Summer Lovin' - Ham Rolls

One of my favorite things about summer is the food.  It's a time when I'm looking for something quick and easy to prepare.  And for that reason, I love Ham Rolls.

Ingredients:
2 packages of cream cheese, softened
1 bunch of green onions, chopped
1 can of black olives, chopped
Tabasco sauce
1 large package of thin sliced ham
1 package of 10" soft tortilla shells

Allow cream cheese to sit at room temperature so it will be soft enough to mix well.

Chop green onions.

Put green onions and black olives in bowl with cream cheese. Add two dashes of Tabasco soft.

Mix well.

Spread mix on tortilla shell.

Place ham slices on tortilla shell and then roll.

Cut roll into smaller pieces. 

Repeat with remaining ingredients.

Eat right away or chill before serving.

Not only are Ham Rolls a favorite summer time treat, but I love them for parties too.  My mom usually brings them at my request!  If you make these, let me know what you think. I think they are quite addictive!

Do you have a favorite summertime food? I'd love to hear about it. 

Are you hot?

We are.

What's the temperature where you are?  I checked the heat index on http://www.weather.com/ for my town and it was 113.

Wordless Wednesday

Bums

Big Dog is in the house.

Heating and Cooling guy came to fix a frozen AC unit.

Big boys played Toy Story 3 Legos on my bed.

Little one is eating us out of house and home.

I've been hanging out on the couch working on my Tour of Duty Bible study.

Why are we being bums today?

It is 96 degrees and the Heat Index is at 113.  It is summer in South Central KY!

Favorite Summertime Memories - Women of Faith Wednesday

Favorite summertime memory....Oh, what to choose???? I can't choose just one, so I'll pick four to share.

As a child, I always felt I was Pa Tootsie's favorite grandchild. Maybe I was, maybe I wasn't, but he always made me feel that way. Pa always had a way to make us feel special. What I remember most is how he would stash away our favorite treats for when we would come to visit. Anytime of the year, we would find peppermint sticks or rootbeer candy, but during the summer, we could always count on finding banana popsicles in the freezer. I loved watermelon as a kid (still do), and Pa Tootsie would buy me a watermelon and I'd get to come to his house and eat it with him. I'll never forget the summer he pulled out snow that he had put in Ziploc bags for us. You can bet we were the only kids in town having a snowball fight that summer! When Pa Tootsie passed away in the summer of 2006, I knew my kids would never get to enjoy those same treats from him. However, I remind them often of those times when we share a watermelon or banana popsicle.

In the summer of 1998, I went on vacation with my boyfriend and his family. When we finally arrived at the condo we would be staying at, he and I rushed down to the beach to watch the sunset. As we watched, he told me how much he loved me and I reminded him how much I loved him. Then he got to squirming around. I asked him what he was doing and he told me that his underwear were riding up. Little did I know that as I continued to watch the sunset, he was holding an engagement ring out in front of me. He asked me to marry him and I said yes (I still hadn't seen the ring and we had always talked about getting married, so I thought this was just one of those times). He asked me again and I finally saw the ring. I cried yes and we kissed. We will celebrate our 11th anniversary this year.

A few years after we married, my husband and I decided we wanted to start a family. Shortly after that, we were pregnant and found ourselves living with his parents after we bought a house that needed remodeling. Nine months and 52 pounds later, it was the middle of July. It was hot. I was HUGE. Our house was....not finished. Now don't get me wrong. I love my husband's parents dearly and I was very appreciative of the fact that they invited us to stay with them, but I was ready to get into our home and have that baby. I remember being in bed one night (did I mention I was 9 months pregnant?)praying, "God, please don't let me have this baby yet. I can't be living here and have this baby. I have to be in my house." Well, let me tell ya, God answers prayers. Even though there were countless times I thought I was going to go into labor at Lowe's, I didn't. We moved in on a Monday and I went into labor that Thursday at noon. My dear sweet Colin was born just after midnight on July 26, 2002. We welcomed him home a couple days later with our next door neighbors (my mother and father in law) there to greet us.

The summer of 2004, my life changed forever. You see, my husband and I had been church looking. We had gone to a couple and found ourselves at Calvary Baptist Church. That Father's Day, Dr. Copass would be doing a baby dedication. I wanted to participate with Colin, although he was almost 2 years old, and no longer considered a baby. I kept trying to call Dr. Copass at his office, but either I got no answer, or Peggy the secretary would tell me that he was not there. Then the Friday before Father's Day, I had some errands to run in town. I was trying to decide whether or not to go by the church to see if Dr. Copass was there. There was this battle going on inside me: one part insisting that he would not be there and it would be a waste of time and one part urging me to just give it a try. I was at the post office and the church was just 2 blocks away. I decided to give it a try. He was there. When I talked with Dr. Copass about the dedication service, he asked me something I never expected. He asked me if I were a Christian. Immediately, I began crying. There was his answer, no I wasn't. He asked me a few questions about what I knew and believed about Jesus. Evidently, I knew the right answers because the next thing I know I am praying and surrendering my life to Jesus. In that instant, I felt different. The battle that had been going on inside me earlier was over. I know knew what it was about. Satan knew what was going to happen to me if I went to the church and didn't want me to go. But because I decided to "give it a try," Jesus won the battle for my soul that day. I'll never forget that day. Every decision I have made in my life since then has been based on that decision to give my life to Jesus. Without this day, I would not have been burdened about the fact that my 80 year old grandfather who was dying of lung cancer was not a Christian. I prayed for his salvation and God answered that prayer. Without that Friday in July, my marriage would not be strong like it is. God is the center of my marriage. I seek his guidance in being the best wife I can be for my husband. My husband would not have been pushed down the aisle (that's what he says it felt like) when I joined the church. Without that glorious day, my children would not know the love of Jesus. Colin would not have surrendered his life to Jesus and my two other sons would not be learning of his love and how to live like Him. Without that day, I would be who I am today.


