in the army now...

the kids have been really curious about nick's army gear, especially ethan.  he never knew "army nick", he was born six months after nick got out of the army and never saw nick in any of his uniforms.

this weekend nick broke out the bins holding some of his things and the kids went to town.

meet the newest Captain Kahlers...

happy monday!

a

not much

nothing too exciting going on here this weekend.  that's what we say when we have a couple of spare minutes!  i am in the crafty mood so i may be spending some time at the kitchen counter.  even though i have a scrapbook/ craft room, i still tend to stand at the counter while i make things... don't tell nick, he might think of something else to do with the room!  i have a couple of photo shoots tomorrow that i am really looking forward to and we are celebrating a friend's birthday.  nick is playing golf at tpc with his dad sunday-birthday outing (thanks barb!).  while they're out, the kids and i are going to shop for Christmas gifts for the tags that we pulled off of the tree at church.

did i really just say that we don't have much going on!?

and this girl... she is such a delight.  i am so thankful for her and her energy and excitement for everything.  she is a reading machine, right now she is reading an eighth grade level book.  she's in third grade.  crazy.  she goes for what she wants.  i pray she never loses that fire.
happy friday (the 13th... eek!)

a

Freedom

Today I am thankful for all of the men and women who have and are serving our country.  The dedication of those in the military and the sacrifice that they and their families make is something that we often take for granted.

Please pray for those serving now and their families.  It takes tremendous courage to step up and serve your country and they deserve more than one day honoring them. 

We are the land of the free because we are the home of the brave and I am so proud to be an American!

Nick, Drew, Matt, Steve OIF 2003

God Bless America!

a

sweet potatoes

i'm joining in on kelly's show us your life again and sharing my favorite thanksgiving recipe with you... sweet potatoes.  really. sweet. potatoes.

i don't have a picture, my mind has always been focused on eating them!  they are so easy, i make them in my crock pot, and yummy. only a handful of us in our families like them, so there is plenty for us to enjoy... perfect!

this particular recipe (which i am totally guessing on because i just throw things in) is for about 6 people.

5-6 large yams (not canned, please)

1-2 sticks butter (yes, real butter)

1 bag brown sugar

apple juice

cinnamon

nutmeg

1 bag mini marshmallows

peel yams and cut into large pieces and put in crock pot.

pour in about 1 cup of apple juice, or enough so that there is about 1/2 inch in bottom of crock.

put about 1/2 bag of brown sugar on the top of your yams.

slice butter and put on top of brown sugar.

sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg (about 1/2 teaspoon each).

cover and cook on high for about 4 hrs or until the yams are very tender.  make sure to taste test and add more brown sugar and spices as needed.

about 1/2 hour before serving, pour the marshmallows over top of the potatoes and put the lid back on.  the marshmallows melt in and add an extra sweetness that i just can't get enough of!  you can take the potatoes out and bake them with the marshmallows to brown them, but they end up tasting the same with less work my way!

enjoy!

happy friday!
a

ninja-eata

along with some of our friends, we are supporting a child through compassion international. the little boy's name is Busir, but he is called Bus... pretty cute. he's seven and a half years old and he lives with his aunt and uncle and three cousins. he doesn't attend school and he spends his days doing chores and playing ball games. it is incredible to know that we will make a difference in a child's life. a child that we may never meet, but will pray for daily. we will send him cards and letters. we will aid in providing an education for him and we are so thankful for the opportunity to help Bus.
i won't share a picture of him for security reasons, but i really wish that i could. he is a doll and the first time i saw his picture i was drawn to him. he looks happy, just like a normal seven and a half year old would, but he looks like he is about four, just about the same size as ethan.
the kids know that Bus does not live with his parents or siblings (if they are even living), that he doesn't go to school and that he likely does more chores in one day than they do in a week. one more important bit of information, if you ask ethan, is that Bus lives in ninja-eata (indonesia). how cute is that?

happy wednesday!
a

CHRISTmas is just around the corner...

last year our church participated in raising money for the clean water campaign, as well as AIDS in darfur. we raised hundreds of thousands of dollars and it is amazing to be part of something that is making a difference.

