Sticky Pomegranate Drumsticks

Sticky Pomegranate Drumsticks
Gluten Free, 21 Day Fix Approved
Source

Overall, I liked these but it isn't something I would eat all the time. The flavor was different and they were even good reheated for leftovers. 

Serves: 4
Containers: 1 red, 1/2 purple, 2 tsp

INGREDIENTS
2 cups pomegranate juice
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1.5 tsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp Sriracha
2 cloves garlic, chopped
8 chicken drumsticks, skins removed
1 medium scallion (green onion), thinly sliced

Instructions
1. Heat oven 450F with the rack in the center of oven
2. In a skillet, combine pomegranate juice, dijon mustard, vinegar, sriracha and garlic. Bring to boil over high hear, stirring occasionally. Cook until the liquid reduces to a quick glaze, about 10 minutes. *NOTE: it took a longer than 10 minutes for it to thicken for me*
3. Place chicken drumsticks on a foil-lined baking sheet and roast for 10 minutes.4. Brush glaze over drumsticks, flip, cook for another 10 minutes.
5. Remove from oven, turn broiler on high. Brush the chicken with half of the remaining glaze and broil for 2 minutes. Flip, brush with remaining glaze, broil additional 2 minutes.
6. Transfer to platter and sprinkle with scallions!

Read More

Chicken Enchilada Soup

Chicken Enchilada Soup

Crockpot, Gluten Free and 21 day fix!

I found this recipe on Pinterest and, of course, I had to make some modifications. Because... well, I wanted real chicken in my soup. HA. Here is my version of the recipe.

Ingredients

• ½ cup chopped onion(or you can used onion flakes)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cans veggie broth
• 1 8oz can tomato sauce
• 1 15oz can no salt added black beans
• 1 14oz can rotel tomatoes
• 2 cups frozen corn kernels
• 1 tsp cumin
• ½ tsp ground oregano
• 1 pound chicken(I used frozen chicken that I had put up in large chunk sizes)

Instructions

1. Add all ingredients to slow cooker.
2. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.
3. Remove chicken from the crockpot and shred.
4. Return to slow cooker.

Read More

Gluten Free Sweet And Sour Chicken Recipe

Pinterest has become my best friend in my health journey. So many pins, so little time!

This picture caught my eye on pinterest.



When I saw this recipe, I knew I had to try it. I love Asian food. I wasn't 100% JP would like this recipe but he gave it a huge thumbs up and asked me to add it to the "keepers" pile.

Sweet And Sour Chicken Recipe
Gluten Free

Adapted from this recipe. Somehow, my mom brain didn't get ginger on the grocery list. No big deal, I thought. I'll just use some from my spice cabinet.... Not so much. Apparently I don't have any. So I left it off when I made it. It was still delicious. Also, she suggests serving it on lettuce but we served it over rice. Since we were serving it over rice, I doubled the sauce recipe to suite us. Here is the recipe as I made it.

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)
• 1/2 cup corn starch
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 egg (whisked)
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 red bell pepper (chopped)
• 1/2 green bell pepper (chopped)
• 1 small onion (chopped)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 4 tbsp gluten free soy sauce
• 4 tbsp ketchup
• 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp sweet chili sauce
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 4 cloves garlic (crushed)
• 1/2 cup pineapple juice
• 3/4 cup pineapple chunks

Instructions

1. Cube chicken into small chunks.
2. Whisk the egg in one shallow bowl and combine the corn starch and brown sugar in a separate shallow bowl.
3. Put each piece of chicken in the egg until covered and then coat in the corn starch and brown sugar mix. 
4. Heat olive oil in a large skillet and add the breaded chicken, cooking over medium high heat. 
5. After the chicken has started to brown, add the chopped bell peppers and onions. 
6. To make the sauce: combine all remaining ingredients with the exception of the pineapple chunks and (your choice of) rice or lettuce. Whisk them until they are completely blended.
7. Pour the sauce over the chicken and veggies and toss to combine. 
8. Cover and reduce heat to a simmer for 10 minutes. 
9. Add the pineapple chunks. Cover and cook for an additional 10 minutes. Serve over rice. 

