What I'm Loving Wednesday!

It's that time of the WEEK! To play along, go check out Jamie's blog  "This Kind Of Love" to link yourself!!

With that being SAID....this is a SPECIAL Wednesday.

More so it was very special YESTERDAY. 


So what I'm so very gratefully, graciously thankful for is....


SALVATION!



Yesterday Justin and I went to visit our preacher, Dr. Bowman.
We went to see about Justin joining our church.  I had been a member since 2006 and Justin wanted to join (he had been coming with me for over a year or two.)  And we also wanted to talk about Kie being dedicated at one of the services.


All my expectations for the meeting were BLOWN out of the water!  Dr. Bowman was so nice and his meeting/talk with us was JUST as great as one of his sermons!  We were blessed to have him personally for an hour!  Anyway, he asked a little about the both of us and how we grew up.


My story is pretty boring.  I'm from a small town, Atlanta-Texas, born and raised in a Baptist Church. Saved and Baptized at 9 years old. Yada ya ya...(Though of course I've been through my share of trials and tribulations...but we all have!)


Then Justin told his story---which, some may know.  My husband's life was polar opposite of mine.  He was born in California, where he witnessed his own father take his life, in which Justin had to cut his dad out of the tree in their yard. (He hung himself.)  Justin was 13, taken by the State of California--lived in group homes/orphanages.  Grew up around Santa Barbara where gangs ruled the coastal towns.  You either were in a gang for protection or you were killed.  Justin emancipated himself from his mother (who had left him and his brother).  Started working at 14, had his own apartment...And has been working for the last 20 years.  He was his own parent and his own guardian.  He experienced a lot of different vices to help him cope.  He was always battling his past but was able to overcome them through a lot of therapy.  


ANYWAY--Dr. Bowman was touched by Justin's story.  He started to witness to Justin about Jesus, also comparing Justin's life story to verses in the Bible.  After talking to Justin about life and death, our choices in life--and the wages of sin then Justin prayed the sinner's prayer with my preacher.  
There I was sitting with him in our Pastor's office, rocking Kie in my lap--as we witnessed Justin take Jesus Christ into his life.  Finally, a love that would NEVER leave him.  A God that would never forsake him.  
Justin's eyes were filled with tears and he had the biggest grin on his face.


I have seen Justin 'cry' a total of 3 times.


1.) When we missed the plane to Cabo, causing us to MISS our wedding.  (Will blog about that one day!)
2.) When we got married. Ok, he teared up. Not so much cry.
3.) And yesterday, asking and accepting Christ into his heart and life.


Justin is making it PUBLIC--on Sunday.  He is joining the church--where Dr. Bowman will tell our congregation about Justin asking Christ into his life.  Then the following Sunday he will be getting baptized!


I cannot tell you how happy and overjoyed I am!


My husband has always been a good man, regardless of the pitfalls of life.  He's got a great heart and would give the shirt off his back to anyone.  He was raised Catholic as a little boy, but after his family split apart---Justin's only concern in life was to survive.


Since marrying me, I've witnessed to Justin and tried to show him God's love.


God has been working in his heart for a long time. So I cannot tell you how happy I am, my family and his friends are--for this great decision!



Well, that's what I love this Wednesday!



Until next time!


-HK-

J vs. J

So I have this celebrity crush on Jason Statham.  He's been in a lot of movies like Crank, The Transporter, The Italian Job and a lot of other action-packed movies.  His new movie The Mechanic comes out this weekend.  (I watched a lot of these thanks to my husband!) Anyway, Justin doesn't mind this celebrity crush because HE has a man-crush on him.  And then I realized why I love LIKE him so much.

Justin

Jason
http://tinyurl.com/6hgx8je

Sooooooo notice any similarities?!?! Also he is a big scuba diver like my husband--also looks strangely a lot like him, they are close in age--and is a total hottie pa-tottie bad boy good guy! (my husband is a reformed bad boy.)

---It's like I have my own Jason Statham!

Justin

Jason
http://tinyurl.com/5vmy24f

Jason
http://tinyurl.com/4p3a6hf

Perhaps I'm stretching it a bit....

What do you think???

Baby Lane

http://tinyurl.com/4sljf4l

I think there needs to be a lane for parents/guardians with babies.  This lane would have no stop lights or 4-way stops.  Because, if you're a parent or have ever driven around with a baby....then you know babies love movement.  And Kie, like my little niece, will start to whimper as soon as the car starts to slow down or movement ends.  And, if we're unlucky to fully stop and sit for a bit at a busy light or intersection, then Kie has started his full on baby cry.  It's actually a super cute cry, but not so cute when I can't soothe him.  


