2 Year Wedding Anniversary

6 years ago, fed up with my horrible taste in men I decided to stop trying to force mess to look like gold. I focused on school and work. I prayed and prayed and prayed. In a fit ( don't try to act like you've never been frustrated and foolishly thought of blaming God...I've already asked for forgiveness) I challenged God. I said, "My taste in men is absolutely horrible. I can't find anyone who wants to take me seriously; someone who wants to treat me the way my Daddy said a good man would treat me. If you can do better....send me one." When I worked at the local hospital we used to have these sessions in the morning called Huddles. After I muttered that wack prayer to God, I looked across the room and there was Cordero. He had a head full of beautiful black hair and the most gorgeous eyes I'd ever seen in my life. I had seen him before, but I had never SEEN him. He was a quiet storm. So calm. So reserved. So gentle. And when he opened his mouth and spoke to me I knew God had answered my prayer immediately. He's been my best friend. The best mirror, the best partner, and my greatest supporter. Happy Anniversary King!

God shole is funny. Isn't He?

-Originally Posted February 15, 2015

Did You Know that True Love Asks for Nothing???

I believe our souls are so intertwined that in a past life we were one person. Before I can complete a thought you say it aloud. Before I have the opportunity to cry out you're right behind me with you arms open. This has been an amazing and terrifying year of firsts, but I'm glad I got to spend it as your wife. I will never remember the minute details of our wedding day, but I will always remember reciting my vows through tears. I remember vividly what I felt and what I still feel when I say them. I'm so grateful I get to live out my vows with my best friend. Happy 1 year Anniversary! I will love you "until the day that you are me and I am you."

Originally Posted February 15, 2014

On Postpartum Depression...

Flashback to December 2013... Addi and me. I remember thinking to myself these babies are so beautiful they can't possibly belong to me. I was put to sleep for my delivery and the first words I remember whispering were, "aren't my babies beautiful?" Addi has needed so much of my cuddle time from the beginning. She's needed so much from me emotionally. I've been praying for patience for years, but God has decided to teach it to me through this child. I don't have many pictures of Roe and I together in the hospital because she wasn't doing too well. I remember standing in the NICU over her bassinet praying, crying, and feeling overwhelmed and helpless to my child. I refused visitors. I was so broken. I felt so useless to her. I held her bare to me as much as I could and smelled her. It took me a while to realize that that was all she needed. Motherhood hasn't been easy. I have postpartum depression. There are days when I just can't hold them. I just can't bring myself to talk to them. I move like a machine. Feed, burp, change. The days pass and sometimes I don't remember them. I pray and some days I feel great and some days I feel like God is everywhere but with me. I know that isn't true. I know He's here and He's working. I know that because every now and then in the middle of a cry Addi will stop and smile at me for absolutely no reason. I know that because Roe likes the smell of my shirts and no matter who is holding her she watches ME. I'm getting better every day and my kids are thriving in spite of my setbacks. God is still the Author and Finisher of my faith. He is still my peace. And when I can't hear His voice I'm still trusting His plan. I get tired, but I'm still in the race.

Late Post from March 14, 2014

Grateful for Growth

Today I am grateful for growth. Today my babies graduated from cribs to big girl beds! Slowly, we're trudging through potty training. It's bittersweet though. When I look at them I don't see them as big girls. I'm still viewing them the same way I viewed them when they were handed to me at birth, but that's not who they are anymore. Rosie isn't sick anymore; she's strong and sassy with tons of energy. She loves books, counting to 3, dancing, and watching Barney. Addi isn't needy anymore. She's extremely independent, assertive, and fearless. She loves dolls, trains, and cookies with her PawPaw. She's not a big talker, but she's very expressive. All that to say, these gifts from God are no longer blank slates. Things do and always will change. I just hope they don't change too fast. I just want to hold them a little bit longer.

