Friday Favorites

{one} You guys! I love coffee. My husband maintains that what I drink is not coffee, but deliciously sweet and creamy coffee drinks. (Psssh. It is what it is. I'm all about the Iced Caramel Macchiato year round.) I've never had coffee first thing in the morning. I'm more of a middle of the day coffee boost kind of girl. And until now, I rarely made coffee for myself at home. I'm a Starbucks girl, but let's be real when you don't drink "real coffee", $5 coffee drinks add up! Baby #3 has had me wanting coffee daily instead of every now and then. I needed to find a solution fast. Then, Joe got the Ninja Coffee Bar for Christmas. I mean we all saw the commercials with Sofia Vergara telling us how great it is, but really this thing is amazing. Joe turned barista and has been making all kinds of fun drinks! First up, made with love and a bit of sweetened condensed milk for his tired and cold coffee drinking wife: Frozen Cappuccino. It is DELICIOUS. Like so so good that I look forward to enjoying it everyday and haven't wanted to go to Starbucks in weeks! Then, just to make it a little sweeter, another favorite is the new cup Joe got me to enjoy my frozen Cappuccinos in.

So really that's four favorites: the Ninja Coffee Bar, Frozen Cappuccinos, my gold glitter cup and (best of all) my handsome barista!

{two} I reread Zephaniah 3:17 earlier in the week and haven't stopped thinking about it. I've read it in a bunch of translations and each brought new things to light for me. 

For the Lord your God is living among you.

    He is a mighty savior.

He will take delight in you with gladness.

    With his love, he will calm all your fears.[a]

    He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.”

To be delighted in, cared for and rejoiced over...that's the kind of love that changes hearts and minds. What a sweet blessing to me as His child. What a real reminder to me as a parent!  

{three} I love birthdays and all the joy and excitement that come with them. It's birthday week in our house, which means lots of preparations, celebrations and a daily lunch box countdown. Ella celebrated her half birthday at school on Tuesday with a class party. Abby turns six on Sunday, so we are getting ready for a birthday party (Legos and friends), a birthday dinner (Tacos and family) and a class celebration.

my almost six year old 

my three and a HALF year old! 

{four} Something old, something new. I shared about an old favorite on the blog yesterday. We tried a new favorite last night: Chicken, Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna. You guys, even my kids ate seconds complete with lots of spinach and mushrooms. It was that good!

{five} I have written our family story for the last six years on a blog I started when Abby was born. I love documenting our life and memories. My in-laws give me one of my favorite gifts ever each year when they compile the posts into hardcover annual volumes! This week, I've been enjoying my latest copies!

What are your favorites this week?

Linking up with:

Momfessionals and www.tabanderika.blogspot.com for Friday Favorites  

 A Liz Adventures for 5 on Friday 

 September Farm for Oh Hey Friday

Nana's Sour Cream Cake

I spent my senior year of college enjoying every last bit of my time at Syracuse University, while planning a wedding. In May 2007, I graduated from college and got married two weeks later. As my days of dining halls and meal plans were running out, my excitement for learning how to cook and trying new recipes grew. I had always loved to cook, but my hours of watching the Food Network suddenly had new meaning. It was about to get real and I wasn't sure where to start. I started my cookbook collection, practiced on my hungry fiance and gathered recipes from family and friends. It was so special to get a cookbook from my Nagymama filled with recipes straight from her kitchen, recipes that mark my entire life. Every time I had dinner at someone's house, I asked for the recipe and ran home to make it myself. But, some of my favorite recipes to collect were the ones that marked Joe's childhood and his memories. With just months to go until our wedding, I got this sweet handwritten recipe in the mail from my future grandmother-in-law and it remains a special recipe in my collection eight years later. 
 

Recipes that tell stories with their history are the best kind! With friends coming over for coffee last month, I pulled out my recipe, whipped up Nana's Sour Cream Cake and added one more memory to this tried and true favorite. 

Nana's Sour Cream Cake

2 cups sifted flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup sugar 
2 eggs, well beaten 
1/2 pint sour cream 
1/4 pound butter 

Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda together. Cream sugar and butter. Add eggs and beat well. Add (alternating) sour cream and dry ingredients. 

Topping: 
1/2 cup brown sugar 
1 tbsp cinnamon
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts 

Thoroughly mix all ingredients. Butter tube (or bundt) pan. Put half of the batter in the tube pan. Then, half of the topping. Repeat with the rest of the batter and topping.

Bake for 40 minutes at 350.

Friday Favorites

Five things I'm loving this week:

{one}
I know I'm late to the game, but I joined Goodreads and set a 2016 reading goal. So much fun! Anyone who knows me knows that I don't need help reading more books, but I DO need help documenting all the books I read and this is perfect! Not to mention, the button you press to indicate you've finished the book is very gratifying to this Type A list maker. My goal is a little ambitious this year (50 books), especially because life is pretty unpredictable in this season, but I think it's possible. There is way more hidden time to read in day then we think. 

