LOVES

In honor of Valentines Day, here is a list of my top 15 Loves :)

1. My savior, Jesus Christ, without Him I am nothing. He changed my life. Freed me from the captivity of sin, and made me a new creation in Him.

2. My loving, sexy, best-man-I-know husband.. u know who u are ;-) I love u, being married to you, YOU!

3. My favorite babbling, bouncing, bundle of joy, baby boy, Lukester, mommy loves you more strongly and deeply than you'll ever know!

4. My large, crazy, wouldn't-have-it-any-other-way, immediate family. (here's most of us :)

5. My large, even more crazy extended family! (I would need a really wide lens to have a picture that could hold all of us!

6. My close friends, don't have alot of them, but I am so grateful for your friendships. (don't have a group picture :)

7. Cheese: all kinds, all the time.

8. Chips: the real stuff, best if u are a kettle chip - don't feel the same about the baked ones, they would probably make it on my HATE list.

9. Chocolate: best if in the form of chocolate frosting or cake. but i will take any kind.

10. Coffee: :) :) :) yes, coffee makes me smile, peps me up, and smells sooo good!

11. Clothes: women's, men's, babies', u name it, i'll shop for it! and if we ever have a dog, he/she will also have a wardrobe. (not my closet...I wish i had room for wooden hangers)

12. The color ORANGE, seriously more of an obsession

13. Crafty stuff: crocheting, sewing, paperfolding, napkin folding, homemade stuff, etc. craft blogs (etsy.com especially!)

14. Cooking: that includes baking. Love to create stuff, try new recipes. (below is a tofu stir-fry I made... It's become almost a weekly dish at our house.

15. SHOES: oh yes, flats, heels, boots, loafers, wedges, running shoes, cross-trainers, mules, slingbacks... you never disappoint.. no matter how my weight fluctuates, you remain the same.. consistent... I heart u :)

I Heart Garlic!!!

Maybe it was the way the flourescent lights in the freezer section hit the packaging just right.

or maybe it was something greater than myself... maybe it was destiny!!

Either way, I ended up with 3 lbs of peeled garlic cloves! those darn warehouse stores can make you or break you!

So now i have alot of garlic to use up... but no fears! I love garlic! only second to onions... mmmm...

and doesn't garlic have superpowers?! I'm not just talking about making vampires writhe in pain, turn to dust and disappear... it's really good for you and your body! except maybe for your love life if you're still single and trying to mix it up... us ol' married folk have given up all that "puttin' on airs" stuff ... "Hey! you're supposed to love me in good and BAD! and BAD means stinky too!"

But garlic isn't really stinky.. it's aromatic.. ahhhh, yes... beautifully aromatic.

It's great raw.. but have you tried it sauteed, baked, roasted, pickled???? I can't decide which way I like it best!

So now, to begin my culinary journey with garlic.. oh the places I will go! hey, I've always wanted to try the classic French 40-clove garlic chicken recipe :)

I'll keep you posted!

This is the garlic... after I gave my friend Sarah about 1lb of it :)

FanTABI-lous!!!

I just want to take a moment to brag on my very talented seeester, Tabitha, or as we call her Tabi, Tabs, Tabster!

She has always liked photography, and I remember she would make us sit still for pictures all the time!

Well, she has become a wonderful self-taught photographer! She has an eye for it.. and can find beauty in the simple things...

She loves to take pictures of her family and of her pups :) She gets better all the time, and I am always amazed at how much she can do with just one camera and 2 lenses!

I can't wait to see what she will accomplish as she follows her passions!

Visit her blog for greatness!

A Father's Love

The only thing that melts my heart more than my son.. is seeing my son with his daddy. I used to wonder what kind of dad Deric would be... would he be distant? would it take him a while to jump into the role? would he be hands on/off?

He has been a great father from the moment Luke was born.

First time he held Luke

He is sweet, caring, loving, funny... and Luke loves him so much!I can only thank God for the way that Deric loves Luke. Seeing them together is pure joy.

Safe in daddy's arms

He loves to sing and read to Luke. Currently they are reading about animals and also French comic books :)

Story Time

First ballgame together - I have a feeling it won't be the last :)

Here they are "working" together. Deric gave Luke his own keyboard that is unplugged, which he can bang on. He loves it!

Engineer in the making

My cup runneth over :)