New Year and Easton news

I can't believe this year is already over! What a whirlwind it has been! This time last year I was engaged, less than 3 months from our wedding and in a total wedding planning frenzy. IN the next 6 weeks I would have a couple of wedding showers thrown for me, make a bunch of quick trips to San Angelo for Pictures, dress fittings, last minute details at the wedding location. It was fun but I was stressed. In March we were married, in a beautiful wedding ceremony, surrounded by the most important people in our lives, then whisked away to a lovely week in the mountains to do nothing but unwind. Now 9 months later I am 25 weeks pregnant with our first child, and instead of being totally overwhelmed with wedding planning, we are totally overwhelmed with baby and family planning! I never thought we'd be here now, but we are and we are so incredibly blessed!

Speaking of baby, we have decided on a name and he will be Easton Landry Ellis. We just fell in love with the name, a good strong name that flows well. It doesnt necessarily mean anything but we love the flow of it. And it doesn't hurt that we believe this makes total sense, you know, since he will more than likely be the starting pitcher for the Texas Rangers some day ;)

Things are going well with the pregnancy. We have had a couple of hiccups, but now that we're getting used to a few things I feel like I can tell the world. Our precious boy has a cleft lip/palate that has been confirmed in three ultrasounds. We are seeing a perinatologist and a genetic counselor who are helping us set up appointments at Cooks Childrens hospital in Fort Worth  as well as offering support and advising us on what steps to take. For those who do not know, a cleft lip/palate is not something that is that uncommon. 1/700 babies will have it in the US and there is no clear reason as to why. Its "multi-factoral" and is a mixture of genetic predisposition and environment among other things. We may never know what caused it, but we know it is there and we are receiving very good care, advice and support from our medical teams and our families. It is so common that the genetic counselor told us at any given time they are treating at least 2-3 mothers with a cleft babies at a time and had just seen one earlier the morning of our first appt with her. It helps to know that we're not alone.
Easton also has a bright spot on his heart we are keeping a watch on. Our Doctors do not seem overly concerned with this since there are no other signs or symptoms of any sort of syndrome, but we are having a fetal echo done by a fetal heart specialist early February just to get a better look. This is also something that we have found is not terribly uncommon and could end up being nothing to worry about at all. But we are definitely being very cautious and praying hard about this as well. Structurally his heart is perfect and his heart beat is always perfect.
Our medical team seems to think the cleft lip/palate is an isolated event and there should be no other issues. It also appears as though the cleft is just on one side, which can make feeding and correcting less complicated.
Easton is growing right on track with where he should be, actually he always seems to measure a few days ahead of where we are, he is a big boy and he is VERY active. I can feel him kicking and moving quite frequently now, and lets just say he loves his icecream (just like his Daddy). The best thing about the cleft is we get to see him more often with more ultra sounds, and it is always reassuring to watch him wiggling and squirming, even if I can feel him, seeing his sweet little hands and feet and face always warm my heart.

Luke and I are doing well. We were surprised in the beginning and I'd be lying if I didnt tell you I cried a few times about it. We know that things will come a little harder for a while, feeding and such. I hate the fact that Easton will have to have surgery so early in his life. But we are confident in the teams we are going with to help us out medically and emotionally, we know that we are strong and can be strong for our little miracle and most importantly we have more love for Easton than I ever dreamed it was possible. We have a wonderful support system and no matter what is thrown our way, God is watching and listening.
We talked and decided it would help us out to document our journey, and some day we can show Easton how loved he was and is, and tell him all about his journey!

We are so thankful for modern medicine and technology that is allowing us to begin to prepare for what is to come. We have heard from a lot of people "I never had sonograms" and "I think they do too many ultrasounds these days". Well, we have them for a reason, and one of those reasons is so that we can find issues before he is born and we can prepare for them. Because of these ultrasounds we can have a prenatal consultation with the craniofacial/pediatric team who will work on Easton in Fort Worth. Because of these tests we will be able to not only medically and financiall prepare but also emotionally prepare for some of the trials that will come. We can set up meetings with people who can help us with feeding, help us get the resources we may need, and just offer support. I thank God for the inventions of Medical technology.

