Meal Planning Monday

Better later in the day than not at all!

Monday: Comfort Meatballs, mashed potatoes & asparagus

Tuesday: Date Night!

Wednesday: leftover veggie stew from Sunday night

Thursday: Pork chops, potatoes, salad

Friday: Fish (Fish Friday until Lent ends!), salad, couscous

Saturday: Breakfast for dinner... I'm thinking pancakes!

Sunday: Pantry meal. we shall see what I come up with!!!!

BTW- there will be a new recipe up on the blog soon!

What about you and yours? What are yall dining on this week?

Veggie Taco Salad

Y'all, I know! I'm so behind! Forgive me?! There's been a whole lot going on in my non-computer world & I'm just now starting to play catch up.

To get back in the swing of things, I'm linking up with my friend, Jamie, over at Roubinek Reality for her linky party! We're doing, Something Fabulous Wednesday! How fun is that?! It's all about sharing your DIY's in recipes, crafts, etc!

So, without further ado, here's my contribution!

Vegetarian Taco Salad

Stay with me, people. I know. Trust me. A veggie taco salad? It seems weird. I know. (because my husband walked into the kitchen several times and doubted my ability to make a taco salad without ground meat) But it totally works! And, it hit the table in under 30 minutes!

You'll Need:
2 cans of beans, rinsed & drained- I mixed black beans and red beans
1/2 to 3/4 bag of frozen corn, thawed
1 zuchini, chopped
1 to 2 carrots, chopped- or, if you're like me and have some extra baby carrots, chop & use those
1 red onion, chop it pretty finely
1 to 2 sweet peppers, chopped- I had some mini yellow, red & orange bell peppers
1 container of cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
chopped lettuce

shredded cheese
sour cream
salad dressing you like
salsa
guacamole
tortilla chips

salt- just to season the onions
taco seasoning, to taste

Here's What You'll Do:
 Heat some oil in a pan over medium heat. Add your onions. Let them cook and get nice a clear and as translucent as red onions ever get. Add a little bit of salt and stir the onions around. Then, add your beans (making sure they are nice and rinsed and drained) to the pan. Mix. Then add your carrots and your peppers. Let them cook through a bit. Now, toss in your corn! Cook for a bit. Add your zuchini. After a minute or two, season with your taco seasoning. Mix and let the flavors get nice and cozy with each other. Then, add your tomatoes. Let them cook until the tomatoes are warm and start to get slightly wilted. Turn the heat off and take the pan off the burner.

Place your chopped lettuce on plates and spoon the taco mix on the lettuce. Add some shredded cheese will everything is hot. The cheese gets nice and melty.

That's it!
Serve with your favorite dressings, salsa, guac & chips! Let your family customize from here!


What was the final report?
I loved it!
The resident 5 year old loved it and ate it up!
and the husband? He ate 2 servings!

It's a..........

Look out world! We're going to be unleashing another wild boy on this world! Jacob is about over his disappointment in not getting a little sister. I think we have him convinced that a little brother will be awesome too!

E and I are super excited.... now, if we can only decide on a name!

A Little of This and That

So, it is possible that I had 3 posts ready to go for this week.

It's also possible that I either forgot to save them or my blogger platform decided it hated me for some reason. For the record, I'm going with choice number two.

So, yes, the blog has been a bit quiet this week. I did totally forget to post the Meal Plan for Monday. Doh.

I'm blaming everything on our family trip to the zoo this past Saturday. E was off work (yippee!!) and we met his sister and her family at the Dallas Zoo. It was a perfect day to be there... and apparently every other family in DFW thought the same thing, because that place was packed! We only made it to about half the zoo, but we had a blast!

And, we walked. So. Much. I'm proud to say that I made it almost the whole trip without having to sit and take a load off. In hindsight, though, it might have been smarter to sit and rest more! My hips haven't been the same since!

I've talked about this before, but we're counting down more and more until our Must Buy a House and Move into it deadline. Followed by our, Must Get the House in Order and Be Settled In Because a Tiny Human will be Joining us 2 Months Later deadline. My list making tendencies have officially kicked into high gear. Oy. I'm not even kidding, sometimes I drift off into a day dream about making a list of all the stuff we have to get done in the next few months.

