Don't throw those away!!!

Each year we receive wonderful picture Christmas cards, and we display the photo cards on this crazy contraption. It's actually a Christmas tree made out of wires that is made to hold cards - it's just difficult to make out when it's all covered up under cards on top of cards on top of cards. :)

But what to do with them when Christmas is over? Throw them away? Recycle them? No, they are just too pretty!

So last year we decided to keep them in a simple wire basket in our kitchen, and each week during dinner we pray as a family for the family on the card. It has grown into a nice ritual we do as a family, and most of all we are teaching our children to pray for others.



During the week that we are praying for a specific family, I try to remember to send out an email to someone in the family to let them know that they are being prayed for. One of the best things about praying for others without them knowing it is that sometimes after sending out an email, a surprising response will come. More than once during the last year, I would get an email back saying "Thank you" because that family had been going through a rough patch, or that they had an answered prayer during that week. It has been a blessing to us as a family to pray for others. And, one thing that is really touching is when we come in contact with the specific family Ella Beth will often say something like, "Hey, we've been praying for you!" She is so proud, and that is something that I am thankful is being hidden in her heart. :)

So, before you toss all of your Christmas cards, maybe decide to pray for the families or do something else creative with them!

Multitudes on Monday

*I find it ironic that I have been keeping up with my multitudes of blessings each week on EVERY Monday...and the last Monday of the year, I forgot!

809. Christmas Eve with the "BIG" family

810. giving others gifts that are exactly what they wanted/needed

811. Christmas Eve jitters - we didn't think Landon would ever go to sleep!

812. putting gifts together after both kiddos were (finally) asleep

813. soundly sleeping children

814. waiting and waiting and waiting in bed for Ella Beth and Landon to wake up

815. hearing Landon in the living room PLAYING with his toys before he even came to get us (Scott made me wait until the kiddos came to get us - it was so hard!!!)

816. Landon waking Ella Beth up BEFORE he woke us up and yelling, "Ella Beth, come look what we got!")

817. Landon's fascination with his presents. He wanted to play with each one for a good 3-5 minutes before he would open another.

818. Ella Beth's excitement about opening all of her gifts AT ONCE; then she would dig through all of the wrapping paper to find her gifts!

819. getting Ella Beth and Landon the "perfect" gifts - nothing fancy, but exactly what we knew they would really enjoy

820. Scott surprising me with a truly unexpected and perfect gift

821. Christmas morning breakfast with my mom and Scott's parents

822. Christmas dinner with Scott's immediate family - great food and more presents

823. enjoying our family's company and relishing in the miracle of the blessings that God has given to us

824. Jesus, the best gift

2 Corinthians 9:15 "Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!"

Delicious-ness

One thing I love about this time of the year is that the baking never ceases! We bake goodies for our friends, neighbors, fundraisers, and - of course - for ourselves. :)

One of my favorite recipes to make each year is Homemade Toffee Bars. During my first year of teaching (10 years ago, gasp!), one of my sweetest students EVER named Natalie brought me these toffee bars as a Christmas gift. They were so delicious that I asked her the very next day for the recipe. I made them for years each Christmas season, but then somehow lost the recipe; no matter how hard I tried I couldn't recreate the exact recipe in my head. Well, as luck would have it, Natalie "friended" me on Facebook. She lives all the way in Hawaii now with her husband who is stationed in the service. I sent her a message asking her if she could possibly remember the toffee bars that she gave me 10 years ago (gasp again!), and she did!!! Woo Hoo!!! Christmas baking is finally complete again!!! We have made SO MANY of these this December, and we have gotten such rave reviews that I just had to post this delicious recipe. It is SO easy that you will want to try them out, and when you do, I'm warning you now, you will be addicted.

Homemade Toffee Bars

Ingredients:
Approximately 1 1/2 sleeves of saltine crackers
2 sticks of butter (I never said they were healthy!!!)
1 cup of brown sugar
1 package of mini chocolate chips (you can use the regular ones, but the mini ones cover better in my opinion)
1 cup of chopped pecans
kosher salt (optional)

Recipe:
Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees
Cover a cookie sheet with foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray.
Lay out the saltine crackers to cover the entire tray (this is a great thing to have your kiddos do b/c the rest of the recipe is not kid-friendly).

