Peach Cobbler

Tonight we had peach cobbler for dessert.  Why you might ask am I posting such trivial information?  Well, peach cobbler was Tonya's favorite Sunday lunch dessert and today marked the one year anniversary of her death.  So, tonight we had peach cobbler for dessert.

For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face.   Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.  So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. 

                    1 Corinthians 13:12-13

Introducing...Mabel Anne Sessoms

Well...she is here! Mabel Anne Sessoms

Born: February 10th at 7:58 pm

Weight: 6.9 lbs of pure cuteness

Adele and Mabel

The Sessoms

Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.

Isaiah 30:18

What is Adele sewing?

A pillow for her new baby brother or sister, of course. He or she should be here in February!

*This is not a test.

The End/Once Upon a Time

I am borrowing this title from something that my sister wrote several months ago. She was at a place in her life where something was ending, but she was hopeful about the future...hence the Once Upon a Time phrase.

Today my nephew, Dylan left to start his new life in California with his dad.

*deep breath*

So, we are saying good-bye and "The End" to life as we once knew it. We have never known anything except Christmas, birthdays, Easter, Thanksgiving, Black Friday sales, and much more with Tonya and Dylan by our sides. I have said many times that Tonya was my partner and Dylan was Adele's. We have so many memories with them that I just can't imagine life moving forward without them, but it will. Really, there is no choice in that.

However, as I begin to sink deep into the pool of good-byes I am reminded that there is also a "Once Upon a Time" to all our stories. Dylan is starting a new life with his dad. A life that I hope and pray brings him joy, fulfillment, and peace. Oh, how I hope that for him. And we are starting our Once Upon a Time too. Even today the Lord is blessing us and showing us his enormous grace. We will be making new traditions, not because we want to mind you, but because we have to.

My sister has also started her "Once Upon a Time"... she is now in eternity and this time her story will have no end. So, thank you Tonya for reminding me that seasons and circumstances sometimes produce "ends" but that in all endings there are also beginnings.

So, today we really begin our, "Once Upon a Time....."

Chicken Lo Mein

Ingredients

3 tablespoons cornstarch

3/4 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup teriyaki sauce

2 teaspoons sesame oil (you can leave this out if you don't have it on hand)

2 teaspoons freshly grated garlic

2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger

1 package linguine

2 chicken breasts

2 tablespoons oil

3 cups broccoli florets

4 oz. sugar snap peas

1 red bell pepper, cut into strips

Sauce: Whisk together the cornstarch, chicken broth, teriyaki, sesame oil, garlic, and ginger. Set aside.

Cook noodles as directed on the package. Cut the chicken into bite sized pieces. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil and chicken saute until lightly browned. Remove chicken from pan. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil and saute broccoli, sugar snap peas, and red pepper. Add chicken back to pan with vegetables. Pour sauce over and cook for about 30 seconds or until sauce has thickened. Add to noodles.

This really is a delicious and easy meal. We all love it!

Rain, Rain, Go Away...

Our dog, Sandy, really dislikes rainy days... not sure why?

Mother's Day

Today was a different sort of Mother's Day for my family. Every other Mother's Day in my life has been completely full of joy. Not that today wasn't full of joy. It was, but it had some other emotions mixed in that I haven't associated with Mother's Day before. It has been two weeks and one day since Tonya died. Wow... even to type that seems so wrong, unreal, unbelievable, and the list could go on describing how my mind just can't seem to wrap around this tragedy. Yet, no matter how unreal it seems to me, it is indeed real. And still Mother's Day happened...

My Mother's Day started out with a very excited Adele presenting my gifts to me. She gave me the wii game Just Dance. Sorry, no pictures of that... to protect the innocent.

I must admit that Jason beat us all with his dancing... I am not sure whether to be proud or worried? I also received a roll of paper towels (no laughing), a Sham Wow, and one of those wash clothes that is in a heart shape and when you add water it expands. Explanation - Adele has this tradition of going to the Dollar Tree and picking out gifts for us. It is quite interesting. Oh, I also got 24 cans of diet mountain dew...