the best part about it... i couldn't even tell you what it was that we "gave up" so that we could give to this cause. that definitely tells us how unimportant the things that we think that we need or want are.

the video takes a couple of minutes to watch (remember to pause the music at the bottom), please don't just skip past it, it is definitely worth it.

what can you live without?

happy monday!
a

fall decorations

kelly over at kelly's korner has a "show us your life friday" series. if you've never been over to her blog, you should check it out, she is adorable and her family is so cute! i've never jumped in on her series but i love fall and i have a couple of decorations that i love so i thought i would share!

i made this and it hangs in our downstairs bathroom


i have pumpkins everywhere for fall, but right now we have our

halloween decorations out so most of the pumpkins are still in the storage box.

these are my favorite pumpkins. more views of them here

i think i probably picked this up at hobby lobby.
if not it is from a local boutique that i love

this little gathering is on our coffee table in the living room.
nick's mom gave me that fabulous candle holder,
i change the decorations in it with each holiday.

i have a huge pot of mums on each side of our sidewalk as you get to our entryway.

this side has a little scarecrow peeking out from one of the pillars.

this is the other pot of mums. i made this wreath last year and put it by the pot to

take a picture because my door has a big cute "boo to you" sign on it.

i didn't take a picture of the whole entry way because it is decorated for halloween now!

happy friday!

a

money in my pocket...

i started using coupon sense a couple of months ago and i love it! c$ is an organization that tracks sale prices and coupons and tells you when to buy what with which coupon for the best price. i've been getting things at next to nothing, even free and i'm loving it! i don't love to spend money, i love to save money and coupon sense has definitely helped us save money!

here are some of my great deals (yes, i took pictures. my dad and my brother are teasing me about it constantly now!)...

trip 1... total $35trip 2 total $11

trip 1 (not everything is pictured):

8 boxes of cereal

6 cans of pringles

20 yoplait yogurts

3 bumble bee tuna packages

3# grapes

5# gala apples

2# pears

4 bunches cilantro

8# steaks

5# chicken tenderloins

14 dawn dish-soaps

4 gillette razors

3 power toothbrushes

2 regular toothbrushes

2 herbal essences shampoos

3 vaseline lotions

3 body washes

3 emergen-c shot 2 packs

robitussin

2 chapstick

3 dental floss

3 halls lozenges
1 snickers

trip 2:

3 rolls of paper towels

8 packages of crescent rolls

4 boxes of chicken broth (no msg in boxes)

6 laughing cow cheeses

3 fiber one yogurt 4 packs

3 boxes of gogurt

4 cans progresso high fiber soup

3 boxes pizza rolls

6 steamer vegetables

6 warm delights (5 of them have two desserts)

and i can't forget ethan's hot chocolate from starbucks :)

happy thursday!

a

back in the groove

i dig crafts. paint, paper, buttons, ribbons, fabric, wood, chipboard, you name it, i can pretty much find something to do with it. i like to take new-ish things and make them look not-so-new-ish. however, i haven't been "feeling it" lately. something about the heat and being cooped up in the house for four months takes my creative side and beats it over the head. now with fall here, finally, and my windows open and a good smelling candle going, i'm finally back in my groove.

my mom found an old wooden tray at goodwill. it was cream with a weird minty green edging and ivy leaves painted on it... i didn't get a picture, but you get the picture of how not so cute it was, right? well, we were over at her house the other day and i told her that i would take the ugly tray off of her hands for her... who wants an ugly tray, right? well, after a couple of days of "work", i am finally finished with the tray and it now sits on my dining room table...

these pumpkins are one of my favorite fall decorations.
i will leave them out until the weekend
after thanksgiving when the Christmas decorations go up.

flowers from my hubby and a candlestick that i bought at a garage sale for $2

yes, i am definitely back in the groove!

happy wednesday!
a

four... updated

four years ago today we welcomed sweet ethan to our family! he was born early in the morning, 5:49am on a wednesday to be exact; after my water broke and nick and i arrived at the hospital at 5pm the night before. we were so excited to have a son and emily was in love with him the second that she saw him. she was so excited to run out into the hallway and tell her grandparents that she had a brother (we didn't know boy/ girl and loved it that way!)!

our lives have been so blessed by ethan and we are so happy to celebrate him!

happy birthday sweet boy!
daddy, mommy & em

lots of pictures of our journey to FOUR....

just waiting, oct 18, 2005

walking the halls... so exciting!

he's here! oct 19, 2005

our family of four! em made that frog for him before he was born to give to him at birth :)

our handsome man!

this is one of the only pictures i could find of him from his 1st birthday (pirate theme)...

weird, we never take few pictures.

right after his 1st birthday, you can see his face (and his drool!)

