Fruit pizza!

A girl I work with made this dessert for a celebration we had, and now I am hooked! 
I have made three of them in the past 3 weeks.

Fruit Pizza

1 and 1/4 rolls refrigerated sugar cookie dough

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

4 cups assorted fresh fruit such as strawberries, bananas, kiwi, blueberries, peaches etc.

Lemon juice or pineapple juice to prevent bananas and peaches from yellowing.

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Place dough on round baking stone and cook 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

Remove from oven and cool.

For the topping, combine cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla.

Spread evenly over cookie dough. Next layer the fruit.

Keep refrigerated.

*After slicing all the fruit, except the bananas, I lay them on a paper towel to "dry"
to prevent the top of the pizza from being watery.
*I start with bananas, then pile on the rest.
*I used a tart pan with a removable bottom to get the scalloped edges.
*Best if eaten on the same day!
*I don't really measure the fruit.

Thanks for stopping by and prepare to be addicted! :)

just

when I am frustrated in my circumstance...i remember HE is in the details.

And He has totally, "got this"!

to alan.

                                                                                            picture by Two Chics Photography



because of HIS love. 

you are my first love. 

and because of our love. 

we have our little love!

i love you! 

A few of my favorite blogs...

Random picture of Rowan from 1 yr ago.

I wanted to share a few of my favorite blogs with y'all!

These are the ones that make me avoid my laundry and keep me up late at night. :)

Tatertots and Jello!

Hello crafty goodness!

My favorite part of her blog is the  Weekend Wrap-up Party!

This weeks just started! You should click on over and go check it out!

Basically if you do anything crafty during the week,

you can link up to the "Party" starting on Friday night. She does mulitiple

features throughout the week of her favorite projects!

Last week she had over 700 link-ups.

Talk about some serious inspiration!

The Nester

The Nester...well...she just rocks!

She is a mom of three boys, a wife, a Christian, a very successful blogger

and a decorator. Her philosophy is

It doesn't have to be perfect, to be beautiful!

And I think that is just wonderful!

She used to live in Macon...and that is just cool to me.

Kelly's Korner

Kelly's blog is such a fun read. She is a

beautiful girl on the inside and out. She writes about

her daughter, her family, her faith, and her everyday life.

I promise you will love her if you start reading her blog.

She also loves monograms, sonic diet cokes, smocked clothes,

and southern cooking! What's not to love about that! :)

House of Smith's
I haven't been following Shelley's blog very long, but I just love it!

She does the cutest things in her house and writes tutorials so you can do them too!

I love the way she decorates for every single holiday.

How does she have the time?

She has three adorable little girls and a vinyl business.

You should definitely head over and check her out!

Bower Power

Katie was born in 1981, she lives in Georgia,

and she is momma to a precious baby boy!

She and her husband totally remodeled their current house!

It is so amazing.

They are in the process of buying a foreclosure, also

known as their dream home.

I can't wait to see all that they are gonna do with their new house.

She has awesome tutorials, photography tips, and before and afters.

She even taught me how to tie a bow on a package...via

YouTube! :)

The Lettered Cottage

Layla and Kevin live in an adorable cottage in Alabama!

How sweet, right?

Their home is absolutely adorable and magazine worthy.

They are awesome DIY-ers and dreamers.

They are in the process of adopting two children from Ethiopia!


The Gaines Gang

Kate has awesome tips and tricks on her blog.

Her posts are short and sweet but yet packed full of  useful information.

I bought an eggsact timer because of her and I stinkin' love that thing!

She throws some jam up parties, she loves Goodwill, and

she has a very pretty lived in house!

The Bonjour Family

I just found Libby's blog last week!

She has some great blogging tutorials.

She has a little boy that is just older than Rowan.

She is just getting into photography too.

You need to check out her tumblr too! Such cute things!

 

Just thought y'all might enjoy reading some of my favorite blogs too.

I tried to give a preview of each one, but I have not done these girls justice!

Let me know if you visit them!

What are some of your favorite blogs?

the book winner!

Oh...this was so much fun!

Thank you all for your entries. I loved reading what you

are all thankful for!

We are all truly blessed!

Ok...So I cut up the entries and folded them. I placed them in my yellow polka-dotted bowl

(you know, since it is so gray and rainy outside), and had little boo pull out just one. Yeah, right!!!

