Crustless Garden Veggie Quiche

We have been blessed again this year with garden veggies! I know a lot of people plant zucchini but then don't know what to do with it other than to make a bunch of zucchini bread. I for one, although I do love a good piece of zucchini bread, couldn't wait to start adding it to our regular meals. Lasagna, beef stroganoff, stir fry and vegetable soup, to name a few.

Today it was quiche.

I started out with a bit of baby spinach from the bottom of the bag that was neglected to be used in a salad. It wouldn't have made a good salad anymore- it was kindof limpy looking. Not gone bad, but it was close.

Part of it I cooked and made into baby food, but after the first two bites the boy had had enough of that, so I pureed up some peaches to add to that.

The other part of it I thought I'd whip into a quick quiche. We had lots of eggs in the fridge, so that sounded like a quick easy lunch. I cracked some eggs into the pie pan, and then added the rest of a bag of cheddar we had in the fridge, probably about 3/4 cup? Then that spinach, and then remembered the ham we had cooked a while back and had bagged in the freezer.

I start feeling a bit reflective of the If You Give A Mouse a Cookie at this point. But this is how I cook.

Then I remembered the frittata recipe I drooled over at Apples to Applique, and the fresh sweet potatoes waiting to be turned into baby food. I took a little one and diced it.

And no quiche is complete without onion, so I sliced off the side of a large onion and diced it while I was at it.

And then I remembered the two large zucchini in the crisper and decided that would also be delicious in there. So I made little sliced quarters of that too, and dumped it in. I leave the peels on, by the way. It's easier to cut, and it adds vitamins.
By this point, my original 6 eggs weren't going to be enough, so I added two more and stirred them in.

Then I realized to my dismay, that with all these ingredients it was going to take my "quick" quiche longer to cook than I had originally planned.

That's okay. It is a whole lot yummier than I had originally planned.

Here's the recipe minus the jabber. J

8 eggs

¾ c. shredded cheddar

1 small sweet potato, diced

1 c. fresh baby spinach

¾ to 1 c. sliced and quartered zucchini

¼ to ½ c. diced onion

¾ to 1 c. diced ham

Stir all together into greased pie pan, making sure eggs are broken and blended well with veggies, and that varieties of veggies are evenly distributed.

Bake at 350 for 45-50 min, or until set.

Ingredients are flexible, as well as quantities. I almost never measure as I cook, so these are guesses as to how much of what is in there. That being said, you can be flexible too, if you don’t have one or another of the ingredients, or if you prefer broccoli over spinach, etc. I wish, for example, that we had mushrooms on hand that I could have added. Mmmm, would have have been yummy or what?

Let me know what you come up with!

Counting 1000 Blessings - August 2013

1          640 Reading him to sleep, not because I have to, but because I want to. He won't be this little very long.

            641 Making music! One shaker has dry beans, the other has dry rice. He started making music along with the CD we had playing. That's my boy!

            642 Family night geocaching. 4 for 4, and I even found some before my husband this time!

2          643I spy two love birds and the rest puffing out their feathers to dry after the rain.

            644 So thankful for coffee today

            645 Butternut squash soup as I study

3          646 Reading together. I love watching these two.

            647 Baby napping on the lazy river

            648 Ice cream as a family. My precious father in law suggesting, “Let’s get out the sprinkles. And the peanuts. And the caramel topping.” I just love him.

4          649 Oatmeal with blackberries and agave on this rainy morning. Sitting with my boy who is getting oatmeal with peaches, agave and cinnamon.

            650 Finally figured out how to fix something that’s been bugging me for over a year!

            651 He listens so intently to the Jesus Storybook Bible even though its for 4 & up.

5          652 three batteries make my child’s face light up!

            653 canteloupe that looks like a ball

            654 Beauty from the inside out shines brighter

6          655 cicadas making Ivan laugh

            656 Burst water balloons sprinkle the sidewalk

            657  Holding hands at the grocery store

7          658 Park bench

            659 lunch from my in-laws

            660 texts to and from my daddy on his birthday

8          661 bubbles with daddy

            662 barefoot boys

            663 long evenings

9          664 you are the salt of the earth. Mt 5:13 reminder today to be good and salty- not bland.

