Thrifting for Baby

Twenty twelve is chugging along very nicely- by God's grace this is going to be an amazing year! One of the first major things we do is visit our sweet little niece. She was born back in November but she lives half-way across the state, past the mountain pass. We didn't want to end up getting stuck in the snow on our visit over so our trip was delayed. That is until now. Our winter has been very mild and snow is not a big issue over the pass anymore so we are planning on visiting her within the next few weeks. I already sent a fun care package with tons of goodies (handmade and some purchased) but now that we are coming in person, I want to have another gift for that sweet little girl! And isn't buying baby stuff so much more fun than anything else? Everything is so itty bitty and adorable. I just love it!

This weekend I went thrifting with my Mom and I stumbled upon some adorable onesies (and for just $0.69!) and this awesome toy that brings back so many memories from when I was a young'un. It'll be so much fun to see little baby Avery finally and shower her with love!

O Come, O Come Emmanuel

During this season, as in every day, we are faced with two choices: focus on Christ and His coming or focus on any and everything else. It is so easy to get wrapped up in the glitz and glamour of the day (Christmas, or any day for that matter) that we forget the one who it is all about.

Each and every year since the time that Jeremy and I came to know the Lord, it seems we weed out more and more 'things' from our Christmas to make room for what really matters. I need to remind myself to not waste my life on trivialities because they will suck away my time and energy for the Lord. Satan would have me spend all my time out shopping or attending any number of parties this season, anything to keep me busy and away from time in worship of Jesus. It's not easy, because the world will have you think the gifts and lights and caroling is what it's all about but that just isn't true. What is true is that we as Christians should be preparing for and anticipating Christ's return- that's what Advent is all about. We celebrate His first coming as the little babe who was born to die for the sins of the world. And we look forward to the day when He comes back as King of Kings and Lord of Lords to rule and reign on earth.

These last few days have been precious as I've studied God's word and reflected on His plan in my life and His plan in the world. We serve an amazing God who had the rescue plan for all humanity planned even before the foundations on the earth. He knew what would happen in Eden. He knew we would need a Savior. And He planned to come down to earth to save us. Christmas is merry because God loves us so much. We have been reconciled to our Holy God through His Son. I pray you too are having a merry Christmas reflecting on the Lord and anticipating His triumphal return!

"Where is He that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen His star in the east, and are come to worship Him" Matthew 2:2

Baby it's Cold Outside

This past weekend was spent showering my best girlfriend and her little one on the way with lots and lots of love. The theme of the shower was 'Baby it's cold outside' and I had a lot of fun planning the decor, food and games.



Can't wait to meet you sweet babygirl!!

'Tis the Season

By golly, Thanksgiving is over and we are now into the Christmas season. How the times does fly! The next few weeks are going to be pretty busy with birthdays, a baby shower and of course Christmas with the family.

Picking out a tree and doing some shopping with Mom and Jerm.

Working on crafts for the shower.

I am looking forward to the start of advent this Sunday and remembering the real reason why we celebrate Christmas - to worship the One who became flesh so we could be saved. Merry Christmas indeed!

Lessons in Kidland

This past weekend, I taught our AWANA girls. The lesson was on God's love and how He wants us to share that love with others, especially those who don't know Him. They listened carefully to the lesson and read about how we can all be good neighbors to the people in our lives.

Along with the lesson, my girls packed shoe boxes for the Samaritan's Purse Operation Christmas Child program. The girls had a great time filling out the sheets about themselves and sharing a nice message with the little ones who will get their boxes.

I had a moment when I was truly proud of those girls when I asked them a question about a lesson I gave them last holiday season- an object lesson about snowmen and the trinity. I said "Bonus question for anyone who can tell me what the snowman represents" and as soon as I finished the question, almost all the girls raised their hands to tell me "Father, Son and Holy Ghost!" It was an exciting moment to know that my girls are actually listening and retaining this information. I pray for those little munchkins that they come to know the Lord and trust Him throughout their lives. It's a joy to be apart of their lives and be able to share Christ with them!

Sink Full of Dishes, Heart Full of Love

My sink is full of dishes but that is because we spent a wonderful afternoon with friends. What a blessing it was. Life has been quickly moving along these days and lots of things are on the horizon. What's the dealio with the Egerer family?

