The Schluchter Family

PB & J

2012-01-31T12:58:00.000-06:00

It's been a while!

We've been busy making Peanut Butter and Jellies. Well, Joe has anyway....

We've also been sick. Yucky colds, fevers, Dr. visits, and an ear infection. :(

We've also been enjoying a pretty mild winter.

Dear Omaha,
Where is all this snow we have heard about?!? We appreciate you making this winter feel a little more like winter in the South, but we're ready to see the white stuff!

Hopefully this is the beginning of blogging on a more regular basis. 'Til next time!

Textersation with the Sista

2011-11-30T13:56:00.001-06:00

You all seemed to enjoy the last one....

And I feel like the textersation I JUST had with my sister Ashley is blog worthy.

So much so that I am blogging in the middle of a stomach bug.

Here it goes....

A= Ashley (sister)
M= Misty (me)

A: I just love us

M: Hahaha

A:

M: Yeeeeah Sexy

M: Taken by the talented Joegy Schluchter (this would be my son) ...

A: it's not fair to the human race how attractive I am.

M: I like to call this one..."Big Bama Boobs with Ear Damage"...

A: Gahahaha that's the day you made me bleed!!!! (don't ask)

M: :) :) :) :)

M: ....I feel a blog post coming on....

M: "A Textersation with the Sista Part 2"

A: Ohhhhhhhhjh snaaaaaap!!!!! (i don't know why she put a 'j' in there, but whatevs)

M: Hehehehehehehehehe

I am so thankful the Lord blessed me with a cray-cray sister. :)

Getting in the Christmas Spirit!

2011-11-28T12:25:00.001-06:00

We spent yesterday afternoon and early evening getting festive.

Here are a few snap shots that we took during the process...

It's so fun for the boys to hang ornaments

that John and I had at their age.

Thankful for a husband that will spend time

in the freezing cold hanging lights. :)

John's grandmother made his and my stocking.

His mom made one for each of the boys.

Noah posing by the tree.

Good job, hubby!!

Christmas brings out the silliness in us.

When then decorating was over, we stuffed our faces with pizza, bread sticks, and wings. That will probably be tradition. YUM.

Hope the Christmas holiday is off to a good start for each of you! Merry Christmas! {that's the first time I've said that this year.... it feels good! :) }

My own little Rocky Balboa

2011-11-17T09:10:00.001-06:00

Noah and I went to pick up Joe from school yesterday. We got home and Noah had lots of toys to carry inside. We walked around to the front of our house, where we have 2 concrete steps that lead up to our front porch and doorway.

I'm not exactly sure what happened, but it seemed as though Noah stepped on to the bottom step and his foot slipped off. His hands where full, so his brow bone caught the fall on the top step.

OUCH.

He cried immediately and I watched as a big bruised swollen bump appeared quickly right before my eyes. My heart broke and everything inside of me wanted to panic.

Thank goodness John was working from home. His calmness kept me from having a heart attack :).

I spent time on the phone talking with nurses while John held Noah in front of one his favorite shows with an ice pack (our friend the bumble bee boo-boo buddy).

We all came to the conclusion that there was nothing to worry about. No concussion or other head injury symptoms, so we put him down for a nap after a couple of hours and a good lunch. They told us to go and "stir" him every couple of hours during nap time, just to make sure he was responding in some way.

---- Normally, these kind of things don't phase me. I can look at the goriest of gore and I don't get nauseous or panicky. When it's my own child, apparently, it's a different story. I was panicky. worried. nervous. nauseous. quick to pray.----

Anyways, when he woke up from his nap, he looked like this.....

...only a little worse, because his eye wasn't opened at all.

Back on the phone with the nurses.

I didn't expect for it to swell up that much more. Was it fractured? I needed assurance.

We still concluded that there was nothing to worry about. They did suggest (proper protocol) that we either sleep with him for the next 2 nights, or "stir" him every two hours as a precaution.

We chose to take turns waking up every couple of hours. He did great over night, but woke up looking like this....

My poor guy.

They said it would probably get uglier and take at least a week for all of the swelling to go down and for most of the bruising to go away.

The good news? This hasn't seemed to affect him at all.

Still all boy.

Still playing hard.

Not complaining.... he's a trooper.

(sorry for the blurry pictures... it's hard to capture decent ones,

especially on the cell phone, when they are playing!)

I'm thankful it is nothing serious. So very thankful. But my heart still hurts every time i look at his little eye.

**Joe just told me that he put that ^^helmet^^ (aka red fire fighter hat) on Noah to protect his boo boo. These brothers sure can be sweet. :) **

A Whole Lotta This

2011-11-10T10:36:00.000-06:00

Going on around here.

I'm pretty sure this is what we will be doing all winter long.

These boys are having a blast and this keeps them entertained for an hour at a time.
Not much can do that. :)

Here's to a winter full of forts!

(don't tell the boys it's a fort. they call it a 'tent'. no forts around here.)

What in the world are you doing, God??

2011-11-08T08:21:00.002-06:00

Do you ever find yourself asking that question?

I asked that question when God moved me away from my family in Birmingham. I still don't know the answer for sure.

I asked that question when, almost 6 months ago, my 24 year old sister lost her husband of 9 months. I don't know the answer.

I ask that question when my friend has tried and tried and tried to have a baby and it just hasn't happened yet. Her heart hurts.

What are you doing, God??

My sweet 16 year old cousin is suffering from an undiagnosed illness. They aren't sure how to treat it. It is taking a toll on her family.

Her daddy is a pastor and he just recently spoke to his church about this journey that his family is going through. Watch this video. You might need it.

I don't know what God is up to. But He is good. And i do know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)

Click here to watch. Make sure the video you are watching is called "My Story". (it should be the 2nd video from the top)

Missing my Family

2011-11-07T10:11:00.001-06:00

God blessed me with an AWESOME family. Following the Lord's call on our lives and leaving Birmingham, Alabama wasn't hard at all. It was leaving my family that was hard. I'm missing them today.

sisters :)

(i really can't believe i missed out on this one...)

it's not as fun watching Bama games without my Bama family :)

mom and dad!!

come back to Omaha, cousin Mandy!!

...just looking through some random photos. my family is BIG so there may not be a picture of everyone, but i sure do miss them all.

In this season of thanksgiving, I'm thanking the Lord for blessing me with the best family in the world!

In other news.... this guy...

is turning 4 one week from today.

what??!!??!!??!!

I'm so thankful for my sweet, loving, stubborn Joe man.

Our First Omaha Snow

2011-11-02T13:28:00.001-05:00

I figure I should document our first snow here in Omaha. The very first of MANY, I'm sure.

It's a little hard to see...but it's really coming down!

We celebrated with hot chocolate and marshmallows.

I'm pretty sure this is their first hot cocoa experience. (sad, i know.)

we made a BIG mess, so we went for straws.

YUM!!!

I didn't mean to take a blog hiatus :)

2011-11-01T10:57:00.000-05:00

We've been busy... enjoying fall (a real fall) and all that it offers.

Dear Birmingham, AL, you should get yourself some fall weather. I think you would really like it.

So, I'm just going to ease back into this blogging thing in case I forgot how.

This is a daily occurrence...

We celebrated birthdays. It's so fun having birthdays just a day apart. (My bday deserves a post of it's own. I have the best husband in the world.)

And this girl just left us this morning. We miss you already, Aunt Ash!! It was so fun having you for a week of fun and Halloween festivities. (which also deserves a post of it's own)

Let's hope I can catch up!

Basically, this is a photo dump :)

2011-08-25T11:05:00.002-05:00

The last couple of weekends have been a lot of fun. We realized that we haven't done a lot of fun things as a family since living in Omaha, so we are going to use our weekends as an opportunity to do just that!

Two weekends ago we went to breakfast and then to the Splash Station- it's a great little water park just outside of Omaha.

Yep. We are @ McD's. Our plan was to go to our usual Saturday breakfast joint- Jimmy's Egg, but we were running behind. McDonalds may not be healthy, but it sure is quick and easy!

pretty skies, pretty boy

sportin' my $2 Target red sunglasses. i heart them.

not sure what's going on here??? but he sure is cute!

Our Super Hero costumes came in the mail!

anyone a fan of zulily.com? a friend of mine turned me on to it. GREAT deals on kids clothing/toys, women's clothing/accessories, baby gear, maternity wear, house stuff. Let me know if you want an invite to receive the daily deals. I've used it quite a bit recently! :)

YAY Beer Nuts!!!

"Fighting crime one nut at a time!" -cousin Cindy :)

Rody even got in on the action...

The following weekend we went to Village Point. One of the stores there has an indoor ferris wheel. Joe and John took a spin.....

Noah was an inch too short to ride :(. Therefore, he and i "rode" the escalator up and down. We also got him a special candy treat. Poor guy.

Later that night, Grace and Reese came over while their mommy and daddy went to a rehearsal dinner.

We made brownies!

I have to brag a little here.... you should see my little Joe crack an egg. I have never showed him how or let him do it before this, but he knew EXACTLY what to do and did it perfectly. -Proud Mama ;)

The next day we took the boys to see Cars 2. It was Noah's first time at the theatre. He did so well!

We left early though. I was a little disappointed in it. It went way over their heads and I could tell they were getting bored. It didn't keep their attention nearly as much as the first one. They were behaving so well, but i felt bad for them, so we headed out after watching for just over an hour.

Then we headed over to the mall. The boys made their very first Build A Bears!

Ready to stuff...

Pushing the Pedal...

Bathing their Bears (or a bunny and a dog, rather)

TaDaaaaa!

Meet Bussy- Noah's doggy and Woobii- Joe's Bunny.

Named all by their lonesomes. :)

Friday night we are having friends over for dinner. Saturday will be spent doing chores- because we need to- and because we are having a big meeting here after church on Sunday and John's parents are coming in to town next week. This weekend doesn't sound quite as exciting as the last couple weekends, huh?

Except for the friends for dinner part ;)

Next week, John and I are heading out of town to celebrate our anniversary a little early. 5 exciting years!!!

The Best Chicken EVERRRRR

2011-08-10T15:45:00.000-05:00

I make this chicken all the time.

I like to call it The Best Ever Chipotle Chicken (because I am really creative with names)

This chicken is awesome on a mexican style salad, mexican style pasta, tacos, burritos, enchiladas, nachos, pizza, sandwich, etc etc etc. Or eat it by itself. Whatever floats your boat. ;)

All you need is....

A Rotisserie Chicken or a large Rotisserie Chicken breast

1 red onion, quartered and thinly sliced

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 can chipotle in adobo sauce (you will use 3-6ish tablespoons depending on how spicy you like it)

1/2 can chicken broth

large handful of cilantro, chopped (optional..but really good with it!)

This is how you throw it together...

Shred (or pick it all apart with your fingers if you are me) the chicken

In a large saute pan or dutch oven, heat some olive oil and saute your onion and garlic until very tender.

Throw in the chicken and adobo sauce and mix well. (I add salt and pepper here to taste)

*check the spice level as you add in your adobo sauce. start with a little and keep adding until you find the "kick" you are looking for.*

Next, add in the chicken broth and simmer until warm or for an extra 30 min on low. (i like to let it simmer for a while, because the flavor will intensify and the chicken will be extremely tender- but you don't have to do this)

*check every once in a while to see if you need a little more moisture in the pan. you may need to add more chicken broth here and there. You don't want it to look like soup, but there should be some noticeable liquid in the pan.*

Stir in the cilantro before you serve it.

People- this is extremely delicious. EXTREMELY.

There will be leftovers and this chicken is good on anything. Just sayin'.

'maters and skype

2011-08-10T09:30:00.000-05:00

we have LOTS of tomatoes in the garden in our back yard.

this makes for great fun for the boys.

they do a great job crawling under plants searching for the color red in hard to reach spots.
(i really appreciate this.)

every once in a while a green one makes it into the pile.

i'm pretty sure it's hard to resist not to pick a green one when mom is constantly saying, "don't pick green ones, yellow ones, or orange ones....just RED."

line 'em up.

Joe man showing off his pickin's.

(i feel the need to talk in my most country accent when talking about pickin' 'maters. ???)

Noah and buddy Cruz with their loot.

the jungle

Cruz braving the jungle.

Bozo hair Noah :)

Joe took the next two photos. (He's mastered my phone.)

Bowl full of 'maters and sweaty boys

This one is for my sister: She taught Noah how to do a "mean face"....

...Not sure why he is pinching the skin on the sides of his face???

I Skype with my sister a lot.

Usually either early in the morning or late at night.

(this explains the crazy hair, no make up, etc)

Wanna See?!

Screen Shot One: "Normal Sisters"

Screen Shot 2: "Eye Brows that Make Your Face Look Like A Heart"

Screen Shot 3: "Sad Zombie Heart Face"

Screen Shot 4: "Laughing at Yourself is Good for the Soul"

A Textersation with my sister: It goes a little something like this....

2011-08-01T19:59:00.000-05:00

(this is a prime example of why i love my sister)

(Don't judge)

Ashley: Home!

Misty: Glad you made it! Miss you a lot today.

A: Missin you more Mitzi (don't ask)

M: :(

A:

THE END

My sister left me early this morning. BOOOOO!

Lack of Blogging: An Explanation

2011-07-29T10:45:00.000-05:00

My cousin, Mandy, flew to Omaha to spend a week with us. (she flew all by herself for the first time. just for us. awesome.)

We had a great time. The boys so LOVED her being here.

At the Pool

(not what you had in mind, huh?)

Ice Cream!

Out to Dinner

She was shocked to find that there was no sweet tea.

Adding her own sugar.

BOO!

We went home - to Birmingham- for a week. Mandy flew back with us.

Breakfast @ the Omaha airport

It was so good to be with family and friends and to be around all things familiar.

Then.....

My sister flew back to Omaha with us. Heck Yes!

Passing time @ the Birmingham airport.

Out to Dinner

Yummy Mexican food!

I love my sister.

I'm so glad she is here. I am enjoying her more than I ever have. I'm so proud of her. So proud to be her sister. Thanks to all of you who have been lifting her up in prayer and thinking about her. She is doing so well.

I'll blog more about our trip and visits next week!

Date Night

2011-07-11T10:09:00.001-05:00

**My last post was a heavy one. So, we are lightening things up a bit today. A lot of you have asked what happened to my brother-in-law. I'm not trying to keep it from anyone, and I apologize for not responding to your questions. I do think it is my sister's story to tell. She really wants to share her story. She is working on getting a blog up and running, so as soon as it's ready, I'll be sure to post it for you all!**

Last week I got a phone call from John. It was an AWESOME one.

"Hey babe, guess what?!"

"What??"

"I got us a baby sitter for Saturday night. Be thinking about what you want to do."

Best. Husband. Ever. :)

Fast forward to Saturday night...

