Do I have technology or does technology have me?

Hello out there in cyber world!! I feel like I need to drastically call to attention something that is happening all around us!  Something that seems to be blinding to us!! We ALL are addicted to our phones, computers, technology in general!

Now please don't get upset with me, I have the same problem, and I was trying to figure out why I even noticed it because it has come so much a part of what we see that we have become immune to it.  The answer, I was suffering from withdrawal.  My son's first  birthday was on the weekend and it had finally gotten nice enough to go outside, so throughout the week every moment I was either cleaning and preparing or outside with the kids.  I did not have any time to lose so I did not check all my wonderful technology addictions.  

The weekend came for my son's birthday and of course there seemed to be about a million other things planned that week.  First, I had a bridal shower for a dear friend's younger sister.  I walk into the room and realize I know a few people my age, but most of the people I know are older so I sit with a friend's mother.  No problem, we are chatting away having great conversation when I look around, all I see is a sea of phone screens.  I would say about a third of adults 35ish and over are on their phone and pretty much every single person under 35 is on their phone.  They are sitting at a table together, but they are not talking to each other in real life, just through their little cyber world.  REALLY?!  I wanted to go around and introduce each of them to each other.  After I got over the shock.  I have to admit though, when I saw the first person checking their phone I thought I needed to check mine.  And why do we do that?  We see someone else doing it and then we think we need to do it and then we are sucked in.  I left the bridal shower convicted about how many times I check my phone for no reason and miss out on all the important things and people, but also sad for these people because they are missing what true communication and relationships are all about.

Later that night, I went to see the Newsboys, with my husband's  family and my mother-in-law always gets awesome seats, 3rd row from the front.  Just a little woot-woot!   I wasn't thinking about the cell phone thing during this time just having a blast with my little girl, but then something caught my eye, the glow of a cell phone!  I looked around and people are on their cell phone, at a concert!!!  I don't know about you but I go to a concert to actually see the people life size, and dance, and have a fun, not to see them through a small cell phone screen.  Please do not get me wrong, I took a few pictures at the concert, posted them to instagram and facebook of my daughter and I, but then I put it away.  I do not care if you take pictures or videos or whatever you want to do, but try not to get sucked into cell phone that you miss what is going on.

I am not trying to upset anyone, but I just want to bring to light something that I have felt very convicted of lately.  
-You do not need to have your cell phone in your hands 24/7.  You are missing out on your life and those around you.  
-You do not need to text constantly.  Texting is wonderful but when that is all you do and you can not put you phone down and have a good time, you are missing out on your life.  Save something to tell someone later so you can see how excited they are and actually have a conversation with them.
-You do not need to check facebook, twitter, and so on constantly.  The world continues moving at a fast pace when you are looking at everyone's life and that you are really missing yours.

So I beg of you, please put down your computer, your phone, your tablet and enjoy life and those around you!  I keep thinking back to all the great memories I had with my family and friends growing up, we were excited to tell each other things, to see each other, to talk with each other, and to have a relationship.  I do not want my kids growing up remembering me staring at my phone or computer.  I want them to have great memories and know that they were the most important thing to me!  Technology is a blessing, and I enjoy all the social media keeping up with friends, but when technology has us instead of us having technology there is something wrong and we need to hit the reset.  So I pray that you will take the time to step back every few minutes and look at the other blessings that are standing right around you!

Matthew 6:19-21

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
   

Cream Peas & Corn, super easy fast side

Peas are one of my favorites but my husband's least favorite.  So I decided to spice creamed peas up a little by adding corn to it.  He said it wasn't bad for having peas which is a huge improvement because he doesn't eat peas otherwise.  My 10 month old and I ate the rest, and truthfully I surprised myself, I didn't think it would this delicious.  Hope you enjoy!

Cream Peas & Corn

1 cup frozen peas

1 cup frozen corn

dash of salt

3 tbsp butter

1 cup milk

2 tbsp all purpose flour

1 tbsp white sugar

Heat peas and corn in saucepan with water and salt according to package directions.

While the peas and corn cook, melt butter in a saucepan.

Slowly stir in flour to melted butter, then gradually whisk in milk, and stir in sugar.

When it begins to bubble and get thick, remove from heat and add in peas and corn, (after they have been drained).  

Sprinkle with pepper if desired.

Enjoy 

Get a Disney postcard in the mail

So I was pinteresting a few months back and saw you could send a card to Disney and they would send you one back.  I knew my 2 year old would love that, but, you see, my pregnancy brian never went away after having my 2 kids, it only worsened.  So much so that my Grandma always tells me how much better she feels about herself after talking to me.  

