It's Hubby's Birthday Today!!!!!!!!

Well, thank you God for allowing me to see another day and..... for allowing my hubby to see another birthday.  He didn't want much for his special day but he did request a red velvet birthday cake.  So, here is what i baked for him:

We just cut a slice and it is absolutely out of this world delicious!  We have a few other things planned today as well.  I'll make him a special dinner and spend some quality time as a family.  That's all for now...

~blessings to you

Rainy Day in NC...

Well, thank God for another day!  We awakened to rain and cloudy skies this morning  but praise God for safe travels to and from my children's school.  The kids have all had slight colds and low grade fevers over here off and on over the past few days so we were unable to attend church.  We wanted to keep them indoors as much as possible so that they could recover.  While indoors, i managed to cook up a spread for dinner last night.  I made smothered pork chops over white rice with mac n cheese, green beans, corn bread and sweet tea.  Hubby was in heaven.  I haven't made pork chops in about 2 years and they are one of his favs! I also made a quick dessert... Apple Fritters with Cinnamon Powdered Sugar!  Here are the pics but i'll post the recipe when i get a moment on the cooking page :0

Guess i'll spend the rest of the day cleaning and reading with my daughter.  I'll probably make meatloaf for dinner tonight so i'll post pics of that tomorrow :)

~blessings to you

Just plain tired...

Thank you God for another day.... today, i'm just plain tired and i really am not in the mood to write much.  I just wanted to stop in and at least write something... Perhaps i'll come back at a later time and write a bit more.  In the meantime... here is a pic or two that i took with my daughters today :)

 

~blessings to you~

Sorry i've been MIA...

The more I think about it, the more I believe it... there really isn't enough time in the day for me to get done everything I need to get done.  Whew!!!  Hold on, let me back up... Thank You God for allowing me to see another day!  Thank you for keeping me in my right mind!  Thank you for my life, health and strength.  Forgive me for taking the simple/small things in life for granted (food, shelter, clothing, breath, common sense, peace, joy and etc...).  God I know that without you my life would truly be nonexistent!  Thank you for being my sustainer, my rock, my strong tower, my savior... my BEST FRIEND!!! I love you more than I can say :)

Ok, now I can proceed.  I've learned that you MUST give God honor, thanks and praise before doing anything else.  He is just soooo worthy and HE loves it when we praise HIS name!!!  This past week has been a bit hectic with all of the snow, school cancellations, family, personal problems and such.  Today my oldest daughter is at home sick with a fever and my youngest is trying her best to leave her alone so that she can get her rest :).  We have been blessed because this is the first time she has missed school this year.  We believe God for her healing!  In the meantime, i'm playing nurse/mommy today.  I count it all joy! 

As for my cooking, hair & sports things are looking up.  My latest dishes include garlic & herb chicken, apple cinnamon pecan bread, a few pasta dishes and one of my new faves, Island Mango Peach Tea!  Heavenly!  In my hair world i've been busy making more hair videos.  In fact i've made 2 this past week.  I am currently still in the editing phase of them but i hope to have them posted in the coming month.  In my sports world, the Australian Open Tennis Major is currently taking place.  I am a HUGE tennis fan and so far all of my faves are still alive heading into round 3.  I'll share more about that on my sports page.

All in all, life is good and I should never have a complaint as long as God continues to give me breath.  I will do my best to stay current with my blog posts and at least try to get on here and thank God for who he is in my life.  Be on the lookout for a new hair video... maybe even a food video (i've been thinking about doing one), more recipes with pics, sports and inspiration updates. 

~blessings to you~

Snowing in NC... again!

So, this morning i woke up to get the kids off to school and noticed our neighborhood was a winter wonderland.  Absolutely beautiful!  Looks like we got about 4-6inches.  Of course, the kids were ecstatic about not having school but even more thrilled to play in the snow.  After getting more rest for 2 hours or so, i made breakfast for the family... Sausage and Ham Omelettes with green peppers, onions and shreaded cheese.... a side of grits and toast sealed the deal.  Oh yeah, and a deliciously warm cup of freshly brewed coffee (dunkin donuts brand).  Hubby and the kids were in heaven.  Here's a pic of his plate:

After our hearty breakfast we went out and shoveled the snow from our sidewalk and driveway.  Here's a pic of the winter wonderland i awakened to earlier this morning:

The kids are now outside clearing the snow off of the trampoline since we are supposed to get some sleet tonight with freezing temps... yikes.  I'm guessing their may be a school delay tomorrow or maybe another cancellation.  The kids would be thrilled.  Well, time to make them some hot chocolate for now.  I'll do my best to enjoy this wonderful day but i'll be sure to pray for those without shelter, food and clothing especially on a wintery day like today.

