saying Yes can be hard

     I recently joined a growth group at my church called What Happens When Women Say Yes to God.  It's based on a book and video series (which goes by the same name) by Lysa TerKeurst.  Each week, I'll try to blog a little about what I learned from the group that week.  This is meant for me to remember and for you (any of you reading) to help hold me accountable.  This will be short and sweet (i hope)...

This week I learned:

It's important to try to always say "yes" to the things that God asks of us.  Lysa wrote something that I noted as important... "I just kept wondering, How many times have I told You no, God?  How many times because I was too tired, too insecure, too uncertain, too busy, or too selfish have I walked right past Your divine appointment for me and missed experiencing You..."

Lysa stressed how important it is to hear God and do what it is he is asking of you.  I haven't completely learned to "hear" God, but I think it's more of that feeling you get when you know you should be doing something, or shouldn't be doing something.  I tend to ignore that feeling because often I feel that I know what's best and I like being in control, but ultimately Lysa says "being a woman who says yes to God means making the choice to trust Him even when you can't understand why He requires some of the things He does."

If I have concerns about the things that I feel God telling me to do.. I will remember Psalm 16:7-9

I will bless the Lord who guides me; even at night my heart instructs me.  I know the Lord is always with me.  I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.  No wonder my heart is filled with joy, and my mouth shouts his praises!  My body rests in safety.

Lastly...

My personal prayer for commitment:

I promise to do my best to say yes to God in every situation.  I promise to work to set my rules and agendas aside and follow God's commands.  I ask that God gives me the courage to follow Him without hesitation.



To read more about Lysa TerKeurst and her Bible series What Happens When Women Say Yes to God click on the image below to be redirected to her page.

Pinspiration :-)

I felt like blogging (even though I'm sure I have several other things I should be doing).  But, I don't have much to say tonight, so I've decided to blog some of my favorite Pinterest ideas!  Since joining Pinterest, I have created 14 boards and pinned 315 photos- not a ton, but enough to have a few favorites.  Of those 315.. here are my favorite 7 Pinterest inspired ideas that I actually made!

# 1. Ho Ho Ho Punch

We served our Ho Ho Ho Punch during a "game night" with two other couples.  We used 1.5 liters of champagne and 2 liters of ginger ale then 2 packs of frozen strawberries.  It was yummmmy and there was none left by the end of the night.


2.  Crispy Southwest Chicken Wraps

http://www.lovefromtexas.com/2011_08_01_archive.html

These are sooo good.  And so easy!  I don't follow the recipe exactly, but I stay pretty close. Copy and paste the link below the picture (photo credit: lovefromtexas.com) to get the recipe.  Then go make it- because it is good!


3.  Chocolate Cake  

http://www.kevinandamanda.com/recipes/dessert/the-best-chocolate-cake.html

This cake is probably my favorite chocolate cake now!  I made it twice in one month and will be making it again soon.  Copy and paste the link to get the recipe (photo credit: kevinandamanda.com).  I made it with Magnolia's vanilla buttercream icing- which you can find on my Pinterest page linked to the board "Sweets"- titled Magnolia's Cupcake Recipe. 


4.  Chocolate Chip Cookies

http://www.mybakingaddiction.com/bigchocolate-chip-cookies/

 These chocolate chip cookies were exactly how I like them.  Thick with lots of chocolate chips.  Chocolate chip cookies could be my favorite dessert, but I'm picky.  I like them firm but soft inside- big- and like I said ... thick.   I like lots of chocolate chips- semisweet!  These were perfect.  Loved them.  Copy and paste the link below the photo to get the recipe (photo credit: mybakingaddiction.com).

5.  Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie

http://veryculinary.com/2011/05/10/chocolate-chip-cookie-pie/

Like I said... I love chocolate chip cookies... so why wouldn't I love chocolate chip cookie pie?!  Made this for Thanksgiving and it was so good.  Another one that was super super easy- notice a theme?  Please make this.  You won't regret it.  Copy and paste the link... you get the idea.  (photo credit: veryculinary.com)

6.  One more sweet... I love sweets- I can't help it! 
     Honeybun Cake

http://veryculinary.com/2011/05/10/chocolate-chip-cookie-pie/

Box yellow cake mix...sour cream... cinnamon... brown sugar..  glaze.  Really, how can't you like this.  Same deal.. copy the link... (photo credit: veryculinary.com)


7.   Although it's not linked to my Pinterest, I created an art piece for Peyton's room that was Pinterest inspired.  It was pretty easy to make.  It involved a canvas, traceable letters, a sharpie paint pen, and water color paint.  And voila.

