So Blessed!

Well, we had our 13th annual Ladies Retreat this past weekend! It was so wonderful!! It is hard to put into words what it means to me. It is so great to spend the weekend with some of my best friends and my family as we worship God, fellowship with one another, and laugh until we cry! Once again, God showed himself to me in a powerful way! It is such a great experience every year and I am so blessed! Here are just a few pictures from the weekend! I will add more later!

Thankful Thursday

So many things to be thankful for this week:

our ladies' retreat this weekend

all the wonderful ladies that have helped prepare for the retreat

my sweet husband that does everything to help make things easier for me-he is the BEST!!

Ashlyn and Reece for helping so much around the house

that my aging parents are doing fairly well

so glad that so many of my friends and family get to attend the retreat with me

for the fun we will have on the way to the retreat tomorrow and eating at Must Be Heaven-YUM!

for the opportunity to lead the retreat

so thankful for all the prayers that God continually answers in my life!!!

Upcoming Ladies Retreat

Team LOL

This is supposed to be our "tough" look

The team that beat us...

Just some friendly competition

My crazy sisters!


My sweet mother in law

This upcoming weekend is one of my favorite weekends of the year!! It is our annual Ladies Retreat at Camp Tejas. It is always so fun and refreshing! God always moves in a mighty way and I love being a part of it. These are a few pictures from last year's retreat. I am blessed that my sisters, nieces, mother in law, and some of my best friends attend the retreat as well...that is an added blessing!! Most of these pictures are us before we did our version of the Amazing Race. I talked a lot of smack to my family (they are the ones in the pink shirts) about us beating them...well, unfortunately, they BEAT us!! Not only did they beat us, they beat everyone...yep...they got first place. Eventually I was happy for them!! Hopefully my team does better this year, if not, it it still a BLAST!! Two more days and off we go...so excited to see all God teaches me and how He touches the lives around me!!!

Weekly Menu

Sunday- Tostados with all the toppings

Monday- Taco Soup
2 lbs hamburger meat
1 taco seasoning packet
1 dry ranch mix packet
2 cans chicken broth
1 can garlic broth
2 cans mild rotel
2 cans fiesta corn
1 can black beans
1 can pinto beans
(use two cans of beans-whichever you want or a combo)
1 can hominy
cilantro
cumin
Brown the meat, drain, and mix all the other ingredients. Cook on medium heat about 25 minutes.

Tuesday- Pork loin, onion, mushrooms, and scalloped potatoes

Wednesday- Chicken and Rice with green beans almondine

Thursday- Fajitas, bell peppers and onions, with charro beans- Amazing Race Night

Friday-Sunday gone to the Ladies Retreat- Keith will cook for the kids or take them out

Emma's Bayou Bash 2010

Junction Jack even made an appearance.





Today I was able to participate in an event that I heard many people talk about since last year. It was Emma's Bayou Bash 2010. This event started last year as a fundraiser for a precious girl, Emma Dunnam, diagnosed with Batten's Disease. If you want more information on Emma's story, check out The Dunnam's Blog. I watched as many bikers rode in as part of the benefit, people served in many areas, and lots of friends, families, and individuals joined together to raise money for a great cause. It really was a touching experience. Despite the torrential rain and major wind, people had a great time! These are a few pictures from the event!

Ahhh...sweet spring break!!

We have had a GREAT time this spring break and have gotten to spend a lot of time outside! I absolutely LOVE this weather! Yesterday we went to a park and had a picnic and the kids just ran around and played. I love going on picnics, so the weather this week has been perfect for it and plenty of outside time. Here are some pics we took yesterday while at the park. The kids each brought a friend with them and had fun, but the boys did not want their pictures taken as much as the girls did!

Thankful Thursday

There are so many things that I am thankful for!! Here are just a few:

SPRING BREAK-what a fantastic week it has been!

sleeping in

unrushed schedules

no homework for the kids

evenings I don't have to cook

time with Ashlyn and Reece

picnics at the park

pedicures

beautiful sunny days

guacamole (I love this stuff!!)

all the ladies helping prepare for the upcoming retreat

New York style cheesecake

my new turquoise bling watch-LOVE IT

cleaned out flower beds

date nights with Keith-which I'm looking forward to tonight!!

I hope you can find something to be thankful for today!!!

Goal Update

Here it is already the middle of March...wow...time is flying!! Many of my goals I am doing well with, but there are still a few I want to be able to check off at the end of the month! So here is the update:

1. My Bible reading is going well. My small group is reading the Bible through in a year, so this really helps me to stay on track! My prayer time is okay, but can use some improvement. I am very easily distracted and I find my mind wanders A LOT...still working on this!!

2. Scripture memorization is going fine. I am trying to learn scriptures that I'm not real familiar with so I'm not just relying on some of my favorites, but learning new ones!

3. Piles in the bedroom-still there!! OOPS! I have cleaned out some other areas though...that has to count for something!!

4. Cardio and weights: the cardio is great! I'm walking or doing the elliptical 4 days a week and have even walked 3.5 or 4 miles a couple of times. (my regular is 3 miles) It helps that I have one of my good friends, Lesley, to walk with. It makes the time fly by! I'm on track with the weights as well...yay!!

