So long September

For Today... {September 29} I can not believe another month is drawing to a close.

Outside my window...its starting to look and feel like Fall

I am thinking... about my wonderful parents.  Tomorrow is their 37th wedding anniversary.

I am thankful... for new days.  For God's Word.  For coffee.

I am wearing...

I am creating... working on Greyson's quilt.  Still waiting on the little guy's arrival.  Hoping to be able to finish piecing the top tomorrow night.

I am wondering... if...

I am reading... this week's library haul. 

Currently I am reading Reunion by Hannah Pittard.  This week Hannah and I also went to the book fair at her school during open house.  She narrowed down to two books, then choosing between the two.  She was delighted to come across the second one at the library on Saturday.

 I am hoping... for a new job soon.  One I love, with awesome people.  That fits around my family...its not too much to ask for, is it???

I am learning... to be content. To be thankful in all things. To keep things in perspective. To remember that I am enough.

In my kitchen... Pampered Chef party last Friday, and one this Friday!! =D

We made Pull-Apart Pepperoni Focaccia.  It was really YUMMY.  I have it on my list to make for my soon to be scheduled Scentsy party...

A little side note--- I have these dates available if anyone wants to have a Pampered Chef party... I have 4 host packets made up and ready to go.

A favorite quote for today...
In this world you will have trouble.  But take Heart.  I have overcome the world."
                                                                                                      --Jesus (John 16:33)
A peek into one of my days... 
My mom found the below picture of Pa and me.  It is the only picture I have of the two of us. <3 It brought tears to my eyes when she gave it to me after dinner on Sunday.

Hannah and Papa playing checkers.  Never knew it was such a spectator sport.

One of my favorite things... Coffee.  Did you know its National Coffee Day?

A few plans for the rest of the week:

• Tuesday- Work and work
• Wednesday- piano lessons
• Thursday- Girl Scouts
• Friday- Pampered Chef Party
• Saturday- A Run for Their Life with Mom and Aunt Sue
• Sunday- church and Mom's birthday

From the board room {Pinterest}... *


Pinned: HERE
Source: Thug Life Shirts

Post Script * Another Brasky House video, this one features our local library, etc... love these videos but the make me miss my best friend. I hope someday our lives will realign a bit more again. I miss park days.

Linked up with The Simple Woman's Daybook

T.O.L.-- 9.24.15

 

Last nights dinner. So yummy! The chicken and Brussels sprouts were baked together in the oven. A variation of this recipe Green Beans, Chicken and Potatoes.  I put the chicken and Brussels sprouts on the Large Bar Pan {its on sale until the end of September! Check it out!}, sprinkled them with a packet of Italian dressing mix and pats of butter.  Covered it with foil and baked it to perfection for an hour.  We served it with no-stir risotto.  A pampered chef recipe featuring the rockcrok.  Quickly becoming a favorite {at least of me and Mikayla!}  I followed the basic instructions and then added in a bit of spinach and a hand full of Mexican blend cheese (because that's what I had on hand) at the end.

I finally got in a run today! I have been seriously slacking since school started.  Coming up with one excuse after another.  It felt good to get back out there.  My next race is just over a week a way on October 3.  I am doing A Run For Their Life with a team from my mom's office, including my mom of course and my aunt. 

Today the are paving the church parking lot.  So its a bit loud here.  But it will be nice next week when its all complete! :D

  A reminder to myself-- I can do hard things! And what I am capable of...

I have yet another interview this afternoon and I am quite nervous. I will be so happy when things are settled and I know what my future holds.

Tomorrow night I have my first real live Pampered Chef party in ages.  I have another next Friday too!  I am really excited! And really hopeful for it to be the beginning of good things.

I am trying to decide when to have a Scentsy party! Its been quite awhile and I have been wanting to have one for quite sometime now. I am all but out of wax melts. Mikayla too is having issues with her plug in scentsy and maybe in need of a new one... Who wants to come? I promise to make some yummy goodies :)

9.22.15

For Today... {September 22, 2015}

Outside my window... its a beautiful fall day

I am thinking... about Apple picking! This week they are picking Gala which is my FAVORITE apple!

I am thankful... for God's grace and provision.  For starting fresh, making up, new days.  For two very tangible examples of God's protection and provision this week.  First...We were given a "new" fridge.  We have been using the smaller one in the garage since ours broke back in July.  What a blessing to have a refrigerator in our kitchen again! 2nd... We came out to go to church on Sunday morning to find our basketball hoop on the ground.  Between our two cars! There was only a few feet between our vehicles.  Pretty miraculous that it fell right between them, no damage done!!!  This week I also had an interview I am pretty excited about.  I left the interview at peace and for the first time excited about the possibility of a new job.  I don't know yet if this is the job God has for me, but am happy He has opened my eyes and given me HOPE and EXCITEMENT about our future.

