A Feeding Frenzy

For those of you who know me well, you know one of my biggest fears is Landon choking on food. He used to get lots of little bites but I'm proud to say I'm doing better... Last night he had a whole cookie and earlier in the week he had whole saltine crackers. He's so proud of himself and that makes me smile.  He loves so many different foods right now and I hope it stays that way. A few of his favorite foods...peanut butter, turkey,  pasta, green beans, broccoli, chili, yogurt, apples, applesauce, baked potatoes and Cheez-It crackers. I can't wait to introduce him to more fresh fruits and vegetables this spring.

It's cold, rainy and very windy here today, but I can smell spring in the air. It's close & we're so excited.  And so you'll be excited too, I'm going to be announcing another giveaway next week. It's going to be great so be sure to check back.

Happy Weekend!

Candle Silhouette {Subway Art}

Happy Tuesday! Here is the new subway art I was telling you about last week. I'm offering it for free this week in the hopes that it brightens your day. This has always been one of my favorite scriptures {and Amy Grant songs} because even when our path seems so dark, God is always there to light the way.

I am still searching for a dresser like the one in this picture for our hallway {I cannot remember whose blog I saw this on}. So once again this weekend, Mom, Landon & I will be hitting the flea & antique malls & Goodwill. I never thought it would be so hard to find. But it's great just being out & spending time with my mom...she's so much fun!

Have a great day!

Friday Ramblings

I was feeling the need for a little praise & worship this morning so I turned to Shout to the Lord. Seriously, if you ever feel the need for a song that lifts you up, this is the song. I instantly felt better & refreshed. And that is the awesome power of our Lord & Savior. 

Landon & I spent last Saturday with my mom & niece. We went treasure-hunting at the flea market, stopped by JoAnn Fabrics, etc. It was a great day. We ended it with lunch at Applebee's. Landon adores pasta as you can plainly see {and making a mess with it}. He's turning into such a big boy.

I'm so excited about tomorrow night. Mike & I are going out to dinner with two other couples we know {and love}. There will be no sippy cups, high chairs or crayons!  I'm looking forward to a night out on the town. Ha ha

Have a great weekend!

Happy Valentine's Day

I hope everyone has a love-filled day today. I'm surprising Mike with a special dinner this evening & german chocolate cake balls for dessert...they are so good! I followed this recipe, using German Chocolate cake & coconut pecan icing. And I've been eating delicious chocolate-covered strawberries all weekend. Yes, Valentine's day is definitely for {chocolate} lovers.

My sweetheart brought me home flowers & candy yesterday. Even after we both decided on a gift-free day, he still gets me goodies. Just one of the many ways he's AmAzInG!  I am so lucky to have him, not just today, but every day. He takes such good care of us as a family & I love him so much.

Here's the poem I came up with for him today... feel free to share it.

I love you more than words can say,

 I think of you all through the day.

Your sexy smile & handsome face,

how did I get to such a lucky place?

I have just one question to ask of you...

Will you be my Valentine my whole life through?

I'll have a great new subway art print up later today or tomorrow. I'm excited about how well it turned out.

PRAY FOR BABY BEN

Please stop whatever you are doing and say a prayer for this precious baby boy. Baby Ben is only 6 weeks old and is in the hospital in serious condition after sufffering abuse at the hands of his own father. You can read the complete story here.

Ben has a left skull fracture, a broken collar bone and broken bones in his left wrist. He will possibly have to undergo surgery to repair the skull fracture.

How someone can do this to their own child {or any child}, I won't even pretend to understand. I am hoping & praying that he recovers & is placed with a family that will love & cherish him the way God intended.

Valentine Dessert {Cherry Cheese Pie}

If you're looking for a quick & easy Valentine's celebration dessert, give this recipe a try. It's one of my absolute favorites. If you don't like cherries, blueberries also make a great topping. Find the recipe here.

What are your plans for Valentine's Day? Are you going out or staying in? We are actually undecided right now as we have a few invitations for tomorrow night but I'm leaning towards staying home & fixing a nice meal in.

