"If Broken, Still Strong"

So it's been quite a long time since I have posted on my blog, and those few of you who actually read it are probably thinking, "Wow, with a title like that, she must have something deeply profound to write about.".
Well, you would be wrong! This is actually just the Foster Family Motto that my father had tattooed on his arm in Latin along with the Foster Family crest. And wow is the tattoo awesome!! I absolutely love this one!

In Latin it says, " Si Fractus Fortis".

Best Cake Ever

This is my absolute, favorite chocolate cake ever! After watching an episode of The Pioneer Woman on Food Network with my father a few weeks ago, we decided I HAD to make this cake. It was soooo worth it!
To be honest, I have never actually made a cake completely from scratch prior to this one because most I've tasted are a bit to dry for my liking. But this one appeared to be more moist than I've seen, and it did not disappoint! I served it chilled, and it seemed to melt in my mouth! Pretty sure this will become a staple for holidays around my house now. If you would like the recipe, just log onto foodnetwork.com, and it will be under the pioneer woman's recipes. I strongly encourage all to try this one!

Love, Ash

Cabin Fever

Cabin fever should be the last thing I should be dealing with, since we have had weather in the 70's and 80's, and yet due to being incredibly sick this past week, I have it!
Rarely do I ever get sick, other than maybe some sinus troubles due to allergies. I have had to help nurse my family this past fall and winter with various illnesses, avoiding it my self each time. So now I guess it seemed only fitting that it be my turn to join the fun. I started with the flu, then strep throat with double ear infections. Now still struggling with side affects from the penicillin I'm taking. I figure, if I'm gonna get sick, maybe having it all at once, isn't such a bad idea instead of spreading it all out! :)
I'm praying for a better week this week and I hope you all have a blessed one as well!
Thank you God for this gorgeous weather to kick-start Spring!

Spring's Here!

I know it's not officially spring for at least a week or so, but it definitely feels like it. Even now, at 9pm, it is still 70 degrees outside! My kids and I had a great day outside. We actually were outdoors from 8am till 12:30. Then back out in the afternoon. What a day!

 I don't ever remember being so excited to see daffodils! They were not bloomed yet the other day, so this was very exciting for the kids this morning. My favorite are the pink buds from the bush in the back yard.

Thank yiou God for this beautiful weather and these gorgeous flowers!

My Next Great Baker

So out of nowhere, Cohen has decided that he would like to start baking with momma.

We took a trip to the store and he picked out some brownies, which I thought would be a good start for him.

He had a blast! He giggled the whole time, but when it was time to top the brownies with chocolate chips, he completely lost his focus and started stealing them for himself! So darn cute!

He did a great job and it was a lot of fun for me to watch him so excited to be helping me in the kitchen. This had me thinking about what other things he has expressed interest in helping with at home and how many other times I may have said no. How can I expect him or Bri for that matter to learn simple, everyday, tasks if I don't stop and take the time to show them? During my devotions, I came across this scripture:

(Proverbs 22:16) "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not turn from it."

This scripture holds true for many things. Definitely regarding teaching them the Lord's teachings, but also the simple things like folding laundry, putting toys away, cleaning, and yes, even how to do a little baking. As a mother, I am the one responsible for making sure that my children learn these things, so it is important that I take time and include them in all that I do, so when they grow up, they will be self-sufficeint adults who will hopefully be serving the Lord.

"Continue On"

Continue On

A woman fretted over the usefulness of her life.

She feared she was wasting her potential being a devoted wife and mother.

She wondered if the time and energy she invested in her husband and children would make a difference.

At times she got discouraged because so much of what she did seemed to go unnoticed and unappreciated.

"Is it worth it?" she often wondered. "Is there something better that I could be doing with my time?"

It was during one of these moments of questioning that she heard the still, small voice of her Heavenly Father speak to her heart.

"You are a wife and a mother because that is what I have called you to be.

Much of what you do is hidden from the public eye, but I notice.

Most of what you give is done without renumeration.

But I am your reward.

Your husband cannot be the man I have called him to be without your support.

Your influence upon him is greater than you think and more powerful than you will ever know.

I bless him through your service and honor him through your love.

Your children are precious to me.

Even more precious than they are to you.

I have entrusted them in your care to raise for Me.

What you invest in them is an offering to Me.

