Love is Loud

Fried Chicken Tenders

2011-03-16T17:47:00.011-05:00

Yum! That is all I can say for these. And the picture doesn't do them justice. I have a terrible camera and bad lighting. It may be like 5% camera operator as well. Many people have been asking me to post this recipe, ok well actually only 2 people have asked but it feels like it is snowballing, you know? So here we go, lets make some fried chicken!

Many people are intimidated by the thought of making fried chicken. It is not hard at all. I usually just use tenders bc it pleases the family, but you can use meat on the bone as well. Also I sometimes let my chicken marinate in buttermilk for awhile but I did not have any. This is why they need drive thru stores bc I forget one thing from the store almost every time I go. It can not be helped it seems. Did I mention that brain cells drop drastically after you have kids. It's a weird phenomenon.

You will need:
Buttermilk (optional)
two cups flour
tablespoon or more of seasoned salt
1 to 2 lbs. chicken
oil for frying
two eggs

First grab a gallon size ziploc bag and put in the flour and seasoned salt. I use my own recipe of seasoned salt but I have also used Lawry's seasoned salt and it is good too. Make sure the salt and flour are mixed well.

Take the chicken and cut up into the size you prefer. I do all different sizes. I am using 1.5 lbs of chicken that has been pre-cut this time. Then I cut it up further.

Take a little chicken at a time and put it into the flour. Then I shake it around in the bag. Then place the coated chicken in the scrambled egg and cover the chicken completely with egg.

Then put the chicken back into the bag and shake. Double dipping the chicken gives it a little more crunch. Its worth the extra time. Do this until all the chicken has been dredged. At this point I sometimes put all the chicken back in the bag and leave it in the fridge for later. Or you can start frying!

Place about a 1/2in. oil in a skillet or a pan and heat to around 350 or med. heat

Fry a couple of minutes on both sides or until golden brown.

Transfer chicken to paper towels and there you have it! I always serve mine with delicious creamy mashed potatoes, green beans, and rolls. Yummy!

2011-02-11T16:40:00.000-06:00

D is for dreams.......
I am a dreamer. First of all literally I am a dreamer. I remember my dreams when I sleep. Does this happen to anyone else? It's wierd. I wake up feeling confused. Dreams are always so strange too, sometimes I wonder about them all day.

But those aren't the dreams I'm talking about.

The dreams I am speaking of are the ones that can be reality if we want them to be.
There is really no dream too big. I call them God-size dreams. The dreams we have that insist we ACT. The ones that show us things are still possible. What is it you dream about? What is God asking of you? The best dreams are the ones God has placed in our hearts, the ones that match His. I guarantee you that acting on your dreams will always be harder than doing nothing, but don't let regret take the place of your dreams. If you can find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn't lead anywhere. Take a risk!! We step out in faith bc we know He will be there to guide us. What else is there? This challenge is for me as well, we can not shrink away. We must be doers. It. will. change. your. life.

On a superficial note, I do dream about having a bigger car for my growing family.
I know exactly where it is sitting at the dealership......I just don't know where the cash to pay for it is sitting.

Update

2011-02-07T08:01:00.003-06:00

It has been awhile since I last posted because I have been without a computer! Ben took it with him to Africa! Ben and Zach Kennedy were in Ethiopia for a week. It was the first official James Initiative trip. They had a great time. They were able to meet with other organizations that are in orphan care, visit orphanages, and visit with local church pastors. They were also able to buy 75 pairs of shoes for the street children of Addis, buy a cow for a local orphanage, and hand out lots of toothbrushes! Thanks to all who donated specifically for this trip! It was wonderful to be able to meet some needs now. I will keep you updated on the next steps for JI!

They were also able to visit the Gladney foster care center and eat with Belay! We don't have a referral yet so Ben was not able to find out any information on our adoption! Speaking of referrals we have been waiting 6 1/2 months for a referral. When we first got on the list the wait time for a toddler was 5 to 7 months. Now the wait time is 10 months! So it will still be awhile until we get a referral. :(
I am hoping by May! Things are really slow right now, hopefully they will pick up soon.

Did you read my last post about snow? Well since that post it has snowed and snowed.
We missed four days of school just last week. To top that off we are expecting more this week. What in the world? We did get to go sledding which was fun! Then my SUV slid all over the neighborhood which was not fun.

Snow day

2011-01-17T09:27:00.000-06:00

We had our first snow day this last week. It only left enough snow to make a footprint. It was sad really. Yet schools were still cancelled. Schools are very cautious when it comes to snow here in our great state. Once, schools were cancelled because someone unexpectedly made a snow cone. Snow is a relatively infrequent visitor to Arkansas. In a typical winter we will see two or three snow “storms”. One of these occurrences will be considered severe. Severe translates into about two inches of snow. Here in the south, the first and only thing people do when it begins snowing is to buy bread, milk and eggs. It is critical to buy as much of these three things in whatever form they can be obtained. If the only thing available in the bread section of the grocery store is hot dog buns, that is what you should buy. No eggs? Egg beaters is going to have to do.

Last week's snow flurries qualified as one of these instances. The threat of snow caused mass pandemonium at the grocery store. I wish I had taken a picture. I was there on my regular weekly shopping run. I rarely listen to the news and had not realized the magnitude of what was about to hit our state. We were packed in like sardines. People were just grabbing what they could off the shelves. It didn't matter what it was, they were in a hurry to get out of there. They were all rushing around, I'd be surprised if some of them even stopped to pay. After all, they needed to get to the gas station, this is basic survival training. You absolutely MUST top off your tanks. You don't want to be caught without gas at a time like this.

Thankfully, I managed to get out of there in one piece. I can be quite scrappy when I need to be.

I am even more thankful for the pretty little snowman that Ryan made.

2011-01-15T22:24:00.007-06:00

C is for.....chocolate! I love chocolate, and usually in large amounts. It is very important to my over all health and more importantly, my well being.