            665 Cooked a whole bag of sweet potatoes to make into baby food. Mixes with alot of things and he goes through it so fast!

            666 He eats a whole banana these days!

10        667 Mike losing his hair to chemo

            668 Things around the house breaking

            669 Having to choose one side of the family over the other

11        670 DecoArt coupon

            671 Isaiah 40:30-31 Though youths grow weary and tired, And vigorous young men stumble badly, Yet those who wait for the Lord Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.

            672 New Hello Mornings group and good coffee

12        673 The sky was delicious tonight!

            674 The flowers are always yellower on the other side of the fence.

            675 Do you see it? Was gonna wait till tomorrow but looked at what the gift for today was and it fit so well... #geocaching #31in31 Working on the 31 days of geocaching for August!

13        676 Cotton clouds fill up the sky

            677 sky let go

            678 Pizza with rain pattering outside, husband and son at table with me. Heaven.

14        679 beautiful park we have stopped at multiple times, only to find out there's a cache there.

            680 Another #nofilter sky God made.

            681 Carma playing with Ivan

15        682 Pain medicine

            683 Phone charger

            684 Sweet nurse

16        685 New order gives hope

            686 Family in Christ

            687 Brothers who love on Ivan

17        688 Coupon workshop

            689 Hug from friend Sarah

            690 Coffee. enough said

18        691 Faith Spoken Of post God’s spirit helped me write

            692 Love on paper pad

            693 My little blond boy loves his hungry caterpillar book.

19        694 Money back

            695 Little laughs

            696 Pre-nap snuggles

20        697 Skype faces

            698 Husband entertaining us at lunch

            699 Big laughs at bedtime

21        700 Quiet time

            701 Nap

            702 Good news

22        703 1 Jn 5:4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world-our faith

            704 My husband’s support for my ministry

            705 Walk with my guys

23        706 Old icing

            707 New cake

            708 Old friends

24        709 Swirls from the coffee maker

            710 This sweet boy helping grandma snap beans. ♥

            711 My hubby making time to geocache with me – love that he places importance on my goals J

25        712 homemade coffee creamer. #letshavecoffee

            713 watching the incredibles together while daddy works on the computer and I work on a sock monkey for my shop.

            714 relationships

26        715 Found these notes from bible study 5 years ago. Feeling blessed every bit as much as I did when they were penned.

            716 Today we celebrated my father in law's 40th spiritual birthday! What a #legacy he has already! I pray it continues with our kids & theirs.

            717 blessed garden

27        718 New recipe

            719 New food

            720 New sock monkey

28        721 After rescuing the cheerios from the ants yesterday, this breakfast feels like triumph

            722 tooth number eight

            723 family who helps

29        724 garage sale with friend

            725 antiques and free donuts

            726 #hot. 94 degrees is the indoor temp. Finally got down below 90 outside so we could open windows and let the "cool" air in!

30        727 Canning again today

            728 The sun did cool things to my picture :) #31in31 #geocaching

            729 micro SD card - moving 1000s of pictures and videos from my phone to the computer

31        730 80th birthdays

            731 Soft serve

            732 Coleman truckload sales

Sometimes

Sometimes I forget. I forget to be thankful in all the moments.

All. the moments.

I think things like "why are you crying?" and "you liked this food yesterday, why does it make you upset right now?"

And then I remember.

I remember to be thankful for the now.

There are not that many more days where I will get to take care of, care for, and fend for my boy. He's already One. One eighteenth of the way to being an adult already. 

Won't be long (and I will have to remind myself of this when it comes time to potty train) and he won't need me to lovingly clean up his diaper. 

Won't be long until he won't want to throw the green beans and carrots and black beans on the floor- he'll want to eat them. And then he'll want to help me cook them. And then he'll drive to the store for me to buy more.

Won't be long until those teeth will all be here, and then they'll fall out, and then they'll be here to stay. Only the next set won't make him cry. And he won't be my baby any more. He'll be big.

