Weekend Recap

Jared and I had such a great weekend! Friday night we did exactly what we needed to do: Nothing! My sweet hubby could tell I was exhausted from a long week, so he offered to cook supper. I think he could have fixed us PB&J's, and I would have thought it was the best meal in the world ... just because he did it. He did, however, up his game a little bit and made us a Digiorno pizza. We caught up on all of our DVR shows, and it was a fabulous night!

Saturday morning we woke up early to get ready for the UK tailgate. After cleaning house, unpacking some boxes, a trip to Kroger (well, Jared made this trip, not me), cooked some buffalo chicken dip (I found this recipe online. Everyone loved it. See the details below.) and a surprise visit from Mal Gal, we made it to the tailgate just in time for the game. After the UK game, we rushed home so Jared could watch the AU/LSU game. Let's not talk about it. Around 6:30, I met my sis and Mal at Buy Buy Baby to look at baby furniture. Hello baby overload! I was so excited and so freaked out at the same time. There's sooo much stuff in that store! Do I need all of that stuff? Anyway, back to the reason we went to the store. We found the most beautiful baby furniture for a little girl and the most beautiful baby bedding to go with it. Who doesn't love pink toile? I'm in love! We also found some really nice furniture if this little munchkin is a boy, but we struggled on finding bedding. I'm not a themey kind of gal, and so I'm struggling finding what I envision so perfectly in my head. 

Sunday ... ah! We overslept. Now, for us that means 8:30 a.m. Thank goodness for the 11:30 service at Southland. We normally got to the 10:00 or 10:10, but this weekend, we rolled in with the other late sleepers. Then we decided we better hit up Keeneland before we missed it. It's not like we'll get to go in April! So, after Jared lost about $20 bucks and I lost about $5, we hit the road to Sams. Finally, we capped off the night by hanging pictures on our new walls! Still loving the new house! 

It was really a great weekend! Whether it's doing nothing on Friday night or going non-stop on Saturday and Sunday, we don't care. We do just about everything together, and we wouldn't have it any other way! Love love love my sweet baby daddy!

OH! And here's that recipe I promised you earlier ...

Buffalo Chicken Dip Cook Time And Calories:

Ingredients: (what you will need for the best buffalo chicken dip recipe) This is for a single batch:

• 1 pound of boneless skinless chicken breast (or approx 2-3 large chicken breasts)
• 1 cup of ranch dressing ( Hidden Valley, Kraft, or Wishbone)
• 1 cup of Franks Original Red Hot (do not substitute this please)
• 1 8 oz block of cream cheese (do not use fat free, 1/3rd less fat OK)
• 1 package of fancy shredded sharp cheddar cheese (2 cups)
• Green onions (optional)
• you will also need the following items to dip into the best buffalo chicken dip... Bite size tortilla chips, celery, wheat thins, triscuits or a combination of all of them.

Here are your step by step instructions:

1. Boil your chicken breasts on the stove in a medium to large sauce pan, on medium heat about 30 to 45 minutes or until cooked all the way through and pre heat your oven to 350 F.

2. While the chicken is boiling cut the cold cream cheese into cubes, and place them into an 11.5" x 8" x 2" Pyrex style baking dish lightly misted with buttered flavor Pam.


3. Evenly sprinkle the fancy shredded cheese on top of the cream cheese cubes.


4. Pour the 1 cup of ranch and the 1 cup of Franks Red Hot on top of the cheesy mixture and place the dish into the oven uncovered for 7 to 10 minutes




5. You will want to stir the mixture after about 7 to 10 minutes and put it back in the oven and bake an additional 7 to 10 minutes and stir until mixture and cream cheese is well mixed together.

6. While the mixture is baking and your chicken is done boiling, you will want to shred your chicken. The best way to do this is by putting the pan into the sink and running cold water over the chicken to speed up the process, once cooled you may hand shred the chicken into a bowl


7. After the cheesy mixture is done baking and mixed together well, you may now add the chicken, simply pour the chicken on top of the mixture, carefully stir the mixture well and cover with aluminum foil and bake an additional 20 to 30 minutes.

8. Once baked you can carefully pour into your serving bowl, garnish with green onion and celery and enjoy!

Judging hurts. Don't do it.