You may never be in the public spotlight, but your obediance shines as a bright light before Me.

Continue on. Remeber you are my servant.

Do all to please Me."

This was a poem written by Roy Lessin. I came across this in the latest Duggar Family Book called "A Love That Multiplies". I really love everything in this book, but this is by far one of the best things in it. As a stay-at-home mother, this really spoke to me and reminded me that God is always there watching me and guiding me along the way. 

Rainy Days

I am very much loving this day today. While most people don't care for cloudy, cold, rainy days, I love them.   
So far today has been spent lounging and watching movies with my children. Sure, some of the movies are pretty boring to me, but the point is that my kids are having fun spending time snuggling with momma on the couch. Today is the kind of day that you just kick back and relax. Dishes, laundry, and cleaning take a back seat and the kids become the driver.
Thank you Lord for this beautiful day, as you water the earth!

I Can't Hardly Contain Myself!

Okay, so I'm so crazy excited right now!! I want to just go outside in this freezing, dark, super windy night and start planting a garden! I seriously must have been born in the wrong era, because when my husband said, "We should try canning - let's go to Wal-Mart", I felt like I needed to put on a dress, apron, and boots and go to the market!

So now I have this lovely canning set and two cases of mason jars sitting on my counter, screaming at me to put them to use. First up, Rick's own barbecue sauce from scratch. Then I guess I'll wait a little bit till it's time for my garden.

Oh Spring, hurry up and get here already! Thank you God for the growing season in life.

Spring Tease

What a tease this weather has been to us! We have had a couple of gorgeous days this week and I hope they continue to stay. So that being said, my kids and I have walked almost every day this week.

On the route I take when the kids are with me, there is this pole with an iron horse's head on it. Very weird and just kind of, there. Anyways, Cohen absolutely cannot walk past that thing with out giving it a pat on the head. I really haveno clue why, but I think it is funny and kind of cute.

So from here we went back home and the kids wanted to pretend to build a fire. I agreed, of course, because that meant they would be going all over the yard picking up the sticks scattered from various storms this season. So here is what each of them brought back:

I thought Bri's was a nice, big bundle - until I saw what Cohen carried over.

No that's what I call a stick! Seriously, he carried this one to me by himself.

Thank you God for my sweet, strong children!

My Cornhusker Suprise

So a couple of days ago, a terrible thing happened to me. I broke my favorite glass in the entire world! It was a gift from my sweet gram in Nebraska. This was the icing on top of the cake of a stressful afternoon, and yes, I shed a tear.

I don't know when my husband did this, but this afternoon, my husband brought in a package from the mail. Inside were these four, PLASTIC, tumblers from Nebraska!!! They may not be the exact same glass, but I won't break them as easily and I love them just the same. Thank you, my sweet hubby!!

DEER - It's what's for dinner!

Okay, so seriously, this meal was awesome! My new absolute favorite meatloaf ever! I know you're thinking - ewww! Deer meat! But seriously, you can't even tell with what I've done, it's that good and crazy moist - trust me!

Here is the recipe to my Deer & Bacon Meatloaf:

4 lbs. ground deer meat             3 eggs (beaten)

3 sleeves of ritz crackers

Milk                                1 tbs garlic powder

1/3 cup Parmesan cheese             2 tbs parsley flakes

1/2 large onion                     1 tbs blk pepper

Salt to taste (won't need to much because of ritz crackers)

Bacon

Crush your ritz crackers fine. Mix all ingrediants well, except the bacon. Place on a baking sheet and form by hand a loaf about 2 inches thick. Lay strips of bacon across the top and tuck in the ends under the meatloaf. Now time for the sauce:

2 cups ketchup                     1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tbs spicy brown mustard          1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Mix together and pour half over the whole meatloaf. The remainder of it will get poured over the top halfway into baking. Bake meatloaf at 350 for 1 hour.

***Feel free to use with ground beef if you don't like deer.***

Creamy Potato & Corn Chowder with Garlic Parmesan Croutons

Today was a soup-and-salad kinda day around here. Gotta love soup in the winter! Okay so here is my recipe for Creamy Potato & Corn Chowder that I think I have finally perfected:

3 1/2 lbs. peeled/cut potatoes          1/2 bag frozen corn
3 celery stalks - minced                  1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
2 carrot sticks - minced                  6 cups milk
1 onion - minced                           1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 stick butter                                1 tsp parsley flakes
1/2 tsp garlic pwd                          3/4 tsp dill
4 hard-boiled eggs                         salt/pepper to taste
1 pouch instant potato dry mix
(I use Betty Crocker's Classic Butter, but the Four cheese would be great too.)