Won't be long until he doesn't cry every. single. time. I get out the vacuum and I won't have to decide it's not worth it to have vacuumed floors right now. He may even help me vacuum. 

Won't be long and he'll eat the same foods as us, and I won't have to make baby food in the afternoons so dinner doesn't get cold if I wait to make it til later. And I won't get to feed him. He'll just eat by himself and I'll just have to watch.

Won't be long and he'll know all the words, and I won't have the daily practice of learning to understand him, study him, read him and know him to know what he wants. I won't be forced to, that is- it will be a discipline to maintain on purpose.

Won't be long and I won't have to try to figure out which clothes to put him in because of the size difference between the days he wears a cloth diaper or the days he wears a paper one. He'll have one size, no diaper, and big boy underpants. And he'll probably dress himself. No more tickling him as I change his shirt.

Won't be long until I fold laundry without him crawling into the basket and crawling over the folded piles, and I'll probably miss it- even if we do have clean, folded clothes.

Won't be long and he will be telling me what he sees in the car, rather than me asking him what he can see- hoping he understands what his mother is babbling about in the front seat. I'll hear a constant stream of chatter and it will be bliss.

Won't be long, and he won't try to eat the crayons, and the refrigerator will run out of room for pictures, and two or three will probably get in the way or fall off (again) each time we open the fridge door.

Won't be long and those little fingers will not get into stuff, and I won't get to hold him back or move him to a better spot all day long. Won't be long til I can't pick him up at all anymore.

Won't be long, and he'll be big, and he won't put his feet on the table under his high chair anymore. And I won't get to tickle high-chair bare feet.

Won't be long, and I won't have to worry about him spilling my drink, but instead, maybe worry about him drinking it all.

Won't be long until I won't get to hear a high-baby-voiced 'Mama?' on the monitor.

Won't be long and I'll actually get an answer when I ask, instead of daily daily silence every day when I ask him "did you have good dreams? What did you dream about?" He will tell me. If I listen.

It all won't be long.

He's growing too fast.

I must remember the moments, and remember to live all here in the moments. 

For they don't last long.

Newsprint Drink Tray

Newsprint Drink Tray for Ottoman

Hello again. I’ve missed you. And I’ve missed crafting. And my lack of crafting is exactly why I haven’t been here lately.

Ah, busy life. Why must we always stay so busy?

Well here’s a quick project that I started over a year and a half ago. When I first started this blog, actually- I had all kinds of Christmas gift projects in my head, and then being preggo and just, yes, busy… they didn’t all get done. This one was lowest priority, so it didn’t get done before Christmas.

And then I messed up a little, and didn’t know what to do with it, and then it still didn’t get done.

But I finally got inspiration for it, and now I’m just swooning over it.

Drink tray posing with my treasures from Hope Handmade and Cache Chic on Etsy

Let’s start with the problem so you can see what a beautiful solution this is.

No coffee table.

So where are our drinks supposed to go? We have an ottoman, but let’s face it, cushy ottoman can equal spilled drinks. And I’m tired of grabbing a DVD case to put my drink on.

Enter drink tray project.

I started at Goodwill, looking for a frame or something that would suffice as a good size for a tray. Not too huge, and the right kind of frame.

I found this framed painting with –ahem– not my style of painting. I painted over it.

(My husband keeps teasing me that “someone worked very hard on that, and you just painted over it!” but I blamed Pinterest, but really, if it was all that important to them, it wouldn’t have been at Goodwill in the first place.)

So here’s where I became unhappy with it. I was trying to be fast and frugal and all that, and used some of the paint from the walls upstairs. Lovely sunflower gold. Yellow. Whatever.

Hmph. Didn’t give it quite the look I wanted. Even if I planned to mod-podge some photos on it, I didn’t really like the yellow on this particular project.

So, inspirationless, it sat.

And sat.

And sat.

Until I was tossing out a newspaper, and had an idea.

I love newsprint. I love words. I love black and white.

And this love translates to me rescuing that newspaper from the trash and tearing it up.

This project is a good kind of messy.