Here is the food pyramid. These are all the food groups. See that top one there? They say this one is to be used "sparingly" Who decides this anyways? How on earth did they convince themselves this was a good idea? Sparingly? Come on people.

I leave you with a great recipe for Molten Lava Cakes. They are awesome!

Really Awesome Beef Stew!

2011-01-13T10:10:00.000-06:00

This is a great recipe for the cold winter months. It is hearty and delicious! I never grew up liking stew at all, but this recipe is awesome. It is easy to make and so very flavorful, you will never see stew the same way. It's a must try!

You will need
1 to 2 lb chuck tender steak
3 to 4 slices bacon
3 carrots
2 potatoes
fresh green beans
1/2 of a yellow onion
4 cups of beef broth
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons butter
5 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoons parsley
2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 bay leaf
2 cloves garlic

Start by cutting up the meat and vegetables.
Feel free to add more meat and vegetables than what I have above. I don't really measure how much I put in, but the above is my best guess. I usually put in a couple handfuls of fresh green beans, and a couple handfuls of cut up baby carrots. If you use the big carrots, I would use two to three. Also I use three thick slices of bacon or 4 regular slices for this dish.

Place the cut up slices of bacon in a pot or dutch oven over med. high heat with a little oil so the bacon doesn't stick. Did I mention this is not low-fat? Don't be skeered....

Cook the bacon until done and transfer to paper towels, it will come back into play later.

Leave two tablespoons of bacon grease in the pot and save the rest for the next step. Then throw in the cut up meat. Sear the meat on all sides and remove to a plate. It does not need to be cooked through.

Once the steak has been removed, lower the temp to medium and there should still be some grease and juices from cooking the meat at the bottom of the pan, if not add two more tablespoons to saute the vegetables. Then throw in the carrots, onions, and green beans. Cook until the onions are translucent. About five minutes.

Once they are cooked add the two tablespoons of butter and let melt. Then add the 5 tablespoons of flour and stir. It will turn into a paste around the vegetables.

Next add in the beef broth and stir. Then add in the two tablespoons of tomato paste. Once these are stirred in add back the meat and its juices, add the garlic, italian seasoning, bay leaf, and parsley. At this point put on the lid and either cook it on the stove over medium heat or stick it in the oven on 325 degrees for
1 1/2 hours.

After 1 1/2 hours add the cut up potatoes, then either put back in oven or on stove for 45 more minutes or until the potatoes and carrots are tender.

Here it is in all its goodness! Yum!

Then get you a big ol' helping and sprinkle the bacon bits on top! I also add a little salt and pepper. So So Good!

I serve this with either rolls, or garlic cheddar biscuits, or yummy cornbread. I will give you those recipes another day.

*Do not use stew meat in this dish, stew meat is tough and chewy. I use chuck tender steak which you can find at walmart, or you could use sirloin or any other tender cut of meat. You will not regret it. Also if you can add just about any vegetable...celery, mushrooms, etc. Try this as soon as possible it will make your winter a little more bearable!

You must listen to this!!!

2011-01-12T16:24:00.007-06:00

If you want to hear more David Platt sermons or his entire series on what the Gospel demands go to www.radicalthebook.com/resources.html
and below sermon resources for each chapter of his book he has sermons that go along with each chapter. I would highly recommend reading the book too! It has changed my thinking completely. It is time to make huge sacrifices for Christ. As he puts it "We are His plan A, there is no plan B."

2010-12-15T13:31:00.003-06:00

B is for......Books!

I love books! Love, Love, to read. I love to read fiction and non-fiction. Generally if I am going to read non-fiction it is Christian books. And of course I love reading the Bible. I also really like Fiction! I am one of those that has read the Twilight series and loved it! For those of you who haven't read it, you need to. Right now. I also like Christian fiction, such as the Left Behind series or the Mark of the Lion series. Have you heard of Francine Rivers? She wrote the Mark of the Lion series. Its awesome.

I would say the only thing I dont like to read is when it is an "assignment". Generally I am not favorable of studying. I did not like this about college. I would avoid it at all costs, and most of the time I got away with it. Then there was spanish.....I will own up to the fact that I lacked a certain something as a student of foreign language. That missing something, which I will call initiative, did nothing to endear me to the teacher. It couldn't be helped I'm afraid. I was a classic underachiever when it came to school. It just took up too much time, college is supposed to be about hanging out right? It just made too much sense to me not to have it that way.

2010-12-11T20:25:00.006-06:00

My husband says I am a complex person. He seems to think he could write a very long book about all my quirks. He sees quirks, I see innovation. Sometimes, when you are an innovator, it is hard for people who see you every day to recognize it. I try not to fault him for his lack of insight in this matter.

So I'll try to share things that make me who I am. I realize you know some basics about me but there is always more. I realize it may be more interesting to me than to you. I plan to make this even more boring by going through these alphabetically.

Naturally we will start with A!

A is for Animals. I love animals! More specifically I love having pets. Frankly, I dont understand those who do not like pets. We have a dog and 2 cats. Ben wishes we did not have the latter.

Here is a picture of Gauge

We love him! I mean he has pretty much destroyed our back door because he freaks out when it is storming. We let him in a lot but he can be a real baby when there is even a hint of a strong wind. He also has destroyed some toys and stuffed animals. We once had to take him to the er bc he ate two giant turkey legs. He can be a real mess. But he is great with the kids. And generally he is pretty well behaved.

Here is a picture of our cats. The one on the right is Sam, the other one is Oscar.

Sam is the sweetest most well behaved animal you will ever meet. She's awesome. Even Ben can deal. She likes to curl up beside me at all times.

