Taco Salad Bowls

I'm kind of cheating this week.

I'm not really showing you a recipe.

But I am showing you a trick.

A trick that will make taco night a lot more fun and a little healthier!
Do you like those tortilla bowls that taco salads come in?
Have you made them by deep frying them?
Well now you can make a healthier version at home with your oven instead of a deep fryer.

Here Is What You'll Need:

Tortillas
A cookie sheet
Mason jars or other jars that will be okay in the oven.

Preheat your oven to 400º

Microwave your tortillas so they are malleable.
Rub a little olive oil on both sides of your tortilla.

Place it on top of your jar and fold the sides down to form the shape of a bowl.

They will look something like this.
Place in the oven for 5-10 minutes.
Check on them frequently..mine were done in about 8 minutes.

CAREFULLY remove them from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool.

And there you have it.
BAKED taco salad bowls.


*The calorie count on this would be whatever your package of tortillas says plus the little bit of olive oil**


I hope you have a Blessed Monday!

Book #40: Anything - Jennie Allen

First off let me say that I can't believe it's been a month since I've done a book review!

Where did that time go?

Either way, I'm back and I'm ready to get reading again.

I just finished this book

It's a powerful book by Jennie Allen about giving herself to God fully.

It's the kind of book that makes you look around your own world and rethink what is important and what is really necessary.

I think we all reach points in our lives, multiple times in our lives, when we wonder if we are doing enough for God.

When that happens we need to do what Jennie did...

It all started with a simple prayer asking God to do something with her and her family, not just something, but ANYTHING.

I learned a few things from this book that I would love to share with you:

1st: "A.W. Tozer wrote, 'What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us'.  NOTHING defines a soul more than what that soul believes about GOD.  And no outward observer can know what is in the soul of a person". (pg 7)

2nd: "To risk is to willingly place your life in the hand of an unseen God and an unknown future, then to watch him come through.  He tarts to get real when you live like that". (pg.9)

3rd: "His presence is the only place where invisible weight is lifted.  The only place where hidden, broken spaces are mended.  The only place where we are defined apart from our successes and failures". (pg 32)

4th: "There is no escaping it.  He is God, and if our suffering brings him the most glory, let it be.  Easy to preach, difficult to live". (pg 56)

5th: "Through our love, we display our God, especially to our spouses and those closest to us and through our radical submission to them, God moves". (pg 87)

6th: "There is always doubts.  We doubt because God, while he gets louder, is still invisible, because of the people questioning your sanity and he difficulty of just following a wild invisible God into uncomfortable spaces.  We doubt because of the risk, the cost, the abandonment of rights and comforts, the disapproval of people you really love, and then on top of it all, because you now officially picked a fight with the devil". (pg 155)

7th:  "So do your everyday and your ordinary, Godliness is found and formed in those places". (pg 165)

Don't those points make you stop and think?

They did for me.

Jennie Allen has a knack for writing it in such a way that I felt I was sitting across from her at the coffee table and just hashing out thoughts and feelings.

Are you looking for a book that will motivate you to view your life differently?

A book that will help you put in perspective how our time here is but a moment and we must live it for HIM?

This is that book.

Even if you aren't fully able to ask God to do ANYTHING with your life, this might be the motivation to ask him to do SOMETHING....baby steps.

Check out Jennie Allen here and find out more about this and other books she's done!

I hope you have a Blessed Saturday!

I received this book free.  I was not required to write a positive review.  The opinions I have expressed are my own.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Baby Diaries #47

We have a 10 month old!

That means only 2 months until our baby is a year old!

This month I had to forgo my regular paper letters on the rug and instead picmonkey these ones on.

This little one did not want to hold still for her rug picture this month!

We attempted pictures immediately after she woke from a nap.

Unfortunately, she was not ready for her close-up so we took a 30 minute hiatus and returned to try again with Dad in tow this time.

Our Bitsy is up to 26 lbs!
Each day comes with new triumphs and I am constantly astounded by all that she has and is learning.

This month she started to "Give 5".
We have to say a little chant to get her to do it....
"Give me 5, Give me 5, Give me 5, 5, 5!"
She smiles so big when she does it.

