Weekend Overload.

This has been one jam-packed, fun-filled weekend for sure! Prepare yourself for tons of pics & weekend details that may cause exhaustion.

Starting on Friday with the 30th birthday of yours truly. What an amazing day it was! My family, friends & coworkers made this birthday the best one yet. From a mocha brought to my desk first thing that morning, to cupcakes & Bruno’s pizza for lunch, to flowers delivered from my sweet cousin, to an edible arrangement from my brother-in-law, to a romantic date night with Ryan, and then a last minute party at KE Cellars with friends to top off the evening- wow, it was fabulous day! I appreciate all the FB posts, phone calls, texts and cards – I feel so blessed to have you all in my life. 30 isn’t so bad! Here are some pics from the day…

Saturday, I took the girls to the cutest little tea party ever! One of their little friend’s was turning 5 and had a tea party birthday party – so stinkin adorable! The girls loved it…Addi was in heaven with all of the dress up stuff and Kam was happy because they served ice cream at ten in the morning.

Saturday evening, we had dinner at our friends, the Lee’s house and enjoyed some tasty burgers and an intense game of Balderdash – so much fun. Our girls have a blast playing with their two girls…its cute to listen to them all giggle & squeal!

Then, Sunday after church, we headed to Quitman. It was the 2nd annual Skinner Cousin get-together on the lake. Tubing, sunbathing, swimming with all my cousins…great times were had. Then, that evening my mom cooked some yummy comfort foods for my bday dinner…meatloaf, mac & cheese, mashed potatoes, rolls, chocolate cake – was soooo good, especially after spending the afternoon on the lake! My Aunt Debbie from New Hampshire was also in town…its always so good to see her & her smiling face.

And that brings us to Monday. A day of rest & relaxation! We had plans for the day, but overslept & honestly didn’t even care. After all of the events of the weekend, we were all exhausted! We left the house once to go run on the trails, then cooked out and had popsicles. Ryan smoked ribs to go with our baked beans and grilled corn… love days like this!

Happy Memorial Day friends & family!

Cheap lunch option.

Ryan & I usually go home every day for lunch. Both of our offices are located close to our house, which makes it very convenient to just run home to eat lunch…not to mention the money it saves! This is one of the ways we are trying hard to be frugal as we work to pay off our debt!

Recently, we were out of our normal lunch options & hadn’t been grocery shopping yet – no sandwich stuff, no leftovers, nothing. So I rummaged through our pantry and our fridge to see if I could be creative and come up with something. This little recipe is what I came up with! These ingredients are pretty standard for us – we usually always have them. Its super easy, but its actually surprisingly very tasty! So, if you’re in a pinch and need quick, easy, & cheap lunch – give this recipe a try. It can also obviously be modified with whatever ingredients you have on hand that particular day.

Mexican Style Mini Pizzas

• tortillas
• 1 can of fire roasted diced tomatoes (LOVE these)
• torn fresh cilantro
• chopped onions
• mexican blend shredded cheese
• salt & pepper
• extra virgin olive oil

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Lay tortillas on a cookie sheet and top with desired amount of tomatoes, onions, cilantro, cheese, and salt & pepper. Drizzle olive oil around the top outer edges of the tortilla. Bake for about 10 minutes or until tortilla is golden brown and crispy. Enjoy!

Family Photo Shoot

A couple of weekends ago, my sweet friend Cyndi took pictures for us. It was a beautiful day & the girls were surprisingly cooperative! By the end of the shoot, Addi was directing us all…”right here is a good spot” or “stand in front of that tree!” My girls are definitely used to being in front of the camera…the little hams! Cyndi did a great job & got almost 200 shots. I won’t post all 200, but here are a few of my faves. I am so thankful for my family!

Water Fun

We’ve had a great weekend. From a birthday party, to running at the trails, to cooking out, to our weekly trip to Quitman – its been enjoyable. We also spent a lot of time outside…in water! The girls experienced 2 firsts this weekend…

First thing…washing the cars! They had a blast helping us do this. And I have to say, they were actually pretty helpful!

Second, we went to the sprayground at a gorgeous local park. We took the girls as a surprise after dinner this evening. We put them in their bathing suits and loaded them in the car without telling them where we were going…they were so excited! They love to play in the sprinklers at our house, so I knew this would be a winner. Kamryn kept saying on the way home, “That was fun!”

Some things that make this mommy’s heart smile…

Being a mommy is an incredible thing & I feel so blessed to have two beautiful precious baby girls! Here are some things (out of millions) that melt my heart…

• when they say” mommy i love you” out of the blue.
• when they give slobbery kisses or bear hugs that aren’t prompted.
• when their faces light up when I walk into the room after a long day.
• when they make each other laugh hysterically.
• when its so very obvious how much they are in love with their daddy.
• when they race each other on the trails.
• when they hold each others’ hands in parking lots.
• when they “help” us grocery shop with their mini buggies.
• when they ecstatically squeal as we turn into the driveway at grandma & poppy’s house.
• when they ask me to snuggle with them with a blanket on the couch.
• when their daddy tickles them and they say stop while giggling & then ask for more.
• when they dance around the living room to “ballerina music.”
• when they sing any praise song together in the bath tub.
• and the list goes on, and on, and on….

