Here is a recipe for a breakfast casserole that I am going to try on my visitors in the next couple of weeks. If anyone else has any breakfast casseroles that are simple and easy, please e-mail them to me at mellighodges@yahoo.com. I would love to try them out!
1 lb. pork sausage
1 can refrigerated crescent rolls
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 small onion chopped
4 lg eggs, beaten
3/4 cup milk
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
Brown the sausage in large skillet and drain the excess fat. Press the crescent rolls in the bottom and up sides of a large greased casserole dish; press seams together and pinch to seal.
Sprinkle with the cheese and onion. Combine the eggs, milk and seasonings and pour over mixture in casserole.
Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until eggs look set. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
Yummy!!
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Gracious Hospitality
Gracious Hospitality. Gracious Hospitality? These two words, or rather, this phrase, has been running through my mind today and I thought I would share my thoughts.
I have been incredibly busy this week getting ready for some brief company this weekend and some not so brief company next weekend. Combine this incredible busy-ness with major second trimester "nesting" and what have you got? My DH called me [when he knew it was safe to say it, and not a second before hand] the hormonal witch of the east. I LOVE having company, but most of the time as I struggle to babysit my daily charges, take care of my own DS who is constantly into EVERYTHING he can get his precious little hands on, and clean the house at the same time, I admit I do get worn out and I begin to doubt myself, doubt my house, and generally anything else I am able to doubt, I do. I worry what my guests will think about how hot the upstairs of my home is, or I wonder what they will think about my front porch that is always a mess and seems to overwhelm me. I also wonder about meals to serve. What will they think of the tried and true? What if I deviate from the "safe" meals I have cooked 100 times over and I bomb? Well, I actually have come to the conclusion that most of these worries that I have do not have anything to do with hospitality. From the Words of the Lord, our Bible states in I Peter 4:9: "Use hospitality one to another without grudging.". I use this especially in regards to what our own little church is going through right now. We have been looking for a pastor since the beginning of this year and the Lord has graciously brought a Godly man and his family into our midst that has agreed to be our interim pastor until the end of the year. While this family has been visiting, we still have other preachers coming a long way from out of town to preach for us and they must have a place to stay. I think we as Christians should always be willing to give of what we have and open our homes as much as we are able. It doesn't matter if your table cloth doesn't match your dining room. It doesn't matter if the house isn't as clean as you would like it to be. It doesn't matter what excuse you can come up with, we should be willing to open our doors to visitors when we are able to and share with them what you do have and also to share with them what the Lord has done for you and how He has blessed your life. This is as much a pep talk to me as it is advice to all of my dear sisters in Christ. I have two families I know of that I often use as examples. There is a dear couple in my church that is so often able and willing to put people up in their home. They are so loving and kind and EVERYONE comes away thanking them for their hospitality. Another is my mother in law. She is at anytime willing to drop anything and everything and have people in her home visiting, staying for short or long visits or just dropping by. Her home is always open to anyone who she may be able to minister to. Both of these families inspire me to let go of my doubts and fears and focus on what truly is important and that is ministering to the saints.
May the Lord bless us as we endeavor to be the godly and virtuous women He has called us to be!
I have been incredibly busy this week getting ready for some brief company this weekend and some not so brief company next weekend. Combine this incredible busy-ness with major second trimester "nesting" and what have you got? My DH called me [when he knew it was safe to say it, and not a second before hand] the hormonal witch of the east. I LOVE having company, but most of the time as I struggle to babysit my daily charges, take care of my own DS who is constantly into EVERYTHING he can get his precious little hands on, and clean the house at the same time, I admit I do get worn out and I begin to doubt myself, doubt my house, and generally anything else I am able to doubt, I do. I worry what my guests will think about how hot the upstairs of my home is, or I wonder what they will think about my front porch that is always a mess and seems to overwhelm me. I also wonder about meals to serve. What will they think of the tried and true? What if I deviate from the "safe" meals I have cooked 100 times over and I bomb? Well, I actually have come to the conclusion that most of these worries that I have do not have anything to do with hospitality. From the Words of the Lord, our Bible states in I Peter 4:9: "Use hospitality one to another without grudging.". I use this especially in regards to what our own little church is going through right now. We have been looking for a pastor since the beginning of this year and the Lord has graciously brought a Godly man and his family into our midst that has agreed to be our interim pastor until the end of the year. While this family has been visiting, we still have other preachers coming a long way from out of town to preach for us and they must have a place to stay. I think we as Christians should always be willing to give of what we have and open our homes as much as we are able. It doesn't matter if your table cloth doesn't match your dining room. It doesn't matter if the house isn't as clean as you would like it to be. It doesn't matter what excuse you can come up with, we should be willing to open our doors to visitors when we are able to and share with them what you do have and also to share with them what the Lord has done for you and how He has blessed your life. This is as much a pep talk to me as it is advice to all of my dear sisters in Christ. I have two families I know of that I often use as examples. There is a dear couple in my church that is so often able and willing to put people up in their home. They are so loving and kind and EVERYONE comes away thanking them for their hospitality. Another is my mother in law. She is at anytime willing to drop anything and everything and have people in her home visiting, staying for short or long visits or just dropping by. Her home is always open to anyone who she may be able to minister to. Both of these families inspire me to let go of my doubts and fears and focus on what truly is important and that is ministering to the saints.