She has on and off periods where we catch her playing with a pacifier.
This is something she has never really done.
She will now crawl around with it in her mouth while she plays.
It still only lasts 15 minutes.

She pulled up to stand for the first time, very early in the month.

The day before she turned 10 months she walked the side of the coffee table.
I am not ready for her to be a walker!

On the 22nds of July we moved Bitys's crib to her room.
She is no longer sharing a room with us.
It was a hard transition for me, but it's better for all of us now.

On July 9th we saw Bitsy's 1st tooth.
On July 23rd her 2nd top tooth broke the skin.

Her 3rd  tooth made it's appearance the same week!
And a few days later we could see that 4th tooth ready to break the skin.

Bitsy seems to be handling the teeth like a pro though.

She giggles when we laugh.
She claps when we say "Yeah!"
She has always loved Sesame St and Blue's Clues, but now it seems she watches for longer spans of time.
The rate at which babies develop is astonishing!
It's proof that there is most definitely a God!

Here is one of Bitsy's favorite toys.

A giraffe, who she loves to chew on his face!

My little dandelion's is such a character.
She's growing like a weed.
I feel like if the wind is too strong her hair will all blow away.
And don't even get me started on chubby legs, arms, bellies, or cheeks!
I am so looking forward to what this next month holds for us.
I just can't believe it's been nearly a year since I brought her home.
She has changed our lives and only for the better!

I hope you have a Blessed Friday!

Exclusive Pumping a Conclusion

**I normally show y'all a craft of some type on Thursdays, but for this month I'd like to share my breastfeeding experience in hopes that I might help someone else out there**

***ALSO, please note that I am not in any way trying to put down those who formula feed.  Every mother must do what is best for her and her baby.  I know there are many reasons for why each mother chooses how and for how long she does her chosen method.  This is a place to support each other and help each other, thank you***

Let me start out this week by saying, "Thank You"!

I have had some wonderful emails from readers who are also exclusive pumpers or who are interested in pumping.

When I had Bitsy I felt so alone with my decision to be an exclusive pumper.

I had searched the internet and I had found some information regarding exclusive pumping, but not enough to remove that feeling of singularity.

I felt weird when people asked if Bitsy was breastfed, I always responded with yes and occasionally elaborated to explain that it was not a traditional breastfeeding experience.

My ultimate goal was to provide for my daughter and I felt a sense of accomplishment in doing so by whatever means were necessary.

I think one of my favorite quotes, and I can't remember where I read it, from an exclusively pumping mom when she was asked if she breastfed was, "Yes, but we prefer bottle instead of fresh from the tap".

My soul purpose in writing this series was so that I might help just one person.

That I might assure another woman that she isn't alone.

That I might provide information that I couldn't find.

And also so that I wouldn't forget everything I had done, should I need to continue with exclusive pumping when Baby #2 is in the picture.

I will tell you that my biggest reason for weaning is because we want to give Bitsy a sibling.

Heck, we want to give her 2 siblings over the next couple years, all of them close in age.

I wanted to give my body a few cycles before I started on my pregnancy journey again.

Exactly one week after I had completely stopped pumping my cycle started again.

Same way it had been prior to having a baby.

Please don't hate me, but I don't suffer cramps, bloating, or mood swings.

I know that not everyone will get their cycle back as quickly, I also know that some women get their cycles back without stopping breastfeeding and some continue to breastfeed while pregnant!

It's amazing what our bodies are capable of.

Have you ever took a moment to think about that?

Recently, while watching one of my favorite stand up comedians I heard him say this:

“Women are amazing, and I mean that in a very pandering way.
But women are, really! A woman can grow a baby inside their body. And then somehow, a woman can deliver a baby through their body. And then by some miracle, a woman can feed a baby with their body! And when you think of the male contribution to life…it’s kind of embarrassing, really. The guy’s always like, ‘Yeah, well, I helped too! For, like, five seconds. Doing the one thing I think about 24 hours a day.’”

—	Jim Gaffigan (Mr. Universe)

No matter how your breastfeeding experience goes I pray that you have a wonderful support system.

In the event that breastfeeding is a breeze for you, Congratulations!

This information may still be helpful for you though, in the event that your little one goes through a phase where he/she looses interest in feedings.

