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		<title>Peppered Sausage &amp; Basil Omelette</title>
		<link>http://onesimplemama.com/2013/05/21/peppered-sausage-basil-omelette/</link>
		<comments>http://onesimplemama.com/2013/05/21/peppered-sausage-basil-omelette/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 21 May 2013 15:08:36 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Erika Marie</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Food]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tasty Tuesday]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Breakfast for Dinner]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Peppered Sausage & Basil Omelette]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Power Breakfast]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[For my return from my Tasty Tuesday sabbatical, here&#8217;s the delicious Peppered Sausage &#38; Basil Omelette I made for dinner the other night {and had for breakfast the next morning}. I&#8217;m not an expert cook by any means, I&#8217;m not even an amateur. So I can&#8217;t tell you exactly how  to make this, but I&#8217;ll tell [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: center;">For my return from my Tasty Tuesday sabbatical, here&#8217;s the delicious Peppered Sausage &amp; Basil Omelette I made for dinner the other night {and had for breakfast the next morning}.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a title="Peppered Sausage Omelette by onesimplemama, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77295758@N04/8769224576/"><img alt="Peppered Sausage Omelette" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8140/8769224576_b28515269d_c.jpg" width="800" height="572" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">I&#8217;m not an expert cook by any means, I&#8217;m not even an amateur. So I can&#8217;t tell you<em> exactly</em> how<em> </em> to make this, but I&#8217;ll tell you what I put in it and assume others are way more talented than me when it comes to knowing the right pan and temperature for the &#8216;perfect omelette&#8217;.  Or ask <a title="Martha Stewart - how to cook the perfect omelette" href="http://www.marthastewart.com/915776/how-make-perfect-omelette" target="_blank">Martha</a> &#8211; she knows everything about everything. It&#8217;s appropriate my mom shares her name.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a title="Peppered Sausage Omelette Prep by onesimplemama, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77295758@N04/8769228586/"><img alt="Peppered Sausage Omelette Prep" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7365/8769228586_bc1d5ee0ac_c.jpg" width="800" height="528" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Ingredients for mine:</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">I actually used 5-6 eggs for this {I love eggs and planned on making enough to have leftover} You can use less eggs for a thinner one-person serving</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">I sprinkled in some garlic and onion powder, basil, and salt and pepper to taste</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">chopped peppers</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Sliced and diced sausage {I used a pre-cooked German sausage from the local butcher&#8217;s}</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Shredded cheese {optional}</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>&#8220;Directions&#8221;:</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">1. Start heating pan and then add some oil in it. (maybe 1/2 TB?)</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">2. Crack eggs into a mixing bowl.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">3. Add seasonings.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">4. <em>Gently </em>whisk eggs with a fork {Try not to over mix}</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">5. Making sure oil is ready but not too hot, pour eggs into pan.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">6. I let it sit there a little bit before adding the other ingredients. You don&#8217;t want the eggs to burn or start bubbling though.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">7. After like 30 seconds or so, add in your chopped peppers and sausage {and cheese}.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">8. I don&#8217;t shake the pan around or anything like <a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/915776/how-make-perfect-omelette" target="_blank">Martha does</a>, I just kind of let it cook a bit and then use my spatula to fold one side over the other, let it cook, then turn it and let it cook on that side, then flip again. I just keep flipping it back and forth a few times until it is cooked to my satisfaction - not too runny, not too dry. {It&#8217;s different every time I make it depending on who is yanking on my leg or screaming or if I start cleaning the dishes and forget what&#8217;s on the stove.}</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">9. Then I flip it onto a plate and immediately proceed to gobble it up. {Sometimes I&#8217;ll add some salsa or ketchup}</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">{Tip: I made this same omelette for my husband sans the peppers &#8211; it&#8217;s a texture thing for him}</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