Read More

Time Well Spent

You know when you feel yourself getting sick but you remind yourself that you CAN'T get sick right now? You don't have the time. There is too much to do. Momma's don't get sick days....

Well I felt myself getting sick over the weekend but knowing we had a Mobile Store event, I kept pushing. We ended up working 16 hours Monday and it was a great event. But Tuesday I woke up down for the count with flu like symptoms. Thankfully, I have a job that is flexible and understanding. I stayed home Tuesday through today with baby girl and I both being sick. Seriously, I am not sure how we made it through the days. I think we were both living for daddy to get home in the afternoon so that he could pick up all of the scattered pieces and save the day. Dramatic, yes. But those were my feelings in the moment. HA.

The best part of the last few days(because looking for the positive is a necessity)? Getting to focus on Ann Rainey. Ya'll being a mom is FUN. It is the hardest, most confusing, most frustrating job in the world but I love it. She is at the age where she is developing her little personality and she and I love to just play and laugh together. There were several moments where I thought I couldn't get my head to stop pounding long enough to complete a thought and I may have prayed for nap times to come swiftly and last a long time, but I loved the one on one time with her without worrying about work.

One of my goals for the year is to be more intentional with my time. I'll be honest, during our sick days, I actually got on facebook for personal use. Twice. This is absolute progress for me. At the end of the year, I deleted facebook from my phone. I still have the Pages app on my phone for work but I cannot access facebook on my phone except through my chrome browser. I still have my instagram posts going to facebook so I check my notifications but beyond that, I don't browse. At first I missed it. But now I really don't... In fact, one of those 2 times I had browsed only for a few minutes when I saw an absolutely ridiculous post that reminded me of why I wanted to step away from it in the first place.

Facebook as a whole is not a bad thing. It is a great way to keep in touch with friends and family. But for me, it is a place where I waste too much time. I would scroll and scroll, often seeing the same posts multiple times. And worse, seeing posts that are more negative than positive. I would lose track of time looking at things that do nothing to build me up and honestly don't benefit my family in any way, shape or form. There are times I still feel the urge to "just look for a minute" but I remind myself that it is NEVER just a minute. And that minute could be devoted to something else. Like baby snuggles. Lots of baby snuggles and kisses and snorts.

Read More

"Adulting" in 2016

<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/6025899/?claim=crphjqskxz8">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

One of our biggest goals for 2016 as a family is to be more organized.

We bought the Happy Planner from Hobby Lobby and so far we LOVE it. I like that we are keeping it in a central location and both JP and I are using it. We have our budget and menu plan all laid out for both of us to see but we also both like "to do" lists for household cleaning and organization. He specifically asked for this when we were looking at planners so that when he gets home from work he has a "honey do list" to work off of. After a 10-12 hour work day that starts with a 2:30am alarm clock, we both could use the help of a to do list. ;)

The Happy Planner

We also bought the Home Planner extension kit.

There are 3 new extensions that were released today: Fitness, Recipe and Wedding Planner. I definitely want the Recipe Extension Kit and possibly the Fitness. 

We also made 2 purchases today to start off our year of organization and household togetherness. We also stuck to our goal of being more frugal with our purchases.

This filing cabinet was oh so desperately needed and it is on sale for half off so we jumped on it. Previously our files have been housed in the bottom drawer of a plastic 3 drawer set. It was unorganized, cramped and we had definitely out grown it. We won't talk about how many piles and BOXES of unfiled things we now get to sort through. But I am very much excited about eliminating the clutter.

We got the Shark Pro+ Steam Pocket Mop. I am completely giddy in a nerdy kind of way to use this on our hard wood floors. We found it at Dirt Cheap for 60% off! Amazingly, it had all the pieces and we tested it in the store and seems to work properly. The box was just very damaged. 

I see lots of filing and cleaning in my weekend and I definitely do not mind it!!

