Our Easter

Is this time of year not the most precious? There are so many things about this season and this time of year that put a smile on my face.

I want to share this sweet little video that a friend shared with me so I could share it with my girls. We do our best to explain to our daughters what Easter is about, but it is difficult trying to explain to a 2-year about sin and death and new life. This little video was not just great for my girls, but it was wonderful for me to watch as well. Hearing the Easter story from a child's perspective was exactly what I needed on this Good Friday. I hope it is equally as heart-warming to you and yours. May we never forget the significance of this event.

Easter involves traditions for us. I'm a gal that loves traditions. I love the Easter bunny. I love getting dressed up for church. I would even put on a hat and gloves and little shiny white shoes if I could get away with. But, my man is a hippie and we have church in the park. I do enjoy the sunrise service with our friends on Easter morning. There really is something special about a sunrise service. We follow that up by coming back to our house for a big breakfast with our church family. Then, we do get dressed up and go to church with my family, the traditional way.

And then there is the Easter bunny. The Mr. is not a fan of the Easter bunny. As stated above, I like him...a lot. I think all of that is nothing but fun for the littles and I want my girls to have those same memories as I did, at least until their daddy tells them otherwise. :) He has great motives, and I agree with him. I don't want my girls to be distracted away from the true meaning of Easter. So we comprise. Our Easter bunny comes on Saturday morning so that he can have more time at church on Sunday. :)

After we open our baskets in the morning, we will follow up with the cutest little "Bunny Rolls" that I found on pinterest.

I've also made a Easter treat tray that I will take to our family gatherings. This works a lot like my holiday cookie tray that I simply refill in between stops to arrive with a plate full of goodness. On this particular treat tray, I'm taking "bunny bark" (thank the good Lord above for pinterest!), oreo truffles (these are the same as the Christmas ones, just with Easter sprinkles and minus the peppermint), and little brownie bird nests. I got the idea from here, but tweaked it to use brownies instead of the cookie dough.

And I just have to share this photo of my girls who were so excited to "help mama in the kitchen". LR wanted to make sure I let her do the sprinkles! What a blessing they are!

Hopefully, I will be back in a few to post post-Easter pics. I'm not promising anything due to the fact that spring break will soon be over and I'll be back in survival mode.

Enjoy your Easter with your families! He is ALIVE!

Fall Favorites

Wow! It's been awhile. Things haven't calmed down for the Crawford's but that is okay, too. We've been busy going and doing. I've been in the kitchen, but just haven't had time to post much. We did have two of my fall favorites since the weather has cooled off a bit. I'll share them with you in hopes that they might become your fall faves as well. :)

Southwest Soup
I have to start off by saying this soup was an accident. I normally always make Southwest Chili during the fall, which is just as good, but we didn't have the ingredients, so we ended up having Southwest Soup and I can honestly say it ain't the last time.

Ingredients
-Ground turkey or beef (brown and drain)
-1 can Mexican Rotel
-1 can diced tomatoes
-1 can dark red kidney beans
-1 can light red kidney beans
-1 can corn (drained)
-1 box beef broth
-1 jar of salsa

I put mine in the crockpot on low for 4 hours. It was wonderful and would be great with tortilla chips and melted cheese. Go for it. Hubs vetoed that decision for our house.

If you want to turn this into Southwest Chili, follow the same recipe but don't use the broth. Instead use a can of tomato sauce.


Taco Soup
Before you skip over this recipe because you think you already have a good recipe for Taco Soup, think again. This really is the BEST recipe for Taco soup I've ever had. Plus, it is a one - dish wonder and incredibly easy. I wish I could claim it, but I can't. I first had it in college from one of my best friends. It was her mom's "famous" recipe. Russ and I honestly make this probably once every other week during the fall and winter. He asks for it in the summer, but I refuse. That is hotdog weather...sorry.

Anyway, it really is AMAZING! Make it, you will love it!