I am currently:

*Enjoying the view out our kitchen window right now- LOVE to see the leaves change colors!
*Figuring out how to be a manager in the new role I’ve been given at work
*Planning my BFF’s baby shower – I've been waiting for this - tons of ideas are floating through my mind
*Wishing I had a little one to dress them up like these little cuties


Jeremy is currently:

*Reading lots of BIG books that I can’t even wrap my head around
*Figuring out how to use his love of writing and God’s law into a job
*Possibly going back to school so he is looking into scholarships and such
*Finishing up the sermon he’ll be giving at the convalescence home next weekend

And big news for both of us... we have one more payment to go and then we are completely debt free. We've worked hard the last 3 1/2 years to pay off a HUGE chunk of change and by God's grace we did it. Excited to make that final payment and to finally call Dave's show and scream "We're debt freeeeeee!!!" :)

{Baked Apples with Caramel Sauce}

{Baked Apples}

Ingredients:

* 2 large apples, cut in half
* 2 tbsp butter, melted
* 2 tbsp flour
* 4 tbsp quick oats
* pinch of cinnamon
* dash of stevia

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350º. Cut apples in half and remove core and seeds with a small pairing knife or spoon.

In a small bowl combine butter, flour, oats, cinnamon and stevia. Spoon on top of the apple halves. Place on a cookie sheet and bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Serve warm with caramel sauce.

{Agave nectar caramel sauce}

Ingredients:

* 1 1/2 cup agave nectar
* 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
* 2 tablespoons butter
* pinch of sea salt

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook for 10 minutes or until the mixture begins to thicken. Be sure to stir the caramel sauce occasionally. If your sauce is too thin continue cooking several more minutes. If sauce become too thick, add a spot more cream, and bring back to a boil until cream is incorporated. Enjoy!

Quality Time

“The happiest moments of my life have been the few which I have passed at home in the bosom of my family.” -Thomas Jefferson

This past weekend I was blessed to take an extra day off to spend a little bit of quality time with Jeremy. During the week and even on the weekends, it seems to get so busy that it doesn't feel like we spend all that much time together. Not this weekend though, because we made an extra effort to make this one different.

Our plan for Friday was to go to a local corn maze. Neither of us had ever been so it seemed like the perfect thing to do. We wrote down the directions and headed out the door. But about 20 minutes into our trip we realized we were lost. After about 40 minutes we headed back home. It was lunch time by then so we had some delicious pho, from one of the friendliest restaurant in town might I add. :) And then it was round two of 'operation: corn maze'. We made it to the farm, ate some honey sticks and took some fun pictures. What gets me is that we finally made it to the corn maze and then paid to get lost in the maze. Sounds silly to you too?!

On Saturday, after a quick trip to the gym and a delicious breakfast at my favorite juice bar we headed for the theater with my Mom in toe to see the movie Courageous. Let me just tell you it was AMAZING! Worth every cent of that very expensive movie ticket receipt! :) There aren't that many good movies out these days so I'd highly recommend going directly to your nearest theater and watching it now!!

And finally on Sunday, we went to church and then we spent the rest of the afternoon cooking together and having quiet time with the Lord. We still had plenty of things on our 'to-do' list but we did them together and it was wonderful. I have the best husband ever! We even have plans for another extended weekend together real soon!

All things New

It's been a few weeks since Jeremy and I moved and we are loving every minute in our new place. We're getting used to our new routes to and from work and enjoying the new sights and sounds. We have a window in the kitchen now and right next door is a daycare center so it's fun to hear the screams and giggles of the little ones playing outside.

I have had some things on my mind lately so I have tried to stay crafty. I got my hands on some funky oilcloth fabric and I am excited to show you what I've been working on. And as we are fast approaching fall (although it doesn't feel like it these days; hello indian summer) I have gotten back into my knitting. Fall just seems like the perfect time to knit, don't you think? It's been fun starting all my new projects.

While checking out my new neighborhood, my mom and I stumbled upon the most delicious restaurant EVER. We stopped into Epulo for happy hour last week and ordered a side of popcorn. Popcorn, why would you buy that at a nice restaurant for happy hour? Well this wasn't just any popcorn, this was popcorn in truffle oil. YUM-E!! I liked it so much that I brought Jeremy with me the next day to try some too :) Now I am warning you, this is not going to be a cheap habit (truffle oil goes for $20+ a bottle) but it will be a delicious one! Tasty Kitchen has a good recipe to try out for yourself. You're welcome!

