Omelette in a bag

First off. 

Is it omelet? or omelette?

Secondly.

does it matter?

Moving on...

We meet Sunday nights with our house church/small group. Each month we meet at a different house.

Which is a nice little rotation so that each family doesn't get stuck with cleaning up, prep, etc each Sunday.

This month is at our house! I absolutely love having everyone over. Seriously, i love it. 

It also gives me a reason to clean my house weekly. Because honestly, i need motivation. 

Each week, we create a food list with an overall theme and everyone brings their contribution to the table.

Last week, we made omelets!

IN A BAG. 

Hello girl scouts!

I think it was JoErins idea...or Mirandas. Either way....genius!

Here's how it's done:

 throw some eggs and whatever else you like into a sandwich bag

label your bags if you have multiple people

(note GT$'s)

scramble by mushing on the bag

yes, mush 

drop them all into an already boiling pot of water

everyone can hang out while their eggs are cooking (12-15 minutes)

even do some muscle man modeling like Tommy (no clue!)

then take the baggies out of the water

looky there folks, it's an omelet in a bag

tump 'em out on a plate and enjoy with your friends!

they're a little different texture than the skillet kind, but still tasty (the omelets, not your friends)

add some biscuits and coffee to the mix and you're good to go!

wouldn't these little things be perfect for camping???

I highly recommend them for a group. We'll definitely repeat that meal with our house church.

Have I mentioned how much I love our group?

It's amazing how encouraging it is to meet with the same people weekly, share your heart, your joys and study the Word. 

Now, go scramble up an egg in a bag.

Sashes: put your work where it belongs

A few months ago, my cousin Korie introduced me to Sashes to the Merchants blog.

It is written by 2 women who love the Lord and are super creative.

They have cute Etsy shops which i had previously happened upon a long time ago and was super pumped when Korie found this blog b/c I loved Jessi's prints! Like, wanna buy ALL of them.

my fave

Their posts are so practical and I appreciate their positive blog and how to incorporate creativity, work, life and becoming the Proverbs 31 woman.




I love today's post. Thinking about printing it and taping it to my bathroom mirror.
Sometimes I need reminders that are blatantly screaming in my face!

If your work calls your name first thing in the morning? So loud that you can't make five minutes to be about your Maker and what He has to say to you? Put your work where it belongs.

If your work crowds out your family so that service to them is a nuisance? So that you almost never say yes? Put your work where it belongs.

If your work isolates you from your community? If you can't stop to love a friend or stranger? If you don't even know your neighbor's name? Put your work where it belongs.

Because your work? Will be better where it belongs. It will be stronger. Because it flows out of who you are. And who you are is every bit Who made you.

And He has said, "Meet Me in the morning."

And He has said, "Submit to one another."

And He has said, "Feed my sheep."

Put your work where it belongs. It doesn't belong in the white spaces that say, this? This is a life. And this life is a story. And this story is valuable. And this story is to be read. Because of Who is writing. it.


(disclaimer: these are not my words. read more about the girls behind them here)




Thankful for great reminders,
Kate

Texas babes

GTs 2 best buds had babies within a month of eachother. Well, THEY didn't...their wives did.

But, you know what I mean.

We made the trek down to Huntsville/Houston last weekend to meet one of the newest members of their friend family.

Sweet little Tate and proud daddio Tommy, GTs BFF.

I know, they prob don't call eachother BFFs. But, they might.

He even cracked a smile for us.

Isn't he so handsome?

Look!

Tate is smiling at GT. Ain't that just sweeter than honey?!

I can't beleive that we got away without any pictures with Brice, the mom!

We love us some Bdawg.

She, of course, looked awesome and was so sweet to have us in her home with a brand spankin' newborn.

Next time.

In Huntsville, we were able to spend time with one of GTs other BFFs, Casey.

He has an almost 5 year old. 5! I can't believe it.

He is hilarious. We just listened to him tell stories and called it good entertainment. 

cute, huh?

He was asked if he wanted to do what his daddy did when he got big.

He responded, "Nope, I wanna be a policeman." Cool, we said. That's a great job!

"So I can put my daddy in jail for shooting a dove out of dove season."

He's 5.

gotta love an honest boy that knows the laws of the land.

What you don't see are his killer boots. They added a nice touch to his comment.