Ingredients:
-Ground beef (brown and drain)
-1 jar picante sauce
-1 can stewed tomatoes
-1 can mexican rotel
-1 box beef broth
-1 box rotini (I use whole wheat)
-cumin (to taste)
-garlic (to taste)
-Salt & Pepper (to taste)
-shredded cheese
-tortilla chips

Mix everything together except chips and cheese until it comes to a boil. Turn down the heat and let it sit for about 30 minutes. Put chips in the bottom of your bowl. Pour the soup on top. Put some cheese on that goodness. Eat it up!


Pumpkin Muffins
I've written about this recipe before. Two ingredients: Spice cake and pumpkin. Mix, bake, enjoy. But, I have discovered a new amazing muffin mix that makes these easy muffins something I want to serve for every meal. If you have a box of Cinnamon Streusel Muffin Mix and a can of pumpkin, make these muffins. They truly are wonderful.

 Maybe because it is a muffin mix and not a cake mix, but these might be the moistest muffins I've ever had. Seriously, I can't say enough about how amazing they are. And easy. Bonus!!

Finally, Halloween has come and gone. My girls were adorable as a bumble bee and a ladybug.

These are the only pics because sweet little Lyla fell asleep about 10 minutes into the Trick-or-Treat extravaganza.

I will share these cute little treats I sent with LR to school. I made these before as easter pops, but just coated them with Halloween sprinkles instead. Two year olds love sprinkles and marshmallows, so it was a hit.

I hope you and your family are enjoying some fall favorites this year as well. :)

Fall=pumpkins

For those of you that read yesterday's post, you know that I'm a fan of fall and all the cozy goodness that accompanies it.

Pumpkin is one of my most favorite foods and I love it in just about anything as long as it's on my plate between the days of October 1-December 1. None before, none after.

To welcome the arrival of fall temperatures, we went a little pumpkin crazy today. I have two WONDERFUL recipes to share and I can assure you they will be made multiple times before our December 1st deadline, in which I switch to solely mint chocolate recipes.

We started our morning with drum roll please....Whole Wheat Pumpkin Waffles with Cinnamon Cream Syrup. Yes, it was as good as it sounds, maybe better. You can find the recipe that inspired me here. But, I changed things up a bit so we didn't have heart attacks before 9am and so the hubs would actually eat them. Basically, I substituted the flour for whole wheat, omitted the butter altogether, and only used the egg whites, no yolks. The recipe also says to separate your dry and wet ingredients and do crazy things like beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Well, I have children and don't have time for stiff peaks, so I piled it all in the bowl, mixed it, and put in on the waffle iron. It was still TO DIE FOR. Perhaps the extra steps would have changed the texture, but I didn't have time for that today.

My recipe is as follows:
1/4 cup light brown sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice.
2 egg whites
1 cup milk
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 tablespoons oil ( I used smart balance)


Mix and pour into a hot waffle iron.


You can follow the syrup directions as stated on the website. But please, use a 5oz can of evaporated  milk. I only had a 12oz can and didn't realize it until it was too late, so I had to go back and add more corn syrup, etc. and the syrup part ended up being an epic fail. But, I can tell that it would've been divine if I had followed instructions. :)

I also made a two-ingredient cake today that was equally as grand as the waffles. I use the same two ingredients when making the best pumpkin muffins that my friend Beth first introduced me to. I found the inspiration for this recipe here, but adapted it just a bit by using spice cake instead of yellow.


Apple Cider Pumpkin Cake:
1 box spice cake mix
1 can of pumpkin


Mix together, pour in cake pan, muffin tin, bundt pan, whatever suits your fancy!
Bake as instructed on the box.


Apple Cider Glaze:
1 cup confectioner's sugar
3 tablespoons apple juice/cider
3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice


Mix until well blended and drizzle over cake. Let it set before serving. I took this cake to a family get together tonight and it was a BIG hit!!! 

 (please ignore the over-pouring of glaze) :)


I leave you with some pics of my cuties playing outside in this wonderful weather.

Happy Fall Ya'll!

Fall Weekends...

Much needed.

