gettin ready for st. paddys day the tortilla way

I was in the mood to create something fun
with the kiddos for
st paddy's day

it involved cutting shamrock shapes in tortillas
(I found that warming them in the micro for 10 seconds helped)

nonstick spray was used for the pan
and on top the tortillas

and then I had a (very) cute trio of boys
who (generously) sprinkled green sugar on top of the shamrocks

and they did a super job!
(minus the bowlful of green granules that ended up all over the floor.....)

when the shamrocks were as green as envy
I put them in a 350 degree oven until light brown on the edges
(about 4-5 minutes)


the boys had a blast and I've already sampled one--
lightly sweet and crunchy
and YUM!


ENJOY!

have a SUPER wednesday, blogger b's!


Love, Laurie for the fam

granalls

these granola balls are easy to make and have been named
Granalls
(by a certain member of our extended fam)
I first found this wonderful recipe HERE 
on my friend Lisa's blog
and like all good recipes I find, I just can't leave them alone
and I make a few little changes....

first melt 4 T butter
1/2 c peanut butter
and 2/3 c honey over medium heat

mix together 2 c crisp rice cereal and
2 c oatmeal and add it to the melted mixture.
Stir (duh, right?)

add 1 cup raisins, if desired
(we desire the raisins!)

place granall mixture in the fridge, covered,
until just cool
(about 20-30 mimutes)
and sprinkle mini chocolate chips throughout
stirring occassionally
(approx 1-1 1/2 cups)

I keep the bowl of granall mixture in the fridge
and roll together a few granalls at a time
it holds together better when batter is cold

these are great snacks for the kiddos
a quick "mommy grab" when I'm holding a fussy baby
and Justin thinks they make a great breakfast
ENJOY!
============================================================



Charity's been scooching under this chair



and it's been fun to see Matthias play along with this game of
Charity under the gray chair

he'll play peek-a-boo and surprise her
or he'll grab her hand and they'll play
"who can hold on longer"
for awhile

but then Matthias will stop to pose for a picture
and Charity, as you can see,
easily gets bored
that girl has come into the world with 3 big brothers
who constantly entertain her
she kinda doesn't know what to do with stillness and silence!



have a SUPER tuesday, all!

Love, Laurie for the fam

so I've let you all in on the organization that is going on
full force here in the james house
serious organization
and no possession is considered sacred
except the coffee pot maybe
so when I asked Jon to take care of the top of his dresser
you know.....organize it
this is what I got
l to the o to the l

he was most proud of his piggy bank
sportin' the Badger hat

but I cracked up when I spotted the dueling
darth vader and helicopter pilot
well, pilot equipped with a light saber
so I guess the face-off is pretty equal



then I discovered an added bonus of my organization-
counting practice for my little 4Ker
how many bags of powdered sugar are there, Caleb?
8
are you sure?
yep
that's a lot of powdered sugar
maybe I am a hoarder after all
the most popular answer I got
when I asked what I should do with all the powdered sugar?!
GIVEAWAY WEDNESDAY!
haha.  that won't happen
cause I don't want to pay shipping for sending sugar!



I'm really blessed with a great hubby
who's also a great daddy
this Saturday he played
Solo Daddy-e-o
while I went away to a hearts at home conference
a girls late night trip to bob evans for yummy stuffed pancakes
a full day of mommy encouragement
and all the chatting a girl could ask for with two of her fav gals




hope you had a refreshing weekend, too
happy monday.....full of later sunshine than last monday
and one day closer to spring than yesterday!




love, laurie for the fam
p.s. organization tips to come when I've got a couple more moments
at the computer

baby beauty

I love watching my daughter look at herself in the mirror
like any baby she truly believes there is a little friend in there

and she loves that cute little baby so much
she just wants to eat her up
 like I love her so much
I just want to eat her up
with kisses, of course

(here, mommy
you look at the cute baby in the mirror)

look at that cute little crinkle-nosed smile
(and the baby in the mirror has one, too)

my prayer for my sweet little baby girl
is that as she grows up
she will see what I see when she looks in the mirror
a beautiful girl made specially by God
and that she will be more concerned
with making her inside beautiful
than the beauty she beholds in the mirror

"...beauty is fleeting but a woman who fears the Lord will be praised"
~Proverbs 31:30

Nikki!  Commentor #4
you are the GIVEAWAY WEDNESDAY winner of the week...
YAY for you!
shoot me an email and let me know where I can send your Nutella
but please.....promise us all you will not put the stuff on hot dogs, k?
that would just be gross
(I think)
but you could definitely try these....they are SO GOOD

have a SUPER weekend, all!

