You say you want a Revolution....

I got to attend Hearts at Home this year for the second time and I still love it!! I decided that it is my goal to go every year!! Hearts at Home is by far the best thing for mothers at any stage of mothering!! There were thousands of mothers all there and you could see all kinds of ages, I loved it!!

The theme this year was Revolution with Love highlighted in the middle!! Yes they sung the song by my favorite guys but they changed the words. I don't like my Mr's musics changed but for H@H I will allow it!! The conference is held in Bloomington/Normal Ill. I recruited a few ladies friends of mine to travel with, way more fun in a group!! Beth Cooper and Mandi Donaldson, both good friends of mine, signed up and off we went. We drove to Lincoln, 45 minutes away from Bloomington, and stayed with my sister in law Adrien. She was a great hostess and we whisked her away to Steak N Shake. This is an LCC tradition to stay out late there. It really felt like college again!! Then we headed home to get to bed. Beth slept down in the living room and Mandi and I slept in the extra bedroom, Beth wanted to sleep there we did not ban her I promise!!! She was happy about it especially when she heard that Mandi and I stayed up until 3am talking. I was like a giddy school girl away from my family, and yes we did talk about boys for most of the time (our hubbies)!! I really think I needed it, I felt refreshed when I caught up in sleep!!

The next morning, so early, we were off for the convention. The first session was amazing!! Jennifer Rothschild spoke about loosing her eyesight. She was the most graceful women ever!! Her heart was amazing as she eloquently told her story. She lost her eyesight at 15 with a disease in her retina's. She is a women who loves and trusts the lord despite the fact that she sees none of his beauty. She was a true inspiration!! Then we were off for the 4 sessions we all signed up for. My first was Mom-ology by the president of MOPS. Her message is was that we as women need to have a support of other women around us, and especially other mothers. I just needed to hear that!! I think it is so important to have that support of someone who knows what my life is like!! She also spoke about how tons of women dealt with depression and how to deal with that as a friend or someone who is suffering!! My second was Helping your child discern, which dealt with media. The movie critic from Focus on the Family led that and it was so helpful for me!! I was a bit nervous about that, because we just got Dish Network. He didn't say all movies and TV are bad just to use the WWJD when choosing a movie!! Love it! My third was about Raising a Strong Willed Child, boy do I need it!! Belle is very strong willed but I really think London is going to be the one I have the worst time with!! I am just now seeing that. She taught me how to shape the will not break it, I need that being strong willed myself!! It turns into a battle of the wills and sometimes I HAVE to win!! I am a work in process!! My fourth was about Marriage but I can't remember the name of it. It was good but not my fav, it wasn't because of the subject because it is one of my fav's though!!
After all of the sessions we decided to leave, we still needed to shop and drive 3 hours. Needless to say we were getting really tired!! So we left and went to Hobby Lobby and then ate at Olive Garden. It was an amazing weekend, well really just a couple of days but sometimes that really is all you need to refresh your soul!! I needed it and came out feeling challenged to be a better mommy, wife, and child of God!! He is the real reason I strive to do my best and I want Him to be proud of me!! If you get a chance you really must go!! I love feeling like I am doing all that I can to be a better mommy!!
I think this is what I am going to ask for for Christmas every year!! "hint, hint"

A St. Patricks Day Tradition...

Last year I made the kids matching shirts and so I continued this year. I really struggled with the fabric, so much of it was just ugly!! I got lucky and found some for a dollar a yard, score!!! So this is what I came up with and I think they are adorable!! I hope I can continue this every year but one day they will not want to match. I dread that day!! Have a fabulous day!!

Strawberry Amaretto Pastries

This is a recipe I did at my first Pampered Chef party. I loved it and so did the guests. I thought that I would share it with you all!!
I am now a Pampered Chef consultant and I love it! I have only had one party but it is something I love doing!! I get to cook and go to parties, my fav!

Strawberry Amaretto Pastries

1/2 pkg frozen puff pastry sheets, (1 sheet), thawed
1/2 cup sliced almonds, divided
1 tbsp granulated sugar
1 container (8oz) sour cream
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 tsp almond extract
1 1/2 cups thawed frozen whipped topping
12 large strawberries, sliced
1 orange

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Unfold pastry dough onto Large Bar Pan. Finely
chop half of the almonds using Food Chopper. Combine chopped almonds and
granulated sugar in (1 cup) Prep Bowl; sprinkle evenly over surface of dough.
Lightly press almond mixture into dough using Small Mix 'N Scraper.
2. Using Pizza Cutter, cut dough lengthwise into three strips; cut strips crosswise
into four squares for a total of 12 squares. Using Mini-Serving Spatula, seperate squares
evenly over surface of pan. Bake 16-18 minutes or until puffed golden brown. Remove
from pan to Stackable Cooling Rack; cool completely.
3. Meanwhile, place remaining almonds in (8 in.) Saute Pan. Cook over medium-high
heat 2-3 minutes or until lightly toasted, stirring occasionally; remove from heat and
cool completely. Coursely chop using Food Chopper and set aside.
4. Whisk sour cream, powdered sugar and almond extract in Classic Batter Bowl
using Stainless Whisk. Fold in whipped topping using Small Mix 'N Scrapper. Slice
strawberries using Utility Knife. Split open each pastry square; arrange half of the
strawberries into the bottom of each shell. Top each with about 2 heaping tablespoons
of filling and sprinkle with chopped almonds. Top with remaining sliced strawberries.
Zest orange over strawberries using Microplane Adjustable Grater. Place tops of pastry
shells over filling. Serve immediately.