Oscar (I think) is awesome too. He was found outside in our backyard in Gauge's mouth. I heard some hissing and cries coming from the backyard and ran out there, and sure enough Gauge had him in his mouth, like he was a chew toy. Oscar was a tiny little kitten and scared to death. I quickly grabbed him out of Gauge's mouth and ran inside to look him over for injuries. He was fine, besides being covered in drool, he looked pretty good. We asked around to see if it was a neighbor's but no one claimed him! I was pretty excited about this. He wouldnt let anyone touch him for a couple of days but soon adjusted and grew quite comfortable with me. He was so used to living on the street that he would snatch food right off our plate and run off. This is why Ben thinks he is from the devil. Ben does not share food.

I grew up always having pets so it suits me well. We always were the family that would take in a stray. So animals will always be a part of me. I used to want to be a vet until I realized I would probably cry all day long. I just cant stand to see them in pain. Plus you have to take a lot of chemistry. I dont believe in chemistry.

Basically there is not an animal I dont love. Dogs, cats, horses, cows, pigs, etc. I would make a great farm girl.....except for the manual labor and rising before the sun is up.

2010-12-08T23:31:00.007-06:00

Really excited about this conference coming in Febuary!
Come check it out!

We are all meant to play a part in orphan care.
Every. single. one. of. us.

Take time to think about your part in caring for the least of these. I promise you will never be the same. While your thinking, check out this post. It will make you think some more.

"Once our eyes are opened we cannot pretend we do not know what to do. God, who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls knows we know and holds us responsible to act."
Proverbs 24:12

Come to the conference!

Have you ever.....

2010-11-16T23:07:00.003-06:00

Have you ever wanted to know what would happen if you flushed a bunch of rocks down the toilet? I know the answer.

Have you ever wondered what would happen if you push the emergency button in the elevator? Just ask me.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to topple over one of the displays at Wal-Mart? I can tell you all about it.

Have you ever wondered what would happen if you empty an entire bag of fish food into a fish tank? Let me fill you in.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to mix juice into your brownie batter? I've got the 411.

Have you ever wondered what would happen if you looked through a complete strangers purse? Yep, I do.

I learn so much from having kids! Its awesome. Lets face it, some days I'm ready to fall on a sword. :) But most days I just can not help but laugh. My kids must account for somewhere around 100% of the broken things in my house. Generally, the breakage is not well-received. But afterward, like way afterward, I can look back and laugh. After all its just things, right?

But the memories...they are forever.

Here are the usual suspects

Play!

2010-11-10T08:08:00.002-06:00

I came across this quote and wanted to share. I am reminded time and again, that I need to play more. We get busy taking care of our children and forget to PLAY with our children. It is amazing how much can be accomplished just in play. We get to connect to our kids in the most simple of things, and we are reminded that life should be Fun! God takes pleasure in the simple things, in the ordinary things. Rejoice in the daily routine as God does!

"A child kicks his legs rhythmically through excess, not absence, of life. Because children have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit fierce and free, therefore they want things repeated and unchanged. They always say, "Do it again"; and the grown-up person does it again until he is nearly dead. For grown -up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony. But perhaps God is strong enough to exult in monotony. It is possible that God says every morning, "Do it again" to the sun; and every evening, "Do it again" to the moon.

It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike; it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them. It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we." Orthodoxy G.K. Chesterton

Great Meat Marinade

2010-10-31T13:10:00.003-05:00

This is a wonderful meat marinade recipe. It is good for steak, pork, and chicken. It is reusable marinade but not after you use it on chicken, due to the throw up factor or what some people call, salmonella.

I once had salmonella poisoning, so did my daughter and my husband and some friends we were eating with. It hit us about 24 hours after eating. My daughter just threw up a few times bc she only ate a little. I was pregnant at the time with Jacob so I chowed down. Probably had two or three helpings of the stuff. Ben too. So we both started throwing up that next night. And. it. would. not. stop. I was so sick, Ben took me to the women's hospital since I was pregnant. They put me in a bed and hooked me up to an iv. Ben, bless his heart was by my side trying to be a comfort. He had to keep running to the bathroom to throw up. He looked real bad, pasty white, sweaty. At some point in the night he collapsed and they had to admit him to the hospital too. We got to share a room! They told them he was the first male ever to be admitted to the hospital. That was a proud moment for us both. We felt much better after about 24 hours and went home. We talked to our friends who also said they threw up all night, I guess they didn't have it as bad as us though. I felt really guilty......

oh yea, did I mention that I made the meal that sent us to the hospital? Sometimes it’s truly the thought that counts, isn't it? You betcha.

Oh and the night I got salmonella we were eating chicken spaghetti NOT anything marinaded. So don't get scared away. This marinade is so yummy. Try not to think about the story I just told.

OK lets begin!

You will need:

1 1/2 cups salad oil
3/4 cups soy sauce
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
1/3 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons dry mustard
2 tablespoons parsley
1 tablespoon pepper
2 1/4 tsp salt
2 cloves of garlic crushed or chopped

Combine all ingredients and stir. Then add the meat! Its really easy. Sorry I have no pictures. I usually marinade steak for 6 to 8 hours, pork about the same, and chicken just a couple of hours. I usually use the marinade up within a couple of weeks of making it. I will post some pictures of the finished products the next time I make it!

Dear Pumpkin

2010-10-06T09:18:00.003-05:00

Hey, Pumpkin. It is the time of year when you become a trendy food ingredient. Pie. Soup. Casserole. Beer. Bread. Coffee.

Stop it.

You are not food. You are a decoration.

People pretend to like you to get closer to the whipped cream.
Notice they only like you when you are seasoned and in a pie. I will not be moved. You are not a food to these people, you are a vessel for their cinnamon and nutmeg lust. You are a delivery system for spices.

Here are the things you are good at: Being carved and placed out front of people's houses till you rot. Being shot out of a cannon. Being the head for the scarecrows around the world. Stick to what you are good at. There is no shame in it. We all have our roles.

OK glad to get that off my chest

Here is another thing that confuses me about this season. The ushering in of cornucopias. You know what I'm talking about right? The baskets that you make centerpieces that have stuff spilling out of them. I mean what is the point of a basket if it won't even hold its contents?