Here’s how to do it:

You will need:

Old picture frame or piece of wood
Newspaper or magazine pages
Mod Podge
Foam brushes
Drawer handles

First, you’ll want to cut a straight edge on one side of the piece, and then tear the other side just haphazardly, so it doesn’t look too planned.

One straight edge lines up with edge of project. The other will be covered up.

Next, mod-podge on the back of the piece (VERY important!! I’ll explain why in a minute) and then stick the straight edge along the edge of your frame, and mod-podge over top of it.

Continue with more pieces, laying them this way and that, and fill up your area. I recommend starting with the edges and moving in, but you can do it however.

BIG TIP: I have learned from experience that you need to smear the back of your piece of paper with mod-podge before you stick it down!
The reason why is because the paper is going to soak up the moisture from the glue and pucker after you’ve laid it down on your beautiful craft project. And then there’s nothing you can do about it. Get it nice and wet with the mod-podge on the backside, and then lay it down, and mod-podge over the top. You may still see a few bubbles or puckers, but they should be small enough you can smoothe them down with your fingers.

TIP: You may even want to get all your pieces ready first, and then mod-podge them down, simply because if you’re holding it over the wet gluey pieces to ‘see if it will fit’, it might accidentally stick there, and then tear before you’re ready. This happened to me, but it wasn’t that big of a deal- I just covered up the tear.

Once the whole area is nice and covered, put a layer of mod-podge over it all. After it’s set and dry, put another layer of mod-podge, and let dry. It should be good and set before you put any drinks on it- but the mod-podge should water-proof it well enough to protect your newsprint, photos, or whatever you put on it.

You can attach little cute handles to it, or just leave it as is.

You can also mod-podge some photos on it if you want. I may still do that, but haven’t decided if I’m done swooning at it the way it is right now.

Ta Da!

Counting 1000 Blessings - July 2013

1          547 Husband & son family    

            548 Baby hand and traced fingers

            549 Mowed grass and laughter

2          550 Words on my cup from Bri

            551 Baby-food book borrowed from my friend

            552 Words from my husband, written for my birthday

3          553 Faithspoken of – we are Christ’s Bride

           554 Crouched low for fireworks

            555 neighbors, community, unspoken friends

4          556 Rows of train tracks

            557 Dust trail behind a truck

            558 Fireworks over the lake

5          559 God-breathed Bible study

            560 Communication good and bad

            561 Rows of corn glitter in morning sun

6          562 Enthusiasm adoption brings new parents

            563 Ivan’s excitement over lukewarm beans

            564 I was so excited about this little squash that I woke the baby by accident

7          565 Changed to become a lasting legacy

            566 Challenging Ivan’s mind with new language skills

            567 Reacquainted with someone after 6 years

8          568 My fish follow each other around all day

            569 just finished my insanity workout, and am soo thankful for water!

            570 watercolor blank cards

9          571 Birds in unified flight

            572 Sunshine yellow bird perched on sunflower

            573 7^th tooth pokes through

10        574 Carpet picnic in the room with air conditioning.

            575 ps 103:14 He remembers we are but dust.

            576 The weak are made strong

11        577 canned peaches,
            578 homemade granola from gracelaced's blog (yum!),
            579 and sun-tea in an old pickle jar. #ahhsummer

12        580 This year my boy has grown and changed so much. Happy birthday, baby

            581 It’s also my spiritual birthday. I love that I share this day with him in such a special way

            582 borrowed portable air conditioner

13        583 Curled ribbon

            584 ‘1’ candle from my 21^st birthday – first birthday married, now used for the ‘1’ on his first birthday cake

            585 Baby fingers curled around his Bible, Daddy’s arm curled around him, reading it

14        586 Macaroni and cheese

            587 yellow streamers left over

            588 favorite music on old CD

15        589 Singsong neighbor children’s voices from the window, “It’s raining, It’s pouring…” #rainyday

            590 hands that smell of basil, fresh leaves harvested

            591 I got a shower!

16        592 Unable to stop watching my baby boy grow up too fast. A year old and I'm still in awe.

            593 Finishing a craft I started a year and a half ago. Drink tray for our ottoman. Modpodge with newsprint and I am just swooning in spite of myself.

