Thanksgiving Treats

This year we spent thanksgiving day with Stephen's family, it was a lot of fun!  David just LOVES to play with his "uncles"!   I was asked to bring some pies, so I thought I would create a photographic journey of our thanksgiving pies, i'm sure no one will really care about this besides me, but I took the pictures, so now they get blogged!

Getting every thing together so we can begin!

All my fruit for pies and cranberry relish!

Ingredients & Utensils ready to go!

Eggs - yes I know, store eggs :-(

Starting on those pies . . .

First pie crust in the pan!

Rolling out my pie dough

Apple Pie!  A Thanksgiving must have!

What would I do without my apple peeler/corer/slicer?

mmmm . . . apples ready for the pie

Ready for the top crust

And into the oven we go!

Davids pie  . . . 

David just loves to help me in the kitchen!

I gave him his own pie dough and  some sugar along with a little bowl . . .

And, what do you know, here is his "pie"!

Getting Started on another Thanksgiving classic  . . . PUMPKIN!

My recipe called for a 29oz can of pumpkin, but mine was all nicely frozen in 2cup bags - so out comes the scale! 

Just in case any one wants to know, 29oz is about 3cups of pumpkin!

Lunch Break!

Then out of the oven comes the Apple pie!

And in goes the pumpkin pie!

Crusts ready to be filled!

Pumpkin pie filling

And into the oven we go!

This pie recipe had a really yummy topping with it, I had never made a pumpkin pie quite like this before but thought i would give it a try, my husband says it's the BEST pumpkin pie EVER, so I guess the recipe is a keeper!

Mixing up the topping 

Aaaaaaaaaaaaah! Dishes!

The one thing I hate about baking!

And the Pumpkin pie comes out of the oven!

Now on to the Cranberry Relish - a delicious Fresh recipe from a friend . . . 

Once again my little helper!  He thought the cranberries were balls!  And was pretty sad once they were all chopped up.

This Relish was sooo easy, and had no sugar!

But was amazingly good! Yum! Yum!

Last, but by no means least!  The Mocha Fudge Pie . . .

Yes! It really did have Coffee in it!

Finished product!

What David looked like after "helping" me with the Mocha Fudge Pie!

The Finished Product!

Finished up just in time to make some Chicken for dinner!

Oh! And Scotty wanted his picture on here too! :-)

So that was our day!  Wew!  A lot of work but well worth it!  I give all of you who actually had to prepare the thanksgiving meal a BIG round of applause!  Four pies and a salad wore me out.   I meant to take pictures at the actually Thanksgiving day meal too, but even though I brought my camera I was so busy enjoying myself relaxing and chatting with relatives I never even took it out!  oh' well.  I'm sure no one wants to see any more pictures any way!

Count Your Blessings

As Thanksgiving is fast approaching I have been thinking about all the wonderful gifts God has bestowed upon me.  Honestly, some might not think we had a whole lot to be thankful for at first glance. In many ways this has not been an easy year, physically, emotionality, or financially.    But God has been there every step of the way and HE has provided!

In March Our sweet little Scott decided to join our family 8weeks early

 

Although we were more than happy to have Scotty join our family, his subsequent 21 day stay in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit was a very emotionally and financially stressful time. But God brought us through.  And not only did we add a wonderful, sweet, happy little boy to our family; but God taught us so much about trusting him.  God showed me so many ways I had not been trusting and relying on my wonderful husband.  I realized more than every before just how  blessed  I was in this Man I call mine :-)

As the summer went on and merged into fall Stephen quite his job, and just when we were beginning to think he wouldn't find another one, wala, God provided!

We have a warm comfortable home, always good nutritious food, good clothes, amazing fiends and family, a sweet church family and so much more . . . we have CHRIST.  We have the hope of eternal life.  We have two precious, eternal souls entrusted to our care . . . Thank you LORD.  We are Blessed.  Let us NEVER EVER forget it!!!!

Look at my now strong healthy little men -

look at my beautiful family . . .

What more could I want?  What more could I need?

Count your Blessings and have a Blessed Thanksgiving!

We have had a busy month!  I just can't even believe it's November already!  How time moves.  The boys are growing fast, and well.  At times they are such a challenge and then other times it's pure joy!  Even in the midst of crabby disobedient children, messy houses, and hard decisions God gives grace and reminds me that he is LORD and he is ALWAYS in control.

At the beginning of October Stephen quit his job with Aflac.  It had been really slow, and he had had issues with other people in the company, we both really felt it was time for him to move on.  He had just started working part time Managing a local Snap fitness, which he really enjoyed, and was hoping to find a job quickly that would mesh with his Snap job.  But God's timing was different than ours!   Although a he had an offer of employment it didn't pay what our family required and we felt it was not what God had for Stephen at this time.  October was hard!  Stephen was working only about 3hours per day and we have bills that have to be paid regardless of if we have money or not!  But God was faithful!  From a friend calling Stephen up and offering him a week long construction job, to a friend hiring me to photograph his wedding, some how we always had the money required when the bills came due.    

