Little Friends Preschool

Today was the first day of preschool for my sweet little Emmalyn. I have been so anxious and excited for this day since last April, when we went to preview a day of LFP! And finally....today was HERE, time for Little Friends Preschool.  LFP started  two years ago, with a vision, and some friends. It is a co-op type of preschool, where us Mom's are hands on, and are assigned different TEKS  I mean tasks or duties that are a part of school. It is Bible based, and I love love love that! I have been so excited to get started, and learn how to teach my 3 year old! I'm the only newbie this year, and the other moms are so sweet and welcoming, and definitely have experience with this. It is going to be a great year!

This morning Emmalyn wasn't wanting to wake up! Jeremiah went into her room @7:40 right before he had to leave for work. Got her milk and she sat in the recliner and fell asleep again! I finally got her up and moving a little bit by 8:30. This is her yawning and thinking about eating her cereal. 

In her night night tank top that she LOVES so much!

Typically Em sleeps until at least 8, usually closer to 9am, she naps 1.5-2.5 hours each day after lunch, and then bedtime has been around 9:30pm. I know what you are thinking...is she serious, yes I am and I am going to milk it as long as I can!!!! I'm sure this will change soon..... I kinda like the idea, however it sure is nice when I don't want to get up, that she is not up! 

Finally we got dressed and ready for our friends to come over to our house for school!

when did she get so big? HUH? I can't believe this!

She was so excited to go to school at her house! When her friends arrived and we got started it was fun! We learned Psalm 115:3, sang about it, read about Jesus feeding the 5,000. We also sang songs that went along with Chapel, and we learned that God created everything. This time I was in charge of Chapel, and I was super nervous about it, but the kids seemed to listen to the story, and loved the music time for sure! I did my best to come up with moves to songs, and the bible verse, and had help with a song via you tube, THANK YOU! 

Then we moved onto reading Brown Bear, Brown Bear. How did I not have this book? It is super cute and Em soaking it all up. After the reading time, they learned about shapes, and colors along with the animals from the book. Stormy did a great job!

She went from writing like this....

To writing like this

I have shown her how to hold a pencil an she does it "sometimes" let's be honest she usually just goes back to the full hand grip..but today she did it right! I was so impressed. She was able to trace around the shapes, and then at lunch she told her Daddy what each shape was except for a few she forgot! I am blown away!
After that we had some fun craft time and using paint, the colors of the animals in the book we made hand prints, that will turn into animals on Thursday. Vanessa is super crafty,and the kids had so much fun! ...I did too!!! I didn't snap a photo, because it was taking all of us to do the paint. whoops!

I know there was more that we did but I can't remember..believe that or not!

First day of preschool=Success for sure, she thinks we are having it tomorrow...how to explain it's only 2 days a week....However she'll want to work on stuff we learned tomorrow, that will be fun!
I am so thankful God led us here, when I think about all it took to get me to be home to be able to even have the opportunity to teach her I am overwhelmingly grateful to our Lord, OH how he loves us! I am one blessed woman!

First day of school "official" photo!

A bow and flip flops =)

And Here she is reading her Brown Bear, Brown Bear book we made with Mrs. Vanessa. I am blown away, this is the cutest thing ever(I know I am biased)

A Mom who can Change the World

Today we heard from pastor Dan Reynolds. Here were his 3 points in typical Baptist fashion.

1. Mom must be dedicated to Christ. 

2. Mom must demonstrate her Faith.

3. Mom must develop her children in the Word. 

Sounds simple enough, yet overwhelming all at the same time. He asked us this question:

"If my children have the amount of Faith that I demonstrate, if they trust in God the way I do, would it be enough"

Whoa my mind is racing at this point.  

Our children will imitate us, they will catch our habits, ethics, values; whether good or bad. They will become just like us. I find myself just like my mother and father all the time!

Deuteronomy 6:7
"Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up."

I'm thinking to myself, do I really repeat" Love like Christ" over and over to my daughter through my words, my actions, my time? Does she know I have faith, that Christ is the most important thing to me. Do I really show that? ALL THE TIME, do I REPEAT IT? Do I truly develop her in the Word, even at her young age? 

Do others know about your faith? Do they speak of it? Do they know Christ is the most important thing to you? 