I am getting a head start on packing. Since there's no way in the world a very good reason that I won't be able to fit into a ton of my regular clothes (please read this as 95% of my closet) until summer, I'm starting to pack up my closet. Yes, I know, I don't have to start doing that yet. But, you guys, I'm the world's worst procrastinator. And, since I know as the months progress, I'm going to be less and less able to do physically do a lot of work- it's good idea to get a start now!

Oh, does anyone have a good cure for night time restless legs? That's safe for pregnant mamas? My legs are kicking and jerking every single night when I'm trying to go to sleep. Ugh. I need some help! Anyone? Anyone?

Five Minute Friday: Encouragement

Yes, it's time of week again.

When I think of encouragement, I think of moms. Every. Mom. Everywhere.

I think of moms who have no idea how great a job they are doing with their kids- their family. I think of moms who think they have it all together- but don't. I think of moms who look at other moms and want their lives. I think of moms who look at other moms and don't want their lives.

We all need encouragement. It becomes water for life.

There's something powerful about having someone come up beside you and say to you, "You're a great mom."
It's simple, but oh so important. So needed. Needed on days when things are going great. When the laundry is done and the house is clean.

And needed on days when the washer has been run 3 times because you keep forgetting to put the clothes into the dryer. When the dishes are piled up and there's an inch of dust everywhere.

To hear/ see the words of other s that it's all okay. That you aren't permanently screwing up your kids. They'll make it and be okay. You'll make it and be okay.

That you, Mom, you will make it through this day. And the next and the next.

Sometimes, just a word of encouragement into the life of another makes all the difference in the world.

Meal Planning Monday

It's that time again!

(and, yea me, I remembered to post the plan on Monday!!!)

Here's our Meal Plan for the week of January 13- January 19th!

Monday: Sliced Hot Ham, Cheesy Broccoli Pasta & Salad

Tuesday: Left overs

Wednesday: "Grilled" Chicken Salad and Cornbread Muffins

Thursday: Turkey Stuffed Peppers, Rice & Salad

Friday: Smokey-Sweet Salmon, Couscous & Fruit

Saturday: Raid the Pantry Night

Sunday: Roast Chicken, Fancy Mashed Potatoes & Salad

A Little Different This Year

My Grandmother was born on Christmas Eve. On my mother's side of the family, we celebrate Christmas (presents, etc) on Christmas Eve. And, as long as I can remember, we've set aside a little time on that night to celebrate the birth of our matriarch. It's never been a huge whoopla- but it's always happened.

This year was different.

We all packed up and invaded the nursing home.

This past fall, Grandmother went to live, full time, at a local nursing home. We've all known that it was coming. It was just a matter of when. My Grandmother suffers from diabetes... and dementia. I hate dementia. It's a foul, wicked disease that robs the person of themselves. And robs their loved ones of this person they love.

We started to realize that bringing Grandmother home from the nursing home, even for one evening, was not going to happen. She had adapted to her new home. She was settled and safe there. It would have disrupted and disturbed her to leave. (I won't lie. That took me a while to wrestle with...) So we had to shuffle our plans around and make a different set of priorities our focus. 

As we sat in the nursing home cafeteria, I think all the adults had that moment when we realized that a huge chapter of our lives had closed. Forever.
And that we are moving ever to quickly to the moment when another chapter closes.
It was painfully obvious to everyone that this was not one of Grandmother's "good days"... not by a long shot. The next day, she didn't remember the invasion of family even being there.

We did cake. And a few presents. And pictures.

We're a picture taking family.
And we took pictures that day.
Pictures of the whole family that was gathered there. Pictures of Grandmother with her children. With her grandchildren. And with her great-grandchildren.

And we imprinted the memory of another year with her.

Grandmother Winnie with 8 of her 9 great-grandchildren.

I hope she's still here in June to meet the 9th.

With her 3 granddaughters.

And with almost all her family.

Not everyone could make it.

Christmas was different this year. There's no getting around that. Life goes on and things evolve. And, that's okay. 

I know Christmas 2014 will be radically different from 2013. Which was different from 2012. And that's all good. We'll look back at year before and remember the good and great with joy. Hopefully, we'll retain a little less of the bad. 

But, yes.

It was a little different this year.

Meal Planning Monday

... on a Tuesday.

Well, better a day late than not at all! I even made a shiny new button!
I must confess, I've been horrible at keeping to the meal plans I've been making as of late. This pregnancy has really sent me for a loop! Like I said before, certain smells are knocking me for a loop- which is a real bummer for a cook.