Dinner @ Kona Grill

Don't worry, we didn't get too crazy. That's my drink in his left hand ;)

YUM

We walked around Village Point afterwards (an outdoor shopping mall..similar to the Summit for all you Birmingham folk)

We ended up @ Pier 1, where we purchased a couple of things for our kitchen. (Thank you, wedding gift card from 5 years ago for appearing and helping us with this purchase!) :)

...loving the extra storage...

chalkboard fork

...gotta go back and get the spoon to match!

first drawer filled.

my sister

2011-06-29T12:26:00.000-05:00

my sister just found her husband's urn. my parents put it away so that she could have it when she was ready. She wasn't "ready" but she came upon it while looking for something else.

Let me ask you...

Would you be able to praise Him in this storm?

Because the first words out of my sister's mouth via skype, as she was holding what used to be Ben, was...

"God is good. Thank you, God, for taking him home."

After the past couple of weeks, of John being diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes, which is by no means a death sentence, i have been worried. scared. angry. sad. Even in that circumstance it is hard to praise the Lord.

Ashley,

I am proud of you. The Lord is using you to transform me and so many other people around you. Probably even people that you don't know personally. Thank you for holding on so tightly to your faith in Jesus Christ, because it sure does encourage me to hold on tighter.
You are SO right. God is good. And Ben is HOME.

I'm going to share something very personal and intimate with you all. Because I want this for each of you. I want you to be able to praise our good God in the storms that you face. I want it to be your first response too. I sure do want it for myself. And, I know, my sister would want it for you, too.

The day after my sister lost her sweet husband, we were in the car, listening to worship music, and she was doing this...

Praising Jesus in the midst of the worst storm of her life.

Please lift her up today.

Busy Weekend!

2011-06-28T16:15:00.000-05:00

Last week was a little crazy. Up and Down. Exhausting.

So, A fun weekend was in order!

Friday, i took the boys, along with some other moms and kiddos to the Splash Station. I was a little nervous that i wouldn't get a chance to relax- you know- having two little toddlers and all, but it was perfect for them, and I got plenty of time to lounge and WATCH my kids have a great time. I told my friend, Kristy, "This is the most relaxed time I have ever had around water since having kids." The Lord knows I needed it. :)

This little buddy spent a lot of our time there in goggles. It was hysterically cute!

Of course, his face never went under water.

After lunch treat... as big as his head :)

Yummmmm... hot dogs.

On Saturday, we slept in a little and went to brunch as a family.
Hallelujah for chorizo, egg and potato breakfast tacos!

Then, we went to Elkhorn Days.

Our church is in the Elkhorn community, so we wanted to get involved with the town's annual Elkhorn Days events. We had a tent where we passed out free water bottles as people enjoyed different booths and activities after the big parade.

Picture #1- our Tent. Picture #2- our float.

I stole these pictures from Reverend Ronnie Rothe. Ha ;)

The boys had a good 'ole time riding horses, jumping in bouncy houses, sampling italian ice and eating fried food. A kids dream, I tell ya ;)

It was a fun- but exhausting- day.

I woke up Sunday morning with a sore wrist... so, naturally, i thought i slept on it wrong. By the end of the day Sunday, i could barely move it. I've been wearing an ACE wrap, and it helps a little. But, boy, does it hurt. I'm thinking maybe I have tendonitis, and passing out water bottles, aggravated it? Who knows? I do know that it is painful wrestling boys, lifting boys, and opening juice cups. :(

Anywhoo, Sunday morning we had a great time of worship at church and we spent the rest of the day recouping from the previous week and busy weekend. I still feel worn out, maybe emotionally, from the last couple of months, but I know that God is going to do great things. And I'm so encouraged by the many blessings he has already given me.

when it rains, it floods.

2011-06-22T16:00:00.001-05:00

I'm gonna attempt to describe the past few days in a fairly short post.

You know how every time you turn on the news these days you see tornados, floods, wild fires, earth quakes, tsunamis??? All of these crazy natural disasters??

I feel like my life mimics those right about now. One thing after another.

The saying, "when it rains, it floods", is singing true.

Two short months ago we moved from Birmingham, away from all of my dear family, to Omaha. Now, this isn't really a bad thing. I'm happy- most of the time ;) - that we are here, and I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that we are supposed to be here, but, still, it has shaken my world. It has been hard, though not as hard as i expected. I really miss my family. It's a beautiful storm, moving here, finding our place, and settling in a new world.

My brother in law passed away 2 short weeks later. Death is hard. Especially when it is that close to you. Especially when you see people so dear to you endure gut wrenching emotional pain. Weeks have gone by and it isn't easier yet. Death is never pretty, or easy, or even expected, but this one, was especially rough. I miss Ben. I hate what my sister is going through. I hate what my parents are going through. And it's so hard to be away. Even in the midst of this ugly storm, God is here. His hand print is everywhere. He is carrying us. He is showing up and doing great things. This storm is big. It may be the most difficult storm my family ever faces, but even still, i can say, this one is a beautiful storm, too.

This past weekend, the day my mom and sister flew in to Omaha, John was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. Again, seeming like one after another, a storm hit. My ground shook. The first 24 hours I was terrified. I didn't know much about type 1. I didn't know what to expect. But, now, I just hate it for John. I hate that he has to prick his fingers multiple times a day and administer himself shots 4 times a day. (My John, who is squeamish when it comes to needles and blood.) And the food. Counting carbs. Cutting out sugar. BOOOO! John had to stay in the hospital Fri-day and night, Satur-day and night, and Sunday morning and early afternoon. At least he got half of a Father's day! We are working on establishing a new normal. A normal that is always changing. The good news, is that I know this will become a beautiful storm, too.

Our few days with my mom and sis did not go nearly as planned. But, it was perfect timing that they were here. Thank you, Lord.

My sister had a hard few days. Please pray for her. She and my mom are in the air right now, flying back to the 'Ham. I miss them already.

Family is so important.

These last few days I tend to find myself waiting for the next "storm". I don't want to live like that. God has so much for me here and now. And He is good. His plan for me is good.

Matthew 6:25-34

New Living Translation (NLT)

²⁵ “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? ²⁶ Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? ²⁷ Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?

²⁸ “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, ²⁹ yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. ³⁰ And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?

³¹ “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ ³² These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. ³³ Seek the Kingdom of God^[a] above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

³⁴ “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.

Here are a few pictures my sis took over their visit. My little budding photographer sister. :)

Sporting our BenBen shirts. (My sweet brother-in-law)

John playing with his father's day toy. :)

So, it has been raining, and storming but at the same time, God has been raining down His love, and mercy, and grace, and He is carrying us through each of these storms... the big ones and the small ones.

OH! And I can't forget to mention the real tornado we ran from on Monday night. Oh my... I haven't been that scared in a long time. We were out to eat with friends... eating dessert in a restaurant full of windows when the sirens went off and our waiter told us a tornado would be there in 10 minutes. Ashley freaked out. Then I freaked out. Then we all made a run for it to get to our kids. We made it safely.... but I'm not so sure the stress of that 20 minutes won't take a few years off of my life ;). (Either the stress or the creme brulee crepes that John watched me eat.)

My Mom and Sister come TODAY!

2011-06-17T09:53:00.000-05:00

Watch out Omaha... the Teate girls are in town! :)

Takin' ya back old school....

I can't wait to spend some time with the women most precious to me. Boy, I have missed them!

Dad- we sure will miss you!!!! We'll be celebrating you on Sunday all the way from Omaha. I love you, and you really are the greatest Dad and biggest blessing.

Jazz, Golden Toes, Bedrooms, and a Hair Cut.

2011-06-14T13:24:00.000-05:00

Best title I could come up with. Boring, I know.

Not too much to say today...

Just wanted to share a few snapshots from our weekend....

My first try at a hair cut. Not too bad.

This would also be Joe's first "buzz cut".

Poor guy has a widow's peek and a cowlick on either side.

I think he looks super cute. John does too, except for the first time he saw it.

I called him upstairs to take a look. I had Joe on the back patio in just his underwear.

John looked and me a whispered, "Babe, he kind of looks like he belongs in a Holocaust camp..."

....shaved head, tall and thin, just undies.

I could see why he thought that. :)

I thought I would share a picture of the boys' room. I moved Joe into Noah's room.

This is the first time they have had a room together.

They think it's really fun!

This weekend we went to Village Point. John needed to stop in the Apple store,

so we thought we would head over there for dinner, too.

They had a wine festival and Jazz band.

We were there before the crowd, so the boys got to play and dance around.

Last but not least...

My new nail polish! Picked up a small treat for myself while we were out.

I also got a new nose ring...or stud I should say.

Loving the sparkly gold. You can't see the sparkles so well, here though.

Oh Dang

2011-06-10T21:29:00.000-05:00

Now I'm craving a big juicy burger.

I've been doing so well lately.

Geez.

Thanks, Pioneer Woman.

WARNING: You are about to look at the prettiest, tastiest looking burgers on the planet.

Delicious Disaster

2011-06-09T10:48:00.000-05:00

We went to TCBY with some friends the other night.

It was already past bedtime.

Our little outing was a ~~complete disaster~~ whole lot of fun. :)

Let's just say the kids were loud, they didn't want to listen, they were running into the parking lot and around the building. There was wrestling (mostly on my kids' part) and there was a lot of sticky mess.

We, or at least I, could have gotten easily irritated, but instead we laughed it off.

We're making summer memories. Fun ones and chaotic ones.

*The pictures below do not reflect the disaster.*

What did I learn from this little trip to TCBY?

1. Kids will be kids. They aren't perfect and I can't expect them to be.

2. Relax

3. Making memories is worth the chaos.

4. This is a big one-- Do NOT order the rainbow cream flavor for my kids EVER again.

WATER

2011-06-09T10:31:00.000-05:00

We have been playing in the sprinkler a lot this summer. We have 2 awesome kiddy sprinkler things that attach to the hose and make things extra fun for the kiddos.

Today we are having, what seems to be, the first dreary day of the summer, so i'm missing those sprinkler attachments right about now.

Toddler are so darn cute when they are wet :)

Yummy summer dip, salad, condiment.... whatever you want it to be :)

2011-06-07T15:56:00.000-05:00

Thought I would share a quick, easy, and healthy recipe from my kitchen.

We will call it "Schluchter Caviar". I think it has a great ring to it :)

Ingredients:
1 can black beans- drained and rinsed
1 can black eyed peas- drained and rinsed
1 lrg can sweet corn- drained
1 bell pepper- finely chopped
1 -2 jalapeno peppers (hardly any heat with one, nice kick-but not too spicy- with 2)- finely chopped
1 small or 1/2 large red onion- finely chopped
1/2 bunch green onion- chopped
1 handful of cilantro- chopped
juice of 3 limes
3 tablespoons of olive oil
1/4 cup of red wine vinegar
sea salt and pepper to taste

mix these ingredients together and chill for at least 2 hours before serving.

Leftovers are even more delicious!

Serve with tortilla chips, frito's scoops (my fave), pita chips, etc

OR

Eat as a salad, top tacos or nachos, put in a sandwich wrap.

I like multi- purpose foods. Don't you???

(Apologies- the picture is a little blurry!)

The Recipe makes a lot more than this picture shows.

This is leftover from a weekend party.

It's still DELICIOUS!

P.S. It compliments a margarita nicely!

New Home

2011-06-06T15:04:00.000-05:00

Don't get too excited. I'm not about to show you pics of our new home. I haven't really taken many. (But don't worry. There will be a house post soon!)

It's fun having a new home and getting to make it your own. There are lots of projects to be done, lots of things that need to be bought. The thing is, we don't have a lot of time and we definitely have a budget. So, it will be a long while, I'm sure, before our house is the way we want it...before it really reflects our style.

I came across THIS blog today.

I could move right in her house and be happy. The decor is ME. So, if you have ever wondered what my style is, this would be it.

I'm inspired.

....if only money grew on trees :)

A girl can dream, right??

P.S. Look what I bought this past week at a garage sale! Currently deciding what color to paint it.

It's an old school desk.

((Maybe I should have taken a pic with it right side up. Oh well.))

Maybe I'll do something like this...

Photo found HERE

Maybe in turquoise...or orange....or green.

TYPICAL

2011-06-05T14:04:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to share a typical chain of events from the Schluchter household. Can any of you relate?

two cute boys hiding with each other under a blanket. playing nicely. it makes a mother's heart glad. :)

looks like it might be getting a little rough under there...

yep. full blown war.

children surface.

one child looking guilty, the other in pain.

Happens all the time.

Can't we just play nicely?!?

Ups, Downs, Uncertainties

2011-05-30T11:16:00.000-05:00

This past month has been.... well, i don't really have a word for it.... so, I'll just say, crazy.

In the last month we have packed up our lives and moved from Birmingham, AL to Omaha, NE.

We spent two weeks trying to settle in and establish a new normal.

Then a storm came. A life storm.

My brother- in- law went to be with Jesus.

My sweet family, especially my sister, has experienced great heart ache in the last couple of weeks.

We went back to Birmingham to walk along side my family through this gut wrenching pain.

We watched my sister endure something I never thought life would bring her way.

We watched her transform to be more like Jesus - and become more in love with Him.

We watched God's faithfulness, comfort, peace, strength, and even joy fall on all of us.

We left Birmingham, again, to go back to Omaha. (this time was even harder than the last)

My biggest fear about moving has/is happening.

I wasn't at home when tragedy struck. I'm not at home to help pick up the pieces. I'm not able to physically be with them to encourage them and lift their spirits. I'm having to grieve without the people who relate most by my side. It's hard.

We made it back to Omaha just in time for Noah's 2nd Bday. (pics in the post below)

We're grateful to already have "family" here to help us celebrate life.

We were able to have a super fun, last minute planned party with people we love.

We have had a weekend full of parties and get togethers, and I don't feel alone. (That's a blessing!)

We don't know what the future holds, but this we know for sure... our God is faithful. He provides. He has a plan. And in the midst of this storm, He is already proving it. And, we will praise His great name.

**I'll share more about my awesome sister and brother- in- law in time, but for now, read about him. God is using his life, still, here on this earth as he rests in the arms of his Savior.**

My sweet brother- in -law, Dr. Ben Wadsworth

Noah is 2!

2011-05-30T10:53:00.000-05:00

Click on the link to see a few pics from the party. (Great news- these were taken with a real camera. No cell phone snap shots in this post!)

Noah's 2nd Bday Party in Omaha

OMAHA

2011-05-13T13:07:00.000-05:00

We're here!

We moved into our house about a week and a half ago, so we have been busy trying to settle in.

I realize that I have been MIA recently, so I just wanted to let you all know that we made it and that we are adjusting nicely!

I'll work on a post this weekend (if things slow down) with lots of pictures of our new home, and of course, the boys.

Here are a few random snapshots to hold you over...

First morning in our house. Breakfast picnic on the kitchen floor :)

The boys loving their own playroom.

Joe: our budding photographer

(Family dinner @ Red Robin)

S'mores!

