bless the bloggers!

Some of my boggy friends call it "de-lurking"....

basically, that just means letting the blogger you are reading know that you are actually reading (and hopefully enjoying what you read!)

We as bloggers love to know who you are!

For me,

blogging is not about how many followers I have.

Its not about the stats or the comments.

Its about sharing my heart with those who care to read it.

All that said, it is a huge blessing to know who is reading what's on my heart.

SO...

I'd love for you to be a follower of my blog if you aren't already!

Just go to the side of my blog over there and click "follow"

you don't have to have a blog to do it!

My friend Casey posted this today...go check it out.

Its basically a perfect little explanation about following blogs.

also, just check out her blog in general, itll bless your socks off.

(and become a follower of her while youre there!)

PLEASE check out the other blogs listed on here

(look over there on the right. now look at the ones on the left.)

good...I promise you will be blessed by all these writers.

now go bless the bloggers you read and become a follower!

Love you ALL!!!

Giveaways!! check it out!

I consider myself fresh to the blogging world,

and oh how it blesses me.

inspires, challenges, and encourages me.

and also makes me excited...

about things like this!!!

Head over to Casey's:

She's having a big giveaway that you SO need to check out!!

(click here to go to her gorgeous blog)

Plus, she's got some discount codes listed for some of the BEST shops around!

Check that out too.

Someday I will do a giveaway,

once I figure this whole gig out a bit more!

(advice veteran bloggers? I dont know exactly how to go about hosting one...

but I want to! I know it could be a blessing to lots of folks!

I would love to host something for you, just help me with the how!!)

in the meantime,

go enter some giveaways!!

LOVE YOU ALL!!

recipe exchange: Meat Pie!!

Today is a Recipe Exchange over at Casey's...

Check it out for some new meal ideas!

(most of us could use a little help in the kitchen, right?)

today Im making......

MEAT PIE!!!

(yep, meat pie.)

So good, I know you'll love it!

you will need:

1/2 lb ground beef

(you can use more if you want it meatier)

1/4 cup Mayo

1/2 cup milk

2 eggs

1 Tbsp cornstarch

3/4 cup cheddar cheese, grated

3/4 cup swiss cheese, grated

salt and pepper

onion powder (or 1/3 cup sliced green onion)

9 inch frozen pie crust

it's so easy:

brown the beef and set aside

blend mayo, milk, cornstarch, and eggs until smooth

stir in meat and cheese

add salt, pepper and onion powder

pour mixture into pie shell.

Bake at 350 for about 35 minutes

...and you have yourself a

MEAT PIE!

(thanks, Mom!)

yummo.

you KNOW the boys in your life will love this!

for some reason,

this recipe (or at least the name of it)

always makes me think of one of my favorite Joey lines from Friends,

when Rachel makes dessert and accidentally combines two recipes:

"What's not to like?! Custard? Good. Jam? Good. Meat? Goooood."

Happy Cooking,

and Happy Eating!!

these hands hold my heart

these hands....

...they hold my heart.

As I hold her, she holds me.

I have found a different kind of love in being a mother.

It's unexplainable and sometimes unbelievable,

the fullness with which my heart beats for her.

I am honored God chose ME to be HER mommy.

I am thankful for the opportunity to teach her HIS love.

He has given her a mothering heart already.

She teaches ME.

Daily I thank my God for blessing me with

His daughter to be my own.

I know Him better now,

because I have a glimpse at the love He feels for me.

The last 16 months have changed me, molded me, challenged me,

and fulfilled me.

SHE has so much to offer and blesses me constantly.

Smiles come easier, and so do tears.

She has made me more vulnerable to a heart-felt life.

She makes me walk around with my heart outside of my body.

These hands,

these precious, loving, tiny hands...

Im so glad they hold my heart.

Abigail Joy,

thanks for giving me this day.

Happy Mother's Day to all you amazing mothers...

may your hearts be FULL every day!

have a lovely monday over here:

<

things I'm missing already

One month from tonight we will be spending our first night

in a new house, in a new town.

...feeling a bit pouty-faced today.

Not quite ready to go into a big emotional talk about

how much we will miss when we move,

but am thinking today about some of the things I will miss the most about our life in Dallas.

Obviously PEOPLE top the list.

Our family, Our friends, Our spiritual family.

but (just a couple) other things Im already missing today...

I will miss beautiful afternoons at the Arboretum with my girl,

and picnics there with friends, watching babies basking on blankets.

(or now run around everywhere!)

Ill miss driving through Burger House for my frozen lemonade.

(they know me there...I will miss Maria,

who has made bad days better just by handing me

my favorite drink through the window.)

We will miss the grandparents.

They have been rocks in our life and Abigail already knows them so well.

Though we will definitely miss our built-in babysitters,

even more, we will miss the LOVE they bring us each time we see them.

We look forward to "extra-quality" time with them when we are in town.

I will miss our mall, but not for the shopping.

It has been a place for me to walk with Abigail when the weather isn't great,

a place to go wave to the duckies,

and also where we have spent countless Fridays,

going to Mommy and Me Yoga and Baby Bounce with our friends.

And on that note, I can't express how much I will miss my Mommy and Me group friends, who have been a support system for me in this huge transition to motherhood.

Who will I sit and compare feeding, sleeping, and pooping stories with?!

(you know who you are and I LOVE YOU GUYS!)

But for now, I will remember what God has given us here,

AND what He has waiting for us there.

I am counting my blessings in both places

and trusting He has our best in mind.

and finding this in a box helped a little bit too,

trying to help mama pack...and smile.