2 Timothy 1:5
"I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also."

This verse made my heart so happy. I have never read it before. I cannot think of one time I have visited my Mamaw's house that we have not prayed, read scripture, or had a biblical or Christ conversation.  I think of my own mother who taught me and my brother, as well as all my friends. And now I am teaching my daughter. I see Faith in my Mamaw, and my mother, without a doubt!

2 Timothy 3:15
"You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus."

From the moment of conception I have prayed for my "baby", the cute, silly-bob-head, lovable, sweetness we call Emmalyn. I have prayed for her life, salvation, heart, attitude, spirit, husband, children, friends, and I am sure I am forgetting some things here. I pray that I can demonstrate to those I know Jesus Christ. If I can do the above mentioned 3 things, I feel I am raising a daughter than can change the world.

Today I am thankful, blessed, encouraged, and challenged spiritually, are you?

Baked Potato Soup Recipe

Here is "my" baked potato soup recipe, all credit going to Recipes from the Heart, Tye Baptist Church cook book I received a few years ago from a very sweet lady!

Ingredients needed are:

12 slices of bacon(cooked and crumbled)
2/3 c margarine
2/3 c all purpose flour
7 c whole milk
4 lg baked potatoes, peeled and cubed
4 green onions, chopped
1 1/4 c shredded cheddar cheese
1 c sour cream
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt

I have learned to cook the bacon in the oven. Place the bacon strips on a foil lined baking sheet. Put in a COLD oven. Turn the oven to bake @400 degrees, and set the timer for 20 min. crispy yummy good bacon! Not much mess! but however you want to cook it is fine! But do this first, and then get started on the soup. I use kitchen scissors to cut up the bacon if I can't crumble it.

Here is the pan I use when making the soup. Recipe says in a stock pot or dutch oven..

Melt the margarine over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth. I used my spatula this time because my whisk was broken. Gradually stir in milk whisking constantly until thickened. Stir in potatoes and onions. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Add salt and pepper. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 min. 

Mix in the bacon, cheese, sour cream. (I leave some bacon set aside, and have a little extra grated cheese for garnish). Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until cheese is melted. 

This is what it looks like in my pot when done. And then I add a little garnish to the top when I serve it, like the picture below. 

When I make this for a crowd of 12 or more I use these portions(it's the recipe + 1/2 kind of I've had to play with it). Sometimes I still have a little left over for lunch the next day.

24 slices of bacon
7 large baked potatoes
2 sticks butter
1c flour
12 c milk
2c cheese
1 1/2 c sour cream
2tsp salt/pepper

That is what the above picture is showing, the larger recipe. It is even better the next day, I just add some milk while heating the soup to thin it up a little bit.
I try to make the larger recipe most times, I then take some to my grandmother, mother, widows, or friends who I know like it!

Please do share.

Pay it Forward

Today me and Em hurried off to United to get some groceries for lunch and supper. I was in a hurry because I wanted to get in and out and get home in time to get lunch hot and ready for my husband, Jeremiah. It was 11 when I finally got everything together to run to the store! YIKES hurry!

Em was excited to "go", she loves the grocery store, and has become quite my helper there as well. She asks what we need on the list, and says "those are good" to some things she loves like grapes, and cheese, and milk too! When I got ready to check out with my less than 20 items, I realized something, I got the canvas bags, but forgot my purse in the car. So being in the small town we live in,  I found a cashier who knows me, told her I needed to leave my basket and I'd be right back to pay for my items. She said you can leave her too! So Em and her were having a conversation, and she didn't care that Momma was leaving for a minute. I literally ran to the van and back! I went up to the counter, and started to open my purse to get out our money to pay. The cashier hands me my receipt and says there you go. I thought she might have had to ring up our groceries, and then go ahead and get the woman behind us because I took too long or something. But quickly I realized the woman behind us had paid for my groceries! I, being the emotional person  I am held it together, but really wanted to burst out in happy tears. I hugged the woman's neck, the cashier kept smiling. I told her that was so nice, thank you, but I can pay for our groceries, I just had forgotten my purse. She said no, no, it's called Pay it Forward...now it's your turn.

I was and still am humbled. I am so thankful for people who are listening to God, doing the little things to show his love to others. I wish I knew her name and could thank her publicly but then I remembered....

Matthew 6:1-4

1“Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. ² Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. ³ But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,⁴ that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.^[a]

So I share with you to give glory to God and to encourage you to also look for opportunities to pay it forward for the Kingdom of God!