Can't wait to give you more of a glimpse of our Omaha life!

For now, I'm busy trying to bloom where I have been planted.

House post to come!

4 Generations + FUN

2011-04-20T13:59:00.001-05:00

Yesterday the boys and I got to spend the day with my mom (Honey) and my grandmother (Bibby). We had so much fun together! I'm so glad we got to do that before we leave... but mad at myself that we haven't had days like this more often. I have learned recently that I take my family for-granted. I hate that I'm leaving with regrets of not spending more time with them. Anyways, I did a little documenting of our day....

We had plans to go to the zoo. We pulled in to find buses everywhere and not a parking place in sight. We didn't even attempt to find a spot. I decided we should make other plans, because things would probably be more stressful than fun with SO MANY people there. (We all know I don't need more stress right now! ;)

Snapshots begin with my view from the very back seat...

Mom and Bibby up front

Dora on the DVD player

Joe and Noah in the middle

Me lonely in the back :)

Lunch @ Zoe's in Soho

Railroad Park Downtown

This is as high as his sweet little feet made it off the ground. A little too difficult for my littlest.

"Stuuuuuuck Mama!"

My monkey

The most beautiful great grandmother I have EVER seen! :)

We love our Bibby!

This is not sunburn people. This is how hard we played!

Back in Soho for Tutti Frutti frozen yogurt

Noah's concoction: Reece's Peanut Butter froyo

with reece's pieces, chocolate chips, and pretzles

Joe's concoction: Birthday cake froyo

with gummy worms, m &m 's, and gummy bears

Oh, this little guys is so MESSY

On the way Home

Messy yogurt shirt off. Zonked.

(sorry so blurry, but I had to share!)

Joe stayed awake until we pulled off our exit (1 mile from home).

He argued with me, with his eyes closed, that he was not sleepy and didn't need a nap.

I think he was wrong. :)

We had such a great day and hope to get another one of those in before we leave!

Countdown to the Big Move: 8 days. (Yikes!)

Some Firsts...

2011-04-18T16:37:00.000-05:00

So, we've had a few firsts around here lately...

We had a Taco Bell picnic on the couch. We had tornados this day and I had to pick Joe up from school early due to the weather, so we ran by Taco Bell on the way home and decided to do something a little different for lunch. Their little eyes are glued to the movie Ponyo- which is pretty great, I think!

Can you tell they were worn out??

Noah fed himself cereal for the first time. YUMMY Captain Crunch!

I cooked asparagus a new way the other day. I didn't feel like being extra careful that they wouldn't burn or fall through the grate, so I gave this a try...

Trim the tough edges of the asparagus and peel a few garlic cloves

Place them on some foil, drizzle with EVOO, sprinkle with a generous amount of sea salt and black pepper, and through in a pinch of red pepper flakes. Lemon juice would be good too!

Fold the foil around the asparagus into a packet and place it on the grill. 10 minutes tops. I turned my packet over half way through.

Joe has (well, had) his first pet bug. A lady bug that he named "Goga". We found her in the front yard one day. She was a tough little thing...surviving little hands poking and grabbing at her until I came to her rescue. I noticed this morning that she was dead. :(

That's Joe's grass that he is growing. It's a school project. It needs a trim.

We had our first going away party. :( We have great friends and are so blessed by them. We had a cook out at Laura's house with yummy food and great hang out time. They put together a travel basket for us. They are so great for thinking to do that. It will keep the boys entertained and their tummies happy as we travel to Omaha. Thank you, friends!!!! (I'm not going to talk about how much you guys mean to us. I'll save it for a later post. I've cried too much in the past 24 hours :) )

You can't really see what all is in there... lots of toys, treats, eats, and drinks!

And a Second

We had a second "Going Away Party". This time it was with my family and the Rosser's. We had a delicious southern home cooked meal and plenty of desserts. I LOVE my FAMILY. And, I'm so glad that Gabe, Sara Beth, and Stevie were there too. They're family. (And I'm not going to write about any of these people right now either. Another post will come. Not ready for that yet. Sigh.)

I never thought that one of our family get- togethers would be in honor of sending us off to another state.

Anyways, My family went in together and got us a hefty Target gift card. AWESOME! It will go towards all the things we need for our new home! So helpful!

And, Sara Beth made me this. I love home made gifts. AND this one is BEAUTIFUL. I'll cherish it forever and think of my Rosser's every time I look at it.

Isn't she crazy creative?!

Well, that's it for now. I feel like I have so much to blog about. I'll be working on it.

Count down to the Big Move: 11 days. (OH MY)

Passion

2011-04-17T08:59:00.000-05:00

This spoke to my heart this morning.

I hope you find it as encouraging and inspiring as I did!

Take A LOOK.

My Favorite Soup- Chipotle Chicken. YUMMMMY

2011-04-13T15:36:00.000-05:00

I love soup, but can't find one from a can that I like. So, a few months ago, I went to the store, threw these ingredients in my cart, and MAGIC happened. I've made this soup many a times since. I've never written down my recipe, so I'm giving it a go here. It's easy, super delicious, healthy, and I could eat it many times every day...So, I make lots of it at once!

Here goes nothin'!

Ingredients:
1 large Sweet Onion, chopped
1 large handful of matchstick carrots, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, chopped, + 1 Tablespoon of adobo sauce (more or less depending on how spicy you like it!...it's a smokey heat)
I large (or 2 small) tomato, chopped
2 large Russet Potatoes, cubed
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 can mexi-corn
Rotisserie Chicken, shredded
1 1/2 large containers chicken stock
Juice of 2 limes
cilantro, big handful, chopped

Garnishes (optional):
more cilantro
green onion
sour cream
shredded cheese (mmm pepper jack!)
tortilla chips

*I like to serve this soup with cheese quesadillas to dip*

Use a big pot!

Sauté your onion, garlic and carrots until tender.
Add your chipotle pepper, tomato, and adobo sauce. Stir and season with salt.
Add your chicken, beans, and corn, stir and add more salt.
Add your broth and lime juice. Stir Well. (taste here for saltiness. I'm a salt girl, so i usually add more)
Add your potatoes.
Let the soup simmer, about 20 minutes, until potatoes are tender.
Stir in cilantro before serving.

Add your garnishes, grab a margarita, and enjoy! :)

Done Being Sick! Please! (long post- warning!)

2011-04-11T14:06:00.001-05:00

So, it has been a crazy week. We came back from Omaha last Tuesday with a home under contract! Woo Hoo! (I still want to put more effort into a post all about that trip, with John, when he has a moment to spare :)

Anyways, Wednesday afternoon I noticed that I could constantly feel my heart beating a little harder than usual. Occasionally it seemed to skip a beat. It was really annoying, but I decided not to worry about it yet. This happened on into the evening and I had a little trouble falling asleep because of it. Once I was out, though, I was out. This started happening again late Thursday afternoon and into that night. And again on Friday afternoon and evening. I woke up Saturday and almost instantly started feeling the same way again. I had a lot to do for my wonderful friend's shower, so i tried to ignore it all day. I chalked it up to stress, from being in Omaha (the house hunt was someone stressful), traveling (which, after a HORRIBLE experience on a plane a few years ago, I get anxious every time I'm on one), preparing for the shower (disclaimer- SB, do NOT feeling guilty about this! I really wasn't stressed about it. I was so excited. And I wanted to do everything I did and more for you and sweet Silas. Wouldn't have changed anything about that- except you would have had your donuts, balloons, and hand written card :)- but it was another thing on my plate), preparing myself emotionally for our move, and getting a plan together for the big move.

Saturday, I pushed through the annoying heart beats, got everything done that I needed to get done, and I slept pretty well that night with some Tylenol Simply Sleep- Target brand rather.

Sunday. Oh, Sunday. Day of SB's shower, that I was SO looking forward to.

I woke up with my chest feeling heavy. I felt like I couldn't get enough air in when I breathed. Not fun. Still thinking it could be stress, I told myself, let's make it through this shower. I don't want to miss it for anything, anyways. Maybe once everything is ready and a go, this will all melt away.

NOPE.

I go to mom's early Sunday morning. (This is where we were having the shower) We had lots of decorations to put up, pick up and food to put out, etc. I figured getting there really early would allow me to do things calmly and stress free.

On the way to mom's, the heaviness on my chest got, well, heavier. I was border-line light headed. I was a little scared. I stopped off the exit to gas, in fear that I wouldnt make it to mom's without doing so.

I pulled up, parked by a pump, and questioned whether or not i should ask the firemen parked right next to me to take me to the hospital, or something. I was almost in panic mode from the crazy things my body was doing.

I stepped out of my car and things got a little better. I could breathe better and my chest wasnt as heavy.

I decide I didn't need to talk to the firemen so I went on my way.

I arrived at mom's and she suggested we go get breakfast. Maybe I would feel better with some yummy food and good conversation. At this point, we still think it's anxiety or maybe acid reflux. My mom was diagnosed with it a few years ago after having heart tests done, because she was having some similar symptoms I was.

Things get worse. By the time we eat breakfast, which was delicious, (GO TO OVER EASY IN MTN BROOK PEOPLE!) my left arm is hurting and tingling.

I'm thinking HEART ATTACK.

We meet John, who has the boys at lunch after they had gone to church, and we make a trade off. He takes me to the E.R. and mom takes the boys. (now i'm worried she will have a heart attack, having to set up for the shower herself, and keep my kids)

I didn't have to wait long at all in the E.R. which made me more anxious. Aren't you supposed to wait for hours when you are there? Guess I was a serious case. I'm not complaining.

They did lots of tests, ruled out lots of things, and diagnosed me with pericarditis.

Pericarditis is an inflammation of the pericardium (the fibrous sac surrounding the heart). A characteristic chest pain is often present.

From Wikipedia

They give me a couple of prescriptions and I'm on my way. Making the last half of the shower!!!! I was so excited I could get there. I talked to SB on the phone while in my hospital bed, and I was extremely emotional, not because I was afraid of being there- in the hospital, but so sad that I might miss her shower. Sad that I might miss a moment to celebrate my buddy Silas joining her family.

Anyways, things don't get better. Now I'm freaking out a little. The E.R. referred me to a cardiologist for a follow up appointment, but they wouldnt see me until May 5th. Hello! I won't even be in the state at that time.

Things get worse. I can't sit. Standing and walking around are the only things that keep me partially comfortable. My chest is tight and heavy. It's laboring to breathe.

Thank goodness for family with connections. I got in to see a cardiologist last Wednesday. Thank the Lord.

Side note: I was a little nervous to meet this Dr. I met him once before, when my precious grandfather was in the hospital, on the last day of his life. I met him when he told my family that there was nothing left for him to do for my grandfather. That was the hardest day of my life this far. As I'm sitting in the cardiologists office, waiting for him to come in, feeling a bit nervous, I realized that it was exactly 5 years to the day that my grandfather, my Papa, went to heaven to be with his Savior. It was 5 years to the day that that doctor looked into the eyes of my huge family and said, no more could be done. Tears.

Doc looked at my ER tests, looked at my x rays, listened to my heart and lungs, and did a stress test. Everything was checking out. In fact, i did NOT have pericarditis and there was nothing in my ER file to base that conclusion on. Interesting.

He wanted me to come to the hospital the following day for an echocardiogram just to rule out anything that these other tests could miss. (their machine was broken at the time).

I left there feeling better than I had in a week. Very strange. In fact, i stayed feeling well that evening, through the night, and during the morning. My mom went with me back to the hospital this time. On the way there, my symptoms started returning. They came back in full when we entered the main part of the hospital. The part I hadn't been in since my grandfather died.

The echo checked out perfectly. Good strong heart.

I met with the Doc again, afterwards, and he is pretty sure it's stress/anxiety.

REALLY?!?

Stress and anxiety can do this to me?! What?! I was relieved and frustrated. Relieved that nothing was really wrong me. Frustrated that this move was doing this to me. I didn't even realize I was that stressed. I thought I was handling it really well.

The Doc explained that he knew this had to be extremely stressful for me. He knows the closeness of my family. He knows I have two young boys. He said for me not to be bearing this stress emotionally, it had to manifest itself another way.

Though hard to believe, I believed him, especially after seeing what stress has done to my mom.

I am my mother's daughter. :)

He prescribed me a chill pill as needed. I've only needed it a couple of times, and my symptoms completely disappear after I take it.

The funny thing, is that since we have figured out what was going on, my symptoms have decreased greatly. You better believe I'm praising the Lord for that!!

So, I was excited to spend this weekend, feeling good, catching up on some rest, and playing with my family.

BOOM.

Sinus Infection.

Seriously?!

But I'll take it. I still feel 100 times better than last week and now I have meds for that too, so I'm on the mend. In fact, Joe is helping...

Upon returning from the doctor's office this morning, he insisted

that he take off my boring nude color band aid and replace it

with an awesome Spongebob one. Because Spongebob makes

boo boos better faster. Perfect placement, Joe!

I know that was long. But, please read the post below this one too! We want your help!

Have any of you had anything like this happen from stress?!? Tell me I'm not the only one.

Help Us Find A Cure For Cystic Fibrosis!!

2011-04-09T18:14:00.001-05:00

As you know, we are moving to Omaha at the end of this month. (a detailed post to come soon!...i promise!) A couple of weekends after we get there, we will be walking in the Great Strides event of Omaha to raise money to find a cure for Cystic Fibrosis. There is a family at our church that is affected by CF, and we are excited to walk on behalf of them. On a personal level, my uncle Joey died of complications related to Cystic Fibrosis a week after I was born. I never got to meet him, and I certainly can't wait to meet him in heaven one day. The four of us are walking on his behalf as well.

I'm writing this to ask you to consider sponsoring our family as we join in this fight for a cure. There is a place on our homepage where you can click to donate. Every little bit helps.

Thank you for thinking of all of those hurting because of CF, and thank you for your support! I'm praying that everything we give will be multiplied until a cure is found!

Apology

2011-04-04T09:01:00.000-05:00

Sorry we haven't written our Omaha post!

It was a crazy week and I ended up in the hospital yesterday with pericarditis. (inflammation of the sac around the heart)

No, it was not fun going to the emergency room with heart attack symptoms at the ripe age of 26. :)

I'm at home recovering...taking meds and resting.

We'll get on it as soon as I'm feeling better! We can't wait to share with you what all has/is happening.

Feels like it's been a while...

2011-03-31T08:23:00.000-05:00

since I last blogged.

A LOT has happened.

John and I are going to sit down tonight and blog about our long weekend in Omaha.

We don't want to leave out any details, so we are going to do it together.

(And he is the only one who took any pictures while we were there.)

Statement that describes our weekend:

GOD IS GOOD.

And here is a picture of our boys...just 'cause...

Stay tuned :)

Glory Revealed

2011-03-24T14:02:00.002-05:00

I just spent a moment in awe of what the Lord is doing in the life of our family. He is paving the way for us to follow Him to Omaha. FOR SURE.

