1. Last week I mailed my application and fee to Central Church to save my spot on the Ethiopia Short Term Mission Trip  scheduled for June 7-17, 2012. The trip is being led again by the awesome, Kelly McGugan. My excitement is indescribable. It’s rumored that several friends and past team members will  be participating again this year. Can’t wait to see Ethiopia through their eyes & work together on loving those kids. The only thing that would make it better is if Kelly’s wife, Heather, were making the trip. Experiencing Ethiopia with the McGoos is definitely on my bucket list.

Now I have to add fundraising to my resolution list. I’m thinking that I’ll need to raise about $3000. YIKES! So glad God owns the cattle on a thousand hills and that I can be confident that He will provide not just for me but the whole team

SHAMELESS PLUG: Proceeds from my Etsy shop will go towards trip expenses so head on over and check it out. My Etsy. I’m currently not taking custom orders but if you inbox me, I may be persuaded to change my mind

2. The cafe curtains for the kitchen are finished. Can I get a HALLELUJAH? I am patting myself on the back because it really didn’t take much time once I got started. I’m forgetting the fact that I held on to the fabric for OVER 6 months before I summoned the courage to make that first cut. Maybe next time I’ll take a deep breathe and jump in sooner. I’m already dreaming about making curtains for the baby’s nursery-even though he’s really a big man now.

By the way, this is the cleanest my kitchen has been in awhile! It will probably never be this clean again but cafe curtains sure offer a great incentive.

3. The Bible is AWESOME! The Chronological BIBLE is even more awesome. I am so enjoying my daily reading. Typically I stay about 2 days behind but right now I am all caught up. Some crazy stuff happens in the Bible. I often find myself saying “SAY WHAT?” I think I irritate Joe with my nightly “hey Joe listen to this” comments while he is studying. Spending time in a commentary has helped me better understand some of the passages. It has also helped that Central Church (our Memphis church home) is reading chronologically as well and posting insights and observations to their Facebook page. YAY!

4. Working out is going well but could be better. I am running about 3 times a week. Good but could be better. I’ve failed to do my abs every day BUT have made a new resolution to fulfill my original resolution.

5. I’ve made several meals pinned from Pinterest with healthy taco salad from Whole Living being my favorite.

I also made this really cute bow holder for McLaine. I think I need to put a little flower or maybe some buttons in the corner to add some spice but overall it’s pretty cute & cheap to make. I have lots of spray paint, hooks and ribbon leftover and know 2 other little girls who need a treat

How are your resolutions coming along? Have you given up on any or added additional ones to your list? I forgot to add LEARN TO DRIVE A STICK to my list. It’s more difficult and a little more expensive to find an automatic in Ethiopia so it would be highly beneficial if I could learn before we return. So, I better get to it!!

Took the kiddos to the dentist for the very first time today and shot a couple of photos that I can’t help but share:

Two blogs in a month. HOLLA!!

I love making resolutions at the beginning of a new year. Of course, I get excited about any excuse for making a list and checking things off of it

Here are a few of my resolutions in no particular order:

GO BACK TO ETHIOPIA- My plan is to return with the short term team from Central Church in June. By then Silas will no longer be nursing and Joe will be on summer break from school. It seems like the most convenient time even though that means leaving Joe by himself with the kids. I have no doubt he can handle it, I just know how difficult some days can be without some back up.  At this point, I vow only to think about how badly I want to return NOT the fact that I will be leaving my kids for 10+ days.

STUDY AMHARIC-Regardless of whether or not I actually return to Ethiopia this year, I definitely plan to begin studying and reviewing Amharic.

I have all of my recordings, notebooks, worksheets and the Fidel (Amharic alphabet)  just waiting for me to jump right in. It’s hard to believe that at one time I could pronounce and write correctly the entire Ethiopian fidel. I fear that I have waited to long and therefore lost it all! Here’s hoping it’s like riding a bike!

WORK OUT MORE DAYS THAN NOT-My goal is to work out at least 4 days a week. If I get really ambitious, then every day is fine BUT at least 4. I think this is totally doable even with 3 kiddos. For me nothing beats a good run but I realize that does not always hit my trouble spots.

So, I plan to incorporate a few additional crazy exercises into my program like 100 jumping jacks, 25 push ups and a daily ab routine. This site will be my go to for abs: www.randomabs.com. It provides you with a daily ab workout. AWESOME! It also provides you with a written explanation of each workout AND/OR a video demonstration of each workout. DOUBLE AWESOME!