May the Lord bless us as we endeavor to be the godly and virtuous women He has called us to be!
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Laundry advice
Take care of your laundry a little at a time...before it turns into a big enough monster to eat you!
I have neglected my laundry this week, doing only a little here and there, telling myself I was doing other beneficial things instead. It was true...I got some closets cleaned out, some high chairs scrubbed from top to bottom, hardwood floors thoroughly cleaned and the whole downstairs dusted to a "t". I simply wish I had done a little more laundry as I went. I have spent the last two nights washing/drying/folding laundry. I think I washed 7 loads! You must understand...my DH goes through about two full outfits a day and my DS is the spit up king of the world and has always gone through 2-3 outfits a day. Well, I also had all of the bed linens and other linens that my little charges dirtied this week...I guess it was the week for my little ones to get sick and vomit several times a day. By the way, it was these "extra" items that I washed a little as I went...I did not let them sit!
The moral of the story is a little goes a long way!!! I must say I am so thankful for the routine my husband and I have. Since our laundry room is in the basement and I have to climb two full flights of stairs to get to the upstairs bedrooms, my DH carries ALL dirty clothes down, ALL clean clothes up, and he puts away ALL clothes except for the baby's clothes...we still haven't mastered that one yet!
Have a good week!
I have neglected my laundry this week, doing only a little here and there, telling myself I was doing other beneficial things instead. It was true...I got some closets cleaned out, some high chairs scrubbed from top to bottom, hardwood floors thoroughly cleaned and the whole downstairs dusted to a "t". I simply wish I had done a little more laundry as I went. I have spent the last two nights washing/drying/folding laundry. I think I washed 7 loads! You must understand...my DH goes through about two full outfits a day and my DS is the spit up king of the world and has always gone through 2-3 outfits a day. Well, I also had all of the bed linens and other linens that my little charges dirtied this week...I guess it was the week for my little ones to get sick and vomit several times a day. By the way, it was these "extra" items that I washed a little as I went...I did not let them sit!
The moral of the story is a little goes a long way!!! I must say I am so thankful for the routine my husband and I have. Since our laundry room is in the basement and I have to climb two full flights of stairs to get to the upstairs bedrooms, my DH carries ALL dirty clothes down, ALL clean clothes up, and he puts away ALL clothes except for the baby's clothes...we still haven't mastered that one yet!
Have a good week!
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Okay, so I forgot!
Ever since I started this blog, my main intention was to keep up with it...okay, so now you know I have the best of good intentions. This blog is like a lot of other things in my life. I get a good start, but don't keep up. This is a bad habit I have been trying hard to break, but it isn't easy. Some areas I have gotten better at keeping up. For example, I realized we were wasting a lot of money on food and groceries simply because I did not make out a menu plan. But now, for the past year or so, I have sat down every Wednesday and made dinner menu plans for the next two weeks. It has saved a lot of money! Also, I have mastered my to-do lists. I make a daily to-do list the day before, and a weekly to-do list and I do the things on my list. If I don't get anything else done, I get the things on my list done! Other things I have a hard time with. For example, making my bed every day. Well, I have given up on this. What's the point? When I am getting out of bed, my DH is just getting home from work and getting into bed, which would leave me to be making the bed at 3 or 4 in the afternoon. Yeah, right when I try to get dinner done. This is going to have to be an area where I don't really lead by example. When Josiah gets older, and I tell him to make his bed every morning and he wonders why mommy doesn't make hers, it is going to have to be a "because I said so!" moment.
Well, enough of that. Let me catch you up a little on the Hodges household. Since I last wrote, not a lot has happened. A couple of weeks ago I did have to spend a couple of days in the hospital because of severe pain in my right/mid abdomen, side and back. It did not appear to be baby related and the pain has not reocurred since I was released. After I went for a follow up visit a couple of days later, we were THRILLED to find out that we are expecting a BABY GIRL!!! I was so happy I cried. Danny was dumbfounded and shocked. He wanted another little boy and I wanted a girl. We both mostly wanted a healthy young baby and boy or girl really didn't matter, but we are elated and talk about our little girl daily. I am not one for keeping secrets too much or anything, so I will tell you, we have definitely decided on what her first name should be. It will be Bethany. We are still struggling a little bit with the middle name, so we will keep that as a secret for now. So, really, this is all that is going on with us. Day in an day out is an adventure. I love the kids I babysit like they are my own, but I am glad to spend time with only Josiah and Danny at the end of the day.
