Best Pie Ever

I saw this recipe in my Taste of Home magazine and knew Michael would love it. I made it for him and we had a piece tonight. If there was one thing I was going to blow my diet for, it is this. This pie recipe took second place in the Refrigerator/Freezer category at the Great American Pie Show in Branson, MO. It's pure bliss.

Frosty Coffee Pie

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup hot fudge ice cream topping, warmed
• 1 chocolate crumb crust (9 inches)
• 3 cups coffee ice cream, softened
• 1 package (5.9 ounces) instant chocolate pudding mix
• 1/2 cup cold strong brewed coffee
• 1/4 cup cold milk
• 1-3/4 cups whipped topping
• 1 cup marshmallow creme
• 1/4 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Spread ice cream topping into crust. In a large bowl, beat the ice cream, pudding mix, coffee and milk until blended; spoon into crust.
In another bowl, combine the whipped topping and marshmallow creme; spread over top. Sprinkle with chocolate chips. Cover and freeze until firm. Yield: 8 servings.

Weeds

The other night while pulling weeds from the yard, the task went from being arduous, painful, and annoying to somehow spiritual. That was the last place I suspected I would see a correlation between weeds and how God must see our lives sometimes. In our yard, we tend to get these weeds that go on for feet at a time, sometimes 4 feet long as they snake through the grass and mingle with everything in their path. It didn't matter where I was pulling these weeds from, a rock bed, sand or grass - these weeds were persistent. So as I pulled with all my might on some, even using the claw of a hammer to get one out, and others gently lifted from their roots, I began to think if this is how God sees sin in our lives. A tangled mess. Persistent. Annoying. Downright frustrating. Even when there was a barrier to stop the weeds, i.e. black tarp paper or plastic edging, the weeds found their way into the area. So, this is what I thought about the correlation of sin and weeds: no matter how hard we try to "weed" proof our lives, we much constantly be pulling and pruning the weeds that creep in. I know I am guilty of living the "Christian" way but often times forgetting to edify my relationship with God with time in prayer and scripture. So my lesson from my night of pulling weeds, that I am sharing, is that I am going to dust off my bible and take the time to pray, and try to prune a little more often - both in my life and in my yard.

PS - my legs are killing me from squatting and bending over but in the end, it was worth it to see a clear area that I knew needed a good cleaning, much like my heart.

Preschool Graduation

Updates

Since I have been so lacking in posting, I decided to put my facebook updates on here so those of you who don't have facebook can see what you are missing out on:

May 8
Apparently it is really fun to pull my hand mixer all over the kitchen, perhaps I should try it sometime, Ava seems to love it.

May 9
just potted 30 plants then the dog came on the deck bleeding from the mouth, so my deck looks like the Little Shop of Horrors!

watching SNL with my hubby. First time I have spent time with him all weekend. Only 10 more months of school left!

May 10
really needs to clean my house before the appraiser comes on Wednesday afternoon!

May 12
watching Biggest Loser finale. I should be totally inspired but instead I ate a few reese's
pieces/choc. chip cookies I made tonight.

May 13
Not a fan of Kati attempting to sneak everything lately. If I say no, then she says she will just sneak it anyway. ugh!

May 16
to much drama!

in bed, feeling crappy, want to watch a movie on the laptop but it isn't cooperating, maybe I should just sleep.

May 17
prepping for preschool graduation tomorrow. I'm excited for her but also sad. I want to keep her little forever.

May 18
back from preschool graduation, now off to the park to play!

is having a good day off with my girls. Now, I am off to the allergy doctor.

is wondering how to stop the bunnies from eating my impatients that isn't Elmer Fudd style - anyone have any ideas? They only eat the pink & white striped ones and leave the plain pink ones alone.

May 19
Has a sick baby with a temp of 102! Poor baby.

May 20
hanging out with Kati watching Full House.

May 21
working on my self evaluation for work - ugh - I hate this!

May 22
happy to have a new PINK bike! Lord, please protect me as I relearn how to ride a bike again for the first time in a decade!

May 23
is taking Kati to her first Sweet and Sassy birthday party for a friend and then I am planning to use the next 2 1/2 hours for cleaning. I need a house cleaner.

May 24
is excited to find out the bikes we bought 2 days ago went on sale for $40 less per bike. We are on our way to reclaim $80! The Target guy told us to save our receipts and watch the ads for the next 2 weeks to get the price match - glad he did!

