Handy Armor iPhone 6/6plus case

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I have had my iphone 6 for about a year and I had been using a case for it, but did not like that I could no longer see the gold color and felt that it made the phone so much bulkier.  When I put this case on my phone I was so happy because it looks and feels like there is no case on it, but is easier to hold onto and covers the headphone and charger jacks.  I love that I can see my sleek looking gold phone again while knowing that is it protected by the high quality material of the case.  I will definitely be using this case from now on.

Get yours at: 

http://www.amztk.com/handyarmor

*I received this product in exchange for an honest review

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Under Pressure

Picture this:

Your friend, your church member, the "preachers wife", in the bathroom leaning on the counter, head between her hands, crying out to God "help me God because I don't know what to do", while her beautiful 3 year old is crying and throwing a tantrum in the next room.  If this were a game a jeopardy, you would now hit your button and say "Who is Katie Freeman?" 

I don't know about anyone else but as a mom, wife, child of God and preachers wife I feel this pressure to "have it all together".  This is not because anyone has every told me I need do.  It is not because there is a scripture in First Opinions chapter 1 that says "Thou shalt be the perfect wife and mother and never make any mistakes".  But I would venture a guess that I am not alone in this striving for perfection.  Why as mothers do we put this pressure on ourselves to be perfect, and to make everyone else think we are perfect?

2 Corinthians 12:9-11 says:

9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

If God, the creator of the universe, tells us that we should delight in weakness, why do we spend so much time trying to cover them up?  

Back to this morning.  My daughter woke up emotional and any attempt to do school work resulted in one emotional breakdown after another.  Toys were thrown, there was yelling and wall hitting, all the while I was trying to "handle it" in all my infinite wisdom (yes, you can laugh).  I tried every disciplinary tactic I knew: time out, positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, and yes, spanking.  This went on for close to an hour, and at the end of my emotional rope, this is where you find me removing myself from the situation, head in hands, crying out to God for help in my weakness.  Next thing I know my beautiful daughter allows me to scoop her into my lap and arms on the floor, her head on my chest, and me rubbing her back as she calms down and says "Mommy, I'm sorry for making poor choices".  
Talk about a sigh of relief.  In my weakness, he is strong!  By giving it to him, we were both able to humble ourselves instead of having a power struggle.  What an amazing feeling to know that I don't have to try to handle it all on my own!  Praise God!  

Talk about feeling the pressure being lifted off of my shoulders.  It is not easy for me to show my vulnerability because society tells us that if we show our weaknesses they can be used against us, but God tells us that our difficulties and weaknesses strengthen us when we allow him to work through us.  

I hope that we as women will allow ourselves to take that pressure to be perfect and have it all together off of our shoulders and give it to God.  I also pray that we will love and support each other and pray for each other.  

"For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith - that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever.  Amen" Ephesians 3: 14-20

Live infinitely loop exercise bands

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I am 5 weeks postpartum and trying to make time to go the gym or exercise outside with 2 little ones at home is quite difficult right now, so I am excited that these bands provide a complete body workout that I can use at home.  I love that you receive 5 different bands that provide different levels of resistance as strength varies in different parts of the body, and allows you to push greater resistance as you become stronger and more fit.  

Along with the bands you receive a link to download exercise programs to target different parts of your body including: abs and core, butt and leg, arm, and a cardio set.  It also provides set and length of time recommendations to achieve the best overall workout.  

I am a generally healthy individual but did not do a lot of working out the latter part of my pregnancy, so right now I find that the light to medium resistance bands work best for me to complete a workout set and feel like I received a great workout without straining anything.  I definitely give this product 5 stars and would recommend it to anyone.

** I received this product in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.  I have received no compensation.

Get yours at: 

http://www.amazon.com/Live-Infinitely-Loop-Resistance-Bands/dp/B019V0I66O

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Meeting my 3 year old

Meeting my 3 yr old...a funny title for a post, seeing as my husband and I have been raising her for 3 1/2 years.  I knew her of course, and many wonderful attributes that she had already, but since I have been home with her for the past month I feel like I have met her again in a whole new way.