If Daddy J is driving, I prefer to sit back-sit with the Lil Man--just in case I need to soothe him.  But if I'm driving with just Baby, then there's not much I can do!  Anyway, instead of a HOV lane, there needs to be a BABY lane.


Just my 2 cents.


--------------------------------------


Last weekend we had a GREAT time.
--Friday Justin and I had family night.  It was crab cake and salmon Friday.  Followed by time spent in the hot tub.  (Lil man is in bed and we have his monitor on).  
Saturday we SPRING CLEANED the house.  I realize it's a bit early to be "Spring Cleaning" but we tagged team the house and clean and scrubbed everything.  I was excited because I used my new little vacuum.  It's just a hard wood floor/carpet cleaner one, but it's little enough to clean in hard places like under the bed/sofa and crib.  (We have a big vacuum as well, which Justin uses for the rest of the house.)
We also went shopping for Kie, which I love.  He got some new jeans, a hoodie, a baseball footsie, a motorcycle onesies, new shoes, a few extra onesies and a new beanie!  And it was all for $30 at TJ Maxx.  (Btw, I had never been there before!) Wow,  I'm definitely going back for the little man!


We also got him a new bouncy swing that you can connect to a door frame so he can work on his leg muscles.  He is a bit young for it, but he still enjoys sitting in it and letting us bounce him.


That night our friends Sean, Michelle, Amanda and Warren came over for dinner and board games.  (It's becoming a weekend tradition).  Michelle made a delicious King Ranch Casserole, I made Megan's cheesecake cookies (thanks lady!) and together we all feasted.  We played Catch Phrase and Cranium till 1 am!  It was a lot of fun playing with Justin. We were a great team.  Usually we play guys vs. girls but decided this time to do couples.  


Kie was also a great host, he laughed and played and fell asleep! <3 Such a sweet little man.


Anyway, this week is already flying by! Later on today we're meeting with our preacher to talk about dedicating Kie at one of the services soon.  We're so excited.  I can't wait to watch our sweet baby grow up in Sunday School and be an active little boy in choir and all the fun activities of church.




Well I'm going to finish straightening up the house and maybe me and Kie will go out for a walk around the neighborhood.  I was working out pretty good the last few weeks but the weekends always throw me for a loop.  Zumba is a lot of fun as well, but getting Kie down to enjoy it is hard!


I usually have to make a fool of myself dancing in front of Justin while he holds the baby.  I get a good (sweaty) workout in, he gets a good laugh.  A win-win for all!


Until next time,




-HK-

Easy Recipe Friday!

Happy Birthday

 to the best DAD a gal could ever ask for!

With that being said, TODAY is my dad's birthday.  And I, being the Daddy's Girl that I am--would like to say a few things about the old man (he's 54 today!) 

First off, my dad is one of a kind!  My dad has always been so great to me, even when I disliked him for punishing me during my teen years and grounding me for sneaking out the house.  Regardless, he has always shown his love (in his own way) to me. He's supported me in life through everything and he's always been the most generous man I've ever known (until I met my husband.) My dad and my husband would do and give me anything if I asked for it.  Luckily for them both I'm not that type of girl!

I love and respect my dad so much for coming so far in life! He came from nothing, put himself through medical school against all odds. And became an amazing father!  I also named my own son after him.  Dad's name, Timothy Cranford, my son's Timothy Kie.

He's a great father and grandfather to me and my precious son!

Thank you God for blessing me with him! And here's to many more happy years with him!

============

On to Friday's topic!

I've not shared any recipes before so today I'm sharing  "Easy recipe Friday!"

Basically I'm going to try to post a easy, tasty recipe every so often--and I'll do it on Friday.

Or so that's what I say now.

Regardless this is for 

Momma's Made-Easy Enchiladas!

This recipe is GREAT for making an army load of food.  So If you like leftovers--or care to make this for friends, a party, your big family--or for your significant other who eats like there is NO tomorrow...then this is your recipe! 

You can also freeze for later!

Of course you can always scale down on the ingredients. 

ALSO be sure to check out the ** (this indicates how to make the meal with less fat, less calories and healthier for you!)

What You Will Need:

2 cans of Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup

(or you can use Cream of Chicken--I use one of each)

**I use the less sodium and fat free ones**

3 tsp of butter 

**Butter can be nixed from the recipe all together.  The original recipe that was passed on to me included butter.  I don't use it!