So what was I saying again?   Anyway, I forgot to send one.  I finally remembered when I was trying to mail out Christmas cards but on a few links it said I had to pay and this lady is not paying.   So I did find one website where it gave the address and did not say you needed to pay so I was only going to be out a stamp if it didn't work, which isn't as bad.   So we wrote a short little note telling how much we love Donald Duck, if your kids are older this would be perfect in learning how to write a letter.

I mailed the card and wa-la, about 7-8 weeks later, a postcard came.  My daughter has been so excited about it, yes it is generic, but who cares, she loves it and it goes from hanging on the refrigator to touring the house everyday.   The address I am writing below, my only suggestion is if you want it closer to a birthday or holiday to put in the mail early.  I used the first address, but the second one is also suppose to work.  Have a blessed day!Walt Disney Company
Attn: Fan Mail Department
500 South Buena Vista Street
Burbank, CA 91521

or 

Walt Disney World Communications
P.O. Box 10040
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830-0040 

Giving fruit when handed poop

So I have been wanting to share this story and encouragement with you, but truthfully I was having a hard time finding where to put the encouragement at.  Let me tell you the story.  

To the side is my daughter, who at the time was about 20 months old.  She loves being a 'good' helper!  In the summer, she is outside constantly and I just let the doors open so I can track her by sound because we are in, out, and everywhere (we live out in country).  I was so excited because I was getting dishes done and I could see her playing in the garage from my window and my 4 month was napping, when I hear - nothing!  Insert dramatic music, da-da-daaa!  Then I hear something very light and then nothing again!  Every mom in the world knows, nothing means something!  So I go to the garage and what do I see but her attempting to feed the cat, if that is what you call it!  There is cat food throughout the entire 2 bay garage with a cat and dog looking like they hit the jackpot.  So I explain to her we do not put cat food on the floor like that we put it in the dish and the kitty has enough food now to last a week.  After naps, we go outside again and she goes on her adventures again and I hear what I assume to be a lid and what to my wondering eyes should appear when I round the corner of the garage with the baby, but CAT FOOD scattered all over the garage again.  A little smaller containment area this time.  She was suppose to be getting toys but the cat must have looked hungry, I'm guessing, and that I have the world's strongest 1 year old that can open up the cat food tub with a flick of a finger and I have wrestle it.

 

Now this Mommy is getting a little tired of this game and add in a grouchy 4 month old.   I reclean everything back up, again, and make sure the lid is on super tight, again, and redistract her, again!  We are playing having a wonderful day only catching slight whiffs of cat food in the air from touching it some many times during the day.  

Later in the day, it is getting close to supper time so I run in the house to get a few of the items cooking when I hear a crash!  Another sound a mom doesn't want to hear, but no crying!  I blunder out to the garage again, and what to my wondering eyes does appear this time, but my daughter holding CAT POOP!!! 

Yes, you heard me right, she is holding cat poop!!!! She was trying to ride her tricycle around the garage when she crashed into the cat liter and cat food and upset them both!! That is my best guess from my crash reconstruction!  I started to lose my cool because how in the world does this happen?!  We have an entire garage and porch and she finds the 5 ft square area to crash a bike and not only stop but keep going to make the mess to its fullest degree!  And then decide out of everything to clean up, the cat poop!!! After 2 sentences into losing my cool, I stopped, it definitely was not by own power, but God reminding me she is only a child!  The devotion I had read earlier in the week came back to me reminding me that you should not get upset over things that kids don't understand, you need to teach them.  My daughter did not completely understand, but she did know it would upset me so she began trying to clean it up, even if that consisted of picking up -cat poop! 

I wish I could say I didn't lose my temper at all but I did!  I have been praying about what verse I could even try to tie into this and this is what I got -

No matter what type of day you are handed, whether it is a handful of dandelions or a handful of cat poop, you need to give and show the fruits of the spirit ~ love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  This does not mean you, and definitely not me, will ever not lose our temper again, trust me I will be the first to admit I fail at this wayyyyy to many times, but we need to pray that we can show these fruits not just in the happy  times but also in the frustrating times!  

Just remember this is something you can laugh at and tell years to come!  Good luck mommies, I will be praying for you! 

^"22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law." Galatians 5:22-23

Cool Whip Frosting

Ah sweets, oh how I enjoy them!  However, I am picky about my icing!  I really don't like super sweet icing, I like cool whip flavored icing!  I mean, I really like the cool whip icing!!! But trying to find the right recipe, I just haven't found one yet the just hit the taste buds.  So I decided to combine recipes and wa-la, SUPER hit!  Yeah!! I made the cake Saturday night and that is all that is left as of Sunday afternoon!  And it is super easy!!!  The cake is a strawberry jello poke cake which I love because it is so moist! 