This will be my go to for inspiration (not so much for the grammar:)):

FINISH CAFE CURTAINS FOR MY KITCHEN- I purchased some pretty awesome fabric last year on sale at Joann’s BUT have yet to get started. The huge bolt of fabric makes me extremely nervous. I must enlist my mother in law’s help to tackle this project. I don’t anticipate it to take a very long time or be to terribly difficult so WHY haven’t I started. Probably for the same reason I buy new clothes and leave them hanging in my closet for a few weeks before wearing them. I DON’T KNOW. There is just something about new things that I love. I take that back. There is something about new fabric and new clothes that I like to leave untouched for a bit.

READ THROUGH THE BIBLE CHRONOLOGICALLY-A very good friend of mine gave me the NIV Chronological Bible several years ago. I started as soon as I recieved the gift but it was in the middle of the year. Needless so say, it was easier to lose track and fell to the wayside after about 3 months. My plan is to keep on trucking this year. Not just to read the required scriptures for the day but to actually take time to research obscure passages and seemingly contradictory scriptures as well as memorize and meditate on favorite new finds. I am thrilled to make this ”mommy time” and to let my kids see me prioritize time with God. I’ve also made the decision to NOT read books for fun for the next couple of months. Reading is one of my favorites! I just finished The Hunger Games trilogy and have a long list of others that I can’t wait to get from the library BUT I must practice some self control and establish a habit of reading my bible passage each day first

LEARN TO MAKE A COUPLE OF SIMPLE LITTLE GIRL DRESSES-McLaine may be a tough little cookie BUT cute little dresses seem to be her MUST wear outfits. Fabric is one of my favorite things (especially vintage or colorful)! I figure I should combine the 2, right? I get to buy fun fabric and Mac gets cute little dress. WIN WIN!

Something like this is really cute BUT doesn’t look very simple. Maybe I’ll give it a whirl anyway!

PINTEREST-I have tons of pinboards full of kids crafts, recipes, do it yourself home decor projects, etc. My goal is to try 2 recipes and at least 1 kids activity a week.  

PRACTICE KINDNESS-My main objective is to say kind words to my husband and children but then extend to family, neighbors, & random strangers. Joe consistently tells me that I look like I hate him when we have serious discussions and it doesn’t take a genius to hear when my fuse is short with the kids. So I am going to practice kindness using my words & my face!

I will publicly say that I am aiming for blogging more than once a month but will not be adding it to my resolution list. WHY? Because that is just setting myself up for failure.

What are your resolutions? Come on, let me hear ‘em.

Must go to bed now if I hope to check any of these of my list tomorrow!

I had been living a dream believing that 3 kiddos could fit comfortable in the back seat of our Volkswagen Passat. However, even if we could purchase the best combination of booster, car seat, & infant seat, my little momma McLaine would probably mother poor little baby Silas to death. During these last few weeks of  sleepless pregnant nights I have found myself  worrying more and more about her putting things into his mouth that don’t belong or possibly smothering him in blanket love. So we went in search of a reasonable priced vehicle that could separate little momma from baby WHEN needed. It didn’t take long to find our dream car!

There is nothing fancy about this mini-van. Absolutely, no bells and whistles! Not even electric window openers. However,  it has already been such a blessing! Definitely a lesson in submission for me too!

When we returned from Ethiopia, we knew that we would need to purchase an automobile because we sold both of ours before leaving for the field. When we returned to the states, we had 2 kids but thought eventually we would probably want to add a third to our brood. We were not trying to have another baby nor had we decided definitively that we would anytime soon. So when Joe suggested that we go ahead and purchase a mini-van just in case, I tantrumed like a toddler. “We only have 2 kids and they will fit perfectly fine in a sedan!” “I don’t want to be a mini-van driving mom!!!” “Next thing you know, you’ll want me to wear mom jeans.”  I laid it on pretty thick and he eventually conceded.

Just a few months after we purchased the Passat, we found out that another baby Bridges was on the way!! WHY OH WHY didn’t I listen? He is a reasonable man. I mean he wasn’t really asking me to wear mom jeans. He was just trying to save us time, money and an extra car negotiating trip (something we both HATE)! I wanted what I wanted and I knew what to say and do to get the car versus the mini-van. Not a proud moment for me

Luckily, we didn’t have to take out an interest bearing loan for the van. My grandfather loaned us the money until we are able to sell our Volkswagen. (PSST: Anyone need a car??) But Joe still had to go through the agony of buying the van & NOW selling the car. I could have saved him a lot of wasted time and effort if I had listened to his wisdom in the first place. I know I must frustrate him immensely sometimes but he always responds in love. He is very patient with me and never says I told you so. Such a Godly man! You would think that it would be easy to submit to someone who responds appropriately BUT my stubborn sin nature still rears it’s ugly little head and I, unfortunately, still roll with it.