Boil your potatoes for about 15 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Saute onions, celery, carrots, and corn in your butter.
Next, pour in your milk, heavy cream, and Parmesan cheese.
Add in your spices and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and add in both the boiled potatoes and instant potatoes. Go ahead and mix in your sliced hard-boiled eggs as well.
Simmer this all for around 45 minutes or so, but be sure to stir often.

I topped of this soup with cheddar cheese and  garlic-parmesan croutons made by me. I'm telling you, this chowder was freakin' awesome!! Plus the kids ate it, so I know I did good :) Enjoy!

Ash
   

Singing Birds

As I listen to the birds singing this morning, it instantly brings me back to the days when I was younger. My siblings and I would spend an occasional weekend with my great-grandma and grandpa. Every Saturday morning I would wake up super early, sneaking downstairs to find Grandma Blondie in her robe and slippers, drinking a cup of coffee. She would then take me to the kitchen to give me a glass of milk and the best donut in the world, baked fresh that morning from her local bakery. I would take it outside to the patio, where my Grandpa Chucky would be reading his newspaper and eating oranges. We would just sit there enjoying our breakfast while listening to the birds sing. 


To this day, I have no idea what types of birds we were listening to, but every single morning that I go outside into the sun and hear birds singing, it brings me back to the mornings in Falls City, Nebraska, on the patio with my Grandpa Chucky.


Thank you God for these simple, yet treasured memories. :)

Proverbs 12:4

When reading my devotional yesterday, Proverbs 12:4 really spoke to me. I looked it up in several different versions of the bible and these two are my favorite:


(MSG) A hearty wife invigorates her husband, but a frigid wife is cancer in the bones.
(ESV) An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, but she who brings shame is like rottenness in his bones.


How have I been lately to my husband? Have I been invigorating or rottenness? Have I been loving or frigid? Unfortunately, at times lately, I have been the latter of these. It is very easy to get caught up in things for myself and ignore my husbands needs. In this small journey to a "merry me" this verse is going to be my go-to scripture for a while. It is very important that I keep my husband top priority. He is my partner in this life that God has blessed me with, even when he doesn't feel like a blessing :). 


Soooo, time's a wastin'! How will you be today to your spouse? Let's strive to be invigorating and loving!




Love, Ash 

Flat Apple Pie

My oh my! This was one great pie!! I made this for my family for Valentine's Day and what a hit! This is officially my new favorite apple pie recipe! It belongs to thepioneerwoman.com, one of my favorite websites. I don't know for sure if I'm allowed to post it, so you'll just have to visit her site for the recipe.  And yes, the carmel sauce was made by me too. :)

The "Loves" of My Life

As we are only a day away from Valentine's Day, I have been thinking a lot about love. 1 Corinthians 13:13 says this:
"And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love."

The photo above contains the three most important people in my life after God. I truly love them with all of my being.

Sometimes in this life of mine, I get so busy with things that really are if no importance, that I simply take for granted what these three mean to me. I have been so utterly and completely blessed by God to have them in my life.
Because of my love for these people, I have decided to make a change to a more "Merry" me. The joy of the Lord is just waiting to be poured into my life, so that I may pour it onto theirs. I need only ask.

I look forward to sharing my journey on this blog. I pray it will be not only a blessing to me and my family, but to others as well.

Happy Valentine's Day!

A Happy Day

Today is a happy day in the Socks' household. My precious boy, Cohen, has started potty training. I have been praying for this day for awhile now and can't believe it's finally here! We have rolled out the red-carpet for this big boy! We have Cars undies, a Cars toilet seat, reward chart, and Cars gummies for a small treat each time he pees in the potty. Disney's Cars movies are his favorite so this has worked out well. Not to mention he has his big sister and I as his cheerleaders each time he goes. Boy does he crack up at us!


It's just such a proud moment for a momma when her little one learns such a big milestone in his or her life. Thank you Lord for the small things :)