Read More

My 2015

I am not really sure where to begin in summarizing 2015.
It was a year of learning and growing in every aspect. There have been a lot of tears but more laughter. Life is good because God is good. He has been with us every step of the way. Even when we weren't walking towards Him, He was ready and waiting with open arms.

Ann Rainey has grown so very much and it has been such a fun journey watching her learn and develop. Her little personality is so fun and I am so excited to watch her continue to grow... but time PLEASE slow down!
Financially it has been a hard year of dealing with consequences of bad decisions, doing without and learning the hard way. I feel like we are finally taking baby steps in the right directions. It has been a year of job loss and job changes.
We are healthy. It has been a year of relapses, struggles, early discoveries and treatments. These don't make the financial end any better or easier but we are making it.
We are in a beautiful house now instead of our tiny townhouse. I am so ready to be fully settled in and make it HOME.
I think mentally and spiritually this has been a year of discovery for me. I started going to a Celebrate Recovery group with JP. It was initially "to support him" but I know now that I have SO much to work on and deal with. My addiction? Control. I plan everything. And when it doesn't go the way I expect I don't know how to function or react. I really want to focus on this in the next year. Now that I realize what my problem is, I want to acknowledge it more and recognize when I am starting to go into freak out mode. We finally found a church home after trying several. We met with our small group for the first time at their Christmas party at the beginning of December and we had such a good time. I am so excited about getting more involved there in the next year.

I have realized that I don't always use my time wisely. I think it is so easy for us to say "I don't waste any of my time" but in all honesty, I know there are better ways I could have used a LOT of my time in 2015. My hope and prayer for 2016 is that I am more intentional with my time and that my efforts are relevant in respect to my role as a wife and mother. The first step in this was deleting Facebook(and messenger) off of my phone several days ago. It has been so freeing but also very eye opening. I catch myself picking up my phone and going to check facebook way more than I would like to admit. I can't completely delete my account because I have to have a personal account in order to be an admin on a business page but I am going to making more of an effort to steer clear of it whenever I am on my laptop. It is way too easy to get caught up in scrolling, looking and browsing. And it usually is more negative than positive. I am not saying I will never check facebook but I want to be use that the time I am on it is spent wisely and not when I could be(and usually should be) doing something else. I would love to post here rather than on facebook, even if it is short and sweet - something for our little family to look back on in the future.

I hope 2015 has been a year of blessing, growth, fun, adventure and love for you and your family. I look forward to recording more of our life here in 2016.

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

Read More

Perspective

This year has been one of the best and the hardest of my life. There have been so many days that I just wanted to throw my hands up in the arm... but with each of those days there have been lessons learned. Some of those lessons were more easily seen and learned than other. Some I am still trying to figure out and learn from them.

 For weeks, months, I have been dealing with consistent exhaustion, an unusually upset stomach, changing sleeping patterns, moments of trying to grasp my thoughts or words, and even some crazy moments of blacking out. Honestly, I chalked it all up to stress. But there was more to it than that. A few weeks ago, I went in for a biopsy and another procedure. My doctor found 4 tumors. The results of the biopsy was that they were moderate, borderline severe. Thankfully, they caught them at the precancerous stage! But my doctor advised immediate, invasive treatment to remove the tumors before they cross over into the severe stage. Today will be my first treatment and I have so many thoughts and prayers going through my head.  I don't know how many times I've read this verse but "with thanksgiving" is what has recently stuck out to me. This time has held some serious lessons in faith and trust in God's provision and healing. How many times have I taken my anxiety to Him but not thanked Him ahead of time for what He is going to do with this situation? He will provide. So thank Him now. He will heal. So thank Him now. He will restore. So thank Him now.

So what am I praying for and thankful for?

I am praying for an effective treatment and that my doctor will be able to remove them in as few treatments as possible.
I am praying that my body will accept the treatments well.
I am praying for patience and endurance. For me, for JP, for ARG... all of us! With this I have been very limited in being able to pick up ARG or carry her. This is definitely something that I will NEVER take for granted again.

