Backyard Fun!

We had a great night tonight!  We set up our little fire pit & built a fire, cooked hot dogs for supper & then roasted marshmallows!  So much fun...the boys had a blast!!! 

We had some funny moments...I wish I could remember them all!  One time Lincoln said, "I love marsh(buuuurp)mallows!"  LOL I said, "Lincoln, what do you say when you burp?"  He proceeded to "pretend burp" too funny!  I explained...about 'excuse me'  Oh BOYS...what fun, they are!!!

Ahhh....FALL!!

OK, so I know its technically not fall until September 23rd...but this weather is so not summer!! I AM SO HAPPY!

First of all, our nice little window a/c unit does well for the front room.  Actually, it does too well for the front room, (cold) but the rest of the house is still stuffy & warm.  This girl can't sleep when it's HOT (preggo or not)...so I actually slept on the sofa a few times, because I was uncomfortable!  ANYWAY, yesterday we actually got to open all the windows & turn the little a/c unit off!  IT WAS AMAZING in our house!  AND....to top it off, the smell of sugar beats or feedlot were not invading my house along with the cool breeze..YAY!!!! And I actually slept in my room & had to use the sheet to cover up with for a bit...I was actually a little chilly!

Secondly, FOOTBALL!!!! YAY for FALL FOOTBALL!!! Is there really a better time of the year....EVER??? especially in Nebraska...hello?  I love Husker football & I can't wait to see how this season unfolds.  There is so much uncertainty...the newness of everything, the conference, the offense, new places to play, etc....I am stoked...no matter how it turns out each week, I anticipate Saturday!!!  (of course, it's always better if the Huskers win!)

Next, cooking & baking!  I told Mike the other day that I was so excited because it was finally almost soup season! He laughed & said you eat soup anytime!  I know...but I explained that somehow soup always tastes better when you don't have to cook over the hot stove to achieve a tasty pot of soup!  YUMMO!  Plus, I am kinda "famous" for my chili making skills!  But I also enjoy making beef n noodles, chicken n noodles, veggie beef stew, cheeseburger soup, & potato soup!  MMMMM.....
Oh and baking...mmmm...so many yummy flavors to choose from!  This morning I got up & noticed that Justice had taste tested 4 large apples in the fridge & returned them!  HA!!  So I cut out the teeth marks & then sliced & cored them.  This afternoon, I made apple crisp!  YUM!  I love making things like this that don't require a precise recipe!  After all, how can you go wrong with ingredients like, apples, oatmeal, a little flour, cinnamon, brown sugar, & butter?!!
So really, this also comes down to temperature...really who likes to cook when its 100* outside?

A few more things I am anxious for this fall!

• BABY SANDER #3...HELLO!!! Can't wait til October...or whenever this little munchkin decides to join us!?! 
• New wardrobe...actually for me..2 times!  I love change of seasons when you can pull out all the things you haven't worn for months...for me I get to do this a few times!  I will (maybe) get to utilize my fall maternity clothes & then also pull out all the non-maternity things I haven't gotten to wear for awhile. 
• Pumpkin patch with my boys!! HOORAY!!!
• The fact that summer is actually gonna be over...it's not been an easy one :)
• Cooler weather (already said that, didn't I?)
• Outdoor parties!  We have a ginormous backyard & I can't wait to spend some more time out there in the evenings! Gotta have people over!!

Anyway, I am extremely excited for the change in weather that has sparked all of these thoughts in my head!  Hopefully, it's not just teasing me...I really would like it to be here to stay! 

Great Article!!!

http://theresurgence.com/2011/08/31/a-wifes-testing-ground?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheResurgence+%28The+Resurgence%29

This girl is speaking my story!  I really needed this!  Sometimes its so easy to forget that God is always there even when things are so uncertain.  Change is hard for me...this moving & starting over bit, I DON'T LIKE IT!!!  I am not one to reach out, ask for help, seek friends etc.  So...obviously this is a difficult transition for me despite all of the things we are dealing with @ home.  BUT....GOD is ALWAYS FAITHFUL...he will always be my rock.