ON A LIGHTER NOTE:

Did you know that jumping on a trampoline can be hazardous to your hair??

And that being 36 weeks pregnant with your third can make you look like this…(Not so much the crow’s feet around the eyes but definitely the extremely huge belly).

A few months before Jack’s birthday we received a catalog from Birthday Express. It was full of theme decorations for kid’s birthday parties. Our kids loved to look through this magazine and tell us which party decorations they wanted for their next birthdays. Jack loved the John Deere decor the best so I decided to try to duplicate it for a fraction of the cost.

I purchased some green and yellow card stock from AC Moore and cut out triangles and circles for the HAPPY BIRTHDAY letters and I bought some brown ribbon (think dirt) to string the banner for hanging.

I took the leftover card stock from the Happy Birthday banner and used my HUGE circle hole punch to make some confetti for the table. I also added a few small brown hole punch confetti (again think dirt).

I purchased the tractor centerpiece ($4.99) and 2 sets of 4 John Deere stickers ($1.99 each) from Birthday Express http://www.birthdayexpress.com/browse/_/N-i/Ntt-john+deere/results1.aspx. Obviously I used the centerpiece on the table. I added a few stickers to the Birthday Banner, used some to make toothpick John Deere cupcake toppers and used the rest to place on the yellow cups which I purchased at AC Moore for $1.

Aunt Amy makes the absolute BEST icing. It tastes just like wedding cake icing which is my ABSOLUTE favorite thing at a wedding other than watching the groom’s face when he sees his bride for the first time (provided that they haven’t seen each other before the ceremony). Amy was gracious enough to make her icing and used green and yellow food coloring to compliment the John Deere theme.

McLaine loved the icing even more than her momma and was caught red handed several times with yet another cupcake. We also found several cupcake holders full of cake but minus icing! Can we say sugar high??

Memaw and Papaw bought all the cousins a trampoline. Since Jack’s birthday came first and our backyard is big and flat, the trampoline gets to stay in our backyard (Happy Birthday to ME! That trampoline can really wear some kiddos out!). Jon & Joe worked to construct the trampoline the night before the party and then I filled it with green and yellow balloons!! As you can imagine, this was a HUGE hit. Here’s a couple of action shots to prove it:

Jack was spoiled with way to many gifts and he loved every minute of it!

Aunt Amy fell in love with our camera and became the official photographer for the day. She took 350+ photos in a little over 2 hours. I am so thankful for her enthusiasm because she captured some great photos of our family, the party goers:

Jack still talks about the trampoline full of balloons, the cupcakes and spending time with his family (even more than the presents). I’d say the day was a success!!

SHORT BIRTH STORY FOR THOSE INTERESTED:

Jamie was  due on Thursday March 17 but watched her due date come and go. An induction was scheduled by her doctor for Wednesday March 23rd. We were hoping she would go into labor on her own before the induction but Mason ran out of time. The doctor began the process the evening before and then started Pitocin at 7am Wednesday morning. By 10am her water was broken and shortly after an epidural administered. Jamie was playing UNO and enjoying family & friends the rest of the day. She started pushing around 6:30pm and Mason was born about an hour later. It seems that her labor and delivery could not have gone much better. (I am only slightly bitter & jealous considering that both my labors were 25+ hours, with 2 hours of pushing that resulted in 2 c-sections).

Mason Ryan White weighed 8 lbs. 7 ounces and has a head full of dark hair. Apparently, he is the spitting image of his daddy.

Alright, now what you’ve really been waiting for…PICTURES of that baby!! The photos are not the best quality but the subject is perfect!

YES, he is already a Memphis Tiger fan (we grow ‘em that way)! YES, he is already spoiled and YES, I can’t wait to get my hands on him next weekend

Every child should have an opportunity to be a child with a safe place to play and adults who love and care for him/her.

Everyone who has met Nega, Director of Onesimus-The Forsaken Children’s partner project, knows  why this picture is special. I miss Nega’s beautiful smile, positive attitude, and hearty, contagious laugh.

