Even though we are over half way through Liam’s seventh month, I made sure to snap a few pictures just to capture this sweet, sweet age. Below you will see L snuggled with his favorite stuffed animal, a lamb, that when wound up plays Jesus Loves Me.

I am taking the pictures of L in the yellow chair each month (have been since month zero) just to see how he is changing and growing each month! What a difference this month has made, pulling up on the side of the chair, hardly keeping still long enough to snap a picture. What a true Joy Liam is to me. It makes my one word positively come to life as I experience the Joy of motherhood through his little life!

We’ve been so terribly busy that I forgot to blog for awhile now.

My mom gave me a fabulous deviled egg tray for Easter, and I forgot how much I love deviled eggs. Though, I’d never tried to make them on my own, I made sure to look up best practices when it comes to boiling and peeling the eggs (hello, difficult)!

The end result was a beautiful platter of (mostly) perfect deviled eggs. I also piped the filling in a swirl into the egg to make it a bit more interesting. See for yourself.

y’all i did it. not only did i make something from pinterest, but i also made it on easter! hip, hip, hooray!

This weekend we will be participating in Legacy, our church’s baby dedication.

As a part of the process we have listened to four messages from Mike Ashcraft on the family & leaving a legacy. One concept continually stands out…

our goal is so that our children’s children will know God the way that we do.

Absolutely humbling, isn’t it? I thought this was so sweet. A picture of Jeremy from when he was about Liam’s age, and Liam, side by side. It’s so sweet and makes the reality of leaving a legacy even more real.

____________ .

fill in that blank.

for me,  I would usually fill in crazy, but today, this monday, seems just right.

What about you? 

Last night, when I made this, I decided to add in roasted red pepper, although I did not have any (from a jar) on hand. I did however have a fresh red pepper. So, I proceeded, as follows, the results were amazing, and delicious.

1. Preheat your oven’s broiler. (I put the thing on HIGH) warning, not to be done in high summer!

2. Use two teaspoons of vegetable oil for each pepper. Avoid extra-virgin olive oil as its smoke point is low and will burn when broiled.

Coat each pepper evenly with oil. A pastry brush is useful, but fingers will work in a pinch. Make sure to coat inside the folds of each pepper.

3. Arrange the peppers on a baking sheet and place the baking sheet on the highest rack in your oven.

4. Keep a watchful eye on the peppers. When dark splotches begin to appear on the peppers, remove the baking sheet from the oven.

5. The peppers will be very hot. Using tongs, carefully turn each pepper over. Once all of the peppers are turned, return the sheet to the oven.

6. When the tops of the peppers begin to darken again, remove them from the oven and place them into a large bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, making sure that it is sealed air-tight all the way around. The steam from the trapped hot peppers will loosen the skins.

7. Once the peppers are cool enough to handle (probably about 15 to 20 minutes), pull the stems out of each pepper.

8. Hold one end of the pepper down on a flat surface and gently peel the skin off of each pepper. The skin should slide off fairly easily.

9. Lift each pepper up and hold it with one hand, while using your other hand to squeeze down the pepper’s length. The bulk of the seeds and pulp should drop out the bottom.

10. With the backside of the knife, slit open the side of each pepper and spread them out (ribbed side up). With the dull side of your knife, scrape off any of the ribs or membrane that remains in the pepper.

11. Use fresh roasted peppers in these recipes:  

• Chicken with Asparagus and Roasted Red Peppers
• Basil, Roasted Peppers and Monterey Jack Cornbread
• Roasted Red Pepper Cream Sauce
• Bruschetta with Roasted Sweet Red Peppers
• Mary’s Roasted Red Pepper Dip

YUM! Thanks All Recipes.

I’ll post my version of the Quinoa Salad soon, I told Jer that it would be good to make a huge batch of and just have all week to eat on! A really healthy delicious and great alternative to a leafy salad!

“I shower blessings on you daily, but sometimes you don’t perceive them. When your mind is stuck in a negative focus, you see neither Me nor My gifts. In faith, thank Me for whatever is preoccupying your mind. This will clear the blockage so that you can find Me.” -Jesus Calling

I’ve been having an “off” week. First let me tell you what it doesn’t mean…

it doesn’t mean I’ve taken time off from any of my wifely, motherly, or otherwise duties.

No, but what it does mean is I’ve felt “off” this whole week. I’ve been processing a ton of stuff, and actually doing a lot of it just in my own head, ….which is dangerous, ….which is why we need community.

But, as I was processing this stuff, I was thinking….I don’t think I have a single friend that I can call right now. Not one would care to hear what I’m going through. Well, of course, everyone is going through their own stuff, and why, who, would make time for me.

Obviously this is a lie, but this is what I’ve been battling all week, and am currently battling.

I know this is blunt and in no way meant to offend or hurt anyone, but in this world of ever-connectedness, it’s amazing how unconnected I feel.

I’ve also taken a week away from blogging, mostly because this post is the only one I am able to form the words for.

I saw this on a blog and just loved the idea of profiling my little one in picture form! (expect to see another one at 7 mos!)

my family had a great whirlwind of a trip to ocracoke, hatteras and rodanthe, on the way home we stopped in nags head for lunch! it was a great 48 hour trip. Jer, Liam and I had a blast! Thanks for putting up with the constant instagrams!