Here is a picture of said basket not holding it's contents.

I do love Thanksgiving however, I love all the food and family. My mom always whips up a bunch of deliciousness. It feels like when I was a kid. Which I always like to be reminded of.

Sup

2010-10-05T19:08:00.002-05:00

Ok I know it has been forevs since I have blogged. Let me explain...
So I had surgery a few weeks back. Doc removed an ovary, my appendix, and my cervix. I had been having trouble with pain in my ovary, I already don't have a uterus, so he decided to take the right ovary and the cervix out. Then I asked him to remove my appendix while he was in there. Seemed to me with my streak I would end up having appendicitis sooner or later so it was a preemptive strike.
Anyways surgery went fine (at least I thought). This surgery is usually an outpatient surgery....meaning that you go home the same day. My doctor decided to keep me because I am usually so sick after surgery from the general anesthesia. Well that night I started hurting really bad, like worse than childbirth pain. Like worse than what I think jumping off a building might feel like. My heart rate was around 160 laying down, my blood pressure got really low, and I was white as a sheet. It all feels like a bad dream. Anyways after drawing blood and studying me for awhile they determined I was bleeding internally. So guess what? I had to go back into surgery that next morning. Turns out I lost somewhere between 4 to 6 pints of blood and was hours away from organ failure. Crazy huh? I didn't know any of this until after or I might have been freaking out. But I was pretty calm. They gave me a blood transfusion and some iron and sent me on my way.

Looking back on it now I feel so blessed that I have God to watch over me. Just think if I had gone home after surgery instead of staying in the hospital, that decision probably saved my life. But it wasn't really the doc, it was God. He knew, He cared. It is amazing to me that He loves us that much! How great are His affections!

Oh and the surgeon told me my appendix was inflamed and looked like it would rupture any day. Another miracle.

So sorry for the prolonged absence I realize your day rises and falls on my whereabouts. I apologize. :)

I hope to be back to my regular self soon. When I post again I would like to discuss peoples infatuation with all things pumpkin. It shouldn't even be classified as food. Its weird.

Another Announcement!!

2010-09-10T14:01:00.008-05:00

Ok this post has been a long time coming and some of you already know all about what I am going to say. About 6 months ago, Ben came home from work and told me he was really feeling like God was calling us to do more for the orphans. As many of you know we have one adopted son and are in the process of adopting again. But as it turns out God has called us to more. Long and short of it, Ben and I prayed and prayed and felt such a strong calling to meet the needs of many orphans in practical ways.

We started a non-profit called The James Initiative. The idea behind this initiative is to bring hope. Bringing hope by building and sustaining orphan communities. Our first project we plan on starting is in Ethiopia. We would like to build a children's center for children to come to to get clothed and fed. We also want to build family-style homes around this center for those orphans with no mom or dad to live with "house parents" Eventually we would like there to be a school, a clinic, and agriculture. These may come about through partnerships with other non-profits. We are in the infant stage of this project. All we know is we have to follow the calling. We have a wonderful group of people already on board with this project and praying over this project. God will remain in the center of this project and at the front of all our steps. Please understand, this is God's ministry, we are just participants. It is ultimately for His glory. We are humbled to be a part of bringing hope to these children.

Right now we have incorporated and our in the process of getting our 501(c)3 status from the IRS. As far as in Ethiopia the next steps are to go and to apply for NGO(non-governmental organization) status. We need favor with the Ethiopian government that they will like our proposal and give us freedom to work in their country.
Ben and a few others are hopefully going later this fall to Ethiopia. We already have some ethiopian contacts that are going to help us once we get there.

And here's the thing...there are millions of orphans waiting for hope at this moment. The numbers and statistics can seem overwhelming, but every moment we have, is an opportunity to make a difference! It is time for radical sacrifice in our lives. When we strive to be a blessing, we in turn are blessed! I pray that our actions toward orphans reveal Christ in us. As David Platt explains in his book, we are God's plan A for the hurting world, there is no plan B. WE have to be His hands and feet.

"You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God."
2 Corinthians 9:11

Anyone who wants to be a part of the James Initiative in some way is welcome! We are very excited about what the future holds and are so thankful for those who have already stepped up to be a part! Bottom line.....Hope in Christ should be shared.

"Hope means a continual looking forward to the eternal world. It does not mean that we are to leave the present world as it is. If you read history you will find that the Christians who did the most for the present world were just those who thought the most of the next." C.S. Lewis

Go to the website to learn more! I am hopefully going to be blogging on it as well. Here is also a video we did for an upcoming conference. Check it out!

*Statistics from the video are from UNICEF, World Health Organization, and Christian Alliance for Orphans .

There is so much more to share but I think it will take many posts to share the whole vision. Please stand with us in prayer over this initiative! He is able to do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine! Ephesians 3:20

Website is www.thejamesinitiative.org or click on The James Inititative above. I still dont know how to make links different colors. Bear with me!

Benadryl

2010-09-02T18:32:00.001-05:00

Yes this post is about Benadryl. I have a cold. I am taking a lot of Benadryl.
Ahhh Benadryl.... There is no sleep like sick in bed on Benadryl sleep. Days can go by unnoticed. Sleep is the best thing for me when I’m sick. Benadryl turns out the lights, even if my eyes are open. I am not responsible for anything I might have said these past few days or for what I say in this post.

Anyways I realized a few things while I was laying on the couch (feeling sorry for myself) flipping through the channels. One thing was that I am one of the only people on earth who does not have a talk show. I've got to do something to remedy that. I’m equally as unqualified as anyone else to have my own show, yet there are so many who are not me who do. Perhaps I’m on a waiting list. This is what I have to believe anyway.