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		<title>Journal Monday 5/20</title>
		<link>http://onesimplemama.com/2013/05/20/journal-monday-520/</link>
		<comments>http://onesimplemama.com/2013/05/20/journal-monday-520/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 20 May 2013 23:08:14 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Erika Marie</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Journal]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://onesimplemama.com/?p=4319</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I know I just journaled a few days ago, but I&#8217;m trying to get back to my Monday Journaling &#8216;routine&#8217;. Outside My Window: Never a dull moment around here I&#8217;ll tell you what. Today has been nice. Overcast, humid, sticky but nice still. Yesterday, we had to huddle together in our under-the-stairs tornado shelter as [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I know I just journaled a few days ago, but I&#8217;m <em>trying </em>to get back to my Monday Journaling &#8216;routine&#8217;.</p>
<p><strong>Outside My Window: </strong>Never a dull moment around here I&#8217;ll tell you what. Today has been nice. Overcast, humid, sticky but nice still. Yesterday, we had to huddle together in our under-the-stairs tornado shelter as it seemed a &#8216;catastrophic tornado&#8217; was coming right for us&#8230;and then it didn&#8217;t. Thank God. As I type this, I got the news that tornadoes did tear through OKC today. Praying for all those affected by it&#8230;<strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong>I am Wearing: </strong>I recently re-discovered Kohl&#8217;s and got a few new shirts that fit better &#8211; not so tight around the &#8216;pooch&#8217; and still not too low or loose in the top area. I also found some nice capris and not-too-short shorts with elastic waistbands. You know you are old (and fat) when you get excited about pants with elastic waistbands (that aren&#8217;t maternity).<strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong>Bringing me Joy Today: </strong>Working in a special project with my Kindergartener for school. I haven&#8217;t been able to do much this year so it was nice to spend some special time in his classroom with him. This weekend was very joyful &#8211; celebrated a good friend&#8217;s 30th bday and our god-daughter&#8217;s baptism! My husband and I now have 5 godchildren between us &#8211; this being our second goddaughter together! We are so blessed!</p>
<p><strong>I&#8217;m Pondering</strong>: God and the &#8216;reason&#8217; He allows &#8216;natural&#8217; suffering for some and not for others. The 6 year old has been asking about this a lot with all the tornadoes and deaths in the family. He asks &#8220;Why does God let Tornadoes hurt people&#8221; and so on. It&#8217;s hard to know how to answer him the right way. <strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong>I’m Praying: </strong>For all those who are victims of suffering, especially suffering that comes by no real fault of their own &#8211; that they will embrace it and offer it God gratefully and peacefully. <strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong>I am Reading: </strong>Same as last week &#8211; nothing really. <strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong>Watching: </strong>We finally watched the new <em>Les Miserables</em>! I decided it was going to take too long to finish reading so we went ahead and watched it. I had gotten as far as the part where Jean Valjean finds Cosette in the woods and is in the Inn. I really liked the movie. I&#8217;m glad I already knew (from all the parodies and complaining) that this was a &#8216;musical&#8217; movie and therefore would be mostly sung all the way through. I was amazed at how much of the story they were able to pack into the movie. I still like the book better (from what I&#8217;ve read) but all in all &#8211; I think the movie was great. And I woke up this morning and almost started singing everything I said &#8211; but maybe that would be a good idea, maybe my kids would listen/obey better if I did that. <strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong>I am Thinking: </strong>Of recording myself singing to my kids instead of yelling&#8230; &#8221;Mom Les Miserables Parody&#8221; goes viral&#8230;<strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong>I’m working on: </strong>Setting up a new email account. My husband helped me configure all the forwarding and such so that my email is synced between g mail and my outlook and everything. So if you start getting emails from me from g mail that is why. It will be nice to have access to my email when I&#8217;m not home and when, in the future, I have a smartphone it will all be there! <strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong>Around the House </strong>This Saturday was a very successful &#8216;work day&#8217;. We finally put up the new bathroom towel hanger and cleaned the van&#8217;s dash- thanks to my husband- we swept out the garage and reorganized, swept off the front of house cobwebs, the kids helped me get new boxes for outdoor toys and a couple other errands, and they helped clean bathrooms and pull weeds. It felt great to catch up with all that! <strong> </strong></p>
<p>This week&#8217;s to-do&#8217;s: Clean walls and doors and framework, prepare needed areas around doors for re-painting, prepare front door for painting (I already have the paint!), sweep &amp; mop floors, take a knife to the filthy carpet in our &#8216;office/dump-all&#8217; room.</p>