But, with a new year, I've got a renewed goal of sticking with the meal plan! It all starts with shopping my cubbards and refrigerator & then filling in the gaps at the grocery store!

So, without further ado.... may I present the Meal Plan for January 6th- January 12th!

Monday- Loaded Baked Potato Soup (recipe to come!!!), fresh French bread & fruit
Tuesday- left over night
Wednesday- Salmon, pineapple rice & salad
Thursday- Chicken Meatballs, pasta with heirloom tomato sauce, bread & salad
Friday- whoops, another night of left overs! I'm having a girls night out!
Saturday- Loaded Baked Potato Chicken Casserole & salad
Sunday- Baked Chicken, French Onion Pasta & salad


What about you? Do you make a meal plan every week? Do you stick to it? Or do you find yourself going off it? 

2013 Year in Review

So, I decided to jump on a bandwagon. Heh, big shock.

Over at Rage Against the Minivan, Kristen posts her year in review every year. It's kinda like a time capsule. And, being the joiner that I am, I'm doing it too.

p.s. if you aren't reading Rage Against the Minivan, why not?! You should be.

1. What did you do in 2013 that you’d never done before?

I moved into an apartment! 

I also met one of the coolest gentlemen ever- Edward James Olmos. (So Say We All!)

and

I met my major celebrity crush since I was a teenager. The one and only, Richard Dean Anderson.

Can we say, Huzzah!!!

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I didn't make any resolutions for 2013. Honestly, I never do.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

yup! My cousin, Alex & his lovely wife had a beautiful baby boy just before Christmas!

4. Did anyone close to you die?

Thankfully, no.

5. What countries did you visit?

None.

6. What would you like to have in 2014 that you lacked in 2013?

More money! 

7. What dates from 2013 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

There's a couple! 

The day I got married. 

Going up to West Virginia for a family reunion on my Dad's side of the family. We were there for the 4th of July, which was fantastic. And I got to spend some good time with my sweet Grandpa. I treasure every moment I get to spend with him.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Relaunching the blog and making some great friends and contacts through this little old blog.

 9. What was your biggest failure?

Not stopping more to enjoy the moment. 

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

I did not. But, the beloved Husband broke his ankle back in the spring. That's been a fun adventure to navigate.

11. What was the best thing you bought?

A brand new computer. I'm posting from it right now! It's so wonderful, I want to love it & hug it & pet it & call it George.

12. Where did most of your money go?
Uh. Wedding. 
  

13. What did you get really excited about?

Buying a new house & having the baby!

14. What song will always remind you of 2011?
Call Me Maybe.
I know. I know.
It came on the radio one morning when Jacob and I were waiting for drop off in the car pool line at preschool. Jacob started singing it immediately & asking for it every time we got in the car. Only, his version was called, "Call Me NAVY."

And.

Thousand Years-
Again. I know.
It came on the radio when I was driving to get to hospital when E broke his ankle & I wasn't really convinced that everything was going to be okay because getting a call from your brother in law that your husband is in an ambulance on his way to the hospital tends to send this wife into Anxiety Girl in a single bound.

15. Compared to this time last year, are you:

– happier or sadder? I'd say... happier.
– thinner or fatter? Uh, fatter. Which I'm totally blaming on the tiny human inside of me.
– richer or poorer? richer. ish.

 

16. What do you wish you’d done more of?

Read more books. 

17. What do you wish you’d done less of?

Trolling Facebook. Seriously. It's not pretty.

18. How did you spend Christmas?

Christmas Eve we celebrated my Grandmother's 86th birthday at the nursing home & then had dinner and presents with my side of the family at my parents' house. On Christmas Day, we had Santa at home and then packed up and went to E's side of the family for Christmas lunch & family time. Christmas night, we went back to my parents and Jacob got more Santa & we celebrated my birthday.

19. What was your favorite TV program?

There's been a few on the Must Watch List this year.

Once Upon a Time

Duck Dynasty

Sons of Anarchy

Restaurant Impossible

Diner, Drive Ins & Dives

20. What were your favorite books of the year?

Yikes. Here's a list.