I love these munchkins!

Glory

Today, I was very touched at church. I sat up in the sound booth with Ryan, as I sometimes do. As the worship band started to play, I began to gaze around the room at all the people.  I love to watch people. How they interact, their expressions, etc. Maybe I’m a weirdo?

As we sang together, “glory to God, glory to God, glory to God forever”, I couldn’t help but tear up. Such a joy to join with your brothers & sisters in Christ to worship. From the guy on the front row with down syndrome and his hands lifted high to the middle-aged, bald woman battling with cancer on the back row wearing a bandana on her head and looking so beautiful & peaceful as she smiled & sang to the Lord. I thought to myself, if I were in their shoes, could I still sing with all that I am, “glory to God forever?” Touching.

It was inspiring for me to people-watch this morning.  To see all shapes and sizes, old & young, married couples & singles – all different kinds of people with different things going on their lives coming together to worship our great God. To lay our struggles at His feet and to fully focus on Him in that moment. Touching. Then Pastor Doug brought it about God’s glory out of the book of John and how our goal in life should be to bring Him glory, not ourselves – following the example of Jesus. Good day @ Grace Community today. Good day!

Running with the family.

Lately, when we go walk/run at the trails, the girls will ask to get out of their stroller at the end so they can go “running” too. I love this! So adorable to see them run with their rosy cheeks. Of course, Addi always wins. But Kam has the cutest little stride and arm flail that you’ll ever see!

Ryan & I strive to promote a healthy lifestyle in our family. This is very important to us as a couple and a goal we set as parents – take care of our bodies the best we can. For the most part, our weekly menu is pretty healthy. Whole grains, proteins, veggies, fruits. We do have our splurge days and enjoy our fair share of sweets often – but we try to steer clear of fast food, fried foods, and cokes. We also drink a lot of water, take vitamins, and run/workout often. We feel like including our kids in exercising is a great way to get them involved & enjoy fitness as well. Since our sweet friends gave us a jogging stroller, we have been going out a lot more often as a family to run/walk around the neighborhood or at the trails – we love it. And they love it. I hope that when our girls grow up, they will remember the times we would “go running” as a family!

Race for the Cure & Mommy’s Day

Yesterday, the girls, my Dad, and I participated in the Race for the Cure 5K here in Tyler. Addi was so excited to “cross the finish line with Poppy” – that is all she talked about for the days prior to the race. And Kam is just always happy to do anything. We got up early & walked across the street to the starting line. Chilly morning, very surprising for May! It was a packed out race with over 6,000 participants! Dad & I enjoyed it…it was a beautiful day.

This morning before breakfast, I was handed a precious card that led me here for a special Mother’s Day message. Gosh, I am so blessed! I LOVED this. I am truly thankful for two beautiful daughters who make me a Mommy. And for my sweet husband who took the time to make this video for me. It definitely made me feel special! 🙂

After church, we went to Quitman to celebrate with my Mom. Ryan grilled steaks for everyone, Mom made all the sides, and I made a German chocolate cake..delish! I am grateful to have such a wonderful, loving mother. She is such a great example to me as a mom. At nearly 30 years old…when I need advice, I call my Mom. When I am sick, I call my Mom. When my girls are sick, I call my Mom. Her caring heart and Godly wisdom is something I admire. I love you Mom!

Happy Mother’s Day to all of my sweet friends who are Mommy’s…I love you all!

Mango Salsa

Oh my goodness, I could seriously eat it all of this recipe in one sitting. Chips & salsa is one of my all time favorite snacks! I am also a huge fan of sweet & savory type foods. I think this is why I love Asian food so much. Sweet & salty. Pineapple on pizza, brown sugar on ribs, strawberries in salads, peanuts with candy corn, mangos in salsa…that’s the way I roll. Here is the recipe to Ryan’s Mango Salsa….its amazing – try it!

Mango Salsa

1-2 mangos- cut around the core and diced like an avocado

1 kiwi- skinned and diced

1/2 red bell pepper- diced

1/2 red onion- diced

1/3 bunch cilantro- chopped

1 serrano pepper- minced

2 tsp lime juice

kosher salt and pepper

Thief in the night.

This morning, we walked outside only to find that our car had been rummaged through and our Garmin (GPS navigational system) had been stolen. The glove compartment was open and stuff was everywhere – they obviously were digging deep to see what all they could make off with. The good thing is that, the only thing of value in the car was the Garmin, which can easily be replaced thanks to eBay. This happened once before when we lived in Lubbock. While we were dating, Ryan had surprised me for my birthday by installing a CD player in my car. Not long after that, someone bashed out my window and took the CD player and all of my CD’s. I was so bummed!

It’s such a strange feeling to know that a thief has been on your property and taken something that belongs to you. It makes me feel very sad. Its like a slap in the face and a reminder of the evil that exists in the world. Its also a reminder of the desperation people feel to do things like this. I mean, if the person needed some sort of help, all they had to do was ask & we would have done what we could of to assist them. I’m praying for this person today.

As Christians, aren’t we thankful that material things are worthless in the big scheme of things anyways? All things here on earth are temporary…so really, what’s one little Garmin?!

“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” –2 Corinthians 4:18