Decorating for holidays

I love love love decorating for holidays no matter how big CHRISTMAS or small St. Paddy's day(shhh don't tell my Irish mom I just said that) but you get the idea. I have this  two several Holiday bins that are so fun to go through each year from bathroom towels to flowers to books. YIPPPEEEE!
This year when pulling out my Christmas decorations I found that I wanted simple to be my theme this year. Not only because the boys are still young and like to play 100% boy games in my house but because I have found that it just makes it so much simpler to enjoy.

notice the Christmas tree in the FRONT window(took some convincing the hubs that that bookshelf needed to move for 1 month)

So with that all said I have a few things this year that are different and just make me smile. My sweet Rhonda is not going to decorate this year since she will be home playing the role of "Mrs. Clause to Belton" with her mom and dad for a few weeks. Because of this decorating strike I have received several of her awesome decorations: outside prelit trees- 2 wreaths-outside mat and a fun spotlight that actually makes it look pretty despite my fear of it drawing attention to the fact that our front door needs painted. Thanks Rhonda
My new Pinterest love also led to some festive decorations this year:

Wreath in front of the mirror
&
Fun Winter flowers in a mason jar(I like to call it country chic)

Then there will always be my tried and TRUE favs of all time:
The white ceramic Christmas lit tree on my dining room table made by my Aunt Berna(same maker of the worlds largest pumpkin)

Willow Tree Nativity-new addition
Americana ornaments

New England Ornaments(Nantucket lighthouse)
Silver Bells with the boys birthdays and first Christmas year front and center
Baby ornament to remind of the 2 babies that we will one day meet in Heaven
Home made ornaments-especially from Jordan's childhood! Kudos to the fab mother in law for saving these! I love to see just how both the boys favor their daddy at different ages...and in case you are wondering IT IS ALOT!
Both boys had so much fun helping this year even if I had to go behind them and take all the skates and snowflakes off the bottom branches.
I also have a box that has a handwritten note on it from my grandmother circa 1983 that has crocheted snowflakes 3 different patterns-crocheted ice skates and hand made candycanes! This by far might be my MOST valuable decorations because of all the love that went into them. They make a great filler and knowing that my siblings have the same decorations on their trees makes me smile and feel closer to them during these next few weeks. I try to keep the memories alive with the boys as we take things out I have marked boxes and wrapping with who things are from and what year that way we can talk about family and friends that bless us each year.
Would love to hear what some of your favorite decorations are and why?

Do you know these Parents??

So have I said I LOVE my new job! Well I do! I have learned so much and had so much opportunities in the past few months in the world of Adult and Leadership development at our church and I love it! During this time I have had alot of time go through material that leaders are using in our Life Groups and Life Journey classes. One of the books is the faithful parent by Martha Peace & Stuart Scott. Jason has referenced this book often in counseling and in the Proverbial Parenting Life Journey class that has met the last 12 weeks on Wednesday evenings. I am still a mom in progress...I learn something NEW everyday things I wish I had done or done better...or things I wished I never did or said. Below are some examples of parenting styles that I can relate to sometimes..YUCK--LORD please mold me into your image so my children see YOU!

The Proud Parent

A proud parent takes first prize in the category of provoking children. They will not admit when they are wrong.

The Despairing Parent

The Despairing parent is one who feels sorry for himself. Often he or she plays vain regrets over and over in the mind.

The Controlling/Angry Parent

The controlling/angry parent provokes their children too. These parents are overly authoritarian. They use angry words and harsh/ugly tone of voice to bully their children instead of lovingly leads them.

The “Guess what the Rules are Today?” Parent

Next there is the guess what the rules are today? parent. For the child, the rules and the consequences often change. There may be too many rules for anyone to keep up with, or they can just be unenforced or enforced only sporadically.

The Exaggerating Parent

These parents think and talk in terms of “always, never, everyone, a million times.”

The “Must Be Perfect” Parent

The must be perfect parent promotes a standard that is impossible to meet. This is driven by the parent’s own pride.

The “Fear of What my Child and Others Might Think” Parent

Another category of the provoking parent is the fear of what my child and others might think parent. This can paralyze parents from making appropriate decisions.

The Submissive/Easily Manipulated Parent

The submissive/easily manipulated parent actually encourages and teaches the child to sinfully persist in getting his way, because often the parent will foolishly give in.

The “Why Can’t you be Like Your Brother?” Parent

-There is not a child on the planet who upon hearing the “Why can’t you be more like your brother/sister” does not at least momentarily in his heart go the way of Cain.



The “Let me Live the Life I’ve Always Wanted through You” Parent

Sometimes the parents have a dream for the child. This is the Let me live the life I’ve always wanted through you parent. What interests the child is secondary to what the parents have their hearts set on.

The “Hands-off and Let the Child Decide” Parent

The let me live the life I’ve always wanted to live through you parent is too hands-on. Conversely, the hands-off and let the child decide parent is too uninvolved. These parents rarely if ever discipline or instruct their child.