Then this last Monday we once again reached a crisis point.  Stephen's job with Snap was about to end (on Thursday, Today)  And he was waiting on a call back from a job interview, but it had been nearly two weeks and we were beginning to think they had decided against hiring him.  Monday night the men at Stephen's Bible Study lifted him and his job situation up to the Lord in prayer, we had been praying about it for a month, but this was the first time we had asked other Christians to pray as well.  Then on Tuesday as Stephen was showering before leaving to work at Snap he began to pray that BCR would call and give him an answer one way or the other.  I was washing dishes in the Kitchen and heard Stephen's cell phone ring, I thought, "Lord, please let that be BCR"  but didn't go to look.  When Stephen came down from the shower I told him he had missed a call, and low and behold it was not only BCR but they were calling to hire him!  He as able to start part time the very next day, and full time the following Monday!!!

Oh' but what a God we serve!

Thank you, thank you, thank you LORD!

Brothers

Today Stephen helped me take a few pictures of the boys.  I can't believe how big they are getting!  And how incredibly hard it can be to get two energetic little boys to both look in the same direction, smile at the same time, and look half way decent to boot!   So here are my boys!

Five Generations

Last month we drove down to Iowa and met Stephen's Parents, Grandma, and Great Grandma so we could get a 5 generation photo!

Fall - 2010

I just love this time of year!  All the pretty leaves falling, the crisp air, the bountiful fall harvest!  This weather gives me the itch to bake pumpkin pies and apple muffins, not to mention cooking up a yummy pot of soup!

 David and i made maple pecan cookies on Monday, there were amazing!  I know this because I left 3 dozen home for Stephen and his Bible study guys and they finished them off before Stephen even had a chance to try one! (of course David and I sampled some before hand - yum,yum!)

I love fall baking! I need to get some pumpkins so we can make pies and muffins and bread, all those yummy pumpkin things you have to make in the fall!  

My tomatos are still going strong, although it seems more and more of them are dropping off the vine before they are completely ripe.  So i've been setting them on my window sill to ripen, yum, yum! And they look so pretty and festive too.

The boys love being outside this time of year.  Yesterday David and I raked some leaves while Scott was taking his afternoon nap, our trees sure produce an abundance of foliage!  David was so cute, he knew just what leaves were for - jumping in!  He has been having a lot of fun with his aunts and uncles raking leaves and jumping in them and he defiantly remembers. :-)  

David and Scott, both, also just love playing in the back yard on the swing set/slide that Grandma and Grandpa Jorgensen gave the boys.

David would go up and down that slide all day long if I let him.  And Scott loves sitting in the baby swing.  It's just too adorable watching David try to push Scott! Of course he usually just ends up getting bonked in the head, but they both love it.  Scott can't keep his eyes off David, even when David is sitting on him, or trying to poke his eyes out he just grins and grins at his big brother!

Yes it's a wonderful time of year!

Happy or Content

Sometimes during the day, when the kids are screaming, there are piles of dishes and laundry, Stephen hasn't been home on time in what seems like weeks, and i'm not sure I'll ever have the chance to sleep again I just want to quit.  Some times it seem so overwhelming, so impossible to accomplish everything I need to accomplish, so impossible to be every thing I'm supposed to be.  And I wonder when do I get time for ME?

But then i remember it's not about me.  It's about two little boys, eternal souls, that have been given to my charge and training.  Its about a hardworking, self sacrificing man who goes to work every day (even when he doesn't want to) to provided for ME and those little boys.  And most importantly its about God and where he has me, right where he wants me.  I can be discontent, always wishing i'm somewhere else, in a different situation, or a different phase of life, but this is where God has me right now.  So THIS is where I need to be content.

Happiness is a nice thing.  But not what God promises or calls us to.  Being Content on the other hand is our duty as Christians.  In my definition contentment is really quit simple: Being willing to be where you are without wishing you were some place else.  


This is not a strength of mine.  But in God's grace and with his strength I can and will strive to be content.  The funny thing?!?!?!?  When i'm content then and only then am I every happy!

David - Mamma's little Man

Being a mother is such a joy and a pleasure!  Each of my boys is a wonderful treasure.  My first born can be a hand full.  He is very stubborn and has a vast amount of energy!  In fact at times it seems he never stops, he just go's and go's!  

But he has such a sweet tender heart too.

