A New Joy

Sorry, it has been awhile since I blogged last. We have taken on a lot of new joys at the Barron house lately. Nathan and I have signed up for some new projects that we are really excited about. I was honored to be named one of the new Women's coordinators for my church. I am also mentoring/advising the new member group of ZTA at Texas A&M, and I am in charge of programming for our state ZTA Day at the end of February. Nathan and I have decided to lead a group of high schoolers from our church on Wednesday night, and I started back to work teaching Pre-K at the MDO program at our church! Whew! All of these things are new joys in my life that I am looking forward to, but man do I have a lot on my plate!!

My favorite joys, Baylie and Jake are doing so good!! They are amazing kids that I am blessed to have. Baylie has been so helpful. The other day I thought she was playing up stairs in her room . When I went up there she was cleaning her room and made every bed!! She has also been feeding the cat and dog on her own. Sometimes I don't know she fed them and then I put food down. No wonder our cat is getting heavy! I am truly thankful to have such a wonderful daughter.

Jake is getting bigger everyday! He has left the baby stage and is a full blown big boy now. His vocabulary is really picking up. Yesterday he saw football on t.v. and ran and told Nathan "Daddy, watch football!" Although he is so stinkin cute you can tell he is getting closer to 2. I have to remind him that he is not two yet! I am so fortunate that he still has the sweetest heart and gives the best hugs!!

With these two joys why wouldn't you want another! So, I am so excited to let everyone know that Nathan and I are expecting joy #3!! I am due April 4th which is hard because Baylie is April 2nd! My friend, Carol, and my mom have already come to the rescue and they are planning her birthday party for me! The baby is doing great! The heartbeat is perfect and everything looks good. I am sicker than a dog and pretty tired, but it is all worth it in the end! We are ALL excited and the kids are looking forward to a new baby! The only downside is that I look like I am already 5 months pregnant! Oh well, it is the last one for us so I am going to enjoy every minute of it! Please pray for a healthy pregnancy and baby. We will keep you all posted. Here are some pics of my two joys!

Jake flashing his "cheese" grin

After painting Baylie's toe nails I found her in her room holding them up to her fan to "dry them!"

We went to visit cousin Mason and Nana today. The kids had a great time together!

Tasty Tuesday

I had this fabulous dip that my friend Cobie made. I asked her where she got the recipe, and she told me from the Paula Dean cookbook. I should've known that this great dip came from the queen of deliciously fat food. But I with her. Why skimp out when you want good food!! My favorite quote is when she was on Oprah and said "I'm your cook honey, not your doctor!" Well, here is her dip recipe, just don't bring it to a potluck that I'm going to be at since I will proably make it too! Wait, what am I saying the more of this dip the better!! Enjoy!

3 Cheese Artichoke Dip Serves: 3 - 4

1 (8 ounces) block cream cheese, softened
1 cup mayonnaise
1 (14 ounces) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
2 green onions, sliced thin
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 cup shredded mozzarella
½ c sliced jalapenoes
Dash Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese with a hand held electric mixer until smooth. Then beat in the mayonnaise until smooth. Add remaining ingredients and stir together until combined. Transfer the dip to a pie plate or shallow gratin dish. Bake in a preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes until the top is golden brown and the dip is bubbling. Serve hot with crackers, tortilla chips, crostini or veggies.

Encouraged

I just wanted to share a verse with you all that has really encouraged me. I am committing it to heart and working on the word for word memorization. I hope to continue to memorize verses. I am one of those that says "it is written" I just never remember where or the exact wording. The verse that has really spoken to me is Philippians 4:6 -7

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

Isn't that just so powerful! I think that we are a very anxious society. Whether it is over our kids, finances, work, economy, etc. we are all anxious about something it seems. I confess that I have been anxious lately. When it gripped me hard I did the only thing I knew to do, pray and open my Bible. God gave me this verse and the peace I so desire. I encourage you to turn whatever you are anxious about over to the God of peace. I hope you all have a blessed day!

~Stacie

Tasty Tuesday

Easy Mexican Lasagna

3 cups chopped, cooked chicken breast (4 small boneless breasts)
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can rotel tomatoes original recipe (or you can use mild)
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
½ tsp. pepper

1 (10-3/4 oz) can cream of chicken soup (use fat-free if you like)
1 (10-3/4 oz) can cream of mushroom soup (use fat-free if you like)
15 oz. can enchilada sauce (regular flavor)

12-14 corn tortillas cut in fourths
1 cup shredded cheddar
1 cup shredded Monterrey jack or cheddar jack

Cook first 6 ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat until thoroughly heated through.

Stir together soups and enchilada sauce in a saucepan over medium heat until smooth and warm.