I am wondering... what the coming weeks will hold.

I am reading... Pretty Baby another library find. Its pretty good, hard to put down.  I have one chapter left to read!

I am hoping... to hear back something favorable this week =)

I am learning... to trust. To be content. To be grateful.


In my kitchen... a new to us Fridge! Such a blessing!

A favorite quote for today... from the song "Same Power" by Jeremy Camp

"I can walk
Down this dark and painful road
I can face
Every fear of the unknown
I can hear
All God’s children singing out
We will not be overtaken
We will not be overcome
The same power that rose Jesus from the grave
The same power that commands the dead to wake
Lives in us, lives in us
The same power that moves mountains when He speaks
The same power that can calm a raging sea
Lives in us, lives in us
He lives in us, lives in us"

A peek into one of my days... Saturday we babysat little Colton, he accompanied us as Mikayla and her friend shopped for dresses for the Homecoming Dance that night.

Both girls found dresses they LOVE!

Mikayla and her date Alex.

One of my favorite things... sitting at my best friend's kitchen table!

A few plans for the rest of the week: work, no piano this week, Mikayla starts girl scouts on Thursday, Hannah has her school open house.  She will begin scouts next week, I will be co-leader this year! Friday: Pampered Chef Party!! Saturday toying with the idea of apple picking depending on Mik's babysitting job and my $.  My sister in law is due on Sunday so we are looking for Baby Greyson to join us any day now...

From the board room {Pinterest}... * Some crazy good deals on Pampered Chef's outlet right now!
 
Pinned: Pampered Chef

Post Script* The Latest installment of Brasky House

Linked up with The Simple Woman's Daybook

Thursdays...

...Thinking out Loud.

This week has been a steady decline downhill. I have not been very faithful with my Bible reading devotion time or running since school started.  I am sure that it was part of the problem.  Yesterday was a horrid day.  Almost right from the get go.  I really don't want to rehash or re-live it, so we'll just leave it at that.  It was threatening though to spill over into today.  Then I looked up the Jesus Calling hashtag on instgram.  The words I read like balm to my wounded spirit.  Reminding me He is still there.  He sees me....I spent a lot of time pouring out my heart in prayer.

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.  1 Peter 5:6-7 NIV

Trying to keep things in perspective and just keep putting one foot in front of the other.

I can't believe this girl is 16! Tuesday was her birthday.  16 years! This beautiful girl.  Hard to believe I am blessed to call her my daughter.  She is a ray of sunshine.

Its also Storm's birthday! He stole the ribbons off one of the gifts. Naughty kitty. He is 12.  Getting up there old man. :)


This weekend we had the privilege of dog sitting.  It was so nice having Winnie and made us all long to have a dog of our own again. I think the search will begin in earnest soon.

Our church is starting a new Moms group.  I am kinda excited.  I miss being in a Bible study group.  Lately I have been so very lonely. I long for those mornings of gathering around a kitchen table with our coffee and Bibles and sharing our hearts.

Rosie has become a real snuggle-er lately.  We jokingly said this weekend she realized how easily she could be replaced by a dog. :P

Mikayla is continuing her-- make a new recipe challenge-- on Monday nights. This week she made salmon and asparagus, much to her siblings dismay.  She and I, however, thoroughly enjoyed it!

Linked up with:

never forget...

14 years ago, it doesn't seem possible.  I don't think I have ever written about 9/11 before.  This morning even 14 years later I can see the images in my mind.  The same fear and anxiety roiling through my gut.

We were in Arizona then.  A young Marine family.  It was before 7 in the morning.  My husband was already on base at work.  I was still blissfully ignorant, asleep in my bed beside my toddler.  My mother in law called.  I answered the phone by my bed.  Listening as she told me someone had flown a plane into the World Trade center.  I was annoyed, thought she was crazy for calling and waking me.  How could someone be so dumb? I thought- To fly a plane in a giant sky scraper.  Thinking at the time of a small personal aircraft.  Not a commercial airliner.  I hung up, rolled over and tried to go back to sleep.  But something keep niggling in the back of my brain.  It must be something bigger.  Why else would she call.  I headed down stairs and turned on the TV.  Watching the coverage in utter disbelief.  Watching as a 2nd plane flew into the 2nd tower.  All day we watched.  I vaguely remember folding laundry.  I remember being glad Mikayla was too young to understand what was happening, just 4 days before her 2nd birthday.  I remember going to the prayer service that night at our church.

