Day 3 -- a photo of the cast from your favorite TV show...

Well, this is not the most "current" cast because it changes from season to season, but this is my guilty pleasure...

BIG BROTHER!! :)

30 Day Photo Challenge - Day 2

For day two, you are to put a picture of the person who you are closest to... and here he is! :)

My husband, Hans!!!

30 Day Photo Challenge - Day 1

Hello from my living room!!! I know, I know... I have been a terrible blogger. Really, I have, I know. My apologies. I have a tendency to read everyones blogs and comment on those then update my status 100x on Facebook and then before I know it... I forget to blog again! :(

I was reading my friend Jennifer's blog over at Family Musings and she is going a 30 Day Photo Challenge that looks really fun, so I thought I would step back into the "blogging" game and give it a try!

Day one you are supposed to post a picture of yourself and share 15 facts. So, here goes!

1. My favorite color is red
2. I have worked for The Walt Disney Company before. I was a reservation agent for a year. If they paid more, I would have stayed there forever! :)
3. When I was a teenager, my hair was jet black from the time I was 13 until I was 17. My mom actually let me dye it (I have no idea why...). I thought I was sooooo cool, LOL!
4. I have a sweet tooth that is insane. For the longest time, I had to have two Chips Ahoy or Oreo cookies w/ a glass of milk before bed. Seriously.
5. I am going back to the gym, and loving it. Even though deep down I am a total couch potato.
6. I have had the same Fossil watch for the past 6 years. I wear it everyday. When I do happen to forget it, I have a bright white tan line streak on my wrist from where my watch should be. It is quite hilarious, if I do say so myself. :oP
7. I'm eating a Little Debbie brownie right now. See #4.
8. For a while, when Lilo & Stitch came out, I collected Stitch stuffed animals. I had about 25 at one time.
9. I am right handed.
10. I cook and bake when I am stressed out. The more stressed I am, the more ornate/complex dish I cook.
11. My father died when I was 11. I still miss him tremendously.
12. I wish I could play an instrument. Mainly the piano like my oldest son does. :)
13. I love my house, even though it is not ginormous or perfect. It's "home".
14. My Samsung Captivate rocks and if I ever lost it, *I* would be lost! The best part is I got it for $0.97 on Black Friday.
15. If I was ever not terrified to get on a plane, I would love to see Italy or France one day.

And here is what you can expect from me over the next 30 days:
Day 2 - A picture of you and the person you are closest to
Day 3 - A picture of the cast from your favorite show.
Day 4 - A picture of something you wish you could forget.
Day 5 - A picture of your favorite memory.
Day 6 - A picture of a person you'd love to trade places with for a day.
Day 7 - A picture of your most treasured item.
Day 8 - A picture that makes you laugh.
Day 9 - A picture of the person who has gotten you through the most.
Day 10 - A picture of the person you do the silliest things with.
Day 11 - A picture of something you hate.
Day 12 - A picture of something you love.
Day 13 - A picture of your favorite band or artist.
Day 14 - A picture of someone you could never imagine your life without.
Day 15 - A picture of something you want to do before you die.
Day 16 - A picture of someone who inspires you.
Day 17 - A picture of something that has made a huge impact on your life recently.
Day 18 - A picture of your biggest insecurity.
Day 19 - A picture of you when you were little.
Day 20 - A picture of somewhere you'd love to travel.
Day 21 - A picture of your favorite night .
Day 22 - A picture of something you wish you were better at.
Day 23 - A picture of your favorite book.
Day 24 - A picture of something you wish you could change.
Day 25 - A picture of your favorite day.
Day 26 - A picture of something that means a lot to you.
Day 27 - A picture of yourself and a family member.
Day 28 - A picture of something you're afraid of.
Day 29 - A picture that can always make you smile.
Day 30 - A picture of someone you miss

Things I Am Thankful For (in no particular order...)