I spent a moment in awe of how He is working in our best friend's, The Rossers, family. Silas is officially theirs and he will be coming home so soon. HE went before them and worked out all the details so that Silas could join his forever family.

These situations are completely different. BUT one thing, one HUGE thing, is the same. Our awesome God went before us and paved the way. We couldn't do it on our own.

As I was thinking about these things, a song came to mind. Specifically this part...

It goes a little something like this...

"And every valley will be raised
And every mountain be made low
And the ground it will be leveled
And the rough places smooth

And then we will see
The Glory of the Lord
All eyes will see
The Glory of the Lord revealed
O the Glory of our Lord revealed"

(Glory Revealed - Candi Pearson Shelton)

It's so true. God wants His Glory to be made known. And when we are willing to be a part of that, He makes a way. He raises the valleys and lowers the mountains. He smoothes out the rough places. And when He does those things, when He works those miracles, both big and small, His Glory will be made known. We need to take the time to notice. We need to take the time to give Him the Glory.

I'm SO thankful.

God, I'm in awe of You.

Hopefully this works... Youtube video of the song I mentioned. Take a listen!

Lovin' me some weekends!

2011-03-23T15:18:00.000-05:00

We had a great weekend. The weather in Birmingham is beautiful right now. Upper 70's and sunny, Flowers blooming, Grass turning green..... we are loving it!

Friday, the boys got their hair cut. We love going to 'N Vogue. They are like 2nd family. (The boss lady is my mom...so she's 1st family, of course :)

Plug: Check out the link to the website. Get your booty over there for all of your hair, skin, cosmetic, nails, massage, gift & accessory needs! You will thank me later :)

Anyways, back to our weekend. Saturday we got some things done around the house. We also printed, stuffed, and addressed invitations for Sara Beth's shower. Little Man is coming home from Ethiopia so so soon!!

Sunday..... was the greatest day of all.

We went to church. It was AWESOME. The Lord knew exactly what i needed to hear. Worship was so so great. We went to lunch as a family afterwards. YUM. Big. Juicy. Burgers and Cajun fries.
We got home and the weather was PERFECT. So we turned the sprinkler on, let the boys run around in it, did some yard work, and i took a walk. Oh it was NICE.

We threw the boys in the shower to get all the grass and mud off of them and then we sent them off to bed for naps.

John and I got to talkin' after we put the boys down. The previous couple of days were full of anxiety. What's going to happen with our house? Where will we end up living once we get to Omaha? When we go up there next weekend, do we look at houses or apartments? What if our house takes forever to sell? What if? What if? What do we do? When's it going to happen? GRRRRR.

So we prayed.

We let go.

We talked about how minute all of this is in the grand scheme of things.

Jesus's blood is our victory. That's all that really matters.

2 hours later we got a phone call.....

People, WE HAVE A CONTRACT ON OUR HOUSE!!!

Closing date, April 28th. Moving to Omaha April 29th. Bittersweet.

But, so far, this experience has been incredible. God is showing up. He's preparing the way. And I want to shout it from the rooftops :)

Without further ado... pictures from the weekend....

This was actually Thursday. St. Patrick's Day & a before shot of the hair.

Notice his new big boy seat!

After the hair cut sportin' momma's sunglasses and a treat :)

Noah just got a little trim in the very back. His mullet was beginning to make a re-appearance,

and Sara Beth loves me enough to tell me. Thanks, SB for the hair cuts!

Cookie treat. He did great!

LUNCH ON SUNDAY

Silly Boy

John's ready for his cheeseburger. This may have been more exciting to him than getting a contract

on the house :)

mmmmm fries out of a paper bag = the best

Sprinkler Time!

Thanks to all of you who have been praying for us! John and I are heading up to Omaha this weekend to look at houses and we are having an inspection on our home this weekend as well. Keep the prayers coming!

Happy Hump Day!

BALLS

2011-03-18T09:55:00.000-05:00

These pictures crack me up. My boys could play with balls all day. Especially Noah. If you know him well, you know of his love for balls. Take the child to a giant toy store and tell him he can pick anything he wants and he will walk away with a ball. A simple ball. Needless to say, we have an abundance. Most of these pictures are of Joe, though. Noah is still working on his hand-eye coordination :)

My most favorite one. Look at that focused excitement!

And by the way.....

Can I get a hallelujah for warm sunny weather?!? Shorts- T-shirts- and Bare feet. Amen :)

Mexilicious Lasagna :)

2011-03-15T12:32:00.000-05:00

This dish was quite a hit at my house last night. I had a girls' night last night and needed to throw something together for the boys for dinner, and this is what I came up with!

Straight from my brain to your computer screen...

Ingredients:

Tortillas- about 6 fajita sized (whole wheat or flour)
Shredded Cheese- (a combo of pepper jack and sharp cheddar is super yummy)
Your favorite salsa (i think fresh is best!)
Ground Turkey (or beef or chicken)
1 packet taco seasoning
1 tsp ground chipotle chili or 1 tbsp adobo sauce (more if you like heat, or non at all if you don't...up to you!)
1 can black beans
1 can mexi-corn
1 handful french fried onions **the secret weapon**

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375.

Brown ground turkey (or beef or chicken) and add taco seasoning and ground chipotle chili (or adobo sauce). Once cooked thru, add black beans and corn to heat thru.

Spray a baking dish with nonstick spray.

Place a layer of tortillas on bottom, then layer salsa (very thin layer so lasagna does not become soupy) cheese, meat mixture & REPEAT the layering until your baking dish is full. The last and top layers should be tortilla-french fried onions-cheese.

Bake 20 minutes or until cheese bubbly and beginning to brown.

Make it look pretty!!

Serve each slice drizzled with melted queso, a dollop of sour cream (if you like it- NOT me), fresh cilantro, and sliced jalapeno (if you can take the heat!).

DELICIOUS! EASY! Makes for great leftovers, too! (im eating it for lunch as i type this up)

...i didn't take a picture. bummer.

ENJOY!

Saturday = Target Day!

2011-03-14T09:57:00.000-05:00

The boys have grown to really like Target. As in, they ask to go there alllll the time. Maybe it's because I usually can't resist letting them pick something from the dollar bins. That probably explains their love for the big red bulls eye. It's a great thing that they are so fond of the place, because we are there at least once a week- usually as a family on Saturday.

While John was paying for our usually buggy full of diapers and random items, I took the boys outside for an impromptu photo shoot with my....... cell phone!

This was the one time I got Joe to look at me for a picture... and this was the "cheese" face I got. HA

John joined us and we snapped a couple with his iphone. Much cooler pics.

In order to get Joe to look at the camera, I said, "Hey Joe, can you find the apple on daddy's phone?!"

That's why he is pointing.

On the way home. ($1 bin purchase of the day- green sunglasses with tiny frogs on them)

tired and grumpy mommy and the always pleasant daddy :)

Hehehe... John and his chins :) I posted this to facebook and he wasn't even embarrassed.

Maybe posting to the blog will do it. Well, honey...Embarrassed yet??

We had a great weekend. Hope you did, too!

Cheers to a great week...Happy Monday to YOU!

Just a thinkin'

2011-03-11T12:21:00.000-06:00

I joined an email small group type thing that my sister is a part of. Today was my first day to participate. The idea of it is to encourage each other through our own quiet times, and to hold each other accountable in doing them. I share something from my time with God whether it be a song, scripture, devvotional or book text, etc. It's neat to read what God is doing in other people's lives and it's fun that i hardly know any of them...yet anyways. I thought I would share with you what I shared with my email community group, or whatever we are calling it!

Copy and Pasted!

Hi Everyone!

I’m Misty Schluchter...my maiden name is Teate, so that makes me Ashley Teate –now- Wadsworth’s big sister. I know some of you know her :) and that’s how I came to be a part of this little community we’ve got going on.

I’m super glad to be a part of it.

I’m 26 years old and I live in Birmingham with my husband and 2 precious boys- Joe, almost 3 1/2 and Noah, 22 months. I stay at home with my little ones. We are about to up and move to Omaha, NE though, which is why I’m so grateful to join you guys. We know just a small handful of people in Omaha, so it’s nice to be a part of this community of believers that can go anywhere with me! Thanks for having me!
(My husband is taking a job at a church in Omaha called Relevant Community Church. He will direct the Sunday morning services. He is a graphic designer and will also be designing bulletins, slides, video, and marketing materials for the church. That’s the reason for our move)

I’m doing a devotional/study called Brave: honest questions women ask by Angela Thomas.

I wanted to share with you a verse that she brings up in the study. It’s super encouraging to me as I’m doing a lot of waiting right now! Waiting for our house to sell, waiting to buy a house, waiting to move, waiting to see what our new life is going to be like.

Psalm 33:20

“We wait IN hope for the Lord.”

Angela goes on to say...”but I do know that sometimes He desires that we wait in His presence until we receive His refreshment. We wait for strength. We wait for guidance. We wait for healing. Something powerful and life-giving comes through the waiting. This falls into the category of learning to trust our God of wonder and mystery.”

I love this. And I suspect that we are all waiting on something. Something little or something big. It will come because we wait in hope for the Lord to show up. He’ll give us the answers, He’ll provide, He’ll heal, He’ll show us the way... Because He loves us. Thanks for letting me share, guys! I’m praying that He shows up for each one of you in whatever way you need Him to, but remember the waiting can be one of the sweetest parts. Keep hoping and seeking!

Misty

Lazy Friday Morning

2011-03-11T08:52:00.000-06:00

We're having a lazy Friday morning. And I'm choosing to have a lazy day all day until Zumba tonight. The lazy days are coming few and far between, so I'm taking advantage of an empty schedule!

A few cell phone photos of our morning so far.....

Starting the day off right...

That coffee (Don Francisco's- Hawaiian Hazlenut) is oh so yummy and CHEAP!

Agave Nectar is my fave sweetener. Have you used it?? What do you use?!

Color Time!

Breakfast Time!

I asked what they wanted for breakfast, and this is what they ~~stole off the counter, ripped open, and helped themselves to~~ picked. I decided, what the heck!, let 'em have it....it's lazy friday! (and now i don't have to clean up breakfast mess!)

Cuddle Time!

We're going to stay in our sweats and enjoy each other today. Great way to start the weekend! Wouldn't you agree?

Confession: I ate left over thai food (pad thai to be exact) for breakfast. Don't judge :) Got it from a new place in Pelham - Tao Taste of Asia- right next to Publix. YUMMMMY! I've decided I need to eat it as much as possible over the next few weeks since we will be moving and i will no longer be able to enjoy it. ooooooh it's sooooo goooooood!

How Much i Love My Sister

2011-03-09T14:37:00.000-06:00

Just kidding....

I mean I really do love her...

But I also love embarrassing her...

She sent me this pic...

And i figure she didnt want anyone else to see it....

I Really Want to Make One of These

2011-03-09T11:29:00.000-06:00

Super Cool Yarn Wreaths
(^Click for tutorial^)

Image taken from link above

Hangin' With My Cowboy

2011-03-09T11:10:00.000-06:00

This morning Joe is at school. I wanted to make a run to the grocery store after we dropped him off. I've been putting off buying paper towels for a couple days...out of pure laziness. I've decided to be lazy again today, because the weather is YUCKY. I pictured myself getting soaking wet while pulling Noah out of his car seat, running into the store only to slip and fall and injure us both. Not a pretty picture. Thus we stay here and pray that these 2 paper towels left on the roll last us through today. :)

ANYWAYS

Back to what i really wanted to post about. My Cowboy.

My little buddy man. My sweet precious chunky cheek baby boy. The little bit of baby that is left in our house.

I get a few hours with him all to myself while big bro is at school. (FYI: Joe's learning about community helpers today...policemen, firemen, etc Can't wait to see what crafts he comes home with today!)

You can't help but fall in love with this guy.

He found his baby Bumbo seat in his closet. "new" entertainment!

This one makes me giggle. Look at those chunky cheeks and that precious double chin :)

finger in mouth = teething

this is what we call "squishy face"

he looks just like big brother here. Noah, DONT GROW UP!

I just warmed up my cup of coffee for the 4th time and Noah is waiting on me to join him on the couch to watch Bubble Guppies. (great new show on Nick by the way. do any of your kids watch it?!) So, I'm outta here...

But first, a CONFESSION

I swore to myself that I wouldn't join the Angry Birds bandwagon. Wouldn't cha know John and I were in bed last night, both of our phones out, playing Angry Birds, shouting things like "Gottcha!" "Yessss!" "Just one more try.....one more try.....I almost got it i think....Oh, i figured it out!....one more time, just one more time....Ugh...Stupid Pigs!" "Come on birds!" "Dang it, i over shot" "NOOOOO!" Yes! I did it I did it!" "OK, let's stop so we aren't dreaming about birds and pigs."

To The Park!

2011-03-08T08:48:00.000-06:00

Friday was a cloudy day and rain was in the forecast for all of Saturday, so when I picked Joe up from school, I decided to take the boys to the park. What's a weekend without playtime at the park, right?? We practically had the place to ourselves. There weren't many humans, but lots of geese! :) I snapped some pictures, with my cell phone of course!

This picture cracks me up. Joe has developed a little fear of the wind. He doesn't want things

blowing away. Who knows where they will go, right? Notice his worried face here? The wind really picked up and he was saying,

"Mom! Where is your purse?! Get your purse mom! The wind will get it!" ...hehe

When we got to the park there was a little girl there with her dad. He was pushing her round and round on this thing, and then they left.

When Noah climbed on, Joe ran over and said, "I'll be your daddy, Noah! I'll push you! Hold on!"

These boys always play kitchen if we go to a park that has something like this.

Quesadillas are their specialty. I love their little imaginations

Joe's legs aren't quite long enough to step from stool to stool, so he got creative.

The kid has great problem solving skills :)

We love the park!

Today is the first day in forever that we have nothing on our agenda and I am loving it. Still in my robe. Still drinking coffee. Sore from Zumba last night. Enjoying my boys. What a great feeling. Now if only our house would sell!

Star Lake

2011-03-04T10:38:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was a full day. We went to the chiropractor, then to Joe's speech therapy, then we met my mom (Honey) for lunch, the she and i took the boys to Star Lake to feed the ducks and walk a couple of laps. I snapped a few cell phone pictures while we were at Star Lake. (Maybe I should re-name my blog "Misty's Cell Phone Pictures" Ha)

Honey handing out the geese/fish/turtle food.

Noah watching the geese in the distance.

"There it is!!!" (do you see our turtle friend poking his head out of the water?)

What a fun day! It left us warn out and ready for naps. Good thing for rest time.... Zumba kicked my booty last night!

On the Omaha front...