--Post from June 22, 2015

Be the Mother YOU Were Called to Be

“But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees; man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7

     Never compare your journey through motherhood to anyone else’s. God chose you, specifically, to be your child’s parent. To me, that means He saw something special in you. Something you have, something you do, the contents of your character, or a lesson you need to learn are, in my opinion, big factors in the reason you’re given the children you have.

    There are times I look at other moms and think they have it all together. I begin to change the way I parent to match this “perfect” mom. When I undoubtedly fail, it is then I realize the uniqueness in myself and the unique needs of my children.

  I am called to be the best version of MYSELF; not the mother in the grocery store with quiet children, or the mother who seems to have a perfect handle on her daughter’s hair, or even the mother whose one year old is already successfully potty trained. These are all superficial things anyway, and I have to remind myself that these things will come in time.

    Being a great mom doesn’t mean I have to be a perfect mom.

   Yes, I take my kids to the library, to festivals, and to the beach. I take my kids to the grocery store and I talk to them about the food we eat and how to cook it; I talk to my kids about God and who we are in relation to Him; I read to my kids, I sing silly songs to help them learn numbers, alphabets, and their body parts. I come up with phrases that have become personal mantras, in the hopes that my children will grow up and hear my voice in their heads saying, “Everything that has a beginning has to have an end,” “I decide,” “I choose happiness,” “We don’t fight our sister: we fight FOR our sister.” I do all of these things with my babies, but the most important thing I do is be present. I listen to Rose when she’s singing incessantly (and annoyingly, I mean beautifully lol) at 6am. and I encourage her. I hold Addi like a posey vest when she’s having night terrors. I know to have my arms open and ready for a hug before Rose is terrified of the spirits in “The Princess and the Frog.” I’m just being myself. I’m just being THEIR mom. In turn, when Addi holds her “babies”, pats them on the back, and tucks them into bed I am honored that she is mirroring ME. Not a made up version of me, but my authentic self.

    Your children don’t need you to be Ms. Susie down the block. They need you to be you, so celebrate your unique way of parenting. There’s no one size fits all.

Be encouraged!

The Nighttime Wrangling of the Super Twins...The Bedtime Routine

I’ve had the Super Twins on a schedule since they were about 3 months old. Family members ask me all the time how I’m able to handle two energetic, needy little people and I tell them it’s all about scheduling. Schedules literally SAVE MY LIFE! lol I got this advice from a friend who is the mom of 6 year old twin boys. I laughed at her when she mentioned it when my babies were only 5 days old, but when I was exhausted and at my wit’s end I heard her voice. “Get them babies on a schedule ASAP. We don’t have the same luxuries that a mom with just one baby has.”

So, after countless trials and even more errors I came up with a schedule that works for the personalities of both myself and the Super Twins. My children have a bedtime routine that revolves around the setting of the sun. Simply put, my children must be in bed when the sun goes down in order for them to go to sleep in a timely fashion. I don’t try to make them go to bed before the sun sets and I don’t let too much time pass after the sun sets before I notice that my sweet angel-faced children have turned into unrecognizable little monsters. Its summertime in the south so the sun sets around 8:30 pm. My bedtime routine is very simple. No bells. No whistles. It’s straight to the point, consistent, and inflexible. I do not allow them to rule me. No amount of tantrums can keep me from putting them down, cutting off the light, and walking out of the room. I know that sounds pretty harsh, but I believe for my family this method works. I get to have uninterrupted evenings and my children get the recommended 12-14 hours of nightly rest that they need to grow big and strong.

At 5pm my girls eat dinner. This takes about 20 minutes total. By 5:30 they’re running around playing with their toys while I wash up the dinner dishes or load the dishwasher and wipe down the high chairs. This can take about 30 minutes. Before I run their bath, I check the thermostat to make sure its at least 75 degrees in the house. I run their warm bath water with a cup of Epsom salt and 3 capfuls of Johnson and Johnson’s lavender bedtime bubble bath and soap. I let them spend about a half hour soaking and playing in the tub before I wash them up and get them dressed for bed. They brush their teeth, I give them full body massages with the Johnson and Johnson lavender lotion, I clean their noses (they have really bad allergies), and moisturize their hair and put on their bonnets for the night. Once they’re dressed, I read two short bedtime stories, say their prayers, and I put on a 30 minute Veggie Tales tape of silly songs. They love it. They giggle for about 20 minutes and then they’re knocked out. This frees me up to finish chores or just have some much needed “mommy” time.