I absolutely love these kids. It it hard to watch them grow up in pictures and I long for the day (very soon) that I will get to hug and kiss them again!!

And now we will go to Chencha and take a sneak peek at the beautiful landscape surrounding southern Ethiopia…

The landscape is beautiful but it’s got nothing on the people-especially the children…

And just a few not so pretty photos. These serve as a reminder to me to pray not only for Ethiopians to be given access to clean drinking water BUT that they will accept the free gift of the Living Water made available through Jesus Christ.

but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”   JOHN 4:14

Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.
       JOHN 6:35

However, the kids had a blast acting like monkeys and climbing the little tree in the front yard. Even Kitty Kitty got in on the action-minus the monkey sounds. Look closely at the second pic to see if you can spot the cat.

While the kids were playing, I decide to make some homemade chocolate chip cookies. YUM! What kid doesn’t like homemade chocolate chip cookies? SILER, apparently. I asked him if he’d like one and he said no thanks. Then he changed his mind and decided that he’d give the DELICIOUS-NESS a try. He took one small bite and said “I don’t like these.” Then proceeded to spit the cookie out in our trash can. I did use whole wheat flour but you honestly can’t tell the difference. He later informed me that he only likes the slice and bake cookies from Food Lion. Luckily, my kids and husband gobbled them up which restored my faith that my homemade cookies are indeed better than store brand cookies

While we were outside climbing trees, swinging and looking for rock crystals, my neighbor to the right came over and gave me these flowers from one of her flower bushes. Aren’t they so pretty? I just LOVE them! I love them most because it was so thoughtful for her to come over and bring us a little treat. Little acts of kindness do wonders for the soul both for the reciever and recipient!

It’s so easy, practical, totally affordable, enviro-friendly and cute. Not to mention, the kids love it! SCORE! (WELL…at least one of the kids love it! The jury is still out on the other).

So, I had Joe cut a 2×4 in half. Then he painted one blue to match our son’s room and one green to match our daughter’s room. The kids helped by taking clothes pins straight off our clothes line and painting them white. After allowing them to dry, we attached the clothes pins to the 2×4 and hung them in a designated spot in their rooms-a spot at kid level where they can easily take old pictures down and put new ones up.

Jack wanted his on the wall right beside his bed and took lots of time deciding where he wanted each picture to hang. Also, our bed time routine was very interesting last night considering that Jack listened to none of the stories and instead admired his artwork continually contemplating which piece was his favorite.

McLaine was very interested in the hanging of the 2×4. Not so interested in hanging her pictures. I actually hung the only piece currently on the wall. A craft they did at Kids Club this week. If I could hang the “art” that she puts on mommy & daddy’s toenails with her “polish” then I think she would be more invested. Maybe I’ll take some pictures of our feet and print them for her enjoyment.

Joe recently returned from a 2 week trip to Ethiopia and I just downloaded 543 pictures from our digital camera. WOW! The pictures are beautiful and makes me miss our African family and home even more. I hope to go through all the photographs soon and post some of my favorites so stay tuned.

Daddy brought a couple of gifts home to Jack & McLaine from our Ethiopian family. McLaine has had a blast playing in her “princess dress” and Jack, my animal lover, can’t get enough of his Birds of East Africa, Lake Langano, Ethiopia book.

I personally think Jack did an excellent job coloring his Ethiopian birds. Aunt Jess complimented his work too which makes me an unbiased mom, right?? The Woodland Kingfisher is my personal favorite!!

Knocked out

Pretty Kitty Kitty

Joe’s parents bought a foreclosure earlier this year and we spent a few months remodeling it and then moved in with some repairs still needing to be completed. One of those repairs was the bathroom. All the wainscoting needed to be painted as well as the trim, baseboards & doors. We are slowly but surely getting the rest of the cosmetic issues taking care of. The double vanity in the bathroom has no cabinets and we really don’t have the money to spend on that repair at the moment especially considering that we don’t have a front door yet. Anyway, I decided to try to get creative and sew a vanity skirt until we are able to purchase bathroom cabinets. Thanks to my wonderful mother-in-law who helped me along the way, I think it turned out pretty well. Maybe I will tackle cafe curtains for the kitchen next!

BEFORE:

AFTER:

I thought the vanity skirt matched perfectly with our shower curtain!!

