmesan
minced garlin
diced onion
any other veggies that you like in your lasagna

The Instructions:

FIRST OFF...Spray the crock pot with cooking spray! I forgot this step and the bottom of the lasagna ended up a little crispy in some spots.

Brown the meat and drain any grease left over, add in the tomato sauce and minced garlic. After that mixture is heated all the way through spoon part of it into the bottom of the pot, then add a layer of the noodles. It will probably help to break up some of the pieces to make them fit better.

Next add a layer of cottage cheese, mozzarella, and Parmesan. It says to do certain measurements of each item but honestly I just did what I thought would be good. I then just added another layer of noodles and then meat/sauce and cheeses on top. I just hit repeat on that step until everything was gone...about 4 layers. ending with meat/sauce.

I turned the crock pot on low and let it cook for 4 hours.

(Add a last layer of the mozzarella five minutes before the cooking is done if you like the cheesiness!)

Take the lid off when its done and let it sit for at least 10 minutes to thicken and make it easier to serve.

The Final Product and Verdict:

The husband said, "Sooooo bomb babe!! Can I take all of the leftovers for lunch tomorrow?!"
Sister said, "This is on point!"

The kids weren't into it really. Bella ate the most but Max just had a few bites and ate his salad.

I will probably make this again but I will end up making something else for the kids.

I hope you are able to try this recipe and let me know how it goes over with your family!
Talk to you soon,
J