This Mother's Day my mom went to church with us. Dan, my pastor included Tonya in his sermon today. His topic was Biblical Womanhood and what the Bible has to say about that. The Bible teaches us in 1 Timothy that women should be modestly dressed, pursue godliness, and do good works. Dan taught us about these qualities and then shared with our congregation the way that Tonya possessed them. Was Tonya a saint... well technically yes but, not in the slang sense that she was "perfect". Believe me I grew up with her, she wasn't perfect:) Tonya was a godly woman that pursued holiness, did good works and is now receiving her reward. Praise the Lord! It was truly a blessing to hear how her life reflected our creator today on Mother's Day.

Then Jason, Adele, my mom, and I all came to our house to eat lunch, cooked by none other than yours truly. Normally we eat at my mom's house for EVERY occasion but, we felt that this year we might need to do something a little different. I also made a carrot cake as one of her gifts, with extra icing. Then she opened her presents, which all centered around a garden area that she is creating to remember Tonya. They both shared a love for flowers and butterflies.

Our day ended with a trip to my sister's grave. I know that sounds sad and it was but, there were happy moments too. We released balloons and watched them float to heaven. We brought her flowers. Dylan and Adele took such care that the flowers were arranged just perfectly on her grave. The kids ran around, raced each other (and Jason), and played. Just what a 9 year old and 8 year old should do. I am thankful for God's grace and mercy on them.

That about sums it up. Honestly, I am not sure how to end this post... I have thought and thought but nothing seems quite right. So I'm ending with this.

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11

Remembering Tonya

My sister's church has created a blog called Remembering Tonya. It is a place to leave stories, memories, photos, and positive comments to Dylan about his mother. Their hope is one day to create from this blog a book for Dylan so that he can see his mother through the eyes of others.

If you have a story, memory, or encouraging words would you please consider sharing them with Dylan?

conversation in my car today...

Here is a conversation I overheard in my car today on the way home from dance between Adele and Carly.

Me: Look guys (Adele and Carly) at that man digging a huge hole on the side of the street.

Carly: What are they doing?

Adele: They must be digging to find the well. It must be broken.

Carly: How do you know Adele?

Adele: Because I watch Curious George...Oh, and my dad is a plumber.

Saturday... April 23, 2011

Well.. it has been a while hasn't it. I have been wanting to post again for a while but just never seem to get around to it or seemed to have anything that really inspired me enough to share. However, recently we have had a tragedy in our family. Over Easter Weekend my beautiful and dear sister went to her eternal home.

I am not posting so that you can say, "Oh dear, poor Beth and her family." I am posting to encourage you. You see, I have always known how special my sister was. I would often say of her that she was the best mother I knew. I would often comment that she was one of the sweetest people I knew. And it was all true... you know it must be if a sister says it... for we know the deepest and darkest parts of our sibling! But over the course of the last few days I have heard countless stories of how my sister touched peoples lives. I would like to say that she was just naturally that way but I can't. She was changed.... given a new heart. A heart that loved the Lord more than anything therefore causing that love to spill out to all those around her.

I have heard stories of her giving people a home for a few nights, buying a college student clothes, giving her personal journal to a wife that was going through a struggle that Tonya knew much about, taking meals to a family, cleaning the house of a woman who wasn't able to at the time, taking food to the homeless shelter, letting someone borrow her car, and the list goes on and on. I have been in awe over the last few days of all the lives that my sister has touched. One might say... well Beth if you really knew your sister wouldn't you already know these things about her? I think it is because Tonya truly knew our Lord and Savior that I didn't.

So today I just want to encourage you to live your life for the Lord each day. I have been reminded over the last week that our lives are so fleeting. My sister has inspired me to really live my life for Christ each day, loving and serving others and boasting only of Christ.

Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Matthew 6:2-4

Can I get a witness...

For those of you savvy shoppers out there you probably already know about the great deals at Harris Teeter using coupons but I am just finding out the benefits. My mom has been using coupons for about 3 months now and is always telling me about her savings. And so I decided to give it a try... I mean free food, what could it hurt. (And those of you who know me well know that I love, I mean LOVE, a good deal).

So this endeavor started off with buying a Sunday paper, printing off some coupons from the internet and "borrowing" a few coupons from my mom. Then I visited a site online called Southern Savers and the Harris Teeter site. This lady at Southern Savers will tell you what coupons to use with specific deals at Harris Teeter to get items free (that's right I said "F-R-E-E) or extremely cheap... I am talking cents. However, I did find that the prices at her store (wherever she may be) didn't always match our prices here. So what might have been a good deal for her wasn't a great deal for me. I did find though that there were deals at our store that she didn't mention on her site. So, I organized my coupons in my little 3 ring binder (don't laugh) and went into the store and walked the isles looking for deals. This week happened to be triple coupon week. Harris Teeter will triple any coupon up to 99 cents. That means if you have a 75 cent coupon then you can get $2.25 off of that item! I did find that because the prices at Harris Teeter are usually more than say Walmart that most of the items needed to be on sale already at Harris Teeter plus my coupons.