Secondly, I think Disney has something against mothers. Have you ever noticed there seems to be an awful lot of Disney movies where the mother is not present or killed in the opening credits? What is this about? Aladdin, Beauty & The Beast, Pinocchio, Nemo, Cinderella, The Little Mermaid, Ratatouille, Snow White....No mother, no no no no. What is the meaning of this? What is the purpose....beyond causing me to wonder about it the rest of the day? Because when your on Benadryl you wonder about stuff like that.

Other things i have been wondering about...

How can I get my kids to clean my whole house....

Why does my husband feel that, at the completion of his business, if there is even a square of toilet paper left on the roll, he is absolved of all roll replacement responsibilities. It’s hard to say if one square will be sufficient for the next user. It is also not his problem.

Why does Joby feel like he needs to take everything out of his drawers and pile it up in the corner of his room? What message is he sending?

Why do we drive on parkways and park in driveways?

What does hummus taste like?

So I could go on and on until you got really tired of me, tempting.... but I don't think it is going to happen.

I leave you with another thing I wonder about....why can't my boys always act this sweet to each other?

Africa stuff!!

2010-08-27T12:35:00.007-05:00

I have some new Africa stuff to show you guys. This stuff will also be sold to benefit the adoption. Yay! I have to mention that my mom is a wonderful seamstress. I mean she's awesome, it's not human. None of her neat, creative traits passed down to me in case you were wondering. I often wonder about it.

So to start she makes these adorable security blankets or a lovey or whatever you want to call them. They are little. Here are a few examples.

She also makes these wall hangings!

and pillows! This one is a little dirty bc someone's grubby hands were all over it.

She makes things without africa on them too. I will get some pictures of those up soon! She will make anything in the colors you like, boy or girl. I didn't have a girl one pictured bc they sold! But she is making more, aren't they cute? She also does baby bedding, from bumpers, to sheets, to quilts, to pillows. She does it all! She will also monogram for free with a purchase! All prices vary, email me if you are interested in anything at carriecbutler@gmail.com and I will continue to put up pictures as she does them.

Joby Day!!

2010-08-25T12:31:00.006-05:00

I took this picture today when Joby fell asleep with a fry in his mouth.
This post is in honor of Joby. We celebrated him being a part of our family for two years last week. Two years! But the journey of Joby started long before that. The day God planted in our hearts to adopt. What a blessing and journey it has been! I can not say enough about how adoption has changed our whole lives, changed our perspective on life. Changed everything. From the moment we saw Joby, we loved him instantly. A love so fierce and intense, my heart felt like it would burst.

Here is us at the airport the day we got him!

I think it is worth mentioning that right after this picture was taken he pooped the most awful smelling substance I had ever smelled. The smell was so powerful it was hard to decide whether Joby created the smell, or the smell created Joby. When I opened the diaper, it actually made my head snap back and my eyes water. Then I realized I wasn't alone in the bathroom. Those poor people. This smell was so substantial it actually had mass. This is one of my first memories of him. My eyes water a little just thinking about it. Anyway moving on, there is only so long one can discuss poop. I know you guys rather I didnt bring it up at all. but sometimes you need to talk about hard things.

I am so in love with this little boy. And I could go on about adoption and how it could change your life, but I will save that for another post. In the meantime here is a picture when Joby got home with his brother, sister and Daddy. Thank you Lord for these blessings.

Happiness is.............

2010-08-20T10:28:00.002-05:00

A bathroom with a locked door.

OOPS!

2010-08-11T12:30:00.001-05:00

Amy is a great friend of mine, she is so sweet and wonderful. We get along great and we always have a good time. This story is not about amy, she does not appear in this story.

Like I said amy and I get along great, BUT we do differ on one subject. Butter. Amy doesnt believe in it, Butter is the lifeline of my recipes. So you see this is a problem. I try to respect other peoples point of view, i just cant wrap my head around the fact that she doesnt like butter.

Anyways I was at Walmart today and guess who I saw? Amy. And guess what she was doing? She was in the dairy section checking out the butter! I couldn't believe my eyes! This is when I decided I would come up behind her and scare her. I realize this is completely childish. I don’t care. I am proudly capable of being that way at any given moment. Welcome to one of those moments.

So I creep up behind her and say "What do you think you are doing?" I was just about to say something else clever.....

Did I mention that Amy does not appear in this story?
Amy looked at me. That was the moment I realized that Amy does not appear in this story.

So the women who looked just like Amy from the back looked at me, shocked at my rudeness. Realizing my mistake, I turned about 10 shades of red and I apologized quickly and explained how she looked like someone I knew, that person would have thought what I said was funny and that I was not a crazy person. We both had a good laugh; more of a nervous laugh from me. I got what I needed from the shelf and went directly to the register to pay and get out of the store as soon as possible.

I am still a little shaken by the whole ordeal. It may be awhile before I try to scare someone in the store again.

oh and Joby dropped a dozen eggs on the floor while we were there, i almost completely forgot about that.

You've got to try these!!

2010-08-07T11:35:00.015-05:00

Ok I was going to put the BEST cinnamon rolls as the title but it seems redundant. But these are the best. Those I have made them for have said they are better than their grandmothers, and their grandmothers, and so forth. So you see, you need to try them! Please don't let the fact that they have yeast in them scare you away. If I can make them anyone can. So lets face our fears. Here we go......

You will need:

1 package active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1 cup milk
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup shortening
1 tsp salt
1 egg
3 1/2 cups flour

First add the yeast to the warm water, stir and set aside.

This allows for the yeast to start doing its thing. Make sure the water is between 120 and 130 degrees. If it is too hot it will kill the yeast and if its too cold the yeast wont grow. I promise this is the most complicated this recipe gets.

Take the cup of milk, 1/4 cup shortening, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 tsp. salt and heat it up in the microwave until the shortening almost melts. Take it out and stir till shortening melts completely. Add the mixture to 1 1/2 cups of flour. stir completely.

Then add in 1 egg, stir, add in yeast mixture, stir again, and add the remaining 2 cups of flour. Once stirred completely turn onto floured surface and knead in more flour if it feels sticky.