I am thankful for a job that is flexible and understanding. I am able to work from home when I can so that I am not completely missing out on work(which means hours and income).
I am thankful that after several weeks of JP being out of work that he has started a new job that he seems to love.
I am thankful that he is getting a LOT of overtime hours which will help tremendously in helping us catch up on bills.
I am thankful for a few close friends who are always checking on me and willing to help.
I am thankful for family. Heather came to visit for AR's first birthday and she worked for hours to put up 14 freezer meals for us(plus several for mom). JP's mom is staying in town for my first treatment and to take care of AR for the first few days afterwards.
I am thankful for early detection.
I am thankful for a Father who is a God of grace, mercy, healing and restoration.

Read More

Tiny Moments

Today is a special day. Today is Ann Rainey's first birthday. This year has gone by so very quickly. It has had some good moments, some bad moments, and some downright struggles. But no matter what, getting to be this girl's momma is honestly the sweetest and most treasured blessing of my entire life.

Everyone tells you that time will fly once you become a parent. Nothing can ever prepare you for it. It feels like just yesterday when we were waiting for our Squidget to make her arrival. I remember waking up in the early AM hours being completely uncomfortable and going downstairs to watch Christmas movies. I remember my water breaking, though at the time I really didn't realize that was what was happening. Seriously though... But let me just point out that it is not at all as dramatic as the movies make it out to be. HA. That morning I went ahead and showered, waiting and timing the contractions. When JP's alarm went off at 3:30am I told him that he wouldn't be going to work today because we would be having a baby that morning. I am so glad that Ann Rainey is ours.

The last year has flown by but it has been made of tiny moments, memories that are forever ingrained in my mind. Tonight AR was exhausted and ready for bed way before her usual time because she didn't take an afternoon nap. We fought to keep her awake until 7 and she went straight into her bed and fell asleep. Less than 30 minutes later she was awake again, crying out terrified, most likely because of the bad weather we are having. I had been working in the living room so I tried to cuddle with her on the couch until she calmed down. Then we went into her room, turned on her music and enjoyed the scents from her diffuser. It is something we do nightly, something so familiar and so soothing(for her AND for me). We don't rock her to sleep anymore. Instead we read together, feed her a night time bottle, cuddle and sing for a few minutes. Then we place her in her bed and, on the nights she doesn't fall asleep quickly, she self soothes (Honestly, one of the best decisions we have ever made in this crazy thing called parenthood but that is another subject all together). But those tiny, perfect moments are what matters. There is plenty of lack of sleep, hard nights, laundry, tears with no explanation, and feeling completely helpless. But in those moments I know I am living out my purpose. I know that I am relevant and that I am making a difference, not to the world but in her world. Thankfully we have been blessed with the opportunity where work is flexible and it can wait so that I can enjoy those tiny moments. I hope I never take the little pieces of time for granted.

Read More

Hello There, 2015

Somehow this post has been sitting as a draft for a month. I think it was because I was going to add pictures. Who knows? 


2014 was such a wonderful year for us. It was not perfect by any means and it definitely had some rough patches but it really was a very blessed year. We moved to Mississippi, which was returning home for me. We both got jobs that we really enjoy. We had a smooth pregnancy and delivery of our sweet baby girl. The last few weeks of 2014 were spent enjoying the best Christmas present we ever could have asked for, as well as traveling to Louisiana and Alabama to spend time with family. 

Last weekend, we drove to Louisiana to spend time with my grandmother and my dad's siblings. It was Ann Rainey's first time out of Mississippi and her first time in the car for an extended period of time and she was great! Sunday was Ann Rainey's first time in church. But this wasn't just any church. This was the church my dad and his siblings grew up in, where my granddaddy was pastor for many, many years, the church where I was baptized by granddaddy, where so many precious people identify me as a Clegg as soon as I walk through the door. Granddaddy was very much missed today. I can still hear his voice preaching, talking about sports and woodwork and singing Jesus Loves Me in multiple languages every night before we went to bed. I know he would have had AR in his arms, proudly introducing her to everyone, including taking her up to the pulpit and formally letting everyone meet his first great grandchild.