So looks like 2012 has a lot in store for us, and I say bring it on! :) We are ready and with support of family and friends and GOD we can handle anything!
Besides how can we not be optimistic when we got a Thumbs Up from Easton just last week!

Christmas season Blessings

Christmas is upon us and I’ve been stressing about money and how will we be able to buy this present or that….and suddenly this week I feel like God shook me and told me to get a grip, stop feeling sorry for yourself and look at your life!

WOW! He is right. I am far more blessed than I deserve. Sometimes I think we have to come down to reality and take a good long hard look at our lives. What I call a bad month money wise would be a dream for so many. When I think I have nothing to wear, I have WAY more clothes than SO many and when I think we have nothing to eat in the house, well how spoiled am I to say that? I have a pantry full of food while so many go hungry.

Who cares if we can’t spend the amount of $ we think we should be able to? Is that REALLY what we should be concerned about? NO! Why do we worry about this? Because someone might be disappointed that their Christmas gift didn’t cost much? Well I’ve learned some lessons in the last few weeks, there are a LOT More important things going on in my world to be concerned about how much I spend on that gift or how much you spent on mine. How incredibly selfish and awful are we to really care? What happened to “it’s the thought that counts”? If I put effort into thinking about something to give you as a gift, that represents the love I have for you, the respect I have for you, a Christmas gift symbolizing the gifts received by THE KING from the wisemen. Why does money value matter? It shouldn’t.

This Christmas I am so incredibly happy and blessed. My life is wonderful. There are so many things to Thank God for, so many things I tend to forget or look past and then I become selfish and think I deserve more, when in reality I don’t deserve what I have!

I have an amazing husband, who loves me unconditionally, who stands by me and works hard, and whom I love more than I ever thought possible.

I have a miracle growing inside of me. I am MAKING a human life. Part me, part Luke, all God and all Love. He will be our pride and joy and Nothing makes me happier than to envision our future.

I was raised by the most wonderful parents. They love and support me unconditionally. They continue to always be my rock and my sounding board. They are the reason I am who I am.

I have a brother and sister whom I feel are my best friends, they can make me laugh and love and protect me unlike any other.

I have extended family that is so wonderful, who I know and am able to communicate with.

We have a roof over our head, with heat and a/c. A kitchen to make meals, a comfortable warm bed to sleep in at night, a closet full of clothes and shoes, a washing machine so that I do not hav eto wear those clothes dirty, a kitchen full of food and clean water to drink.

I have a job that helps provide for my family, and health insurance that ensures I get the best health care.

We have our sweet Alli, our fur baby, who loves us and is ALWAYS happy to see us, no matter how long we’ve been gone or how much she thinks she’s mistreated.

We are blessed to have vehicles to get us where we need to go safely.

I am surrounded by wonderful people, angels, that I call friends. People who are honest with me, love me, listen to me, support me and make me smile. People I can cry with and laugh with. A few people in this massive world who actually understand me and what I go through. And who I hope I am as good to, as they are to me.

I live in a country where I am allowed to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, vote, live how I wish.

This just scratches the surface….but after the last few weeks that we have had, I needed to write them down. I am so blessed. These things are gifts from God and how dare I be so selfish to think that I am worthy of even more than this?

Thank you God for all of these things and the millions of  other blessings I haven’t mentioned.

Merry Christmas everyone!
Count your blessings and remember the TRUE reason we celebrate!

Our precious little miracel! Easton Landry

Counting my blessings 2011 day 2

Today I am counting 5 more blessings in my life.

1. Im so blessed to always have HIM, my God, to talk to and comfort me
2. Im blessed to have good, caring friendships
3. We are blessed to have even a LITTLE rain this morning
4. Im so blessed to have a sweater to keep me warm
5. Im so blessed to have the ability to work

counting my blessings

So amongst all the craziness going on around us, we tend to forget just how incredibly blessed we are. Thinking about this today made me think I should really count my blessings! So I have decided to share 5 blessings every day! Maybe you can share too and we can all open each others eyes to all the blessings around us every day and focus more on the positive, all the Wonderful things God hass given us, instead of the negativity.

