- Have you heard of this monthly scripture writing thing? I’ve written favorite scriptures in a journal before, but that’s it. I like this idea of having a commitment to write a section of scriptures (taking less than 10 minutes each day) every day for a month. My friend Melissa posted this February list the other day and I jumped on it. And…I’m loving it! I read the words out loud as I write them, then go back and reread the whole thing together, underlining important words as I go. I end with a prayer to go along with the scripture – maybe asking God to help me love Him with my heart, soul, mind, and strength or thanking him for loving us with a merciful love. Whatever my scripture writing taught me. Obviously, February’s theme is love because every scripture deals with that topic. =) You can find a varied selection for each month on Pinterest, I hear. I’m thinking we mangoes might need to make our own list sometime! š I would totally enjoy putting that together!
2. Trying to be healthier around here – and boy, this week I’ve found the BEST low-carb cookies I’ve ever tasted! I read the comments below this Cowboy Cookies recipe and tweaked the original recipe a bit: I used 3/4 c. almond flour (NOW Foods Almond Flour, 2 pk
), 1/4 c. coconut flour (Anthony’s USDA Organic Coconut Flour (4 lb), Certified Gluten-Free, Non-GMO & Kosher
), 1/4 c. butter, 1/4 c. coconut oil (Viva Labs The Finest Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, 16 Ounce
), 3/4 c. Pyure – stevia (Pyure Organic Stevia All-Purpose Blend Sweetener, 16 Ounce
). For the chocolate chips, I chopped up a Lily’s Original Dark Chocolate (12×3 OZ)
bar because that’s what I had on hand instead of chocolate chips. (They were on sale online at Target before Christmas – best tasting low-carb chocolate out there! Again, sweetened with stevia.)
3. The Literary Ladies met again last week and discussed our last book – A Wreath of Snow: A Victorian Christmas Novella
– I was running super late that day because of being with my grandaddy at the hospital, so I don’t have very many good pics of the meeting decor or food. Bad blogger! š
Our next book is Candle in the Darkness (Refiner’s Fire) (Volume 1)
by Lynn Austin. Someone had recommended it to me awhile back and I’m in the middle of it now. I’m kinda picky, so I don’t often wholeheartedly say, “I LOVE that book,” even though I enjoy many books – but y’all…I’m loving this book. It’s my first Lynn Austin book, but it won’t be my last. Thoughtful, intelligent writing. A non-fluffy plot line, but super interesting and convicting. It makes me think and I like to think. And my favorite thing is character growth from beginning to end of a bookā¦and this book doesn’t disappoint! And I’m not even at the end yet. š I also appreciate that the main plot line isn’t a romance. Yes, there’s definitely romance in the book, but I like books that match up to real life. And our romantic relationships are only a part of who we are. =) You know?
4. I happened across these shark bite tunics online at Kohl’s a few weeks ago. I bought two (because they were $13.99, not including a coupon) – then I wore themā¦like every dayā¦and ordered three more. For real. They are SO soft and feel like pajamas. In fact, one of them I plan to wear with pajama pants to sleep in. Ahhhh! I’m not a Kohl’s affiliate – just a big fan. =)
5. O.K., we’re obsessed with crockpot chicken and dressing. As in everyone in our family. I had never made dressing of any kind until one of Jeremy’s co-workers drafted me to make it for a Relay for Life event at the hospital last year. I was a little worried, but it turned out so great that I’ve made it probably 6-7 times since. Who says you can only have chicken and dressing during the holidays?? Thanks for the recipe, Rusty!! š Anyway, I was making it for a family dinner earlier this week and realized at the last minute that I didn’t have two cans of cream of chicken soup. I didn’t want to run to the store (no makeup and crazy hair) so I turned to Pinterest and found this little gem: DIY Cream of Chicken Condensed Soup. Quick and easy and no extra weird ingredients!
6. Have you seen the movie War Room
yet? Because you should. =) I bought it a few weeks ago and it made me fired up to get my prayer life in order. It’s such a breath of fresh air to see a story focused on learning the power of prayer. And now I want a War Room of my own. š
- My parents are in town this week. I would say they come up to visit me, but they didn’t. They came to visit their new house. They closed on it from over 800 miles away 5 months ago and this is the first time they’ve been able to step foot in it since it became theirs. They. Are. Adorable. Watching them pick out paint colors, talk about furniture placement and make plans for this new chapter of their lives makes my heart happy. It’s as if I’ve traveled back in time and I’m a fly on the wall as two newlyweds set up their first home together. š We’re all hoping the next six or seven months fly by. I’m a little excited to have them in the same
time zonestatecounty. - Maybe I’m just missing my chica bonita, Keli, but I have been on a Latin American cooking kick lately. Homemade flour tortillas, Venezuelan arepas, posole, and Peruvian mayocoba beans…I’m feeling a series coming on!
