Pinterest 32: Easy Garlic Chicken

I made this recipe one night. It was a little messy in the pan (but I used my stoneware so it cleaned up easily). Everyone seemed to like it.

Pinterest 31: Banoffee Pie

I've made a version of this pie but never with bananas in it. (And it has probably been over a decade since I made it.) The website I got it from isn't in the US so it's was interesting to see the differences in the names of ingredients. I also like that she covered it with whip cream, because it's not the most attractive pie otherwise.

Pinterest 30: Hawaiian Crockpot Chicken

I found this recipe and had the ingredients to make it on short notice. I did tweak it a bit based on what I had. I didn't have the specialty sauce so just used what we had (Stubbs Bourbon flavor). After it cooked, I shredded the chicken and put it on hoagie rolls. The kids really liked it and so did the adults.

Pinterest 29: Dice Counter

Sophie's going through a "no eating" phase. I saw this idea months ago and decided to try it to entice her to eat just a little bit more. The funny thing is that she loves throwing the dice so much that she usually just takes one bite (regardless of what she rolls) but she'll roll it over and over, taking a bite each time.

EMM: Thank a Firefighter

Things to do:

• Thank firefighters when you see them in uniform (like at the grocery store).



• Get out of the way when you hear the sirens or see the lights.



• Help to create a thank you card to be delivered to the local station.



• Minimize your risk of fires by installing smoke detectors (and checking batteries) and keeping fire extinguishers on hand.

We made cookies and took them to the local firehouse for the firefighters. Unfortunately, the truck was out so we didn't get to see it but the kids enjoyed meeting the firemen. When we got out of the car with the cookies, Logan says, "The firemen be happy, 'cause I have them cookies."

EMM: Meditate or Pray

I have tried several times to "read the Bible in a year" and have just never been able to do it. This year I found the One Minute Bible and have put it in the bathroom (the one room with in the house with a lock and also the only room the kids know to stay out of if I'm in it). It's not the entire Bible just the "heart" of it, basically hitting the high points and main topics. In one page it may have parts of the old testament and the new testament, with all of the passages for the day related in some way. For example, during the first week it had the scriptures of God creating the world, including the light and then had passages from the psalms that also referred to that. I don't always read each day, but that's the thing. Since it's only a minute I can easily make it up the next day. After I read, I'll say a prayer for whatever prayer requests have come through my email.

Along with that prayer time, I've started printing those same requests. I know, probably not the best use of paper, but having the hard copy allows me to pull them out whenever I sit down with my planner (where I keep them) and say another prayer, or send an email to get an update. I have found that the written word on paper (instead of a monitor) seems to stay in my memory longer. I actually remember the requests throughout the day.

One last thing...I have a child's devotion book that I've been reading with Logan each night. We usually do story time together with Sophie so this has become just our time. I know there is so much of what I read that he isn't getting, but I felt that it was an added dose of hearing the words. It was also another time where he could practice sitting still and listening. The devotion also has a couple of questions that relate to what was read. The funny part is Logan has already found the pattern and will answer almost every question with "God" or "Jesus". The bonus, at the end I get to say another prayer for my children.

Elf Pictures

This was the first year we actually had the Elf come visit us (although we "met" him 2 years ago). Each night our elf would fly back to the North Pole and then return again by morning. The kids had fun trying to figure out where Elmo Elf would be each day. Many days he brought something back with him. Just little trinkets and toys or things to make or eat, even toys for the pets.

He brought the Elf on the Shelf movie and watched it before we got up.

One morning he left tiny pretend cameras and had used my camera to take pictures of himself. I think our Elf got a lot of ideas from Pinterest.