What really happened is he grabbed a whole handful and then ran away from me...laughing all the way!

The winner was the one that was left in his hand after he either dropped them,

or I grabbed them from his hand.

I wish I could have given away a whole handful of this wonderful book!

                         this was just before the snatch and run...he looks so innocent doesn't he.

The winner is...

Mama of the Mac girls.

She happens to be one of my good friends from high school.

She is soon gonna have to change her name because she is

due in March with her third child...a little BOY!

Blakley is a busy stay at home mommy, an avid couponer, a youth ministers

wife, and she writes some super cool posts about how her girls teach

her about God's love and her latest decorating projects.

I know she will read this book...because she is always reading something!

I may even let her share here about what she learns from One Thousand Gifts!



I still encourage you all to read this book.

You can borrow my copy if you want!

(P.S. It's on sale at Amazon.com and Valentine's Day is just around the corner!)

Much Love and thankfulness!

Happy Weekend!

today i am gonna be thankful...

for the crumbs on the floor. because they mean we have food.

for the toys thrown about the entire downstairs. because they mean i have a precious child.

for the rain outside. because it means i get to stay inside our cozy home ALL day long.

for all the drama at work. because it means i have a job.

for my to do list. because it means i am able to complete a list.

for the smudges on my glasses. because at least i can see them.

for the two loads of laundry i need to fold and the three loads that are waiting to be done. because they mean we have clothes on our backs, towels to dry with, and sheets to lay under.

source

I am in the midst of reading One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp.
(Scroll down to see a trailer for the book. I have watched it at least five times.)
To say that it is an amazing book is an understatement.
It is fabulous.
Its about being thankful.
in.
everything.
And seeing God in everything.
Because these days are microscopic, fleeting moments.
And we have to learn how to stay fully awake! (Ann's words)

Also, this month marks the FOUR year anniversary of my blog.
I wrote my first post on February 10, 2007.
I like to say I blogged before blogging was cool!

So to celebrate I am going to do my first ever giveaway!
I am giving a copy of One Thousand Gifts.
All you need to do to enter is:
1. Become a follower, if you aren't already (over there on the right) and
2. Leave me a comment on what you are thankful for today!
I will have Rowan draw a name for me on Friday before his naptime!

story.

I like to read books.
I just don't have (or don't make) much time for reading books anymore.

But, just before the New Year I read a book in a day.
And let me just add, that it is a great start-your-year-off-right book.

My sister actually gave Alan and I A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller for
Christmas, because she thought it was a good book.

It's about a guys "story".
We all have a story.
If you know Lauren Brown one of her favorite quotes is "Everyone has a story".

I was gonna try to summarize the book, but I really can't...you can google the title and read
some reviews about it if you want.

But here are some of my favorite quotes, that I jotted down.

If what we choose to do with our lives won't make a story meaningful, it won't make a life meaningful either.

The most repeated commandment in the Bible is "Do not fear".

The ambitions we have will become the stories we live. If you want to know what a persons story is about, just ask them what they want.

The reward you get from a story is always less than you thought it would be, and the work is harder than you imagine. The point of a story is never the ending, remember. It's about your character getting molded in the hard work of the middle.  

Joy is what you feel when conflict is over. But it's conflict that changes a person.

People in Denmark are the happiest people in the world. Why? Because they have the lowest expectations.

The apostles never really promise Jesus is going to make everything better here on earth- But his story offers HOPE. Hope that will be made complete.

Great stories have memorable scenes.

I think God wanted His people to build altars for their sake, something that would help them remember, something they could look back on and remember the time when they were rescued, or they were given grace.

I encourage you to read this book.

And next up on my reading list...

At 18 months...

you weighed 29.5 pounds and you are 35.5 inches tall.

You are a big boy! Off the charts for height and almost for weight!

No wonder people think you are 2!

Rowan at {almost} 18 months

Can I just say it again? 
I can't believe our baby is almost 18 months!
Where does the time go?

At the end of November, Rowan started being really naughty.
Hitting, throwing fits, and needing spankings every 15 seconds...or so it felt.

I can thankfully say, that over the past two weeks we have noticed a huge
difference in our boy. I guess it was just a stage?!?

I am mostly documenting this for myself...but read along if you want to

hear what Row has been up too.

Rowan,

you are talking up a storm.

You are still a great sleeper. 12 hours a night. And at least a two hour nap each day.