Don't get me wrong, I love to have fun, but this sweatshirt belongs in my drawer!

Speaking of reading, I love that with some extra time before school this morning, Abby decided to curl up on the couch with a book and read out loud. Then, she sat next to Juliet and read the story to her. She kept looking up from the book with confused look on her face saying, "I know what I'm reading, Mommy, but what is a Zane? What is a Gook? Dr. Seuss books are a little strange." 

{two}

I got our girls these journals for Christmas and they are definitely one of our favorite finds. What a sweet way to help them learn how to make space in their day to reflect, read God's word and apply it to what's going on in their hearts. Ella (3) is a little young, but likes answering the questions when we ask her and coloring pictures about her day.

{three}
This week was sleep deprived and challenging. Some of it was life with an infant. Some of it was nightmares. One night I was up from 2-5:30 with all three kids in rotation. It made for some rough mornings, some bad attitudes and lots of coffee, but in some of my desperate moments, the Lord reminded me of the sweetness of it all. I asked for His help and He made me more aware of the gift it is to spend my days loving these little girls (including loving them in the middle of the night when I'd rather sleep). As I sensed him changing my attitude, I started to notice one of my other "favorites" this week. I started noticing all of the little girl "fingerprints" you find throughout our house at all times. Of course, sometimes it simply translates into a big mess, but how long will my girls be little and building doctor's offices that take up the whole living room? Or leaving piles of Legos on the table for days? Or wanting to bring their babies with them everywhere we go? As much as I want more sleep, I also want this to last forever. Evidence of their little lives all around me is one of my favorites! 

 

{four} 
We are loving this book as a family. Like the Jesus Storybook Bible and Unwrapping the Greatest Gift: A Celebration of Christmas (more faves), the author does a great job of tying the Bible stories our kids know so well to Scripture's overarching message of God's plan to redeem His people. Reading it with our girls has stirred my heart with the Gospel and created some great discussions!

{five} 
Pandora station I've been loving: Anthem Lights  

This weekend, I have to get the details in order and shop for my favorite six year old's birthday party. We're partnering with Pley to throw a Lego themed party this year! How is it only one week until my first baby turns six? :)


Linking up with:

Momfessionals and www.tabanderika.blogspot.com for Friday Favorites  

 September Farm for Oh Hey Friday

 A Liz Adventures for 5 on Friday 

 

Word of the Year: Enjoy

It's 2016! I can't start this new year without reflecting on this past year. Even though I can't really remember how I got through much of the day to day, I can look back and see how God's grace has marked our year with so many amazing memories. Some parts were harder than others. Some parts were filled with so much joy we thought we might explode. Each part a reminder of how good God is.

The year kicked off in a blur, when I learned I was pregnant with our third little girl. We were so excited! My first two pregnancies had been really easy, but the combination of being pregnant with two other little ladies to take care of kept me in a fog for many months.

`
The first trimester, pregnancy hormones and some challenging family situations had me worn out!  The year also brought with it some of the greatest battles with fear and anxiety I've ever experienced. Some days I could barely put one foot in front of the other, but in my weakness God reminded me of His strength. On the days, when life kept happening all around me and I felt like all I could do was take the next step, God met me there and helped me enjoy the sweetness of each moment in meaningful ways.

There was hidden blessing in that season because so much of the unnecessary fell away and the time and energy I did have became more focused. Somehow on the days when all I wanted was to nap, I learned how to love harder, listen more and be more selective.

In 2015, our family celebrated life and answered prayers. We celebrated birthdays (I turned 30!) and breakthroughs. We learned some hard, but life changing lessons that continue to help us experience freedom and joy. We soaked up quality family time on some of our favorite family trips yet.

In September, we welcomed our newest little love, Juliet Grace!

The year of 2015 is the year Jesus reminded me of His faithfulness in new and tangible ways. He brought joy, peace and hope to broken places! This year, I want to soak it all up more than ever!

Which leads me to my word for 2016:

Enjoy and choose life! Enjoy my relationships. Enjoy instead of fearing. Enjoy instead of anticipating the future or grieving what is not. Enjoy instead of planning every minute! Enjoying is a choice, isn't it? No matter what our circumstances. A choice that I will make more and more as I'm experiencing the true joy that comes from my relationship with Jesus. I'm ready! :)

Recently, I read the words of another blogger who shared how she wanted to give her children the gift of her words. I love that and feel the same way. It's why I've consistently blogged our family's story for the last six years. So, my hope for this space is the same as it was at the start of 2013. I want to share my story. I also started this blog to embrace who God is and what He has breathed into my life. So...in addition to my story and what God is teaching me, expect to see lots of recipes, book recommendations, ideas for celebrating life, gift ideas and anything that helps us embrace beauty. 

