"I Do" by Serene & Pearl

This is both beautiful to watch and listen too.  This would be a wonderful wedding song.  I very much enjoy the Above Rubbies Magazine and recommend it.  If you go to their website you can get a free subscription.  Their magazine is paid for by the sale of their books and movies.  Hopefully as you watch this you'll have flash backs to your own beautiful wedding.  Have a great day.
Alicia

Some Friends are Friends forever

This weekend Lien, a friend of mine, came to visit.  It was so good to see her and her daughter.  There are certian people who are more of a blessing when they come then you can be a blessing to in having them at your house.  They live about 2 hours away and it is sad we don't get together more but she always goes out of her way to stop by when she can.  Lien has two children and I got to share two of my pregnancies with her.  There is something so special about going through a pregnancy with someone else who is doing the same.  I think there is a bond that is formed there.  There were about 8 of us who were pregnant at the same time when I was pregnant with Sierra.  The funny thing was three years later we were all pregnant again.  So when I got pregnant with Cassandra several of them got quite nervous.  Why they didn't all keep up I'll never know but we all had so much fun. About the time one of us was done going through morning sickness the next began.  What special memories.  Lien is a wonderful cook and blesses us with bringing us Asian food.  So for dinner we got to enjoy home made wontons and eggrolls Lien brought.  Then I added store bought orange chicken, some fried rice (that Lien made) and sweet and sour sauce (that Lien made also).  The kids are all thrilled when Lien comes and so is my husband and myself.  It is good to have friends who share your faith and encourage you.  Lien is such a blessing as an encourager and the gifts she brings. 
Some people will encourage you the wrong way, like you don't have to take that, or Why do you put up with that.   It is so good to surround yourself with people who encourage you in doing good.  But also you need to be that friend to others.  A friend of mine was concerned about a choice her husband wanted her to make.  It wasn't a big deal but she wasn't sure she wanted to do what her husband was asking her to do.  As she confided in us my independent mode went up and I was thinking it wasn't fair.  Another friend with us explained to her that if that was something her husband wanted then she need to do it.  Wow, she was so right.  She was honoring her husband and God and encouraging my friend to honor hers.  Women, as a friend encourage those around you to do right, especially in the area of our marriage and children.  Use Gods Word as the final say.  How much happier we are and our family is when we put ourself aside and choose to do what God wants us to do.  We are all weak and can tend to be selfish.  God help me not to be weak and selfish but may I choose to think and do right even when it is hard and may I encourage my friends also to think and do right as you Word asks us to. 

A good book on encouraging you to do right in addition to the Bible is Created to Be His Help Meet, by Debbie Pearl.  Very good and very challanging.  God bless you all,  Alicia

The girls made a brownie trifle.  They had lots of fun.

Isabella sucking on her "spoon"  too

Lien and I working on dinner

Rebekah and Sierra love getting together

the girls made necklaces

here were five of us with our new babies almost 11 years ago.

Valentines Day

So another Valentines day has come and gone.  When I was in school I loved Valentines day and getting cards and finding out if there might have been a hidden meaning in one of the cards I received.  Oh how exciting!!!  Once we had kids I started to take a new perspective on it.  In an effort to protect our children's hearts we encourage them not to date or have boy friends or girl friends, but how do you avoid this when the big love holiday comes around.  I was so encouraged when I read a children's book about St. Valentine.  The book told of how St. Valentine was a Christian with a strong desire to share how God so "Loved" the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believes on him will not perish but have everlasting life.  (John 3:16)  He was imprisoned for his faith.  While in his cell St Valentine continued to send letters of Gods love to others so they would be encouraged and find a personal relationship with him.  He was later executed for his faith.  What an amazing story.  Valentine's Day isn't about finding a quick superficial crush but it is about finding God.  For God is Love and no greater love has any one than to lay down their life for a friend.  (John 15:13)  So I fell in Love with the holiday.  We made it a family day long celebration.  A time of celebrating God's love for us and our love for each other.  The holiday is what you make it.  I remember that God demonstrated his own love for us that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us (Romans 5:8).  I am also celebrating the love my husband and I share and the love that we have for our children.  God is so good and we are so grateful for all he has done for us and given us.