Melt butter and brown sugar together; bring to a boil, and let boil for 2 minutes.
Stir butter and sugar mixture and pour over the crackers.

Put in the oven for 4 minutes; remove.
Quickly pour chocolate chips over the crackers. (You can see here that I used regular chocolate chips - they really don't cover as much space as the mini ones.)

Put in the oven for 1 minute; remove.
Quickly spread the chocolate chips with a knife.

Sprinkle the pecans over the chocolate and lightly sprinkle with kosher salt if desired. (*note - if you used salted butter, you will NOT want to sprinkle any salt!)
Put in the fridge for 1 hour.

Break apart the toffee bars and ENJOY!!! And, share with others if you can. :)

I have to admit something - the camera was on the counter to take a picture, but my hands were too messy from breaking apart these toffee bars (i.e. eating them) to pick up my camera! They really are THAT good!!!

Multitudes on Monday

795. good pregnancy hair - enjoying it now b/c it will all fall out after this little fella arrives

796. finding a "new" maternity shirt that I can wear - thankful EVERY DAY for my friends who lent me their clothes

798. church messages that really resonate with my heart

799. date night with a gift card (from last Christmas)

800. shopping with Scott for the kiddos' stocking stuffers - candy, candy, AND new toothbrushes and toothpaste :) - with a few other fun things thrown in

801. driving around looking at Christmas lights, just the two of us

802. mascara - while my hair has darkened significantly since having children, my eyelashes are still almost as white as Ella Beth and Landon's hair

803. cool December weather so it actually feels like Christmas is almost here!

804. saving money, albeit slowly, for Disney

805. Scott receiving an unexpected bonus from a client

806. my mom finding a recipe of my grandmother's that we thought was lost forever - tears of joy!!!

807. a quiet house for a few hours

808. anticipating my children's hugs and kisses when they come home

Colossians 3:17, "And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."

Pregnancy So Far...20 weeks

So, I realized that I posted pictures three weeks ago, but I didn't do my pregnancy update. This is a fun way for me to remember what's been going on during this pregnancy, so here goes! Better late than never...and there are pictures at the end!

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I am 20 weeks pregnant. (The baby is measuring small...all of my babies have measured small. Today at the doctor's office, the doctor, ultrasound technician, and lab technician all had different due dates for Porter. Absolutely strange. They ranged from April 16 to May 9, 2012. I told them all that Porter would just arrive when he's ready.)

Sick? Not much at all these days. I will still have a random morning or evening where nausea will surprise me, but it's not often. Thankful!

Maternity clothes? Yes. Pants and shirts now. And, I really forgot how comfortable maternity pants are. :)

Showing? To me, I definitely am. However, I have run into a few people lately that I haven't seen in a while...and they just kinda look at me with that question on their faces. So, I have to say, "And, as you can tell we have another little one on the way." Then, they will say, "Well, I didn't want to ask, but I thought you might be." -- So, I don't know if that means I just look fat...or they are just being cautious!

Weight gain? Yes. And that's all I'm going to say.

Cravings? Still eating lots of apples - cold, crisp Granny Smiths. Eating my way through a couple of pounds of grapes a week, too. Yum! And, I'm still craving SweeTarts. But, my Taco Bell runs have ended. Not that I have anything against a good ol' bean burrito, but I probably won't be having one for quite a while. Or a hamburger for that matter!

Tired? Yawn. I have energetic days and not so energetic days. I do crash Every. Single. Night. But what I am is winded most of the time. I feel like I am short of breath all of the time. If I'm working out, if I'm cooking supper, or if I'm just walking from one room to another - I always feel short of breath. I know it has to do with me being so short-waisted and the fact that there's just not a lot of room...but, oh my word! I forgot about this!

Name picked out? Porter Lane Castleberry is on his way! There is a road behind our house called Porter Ln. "Lane" is Scott's dad's middle name, and when I read Porter Ln, I really just liked them together. So, that's the story behind the name.