You learn new words every single day.

You can say, bird, kitty (this one comes out a little funny. Ha!),

truck, hot, fire, dog, duck, moo (that's what you call a cow), rrrrr (that's what you call a lion)

snack, poo-poo, shoes, fish, penguin, oh, wow, apple, banana, no, water, bubbles, bath, night-night,

book, fix it, where did it go? there it is? go, yes, yuck, bear, baby, many peoples names,

downstairs, nose, belly button, watch it, monkey, deer, ho-ho, choo-choo, bye bye, roll tide (thanks to your aunt Paige and uncle Zack) chicken, and many more I can't think of right now...
Just yesterday you learned the word "poot". It's so funny to hear you say that too!
You have had several hair-cuts by me. Still not the official first one!
You still only have 10 teeth, and you love to brush them.
You absolutely loved Christmas.
Your favorite word at Christmas was "Ho-Ho". That's what you called Santa.
You loved opening gifts and destroying the Christmas tree.
You can drink through a straw and love to share our drinks.
You love to be read to.
You are still in love with your bear. You walk around with him in your mouth all the time.
You get plain giddy when your daddy gets home.
You woke us up last Saturday morning screaming..."momma, daddy, momma, daddy."
You are so much fun!
You can point to almost all of your body parts.
You can open doors in the house.
You love cars and trucks!
You are so healthy!
You are so tall. I thought some of your winter outfits would be too long but they are actually too short.
You wear a size 5 diaper. A size 6 shoe. Your clothes are 24 months to 2T.
You love your aunts, cousins, and grandparents so much.
You give lots of hugs and kisses. It's just so precious.
We just started Your baby can read. I am amazed that you sit and watch it.
Apples and bananas are your favorite.
You just started nodding your head no when you don't want something. I love it!
You love to be tickled and chased around the house.
You got your first goose egg on Christmas Eve. It was pitiful.
You are finally calling me "Momma"! I was Daddy for so long! I love it! :)
You are making me cry today, when I think about how much I love you.
Every day with you is a gift.
You are our little Row-Row and we love you so much!


I am sure I am forgetting some very important stuff, but at least I have gotten some of it written down!

To do in 2011

In addition to stressing less and laughing more...

I want to do the following things this year. 

        

      Make homemade marshmallows.

Source

Make homemade pepper jelly.

                                                                             Source

Put all my spices in matching jars and label them

with my new label maker.

Clean out and reorganize my pantry.

Had some help with this one!

Keep taking lots of pictures of this precious boy!

Make a pom-pom garland for Rowan's Christmas tree.

This is already in progress...

source

Send Valentines Day cards since I never got around to sending Christmas cards!

What do you want to accomplish this year?

i just have to laugh at myself...

as I looked at my last post. Did I really think I was gonna blog every day
during the busiest month of the year?

as I was making chili tonight at 10:00 so we will have something homemade to eat tomorrow...(what was I thinking) and we have no chili beans or rotel. Instead we have 10 cans of corn. Sometimes couponing bites ya in the butt cuz you don't have what you thought you had...At least the meat got browned, right?

as I put clothes in the washing machine, added detergent, shut the lid and...
walked back in the laundry room later to put them in the dryer...only to realize I never started the load.

after I ran into a surgical light at work yesterday in front of my patient, the doctor and my co-workers. Not to mention the huge, greenish, raised bruise I am sporting on my forehead. 

In 2011...i want to stress less and laugh more.

So far...I am cracking myself up.

First.

I really wanted to write about some new Christmas decorations Alan made us, but

I didn't get home in time to get pictures.

So that will be tomorrows post.

So anyways...

this is Rowan on December 1, 2009.

This picture makes me happy and sad all at the same time.

Happy to see how he has grown and learned so much in one year.

He is absolutely flourishing these days.

But sad to know that time is going by so quickly.

(It is crazy how much I have learned and grown as well!)

Here are a few of my favorite memories of Rowan's First Christmas.

-He was so tiny! We put him in his Bumbo on Christmas morning.

He was just sitting there kicking his legs and looking at his new toys.

-We got our video camera. Alan shot the most precious video of Rowan

laying on his changing table Christmas morning. It makes me cry.

-I went crazy and bought Rowan probably like 14 Christmas outfits.

I loved dressing him up.

-We were in our apartment.