Knead for a few minutes and shape into a ball, place in greased bowl. Grease the top of the dough and place a towel over the bowl and let rise in warm place (i let mine rise in the oven that I have turned on to get warm and then turned off.) Makes sure the oven is off before you place the dough in there!
Let rise until double in size, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Once it has doubled in size punch it down and turn onto floured surface. Divide the dough in half, cover the dough again and let rest for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes take half the dough and roll it out into a rectangle.

For filling you will need a stick of softened butter and sugar and cinnamon.
Take the softened butter and smear it all over the dough. Yes, with your hands!

Than add a layer of sugar and then sprinkle cinnamon all over, like so.

Roll up the rectangle long ways and cut the roll into 10 equal pieces. Place each roll into greased 9x9 circle or square pan or whatever you have.

Once you are done with this, repeat the steps with the other half of the dough. Once all the dough is in rolls cover the pans and let rise for 30 to 40 minutes in a warm place. I forgot to take a picture of this part, sorry bout that.
Here are some right out of oven! yummy!

Now for icing:
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
1/8 tsp vanilla
add enough milk to reach a drizzle consistency.
You may need to make more, if you like a lot of icing like me.

Here we go....drizzle over top and dig in! These are so delicious and yummy! These take me to my happy place. Try them!

Diaper Cream Mishap

2010-07-31T22:21:00.003-05:00

In other news, here is a picture of my son Joby. This is what I walked in on when he was supposed to be sleeping.

Do you notice his frown? This is because he knows he is in big trouble. He had used an entire jar of diaper cream and smeared it all over his head and carpet. Oh and in case you are a mom and you keep your diaper cream within your little curious toddlers reach, Dawn dish soap gets it out! You learn so much when you have kids!

Malachi

2010-07-31T18:05:00.006-05:00

This was sent to me in an email a long time ago. It is good stuff!

Malachi 3:3 says: "He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver." This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God. One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study. That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver. As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities. The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot;then she thought again about the verse that says: "He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver." She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined. The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed. The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, "How do you know when the silver is fully refined?" He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that's easy -- when I see my image in it" If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God has his eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you.

I wouldn't normally copy an email in my blog but it had a good message. And now I dont have to think of anything to write. You guys are rejoicing right now aren't you?

Spaghetti & Meatballs

2010-07-24T17:26:00.022-05:00

These are the BEST meatballs in the world!

There are a lot of things I am eminently not qualified to comment on, this however is not one of them. I can guarantee you that when you make these you will love me even more than you do now. You are going to want to bring me cookies, cakes, chocolates, flowers (I like wildflowers and milk chocolate, in case you are writing this down)
Ok so lets get this show on the road!

You will need:
4 slices of bread
¼ cup Parmesan (the powder)
¼ cup of water
2 eggs
2 cloves garlic
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
1 tbs. Parsley
1 lb. hamburger meat

In a bowl tear the bread into small pieces, like so.

(Please try to ignore my photography skills)

Add the Parmesan, water, eggs, salt, pepper, and parsley. Than add 2 cloves of crushed garlic. (warning: I am in love with garlic, it is in almost all my main dishes-it must be fresh, and it must be crushed. This is mandatory)

Stir it all up with a fork until it looks like this

Then add in the meat. Note: You can use beef, or beef/pork or if you want to be healthy (which I would not advise) then you can use ground turkey. I just use beef.
Stir it all up again, till it looks like this

Then make into balls. I make mine golf ball size, but you can make them bigger or smaller depending on your preference.

Once this is done heat up a skillet or large pan to med/high or 350. I use an electric skillet. These babies are the best, I use it to cook a lot of things. A worthy investment. Brown the meatballs on all sides.

The meatballs wont be completely cooked through, but thats ok bc they will simmer for awhile.
Once this is done start on the sauce.

The sauce recipe is as follows
1 Jar Ragu Traditional. You can make your own sauce if you are super ambitious, but since I am not ambitious at all, I choose the jar. This one is the BEST, you can use Prego or Newman’s or some specialty sauce but this particular one is the only one I can endorse. I have tried others and they have just left me disappointed. Disappointed and alone. It was very traumatic, I would like to forget all about it.

Yummy!

Ok moving on, you will need
Another 2 cloves garlic crushed
¼ cup Parmesan (the powder)
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 tsp. Oregano

Mix the above and set aside

Chop some green onions,add the green onions to the meatballs to cook them a little (you can add as many green onions as you want) I forgot to take a picture of this step, so you are on your own.

After they have cooked for a few minutes add the sauce mixture to the skillet. Stir gently to cover meatballs . Cover and let simmer a few hours or less. You can really cook it as long as you want. Or as little as you want.

mmmmmmmmmm! There are not words.

Ok I forgot to plate it and take a picture, instead I scarfed it down. I don't have a lot of patience. I did get a picture of the meatball I tried while the rest were simmering. Check it.....

On top of spaghetti all covered with cheese, I lost my poor meatball when somebody sneezed. Ahhh good times. Enjoy!

WAITLIST!!

2010-07-23T11:56:00.003-05:00

Yay! We are on the waitlist for our adoption! This means we are done with the paperwork and on to officially waiting for our baby girl! I am so pumped to be done with the paperwork! Gladney is saying the wait for a referral for a toddler is about 6 months. We shall see, I am kinda expecting it to take longer than that. I am hoping February is our month! No matter, God has the perfect child for our family already picked out for us. We already love her so much!

The BEST Chocolate Chip Cookies

2010-07-21T11:56:00.008-05:00

I am going to start posting recipes to the blog! They are awesome ones that I love. To begin, I am going to share my chocolate chip cookie recipe! I have had a lot of people ask me for this recipe so it seems fitting to start with it. They are pure deliciousness. I could marry these cookies, take them out and show them a good time. They are better than your momma's. and my momma's. It's true, I wouldn't lie to you, at least not about this. When I post recipes I plan on taking pictures of the steps in making the recipe as well, like pioneer woman ,whom I love. But since cookies are easy to make and because I didn't think of this until after I made them, I will not be showing pictures of the cookies except in their final stages. Here is the finished product.