Sunday afternoon JP, Ann Rainey and I went to New Orleans to see my oldest sister, Rachel. It was rainy and nasty out so we ended up just spending a few hours at the zoo and going back to Rachel's apartment for dinner before heading home.

We were supposed to go to Gadsden for Christmas with JP's mom and his brother's family Wednesday through Sunday but ended up going Monday night through Thursday night so JP could be back to work for Friday morning. This trip was longer but she still did such a great job on the ride there and back. 

Ann Rainey and I spent the time trying to unpack, tackle several things on my to do list and straighten the house. But my biggest priority has just been spending time with her. I go back to work tomorrow and I am not ready for it at all. We haven't established a sleeping schedule whatsoever. She usually falls into a good sleep around midnight and will sleep anywhere from 3-5 hours. And I have NO idea how in the world I am going to get up and get both of us ready to go out the door. I feel like I've struggled to get anywhere on time despite trying to establish a routine the last several weeks. Ha! Any tips in that area would be greatly appreciated. I know the first few weeks will be the hardest. I am already prepared to have an emotional breakdown after I drop her off at daycare in the morning. And I know I have a mountain of work to tackle when I get back to work, so I am hoping that will make the time pass quickly.

Here's to 2015 and settling into our new "normal" as a little family. Praying your 2015 will be overflowing with blessings!

Read More

Disney College Program Alumni Business Directory!

I am so excited to put this together and watch it grow. I knew there are plenty of creative people in our DCP(Disney College Program) Alumni Association group on facebook and I wanted to make a go to list for others to be able to use when shopping. Though the group is a Disney group, I wanted the list to include shops/businesses whether they were Disney related or not.

This is such a good way to support each other and I thought it would be a creative source for those who are participating in the Secret Cupid gift exchange.

This will be an ongoing, growing list so if you would like to be included, please let me know!


Christin Couture by Christin Shirazi
"I love to knit, crochet, bead, and create things. Each item in my store is designed and made by me."

Abigail Gawron's Etsy shop

CraftsbyJayy by Justina Worland
I paint both canvases and shoes and I knit scarves and princess themed hats!

Glo's Collectibles by Gloria So

Katie Mae Quilts by Kate Muter Starcher
Custom quilts. Disney fabric options available!

Southern Comforts - A Vintage Boutique by Magdaly Rivera- Newsome (Program - Fall Adv. 2006 - MK Fantasyland) 

SewSewFunByAmy by Amy Satterfield

Etsy.com/shop/Caliypsoe by Lindsay Balaka (costuming CP from May 2011-May 2012)
I offer ready made, made to order, and completely custom work. (I used to do a lot of costumes/cosplay but clients have been coming to me with Disneybound projects lately so I've been moving in that direction.) Past work is here:http://lindsaybalaka.daportfolio.com/

Flora and Fauna Vintage by Megan DeWeerdt and Brooke Traitz

KreativeStitchins by Elisabeth Hausler

Kreative Stitchin - Where creativity and embroidery meet!

Our Imaginarium by Jayoung Lee

A Beautiful Horizon by Alaina Brogan

Read More

Ann Rainey - 1 month

I don't even know how it has been over a month since our sweet girl joined our family. What I do know is that our lives have forever been blessed by her arrival and I am so very honored that God entrusted her to us.

Our attempt at 1 month pictures didn't go so well. I think there are more outtakes than "keepers". Or atleast by pinterest standards. But I love them all!

Unhappy little miss.

Life is so hard. ;-)

She had a rare moment of actually taking her paci and keeping it. She rarely keeps it in her mouth for very long. 

We decided right after this picture to give it a break and feed her.

Note to self: If you try to make her happy by feeding her before attempting the pictures again, use a BIG bib. Or you will end up with a splotchy onesie. HA

Daddy bought her this bear. Looking forward to seeing how she grows in comparison to her fuzzy friend.

 I was hoping to get a picture showing her length. She has got such long, lean legs. But she didn't think that was such a good idea. ;-) However, I like that you can see a decent amount of her Bambi bedding that my mom made.

 Aunt Rae gave her this super soft Coca-Cola bear. 