It is wonderful to know that through all the hard times and other stuff we go through in life, God is still at work in His creation, in the world and in my life. I see it every day!

He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making all things new!" -Revelation 21:5

Home Sweet Home

We moved this weekend! Phheww.... it has been a long hard weekend of packing, moving, unpacking and then cleaning. But we had an awesome team of helpers (our friends and family) who came to help us get the job done. Look at the handsome guy driving that truck! :)

God blessed us SO much in finding our new place. Our old apartment had a mold problem. And when I say mold problem I mean it. It wasn't the regular kind you clean up with a little bleach and water, it was the deep rooted kind in the house. We'd been looking for a new place for a while but nothing was in good condition or matched our price point, until we found this listing. Who woulda thought we'd be able to find a nicer place for less money?! God did!

We also had a few mini miracles this weekend involving our couch. During the loading part of our move I accidentally knocked over the kerosene lamp on our tan suede leather couch. My Mom and Father in law acted fast and came to the rescue with an oil absorber spray. A healthy dousing of that and the spot was gone. No need for a blanket to cover that spot - Yay!! And when the sofa finally made it to our new apartment we had a minor problem; getting it in the door. We now live on the 2nd floor so getting the couch in at a very small angle up those stairs was just not happening. But when the cable guy arrived we mentioned something about the couch and he said it'd be no problem getting it in. After he set up our cable and internet, he went right alongside the guys moving it in. It took taking off the entire front door but they got it through - double yay!!


Today was spent cleaning up the old place and a little of the new and spending some time with my Mom. I am excited moving forward with Jeremy by my side and the wonderful friends and family supporting us along the way. Thanks for all your help guys!

Summer Delights

Summer has finally arrived in Seattle and this weekend was filled with the many of joys of this time of year.

Jeremy got home from work early on Saturday so he came over to my Mom's house and we each got to work making dinner. Jeremy worked on the drink, I worked on the fruit salad and Mom made the main course.

I love using fresh fruits and veggies to make super easy and super yummy meals. Take these for instance: For a cool mocktail to help beat the heat, add 1 can of coconut milk into your blender. Use the option on your blender to get the mixture good and frothy. Next add 1/2 pineapple that has been sliced into the blender. Add a little agave to taste and your ice and blend it all together. And for a refreshing fruit salad take 1 watermelon and a bunch of mint. Mince the mint and add to the cubed watermelon. Toss and enjoy. See, so easy but the results are DELICIOUS!!



My Mom also made my new favorite salad: a BLT salad. How smart is that!? They are good on bread but even better as a salad!

8 slices chopped and cooked bacon
4 cups sliced green-leaf lettuce
1 cup halved grape tomatoes
1 cup low-fat croutons

Dressing
1/4 cup light mayo
1 Tbs. water
1 Tbs. cider vinegar
1/2 tsp. agave
pinch of black pepper

Combine all the ingredients for the salad in a large bowl. Then, in small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients: toss salad with dressing. Makes 4 servings.

And after church today it was too nice out to just go home, so we made a trip to the local zoo and enjoyed looking at God's varied and sometimes goofy creation.








Loving our summer so far and looking forward to enjoying more of it. I hope you also had a joyous weekend!

B is for Baby Shower

This weekend we celebrated my brother and sister in law and their baby Avery. She will be here soon so this was the time to shower the soon to be parents with love and baby gifts.

It was a co-ed shower and my brother in law really enjoyed himself as you can tell by these pictures. He was too funny opening up the presents. You'd think he thought they were for him!


Instead of games, guests made onesies for sweet little Avery. It was hard to pull everyone away from the onesie station so I'd say they enjoyed it and I'm sure Avery will look adorable in the sweet little designs!


Mommy and Daddy are very excited to finally meet their little one and it was a joy to share in this special time with them. May God bless their new little family!

les fleurs {a tutorial}

"Beauty is God's handwriting. Welcome it in every fair face, every fair day and every fair flower." -Charles Kingsley

Nothing is more fun than to get a bouquet of beautiful flowers. They just put a smile on my face. The flowers were the one detail I loved most about planning our wedding. But what could make flowers even more irresistible? A baby essentials flower bouquet, of course!