I have learned that she loves without holding back.  She will give me, my husband and her little sister 1,000 kisses a day if we would let her and she would still be wanting to give you more.  Of course she throws tantrums and becomes frustrated just like any normal child (or ADULT!), but afterward she immediately returns to love.  "Mom, I love you so much" are the best words in the world.  I could really learn a lesson from her in this area.  When I get frustrated I often hold a grudge for a whole and treat those I love as if they need to earn my love back, but she is an example to me of how Jesus taught us to love.

I have learned that she is compassionate.  Last week I was experiencing a lot of pain and had multiple doctors appointments, so she got to stay with her papa while my mom escorted the baby and I all over Houston.  I was so surprised at the depth of her understanding and compassion for the situation.  Every day during and since she will ask me "Mom, are you okay?  Are you in pain anymore?" and then proceed to follow up with the love.  How often do I follow up with people who have been experiencing health problems and truly and deeply care for their needs?  She reminds me daily to think beyond myself.

I have learned that she has a hunger and thirst for learning.  When I was working and she was in school I would see a worksheet at the end of the day and maybe a tidbit or two about her day, but I haven't had much opportunity to see learn and begin to understand new information.  Every morning, and even on the weekends, she wakes up asking "Can we do school work?"  She also always wants to start her day with a prayer and a few Bible stories.  How often do I start my day in prayer to God and in His word?

I have learned that she has never met a stranger.  She is not afraid to say hi, ask someone their name, or ask questions about them.  Within seconds someone is her "friend".  We go to chickfila and she is talking to and playing with all of her friends.  How often do I reach out to the other young moms alone with their children and get to know them?

Jesus said to "become like little children" and through my daughter there are so many reasons why I believe he said this.  She is an example to me every day.  She teaches me love, compassion, desire to learn and how to treat others.  I am so thankful that God has not only blessed up with another beautiful baby girl, but that he has given me the opportunity to get to meet me 3 yr old again.

Ultra Plumping Hydration Mask by Valentia

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I am very particular about what I put on my face as I have always had very sensitive skin and almost everything makes me breakout, especially face masks that you leave on and then wash off. This product, however, did not! I have been using the #ValentiaUltraPlumpingHydrationMask every night for over a week now and my skin has not broken out once, and in fact I think I would say that my skin looks so much better in addition to feeling brighter and smoother!

The cream comes in very nice packaging with clear use instructions. The cream itself is very thick and a little bit goes a long way. Each night after leaving it on for the recommended 15-30 minutes and then washing it off my face felt so much softer and brighter. I would highly recommend this product to anyone looking to purchase a new face cream!

Below are before and after pictures: note how much smoother my skin looks in just a week of using this cream!

*I received this product in exchange for a fair and unbiased review
Before:




After 1 week:






This product can be purchased from amazon @: http://www.amazon.com/Ultra-Plumping-Hydration-Mask-Valentia/dp/B014PJSYRM/ref=sr_1_1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1457064213&sr=8-1&keywords=ultra+plumping+hydration+mask


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The biggest little blessing

Each day that goes by I remember fewer and fewer details of the moments that led up to the birth of our second beautiful baby girl, so this post is mostly for me, but thought I would share for anyone who might be interested.  I will try to not be too graphic but proceed with caution just in case :)

The morning of our "due date" arrived, and, though the doctor had said that she could be coming "any moment" for the past two weeks (based on what they were seeing at my weekly exams), I was still very much pregnant and very much not in labor.  I had told my boss that I planned to work up to my due date, unless she decided to make her appearance prior to that date.  So, February 5th I woke up and went to work.  I got to work pretty early since I had not been sleeping well lately, the anticipation of the baby coming and all that.  

I worked until around 10:45am, thankfully having a short day on my last official work day before baby, whether she came soon or held out until receiving an eviction notice from the doctor. :)  Since I got off of work so early I called a sweet friend and asked if she would like to do lunch.  We met at Olive Garden and had a wonderful time visiting.  Ironically, when we ordered, my friend told the waitress that the meal was "on her because it might be my last meal as a pregnant lady, or at least our last meal together before baby came".  After lunch I insisted on getting tiramisu "on me" since after baby I would need to be more careful about what I ate.  