Sometimes I think we need to help each other out when it comes to counting the countless blessings...I might realize a blessing you havent thought of! SO 5 every day I will share :)

1. My husband, Luke.



2. This tiny miracle growing in my belly.



3. My amazing parents, and all they taught and continue to teach me.



4. Alli, our furbaby.



5. The fact that we're employed.



Have you counted your blessings today?



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Mi Vida Loca

Life is CrAzY right now! I confess, I haven’t been the best friend, daughter or sister lately….I’m completely absorbed in what is going on right here in my little cubicle of the world!

I found Out I am pregnant just before I started this new job, and I didn’t even get to my first Dr appointment until a few weeks after I started my new job, so I was panicked about insurance for a while. We have SO much going on, even if it looks like we do nothing. We live in this little apartment that we’re going to have to do a total and complete overhaul on to make room for baby. Which means I’m probably going to have a lot of things for sale soon. Not to mention I’m pretty much a hormonal nightmare part of the time and absolutely exhausted all of the time. Neither of us have slept very good lately so that has added to the moodiness.

When I get home at night we eat dinner and go to bed pretty much, I don’t even take my phone out of my purse half the time.

SO to those I’ve neglected, I’m sorry…hopefully this ridiculous exhaustion is on its way out! People keep saying around 13-14 weeks the energy comes back! Im banking on that!

Don’t get me wrong here, I’m not complaining! J Just explaining!

I go back to the doctor next week for a NT scan and check up. We’re hoping my blood pressure stays low, I have been monitoring it at home and work and it has been right at what it should be. So that is good news!

Also in pregnancy updates I am hungry ALL THE TIME and seriously think I’m going to pass out if I don’t eat every 2-3 hours…it’s a bit ridiculous! BUT whatever baby needs, right? So I have all kinds of dried fruits & trail mix at work to munch on to try and keep the hunger at bay. Haha other than that I’ve not had any morning sickness, and besides being exhausted I’ve felt pretty good! I’m almost out of that first trimester! I’ll update after next week’s appointment.

These days it’s pretty hard for me to cook, Lukes cooked a few times and we’ve eaten a lot of subway & McAlisters! J The thought of touching raw meat these days gags me….and heating up the house is a huge turn off too…but Im in the process of making a menu that doesn’t require a lot of meat, or things that Luke can maybe handle the meat for me, so hopefully our eating will get back on track soon!

In other news the new job is going well. It’s pretty slow moving, this is a whole new department in this organization and so the transition has been pretty slow but I have a feeling it will be picking up pretty soon, then it will be pretty busy and days will fly by! I told them about the pregnancy and received nothing but positive responses so we’re definitely relieved about that!

These days we’re just so thankful for everything we’ve been blessed with! Patient family & friends and each other. We really are very very lucky, I realize how much worse things could be, and makes me truly appreciate every little blessing! God has definitely been good to us!

We would appreciate your prayers for a healthy pregnancy!

Big Update

Well we have BIG news to share on this update.

WE'RE PREGNANT! That's right! found out for sure on July 31, 2011 that we're expecting a baby!
Last week on Sept 9, 2011 we went to our first OB appointment and got to see our perfect little angel for the first time! I am almost 10 weeks now, due April 11, 2012....Baby's heartbeat is good and strong, he/she was moving around and we could see its little arm buds waving around! I had no idea they moved that much this early!
My blood pressure is high, so we're slightly concerned about that. We're going to monitor it, and hopefully get it under control. I am going to try and cut my salt and caffeine intake down and walk more often and maybe that will help. We're praying for a very healthy pregnancy.
I've had a ton of blood work done and some more was done this morning. I go in for an EKG soon just to check and make sure my heart is functioning properly and there is nothing going on that we're unaware of. More of a precaution than anything else.

Otherwise we're very very excited and just thrilled to be sharing the news with the world! Its going to be a crazy next few months but we're excited for it!

MOving on...