Example: I bought an item that is usually $4.68 but this week was on sale 4 for $10. So, individually each one cost $2.50 (you don't have to get 4 to get the sale price). With my 75 cent coupon (tripled to $2.25) I paid 25 cents! I mean really, WOW!!!

Another great thing about getting these savings is that my family has decided to start a "food box" where we will put some of our free or low cost deals to use for ministry opportunities. I am super excited about being able to do that! Adele and I have already set aside a few of our items for this purpose.

Here is the breakdown of my 2 visits to Harris Teeter:

FREE ITEMS

2 bags of mahatma rice - 10 oz. each

3 bags of Wacky Mac pasta (the tri colored spiral pasta) 10 oz. each

Starkist Tuna pouch

Example:

Starkist Tuna reg. $1.99

coupon for .75 cents off (tripled) - $2.25

FREE

Great Deal Items:

Ortega Taco Season Pack - 2 for .13 cents

French's Mustard - .05 cent

Franks Hot sauce - .09 cents

3 Betty Crocker Warm delights -2 pack (mini cakes you cook in the microwave) - .16 cents each

Zatarain's long grain and wild rice - 2 boxes for .75 cents

Breyer's yo-crunch - 4 pack for .75 cents

Marie Callender's Fettuccini Chicken Balsamico (reg. $4.39) - .25 cents

Here is a picture for those of you who are visual learners!

So overall my bill would have been $34.68 and I paid $2.76. (So even though the prices at Harris Teeter are higher than other places it can still be a HUGE benefit to shop there for deals)

I was and still am really excited about the deals I got. I am just getting started and I know that there are people out there whose grocery bill is cut by 80% just from using coupons. I hope to get there.... but until then I will just go into the kitchen and fix myself an .08 cent snack!

10 year anniversary

August 14th was mine and Jason's 10 year anniversary. We took a weekend trip to Charleston, SC (post about that soon to follow... or if you have been to my blog lately you know it may not be soon to follow). We left around lunch time on Friday and around 2:35 pm Jason quickly pulled into a rest area (if you have ever been to South Carolina you know that there is a rest area about every 15 minutes!). Once we stopped he turned to me and said, "Ten years ago today about this time we were married." So, we walk over to a shady spot under some large trees and sat down at a picnic table and at 2:41 pm (the exact moment Mr. Porter pronounced us husband and wife) we kissed. Isn't that romantic! Also we exchanged rings that Jason had purchased and had engraved on the inside. He had written me a poem as well and he read that to me. That evening we went on a dinner cruise in Charleston which was so much fun and then later in the hotel we looked through a box of wedding memorabilia that I had brought from home. It contained items like our wedding planner, napkins, wedding invitation, pictures and etc. It was sweet to look through it all and remember our wedding day.

The inscription on the inside of the rings is:

Sg. 8:6-7. That verse reads... "Set as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm, for love is strong as death, jealousy is fierce as the grave. Its flashes are flashes of fire, the very flame of the Lord. Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it."

This is the poem:

Flashes of Fire

The lines on these rings are jagged and strong

much like the lines of a fire.

We made our vows and sang our song

once awakened, our love so desired.

Taken us through seasons where easy to stand

other times so out of breath.

Now setting this seal on our hearts and hands

for love is strong as death.

Its flashes of fire, the very flame of the Lord

jealousy fierce as the grave.

I've been given this flower to protect with the sword

and that I will all my days.

Many waters cannot quench love

though at times I've made it easy to doubt.

No amount of rain, no amount of floods

will overcome or drown it out.

I am thankful for my marriage and my husband. I am glad love so desires...

Plug for a friend...

My friend Kay is embarking on 2 new adventures...getting ready for a new addition to her family (baby boy #2 on the way) and starting up a new online business called Sew So Sweet (click the link to see her cool creations for kids). I have seen first hand the so cute baby gifts she has made for her many nieces and nephews over the last few years so I can give her creations a FULL endorsement! Also if you would like to visit her personal blog you can find that here! If you know Kay and have seen or received any of her great homemade baby gifts then leave a comment as to how great they are! I hope that you will visit her store (you will not be sorry) and Kay... I wish you all the best!