I got home from lunch and my husband and I were leaving the house around 2 to go visit someone in the hospital, who was being treated at the hospital I would be having the baby at.  As we were heading out the door I asked him if he had his toiletries, to which he said "we are only going to be gone a few hours".  I said "Well, just in case..."  so he put them in the car.  We pulled up to the daycare to pick up our 3 yr old, my husband on the phone talking to the person we were going to visit.  He was saying to her "Is it okay if we come see you for a little bit..." as I stepped out of the car and my water broke.  Thankfully I had put a towel in my backseat "just in case" my water broke this time as well.  My husband ran into the daycare and, as he reports it, just stood there frozen saying "babys coming" and the teacher and daycare director proceeded to gather our daughter and all of her things while I called the doctors office.  I was surprised when they told me to come in anyway even though I wasn't in active labor yet, and though my husband wanted to go straight there, I convinced him to let me go home and change clothes first.  Thank goodness!

The whole way to the hospital I am trying to explain to our 3 yr old (S) that her baby sister is coming without toooo many details, and making sure I don't make any noises or faces of discomfort because my husband is mildly panicking driving through rush hour traffic to the medical center.  We let my parents know we would call them when we got checked in and ready for them to come pick S up from the hospital.  We got to the hospital, went to the labor/delivery unit, then they took us downstairs to the fetal monitoring unit, and then immediately took us back upstairs to L&D unit.  

I put on the beautiful green hospital gown, my parents showed up, my dad stayed with me while my husband, mom and S went for a quick visit to the other side of the hospital.  Got my IV in, doctor said I was at 4cm, my parents took S home, and we proceeded to wait.  The contractions really got started around 5:30/6 but were manageable.  A few hours later I was 5.5cm...and that's when the contractions started coming approximately 2 minutes apart with minimal breaks in between and the pain got to the point where it was very difficult to walk, stand, move, and my music and essential oils were not really helping anymore.  I had been very determined that since I had my first daughter without any pain medication, that I should be able to this time as well.  Around 3am, when my contractions had been 2 minutes apart for almost 7 hours, I finally broke down crying to my husband asking him what I should do.  I didn't want to be disappointed in myself because I wasn't able to manage unmedicated this time, but I was physically and emotionally exhausted.  My husband, the ever supportive and logical one, pointed out that it wouldn't hurt to ask the nurse about the pros and cons (not that I hadn't read them a million times before) and ask if they could check me again to see if I had made any "progress".  The nurse called the doctor who said it was okay to check, and we found out that I had gone 1/2cm from 5.5 to 6 in the past 7 hours.  I agreed to the epidural and within 15 minutes that was over and done with.  My husband then informed me that he was really happy I decided to get it because it tears him apart to see me in so much pain and not be able to help me feel any better.

Then I went from overwhelming pain to mild panic over not being able to feel my legs or move.  I just told myself to try to relax, laid on my side, and attempt to rest if at all possible.  The nurse said she would be back at 5am and if I hadn't made any more "progress" before then that we would have to discuss pitocin to try and get me to dilate.  Around 4:45am I told my husband that I was feeling some pressure and a little nauseous.  He said I should call the nurse to which I responded "She said she would be back at 5 to check on us".  Again, ever logical, he said I should trust my instincts.  So...I called the nurse, she took a quick check and said "This baby is ready".  She called the doctor to come, and then said the doctor said we should do some test pushes.  After one "test push" she said we needed to wait.  When the doctor got to the room we did a couple pushes, then the doctor came over and a few pushes later, our beautiful baby girl came into this world and onto my chest.  

Both my husband and I were overwhelmed with joy, tears and all.  How is it that something so tiny can consume your heart so instantly and so completely?  Something I love about the womans hospital is that they do everything that needs to be done in the first hour while you are skin to skin with your baby.  They give her shot, eye cream, etc while she is lying on you.  We were able to feed her and everything before they ever weighed her, and did all the logistical measurements.  

It is hard to believe a week has already gone by.  We are blessed beyond measure to have 2 beautiful girls in our lives.  God is good.