See how glorious? oooh boy!

Ok so grab a bowl and a fork and lets do this! (I do not use a mixer to make cookies, it tends to over whip them, but you do what you want. I am not the boss of you, I wouldn't want that job.)

1 stick of butter(not margarine). By the way none of my recipes contain margarine. Butter is the only way to go. It is the only way, ok? Butter makes the world a better place. Margarine only wishes it could be as cool, but it is an impostor and therefore has no place in my kitchen. This brings me to my second point which is none of my recipes are for dieters. Ok!

Put the room temperature stick of butter in the bowl and add:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar

cream together then add

1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla (Again I go for the pure vanilla bc like I said before I didn't like impostors like imitation vanilla.)

mix completely again and then add

1 1/2 cups of flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda

mix completely then add

1 cup chocolate chips (I usually add a little more) Whats the harm?

once done cover and chill for a couple of hours or in your freezer for awhile or overnight. (I usually chill mine overnight bc it makes them turn out perfect every time) I can not stress this point enough folks, dough needs to be chilled, it's too soft after you make it to go straight in the oven. This is how cookies turn out flat. That and they don't have enough flour in them. If you notice this recipe is a lot like the toll house recipe but it has more flour and more sugar. Sugar helps the cookies have a little crunch on the edge and flour makes them denser. This recipe makes about 15 cookies. Double it if you want to use a whole bag of chips. I usually don't double mine bc we like fresh cookies right out the oven and don't need a lot of leftovers. Once the cookies are chilled preheat oven to 375 and ball the cookies into the size of a golf ball and place on pan (this may seem big but they turn out smaller than you think). i cook them 10 to 12 minutes. This will vary just cook until a little brown around the edges and a little on the top. do not overcook! They should have a little crust but mostly chewy and gooey and wonderfulness. If you make them let me know what you think!!

My Better Half

2010-07-12T12:24:00.006-05:00

So I have told you about my three little darlings. So I figured I need to move on to my sweetie.

Mmmmm, where to begin…….Well he is a wonderful, outgoing, passionate, loveable man.

But who is he really?

-Well for starters he likes to rile up the kids when he gets home, get them good and crazy before bedtime. He has a little child inside him, the doctors say if they remove it, he’ll die.

-He drinks from the tap, no ice. (this is a wierd phenomenon to me)

-He loves chocolate covered peanuts and movie theatre popcorn

-He scares easy. (this one is particularly fun bc I get to jump out and scare him a lot)

-He loves sports more than me :) (Im only a little kidding)

-He wears his dress socks with his gym shorts

-He cannot dress himself. It’s similar to dressing a child. There are times in the morning where he will wake me up just to see if something matches (If you know me, you probably know how much I value my sleep, I’ve killed people for less). Sometimes I contemplate setting his clothing out for him the evening before so as to fend off any bickering about the fact that brown shirts don’t go with black pants or that striped pants and plaid shirts clash in the early morning hours.

-He texts me important information, the kind you generally prefer to hear in person or by phone or in my case not at all. Two weeks ago he texted me that he was in a car accident. What the huh?
Then just last week he texted me that he smashed his brand new iphone in the car door. (Don’t even ask) Ok so both of these things fall into the bad news category…..what’s next?

“I quit my job today.”

“I ran over the dog………sorry.”

Texting should only be used for non serious stuff. Here are some examples that I use and you should too.

“Who is #23 and why are they inspecting my jeans?”

“If people from Poland are called poles, why aren’t people from Holland called Holes?”

“I don’t feel like you take me seriously.”

“Why don’t you ever text me back?”

“I wished I liked chicken salad”

“I had to take out the trash today bc you forgot, you're lucky I didn’t get hurt.”

All this to say-He really is my BETTER half. I'm better for knowing him.

The wait is over

2010-06-30T12:24:00.012-05:00

I know you guys have been waiting for this day. I just know it.

Our Africa shirts are in!!

I'm waiting for you to quit jumping up and down. Jeez. You guys embarass me.

So here they are!

great huh?

huh?

Are ya'll still there? I didnt mean what I said about you embarassing me. That was out of line.

These shirts are 100% premium cotton, lighweight, 100% meant for you. They are guaranteed to make you feel fabulous. The brown one is organic for the hippie inside you. The gray one is not organic for the rebel inside you. Some people feel like they need both colors, I am ok with this. The front of the shirt has the words forever, family, love, and zehlahlum which is amharic for "forever". The back has the verse "I will not leave you as orphans- I will come to you" John 14:1. I designed it on imagechef.com. I am not very creative, I wouldn't have been able to come up with this completely on my own. I feel like I can be honest with you about this.

I have s,m,l,xl all mens sizes. There is a paypal button on the right, I think you will have to email sizes you want and how many, bc it is just a donate button. My email is carriecbutler@gmail.com.

I think that pretty much sums it up.
Try not to overload the system with your purchases. alright?

Things I don't do well

2010-06-23T18:44:00.004-05:00

Let me preface this by saying these are in no particular order, I don’t know why I feel like I need to tell you this.

Ok, so lets begin.

Running-
I wish I could run, but I can’t. I actually wish I enjoyed it, so that I could do these fun half marathons. But it is not one of my gifts, to put it mildly. I mean there could be a angry flock of goats chasing me and I would not be able to do anything about it. (I know what your thinking “goats don’t run in flocks” but I’m pretty sure they do. And I’m pretty sure I’ve seen them in NW Arkansas glaring at me.)