- Keli sent Kristen and me a completely unnecessary but oh-so-thoughtful assortment of goodies from Peru. My care package included the most beautiful plum colored alpaca shawl. If you saw me in real life last week, I *know* you saw it. I literally wore it three days in a row. I was getting dangerously close to needing an intervention.
- Our household is deep in the trenches of transitioning from co-sleeping to crib. Wow. I may fall asleep while I’m typing this. Must. Get. Sleep. nv9n4k3erwf9d8v7 Oh! Where was I? Now, before anyone goes and gets all worried about our routine I will say that we didn’t start co-sleeping until EJ was a bit older and I was confident she could roll around on the bed by herself and bat away a blanket if it got too close to her face. Plus, she hates covers and sleeps on top of them. We didn’t plan to co-sleep, it just sort of happened-I think mainly because of our big move, traveling around to see family for a month, change in environment over and over and over. So, yeah. Glad we got that king size bed!We recently took a family vote and the majority ruled that EJ is being evicted. Problem is, we have no idea how to go about this. Girl hates the crib. She could be in the deepest dreamiest sleep, but as soon as any part of her touches that little mattress she screams like we’re dropping her into a river of piranhas. Any suggestions? Send them my way, but just for the record we’re not fans of the whole “cry it out” deal. And if that doesn’t get you, we cloth diaper, made homemade baby food, and I definitely breastfeed in public. At 12 1/2 months. #sorrynotsorry
- Since itās been forevah since our last Random Ruffles post weāve had some big excitement in our home. EJ turned one! I canāt wait to get our pictures back and share more about her big day and party.
I still canāt comprehend how it happened. Obviously I know it wasnāt actually yesterday that she was born, but certainly it couldnāt have been more than a couple months ago? š I still catch sweet little glimpses of her teeny tiny baby self. Maybe some little sound she makes, an expression, or at times even her cry. And she still looks exactly the same when she sleeps. As much as Iām already missing her baby stage, this next one is so fun. Watching her learn and explore is exciting. Now, if I could only get her to explore that crib…
- Along with a 1st birthday comes the 12 month doctor visit. We were dreading this because SPANISH WORDS. Plus, it’s not as simple as setting up an appointment, getting in your car, and waiting for a few minutes for your kid’s name to be called when you will then proceed to communicate in nothing but your native language. It’s a process. It started with not 100% knowing where the clinic was, however, we made it. Albeit after I told the taxi driver “AquĆ estĆ” bien” and we got out two blocks too soon. In the rain. Oh, and then realized that we didn’t have EJ’s passport with us. Another thing to translate. I did have to look up a couple things in my handy dandy Google Translate app, but boy, that receptionist and I were communicating up a storm! Not to brag (but OK, I will!) I even conveyed that we needed to order and pay for her vaccines. We had a few stumbles with the nurse, but thankfully our pediatrician hails from none other than the great state of Georgia. All this to say, we’re making progress!! Some days in Spanish class I want to curl up in the corner and cry, but days like this when I can finally see progress give me the hope I need and put a little more gas in my tank. So yeah, I can speak SPANISH WORDS!
- Y’all. 11,000 ft has thrown my hair game for a loop. I have naturally curly hair. Not tight beautimous curly curls like Kristen, but I can get some decent spiral action going on that’s a bit past wavy. Here? I haven’t seen a curl on my noggin’ since we arrived. I even used the old standbys of curly hair mousse and a diffuser. It just made it cray.zee. In the past, going to bed with my hair wet would’ve at least produced some sporadic curls and lots of boho waves, but here I wake up with some flat, straight, dull hair. Don’t get me wrong, I am thankful that I have the hair (even the gray ones) that I do! It has served me well in my 29 (plus an undetermined amount) years. I will say the upside is that I have zero frizz. That’s right, ladies. If you want to know the secret to getting rid of those frizzies just come on down to Peru, and then up (waaaaay up) to Cusco! I’m sure that the cost of your trip would balance out with the cost of a few bottles of my fave Grapeseed Glossing Serum.
