Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all my peeps! We had such an amazing holiday experience with lots of family and food to go around. I have been in awe of the real meaning of Christmas all season long. What a miracle we have been given! Dave mentioned that he's happy I don't go all nuts over buying gifts for the girls. I want them to know the true meaning of Christmas as well, it's not all about getting lots and lots of toys that eventually end up at Goodwill. I did the 4 gift thing for Sarah; a want, need, wear and read. And little Katie Rose got one little 'ol gift from Santa...shhh don't tell her that there should have been more I don't think she noticed.
I loved Christmas this year with our family of four and to think this time next year there will be 5!!

Moser family Christmas dinner at our home

McIntyre Christmas Eve celebration with a surprise visit from the CT gang

Leone family Christmas breakfast fun

Mamah visit

Hoping you and yours had as much fun and love as we did! 

Cheers!!

And the baking needs to stop

I have been on a baking kick lately, Dave likes it but I'm afraid the scale will notice at my next doctor's appointment. I am so loving picking out a recipe from the cook book and going at it, it's become my therapy.

I made these muffins for Dave's Academic team, they were practicing at school on a Saturday--muffins deserved!

Cake cookies are amazing! If you haven't tried them, you should. I made two kinds; white cake with Christmas sprinkles and chocolate cake with crushed peppermints. I found the recipe on Laura's blog, check out the recipe and follow her work.

My grandmother sent me a box of baking supplies for a housewarming gift. The box included a Taste of Home cookbook...amazing!! This recipe for chocolate marshmallow cookies was in the book and I found it here for you to try.

And oh me word! This banana bread is by far the best I've ever tasted. Again, this was from the taste of home cookbook but you can check it out here. Seriously, go try it. I made the bread yesterday and there are only 4 slices left.

OK, so I can't lead you to believe that I've become some Betty Crocker who doesn't make any baking mistakes. I attempted these thumbprint cookies and by the end of 3 hours I was cursing Ina Garten's name! Not sure what the problem was but every batch I baked stuck to the pan, no matter what I tried. Dave salvaged what he could and said they were his new favorite cookie, so I encourage you to try the recipe. Maybe you can get them to not stick and you can enjoy them.

Hope you can try one, or all of the recipe's I've shared. I promise you'll love them, if not, give them away for Christmas :) Would love to hear what your favorite holiday baking recipe is.

Thanks for stopping by...

Snapped this shot today. Sarah is home sick today so her and Katie camped out in dad's office. I'm so happy they have each other.

The day after

Yesterday was full of pity parties. The guest of honor was me and the host was me.
It's funny how things happen at the time they do. I'm reading a book with some other fine ladies titled You're Already Amazing. Yesterday morning I read a few pages and the author talks about not having to do more to be liked by people. Well a few hours later those exact words were coming out of my mouth, in the opposite though! I had come to the conclusion that maybe I have not done enough to/for other people. It was a very lonely day!
I haven't figured much out since yesterday but today I'm feeling a little less pity party-ish. It could be because of another book that I'm reading titled One Thousand Gifts. I know I've mentioned it here before but seriously, if you haven't read it you really need to. In the chapter I read last night, the author talks about thanksgiving (not the holiday). One phrase stuck to me...thanksgiving raises the dead! If you read the story of Lazarus (John 11) you will see what she is referring to--Jesus gave thanks and Lazarus rose from the dead.
How can I feel so alone and want to hide under the covers when I am able to experience Jesus just by giving thanks?! I'm making my way through this "gifts" book for the second time, after I plan to write my own list of thanks, hoping to catch glimpses of God and honor Him at the same time.

By the way, Sarah and Katie will have a little brother to pick on in a few months. We're all so excited!

Katie Rose and I spent the day outside!

Monday!

Feeling alone...Sarah and Dave went back to school today and left me and Katie at home. We had a cozy, in-home week during this Thanksgiving break. Sarah got sick Wednesday night which left us unable to attend any family gatherings. In was a perfect time for our family of four to be together and spend some time with no plans to tend to.
I have some thoughts floating around in my head that I want to work out before I share; such as, being someone's priority, not being everyone's afterthought...deep I know :) Maybe it's the pregnant hormones or maybe it's the turkey leftovers I've been eating for three days, but still something I'm going to continue to ponder.
Sarah and I attempted a walk yesterday, only lasted about 15 minutes...it was freezing. I brought my camera along to take some pictures of her, she is just way too cute and getting way too old!

Just the cutest! And FYI, Friday we find out if this Moser house will have three little girls or one boy thrown in the mix!!
Stay tuned...

Seasons

I realized it's been so long since my last blog post, a month and a half to be exact. This season in my life is full of busyness. I can't make heads or tails whether I'm coming or going. Dave and I pass each other and sometimes I realize I haven't talked to him in days.
Thanksgiving is tomorrow and we have family to visit. I have a goal to sit down tonight or later this weekend and share some pictures with you and a little update of all our busyness.
Hope you come back and visit!
Cheers!