So as for our day we begin with pink chocolate chip heart shaped pancakes for breakfast.  Lunch I love to share with friends and make a variety of heart shaped pizza.  We were so blessed to have the Duenas and Argons.  With all of our children there were 17 and 2 were not able to make it.  Lots of fun.  We love getting together with them all and sharing time with people we love and trust.  The kids love to share cards, time with their friends, games and crafts.  Come dinner time we have chicken cour don blue (the frozen kind, let's not get too carried away) baked potatoes, green beans, strawberries, and bread.  We decorate our table and use our china.  We eat at candle light and enjoy each others company.  It was so beautiful but I forgot to take a picture.  Then we had bread pudding.  I have tweeked a recipe to make it the way I like it and I think I'll share it with you at the end.  I hope you had a wonderful Valentines Day.  God Bless Alicia

Cassandra ready for breakfast before anyone else

I love to braid the girls hair in heart shapes

Our dear friends that got to join us for lunch

Cassie always ready for a picture

Caleb riding around

the older boys hanging out

dessert time

Lots of kids enjoying dessert

here it is the bread pudding

Alicia's Bread Pudding
1 jar apples (see below)                                           1 cup heavy cream or evap. milk
1 1/2 loaves french bread cut in 1 inch pieces            1 cup white sugar
3 cups milk                                                               3/4 cup brown sugar
3 eggs slightly beaten                                                 2 Tblsp molasses
1/2 cup butter melted                                                 1 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp cinnamon                                                          1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla
Place bread in 9 x 12 in baking dish.  mix in apples.  In large bowl, combine the milk eggs, butter, cinnamon, vanilla, heavy cream, sugar, br. sugar, molasses, lemon juice and salt.   Mix well.  Add 1/2 cup liquid from apples.  Pour over bread.  Let sit until bread has soaked up all the milk mixture for at least 1 to 2 hours. 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Place baking dish in another larger pan and add water about halfway up the sides of the baking dish.  Bake for 1 hour or until bread pudding has set.  Remove bread pudding from oven and let cool to just warm
Sauce:
Melt 1/2 cup butter on medium.  Add 1/2 cup apples syrup, 1/2 cup sugar and 2 egg yolk.  Heat till slightly thicken.  Pour over top of each serving.  Enjoy

I can my own apples but when I run out I just cut up some apples (about 3), place in boiling water 1 1/2 cups, 1/2 cup sugar and 2 tsp cinnamon mixture.  Let is simmer till almost soft. 

Tea Anyone?

My little Cassandra loves tea parties.  It is so cute.  We have to be careful because when she says party it sounds a bit like potty.  She will quickly correct us if we get it wrong.  This has been an interesting couple days.  My son has been auditioning for different colleges, both for piano and soccer.  If he could get a scholarship in both we might be able to afford college.  His first tryouts were a few months ago and in a different city quite far away.  He did very will and both the music and soccer wanted to him.  This stresses mom terribly.  I don't feel ready to let him go away but know we have done our best to raise in the fear of the Lord and when he leaves us he will not depart from the Lord.  We so badly would like him to go to a Christian College and pray God's hand will direct his path.  Christian college is so expensive.  It seems so funny that you have to pay so much to become a pastor.  Of course you don't have to go to college to become a pastor but he really wants to increase his knowledge in music, and get his degree in a music field.  Yesterday's tryouts went really good too and they were at a local Christian University then today was at another.  My prayer is that God will open doors he wants open and close those he wants closed.  I can't believe we are at this stage of life but I'm proud of the man of God he is becoming and his willing desire to follow God's plan for his life.  He is so far ahead of where I was at his age. 

Ok, on a lighter note, here are some fun pictures.  The ones of Isabella totally make me laugh because she loves to follow the dog around.  She loves to walk around and we wish she could do it on her own but until that time she is perfectly happy using our fingers.  Our dog doesn't appreciate that much but he is getting his hair cut right now so maybe it won't make him so nervous once he can see again.  God Bless

Alex's early piano years





on a Steinway, his favorite

leading worship 



playing a little soccer



busy little girl.  Wish she had her apron on Latisha made her it is so cute.  Have to post later.



Caught him



time to clean up.

finally making progress

look at this beautiful sunrise

such amazing colors

I just love sunrises and sunsets.  We have been so blessed with a home that we can see both.  This is the first home we have been able to see the sun rising in the morning and setting in the evening.  How peaceful.