Orange is the New Black- Piper Kerman

Sparkly Green Earings- Melanie Shankle

Radical Together- David Platt

7- Jen Hatmaker

21. What was your favorite music from this year?
Pink
Chris Tomlin
Third Day  

22. What was your favorite film of the year?

Easily, Despicable Me 2.

First, I really did love it. And... it was the only movie I saw in a movie theater this year.

23. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

I celebrated Christmas! My birthday is Christmas Day. And I'm now 33 years old!!

24. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
I really don't know.
  

25. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2013?

Uh, seasonally appropriate Mom.

In the summer, it's shorts/tank tops/flip flops with a swim suit cover sundress thrown in for good measure.

In the winter, it's skinny jeans/Uggs knockoffs & cute blouses/shirts & my trusty black or cream sweater wrap. 

And jewelry. Love the bling.

And I must, at all times, have a bag that would rival Mary Poppins.

26. What kept you sane?

Music. Blogging. Snuggling with the short one. Family dinners. Mama's Nights Out. 

27. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2013.

Take nothing for granted. Grasp the time you have with your loved ones tightly. I'm watching my beloved Grandmother deteriorate at a rate that makes my heart burn. Every memory. Every moment is so precious. Making memories that last into years. That's what I have learned.

We Had a Merry Christmas

And hope you and yours did too!

Christmas Time Throw Back Thursday

From This....

To This...

... in 5 short years.
Be still my heart.

A Little Salty & a Whole Lot of Dough

Since I've been trying to find some fun activities for the short one and I to do that don't completely wipe out what energy I currently have, I thought making salt dough ornaments might fit the bill nicely. And I was right.

Jacob loves getting messy & this craft definitely has the mess factor going on. We've made a couple of these ornaments with his hand prints & next time we're going to branch out to some other fun shapes. He has big plans for his Bob & Larry, Mickey Mouse & my Big Tex cookie cutters.

These are super, super easy to make. I promise. With one caveat- you have to get the measurements for the ingredients exactly correct or you'll spend a sweet forever trying to get the consistency right. Don't ask me how I know this.

Pour your flour and salt into a big bowl that you can knead it in.

Add the water.

Now, knead it until it forms a nice dough. It should be a little sticky ,but not so much that it sticks to your hand so much you need a putty knife to remove it.

You should be able to make 2 dough balls.

Form them out on a cookie sheet so that there's enough room for little hands to make an impression. 

And seriously, do this directly on the cookie sheet you plan to bake them on. Save yourself time, stress & having to re-do.

 

Get a straw and poke a hole into each of them so string later.

Bake them up.

Behold. 

The finished product.

Yes, I know. My less than fantastic photography skills make them a little hard to see. I promise, there are hand prints there!

Later this week, we're going to paint all the ornaments!

Salt Dough Ornaments

1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup salt
1/4 cup water

Mix and knead until a dough consistency is formed.
Roll out and press out the shape you want.

Bake for 3 hours at 200 degrees.

Monday, Funday

So.

Yeah, this whole 'new baby' thing has been quite the surprise around here. I would be so bold as to say that, it was not in the 'Master Plan' at the moment. At All. But, if there's anything that I have learned in my just-over 30+ years on this planet it's this... life rarely follows the 'Master Plan' we make for ourselves.

The new baby is due at the end of June/1st week of July. And, I can already tell you it will be a scheduled c-section, cause that's how I roll.

How am I feeling?
Well, if baby would stop making me think I'm gonna blow cookies every time I step into the kitchen to try and make dinner, I'd be golden. My doctor has me on 3, count them, 3 anti-nausea medications. I'm super special like that. With Jacob, I was sick almost all the way up to the day he was born. Good grief, I'm hoping that won't be the case with this one!

Smells seem to be my kryptonite right now. One whiff of something (usually food) and I'm scurrying to get horizontal. Chicken has been all but dead to me. Ugh. But, I've actually craved a burger. And, if you've known me long you know.... I hate burgers. The texture make me gag. Except apparently now.

What I am really craving? Food-wise?
ice tea w/lemon
water w/lemon
pretzel chips & hummus
apples (good grief the amount of apples I've consumed.)
different fruits and veggies

And, I'm tired. Sooo tired. Which is typical at this point, but a special kind of super special fun around the holidays. I'm a shopping mall ninja around Christmas time, I love malls. But I haven't been able to muster the energy to step foot it one this year. I've hit a couple of brick and mortar stores, but about 90% of my shopping has been done on-line.