I got an email from the director of the preschool that Joe will be attending this fall. He is going to be in Reece's class!! (For those of you who don't know, Reece is Ronnie and Kristy's daughter, our great friends in Omaha, and they are also the pastor and pastor's wife of the church we will be joining there.) YAY!! I cried like a baby when I got that email. I'm not exactly sure why. It's going to be a hard move, and knowing that my Joe is going to have a forever friend in his class makes it a little easier :)
They can tell their grandchildren one day that they were in the same preschool class at age 3, right Kris?!

ZoOoOoOoO

2011-03-03T08:56:00.001-06:00

On Tuesday we had a Realtor's Open House. The boys spent the night with my parents the night before so John and I could spruce things up and keep it that way before the open house. Since we had to be out of the house, mom and I thought it would a great idea to go to the Zoo! First zoo trip of the year. We had SO MUCH FUN. The boys would have stayed there all day if we let them!

(the open house went well. only 4 realtors came, but they came because they all had clients that could be interested in our home. i'm praying that one of their clients will be our buyer! would you pray with me??)

I forgot to take the camera, but lucky for you, i had my cell phone :) I've got to get John to teach me how to upload pics off of our new camera.

my monkeys :)

This is a crate built to transport rhinos. Ronnie the rhino poked this hole with his horn in transport.

Noah's favorite animal of the day. (at the petting zoo)

Train time!

Choo Choo!

Play Area

Ride that Zebra :)

Oh how I love my sweet boys.

Slide.

I'm not up to taking the time to figure out how to rotate this picture, but i like it, so i'm including it!

They had toddler sized sinks and toilets. Good thinkin, Bham zoo!

The highlight of the day: For those of you that have been to the Bham zoo, you know that there are peacocks, roosters, and animals of the like that roam around the zoo freely. Well, we came upon two male peacocks that seemed to be very angry at one another. Have you ever seen a peacock fight?! It was hilarious....and scary. I couldnt help but shriek every time they dove at each other, squealed themselves, jumped into the air, and flopped to the ground. We were maybe 5 feet from the action and mom and i had to make sure the boys didnt join in on the peacock fighting fun. They sure did want to! I took video, so I will figure out how to upload it on here so you can see.

We've got a busy day ahead...chiropractor, speech therapy, lunch, maybe some diaper buying, meeting the pest control lady, Miss Pat, at the house, naps, cleaning.

Hope you have a great Thursday! It's almost the weekend!!!

(Palm Springs post coming this weekend, btw)

What do you do with a day of blue skies and 75 degree weather?!

2011-02-26T14:45:00.000-06:00

This is what we did...

(thank goodness for cell phones. John's phone took the cool pics, mine took the others)

To the Park!

Then we went to lunch. Lucia's Italian. Speechless. I can only makes sounds. "MMMMmmmmMMMMmmmmMMMmmmMMMmmMmmMMmMmmmmmMM"

(my lunch- mozzarella pomodoro)

(john's lunch- mozzarella, ham, basil, tomato, and balsamic vinegar panini)

(The boys had pizza)

Oh man it was delicious! BUT. Now I have a crick in my neck. Because, you see, i was having a stare down with THIS the entire meal, and it just had to be right behind me.

So, i bribed Joe and told him if he ate all of his pizza we could all get a piece to share. (anytime i have dessert after a meal i'm usually sharing it. and usually, a small part of me is wishing i could have my own piece. but it's not good for me....it will go straight to my hips...i'll look like a piggie having my own big piece....you know what i'm talking about?) WELL this place knows how to make you happy when you say, "We'd like to share a piece of that one right there!"

BAM!

Would ya know that we have more than half of that piece in a to-go-box in our fridge? It was THAT big.

While daddy paid (great news! the waitor gave us free drinks! SCORE!) i took the boys outside.

We walked the line. over. and over. and over. and over again.

Then we went to the post office to send a registration form and fee for Joe to go to preschool in Omaha next fall. WEIRD. Makes it feel real.

Then we went home. We didn't have our fill of being outside yet, so we rode tricycles and swept the neighborhood. You are welcome, neighbors! :)

Hello blue ~~eyes~~ skies!

The boys are worn out and napping. So, I'm gonna go unpack... for real this time.

Random Stream of Thoughts

2011-02-24T15:08:00.000-06:00

We just got back from Palm Spings, CA late yesterday afternoon.

I am so proud of my boys for flying SO WELL. They are awesome at it. (they should be by now!)

We had a GREAT time. I can't wait for John to transfer the photos to the computer so I can share them with you.

The weather was perfect. Warm enough to wear summerish clothing, and you could still run around and play outside without breaking a sweat. Yes, perfection. (this statement will not be true of Palm Springs in a couple of months...HOT)

I love watching my boys experience new things.

I feel extremely blessed that we get to go to such a beautiful place. I feel extremely blessed that my boys will grow up vacationing out there, just like their daddy did.

We had TWO date nights. Lots of great food, seeing new things, and quality time with my precious husband. On top of our date nights, we had lots of one on one time.

I'm thankful that my kids have two SPECTACULAR sets of grand parents.

It's good to be back home. It's sad this won't be home for much longer.

We jumped right back into our routine. We got out of the house to go to joe's speech therapy. (He scored a 95 on a speech test that was given to him today...Go JOE!) Then we hopped over to 'N Vogue to say hello to everyone and then we went to Moe's for lunch with mom/Honey.

My boys love their Honey. Who wouldn't love a grandmother that gives you cups full of change to throw in a fountain?!?

I don't like Moe's like I used to. I have had Chipotle a few times recently, and it is SO much better. Sorry, Moe's. :)

I love that Noah tries to do everything his big brother does. It's waaaay cute.

I also love it, at times, when they fight with each other. It makes me giggle. (is that bad??)

So, now that we are home, we must continue keeping the house clean. BLAH. It wears me out.

We have had one person come through the house. Just ONE. sigh. :(

I'm doing my best to let go of the situation. I know the Lord has gone before us and has worked out every detail of our move and transition to Omaha already. I read this last night and it encouraged me..."Something powerful and life-giving comes through waiting. This falls into the category of learning to trust our God of wonder and mystery" - Angela Thomas. I'm believing for that something powerful and life-giving.

Joe says, "Ogahaaww".

I'm excited to about this new chapter of our lives to begin. I'm actually becoming somewhat anxious for it to start. It totally surprises me that I feel that way. There are definitely days, however, that I feel the total opposite.

I'm doing a new devotional book and I LOVE it. It's called Brave by Angela Thomas. I would love to lead a small group of women through it one day. (The quote above came from this book.)

I haven't done a devotional book in a long time. I'm super glad that I found this one.

Joe is so stubborn.

Noah is way too fearless.

What's a mom to do??

We are all tired. The whole adjusting to the 2 hour time change plus a full day of travel with no naps has left us, well, tired.

Can you tell?

We get to go to some of our best friends' house tonight for a bday celebration! Happy Birthday, Gabe!

They just got back from Africa and they met their little boy for the first time face to face. I can't wait to hear more about it. I love that little boy so much already.

That's another reason I am sad to move. I want to be a part of his life. I want him and Joe to be best buds. It will happen. Just not the way i planned.

I'm ready for them to go back and get him. If I'm ready, I know they are dying to get a phone call. To hop on a plane. To hug and squeeze him. To introduce him to Stevie girl. To bring him HOME. (praying their kiddos do just as well flying as mine!)

Follow their journey right HERE!

I want to adopt. I'm wondering how moving to Omaha will change our plans for that.

My plans really don't matter. God's are always better.

I need to go unpack. I HATE unpacking. Guess it's not a good idea to live out of a suit case with our house on the market. Bummer.

Palm Springs post coming soon!

Death Becomes Nemo

2011-02-11T15:10:00.000-06:00

Poor unfortunate little fish.

Our beloved Nemo has ~~died~~ gone to heaven. :(

Joe is very proud of himself for all of his potty training successes.

He realizes that he is a little more independent and can do some things on his own.

So, while mommy was getting ready yesterday, he got his stool, grabbed Nemo's food, and ~~fed him~~ dumped the whole jar in his bowl.

I walked into the living room to see Joe standing on his stool looking at the fish bowl.

"Mommy!! I fed Nemo! All by myself!"

Uh oh.

We cleaned his bowl this past weekend. It was sparkling.

Now it's a nasty cloudy brown color. You can see Nemo in the top left corner.

I won't look at the bowl.

I don't get grossed out easily at all. Show me something completely disgusting and I'm usually okay with it.

Not this time.

I think it's because something dead is floating around in there. It makes me queazy.

Maybe i'll lighten the mood.

Noah has traded in his cowboy hat for a headband. (it was only 15 minutes before he traded back)

Maybe I'll take him to Zumba with me next time!

John and I are celebrating Valentine's Day tomorrow night. I'm so excited!

Bottega here we come!!

The menu looks incredible. My mouth is watering.

And thank you best sister ever, Ashley Teate Wadsworth, for watching the boys!

bahahaha

Photo Documentary of Today

2011-02-10T15:54:00.000-06:00

I thought i would take a few snapshots with my cellular device to document our day and share it with you!

We woke up to snow this morning! Absolutely beautiful snow!

So we cuddled up and watched Yo Gabba Gabba. Why is it that brothers, who begin cuddling and loving on each other, always end up wrestling and pulling each other's hair out?!

Then, it was time to head out to Joe's Speech Therapy. Before we got in the car, we had to play in what was left of the white stuff.

Then we cried because our fingers were too cold. Feeling badly that I didn't put gloves on their sweet pudgy hands, I cuffed their hands in mine and blew and blew and blew my warm breath on them until i was super light headed. :)

So, off to speech therapy we went. Joe has a 30 minute session every Thursday and he LOVES it. We will miss Miss Brittany very much when we move. Noah and I read books in the lobby until Joe man was finished. Then, we headed to lunch. Habaneros in Hoover.

My boys LOVE salsa. As you can tell, they use their chips as spoons.

They also love cheese quesadillas...

YUM!

And, let me just tell you... Joe used the potty in a public place for the first time today at lunch! WOO HOO! We have just now been working on potty training the last few days. He just hasn't been the least bit interested...until now... and he has hit the ground running! Potty success is one reason we needed to head to Target.

I didn't even think to get my phone out at Target. As much as we love Target outings, they are always a little bit stressful when I am by myself with both kids. They want everything. So, I took a picture of our bags for you :)

In them, you might find, a DVD that Joe got to pick out for using the potty for the past 3 days. Some wipes, bubble bath, baby wash, some new undies for Joe, valentine's for Joe's friends at school(big party tomorrow), valentine gifts for the boys (which i had to sneak in the buggy and keep them distracted at the check out line) and then, a couple things for me that I won't mention because John would probably rather me not spend money on them right now. But now he will know about it, and he will ask me, and i will tell him, because I won't lie :) Why does Target always put me in this situation?!

So we got home and Joe went to the Potty (YAY!!! lots of screaming and jumping up and down every time this happens. And, boy, you should see how it goes down when Noah is napping. Silent screaming and jumping up and down is quite the sight!) He was super excited to hop in bed for nap time and watch his new movie.

Sweet and Sleepy :)

Poor Noah. This is not one of my favorite parts of motherhood. I guess you could say he was a little constipated. Let's just say, for the first time ever, i've had to physically help my child with a poo poo. I know, TMI, but don't worry, I didn't take a picture and I spared you of the gory details. After that delightful incident, he went to bed, and now i'm left all to myself for 2 - 2 1/2 hours.

So, there is our day for you! Hope you enjoyed a day in our life!

Now, if you will excuse me, i need to shave my legs. I'll be having my first Zumba experience tonight. I've been wanting to try it forever. I'm going with some of my favorite people and I'm sure there will be lots of dancing laughing...and that's a super great work out, right? :)

Today

2011-02-09T12:19:00.000-06:00

I'm still recovering from a sinus infection. It has stuck around WAY too long! Joe is at school this morning and I get to spend some quality time with this guy...

The hat rarely leaves his head these days :) I love it.

discouraged and hopeful...

2011-02-08T10:52:00.000-06:00

all at the same time.

So, our house has been on the market for almost 2 weeks. We have had an open house that no one attended and only one appointment for a walk through. That's why I am discouraged. I guess I expected the phone to be ringing off the hook with people wanting to see it, because we have the best house ever :). Just kidding, but i did think there would be more traffic. And, it's frustrating to work so hard cleaning and organizing and cleaning some more on a daily basis while juggling two crazy messy toddlers for no one to come. But, enough with the pity party! They are no fun, right?

The good news, is that I'm still hopeful. The one lady that did walk through really loved the house. She had no complaints and her realtor said it showed beautifully. That is all very encouraging. Why she didn't make an offer? It wasn't her ideal location. She really wanted to be closer to Valleydale Rd. and we are further south in Pelham. Bummer. A few miles was a deal breaker. (I'm praying, however, that our house will continue to be her favorite compared to others and she will decide to sacrifice a few miles for the home) We will see! I know that it will sell in time, and that the Lord knows exactly what He is doing, and He knows what's best for our family, better than we do. That is a big enough reason to be hopeful.

Next week we are making our annual trip to Palm Springs, CA to visit and vacation with John's parents. We are so excited about going and it comes at a much needed time! I can't wait to not worry about keeping the house spotless for an entire week! We'll post lots of pictures when we get back!

Erick Baker - Live Performances

2011-01-28T15:06:00.002-06:00

Hopefully this works... never posted a video on here before! Two of my favorites.

dates are the best

2011-01-28T14:51:00.003-06:00

I love getting to spend alone time with my hubby, especially when we get to do something a little out of the norm. Last night, we dropped the kiddos off at my parents house to spend the night, and John and I went to dinner at Brio's and then headed downtown. I got John tickets to see the Edwin McCain Band with Erick Baker for Christmas. The concert was last night @ Workplay Theatre which is an awesome and intimate venue. Edwin McCain was really great. I only really knew a couple of songs of his from back in the day- "I'll Be" and "I Could Not Ask For More" but I have to say, the rest of his music was awesome and a lot of fun. He is a real musician- not someone who is just all about a performance. He was also hilarious, which i didn't expect. The highlight of the night though, was Erick Baker. He is fairly new on the music seen and he is a new favorite of mine. Go to his website and check him out. SOOOOO GOOD! We met him after the show and bought a c.d., which he signed for us. He was super cool, and again a fantastic musician, who you can tell, is super passionate about what he does. (Man, I'm really bad at writing music reviews- no career ahead of me there.)

I was so thankful to have a night out with John last night. The past couple of weeks have been super stressful, trying to get our home ready and keeping it that way. I feel a little overwhelmed and exhausted, but I'm doing my best to fully trust that the Lord will work all of this out. It was great to get a chance to relax, eat, hear great music, and just BE together.
I can already tell that this new adventure is doing great things for our marriage, which is exciting and very encouraging.

If you want to kick it old school for 4 minutes, head over to my facebook page and check out the video of "I could not ask for more" that i uploaded. I have to admit that it was a highschool boyfriend of mine's and my "song". Pretty funny :)

Happyland

2011-01-26T12:12:00.000-06:00

Check this out. Nebraska is the happiest state in U.S.
I'm thankful for little things like this that make leaving home even the tiniest bit easier.