**1 8oz Light Sour Cream

1 rotisserie chicken

(I use a rotisserie chicken to save me time)

**You can also cook a boneless, skinless chicken breast.

20 flour/corn tortillas (if small) 10 if large

**Or use wheat tortillas

Pico De Gallo

(home-made or store bought)

2% fat free mixed shredded Cheese

**Or you can use NO cheese

+ Spices +

(to taste & additional flavorings)

1. Cumin 

 2. Chili Pepper

3. Paprika

4. jalapenos

1. Set oven for 350 degrees

2. Mix in a large bowl--the sour cream, pico de gallo, 1 & 1/2 cans of cream of mushroom or cream of chicken, the melted butter and shredded chicken breast.

3. Add cheese to mixture--and spices to taste. (optionally)

Personally I add a lot of spices! Especially the cumin for a smoky flavor.

4. Use a glass casserole dish and fill the tortillas with the mixture, roll and place in dish.

5. Pour the remaining half of can of cream of mushroom over the top of enchiladas. 

Sprinkle with cheese & paprika.

6. Put in oven for 20 minutes.

And volia! Your Mexican dish is complete!

You can also top the enchiladas with jalepenos, pico de gallo or even put them in the mixture depending on how spicy you like them!

The best thing about this recipe is you can't go wrong! You can add a lot to it and flavor it however you like!

Well it's about time for me and Kie's MORNING nap.

I may add another blog today.

I've got a running list of things I wanted to blog about! We'll see how today goes.  I also am having friends over this weekend so the house needs a good scrub/clean down first!

Also I bought a new vacuum and I'm excited to use it! I'll write a review if I think about it.

Until next time,

HAPPY FRIDAY EVERYONE!

What I'm Loving Wednesday

It's Wednesday and I've not done a "What I'm LOVING Wednesday" in awhile--so today's the day! Plus a little run down of this past weekend and week!

If you'd like to start doing a "What I'm loving Wednesday" HERE is the link to Jamie's blog to link up!

I am starting to LOVE coffee.

It's more of a Café au lait!

But regardless, it helps me get through the morning when all I want to do is take a morning nap with Baby.

I love weekends with my husband and son!

My husband works 80+ hours a week so time during the work week is hard to find. But weekends are for FAMILY time!

I cherish our time together so much.  We usually spend one day with close friends, playing board games and socializing.  One night in watching movies and Sunday is of course church day!  Weekends can't get here fast enough for the Knuth family!

Baby Kie wearing his Bevo outfit! (Notice the Longhorn horns!)

I LOVE motherhood.
The spit up in my hair, the changing dirty diapers, the nursing at all hours of the night, the teetee on the onesies, the rocking, the smiles, the coos, the flailing baby arms and legs...

AH, motherhood is such a blessing.  Hard or not, I love it and thank God everyday (and my husband) for our sweet lil man.

I also love my new Saucony running shoes--

I love my Victoria Secret yoga pants (I live in these!)

You can get them here!

I love Date Nights!

--Justin and I got to go on our *second* date since Kie was born.

We went to Cafe Josie for dinner Saturday night.  What was so ironic is we went there nearly a year ago to the day!  That day last year, Justin revealed how he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me--and plans were set for the future!

I also LOVE this beautiful weather!

It's been in the 50's here in Austin and sunny!

Today I'm meeting my friend Allison at Town Lake for a walk (with my super fun stroller) and Kie!

I can't wait to see her, it's been over a year! And for her to meet my sweet lil man.

I also LOVE me & daddy time in the HOT TUB.

  After we put Kie down for bed, we put him in our room with the monitor on--and we go out on our deck to soak our muscles in the water.  Believe it or not, carrying around a 12 lb baby all day can make your arms and shoulders a little sore!  So I definitely enjoy the 15-20 minutes we get to soak in the hot water!   Plus the nights are cold and enjoying the quiet winter sky is a bonus.  I usually imagine we are far away from the city :)

---Well that's it for What I'm Loving!

--Also, like I mentioned above, this past weekend Justin and I went out for a date while my parents were in.  I love grandparents and free babysitting! 

Our date was fun and refreshing!  It felt good putting on something nice and dressing up.  After we went out to dinner we ended up at a favorite spot of ours a year ago (Justin refers to it as our 'old stomping grounds'. ) It was amusing because we ran into some old friends we hadn't seen since Kie was born.  We realized a lot has changed in our lives and we are so happy where we are at. We definitely don't miss the social scene and everything that goes with it.  We now have our own social circle that doesn't mind quiet nights in---and taking turns holding little man! lol

Sunday we went to church and Kie decided to wake up during the service to do some vocalizing during Dr. Bowman's sermon.  So Justin took Kie out to the lobby where he listened to the rest of the service where no one minded if Kie decided to talk back to the preacher! Ha!

