Brynley's First Birthday

We had a leopard/zebra print theme for Brynley's first birthday and invited family and a few friends to enjoy the evening with us.  Brynley had a lot of fun eating her cake and opening presents (the few that Landry allowed her to open).  Here are a few random pictures from the party.

My little princess.



I wish I could claim the cake decorating...



She wanted the cake really bad!



So much anticipation...



The birthday girl!  I did make her tutu...pretty proud of it since I am NOT crafty!

 

Look at the damage she has done.

Happy Birthday!!!

Brynley and her new bank.

Attempt at a family picture...

We have been blessed with two healthy children and such an amazing godly family and group of friends to support us.  As I look back on this past year with Brynley, all I can do is thank God for the beautiful baby girl that he has formed her to be. 

Cheese, Magazine, and Baby's 1st

I am going to start sharing random coupons and deals that I find as I browse various blogs.  I realize that many of you are in to following the coupon blogs, but at the same time many of you are not aware of the good deals to be had out there. There is a $1/1 Kraft 2% Singles available (thanks For the Mommas).  I always try to print any Kraft coupons that become available because they seem to be few and far between.  When paired with a sale, you could get a great deal on cheese.  I don't know about you, but I can never seem to have enough cheese bought up!

For those of you with children, there is a great deal on Parent's magazine (thanks Common Sense with Money).  Barnes and Noble is offering a subscription for $9.97/year, but when you type in code K9B9J4H at checkout, the price is dropped to $1/year.  I already receive Parent's magazine and love it.  There is often a 20% off diapers coupon from Amazon included, along with several other baby coupons. 

Lastly, can you believe that my little baby girl is going to be 1 on Saturday?  If I have said this once as a mom, I have said it a thousand times...where has the time gone???  I will be sure to post pictures of her birthday party next week.  Here she is as a precious little newborn...so incredibly tiny!!!

Deal of the Day, Chili, and Food for Thought

I'm sure that many of your are aware of the 417 Deal of the Day, but for those of you who live in the area and are not aware of it, you should definitely jump on board.  It is a lot like Groupon, only it focuses on the 417 area specifically.  All you have to do is subscribe, and they will email you the deal of the day.  I have taken advantage of a few of the offers, including a $50 gift card to Incredible Pizza for $25.  You can look at some of the recent deals to see the wide variety of things they have offered.  

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Another cold day calls for another simple and tasty recipe.  I have never been a chili lover, simply because everyone makes their chili completely different.  After trying several recipes, I have found my all time favorite courtesy of a friend.  What sets it apart from any other recipe...BROWN SUGAR...that makes everything better right?

Chili

1 lb hamburger

1 packet chili seasoning

1 can dark kidney beans

1 can chili beans

1 can rotel

2 cans chili ready tomatoes (found next to diced tomatoes)

2 cans diced tomatoes

1/2 cup brown sugar

Mix ingredients together in crock pot or stove, heat and enjoy!

**For those of you who don't like a lot of beans or tomatoes, you can cut back the amounts and it still tastes great...just don't cut out the brown sugar!**

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I have been doing my daily devotionals out of the book Jesus Calling by Sarah Young, given to me by my friend Angie.  I would highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for a way to kick-start their morning.  It has been a great reminder to me of God's simple truths.  I will leave you with one of the devotions I read earlier this week that focused on fully trusting God.   

"Every time you affirm your trust in Me, you put a coin into My treasury.  Thus you build up equity in preparation for days of trouble.  I keep safely in My heart all trust invested in Me, with interest compounded continuously.  The more you trust Me, the more I enable you to do so.  Practice trusting Me during quiet days, when nothing much seems to be happening.  Then when storms come, your trust balance will be sufficient to see you through.  Store up for yourself treasure in heaven, through placing your trust in Me.  This practice will keep you in My Peace."

Psalm 56:4-5: " When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You.  In God, whose word I praise, In God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid.  What can mere man do to me?"