Singing-
Ok I think it is awesome for those out there that can sing. I mean I am like 90% happy for you guys and only like 10% jealous. A complete lack of talent and motivation have kept me from performing at many concerts. To date, there is not a music video that features me. I’ve put some thought into this and have found ways to correct this, despite my lack of musical ability. I have noticed that there are some songs where the singing stops and someone talks. This falls solidly within my skill set. I can certainly talk. So I feel like I am well on my way, If you were curious. This is why I am 10% happy for those who can belt it out and only like 90% jealous.

Putting gas in the car-
I wish I could explain this one to you, I know my husband wishes I could explain this one to him. There is no good explanation. It seems physically impossible, so I just wait until it has fumes left and then let Ben borrow it. This is how I get things done in my world.

Flying in planes-
It makes me physically ill to think about these death traps. Not only do I feel like I am going to throw up the entire time, but I also feel like we are going to crash into a large mountain, bird, other plane, etc. I also feel weird having that close proximity to strangers. I feel obligated to get to know this person since we’ll be touching for the next several hours. Unlucky chap, all he wanted was to sleep and get his bag of peanuts.

I don’t do a lot of other things well either but this is neither the time nor the place.

I want you to know that I only tell you things that are vitally important- this way you don’t waste your time. Your time is important to me.

Joby

2010-06-16T12:01:00.003-05:00

Ahhh Joby....this one keeps me on my toes. But he is so sweet too. And just look at him, so stinkin cute! With that being said I could literally right a post about him daily about all the trouble he gets himself into. Sometimes it is so bad, I just have to laugh.................to keep from crying. Like the time he poured children's tylenol all over our carpet. He must of heard about the recall and was just concerned for our safety. Or like the many times he gets a hold of a marker/pen/crayon and marks on the walls and pretty furniture. He is so smart, he can get through almost anything meant to be childproof. Just yesterday he poured out a big bottle of shampoo onto the floor. I didnt know this until I walked into my bathroom and slipped. I tried to use him to break the fall, but he ran off. (don't judge me, self preservation is a strong instinct)
He also has no regard for his own personal safety. When we get around a pool, he often times just jumps into the deep end before I am even in there. and yes, I have had to jump in with my clothes on before. He was just smiling at me like "mom isnt this fun!" I could go on and on about his daily antics. Just as I write this I am looking at him and you can tell he is thinking about what he could do next to stir things up a bit. He definately keeps life interesting!

Jacob

2010-06-08T21:28:00.013-05:00

This child will melt your heart. He lights up the room with his huge smile! We call him lover boy bc he likes to hug and cuddle all the time with everybody. He is a very calm boy for the most part. But very happy. He has been through a lot in his short life, for those of you who did not know us a few years ago, watch the video, it will fill you in.

Jacob means to: supplant” or “overcome” He is very appropriately named. He is a strong little boy who is going to have an amazing story to tell of God’s miracles and His provision.

The video hasnt been updated since he had surgery. His surgery went well but he still has to go in to be checked every 6 months for his heart. At any time he could have to have another surgery. Jacob's next appointment is in a few weeks. Please pray his heart is healthy and that God would continue to heal him daily!

Ryan

2010-06-02T09:45:00.010-05:00

Apparently it is unforgivable that I have not posted pictures yet on my blog. So here is one of my beautiful, darling girl. She is an angel child, a rule follower (she often gets on to me for not following the rules). She is also at a very inquisitive age. She asks me questions daily, and I have to think up an answer. I say this bc in most cases I don’t have a correct answer.

Some examples:

Ryan: Mom, why is the sky blue?
Me: because it’s God’s favorite color

Ryan: Where does rain come from?
Me: the ceiling

Ryan: Why do you and Daddy like to go out?
Me: Because you people are exhausting
Ryan: Huh?
Me: I mean because I like to spend time with Daddy

Ryan: Why are you taking pictures of me?
Me: Because I am a blogger now, and that is the rules. Now pipe down.

Silly Rules

2010-05-15T23:40:00.003-05:00

Ok those of you who have adopted or are adopting probably can relate. I have had it up to here (I am reaching for the ceiling) with all the silly rules of adoption. I mean you could forget to sign your full name to a document and you may not get a child. Or dont even get me started on notaries. and dates. and who needs original documents and who needs a copy. and if you use a copy be sure to add another paper that states this is in fact a copy of the original. and so on and so on. It is comical really, silliness often is. the fact is that you may not be approved to adopt a baby if you pick your nose, or maybe you dont wash your hands after every time you pee, , or maybe you like to inhale large amounts of chocolate, or maybe you let your kids play with the dead mouse in the garage just to keep them enertained....

wait what?

ok im not proud of that last one :)

Im just teasing by the way, I only let them play with it for a second.
no really I didnt
really

Announcement

2010-05-09T19:43:00.004-05:00

For those of you who read my blog (jaimi), you already know this but for those who don't, here is the latest......
are you ready for it?

You don't seem ready maybe i should wait......

I like to be annoying, you'll figure this out the more you read, actually it may make you want to stop reading all together. I wouldn't blame you for that. you got better things to do than read an annoying girls blog.
(sheez will she just say it already?)

ok.

We are adopting again!!!!! YAY! We are so excited! We will be going through Gladney this time. We want a little ethiopian girl this time! We are so Thrilled! Elated! Pumped! Delighted! Wowed!

(man she's annoying, now she's trying to show off her vast vocabulary)
(I don't think I am coming back to this blog site)
(ever)

Oh well I'll just make my husband read it.
Really torture him.
Its what I do.......
What can I say.

Love is Loud

2010-05-08T10:00:00.003-05:00

So I decide to start blogging because I have got a lot to say.
Look, do you know what would happen if I don’t get it out?
I don’t know either.

I chose Love is Loud for my blog name because it is loud!
It should be loud! Loud because it has God’s power in it.
Love is different from other sounds, it can be heard over noises that bury everything else.
It can be heard over war, anger, and hate.
It can be heard over the mess of our lives, even when its just a whisper.

P.S. I don’t really have a lot to say