Finally I can announce my new changes! As of August 12 I will no longer be employed by my current employer, and on August 15 I join a new company and a new job opportunity!
We are so excited, God opened this door for me and for our family. This is a great opportunity for me to make more money, have much better benefits, and hopefully really enjoy my job! Not to mention I have some long time friends at this new company that I will have the opportunity to work with again!
My current employer got me out of a bind almost 3 years ago when I was unemployed and unhappy, but it is time to move on....when you lose interest in your job, are no longer happy in your chair, and have a hard time finding positive things to say about your job it is time to leave.
And so a new door has been opened, Im walking through happily!

We are so blessed and are so looking forward to our future!!

Sloppy Jo cups

OMG these are SO good!! Made these tonight with ranch style beans, corn and fruit salad!!

‎1 lb ground beef


1can manwich (or if you make your own sauce thats good too)

i package buttery biscuts

Grated cheddar cheese



...spray regular size muffin tin with Pam

spread biscuts in each muffin tin cup so that the dough comes up the sides



brown ground beef add sloppy jo mix heat



spoon into the biscuts, sprinkle cheese on top of each cup and bake for about 1/2 an hour (until the dough is browned)



(fyi i used my Ninja and grated up some carrots and mushrooms so that they woul have some kind of nutritional value haha!)

yummy new recipe!

So last night we went grocery shopping, and while we did that i Had some boneless chicken breasts thawing at home.

I was looking in the refrigerator trying to think of what to do with the chicken and I saw a container of un opened Chipotle ranch dip from HEB (Texas only grocery store, but I am going to give you some dip recipe's if you dont have an HEB)

So All I did was sprinkle a little garlic powder ont he chicken, and then totally cover the breasts in the chipotle ranch dip and bake for about 40 minutes. omg YUM!

Im a dummy and didnt take pictures, but it was fantastic, Luke LOVED it!!

Here is a recipe for chipotle ranch dip...

1 1/2 cups ranch dressing


2 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce (from 7-oz can), drained

Put all in a blender and mox until smooth
 
Also, Marie's (a salad dressing brand) has a chipotle ranch dressing!
 

Now to accompany this yummy chicken I made cheesy squash & Zuchini! SO EASY an dso yum!

You need one yellow squash and one zucchini.

about 2 cups of either shredded shard cheddar or colby cheeses

1/2 cup of parmesean

Garlic powder

pepper

couple of cups of chicken broth

Bring the broth to a boil and then boil the sliced squash and zuchini about 4 minutes, then drain VERY well.

layer in a pie plate in the following order



Zucchini/squash

garlic/pepper

parmesean

shredded cheese

repeat and let the shredded cheese be the top layer and bake about 5 minutes then turn broiler on and broil until the cheese starts to crisp!

YUM!

What Im Lovin'!

Jamie over at this kind of love does a "What Im lovin' wednesday" blog....its not wednesday, but I think its a fun idea!

So here is what Im lovin' THURSDAY :)

I'm loving that so many Mobley's came together over the weekend to visit! Mamah would have been so proud!

Im lovin' these home decor items!!

Im lovin' this little dress ( i bought it in an orangy-peach color) for $14! at Walmart to wear to my father in law's wedding next month with a little sweater over it!

Im LOVIN' thie Zesty bean & Cheese dip!

And of course I'm always lovin' my husband and our God centered, wonderful marriage!



Making memories

I take pictures. Most group gatherings my camera is on hand. And when its a particularly momentus event (in my mind anyway) I will put my bossy pants on and order everyone to stand as a group, smile, and snap some pictures.
Does this annoy you? Maybe. DO you hate having your picture taken? Okay. But here is my theory.
You know what one of my favorite things to do has always been? I love to look through mom and dads photo albums. I loved looking through my Grandmothers albums. Someday your kids, and my kids and our grandchildres will have lots of pictures to look through, and I am so thankful for that! I lile to document my memories with a picture.
So the next time we're in a group setting, and I start telling everyone to get in certain groups and take a picture and you think I'm getting out of hand or overboard. You can do everyone a favor and leave. Because I'm not going to stop, and I dont care how annoying you think it is. And I dont care if you hate having your picture made, and I dont care if you think Im going overboard, or if you think I am bossy. I am no photographer by any means, never claimed to be, but I like to take pictures of those I love and Im going to continue to do so.
My project right now is to make prints of all the memories I have documented and put them in albums.
I can't wait to have a book shelf full of them to look through!