Every morning the first thing he says when he gets out of bed is "where's Scotty?"  Even though it can be frustrating to me when he go's looking for his little brother and subsequently wakes him from his nap, still I have to stop and consider how sweet that he wants to play with his brother!

The other day Scott was laying on the living room floor crying as I was trying to get out bed made, I was very stressed out as both boys had been very fussy that day and Stephen was working late so help was no where in site, suddenly Scott stopped crying and i turn around as I hear David saying, "I 'elp Scotty" there is David sitting next to his baby brother holding his hand and patting him!  What a treasure!

Every time we start to get ready to leave the house, David has two missions - one to find his shoes, and the other to make sure we don't forget to bring Scott along!

My Man

My man . . .

The man i married, the father of my children and the love of my life . . . every day i stand in awe of him.  He gets up early every morning to go and do a thankless job all day long.  He puts in long, often stressful, hours of work; constantly stepping out of his comfort zone, and for what?  So he can put a roof over our head and give his wife money to buy things she really doesn't "need" but oh' so badly wants.  Every day he sacrifices himself for his family.  He is overworked and vastly underpaid . . . but does he complain?  No, he just keeps plugging away.  Loving his wife and boys in the most amazing and selfless way.  He is amazing at what he does, a strong, confident salesman with a great personality and strong character.  He is all man, and yet so sweet and caring when it comes to his wife and boys.

He is a great athlete and (at least in MY eyes) the strongest hunk of a man you'll find around these parts, and the most devoted of fathers! There is nothing sweeter than seeing him working on the car with David (my he is a handy man!) or gently rocking Scott so I can have a break, I couldn't find a better daddy for my boys.   He is the love of my life and the reason I  do what I do during the day.  Honestly I can't imagine life without him, God knew exactly what he was doing when he brought us together!  I'm so blessed to have a strong respectful man for a husband and best friend!  I'm so happy every day to see his passion for the Lord and the countless ways he sacrifices himself for us!  He is the head of our family, and yet he never used his position to "lord" over me, or force his way . . . instead he is a wonderful picture of the Love and Sacrifice of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  I know I don't say "thank You" near enough, and all to often I take him and all he does for granted.  I don't praise him as often as I should around other people and I'm all to quick to point out his (few) faults.  So here is my tribute, as insufficient as it maybe.  Thank you baby for all you do and are for me and our boys!  May they grow up to be men JUST like their daddy!

We thank you Stephen and Love you with all our hearts! 

Lydia, David & Scott

Perspective

Some times when I read other people's blogs I start to get discouraged.  I have nothing to write about, nothing life shattering or world changing ever happens at our house.  Every "upset" is really pretty small and inconsequential in comparison to what other people go through and even if I had something Amazing (or horrible) to write about who would read this blog thingy any way?

And then I just stop my self . . .


I am blessed.

I am living the most wonderful life of adventure.  On this life long journey I get to travel with the love of my life.  Piles of dishes and mountains of laundry may not seem important but every task, no mater how mundane can be important, for it is not the task that gages the importance of a moment but the actions they produce.

Screaming children and happy husbands.  It may not be the world i'm influencing or changing but surely what I do all day, every day, is impacting the lives of three amazing and important men.

Influence.  If that's what I want, than that's what I have.  Every day I have the opportunity to guide David as he grows into the man he will be, to teach Scott about the love of a family, and to provide my husband with the joy of a well kept home and respectful loving wife.

How many women have no husband to love?  No children to hold?  No Savior to turn to in their need?

How many mothers don't have a spouse they can trust?  Children who love them?  Family that supports them?

Adventure is a mater of perspective.  Mine has been skewed.  Forgive me Lord.  My my life ever be built around living the adventure you have set before me!

The Blessing of Family

This last weekend we had the opportunity to visit Stephen's grandmother.  As I sat watching her on the floor playing "animals" with David I was struck by the privilege  we have of  giving David a chance to know his great-grandmother!  Family is so important, we learn so much from each generation, every person regardless of their age or "position" in the family has something to offer, something we can learn.

I think it's so sad that people lock away their parents and grandparents when they get to old to be "useful" these people gave so much of their time, money and energy to raise and shape us into the people we are today, and how do we thank them?  Put them away in some dingy nursing home and forget about them.  Oh' I suppose we might visit them a couple times a year so as to ease our guilty conscious.  

But why?  Ok, so maybe they need a little help, maybe it's inconvenient, or even costly to care for elderly relatives, but does that give us the right to ignore their need and pass it on to someone else?

I hope for the opportunity for a long time yet to come for my boys to be able to learn and enjoy their great-grandparents, we are also planning a trip for later this summer to go visit Stephen's great-grandmother - that would be David and Scott's great-great-grandmother!  

May we bless her with our presence and may she pass onto us some of her wisdom and life experience!!!!!

Lets Color!