            594 Can't get enough of these two.

17        595 Warm clean dishes from the dishwasher

            596 New shorts my husband bought

            597 Wearing my wedding dress for pics with my hubby today

18        598 mac'n'cheese fed me lunches for a week.

            599 shower!

            600 boy growing up too fast

19        601 So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God. Romans 5:11

            602 He was despised and rejected— a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care. Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins! Isaiah 53:3

            603 How did he get so big?

20        604 Sitting on the steps with Ian

            605 Free Starbucks

            606 Cool air and clouds

21        607 Reading children’s books – The monster at the end of this book

            608 Sleeping boy against me as I read Isaac’s Storm to him

            609 Him reaching for my hand in the dark

22        610 This boy it's as excited as his momma for the awesome thunder!

           611 volunteer squash actually producing! And raindrops on the whole garden is beautiful

            612 apples all in a row

23        613 10 precious minutes. Time is so valuable, let me not take it for granted.

            614 this little dolly is 1 month old today and I haven't got to meet her yet :(  #niece

            615I found it!!!!!!!! I got this great birthday gift from my sister and then lost it. I thought it was gone for good, and that I lost it at one of the kids ball games. Well my prince charming FOUND it! #sohappy

24        616 he was mesmerized with the squirrel out the window

            617  the sand we collected in Atlantis from the #arbonnerewardtrip

            618 Sandy curls and #romansproject cards

25        619  last stop of my marathon of errands was #Starbucks #treatformom

            620 Watching Ivan playing with the cats at the insurance office

            621 #hardeucharisteo talking about life insurance

26        622 fresh air and friends

            623 homemade baby food for the boy! sweet potatoes are a favorite

            624 indoor smores!

27        625 rest from cooking

            626 husband who serves

            627 Too tired to finish lunch. He and Daddy must have played hard!

28        628 rain

            629 73 degrees in the kitchen! (With a broken AC, this is the first time since spring!)

            630 Coffee

29        631 Black beans and green beans

            632 Coffee is in the "need" category today.

            633 Prayers for Grandpa in his last weeks. And prayers for Grandma, his bride for 55 years.

30        634 little voice saying “mama”

            635 little laughter

            636 knock at the door – sister surprised us with a visit!

31        637 Cake pops a little difficult to make at first

            638 working in a workout with a little one

            639 keeping tabs on a toddler

5 Ideas for Family Fun on a Budget

We believe fun should be free.

Do you agree? Good. We are on the same page.

Sometimes it's a bit of a struggle to think of something to do that's free (or cheap) that everybody enjoys.

Right now, we have a family of three. As our family grows, this list will change. But for now, here's a list of 5 cheap family activities that we love doing together.

1) Walk. 

Don't underestimate the fun a family walk can be. While we had a habit of occasionally going on a walk, we really made this a habit when I was pregnant. The midwife recommended walking for at least 30 minutes every day, to help keep me fit and loose for when the baby came.

But something amazing happened. We talked.

Yes, we talked and spent time together before, but it was a time with no other "entertainment" or digital distractions, and we just talked. About everything. Our day, our life, our dreams, and our feelings. Plus we got more fit doing it. Now that our baby is here, we still walk. We put him in the stroller, and he loves watching the cars go by, or the birds and trees. Sometimes part way through the walk, his daddy picks him up and he gets to join the conversation (while I push an empty stroller. Which is completely okay). He loves that!

2) Bookstore or Library

So, it sounds a little silly until you try it, but one of the things we love to do is go to the bookstore and browse. We never really have any intention of buying, but it is really relaxing and somehow bonding. We leave holding hands. This can be done at the library too- our town has a really great library, but we both really love the atmosphere in the bookstores. Baby gets so excited just seeing the books too, so he's a boy after our own hearts.

3) Geocaching

This is a little new to our family, but we are fast getting addicted. We went yesterday with all of my family and husband's family (20 people in all!) and that was how we celebrated my birthday. It was so fun, and it was the first time any of them had ever gone. I think we got several of them hooked as well,. They were all so surprised that there even was such a thing, and kindof didn't believe us that there was stuff hidden right under our noses... until we found some! Then it all of a sudden became more exciting.