Yield: 12 pasteries

Nutrients per serving (1 pastry) :
Calories 230, Total Fat 13g, Saturated Fat 5g, Cholesterol 15mg, Carbohydrate 23g,
Protien 4g, Sodium 75mg, Fiber 3g

Cook's Tip:
Sliced peaches or nectarines can be substituted for the strawberries, if desired.

Where my heart is....

Lately I have been feeling homesick. I find myself being drawn home and can't wait to get there. If it was up to me I would be heading out the door right now. Soon I will be on my way but until then I thought I would let you see a part of the wonderful town I was raised in!!

Burlington Iowa

This river town is where I long to live!! For whatever reason God keeps telling us we can't live there and because I trust that he knows me best, I follow!! I can tell you though, it KILLS me!! I want to live on the mighty Mississippi, I want to smell the muddy water, and I want to sled on the massive hills again. I want my babies to see all of the wonder that I saw as a kid!! For the most part my family lives there and sometimes I miss them so much that is hurts!! I grew up with them always around and being very close but it all changed with the passing of my grandparents, we moved to Illinois. Burlington isn't huge but it is a city still with 26, 000 people and that doesn't include West Burlington (a seperate but related part of Burlington), perfect!!

For mothers day one year I got the BEST gift ever!! It was a few years ago that Matthew and Belle woke me up, they had let me sleep in, with a pile of gifts!! It felt like Christmas!! I opened them all in a flash to find all kinds of photos in frames of my hometown!! Matthew had taken them the last time we were visiting and is creating me a wall of my home!! I love this wall and sometimes stare at it and imagine I was there. Our most recent trip we added to it. I drove around and pointed out some of the places that meant the most to me, my memories on film, well digital but that isn't as poetic is it??

Burlington is super hilly, a great thing in the winter time!! This is a picture up on a hill looking at the mighty Mississippi. So many times has this town seen the devistation of flooding and it just plugs away. That bridge was built in 1993, the old one was magical and when you drove over it you could look down through it and see the river. I loved it but it was becoming dangerous, they say, so it went and up came this. Not as great but still pretty...
Snake Alley: This is the first thing that you do in your first visit to Burlington, drive down it. It is super old, you can see in the sign and has a fun history!! The crookedest street in the world, via Ripley's Believe It or Not. My grandma was a painter and loved to paint this part of the town, she did it in all of the seasons.

Bracewell Stadium: The coolest football stadium. It is down in a gully with woods on 2 sides. The seats for the home side are all built in with concrete. I played soccer here but mostly I played during the summers here. In the field house is where I played basketball, yes for one year, and highschool dances were held.

Shakespear Garden: My dad, Skip, was married here. It was his first and only marriage and not to my mom, my life is a very long story, lol!! My aunt also got married here. It is where I wanted to get married but things change! It is in Crapo~pernounced 'Cray-po' park and is magical. It is a perfect place to be married on a warm summer night!!

This is also in Shakespear Garden. Matthew tells me it is a seat and was created for that but in my mind it was where a grand house once was and this is all that is left. I am hopeless!! My mom played at my aunt Cody's wedding and sat here, I thought it was a lovely way to invite this spot to the wedding.

Cascade Bridge: This is on Main street and goes over the sewer trail (I don't know if that is the official name but it is what we all called it). It made this hum when driving over it and you could see to the ground. The original bridge that I referenced earlier was made of the same material. they have closed this bridge for vehicles, it is old and wasn't made for heavy traffic. So you could walk over it but not drive.

I love these lights, they are all over town. Beginning of neighborhoods, downtown, parks, I mean all over.

The architecture in Burlington is mind blowing!! I grew up knowing that we had special buildings. This old building once was the library. I spent a ton of time there!! My mom would drop me off and hours later after deeply looking for the perfect books she would pick me up. The adult book section was my favorite. Some of the shelves were on stained glass walk ways. You could sit down and truely feel like you were somewhere magical!! I was a very imaginative child!! Now it is the Des Moines Co historic museum. We went last summer, loved it and learned so much!! This is where my childhood doctors office was, jealous?!?! She was the best and I loved her. She was also my mothers childhood doctor and she is still in practice, Dr Hoth, if you have a problem while in the area look her up!!! I have since then been so disappointed by the buildings that doctors offices are in now, no creativity!!

All of the steeples: When you cross the bridge from Illinois to Iowa you can see all the many steeples. We are known for them and I think it is fantastic!! The churches in downtown burlington are fabulous!! They are very old and really well preserved. The care that the town takes with there old buildings is inspiring. The whole town weeps when something happens to one falls, not literally. A few years ago one was a victim of arson and everyone was shocked!! They are restoring it but it will never be the same. I remember when I was little an old antique shop was on fire and the whole town went to help put it out. No one was in there, it was the building!! I love that out look, I think we are so quick to tear down and rebuild and it is sad to me!!

This is a factory in Burlington and several of my friends parents worked there. It is also home to Burlington Northern, GE, Champion Sparkplugs, and a lot of other places.

Thanks for skipping down memory lane, I may update here and there, it is one of my favorite subjects when I am homesick. Pray that I get to go home soon and just drive around and remember all the funny things we did as kids. My kids love to visit because we eat in fun places, play in fun parks, see beautiful homes and buildings, and hear all about what I was like when I was there age.