We also went after the service so that Dr. (Kie) Bowman could meet our sweet little Kie.

Dr. Bowman really enjoyed that we named our lil man after him.  

Anyway, I have some cleaning to do before we head downtown to the lake. 

Hope everyone is doing great!

Lots of love-

-HK & Kie-

Here & Now

Quick update! My parents are coming into town this weekend! I love it when they are here! They will be amazed how much Kie has grown since Christmas!  I miss being so close (in proximity) to all my family but I wouldn't move from Austin! Unless it was to some other exciting place in another state.  Personally I believe Austin is the best city in Texas.  So much to do and see!

Anywho....

We also are officially going to Florida in July with my entire family.  Super excited! And also means I gotta get my bottom into gear and get it into shape.  (In a smaller shape preferably!) Justin and I will be taking another vacation just the 3 of us. But it will be a lot of fun to be on the beach with all the family.  Plus it may give me and J some one-on-one time because there will be so many aunts, cousins and grandparents willing to watch lil man!

lastly, I got ZUMBA for Wii!  I'm excited to see if I like it and if it helps me wiggle & dance my way BACK into my skinny jeans.  I love dancing and my friend Megan told me she loves it and it makes you sweat a lot!  And believe it or not, I love to sweat.  Makes me feel like I'm ridding myself of toxins.


Yea! Justin's back from work! It's been a super long day for us both.  Kie has allergies and work has been crazy for J. Tonight is bath night for little man (he gets one every other day!) and I'm about to clean the kitchen up from dinner and maybe do some Zumba.  We'll see how it goes.

Until next time,

-HK-

Happy Friday

Happy Friday!

I love Fridays for numerous reasons.  Mainly because they are the start of the weekend, which means spending time with J and family time.  However, I'm leaving tomorrow to go to Atlanta...so I'm sad I won't be spending time with him.  

However, I wanted this blog to be about some random things that I'd like to share.

 Here I go (by the way, if I ever blog while Justin is at work then there's a 99% chance I'm typing while nursing) BUT in this rare case, I'm bouncing a Boppy with a baby on it.  It's an interesting sight!

First OFF---I just got a Shake-Weight....yess I know what you're thinking, "Omgosh those are silly, why'd in the world would you get one?!"  Believe it or not I thought they were hilarious too! But someone I know got one, and they testified that it did work.  So the other night when Justin was on baby duty I ran to Academy.   I had a gift card there and I picked up one (along with some new running shoes!).  Anyway, it does seem to work.  It definitely makes my arms tired.  I actually took a BEFORE picture and will do use the Shake Weight 6 minutes everyday for 2 months....(that should give me time!?) and I will post the results! So be looking for that March 7th!

   **I got the 6 minutes/day from their advertising**

Also, in the last two weeks I've eaten two jars of jalapenos.  I have NEVER liked them before.  So I don't know if it's a hormone shift after pregnancy or what?  Luckily I've not had any problems with indigestion from them but I seriously can't get enough of them.  Glad I developed this weird eating habit rather than eating a box or two of donuts or M&Ms

Alas, I'm finally feeling like myself after delivery.  I still have a WAYS to go.  But I am feeling like my hormones have been in check for a while and my body feels like it's 80% healed.

I think by the 6 month mark I will be back to lifting weights (real weights not the Shake Weight) and doing ab work soon.

I am just being real, but I don't see myself looking good in a bathing suit this season.  Since I'm going to be nursing for a year I don't expect to lose a lot of weight (though the myth of nursing and losing is still strong) it isn't totally true.  Yes, you may burn an additional 300 calories a day, but you also have to consume 300-500 kcals to keep up with your milk supply.  So basically you level off.  And I believe I have.  

I am ready to feel sexy again! But Justin is a true gentleman and always makes me feel beautiful and so good about myself. Sometimes though it's not so much how others view you (or your spouse who is generally always loving) but how you feel about yourself.  I know it took me 9 months to completely morph my body, where I GREW and harbored a little human being!  And I know it will take time for it to get back to a semi normal state.  

--Winter Blues?--

So now that Halloween, Thanksgiving & Christmas are over...what to look forward to next?

Usually we have a vacation in the future that I can look forward to--and happily we are in the midst of planning one.  I still want to head to Colorado for some skiing and snowboarding.  Though last year I tore my MCL so perhaps I should avoid the slopes!