Spoon 1/3 of sauce into a 13x9 baking dish (coated with Pam); cover with a layer of tortillas. Spoon half of chicken mixture and 1/3 of sauce over tortillas; sprinkle with half of cheddar cheese. Top with more tortillas. Spoon remaining chicken mixture and remaining sauce over tortillas. Sprinkle with remainder of cheddar. Cover with final layer of tortillas and sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes or until bubbly.

Top with shredded lettuce, sour cream, or picante if you like.

***Variations: You can cut out cumin if you don't have it; if you like more sauce you can use a the bigger can of enchilada sauce (I use mild); you can also use just cheddar cheese, the more cheese the less spicy.

**If you want a healthier version than this you can make the chicken mixture and spoon it into a flour tortilla. Top with avocado and a little cheese. Yummy!!**

I use the mild ingredients when I make this for Baylie and Jake. They enjoy it, but my children love Mexican food!

Blessing at the Grocery Store

Tonight I had to head out to the grocery store to pick up some necessities. I was dreading this trip because the things I needed are the things that cost an arm and a leg. Cleaning, supplies, hand soap, bar soap, kids toothbrushes, razors, etc. I knew that my bill was going to be outrageous for the amount of things I was buying. I am trying to watch how much I spend because we had to pay for car repairs and a new washer this past month. I was fortunate to find a few coupons to help me on this trip.

When I stepped into the store the first thing that caught my eye was one of my favorite fruits, the pluot, on sale from $4.29 per lb. to $.99!! Hallelujah! What a great beginning. As I continued shopping each item on my list was on sale. What I can't explain are the big ticket items like the hand soap refill and bar soap. They did not have the regular weekly sales tag or the reduced for quick sale tag either. They had a white tag that was $3.50 cheaper than the listed price!! WOHOO! The best deal of the day were the razors. I had a $3.00 coupon and they were on sale buy one get one free! So, for razors that would have cost me $13.00 I only paid $3.50!!

As I entered the checkout line I saw each item scan and then a minus number under it showing my saving. At the end I saved 40% off my total bill! That equaled to over $35.00! The only explanation that I have is that God had His hand in it. My fear and dread was taken away by Him. I had prayed yesterday to God that Nathan and I were going to give to Him faithfully and I trusted in Him to take care of us. He definitely did that tonight with just a grocery bill.

Tasty Tuesday

Okay, I have decided to post some good recipes that I am trying. We will see if this continues, but I thought it would be fun. My first recipe I just got from my friend, Gretchen and we tried it last night. Jake even ate it without the lettuce. If you like P.F. Chang's lettuce wraps then you will love these! Here's the recipe, Enjoy!

Munchy Lettuce Wraps

1 pound ground turkey meat
1 tablespoon canola oil
1/2 package of sliced mushrooms
4 green onions minced
1/2 cup frozen sweet peas
1/2 cup Lawry's sesame ginger 30-minute marinade
12 iceberg lettuce leaves

Cook turkey in a nonstick skillet over medium high heat, stirring until it crumbles and is no longer pink; drain in colander and then set aside.

Next, add oil to pan and place over medium high heat until hot. Add mushrooms and onions. Stir fry 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in peas, half cup marinade, and cooked turkey. Cook until heated.

Spoon into lettuce leaves, you can add more sauce if you like. Fold the leaves and dip in marinade. Yummy!!

**You can add 1 can Bamboo Shoots, drained and minced and 1 can water chestnuts, minced. Stir fry them with the mushrooms and onions.**

On the Road Again!

We went up to DFW again this weekend. This time it was for Nathan's cousin, Brandi's wedding. It was absolutely beautiful and she was gorgeous as well. We were treated by the groom, Dave, to a sweet serenade for Brandi. I don't know many guys who would sing in front of that many people, especially on your wedding day. I was quite impressed and Dave went up a few notches in my book! All four of the Barron kids were together for this event which is pretty hard to do. It was great for the whole family to be together.

The 4 Barron Kids: Nathan, Jennifer, Amanda, and Matthew

You all know us!

Our big girl Baylie decided she wanted to stay the week with our parents by herself, no Jake. So, my mom and dad are going to bring her back this weekend when they come to visit. I am glad that she is getting the one on one attention she wants and it allows Jake to get some as well.

This is an exit in College Station that we passed on our way home!

Since we were gone all weekend we did not get to hear the news about Tropical Storm Edouard. I got the news yesterday. I had nothing in my house to eat since we went out of town, so I had to brave the grocery store. Wouldn't you know it Jake fell asleep in the car. Since he is no longer able to fit in a infant carrier it poses quite a problem when you are trying to shop. Well, I got the idea to put his blankie down in the cart and lay him on it. I was able to fight the crowds and get all my shopping done! He did not wake up until I loaded him the car!! I think I am going to start carrying a small pillow for these occasions. It was the easiest shopping trip I have had in years!!

Baylie took this picture of Jake a couple of weeks ago. I thought it was really cute. The grocery cart Jake laid in was much bigger, I promise!