May 25
is off to a good start today. Kati let me sleep in a little and the baby is still asleep!

Thanks to all the American Soldiers who serve/have served this great country. God Bless You.

is watching Marley and Me with kati for the 2nd time, hopefully I won't cry like a baby this time.

is thinking I miss my hubby even though he is in the house (studying). The school/work thing accounts for 98% of his day. only 10 more months though. I am really proud of him, I am just having a pity party for myself.

May 26
the baby is biting at the backs of my legs and booty as I try to facebook!!!!

May 27
is excited to watch Wipeout with Michael and Kati tonight and also wonders why my tummy has been hurting so badly lately.

May 28
thinks 5 year olds are very dramatic, at least mine is. :sigh:

is getting ready to watch a movie with my hubby!!! Woohoo for quality time together!

May 29
is putting the pool up for the summer. Let us know when you want to come for a swim!

wonders how long my neighbors feet will be green from mowing in high heeled open toed sandals?? hm... interesting choice of mowing footwear.

May 30
just caught Kati and the dog playing tug of war over a lollipop! She did fess up that she was allowing the dog to have licks to try it.

May 31
is thinking my head really hurts. The light globe from a ceiling fan fell off and my head took a direct hit.

Last Day as a 4 year old.

I am sad and in denial that my little girl is becoming such a big girl. Kati will be 5 years old tomorrow. I am happy and sad. Five seems like such a huge deal, especially to her. It's hard to believe that years ago tonight I sat in the hospital laboring for 25 hours. She has grown up so much. Luckily, she is my cuddler so even though she doesn't fit in my arms anymore, she still likes to be held by them.

We made cupcakes tonight for her preschool class tomorrow morning. She used three different kinds of sprinkles and had to do a pattern. She is so excited to be turning 5, I am in denial but it will be here no matter how long I want to keep her little.

YAHOO!

Do you YAHOO!? I do now! I will have to try to stop using Google so much now. As of Friday, my husband is once again gainfully employed! You might wonder what he'll be doing - I wish I really knew (and so does he). He will be titled "Small Business Associate." We don't know what that entails really but we are excited for his first day of work March 9th! (Well, I am excited as I can be.) It will be great to have more income but I will be sad that he isn't home with the girls. He has done an amazing job! Both girls love having their daddy around, but I am sure he will be glad to have a structure to his day that doesn't involve PBS, dirty diapers, or screaming children! He has been a HUGE help to me these past few months. He has completely redesigned our garage (!) and he has done all the laundry, and any other tasks that I have asked of him. When this totally could have shattered a man's ego, he has totally stepped up to the plate and made me proud. It has been a long 5 months of low wage or no wage. We have made it though. We still have another month of scraping to get by, and this one will be the hardest yet.

The amazing thing about the past five months is that I am really incredibly grateful for it. Why you ask:
1. Michael has been able to spend amazing time with his girls.
2. It has really enabled me to focus on my new job and get accustomed to it, without having to worry about what time I had to be at work or leave to pick the girls up.
3. I am grateful to our friends, Bob and Robyn, who gave Michael a job to help us get by for a few months. If you need any garage door business in the Omaha metro area - Bob is your man!
3. This is probably the biggest, it has taught us so much about financial responsibility. It's not that we didn't know much before but I think our eyes were closed to a lot of the extra expenses we wasted.
4. Maybe this is the biggest! God has been SO present. I can look back and see how he had his hand on all of this. The biggest indication of it all is that Aunt Lisa, our beloved aunt and babysitter, has been having some major health problems for almost the past year. Michael lost his job right when she needed the break the most. Now, thankfully, she is getting better after identifying the right diagnosis and is all ready for the girls again! Kati has spent at least 4-5 days a week at her house since she was 6 weeks old. We love Aunt Lisa, affectionately named Sasa by Kati when she was younger, and the name stuck so much that we all call her that.

So we are thankful for MANY things that have happened through this journey. We look forward to what lies ahead, knowing full well that God is in control of it all. Thanks to all who have prayed for us and supported us. Your love, support, and friendship is humbling.

Picture Update: Cute & Silly

Kati loves to dress herself. Most of the time she does a great job, others - she ends up like this :-)

She is a cute girl and she has a thing for the hat to the side.

This is Ava's new face when I try to take pictures of her. Silly girl.

A rare picture of her not being silly! She is a VERY ornery girl who keeps me very busy.