B&N Online Story Time

A friend of mine mentioned on Facebook that her kids loved Barnes & Noble's Online Storytime. I had never heard about it and checked out the link she gave. It's awesome!

Both kids love to listen as the author (such as Ree Drummond) or a celebrity (like Rachel Ray) reads the book to them. The books we listened to were anywhere from 5-7 minutes long and there was a wide range of books from Charlie the Ranch Dog to The Hungry Caterpillar.

Can you guess this book?

Or this one?

I know I already gave it away. Click here to check our Barnes & Noble's Online Storytime.

Joshua 1:9

Tea Party in the Tub

One afternoon the kids were taking a bath together after lunch (hence the pizza sauce still on their faces). They were having a tea party with Brooke's floating tea set. It has a tea pot, sugar pot with three squares meant to be sugar cubes, and two cups. Lots of fun for the tub.

Belching in the tub...very unladylike but really funny.

Never Once

I recently purchased Matt Redman's CD 10,000 reasons and this song was a great encouragement given the struggles we have faced over the past year.

 

Source

Standing on this mountaintop
Looking just how far we’ve come
Knowing that for every step
You were with us

Kneeling on this battle ground
Seeing just how much You’ve done
Knowing every victory
Was Your power in us

Scars and struggles on the way
But with joy our hearts can say
Yes, our hearts can say
Never once did we ever walk alone
Never once did You leave us on our own
You are faithful, God, You are faithful

Kneeling on this battle ground
Seeing just how much You’ve done
Knowing every victory
Was Your power in us

Scars and struggles on the way
But with joy our hearts can say
Yes, our hearts can say

Never once did we ever walk alone
Never once did You leave us on our own
You are faithful, God, You are faithful
You are faithful, God, You are faithful

Scars and struggles on the way
But with joy our hearts can say
Never once did we ever walk alone
Carried by Your constant grace
Held within Your perfect peace
Never once, no, we never walk alone

Never once did we ever walk alone
Never once did You leave us on our own
You are faithful, God, You are faithful

Every step we are breathing in Your grace
Evermore we’ll be breathing out Your praise
You are faithful, God, You are faithful
You are faithful, God, You are faithful

You are faithful, God, You are faithful
You are faithful, God, You are faithful

 Never Once

Hurricane Sandy Fun

During Hurricane Sandy, Chris got off work early and we got to have some unexpected family time. So, here is what we did to wait out the storm.

Derek likes to hide in Brooke's foot stool. I don't use it for storage because he likes to hide in it. He can't fit all the way in an close the lid thankfully. He was popping out of it and yelling "Boo!" Brooke thought he was hysterical.

Copy-Cat Chick-fil-a Chicken Nuggets

As you may have gathered from reading our blog, we are DIEHARD Chick-fil-a fans (here and here). The boys will always want Chick-fil-a food when asked. Gift cards are always appreciated to help feed the addiction. (Christmas is coming soon...hint hint!)

Well, I saw this recipe on Pinterest and KNEW I had to try it. I have the best critics on Chick-fil-a food and it passed the test. Its a pretty close match and a tasty chicken nugget!

Copy-Cat Chick-fil-a Chicken Nuggets from mynameissnickerdoodle.com

3 skinless and boneless chicken breasts
1 cup milk
1 egg
1 1/4 cups flour
2 TBSP powdered sugar
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
peanut oil (is best) or canola oil

In a medium bowl whisk the egg and stir in the milk. Trim any fat away from chicken. Cube chicken into bite size pieces. Place chicken in milk mixture,and cover. Let it 'marinate' for 2-4 hours in the fridge. This will make the chicken very nice and tender. In a gallon size resealable baggie or in a bowl combine flour, powdered sugar, salt and pepper. Place about 1 inch of oil in a medium deep pot. Over medium high heat (more towards the high side) heat oil until hot. If using a thermometer let the temperature reach 375°. If you don't have a fancy gadget like most people, I always test my oil by dropping a few drops of water into it. You want it to sizzle and not pop too much. Adjust your heat if necessary. Using a fork or tongs remove cut chicken from milk mixture and place in the flour mixture. Seal and shake until nuggets are completely coated. Place about a 6-8 nuggets into hot oil and let them cook until golden brown, turning half way through once the edge of your chicken starts to turn white. About 1 minute each side. Always double check to see if any chicken you make is cooked through. I always just make a tiny cut to see if it's pink. Remove and drain on a paper towel. Repeat until all nuggets are cooked.

Serve with your favorite sauce! That would be ketchup or Chick-fil-a sauce in our house.

Heart Walk

This year was the sixth consecutive year I walked in the American Heart Walk. My Uncle Rick recently passed away from a sudden heart attack so I decided I would walk in his honor. The Lord provided a beautiful morning to walk; the sun was out and it was in the low 60s. I completed the three mile walk in under 45 minutes and was able to raise over $300.