Frosting:
1 tub cool whip, the smaller tub
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3 oz cream cheese (I decided to make this cake last minute so I used the spreadable cream cheese and I would definitely do that again, I used about half of the 8 oz container.)

Whip all the ingredients together and put on top of your cake.  I left mine in the refrigerator for a little while which I think made it better.  Enjoy!! 

Super Yummy Fast Omelet

So I have been soooo hungry for an omelet but I have never made one, I know that might sound strange but hey, it happens, and if I do decide to try to make one I never have enough eggs or half the ingredients they call for.  BUT lo and behold, I found the perfect recipe, and I only tweaked it a little bit.  And it is husband tested super approved!

The recipe comes from IHOP.

1 tbsp butter
1/4  cup diced yellow onion
1/4 cup diced green pepper (I always use the saying 3 to eat, 4 to cook, that is how many bumps they have on the bottom, so a 4 bump bottom is better to cook with here)
3 or 4 eggs, beaten
2 tbsp water
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vegetable oil if not using nonstick cooking spray
1/4 cup diced tomato
1/4 cup bacon (I never have bacon on hand already cooked so I buy the bacon pieces which is by the bacon bits in the store.)
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1. In a medium-low heat, melt butter and add the onion and green pepper.  I find it easier to dice all my veggies before hand because once you start the process it is pretty quick.
2. Stir until the onion and pepper are soft but not browned, this will take a couple minutes.  I like mine to still be a little crunchy so I probably cook them for about 3 minutes maybe a little more.
3.  Remove peppers and onions from heat and begin to heat a 12 inch skill over medium low heat, add oil or spray nonstick cooking spray.
4.  In a mixing bowl, combine eggs, water, and salt, beat or stir well.
5. Pour the egg mixture into the pan and sprinkle with the vegetable mixture, tomato if desired, bacon, and 1/2 cup of cheese.
6.  Cover the pan until the omelet starts to set, 2 to 3 minutes.
7. Immediately remove the lid and fold the omelet from the sides to the middle or in half.  Sprinnkle with the rest of the cheese and cover for about 30 seconds to minute for the cheese to melt.
8.  Enjoy!

The recipe also has sausage, ham, and roast beef you can add but I was looking for something super quick.

The Steps Pinterest Forgets

So the other week I thought I would attempt a Pinterest craft.  Ha, I know some of you are laughing already because you have been there.  You see it, think I can do that, read the directions, seems simple, pin it, attempt it, and wonder where in the world you went wrong when you see the end product that looks like a kindergartener did it.  Been there many, many times!  Anywho, I thought I would try to create a photo cube.   I read many how-to articles and it seemed easy enough.  First step was buy the rubik's cube, and I am not buying an expensive one, I like to save money, and I really like the Dollar Tree so after going to an extra store and and extra round of unbuckling and rebuckling a just turned 2 yr old and 8 month old, I got the rubik's cube and pictures and saved $18, wahoo!  Step two, peel off all the stickers, not a hard feat I thought, until you realize how many stickers are on a rubiks's cube and I have a limited amount of 'free time' aka time without too much help.  Just so you know there are 108 stickers total on 2 rubik's cube.  Step three, get your 8 month old up from his nap.  Step four, wrestle your 8 month old away from pile of stickers.  Step five, get your 2 yr old up.  Step six, try to clean up the stickers while your 8 month tries to eat them. Step seven, give up wrestling and put him in his high chair so you can finish cleaning and pulling off the last 5 stickers. Step eight, listen to your 8 month old scream, then see less stickers then you think so you do finger sweeps trying to rescue stickers you are pretty sure he ate.  Step nine, finish cleaning up stickers and anything else he might eat while answering 'what's that' from your 2 year old while your 8 month old is still screaming.  Pinterest seemed to forget those steps.  So I attempted this project later and did get it finished and walked away with only a good cut on my finger from cutting the photos on the cube.  However, this is where step ten comes a few days later.  We were at my grandparents house for Christmas and my son had a poopy diaper so I go back to change him, open up the diaper, and SURPRISE, step ten, 2 brightly colored green stickers that traveled from the rubik's cube through my son's mouth and digestive track straight to the diaper.  I couldn't stop laughing and made my husband look who smiled, I think just appease my laughing, but didn't find this nearly as funny as I did.  

Needless to say you could take a lot of lessons away from this, but I like to tie a little encouragement in there for any of you mommy's who need some.  God wants us to be a light to others, be that bright spot because you might be the only example of God's love that they see in a poopy day, just like those stickers were the only bright thing to see in that diaper and every diaper since, thank goodness!  So put that pretty smile on ladies and show some love to yourself, others, and God.  The other lesson I learned, Pinterest seems to forgot the steps of being a mom and trying to accomplish the crafts. 

 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.  Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."  Matthew 5:14-16