This bedtime routine has pretty much been the same for the bulk of their short lives with just a few tweaks. I think the consistency of the routine combined with the fact that I keep their days pretty busy helps them to feel exhausted by sunset. They practically beg to go to bed except on the occasion they are teething or sick. Tell me in the comments what special things you do for your little one to feel comfortable enough to fall asleep on his or her own.

Quick Dinner: Ranch Pork Chops

Ranch Pork Chops and Veggies

I love one dish meals. They’re quick, they’re easy, and the cleanup is simple. I adapted this recipe from a post I saw on Facebook for ranch chicken, potatoes, and green beans. I tried the original recipe and my husband absolutely loved it. This week I thawed out a pack of pork chops and wanted to see if the tried and true recipe could withstand a slight change. Again, a major hit in my home. Try it out and share some of your favorite Facebook recipes in the comments!!!!

Ingredients

4 boneless center cut pork chops

1 pack of Ranch salad dressing seasoning mix

2 cans of green beans

1 lb. of chopped potatoes

salt

pepper

garlic powder

2 tablespoons of Grapeseed oil

Directions

1. Place chopped potatoes and 2 cans of drained green beans on opposite ends of a baking dish.
2. Season pork chops with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Place in the center of the baking dish.
3. Sprinkle an entire packet of ranch dressing mix on pork chops, green beans and potatoes.
4. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of oil over everything. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes.

Quick Dinner: Beef Vegetable Soup

Beef Vegetable Soup

I love Autumn, but it can’t get here fast enough for me. I love the comfort foods, the hoodie weather, and the start of football season (never mind that I don’t understand football...my husband loves it and I love what he loves lol). I make this soup whenever I want the smell of Autumn in my home. Its a really quick meal and it doesn’t take any real skill, which makes it the perfect meal for me since cooking is not my area of expertise. Try it out and tell me in the comment section how it fared in your home. Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 lb. beef stew meat

1 large onion, chopped

6 large carrots, skinned and sliced

4 large potatoes, skinned and roughly chopped

3 stalks of celery, sliced

1 bag of frozen corn

1 bag of frozen green beans

2 cans of sweet peas, drained

1 28 oz. can of tomato puree

1 14.5 oz. can of diced tomatoes, with juice

Directions

1. In a large stockpot, heat beef stew meat and fresh vegetables over medium-high heat. Add 3 beef bouillon cubes and salt and pepper, to taste.  Cook until meat is browned and bouillion cubes are melted. Stir frequently.
2. Once meat is browned, drain the contents of the stockpot.
3. Place everything back into the pot and add the can of diced tomatoes, tomato paste or puree, 2 more bouillion cubes and whatever canned or frozen veggies you have. You can add more salt and pepper if necessary.
4. Cover the pot, reduce the heat to low, and allow to cook for about 30 minutes. Enjoy!

(I actually made this soup really late at night when I was sleepy; I ended up going to bed, completely forgetting to take a final picture. Sorry lol)

I Choose Life

We often forget just how powerful we are. Our thoughts, our actions, our words have the power to heal, but maybe more importantly, they have the power to destroy. Likewise, we have the power to edify our spirits or to give life to a negative situation. Today I CHOOSE to be happy. I choose to see the beauty in every situation. I choose to overcome. I choose to unapologetically, enthusiastically, and dramatically drown myself in happiness. As crazy as it may sound, it really is that simple. "Life and death are in the power of the tongue." I believe that with my whole heart and I confess that over my life everyday. Once I decide that I am going to be happy, absolutely nothing and no one can get in the way of that. Things just miraculously get in line with my train of thought. I hope you'll try it out. I promise you it works.

 Peace be with you.