 Well we are finally making progress with my baby.  She is going at her own pace and I have to admit it has made me nervous at times.  She really has no desire to do much on her own except feed herself a cracker or cheerio.  She would sit up but only with support up until 9 months old.  Finally she has made if off the blanket.  She started rolling around 4 months old but really had no desire to go anywhere past that.  I was so excited one night while I was getting ready for bed to see her way off her blanket and almost in the other room.  It is silly to worry but all my other children have been early walkers.  Danika actually started walking just after she turned eight months.   The blessing has been that if I am away from home I can just lay her on the ground on a blanket and she goes to sleep and stays on her blanket.  With my 2 year old, blanket time is a challenge to keep her to stay on the blanket.  :) 

 We found these cute little bunny blanket sleepers for only $3.  So the little girls got matching ones.  Cassandra loves matching Isabella.  Isabella generally doesn't mind the hugs, especially when she can reach up and grab a handful of hair.

 They have cute little bunnies on the feet,

Here she is with her big accomplishment of scooting off the blanket. 

Hope you all are having a wonderful day and would love to hear about any of your speedy or slow moving babies.   God Bless.  Alicia

Time together

What a beautiful day.  The weather today was so confused.  One minute hazy, the next the sun popped through in all it's grander and the next huge black clouds were over us.  Then the clouds would split enough to see streams of light followed by huge gusts of wind.  So many analogies I could use here.  But truly isn't that life.   In my life I have hazy lazy times, grand and glorious and sad and hold me times.  Then the clouds split and we see the lovely "Son" shining through.  God is so faithful and so gracious to be there and direct us in all times.  I am so grateful that my grand and glorious times are so plentiful and my hazy lazy times are there for rest and my sad times are there with my husband, family and friends, and most importantly my God.  Having such support and help takes work and dedication.  Relationships need time.  My husband and I just got home from our date.  We do our best to go out once a week.  Not always but I encourage time alone with out distractions for all marriages.  But don't stop there.  I also encourage you to have alone time with your kids individually.  I purposed this year to have alone time with each child once a week.  I have failed terribly and I see our relationships suffer when I don't find the time.  Time alone with each one of them is so precious and I will continue to succeed in that goal.  Time with my close family and friends I also cherish.  But most importantly time with God has to come first.  It is so important to have communication in order to have relationships.  I have found when I don't read my Bible and start the day in prayer I get edgy easier and I have noticed it in my kids.  I will ask them when they are edgy and quick to anger, have you been reading your Bible lately.  And generally their answer is no.  This probably sounds so silly but it is so important to all of us.  The closer you draw closer to God the closer he will draw to you and the closer you will become to be the child of God he wants you to be.  Have a great day and God bless.  Alicia

Terrific twos

Don't you just love the twos?  Yes, children at this age are exploring, creative, and challenging.  They are learning right from wrong, although they know a lot more than we give them credit for.  But don't you just love this age.  Cassandra was playing with the musical busts as Sierra was playing music.  It is so funny how people speak so negatively of the "terrible two," but we get the most laughs out of this age.  Seeing things from the perspective of a two year old can give new perspective to all.  "You little Stinker," I hear myself say but I do try to speak positively to my kids.  A pet peeve of mine is the name calling I hear parents speak to their children.  I was listening to a new mom the other day, she was frustrated, but I was so saddened by the word she was speaking to her 10 month old.  She was telling her baby she was gross and naughty.  She says they tell her that all the time because she is.  What a sad cycle she is beginning with her baby.  I have always been concerned with name calling.  I believe we can speak life or death into our children and the more positive words we speak to our children, the more positive they see themselves, and the more positive they become.

I remember one time hearing how the very basic particle of living things doesn't end with atoms but that atoms are made up of sound waves.  Imagine that.  God spoke this world and everything in it into existence.  So of course the beginning of all things is sound waves.   How much do the words we speak influence the lives of our children and affect their beginning image of their own self.  When God said "let there be light,"  there was light.  When we say "you are so naughty" are we encouraging them in being naughty.  Just a thought to ponder.  Well what a beautiful day it is.  Hope you enjoy the pictures.  Have a great day in the Lord and be blessed.  Alicia



Just something to ponder