 There is a shot of her long, little legs.

 Sadly, this picture cracks me up. Coach was up on his hind legs looking over the bumper at her. She was watching him but she looks terrified. haha

 Those sweet little lips. 

These next 2 pictures we will call her "time is up" pictures. 

It's like she is looking at her invisible watch and saying, "OK, mom. You're time is up. I'm so beyond done."

 Ann Rainey, you are such a treasure. You eat typically 2-3 oz every few hours. You have had a couple sleepless nights but for the most part, you will sleep for 2 sessions that last about 3 hours. No matter when you go to sleep or how long you stay asleep, you always tend to wake up between 2 and 3AM for a feeding and you get to enjoy some snuggle time with daddy before he leaves for work at 3:30AM. You then usually go back to sleep for a couple of hours before we get up and start our day.
On Wednesday, you only slept for a total of 2 hours from 9AM until 11PM and you ate a lot more, feeding every hour to hour and a half. Thankfully, that night you crashed and we were both able to get some rest. You slept for a 5.5 hour stretch and it worked wonders for both of us!
You are just now starting to really notice colors and shapes.
You and Coach are still a little timid around each other. The other day, you sneezed and your socks flew off your feet and landed on his head(he was sitting right at your feet). He has since been terrified of your sneezes.
You are in size 0 diapers. Your newborn outfits have almost gotten too small for you length-wise. We have started putting 0-3 month clothing on you. They fit you better in length but they seem to swallow you width wise.
You still have the brightest blue eyes. You get your blonde hair and blue eyes from daddy. Your chin comes from mommy.
We are so excited for your first Christmas next week. Mommy has enjoyed introducing you to some of her favorite classic Christmas movies.
You hate bathtime in your little tub but you seem to like baths a lot better in the kitchen sink.
Your favorite diffuser scent is Peppermint and Wild Orange and your Auntie Moses(Winnie) is very proud. Whenever I walk into a room with you where it is diffusing your little nose goes into over drive trying to sniff it and your immediately perk up. It's adorable.
Ann Rainey, we love you SO very much. You are the best Christmas present we have ever been given.

Read More

She is here!

Ann Rainey Gould was born yesterday morning at 10:55am.
She was 7lb 6oz and 19 3/4 inches long. 

Last Friday we had our last weekly checkup and we set an induction date for the day after her due date(11/18/14) Wednesday, November 19th. I told Johnathan after the appointment that now that we had a date set, she wasn't going to wait for it. I just had a feeling that she was going to be a bit hard headed and independent. ;-)
My water "broke" yesterday morning between 3 and 4. I say "broke" because it definitely was not at all dramatic like some people or movies make it out to be. Honestly, I didn't even know it had really broken. I just thought the slow leak I was experiencing had turned into a faster leak. I knew JP's alarm for work would be going off at 4am, so I decided to let him continue sleeping and just monitor my contractions. Before 3, they had been spread out so far it wasn't worth tracking and then they became a steady 10-12 minutes. When he woke up, my contractions were 5-6 minutes apart. I told him that he wasn't going to be going to work and that we would be having a baby today. We got up and moving around. I was determined to take a shower before heading to the hospital. By the time I got out of the shower and we were on our way to the hospital they had dropped to 2-4 minutes apart. Since it was so early, I had several hours of long, close (and very painful) contractions until the anesthesiologist got there for my epidural. I'll be honest, that waiting period was the worst part of my labor. At one point, I told JP "I can't do this!" Haha
Once I got my epidural, I went from 3 to 8 centimeters dialated in 45 minutes and we had our sweet girl in our arms shortly afterwards. We were completely blessed and thankful for such a smooth and natural pregnancy and birth!! I am so glad she decided to come on her own rather than waiting 48 hours to be induced.
We are completely smitten with our sweet girl. Actually, I think smitten is an understatement. I don't think that there is or ever will be an adequate way to verbally describe the way your heart immediately grows and changes when your child is born. After carrying her for 40 weeks and steadily falling in love with a face you have yet to see, you don't think you could love her any more. But you're wrong. Very, very wrong. And you will never be more glad to be wrong. :-)

Read More

Clarkco State Park

Every year for the past 27 years, my family has gone to Clarcko State Park for a family reunion. 