Matthew 6:20-21:  "But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

What a great reminder to lean on him even in the good times!!! 

Chicken Enchilada Soup

This cold weather has officially put me in the mood for soups.  I think I could live off of soups year round if only I had enough good recipes to rotate.  I made this chicken enchilada soup last night.  It is very simple and so good!

Chicken Enchilada Soup 

3 cans chicken broth

1 c. water

3 cans cream of chicken soup

1 (4 oz) can chopped green chiles

2 c. cooked, chopped chicken (4 breasts)

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. chili powder

1 lb. Velveeta, cubed

Bring all ingredients, except chicken and cheese, to a boil.  On low heat add Velveeta until melted, then add chicken.  Serve over tortilla chips.

**I cut the recipe by a 1/3 simply because I didn't want to be eating it for the next 2 weeks.  I just placed all the ingredients in my crock pot on low for about 4 hours.  It is so easy.**

I have been itching to get out of the house and go shopping, but instead of dragging the kids around in subzero temperatures, we have been shopping around the house!

Landry seems to be growing facial hair at the rate Brandon does.  He loves to use his new shaving kit every time Brandon shaves. 

If you have any great soup recipes, I would love to add a few to my collection.  I hope everyone is staying warm.  Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Fun Giveaway

My best friend Angie is doing a fun giveaway.  Simply click here to follow the instructions to enter for a chance to win one of the cute Valentine's Day shirts pictured below from Creator Designs, Inc. 

I voted for #4, with #3 being a close second.  What's your favorite?  I absolutely love the message on these t-shirts.  It's amazing how many comments I have received on my Thanksgiving and Christmas t-shirts from last year.  They are such a unique way to express your faith throughout each holiday and in between.  Make sure to enter the giveaway for your chance to win...even though I'm hoping I am the grand prize winner.  If you don't win, you can still purchase the t-shirts on their website for only $5.  God bless!

7 Christmases and a Happy New Year

Wow...these past two weeks have been a complete blur.  Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn (Four Christmases) have nothing on us.  We managed to go to 7 Christmas gatherings over a 3 day period.  It is so nice to live close to all of our family and celebrate the Christmas season together, but it sure is tiring.  It took me 2 days to put everything away that we brought home!  I could blame that on all the toys the kids got, but it was in large part due to all the great deals that I found on gift sets (ie Gillete, Axe, Venus, Old Spice, Olay).  I failed to get a picture of all my loot, but let's just say that Brandon is set on razors, deodorant, and body wash for a loooooooong time and I managed to get almost all of it for $.22 a set or FREE! 

Landry really got into the Santa Clause thing this year after checking out a few books at the library with Santa Clause in them.  He loved visiting Santa at Bass Pro and the mall.  He told Santa he wanted a tractor with a big bucket and Santa told him he wanted cookies and milk.  Neither one disappointed!  Landry was set on placing the cookies on the fireplace, since that is where Santa comes from.  He really got into opening and handing out gifts.  Brynley was most interested in playing with the bows and getting into whatever Landry was playing with.  She is starting to pay Landry back!  We moved her to her "big girl" car seat and she has her very own DVD player to watch in the van now...she thinks she is big stuff! 

Setting out the cookies and milk ON the fireplace.

More John Deere toys!

Landry carefully stacking his presents at my parent's house.

He added several new musical instruments (keyboard, guitar, recorder, microphone, music box...in addition to the wonderful drums).  He will only play the harmonica with these sunglasses on!

Brynley was in charge of taste testing Santa's cookies.

She was a slow unwrapper.

Riding her new horse

The only family picture we managed to get at Brandon's parents house.

Loving on her baby.

Even amidst all the hustle and bustle, I am always reminded of the blessing of family and the true meaning of giving.  I am so thankful for the gift of Jesus and I pray that the new year will be full of blessings.  Happy New Year!!!