5. Date night-well, we've had a quiet evening at home (which is always nice) and we've had a few nights out with friends! That is something I always enjoy. This Thursday is looking like it may work for a date evening...I'll keep my fingers crossed!

6. Reece's room-Okay, it is NOT going to get painted-not by me anyway, BUT we will organize and clean out...that is on the agenda for this week!

7. Family Night-hmmm...well we did a family day-still working on the family night!

So, there it is...not too bad! It helps that I have it typed up on here for ya'll to read...makes me more accountable!!

Weekly Menu

Sunday- Tacos, black beans, guacamole

Monday-Taco Salad

Tuesday-Santa Fe Chicken (crockpot recipe) *never made this last week
4 chicken breasts in the crockpot (can put in frozen)
2 cans corn (drained)
1 can black beans
1 can tomato sauce
1 can rotel
cilantro
cumin
Cook in the crockpot on low all day. Shred the chicken when done. Serve over rice and top with cheese, sour cream, and sliced avacados

Wednesday-Dinner with the Estes

Thursday-Beans, Rice, Sausage

Friday- Grilled Chicken and stir fry veggies

Okay, I'm hoping for a few days "getaway" and I won't be able to cook. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!!

Ashlyn's 1st tennis match

Ashlyn had her first tennis match this past week! It was fun to watch her. She did a good job. As someone that used to play tennis and tries to still play like I did "back in the day", I had several motherly suggestions for her!! : ) I was proud of her and love to watch her on the court!

Thankful Thursday

Things I am thankful for:

it is almost SPRING BREAK!!!!

our comfy bed I did not want to get out of today...

it's the day before Friday

Reece

my sweet husband who cooked my breakfast so I could blog :)

Ashlyn did well at her tennis match and had fun

so many people in my life that make me laugh

Diet Dr. Pepper

great classes at school

Friday nights out with friends

an upcoming weekend without anything "scheduled" Yay!!

Chicken Enchiladas

Hershey Kisses- even though they aren't on my "plan"- a couple can't be THAT bad!

Brownies with Symphony bars in them topped with ice cream-ok, that is BAD, but soooo WORTH it!!

my precious little niece that had her mom bring her back to me last night and give me a kiss-so sweet

Life is good!!!

New Canvas

Yay!! Our free 8 x 10 canvas came in from Canvas People today...I love it!!! Thank you Lesley for sharing the info!

Weekly Menu

Sunday-Grilled Chicken, mushrooms & onions, and veggies

Monday- Pork Loin, brown rice, veggies

Tuesday-Chicken Parmigiana, salad, garlic bread

Wednesday- Santa Fe Chicken (crockpot) and salad

Thursday-Amazing Race night with Estes-Chicken Enchiladas, spanish rice, beans
About 6 chicken breasts ( I grill them) chopped up in small pieces
2 cups sour cream
2 (4 oz.) chopped green chilis
1 cup chopped green onions
1/2 tsp. salt
4 cups shredded cheese
12 flour tortillas
1 can green enchilada sauce
Combine 1st 5 ingredients & 2 cups cheese. Dip tortillas in enchilada sauce. Spread chicken mixture down center of tortilla , roll, place in 9 x 13 dish. Repeat. Top with cheese. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes.



Friday-out to eat

Tara and Chad's Baby Shower

This afternoon we celebrated with Tara and Chad at a baby shower for Chase. Patsy Brewer and some fabulous ladies hosted the shower for them. Chad and Tara received so many great things from everyone! It was so fun to watch them open all the gifts enjoying every thing they received. Some of my favorites were all the items monogrammed with his name or initials: bibs, boxers, shorts, and my favorite, the bib that reads: I Love Ashlyn! (she had to have it made!) This is their first baby so they are loving every moment of it! They are going to make such great parents! We can hardly wait for Chase to get here...only a few more months!

Thankful Thursday

A lot on my plate this week, so I looked for daily things to really be thankful for. Here are some things I came up with:

1. Writing TAKS is OVER and the kids worked hard!
2. My sweet husband who has cooked, cleaned, and has taken care of things around the house
3. Sonic Cherry Limeade
4. Sweet parents who were so excited to see me when I stopped by (makes me feel good)
5. My kids that make me smile
6. Lunch time at school today with friends that made me laugh till I cry
7. Lesley-walks with me even when we don't want to
8. This beautiful weather we have had the past few days
9. My 4th grade team- they are so supportive and brought us delicious treats
10. Time with my girlfriends

New Month, New Goals

March is here!! Yay...so many great things happening in March and I'm hoping spring weather will arrive soon! I'm looking forward to the Writing TAKS being OVER, Spring Break, Ashlyn's tennis matches, Emma's Bayou Bash, and Second Baptist Ladies Retreat! This year I am trying to set goals each month as I reflect on the previous month. So here are my goals for this month:
1. Continue my daily Bible reading and spend more time in prayer
2. Memorize one scripture verse each week
3. Clear out one pile from my bedroom
4. Get in better shape: cardio 4-5 times a week/weights 4 times a week
5. Two date nights this month (I'm going to try to pull off more-even if it is a quiet evening at home)
6. Paint Reece's room and organize it
7. Two family fun nights (kids choose what we do)
So there it is written out...I'll keep you updated on how I do! I love to check things off when completed, so hopefully I will do so at the end of this month!!