2nd birthday (baseball theme)
not liking to be sang to and it was the windiest day ever :(

3rd birthday (spiderman/ marvel theme)

yes, em and i wore marvel shirts too, daddy is in his hulk green! our little space rangers!

obviously we had a buzz lightyear party...

ethan is obsessed with buzz, pretty much anything toy story... so cute!

prayers please...

what was it that i was just saying about seasons? i do love fall, but i don't love that along with it comes flu season. poor em has the flu and it hit her hard and fast. she was fine this morning and i got a call from school that she was coughing and sneezing. i picked her up and her eyes are so red and swollen and she is so sleepy, but no fever, thank goodness. well, after being home for 45 minutes that all changed and she has a fever and is super tired. the doctor said that she has a mild case of the flu and that we don't need to worry about the "swine" flu because she is healthy and will do just fine, even if she does get it. i am just worried about all of us getting sick now.

will you please pray for em? will you please pray for all of us? tomorrow is the busiest day of the year for me at my MOMs group and i am probably not going to be there, which i'm totally fine with since em is sick. we have "spa day" where the moms just get to relax and be pampered and i wanted to be a part of it, but i'm not going to be able to. i feel badly that the other ladies are going to have to take on a bigger job now, especially since three others are out with sick kids... yikes!

we are all filling up on vitamins and homeopathic anti-virals, so i am praying that this is mild and that it doesn't pass beyond em.

happy? wednesday!
a

seasons

i love fall. it is my favorite season. the cool breeze, having the doors and windows open; the scents of pumpkin, cider and spiced apple. it is the season of thanksgiving and we have much to be thankful for.

happy fall!
a

small surprises

i was taking pictures when we were at the cabin for labor day and later, while looking through them, found this little surprise. i didn't know that the house was there when i took this picture (wasn't looking through lens). love it when that happens.

happy thursday!
a

09.09.09

happy 09.09.09!

a

great music

tyrone wells was at our church this weekend and we went to his concert (in our worship center), and he was so good! he had just found out sunday that his song was going to be used on grey's anatomy and i heard it on the trailer the other day and got so excited! he's great and it's awesome that somebody that is a Christian and sings of faith is making it into the mainstream!

i've added him to my playlist. i'm so excited that i had the opportunity to hear him in person!




happy wednesday!
a

slacker

i'm not typically a slacker. in anything. ok, maybe my blog loses out on some love every now and then and i could paint my toe nails more often, but we'll just forget about that for now. i have been a blog slacker, and i really don't like blog slackers. i quit looking at blogs that are written (or not) by slackers. they are boring. this blog has been boring. my apologies to the 3.7 devoted readers that check in on us.

last week was crazy and fabulous! i am blessed to be a part of a new women's ministry at church. we started getting things together last spring and we have been working like crazy to get everything ready for the launch of the ministry, which was tuesday and thursday of last week. our church has two campuses so we launched at each campus on a different day. most of the things that i had to do were things that could only be done last minute and i was running around last week like a chicken with my head cut off. let me just make it known that i don't like that analogy... i don't think that i ever resemble a decapitated chicken.

this new women's minsitry, stepping stones, is part of our girlfriends group. girlfriends is an amazing ministry for women and it was started by two amazing women in our church, lisa and patty! girlfriends is now an international ministry, changing the lives of women!

we had over 600 women (and lots of kiddos) at our launch events last week and i am amazed at the work that God has been doing. i'm not surprised, He always does things bigger than we could have imagined, but i am amazed. i am excited to see what else He has in store for the women that come to stepping stones.

my moms group started again last week as well, as part of stepping stones, and i am so excited! i am the creative activities leader for MOMs, or moms on a mission, formerly MOPS, and i'm really looking forward to the year... i love this group!