1. My family. Each and every one of them!
2. My children. Brad is my little scholar and Jake is my little tornado of toddler energy! :)
3. My Lord & Savior Jesus Christ. Without HIM, I would be lost in more ways than one.
4. My husband. He loves me even with all my flaws.
5. My house. We are blessed to have a beautiful home. It's not perfect, but we love it just the same.
6. My Pastor & his wife. What a blessing!!!
7. The Bible. "Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth". God's Word to Man.
8. Coffee (yes, I said "in no particular order"!).
9. The goats that ate the coffee "beans" that made them stay up that caused their owner to discover the coffee. Yes, I am thankful for goats. I love coffee that much. http://www.ncausa.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=68
10. Southern food. Being Southern. Deep fried yummy goodness. Especially tomorrow, deep fried turkey. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/deep-fried-turkey-recipe/index.html
11. The mall
12. Bare Escentuals. It makes me look human! Although I have not worn a single iota of make-up in 24 days, because I am taking part in "Natural Beauty November" with good friend Ida Mundell & about 50 other ladies on Facebook.
13. My car. I have a Suzuki XL7 & I really like it! Fits family of 4 plus luggage and two Golden Retrievers! :)
14. Speaking of Golden Retrievers... how could I forget?! My pets Max & Cody! (and newly acquired kitty Static).
15. Cookies. I love cookies... and with that...
16. ...milk
17. My cell phone. Or should I say the new cell phone I am getting on "Black Friday". LoL
18. My friends. I have the best friends in the whole wide world. You know who you are!
19. My church family. They are truly like FAMILY. They are absolutely there 110% when you need them, and even before you realize that you need them.
20. Digital cameras. I don't know how I survived with rolls of film before, and I love being able to capture all the great moments that are my life.
21. Bacon. That stuff is awesome!
22. My DVR. What did I do before it existed?
23. Bradley's piano talent that God blessed him with. He is magnificent!
24. Jacob's silliness. Boy keeps me on my toes!
25. Hans' kindness. My husband has such a heart for others.
26. MOPS. I love my Tuesday meetings with some of the most amazing ladies I have ever met. Each mother is different but we do share that common bond all the same - we are MOTHERS.
27. Florida "winters". No snow, but it gets cold enough to frost my windshield! :)
28. Wal-Mart. It's a love/hate relationship really.
29. Baby kisses.
30. The tears that come when you laugh for too long.
31. Children laughing.
32. Health.
33. Happiness.
34. Love.
35. Chocolate.
36. Calendars. Without one I would not know what to do from day-to-day!
37. Cruise ships. Ain't no other way to travel in my opinion. (If you don't like my grammar, see #10)
38. Down comforters
39. Coca Cola in a glass bottle
40. Christmas lights
41. My job. I work for the Gecko. :)
42. Iced tea.
43. God's grace.
44. Hair dye.
45. Tylenol. On days that are a little too much to handle!
46. Prayer. Also for days that are a little too much to handle.
47. Flowers.
48. Music.
49. Google.
50. Sleep.

Tuesdays at the Table

Welcome to Tuesdays at the Table!

Today's host is Andrea at All the Small Stuff!

The rules are simple: If you would like to post a recipe and participate, do so on your own blog, and then mention hers in your post. Then go to her blog and sign the post with the link to your recipe. That way, there is a collection going... make sense?

Here is my recipe for today. ENJOY!!

CHICKEN PICCATA

Ingredients

1. 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
2. 1 egg
3. 3 tablespoons lemon juice
4. 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
5. 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
6. 1/8 teaspoon paprika
7. 1/4 cup butter
8. 2 teaspoons chicken bouillon powder
9. 1/2 cup boiling water

Directions

1. In a small bowl, beat the egg together with 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice. Set aside.
2. In a shallow bowl or dish mix together the flour, garlic powder and paprika. Dip the chicken in the egg/lemon mixture, then in the seasoned flour.
3. In a large skillet, melt butter/margarine and brown the coated chicken pieces.
4. Dissolve the bouillon in the boiling water, then add the remaining 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. Pour liquid into skillet. Cover and let simmer for 20 minutes, turning chicken pieces after 10 minutes, until chicken is tender. Garnish as desired and serve.

