Do you believe in miracles?

I certainly do! Before I share some BIG news, let me tell you a little background info. I was dianosed with Endometriosis back in 2005 after I had emergency surgery to remove a 6cm cyst. The doctor told me I would never be able to have children because of the severe damage the Endo had done to my left ovary. Of course that was incredibly hard news for me since I adore children and knew I wanted to have a lot of them!

In 2007 I had another surgery to remove scar tissue and more Endo. The doctor that performed my second surgery was more hopeful that I would be able to have a baby. I was put on continuous birth control to help keep the Endo from growing back as fast. Last year Jacob and I got married and we began praying that the Lord would direct us in regards to having children. In February of this year, I stopped taking birth control. We knew that the doctor said it could take a long time for me to get pregnant after being on continuous birth control for so long.

I am thrilled to announce that no matter what doctors say, GOD WORKS MIRACLES!!! Jacob and I found out a couple weeks ago that I am PREGNANT!! We are sooo excited! Lord willing our little one will arrive at the end of December. Please pray that everything will go smoothly with the pregnancy and that the baby will develop properly and be healthy.

This is the Lord's doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. Psalm 118:23

Green Smoothies

I love green smoothies! They give me so much energy! Some people think it's strange to drink spinach, but I promise, these smoothies are not gross! You can't even taste the spinach.

All I do to make them is throw a handful of fresh spinach in the blender with a half cup or so of juice (I like oj best). Blend that up really well then add any kind of frozen fruit and blend again until smooth. You can use fresh fruit instead of frozen, but add a few ice cubes to thicken the smoothie. Here are some of my favorite add-ins:

• frozen banana
• frozen strawberries
• frozen pineapple
• flax seeds
• fresh apple slices
• carrots (add at the beginning with the spinach & juice)
• yogurt
• sliced almonds

Depending on what you add, you can get up to 2-3 servings of fruit/veggies in this smoothie! Can't beat that!

I wanted to share some pictures from today too. Kaitlyn has been here all day and my little brother, Joshua came over this afternoon. They had fun playing together!

Philippians 3:14 Friday - 4/24/2009

My hubby and I are traveling today to South Carolina for a friend's wedding. It's a beautiful day to be driving! We just stopped at a big mall in Atlanta for lunch and to walk around. It was nice to get some exercise after driving for 3 hours!
Once again this week I didn't do very well with my goals. It's really ok though. The way I look at it is that I've done better than I would have if I didn't have any goals at all.

April Goals update

Daily goals
- Spent time with God all but 1 day. I finished Ephesians this week.
-Started my prayer journal and I'm loving how it helps me keep up with prayer requests and praises!
-Taken vitamins everyday
-Exercised 4 days
- Only read 2 or 3 days this week

Reading
- I finished Feminine Appeal

Projects
- Still no garden planted
- I worked a little on cleaning up my spare rooms, but not much progress

Homemaking
- I only washed the dishes 4 nights this week, but on the days I didn't, I did the dishes first thing in the morning.
- I did well with the menu planning and grocery budget this week.
- I only worked about 15 hours this week.

I'm thankful for all that I was able to get done this week even though I didn't meet all my goals. I'm glad next week is a fresh start!

Stop by Which Proverbs 14:1 Woman? to check out more Philippians 3:14 Friday posts!

Gorgeous Wednesday

The sweet little girl I keep was here today and we had so much fun!

It was sunny and warm outside, so we took a walk around the neighborhood.

The blue sky and fluffy clouds make me so happy!

We met my sister, brother-in-law and their baby for lunch at a coffee shop/cafe.

Kaitlyn didn't know what to think of Ridley. The way she's looking at him cracks me up!

After lunch we played outside while my hubby conducted a youth orchestra group. Kaitlyn was fascinated with a clover.

10 month Anniversary!

Ten months ago today I married my best friend...

Today he is my lover, my leader, my best friend, and so much more. I think it's awesome how my love just keeps growing for him! I am so thankful for God's grace that has brought us this far and I trust Him to lead us through the rest of our lives together.
Go here for more Gratituesday posts!

Yummy Chicken & Rice Casserole

This casserole is a big hit in our family and at church dinners! I've changed the original recipe a good bit to suit our tastes. I love that this recipe doesn't use cream soups (a rare find when it comes to casseroles!), so it's gluten free!

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
salt & pepper
olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 pkg mushrooms, sliced
2 cups chicken broth (I use gluten-free)
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream
1-1/2 tsp salt
1 can Rotel (tomatoes & chilies), slightly drained
1-1/4 cups raw long grain rice
1 tsp each Italian seasoning, poultry seasoning, paprika, & garlic powder

Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease a 9x13 baking dish. Heat 2 Tbsp of olive oil in a large sauté pan on medium high. Sprinkle a dash of salt on the bottom of the pan. Season the chicken pieces all over with salt and pepper. Working in batches, brown the chicken pieces on two sides, about 1-2 minutes per batch. Add a little more salt to the pan (and more olive oil if needed) after every batch. This will help prevent the chicken from sticking to the pan. Remove chicken pieces and place in baking dish. Note: the chicken does not have to be cooked through, only browned.

In the same sauté pan add 1 Tbsp olive oil, add the onions, and cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add onions to baking dish.

Raise heat to medium high, add the sliced mushrooms. Dry sauté them (no need to add butter or oil), allowing the mushrooms to brown lightly, and release some of their moisture. Add the mushrooms to the casserole dish.

Add chicken stock, milk, sour cream and salt to sauté pan. Whisk together over low heat until blended. Add the raw rice and rotel to the casserole dish, then carefully pour the sauce mixture over top. Add the seasonings to the dish. Stir the mixture so that everything is evenly distributed in the casserole dish.

Cover the casserole dish tightly with aluminum foil. Bake in a 375°F oven for 45-50 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before removing foil. If the casserole is still too liquidy, let it cook a few minutes more, uncovered, until the excess liquid has evaporated away.

Approx 6 servings (the leftovers taste great too!)

Check out other great gluten-free dinner recipes here.

Philippians 3:14 Friday - 4/17/2009

Well, I must admit, this has not been such a great week. My hubby and I have been so busy. Jacob is a professional violinist and he plays in a symphony orchestra. There is a concert this weekend, so he's had rehearsals every night til 10pm then a 45min drive home. I love to go with him since so we can at least spend time together during the drive. So, I've been slacking in my goals this week.

April Goals Update

Daily goals

• Spent time with the Lord everyday. I'm at Ephesians 3, so a little behind, but it's ok. I think that a little is better than nothing!
• Have yet to remember to start my prayer journal. Need to write this down somewhere!
• Taken vitamins everday
• Exercised everyday!
• I've read for 15mins 3 days this week.

Reading

• Have like 2 pages left in Feminine Appeal

Projects

• Still no garden planted :(
• No work done on cleaning up my office & spare bedroom

Homemaking

• Dishes were left unwashed 2 nights this week. I guess when you get home at 10:45 at night you have a little bit of an excuse?
• I've done really well sticking to my menu this week! I also stuck to my budget for groceries!!
• Considering how many work hours I have now, I'll probably have about 25 this week. When I go with Jacob to rehearsals, I take my laptop and work...it's nice to get in some extra hours!

So you see, I haven't done so well this week. It's really ok with me though. I have to remember that these are only goals I've set to work towards. When I have a busy week, my goals need to be flexible.

Be sure to check out more Philippians 3:14 Fridays!