They're Finally Here!

There is not a problem that can't be solved with Girl Scout Cookie therapy.

Trust me.

Baby Shower #2

This was a crazy, busy weekend that was kicked off by a shower at work on Friday afternoon for Brent and me. It was truly awesome! We were overwhelmed with the generosity -- and creativity -- of the people we work with. The theme was "Mismatch," and they had some adorable sock animals and lots of colors! Wow! We also played this really fun game where they had video taped Brent answering some questions (about our baby, babies in general, etc.), and then I had to try to match my answer to what I thought he would say. It was hilarious! We were so blessed by everyone.


The party table!

Three big gifts, many other gifts not pictured!

Adorable Diaper Cake!

Banner for Breanna

Delicious animal cracker favors!

Invitation (framed!) and flowers!

Delicious cupcakes!

A few more gifts, still others not pictured!

Cute baby pictures of me and Brent!

God is good!

Try Me!

It's not that I don't like Starbucks ... I do. I just can't afford it. When I started getting cravings for their Carmel Apple Spice, I had to find a solution. Being the "age of information" it was all too easy to Google the recipe Starbucks uses. Turns out, it's completely simple. And cheap.

Here's what you need:

Whipped Topping, Apple Juice, Cinnamon Syrup (sometimes I use Cinnamon and just whisk it into the apple juice on the stove), and Caramel Drizzle.
Heat apple juice and cinnamon on the stove, stir often. Pour into glasses, and top with whipped cream and then caramel drizzle. Easy Peasy.
Here's what you get:

A delicious, homemade version of my Starbucks favorite!

Community through Cooking

For the past few weeks, I've been feeling lonely. It's a busy season for people, and my family is far away. I love spending time with my husband, but we both agree that sometimes it feels nice to have a girl call and want to hang out (we all need girl time and boy time).

After sharing with a few friends that I was having a rough day, I got a really sweet email from a friend in my Bible study. She was very encouraging, and she asked me to spend the day with her. After some mall walking and lunch, we went to her house.

She had a really great idea that ended up being super fun! We made a full cake together, and then we split it and each took half of it home for dessert that night. We did the same with dinner. We made a huge batch of soup, and split it in half. It was a great experience because we had fun talking and cooking, but then I had dinner and dessert for that night already made!

So - taking her cue - this week I was planning to make stuffed shells. The process is fairly long, but it makes a ton. So I called another friend. We made the shells together, and divided them up. Again, we had time to talk and encourage each other, and then we both had dinner prepared for that night.

Two birds. One stone.

I have heard of meal sharing, and it's really beneficial! However, the process is more about making the food on your own and then splitting it up. The reason I enjoyed this was that I was getting a great meal while spending time with a friend.

I feel like community is built in so many different ways. This is just one way to do it that God recently revealed to me, and I have really enjoyed it.

Willing to Wash Feet

"It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love." (John 13:1)

You may think what follows is His crucifixion because that would seemingly be how He would show us the "full extent of His love," but this verse is actually the first verse of chapter 13 - the part of the story where Jesus washes the disciples feet.

What's amazing is that Jesus's time is coming to a close, and the last thing He wants to do for His disciples is to wash their feet. This passage, to me, so exemplifies how God wants us to live:

Love Him supremely -- love others sacrificially.

The act of washing their feet would have traditionally been something a slave or "house servant" did. But Jesus wanted His disciples to realize a couple of things: 1. He was washing their feet (an act of sacrifice and humility) and 2. He was washing EVERYONE'S feet (EVEN JUDAS - whom He already knew would betray Him). Don't miss that. The very person who betrayed Jesus was receiving this very loving act from Him.

I'm trying to apply this to my own life in thinking how can I show others the full extent of my love? How aware am I of how I can be serving others? Something Brent and I constantly strive to do is to be available. We enjoy the opportunity to serve others and help people. The problem we consistently find ourselves running into is that people don't usually feel comfortable asking. It's very hard to serve others when the world, in general, portrays vulnerability as weakness - which it clearly is not. People, all too often, keep problems or needs to themselves because Satan tells us no will care, people are too busy for us, and we should be able to handle things on our own.

But Satan is a liar. And I intend to prove him wrong.

I want to do more than pray for people. I want to get in there and get my hands dirty washing their feet. I'm just waiting on God to lead ...

February Favorite Things

Oprah always has these things that she can't live without, so I thought it would be fun to list a couple each month that I can't live without! When I thought about it, these two things popped into my mind instantly because they are probably the most useful things I've ever owned.


A Shark Steam Mop ... the world's best mop. This thing is awesome. It steams your floors with no chemicals and no cleaning solutions to buy. Just pour in some water, wait 45 seconds until hot, and steam away! It's awesome. You can even do hardwood floors if they are finished! Come to my house anytime for a demonstration.


An Ove Glove ... God's gift to baking. This thing is the best gift ever given to us. We use it all the time - for lots of different things. I've never been burned by a pan or pot! It's the ugliest thing in the world - for sure - but I love it. I wish I had two - one for each hand.

Baby Shower #1

Here are some pictures from the beautiful shower Brent's family threw for Bree and me. It was a lot of fun, and she got a lot of great things!




The BEST cupcakes I have ever eaten.




Fun chocolate-covered pretzel favors


Opening some fun gifts!