Don't worry, GT is still gonna show these boys how to watch some football.

We are still so excited to meet little Reagan.

She is Larry, GTs other bff, and his wife Rachels little girl.

She was born 5 weeks preterm.

She's home and doing great after about a month in the NICU.

We can't wait to meet you sweet girl!!!

(i stole this picture from Rachels blog...hope you don't mind Rach!)

We just feel so blessed to have such wonderful friends with stinkin' cute kids.

I praise God knowing that our someday kiddos will be raised surrounded by love and these families.

Isn't it a blessing to know that we are a part of a large family who loves the Lord?

and we kind of like being with them, too.

grateful,

Kate

Wordless Wednesday inspiration

Check out this video on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGyYsA62CxY&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Makes you wanna get up and do something, huh?
Sent from kate's iPhone:)

Elegant verse

Jantsen's Gift

If you haven't read this yet, do it.
It is a read-in-one-day kinda book.
Pam Cope's story is quite inspirational and will leave you quite misty eyed.


Her book was just mentioned in Parade Magazine here:

http://www.parade.com/parade-picks/2011/08/14-jantsens-gift.html

JANTSEN'S GIFT

by Pam Cope with Aimee Molloy, nonfiction

After her 15-year-old son, Jantsen, died unexpectedly of a heart ailment in 1999, Pam Cope channeled her grief toward a new purpose: improving the lives of children around the world who suffer from poverty and abuse. This inspiring memoir of loss and healing traces the emotional journey Cope took to rebuild her family and honor her son’s memory by making a difference
(from Parade Magazine online)

 

  She is the founder of Touch a Life.
You should be familiar with this organization, as I have mentioned it on numerous occasions.
I also just returned from my first trip with them to visit the kids in Ghana.

sweet Joel

This is my friend Rachel

I can't say enough about her and her heart. I'm sure that I've blogged about her before.

She works for TAL and organized the entire trip with 55 volunteers and 550+ kids. Crazy, huh?

She's my age. Hello. No excuses here people.

The kids were so excited to see her and her feelings were mutual, obviously.

Rach and I with TAL kids

Here is Pam with Garrett and Kelly Nichols, the in-country directors for TAL and George Achibra, a Ghanaian anti-trafficking crusader(when i saw him, i felt like i was meeting a celebrity with the kindest spirit ever).

Rach, David(my good friend from WM and a brilliant pharmacist) and I with some of the kiddos


our very intellectual medical team

with Brad Gautney(on my right), the founder of Global Health Innovations, that partnered with TAL for the health fair. He is awesome and blogged a little ditty about the trip here:http://globalhealthinnovations.org/update-on-ghana

there are millions more pics taken by myself and many others on the trip.
here are a friends on facebook
an incredible profesh photographer also tagged along. here is a bit on her blog as well: nancy borowick


As you can see, i love this organization, i love these kids and am honored to have been a part of their work.
Thanks to Pam Cope for starting TAL through her heartache.
Because of her passion through tragedy, childrens lives are forever changed. and ok, mine too.

(i think i've posted enough links in this post, ha)


p.s. good to see you again blogger.
i'm back in the game
Kate

humbled

we had our hamburger cookout yesterday evening before church.

it was to raise money for my trip with TouchaLife this summer to the Village of Hope in Ghana.

it went so great!

i'm overwhelmed with the support we received and completely humbled.

it's strange that when people show their support for your dreams, in return you feel humbled.

you think when so many people demonstrate thier love, you'd feel pretty proud.

not at all.

thankful is an inadequate word. but it'll do.

of course, we served lots of sweet tea

my boo grilled lots of burgers in the heat

my mamaws worked hard. without me even asking.

they just showed up and started doing

the conga line. or food line

some of the supporters

more of 'em

the kiddos playing by the grill.

we thought that through, huh?

more family

none of this would've happened if it weren't for this guy.

i told GT a few months ago that i wasn't going to go to Ghana because it was just too much money.

sure, we could pay for it, but it would make a pretty big dent.

he didn't take that for one second.

he replied...kate, of course you're going. this is why you do what you do. you love medical missions and helping kids. of course you're going.

and that was that.

he said, we'll have a dinner to raise money. i'll cook hamburgers/bbq and people who want to help, will help.

i love my husband.

i'm grateful for his support of my heart.

i can't wait to see what this trip has in store. and thankful that people wanted to help.

this world is way bigger than me and it's nice to be reminded of that.

happy weekend eve,

Kate

nuh nuh nuh nuh....BATMAN!