I will try to do better at keeping up with this blog...I know! I'll add it to my to do list!!! :-)
Well, enough of that. Let me catch you up a little on the Hodges household. Since I last wrote, not a lot has happened. A couple of weeks ago I did have to spend a couple of days in the hospital because of severe pain in my right/mid abdomen, side and back. It did not appear to be baby related and the pain has not reocurred since I was released. After I went for a follow up visit a couple of days later, we were THRILLED to find out that we are expecting a BABY GIRL!!! I was so happy I cried. Danny was dumbfounded and shocked. He wanted another little boy and I wanted a girl. We both mostly wanted a healthy young baby and boy or girl really didn't matter, but we are elated and talk about our little girl daily. I am not one for keeping secrets too much or anything, so I will tell you, we have definitely decided on what her first name should be. It will be Bethany. We are still struggling a little bit with the middle name, so we will keep that as a secret for now. So, really, this is all that is going on with us. Day in an day out is an adventure. I love the kids I babysit like they are my own, but I am glad to spend time with only Josiah and Danny at the end of the day.
I will try to do better at keeping up with this blog...I know! I'll add it to my to do list!!! :-)
Monday, June 2, 2008
Milestone
Yeah!! So, today marks my first week in my second trimester. This pregnancy seems to be going by a lot quicker than with Josiah. I guess it is because I am so much busier this time around. I feel my energy is coming back little by little. I am still experiencing a great deal of nausea, but it seems to be mostly when I have not regulated my time between meals well...something to work on! My sister in law, Amber, and I, along with our travel entertainment, Josiah, just made a whirlwind trip to and from Ga this past weekend. We went to celebrate with Gabrielle and Anna Grace Fulmer the momentous occasion of their high school graduation. I am so excited for them and what may lie ahead for them. The evening was great with a barn dance and a hayride to follow the ceremony. I must admit, I did not partake in any of the dancing even though I was coaxed and hammered with the idea that I should. I graciously declined and tried to hold Josiah in my lap as much as I could so people would stop telling me I should dance. A toddler in your arms taking all of your precious time up is reason enough not to join in, isn't it? Well, even though I didn't dance, that didn't stop Amber. In my opinion, she stole the show! I took a lot of pictures and some videos to remember this event. We had so much fun! Now, back to the harsh realities of home-life. I must slay the laundry beast and also get lunch on the table for my little charges!
Friday, May 23, 2008
Saturday with my baby!
Saturdays are my days to catch up with Josiah. I know it is not necessarily true, but sometimes during the week here at the house, I feel as if I neglect Josiah because of all of the other kids I watch. So, having said that, Saturdays, unless urgently needed, I do not babysit. I play all day with Josiah and devote all of my time to him and our family. We usually sit in the floor for a couple of hours and play together. I also let the gates down on Saturdays and allow him to roam the house with me and go where I go. The gates have to be up with the other kids because I can't keep up with all of them in a bunch of different locations. He is really enjoying hopping up in my lap to look at a book with me, and we usually go off somewhere. Tomorrow, we have to make a trip to the store to find a new toy holder for his bath toys...the other one is not cutting it. We will recess to go walk through the park and take some time out to play and eat...one of his favorites! I love this time with my little buddy so much! Well, since I am getting ready for JoJo time tomorrow, that means I have been cleaning the house tonight...always so much fun! :-) We have some company coming and it is easier to get things done when Josiah is in bed than when he is awake, so Danny and I have been hard at work getting the house in tip top shape. Well, I am done for the night, hoping Josiah will sleep a little later in the morning and looking forward to Saturday with my baby!
Thursday, May 22, 2008
First pre-natal visit
Today I had a sonogram and my first pre-natal visit for this second little one. I am so amazed at how people fail to see life growing within the womb when we have such technology that will allow us to hear a heart beat and see a heart beat 10 weeks after conception. Well, the heartbeat was great and I am measuring almost 10 weeks along, due date December 25th! What a gift! I had a lot of questions this visit that Dr Walsh was able to answer and made an important decision to go ahead with a repeat c-section because of my difficulties last pregnancy. I am happy with this decision and trust the Lord for all to go well. One thing that I am worried about is my blood pressure was elevated. I had difficulties with my blood pressure when I was carrying Josiah as well, although it did not start this early. I was very frustrated about it, so Danny and I went grocery shopping tonight and I loaded up on fresh fruits and vegetables. I told Danny we are on a five week mission to see how much weight he can lose in 5 weeks and to see hom much my blood pressure can go down in 5 weeks. I think he is motivated and I know I am! We bought strawberries, avacados, apples, bananas, kiwi, oranges, nectarines, peppers, cucumbers, onions, and we have a lot of other vegetables here at home. I am going to be fruit and veggie girl. I will report in five weeks if my blood pressure goes back down. In the meantime, you can pray for me that it will!
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