material things

Why is it that we put so much stock in material things? i know i do. i WAS having a great day the sun is out, it's fifty degrees, its just so refreshing after a ton of snow days, but then the unthinkable happened, my phone died. suddenly my day turned sour. i was on my last stop of my errands (car was salt free on the outside and goldfish/ old fries free on the inside, of course i stopped at target since i was in town and no one melted down or peed their pants), the post office, and of course my 2 1/2 year old was not listening you know the kind of naughty where you get huffs and dirty looks from the more senior folks in line waiting for the only window open even though there are four, the baby had just fallen asleep as we were pulling in to park so i had to wake him and he was a little sad (ok so he was crying in the stroller), five minuets before i would have let all of that roll off my back but NOW it all affected me. really laina? a phone and suddenly the world is on my shoulders. it just got me thinking were are my priorities? what value do i place on things? a ton and they are worth nothing! my sweet  innocent children learn more from example rather than direction, what is it exactly that i'm teaching them? then as i was driving home i heard this is the stuff by francesca battistelli on the radio (i hear You and thank You sometimes i need just a little reminder that it's all bigger than just me and my junk)

I lost my keys in the great unknown
And call me please 'Cuz I can't find my phone

This is the stuff that drives me crazy
This is the stuff that's getting to me lately
In the middle of my little mess
I forget how big I'm blessed
This is the stuff that gets under my skin
But I gotta trust You know exactly what You're doing
It might not be what I would choose
But this is the stuff You use

45 in a 35
Sirens and fines while I'm running behind
Whoa

This is the stuff that drives me crazy
This is the stuff that's getting to me lately
In the middle of my little mess
I forget how big I'm blessed
This is the stuff that gets under my skin
But I gotta trust You know exactly what You're doing
It might not be what I would choose
But this is the stuff You use

So break me of impatience
Conquer my frustrations
I've got a new appreciation
It's not the end of the world
Oh Oh Oh

This is the stuff that drives me crazy
This is the stuff
Someone save me
In the middle of my little mess
I forget how big I'm blessed
This is the stuff that gets under my skin
And I've gotta trust You know exactly what You're doing
It might not be what I would choose
But this is the stuff You use

Oh Oh Oh Oh
This is the stuff You use

• 
  

Baked Oatmeal

For as long as I can remember my mother fed me oatmeal, and I hated it! I fought her tooth and nail but she kept feeding me that slimy, warm, slop. Please don't get me wrong I love my mother and she is a VERY healthy eater so she had good intention when she MADE me eat it. She was actually really smart cold cereal costs a lot more and four kids can go through it like crazy, ask me how I know?? Now that I'm a big girl I've learned the health benefits of it and so I've tried to make it several different ways, nothing has compared to baking it. It was amazing! It tastes like a warm oatmeal cookie and banana bread SO good!

                                                           BAKED OATMEAL

Ingredients:
1 1/2 c old fashioned rolled oats
1/2 c brown sugar
1t cinnamon
1t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1/2 c milk
1/4 c melted butter (ok so not healthy but every things better with butter)
1 lg egg 
1/2 t vanilla
1 banana sliced (dude if you don't like nana then just leave it out)


preheat oven to 350 degrees 

                                        wisk oats, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt


in a seperate bowl mix milk, butter, egg, and vanilla


mix wet ingredients into dry, this is where I added the banana


pour mixture into a pie plate sprayed with non stick spray, and smooth out 

bake for 20-25 min, or until golden brown.

 let cool 10 min

ENJOY!!!! Oh my goodness is it good!

even the hubs is asking for me to make it again, and he usually, always likes what i make but rarely asks for it again partly because he calls me the "board chef"always making something new.

In a funk

I used to live in a town where I had some of the most amazing friends, all going though the same things, we all had kids the same ages, went to the same church, and dressed kinda the same way. I'm not saying that we were clones of each other it's just that we were very close and had a LOT in common. Well almost two years ago I moved, ok so most of us moved, but I miss my friends very much. I've not found any of those types of friends yet, you know the kind that will hang out and drink coffee while your kids destroy the house and stay until dinner because time has just flown by.  Ok so I've met a couple of very nice girls and we've had some fun times, but I really miss my buds and I'm in a funk.

So what did my lonely little self do? I sought the one Guy who could help, not my husband, but God! I spent a little time in the Bible, not something that I've done a lot of lately in fact my faith is not nearly as strong as it should be. I doubt Him and I yell at Him and act like a spoiled brat but I know he hears me and loves me all the same. Thank goodness for grace because this little lady could not save herself  if it were up to me I'd surly be a goner.  during my searching I found myself in psalms, David's words are quite convicting, given all that he went through my time of missing doesn't seem so bad.

"I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord."
Psalm 40:1-3

waiting on God isn't easy, not that he said it would be. God lifted David out of his despair, set his feet on a rock and put a song of praise in his mouth. Sometimes we have to go though a time in the wilderness to truly understand the blessing we receive. I still miss my dear friends but knowing that he will lift me out of my "slimy pit" helps.

what's a girl to do

This is my go to snack when I Need sweet and salty. I try not to keep a lot of junk in the house because at 8pm I get jonesing (that word is ment for some one who needs a drug fix but I kinda think its fitting in this instance) for something bad, and this concoction is both satisfying and yummy!

P.B. (notice the reduced fat so it's even healthier), chocolate chips, and pretzel rods

add a dolop of P.B. to your chips

give it a quick mix

nuke it for 10-20 seconds and stir (not all of the chips will be melted but once you start mixing they will

It's a little piece of heaven, ok so I do hope that the Glory of God will out shine my worldly view of what is amazing when I get there, but I do think we are ment to enjoy the small things. Hey they are blessings, right?

The gang

A little scared

So this is it after about a year of reading every kind of blog out there and loving all of them I've decided to start my own. A place for me to come to share about everything I love, food, family, faith, exercise, and anything pretty. My sweet husband has said blogs are a online journal of sorts and when I was in high school I had to write in my journal everyday it was so relieving to put my thoughts on paper I loved to read and write then, now on the other hand my life has gotten really busy and both of those things have gone to the bottom of the list. So back to somewhere in the middle they go. I'm a terrible speller, hate gramer and have the attention span of a three year old so one day if anyone becomes a "follower" they will have to put up with me and my little quirks, as annoying as that can be for some.
Today the weather is gloomy and gray but I feel very blessed by the sound of happy children playing nicely(for the moment),the heater blowing hot comforting air, AND of course coffee. I never grew up drinking it my mother didn't consume the dark delicious stuff that I'm so addicted to, but over the course of having four children I've become a HUGE fan. Really how does one live when there is another snow day and the kids are sick of being home? a cup of coffee and I'm ready to go on to face another load of laundry or break up a fight over wether the clone trooper is batman or darth vader.....


See what I mean? My brain is a little random!