Fall, not the date, but the weather, couldn't have come at a better time for me. Work has been incredibly overwhelming this year. I can't get my head above water and I'm spending my nights planning the next day's lessons because I don't have time during my work day. I told Russ one day this week that if it wasn't for Jesus, I know that I would be crazy by now and probably on 10 kinds of anxiety meds and sleep aids. Thank goodness for sweet Jesus who fills me with hope and purpose for each and everyday.  Long story short, the weather and beauty of today came at a perfect time.

Lily Rain and I stepped outside this morning to go on our weekly excursion to Publix and were greeted by the most refreshing, crisp, cool weather. Even Lily Rain made the sweetest comment when she said, "Jesus gave you this beautiful day!" Yes, He did and Mama sure needed it.

Fall is simply wonderful. I love all the seasons and what they have to offer, but you just can't beat the coziness of fall.

Right now the girls are sleeping, I'm curled up on the couch (putting off next week's lessons), sipping coffee. My "sweet cinnamon pumpkin" candle is burning and I'm "pinteresting" for fall recipes. Tomorrow I am making an Apple Cider Cake that I found here. If I can get my tired tail out of bed in the morning, I'm planning on making these pumpkin waffles that I found here. 

Stayed tuned. Right now, I'll leave you with a quick and easy weeknight dinner recipe that the hubs and I both found wonderful.

Easy & Cheap Chicken Parmesan


1 Package Chicken Breast or Tenderloins
1 Jar Spaghetti Sauce
Grated Parmesan
Italian bread crumbs

Put the spaghetti sauce in one bowl and the bread crumbs and parmesan in another. Dip each chicken breast in the spaghetti sauce and then dip into the bread/cheese mixture. Place each piece in a baking dish and bake for 25-35 minutes. We served this with long grain rice and steamed green beans. It was great for a weeknight dinner when you need something quick and easy.

For my teacher friends that are equally overwhelmed, head on over to this devotional website for teachers. My friend, Leigh, at Precious Perks first introduced me to this website and it's very encouraging.

Enjoy this wonderful fall day!

Seriously behind...

I am seriously behind in the land of blogging. Life at the Crawford household has been insane! This week in particular has been wild. We've had ear infections, doctor visits, parent/teacher conferences, wedding rehearsals, and weddings. So tonight, Lyla and I are in our PJs while Russ and LR are at the football game. I think this is the first time in 8 days I've sat down for more than a meal...ahhh!!!

I don't mean to complain, I'm thankful for it all....every. busy. minute.

On a brighter note, a few weekends ago I made these amazing muffins that I found on pinterest. I love muffins but I'm always worried about the sugar content, even in the whole grain ones that we like. Yall, these muffins were seriously so good. And incredibly healthly. Now, I did eat three at one sitting, so I don't know how healthly that choice was, but they were good. We are not so big on super sweet anything for breakfast, so we cut the sugar in half. Honestly, I think we could have even used less. They were very hearty and filling and made me feel like super women ( i wish) :).

1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cups oats (I used steel cut oats)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup low-fat or non-fat buttermilk
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 tbsp canola oil
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper liners or spray with nonstick cooking spray. If you plan on eating them straight out of the oven, give the liners a spritz of cooking spray so the muffins won’t stick.

In a large bowl whisk together flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Combine applesauce, buttermilk, sugar, oil and egg in a medium bowl. Make a well in dry ingredients and add applesauce mixture, stirring until just moist. (Don’t over mix them! The batter will be thicker than your average muffin batter.) Carefully fold in blueberries.

Spoon the batter into muffin cups. Bake at 375°F for 16-18 minutes.

Enjoy!!!

Sunday School and Breakfast

A couple of days ago I was reading through the Good Book. I've been doing a Beth Moore Study on the book of Esther and it has been great, but I was feeling bogged down in all the "study" and felt like I had gotten away from just hearing from the Word. Well, I opened up the Bible and it fell to Jonah. I thought, "Nah, Jonah is soooo 3rd grade." So, I flipped some more and came to Matthew 12. Well, what do you know, Jesus is talking it up about good ol' Jonah. So, I surrendered.

Okay, Lord, you win.

