Blessed Creations Boutique

My talented friend Melissa has a great side business! She designs and creates hair bows for little girls. I think my favorite that I've seen is the one her daughter wore for St. Patrick's Day. The base was kelly green and it had accents of gold and rainbow ribbon -- completely sweet! Melissa has recently begun a website and if you have a little girl in your life, you've got to see her unique creations.

www.blessedcreationsboutique.com

The Lipizzaner Stallions

Three weeks ago, Kaity started reading "The White Stallions of Lipizza" by Margeurite Henry. She was enjoying the story of a boy named Hans who dreams of one day working with the famous horses, when I pointed out to her that they are real and still perform today. I was telling mom about it on the phone one night and she told that they were to be in Aiken that weekend! Needless to say, we made plans right away to attend! Mom and Berk bought tickets for Kaity, Joe, Jeff and me and we stayed the weekend with them so we could see the show. We really enjoyed it -- Kaity had fun actually seeing the horses perform the moves she had only read about. You can check out the website here.

A Visit with the Pittards

My mother-in-law, Cheryl, celebrated her birthday on St. Patrick's day, and the day before is my in-laws' anniversary. Quite smart on the part of my father-in-law, Ken, I have to say. :) So, the Friday before we spent the day in Hart County at their house. Jeff's older brother Jason was there with his wife Paige and their three kids. We enjoyed getting to see everyone and spending the day together. Kaity is sitting with her cousin Joel who's just 11 months younger than she. Joe is playing blocks with Jacob, 20 months, and Nannie, many more than 20 months. Jacob and Sarah (alone in the picture) are twins.

Kaity Grace

Isn't she just beautiful?





Kaity has really enjoyed her ballet classes. Her best friend Lydia is in the class with her, and they giggle their way through the hour!

"Little" Joe

I have to tell you that our son would object highly to the title of this post! He is quick to remind me that, "I am not wittle, I am a BIG BOY." Sigh ...

But he is adorable, and I had to share a couple of pictures with you. He got his hair cut yesterday which makes him really look like a big boy! You can see from the picture of him with his daddy that he's a blonde mini-Jeff.

Cheesy Turkey Burgers

If you think turkey burgers are dry and tasteless, think again! These are absolutely scrumptious. Also, they freeze very well, just wrap the leftovers in aluminum foil with waxed paper separating the patties. Thaw them and reheat in the microwave -- you'll find them just as moist and flavorful as the freshly made burgers.

Cheesy Turkey Burgers

3 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese
1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat Mexican cheese blend
1 small onion, grated
3 tablespoons old-fashioned oats
2 tablespoons minced chives
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 pounds lean ground turkey

In a bowl, combine the first eight ingredients. Crumble turkey over mixture and mix well. Shape into eight 1/2-inch-thick patties. Cook in batches in large skillet coated with a couple of tablespoons oil. Cook 8 minutes on first side, flip and cook for 5-6 more minutes.

I serve these on whole-wheat buns with lettuce or spinach; mayo for the adults, ranch dressing for the kids. I usually just cut an 8-ounce package of reduced-fat cream cheese in half for this recipe. Chives can be hard to find, and expensive, so I substitute green onions. And lastly, I've used mozzarella in place of the Mexican cheese with lovely results.

Mary Poppins

Here's a sign that maybe our children have seen Mary Poppins one too many times: Joe goes around the house singing, "Skippy time!" (instead of "Step In Time") Also, I helped him out with something today and he replied, "Thanks, guv'ner!" As Mary Poppins would say, "Cheeky!"

Hospitality

It seems to Jeff and me that in today's world, many people live insular lives. Their family is a little island whose accessibility is limited. If someone were to drop by their house out of the blue, it would be considered shockingly rude. From early on in our marriage, we desired something different for our home. We always wanted our friends to feel that they could come by any time. Never has that been more true for us than when we took on a College and Career Sunday School class! We've learned a lot about hospitality from hosting this group, believe me. It's incredibly motivating for me as a homemaker to know that at any time we may get a text message -- "What are y'all doing tonight?" or, sometimes, "What r u doin tonite?" No time for panicked cleaning then! Obviously this means that they sometimes get treated to dirty dishes on the counter, or laundry on the couch. I'm not perfect, so I don't have to pretend to be! I just try harder to keep up with the daily household chores in order that our home might always be presentable.

Food is my favorite part of hospitality! I love cooking for the group, though I've certainly had some humbling experiences there, too. One night I had to give someone a frozen dinner. Trust me, it was difficult for me to do. But the important thing is not that our home is a showplace (it's NOT) or that I always have gourmet meals ready (I don't), but that our hearts and our home are ready -- "instant, in season and out of season" to receive friends. Whether it's a college student with a broken heart, friends coming for dinner, or guys coming for video games, we want to be ready to receive them with the love of Jesus. Here's a quote from a great blog by Lydia Brownback, "But, primarily, every time we open our homes and hearts to someone in need, it is Jesus we are serving."

Jeni Loves Daisies!

My sweet, handsome husband sent me flowers yesterday! He also wrote me a top ten list on why I'm so wonderful ... but you can't see that. :)

Vincent Van Joe and Georgia O'Kait

Okay, I had to post the artwork the kids did today. It was too good not to! I'm a mom, I'm allowed to think my children are the most brilliant and creative kids in the world. (You can click on any of these pictures on the blog to make them bigger.)

Kaity's imagination has no bounds! She created this picture today because she had all these cat-themed stickers. She didn't want to waste them by just sticking them to stuff, so she made a "Cat Shop" out of them.


This is Joe's self-portrait, which needs a bit of explanation in order to be fully appreciated. First, notice the usual features -- eyes, nose, mouth, legs, hair. Why do his arms look funny, you ask? Because he also drew in his muscles! How cute is that? The object in his middle, between his arms, he informed me, is his heart (upside down). The upside down "U" shape near his eyes I figured was his ear. He told me it was his "red eye" -- which is what he called his black eye! He still has a little scar on his cheekbone where he hit it.