Garden

Well... it has been awhile since I posted last and boy has our garden been growing. I am sure for all of you out there who are garden savvy that you aren't surprised or even really impressed by this news. However for those of us garden newbies this is sheer excitement!

We have watched the sunflowers grow larger and larger almost everyday. It seems like each time we look out the kitchen window they have grown even taller. All the other veggies have grown quite nicely as well. We have had a few casualties (it took Jason a few days to learn to use the hoe) but for the most part our garden has been a great success.

For mother's day I received a potted herb garden and it has been fabulous. The herbs included basil, thyme, oregano, chives, cilantro, parsley and sage. Since mother's day we have added rosemary and a citronella plant (it really is suppose to rid off mosquitos). I have already used several of the herbs for cooking (recipe to follow shortly... OK well maybe not shortly).

Jason also started a compost pile. I don't really have a lot to say about that except... I save all the leftover scraps for it. I know you might be thinking WOW those Sessoms sure have gone green or healthy or something. Let me be the first to inform you that ALL of this growing and decomposing is because we are cheap not because we are trying to save the planet (although that is a nice plus).

It has been really interesting and quite honestly fascinating to watch our garden grow. It is not a lie when I tell you that we go outside every day to look and see what is new in the garden and it is also not a lie when I tell you that certain grown people in this house (who shall remain unnamed) have actually jumped up and down in excitement when the "veggies" started appearing.

So, it goes without saying that I think if you don't have a garden you should start one. It has honestly been a learning and bonding experience for our family. Isn't that precious...

Enjoy the pics!

And God said, "Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth."

And it was so. Genesis 1:11

#2

For those of you who read my "25 random things about me" post, this was #2 (you thought this post was going to be about poop didn't you?).  Anyway, yes we finally got our garden started and it has been so much fun. We started this winter talking about and planning our garden and then as spring was approaching I honestly was having second thoughts.  I wasn't sure we could pull it all off... the tilling, planting, weeding, watering and so forth.  But we decided to give it a go. Along the way we have gotten some very helpful advice from many people and a really great book my g-ma let us borrow (although we have had it so long she probably thinks she is never getting it back... sorry g-ma).  

We planted corn, squash, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers (several kinds), watermelon, sunflowers, zucchini and carrots (Jason did I leave anything out?).  And speaking of Jason, during this planting adventure I have seen a side of my husband that I didn't even know existed. I wasn't really planning on him helping me with the garden, I just didn't think it would be something he would be interested in.  BUT... it all started with him printing some graph-paper off of the computer (you read right) and making a map of the garden... to scale!  In the process we had to change some of the locations of the plants and silly me I said, "Lets just plant them wherever."  Apparently that phrase is some sort of garden blasphemy.  No he said, we have to redo the "map".  Did we switch places or what? (usually I am the one who is so anal)  Any who... 

Adele has really enjoyed the garden too and I hope that she learns a lot about life and the meaning of life and.... just kidding, I just hope that we get some good free veggies!  Seriously I would recommend starting a garden, it really has been a fun family project (check back with me after about a month of pulling weeds in the 90+ weather and then see if I still recommend it). 

Here are a few pics. 

"And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up." Galatians 6:9

Rain, rain don't go away, Adele and her friends want to play...

Today ended very rainy.... but not dreary for us. We met our neighbors outside for some guitar playing (the boys), chatting (the ladies) and playing in the rain (the girls of course). Us adults sat under Jason's shop out of the rain while Adele, Molly and Rachel ran around in the rain and played. They had such a good time playing in the mud puddles, jumping on a very slick trampoline (I know, not really that safe), running from tornadoes (even less safe) and spraying each other with the water hose (why I am not sure considering it was raining). Needless to say they had a great time! I have very fond memories of my sister and I playing in the mud puddles in our driveway after a big rain... I hope that the girls will remember this day too.

What do you and your family like to do when it rains? Crafts, games, movies or etc. We have had a lot of rain lately so we might all need some rainy day ideas... after all you can't play outside in the rain every time.

At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, "Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven."

Matthew 18:1-4

In the kitchen...

Today at Servant's Heart Fellowship  we had a fellowship meal after church.  I made a recipe that I got from my friend Tara called Broccoli Salad Supreme.  Well.... it got so many compliments that I decided to share it with you all.  It really is delicious!  