On the home-front... John and I completed our last project. We had to install a new door for Noah's room. The previous one had a hole in it. I won't mention how it got there :). So, with the help of a great and handy friend, the new door went up and John and I painted it, in place, last night. It would have been much easier to do it off the hinges, but we knew Noah would have trouble sleeping with a missing door. We painted one side just before bed, and painted the other, as quietly as possible, while he was sleeping. Now it's as good as new!

Now, we just need to keep everything clean, which may prove to be a difficult task with 2 toddlers. We'll see how it goes!

Keep praying for a quick sale!

Buy Our House!

2011-01-25T14:44:00.000-06:00

Today is the BIG day. Yesterday the sign went up, today our house is listed on bhamMLS. Here is the link if you want to check it out! Pass it along if you know of anyone that needs our home!

*Click Here*

It's almost official...

2011-01-24T12:49:00.000-06:00

The sign was placed in the yard this morning. Wednesday, our house will officially be listed online. My emotions are mixed. I'm excited, yet scared. I'm at peace, yet I'm grieving.

Please pray with us that our house sales quickly!

-Misty

We've waited long enough to tell you...

2011-01-22T21:10:00.000-06:00

We are moving to the MidWest.

Omaha, Nebraska to be exact.

I (Misty) have lived in Birmingham my whole life. I love it here, and I've never seen myself living anywhere else. I just knew that I would grow up, meet the man of my dreams, have beautiful children, and we would live our lives happily ever after in Birmingham Alabama. We would spend lots of time with my parents, who we absolutely adore, and my sister, who is one of my best friends, and her awesome husband, who i'm still very much enjoying getting to know. I also have a huge extended family, most of whom live in the Birmingham area. We are close and see each other often, for birthdays, holidays, and random get-togethers. And we also have some of the greatest friends in the world that we enjoy doing life with. My vision included lots of regular time with all of these very special people in my life. So, my heart is hurting knowing that for a period of time, or possibly the rest of my life, i will live pretty far away from them. This was, at one time, a VERY HARD decision to wrestle with.
John and I have been praying about, thinking about, and wrestling with this possibility for a long time. Probably a year and a half. We have actually made the decision to go before, and I couldn't bare it, so we put it to rest for the time being. But on Christmas Eve something happened. The Lord did something in me. He gave me exactly what i needed to make the decision to GO. He gave me an absolute peace. And once I knew with 100% certainty that the Lord wanted my little family in Omaha, Nebraska, the decision to go was easy. My heart hurts to move away from my dear dear family and my awesome friends, but now that i know that the Lord is calling us elsewhere, I can go. Because above all, I want to follow Him.

Now from John...

As Misty said, this has been a decision that we've been wrestling with for over a year. Why are we moving, and why to Omaha? The short answer is that we feel like God continually has put this on our hearts. It just keeps coming back up. I had actually put the decision to rest this fall, only to have my wife give me the greatest Christmas present ever by saying out of the blue, "I think we should move to Omaha."

The reason we are moving to Omaha is mainly due to a job opportunity. There is a young, thriving church up there called Relevant Community Church, pastored by our good friend Ronnie Rothe. We helped Ronnie plant a short-lived church here in Pelham, AL a few years ago. The job title is Program Director. In short, I'll be responsible for directing all the elements of the Sunday Service. This includes leading a team of talented, creative people to create an environment that is conducive to worship and helps drive home the main point of the sermon. I'll be doing tons of design, video, and creative thinking with, as I said, some really talented people. This is my passion, using my creative gifts to communicate God's Truth. This job fits my gifts and passions like a glove. I couldn't be more excited. And what's more, it's a 30 hour/week job, meaning I'll still have a fair amount of time to put towards my recently launched business, Kingdom Project Creative, which helps Christ-centered ministries understand and implement creative media.

There's another reason for this big move. I feel like we need a change as a family. Our life is actually really blessed. But there's been something eating at me. There's this feeling that we're too comfortable. That sounds kind of ridiculous because that's what a lot of us are chasing: security, stability, comfort. The thing is, I want my life, and my family members' lives to be lived by faith. I guess I don't see a whole lot of opportunities to trust God in our current state. So this opportunity of moving to Omaha...starting over, making a change, doing something risky...has always represented an adventure for our family. It's something that I hope and pray will bring our family closer and something that I firmly believe will draw our hearts closer to Christ in a genuine way. Because that's how people learn to trust God, through our experiences. Back in October, when I was intently praying about this decision one morning, my mind was flooding with questions of how and why and what if. Suddenly it seems like all those worries were cleared and I felt God say, "John, just step out on the waves and see what I can do." That's the only time in my life I can confidently say that I felt God speaking to me. Anyway, this move is about a job opportunity, and I'm excited about that. But even more, I'm excited to see what God does in and through our family. Because I/we have NO IDEA what's going to happen. We're being obedient and trusting that God knows what's best. So fun.

Misty again. So, here we go! Our adventure begins. Our home goes on the market Monday. (So if you know of anyone looking for a 3 bdrm/2 bath home in great condition in the Pelham area, point them in our direction!) As of right now, our plan is to get to Omaha by the end of April so that we can get settled and John start his job @ Relevant by the 1st of May.

We would appreciate your prayers as we prepare to leave our home. I think this may be the most difficult thing i ever do, but I'm still excited to see what the Lord is going to do!

Our plan is to keep you updated through out this journey, and we definitely want to keep our family and friends informed once we get to Omaha. This means lots of pictures of the boys! (I promise now that John is joining my blogging venture there will be lots of pictures!)

it's been a while

2011-01-03T14:24:00.000-06:00

Well hello there! I realize it has been forever since i last posted. 8 whole months! I'm a slacker ...i know. Anyways, we have some big big big news to share, so John and I are going to sit down together and write a post. This change in our lives will lead us to blog a lot more, John and I both. So, keep a look out for our upcoming post as well as a lot more posts from both John and I. Hope you all had a great 4th of July, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year! :)

Oh yeah, hope you like the new header!

NEWS!

2010-05-06T15:08:00.008-05:00

So here is the news!

Tomorrow is John's last day at Briarwood Presbyterian Church. He turned in his notice quite a few weeks ago, and has stuck around as they searched for someone to replace him.

"Why did he decide to close that door?" you ask. Because He decided to close that door.

We are so excited about this new journey that the Lord has called John to begin. It's been quite the journey in the making. God has been preparing John for this since the moment He called him into the graphic design field before college.

John is starting his own business, with a passion for helping The Church, as a whole, to communicate effectively, through branding, website design, video, promotion, on screen media, and his ability to help guide pastors and other ministry leaders as they define who they are as a church or other ministry.

Man, oh man, I have a gifted husband who has a heart for using the talents and abilities God has given him to humbly further the Kingdom of God, and I am honored to stand beside him as this new journey begins!

The name of his business is Kingdom Project Creative. I don't know about you, but that name pumps me up :) I can't wait to see how God uses Kingdom Project to do GREAT things for His Church.

We could surely use your prayers as our family starts this new journey. As of next week, Kingdom Project is a full time job for John!

It would be great if John would write a more detailed blog about it all... in fact, maybe I will make him do it!

As of right now, his web address is still www.johnschluchter.com and you should totally go check out all of his work!! (and pass his name along if you hear a need for it!)

update: grrrr i still can't get my web links to work on blogger. copy and paste John's web address if you want to take a look!

BLAAAHHH and randoms

2010-04-27T16:28:00.003-05:00

I bought a scale. I stepped on it. And that's all I want to say about that.

Also, John read my last post and says, "Hey babe, do you realize you titled that last post " 'A' hole" Haha had a good laugh about that. I hope you realized that's not what i was trying to say!

We went to Chuck E. Cheese's last night with the Rosser's and it was a blast! This was Joe's second time to go (first time was just after Noah was born and he wasnt quite old enough to really enjoy it). He loved it! He rode some rides, ate some pizza (which i thought was delicious), played some games, won some tickets, got some prizes, high-fived Chuck E. and on and on.

He LOVED him some Chuck E. (is it Chucky or Chuck E. when you talk about the mouse guy?) when he was a mechanical mouse singing and dancing on the stage, but when he was walking around terrorizing kids- not so much. He worked up enough guts to give him a high five when i was holding them though.

I think Noah would like to live at Chuck E. Cheese's. He was so very content to watch everything that was going on around him, and he looooved some pizza too!

Funniest moment of the night, actually funny isn't the word...I don't know how to describe it. Basically, Sara Beth and I were playing with her daughter Stevie and Joe while John had Noah. John and Gabe were having way too much fun for adults over at ski ball (did i spell that correctly). Well I guess Noah wasn't allowing John to do as well as he would like while holding him, so when Sara Beth and I took the kiddos over to where John and Gabe were focusing intently on their ski ball game, we found poor little Noah sitting strapped in a high chair watching his daddy from behind. he didn't seem to mind at all, but i felt bad for my little guy....

....who is NOT so little anymore! i just realized that he is 11 months old tomorrow. My goodness. It makes since because he is eating big boy food, taking up to 6 steps at a time, and beating up his big brother, but geez, where has the time gone?!?

I've decided that as long as my babies live in my house i am going to slather them down with baby lotion and make them let me rock them or cuddle with them before bed every night. I am so going to miss taking in that precious baby scent as i hold them before bed. :(

Well I'm gonna go spend some time with Noah on his last day of being 10 months old before big bro wakes up.

I'll get together the Palm Springs photos and Chuck E Cheese ones as well!

(and i'm not re reading this post to see if i made any typos, so forget about them if you see one!)

a hole

2010-04-23T15:07:00.004-05:00

I don't have Palm Springs pictures for you yet. i can't wait to share them, though, because the boys are so cute. and you haven't seen Noah in forever, so you are in for a BIG surprise!

But, i thought i would let all of you bloggy friends know that I got my nose pierced. Yes, there is a hole in my nose. (you know, besides the 2 that you breathe out of) It's been a couple of months I think, but yes, i did it. I am a wild and crazy rebel! :)

I did it with my awesomely cool friend Sara Beth. John, the boys and I went to the beach with her and her super cool hubby, Gabe, and their beautiful, adorable, sweetie of a girl, Stevie. It was Spring Break, and we decided to act like crazy young non parent kids and get our noses pierced. I'm glad i did it....i've wanted to do it forever!

I don't have a picture where you can see it really well, but i will work on taking one so you can!

I'm hoping that Gabe won't mind me posting a picture or 2 he took of the boys and Stevie. He's a photographer and graphic designer. (I'm so glad John has a good graphic design buddy by the way!) You should check out his work @ gaberosser.com (sorry i can't post the direct link- one of these days i will figure out why blogger has stopped allowing me to do it) AND when you head over there, check out the Stop Motion Video that he and John made together. It is A.W.E.S.O.M.E.

Anyways, here are a couple of pictures...

Beautiful children I must say!

PALM SPRINGS, CA!!

2010-04-22T16:35:00.003-05:00

We just got back from vacation! ((Frown.)) Not quite enough time in the beautiful Palm Springs.

We flew, which is really a story of it's own. Flying, with lay overs, a toddler, and a baby, is quite interesting, scary, nerve wrecking, frustrating, and super fun all wrapped up into one!

John's parents have a home out there, and they spend close to half of the year there, so we went for a visit. It was so great to get away and spend time with family in an absolutely beautiful place. We took pictures and I'm working on a Palm Springs picture post with more details of the trip. Be looking for it this week!

Also, our family has some change- a- comin and i will share that too!

I miss blogging. Consider me back.

Guess What!

2010-02-04T16:23:00.002-06:00

John bought a new external hard drive (i think that's what you call it!) so i will be able to upload my pictures to blogger soon. Can't wait to share some with you. We have lots to catch up on.

Anyways, everyone is doing great. John is working hard at work and on free lance projects. He has some really great things going on right now and there may be some change in the near future that we are really excited about and praying about. I am enjoying my time being mom more than ever. I have been working out just about every day for the past three weeks and that has made such a difference in the way i feel. I'm hoping to keep it up!

The boys are growing, learning, and changing like crazy. Joe is such a little boy now. Not an ounce of baby is left in him :( so sad. He is picking up some more words, which is great. He is learning his numbers, colors, and alphabet. He is so full of energy and makes me laugh all the time. He loves to dance right now...specifically to Miley Cyrus's Party in the USA. It's hilarious.

Noah is crawling, pulling up on everything, cruising some, and exploring. He is all over the place. He eats like a champ and is getting bigger and bigger. He is my little love chunk. Such a great name, don't you think?? I love to watch them interact with one another. That's one of my favorite parts of being a mom right now. I'm ready for another one! ...John, don't wet yourself. I'm kidding... sort of! I could have another one, but now is not the time. We are however, praying about international adoption and we would love for you to join us in that prayer. We are praying about timing, because, i know the Lord has placed it on my heart, but when to begin the process is the question.

We have some really great friends that are beginning the adoption process and will have a little boy from Ethiopia, probably within a year. We are so excited for them!! It makes me more and more eager to welcome a little one into our family...a child that desperately needs a family. I'm so excited to walk next to them in this journey. They just started a blog and I don't think they'd mind if i told you where it was. www.rosserstory.blogspot.com (i can't post links anymore. i don't know what the deal is, so you will have to copy and paste...sorry!)

Anyways, it's almost the weekend! YAY! Hope you have a good one!!

Miss Alabama- Liz Cochran

2010-01-27T15:56:00.002-06:00

Go on over to 'N Vogue Salon and Spa's blog page to read up on the make up Miss Alabama is wearing in the Miss America Pageant on Saturday!! Mention the blog post when you purchase any of the items for 15% off! I love a deal :)

I can't get my links to work. John played with it and there is a glitch for some odd reason. To get my links to work he has to go in and edit the html (i don't understand the html language) and I don't want to bother him with it! So copy and paste, people!

www.nvoguebuzz.blogspot.com

Joe's ears

2010-01-15T10:37:00.002-06:00

i know i know. still no pictures. they are still on my camera and not on the computer. And boy oh boy- my boys are cuter than ever (at least i think so!) and I can't wait to share pictures with you! I still have to make room on the hard drive :(. (You can blame this on my husband, I have decided. My computer was formally his, and he is a graphic designer. Therefore, he has lots and lots and lots of stuff still on the hard drive of this computer. He took up all the room, and I'm pretty certain he doesn't need a lot of it anymore. So, yes, it's his fault!) John- you need to make room for me, pretty please! :)

So, I wanted to give you all an update on Joe's ears, speech, etc. Especially for family that have been praying for him. Most of you probably didn't even know anything was going on, but now you will.