What is geocaching? It's a high-tech outdoor treasure hunting game that's a great way to explore the world with friends, family or on your own. Participants use GPS-enabled devices to locate hidden containers called geocaches. There are over one million geocaches hidden around the world today, waiting for you to find them. Visit Geocaching.com to search for geocaches near you. Basic Membership is free.

It helps if you have a smart-phone, and an app to access the list of caches. Geocaching.com charges $9.99 for their app, and though it may be worth it, I have never tried it. If you think of it as purchasing a family game, that is still cheaper than most board games out there. I use and love the free android geocaching app C: Geo. There is a free iPhone geocaching app called GeoBucket though I have not experimented with this one. Geocaching.com does have a free trial version of their app, though there are some limitations. If you've got a favorite, please comment below! I'd love to hear someone else's favorites. Geocaching.com does have a free trial version of their app, though there are some limitations.

4) Photo Shoot

Don't be intimidated if you are not a great photographer. Just decide to have fun. If you have a tripod, this is a lot easier, but if not, you can usually find a passer-by who is willing to take a quick picture. Also, if you don't have a tripod, think of some friends you have who might have one. This is a more common household item than you might think. You can find an inexpensive tripod here if you're interested in investing in one. They're a great tool to have around.

We bought one with Christmas money, and then went out and took some photos. This was our last photo-shoot as a two-person family. Baby was along, but he was about the size of a blueberry, so he was pretty inconspicuous. I look forward to taking an evening this summer to do a family photo shoot with all three of us. Here are some of my favorites from our shoot.

5) Cook together

Again, if you're not a cook, don't feel intimidated. This can be so easy even for someone not familiar with the kitchen. There is a reason Nicholas Sparks has so many scenes in his books with the couple cooking together- it's fun, bonding, relaxing, and you can talk while you do it.

For a couple, you have a few more options, as it's easier for adults to be safe in the kitchen. But there are plenty of options for you and your kids too. Even ones that the whole family can enjoy. An easy one that comes to mind is building a pizza. In my family growing up, we would make what I like to call "plaid pizza". We used a rectangle jelly roll pan, and after the dough was rolled out, everyone would put their favorite toppings. If you can imagine the pizza divided in half horizontally- one side with pepperoni, the other with sausage. Now divide it in half vertically, with one half decorated with peppers, onions and the works, and the other half with just olives and maybe a little extra cheese. Everybody is happy!

We have a dough recipe we like (perhaps a post for another time?) but you could even do this with a ready made pizza crust. Put the crust in the middle of the table and let everybody help. Then the best part is, you get to eat it afterwards. See that wasn't so bad, was it?

What are some of the fun things you like to do as a family? What kind of activities do you like best- indoor or outdoor? I love to hear your comments!

Counting 1000 Blessings - June 2013

June

1        457 Pearl. My new fish are Pearl & Poisson, and the shrimp are Victor & Hugo.

          458 because sprinkles make the world a better place.

          459 iced tea after a day in the outdoors geocaching for my birthday

2        460  this guy is in such a silly mood!
          461  this goofy book #ClickClackMoo always makes Ivan laugh which in turn makes me laugh. At some point we will use it for an example when we are teaching him about strikes
          462 love to watch him play

3        463 reading On The Night You Were Born and telling Ivan how special he is ♥ #nancytillman

          464 my sweet lovely sister came over for a visit! #eucharisteo necklace from my sweet sister for my birthday!!! Love it!!!

          465 My husband picking up plants for our vegetable garden... with the church we married at in the background ♥
4        466 He is so wise
          467 He is so patient
          468 He is so faithful

5        469 This. My loves swinging, baby’s head lays down on Ian’s chest

          470 hoping for a great crop in this years garden

          471 loved playing in the grass while we worked in the garden

6        472 no makeup, bed hair, jammies; but snuggles make the moment beautiful

          473 he loves butternut squash! Is it silly that I kindof wish he got a little messier when he eats just because I think it's cute?