Psalm 127:3Contemporary English Version (CEV)

3 Children are a blessing
    and a gift from the Lord.

Anticipation

I feel like the word of the day lately for me is "anticipation".  When will the baby come?  Where will we all be when I go into labor?  How will we all get to the hospital?  Where will my parents need to meet us?  How fast (or SLOW) will everything go?  Will it be daytime or nighttime?  All of these questions and uncertainties lead to so much....ANTICIPATION :)

I will not lie, there is also anxiousness, a little anxiety, a lot of excitement, and many other emotions mixed in there as well.  It has become more difficult to be patient especially when 1.5 weeks ago the doctor is telling you that based on how things are progressing she will probably come early....and then next thing you know you've been working another week!

I have also found that I had great confidence about giving birth naturally/unmedicated the first time around, while this time I have more anxiety about it.  Sometimes ignorance really can be bliss.  However, I have been able to be a little more prepared this time knowing more of what to expect.  My poor husband listening to me talk about essential oils, birthing balls and using music to try to relax this time.

Again, more anticipation.

So last night I decided I need to slow down and lean on the Lord.  His wisdom is, of course, greater than mine could ever be.  I found great strength and comfort in these scriptures:

Isaiah 12:2 - I will trust in the Lord and NOT BE AFRAID.  The Lord, the Lord is MY STRENGTH and my song.

Phil 4:13 - I can do EVERYTHING through Him who gives me STRENGTH

Col 1:29 - To this end I will labor, struggling with all His energy, which so POWERFULLY works in me.

Ps. 29:11 - The Lord gives STRENGTH to His people; the Lord blesses His people with peace.

Isaiah 41:10 - So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Col 1:11 - Be strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great ENDURANCE and PATIENCE and JOYFULLY giving thanks to the Father.

Habb 3:19 - The Sovereign Lord is my source of STRENGTH.  He gives me the agility of a deer; he enables me to negotiate the rugged terrain.

Is. 40:29 - He gives POWER to the faint, and to Him who has no might, he INCREASES STRENGTH.

Ps. 37:7 - Be still before the Lord and wait PATIENTLY for Him.

John 16:21 - A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her JOY that a child is born into the world.

Is. 41:13 - For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, "Do not fear; I will HELP you."

I thank God for the encouragement of His word.  I know that whenever the time comes my God will be patient with me, strengthen me, hold me and love me.  Yes, every time I feel a pain or cramp I am still having moments of anticipation, but I am trusting in God and in His timing.

Gnome Bluetooth Selfie Stick Review

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Gnome Bluetooth Selfie Stick Review

This review comes to you from a first time selfie stick user.  First of all, it came earlier than expected which is always a bonus; and the packaging is nice and compact,  The stick itself is light but durable and actually a size that is easily portable for a larger pocket or small purse.

The stick comes with a plug to charge with your computer and a wrist strap (good for anyone with small children or with a tendency to drop things!).  One of the things that is most appealing is that it is a bluetooth selfie stick which connects to your phone directly from the stick by pressing and holding the camera button for 3-5 seconds (camera light will start flashing blue), then selecting the device from your phone.  I found the device pairs best when the phone is already in the holder; without doing that it kept asking me to put in a password.

My iPhone 6 feels very secure while in the holder, which is great since the device is made to turn up to 270 degrees and the pole extends upwards of 30 inches.  This selfie stick will be great for taking family pictures since we rarely ever get pictures of all of us.  My 3 year old is very amused and enjoys that she can push the button to take pictures herself.

You can purchase this product at:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ZZ4VQUY?keywords=gnome%20bluetooth%20selfie%20stick&qid=1453856607&ref_=sr_1_2&sr=8-2

#GnomeWorkshop

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The JOY of my SALVATION

The JOY of MY SALVATION

Create in me a clean heart, O God
and renew a right spirit within me
Create in me a clean heart, O God
and renew a right spirit within me

Cast me not away from your presence O Lord
and take not your holy Spirit from me
RESTORE unto me, the JOY OF MY SALVATION
and renew a right spirit within me.

I remember the joy I had when I first became a Christian and thought that nothing could ever bring me down from that feeling of being so one with God that nothing could separate us.  Then years have passed, and I continued to allow the world to steal my joy, or, often times, I have allowed the things of the world to become my joy instead of God.

