CHOCOLATE/BANANA (spinach) SMOOTHIES!!

We've been on a smoothie kick around this house lately. This week alone we've had 5 smoothies each:) It started out with the Green Monster which my cousin gave me the recipe for. I use a frozen banana, some yogurt, a cup or so of orange juice and a good handful of spinach. Then I bought a prepackage smoothie mix b/c I had a coupon AND it was on sale... it consisted of frozen bananas and strawberries and frozen yogurt pieces. Then you add a cup of apple juice (and then I added a handful of spinach). This one is YUMMY! It taste just like the McDonald's stawberry/banana smoothie. I recreate this one often.

I read about a PB/banana smoothie and thought the kids might like it. It was just a couple tablespoons of PB, a frozen banana, some yogurt and a little milk (and of course some spinach). I couldn't bring myself to drink it but the kids LOVED it!!

One of their favorites is a Chocolate/Banana smoothie. I use Carnation Instant Breakfast, frozen banana, yogurt and milk (and spinach). This one is great!!!

Some tips I do is cut my bananas into pieces and freeze them. I also freeze yogurt in an ice tray. OH and if the spinach is gonna show up too much, I just add a drop of green food coloring so the kids don't know;0) I just tell em we're having monster smoothies. Really though it only happens with the orange juice/banana smoothie.

I'm so proud of myself! We've had spinach almost everyday this week.... I even hid some spinach and squash in our spaghetti tonight. Those of you who know me know I'm a meat and potatoes girl. The only veggies I enjoy are green beans, corn and potatoes. I'm TRYING:D Yay ME!!!

Tree Fort:)

Cameron is sooo handy!! Not only is he handy, he is also a perfectionist (which does sometimes take a little longer than speedy Jenny can stand BUT the finished product is ALWAYS worth the wait:).

He wanted to build a tree fort in the back yard. He's been working on it for a few months and IT.IS.FINISHED!!! Oh it's amazing. These pictures don't quite do it justice. It's really large. It's an irregular hexagon (that's six sides for those of you who aren't not the queen of Geometry like I am;0). He weighted the door so you can pull a pvc pipe and it opens and then just pull the rope attached to it for closure. OH isn't that SO high tech?!

Anyway, I cannot wait for beautiful 70 degree weather where I can sit up there and READ. We found a great chair at a flea market that is the perfect addition. Many, MANY memories will be made at this tree fort. We are hoping to put a picnic table under it sometime soon.

And YES I am way more excited about this than anyone else in the family:)

In this pic, you can see the door. This was prior to completion.

There are now rails up beside it so no one can fall overboard!

MY CHAIR!!!! :D

My sweet 6 year old leaving the fort.

Introducing....

Jingle Bells:D

Cameron finally gave in... I mean was SO excited about adding to the family! We are so excited about having a new puppy. Jingle Bells is a golden doodle and she's a very sweet, good doggy. We are in puppy training at Pet Smart and she's learning a lot. Welcome to the fam Jingle Bells!! We are so glad you are here!!

Merry Christmas!!

Oh it's been a good Christmas for us!! I'm not sure we've ever thoroughly enjoyed and soaked each other up quite as much as we have this year and it's been SO good! We have been reading an Advent story this month and finished it today and it was so good. How thankful I am God placed it on my heart years ago to READ, READ, READ to my children. We have read so many rich books over the past few years. So many precious memories we've made through those books.

The kids have had the best Christmas as far as gifts go. Cameron built them the most amazing tree fort!!! We are going to have the most fun in our back yard over the next several years. We also bought them a trampoline for Christmas which they LOVE!!!

Joleigh has thoroughly enjoyed her first Christmas as a Wallace. She has loved seeing the Christmas lights and looking for our Elf friend daily:) She and Piper have played all night long with the doll house. The boys have played all night with legos and Cameron and I were able to watch a movie all alone while they all played.

Thank you God for the blessings You've given us. Oh please continue to guide us as we raise these children You have blessed with. You know I would freeze them in a moment if it were possible. OH I would, I would!!! Please God let them run and chase after You. Let them have a desire to know You more. Let our lives glorify You!!

She is...

... a joy giver!

She is full of life!

She is resilient!

She is a firecracker!

She is beautiful in every way!

She is 3 years old!

She absolutely LOVES to learn!

She also LOVES her momma's crochet projects:)

She thinks life is a song!

Her mommy has had a very hard 6 months and God has given her healing powers!

She is life for my soul and a light in my heart!

Oh thank you Jesus for each moment with have with Piper Jane! We are soaking her up!!