A couple years ago Mikayla had to watch footage on 9/11 and write an essay or something.  All of us once again captivated by the TV.   The feelings I had that day the same as watching it for the first time on live television.  Our world forever changed.  So many people lost.

Its strange to look at my children and realize this is all they know.  To them its just history.  Something they learned about after the fact.

My thoughts and prayers are with all those people who knew and loved people who never came home that day.

Last night pictures were all over social media of a rainbow appearing over New York, coming from Freedom Tower where the World Trade Towers once stood. In the midst of everything. God sends reminders of His Faithfulness and Grace.
(Image courtesy: Ben Sturner (@leverageagency / Twitter))
http://abc7ny.com/weather/stunning-rainbow-begins-at-world-trade-center-day-before-9-11/977419/

Soup!

Yesterday I saw this soup in my Facebook feed- Tuscan Bean Soup.  It looked delicious.  Since I was headed to the store, I decided to picked up the ingredients and make a batch with the intention of freezing it for lunches.

Once the groceries were put away and the chicken for dinner was marinating I pulled my RockCrok out and set to work.  I used my new veggie stripper for the first time on the zucchini.  That thing is amazing! I love it! {Incidently you can also get the Ducth Oven RockCrok, the Veggie Striper, Season's Best cookbook and 3 bamboo spoons as a set.  The soup is chock full of veggies-- beans, zucchini, carrots and spinach.

I was shocked when both Ryan and Hannah lamented the fact that the soup was not for dinner.  So much so I relented and let them each have a bowl with their chicken.

After dinner I ladled the remaining soup into my brownie pan to freeze.  This morning I put the frozen cubes of soup into a freezer bag, so I can just pull one or two out pop them in my bowl to be warmed up at lunchtime.

The verdict-- delicious! One I will definitely make again. Sorry the picture is less than stellar, I took it at my desk at lunchtime.  My phone was full (again) and wouldn't let me take any pictures last night. The recipe can be found here at $5 dinners.

Steelers 5k

Our long awaited Snyder run finally arrived.  A bunch of us decided to run this race via group text one night.  It was the same weekend as David and Lexie's wedding which meant, all us non-local Snyders would be in town. 

 

 I was super excited about this race anyway, and then my husband decided to run as well putting it way over the top.  I am always jealous when I see other couples running together.  This was our first opportunity to run a race together. Our first time running together ever.  He promised to stay with me every step of the way.  It was a little discouraging to realize that my husband, who like-- never runs ever-- could have run circles around me.  But we just won't focus on that...

Friday as we were driving down to P.A. I got a text from my cousin, Jenn saying they were able to pick up everyone's packets!  She gave us ours at the wedding on Saturday.   As I have mentioned in previous entries, the whole Snyder Clan are huge Steeelers Fans.  My mister is not.  He is a Green Bay Packers Fan.  But even he was impressed with our swag bags.  The shirt is super soft and I love it.  There was also a water bottle (not pictured) Hannah and Ryan became the lucky recipients of those.

My race outfit all ready to go.     

Sunday morning we headed out for Pittsburgh just after 6 am.  Allowing plenty of time to make it into the city and meet up with the rest of our crew.

PreRace Selfie

Our Fans

The SnyderRunners! Our largest group in one event yet.

Shoe Shot

I love this one. We were laughing so hard. Laura begging Kelly for half a banana.

The mister plays a mean air guitar

Dad doing some pre-spectating stretches

The mister representing the Packers.  We only got one comment on the socks while we stood at the start line. 

Almost TIME!!

 

We started off strong. I was ridiculously happy to be running with my husband.  I later realized we started out a little fast. Our pace for the first mile was something like 10:22.  Which for me is a pretty good clip and not one I can maintain for much more than a mile.  But it felt good and I was happy.  After mile one my pace started to deteriorate a bit.  It was hot and there was one little hill to climb.  But true to his word Rhett stayed by my side offering encouragement.  

I went through a little phase of self berating.  I was so hot and tired, yet felt like I should be better, stronger.  Especially when my cousin and then my aunt caught up to us and passed us.

It was a great feeling when the stadium came back into view, and you could hear the music and loudspeaker again.  It felt pretty great as we approached the tunnel to run onto the field.  Even if I was passed by a little girl at that point. :P 

As we crossed the field and approached the finish line we clasped hands and crossed together.  I am hoping maybe when the race photos come out there will be a decent one of us together. I would love a finish-line photo. ;) I am thrilled with our finish time.

Post Race.  Happy, happy.  My heart soared.  Even after the frustration.  After the finish it always feels worth it.  We are already talking about coming back for the Pirates Home Run 5K in the spring.

He was covering up the Steelers logo :P

Stopped at Dunkin' for some post-race refreshment.