I have allowed myself to place the importance of worldly things above the joy and fulfillment I receive in Jesus.  Tonight at my Heartfelt group I was reminded that my joy is in the Lord, and in the salvation promised for those who live for Him.  We also talked about goals for 2016.  I pray that in 2016 I will prioritize my Lord and Savior above all, spending time with him in prayer and word, with the amazing church family I have been blessed with, and in renewing my joy in the salvation given to me through Christ Jesus and his sacrifice.

HE is Faithful!

Psalms 91:4 He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will  find refuge; his faithfulness is  a shield and buckler.


2 Thessalonians 3:3 But  the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against  the evil one.


God is faithful.  Not to sound cliche, but today I truly had one of those "I have no idea what is about to happen, but God please help" moments.  I'm almost 35 weeks pregnant, driving to work going 70 mph in the dark and literally someone's whole metal car bumper comes flying directly DOWN at me from the sky.  No idea where it came from.  No other cars around me seem to be wrecking or swerving.  Here I am, staring at this huge piece of metal bearing down on me, cars and 18-weelers all around me on the freeway, and I the only thought that comes to mind as I'm bracing for impact is "God please help me".  Suddenly, I swerve to the left at the last second and this car bumper hits the passenger side of my car.  

It is dark outside as I pull over to the side of the road, and when I quickly get out to inspect all I can see is that the passenger side mirror was just completely sliced right off the car, wires clean cut and all.  Later when the sun comes up I was able to see there were more scratches on that side of the vehicle, but thats neither here nor there.  

That piece of debris sliced my sideview mirror clean off.  That easily could have come straight through the windshield and been me.  Somehow immediately after I was calm enough to call my husband and tell him what happened.  Then, as I pull back onto the freeway, my baby girl starts kicking, and then the tears slowly start to come.  All I can think is "praise God".  God is faithful.  God is mighty and he is my protector.  He is Father of all.  PRAISE HIM!

The rest of the day was mostly uneventful.  Saw some patients, did insurance claim stuff, spent a few hours in the Labor and Delivery ER per MD orders to have baby monitored.  Her HR was high for a while, I'm sure she sensed the adrenaline pumping from the events, but she is OK!

I do not thank God enough for his presence in my daily life.  I take for granted the fact that I make it to and from work safely every day, and I know there are a thousand times a day that I could thank God for his presence and I don't.  So today, I am saying thank you.  Thank you God.  Thank you for your faithfulness.  

Watchers: Knight of Light - A Review

I was captivated from the first sentence of this book. I wanted to know more about Auriella, the main character; was drawn into the world that that Deirdra Eden had created; and finished the book in less than 24 hours. The author takes you through a wonderful mythical journey, revealing bits of information regarding who and what exactly is a "Watcher" or "Knight of Light" along the way. At times the story seemed to make a quick transition from one section to the next, but that was quickly forgotten as new part of the story drew me in. This book is the first in its' series, so much of this book appears to be a lead-in to more of the story to come in future books. Overall, the author has a great ability to provide wonderful imagery with her words. This book is a wonderful fit for a younger audience with the wonder and imagination, but I am looking forward to book #2 as well, and to continuing to follow Auriella on her journey.

I received this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

To purchase this book visit:  

Http://amzn.com/0996015809

Become like little children

“Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

Matthew 18:3 ESV

Yesterday my husband, daughter and I were standing in the checkout lane at Lowes to buy plants for our yard. 

Our sweet girl was attracting the attention of those around us as usual as she was commenting on the assortment of garden fountains they had set up near the checkout line. 

The people in line behind us asked how old she was and when the man handed her a red flower from the plant in his basket, she looked at him, said "thank you" and proceeded to start singing "Jesus loves me" while standing in the checkout line. The people in line behind us lit up smiling; the lady said "Oh wow I remember that one", and the husband and wife started singing along with her. 

After that they began to ask us questions about where we attended church, meanwhile my daughter was interjecting comments like "I just love my bible class", "it's my favorite". We had a nice chat about God in the checkout line at Lowes and when we left the older gentleman hollered after us "God bless you preacher". 

All this reminded me about Jesus when he tells us to become like little children. So often we find it difficult to strike up conversations with others about God and faith because we don't want to make people uncomfortable, meanwhile a 3 yr old singing "Jesus loves me" from her heart in the middle of the checkout line at Lowes brought about wonderful conversation. 