Everyday i Love You

 Thank you Pinterest for so many wonderful ideas.  I'm sure you will occupy my time this summer when I have more time to be occupied :-)  To follow me on Pinterest or see what Pinterest even is.. click the Follow Me of Pinterest button on my page or go to www.pinterest.com.  (Don't go if  you have anything to do in the near future- you may get hooked!)

tomorrow will worry about itself

     I was so excited to start this blog.  I wanted to document EVERYTHING so that one day Peyton could read it.  For many this probably seems unnecessary, but to me it's not.  I've been so blessed my entire life.  I've never dealt with death, loss of any kind, sickness, nothing.  I'm relatively well adjusted (depending on who you ask) :-) I try to see the good in every situation.  I don't like to dwell on negative things.  So... I feel that I've lived my 26 years pretty stress free.  Lately, I've had this obnoxious feeling that God is preparing me for something and it scares me because I know I have no control over what it is.  I try to dismiss the feeling as me just being paranoid and overly worried as I tend to be, but I don't know.  (That is a flaw of mine- I worry.  I try not to, because I truly feel that when I worry it's as if I'm saying "I don't trust you- Jesus."  And I do.)  But this is why I wanted to start this blog- because I am OVERLY AWARE of how precious and unpredictable life is. 

   On that note...this week has been a longgg week... (and the funny thing is it's technically been a short week *Monday holiday).  On Tuesday, I signed up for a graduate course that I need to take for a program I am completing.  Unfortunately I have to take it through University of Phoenix and it's only three weeks long!  I guess it's kind of a good thing that it's so short, but it's a lot of work and I am NOT looking forward to it.  I AM, however, looking forward to 3 and half weeks from now when it will be over!  Then, on Wednesday I started a new growth group at my church, which is like a small group Bible study.  I signed up for one this semester called "What happens when women say yes to God."  And I'm pretty excited about that too, but I find myself hesitating in my excitement because of the s-t-r-e-s-s of regular life.  Now work... well, work is just work.  Some days are great and some days I get cussed out and threatened by adolescents on their way to adulthood (which is scary).  I could have used many more adjectives to describe these adolescents, but I won't because deep down I do really care about them and I do really care about my job.. so I will refrain from any negative adjectives that I may have been thinking that of course I wasn't thinking. These things all mixed together (along with normal child rearing, housekeeping, finance, lack of time, etc. issues)  are causing some serious s-t-r-e-s-s in my belly.  So... I'm writing it all down here.  I will cast all my anxieties on Him.. and try to relax (after I grade some papers, read Chapter 1 of my growth group book, and respond to the 13+ emails I've gotten from University of Phoenix regarding my class- seriously its getting out of control)...No, no!  I won't do those things- tonight.  I'll do them tomorrow, and I won't worry about tomorrow because "tomorrow will worry about itself."

So... If you're a worrier like me... maybe this will help...

Click image to find source:  http://www.joyshope.com/2011_07_01_archive.html

Or if you're a little unsure about Jesus.. Here's a little Bob.  He's not the same as Jesus.. but he definitely is making a point.

10 Favorite MLK Quotes and One really yummy recipe!

 MLK Jr. DAY

Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which for me means a day off (which is great).... however of course it means much more than that.  In rememberance of MLK, I've included some of my personal favorite quotes of his:

1.  Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.

2.  I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.

3.  Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase
 

4.  I look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.
 

5.  Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.
 

6.  Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?'
 

7.  Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.
 

8.  If you can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.

9.  Never, never be afraid to do what's right, especially if the well-being of a person or animal is at stake. Society's punishments are small compared to the wounds we inflict on our soul when we look the other way.

10.  A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom.

As a social studies teacher, MLK Jr. is easily my favorite historical/political figure.  Which quote is your favorite??

Lunch Time on MLK Jr. Day

Since I have today off.. I made lunch for myself and Brandon and I thought I would share...