Family Reunion 2011

THis past weekend we trekked to Inks Lake State Park in Burnet Texas for the Mobley family reunion! It is a beautiful lake!
First night there everyone got together at the pavillion and ate hot dogs and visited.
Same night, Brian got a ticket for not having a parking permit and we all (Brian, Lynn, Dad, Luke and I) got verbal warnings for public display of alcohol...in the dark, at night in the bed of the truck...UGH anyway...it was a good night...even though Luk and I got about 2 hours of sleep!
Saturday EVERYONE came out, we played in the water, ate a lot of awesome Mobley BBQ and visited...even went out in the boat a time or two!
Here are some pictures of the weekend! I love the Mobley family! Hopefully next year, COLORADO!

The three Mobley Brothers!

The whole clan! We had a few that snuck off and I think that was on purpose! But all but 3 in one picture is a good one, I think!

 Michael and Marshall

Luke & Brian's turn!

 Cooling off!

This is something like a 4th cousin...she was SO CUTE, McKenna

 Wyatt watching the ducks!

 Sitting around visiting

BEAutiful sunset over the Lake!

I am so blessed

In order to keep my mind in a positive light, stop thinking about the negativity, and try not to let OTHERS make me negative, I decided it was important to list out all the things I am blessed with. I’ve done this before….but in a moment of “down time” when irritations, aggravations and some negativity are beginning to eat away at me I know this is what I need to do to bring myself out of it.


Maybe you can make your lists too and share them with others, and me, and we can help each other out?

These are in no order other than just how it pops into my head. The list may be missing some things…I can always add to it….



My life’s blessings:



My wonderful, sweet, loving, caring husband

My amazing unconditional loving, giving parents

A brother and sister who make me laugh and who, even with our age difference, can hang out with and be friends

I have a small group of amazing friends. Not even a group really, most have only met once or twice, but all of the individuals are amazing and wonderful and I love them all dearly.

I’m blessed to have a roof over my head

Our sweet girl Alli! Nothing can make you smile like walking through the door and a furry face comes running, wagging her little stub tail and SO happy to see you!

I am blessed to have a job in which I receive a paycheck every other week

I am blessed to live in the United States of America

I am blessed with awesome extended family, who love and support me…and I them

I am so blessed to live near my immediate family

I have a car that runs and am able to drive it

I can see, hear, feel, run, walk, talk and jump

I am able to work

I am able to block negativity, and try to keep it from ruining who I am

I know God

I know that other peoples opinions of me should not matter…the only true judgement that matters is God’s

I can laugh

I am intelligent

I have an education

We have running water

Money to go to the grocery store to keep our pantry full

Electricity for the AC/Heater and lights

I can read

My husband’s family who has welcomed me

I have visited many neat places with family and friends

We got to have a lovely wedding exactly the way we wanted it

I’m thankful for quiet nights at home with my husband

Changes that are coming our way

I’m blessed with at least a little common sense

I have the ability to watch other people and learn from them.

Im blessed to really know how blessed I am

Im thankful to have people to vent my frustrations out to

Im blessed to know what Love is and how to show it

Change is a comin....

Change is coming. I can’t talk about what that change is just yet, but it is coming and Im so so excited! God has proven to me that if you are patient, pray, have faith and just wait it out, good things will happen. God is listening. As my mother told me yesterday “I guess they went further than the ceiling.”




(By the way, No I am not pregnant! ….I knew that question was next! And NO Im not)






There are a LOT of changes happening around us, some of which I’m not sure what to think about. Mainly I have to remember, we all do, that as adults we have the right to make our own choices and our own decisions and those of us who are spectators just have to let it happen. But sometimes we as adults do not see the detriment we have caused on others. People do not see, that by their own selfishness, their inability to look at a situation from another perspective, their own need for something that they themselves can’t even identify has, in reality, affected other people and those affects are life long lasting. Sometimes we have to think about how our own actions have affected those around us. Look at our families and ask ourselves WHY they are the way they are, all it takes is opening our eyes and ears, and stop the selfishness.