          474 Green people in The Pickle Town book I am blessed to be able to share with my son. My sister wrote it and I illustrated it.
7        475 1Peter 2:2: craving God, resting in Him. #shereadstruth
          476 1Thes 5:1 be thankful in every circumstance
          477 The losses that puncture our world become places to see through to God #annvoskamp

8        478 I'm running on empty so went for my free birthday drink at Starbucks 

          479 I love his little bath toys. It's nice having a kid around

          480 empty life to make room for God's fullness. #annvoskamp loving this book from my sister for my birthday!
9        481 whenever I let him pick, this is the one. Veggie Tales God Made You Special

          482 he plays with his ears when he's sleepy.

          483 Baby blowing kisses
10      484 Holding my baby and working on Bible Study
          485 walking the little man around the house

          486 I love my life. Working from home is such a blessing.

11      487 Paint Me Away. You are the Artist, paint away my past. I need you to paint me away. At Your feet is where I find grace. I give my heart. This is the day. I need You to paint me away. Brushstrokes remind me of how your mercies flow. Paint my canvas white like winter snow. The easel that showcased all my tainted past now shows the artwork that will always last. I need you to paint me away. At Your feet is where I find grace. I give my heart. This is the day. I need You to paint me away. –Paint Me Away, Nick Fry
          488 Baby's first library program - he enjoyed it so much! The light on his face when he listened
          489 Find Rest painting almost finished
12      490 hand full of blueberries

          491 My Faith Spoken Of Bible study notes all full on the pages
          492 First Small group meeting
13      493 Bird song all morning
          494 Coffee warm and comforting
          495 Cards bringing Joy to a loved one

14      496 Reached over to tickle my baby's arm, and he wanted to hold my hand. Blessed my heart so much.
          497 peels and stems ready for compost
          498 so of my husband's brothers the most macho of them all is the biggest marshmallow toward Ivan. Ivan is fast becoming his favorite photo subject

15      499 loving the #shereadstruth #1peter study. 2 nuggets today, 1pet4:13-14  sharing our suffering with Christ
          500 1 Pet14:19 trusting our lives to Him because He never fails us
          501 my #romansproject emphasizing that we have the spirit of Christ in us.

16      502 Great Grandpa saying to my son “We are just a good pair, aren’t we?”
          503 Crackle of fireworks
          504 Last moments and promise of reunion
17      505 He cooks creatively
          506 Wisps of dark hair among the grey, remembering it the other way around
          507 The way his eyes crinkle when he laughs
18      508 Holding me
          509 Molding me
          510 Forgiving me
19      511 picking up after him. Glad he chooses books instead of toys.

          512 Delighted to delight him.
          513 Work-weary and feeling accomplished

20      514 welcoming my friend’s new baby
          515 Loving his first time swimming
          516 Picnic and toys at Grandma’s
21      517 Soft breaths in morning light
          518 Eyelashes looking red in the sunlight
          519 Swimming in sunset light
22      520 Hot.
          521 War
          522 History
23      523 Healing found only through Christ
          524 Painting again
          525 New baby born! Welcome, new niece!
24      526 we got to do a Google hangout with my sister and new niece!!
          527 Showing Ivan the water lilies
          528 The white push-toy helping Ivan walk. He loves it!
25      529 daddy reading the #jesusstorybookbible early birthday present
          530 drinks with my hubby ♥ #Starbucks
          531 My sweet father-in-law always on call for advice for the garden
26      532 Poor sweaty boy with the washcloth we use to keep cool. #acbroken
          533 Little boy swimsuit
          534 Cotton T-Shirt
27      535 Swimming to keep cool♥
          536 New Valencia orange Starbucks Refresher = yum!
          537 storm, sky and wind
28      538 Wedding cake bits
          539 Strawberries
          540 Warm coffee and iced tea
29      541 Little boy dress clothes get me every time ♥
          542 First wedding cake I've made - likely the last, but grateful for the opportunity and experience.
          543 White. This skirt I got from a lady I used to know is one of my favorites, because it's practically perfect in every way.
30      544 Encouragement and congratulations
          545 Time
          546 Sweet snuggles and kisses on the head for time that passes too fast