tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37959912481891244312025-10-17T03:10:19.790-04:00{made with love, sprinkled with grace, and topped with gratitude}Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16672650939075009566noreply@blogger.comBlogger121125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3795991248189124431.post-18341691075727399792014-07-29T09:56:00.002-04:002024-05-07T13:42:10.651-04:00

This is one of my favorite meals to prepare during the summer.  It's quick, filling, nutritious, and a great way to get your kids to eat their veggies.  It only takes a few ingredients to whip up this healthy meal for the family. The essential ingredients are the soba noodles (Japanese for buckwheat) and the soba dipping sauce (available at most Asian supermarkets).  

Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16672650939075009566noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3795991248189124431.post-13246722014795344282014-04-04T13:38:00.000-04:002014-04-05T09:30:07.509-04:00

Nothing prepares you for the realities of parenthood.  Even the best written books, parenting websites, seminars, and advice can only equip you with so much.  Everything in theory sounds doable, manageable, even a breeze!  What's so hard about it?  The truth is parenting is an everyday learning (and humbling!) experience which begins when that little person enters into

Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16672650939075009566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3795991248189124431.post-33082037799253999142014-01-22T19:41:00.000-05:002014-01-23T19:22:52.444-05:00

From a very young age, my eldest has always had a love for creating and building things.  I hope he never loses that.  And more than that, I pray I won't be the one responsible for dashing his creativity or dreams. One of the things I've recognized about my life over the years is that I don't offer myself much grace.  But the more damaging reality is that I don't readily

Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16672650939075009566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3795991248189124431.post-9814505409505308452013-09-04T20:13:00.001-04:002013-09-04T20:34:30.787-04:00

My oldest son, my firstborn, the child who first made me a mom five years ago, went off to Kindergarten today.  Truth be told, I didn't sleep a wink the night before.  I was obviously much more nervous about it than he was!   I'm so glad my anxiety didn't rub off on him.  After praying in the car this morning and parting goodbye with a kiss and hug, he marched along and

Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16672650939075009566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3795991248189124431.post-9827842402943423762013-06-12T21:14:00.000-04:002014-01-22T20:33:08.799-05:00

[Celebrating the gift of 5 wonder-filled, joy-infused, adventure-never-ending years of life (pictured here with his brother & sweet cousins)! ] Dear CJ, On June 10th, we celebrated your 5th birthday with family.  I know it's so cliche, but I really can't believe how quickly time flies!  You went from a little peanut to this tall exuberant boy in what seems like a matter of

Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16672650939075009566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3795991248189124431.post-10676751814997602552012-10-03T13:25:00.000-04:002012-10-03T13:51:51.485-04:00

My son turned 3 recently, and as soon as I saw this eye-popping cake on Pinterest pinned from Enchanted Mommy's site, I knew it was the perfect one for his birthday celebration!  He fell in love with M&Ms while we were potty-training him this past year (for every successful potty trip, he got 2 M&Ms as reward).  Many thanks to the mommy who originally made this fun

Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16672650939075009566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3795991248189124431.post-42326139038963909962012-09-26T14:21:00.001-04:002012-09-26T14:25:35.481-04:00

My sweetest Nathan, Happiest 3rd birthday to you, darling!  It’s hard to believe 3 years have already flown by since you entered the world and into our lives.  You went from being a peanut that we could hold with one hand to a mini linebacker that can wrestle your brother to the ground!  Can I tell you what a funny child you are?  Even before you were able to speak,

Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16672650939075009566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3795991248189124431.post-44239859881513068542012-09-24T09:50:00.002-04:002012-09-24T10:29:33.926-04:00

For my birthday, I had planned on writing a lengthy post reflecting back on the year, particularly speaking about God's faithfulness in restoring my soul after a long and very dark period precipitated by my miscarriage a little over a year ago.  But sometimes words simply fall short. So in one sentence and one Scripture passage, I'll sum it up: I am grateful for a life filled with

Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16672650939075009566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3795991248189124431.post-57178044287134436392012-08-08T15:41:00.001-04:002012-08-09T23:34:50.068-04:00

I remember growing up watching “Full House” and envying the scenes where Bob Saget’s character, Danny Tanner aka “Dad”, would sit next to one of his daughters (whichever one was in trouble at the time) and talk about whatever issue was at hand – be it boys, cheating or lying, or being the subject of idle gossip.  Father and daughter would both say their piece, and with the exchange of a

Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16672650939075009566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3795991248189124431.post-7483174913013104452012-06-10T23:14:00.000-04:002012-09-20T23:39:44.256-04:00

My dearest CJ, Today you went from being a curious, willful 3-year-old toddler to an incredibly bright, independent, and mature 4-year-old boy.  It's amazing how much you've grown in the past year alone!  Two was a tough age (the infamous "terrible twos" hit pretty much after you turned 18 months), but three was even more challenging!  At three, you clearly knew right from

Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16672650939075009566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3795991248189124431.post-50485407496194873692012-05-14T13:12:00.000-04:002012-05-15T08:01:39.286-04:00

One of my favorite pastimes is baking with my eldest son (and eventually with both sons when the younger one is old enough).  I'd like to think it's one of my son's favorite pastimes, too.  He's always eager to roll up his sleeves, get in the kitchen, make a mess, sample a taste here and another one there, and be a help to mom (even though most times it ends up being more of a

Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16672650939075009566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3795991248189124431.post-61548791732682510252012-05-08T21:03:00.000-04:002012-06-14T16:01:51.753-04:00

This post is a little late, but better late than never I say (actually, I hate being late but I'll pretend it doesn't matter in this instance). J and I celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary this past April 24th.  At the beginning of this year, my fabulous sister-in-law insisted we go away by ourselves in April.  She, herself, was taking two weeks off and offered to watch the

Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16672650939075009566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3795991248189124431.post-16137359317349233932012-04-05T17:50:00.000-04:002012-04-05T19:42:03.317-04:00

My very near and dear friend from college was in town from California this week, and she suggested I make macarons for her after seeing the macaron tower I had pinned on Pinterest.  Seeing as it's been on my list of "to-dos", I figured this was a good reason to give macarons a try!  So we put on our aprons (well, at least I did), grabbed our spatulas, and made an evening out of it.

Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16672650939075009566noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3795991248189124431.post-18799020687126703702012-04-03T09:05:00.000-04:002012-04-03T09:12:37.945-04:00

I love my slow cooker.  And I love when I can make simple and tasty dishes like this without requiring too much effort on my part. I was surprised by how easy pulled pork is to make.  Throw a hunk of pork shoulder in the slow cooker with broth, onion, bbq sauce, salt, and pepper for 8 hours, and you've got pork so tender, it melts off the bone and into your mouth. I found

Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16672650939075009566noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3795991248189124431.post-77218532666091093022012-03-22T09:39:00.000-04:002012-03-22T13:25:03.273-04:00

I had the privilege of reading to CJ's 3-year-old class at his preschool yesterday.  Although he specifically requested that I bring car books (didn't matter which ones as long as they had cars in it), I brought books I thought would be of more value to his class and still be enjoyed by the children.  And quite honestly, I'm tired of hearing about Lightning McQueen and Tow Mater.

Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16672650939075009566noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3795991248189124431.post-30510492793284826322012-03-19T15:16:00.002-04:002012-03-24T20:14:46.407-04:00

{ Chicken stock from the leftovers of one rotisserie chicken.   Labels are self-stick notepads from last year's IJM's Global Prayer Gathering. } Who doesn't love rotisserie chicken (well, besides vegetarians and my mother-in-law who has an abnormal aversion to anything chicken)?  Now our family has been around the block when it comes to store-bought rotisserie chicken.  

Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16672650939075009566noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3795991248189124431.post-52655804276689397142012-03-12T16:30:00.000-04:002012-10-15T13:29:02.726-04:00

{ the beautiful cake presented to me at my baby shower while eagerly expecting my firstborn } I could've been celebrating my baby's birth date any day now.   Instead of writing this post, I would've been making final preparations for his/her arrival, drafting the announcement email and soon plastering Facebook with a very first picture.  Who knows?  Maybe my

Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16672650939075009566noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3795991248189124431.post-72017816719686963652012-03-02T10:31:00.000-05:002012-03-03T13:44:28.586-05:00

{ Lemon-Garlic Cajun Shrimp prepared for my son and brother's birthday bash } I love that scene from Forrest Gump (one of my favorite movies) when Bubba tells Forrest about all the different kinds of shrimp. "Anyway, like I was sayin', shrimp is the fruit of the sea. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, saute it. Dey's uh, shrimp-kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo. Pan fried,

Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16672650939075009566noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3795991248189124431.post-42005051009683303802012-02-28T13:03:00.000-05:002012-02-28T13:35:35.644-05:00

Even when I'm feeling quite crummy (been home bound with a bad back), my boys never cease to make me laugh.  The simplest things make them so happy.  Their aunt bought them new Cars underwear, but they thought they would make better super hero masks instead.  Gotta love their creativity! Off to save the day (and help make mommy feel better in the process)!  Thank God for

Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16672650939075009566noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3795991248189124431.post-12907244345828322732012-02-23T01:30:00.002-05:002012-02-24T10:47:48.311-05:00

I've gone Linsane.  Who hasn't??  The funny thing is I've known about Jeremy for a while.  But I had no idea he was this good or would play such a pivotal role in sports or American history.  Never.  I think it's hard for most of us to completely understand the significance of what he's doing and what molds he's breaking.  It is nothing less than God making a

Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16672650939075009566noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3795991248189124431.post-40888418171437242472012-02-22T14:04:00.000-05:002012-02-23T01:45:35.316-05:00

My boys are 3 and 2.  Anyone with children this young and this close in age knows how challenging and exhausting it can be.  But they'll also know the incredible blessings of their children always having their best friend around.  And for that, I could not be more thankful. Brothers by Mother's Mementos brothers often make you laugh sometimes make you cry they fight and

Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16672650939075009566noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3795991248189124431.post-81097215520344789992012-02-06T15:29:00.000-05:002012-03-17T23:29:19.464-04:00

I've been wanting to write this post for a while but didn't know exactly what to convey or how to put it. But the bottom line was my blog was dying.  The heart and soul of it had been lost somewhere, and I forgot quite easily why and for whom I was writing. I've been keeping journals since I was in 7th grade and started my first online journal in 2001 when I moved from

Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16672650939075009566noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3795991248189124431.post-61718576727175896092012-02-01T09:30:00.000-05:002012-03-21T22:01:09.870-04:00

Who knew that parsnips could be so pretty or taste so good?  I surely didn't until I picked up Annabel Karmel's book, My Favorite Recipes, from the library. As soon as I saw the beautiful bloom of parsnip chips, I knew I wanted to try the recipe even though I've never cooked with parsnips before.  So I went to the local grocery store and picked up 4 parsnips, located right next

Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16672650939075009566noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3795991248189124431.post-90268217418249869692012-01-30T19:05:00.000-05:002012-02-07T21:53:43.475-05:00

As Valentine's Day and my husband's birthday soon approaches, these are just a few words that come to mind: My husband and I love Scrabble, although our current addiction is playing "Words with Friends" online.  So this wedding gift presented to us by a very dear friend of mine is one of the most thoughtful and meaningful gifts I've received.  She constructed the words using the

Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16672650939075009566noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3795991248189124431.post-84909327829692003232011-12-15T22:39:00.000-05:002012-03-19T18:37:21.541-04:00

I know it's been a while since the last entry on this blog.  Thanks to all those who've continued to visit, comment, and like on Facebook.  I really appreciate the support and encouragement.  I haven't been able to devote as much time to the blog as I'd like, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to share these delightful cookies with you. I participated in a cookie

Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16672650939075009566noreply@blogger.com6