my dear friend karla became a mommy last week! she and christian, her husband, welcomed sweet jaden into the world on tuesday! he is a doll and i am looking forward to spending tuesday afternoons getting to know him and helping karla out a little bit. really though, i'm just going to hold the baby and take picture of his small sweetness, she can do whatever she wants :).

emily has blowing all of her tests out of the water, as well as us... she's pretty special! ethan has been telling us "that's so nineties" and nick has no more five day, five city crazy trips planned!

happy monday!
a

can i just tell you...

that emily really loves this song. ok, ok, i really love this song too!

happy friday!
a

favorite recipe

this mini meatloaf recipe is one of my favorites, we even had it for dinner tonight, along with mashed potatoes and steamed carrots... it's a big hit!

mini turkey meatloaves

20 oz. ground jennie-o-turkey
1/4 cup yellow onion
1 large celery stalk
1 large carrot
1 canned chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
1/4 cup quick oats
2 egg whites

topping:

1/4 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon adobo sauce (from can of chipotle peppers)

pulse onion, carrot and celery in food processor until diced. add chipotle and pulse until just combined.
put turkey, oats, egg whites and vegetables in large bowl and mix until combined well (i use my hands).
scoop mixture into lightly greased muffin tins.
bake at 350* for 20 minutes.

while the mini meatloaves are baking, combine topping ingredients in a bowl. after the meatloaves have baked for 20 minutes take them out and spoon topping evenly over them.
bake for 10 more minutes, or until the meatloaves reach an internal temperature of 170*.

enjoy!
angie

i believe that the recipe is from biggest loser

this is what saturdays are for...

does he look excited, or what!?
ready daddy!

and, he's off!

he's not too familiar with the brakes yet!

it definitely helps him to concentrate if daddy sticks out his tongue :)
i guess this is what i get for wanting to get a picture from in front of him...

he rode right to me, and like i said, he's not too familiar with the brakes yet.

i jumped out of the way just in time... he ran into the garbage can instead of me.

hey, a girls gotta protect her camera, right!?

happy saturday!
a

sidenote: please excuse the garbage cans in the background, i don't like visual clutter (or any clutter for that matter). i don't think my neighbors would have been to happy if i would have moved them and they didn't get emptied, but you know i thought about it.

i can't get enough of this song...

More Beautiful You

Johnny Diaz

Little girl fourteen flipping through a magazine

Says she wants to look that way

But her hair isn't straight her body isn't fake

And she's always felt overweight

Well little girl fourteen

I wish that you could see

That beauty is within your heart

And you were made with such care your skin your body and your hair

Are perfect just the way they are

[Chorus]

There could never be a more beautiful you

Don't buy the lies disguises and hoops they make you jump through

You were made to fill a purpose that only you could do

So there could never be a more beautiful you

Little girl twenty-one the things that you've already done

Anything to get ahead

And you say you've got a man but he's got another plan

Only wants what you will do instead

Well little girl twenty-one you never thought that this would come

You starve yourself to play the part

But I can promise you there's a man whose love is true

And he'll treat you like the jewel you are

[chorus]

So turn around you're not too far

To back away be who you are

To change your path go another way

It's not too late you can be saved

If you feel depressed with past regrets

The shameful nights hope to forget

Can disappear they can all be washed away

By the one who's strong can right your wrongs

Can rid your fears dry all your tears

And change the way you look at this big world

He will take your dark distorted view

And with His light He will show you truth

And again you'll see through the eyes of a little girl

[chorus]

wordless wednesday

waiting for our table at margaritaville (great french fries!)
yes, please don't leave your kids unattended.

especially these two, they're a bit unruly!

happy wednesday!

a

how is it possible...