I pray that I will have a pure heart like my daughter to lovingly and boldly share my faith with others. 

Enough

I am enough. 

I am a child of God. I am a wife, a mother, a daughter, a friend, a preachers wife, a speech pathologist. 

I am enough. 

These days with social media (I am just as addicted to it as everyone else) I feel bombarded with the sense that everyone has something they are great at, their "thing" thay everyone admires them for, leading them to have 10,000 followers on Instagram. Here I sit feeling like I am so busy every moment of every day, and wondering "what's my thing?", "what am I great at?", "what are people going to admire me for?"  With all that busy what and who exactly am I?

I get so caught up wanting to be like all of these people that I admire for their accomplishments that I often lose sight of the most important thing: I am a child of God and I AM ENOUGH just as I am. 

If I never learn to knit or sew, successfully grow our own fruits and vegetables, support my family by learning to refinish old furniture and make it into something amazing, or become the most amazing pinterest mom, God still loves me. 

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

- 1 Peter 2:9 

So often I allow myself to get caught up in seeking earthly approval that I forget about the one whose love and approval matters most. God has chosen us to be His family and that is enough. 

In Him...

 

The Melting Pot

Lately I have been thinking a lot about how I should be documenting more things that I think and do in order to go back and reflect upon at a later time. I love looking at old journals from when I was little and just reading what I was thinking about or doing at the time. Even if I remember an event it is fun to read about how I was feeling and what I was experiencing emotionally at the time. 

So I want to blog more but I have no idea what to blog about. I was thinking...what is most important to me?  My God and faith, my family and well, let's me honest here....food!  So today I am blogging about food. :)

I'm not usually huge on big birthday celebrations but this being the week of my 30th birthday decided to indulge a bit. A coworker and I had been talking for a while about wanting to visit The Melting Pot, so this being my birthday week, houston restaurant weeks, AND the fact that hey emailed me a coupon for a free half dozen chocolate strawberries, we decided this was a good time to go. 

They give you a cute card and they come in this box. 

So for the restaurant weeks menu it is $35 with $5 donated to the Houston Food Bank and it comes with cheese fondue, salad, meat course and chocolate. Since we had a group of 6 we were ab,e to choose 2 cheese fondues, each chose our own salad, choose our own meat course with 2 different cooking styles and 2 chocolate fondues. 

For the cheese confuse course we chose a bacon and jalapeño one, and a spinach and artichoke. What is really neat is that the waiter "makes" the fondue at your table.  The fondues are served with veggies (broccoli, cauliflower" carrots and tomatoes), chunks of bread, and tortilla chips. To be honest I think we were all hoping the bacon and jalapeño would have a richer flavor and spice to it, but the spinach and artichoke was very good with a stronger cheese flavor. Their cheese fondues have a lot of soft cheeses in them, so if any pregnant ladies out there are wondering, they do use pasteurized cheese :).  Yes, I asked. 

I really wish I had taken a picture of the salad because it was beautiful and amazing. I ordered a strawberry caprese salad which had a spring mix of dark lettuce, large slices of tomato, slices and strawberry and beautiful large slices of mozzarella on it, served with some slivered almonds and a honey vinaigrette dressing. It was amazing. I cut my mozzarella into bite sized pieces and was able to get at least one piece with each bite of my salad and there was still some left at the end...which I ate!

For the main course they offered 2 different meat selections and 1 vegetarian. I ordered the land and sea which came with filet mignon, seasoned chicken, andouille sausage, and seasoned shrimp. 

Sorry the meat looks to dark!  They had mood lighting in the restaurant :) 

We had one pot to cook in that was a seasoned broth with some Cajun flavors to it. The other pot was a seasoned canola oil served with a tempura batter and a sesame batter. This was where the really interesting part of the meal happened, and was also where I realized that we all had color coded cooking sticks so we wouldn't get them mixed up. Kudos to them for that. They also give you mushrooms, broccoli and potatoes that you can cook with your meat and provide a number of different dipping sauces.  I liked the plum sauce. It takes anywhere from 1-4 minutes to cook your vegetables or meat per piece. I wish I had a picture option all of our prongs in the pots at the the same time. It got a little confusing at times and actually required quite a bit of thinking trying to keep track of things and how long it had been cooking. It was definitely an experience and I enjoyed trying it, but honestly I think I could do without this course at another time if I were in a large group again. Maybe it would be different if it were just a few people. 

