Feel free to judge

Another fun chapter....

Meet Blakely Jo, our new house guest on Mondays and Wednesdays

We practiced sharing, talking nice to each other, read 

some books, ate some snacks and frankly had a great time.

I feel grateful for the opportunity to learn from and watch another 

tender heart. I think the experience is going to be great for all of us.

Man, I love pigtails....... 

Okay, so here is where you are free to judge:

As I said, Blakely joined us to day and I was nervous for some reason that 

she wouldn't like us or her and Fin wouldn't get along or she'd hate sleeping at our house. 

NOT THE CASE...of course not, the whole thing was arranged by the good Lord- he had it covered. 

So, 3 kids today and 2 dogs. 

I was able to feed and give naps to all 3 kiddos, prep dinner, have snacks, get down and play 

with them. Vacuum the kitchen and living room and wash 3 loads of laundry. 

Billy had a fishing tournament tonight, so he had to be fed and gone by 6. 

Then, I bathed and got both kids to bed after he left. 

SO, off I headed for another HOT shower by the light of a good smelling candle

...does the first one count if it was at 5:30 this morning?

Applied a face mask, decided to eat the last serving...and a 1/2....of ice cream 

right out of the tub with the biggest spoon I have (sorry mom) 

and play for a bit on the computer. I think I'll leave a dirty kitchen for 

tomorrow, make my bed w/the clean sheets out of the dryer and do a bit of crafting 

and have the light off by 10!! 

Dear Father, 

Thank you for fishing tournament nights, 

perfect arrangements (made by you), hot showers (man that's a good one!!), 

video monitors, good music, silence and new chapters. 

I am so grateful for our freedom and blessings!!! 

Amen.

Lots to say about Ups and Downs..

Well, I feel like I survived a small war. 

So, Tuesday evening I realized I was getting a clogged duct (sorry if that's TMI)

At the same time I realized that I didn't feel well...dizzy, headache, terrible body aches and 

frankly like poo!!! Went to bed "early" with a heating pad....had to get up all night with 

both kids and fought it all the next day. Almost 24 hours later, felt WAY better!! Woke up...100%

Anyhow...this is the fun meal I made before the war began...

Made a pot of navy beans- boiled w/garlic, a jalapeno and graded some tomatoes so that 

I only got the center goodness. Also cooked with a thyme bundle...thought I'd share that 

if you tie string around it and leave it over the pot, it makes for easy stem and string removal

Good beans, grilled asparagus and acorn squash go well with an easy bought 

rotisserie chicken if I do say so myself!! 

Because I felt like a terrible mom during the war, I thought Fin needed any outing. 

She's been battling this sleep protesting (she's loosing by the way) and as we found out Thursday morning she also has a UTI!! Poor thing. 

So, before the dr apt I had packed a lunch, we swung by saw papa, snatched nana 

and headed to the splash park!! She hated to leave...it was a great break. Cool breeze. 

This is what we had for dinner Thursday...

salad and a potato & leek quiche

(pulled the quiche from the freezer...it was given to me my my wonderful mother for a night such as this) 

Today our A/C starting acting up, so we are having someone 

come look at it- he can't come until Sunday morning. 

At least the weather is nicer than it has been!!

Tonight for dinner: Brussels sprouts, jalapeno sausage, onions and potatoes...

sorry no picture...I was TOO hungry!!  

So, tonight Lord, 

I thank you for making our bodies able to recover on their own sometimes, 

and when they can't giving doctors the knowledge to help us get over it, 

freezer meals, amazing family, fat cheeks, good nap times and fans!! 

Amen

Adventures in mommy-land

These last few weeks have presented new challenges that my mommy skills were not prepared for!! There are simple things that put it all into perspective and that remind me that it WILL all be okay, it is worth it, she's not dying and that despite her behavior, I am doing a good job! 

Finley discovered a love for bubbles in her bath this week, 

chasing them from one end of the tub to the other; 

she scooped, splashed and laughed at them..

She received a letter in the mail from her built in best friend, Collin...

She shares her cheese crackers..

and just about anything else she has with just about anyone that shows interest. 

That makes my heart happy.

Thank you Lord for rainy nights, cool days, good friends, 

early bedtimes, avocados, hot showers and young tender hearts. 

Thank you for allowing me to be a mommy and wife..

I am reminded to value it for many reasons. 

Amen. 

Stepping back and looking...

Well, we're making progress here on Bedale. Finley has been protesting the process of going to sleep, which is strange because she has put herself to sleep since she was about 5 months. The fit throwing has reduced a bit every day. We've been trying to be extra loving....and I've been bribing her with stickers...

Today I moved all my frozen milk to the outside refrigerator...it's really adding up!! Yea for free milk!!

Nothing healthy about last night's dinner: hoagies, beans and Mac n' cheese...but it sure was yummy! Tonight (no picture) was ravioli and red sauce w sautéed zucchini.
I went on " vacation" tonight....Walmart w no kids....yup, that was me singing out loud w my head phones on....

Chicken dinner

Saturday Night Company....

My husband is a full blown grilling man!! 

He makes hands down the best chicken and steak on the grill I've ever had!

We had company for Billy G's famous chicken thighs, cheesy squash and zucchini (from our garden), cast iron sweet potatoes and canned green beans from the Gravette Grown Ranch (my parents) 

The good thing about having grilled chicken on Saturday....Chicken nachos on Sunday!!! 

New adventure...

Well, why not add one more thing to this crazy world in live in at One Bedale cir.. 

Today I enter the world of blogging.

This space hopes to be full of life, food and fun

These are my little people, my job, my life....they bring me to my craziest points of the day and then bring me back to reality and then to some of the happiest places I ever been!! 

Billy and I did good!! 

Tonight we had pan fried bass (caught by Billy and my dad) with what I call confetti rice: brown rice, sauteed onion, carrot, bell pepper, squash, corn cut from a cob and sweet peas. We also had steamed broccoli...

I say good night to this day....for now, depending on Liam ;)