Love, Laurie for the fam

love that little guy



go, Jon, go!
here Caleb and I are at the Grizzlies Basketball Game last Saturday morning
(you know, before the Krispy Kreme run...)
he is so silly



he is also so precious
Caleb is grasping the deep truths of Jesus
and it's so neat to see all that's going on in his heart
his prayer right now, what he says to Jesus almost every night......
"it's not about being perfect
but we just have to trust You."
Amen, little guy


have a SUPER thursday!
linking up here

p.s. don't forget to enter the GIVEAWAY if you haven't already
click here to check it out!



GIVEAWAY WEDNESDAY! random of randomness randomly

I love Krispy Kreme donuts
when I was prego with Caleb I'd do the KK drive thru while Jon was at PreSchool
an original with chocolate and sprinkles, please
gotta have the sprinkles
the last place we lived had a shell of a KK building that was no longer KK
it was a mean trick everytime I drove down War Memorial Drive
now I'm making up for lost time
yes, the drive now is about a half an hour 
but Justin can easily be convinced of the need for a donut run
when we're all out on a Saturday morning anyways
after Jon's Upwards game
ahh, Krispy Kreme how I've missed you
11 free donuts with coupons?!
yes, please!
that doesn't just give me mom points that gives me frugal points
and I'm all about both



so the picture of this book was taken awhile back
because I've really had the urge to share with you the AWESOMENESS
that is this parenting book
Justin and I are taking a class on Tuesday nights
and let me tell you
Chip is right on
but now when I see this book all I can think of is dropping it in the toilet
right before class last night
and the guy next to me asked,
"what did you do, drop it in a puddle or something?"
now most people would've just answered
yep
and kept silent about the fact that it was definitely a "or something"
nope not me
"well, actually it was the toilet." (then I felt the need to go on....)
"after it was flushed" (I just really should've stopped)
and the only worse part about this information
is that earlier in the day I also dropped my debit card
as the McDonald's cashier was handing it back to me in the drive thru
and it went under the car
and I'll just leave out the details on this one
moving on.....



these wonderful balls have quickly become a
James family fav
and Justin takes 4 for his breakfast on the road
and apparantely has designated places during his hour-long commute
where he consumes each one
that statement was not meant to sound like mocking
I'm just not sure how else to word that
hmmmmmm

this devo is something I found in the bookstore about a month ago
I bought it along with a CD and a book for myself
and the cashier was kind enough to tell me random facts about all 3 purchases
this devotional is a best seller
and written by a former misionary
in case you were wondering
oh, and Jon loves it

are you impressed with this newly re-arranged cupboard?
I'm on an organizing, spring cleaning,
throw-everything-away-that's-not-used-on-a-weekly-basis spree
mercy on all the materialistic things in this house
they have no idea what's coming
and one of my weaknesses in life is NOT
hoarding
but I do regret getting rid of my "extra" crock pot when we moved
you know, the one I've needed like 8 times since

is there anything anyone out in blogland recommends I do NOT
pair with Nutella?!
speak freely but carefully, people
I'm thinking canned green beans would still be as nasty as they are
 even with Nutella
but that's just a guess
anyways, to wrap up this post of randomness
I'm giving away this particular jar of Nutella
the James fam has now upgraded to the BIG jar
and if you're a Nutella fan,
you know what I'm talking about
but this one, this very jar of Nutella is my
GIVEAWAY WEDNESDAY
Here's what you need to do:
leave a comment telling me something you think would be gross with Nutella
(so the winner will avoid the matching of such item with their prize)
then leave me another comment telling me which random aforementioned item
you'd like me to blog about next:
do you want to know more about Chip's parenting book?
do you want to know more about this highly-acclaimed devotional book for kids?
what about Laurie's organization tips and tricks?
are you wanting the recipe you see above?
is there something else you think is blog-worthy and not in the post of random?
comment it up for me and we'll see what happens.....

I want to hear from you!  If you check in on this here blog,
YOU, yes YOU, have a chance to win


have a super GIVEAWAY WEDNESDAY!


Love, Laurie for the fam

this pic is frame-able

capturing the moments
remembering them
that's my quest as a mommy of 4
I don't want to forget the preciousness of waking up
to find Justin on the couch with Charity snuggled on his chest asleep

I'm so blessed
My sweet hubby took the later night shift after I flopped into bed
exhausted
at the end of my 4AM shift

are you curious what's on Disney channel at that hour?
Little Einsteins
if you think their voices are mildly irritating during the light hours of the day
you should hear them at 4AM
just sayin

Note:  Justin turned on Sports Center
she fell right asleep
why didn't I think of that?!


Happy Tuesday, All!