Ingredients

10 cups broccoli florets (about 3 1/2 heads)

6 cups seedless red grapes (cut in half)

2 cups miracle whip

2/3 cups sugar

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

1 cup crumbled bacon

1 cup sliced almonds (toasted)

Combine broccoli and grapes in a large bowl.  In a small bowl combine miracle whip, sugar and vinegar and pour over the broccoli mixture.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.  Add bacon and almonds just before serving.  

Serves 20

The Whole Armor of God

We started this week teaching Adele about the armor of God.  I have been trying to decide how to go about this for a couple of weeks now.  So, Jason printed off some clip art and I taped it to a piece of poster paper, taped on the labels and voila... the armor of God man was born!  We are very excited about teaching this to her and to our family as well (I feel certain we will ALL benefit). 

My plan is to go over each piece of armor week by week.  My mom  helped too by purchasing the Armor of God outfit from Lifeway.  I am sure Adele is going to love putting all that on as we talk about each piece (she already has great plans to fight the dog!).  Another cool thing is that I was looking online at different ways to go about this and I saw a "Armor of God" board game for kids.  I thought, "how cute is that"!  Then I thought, "Oh, I have that game"!  DUH!!!  

Please pray for us as we learn and teach this to Adele.  Pray that God will use this time to grow our family spiritually, prepare us for His plans for our lives and honor Him.  I hope that during these weeks God will help me to see opportunities and/or situations in our everyday lives that can be used to explain the purposes of the armor of God to her and why it is so important.  

I am including some pics of the armor of God man and our "armor of God girl" too!

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.  Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.  For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.  Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.  Stand therefore, having fastened the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.  In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one, and take up the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.  To that end keep alert with all perseverance making supplication for all the saints.     

Ephesians 6:10-18

25 Random things...

I have read lots of other people's blogs lately where they have listed 25 random things about themselves and so I decided to try to think of 25 random things about myself that most people wouldn't know...

1.  Daisies are my favorite flower.

2.  I plan to start a garden this spring.

3.  My dad's middle name is Earl and my mom's middle name is Lula (boy did I luck out not to get a family name).

4.  Jason and I were pronounced husband and wife at exactly 2:41 pm.

5.  My daughter was born at exactly 2:41 pm (not on the same day!).

6.  When I find a movie I really like I will watch it over and over and over and over and... well you get the picture.

7.  I love photography and some day I hope to take a class on how to actually do it the right way!

8.  My parents have been divorced since I was 3 years old.

9.  Jason and I were high school sweethearts.

10. I worry a lot.  Don't worry (haha) my husband has informed me that this is a form of sin in my life (not totally trusting God's sovereignty) and I am praying about that.

11.  I have a step sister that is 4 months older than me and a half brother that is 10 years older than me.

12.  I love to play board games!

13.  At one of my birthday sleepovers my granddad made all my friends smell his pot of chitlins cooking on the stove.  Yeah... they still came back next year.

14.  Jason wrote a song for me and sang it at our wedding... mushy, I know.

15.  My favorite book of the Bible is James.

16.  I am scared of the dark... really.

17.  I LOVE to read the Farmer's Almanac... it has a lot of great information in there... really!

18.  In college I took a class on Evolution and even though I didn't believe a word the teacher said it was one of my favorite classes.  

19.  I really like to watch reality shows and my favorite right now is the "Biggest Loser".  

20.  I am totally scared of sharks but very much fascinated by them at the same time.  

21.  It makes me very nervous to be on a boat of any size... probably related to the shark fear.

22.  My granddad taught me how to swim at our hotel while we were on vacation in the Smokey Mountains.

23.  I drink a diet mountain dew every morning to start my day.

24.  I can't stand the way a newspaper feels in my hands... it makes me cringe.

25.  One of my favorite snacks to eat while watching TV is potato chips dipped in ketchup.

So, many of these things aren't very fascinating but I hadn't posted in a while and nothing super interesting has happened at my house lately... so there you go.  

Super Bowl?

This afternoon Adele was questioning Jason and I about our weekend plans.  "What are we going to do this weekend, where can we go?", she wanted to know.  She started naming people we could visit and places we could go... "Well" she said, "We can't go to grandma's because they are having a salad bowl party this weekend."   Kids, you gotta love them.