I'll read Jonah, even though I know all about this big fish vomiting him onto the shore.

Well, as we all know, His ways are incredible higher than ours and that sweet Jesus I serve had a little lesson for me in those four short chapters. If you haven't read it in a while, I encourage you to do so. Here is what the Lord spoke to me yesterday:

So, after Jonah gets swallowed he prays to God from the belly of the fish. Part of his prayer really struck me in Chapter 2,

 ⁸ “Those who cling to worthless idols 
   forfeit God’s love for them. 
⁹ But I, with shouts of grateful praise, 
   will sacrifice to you. 
What I have vowed I will make good. 
   I will say, ‘Salvation comes from the LORD.’”

Verse 8 is so powerful to me. I began to think about things that I've made my idols. Lately, through personal conviction and the book, Radical, I really think I've made my comfort an idol. I am so comfortable in this world. What do I sacrifice? If I feel led to give, we might not get to eat out one weekend, but is that really sacrificing?  Jesus' definition of what a true sacrifice is looks completely different than what I've defined it as. 

If you continue on through the book, Jonah becomes very angry with God because God provides things for him and then they are taken away. Jonah becomes concerned with what the Lord took, instead of focusing on the blessing that it was while he had it. Then, the Lord questions if Jonah realizes that there are people to be concerned with and not comforts that he no longer had. 

So, there is your Sunday school lesson for today. I wasn't going to share that with you, but on our way to church this morning, the radio pastor guy discussed, you guessed it, the book of Jonah! So, I thought that maybe you might get a little something out of it too.

Now for the breakfast, or dessert, whichever you want it to be:

Pumpkin Muffins

These are one of my most favorite recipes of all time, yes, it is that good! :) I first got this recipe from my dear friend Beth. The most glorious part is that it only takes TWO ingredients! You will be tempted to add eggs, or oil, maybe even water. But don't do it!! It only needs these two ingredients and you are saving your waistline a few inches if you just stick with what I'm about to tell you.

Ingredients

1 box of spice cake mix

1 can of pumpkin

Directions: Mix. Pour in greased or lined muffin tins. Cook on 350 for 16 minutes. Eat 'em up!

We have these almost every weekend from October-February. We had the most wonderful drop in temperature here the past two days (it went from 872 degrees, to 72 degrees) and it made me think about Fall. With fall comes pumpkin recipes, and that is how it all began. 

My sweet sister-in-law mixes powdered sugar and milk and drizzles that yummy mix on top of these. Also, I've taken can of premade cream cheese frosting and added pumpkin pie spice to it and spread it on top for dessert. Do what your heart desire, but make these muffins quickly! You can read the book of Jonah in the 16 minutes it takes to cook them! :) You won't regret it. 

I hope you've had a terrific Sunday! 

Fabulous 4th!

We had a fantastic 4th of July! I love it when holidays fall on a weekday. The hubs gets an extra day off and it feels like Saturday all over again! We started our celebration on Sunday morning. My oldest nephew, Ben, got baptized. I am just so incredibly proud of him. I pray that he spends his life seeking after the Lord with his whole heart. I'm so proud of his parents, too, for leading him and pouring into him. It was exceptionally special because he asked Russ to do the dunkin'! Russ was beyond humbled and it definitely touched his heart.

We spent the afternoon with my family for our annual "fish fry". It was filled with good food & family....just can't get much better!

We started our 4th off right with a big breakfast. I made hearty whole wheat waffles (recipe below) and they were incredibly easy and delish! Even LR said they were "so good waffles". I originally got the recipe off of cooks.com.

After breakfast, this party of 4 went to the parade! LR enjoyed it (or at least all of the popsicles) and Lyla got hot and fell asleep.

We spent the remainder of the day with family and took in the fireworks after the girls were both way too tired! :)

I hope your fourth was filled with family, friends, and fun!

Hearty Whole Wheat Waffles
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar (you can substitute this with honey or even applesauce)
1 egg
1 1/2 cups milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil

Mix and pour into your hot waffle iron. It makes about 8-10 waffles.