Love, Laurie for the fam

Rock the Crock....rockin one wonder

this is just something I had to share with you all

it's a one ingredient wonder

to Rock the Crock

and I just can't keep it inside any longer

I have to shout it out to all of Blogland so you all will know

and try it for yourselves

this one ingredient....dare I say.......miracle

that takes place

seriously

Justin and I just can't quite figure out why this would work

but it totally does

so you take a can (or two) of
 sweetened condensed milk
and you pour it into a glass dish that fits inside your crock
you need to pour water around the dish about 3/4 of the way up when its inside the crock
so depending on how carefully you pour the water you can do that before or after
placing the dish inside
does that even make sense...if not, look at pic below

and then you're set
after your kiddos stop peering inside just place the lid on top the crock
and turn on low
what's going to happen?! you ask
well after about 3 hours you're going to stir your mixture and see
behold! you've got caramel
what?!
I know.  I can't figure it out either
(note:  I've received comments that other crockpots
bake this caramel slower....
you're looking for a light brown color and thick consistency)

this thick caramel can be poured into a graham cracker crust
banana slices placed on top
with whipped cream and heath bar pieces
and you can impress everyone with a yummy dessert





but my fav way to enjoy the caramel is by itself
with some apple slices to dip


the best thing about this one ingredient rocker
is that it makes me feel very accomplished
I've MADE something
(insert loud cheering and wild applause)

let me tell you why that feeling is so important right now
see this cute adorable wonderful little girl below?

well, she's an over achiever already
working on getting 5 teeth
all at once

and this mom who has lost a lot of sleep
over that impending accomplishment in her daughter's  life
and has performed many a task only one- handed
needs a little Rock the Crock miracle
to make her day seem a little more.........
well, accomplished, too


just remember to make a dinner for your family
along with the Caramel Banana Pie
I forgot the dinner part because I was so excited about the caramel concotion
and Justin ended up running out to get subs for dinner
so how's that for keepin it real?!
no super woman here...just one who's pretty stoked about this recipe


ENJOY!
found here

Love, Laurie for the fam

something about an apple and a tree

it was their night for ice cream together
and I'm not sure who was more excited?!

I sent the camera along not quite sure what would come back on the memory card
but I was quite impressed when I saw this shot
can you tell where they went?
CULVERS, baby!

are they father and son or what?!
Jon was so pumped about his time out with Dad
it was the first thing he mentioned to me when he walked through the door from school
and the first thing he asked Justin about when he walked through the door from work
and the first thing he wanted to talk about at the dinner table

that's one of the best things that Jon brings to our family
his excitement and passion for life
not that his Dad doesn't have enough of that to go around
(the apple sure didn't fall far from the tree.....
sure wishing I could've thought of a better expression.....I sound like I'm 92  for writing that)

I know they had fun because they both came back with smiles
and a turtle sundae for me.....extra topping
and then I had a smile, too

=================================================================================

Have a great WEEKEND, All!

Love, Laurie for the fam

                                p.s. tune in monday for a recipe that's become a James fam fav!
                                    and a true miracle that takes place in Rock the Crock. 
                                              Seriously.  A one ingredient wonder...

picnik it up

goofy boys

goofy photo shoot

goofy editing of pics
(picnik)

goofiest editing of pics
the goofy boys loved the most
cause they are goofy that way

=======================================================================

Have a SUPER Thursday!




linking up to Embrace the Camera again
if you are a blogger, you should give it a try!

I remember the first time I met her.  I don't really remember my first impression of her other than

"wow.  she is really sweet." 

And maybe that she had an incredibly endearing dimple. 

Because to know her is to know her dimple and I just love Leah B.




She was my roomate in college for two years. 
And there was no way I was going to ever have any other college roommate but her......
but then this really handsome guy got down on one knee and asked me to be his
forever roommate
and so........well, Leah, you understand, right?!

But she put up with me was my roommate

 for our freshman and sophomore years of college in the big city of Chicago. 

And it makes me smile everytime I think of the location.
 Because I went to Moody Bible Institute

#1 because of it's great reputation for Bible teaching and ministry prep

but #2 because it was in Chicago. 

I love love LOVE Chicago.  For so many reasons--
but  have you ever tasted their famous stuffed crust pizza?!  Wow. 

And when I think of Giorodano's Pizza I think of the many times Leah and I went there. 
It was a popular place to take people when they came to visit....
and Leah liked her pizza with spinach in it
so I happily ate it that way because I figured I could eat more if it was healthy. 

And I think of the time when Leah was leaving for a date
and she sat on a piece of that famous pizza
that was on one of our beds. 
I don't remember the exact details only that I was blow-drying her pants frantically
after she washed off the cheese and marinara.  mercy.  such memories. 
and before I go sounding like the hero of this roommate relationship
I have to bring up her computer (say what?)

she had, like, THE computer of the dorm floor and this was back in the day of dial-up internet. 
And I had a long distance boyfriend
and wouldn't you know she'd pretty much let me on that computer at any time to email him. 
That was sweet. 
And she put up with my late night study habits
and my ability to hit the snooze alarm like 3... 5 ...10 times before I'd roll out of bed.
such a long-suffering roommate she was. 