Today was spent crafting these precious little buds. All you need is: wire cutters (or scissors), floral tape, artificial flower stems (or wire) and an assortment of baby booties, caps and mittens.

Take the artificial flowers off of the stem. Cut any wires poking out. Insert the flower stem and roll one of the baby items up into a rose bud. Hold the bud tight and begin wrapping the floral tape. Create a few of these buds to make a cute bouquet for a new Mom or place in a galvanized bucket or vase as a centerpiece at a baby shower. These sure do make me smile!

A Few Words

My muscles are sore and my heart has been challenged. Both happened while attending a christian wellness workshop this last weekend. We learned from truly anointed women gifted in the word, we feasted on His goodness and we worked our booties off too. Boy was God present in that church gym. It was a very powerful weekend to say the least. Besides working on some tighter glutes :) I also received a few words from the Lord while there.

Our Full Attention

I'm sure most people are well acquainted with the story Jesus tells about the narrow way. At the workshop they shared the verse in the traditional King James version along with The Message. Listen to how the message breaks it down:

"Don't look for shortcuts to God. The market is flooded with surefire, easygoing formulas for a successful life that can be practiced in your spare time. Don't fall for that stuff, even though crowds of people do. The way to life—to God!—is vigorous and requires total attention."

What a picture, huh!? Our teacher made it even more vivid when she described the narrow way as not just a separate path alongside the broad road but she described the broad way as a rushing river. When we accepted Christ in our lives, we stopped following the crowds that were rushing down and turned around. Just standing and facing the rapid river you are going to encounter some serious resistance and crashing water but expect even more when you take that path back up the river.

He deserves our total attention, not some quick and easy worship time. He should be getting it all. All our time, all our attention and all our praise. In everything we do it should be done for His glory; working out, walking the dog, cooking dinner and even doing laundry. The way to life is vigorous and requires total attention...

Our Hearts Desire

"Delight yourself in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, And He will act." -Psalm 37:4-5

I don't know how to start this other than to say that I have had some desires, even God honoring ones, that have become idols in my life. The human heart is a factory that produces all kinds of idols. An idol is basically something that replaces God as the ultimate desire of our hearts. Like I mentioned before, although some of our hearts desires may be good and wonderful things, when they become the main focus of our lives or our ultimate source of joy, they have gone on the fast track to becoming those pesky little things God commanded us to stay away from.

“There is a God-shaped hole in the heart of every person, and it can never be filled by any created thing. It can only be filled by God, made known through Jesus Christ.” -Blaise Pascal

Alisa Keeton from Revelation Wellness shared with us that even though many of our desires are good and may have even come from God, that we need to remember that the focus should still be Him. He is the one who is able to honor those desires or give us entirely new ones. When we realize that and rely on Him and not the event or thing we have our hearts set on, our lives will be complete. Trust in Him and He will act...

It was an amazing weekend spent with some inspiring sisters in Christ. The muscle pain will go away but His word will abide forever!

Test Kitchen

A baby shower is in the works for my sister-in-law who is expecting her first child this fall. The detail I am working on now is the menu. What would be delish to serve to a large group of people, including men, who I happen to know eat a LOT!? I did some searching on the web and found some great looking dishes. So I went to work to make sure these were every bit as yummy as they looked online.

My test subjects were my in-laws who visited last weekend. I told them to be completely impartial and let me know what they thought of the recipes. This salad was yummy AND beautiful. The strawberry vinaigrette was tasty but one of my 'guinea pigs' said that maybe adding a bit of honey or agave nectar would make it even better. I have a mean sweet tooth so how could I say no to that?

I also made a dessert that I think would be so adorable on a pretty little table at the shower. Totally cute and boy are they a cinch to make. Combine strawberry yogurt with whipped cream and fresh cut strawberries. Fill mini graham cracker pie crusts and chill in the fridge or freezer. Top with strawberry garnish and enjoy. SO yummy!



The work was hard and the testing was quite a challenge :) but the results are in and the food was fabulous. Looking forward to my next round of testing and trying out this recipe!

The Great Indoors

The sun has not been making very many appearances in the Pacific Northwest this 'spring'. So instead of sulking around inside about how we can't do that many outdoorsy things, I decided to bring the outdoors indoors.

We laid down a picnic blanket in the office and had some good ol' camp food including brats, potato salad and every one's favorite; bug juice! Very yummy food if I do say so myself.


