~*~Surprise Papa!~*~

"...The Lord is our God, the Lord is one!  You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart & with all your soul & with all your might.  These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart.  You shall teach them diligently to your sons & talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way & when you lie down & when you rise up.  You shall bind them as a sign on your hand & they shall be as frontals on your forehead.  You shall write them on the doorposts of your house & on your gates." ~ Deuteronomy 6: 4-9

I adore my Dad!  He is truly the most influential man in my life.  His love for his Lord is evident in everything he does & his love for his family is just as strong.  My Dad is a quiet, reserved man who doesn't always have a lot to say but when he speaks his advice & counsel is heard & most always taken.  He has a true servant's heart.  He will always place others before himself, help to his maximum capacity & always do it with a smile on his face!  
This past weekend we were able to surprise my Dad for his 60th Birthday! (Which is today.)  We drove the five hours after Bferg got off work & pulled into my parent's driveway just 10 minutes before he got home from work.  Both girls yelled, "Surprise" and you should have seen him melt!  We spent Saturday morning at the pumpkin patch & then gathered the whole family for a surprise Race Car themed party.  He loved every minute of it even though the spotlight was on him all night long!

Papa & his girls headed to the Pumpkin Patch.

"Surprise!"

Lily & the party favor!

Papa, Aubrielle & Luke trying to get the pinata to spill the candy.

Papa & all the girls.  (Aubrielle, 3  Taylor, 17mos   Lily 19mos.)

Blowing out the candles.  (Check out Aubrie's face! :)

Opening gifts.

Happy 60th Birthday Dad!  We all love you so much & are so thankful for your influence in all of our lives.  You have blessed so many.

Rachel

~Tasty Tuesday~

This recipe is compliments from a dear friend who is an amazing cook!  I tried it last night and not only is it super easy but it tastes divine and it is relatively healthy!  


Harvest Butternut Squash Soup
1 Lg Butternut Squash, peeled, seeded & cubed (2 inch cubes)
2 Lg Potatoes, peeled & cubed (2 inch cubes)
2 tsp Salt
1 Red Onion, coarsely chopped
1-2 tsp Cayenne Pepper
4 Tbs Butter
Sour Cream (to garnish) 

Place the squash, potatoes & salt in a large stockpot & cover with water.  Bring to a boil over high heat.  Cook until both the squash & potatoes are soft when pierced with a fork, about 20-25 minutes.  While the squash is cooking, saute the onion in butter.  Add cayenne pepper to onion.  
Place squash, potatoes & onion in your blender with enough of the squash cooking liquid (from stockpot) to liquify.  Soup will be thick but pourable.  Serve in bowls with a dollop of sour cream.
The cayenne pepper adds an unusual but very delicious twist to the squash.  Perfect for a fall night.  I served mine with a hearty wheat french bread warmed in the oven.  It was fall in a bowl!  Hope you enjoy!

Rachel 

{Sisters}

~Tasty Tuesday~

I'm following with my Fall Theme for the week and sharing my favorite fall dessert recipe.  I have had this recipe in my collection for years now. I decided to make it for the first time last fall and it quickly became one of my favorites!  Its official title is Pumpkin Pie Dessert Squares but it tastes more like a Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake.  So, if you like Gooey Butter Cakes & you like Pumpkin...this one is a WINNER! 

Pumpkin Pie Dessert Squares
Crust: 1 Box Yellow Cake Mix
           1/2 Cup Melted Butter
           1 Egg
Filling: 2 Eggs
           2/3 Cup Evaporated Milk (5oz can)
           1 (15oz) Can of Pumpkin
           3/4 Cup Sugar
           1/2 tsp Vanilla
           1/2 tsp Salt
           1/2 tsp Ginger
           1/8 tsp Ground Cloves
           1 tsp Cinnamon
           1/4 tsp Nutmeg
Topping: 1 Cup Reserved Cake Mix
               1/4 Cup Sugar
               1 tsp Cinnamon
               1/4 Cup Butter (Cold)
Grease bottom of 9x13" pan.  Empty Cake Mix into bowl & reserve 1 cup for topping.  Add melted butter & beaten egg to remaining cake mix.  When mixed, press firmly into pan.
Filling: Beat eggs slightly, add evap milk & remaining ingredients.  Beat until smooth. Pour over crust.
Prepare the topping by cutting the butter into the cake mix, cinnamon & sugar.  Sprinkle over the filling.  
Bake for 40-45 min or until knife inserted comes out clean.  325 for Glass pans & 350 for all others.  Cut into squares & served with whipped cream or dust with powdered sugar.

Enjoy!
Rachel 

Happy Fall!

Fall has arrived in Northwest Arkansas!  I simply adore fall...I long to layer clothing, love crisp mornings & evenings, and the colors that come with fall are spectacular!  (Especially in the Ozarks!)  We decided to do our annual trip to the Pumpkin Patch this weekend & we had the most perfect fall day for it!

Heading out to the field!

Aubrielle finds the "most perfect" pumpkin.

Lily helping Daddy cut her choice from the vine.

She was very proud of her "ball" and wanted to carry it all be herself!

Both girls SO proud of their selections!  Helping Daddy pull the wagon.

 Happy Fall Y'all!

Rachel

Woo Pig Sooie {A little late!}

I wish you could all understand the LOVE for the Razorbacks around NWA.  And I mean LOVE!  Everything literally stops on game days (it is by far the best time to grocery shop). Everywhere you look you see cars with decals, multiple flags and old ladies wearing hogs from their ears.  As you walk around town it is not abnormal to hear people shouting "Woo Pig" and if you don't have on red well then you have on something sporting the HOG!  NWA is devoted and loyal to the HOGS and well, we as a family are too!

 We were able to get tickets and decided to take Aubrielle to her very first Arkansas Razorback Football game.  She was SO excited and couldn't wait for Saturday to come.  There is probably nothing more heart warming for a parent than to see pure awe in your child's face & for the first 15 minutes of being in the stadium that is what she was radiating.  Pure awe.  

Aubrie getting ready to call the HOGS!

It was a perfect day for a game & although the HOGS didn't pull out the win in the end we made such great memories!

Woo Pig Soo-zzzzzzzzz.

Just Breathe & Stack Stones

Whew...the days since Friday night have been a whirlwind!  They have been filled with Motrin, Tylenol, slings and sponge baths.  Aubrielle got her hard cast on yesterday and I was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief.  She really has been SO brave through this whole ordeal.  She rarely complained of pain only asked for medicine once and would only gripe when we bent her arm.   Which makes sense now because we found out yesterday after new x-rays that her elbow was involved in the break and her temporary splint didn't quite go high enough to keep that stabilized.  She is back to her old self~running, jumping, swinging and begging to go to the park!  (I just cannot do that just yet...need a mental break from parks for awhile!:)

I have been so thankful for God's hand on our family during this time.  There were so many little things that Bferg and I kept recalling over the weekend that showed us God was in control and among us.  In the Old Testament God commanded the Israelites to stack stones so that they would remember the works of the Lord...we have done that so many times in the past 5 days.  So thankful to our God, so thankful for His provisions on our lives and so thankful that He heals our bodies!


Well, my girly girl picked ~PINK~ for her cast color...she didn't even have to look at the color wheel.  She had her mind made up.  "Pink is my favorite!  Everyone will love my pink cast!"  You are right Aub...we all LOVE the pink and we love you!  Thank you all for your prayers and well wishes!  She is doing great and will be getting her cast off in 4 weeks...just in time for Halloween!

Enjoy your Wednesday and remember to look for the "stones" when God sends you an unexpected something into your life.

Rachel