One of the things we're taught as Christians is how much Jesus loves us. He loves us so much that He gave His life to save ours. When He was hanging on the cross, He experienced every sin I've committed, every sin you've committed ... all of our bad thoughts, hateful actions and unlovingness. He paid the ultimate price for all of our sins so that we wouldn't have to. All He asked in return is that we love each other and spread the word about what He's done for us.

Unfortunately, there are those in this world who have forgotten the first part ... love each other. We choose to only love those who are like us. Who live the same lifestyle as us. Go to the same kind of church as us. You get my point. The thing is, for us to do the second part of our mission, the part about spreading the word about Jesus' love for everyone, we have to do the first part. The word Christian means to be Christ-like. So to be like Him, we have to love everyone too. Those who aren't Christian's need to see Jesus in us. That's the ultimate way to spread His good news.

I will be the first admit that I've done a poor job at this. I've had my moments where I haven't been so nice. I've made bad, actually some awful, decisions. I've not shown others that Christ lives within me. And, it's because of this that non-Christians tend to stray away. How in the world can someone claim to be a Christian when they screw up so much? Well, fortunately, Jesus died on the cross for me because He knew ahead of time all the horrible decisions I was going to make. And, you know what, that's not an excuse to go out and live a sinful life. In fact, it's all the more reason to try as hard as I can to live a sinless one. But, we're human. The only perfect man to walk this earth was Jesus. And, I'm so very thankful that He doesn't expect me to be. He loves me even through my imperfections. In spite of all my sins and bad habits. That's true love.

One of the things I've noticed and experienced recently is that Christians, as a group, get labeled as being judgmental of those who choose to live different lifestyle than us. I'm talking about other religions, sexual preferences, etc. And, there are a lot of Christians who do this. But, not all of us. It's a stereotype.

If we're supposed to love like Jesus, don't you think that means we should love everyone ... even if they are different than us? If we don't show them love, they may never see Jesus. My mother taught me this all her life. She loved everyone. She always had an open heart. I've strived hard to be that same way.

Lately, I've experienced a bump in my journey. It's the kind of bump that once you get knocked down into it, it's hard to get back up. It's hard to see the final destination because of the trouble you're experiencing at the moment. I've experienced the kind of criticism and judgement as those who are in a minority sometimes feel. I've done all I can to show love, be open and understanding and welcoming. In return, I've received a constant judgement of my faith. I've listened to my faith and fellow Christians be called "Jesus lovers" and "Bible thumpers." Doesn't sound so bad does it? Well, the way in which it was said, it was. I actually claim to be a Jesus lover and a Bible thumper. That doesn't bother me a bit. But, it's heartbreaking to feel like you're constantly being judged because of your faith. Especially when you're being judged because of what others do. The person doing it, doesn't realize that he's doing to me exactly what he expects Christians NOT to do to him. And, I think the reason he doesn't see is, is because I don't fit the typical stereotype of the judgmental Christian. He doesn't lump me into that category. But a Christian is a Christian. And, I take offense.

One thing I've learned from this is this ... You can't expect someone to accept you for your lifestyle choices or faith choices when you aren't willing to accept them. It's a two-way street. As a Christian, I plan to still show love daily ... to everyone. And, I hope eventually it will rub off on others.

Month 4

I signed up to receive emails from Pampers that tell me all about this little munchkin I'm growing. Here's what's happening now ...

Month 4

Construction Zone Your little one's face is beginning to look "human" as the mouth and nose take shape. Tooth enamel is forming, fingerprints are defined, and eye movements will begin at the end of this month. The fetus weighs about two to three and a half ounces and measures four to six inches. His And Hers Your baby's genitals are probably developed enough to reveal gender. If you're carrying a girl, the ovaries have already made millions of eggs! And a little boy's sperm-production cells are present in the testes. What's Happenin' Your baby is active in all sorts of ways: sucking a thumb, grabbing the umbilical cord. You may have felt some kicks and punches. Pay special attention after a meal or in the afternoon or evening, when "workouts" typically take place. Try pushing back lightly when you feel a punch. Does your baby respond with a change in movement? Bedfellows Your baby's activity cycles are now somewhat linked to yours. Between 20 and 22 weeks, the fetus becomes diurnal, meaning your little one has waking and sleeping periods that differ from day to night. Your body's patterns are adapting to your baby's, too: Your sleep is gradually becoming lighter, and you're able to nap more easily.