Naan Pizza 

(makes 2 small pizzas; serves 2-4 depending on how hungry you are and who you're feeding)

You need:

• 1 package of Naan

I used the one below- Stonefire Whole Grain Naan

• 3/4 cup of pizza sauce- I used Ragu Pizza sauce
• 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese
• Any toppings of your choice- We used chopped onion and green pepper

Directions:  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Simply place the Naan on a cookie sheet.  Spread half of the pizza sauce on each Naan.  Spread half of the cheese on each Naan.  Spread toppings.  Cook for 7-10 minutes or until cheese is melted.  (If using the measurements above and the vegetable toppings, each Naan pizza is about 510 calories- which is a kinda a lot but you could opt for only half which would be 255 cal.)


It'll look something like this... only this is half eaten (sorry I waited too long to take a picture)

For lots of other Naan recipes that look really good and I'll have to try in the future.... check http://stonefire.com/recipes/

 

Top FIVE of 2011

Top 5 Events 

(In the Chapman family household)

#5  We got Nelly

Nelly came to us by way of a local breeder (if you're interested in labs, let me know and I'll give you their website.)  She was three months when we got her.  Peyton was also three months old when we got her.  Her birthday happens to be the same day as Brandon.  Having her in this family was meant to be :-)

Little Nelly

I promise she did this on her own :-)

# 4.5  Peyton learned to swim

Just kidding.. but he did take lessons

#4 for real..... Our Trip to New York City

We went to NYC for 3 nights.  We stayed in Times Square and had a really fun time.  It was July, but it wasn't too hot.  Peyton was at a really good age- big enough to be out, little enough not to squirm the whole time, just observed and chilled in his stroller.

Times Square

Boat ride to the Statue of Liberty

Tour Bus... Times Square

Central Park

Upper West Side street fair

Peyton <3 NY

We also visited Greenwich Village and Harlem.  Peyton was perfect the entire time.  I'm sure we'll be going back soon.

#3  Daddy started his summer camp 

Brandon had the idea for some time to start a Christian based flag football camp for kids.  While I was on maternity leave we had lots of time to organize it and with the help of our church, we started Character Driven Athletics flag football camp.  We ran one week of camp with about 25 campers in July!  It was really fun and everything went really smoothly.  This year he hopes to run at least two weeks of camp, one flag football and one with a variety of activities.  Email if you'd be interested in sending your kids!

Full group of campers and coaches

Brandon with the campers

#2 All of Peyton's Firsts

There are a lot.. so here we go.....

First real bath

First walk with mommy and daddy

First real smile (which took forever to happen because we have a super serious baby)

First Easter

First 4th of July

First time at the Aquarium

First time at the Pool

First time to the Pumpkin Patch (Sorry no pictures of his Halloween costume..)

First Thanksgiving

First time cutting down the Christmas tree

First Christmas

There are many other "firsts" that I could add.. but this will do.  

# 1... Peyton's birth of course.. duh.

Because is there anything better that happened in 2011?  I don't think so.. not in our lives at least :-)

400 Calories or Less?

For the last 10 days, I've been counting calories using an app I downloaded called My Fitness Pal.  I've sorta become addicted to it.  I love adding in my calories and seeing if I can stay under the goal of 1360 that the app gave me.  I'll quickly admit that I don't always stay under the goal, especially because I love sweets and I began doing this the same week as B's birthday, my birthday, Peyton's birthday and a co-worker's birthday too.  All of these birthdays came with A LOT of cake!  I'm proud to say though that I did stay under for 5 of the last 10 days :-)  Here's a picture of what the app looks like on your phone... (credit: myfitnesspal.com)

So, basically it just helps you keep track of how many calories you ate and most foods are already stored if you search for them, so I can input my foods pretty quickly (plus it continues to store foods you eat often).  The main reason I like it is because it's helping me make better choices, and that's really my main goal.  So with all this calorie counting going on, I have had to find some low calorie dinner recipes (so that I can eat chocolate cake and stay under my goal) so that I can get used to making healthier choices :-) Looking through my recipe bookmarks, I found a recipe that I had bookmarked months ago.  It was super delicious and low calorie, low fat, very easy (like under 15 minutes) and yummy!  Who doesn't want a recipe like that?!

 

Szechuan Shrimp (credit: cookinglight.com)

Ingredients 

Cooking spray 

1 1/2 pounds peeled and deveined large shrimp 

3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper (spicy- so add less or more depending on your preference) 

1/2 cup light sesame-ginger dressing (such as Newman's Own) 

4 green onions, cut into 1-inch pieces* 

2 tablespoons lightly salted toasted soy nuts, coarsely chopped*

*My changes:  I left out the green onions and soy nuts simply because I didn't have either.  I did add in chopped yellow onion.  It was realllly good, so I don't think you need those two ingredients.