And when I can score coupons, get exactly what I want & free shipping all from the comfort of my pj's.... that's pretty much how I'm gonna make the season merry and bright around here.

If you're wondering, yes, the short one is excited. He's been asking for a little brother or sister FOR MONTHS. And when we told him that he's going to get his wish... oh, goodness. He goes around telling any and everyone that he's going to be a big brother. He asks me every day how the baby is & tells me he's "Just! So! Excited!"

The Husband is excited too. Though he tends to channel his energy into long term obsessiveness. Our lease is up at the end of April & the plan is to buy a house... well, with the baby due date looming not all that long after that, it's put a little bit more ... shall we say... intensity behind the upcoming house search.

I refuse to really even think all that much about it (the house search. not the baby) until after the first of the year.

In the mean time, it's 9 days till Christmas (yipp-ee!!!) and my on-line orders still haven't arrived. They've been "shipping" for the better part of the last week. Jacob and I are going to work on our ornaments- look for a update tomorrow on that!

In the meantime, Happy Monday!

Summer, 2014

There's a new coming attraction for Summer, 2014.....

The Great Ice-in of 2013

Y'all listen.

It's been a bit of a weekend around North Texas. (Those of you who are living the dream with me are nodding your heads right now.) Thursday, a wicked cold wind came thru & brought ice with it. Lot's and lot's of ice. Like, North Texas wasn't made for this kind of winter weather & everything shuts down and stores run out of bread, eggs & milk and all the citizens flip into disaster mode.

Oh, how I wish I were exaggerating.

Let me tell you, I've never been so happy to be a stay at home wife/mom as I was Friday morning. Wow. Unfortunately, the husband had to be at work. And, I can report that it took him 2 & half hours to make his 25 minute drive that morning. A trip that was complete with being stuck in a ditch for 45 minutes AND loosing control of his car and kissing a concrete barrier. Yes, those were two different adventures. ::shudder::

(I'm happy to report that the husband is just fine. the car is a little worse for wear)

Jacob and I spent the weekend on house arrest. It was all fun and games the first day, but wowza... cabin fever sets in quick in a 2 bedroom abode. By Sunday night, we were ready to get out. The husband, the child & I escaped to McDonald's for dinner & energy burning for Jacob.

and yes, I do know how sad it is that McDonald's constitutes an "escape"... desperate times called for desperate measure, people.

Then I escaped into Target.

What can I say? There's been a lot of tv watching, computer games, whining, laundry & NOT going outside the last few days. The husband went to work today (with stick instructions to let me know when he gets to work!). The youngling and I are home bound again. We're going to do a few crafts & maybe make some cookies... or I may put him to work and make him help me clean the house!

And since I have a weird sense of humor, I leave you with this jewel. Stay safe fellow iced-in people!

Looking a Little Like Christmas

It's officially 3 weeks until Christmas & I'm kicking it into over-drive around here.

I love love love Christmas time. It is, without a doubt, my favorite time of the year. I love the sights and the sounds and the atmosphere. Everything just seems so much more beautiful. I'm a fan of twinkling lights and of egg nog and gingerbread. I adore Christmas carols and music & I love Christmas decorations. This is my happy place.

Because we're in an apartment, this year I didn't go full force on the decorating. But we've done window clings and mangers & snow men, a plenty.

We even have our little Charlie Brown Holiday band. 

And we have our wee little Christmas tree.

Our beloved Christmas count down, of course.

But... my favorite decoration of all is my Grandmother's old manger set. When I was a little girl, I looked forward to setting this manger up with her every year. I loved it. And I wasn't allowed to touch it without permission for years! I begged her for it when I turned into an adult. And, one year, she gave it to me.


And now, I look forward to setting it up every year. It's that one piece of decor that I HAVE to have up. It's just not Christmas without it.





What about you? Do you have the one special piece of Christmas decor that makes you all warm and fuzzy inside?

Five Things That Surprised Me about Home Schooling

(this is just a mom, writing about homeschool & what's kinda working for us at the moment. I'm not getting paid to plug anything. I'm just sharing.)

Good grief.

I don't know why I thought homeschooling would be easy. I mean, seriously. I researched and plotted & planned until I thought my head would explode. I thought we were ready & I thought it would be a snap!

Uh. Yeah.
Not so much.