that we have a big third grader in our house!? em started school today and she was so excited! she's been asking for weeks how long she had to wait for school, the girl loves it and that makes nick and i so happy! i didn't like school until high school, then i loved it (i think that's the point that i stopped caring what anybody thought of me and just learned to be myself). she definitely takes after her daddy in that area!
ethan was a little lost without her, being alone with boring ol' mom all day. he kept saying "i want to go pick em up now." so cute. we went to the store and got him his own school supplies so he didn't feel left out, he was pretty happy about that and was occupied doing "homework" for part of the day!
she has the most popular teacher (a male!) in the entire school! we were so surprised and happy when we got her welcome letter!
i'm excited for the new school year (this year is extra exciting since nick is finally finished with school and will be home every night!). i like the routines that a schedule brings and i'm looking forward to the mom's group starting back up. i still get a little sad that summer is over, it goes by so quickly. i try to make it fun for the kids and do things that they like and when it's over it's just a reminder that taking the time to enjoy the little things is so important! having kids in school definitely makes time go by faster (is that possible!?).

beautiful third grader!

don't you just love her backpack!? peace signs made out of tiny flowers...

she picked it out and loves it!

i almost cried with this one, they were so sweet

we have ice cream at mcdonald's after every first day of school!

why do i have to stop eating to smile!?

happy monday!
a

wordless wednesday

em brought this to me when we were camping last weekend. it was our centerpiece for our table. she's too much. do you see the little "visitor" in the picture?

happy wednesday!

a

timing...

i receive a daily devotion from proverbs 31 ministries. i love them. they are encouraging and real and something that almost every woman can relate to. today's devotion struck a chord with me and i wanted to share it. these are not my words, the devotion was written by Wendy Blight. i am thankful for her words today, His timing is perfect.

happy tuesday!

a

I Choose NOT to be Offended

4 Aug 2009

Wendy Blight

"A man's wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense." Proverbs 19:11 (NIV)

What did she mean by that?

Why does she always hurt my feelings?

Why does she treat me that way?

Do any of these phrases sound familiar to you? It took my 15-year old daughter to show me that these words played through my head on a continual basis. She ended many of our conversations over the last few years with, "Why do you get your feelings hurt so easily?" or "Gosh, Mom, we are always hurting your feelings." Or, "Mom, you're so sensitive." At first, her words angered me.

Over time, I finally began to hear what she was saying. God used my daughter to teach a powerful truth to me. For years, I allowed people's words to hurt my feelings. In turn, I harbored anger for those words. The anger took root. Satan fed the words to me over and over again. I replayed them in my mind. Each time I replayed them, the anger grew deeper roots.

I would find myself sitting in church listening to a sermon and saying, "I wish ______ was here. They really need to hear this sermon." I never heard the sermons for myself because the words of others consumed by thoughts and stole my time.

About this time, God called me to teach a Bible study on the book of Proverbs. I spent days and weeks absorbed in this amazing book of Wisdom. One afternoon, God brought this verse across my path, "A man's wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense" (Proverbs 18:11). Wow! It leapt off the page and into my heart.

I had a choice here. Up until now, I received people's words, jumped to a conclusion, and chose to be offended. God's Word spoke and said, "Wendy, you have another choice...choose to look past their words and not receive them with an offended heart." I discovered that I needed to LISTEN objectively and ask: What is driving their words? Do they have a valid point? Do they have a deep hurt? Do they need something I am not giving? Are they someone who is just plain mean and negative?

The responsibility was on me to stop the words from entering my heart and taking root. I discovered in this process that I NEEDED the approval of others. Yet, God's Word clearly says that He is the only One whose approval I need. When I accepted this, my heart changed.

Yes, it took time, and I am a work in progress. But, now when someone speaks a hurtful word, I check it at the door of my heart. I hear the words, I recognize my issue, and I speak Truth over my heart. I literally say, "It is to my glory to not receive this as an offense." God is pleased because I honor Him with this choice. It is a win-win for everyone because I do not ruin the rest of the day by pouting and making it all about me. I do not soak in self-pity. I let the words go.

Heavenly Father, thank You that I am created in Your image. Thank You that in You I find my identity. Thank You that it is only Your Words and Your opinion that matters. Lord, give me Your ears to hear. Help me not to be easily offended and easily angered. Help me lay down any offenses to which I am currently holding. Let me live in the freedom of Your love and forgiveness. Help me live not in my flesh, but supernaturally in the fullness and freshness of Your Spirit. I ask this in the powerful name of Jesus Christ, My Lord, Amen.