Crock Pot Roast recipe

I made a new recipe this weekend and it was just too good to not share with everyone (well, the few who read my blog).

1 roast (your choice of cut)
1 packet dry Italian dressing mix
1 packet dry Ranch Dressing mix
1 packet of brown gravy mix
3 cups water

Dump all ingredients & cook on low for 6-8 hrs or on high for 4-5 hrs. (*I mixed the brown gravy mix with 1 cup of the water before dumping into pot).

Yum-O!

Princess Date Night

A couple weeks ago, on April 24, Kensley & her Daddy had their first date night. The YMCA hosted a Princess Date night for father's and daughters. Kensley was SO excited about going to a dance with her Daddy! She talked about it for weeks and told everyone we saw... anywhere. The day of the big event we picked out the dress she was going to wear. After all, it was a princess date night, so she had to dress the part. She first decided on Sleeping Beauty, but that dress is a little big, so she went as Snow White. I gave her a bath & fixed her hair. She picked out a necklace & bracelet to wear. And then they headed off... and before I could get a picture (grrr...)

They had such a good time. I sent the camera with Corby to take a few pictures since I wasn't able to go. Me & the boys had Mom/Son date night. We went to Chick-fil-A for supper and then to see Letters to God with another friend whose daughter & husband were at the dance as well.
From what I heard, Kensley boogied the whole night long. She took very few breaks and didn't give her Daddy much of a rest. She had a wonderful time and still is talking about it this week. Here are a few pictures.

Kensley spelling her name

Kensley is 3 1/2. I've been working with her on writing her name for a while. She thinks she's big just like her brothers, so we have to do homework too. She's almost got it all by herself. Sometimes I have to remind her of a letter here & there.

Today, she right before nap, I said "let's spell your name" and she spelled it. All by herself! So of course when I get the video camera, she flubs a little, but still... you get the effect of it. I'm so proud of her!

Sneak Peek... family pics!

ps... if you look closely, you might find a couple more :0)

"This is ri-DI-culous!!!" (... or is it?)

That's a quote that came from our sons mouths when we told them last week that we were not going to watch TV for 7 days. Despite much arguing and complaining, the rules were set. No, it wasn't just a random thing we came up with & decided to do. We are part of a small group (studying a Chip Ingram video series) and 2 Sunday nights ago he (Chip) encouraged everyone to do without TV for 10 days. (We decided to do a week instead of 10 days b/c our group meets every week) Part of the lesson came from Romans 12: 1-2

"I urge you brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will."

The key in this is take off the old, be transformed & be renewed. So in order to transform our minds for a week, we had to take out all the bad stuff... news, tv programs, wasteful & mindless activity during the week... and fill it with good stuff... spending more time in God's word & being together as a family.

I must admit, I was a little nervous at first. I'm not so much a TV watcher but Corby definitely is. I thought I would be hard, but it wasn't. At all. I honestly didn't miss the TV or my regular shows in the least. The kids even did great with it. We have a lot going on during the week anyway so it's usually not a temptation for the kids to turn on the TV in the afternoons or evenings. I thought the weekend might be a problem and it turned out great. We spent more time with the kids, I spent more time in the afternoons reading my Bible and we got a lot more done around the house. When Sunday rolled around the TV came back on, Carter said he wanted to do it for another week...shows me that he liked it as well. This past week made me much more aware of how I spend my time. I've found myself last night at 8:30 with the TV still off and no urge to turn it on. Granted, I probably should give up the computer for a week instead of TV...that would be much more of a challenge for me.

I encourage you to give it a try. You will be surprised at how easy it really is.

Becoming a Deacon

This year Corby had the honor of being voted onto the Deacon board at our church. We have been serving at our church in many different ways but it's an honor to be able to serve the church in such a capacity as this. On March 28 of this year he had his Deacon Ordination service. This was a very special time for us. I was fortunate to be a part of the ordination as well. I stood behind him and each of the deacon's came up and prayed with us. His brothers were also able to come and pray over us. It was an emotional time for me... in a good way...to feel such an outpouring of love. What a blessing to have these men come and pray over you and your family.








This is Corby with our Pastor as he presented him with a book about the Deacon ministry.

Ahhhh.... spring at last!

Kensley loves her friend John Michael. They are so cute together. This morning while we were playing outside they discovered how to blow dandelions. Regardless of the fact that I have sneezed & been stuffy for a good month now, I still love spring. The green grass, trees & flowers blooming. It's beautiful!