Facing Your Giants

I'm so happy to be joining our book club again on Thursdays. I miss that time of learning & fellowship. I still feel very anxious am feeling a little anxiety about leaving Landon, but I know he'll be just fine with daddy. Someone please tell me that leaving him for a few hours gets easier. Landon will be thrilled to have a "Daddy & Me" evening.

We're reading Facing Your Giants by Max Lucado & I'm so excited about it. Just reading the back cover brought me a sense of peace... " Focus on giants - you stumble. Focus on God - your giants tumble."  How much more simple can it be? And with all the pressures we have on us today, we definitely face a lot of giants. But just think of how much easier those giants are to face when you're on God's team.  I'll be doing weekly posts on Fridays to let you know what I learn from reading this book.


Have a great Wednesday!

February Contest Winner

Congratulations Joan. You are the winner of my
February giveaway. I've sent you an email.

Be sure to subscribe & become a follower. I have a great giveaway coming up in March

Red Velvet Cake Balls

Revisiting Valentine's Day 2010

For me, Valentine's Day just screams Red Velvet Cake. And it happens to be one of Mike's favorite desserts. I made him Red Velvet Cupcakes last year so I wanted to do something a little different & more unique today. The answer? Red Velvet Cake Balls...little balls of red velvet cake & cream cheese icing dipped in chocolate. OH MY GOODNESS, they are deliciously decadent. They are also easy to make, as you can do one step and then not come back to them for a few hours. This is especially helpful when you have a 5 mo. old that's teething.

Red Velvet Cake Balls
courtesy http://www.bakerella.com/

1 box red velvet cake mix (cook as directed using 13 X 9 pan)
1 can cream cheese frosting (16 oz.)
1 two-pound bag chocolate wafers (I melted in Wilton Chocolate Melter)
wax paper

1. After cake is cooked and cooled completely, crumble into large bowl.
2. Mix thoroughly with 1 can cream cheese frosting. (Use your hands, but be warned it will get messy)
3. Roll mixture into quarter size balls and lay on cookie sheet. (I used a mini ice cream scooper)
4. Chill for several hours. (I chilled overnight)
5. Melt chocolate.
6. Roll balls in chocolate and lay on wax paper until firm. (Use a spoon to dip and roll in chocolate and then tap off extra.)

A Baby Story

A lot of people have asked about our adoption story and how it all came about so quickly. It's something I've been pretty quiet about up until now and I still don't really like to talk about because all of the anxiety I felt during the weeks surrounding Landon’s birth washes over me like a wave. But since we have so much to be thankful for, I’m going to do my best to tell our story...

When we got married, I just assumed we would get pregnant easily.  But it never happened. After a year, we decided to see a fertility specialist. I was diagnosed with PCOS and started taking Clomid and metformin. We tried this for about 6 months, along with lots of ultrasounds and IUIs. Nothing happened. So we went onto our next step - fertility injections. We did several cycles of shots, along with more ultrasounds and IUIs. Still nothing. So we took a few months off to consider our next step...IVF.  I told Mike I wasn't sure I could do this anymore. Trying to conceive had become such an emotional roller coaster. We lived our lives in 2-week cycles. Every time I got my period, I cried and questioned God, even questioned my faith. And with every new cycle we started, I bargained and pleaded with Him, telling Him how badly we wanted a baby.  I was sure He didn't even hear me anymore...

My Funny Valentine

I decided to take some pictures of Landon for our Valentine's Day cards. I put him in his cute little onesie & grabbed the camera. He was not a willing subject. I decided I needed a prop distraction & rummaged through the closet for my heart garland. He usually loves the stuff, but he just wasn't feeling it today. He was much more interested in the snap on his jeans.

He was a much more willing subject last year... less mobile but just as cute!

I'm still trying to figure out which picture to use on our cards. I might try again tonight for a smile. 

Don't forget there's still a few days left to enter my giveaway. Click here for details. Have a blessed day!