Pan-Asian Noodles Kona Grill Recipe

We recently went on a date night to Kona Grill at San Tan. Wow, it was yummy! The leftovers lasted a couple of meals because they give generous portions, and I couldn't get it out of my mind. If San Tan was closer I would ave been back there in a minute to order again, but I could justify driving that far just for food. Then I had an "AH-HA" moment...Google the recipe!! And of course Google does not disappoint and I found the recipe I wanted right away. Although I will say shopping for Asian ingredients with a fussy baby was not really part of the plan.

It was a hit with the hubby and there are plenty of leftovers here too. A few of the kids enjoyed it, hey I'll take that from a new, spicy recipe any day!

http://www.kare11.com/life/recipes/recipes_article.aspx?storyid=835757
 This is the link to the recipe I found...tasted exactly the same. I will say I needed more noodles than recipe called for so keep that in mind.

Nathan is 7!!

Happy Birthday to our Nathan!!!

Building our dream

"And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work." 2 Corinthians 9:8

We have once again begun a new journey that can be called nothing more than divine. God has been moving over the past year in several ways, in His perfect timing for us, to move into a home that is exactly what this family needs. We cannot be more humbled with how this has come about and offer all the glory to God!!! From the moment we accepted His call to care for hurting, neglected, and orphaned children He has proved over and over again, "He is ABLE" to provide for all our needs. We have known for quite a while that our house was a bit small for how He has shaped our family, but for many years have felt that we needed to be content with where He has us. We have prayed for His timing and way, and for a house to basically drop in our laps. We have toyed with moving and changing jobs a few times over the past couple years, but He has always shut those doors. We now feel like we know why. He has our dream house waiting for us!! 

We are building in the new Eastmark Developement, or for those who have lived here a long time, on the site of the old GM proving grounds. We will have a home with rooms and space for our family!!! We will have a place where the kids can invite friends over and there is space for them to play and just be kids! We hope to be moving in at the end of March. We are praying that our current house will sell quick and smoothly, and while the process is still new, and we know anything can happen, we are faithful to believe this is what God has planned for our family. Please feel free to ask us any questions, join us prayer, and celebrate along with us! 2014 is shaping up to be an exciting year and God is worthy of all the praise! 

Halloween 2013

What a blast yet again! These kids are a hoot and we love dress up in a theme. Not sure if we will get many more years when this is 'ok' but I relish in it now! I love my family!!!!

A change in seasons brings a change in sport for this awesome family

This weekend both our boys started a new sport...BASEBALL! Now, those that know me know my heart is elated. Jacob has spent the past 4+ years playing another great sport, soccer of course. He has much success and growth in those years but at the end of the season we decided the impact on our whole family was too big. I mean club soccer is almost a full time job by the time they get to Jacob's age. We wanted to have some of our other kiddos experience a sport as well as try something new.

We signed the boys up and Shane is actually Jacob's coach. He is taking is very serious and learning all he can about my beloved sport. He still laughs when he asks me about a specific rule or type of play and I can of course rattle off what it means or describe the play. He is amazed at my knowledge of the game, but he is WAY better with kids so coaching fits him perfectly.

The biggest bummer is out of the 10-12 games the boys play most of them are at the same time... no way for me to attend both. This weekend was the first weekend of games and I took my camera to capture Nathan and this exciting moment. In a couple weeks I will be able to make it to see Jacob and will post about him then.

Fall Pillow Project

Walking through Hobby Lobby is dangerous!! As I walked through the store this week I have a brilliant idea to make pillows for the couch. This is really a very easy way to add HUGE impact for the Fall.

1 yrd chevron fabric
1 yard burlap
3 felt sheets
4 pillow inserts (you can do stuffing and make it even more affordable)

I did Google images and searched 'fall leaf template', traced on the felt and cut it out. I then just haphazardly sewed with my machine around the edges. I as going for the "not perfect" look and was pleased it turned out so well. Because I want to change the pillow covers for each holiday I made the pillows easily removable.

Ok, so now if the temps would actually drop significantly it might actually begin to feel like fall.

Our day on Apache Lake

Shane and a co-worker of his had this awesome idea to rent a pontoon boat and spend a day on Apache Lake. It was a fantastic day!!! The kids had an amazing time swimming and fishing! While the weather was still a bit on the toasty side once we were on the water it was enjoyable.

We cannot wait to do this again, hopefully next summer!