For the best part of the meal we ordered two different chocolate fondue pots. One was a Mexican chocolate with cinnamon; the other was a yin and yang of dark and white chocolate.  Most people at our table really loved the Mexican chocolate but personally I found it to have a bit too much of a bite to it. It was the most fun to watch prepare.

The yin and yang did it for me. I was so stuffed by this point but they give you all this delectable items to dip into the chocolate.  I think the crowd favorite was the chocolate chip cookie bites.  The marshmallows plus the chocolate were a bit too rich combined.  Before it came I didn't think we would be able to eat it, but I don't think there was anything left by the end of it. No chocolate left behind!

Overall it was a great night and experience.  Personally I would probably return for cheese, salad and chocolate. The service we received was great. If you are going in the evenings, especially on the weekend, make sure you make a reservation well in advance. 

Look forward to our next adventure...

Chocolate Personality Test

This morning in Ladies Bible Class we did a sweet little activity. Our teacher (a sweet sweet woman with one of the kindest hearts I know) places a variety of mini chocolate bars on our tables and asked us each to pick the one we like the most, then asked people to hold up their hands as she called out each type of candy bar. I was the only one in a class of approx 25 women to hold my hand up for special dark, which read:

Special Dark

Patient, thoughtful, individualist, problem solver. Likes to see a project through from start to finish. Good grant writers, works well with difficult people, insightful, reflective. Little patience with incompetence or liars. Sets high standards for self and others. Dependable, resourceful and loyal.

Honestly, after she read this aloud, with everyone looking at me, I was feeling a bit overwhelmed. I know it's a game but wow, those are a lot of qualities to possess, many of which I'd love to claim are "so me" but often feel like I'm a failure in those areas. 

Patient - I think any mom can relate that at times, lot of times, you do NOT feel patient. This morning, when I thought we were way ahead of schedule getting ready to church, but after my daughter decided she needed to use the potty 3 times within 10 minutes such that we were then rushing out the door...I did not feel patient. BUTi take solace in the fact that I did stay calm and encouraging of my daughters new endeavors in potty training...and we even had time to stop for a starbucks drink treat on the way to bible class. 

Thoughtful - Do I think about people??? Absolutely and all the time!  Do I do anything about it so that they know that I am thinking about them and car about them? This is a work in progress. Shooting off a quick text...easy. Picking up the phone or writing a card or making time for a visit are things I am working on.  People don't know I'm thinking about them if I don't show them I'm thinking about them. 

Individualist - not positive exactly where they are going with this, but I am going to read this as "set apart". Am I set apart at work and in my daily life?  Do people recognize that I have a joy in my heart because I have God in my life?  I hope so, but I know that this is also a work in progress. 

Problem solver - this I can say YES!  I am a speech pathologist. I saw this cute slp tshirt which read "SLPs...we fix problems you didn't know you have". I do love to problem solve!

Works well with difficult people - I think yes, I do work well with them, but often my heart is not in the right place. And am I really working well with them if I then go and complain about it or them?

Insightful and reflective- I believe I am, but then what am I going to do about it to continually improve myself as a child of God?

Good writer - haha, I don't know I suppose if you are still reading this I must not be too terrible

Little patience with incompetence - not necessarily a great quality and I will admit to possessing this at times. So now I must ask myself what do I do to help work with and educate people instead of just getting frustrated or judging?

Dependable, resourceful and loyal - I hope so. I believe I generally follow through who. I say I will do something. Does resourceful equal frugal?  If so yes! :). Loyal - this word I believe has many aspects to it. I think about out class this am where we talked about self control of the tongue. I believe even when I am joking about my husband where I say something that isn't building him up then I am not being as loyal as I should be. 

Even though this was a cute and fun activities, I think it's always good to continually reflect on our lives and determine what areas we can improve upon?  Am I glorifying God with my "gifts"? 