My dad's mother, Grandmommy, and her 3 siblings started spending a week together with their children when they were younger. It has continued my dad's generation and their children. We LOVE Clarkco.

The lake has changed a bit over the year and the swimming hole isn't what it used to be when I was little but it is still a beautiful place spent with some of my favorite people.

 We always hike, eat some of the most delicious food, play board and card games in the main cabin and a usually end up laughing until we cry, multiple times. 

The majority of the family is there Wednesday through Saturday/Sunday but because of work, JP and I came down Friday evening after work. Here are some pictures from our weekend. 

(Baby Ann Rainey will be joining us next year. She will be the first great-grand of the Beckman family!)

 Johnathan and I hiked the entire length around the lake. The weather was a little muggy and humid but, honestly, the weather was beautiful. Especially cooler for this time of year!

Last night, God painted some of the most beautiful artwork for us with His sunset. No filter necessary for these. So peaceful, so perfect!

 (Taken from the Cabin swimming hole area)

 (Taken from the fishing pier behind the Aunts' cabin)

(The back of the Clegg family cabin)

It was a great, perfect weekend. Hopefully in the next few years, we will me able to make it for the entire week. I enjoyed introducing JP to more of my extended family and introducing him to one of my favorite places growing up. I am already looking forward to next year!

Read More

Ann without an E

When JP and I were going over names for our baby we never could agree on a boy name that felt like "it". We knew that the middle name would be Paul because it is JP's middle name and a tradition for the men in his family. But there wasn't a first name that stuck out to us. 

But we immediately agreed on a girl's name. We both love family names and I have always wanted to use my mother's maiden name, Rainey, as a middle name for a little girl. We both loved Ann Rainey. Ann is my grandmommy's middle name(my dad's mother). It is also the first or middle name of several special women in my family. So it was an easy decision for us. Following the good, old southern tradition she will go by a double name and be called "Ann Rainey".

I was raised watching "the Anne movies" with my sisters. To this day, the movies are still some of my favorites and they are my go to movies when I need something familiar/comforting on when I don't feel well. 

For anyone who is familiar with the Anne of Green Gables movies or books, you may remember the conversation about "Anne with an E". 

"...But if you call me Anne please call me Anne spelled with an E."

"What difference does it make how it's spelled?" asked Marilla with another rusty smile as she picked up the teapot. 

"Oh, it makes SUCH a difference.  It LOOKS so much nicer. When you hear a name pronounced can't you always see it in your mind, just as if it was printed out?  I can; and A-n-n looks dreadful, but A-n-n-e looks so much more distinguished. If you'll only call me Anne spelled with an E I shall try to reconcile myself to not being called Cordelia."

One thing that we realized as we were looking through all of the family members, they were all spelled Ann rather than Anne. I might have struggled for a few minutes over whether or not to put the E in her name but I figured if it is going to be a family name then it needs to be all or nothing. So we now have our little Ann without an E! And I don't think it looks dreadful at all. ;-)

Read More

Adding a sweet little spoonful to the Gould family!

 First, Happy Mother's Day. I am so very blessed by my mother and I love showing love to her every day, as often as possible. :)

JP and I are so very excited to announce that we are expecting a sweet little baby in November. We are due November 18th. I am holding out for November 20th though. ;) It is my grandmother's birthday and this will be her first great-grandchild! I just think that would be so sweet.

Poppa and Marmie are very excited about becoming first time grandparents. 

So far I have been blessed and not been too terribly sick. Today was probably the worst yet. Unfortunately, I had to miss church and after lunch with the family I am back in bed resting. 

Our little Squidget has a strong heart beat and got a healthy check up from the doctor this past Monday. Car rides do not agree with me most of the time, causing nausea and headaches but not making me actually sick. We do NOT like any form of Sausage. Ha!

Maybe this will be the kick I needed to get me out of my blogging slump, but I am not making any promises. 

Read More