This Week's Update: In #'s

4   ... books on my summer reading list 
5   ... miles walked (so far)
8   ... new pins on Pinterest (follow me here Jennie McKay)
11  ... hours little man is sleeping at night (Yay!!!)
34 ... days until my husband's 34th birthday
92 ... months Will & I have been married 
121... pages I've read this week
148... days I've kept my houseplant alive (this is a record for me)
276... movies on our Netflix que (ridiculous, I know)

InstaFriday

 Playing with Lane (aka "King Lane") and sitting up like a big kid.

This is what we do every night when Daddy is away at camp. They live stream the worship service, and we have the best time singing, listening to God's Word, and every now and then we get a glimpse of Daddy too.

I really should eat fresh fruit more often and ditch the chips for snacking.

Summer shade. Love me some freshly painted nails.

Waiting for Daddy to arrive.

Will's cousin graduated last month and had the cutest book full of memories from each school year. It was just precious reading through it. I've been looking for one for Liam and I found one today!!!

First time to try a sippy cup. Not the greatest picture quality, but it shows how much little dude was loving the new cup!

A Recipe: Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Pie

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Pie

Crust: 
No-stick cooking spray
1 (7.4 oz package Martha White Chocolate Chip muffin mix)
4 Tbs butter, softened
1/3 cup cashews (or your nut of choice), chopped


Topping: 
2 Tbs Smucker's hot fudge topping, warmed


Filling:
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 (3 oz) package cream cheese
1/3 cup sugar
3 Tbs milk
2 cups frozen whipped topping, thawed

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Coat 9 inch pie plate with no-stick cooking spray. Combine muffin mix, butter, & cashews in large bowl. Blend with fork until crumbly. Press evenly into bottom & up sides of prepared pie plate. Bake 13-16 minutes or until set & light golden brown. (If crust is slightly puffy, press down gently with back of wooden spoon.) Cool.
• Beat peanut butter, cream cheese, & sugar in bowl with electric mixer on medium-high until smooth. Beat in milk. Gently fold in whipped topping. Spoon into cooled crust. Drizzle warm hot fudge topping over pie. Chill 3-4 hours. Store in fridge.

Blackberry Jam, Fresh Veggies, & Sunshine

One of my favorite places: Will's grandparents' farm in Halls.

While Will was at camp, Liam and I went away for the day.

We made blackberry jam...I have mad stirring skills. :)

Nanny is an excellent cook, and I love learning from her.

While we were "jam-ming," our little helper kept us entertained.

I was so very proud of our finished product! It's pretty tasty, and an easy recipe too: 4 cups blackberries (washed & mashed) mixed with 4 cups sugar. Boil for 30 minutes (should thicken). Then it's ready for the jars & sealing!

The fields were ripe for harvest, so we picked green beans, corn, peppers, cucumbers, and more! Some of our bounty:

What a great place to take a nap:

Days with the family on the farm & in the sunshine are the best!

After a week of camp food, fresh and from scratch meals taste delicious! 

Welcome home, Will! :)

A Recipe: Corn Dip

Corn Dip

2 (16 oz) cans mexicorn, drained

1 cup sour cream

1 cup mayo

1/4 cup diced green chilies

4 oz shredded cheddar cheese

2 oz shredded pepper jack cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients & place in a baking dish. Bake for 15 minutes or until bubbly. Serve hot with corn chips. 

Feeling Under the Weather?

Scrolling through my pictures today and found this sweet memory. 

Little man was feeling pretty crummy. For a few hours he tossed, turned, and became more frustrated (bless his heart). Having tried everything else, I decided to give him a change of scenery. 

Our remedy: a big comfy chair, soft blanket, puppy dog, favorite toy (can you spot the toy?), and lots of love. 

What helps when you or your child's feeling under the weather?

First Word & A Lesson

Since becoming a mommy, God uses Liam many times to illustrate things in my spiritual life. Last month Liam said his first word, "Dada." How thrilled Will and I were that not only was he saying his first word, but he was also associating it with whom he knew it to belong to. Every morning when he wakes up, he calls out "Dada, Dada," and Will lifts him out of his crib and talks with him as he changes his first diaper of the day (he also changed Liam's very 1st diaper in the hospital. Yes, ladies, my husband changes diapers!). 

A few nights ago, Liam not only called out for "Dada" when he woke in the morning, but also before he went to sleep at night. 

This continued the next night as well, and I started thinking...

This is what I should do each day. 

First thing when I wake up: speak to my heavenly Father. 

At the end of each day: call out to "Abba." And all throughout the day as well. 

"O LORD, God of my salvation; I cry out day and night before you. Let my prayer come before you; incline your ear to my cry!" Psalms 88:1-2 

And my God hears my cry and answers. 

How amazing is our God!

Eskimos & Electric Fans

Look who came to Memphis to visit!

My Gran loves coffee, so we took her to Starbucks of course. And I learned that 2-3 cups a day is great for your health (per some doctor that she was talking to). 
I better up my intake - 2 cups a week is not enough!

We also had lunch with a dear lady, Mrs. Katherine, my sweet friend's grandmother that took care of me when I was a little girl and made me the cutest hair bows. Our families all went to church together way-back-when. 
She and her family are so precious!

Conversation with Gran is always good. Today's topics included makeup, potty-training, sippy cups, student ministry (they led middle & high school students on 18+ years of choir tours), and here is my fav:

Gran on describing how effective a "salesman" Papa was: "You know, he could sell an electric fan to an eskimo!" Yes, yes he could. 

I sure wish that she lived in Memphis. 
Liam and I have loved our time with her this week!

Blogs Worth Reading

"Chatting at the Sky" is one of my favorite blogs to regularly check into. 

Emily is a gifted writer (her first book "Grace for the Good Girl"),
she is a youth pastor's wife, and she loves Jesus. 

"A place for your soul to breathe" is how the site is described, and it is so true.
So many times I have found an encouraging word here.

Oh, just go on over and check it out here.