Cheers to 2016! 

with sparkling grape juice, of course!

 "Let's walk into this new year unafraid, because He's already there waiting for us." -Lisa Jo Baker

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I'm linking up with Andrea for Show and Tell Tuesdays!

Summer Reading List 2015

• Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng

• From Good to Grace: Letting Go of the Goodness Gospel by Christine Hoover

• Beautiful Outlaw by John Eldredge

• All the Light We Can Not See by Anthony Doerr

• Without You There Is No Us by Suki Kim

• Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

• The Secret Lives of Midwives by Sally Hepworth

• Bittersweet by Shauna Niequist

• Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand

• Longing for Paris: One Woman's Search for Joy, Beauty and Adventure-Right Where She Is by Sarah Mae

• Things You Won't Say by Sarah Pekkanen

• In the Unlikely Event by Judy Blume

• The Astronaut Wives Club by Lily Koppel

• Love and War: Find Your Way to Something Beautiful in Your Marriage by John and Stasi Eldredge

• The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins 

• 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess by Jen Hatmaker

What are you reading this summer? 

Currently

loving:

my whimsical Christmas mug from Target. Seriously?! Is this not the cutest? When I saw this reindeer in the store, it made me smile. Now, every time I have a cup of Peppermint Mocha on a dreary gray wintery afternoon, it makes me smile again! 

reading: 

Give Them Grace: Dazzling Your Kids With the Love of Jesus by Elyse M. Fitzpatrick
Make it Ahead by Ina Garten

waiting for: 

the big surprise (early Christmas gift) we have for the girls this week. I'm so excited about seeing the look on their faces when they realize what is going to happen. We're about to make some little girl dreams come true over here folks and it's going to be amazing! 

excited about:

the snow falling outside and the fact that everyone in our house is currently healthy and/or on the mend with antibiotics. That is a big victory for us this week. We are already weary of winter sickness and it is only December.

trying to: 
be really productive (blogging, list making and email writing) to complete my list of goals for the night in the next 30 minutes. Then, I can get over to the couch and curl up next to the Christmas lights with my guy to watch a few episodes of Blue Bloods. We are hooked! Side note: Can we just talk about how much Tom Selleck reminds me of my dad? I'm pretty sure I say it 237 times each episode.  I'm going to create a good split screen picture of the two of them for all of the skeptics.

working on:

plans for my baby's 5th birthday party. Wait...what?!?!?! It looks like it's going to be a Frozen dance party, which is totally Abby. It's going to be perfect.

enjoying:

Unwrapping the Greatest Gift: A Family Celebration of Christmas  

I can't say enough about the way this devotional is taking all of our hearts on a journey toward Jesus and Christmas. I want to buy it for everyone I know.

 

wearing: 

my She Reads Truth tee with a navy blue sweater and my pink and navy plaid scarf. Let's be real. I spent the day in my fleece pajamas cleaning the house and having dance parties with the girls. I got dressed forty five minutes before we planned to leave for dinner at a friends house, only to decide last minute that the roads were going to be bad and it was best to stay home. Yup. Got dressed for nothing. #rewearingcuteoutfittomorrow

planning:

menus for all the fun visitors and celebrations we are going to have here this month. So many decisions...

singing: 

Idina Menzel's new Christmas album and loving her duet with Michael Buble to "Baby It's Cold Outside". This album is definitely a keeper for the collection.

learning: 
my strong need to rely on God and trust his promises and blessings in the "calm" of life, not just the storms.

listening to:

Abby singing "Frosty the Snowman" in her room where she is trying to fall asleep

wishing: 
my brother lived closer to we could have our annual Elf movie night before Christmas

dreaming of: a white Christmas. Oh c'mon...how could I not finish that sentence that way? So, here's to snow, but not too much that it keeps our family and friends from getting here on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day!

Be You, Bravely

At the beginning of September, I had the opportunity to stand before a bunch of women at my church's women's retreat and share truth with them that has transformed my life. I was thrilled for the chance to share with them my own journey and introduce them to The Significant Woman Life Coaching Course. The course leads women through exercises to help us discover and celebrate how God made each one of us uniquely, while whispering truth over the broken places of our hearts. I stood on the first night and shared part of my story, trusting that there were women in the room that needed to hear it because God wrote it with a purpose.

My life had taught me wearing masks was necessary to hide my reality from others. I spent my days building and protecting my reputation. I lived my life to please people, to show people how good I could be and exceed their expectations of me. I would figure out who you wanted me to be and become that, like a chameleon. Ever since I was a little girl, I wanted to live a perfect life and never fail. I wouldn't let myself break. I found my acceptance and worth in others and was determined to prove to the world that I had it all together.