The Tradition-or-Culture-Driven Parent

The tradition or culture driven parent elevates family tradition to the level of a command of God. While it is alright to have cultural and family traditions, its not all right to elevate them to the level of Scripture as the Pharisees did(Mat. 15:9)

The Omniscient/Presumptuous Parent

The omniscient/presumptuous parent thinks he knows what his children are thinking. These parents judge motives and assume the worst.

The “If Love Is There, It Is a Secret” Parent

This may be shocking to some of you, but it is possible for parents not to love their children. When parents are selfish, impatient, unkind, impatient, unkind, self-absorbed, cold, and aloof, they really may only love themselves.

The “Preoccupied by So Many Things” Parent

The preoccupied by so many things parent does love his children, but is overly busy. These parents may be doing lots of good things, but there is little time for the children.

Come Drink Coffee with me

Catalyst 2011 Video (60 Seconds) from Land of a Thousand Hills Coffee on Vimeo.

16 yrs ago

Its hard to beleive that almost 16 years ago I was interviewing for live in Nanny jobs in Boston. What a weird time! Sometimes I look back and still can't beleive that was me.Another post for a nother time!
 When I met the Bertelson family Lisa( the mom) was still pregnant with Abby. We chatted and talked about life- I saw their home(ummm HUGE) and looked at the nursery. We then went into the kitchen where the most wonderful smell was waiting for us to have lunch. It was the recipe below and I beleive it was the real reason I "chose" them!! Lisa and Bob are wonderful in the kitchen and I learned alot about cooking, grilling and crockpotting from them. I learned to eat MORE fish and all sorts of Mexican HOT and spicy dishes(which included peppers of all sorts from the Santa Fe School of Cooking) YES they ordered their peppers and had them shipped in! - We ate Jack-O-Latern soup(SOOOOOOOOOO FUN) on Halloween and never let the weather(shoveling off the desk right around the grill) stop us from a great grilled hamburger or steak. I just have such wonderful memories of cooking and learning from them about food and wine. Every Fall when I bust out my favorite recipes this soup is always among them. Its hearty and full of LOVE! It makes me miss all of them so much. I hope you try it! It is ALOT of prep but so worth it- enough for a few families to share--

Italian Sausage & Cheese Tortellini Soup

6 servings

1 lb of sweet Italian sausage (casing removed)

1 cup of chopped onion

2 large garlic cloves, sliced

5 cups of beef stock(low sodium)

2 cups chopped tomatoes(about 3/4 lb fresh or 1 ½ 14 oz can)

1 8 oz can tomato sauce

1 large zucchini sliced into strips

1 large carrot thinly sliced

1 medium green bell pepper diced

½ cup dry red wine(or dark cooking wine)

2 tlbs dried basil

2 tlbs dried oregano

9 oz package of fresh cheese tortellini

freshly grated parmesan cheese



sauté sausage over medium/high heat until cooked through, crumbling with the back of the spoon, about 10 mins using slotted spoon transfer sausage to a large bowl. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon drippings from pan.



Add onion, garlic to pan and sauté until translucent about 5 mins. (low fat version may need olive oil)

Return sausage to pan. Add stock, tomatoes, tomato sauce, veggies and wine, basil and oregano. Simmer until veggies are tender about 40 minutes.

Add tortellini to soup and cook until tender, about 8 minutes. Season to taste with s&p. Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Serve with crusty bread.

Wisdom for Moms

I have a few favorite blogs that I read each week. Most of them are for recipes simply because if you knew anything about me you would know that I want to be a chef in an Italian countryside restaurant.(side note..HA) A few blogs about home life/marriage and the rest about motherhood. My favorite most encouraging is MOB SOCIETY! It is so encouraging to moms but most especially to those of boys. I find the content to be applicable to my life. The writers are made up of MOB of all walks of life. I appreciate the views from all sides of the table on parenting always keeping CHRIST in the center. The link mentioned above is a recent post on Wisdom for moms. Talking about how to keep our thoughts and desires for our children Christ centered. WE get so caught up in the parenting books and all the hype of what society says about raising our kids. Seek GOD first...DUHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH( i love saying duh again....its fun try it on your kids and tell me the reaction you get).
We pray daily that we are doing the right thing but often fall into the trap of comparing and seeing what everyone else says......we just need to be reminded to keep focused. I love that even in sports we are surrounded by Christian examples for our boys..in coaches and parents. PRAISE THE LORD. This morning when I watched a VLOG on what we want for our boys it said to surround your selves with Godly examples let your boys(or girls) see you living it out! I love that I have family and friends involved in so many different ministries: adoption,homeless and poverty,missions domestic and international,growing kids God's way and sports ministries. Surrounding our children with God's expectations and not the world's is showing them how we want to live out the best advice we could ever give them....GOD's word!