Let me start by saying, GOD IS GOOD! Joe turned 2 in November, so he is 26 months old. He still isn't talking a lot. Actually, let me correct myself, he IS talking a lot, just not very clearly. He doesn't have a lot of words yet, at least not that most people would understand. John and I know what he is saying a good bit of the time. Anyways, this made us worried about his hearing. We knew that he could hear, because he follows command and seems to understand a lot of what we say, so we thought he could possibly have fluid affecting his hearing. So Monday of this week he had a hearing test and good news... His hearing is perfect! Praise the Lord! So, Wednesday we saw a speech pathologist to have his speech evaluated to see if he needs therapy. Joe and I played with her for over an hour and she asked me a lot of questions about his speech and his response to speech. Good news again- she didn't seemed worried about him and she did not recommend therapy. She said his cognitive speech (i think that's what she called it), meaning the speech that he understands, is well above his age. (he scored on the level of a 36 month old) His expressive speech (what he verbalizes) scored low- on the level of a 19 month old. She said it was very obvious that he is really trying, so she was confident that he would pick things up on his own. She gave me some activities to do with him at home, that will hopefully help him begin to pick up more words and eventually say them correctly.

I can already tell a difference! In 3 to 4 months, if his vocabulary is not growing, she wants us to call back, and she will set us up with some short term speech therapy.

Thank you, family and friends, who were praying for our little Joe. We are confident that our smart little guy will be talking- with more real words :) - in no time!

I have a new prayer request though! My mom's aunt passed away a couple of days ago, so there is a lot of hurting and heart ache going on in my family right now. Please pray that our God of comfort, hope, and peace will bring healing to my hurting family over the next few days, weeks, and months. Praise Jesus that she is sitting with Him right now, in no pain. I'm sure there is no place she would rather be!

Also, I get the honor to sing at her funeral on Monday, which will be hard. Please pray for my nerves, as this feels like a HUGE responsibility in the midst of this hard circumstance. Thank you all!

Have a GREAT weekend!!

Follow this blog....

2010-01-07T09:02:00.003-06:00

Especially all you ladies out there...

My Sister-in-love, Lisa, from Chicago, has a super great blog about fashion and trust me, she knows what she's talking about! You should most definitely take a look at it and become a follower.

Here's a mini description:

stylingstage: translates fashion into everyday styling tips

for women who live on a budget and live for style.

We all need that... I know I do anyway!

Click HERE to visit her!

And in case my link doesn't work (because last time I had a problem linking...always problems!),

the web address is www.stylingstage.blogspot.com

Edit: Just so you know, that link is not working, so copy and paste the web address! What is the deal with me a blogspot these days?!?

Christmas, New Year, and Roll Tide

2010-01-07T08:28:00.002-06:00

Sooooo just when I decide to take the time to upload pics, I find that I am out of room on my computer to upload them. Sheesh. But I have lots of great pictures from the holidays to share with you as soon as I spring clean the hard drive. (isn't that right? I need to make room on the hard drive, right?? Good thing John is my husband.) Anyways, we had a great Christmas in Birmingham, then traveled to St Louis (our journey started Christmas night after a delicious dinner at my grandmothers) Remind me to NEVER try to stay over night in a hotel room with Joe unless he has a crib or something to contain him. Our hotel failed to provide cribs, so Noah slept on the floor and did great. Joe was in the bed with us and did not fall asleep until 2:30 or 3. And after that he was tossing and turning and driving me crazy....peeling my eyelids open every time i shut them. It was pretty close to a sleepless night. They did great traveling though. I was very proud of them. St. louis was super fun, and we saw snow 3 different days. We had great family time with John's parents, his brother, sister in love, and our niece Coco. What a precious and super smart girl she is. I'm so thankful that Joe has a cousin his age to grow up with. Hopefully they will be best buddies one day.

We spent a week up in the Lou that consisted of family, yummy food, games, Christmas gifts, a trip to the mall and a carousel ride, a trip to the fire house (we took a tour), a New Years Eve date night for John and I, playing in the snow, and more that my brain is not remembering right now.

Cant wait to share some pictures with you!

Well, it's 2010 (that is totally the first time I have written that...wow, it's weird) and I have two major goals for this year. #1- Spend more time with the Lord on a consistent basis. My time with Him has been lacking, and I could blame it on motherhood and two small babies, but I won't because, if I really tried, I could make the time. #2- I am going to spend time exercising 5 days a week. Once again I have to make the time. Now that Noah is somewhat predictable, it looks like my best bet is to wake up early (like 6 or 6:30) to be able to spend time with the Lord and on myself. It's important to me to be healthy, for my family and myself. I am a much better wife and mom when I feel good about myself. Hold me accountable...I'm asking you.

And

ROLL TIDE!

And

Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a CRAWLER!! Noah has hit the ground crawling. (He's been scooting and dragging, and making his way for a few weeks now, but as of today, he's got the real crawl motion down.) Way to go, Noah! To be honest, I'm sad now. He's not going to want to be held all the time anymore. Maybe it's time for another sibling?! (john, don't pass out! I'm not serious. not right now anyway (= )

Good talking to you all!

I miss blogging.

2009-12-16T08:40:00.003-06:00

The boys are laying next to each other watching Dora the Explorer, so I thought, now would be a good time to blog. I don't think I can handle one more minute of Dora! I guess I'll give you an update on the boys. They are doing great and really starting to love being brothers. Noah watches Joe's every move and laughs at him all the time. Joe loves to rub Noah's head, help me change his diapers, bring him toys, and take his pacie in and out of his mouth. We have a video monitor in Noah's room, so when Joe notices that he is up from a nap, he runs to his door, opens it, and tries to hop in his crib with him. Noah is always glad to see him! Joe has also started doing this thing when Noah is laying on the floor... he thinks it's a great game, i guess, to step over Noah, over and over, and it scares me to death.

Noah is sitting up well and getting ready to crawl. I can't believe I'm about to have two mobile little boys. Noah is also "talking" non stop. John is excited because he has started the "dadadadadadaaaa". ( But just so you all know, he has been saying "mamamama" for a while now (: ...but usually when he's upset.) Every thing he touches goes straight to his mouth. He also rolls across the floor like a madman. He loves his jumperoo and exersaucer, and he is so very happy almost all the time. He flirts with strangers and smiles all day long. I LOVE his smile. It's as big as his face. He loves to laugh and be tickled. He gives "head bumps", which is a sign of affection in our family. If you ask him to give you a head bump, he gently leans his forehead forward until it touches yours. So sweet. And most importantly, he is very healthy. We had his 6 month check up not long ago, and i don't remember the numbers, but he was in the 97th percentile for height and 60th percentile for weight. He has the same percentages that Joe did, which shocks me, because Noah is such a chunky monkey compared to Joe at that age.

Joe is loving life. He plays plays plays all day long. (which results in a 3 hour nap every day. never fails. i love it!) As i type this he is playing with legos. He spends a lot of time at the bathroom sink on his stool playing with toys in the water and brushing his teeth. He loves hide and seek and running around the house. He likes drawing and especially erasing on his chalk board. He would decorate his entire body with stickers if you let him. He loves loves loves helping me cook. (we may have a chef on our hands??) He would live off of pepperonis if he could. He jumps like a pro and he loves dancing with Yo Gabba Gabba. He is still so affectionate, curious, full of energy, and oh so sweet.

Oh, and he almost broke his thumb. Our first emergency. After church 2 Sundays ago (which happened to be Noah's dedication) we went out to lunch with family. While we were waiting on our table, my dad was holding Joe by the door. Dad went to open the door for someone coming in, and while dad was opening the door, Joe snuck his thumb right in where the hinges are. And it was a big door! I have never seen a thumb look like Joe's did. It looked completely smushed. (is that a word?) So, John and I quickly left, leaving Noah with my parents, and took him to Children's South. We also picked up a happy meal for Joe since he hadn't eaten. By the time we got there, he wasn't crying anymore, his thumb was filling out, he was enjoying his happy meal, and miraculously, he started using his thumb. So, instead of waiting for hours, we decided to go home, and keep an eye on. He is back to normal, thank you Lord. It was swollen for a day, but he used it well, moved it well. So we figured God healed his little thumb. When it first happened, there was no doubt in my mind that it was broken. My poor Dad, though. It wasn't his fault at all...just our curious little boy's, but I know he felt awful.

Well, we are gearing up for Christmas! We have had a couple of parties and will have a couple of more. Christmas shopping is just about complete, so we are just going to enjoy each other, enjoy family and friends, and make sure we remember the importance of this holiday. Thank you Lord for sending your son, to be born on this earth, knowing that he would be a sacrifice for me, for all of us, so that we can spend eternity with you.

Merry Christmas!

P.S. I promise I'm going to work on some pictures!

Win A Free Shampoo, Cut, & Style!

2009-12-11T10:39:00.005-06:00

Hello everyone! Thought you guys might like a chance to win a free shampoo, cut, and style from 'N Vogue ! All you have to do is post a comment on THIS blog post and your name will be entered for a chance to win! Say anything- just a "hi" will do. Easy as pie. I don't know about you, but free is great right now! You have until this afternoon to submit a comment. So, head on over there!

It will be the best hair cut of your life...i'm just sayin'. :) Have a great weekend!

-------------------

For some odd reason my links are not working. Go to www.nvoguebuzz.blogspot.com and scroll down to the third post titled "Holiday Hair + Give Away!!!" Comment on that post and you can win! If you are curious, 'N Vogue's website is www.nvoguecosmetics.com

Win a Super Great Prize!!

2009-12-04T11:19:00.002-06:00

M.I.A, I know! I still haven't uploaded pictures to the computer, so I have been putting off blogging. I am posting because I would LOVE for you to head over to N Vogue's Blog, read the most current post, post any kind of comment, and you will have a chance to win an awesome $40 prize! Keep checking the site, because there will be MANY give- away posts. Next week we will be giving away a free hair service with our super fabulous hair artists.

P.S. You don't have to live in Birmingham to win today's prize.

Hope you all are having a great week! John and I are going to Chris Tomlin's Glory In the Highest Christmas concert tonight. YAY for Tomlin and YAY for a date! I'm so excited that Christmas is just around the corner....my favorite time of year!

Also, I would love to pray for you. If you have anything I can pray for you about, please comment, or email me @ mistyschluchter@gmail.com .

N Vogue Blog

2009-11-18T20:11:00.002-06:00

Oh yeah... so I get the awesome opportunity to blog for 'N Vogue. It is my mom's salon/spa/boutique...and a place of ministry. It's a place I believe in, because Jesus's love is shown there, and women (and men) feel good about themselves, and they feel at home. It's different than any salon or spa I have ever been to. Real people. Honest people. Good...even Great people. My mom is on a mission... to change the world of beauty. It's so exciting. It's so exciting to see how many lives have been touch by that place. I'm glad...ecstatic, really to support it. You should too!

Anyways, I would love for you to follow the blog. Click HERE to visit! You can also follow 'N Vogue on facebook and twitter. There will be lots of updates posted. Don't miss out on some great opportunities!

I know I know...

2009-11-18T20:04:00.002-06:00

I promised a new post- an update on life. And it hasn't happened. There is so much to catch you up on that it is overwhelming. Joe turned 2 (can you believe it?!?) on Saturday. It was a blast. Bouncy House and all. There are pictures to prove it... as soon as I find the energy to find the camera and all the necessary parts to plug it in to the computer and upload a gazillian photos.

The boys are doing great. They are healthy, growing, and changing daily. They have a hysterical relationship right now. I will elaborate later. For now I am tired, exhausted really. I just wanted to say...DONT GIVE UP ON ME!!! I am totally aware that I have been a terrible Blogger the last month. I don't mean to be. I hope you all are doing well. Crazy that the holidays are just around the corner, huh?!? I'm hoping to post a lot of pictures this weekend...so check back!

Take care!

wow...it's been a while!

2009-10-30T18:09:00.002-05:00

I apologize for my blogging hiatus! I have no excuses. I'm excited to share some pictures soon though, so check back at the beginning of the week! I hope you are gearing up for a fantastic Halloween. I'm unfortunately sick, but hoping this bad cold won't keep me from having a great time with the boys. Joe's second Halloween and Noah's first. Joe is going to be Handy Manny and Noah is going to be a Zebra -very random i know! Joe loves him some Handy Manny!

We'll be spending Halloween at church at the "Trunk or Treat". Should be a great time and a great place for the boys to do their trick or treat-ing. We will take lots of pictures!

I'm going to leave the computer and spend some time with my family (so glad it's Friday by the way!). I have quite a few things to catch you up on, so like i said, check back soon!

Thanks for keeping up with us even though I haven't done a great job lately keeping you up to date!

Have a great weekend!!!!

My 4 Month Old!

2009-09-30T16:03:00.002-05:00

Noah was 4 months old on the 28th (which was also my momma's bday!). He had his 4 month check up yesterday. He weighed 15lbs 9 oz (75th percentile) and was in the 90th percentile for height. I can't remember off of the top of my head what his exact length was... but I do remember that he was longer than 2 feet. I had a great conversation with our pediatrician about the swine flu. The media makes such a big deal about it so I had some questions for him. He basically said that it is nothing compared to the normal seasonal flu. He said the severity of the swine flu is much less than the normal seasonal flu that we see and that it is ridiculous what the media is making it out to be. Apparently people, like drug companies, are making a lot of money off of it. He said that the only medical personnel who are able to go on the news to make statements about this flu are infectious disease doctors, who only see the very small percent of patients with the swine flu who are severely ill and are, most of the time, also dealing with other illnesses. He said that a very large majority of patients he has seen with the swine flu get better without any medication and the symptoms have not been nearly as severe as the seasonal flu. He said that the worst thing he has seen from the swine flu was that in two children it led to an ear infection. Needless to say, he took away most of the worries that I had for sure.

Anyways, back to Noah! He looked great and is very healthy. He had 4 shots and his feelings were so hurt, but he got over it pretty quickly. 5 minutes later he was talking to and laughing at his toy giraffe (aka Raffy). Noah is such a sweet baby and has the biggest personality already. A 4 month old has never made me laugh the way he does. He is very personable and he never meets a stranger. ( I think this is a good thing and a bad thing! ) He is "talking" a lot, laughing a lot, putting everything in his mouth, holding his head up well, has rolled over a handful of times, and makes the "ma ma" sound when he cries. It kills me. I know he isn't really saying my name, but to hear "ma ma" when he is so upset breaks my heart. He is a strong boy... he loves tummy time and can easily lift his chest off of the ground now by pushing up with his arms. I have started carrying him on my hip because his neck and core are now strong enough.

He is sweet, sweet, sweet. He loves to cuddle and grab my face. I'm sad that this stage won't last forever. But, I can't wait to see the boy and man he will become. He is really taking an interest in Joe. He loves to watch his every move and they both get so tickled at each other. It's so sweet to see them make each other laugh. He also gets upset when he sees big brother upset. I have a feeling that Noah is going to be very sensitive.

Noah is so very special and it is so awesome to know that the Lord has GREAT plans for him.