When I was fifteen, in a life changing moment, I placed my trust in Jesus Christ and became a Christ follower.  I knew there was something radically different in the truth that was shared with me from the Bible in that moment. My eyes were opened to see clearly for the first time. It was different than the years of religion I'd been taught and it compelled me to love and follow Jesus with my whole life. But, because I didn't know any better, I started transferring those same ways of living to my new life with Christ. I figured out what everyone said a good Christian should be and I worked really hard to try to be that. I was trying to prove myself more than ever before and was determined to fit into the cookie cutter idea of a Christian I had developed in my mind. I was committed to living my life for the Lord, but the masks were still my default. I would wear them without even thinking. I hid the imperfections. This time, I thought I had to prove to the world that I had it all together because I knew Jesus. I still wanted to tell people the good parts of the story. Not let them see too much of my grit. I thought somehow that was what brought God the most glory and honor. 

When I dedicated my life to Jesus, I learned that He calls us to live our lives to please Him. I started changing myself to be who I thought I should be to please God AND others. As a result, I lost bits of myself along the way. Without realizing what I was doing, I was letting other people define me, not the God who created me. What I didn't really grasp is that God is already fully pleased with me because of what Jesus did on the cross for me. 

I've learned that a very big part of pleasing God is becoming and understanding the person he created me to be. Not who others think I should be, but who I am. My personality, my interests and passions, where I come from, my preferences are all things God has used to shape me uniquely. I'm learning to embrace my true self, while simultaneously growing closer to the Lord. And it's fun! It's fun to be me and not a version of what I think I'm supposed to be. There is so much  more freedom and fun in following Christ than I ever dreamed AND the only reason I know that is because God has shown me His grace.

I believed that Jesus came so that I could go to Heaven and Jesus came to show me how to live life the right way, but I was missing one of the biggest parts of His story: His grace in my daily life. His grace didn't just buy me a ticket to Heaven. It's what continues to change my life everyday, allowing me to live a more full, more free and joyful life.  As a child of God, my identity isn't in what I can do or who I can make myself, it's in what He has done for me. When God looks at me, He sees Jesus. I'm fully approved and acceptable in God's eyes as His Child. Nothing I can do will make Him love me more or less. I can't earn it any of it. I relearn that in new ways everyday and I will for the rest of my life. 

Etsy shop: artbyerinleigh

He treasures me completely even when He sees all of my junk completely, so I can let brokenness show. I can be real. He shines through my life more brightly when I am. Jesus came so I can fail and be messy. I don't have to wear masks. Actually, God doesn't want me to wear masks. He wants me to be authentic because it's not my job to write my story for everyone else. He started writing my story before I was ever born. My story is a part of His bigger story. He changes and refines the parts of me that need changing, but God also celebrates the uniqueness of who I am and wants to use that for His greater purposes. 

My story matters. My personality is not a mistake. My passions are unique to me. My interests have purpose. The people He's placed in my life are there for a reason.  All of those life circumstances (good and terribly hard) are significant. Because He created me and my worth comes from Him. I'm His masterpiece. 

I'm learning to invite friends over when my house is messy! I'm learning to share the hardest parts of my life and my ugly sin with trusted friends who will walk with me through it and point me to Jesus. I'm learning to be more real with myself, God and others everyday.  I let it sink in that God is enough and that when He sees me...all broken messy me...He sees His treasure! THAT is life changing.  

Do you buy into the lies that you have to "be something different", "be more", "be less", "get it together", "be better", "do more", "not let them see" or "never talk about that part of your past for fear of what others might think"? If so, hear the truth today! God has so much more for you than that. You are His masterpiece.

Because of Jesus.

There is nothing like standing before a room full of women of all ages and backgrounds and helping them see their worth through God's eyes. When we begin to realize how many lies we believe daily about our significance, and take our first steps toward trusting God to write our story, the whole game changes. There's freedom and power in knowing you are called to be who God created YOU to be! Every unique, quirky, complicated bit of who you are is a part of God's greater plan and purpose for your life and His kingdom. When you know that God's love is not something you can earn, that nothing you could do or be could make him love you more or less, you can stop pretending. Let this truth motivate an authentic life that points to Jesus, all imperfections included.  

I watched women cry and connect over cookies as they were given the freedom to take off their masks and just be real. Every bit of it was messy and beautiful.

Could this shirt be any more perfect? I love love love it!  

Check out this shirt and other fun gems at Be Still Clothing Company.

If you've stuck with me to the end of this post, thank you! I had to finish up by sharing this movie clip with you! It illustrates the idea of  "being you" beautifully. 

You're Beautiful!