I do know we are going to the beach this summer (I think somewhere in Florida) so Justin can scuba dive and I can relax with the little man (under a lot of umbrellas, sun screen and protective clothing --for him at least!)  I also am getting certified to dive,  I'm so excited!  Justin is probably even more excited though.  He loves to dive and he loves sharing his experiences with me.  I am definitely not ready to do 150 feet like he has done previously. But I love the ocean and I can't wait to see all the creatures under the water!

Also we are making a trip to California in the next 6 months to visit Justin's family and friends. 

There is a lot to look forward to--and I'm just amazed how time passes by!

Well I better get some housework done, Lil man fell asleep on me and I'm going to put him down so momma can get some cleaning done!

Tonight we are going out with one some friends to eat Mexican food at a hole in the wall restaurant.  We  don't even know the name we just call it "Our Restaurant."  So we are sharing our little diamond in the rough with our amigos! ;)

I also need to go pump a bottle for tonight so I can enjoy a margarita.

Until next time!

-HK-

Kie's first ever LAUGH was yesterday!  After our walk around Town Lake.

Town Lake

Love my lil Chunky Monkey!

A Year Behind!

 Happy Twenty-Eleven from the Knuths!

I am already running behind on updating my blog.  Seriously, this mom thing is a 24/7 job!  I'm not complaining but I rarely have time for much these days.  And I also feel extremely guilty when I do anything else that is NOT devoted to my son.

Mainly because I want to cherish these days since he is growing up so darn fast!

Anyway--New Year's Eve was great.  We spent it playing games and eating with good friends.  Low key, but fun enough that I needed some extra sleep the next day.  Needless to say, Kie was the center of attention and our main source of entertainment (besides Wii, Catch Phrase and Apples to Apples)!

This week has been FLYING by.  Kie turned TWO MONTHS on the 3rd.  I took him in for his 2 month appointment.  He is 11 pounds, 11 ounces!  My baby is getting so big, it makes me sad!  I want him small forever.  Though, he is learning how to smile.  He has been smiling for awhile but now he knows how to 'control' it.  So I have secret ways to make him laugh, smile and coo at mommy.  I love those times.

This weekend I will be heading home to Atlanta because Justin will be also heading to Atlanta (Georgia) for work.  I didn't want to spend the week home alone and neither did my parents.  So they are meeting us half way to pick me and Kie up!

I'm going to be so sad without Justin around but it will help being home with all the family.

This is Justin's last class to get his masters for Land Rover.  So I'm excited and also really nervous for him.  He's got a big test to take the end of next week.  But I'm sure he'll do good!

Anyway--this week has been good.  Justin has been cooking dinner most nights (so sweet of him) to give me time to hit the gym.  Goodness knows I need it.  And also to run some errands without the Baby.

But basically that's been it.

I do have a few resolutions for this year--

So here they are!

1.  Lose the baby fat!

--So technically the doctor instructed me NOT to diet.  I have to eat 1800 calories to keep up my milk supply.  I plan on nursing for a year.  So, we'll see how it goes.  Losing the weight while EATING that much is going to be hard.  I have a ways to go....and no sleep and little time to workout doesn't help.

2.  Finish our house! 

 We have DONE so much already!  But we are redoing our living room and bathroom and I'm so excited.  We have all the stuff we need and now that I'm not pregnant I can help Justin again with everything.  We should be on Renovation Realities! --We are big DIY'ers when it comes to things around the house.  And Justin is super handy.  He's definitely a jack of all trades.

3. Stop biting my nails.

I went 2 weeks after Christmas and was so excited.  But I bit them off the other day.  I know, gross habit! But I seriously think LONG natural nails are scary.  I love acrylic nails.  But real ones gross me out.  

4. Finish all the books I'm reading.  

I'm simultaneously reading about five books.  I really need to read them all and be done with them.  But like I said the no sleep and little time for myself doesn't help.

5. Become more involved with our church.

 I love our church and I can't wait to be more active in it.  We will be resuming our Sunday School class in the middle of this month once we're back from our trips to Atlanta.

 --Then we are meeting with our preacher (Kie Bowman) to get our Baby Kie dedicated.

and lastly....

6.  Be a better child of God, wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend.

ANYWAY--I have a lot of resolutions for this year.  And I'm hoping for the best!

Well I better do the dishes while baby is sleeping.

Until next (free) time--

-HK-

Daddy swinging Kie around in his blanket singing "Look what the Stork brought in!"