See that logo above? TOTALLY NOT ME. Yes, I can multi-task, but I find shortcuts here and there that help me through a busy day with 10-year-old and a 2-year-old. Today, I am going to share one of them in the hopes that it will help with your munchkins as well!

Today's tip:Quick lunches for growing boys (or girls, whateverrr! I have two boys so that's what I'm going with.)

Bradley has recently been going through yet another growth spurt. Which means that he can have two helpings of dinner and still manage to whine "Mommmmm, I'm still hungry!". After a long day, that is the last thing that I want to hear, especially after feeding him, Daddy, Mommy, and Jakey - we're all out of whatever "dinner" I prepared that night.

I was beginning to find that lunch was the same way. He could easily eat through an entire box of Kraft Mac & Cheese or a can of Chef Boyardee and still look at me and tell me he needed more to eat. Not his fault, he is a growing boy! (Now, to take out that second mortgage to FEED this growing boy eating me out of house & home...)

One thing that I have found that he likes, it is CHEAP, and fills him up and still has leftovers :::drum roll please:::

Regular ol' pasta & sauce. 

Pick a shape. Penne, spaghetti, rotini, whatever floats your boat. Cook according to instructions. Costs about $0.79 - $1.29 a box, and when you get them on BOGO at Publix, cut that in half.

Pick a sauce. We tend to stick to red sauces in different variations. Some with cheese, some with veggies added, he likes them all (a plus!). After pasta is drained, put in a big container and put toss with sauce. Sauce costs about $1.79-$3.50 per jar, depending on what brand you prefer. Again, get it on BOGO and stock up and you cut this in half.

Feed the boys, then store remainder in fridge. Lasts very well, in my opinion is better than the canned preserved stuff, and it makes a ton of leftovers!

Hope this helps! Now, back to the 100 other things I have to do today ... ;)

Toy Story 3!

Yesterday, I took both of the boys out to see Toy Story 3 while Hans went and volunteered at the Fire Department. It was a yucky, rainy day, so going to the park or any place outdoors was not an option. This was Jacob's first movie in an actual theater. We have been to the drive-in a few times and he loves that because well, he can run around while the movie plays!

As we were in line buying tickets for the 2:40pm showing (it was about 2:20pm at this time), the time that was available changed to "SOLD OUT". The next showing wasn't until 3:45pm, so we had some time to kill. Brad was hungry, so we walked across the way and went to Crispers for a late lunch. As you can see, the boys were rather happy with that decision. :)

Then after Crispers, it was movie time! Jake behaved rather well. We were seated right on the aisle, so like any normal toddler he did decide to climb over me and play on the stairs, but I just picked him up and brought him back to the seat. When he realized he was watching a ginormous movie again, he settled down. :)

Here are some photos I snapped right before the movie got going...

FYI - Toy Story 3 was great! I totally cried. Seriously. Yes, I know it is an animated movie... but yep, I teared up at the end. :oP

The cakes I made for Jake's birthday...

Happy birthday, Jake!

Happy 2nd birthday to our cuddly...

Baseball loving...

Toy chewing...

Adorable...

Cookie Monster!

Happy 2nd birthday, Jacob!

Love, 

Mom, Dad, & big-brother Bradley

(and of course, Cody & Max, too!)

"The Jesus Touch"

Yesterday was the last MOPS meeting of the semester until we start back again in the fall. This meeting is also known as our "Tea & Testimony" meeting, and it was incredible. They had a special lunch for all of us with Asian Salad & Croissant, and of course "tea" and lemonade. There was laughter and there were tears.

One of the highlights for me was when the Pastor's wife of First Baptist Church at the Mall, Angie Dennis, came up to speak to us. She taught us on Mark 5:21-34, which I had heard before but when I was much younger. Here is the passage:

Mark 5:21-34 (King James Version)

 ²¹And when Jesus was passed over again by ship unto the other side, much people gathered unto him: and he was nigh unto the sea.
 ²²And, behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and when he saw him, he fell at his feet,
 ²³And besought him greatly, saying, My little daughter lieth at the point of death: I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live.
 ²⁴And Jesus went with him; and much people followed him, and thronged him.
 ²⁵And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years,
 ²⁶And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse,
 ²⁷When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment.
 ²⁸For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.
 ²⁹And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague.
 ³⁰And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes?
 ³¹And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?
 ³²And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing.
 ³³But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth.
 ³⁴And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.