-My mom started Rowan's Christmas ornament collection.

-He had his own tree. I loved walking past his room and seeing

the glow of lights on his tree

-Snuggling my baby boy as he slept on my lap...wondering...

What did Mary feel like when she was holding baby Jesus?

Like the song says...Did she know he had come to save the world?

-Taking Rowan to Bass Pro Shop in Macon to see Santa.

I will never forget how we were all sick and I was on call...

and I was so bummed about all that too.

-Rowan started sitting up on his own.

I can't wait to see what I will be reflecting on next year.

whew....

and ahhhhhh....the good kind of ahhhhhh....

what a relief it is/was to get all that off my chest and out of my heart. :)

I cannot tell you how much better the past almost two weeks have been for me and
in our home.

There is freedom is confessing our sins one to another.

Thank you for all the sweet, kind e-mails, comments, and texts you sent my way.
Totally made my day(s) and reminded me yet again that I am not alone and indeed, loved.

With all that being said...
I am going to challenge myself to blog everyday in December...
Why, you may ask.
Because I want to document what we are doing this December as we prepare and celebrate Christmas.
And because I am so excited about a BRAND new year.
I plan on blogging about Christmas memories, traditions, decorations, songs, favorites etc.
Then on the 6 days leading up to New Years Day I want to blog about the different things
I want to learn, focus on, accomplish, etc in 2011.

Our church is going to be doing a fast in January. If you know me well...you know I am
not about missing a meal. But I am already praying and preparing for this. And believe it or not
I am so excited about it.

Ok...so...now onto my first December post...

The birthday blog.

Forgot to mention this...

Back in October, Rowan's birthday party was featured on The Birthday Blog.

Thanks Stacy!

thank you God for...

sending your precious son to die for us.

Alan.

Rowan.

our home.

our church.

our friends.

our country.

our mommas, daddys, sisters, grandparents, nephews, etc.

our health.

Your provision. mercy. grace. love. long-suffering.

clean water and too much food.

We are so blessed!

Happy Thanksgiving!

The precious picture is by the fabulous Two Chics.



29 and feeling fine?

disclaimer: i wrote this, not as a sob story, but as a testimony of what God is doing in my life.
not because of where i have been, but where i am going.
as an explanation of the sparse, surfacy posts that have sprinkled my blog over the past year.
and maybe, just maybe, there is someone out there who needs this.
(and p.s. not for belated happy birthday wishes).

wednesday was my birthday.

i turned 29.

and i am, oh, so glad 28 is over.

honestly, 28 was a really hard year for me.
i have struggled with postpartum depression.
i have never felt so alone.
i have struggled with probably the lowest self-esteem E-V-E-R. in my life.
i have been very hard to love.
i have struggled with anger and resentment.
as a result of the above, our marriage has struggled.
i have been a very bad friend, wife, sister, daughter...well, you get the picture.
and, yes, i have even thought about taking my own life.

i have, so many times, wanted to sit down and write about what I have been going through...
but some things have always stopped me.
pride, not wanting to admit that I am not perfect, and neither is my life.
the feeling that "so many people have way bigger/more serious problems than me".
thoughts like "no one will understand", "they will think i am crazy", "i should just be thankful
that not only do I have a baby, he is healthy." "i need to just suck it up".
i have felt guilty because I have friends who are struggling with infertility.
not wanting to discourage anyone else.
trying to focus on the postive.
not wanting anyone to feel sorry for me.
listening to people tell me that my feelings were normal.

but yet, all these thoughts and feelings (and lies) have only further isolated me.
and made things even worse.

I went to the doctor.
I prayed about it.
Begged God to take it away.
Begged God to never let me feel this way ever again.
Considered getting counseling.
I took an anti-depressant for a while.

While I wouldn't say I am "healed"...
I would say things are SO much better.
And yes, I realize that some of this was hormone related. 
I am still working through some of the things I mentioned above.
But I feel like another part of me getting better is finally admitting to you, my friends and family,
that I am sooooo not perfect. Which you all knew already. :) haha.
And all this has been hiding behind the "we are doing greats." and "I am doing fines."