For some reason, I neglected to take into account that I still had to work on other stuff (hello, blog!), keep up with house work, keep up with commitments outside the house... oh, and deal with my incredibly strong-willed child. Unstoppable force? Meet immovable object.

And, so, I've neglacted to share a  lot about our homeschool journey on this blog... you know, the one that's (in part) about homeschooling??? I just didn't want to admit how hard it is. Or how much we struggled those first few days (hours, weeks, months).

I have to say, I WISH I had gone ahead and bought the kindergarten curriculum that I was thinking about buying way back in the summer. Truly, I could kick myself. Piecing together a coherent curriculum has been hard. Like, really hard. Like, the death of me hard. Chalk it up to a serious lesson learned.

I did, however, find something that has really saved this experience for us. We're using ABC Mouse. (cue the choirs of Angels...) It's been heaven sent.

Jacob and I were running into a big problem. He detests 'copy-work' and worksheets. Like, with a fiery passion in his heart. But it was all I had. And we were quickly having daily confrontations about his school work. Both of us were getting tired and frustrated. And that's not how I wanted this year to go. We backed off. Totally. And I went back to the drawing board.

He loves anything to do with the computer, so I saw that as my window. We tried a couple of different websites before finally settling on ABC Mouse. And, it's been fantastic. He loves it! He's got a guided lesson path that I can customize & monitor.

So, I've found myself leaning heavily on ABC Mouse & adding quite a bit extra.

And now, I present to you...

The Top 5 Things that Surprised Me About Homeschooling

1) how stubborn my off-spring is. And how pissed off irritated I get when he doesn't do his best.
The child is so dang smart. He picks things up like lightening. But. He's pretty much only interested in learning what he wants to learn. Period. And little things like... oh, learning to read, aren't that interesting to him. Up the wall, it drives me.

2) how much I would lean on 'computer' learning. Wow. But, I've decided that if he will sit and soak it up in this form, I'll use it. 

3) how much I've detested coming up with a curriculum all on my own. Yeah. Not my gift.

4) how much I've had to decimate my prior expectations. Like. Wow. There's been a whole lot of me having to realize that maybe my sweet boy just isn't ready for hardcore Kinder learning. And that's okay. What's really important is to create in him a love for this learning thing. 

5) how much fun we can both have when we're on the 'same page.'

When We Watch the SEC

Y'all.

My Longhorns weren't playing this past Saturday night, so I flipped over to the only other game I was really invested in. The Alabama/Auburn game.

Let me give ya a little back story here. One whole side of my maternal lineage is from the great state of Alabama. Some of my family "Roll Tide" and some "War Eagle." I happen to be a fan of Auburn.

Well.

By the end of the game, I was proud of Auburn. Mostly enjoyed the game. And was waiting for the field goal.

When it happened.






Oh. My. Gravy.

Seriously. One of the greatest moments in football.
Ever.


And, if you're wondering what the reaction in my house was like in that moment... it was something close to this....






I don't know Nana, but I feel a kinship with her! I would imagine there were more than a few others shouting "Hurry! Hurry!" to that kid as he ran across the field!

We Did a Craft

For Thanksgiving.
And, I'm just now posting it. Whoops!

I found a template for the cornucopia online (thank you, Pinterest) and we colored and talked about our blessings.

And, honestly, anything that involves coloring, cutting and glue is a hit with the resident 5 year old!

Ice Cream: the greatest reward

So, part of our nightly routine around here is the "Responsibility & Commitment Chart" that we go through every single night. On this chart are various tasks and character building exercises that we're (and by that, I mean... Jacob) working on.

One of the most important check point on the chart is memorizing Bible Verses.

We've been doing this for 3 months (or so) & Jacob (and me & E) has memorized 3 verses. He's proud of himself. We're proud of him. And, honestly, listening to my child quote God's Words to me is priceless. He's 'hiding it in his heart' for moments later in life when he'll need it.... even if he doesn't realize how important this is now.


And when you get to go to the ice cream parlour wearing your Mickey ears & eat a big ol ice cream cone for "dinner".... it makes for a pretty special reward when you're 5.


FYI- Jacob's 3 verses are
John 3:16
Matthew 22:37
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

We're going with the verses in Luke for the month of December. A little longer. A little more challenging.

Another FYI- it cracks me up every time I hear him say "Thessalonians". Lol