Moving on to better topics! This is the last weekend before a few busy but fun weekends coming up! Next week we go to Inks Lake for the Mobley Reunion! Im really excited about this, its going to be a blast! Then the 24th is My sweet friend Prescilla’s baby shower that Im throwing, then the next weekend its my BIRTHDAY! Then the next weekend is my BFF’s sons bday then the NEXT weekend is my Dads birthday!  Busy and fun fun!






Im so thankful to God that he has blessed us tremendously! Sometimes we do not see the blessings like we should, but He is so wonderful and gracious and we have such a rich life because of Him.


Luke and I are truly proof that God is in control, and he is listening!






Happy weekend friends!

Summer fun!

Summer is in full swing and we've had a good time and its been busy! My only regret so far is I have not documented enough of our happenings on film!! BUT i have a few events! :) and more on my camera that I have yet to take off!!

This is just a picture of Luke and I before we went to Summer Mummers in June! SO much fun!!

MOm and Dad got a pool this summer so we've spent some time floating and splashing around!

Michael turned 11 on June 27! Look at those cupcakes! YUMM-O!

 Luke enjoyed his cupcake!!

 On July 3 we went to San Angelo to the San Angelo POPS concert and fireworks! Really neat event and a LOT of people....The firework show was quite impressive too! (Luke liked the cannon fire :) )

(In this picture you can see a distint color difference in my neck and face lol! My spray tan still lingers on my neck and thats about it!)

I have a few candid photos from July 4th at my parents as well but I havent taken them off my camera yet! We went to My parents house, the whole family was there and we played in the pool then ate hot dogs & Dads "Pickle dogs" and homemade peach icecream!

YUM!

happenings...

Well I thought I’d give a little update one the Ellis household! We’re doing pretty darn good! God has really been so good to us!


We signed another lease on our apartment this past weekend, where as we’d LOVE to be in a house, it’s just not feasible for us right now and we do not want to settle with a piece of crap house just to be in one, so we decided to stay in the apartment another 11 months, yes we signed an 11 month lease, weird, I Know. Best part about that is, yes, rent was raised, but not beyond what we could afford therefore we’re still able to live in this large apartment!

We had a garage sale recently and got rid of SO MUCH stuff! Soon, hopefully, the second bedroom will become a BEDROOM and we wont have to keep that door shut and hope people don’t ask “whats in there” haha!

June begins the non-stop bbq-ing, eating out, homemade ice cream making, family gatherings in the Mobley family. Starting with Father’s Day it is literally non-stop for a few months. This last weekend was my sisters 23rd wedding anniversary, my Parents 46th wedding anniversary and today is my nephews 11th birthday! Next week Im going to have a girls night with my BFF, then Luke and I are off to see his Dad on Sunday and then Monday we have July 4th! July 15th begins the Mobley family reunion at Inks Lake in Central Texas, and then July 24th Im hosting a very large baby shower for my sweet friend Priscilla, then July 30 is MY birthday, THe first wkened in August is my BFF's sons birthday and then Aug 12 is my Dads bday!!

Whew! Maybe Im just going to take a long nap on my birthday! 



Things are good, and busy, and we’re just thankful to have this blessed life together and be able to share it with so many wonderful people!



I’ll post pics of the previously mentioned events later! Happy Monday to all my readers….(do I have any readers? Haha!)