I so struggle with being a perfectionist.
But in the worst way.
I hate it about myself.
Really. hate. it.
I always want things to be cleaner. better. prettier. bigger. more creative. etc.
I have a hard time being still, relaxing, and enjoying myself because of it.
I obsess about things that have, not one ounce, of eternal value.
Perfectionism is a happiness killer and a joy stealer.
For me it is a sin, because it seperates me from Him.
And it has wreaked havoc on my life since becoming a mom.

Satan has totally had a stronghold on my messed-up life.

And I am tired. of. it.

i want to be better free.

i want to be real.

i want to come clean before you...like i have done before Him.

Christ was/is perfect for me.

And now...Hello 29!!! It's so nice to see you!

Turnip Green Soup Recipe

TURNIP GREEN SOUP

2 packages (10 ounces each) Turnip Greens (I use frozen without the turnips)

1 package Knorr vegetable soup mix

1 can (about 15 ounces) northern beans

1 can (about 15 ounces) navy beans

1 small onion, chopped

5 cups chicken broth

1 pound smoked sausage, sliced thin (I use turkey kielbasa. It makes it healthier)

1 teaspoon hot sauce

1 teaspoon garlic powder

Salt and pepper to taste

Tony's seasoning to taste

Combine all ingredients in soup pot.

Bring to a boil; reduce heat to a simmer.

Cook until sausage is done.

Serve with cornbread.

I always brown my sausage and onion together in a different skillet.

Then I add it to the pot. You know just to speed things up a bit.

I hope y'all LOVE it as much as we do!

ornaments.

I am already getting in the Christmas spirit.

I am just so excited to have a new house to decorate this year!

When we were growing up mom gave

us an ornament every Christmas.

It is one of our many family traditions.

We used to all dig through the boxes to find "our" ornaments.

She still gives us all an ornament and the grandkids too!

So I said all that to say that I am continuing the tradition for Rowan.

Here are some of the cute ones I found on Etsy!

I love anything monogrammed/personalized!

These are my favorites!

Which one do you like best?

And aren't these dish towels just so adorable!

That little Christmas tree would be precious on a little girls shirt!

Rowan's One Year Pictures

I can't believe Rowan is a couple of weeks away from being 16 months old.

My how time flies!

We took these taken back in August, a few days shy of Rowan turning 13 months old.

It was HOT. Oh, so HOT.  It was 9:00 in the morning and I was pouring sweat!

Thanks to Alicia at Alicia McDonald Photography for once again doing

 such a wonderful job capturing the personality of our sweet, big boy!

fall mini-session sneak peek!

                        You can see a precious picture of Rowan on the Two Chics Photography blog.

Scroll down. He is number 18!

fall.

i. love. this. kid.

 I bought these today at the Dollar Tree. Totally cute.
Gonna make up some Christmas gifts with them.

Add some popcorn, drinks, candy, and a movie or blockbuster gift card. Voila!

My friend Kylie told me about this stuff.

It tastes pretty good to be sugar free.

Totally fall-ish!

FREE candy corn at CVS today!

On sale for 99 cents, and a 99 cents off coupon printed at the Coupon Machine.

Cha-ching!

I made Turnip Green Soup for supper tonight.

Don't knock it, till you try it.

It is delicious. One of Alan's favorites.

Very healthy too!

This is my shopping buddy.

He was sooo good today.

Sometimes he makes me sweat.

Look at that curl, wouldja?

This is a pumpkin from the pumpkin patch we went to in Charleston.

I thought it was hilarious. I instantly smile when I see this picture!

                                           And here's my cutest little pumpkin in the patch!



nap.

anyone who knows me well, knows I love to sleep.

rowan is his mother's child.

today he got on the couch with me and went to sleep. a first.

he is very predictable.

usually three hours after he wakes up in the morning, he is ready to go back to sleep.

I can ask him if he wants to take a nap...and he will get up and run over to the bottom

of the stairs and wait for me to unlock the gate.

it is the most precious thing.

but today, I got the pleasure of watching him fall asleep.

and I got to take a little nap too.

(then i had to lay him down so I could take these pictures.)

 Rowan has a bear that he is very attached too. He usually has the bear in his mouth.

He wallows around on him. Sometimes the bear will be laying in the floor,

and he will literally dive

 into the bear and smoosh his face on his bear.

 He will cry out at night if he can't find him.

those sweet little feet. sock-less, and shoe-less. imagine that!

i love to tickle them. and kiss them.

and imagine all the places they will go.

I am so glad I have these pictures.

My baby boy is growing up.