She then explained to us many things about the passage, and it was such an encouragement on how she applied it to our lives - how Jesus healed the woman because she had faith in Him, and how he took notice. She explained her own testimony, of how she had an emotionally absent mother and a difficult upbringing both parentally and with people in school. She explained her heartache and fear when she found out a few years ago that she had breast cancer that she is still fighting. She then let us know the joy she felt when Jesus saved her and she met & married her husband, Pastor Jay Dennis. 


Later when she was going over the passage more thoroughly, she made sure each of us had a piece of tassel in front of us. You see, in the Bible in Mark 5:27, the garment that Jesus wore more than likely had a trim of tassels to it, and was what the woman mentioned would have touched. When she touched it, even though there was a tremendous crowd of people all around Jesus Christ, he noticed. He noticed HER, and her faith, and her pain. Mrs. Dennis let us know that when we pray, Jesus takes notice. She shared some quotes that I really loved:

• Faith is praying with our eyes on God, not on our difficulties.
• Faith is not about running in the dark, but walking in the light.
• Faith is not believing what people say about God, it's simply believing what God says!

It was also interesting to know that this is the only time in Jesus's ministry that he ever refers to someone as "daughter". What an encouragement to us - to know that in our times of pain and suffering, our Heavenly Father is there, and will hear our plea when we need him. The tassel she gave to us was to put in our Bible to remind us of this story, and gave us five things to remember when we are facing our own trials to remind outselves:

1. I know that God loves me
2. I know that God is good
3. I know that God is a God of miracles
4. I know that God speaks through the Bible
5. I know that heaven is real!

I am sure I didn't explain the passage quite as eloquently as Mrs. Dennis, but it touched me, and I just felt compelled to pass it along. 


Have a wonderful day,
Kim Reller

Bradley's Piano Recital

Every year in April, Bradley's piano teacher (who also happens to be the pastor's wife at our church) holds her annual recital to showcase the student's progress.

Last year, Bradley played "Moonlight Sonata" by Bethoven. This year, Bradley decided he wanted to try and tackle "Canon in D" by Pachalbel. He did really well - surprisingly well even! He had not been able to practice a great deal since the infamous surgery at the beginning of the month, and the last week that he had been practicing, he struggled a little when the tempo picked up. However - for the recital - he nailed it! I am so proud of him. :)




ENJOY!!!

-The Rellers

Sweet & Tangy BBQ Sauce

Tonight I planned on making BBQ Chicken Calzones for dinner, and I always have BBQ sauce on hand in the event I need a yummy condiment to something. I was going through my ingredients list for the calzones and I had everything. Onion, check. Bacon, check. Chicken, yep, check. BBQ sauce. I opened the fridge and lo & behold I was out! However, Jacob was napping and Bradley was very content playing his Wii and I hated to bother either of them. What was I to do?

Well I will tell you what I did. I searched online and found a decently rated BBQ sauce recipe and I made it my own! You know what - it turned out amazing, and was super easy to make. It only took 20 minutes and a few ingredients that I already had on hand! I can honestly say I doubt I will ever go back to purchasing store brand now that I know I can make the good stuff on my very own stove top.

For all you that want it, here is the recipe. Makes about 16 ounces and will keep well in the fridge for weeks. ENJOY!
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Sweet & Tangy BBQ Sauce

Ingredients

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 onion, peeled and diced
1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
pinch of cayenne pepper (or to taste, if you like spicy then go for it!)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons liquid smoke flavoring
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions

1) In a medium saucepan, mix lemon juice, onion, distilled white vinegar, water, brown sugar, prepared mustard, ground black pepper, salt, cayenne pepper and vegetable oil. Bring to a boil, then simmer uncovered 20 minutes.

2) Stir ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder and liquid smoke flavoring into the mixture. Return to boil, then remove from heat. Refrigerate until ready for use.