Sometimes, pumping can be something you do in between feedings just to produce extra for your freezer stockpile or just to increase your supply if you think your little one isn't getting enough.

Whatever, your reason for choosing to pump, I hope that it is a pleasant one.

I hope that I have provided an environment here where you feel welcome, well informed, and unafraid to ask questions.

Please know that no matter when you read this post, today, a week from, now or a decade from now...I will always be open to answering questions or just offering support.

Mom's need to learn to do that.

We need to learn that there are different parenting styles and that no one way is the best.

If we expect everyone to understand that kids are different from each other, than we must be willing to extend that understanding onto parenting as well.

If you don't have children yet, but are expecting or planning, here is my little bit of advice for you:

"Everyone has an opinion.  You don't have to agree with any of them.  I recommend you listen to all they have to offer though.  File it away, because you never know when you may think you've tried everything your know and your at your wits end, all of a sudden you'll remember something someone once told you and it might just be the one thing that worked.  It also might be the worst idea, but at least you had options"

I hope you have a Blessed Thursday!

What We Did Wednesday....When it rains....

It was a VERY wet weekend here.

Seriously, rolling thunder, lots of lightening, and more than enough rain.

What do you do when your husband has worked a crazy busy week and the forecast outside is uber unpredictable?

You make sure that there is plenty of cuddle time and lots to watch on Netflix.

I started Saturday by letting Bud sleep in about 2 hours later than normal.

I got laundry going.

The kitchen cleaned.

Trash taken out.

Bitsy and I played and watched 2 episodes of Blue's Clues and just as we were about to watch an episode of a new show Timmy Time...the internet went down.

I did all the regular checks, but still it didn't work.

I caved and woke Bud up.

He did all he knew to do only to call the cable company and find out that we were part of an outage.

That meant no Instant Queue via Netflix and since we don't have any cable and it was raining outside....we had to resort watching regular DVDs!

We had a Netflix Public Enemies, we watched and enjoyed it.

When Bitsy woke from her nap we pulled out a Disney movie from our stash.

When Bud and I first got married I bought 1 Disney movie each month.  

Someday I hope to get back in that habit.

Honestly, I think Bud & I enjoyed Toy Story a bit more than Bitsy, she spent the time crawling around and playing with her toys on the floor.

Oh, and crawling all over us of course!

That afternoon we hit up the Blockbuster Box and rented The Ides of March & The Help.

I had already seen The Help, but Bud hadn't and yes..he wanted to.

It was a VERY lazy Saturday to say the least.

Sunday wasn't super exciting either.

The sermon was going to be a repeat of the sermon given at the Matt Redmon concert we attended for free at our church that Thursday.

That's right....we got to see Matt Redmon for free!

It was a great concert.

Anyways, we spent Sunday morning moving Bitsy's crib out of our room.

*tear*

Then we moved the 2nd refinished dresser into our room.

*I'm going to share it with you soon*

Bud went out to mow the lawn, since the sun was out for a brief period of time.

When he was done we had lunch and then Bud had to pop over to work for a few hours.

I spent the time playing with Bitsy and rearranging clothes from the closet to the dresser.

We spent that night watching our other movie....The Ides of March, we would describe it as a slow going movie with a lot of build up and then a fast quick end.

There was more foul language than I like and I don't really care for much at all.

So of the 3 movies we watched 2 were good and the 3rd, well I just say we got that one for free because it was buy one get one kind of deal at the Blockbuster box.

I couldn't stomach thinking we had spent money on that movie.

Anyways...it was another weekend where we couldn't get away to do anything new or fun, but I don't think either of us minded.

I think we were more than happy to be lazy.

Do you ever find yourself falling in a slump?

I don't like to call it a slump because we don't necessarily dislike it.

What do you do during these times?

Do you have rainy day rituals?

How do you keep the kids entertained?

How do you keep yourself entertained?

I find comfort in having a relationship to which we can cuddle up on the couch, watch movie after movie, and just enjoy the closeness and comfort of each

other.

I love when we have full days to just watch Bitsy develop right in front of us.

Do you ever just take the time to relish in watching?

I hope you all had fulfilling weekends or in the very least restful ones!

I hope you have a Blessed Wednesday!