Positive vs. negative

So Im sitting here coming down off of a lovely weekend with family, counting my blessings, we really are incredibly blessed in so many ways. This got me thinking about all the negative things that can blur your vision, cloud and muddy up our sight so that we don't SEE the blessings we've been given. THere are lots of things that do this, but most of all, we do it to ourselves, and we let other people do it to us.
There are SO many beautiful, wonderful, positive things in our lives, in all of our lives, but often times we dont see them.
Why?
Well in my life a big reason I dont see these beautiful things as often as I should, is because of the negativity and naysayers Im surrounded by. What is it with these people who make you feel bad, low, stupid etc...? Why do they feel the need to constantly be a negative influence in others lives? Are they jealous? Unhappy? purely evil?
Im naturally a pretty positive person, I'm pretty good at seeing the light at the end of a painful tunnel, seeing the good side to situations and to people...but if I am surrounded by negativity it is bound to wear off on me and sometimes, it does.
I really am tired of the constant complaining, putting down and bashing that I hear on a daily basis. Im tired of feeling like Im beneath someone else because of my job title or where I live etc....(just generalizations, not necessarily specific examples)...I only have to prove aything to GOD, Only his judgement matters. Those who are of real importance in my life, those who really know me and love me do not judge me.
This is the internal monologue I have going on in my head most of the day, "dont listen to them, they're opinions do not matter" over and over.
And I truly believe that....what I do no understand is what is their motive? WE all have these people in our lives. What motive do they have? What kind of sick pleasure do they get by being a negative force in others lives? How is it possible to get off on someone elses pain that you've caused?
Hmm...I guess thats one of the questions I'll never have the answer to. But for now, I am so blessed, GOD has been incredibly good to me.
I have Luke, I have an amazing family and the best friends, I have a job, a roof over my head, a dog who loves unconditionally, I am intelligent, I am able bodied, Im capable of things even I am unaware, and I have a GOD who loves me and wants the best for me.
So Im trying, consciously TRYING to be that positive force...not let that negativity get to me, or bring me down.

Enchiladas and Papas--Katie style!

I like to experiement with food...sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesnt....well tonight it DID, and I wish I would have taken pictures to make this blog a lot more interesting...but alas, I did not...so here are my recipes.

First let me just say that I do not measure, I never follow a recipe (unless IM baking, I do use measuring tools for baking...therefore i dont bake very often...) SO there will be a lot of "pinch of this", "fist full of this"....they're just generalizations, if you have to have a set rcipe....my recipes are probably not for you :) Oh, also, this is just what I have on hand....lots of substitutions can be made...in fact I think I'll probably use shredded chicken in the enchiladas next time...also the veggies in the enchiladas are what i had too, and they're veggie Luke likes (besides the onion but I didnt put many in and cute them up really small)

Enchiladas:

Ground turkey
1 can green enchilada sauce -Mild
1 small can chopped green chilis
1/2 yellow onion
1 small zucchini
1 small yellow squash
Low Carb flour tortillas (6-8)
Shredded mexican blend cheeses

brown the meat and add the chopped onions, zucchini and squash until tender.
Add in 1/2 can of the green chilis....if you like spice then add the whole can (Lukes not a big fan of spice so I just added enough for the flavor) and stir in, then pour about 1/4 of the can of enchilada sauce in to the meat/veggie mix.
Spray a baking dish with cooking spray, and I always coat the bottom of the pan with a tiny bit of the enchilada sauce.
Take a flour tortilla (you can use corn tortillas too, make sure they're warm enough that they're flexible and will not break) put meat mixture down the middle, add a few fingers full of shredded cheese, roll up and place seam side down in the pan. continue until you either run outta room or out of mixture. THen sprinkle a fist full of cheese over the enchiladas (At this point I had extra meat mixture so I pour that  over the enchiladas at this point too) THen pour the rest of the can of sauce over them, finish it off with more shredded cheese and bake in over at 350 for about 20 minutes until its all melty and bubbly.


Papas

6-8 red potatoes
shredded cheese
sour cream
butter
1 can rotel tomatoes drained
salt & pepper

Rinse the potatoes then nuke them in a microwave safe plate until tender (I had 6 for 11 minutes, perfect)
whent they're soft thake them out and smash them up with the butter (about 2 spoons full), sour cream and salt and pepper, once mixed well add a fist full of shredded cheese. mix well then add about 1/2 the can of rotel (drained). I used 6 potatoes, and didnt want the them to be TOO tomato-y do I used a little over 1/3 of the can...

Mix all together and TADA! Mexican Papas!

I served this with corn & watermelon!

Well Luke LOVED this and it will definately be something I make again!

Things I do not understand...

So I can be pretty naive sometimes...sheltered maybe....I live in my little bubble, life is happy here, Im a good person, I try to surround myself with good things, and ultimately I AM a happy person....but there are things that just baffle me, things that, though I am an intelligent human being and I think I've got a good dose of common sense that I do not understand....