Other candy bar personality types are listed below. What do you think?  Does your favorite candy bar match your personality type?  What areas of your life do you feel like you are using positively to bring glory to God?  What areas can you improve?

This morning in the way to work my daughter and I were singing the fruits of the spirit, which ironically was one of the first verses we read in bible class today. While this is a fun personality quiz, it's always important to reflect on the qualities which God asks of us. Love, joy, peace, abstinence, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. 

I am a work in progress. And I think I'll go eat a piece of dark chocolate :) 

Mr. Goodbar

You are analytical, logical. You gather data first before giving an opinion, play the devil’s advocate at meetings, tend to see all the possibilities and drive people crazy by sharing all the “what ifs”. Hate deadlines, put off starting things, procrastinator. Likes to be the expert but in your own period. Can analyze things to death. Like there to be rules that everyone follows. Likes a lot of structure and hates surprises..

Krackel

Creative, optimistic, always see the cup 1⁄2 full, messy (messy desk) but organized (eventually find missing item). Likes to be a hands-on person; a little off-beat, ditzy, funny, friendly and outgoing, always willing to help. Like the surprising things in life, the “crackle”. Like situations that follow flexibility, change and growth.

Milk Chocolate

You are an all American, loves baseball, Mom and apple pie. Cheerleader for your program, level headed, good PR person, great fundraiser, and also kind, thoughtful, always remember everyone’s birthday, playful. Nurturing, kind, help others to “shine” dependable and loyal. Others often turn to you for help. 

Chocolate Personality Test provided by: http://relay.acsevents.org/site/DocServer/Chocolate_Personality_Test.pdf

Day 1

I'm not generally much of a blogger, much of a journaler, much of a writer, much of a lay my life out there for people to read, comment, judge, etc.  I'm not full of wisdom (though I pray to exercise wisdom often), I won't have deep insightful thoughts that get 1,000,000 shares of Facebook, but I do have a story.

I am a child of God.  I am a wife.  I am a mother, a daughter, a friend.  I have hopes, struggles, fears, joys, frustrations.

Today I am missing fellowship with my brothers and sisters in Christ, and I really, truly, miss that.  BUT I am getting wonderful "snuggles" from my sweet sick daughter who wants to be completely in my lap such that it's difficult to type, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

So maybe I'm not much of a writer, but obviously I can ramble. The name of the blog, "proverbs 31". Most people recognize that as the virtuous woman. So why would I pick this as my blog name?  For a long time I have read but not truly absorbed the power of this passage. I would read it and think, "okay, yes I know be a good wife, love my husband, etc etc".

Recently I have been reading the book "the power of a praying wife" by Stormie Omartian and it has brought such a deeper meaning to this passage for me, giving me the desire to strive towards becoming the virtuous woman.

Vs10 "An excellent wife who can find? She is worth far more than jewels"

So being an excellent wife seems like pretty high expectations, but to be worth more than jewels?  Jewels, which are treasured, have great value, that we want to protect.  When put into that context it makes me want to desire to strive to be not just good, but excellent

Vs 11 "the heart of her husband trusts in her"

Just because you have the title of spouse doesn't automatically mean my husband with trust me with all the deepest longings of tasks heart. I must value his heart and will gain that trust through "doing good and not harm ALL the days of my life" (vs12)

"She seeks wool and flax and works with willing hands" vs 13

I must help with my families provision and must be willing to help provide, work, CLEAN??  This is definitely not always easy for me.

"She rises while it is yet night and provides food for her household"

Ouch! See above... I get up between 4-5am 5 days a week to go to work but this is still a struggle for me daily.

"Her lamp does not go out at night"

So after I've been up since 4, worked, come home, made dinner, taken care of my husband, wife, dog, and everyone is winding down I get to just plop on the couch and do nothing right? Have I mentioned I struggle with some of these??

"She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue" vs 26

The more I read, the more this pricks my heart.

Vs 29-31 "many woman have done excellently, but you surpass them all. Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears The Lord is to praised. Give her the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates."

I am a work in progress. My prayers are to work towards becoming more virtuous day by day, not only to bring hope, joy and peace to my household but also to hear the my savior say "well done my good and faithful servant"