~Blessings to you

Post Holiday Meal :)

Praise God for another day!!!!  It's been a while since i last blogged.... i've been so busy lately with life.  Anywho, i'm alive and blessed and that's more than enough for me.  Today starts the NFL playoff weekend!  Woohoo!!!  Hubby originally wanted to cook some football food (wings, meatballs, chips, salsa and etc...) but as we started making out the grocery list we decided to cook something a bit more hearty.  So, our football food turned into a post holiday meal that will consist of Turkey, Dressing, Mac & Cheese, Yams, Cabbage, Gravy, Homemade Bread (made by my friend in Wisconsin... she shipped it to me and it arrived yesterday).... and to top this meal off i baked an Appa Dappa Cake (an apple cake with extra goodness.... recipe from my Godmother Alice) with vanilla ice cream. YUM!!!! As I type, the Turkey is baking away in the oven, the cake is already done, the mac & cheese and dressing have both been prepared and are awaiting the oven, the yams and the cabbage are next to go in the pot! I can't wait!  Of course i'll post pictures and include the recipes and such on my cooking page for your enjoyment. 

Well, the remainder of our day will be spent home cooking and eating... lounging on the couch watching football.  I did manage to wash and detangle my hair today :).  Guess i'll style it tonight in preparation for church tomorrow.  I think i may make a hair video of it to post on youtube in the coming days.  We'll see.  Enjoy your Saturday and i'll hopefully post some food pics this weekend. 

Radical Faith!!!

Praise God for another day!  My day began at 6:27am... packing lunches for the kids, making breakfast, ironing clothes, driving the kids to school, a little house cleaning and some inspirational time with God.  This morning my kids were praying and they asked God to help me to become the woman he wants me to be ~ wow!  As i began to think about that my mind went back to the message preached this past Sunday, "Radical Faith!!" (1 Samuel 1:1-11).  You can read more about this by clicking on my "Inspiration" tab.  In short, this is  what i'm striving for.  I want the type of faith that asks God for things that people typically wouldn’t ask God for and believing that God can do it (no matter what the circumstances look like).  It's time for me to wake up to who I am and allow God to refocus my thinking! Look out world :)

So, after pondering over what to cook for dinner last night i came up with Spicy Chili over Pasta (penne & rigatoni) with a side of corn bread.  It was sooo delish and we have left overs which makes for a wonderful meal for lunch today :).  Here is a picture of the dish:

I'll post the ingredients and directions to creating this delicious meal on my "cooking from the heart" page hopefully later today or tomorrow for you to enjoy.  Well, it's time for me to do a little more cleaning and spend a little educational time with my 3yr old before lunch. 
~blessings to you~

Slowly adding more things...

Thank God for blessing me to see another day!!!! So far, so good.... the kids are at school (2 out of 3) hubby is at work and i am spending quality time at home with my 3 yr old.  I'm learning how to add more things to my blog so i look forward to updating regularly.  I tried a new recipe yesterday (banana pineapple bread) that was given to me by a great friend of mine.  It is sooo delicious.  Take a look at my "cooking" tab and you'll pics and the recipe that i just added today.  Enjoy!  I'm pondering what i should make for dinner tonight.... stay tuned for an update and possibly pics and a recipe of whatever dish i might make.... God Bless!

Just getting started...

It's 2011!!!!  Yay!  I'm so blessed to see a new year!  I have great anticipation about all of the wonderful things this year will bring. 

Well, i can't believe i finally decided to get things started with this blog.  For so long i've wanted to share my love for cooking, parenting, hair care, tips and etc... and now i have a platform that allows me to do so.  Welcome to my blog, my life and things i'm passionate about.  Feel free to comment, share and motivate me to do and be more :).  Thanks for stopping by.