And I have memories of sharing a twin-size bed with her when we'd have a visitor. 
Because....well, because we learned to have like no personal space issues with each other
and that the bed was much softer than the floor and we were always nice like that--
you know, to give up our bed if we had a visitor. 

(Remember that time we let someone stay in our room just to run the Chicago marathon? 
We didn't even know her.  Man....we were so nice.  haha) 

And then there are the memories of wrapping up all our stuff in big plastic bags because our dear friend Bethany was loving on inner city kids again and she got lice and.....
oh, I hope if B is reading this she forgives me for writing that. 
But we did. 
More than a couple of times but if you know B you know
she wasn't about to stop loving on those kids and we loved B so she was in our room a lot......
and I'm pretty sure Leah was the one who kept me grounded
when I wanted to FR-EAK out because I hate anything that moves with more than 4 legs
or is small enough to fit in a Diet Coke cap. 

Ahh, yes.  And there was the Tin of Sin that I kept full of chocolate. 
And I'd pull it out every semester when we had big exams coming up and Leah would indulge with me.....
but she'd usually have the self control to stop after just one piece
I'm not quite sure how she managed that. 

But the memory I have most of Leah B....the one that is the most clear,
 the most compelling, is that every night
(she may be able to find a couple of exceptions to point out....but I'm pretty sure it was EVERY.SINGLE.NIGHT)
before she went to bed, Leah would pull out her Bible and her Eucerin cream. 
I don't exactly remember if she'd apply the Eucerin cream while she read from God's Word or after,
but I remember how she'd faithfully apply both in her life. 

And reading her blog now, I know it's a habit that remains today. 

She's got a hubby and a little Cutie Pie in her life now and I'm sure things look a lot different. 
Maybe the Eucerin is kept in the bathroom cabinet and applied in the morning
or maybe she's upgraded to department store lotion over the years.
Maybe she's given up applying lotion at all with the demands of mommyhood. 

But one thing I know for sure is that Leah is still reading the Bible and letting it permeate her life. 
I read posts like this one and this one and this one and this one
and I hope you check them out because they are both wonderfully encouraging
and a-mazingly written. 

Leah was a communications major who always had a way with words on a page.....
ahhh, those well-written Old Testament papers for Dr. Marty.

So go.  Go check out Leah's blog..... and if you want to, let her know you were there. 

That's pretty much the best GIVEAWAY WEDNESDAY I can think of. 

To introduce you to one of my BFF's that I go to when I need a long-distance shoulder to cry on,
a prayer to be prayed on my behalf,
or just a smile of encouragement from afar. 
She was, actually, the first person I told I was prego with Matthias. 

Did you know that, Leah?
 I was just recalling that the other day. 
My little "surprise child" whose presence in my belly took me completely off-guard
and your excitement and reassuring smiles helped calm my anxious heart. 
That was also one of the first times we were really able to meet your hubby, Josh, and I felt like just walking up to him and saying, "Hi, I'm Laurie, Leah's college roomie and I'm the one who just keeps having babies.  How nice to meet you." 
(But I really didn't want to freak him out with all that is-you know-me) 

But thanks being your incredibly wonderful self, Leah. 
Thanks for coming to my house for my 30th Birthday along with our other Little Women
and for brightening our time with Sprinkles Cupcakes all the way from Dallas
and, of course, your sweet dimply smile.
I'm so excited to see what God is going to do through the Pritchards in the years to come....
and I'm so excited to share with blogland your blog that warms my heart everytime I check it out.

Love to all who read this blog,
have a SUPER Wednesday!

Laurie for the fam

it's in a moment

moments of life can be crazy
in one moment you've got a peaceful room of children
in the next moment you've got a crash of a lamp
and broken glass all over the rug and hardwood floor
and everyone is excitedly telling you who may or may not have been the one to break said lamp
and it was, indeed, probably the baby who can't defend herself
or perhaps it just fell over and broke itself
yes, perhaps that is what happened



and because it happens pre-8AM your breakfast plans of.....well, nothing fancier than cereal
(but cereal requires you to be the pourer of milk)
and well that's just not going to work because you need to clean up the glass
before your baby who is not yet crawling, but certainly creeping to get places
gets into the glass and there is more disaster
and so breakfast becomes Poptarts because those can be easily grabbed from the box
and consumed with no help from mom





but those moments that seem so insane
and make you want to scream in frustration even if no one is listening
those moments always calm down
eventually
sometimes even in an instant
and they become precious moments of stillness
when you are sitting down with a book and you are teaching your 3 year old
how to count the ladybugs in the story
or tickling your kiddos everytime you see the bee in the book
yeah. 
moments are like that.
fleeting and wonderful.  mundane and blissful.
and at the end of the day I'm not so sure I would trade any of the moments
for anything different than what was given to me.