What have I bought? I haven't purchased too much stuff, but of course I am a mommy-to-be and I can't resist buying a few things! Ella Beth and I went to Carter's the Sunday after Thanksgiving, and they were having a 50% off everything in the store. I also had a 20% off coupon - and they let me use it!!! 70% off!!! Woo hoo!!! So, I bought a couple of zip-up sleepers (one newborn and one 3-6 months), a couple of newborn long-sleeve onesies that were just too cute to pass up, a set of 6-9 month onesies, and Ella Beth picked out a sleep sack so I got that, too. We probably have enough newborn onesies to last a day if Porter has reflux like his older siblings. I also have two onesies that I bought from Baby Gap. One says, "I love Mommy," and the other says, "I love Daddy." They were on clearance, so I couldn't help myself. :)


Am I going to have a shower? Yes. My friend, Meredith, talked me into it. I was a little apprehensive since this is my third child; I didn't want anyone to judge me about being selfish or silly. But, we honestly have NOTHING for a child under 2 years old in our house except for the items I just listed. No bibs, baby spoons, bottles (just in case), pacifiers, socks, toys, crib sheets, pack-n-play, sheets for the pack-n-play, receiving blankets, car seat, changing pad, diapers, wipes, etc. NOTHING! (My friend, Kim, has already offered to let me borrow things like a floor play-mat, bumbo seat, exersaucer, and swing - we are so thankful for that! But, babies do require some necessities.)


Favorite pregnancy moment so far? It's really a tie between today's ultrasound and feeling Porter kick and move. Despite the fact that I've done all of this before, feeling a baby move inside of me is still just as special. There's a tiny life in there, and I get to carry him and feel him and share moments with him before anyone else. Gotta take that Mama perk and enjoy it to the fullest! :)

And....

Yesterday's ultrasound was extra sweet because Ella Beth and Landon came. It was such a fun memory to pack away and enjoy forever. Landon was really funny because he would look at the ultrasound screen and then he would just stare really hard at my belly. I think he thought that the baby was just going to pop out at any second! And Ella Beth was just precious. Her eyes were so BIG the entire time. And if I got excited over tiny baby feet, she got excited over those same tiny feet. :) Yesterday's ultrasound made Porter very "real" to her, and she is even more excited!

--
Pictures:
I can assure you that Porter is still a boy, but I am not a fan of posting pics of his manhood. So just take my word for it. ;)

He was pretty cooperative for a minute, so most of the pictures that the ultrasound technician gave us are very similar. But, they will all still make the baby book!

His profile appears to have changed just a bit. We thought earlier that he would have Landon's nose, but he may end up with Ella Beth's. And, we thought earlier that he would have the roundness of Ella Beth's forehead, but now it seems that his forehead may be shaped more like Landon's. Just 4 more months to find out!

And belly shots courtesy of Ella Beth.

Then it was time to take Ella Beth's belly shots. :)

Love my tiny girl!

Multitudes on Monday

779. Scott being born 39 years ago today

780. so incredibly thankful that God brought our lives together

781. our THREE children that have been created by God through us

782. snuggling on the couch after the kiddos are in bed

783. sharing laughs

784. delicious birthday dinners

785. amazingly delicious birthday cupcakes :)

786. warm hugs

787. flirting

788. memories of our time before kids and with kids

789. Scott's generosity toward others

790. Scott's patience with Ella Beth's mood swings

791. Scott's ability to keep up with Landon's ALL-BOY-NEVER-ENDING-ENERGY

792. birthday surprises - even if they will be here a little late ;)

793. Scott's laid-back, easy-going, rarely-in-a-hurry attitude

794. the MOST WONDERFUL HUSBAND I could have ever have been given

Philippians 1:3 "I thank my God every time I remember you."

What I'll do differently the third time around

Oh my, how time flies by. Here I am 1/2 way through my pregnancy with Porter (Yay!), and I can still remember the smallest details from my pregnancy with Ella Beth over five years ago. When I look at Ella Beth at five years old and Landon about to turn four, I am reminded once again that time is fleeting. It's something that I can never get back. No matter how hard I may long to go back to times before both kiddos learned to say "no," back to times where everyone was on the same nap schedule (or even when just one child was still napping!) - nothing can be done to go back in time for do-overs or to simply sit and enjoy a specific time.