How do two people just suddenly STOP being friends....you know someone for 15 years or more, one day your friends, and then before you know it, it's been months since you have heard from that person. And even then it was YOU who contacted them. What makes a person just STOP contacting a person whom they've deemed they're good friend?
I know people drift apart, but over night?
I'll just throw this out there, if you call me your best friend, you will call me occasionally, and answer when I call you. Otherwise....dont call me anything. :)

How on earth do people NOT believe in God? What is your purpose for living if you have no Faith in Heaven and Hell and working to do good to spend eternity with Our Saviour? What gets you out of bed int he morning? WHY do you work, have friendships and relationships? What would be the purpose? And how do youexplain everyday occurances that I attribute to Gods blessings? When you have noone and nothing, do you pray? Who do you talk to? There is absolutely no logic in this at all. God is real, he's alive, and I see his glory everyday, I can't wrap my mind around the torture it must be, to live a life with out that faith.

OKay that is all for now....just a couple of things I have rattling around in my head this morning, wanted to get them down on paper...

Now Im going to curl up on the couch, ont his sunday afternoon, watch a movie with my husband and think about what to make for dinner (Enchiladas and Papas I think...I'll post a recipe after i make them!!)

Carlsbad trip

I remembered that I posted in my last post that I would put up pictures from our little road trip to Carlsbad Caverns....and I for got to....so here they are!
 :)

This is the entrance into the Main Cavern! :)

And this is the path leading into the main entrance! You think you're not in TOO bad of shape till you walk straight down for a while and your calves start to hurt haha! we had to stop and rest at one point...sad!

Us at the Visitor Center--we did not buy ANY tourist-y crap!

Som random Alien statues in Whites City...I assume because Calrsbad is in NM they think they have a connection to Roswell where aliens are "supposed" to be....I dunno...either way here LUke is with his friends :)

New Week, New Start, New Hope!

I am starting this week off with a positive attitude and full of hope!

(This is a picture I took in California years ago, but thought it appropriate when talking about hope :) Its beautiful!)





Today Luke begins his new venture towards a career. I am so proud of him! He has taken a leap and risked his comfort zone to go into something he knows nothing about, excited for an opportunity to learn something new, and he’s done it for our family and our future. What an amazing man he is!

(Just a new picture of Luke & I win our wedding attire :) a fun one!)

Im feeling pretty good today too! Things are just going so well for us. We’re so blessed. We are not at all deserving of what we have but we’re so grateful.


2 weekends ago I went on a last minute trip to San Angelo to go see Cirque De Symphonie with my BFF! (Miss Kendall Ka') we had a great time. Sometimes we just need a few hours of girl time to just hang out! We went to dinner and drank REALLY big margaritas (Lobersteritas actually) and I think they had a lot more sugar in them then tequila...but they were yumm!!
THen we went to the show, how fun was that! We thought this would save us money so that next time we go to Vegas we wont feel the need to see Cirque De Sole...WWWRRROOONNNGG...it was just an appetizer, so now we HAVE to see them! ha! We had a lot of fun though! Yay for girls nights!

Just a few pics...

(Me and Kendall on my wedding day. One of my favorite pics ever of us!)

(Lobersterita!)

 

This past weekend we went to Carlsbad Caverns! I just love it there! But I definitely know we need to start walking regularly ha! Out of shape much? Yep…


It was a nice little getaway though! It’s nice to just get away from everyone and everything for a few hours occasionally!

(I"ll post pictures later...they're still in my camera and I havent uploaded them yet!)



Yesterday was Mother’s Day and we were reminded how incredibly blessed we are to have such wonderful mothers.


We had Brunch with my family and then we all went to Andrews and put new flowers out at our Grandparents gravesite. IT was a good day. Luke was able to talk to his mother a couple of times. What amazing women we’re surrounded by, our mothers, Grandmothers, sisters, aunts, friends…All so selfless and caring and loving. We wouldn’t be who we are now had it not been for these wonderful women.


God Bless them!

(Luke with his Mom and Sister)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
(Me with my mom and sister)