Don't you just love a fresh newborn?

There are few things more precious and emotional to me than a brand new baby. I just adore those first few moments with a new life. Childbirth is a miracle and completely blows my mind.

Monday evening, our good friends Ryan and Miranda had their 1st little man.

They've been married almost 9 years and are now a family of 3. This baby boy has been prayed for, for years and they are giving glory to no one else, but God, for the blessing of this baby.

 He is a very, very loved boy.

just a few weeks before Batman entered the world.

Now, let me explain.

They didn't tell anyone the babys name until he was born! We begged and tried to trick them into sharing his name with us beforehand. but, no. they wouldn't do it.

I was actually very impressed with their secrecy.

So, we called him Batman throughout Mirandas pregnancy.

they had an awesome "Last Hoo-rah without a baby" party at their house a few weeks before Batman flew into the world.

a fun fiesta

I painted this mural(if you will) on the wall in his nursery

another view of his super cute crib and bedding, that Mirs mom made

I told you this boy was loved.

Isaac Ryan Lee

perfect.

I was so emotional seeing them all 3 together for the first time.

It was beautiful.

They have held their faith so close. They have prayed so often. They have been blessed.

I praise God for friends like these.

and of course this little man who I will snuggle for a very long time.

happy wednesday,

Kate

Mothers Day gift idea

Have you bought your Mothers Day gift yet? or made it?

Usually I take to making gifts. It's my thing.

So, that's what I did, kind of. I won't tell though, because mi madre will be reading this.

If you're looking for the perfect gift for your mumsy...i have it!

I can't give it to my mom. Mostly because she wrote it. That'd be awkward.

Here's my moms first published book. And boy, oh boy, is it good.

The perfect devo/parenting book.

If you live in town, call me or email me or facebook me or whatever, and i'll bring it to you.

I think they're $10. I think.

You can also click here:http://heartmombooks.blogspot.com/ to order one.

Mom has directions on the left side of the page on how to order.

Isn't it darling?! and smack full of great lessons.

Check it out. I'm a pretty proud daughter,

Kate

Potters Hand

I fought back tears during worship on Sunday morning.

Rows in front of me, I watched as 2 women who I love dearly wrapped their arms around a great woman whose heart is breaking.

There are few things more powerful than the people of Christ loving one another.

We were singing this beautiful song and you could just feel the love and strength being wrapped around this hurting sister by her friends. It was as beautiful of a sight as the song we were singing.

how do people deal with life without the hope of heaven?

how do people make it through tragedy without brothers and sisters in the Lord?

I praise God, not only for His love, but for the love of my eternal family.

weekend of Love recap

You know how some people say "the first year of my marriage was sooooo hard" or

"that was the best year of our marriage, we had a blast"?

We spent this past weekend listening to couples share their testimony and stories from their years of marriage. Many shared their stories of fights and many of their bliss.

We, GT & I, are still trying to figure out what kind of 1st year we are gonna have.

j/k, I joke.

but, seriously.

i'm kidding.

Anywhooo, we had an awesome weekend at the WFR Marriage Retreat, along with 40 other couples.

Not only did our marriage receive a boost, but we were able to get to know couples at WFR that we'll be spending time with for...well, ever. It really is very encouraging to hear "experienced" couples share their struggles and helpful tips. Our first year so far has been wonderful but we realize that we are far from being exempt from Satans' attacks on marriages. This weekend we learned ways to help us keep our guard up against that stupid devil.

We also had a lot of fun.

We played games for 4 hours,  way too late for this lady, one night and my face hurt from laughing.

real old man?

or woman in an old mans mask hitting on Pauls wife and making Paul nervous?

the group

the wifeys

the newest newlyweds...awwww

our table at dinner one night

The "real" Val Day, yesterday, was just as wonderful.

I have no real stance on the day. I'm neither the girl who says "valentines day is a forced love day, i will not celebrate my love because someone told me to" or the girl who says "i want flowers and chocolate, i deserve it" and cries when she gets neither.