Tasty weekend

This weekend seemed to be all about food. I planned out my meals for the upcoming week on Friday and did my grocery shopping accordingly. Saturday I was craving a Chicken Mario sandwich. Davey was kind enough to whip one up for me...grilled chicken breast with melted provolone topped with a grilled roasted red pepper, add a little mayo to your toasted bun and you will be in heaven...at least this little pregnant lady was!
This morning I wanted to make some decorated sugar cookies for my niece Alyssa, she turned 14 last week

You can see my art skills need a little TLC but they do taste good, promise! Of course I didn't take any pictures of them all packaged up nice and pretty

And these fun things are pecan tarts, I found the recipe here. I have an adopted teacher at YCS and she likes pecan pie (who doesn't) so I found these and thought I'd give 'em a shot

I'll let you know how the rest of the week pans out with my dinners that I have planned. I also found a recipe for apple turnovers that I cannot wait to try.

Pretty sure sweet treats make the world go round!!

Waiting

As I was waiting for the oven timer to countdown it dawned on me that the waiting was representative of so many areas in my life right now...

I'm waiting to go to the doctor next Wednesday so I can hear this baby's heartbeat again, the waiting is making me paranoid

I'm waiting for the crock pot to cook our dinner for tonight

I'm waiting to hear from our loan officer in regards to our closing date

I'm waiting to find out when we're closing so I can plan Katie's 1st birthday party

I'm waiting to get the motivation and inspiration to do something crafty

I'm waiting for Katie's sinus infection to clear up

I'm waiting for the granola bars that I made to harden so I can eat one

I'm waiting for my husband to take me on a date

I'm waiting for the buyer of our truck to meet me next week so we can unload that gas hog

I get a little overwhelmed by all of this waiting. Of course I want things to happen sooner than later. But, is there blessing in waiting? During this time I rely on God to comfort me and walk me through all of the waiting process. If I get stuck in the waiting I'll miss the things that are already happening...while I wait I will be present.

What are you waiting for today? 

Pumpkin pie mini's

I can't remember how I found her site with the following recipe but I'm glad I saved it to my bookmarks. I never liked pumpkin pie growing up, but as an adult I have discovered a slight love for anything pumpkin. I made these little pumpkin pie bites for a going-away party for my niece Carley. They are quite tasty, you should try them and invite me over to have a couple!

Bakerella suggests topping these with chocolate but Davey loves cool whip so I dressed 'em up with a little dollop. Also, when mixing the ingredients, I always mix the softened cream cheese and sugar first, then add the other ingredients...makes for a smoother consistency.
Enjoy!

Home is where the heart is

Dave and I purchased our first home in 2004, it was a nice condo off of Lake Norman in Charlotte NC. After a year of living there we decided we "needed" something bigger. We found a house that was beautiful and move in ready. 2000 square feet and double our mortgage payment, we later found out it was NOT what we needed. We didn't have any kids at the time so looking back I'm not really sure why we thought we needed 2000 sq. ft.!!
I can honestly say we got caught up with "keeping up with the Jones'". We lived in that house for three years until we moved back to Ohio. During those three years we racked up debt. I wanted to stay home with Sarah and in order to do that we knew we could not stay in that house.
After moving back to Ohio, I had felt like my life was moving backwards. We went from owning homes to renting to living with family. We went from making a lot of money to making little money. But, over the past year or so, God has revealed to me what I thought was backwards was really moving forward. Our lives have changed drastically...for the better! I don't regret any of the "backward" steps, I'm thankful for the knowledge and faith I've gained.
Today we are waiting to hear from sellers of a house in Youngstown that we made an offer on last night. I'm so humbled by the opportunity we have been given to be able to buy a house. I feel like this house can be the Moser family home for many years. It's very charming, large enough for our growing family and close to the park for lots of play time.
Please pray with us that this process goes smoothly and quickly! We've already had one house fall through, but I believe there was a reason for that!

Here's some fun I caught on my phone

Yup, that's Katie's foot in her mouth while riding in the car!

Holy red potato, Dave planted eyes from a potato in the Spring and look what grew...I'm amazed! What else can we plant in the garden??

That's 7:50 am on a Saturday morning! I took the opportunity to do my grocery shopping alone...maybe just a little eager

Sarah got a new hula-hoop, Katie had to try it out

Made these gems over the weekend. Gram has a similar recipe for a cake so I tweaked it for cupcake size

I'm torn between trying to read two books. This one, "One Thousand Gifts", is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! Her beautiful writing inspires me

The best snack ever! My family always made this for the holidays while the big feast was being prepared, I made it today to satisfy this prego belly

B.F.

Before Facebook--that's what my life will be like from now on. I did it! I have deactivated my Facebook account! I've been wanting to let go of the account for quite some time now and today was the day. I'll miss looking at friends pictures and keep in touch with family but it was time.
I hope you keep coming back to check out this blog. I also have email and....a phone. So, shoot me a message or give me a call.