I will admit that when I first found I that I was pregnant, I really hoped for another little girl. Not because I love Ella Beth more than Landon, and certainly NOT because girls are easier (b/c they are not!). No, I really hoped for a little girl because I have so many beautiful and precious things that I never used. I have handmade blankets that were "too pretty to use." I have appliqued burp cloths that were "too fancy" to have Ella Beth spit up all over (hello, GERD). I have a few dresses that Ella Beth only wore once to the "most special of occasion" because they were too nice to "waste" on every day wear.

Silly, silly me. The most beautiful girly items are now boxed up, put up, and just waiting in hope that Ella Beth will be the mother of a little girl some day.

But, I will be doing things differently the third time around.

For Porter, I have already bought the most crisp, WHITE blanket. It is soft, it is cozy, and, did I mention, it is stark white. As in W-H-I-T-E. I will use it all of the time. I also have one of the softest hand-knitted blankets on the planet that was given to me after Landon was born. I never used it with Landon - it was just too beautiful. But, I will be using it with Porter.

I have realized that blankets and burp cloths and precious outfits - while they may be as beautiful and sweet as can be - they are just things. It's OK if they get dirty, stained, torn, or even, Gasp!, ruined. It's not the things themselves that are special, it's the memories made while using and enjoying them that will last.

Thankfully, I have gotten better over the last three and a half years since Landon has come along. I typically let both kiddos get at least three uses out of their best clothes. ;) Now, with Porter...he may just be seen in the same three outfits all of the time! But, in all seriousness, I do tend to do this differently. It's not the blankets or the outfits or the even the sweetest appliques that make the memories special. It's the baby, and the mommy, enjoying them.

Multitudes on Monday

762. good shampoo

763. good conditioner

764. hearing the kiddos laugh as I brush through my hair with MAJOR static (hence the reason for good shampoo and conditioner!)

765. Daddy home on an unexpected Monday

766. shopping for new cowgirl and cowboy boots

767. pink cowgirl boots!

768. the smell of new leather

769. anticipating Scott's upcoming birthday

770. Ella Beth's creativity about what to make for Daddy's birthday surprise

771. reconnecting with old friends

772. being 1/2 way through this miracle pregnancy

773. being 1/2 way to meeting Porter!

774. seeing Landon go through his own toys to find toys for Porter and set them aside in a special place

775. Stouffer's Lasagna - I mean seriously...when it tastes THAT good and it's healthy w/o any preservatives or unpronounceable ingredients, why in the world would I make it myself?!?! :)

776. fresh salad

778. good dressing

1 Corinthians 1:4 "I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus."

My girl

Tonight, I randomly came across these pictures taken from our beach trip this past August.

I remember taking these, and Ella Beth had no idea. She was playing frisbee with Scott, but decided that she needed a break - and she broke right out into some killer dance moves.

These pictures were taken with continuous shoot on my camera, and they are quickly becoming some of my favorite pictures of all time. :)

And, just like that, she was finished and ready to catch the Frisbee.

Despite the fact that there were other people (watching!) on the beach, Ella Beth had no reservations about being herself. She has such a dramatic flare, she loves to dance and sing and perform, and the confidence she has in herself is just plain admirable. I pray that no one ever takes that away from her. She is such a special creation, made with love from our Heavenly Father, and I want her to always know it.

L-O-V-E my girl!

Multitudes on Monday

658. ordering another stocking for our mantel

659. precious newborn clothes

660. wrapping Christmas presents

661. thoughtful gifts

662. Thanksgiving lunch AND dinner

663. Thanksgiving leftovers

664. chili on cold, wet evenings

665. a sweet little brother (Yesterday, Ella Beth fell off her chair and hit her knee. Landon ran straight to the freezer and got boo-boo bunny for her.)