After dinner we put a sheet over the window to block out the daylight and make the room dark in order to see the celestial beauties I stuck to our ceiling. We counted the stars and moons and looked for the big dipper. And following our 'star gazing' we played some cards. What screams camping more than card games? Maybe it is just me that is what we always did when I go camping. :)

All in all, it was a wonderful evening spent in the great outdoors, indoors. And this morning the weather man forecasted some actual nice weather coming. Maybe we can do this for real next weekend!

A little help from my friends

It has been about 5 years since I ran my last 5k race, so I really had to train for the Free Them 5K. In the weeks leading up to the big day, I was in the gym running up a storm to make sure I was prepared for the race.


Come race day, the run itself was fine, just what I expected. I was ready physically, however I was not ready mentally. That's the thing about running; you have to set in your mind to just keep going, to push through the negative thoughts until it feels like second nature, like you could go on forever.

At first I was doing great but about 3/4 of a mile in, some negative thoughts crept in. I then started to entertain them. "I have got to stop." "I'm going to walk because it's too hard." "I'm not good enough to finish this race." As I ran, I noticed another gal keeping pace with me. As best I could, I then set in my mind that she was my 'running partner', my way of gauging how I was doing. The battle in my mind continued as I raced on.

As we neared the end of the race I told her she was keeping me motivated. She told me that I was doing the same for her! But even with my new found friend's support, my desire to stop became too strong. I said I wanted to stop and start walking but she reminded me that the end was so close. I knew she was right. So instead of giving in, we completed the race together. Crossing that finish line felt so good!

I am reminded of the verse that says, 'As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.' My 'running partner' stood by me and encouraged me to keep going, even when it felt tough. She reminded me that the end was just around the corner and so was the victory. As it is in running, so it is in life. This world can be a hard place to get along in. The daily struggles can sometimes feel like too much. What a blessing to have a godly friend to encourage us and help us along. I know in my own life I have had plenty of times when I just wanted to stop and give up, but thank goodness for those dear friends who have been my support. God made us humans to be relational, to grow friendships and to encourage and love others. What a sweet reminder of the great blessing God has given us. What about you? Who are you encouraging today?

*To read more about the results of all the fundraising and what World Concern is doing to prevent human trafficking, follow this link.*

Best. Weekend. Ever.

Just finishing up the best weekend ever. Seattle had the hottest day of the year on Saturday and Jerm and I enjoy it with my Mom booting around town. Today we got to spend Easter with my wonderful in-laws. Favorite moment of the day was singing hymns at their home while my father-in-law played the guitar. It was a very special moment. And of course, we praised our precious Savior and His resurrection all weekend long. Truly blessed! Thank you, Jesus, for your unfailing and merciful love!!

{Empty Tomb Easter Treat}

It is the day before Resurrection Sunday and I have an awesome little treat to share with you. I thought these were a neat way to share the story of Jesus' death, burial and resurrection, however, I have a new idea that I knew I had to share with you!

This is super easy and cute, not to mention tasty! You will need:

* graham crackers
* chocolate donettes
* mini oreos
* peanut butter (or frosting if food allergy)
* shredded coconut and green food coloring

The first step is to put some of the coconut in a ziplock bag with a few drops of green food dye. Mix the coconut around until it is evenly coated to look like grass.

Next, spread a thin layer of peanut butter or frosting on the graham cracker.

Cut a small part of the donut off on one side so it will sit flat on the graham cracker.

Now it is time to assemble the treat! With the graham covered in PB, place the donut cut side down on one side of the graham. Place your 'grass' in front of the donut tomb and pat it down. Take one side of a mini oreo cookie off and place the cookie slightly to the side of the donut, resembling the stone that had been rolled away.

And the final step is to add a sign which exclaims, 'He is risen, because He did indeed rise!

No Hurry Veggie Curry

The slow cooker is an invaluable item in our house. It helps so much with our busy schedules, because it virtually does all the work for us, we just come home to a delicious meal ready to go!

On any week day when I would prepare this recipe it would be no problem to wait because I am busy at work and come home to the curry deliciousness. However, when I prepared it this past Saturday, I was home and it was so hard not to keep checking it so see if it was done. I got a craving for curry and just had to get my fill. When the time passed and the food was finally ready, this stuff sure hit the spot! I guess the saying is true, 'good things come to those who wait'!!