It's a nice day. Gifts are always welcome and I'm happy to show my love, forced or not.

We took my cousin, Bella, to her horse-riding lesson at our friends, Tony and Kims.

Then we went to Cheniere Shack, my fave eatery.

Both of these are my favorite.

Neither of these are fancy.

Both of these welcome, if not require, jeans and boots.

Neither of these require makeup.

the end.

Bella in her lesson from Jossie. She's 8 and is awesome.
We talked about Justin Bieber...alot.


Hope your Valentines day was perfect, according to your kinda perfect.

loooove,
kate

Girlfriends

Look at my momma.

She's recording a TV show. Look out!

Mom is part of a little show on local tv in Monroe/WM called Girlfriends.

Last week I was able to spend a bit of time watching them film the show and loved watching the process.

The show is full of great bible studies and helpful lessons on how to be a woman living for the Lord.

My mom is the special guest, Dr. Joneal Kirby. fancy, huh?

She's pretty smart.

She also will be having a bible study book coming out soon.

I can't wait!

It will definitely be posted when it's released, because everyone will love it.

Here's a link to my mom's ministry website. check it out

Have I mentioned this yet? We will be living with my mom and dad.

I love my parents and GT does too. Let's hope it stays that way while we reside under the same roof.

It can only be good. right? right? I need some encouragement.

Seriously, though we are blessed to have them and are grateful for them offering to host us for a bit.

So, for the next few months I will probably have great stories about living with your parents when you're married, living with a man that works in the hunting industry, starting a new job, trying to sell our house in LR, moving, and finding a new house. whew!

for now though, I am fighting a nasty virus and am resting on the couch.

holler,

Kate

Haiti, one year later

Driving to work this morning I was totally thinking of myself and my day when KLOVE reminded me why it and everything else is not about me.

I was reminded that today is the 1st anniversary of the Haiti earthquake.

How could I ever forget that?

Last year, I am sure I thought that I would remember that day.

Our hearts were so full of saddness for those that lost everything.

How quickly we (I) forget.

Because it is not tangible and it has no direct effect on me, I forgot.

I'm sure those children without parents didn't forget. I'm sure those who were widowed didn't forget. I'm sure those families living in tents didn't forget. I'm sure those men and women still down there caring for those hurting didn't forget.

and thankfully, these people didn't forget.

Michael W.Smith gathered musicians together to raise money for Haiti.

 The contributing artists included Amy Grant, TobyMac, Matt Maher, Oak Ridge Boys, Steven Curtis Chapman, Lee Greenwood, Wynona, Casting Crowns and lots of others. How eclectic and awesome!

Days like today make me wonder why God chose me to live comfortably.

Not only comfortably, but in luxury.

I am overwhelmed with gratitude for the blessings I have of family, food and a home. Things that I rarely take 1 second to think about being there.

May we never forget our blessings.

May we never forget those that are hurting and without.

Praise God for His powerful healing

The Story of Jonah

I can't believe that I haven't shared this before!
LOVE this little storyteller.
Coming from someone who is not a storyteller, I am fascinated by her captivating storytelling.
and what a great story to tell!!

I Am Second Josh Hamilton

I am a big Josh Hamilton fan

Perhaps the Rangers will remember how to play like a team that deserves to be in the World Series.

Either way...i'll cheer them on.

Especially Center Field.

I also love Camp Ch-Yo-Ca

We have dropped in rank and need your vote STAT!!!!!

Pepsis' challenge is over on Sunday and we have entered into the competitive days of voting.

You can vote by this link: HERE

You can also text 102992 to 73774 (Pepsi)

Thanks and Ranger love,

Kate

All Of Creation

Your Hands

I first heard this song on the way to the hospital to be with my good friend, Lauren, when she was at the beginning of her fight against Leukemia (she's now in complete remission!!!!!!!!!!!). That day, I shared it with her. It truly moved me to a place of reverence and peace. JJ Hellers' song has simply put into words the idea that we are loved by a God who created the world and he is more than able when we are aching.

This beautiful song encourages me and I hope it will you too, to remember when your heart is breaking that our God is truly capable of healing. He is also there to hold you when you feel that healing will never come.

My heart breaks for those I love, but I rest in knowing that my God holds their heart.

I couldn't help but share my heart,

Kate