666. Christmas cards

667. our elf, Buddy, making his annual appearance

668. how EXTREMELY excited the kiddos are by Buddy's appearance

669. Scott and me trying to out-do each other with Buddy's michevious deeds (And, yes, that is correct grammar! Take Scott out of the sentence and it would be, "Me trying to out-do [him] with Buddy's michevious deeds. "I" would not make sense. I know, I'm a nerd!)

670. new cookware

671. fun packages in the mail

Romans 7:25 "Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!"

17 Weeks

17 weeks already with little Porter!!!

Same jeans, but I'm definitely growing. :)

(I need some lipstick. Oh well...maybe next month!)
My mother-in-law says that I need to post before and after pictures of the belly on Thanksgiving day. I don't know if I'm that brave or not!!!

Multitudes on Monday

641. spur of the moment lunch date with Meredith and kiddos

642. hamburgers

643. ketchup

644. home-cut french fries

645. cookbooks with stories to go along with delicious recipes

646. getting ready for Thanksgiving

647. putting up our Christmas trees

648. seeing the kiddos' faces light up as the trees light up

649. finding out a baby brother is on the way

650. saying his name

651. hearing others say his name

652. going through (what tiny amount) of baby boy things we have saved from Landon

653. a brand new, ultra soft baby blanket

654. Ella Beth's excitement at having another baby brother - love how her excitement has grown each day!

655. Ella Beth picking out sweet little sweater slippers for the baby (for a year from now!)

656. knowing that God will provide for our growing family

1 Timothy 4:4 "For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving."

It's a.....

So, deep in my heart of hearts I knew what this baby would be. It's strange (neat?) how I have just known with all three of my babies what they would be. Mother's intuition is a powerful thing. :)

Everyone I know, except my best friend Meredith, guessed that this sweet baby would be a girl. And, oh, how I longed for another sweet little white-haired girl to dress up and doll up. Baby girls are just so stinkin' precious. Their clothes are every shade of pink, and this mama loves her some pink!

But, there's something about little boys that sure can wrap their mamas around their fingers. Landon, with his sly little crooked grin, his mischievous laugh, his big hugs, how he runs from my kisses but then will come and plant one right on my cheek when I'm not expecting it. And, oh, how I can't get away from his ice blue eyes that take my breath away as he looks back over his shoulder.

All babies are blessings, aren't they? Even if they are not what you quite expected...or even if they are. ;)

So, the Castleberry family is announcing early (because Scott - who is usually so laid back and go with the flow - decided that he couldn't keep it a secret from the kiddos for even a day!) --

It's a......
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Porter Lane Castleberry is on his way!!! And we are all excited! Even Ella Beth, who so desperately wanted a little sister said, "Well, I'll still love him even though he's not a girl." And, well...you can tell how excited Landon is to have a little brother in this picture. :)

We are all excited, and God has truly blessed us as a family.

Castleberry, Party of Five, arriving April 2012. :)

Fall/Thanksgiving Lapbooks

Way back in the day when I was a middle school LA teacher, as in 6 years ago, I used to a few thematic units throughout the year. I thought that my kiddos would like to do a thematic unit, and what better time than now?!

There are so many things to do and learn about Fall and Thanksgiving. And, one of my favorite ways to do a thematic unit was using Lapbooks...so I broke out my ol' teacher's hat and created them for Ella Beth and Landon. (Note, when I taught middle school, I would supply the assignments and the students would create their own. But, that's not so easy with a 5 and 3 year old. ;))

This, again, is an easy activity. It does require a little work up front on Mama's part, but it is SO worth it.

What you need:
A manilla folder (I have colored ones.)
Activity sheets to go with your theme. I have spelling words, math activities, following directions sheets, fun sheets, etc. (I found most of mine at Enchanted Learning, which is a great place to find thematic activities.)

First, take your folder and fold it to make the two edges meet.

Next, cut out the activity sheets as small as possible.

Then, you will fold them. (Note, all but one sheet I folded twice. One that was a little larger had to be folded into thirds.)

Then, you will glue one side of the paper so that it will stick to the inside of the folder. Be careful how you place them so that your kiddo can open them easily and that they will not be upside down!

Inside finished.
Ella Beth's:

Landon's:

All sheets open. (Of course, your child/student will only open one sheet at a time to complete, but I just wanted to show you how everything overlaps and provides LOTS of fun activities.)

