Sunday, October 27, 2013

National Chocolate Day

 
My sweet friend, Deena has informed me that October 28th is National Chocolate Day!  I love that she knew I would want to know that!  To celebrate I've decided to make my favorite chocolate treat and share the recipe with you.  Not only is it super yummy, it is super easy and healthy!  My kind of recipe!

You need only 3 ingredients:
1 package of chocolate chips (I use dark chocolate)
Chopped pistachios
Dried cranberries
(As many as you want!)

 
Melt the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl, 30 seconds at a time, stirring in between.
 
 
Spread the chocolate thinly onto a foil-lined cookie sheet.
 
 
Sprinkle the pistachios and cranberries on top (I prefer to do this rather than mixing it into the chocolate so you don't lose the color).  Place the cookie sheet in the freezer until the chocolate has hardened.
 
 
DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP:
Lick the bowl and spoon until spotless!  Hurry!  Before the kids figure out what's going on!
 
Break up the chocolate into pieces. Take one - or three or four pieces, several times daily, as needed.
 
 
Happy National Chocolate Day!  Spread the love! 
 
 
- Liv

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Delight


This verse jumped out at me today at work as I was typing up Sunday's Power Point:
The Lord directs the steps of the godly.  He delights in every detail of their lives!  Psalm 37:23
I thought about my kids and how they are a delight to me.  I am sure that nobody else wants to watch Celine's ballet videos over and over like I do.  I never tire of them.  Watching her dance makes me happy.  And when Taye walks into the house to borrow the vacuum cleaner, I can't wait to hug him and hear about what is going on in his life. 

And I love the way he calls me momma. 

And I bet nobody loves the freckles sprinkled across my girl's nose the way I do. 

I am especially fond of these two:

 
 
 

 
The Lord directs the steps of the godly.  He delights in every detail of their lives!  Psalm 37:23
I love how my kids put into perspective how God feels about you and me.  Think about it.  Every detail.

Your smile.

When you call Him Father. 

When you pass your test.  Barely.  When you didn't go off on the rude cashier at Wal-mart.  When you make the final payment on the car.  When you are exasperated with work or toddlers or teenagers.  He sees the work you do as a caregiver.  The sacrifices you make as a mother. 

 ... Every little seemingly insignificant detail - He notices.  

He loves to hear you talk to Him about what's going on in your life because He is especially fond of you!

The Lord your God is with you; He is mighty to save.  He will take great delight in you; He will quiet you with His love.  He will rejoice over you with singing.  - Zephaniah 3:17

Saturday, October 19, 2013

Saturdays...

 
 
I'm so grateful for days like today!  Scotty and I got up early to get ready for the Bisbee 1000.  Downtown Old Bisbee is my favorite spot, with it's artsy shops and quaint houses nestled into the mountains, not to mention the cozy places to eat!  The Bisbee 1000 draws people from all over the country the third Saturday of every October.  Today, over 1700 people completed the hilly course (5k plus 1000 stairs!).  I was pleased to have beat last year's time - yes!  I love sharing this experience with Scotty!

Photo Credit


Photo Credit

After heading home and cleaning up, we met up with our son for lunch.  It's always great to see Taye.  It was nice to see our kids playfully ribbing at each other again.  It has been 3 months since he has moved out of the house - so weird! 
 
 
We stopped to pick up paint for Cel's room on the way home.  And after a much needed nap we finally tackled her bedroom walls.  It's looking great!  We'll do the second coat after church tomorrow and hopefully have her things moved back in so I can get started on my writing space (Taye's empty room)!   Yay for crossing something off of the 'to-do' list! 

Friday, October 18, 2013

Five Minute Friday: Laundry

There are so many things undone at the end of the day, like a mountain of laundry that never goes away.  A daughter waiting to be taken to the MVD to get her driver's permit.  Her bedroom walls are begging for a coat of paint to cover the primer.  The empty room left behind by a son who has moved out, waiting to become a sanctuary for writing.  A flower bed that has turned into a weed bed. There are the unfinished Pinterest projects and the box of Fall decorations, untouched.  Thoughts and ideas left unwritten and then forgotten, like a sock that's fallen behind the dresser.  There's the garden that never got started and a stack of books on the night stand, unread.  The Christmas shoebox that is to be filled with gifts for a needy child is empty and the bags of clothing for Goodwill sit in the corner.  The list of things undone leave a cluttered trail, like articles of clothing dropping from a bulging basket. 

Then, there's the small dent in the mountain - a stack of folded towels, soft and still warm from the dryer.  Their scent clean and fresh, like the scent of her hair when you hugged your sweet girl at the end of the day.  There are fresh apples in the fruit bowl from the Farmer's Market where you sat under a tree during your lunch break with a friend you don't get to spend enough time with.  An empty Starbucks cup reminds you of the dear friend who dropped by the office for a few minutes to  tell you how her recent trip went.  Sitting with the love of your life, talking about the day, as he rubs your sore shoulders.  You smile.  Yes, there is much undone.  But when taking inventory at day's end, isn't it great to know that you didn't miss out on the important over the urgent?

 
Happy Friday!  Click on over to Lisa-Jo's to find out how you can participate in Five Minute Friday!

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

I'm still here!

I've missed you!  I sure have been thinking about you a lot, even though it's been quiet on here. 

So this is what I've been up to:
Being a mom to this awesome girl.  It's been a busy school year so far with practices and club meetings and high school football games on cool Thursday evenings. 
Work.  Some of you don't know that I am a church secretary.  I couldn't ask for a better job!
Training for our upcoming 1/2 marathon.  I'm enjoying this too much to be considered normal!  Haha!  We're also preparing for the Bisbee 1000 this weekend.  Yay!  Also, a shout out to Justin and Amber from Sierra Vista Crossfit!  Love them!

I'm leaving out a lot of boring daily details, but there are many things left undone by the time I crawl into bed at night.  There are a lot of thoughts that are left unwritten and things I want to say to you that I haven't had the courage to pour out yet.  I've been thinking and praying much about which direction to go with this blog.  You all have been so supportive and have kept on reading, even though my writing has been sporadic.  You're the best!  I want for this space to always be a place where you can curl up with a warm cup of something and be encouraged! 
 
What kind of things have you been up to?