What makes Mama smile: Monday Moments

A Recap of Monday's Activities in the Buehler's home.

Charlie slept through the night! Went down around 7 pm last night, nursed at about 6 am and then back to bed for a short snooze until 7:45 am. Wow, what an amazing way to start off the Monday! And, I'm sure any mama can attest that this is such a blissful beginning to a week! 

And who doesn't love a good pair of long johns! 

Once Jimmy was off to work, I ran downstairs to start a load of cloth diapers... leaving the little one in charge of the upstairs. Yes, I should have known by now this may be dangerous. Upon my return, I find the little Peanut dipping his hands in the toilet water all the while the entire roll of toilet paper lies unrolled beside him. He must know as soon as his mama is out of sight, it's his time to stir up some trouble! :) 

And finally, this is just one of those priceless moments that you just gotta love as a mom... and you love it enough to run and grab the camera just to snap a picture of the memory! Charlie's ball had rolled under the chair and this was his attempt to recover it. Oh, it's the simple things that put a smile on a mama's face!

It is here! And I love it.

October. 

Yesterday marked the first day of my favorite month. I absolutely love October because it is filled with so many things to enjoy in 31 days! Below is a list of why I love this month...

10 Reasons Why I Love October-

1. Fall. In my opinion, October has the best fall weather, smells and colors!
2. "Love"ly memories. I met Jimmy, started dating him and married him all in the month of October (of course, that all didn't happen in the same October).
3. Apple Orchards.  Who doesn't like picking fresh, delicious apples!?
4.  Lil' Charlie bear.  He was born the 28th and will be celebrating his 1st birthday at the end of this month! Ah, it's so amazing how much you can love a little human!
5. Football. Although I'm not a diehard fan, I do enjoy relaxing with my husband on Sunday afternoon's watching the game. Also- I do miss the days of cheering on my brothers at their high school football games! 
6. Birthdays.  My best friend, Kristina, is celebrating her 25th birthday today and my mom is celebrating her 50th birthday on Sunday. Two very dear women in my life!
7. Sweaters. Just nice to pull them out after a Minnesota summer.
8. Pumpkin Pickin'! This year we had our own "pumpkin patch" in our backyard that we got to pick over a dozen pumpkins from. My husband loved me by letting me plant a bunch despite him thinking they are a waste of space!
9.  Fall parties and gatherings with friends... which usually include the following: chili, fresh bread and apple crisp...
10. Harvest. I grew up on the farm so I gotta love harvest season! The combines in the fields mark another growing season coming to
an end! 

I'm sure as the month goes on I'll find additional things I love... but for now, I'm excited to have 29 more days to enjoy October!

Growth.

Three years ago, we decided to experiment by putting a few small plants into some tilled ground and to our surprise, we actually got a fruitful garden! Since then, it has become a loved hobby.  Not only do I love our garden because of the yummy veggies, but I also love how God uses it to teach me about life.

It is rewarding to watch tiny little seeds develop into mature plants that produce fruit! Yes, it does take time, but, growth happens before our eyes even if it's difficult for us to see.

This is how I often feel about the Christian life.  God is growing His children regardless of our acknowledgement of it. There are times we feel and see a lot of spiritual growth happening in our lives, and then at other moments, it appears as if we are at a stand still... or perhaps even "withering" away. In good seasons of life, it often comes more natural to praise God but in times of trial or "drought," it often is hard to acknowledge that He is good despite our circumstance. However, I believe those are the moments in which God really uses to grow both our character and our dependency on Him.

Just like little garden seedings, we Christians need to build strong roots.  And I believe one of the best ways for us to grow as Christians is to read, study and meditate on God's Truths found in the Bible. If we are deeply rooted the Word of God,  we will remain rooted in the knowledge of God Truths and grow in His grace regardless of what type of "weather" comes our way.

2 Peter 3:17... "take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. But GROW in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen." 

What Makes this Mama Smile: Bath Time

Charlie loves his bath time and I love watching him love his bath time. 

As soon as he hears the tub filling, he races over to meet the faucet knowing what's to come. 

 If we'd let him, I'm sure he would be in the tub for hours. 

Bath time gives me a chance to stop in the busyness of my day to just watch my son play and explore.  I love listening to his giggles when he splashes himself.  I love watching him discover how to spill water out of a cup.  I love laughing with him when he tries to drink the bath water.  

Bath time with Charlie just makes me smile!

                                                                               

Fresh Garden Creations

 With the abundance of garden produce we have harvested this summer, Jimmy and I have tried to be creative with how to put it all to use! Here's what we've come up with thus far!

Good Ole' Homemade Salsa

Garden Goods: tomatoes, green peppers, onions, corn, cilantro

Fresh Garden Frittata 

Garden Goods: tomatoes, onions and basil 

*all the credit goes to my husband on this dish!

Homemade Pizza

Garden Goods: tomatoes, onions, basil, oregano

 

Kale Chips

Garden Goods: kale

*we can't take credit for the kale-
it came from another gardener who had an abundance of it...
although we'll be giving it a try next planting season!

I'd love to hear how you put to good use your garden fresh veggies... Please feel free to share!  

Meet the Men of My Life.

Jesus Christ-  Jesus is my Lord and Savior of my life. I love Him only because He first loved me. My relationship with Christ has, by far, transformed my life the most. 

James Michael- My dear, loving husband. He is known to the majority of the world as Jimmy but to me, he is affectionately referred to as James Michael. I know, how odd?.. it's his real name! This man has shown me God's grace and love in immense ways.  I am a blessed woman. 

Charles Michael- My 10 month old son. He is fun, crazy and full of life. Despite the sleepless nights and countless blow-outs, I am beyond grateful for this little man. The Lord uses him to reveal my selfishness and to remind me how utterly dependent I need to be on the Lord. 

Welcome to my new endeavor of blogging!

Since entering into the absolutely wonderful yet challenging season of motherhood, I've been toiling with the idea of creating a blog.  My thought is for those who want to stay up-to-date with the happenings of our family, this would give you an opportunity to do just that! Also, I'm hoping it's a way to share how God has been at work growing me as a wife, a mom and a minister of the Gospel!  So here it goes! 

So if' you'd like, join me as God grows me through the avenues of marriage, motherhood, ministry and anything in between He sees fit!