Preparation

1. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; coat with cooking spray. Coat shrimp with cooking spray; add shrimp and red pepper to pan. Stir-fry 2 minutes. Add dressing and onions. Cook 3 minutes or until shrimp are done, stirring constantly. Sprinkle evenly with soy nuts; serve immediately.

Here's the nutritional info:

Amount per serving

Serving Size- 1 cup of shrimp

• Calories: 190
• Calories from fat: 18%
• Fat: 4g
• Saturated fat: 0.6g
• Monounsaturated fat: 0.3g
• Polyunsaturated fat: 0.6g
• Protein: 29.5g
• Carbohydrate: 7.9g
• Fiber: 1.4g
• Cholesterol: 252mg
• Iron: 4.4mg
• Sodium: 708mg
• Calcium: 72mg 

Yep! It's that simple.  I served it over 3/4 cup of cooked rice (150 calories- no butter or salt) and 1.5 cups of steamed broccoli (30 calories- no butter or salt).  So the total calorie count came to 370 calories and I was FULL!  It was good.  It was simple.  I'll make it again.  And I wanted to share :-)

365 days of Peyton!

  Peyton turned 1 this past weekend.  I don't know where an entire year went.  I remember his birth.. well no I don't remember his actual birth because I was put to sleep, however I do remember that evening as though it were last week.  Writing that makes me sad, because it's unbelievable how quickly time passes.  Peyton surprised us and came 5 weeks early- exactly 1 day before what was supposed to be my baby shower.  He must have just been too excited to wait until his due date.  Plus he was born during the best week of the year and in the best month of the year.  My birthday and B's birthday are in the same week as well.. and if I began naming all of the family and friends whose birthday is also in January, I'd never get to my post.  So I guess Peyton didn't want to be left out :-)  This is what my little boy looked like on the day he was born...

Peyton 4lbs 9oz on his true birth date

    This time last year was the best and worst time of my life.  My little boy was finally here (hence, the best time), but he came a little too early and wasn't ready to thrive on his own.  He had to stay in the NICU for two full weeks (hence the worst time).  I was only able to stay in the hospital for 5 days, so for the next week and half I cried every day multiple times as I left the hospital to go home at night.  It seriously broke my heart... and yes I know that there are way worse things that a mother- or anyone for that matter- can go through, but I've never experienced those things.  So, this was the worst for me.  Brandon, family, and supportive friends helped me know that it would be ok.  The Sunday after I was discharged, I was so thankful to be able to go to church and feel God's presence.  It gave me strength and perspective.

We both spent lots of time doing skin to skin.  Brandon was a pro at this.

Under normal circumstances, these words would not make you cry (see below).  However, in these circumstances I saw this sign and cried.  This meant that Peyton had eaten what was expected of him and if he did it for two more days, he could come home!  And shortly after this, he did come home.

It has now been a year from those exciting, emotional, and overwhelming days and people said I would forget them, but I haven't.  There have been tons of great things that have happened in between then and now, and one day I'll blog some of the fun ones.  For now I'll share his first birthday....

So Peyton's first birthday was supposed to be small, only family, dinner and cake, low cost etc.  It was kinda like that.  I made the mistake of searching Pinterest for ideas and of course got sucked in.  I knew exactly what I was getting myself into as I've been addicted to Pinterest now for some time.  But, I did it anyway.. and the result was this...

His Cake... Pinterest Inspired

Caterpillar Food (M&Ms)...Pinterest Inspired

Cupcakes... tags Pinterest inspired

Caterpillar craft for kids to make.. Pinterest inspired

Balloon trees on wall.. Pinterest inspired

Happy Birthday Banner... Etsy inspired

Very Hungry Caterpillar food tags and fruit- Pinterest inspired

Caterpillar balloons ... Pinterest inspired

Ho Ho Ho Punch (virgin) ... Pinterest inspired

Hanging Balloons.. Pinterest inspired

As you can see... Pinterest had me busyyyy.  All week. After work.  Until 10 or 11pm. Busy.  But it was worth it.  Peyton loved his birthday present- the Step 2 roller coaster.  He had tons of fun playing with his cousins, friends, and neighbors.  He even got to experience icing for the first time.  Homemade icing at that. 

HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY PEYTON!