Johnny

We are babysitting this little cutie and his sister today.  I couldn't resist posting this photo.  I love the look on his face! :)

Christian's Philosophy on...

Health Food!

" God made most people without a taste bud for salad. "

Happy Birthday, Papa!!!!!
What a blessing it is to be your daughter and have the God-given gift of calling you "Papa". What you mean to me, how much I love you, and how grateful I am for you cannot be put into words. I can only say that you are AMAZING! God has given you so much grace in raising, training, and instructing me in the ways of the Lord. For that, I am grateful. Thank you for being so diligent in helping to choose godly friends for me and keeping my heart pure.
Whatever happens in this next year, I know that we will not walk alone. Our God has been, is, and always will be faithful to us. I love you and I pray that we may be granted many more blessed years with you.

To God be the Glory,

Much love,

Hannah

(Philippians 1:27)

You know that your little brother is growing up when...

He still reads that book. :)

You know that your little brother is growing up when...

...He answers the phone and his voice sounds like your dad's; you won't (absolutely refuse to!) believe him when he says he's your brother...

...He fits into your dad's boots...

...He's shorter than you when you leave on a 10 day trip and is taller than you when you get back...

...His hands are about twice the size of yours...

...You have to refer to his "work schedule" before making plans for a group phone call...

...You look back on photos from last year and he looks like a little kid...

Yes, my biggest little brother is growing up.  Where did the time go!?! 

Happy 16th Birthday, Elijah.  I cannot describe in mere words what you mean to me.  You are a brother, friend, encourager, gentleman, joy, blessing, patient with me when I'm not patient with you :), one who keeps me accountable, keeps me laughing, and, most of all, you love the Lord.  To sum it all up, you are an amazing brother!  May your day be wonderfully blessed because of Jesus.  I pray that we may be so blessed as to celebrate many more years of God's grace in your life.  I love you (so much!).

They got creative one day and took the coastguard legos out on a floating "island" in the pool. :) 

This photo was taken last year... 

...and this was taken a few months ago.  He sure has grown up!!! 

Teddy Bear

Isn't he just too cute to resist!?! 

Cajun Style Blackened Snapper

OK, this is a seriously incredibly amazing recipe. :) Papa told me that this was the best fish he'd ever had.

I was digging through the freezer last week and came across snapper fillets. How on earth am I supposed to cook snapper!?! I went to allrecipes.com and found this delicious, though very spicy, recipe. It was specially requested again this week. I hope that you enjoy it as much as we did.

One side note: 
THIS IS A WARNING 
DO NOT cook this fish in the house, unless you have a very powerful vent!!!  I tried it my first time and there was white smoke billowing up to the ceiling and out the door.  My family (who were all outside at the time) congregated outside the back door with frightened faces.  :)  I removed quickly to the stove top on our grill and had no further problems. :)

I served this meal with a big salad and homemade cream of chicken soup with rice to "cool" the heat of the fish. Enjoy!

Cajun Style Blackened Snapper

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons paprika
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons ground white pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1 tablespoon salt
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried oregano

4 (6 ounce) fillets red snapper

1 1/2 cups butter, melted

Directions:

In a small bowl, mix together paprika, cayenne pepper, white pepper, black pepper, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, thyme, and oregano.

Heat a large cast iron skillet over high heat for 10 minutes, or until extremely hot.
Dip fish into melted butter, and sprinkle each fillet generously with the seasoning mixture. Place the fish fillets in the hot skillet. Pour 1 tablespoon of butter over each fillet. Cook until the coating on the underside of the fillet turns black, 3 to 5 minutes. Turn the fish over. Pour another tablespoon of butter over the fish, and cook for 2 minutes, or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups chicken stock, divide
1 teaspoon finely chopped onion
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
1/8 teaspoon lemon pepper
1 pinch ground allspice
1 pinch ground paprika
1 cup milk

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

Directions:

Place 1 tablespoon of chicken stock in a saucepan over medium-low heat, and cook and stir the onion and garlic in the broth until they are softened, about 3 minutes. Pour in the rest of the broth and 1/2 cup of milk, and whisk in the salt, black pepper, parsley, lemon pepper seasoning, allspice, and paprika. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat, and allow to simmer for 1 to 2 minutes.

Whisk flour into the stock mixture in the pan, alternating with milk until smooth. Keep whisking continuously to avoid lumps until the soup comes almost to a boil and thickens.
Enjoy!
I'm grateful for amazing brothers who are so kind to clean up my cooking messes. :)  Special thanks to the dish-washers!  That job doesn't get enough credit. :)

Up and Coming Photographer

We are babysitting some sweet and super cute little children today.  I took Josie outside earlier to take pictures.  She wanted to "do it herself" so I let her use my Canon camera.  I think she liked it!  :)  Here are a few of my favorite shots from today and random photos from the past couple of weeks.   Enjoy!

Josie has the most gorgeous red hair! 

We have recently been doing a lot of work in our kitchen area.  Mama painted the cupboards and we all laid a new floor. Papa did an incredible job laying the tile and it looks beautiful! Elijah and Jeremiah, having zero experience in grouting, completed the job like pros.  :) 

Just last week, Teddy got in the pool for the first time - he'll go anywhere for a treat! :) 

Teddy loves to jump when he gets excited. 

Amanda and I had a sweet opportunity to serve at a wedding last week.  Old Heritage catered the food and we served it.  We had a blast! :) 

The veggie tray. 

The cheese tray was so pretty with the tomato roses in the center. 

After the wedding, I went out to the Richter's and stayed the night.  Their cousins came for a visit, too.  This is Grant's new puppy, Badger. 

In the evening, we went out to the field and took a whole bunch of photos.  I love the soft evening lighting that makes everything feel so warm. 

Margo in the cornfield. 

"Jeddy Blue" :) 

I really, really like this photo. 

After I took this picture, I got stung by an angry wasp. :) 

One thing about photography that really draws my attention is lines.  Fields are a great place to get gorgeous photos with lines stretching on and on. 

Reading the Bible before the service. 

Lauren is such a sweet big sister. 

After church and the fellowship meal, the kids went down to the playground.  Jeremiah dug a deep hole in the sand. Jeddy enjoyed it a whole bunch! 

Haley, the gymnast. :) 

I was going after some squirrels the other day with my camera.  I climbed the tree barefoot and had Jeremiah hand up the camera. :)  The squirrels ran away, but I was able to get this sweet shot of my little Christian. 

In church, I noticed that baby Chase's hair forms a heart on the back of his little head.  How sweet is that!?!

Have a blessed and joy filled day, everyone!

Blessing #5!!!

Praise the Lord for His immense and joyous blessings!!!  The Phillips family had Chase Matthew at 7:00 this morning.  Mama, Christian, and I had the opportunity to visit at the hospital earlier today. Baby Chase is so cute, and, being born on July 4th, he's definitely a little firecracker!  :)  He was so alert and wide awake most of the time we were there.  Here are a few pictures that I snapped:

B-I-G yawn!  :)