Ahhhh-gust

Oh Baby! Have I mentioned how crazy the month of August was for our family?! Some amazing, jaw-dropping events took place within those 31 days.
Dave had an interview for a new teaching job
Interview went great, God answered our prayer about our salary requirements
Sarah switched schools before the first day began, she and Dave now attend YCS
Dave and I celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary. I'm the first to admit that it's a miracle but deep down inside I've always known would happen
We went out on a limb and started looking for a house to buy. Our thoughts a year ago were that this process wouldn't happen until 2014...we're suppose to be closing on our home on October 1st, 2012
And, we found out that we're having another baby. Excuse me, come again, WHAT???

Yup, I took an at-home test one Monday night without Dave knowing about it...didn't want to set off any alarms if it came back negative. Well, that test had just the slightest hint of a positive line but I convinced myself that I was seeing things. So, after another week of not starting (you know what) and my pants beginning to feel tight...I took another test. This time the freaking red "positive" line was shining bright! I literally ran up the stairs to Dave, hyperventilating, I threw the stick on the table where he was studying. I began crying as the thoughts of what was currently happening to us were racing through my head. Dave was amazing, he was my rock as I sat crying, swearing, shaking my head and occasionally laughing.
Needless to say, this pregnancy was not planned...by us! But, I have resolved that I don't want to send this new baby any bad vibes that he/she was not intended to be. Now that the shock has worn off we are all extremely excited. I got to hear the heartbeat this past week, any fear that I had was washed away in that moment.
Sarah and Katie will both be big sisters come April 2013...isn't it amazing how things happen?!

Snapshots of our week

This kid cracks me up, no wonder it takes me an hour to feed her

Katie and I spent a lot of time outside this week. She's squealing at the kids playing at recess on the playground behind our house. Sarah was suppose to be going there, can you imagine...

We have a reader!

Picked up Sarah from school and she was just as excited to see Katie--love to see sister love

Where's Waldo! Dave after we all went inside for dinner, guess those 12th graders really wore him out

'the war is over'

I feel like I could vomit all over the page...I'll try to spare you but keep that in mind.
I heard a powerful song on Sunday at church, a few of the lyrics resonated with me. 'the war is over, I raise my white flag'. I so needed to hear that line. It hit me like a ton of bricks, the war is over!!! I don't need to fight anymore! Jesus took his cross up for me. Nothing else matters!
My heart was so moved by this message. Praise God for the freedom He has given us.
Well, the devil definitely knows how to steal one's joy. Today I am defeated! Defeated on so many levels. The minute I think I have a grasp on something, such as the freedom I have in Christ, I can start to feel like life is nothing but an uphill battle.
Am I the only one who goes through this??
I have a confession...I am so insecure when it comes to relationships. 'the war is over, I raise up my white flag' gave me a perfect image when it comes to my insecurity...I don't need to wage war over any relationship! I'm not speaking of my relationship with my husband, he and I have our share of issues, but I am confident and secure in it.
I am insecure in who's talking about me, why she doesn't call me back, why they don't ever invite me over (a little dramatic but exactly how it plays out in my head), why she doesn't want to be my friend....and so on and so on.
So, Sunday my heart and my mind aligned with the words that I was signing with such emotion and I thought later "OK, I got this, I don't have to have an internal or external war against any relationship"...I got this.
Today...I don't got this!! Why is it so hard? Why do I feel the need to want/make everyone like me, appreciate me, respect me? Why do I care so much? Why does it keep me up at night and wreak havoc on my stress levels?
I wish I could really grasp the freedom I have in Christ, I know that's my answer. He doesn't want me battling over relationships, He wants me focused on Him.
OK, I'm committing to try again tomorrow. Tomorrow I will focus on Christ, the One who has a plan for me and so eagerly awaits my recognition (thanks Pastor Dave) of that plan.

And, of course, here are some photos to keep you coming back...

Did I mention we're selling our truck. Buy it and I'll be your best friend (haha, get it?!?)

Some sister fun in the Jacuzzi at Julia's

Daddy and Katie taking a midnight dip (really, 8:30)

How cute is this shot? Sarah and her cousin Landon watching the YCS football game, they even made it on the news

YCS looking pretty good, beating Springfield 40-3!!

Oh, and this monster. I took this shot while she was eating cheese, drinking water, and growling at her grandma...yes, I said growling!

Really, summer is over?!

I am in udder shock that Sarah started Kindergarten today! Because Dave is now teaching at Youngstown Christian, Sarah is attending the school as well. Dave and Sarah get to drive to school every day together! It's such a blessing to know Dave is in the same building with her, he can stop by her class and peak in on her, join her for lunch and get to know the kids in her class.
My little 5 year old is one amazing kid. She is so mature and sensitive to her surroundings. She has a fun imagination and great social skills. I'm so excited to see what God has in store for her.

Someone's a little sleepy, waking up at 6:30 is a shock to all of our systems

Excited for their first day

Me and my girls

She didn't skip a beat, sat right down with the other kids and started to play. Mom on the other hand was a wreck!