LIGHT UP THE SKY!!!!

Earlier today we were driving around & my boys insisted on listening to "Light up the Sky" by the Afters, over & over again...so precious to hear their sweet little voices trying to sing along...can you just imagine?  Lincoln does really well, and Justice...he's just cute while he sings it! So seriously we listened to it probably 12ish times.  Each time before the chorus, Lincoln would say "are you ready Momma?"  Then we would sing the chorus together...really loud!!  Then at the end of the song, he would say, "I want to listen to light up sky again!" (Have I ever mentioned how much these boys melt my heart?)

Anyway, it was so much fun!! Here's the song!!



"light up the sky, to show me you are with me!" AND...that's exactly what God did tonight!!! SO AMAZING!!!!!  He has really been reminding me of His presence lately!  I am so in AWE of His POWER & GREATNESS.  From everything He is doing in my life & teaching me lately and also the AWESOME light shows he creates...I like to think sometimes He is just showing off, or maybe just wants to make me smile, or wants me to have a little fun trying to capture a little bit of his GREATNESS on camera!  Well, I was so surprised tonight to see that I did just that!! I had some fun & captured what His GREATNESS looks like to us on earth!  What a great reminder of a CREATOR!!!!

Here are the best of the night!!

Hope you take some time to recognize the Greatness of the Creator!  I'M SO IN LOVE!!!!

Best Dill Pickles EVER....my Grandma's homemade!!!

So, as a girl growing up I can always remember having homemade dill pickles @ my Grandma's house.  THEY ARE THE BEST!!!!  So now as an adult(LOL) I have attempted to make them myself.  I tried a few years ago & didn't do something quite right, they didn't stay crispy or crunchy...they got kinda soggy :(  This was 2 summers ago..so last year, while visiting my Grandma, we of course had her homemade pickles..which prompted me to ask what makes them stay crispy...she told me & so I was alot more careful this time to make sure I did it right (I hope).  Anyway, thanks to a friend with a large garden, I made pickles today!  I can't wait to try them...but I know I need to!

DILL PICKLES

1 head of fresh dill

one garlic clove

1/8 tsp Alum

piece of horseradish about 1 inch long 

(I can't find any...so my pickles won't quite be the same...need to plant some in my garden for next year)

Ingredients

Scrub cukes and cut off ends

Whole Pickles

Slices for Burgers & Such!

Spears 

Pack into sterilized jars and cover
with boiling brine made from:

1/4 c pickling salt
1/2 c vinegar
3 cups water

All Packed in!!

Boiling Brine

Adding Brine!

Seal with lids (I just put my lids on & turn them upside down...then as they cool, they seal...EASY)!!!

YUMMY!!! Enjoy the BEST DILL PICKLE EVER!!!!!!!!

Lightning...YAY!!!

Best of the night!  Actually only got 2 strikes...mostly the lightning was sheety....which made for cool looking clouds.  The nice orange glow comes from the lights of the prison!  

I WILL RISE

Kinda  having a rough day...trying to remain confident that someone else is in control of my life & I can trust Him. 


I HATE being pessimistic.  But lately those negative thoughts seem to be blaringly louder than anything else I hear.  It is so frustrating for this "glass half full girl" to not be able to deal with the negativity.  This is something I have never struggled with.  I am always the positive one, the encourager, the joyful one.  But for some reason, Satan is really getting to me lately.  He picks & prauds until I can't take anymore & I feel like I just want to scream,( but I don't cuss(rarely-anyway)) so I usually just end up in tears of frustration to get it all out!  After the tears have stopped, I compose myself & try to seek some encouragement!  Sometimes that is just by opening the Scripture & camping out in the Book of Psalms for awhile & sometimes it is finding just the right song to listen to..which usually leads me to Scripture. 


This song, I heard a couple of weeks ago & I LOVE IT!!! It was just what I needed to hear today(and lots of days, actually)

⁴ You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. (1 John 4:4)



¹⁴ This is why it is said:
   “Wake up, sleeper, 
   rise from the dead, 
   and Christ will shine on you.” (Ephesians 5:14)

Such great reminders :)