Fear

I realized a couple of months ago while doing a Bible study with the women at Grace Fellowship Bible that the thing that really grips me, stands in the way of truly following and trusting Him is fear. While we were sharing our obstacles or things we struggle with all of the other women said several things that they personally struggle with and then it came to me and all I had written was FEAR! Everything pretty much revolved around this in my life. What kind of fear? So many different levels. My ultimate fear is that my family will not know the Lord and will not be FOLLOWERS of Him. Oh this fear sometimes cripples me for my children. I somehow think that if I do A, B, and C then they will come to know Him. I know that's not the way it works but oh I wish it were... and then no, I don't want it to be that way b/c I wouldn't do it good enough to lead them there. None of us could ever earn His favor. Other fears are just terrible accidents. People quit telling me about freak accidents b/c then I fear they will happen to one of us. I mean, the more children you have the greater your odds, right?! Sound silly? Well, that's what has gripped me. BUT He has risen and He is a living God and He is NOT finished with me yet. I truly have lifted my arms up to Him and given Him my fears. Fear is not from the Lord! FEAR IS NOT FROM THE LORD! So why am I allowing Satan to have so much control of my life by fearing!! After giving Him my fears and laying them on the alter, I truly feel He has asked me to study His word for EVERYTHING it says about fear AND trusting!!! Obviously if I'm fearing, I'm not trusting. I am SO excited about searching His word. Confession... I have NEVER hungered to be in the word. I've wanted to so badly but never truly hungered for it. Last year I read the Bible all the way through but I still didn't delve through it to learn more and more. I am so thankful for the hunger for His word He has given me.

Here are a couple of passages I've read about fear ... now I don't just read the verses stated I go back and get the entire context b/c I really don't have a great knowledge of the Word. So if fear is something you struggle with, join me!! I told my husband, "WOW... how scary is it for Satan to know that I am giving up FEAR!!"

Passages:

Genesis 21:16-17 .. Hagar and Ismael: What did she fear and what did the Lord say? I read a couple chapters around these verses to get the story behind them.

Genesis 26: 6-7 .. Isaac and Rebekah: What did Isaac fear? What was the result of this fear? I read a couple chapters around this as well.

Same pump, totally different story!

A week ago I was at the Kroger gas pump talking on the phone while trying to get the pump started. Now let me add, I was actually waiting on the phone b/c a friend of mine had to take another call. The pump was messing up and said it couldn't read my Kroger card and then it was canceling the transaction, yaddy yada. Now I'm a pro at the gas pump. I don't waste time. I have found the most efficient order to make sure I get the gas pumping quickly;0) it's true... I don't like wasting time at the pump. HEhe!

Well for some reason the pump was just acting up. I hear someone say, "ma'am". I didn't think much of it and then I heard it again really loud "MA'AM!!" I looked behind me and a middle aged man in a nice truck said, "are you gonna talk on the phone or are you gonna pump gas?" WOW! Are you serious?!!! I calmly put the pump back in the machine and took a few steps towards his truck and said, "Are you talking to me?" He then rudely restates his bold statement. I very calmly (this is true I was very calm) let him know he didn't know me and had no right to address me in a rude manner. I told him the pump was messing up and since he was being so inconvenienced he may need to find another pump. His wife was in the truck and you could tell by the look on her face very few stood up to him. He took my advice and found another pump... at another station. I was just shocked at how rude people could be. I was thankful the Lord held my tongue and just let him know he was being inappropriate instead of being inappropriate right back.

Fast forward a week.

Today I was pumping gas and I see a man who is obviously homeless and probably mentally ill ask a couple of people if he could make a call on their phone. Both men he asked didn't really even give him eye contact and said "no". Oh it broke my heart. But those of you who know me know I have the most ridiculous amount of compassion, like maybe to a fault. He began to walk off and then turned around and came towards me. He said, "do you have a phone I could use to make a phone call?" I said, "absolutely". I got my iPhone out of the car and gave it to him but he wasn't quite sure how to use it so he asked if I could dial the number for him. As he was waiting for someone to answer he began pacing around my vehicle, I said with a smirky smile "okay now if you're gonna borrow my phone you're gonna have to stand by me". He said, "oh no I'm not gonna steal from you. I promise I'm not gonna take your phone." I looked him in the eye and said, "I know that. I believe you but it wouldn't be wise of me to let you out of my sight" :) He then sat there with me by the pump. My eyes just continually welled up. He finally got a hold of someone. When he went to return my phone he said, "thank you. All these folks with a phone and not nobody gonna let me make ONE call". I said "you're welcome and God bless you! I'm going to pray for you." He then stood up and looked at me with the most sincere face and gasped, "My momma is saved!! My momma is saved! I get it. That's why you let me borrow your phone." He continually thanked me and wished to pay me back. I told him, "there's no need!!! This isn't my phone. It's His! God doesn't give us things to hoard, He gives us things to help those in need". Oh my heart was full as we shook hands. When I got in the car I verbally said, "God you don't want me to live life SAFELY!!! You want me to seek you in EVERY circumstance."

Lord Jesus protect my friend tonight!