<p><strong>From the Kitchen</strong>: I made a delicious omelet yesterday for dinner. Then I had some leftover for breakfast. So yummy! I even took a fun &#8216;food photo&#8217; of it. I&#8217;ll try and post that tomorrow. <strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong>The Kiddos: </strong>Last week of school! I&#8217;m getting more excited than nervous about it as it gets closer. It will be nice to spend more time with them&#8230;and have some extra help around the house. <img src='http://onesimplemama.com/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_wink.gif' alt=';)' class='wp-smiley' /> </p>
<p><strong>The Baby: </strong>I was telling a friend on her blog, I&#8217;m currently looking for a better stroller for him. One that can recline if he falls asleep, one with a sun cover, one that folds easily (and doesn&#8217;t involve cursing to do so), and one that pushes well without having to stop every few seconds because the wheel got twisted. I wouldn&#8217;t mind if it was a double so the three-year-old could go in sometimes but I&#8217;d rather not have to take out a personal loan to get one! Any suggestions? <strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong>Picture to Share:</strong></p>
<p>New bathroom towel hooks set -up. Sorry, I really did forget to take a before pic. It was one of those simple bar towel hangers. But too much weight had pulled one side out and left a big hole in the wall. My father-in-law cut and painted the white board for me, I spray-painted the metal hooks (given by a friend &#8211; thanks Mary!), and my husband helped install it. Voila!</p>
<p><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/PNA89rfSkVKHRtP76Xpo3P7GgfOS1oC5Xk6p2oBd7ew?feat=embedwebsite"><img alt="" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-ULzBv1Wedwc/UZql5WReEqI/AAAAAAAANKI/Y6Nk8_GWntQ/s640/DSC00779.JPG" width="640" height="426" /></a></p>
<p>I really love the hooks and spray paint color I found for them. I want to spray paint something else that color I love it so much.</p>
<p><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Z4pqZTtlNnWDPHPXBDlZ5P7GgfOS1oC5Xk6p2oBd7ew?feat=embedwebsite"><img alt="" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-PD7oi8QsihA/UZql2uxFCCI/AAAAAAAANKA/Wj3-nuyyj9s/s640/DSC00781.JPG" width="426" height="640" /></a></p>
<p>This is a much better way to hang kids towels.</p>
<p><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/AKydXpbcs_mVCI9OMrn2R_7GgfOS1oC5Xk6p2oBd7ew?feat=embedwebsite"><img alt="" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-qvz9U-UZ_7E/UZqmAfCA5YI/AAAAAAAANKQ/4d8KF492f4E/s640/DSC00783.JPG" width="640" height="426" /></a></p>
<p>A new shirt and Bermuda shorts from Kohl&#8217;s. I love the color, the way it fits (and hides) and how versatile it can be.</p>
<p><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/gKhn-jxznSXHbNPdkIh5Gv7GgfOS1oC5Xk6p2oBd7ew?feat=embedwebsite"><img alt="" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/--xQS3q7CEtU/UZqnL1Rkz0I/AAAAAAAANKg/_j_SywY18AI/s288/DSC00702.JPG" width="192" height="288" /></a><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/7hZMcpdFFc7E1M3IteK3B_7GgfOS1oC5Xk6p2oBd7ew?feat=embedwebsite"><img alt="" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Gn9euz28g5Y/UZqnd_FekSI/AAAAAAAANKo/MJ5yKxbzOlo/s288/DSC00688.JPG" width="192" height="288" /></a></p>
<p>The caiman at the zoo:</p>
<p><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ea2asWrr8y_wu2M16gBA7P7GgfOS1oC5Xk6p2oBd7ew?feat=embedwebsite"><img alt="" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/--IvtXcZT24I/UZqnxkyMr7I/AAAAAAAANKw/Oyygi6-SMsw/s640/DSC00586.JPG" width="640" height="426" /></a></p>
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		<title>Food for Thought Round-Up May 18</title>
		<link>http://onesimplemama.com/2013/05/18/food-for-thought-round-up-may-18/</link>
		<comments>http://onesimplemama.com/2013/05/18/food-for-thought-round-up-may-18/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 18 May 2013 14:21:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Erika Marie</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Saturday Food for Thought Round-Up]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Atheist converts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Family Picture Wall]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Model to Christian]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[No death penalty for Gosnell]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Pinterest Fails]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[using NFP even when you have a very serious health reason to use contraception]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://onesimplemama.com/?p=4288</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A bit late in the day, but here&#8217;s my Round-Up of fun, interesting, and inspiring Food for Thought for this week. Displaying Family Pictures on the Wall 20 Hilarious Pinterest Fails From Victoria’s Secret Model to Role Model –Kylie Bisutti How the World’s Most Notorious Atheist Changed His Mind Tell Me…What Do I Deserve? &#124; Abby Johnson [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img class="alignleft" alt="" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Uif_t4E5lEw/USmi953CEVI/AAAAAAAAMv4/GQWlgEalVJg/s288/Simplemama%2527s%2520Saturday%2520Round-Up.png" width="218" height="288" /></p>