Speaking of showers, we had a shower for a lovely lady at church this past Sunday and I made my won-ton recipe. SURPRISE! SURPRISE! I usually  make this appetizer for baby showers, luncheons, parties, etc. More often than not the party goers will ask, beg, plead, bargain with me to make it. I always comply because it is yummy and actually really easy to make BUT everything tastes better when it’s prepared by someone else, RIGHT?  I thought I would be sweet this Valentine’s Day and share it with you. It’s not healthy and I usually DO NOT eat pork BUT these are YUMMO! Hmmm…maybe I should try it with turkey sausage.

WON-TON/HEAVENLY STARS RECIPE

1 lb hot sausage
1 ½ cups Cheddar cheese
1 ½ cups Monterrey Jack cheese
1 cup prepared Ranch dressing
½ cup chopped red bell pepper
1 package won-ton wrappers

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook sausage and drain.

Meanwhile, in a separate bowl combine cheese, Ranch dressing, and red bell pepper. NOTE: It’s best if you prepare the Ranch dressing and let it sit in the fridge for a few hours or even overnight.

Add sausage to the cheese, Ranch, red bell pepper mixture and stir well.

Lightly grease a muffin tin (or 2). Put a won-ton wrapper in each tin and brush with oil. Bake for 5 minutes.

Remove baked wrappers from tin and place on a baking sheet.

Fill wrappers on baking sheet with the sausage mixture and bake 5 more minutes.

The cheese should be melted when finished. Be sure not to cook to long or the wrappers will be too brown on the outside. Repeat steps until all wrappers are used.

You should definitely sample a few once they are finished BUT make sure to save some for the party goers

Jack loves to play ball – American football, futbol, basketball, catch, etc.  When we play futbol/soccer in the backyard he will say, “I am the American team and I will be on the blue team. You can be on the red team.” (I guess that makes me Arsenal and I can definitely live with that )

We were playing basketball in the house with an oversized tennis ball and Jack wanted me to take a picture. I think I’m a pretty good shot if I do say so myself. You be the judge?

As I was making dinner and doing a little laundry the other night, the kids were playing happily together in Mac’s room. Suddenly things got awfully quiet…All you moms know that when kids get quiet they are up to NO good. So, I venture to Mac’s room and everything looks fine. Of course there are toys & clothes scattered all over the floor but nothing out of the ordinary. Curiously, I ask Jack “What have you guys been doing in here.” To which Jack replies ” decorating Mac’s room.” Then he takes me to the closet and this is what I find. Dino decor is in for the spring

About 4.5 years ago, Joe and I had lunch with new friends at Chili’s in Memphis. As an appetizer, our table tried the lettuce wraps and BOY were they yummy!! My brilliant husband has a knack for tasting dishes and then recreating them in our home. The dishes don’t always taste the same as the restaurant BUT they have all been very tasty!

We have not had his version of the lettuce wraps in quite a while so I asked him to make them Saturday night and I thought I would share the recipe with you.

JOE’S LETTUCE WRAPS

INGREDIENTS:

2 Tablespoons olive oil
Boneless chicken (preferably organic)
1-2 grated zucchini
1/2 onion diced
Almond slivers
Bibb lettuce

(It would also be good with celery and shaved  carrots).

STIR FRY SAUCE:

1/4 cup soy sauce
1 Tablespoon vinegar
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup water
1 Tablespoon corn starch

PEANUT BUTTER DIPPING SAUCE:

2 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon vinegar
2 Tablespoons honey
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Dash cayenne pepper
1/2 cup water
Dash onion powder
2 Tablespoons peanut butter
1 Tablespoon corn starch

Heat 2 Tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, then add chicken & onions and cook until no longer pink. Then add zucchini and almonds and heat through.

In the meantime, mix all the ingredients for the stir fry sauce, place in a saucepan and heat to just boiling and stir until thick.

Once the stir fry sauce is finished, pour over chicken mixture and simmer for 5 minutes.

Mix all the ingredients for the peanut butter dipping sauce in another saucepan, heat over medium until just boiling and stir until thick.

Place the chicken stir fry mixture in a lettuce wrap and drizzle (or pour) some peanut butter dipping sauce over the top.

You can thank me later

WARNING-IF you should eat mass quantities of these delicious wraps while pregnant your toes WILL look like vienna sausages before the night is over.

We made devils food heart cakes with cream cheese icing afterwards. Needless to say it was a good night.

One last thing! I thought you might like to check in on the kitten which Mac calls Kitty Kitty and Jack calls Fluffy.

She usually gets chased or carried around most of the day. Mac likes to wrap her in a towel and tell us “I’s a good mommy.”

When she gets away, she either hides under the bed or sleeps!!