"On Fire" for the Lord

I don't wanna be, I don't wanna be a casual Christian

I don't wanna live, I don't wanna live a lukewarm life

I wanna light up the night

With an everlasting light

I don't wanna live the casual Christian life

The lyrics above are to a song that we sing at church on occasion, but lately they have been hitting really close to home. I would say since about the beginning of August, both my husband and I have been just ignited to learn more and more about God's Word. I guess you could say we are "on fire". Hans has been working with our church, Highlands Baptist Church, and during our Wednesday night prayer service has been attending a class lead by our associate pastor called "Operation GO", which primarily focuses on winning lost souls to Christ. Then, on Thursday evenings, he goes on visitation and soul winning with our good friend Brian, then meets with him afterward to further study the Bible.

Bradley is also just beaming with God's light. Several weeks ago, he started begging me to be able to join the church choir. Now I know that they have a few teenage kids in there, but I did not know what the "minimum age" was, so to speak, so I just told him to wait a couple more years.

Apparently, that was not the answer he was looking for. He continued to pry and ask, until finally I said, "Alright Brad, let's go ask Miss Sharon and see what the age is". (Sharon is our Pastor's wife, the leader of the choir and also Brad's piano teacher. She wear's many hats, and is such a lovely woman of God). We went up just before the Sunday evening service started two weeks ago and Bradley asked her how old he had to be to join. Since she knows Bradley and knows that he is mature for his age and very disciplined in his studies and his music, she said he can join now. Bradley was SO EXCITED that he was just smiling from ear to ear for the rest of the service. He had his first practice and "performance" last week and he already loves it.

After the morning service on the way home from church, Bradley told me that he wants to do as much as he can for the Lord, "even if that means going to another country to be a missionary". I told him to just wait and listen for God's direction if that is where the Lord is leading him, and whatever the cost his daddy & I will pay for every penny of college that it takes to prepare him for the Lord's work. I am so proud.

What am I doing for the Lord, you ask? Well, right now I have further deepened my Bible study time and have been working on reading more Christian books and my devotionals...

...and thanks to Brad's example, I have also decided to join the choir - though I have a enormous fear of not only speaking, but singing in public. Lord willing, I will be just fine during my first "performance". I am trusting HIM!

Til Next Time,

Kim

PS: Here is a video clip of the children/adults from church singing the previously mentioned song on the way back from camp this summer... http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=423863597991

It's That Time of Year Again...

...are you ready? It's back to school time!

Wow - the Summer has come and gone. It feels like just yesterday Bradley just got out of school and finished fourth grade. But lo and behold, Bradley starts school *gulp* tomorrow! He was supposed to start on Monday - but an amazingly wonderful thing occurred. Let me explain...

In second grade, Bradley began school at Sikes Elementary - which is a wonderful school and I have no issues with. I found out soon after he started there that our area also has a charter school, South McKeel Elementary Academy. You have to apply and the wait list is extensive. So extensive that in fact when I applied for him to go, they let me know not to count on him getting picked until middle school. Wow!

Fast forward to 2 1/2 weeks ago. All Sikes school supplies and uniforms have been purchased, just waiting for school to start. I am sitting at home about to make dinner, and my phone rings. The Caller ID says "South McKeel". Never in my mind did I think it was about the wait-list. Well, it was - they said they had an opening come available in fifth grade, and did I want him to go to the school. this. year. I hesitated for a moment just because it was such a huge decision and not a lot of time to make it. I put the secretary on hold, talked to Hans for all of 30 seconds, and accepted.

Now, after donating the school supplies we purchased for Sikes and buying all new supplies and uniforms (that were only available at a uniform distributor in Clearwater) - Bradley is now a South McKeel Wildcat!

He is so excited, and I am for him as well. We went to orientation yesterday and his teacher seems like a great lady. The school facilities are immaculate, and the orientation was very organized and not at all chaotic. When we arrived we picked up a manila folder by the office that had his name & teacher on it. From there we went to the cafeteria as instructed, and then purchased him an agenda, deposited some $ into his lunch account, bought him a "spirit" shirt that he can wear on Fridays...  Oh, and I joined the PTA. :)

We also found which bus he is going to be riding. Ah yes, my little boy is going to be taking a bus to school for the first time ever! 

The school runs from K-12, meaning he will graduate from here. Also, since he got in, Jake automatically gets in when he starts Kindergarten. No wait!

Well, that's my little blurb about the craziness that has been occurring in the Reller household lately. Get ready for a good year!