Lastly, you will put a title cover on the front. The only tricky part here is that you will have to trace it from underneath in order to cut around the tab.

Finally, let your kiddos enjoy doing their work!

It will take a few days to thoroughly go through all of the activities and teach lessons about them. Which is great, right? A week's worth of school all in one lapbook?! Yes, please!!!

Ella Beth and Landon really enjoy doing their work in these lapbooks because they are different from what we normally do. Finding books about Fall and Thanksgiving to go with our lessons has been easy with the help of our public library, so this thematic unit has been a breeze! I'm already thinking ahead to plan our next one. :) Have fun planning yours!

Multitudes on Monday

629. running errands with the kiddos

630. buying baby boy AND baby girl outfits just because they were cute and I couldn't resist :)

631. watching my kiddos "do school" together

632. walks on cool evenings, alone to process the day

633. surprising mild-temperature days

634. fun winter hats

635. "fat jeans" that still fit this 16-week preggo mama, since my maternity jeans still don't fit at all

636. cute early maternity tops that help me look pregnant and not just chubby

637. delicious smelling body soap to help wake me up in the mornings

638. how much Ella Beth loves her new short hair cut

639. filling up our Operation Christmas Child boxes by using money that the kiddos have saved in their "giving" money jars

640. seeing how creative Ella Beth was when picking out her gifts OCC gifts

2 Corinthians 9:10-12 "Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God."

Bearing Fruit

One thing I am trying to teach Ella Beth and Landon on a daily basis is that the Fruit we bear is the fruit that is in our hearts. We talk a lot about the Fruits of the Spirit, and I try to use the words from Galatians when at all possible. I have found in our family, that if I can show Ella Beth and Landon the exact words from the Bible, then they really know they are in there. :)

Two weeks ago, self-control was a big issue in our house. Ella Beth would get mad at Landon and she would yell at him or speak to him unkindly; Landon would get mad at Ella Beth and he would hit her or push her. I found myself over and over again saying, "You need to use your self-control and find a different way of dealing with _________." So, I finally got out my Bible and Ella Beth's children's Bible and we sat down and really discussed the Fruits of the Spirit - and what they looked like in action.

The kiddos are all about doing crafts, so we created our own little "vine" to display the Fruits in our school room. We now have two separate places where our Fruits are displayed in our home, and we are able to point to them and refer to them when needed. Some days, more than others. ;) This is a simple craft, so I thought I'd share!

The first thing I did was find a template of an apple outline. (I googled it, and there were many choices.) Then I cut them out - they don't have to be perfect!

While I was cutting all nine apples out, the kiddos got to do some prep work, too. They tore red construction paper into small pieces.

Then I laid out contact paper (sticky side up) and placed the apples face down.

Next, the kiddos got to cover their apples with the red construction pieces.

Now, if you have ever worked with contact paper, then you know how tricky the next step can be! You have to lay another sheet of contact paper (sticky side down) to seal the apples. It's tricky not to get bubbles between the sheets, but if you do, rubbing them with a credit card or your finger nails will usually get them out.

 Lucky for me, I was able to cut around my biggest imperfection. :)

So, I cut them out, and then wrote the Fruits of the Spirit on each apple: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-Control.

Then we strung them together on our vine (thin green ribbon), and hung them above the window in our school room. (Sorry the picture isn't great, but it's hard to take a good pic when the light is shining right into the camera!)

It's a great reference for all of us. Ella Beth, especially, is able to use words to describe her heart, and we are all able to call each other out (in love) when someone's fruit smells "rotten." That patience one? Yup, even Mama has been called out. ;) But, that's what I love about the Bible and about Christianity. It applies to all of us. And I truly believe that when our children see our Fruit, whether good or rotten, it applies a teachable moment. I am able to ask for forgiveness from Ella Beth and Landon if I have been impatient or used an unkind tone of voice, and I have modeled for them how to do that for others. There is nothing that melts my heart more than me hearing one of my kiddos ask for forgiveness from the other - on their own. Their hearts are being molded, and I love that.