Vacation

 I don't have too much to say...This past week was a little busy and definitely sad. We said good bye to one of my best friends and her husband. They are headed to Boston, they felt like they were suppose to leave and be closer to their family. I fully understand that, family is important and especially when your thinking about starting one of your own you want to be by them. I know friends can come and go but I truly believe I will be friends with her forever so it doesn't make me too sad just sad to know she's no longer in the same state. 

Well summer is pretty much over and I'm almost ready for it to be because I love fall! But the reason I'm not quite ready is because I haven't really taken a vacation lol I mean to me that's what summer is all about. Not to worry though Lance and I are about to go to South Carolina to visit grampy and then we will head to North Carolina for one of our best friend's wedding. It's gonna be a good week and its pretty much our vacation. I'm looking forward to it and hopefully being able to finish my book (since that was one of my summer goals) 

So until then, enjoy whatever is left of summer!

Jaimie Lynn Marie

You will have to excuse me I'm not myself today. Actually, around this time every year my emotions are usually all over the place.

 I wasn't going to post anything especially today because this week has been a little difficult but I really wanted to share what has been going on in my mind because for one what I'm going to say is the one thing in my life I rarely talk about and my husband asked me why I don't and the truth is... I think I'm scared to talk about it because I fear it will make me sad but really I need to because I don't want to forget and second it's a part of my life and I started this blog to share the things God is teaching me and about His love. So here it is...

9 years ago today the most devastating thing happened to our family, my mom passed away. She was one of the most amazing women I know. Her name was Jaimie Lynn Marie, she was a school teacher and was actually mine and my sisters 5th grade teacher( and no we didn't get special treatment) 

She's the first person who taught me how to worship God. At the private school she taught, every morning she would make her students sing and said that it didn't matter if you had a good voice but that we needed to practice because that is what will be doing when we get to heaven. She is also the first person who taught me to read my Bible. She would get up every morning at 5:30 and read her Bible, I wanted to be just like her. She loved coffee, cats, and jewelry, I guess that's where I get my likings from.

 These past couple years I have missed her the most I think because of all the transitions in my life she would have been my go to person and the other day I felt like I was forgetting her so I wanted to share some things for my sake but also to say that through this unexpected situation I began to have a real relationship with God something I don't think would have happened if my mom was still here. Even though I miss my mom's love and her presence in this world, I know God's love is so much stronger and is everlasting. Really I needed to begin to rely on Him more. Not only that but he gave me a husband and best friend that will talk about her with me whenever and that is something I prayed for because it was such a sensitive event in my life.

 Honestly most days I don't think about her, and some days I will randomly cry, but I know I will always love her in my heart. God really does have a plan for everything, good or bad if you just trust in Him! Through this I have learned that healing is not always a "one time thing" but a process that God wants to break down so He can rebuild and take out the hurt and pain and make us stronger. I have learned that what was once my pain can become someone else's healing. Lastly I have learned that God is the only consistent thing in my life and is always there for me.
I leave you with this my mom's favorite verse:

Romans 8:28 "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose."

Lettuce Wraps

One of the things I love about Lance is that he is always up for trying new things. We love trying new restaurants and new foods to eat because sometimes being in a routine can get a lil boring. Our new favorite meal to eat is Thai Lettuce Wraps especially since its like 110 degrees outside and the humidity is a killer, lettuce wraps are not only filling but refreshing! 

So if you have never had them I recommend trying them at The Cheesecake Factory that's where we first had them. Now since we can't go eat there every time we crave them we decided to make them. Lance and I like to sometimes to take a recipe and alter it to our liking and in doing that it may not always turn out but we talk it over and discuss what would work better next time. That's what happened with this recipe it was definitely edible but needs a few alterations. The lettuce was perfect fresh and crispy, the chicken was cooked just right, but it was our veggies. We mixed the veggies in a stir fry with the chicken and it got a little too much flavor so next time cook the veggies separately and we would add asian noodles to put in the lettuce wraps.

In case you want to try here's what we used but you can 

always be creative and put what you think you would like:

1 lb or lil less of boneless skinless chicken strips 

2 tbsp veg oil

montreal seasoning (for the chicken)

1 cup Mixture of veggie slaw (broccoli, cabbage, carrots)

3 cloves garlic minced

1 tbsp ginger

Iceberg Lettuce

 Soy Sauce depending on your liking

dash of basil(or fresh basil broken up)

dash of sesame oil (optional)

Cucumbers sliced (optional)

Heat oil on high, cook chicken about 2 min on both sides, then add garlic and ginger. In a separate pan add a lil oil cook veggie slaw, add soy sauce, basil. Wrap it all in the lettuce and enjoy!

Notice the Veggies to the right how dark they look! Too much flavor, you should be able to see the color lol and we forgot the cucumbers!

Summer Projects

These past couple of weeks I have been working on a couple projects some turned out pretty good and of course I hit my bumps in the road. 

The first was a quilt I started working on last summer, now this was before I had a sewing machine so I started it by hand and it wasn't turning out to good. I have never made a quilt by hand so I wasn't expecting it to be amazing but I was becoming frustrated and a little disappointed with it. And well I'm not the type of person to give up so easy I do try to find an alternative solution if something doesn't work out. So I thought well now that I have a sewing machine why not turn it into a sewing machine cover, so that's what I did. I was not going to let all that hard work go to waste!

My second project I made sure was a little easy, I guess you can say I needed to re-boost my self-esteem a little. I made pillows for our bed. I felt pretty good about this one because the fabric cost me $4.19 and I already had the stuffing so for 2 new decorative pillows I didn't have to pay $10-20 each and I always find great joy and satisfaction in knowing I saved myself some bucks!

Lastly, this project hmmm...... well let's just say it was fun and great practice! 

I made an apron but I wanted to use some of the pieces of fabric my aunt sent me and went for this tie-dye kinda theme and I just wasn't pleased with the outcome. Can't really say what, I just think it lacks something. So anyways I'm sure I'll use it and make more but that's what I have been up to. Summer is almost over so I'm finishing these projects and will probably start new ones. Fall is on its way I can't wait its one of my favorite seasons!

Shining a little Hope

I read something this morning and wanted to share it because for one its from God's Word and there's nothing more powerful or encouraging then His words and second it brought me hope.

1 Peter 1: 6-7 " In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith- of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire- may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

When I read this it wasn't the word trials that stuck out to me but faith. My faith is more valuable than gold and God wants to get rid of all impurities so I can be useful to Him. The trials we go through are a refining process not a punishment, they are a tool not a weakness, but if we do not walk through them with faith as our backbone we will fall. 

In Psalms 47:4 it says that God chose our inheritance for us. That's good to know! We must do our part for His kingdom so we can receive the inheritance that He already chose for us.

God mold me and use me so I can bring you glory and honor.