Christmas comes but once a year

It's that time of year, again! I'm scrambling to order cards that let my friends and family know I've thought of them all year long and to make last-minute gifts that are designed to look like they took me forever to make without taking forever to make them. https://invite-shutterfly.com/x/FcoAwE

Don't forget the kid's teachers or the in-laws!
It's the time to remember those who give significantly to our lives and that of our children. We've truly been blessed with wonderful loving teachers for both our 4 year old and the baby.  This working mom is grateful for Pinterest and all it's wonderful ideas.

It's the time for glutton before resolve!
Who's up for extra pie or cookies? We all are around here. Hey, there's always next year!

It's the time for family; big or small!
What a blessing this year has been to our little family. We saw the birth of "baby girl" and lots of little cousins.

It's the time of year to slow down from all the hustle and bustle and be thankful for all that we have and are!

Living and Existing

I can't recall the specifics of why this postulation crossed my mind, but I'm drawn to an attempt to memorialize it, today.

I (And YOU) have existed from eternity. The Bible says that "Before He formed me in the womb, He knew me" (Jeremiah 1:5). I existed before my birth in the form of the knowledge of God. Therefore, my existence then is separate from my living. To live and to exist are two separate things. Now on to life. Life is a gift. Only God with his creative power could bring human life into being. Consider the following:

• Gen. 2:7
• The Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being."
• Gen. 1:28
• "God blessed them and said to them, Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it
• Gen 4:1
• God in his wisdom uses human agents to bring individual human beings into this world, so that mothers today may say with Eve, "With the help of the LORD I have brought forth a man."
•  Acts 17:25
• "And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else." 

Our existence is a reality; our life is a blessing freely given of a Wonderful skilled creator. What then is our purpose? I consider a recent conversation in which I exclaimed to my son that he was the spitten image of his father. This reality means that often, I think of the elder when presented with the junior as if my son's actions and expressions are a reflection of his father. Because of my human nature I sometimes find myself pleased with his father when my son conducts himself appropriately and conversely it is easiest to see his father's faults when he misbehaves (I don't limit this observation to one parent). Considering this; I am drawn to the knowledge that we are all made in the image of our Heavenly Father (Gen 1:26-27). Is it not then our purpose to glorify Him; so that others have a clear view of our Father through his creation?

So far, so good!!

So, I don't want to be caught predicting the year 2012 blowing by, but am I the only person wondering where that month called January went? Not to mention, that the lack of any resemblance of a Winter in Georgia has me adding seeding, planting, and plotting of my garden to the list of lists of things to do soon. Oh, my lists! It seems I've succeeded more in adding than subtracting from them thus far, but I've had a few successful accomplishments.

Namely:

1.) I've perfected the base for my Green Smoothie recipe.  See pictures below. This was a major step towards quick and healthy mornings. There is nothing like a tasty, nutrient-packed breakfast in a blender when you've got a little one to look after. This base is pretty tasty by itself, but has stood up to some of my favorite flavor additions. It's great with a tsp of peanut butter. :)

 2.) I've enlisted the help of charts and lists to keep up with household chores.

3.) Couch to 5K...need I say more?

4.) The Whole Living Challenge!!!! More to come on the success of this.Check it out here: Whole Living 28 Day Challenge!

5.)OK! So, the biggest accomplishment of all has got to be all the lists and goals I've committed to paper for this year and those to come. I can't wait to share them all with you!

Green Smoothies , where have you been all my life?

Recently I went on a quest for a nice effective and inexpensive blender to mix my breakfast smoothies in. A friend suggested the EuroPro Ninja blender and food Processor.
Folks, we have a winner.

It's a quick blend, easy to clean, and does a number on shredding all the greens i put in my Green Smoothie. I do love my veggies, but I can't find a single reason to complain about having them disguised inside an amazingly delicious and simple to make smoothie. Lately I've been having a blast playing around with different additions to my base smoothie. See below. Some ingredients I like to add:  kale, blueberry flavored kefir, fresh fruit, frozen berries, chocolate protein powder, pineapples, and peanut butter.

Ingredients

• 1.5 cup spinach leaves
• 1/2 frozen banana
• 1/2 cup frozen chopped mango
• 1/4 cup almond milk
• 1/4 cup mango or pineapple juice
• 1 Tbsp chia seeds

Directions

1.) Combine spinach, banana, mango, juice, milk and  1/2 cups ice in a blender and blend until smooth. Add chia seeds, pulse, and enjoy.

 

The perfect base!!

All mixed up!

Added Peanut Butter to this one. Yum!

1. 

   Breakfast is ready!

   
   

Mug

  Chocolate Mug

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Oh what a day well spent! Today, my son and I woke up bright and early to celebrate his four-month birthday with a cucumber mango smoothie for mommy, nursing for him, and a couple episodes of Disney’s Mickey Mouse clubhouse to boot. While he dozed off into a lactose coma and I finished my delicious homemade smoothie, I silently discovered how much I miss the simple entertaining shows that taught me to share, count, help, and dance along just because. Really! When did murdering wives, crime scenes, and scary hospitals become necessary quality TV?  All in all I look forward to next few years of entertainment I’ll enjoy with my son.

 The day continued in typical fashion his lessons, playtime, my housework, errands, replacing a thermostat. The last one a solid line on a list of things to do this month. And then there was dinner. Oh, dinner! Inspired by some brie left over from the holidays. I pulled out a roll of phyllo dough and stuffed it salmon, spinach, and the brie. Oh, my! We served it with a side of brown rice and acorn squash. I'm still smiling as I type this and I think I'm going to say goodnight so, that I can "put the leftovers away". Thanks for the inspiration: http://homecookinginmontana.blogspot.com/

A new day

Wow!Today was one of those long days where the amount of tiredness you feel doesn't compete with the sense of accomplishment you have for getting necessary things done.  I'm currently trying out the blogger app I got for my Samsung Galaxy 2, and I think I see a Galaxy tablet in my near future.

Well more later. For now, I'm very excited to be  as woman on the move this year. I saw the cutest scarf today and I'd like to try to make it. I will definitely post pictures if it turns out nicely.