I promise promise promise to upload some recent pictures of him. Hold me to it!! Both boys are calling...got to go!

love is in the air...

2009-09-25T08:21:00.004-05:00

Long time no blog.

I had a busy few days and then I think I purposely put off blogging because I felt guilty for waiting so long to blog which made my blogging hiatus last even longer. whew.

Anywhoo, Wednesday was mine and John's third anniversary. I feel like we have been married longer, having two children and all. Our life has been a whirlwind to date. But boy do I love my husband. I love him more and more every day. He is my best friend and I feel so blessed that I get to share my life with him everyday. He is an amazing man after God's heart and that makes him the best husband and daddy. Joe, Noah, and I are blessed blessed blessed. Thank you, Jesus for John.

We get to celebrate at Ross Bridge tomorrow/tomorrow night. My parents are so sweetly keeping the boys at our house so we can have a night away.

Anyways, I love you, John! Haven't we come a long way?!? (Pre-marriage photos for your enjoyment)

i should probably post :)

2009-09-03T16:27:00.003-05:00

It has been a while. Honestly, not much has been going on. Actually, a lot has been going on, just nothing all that interesting. I feel like I have been busy busy busy, but it's just the day to day things that have been keeping me that way. My camera is still dead...how could I forget to charge it day after day after day?!? Babies. That is my answer. Both of them have been sick...AGAIN. Sickness makes for really needy children, both needy at the same time...I am tired :(

(P.S. Forgive me if I haven't called you in a while...I feel like I havent done a great job of keeping in touch the last couple of weeks. I have taken every small break I have had to rest.) Praise the Lord we are heading to the beach on Tuesday! This will be a MUCH needed vacay. I'm so excited about it!!!! Hopefully the boys will be well by the time we go. I'm so thankful for the extra family hands that will be there.

I must give a shout out to my niece Coco :) (John's brother, Rusty and sister-in-law Lisa's, little girl) It is her second Bday today! Joe is only 2.5 months behind. I can't believe how fast they have grown. The last two years have flooooown by! Coco is the cutest little girl you will ever see and I so wish we could see her more often. (She is in Chicago) We sent her a play doh play set and a book. We got to see a picture of her playing with the play doh this morning. So fun!

Joe hasn't experienced Play Doh yet... I think he would probably still try to eat it, especially since he is teething again. Yes, sickness and teething...YUCK! Poor guy still has quite a few teeth to go. (He didn't get his first one until he was 13 months old) He has most of his top teeth, and just two on the bottom (not counting molars) I think he is cutting 3 or 4 right now. :( He is a tough boy though, and is hanging in there the best he can.

I don't remember if I told you guys about his huge card board house that we got from Costco, but he is really having fun with it. I will have to post some pictures.

Noah is BIG. He is wearing a lot of size 6 month and 6-9 month clothing, and even some 9 month onesies. He just turned 3 months. He is such a fun baby already. I can tell that he is going to have a really big personality. (which scares me, because I thought Joe was going to be super laid back and calm...haha boy was I wrong! Does this mean that Noah is going to be twice as crazy as his big brother?!?) He smiles all the time and when I say smile, I mean his whole entire face turns into one big smile. You can't help but smile back. He jibber jabbers all day long and is loving sitting in his Bumbo seat now. He also loves tummy time. I can tell he is going to love him some blankies. He loves to play with blankets and snuggle with them when he is sleepy. He is so sweet and so fun.

Well, I am going to tend to dinner... I made up a broccoli chicken and cheesy rice casserole topped with crushed jalapeno cheddar chips. Yummmy. Asparagus and salad to go with. (I know I said I'm not a casserole girl... I'm still not...I just thought I would try to be creative with what little I have in the house...and I used healthy, natural, low fat ingredients to do it!..ok, besides the handful of crushed chips ;) )

Can't wait for some Alabama football Saturday! Roll Tide!

weekend fun

2009-08-22T14:39:00.003-05:00

It's been a great weekend for us so far. Last night we had a chick flick night at the church with the ladies. I brought a few movies to choose from and we ended up picking Diary of A Mad Black Woman. Love it. Some of us brought delicious salads and others brought delicious desserts. It was a great time fellowshipping with other women from church. Afterwards, some of us went to Buffalo Wild Wings to hang out a little more, so I didn't get home until 11:30 or so. It's been a while since I have been out that late! We had a great time watching karaoke. I didn't partake... non of us did. I sing often at church, in front of people, by myself... but i, for some odd reason, have a fear of karaoke. Give me a million bucks and i'll do it! I love the women at elevation! This morning we all slept in. Noah woke up around 8, so that's when John and I got up (8 is sleeping in for us these days.) and Joe woke up a little after 9! I think this first week of school wore him out! It's funny to think that two days for four hours each day, can wear him out like that. Or maybe, just maybe, he has decided he likes to sleep that long. I can't complain though. He usually wakes up around 7:45 or 8 which is great. Especially when he goes down at 7:30. We took it easy for about an hour this morning, and then we headed to the Helena outdoor Market. They have one every saturday from 8-12. We had a great time there. I made one delicious purchase from Nana's Herbs. I bought a beautiful glass jar of redwine vinaigrette infused with Nana's italian herbs and garlic. I had to taste it as soon as i got home. YUMMO! You should visit her website!! Click HERE. There is a park right behind the market so we played there for a while and when we got hungry we went to The Depot in Helena for lunch. I got a Philly Cheesesteak Sandwhich. Oh so good. I've decided that on the weekends I will allow myself to eat whatever i want...@ meal times....i don't eat all day long :). We got home and gave Joe a bath and fed Noah, and now both of the boys are asleep. John just went to see a movie with a couple of friends. He will be back in a couple of hours and we will probably just hang out and relax as a family. I think John and I are going to get Chinese take out after Joe Joe goes down tonight. It's usually our Friday night ritual, but I was out last night, so we will do it tonight! I hope you all are having just as great of a weekend!!! Just think...this time, two Saturdays from now, it will be college football galore! RRRROOOOOOOOOOLLLLL TIDE ROLL!!!!

what's cookin

2009-08-20T15:49:00.002-05:00

I love cooking, so I thought I would post about it more often. We had a great super easy meal last night. Sometimes John and I like to eat together after Joe goes down for the night because it can be a little more relaxing and almost date like :) (and Joe is down by 7:30 so its really not very late.) Last night i used ingredients that I had sitting around the kitchen. It wasn't a planned ahead meal, because, well, I don't have time to plan most of the time. So, we had baked chicken served on a mound of roasted garlic and parmesan cous cous with a side of John's slaw ( John's being the restaurant not my husband!)

For the chicken marinade...

I mixed about 2 table spoons of pesto sauce with 2 table spoons of roasted garlic and parmesan dressing (Publix brand)... but any olive oil based dressing with somewhat simple flavors would work... then I added a dash of salt and some red pepper flakes.

I thawed out my chicken breasts with my zip lock bags and bowl of warm water method. So fast and easy!

I seasoned the chicken breasts with salt and pepper and then added the marinade and let it sit in the fridge for about 45 minutes. You don't have to let it marinade for nearly that long especially if you are baking your chicken. I just did it ahead of time so I could just pop it in the oven closer to eating time!

I preheated the oven to 350 and when it was ready I popped in my chicken, uncovered, for about 28 - 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, i made my quick cooking cous cous. It took 5 minutes to cook! super! I had a box of roasted garlic cous cous, so i cooked it according to package directions but adding a little salt. (Im a salt lover.) When it was finished cooking, I fluffed it up and added some grated parmesan cheese. It was yummmmmy!

For the slaw, i just took a packaged of cole slaw mix and dressed it with John's dressing (of John's city diner in Bham) All the grocery stores in Bham have it...not sure about other states?

It was delicious....and a great date in our living room!

Tonight..can you believe it.. dinner is already made (pretty much!) That's right.. dinner was put together by 2:45 pm today. All I have to do is pop it in the oven closer to dinner time. When Joe went down for his nap this afternoon, I fed Noah and put him on the floor on his over head gym thing and went to work in the kitchen. It was great inspiration having Top Chef on as I cooked! LOVE that show!

What's for dinner tonight?? I'll just call it Misty's Mexican Casserole. (I'm not a huge casserole girl, but I'm expanding my horizons in an attempt to make cooking quicker and easier!) I also had most of these ingredients in my kitchen... I just picked up a couple things at the grocery store this morning while Joe was at school :) I had to make a quick shopping trip for a cous cous salad that I'm making for a ladies get together at church tomorrow night! (We're watching a chick flick and everyone is bringing a salad or dessert to share...I thought it would be a good idea to mix the healthy with the deliciously unhealthy :) )

Ok, so for the casserole...

Brown some ground turkey (or beef, or sautee some cut up chicken) in a pan. Add taco seasoning and chopped green chiles.

In a casserole dish or baking pan, place a whole tortilla on bottom (or flour or corn).

Layer black beans, meat mixture, salsa, guacamole, and shredded cheese (or any number of other toppings you like!...olives, sour cream, rice etc) continue layering as high as you would like, and top with shredded cheese.

Bake at 375 or so until cheese is bubbly and casserole (or mexican lasagna or whatever you want to call it!) is heated through.

Serve with a mexican salad or chips and dip, or whatever side you'd like!

Easy enough, right?!?

school is cool

2009-08-20T15:34:00.002-05:00

YAAAAY!!!! Joe made it through his first week of school! (week = Tues and Thurs from 8-12) He did so well and absolutely loved it. John and I were a little nervous how he would do.. He has only been in the church nursery for just over an hour on Sundays and his babysitters are always people he knows very well, so we werent quite sure how he would do with new teachers for four whole hours! He didn't cry at all when John dropped him off Tuesday. He was eager to enter his class room and play. When we picked him up that day he was having a great time! Today when John dropped him off, Joe ran off waving at John as if to say "Bye Dad! Get out of here! I'm good to go!" He was having a great time again today when we picked him up. His teachers said he is doing great, having a great time, and is well behaved. Yay Joe!!! I am so very proud of him. Words can not express my emotions when I see him playing and enjoying himself at school...like a big boy. I was telling John today, I didnt really notice what a big boy he was until I saw him playing with other kids his age. When i look at him, I see my little baby...but when I saw him with those other kiddos they looked like little people running around. He really isn't a baby anymore :(

Joe, your daddy and I are so very proud of you. You are so sweet, fun, smart, and well behaved. We are blessed to be your parents. You are going to do great in school for many years to come. We pray for you every day...that you would love your teachers and the kids around you, that you would learn a lot, that you would experience Christ's love and that you would learn about Him, and that you would know how much your daddy and I love you and miss you while you are away. You are the best, buddy!

menu planning monday...sort of...

2009-08-17T16:42:00.003-05:00

so, i know lots of people post a menu planning monday post. I have a hard time right now being able to think that far ahead. instead, i'll just share with you what's for dinner tonight. After all, I can think that far ahead :) I love, love, love to cook and would spend hours in the kitchen if i could. I don't follow recipes...I like to do my own thing. But, I do get inspiration from other recipes, and I love to read cook books. I'm on a quest to make delicious meals without spending much time in the kitchen, because I seem to have little time to cook these days. I want to be somewhat healthy and I don't want to do the whole boxed meals because that takes the joy out of cooking for me. Cooking is my creative outlet. Another obstacle...going to the grocery store. It is nearly impossible for me to take both of mine to the grocery store at the same time. Their ages are tough ones. So, I usually go once a week, if that, by myself when John can watch them. So, frozen meats and fish have become my friends. I didn't know if they would taste as good and fresh...but so far, so good. So, I won't leave you hanging any longer...tonights meal is.....

Pan seared, then baked Alaskan salmon and whole wheat three cheese torellini in a pesto sauce. Normally I would have a vegetable or salad with it, but I don't have them in my house right now, so we will go without!

To make things easy, the salmon was bought frozen in fillets and the tortellini is premade found in the refrigerated section. Also, the pesto sauce was pre made.

If you are interested in how i plan on cooking the salmon, i will gladly inform you!

I find that the best way to thaw fish, shrimp, and chicken is to put them in zip lock bags and then place those bags in a big bowl of warm water. It's quick, and doesnt toughen the meat like I find that the microwave does. Preheat your over to 375. After thawing, heat some olive oil in a pan. Season the salmon, both sides, with salt and whatever seasonings you prefer. I think I am going to use greek seasoning tonight, and maybe a little garlic powder as well. Then sear your salmon on both sides (skin side first) for a quick minute or so. Transfer your pan to the oven for about 15 minutes or until your salmon is as well done as you like it. From my cooking experiments, this method allows for the best flavor and tenderness. Cook the tortellini according to package directions, then add pesto sauce and parmesan cheese. I like to add chopped walnuts, slivered almonds, or pine nuts as well. Dinner should be yummy, quick, and easy! Just like I need it to be right now :) If you have any ideas for yummy easy dinners, let me know!

woe is me

2009-08-17T09:40:00.002-05:00

my goodness. Joe starts "school" tomorrow. I am so excited for him, and I know this will be great for him, but I am kinda sad. A month ago I was looking forward to him starting school, knowing that he would have so much fun and I would have two days to actually take care of my house and get some things done...but now that school time is here, I don't want him to go!! That's 8 hours less a week that I get to spend with my precious Joe Joe. I bought him a little back pack at Target yesterday, and I got him a few new clothes. He is a size 2T now. Big Boy!!! So, he is ready to go. He's going to school at the same church where John works, so John will be taking him to school when he goes to work. They will have some great guy time together on those mornings. It's also nice to know that John is in the same building as him. What am I going to do when he goes to school 5 days a week all day long?!? Time is flying by!

Anyways, both of the boys have been sick the last few days. Colds. Thankfully no ear infections or fevers. It's Noah's first time to be sick, and of course, he is only sick because Joe passed on his germs. Poor guy. He has been a trooper through all the snot and stuffiness. I think he is feeling much better today, though. I hate when they don't feel well.

Despite the colds, our family had a great weekend! John and I got to go on a date with another couple Saturday night. We had a BLAST! We love Sara Beth and Gabe. My parents watched the boys at our house. Everyone had a great time except for Noah. He wasnt feeling all that well. Poor guy. He got lots of love from his Honey and Pops though, and I'm sure that made him feel a lot better. John and I were supposed to work in the nursery yesterday at church, but both of the boys were sick and i didnt feel too well either, so I stayed home with the boys and John went and ended up running the computer because something came up for the guy that was supposed to run it. I'm sad that we missed church, but no need to spread germs!

John had a very busy week last week...working his normal job at Briarwood, but also working on a few freelance projects. I am so proud of him and his talent and his heart for ministry. If you haven't seen his website, you should check it out. CLICK HERE So I think he really appreciated the weekend. He has another busy week again this week with more freelance work.

I'm going to take some pictures of the boys this week as soon as I remember to charge the camera! :) I'll post them when I do. Hope you all have a great week!!