Hard Places

We are going through a hard time right now. It's scary and sometimes I don't understand why the trails never end but here are some verses I am going to meditate on as we seek God's will:

Cast your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you: He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.
Psalm 55:22 NASB

Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your soul. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
Matthew 11:28-30 NIV

There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the Lord.
Proverbs 21:30 NIV

The Lord will work out his plans for my life—for your faithful love, O Lord, endures forever.Psalm 138:8 NLT

Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.
Psalm 55:22 KJV

The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
Psalm 18:2 NIV

Hungry Tummy Tuesday (Wednesday!)

So I had the flu yesterday and I never got around to posting a recipe, I didn't remember either!

So here is goes:

EASY Crockpot Pot Roast

I make this often, my family enjoys it as do I! It's great for toddlers too because the veggies and meat get so tender so it's easy for them to chew.

1 chunck roast (or cut up stew meat which is what I buy)
1/2 package of baby carrots
2 large pototoes cut up
1 package of Lipton onion soup mix
1 can of Golden Mushroom Soup

Put the meat in the crockpot, then the veggies, then sprinkle the onion soup mix, and pour over the golden mushroom soup. Set it on low and check if every few hours because my crockpot cooks faster then I would like. I took me all of 5 minutes to throw it in and dinner was ready on time!

Our Wedding!

My friend Kara Noel is doing a wedding blog today so I thought I would join! Here are some of my favorite memories of that day:


Practicing my stroll at my parents house before the festivities began!


I was so nervous before we walked down the aisle, I told my dad that I was going to cry and to make me laugh. So he said his fly is down. I was shocked and said that isn't funny!


My dear hubby wiping the tear from his eye when he saw me! I never let him live that down!


He wrote a song for me and surprised me with it! I felt so special!


Our amazing wedding party!

Highs:
It was sunny
I loved my makeup and hair
The food was great!
We had layered cheesecakes for our cake, yum
All our friends came
We floated away on a boat back to my parents house

Lows:
It was 90 degrees out and I was dripping with sweat
The DJ played the wrong song when I walked back down the aisle
I broke a champagne glass!
Devin's dad couldn't come
We had to get on a plane just hours after the wedding so we had to leave early

All in all it was a great day! For sure one I'm going to remember for the rest of my life! Thank you for letting me share my day with you!

1 year in Illinois

This time last year we moved from sunny Southern California to snowy, frigid, icy, windy, humid, stormy, and sometimes pleasant Central Illinois! My husband took a worship director job at a church here and we felt strongly that God was leading us here.



Now I will admit, it was a big move especially for me because it would mean raising my 2 year old and 2 month old boys away from my parents. I saw my parents everyday since they lived down the street. They are amazing people and love their only grandchildren (my boys) so much! They knew however that this was a great opportunity for Devin's growth and my independence away from them.



We started out in a house that was old and drafty about 15 minutes from the church. There we just froze and counted down the days until we could have a place of our own. There was a minor flood downstairs and we lost electricity once but other then that we were okay. Once we moved into town:



We really enjoyed our house and still do however here are some of our trials:
wind that knocked down our fence, two floods in our basement, no landscaping, no grass, bunnies dieing in our regress windows, frogs in our regress windows, mice, mice, and more mice!



We have grown so much through all these trials though and I have really seen Devin grow in his relationships with God, me, and the boys. I feel like I've gained alot of independence here and I've had to really 'run the house' like I always dreamed I would do. I have even had to humble myself to clean houses when I never really felt like I knew how to clean and it's a lot of work!

The people here have really been supportive and although at times it's really hard for me to be here, I know it's where I'm suppose to be. I pray that this next year will bring us closer to God even more and that he will use our lives to touch others as he works through us.

The flu stikes again!

Seriously is our family allergic to Illinois? If it's not a cold then it's a cough or ear infections or the flu! Kai woke up in the middle of the night crying and vomiting all over his sheets. My kids just had the flu 4 weeks ago. So I'm praying Nash doesn't get it (but I know its inevitable) and I'm taking Zicam around the clock to ensure my safety!

I hope everyone else is staying well!

Hungry Tummy Tuesday

No Cream Creamy Broccoli Soup

1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped celery
3/4 cup chopped onions
3 tablespoons oil
2 (14.5 ounce) cans fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon pepper
4 1/2 cups broccoli florets
1/2 cup MINUTE Premium White Rice, uncooked
2 cups milk
1/4 cup KRAFT 100% Grated Parmesan Cheese


Cook and stir carrots, celery and onions in hot oil in large saucepan on medium-high heat 5 min. Add broth and pepper; stir. Bring to boil.
Stir in broccoli and rice. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 10 to 15 min. or until vegetables are tender, stirring frequently.
Add soup, in batches, to blender or food processor; cover. Blend until pureed. Return soup puree to saucepan. Add milk and cheese; cook until heated through, stirring occasionally.

I like this soup. It's really healthy and it's good for being healthy. So far no one else in my family wants to try it but if your families aren't as picky then I say you should try it. I had some for lunch and I think I'll have some for dinner too!

What a night!

Since I met my husband it has always been clear that he was a die hard Steelers fan. I of course had no team so Steelers became my team as well. When we won the Superbowl a couple of years ago I knew I picked the right team! So last night we celebrated that the Steelers won and I'm rooting for them all the way at the Superbowl!



On another note, I decided to include this cute video of Nash and the way he says 'ewww'. It melts my heart.