To everything there is a season,
A time for every purpose under heaven.
Ecclesiastes 3:1

Summer Vacation Begins for a Proud Wife

Summer vacation has finally started for me. If you call it a vacation.

Baseball tournaments are starting tonight. Soccer camp begins Monday. Relay for Life is next Friday. The baseball championship is next Saturday. VBS starts on the 22nd. I'm teaching the big kids at church on Wednesday nights. We are chaperoning the youth trip to Six Flags KY Kingdom in a couple of weeks. Then there is fishing at Mr. Bailey's and the Club Calvary trip to the Nashville Zoo and Faith and Family Night at the HotRods game. Then it will be back to the classroom to prepare for August 5, the first day of school. Somewhere in there, we will try to get away for some family time!

With four days of PD out of the way, I am finding myself in a messy house with a 3 year old who is finally interested in using the potty. The laundry, catch all counter, and toy covered floors are calling my name, but I am finding myself here at the computer while Carson is watching Clifford and having a snack.

Just to let you know, the prayer requests that I've posted on this blog have been answered. Tami, Melissa, and Joe Mark are doing well. Jeffrey is still working toward the chaplain thing, and God is making himself evident in so many ways.

Two big days are approaching that are important to me. Jeffrey's birthday on Tuesday and Father's Day.


My husband.

The father of our children.

My best friend.

Let me tell you about him.

Jeffrey and I met over 18 years ago (Man! That makes us sound old!). My mom and I were out walking and stopped by my aunt's house where Jeffrey was hanging out with my cousin. He thought I was cute and I thought he was cute. A year later, we started "going together."

We dated throughout high school with the ups and downs of any teenage couple. We dated during college. In 1998, while on vacation with his family, Jeffrey proposed to me on the beach. In 1999, we were married. This year will be our 10 year anniversary.

I think our lives are an example of how God can work in you IF you allow him. When we started "going together" on April 15, 1991, we had no idea of what type of journey we would encounter. I think you could say that when we got married, we knew what we were getting in to. We've seen the good side of each other and the ugly side of each other. We've lived out some pretty good love songs I guess you could say.

But you know what? I know that I am blessed. I know that God put the two of us together for a reason.

I know some women who never say anything good about their husbands. When you are with them, it is only a matter of time before you find out how they really feel about their husbands. I cringe at those moments.

My husband is not perfect (sorry, Honey), but he his perfect for me. We are opposites, and not to sound like a scene from Jerry Maguire, but we complete each other. I'm grounded where he is impulsive. I'm not shopper savvy where he researches before making a purchase (that explains why he was up late last night looking at hotels and computers. I would have already made reservations on my new destop!). He is outgoing and very personable where I'm more comfortable around people I've know since birth.

I'm blessed because he loves me and our boys AND he is not afraid to show it. He does things that show us his love for us.

He is a man of his word, a man of integrity. He is not afraid of a little hard work.

He makes me proud to say I am his wife. Wednesday evening was a prime example.

A couple of weeks ago, our pastor had asked him to bring the Wednesday night message because he was going on vacation. This would be his 3rd time to do this. As he spoke to the congregation, I sat back in the back (behind Jack so I could hide and not make Jeffrey nervous) holding back tears of pride. The words he spoke were truly from God. He spoke to me. I could relate with what he was saying. I could tell that he was in his element.

I look at where we started. I look at where we've been. I look at where we are. I look at where we are headed. I'm thankful that God put us together. I'm thankful for the ups and downs we've been through. I'm confident that God has begun a good work in us and will finish it...one day. I'm looking forward to continuing our journey together with God leading us. I'm anxious to see where He will lead. Wherever and whatever God brings before us, I'm blessed to have this man, my husband, right there with me.

Jeffrey, I am thankful I caught your eye 19 years ago. I'm thankful you called me on April 15, 1991. I'm thankful for the sunset on the beach that summer. I'm thankful for that moment we said, "I do," in front of our family, friends, and Heavenly Father on October 2, 1999. I'm thankful you followed me down that same aisle on June 20, 2004 when you received Jesus as your Savior. I am thankful that we were baptized together on July 11, 2004. I am thankful for the moment I got to tell you I was pregnant with our first child. I'm thankful you stood by me through 12 hours of labor with him. I'm thankful for the moment we found out about Carson and the moment we held him after he was born before he was taken out to be put in the oxygen tent. I'm thankful for your service to our church, for you allowing God to use you. Honey, I am thankful for you. My list could go on and on. Just know that I love you and I am so blessed to be your wife.