<p>A bit late in the day, but here&#8217;s my Round-Up of fun, interesting, and inspiring Food for Thought for this week.</p>
<p><a href="http://erikarenbonar.wordpress.com/2013/05/16/displaying-family-pictures-on-the-wall/" target="_blank">Displaying Family Pictures on the Wall</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.boredpanda.com/funny-pinterest-fails/" target="_blank">20 Hilarious Pinterest Fails</a></p>
<p><a href="http://womenlivingwell.org/2013/05/from-victorias-secret-model-to-role-model-kylie-bisutti/" target="_blank">From Victoria’s Secret Model to Role Model –Kylie Bisutti</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.strangenotions.com/flew/">How the World’s Most Notorious Atheist Changed His Mind</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.abbyjohnson.org/tell-me-what-do-i-deserve/" target="_blank">Tell Me…What Do I Deserve? | Abby Johnson</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.stevewiens.com/2013/05/17/your-life-is-your-curriculum/" target="_blank">Your Life is Your Curriculum</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.ncregister.com/blog/simcha-fisher/my-profession?utm_source=feedburner&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=Feed%3A+NCRegisterDailyBlog+National+Catholic+Register#When:2013-05-17%2012:51:01" target="_blank">My Profession </a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.conversiondiary.com/2013/05/never-say-never-and-other-thoughts-on-having-more-kids.html" target="_blank">Never say never, and other thoughts on having more kids</a>- like I commented on Facebook about this: &#8220;Wow. This might be one of the best posts about NFP and contraception I&#8217;ve read coming from the perspective of a former atheist, a former contraceptive and abortion supporter, and from someone who really &#8216;shouldn&#8217;t&#8217; have any more kids for very serious health reasons but it is still going to stick with NFP.&#8221;</p>
<p>Here&#8217;s a quote from the article, but the whole thing is great so take some time to read through it.</p>
<p>&#8220;First of all, Natural Family Planning can be an effective way to space children. (I’ll give you a moment to stop laughing and clean up the drink you just spilled on your keyboard.) No, seriously, if you’re willing to invest a little time to learn the ropes, it can work just as well as contraception. I’ll be the first to admit that it’s not always easy, and that the challenges that come with NFP are very real. However, it’s not like the alternatives offer problem-free solutions either. As the great Simcha Fisher once said, “When it comes to facing fertility, all God’s children got angst.”<br />
I know a lot of other couples who have given up contraception to use NFP, and not a single one of them has ever returned to contraception use. I’m not saying it never happens, but, at least in my experience, it’s rare. That’s totally counter-intuitive since NFP is a sacrifice-based system, but I think what most couples find when they give up artificial birth control to space children naturally (especially when they involve God in the process), is that the high level of personal sacrifice involved is a feature, not a bug. NFP is not just another form of birth control; it’s an entirely new lifestyle. It makes you see yourself and your spouse and your children entirely differently. It makes you see the meaning of life differently. It even makes you see your relationship with God differently. And once you’ve spent a while living that kind of life, you don’t want to go back.&#8221;</p>
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		<title>Journal Thurs 5/16/13</title>
		<link>http://onesimplemama.com/2013/05/16/journal-thurs-51613/</link>
		<comments>http://onesimplemama.com/2013/05/16/journal-thurs-51613/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 16 May 2013 20:57:29 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Erika Marie</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Journal]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://onesimplemama.com/?p=4289</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[It&#8217;s about time I blogged about something other than the Saturday Round-ups. I guess life has been pretty busy! I started this yesterday (Wednesday), hopefully I can finish today! Outside My Window: Beautiful &#8211; finally! I think the high was 81 but it cooled down later in the day. It was a bit overcast but there was still [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>It&#8217;s about time I blogged about something other than the Saturday Round-ups. I guess life has been pretty busy! I started this yesterday (Wednesday), hopefully I can finish today!</p>
<p><strong>Outside My Window</strong>: Beautiful &#8211; finally! I think the high was 81 but it cooled down later in the day. It was a bit overcast but there was still enough sun to make me happy. Today &#8211; Thursday is about the same.</p>
<p><strong>Bringing me Joy Today</strong>: An evening walk/bike ride with all my children yesterday; lunch and recess with my daughter at school today.</p>
<p><strong>I&#8217;m Pondering</strong>: Life, death&#8230;God. With 2 family funerals in the past 2 weeks, it&#8217;s hard not to think deeply about these things.</p>
<p><strong>I’m Praying</strong>: For my husband&#8217;s great-aunt Betty&#8217;s soul (his Mom&#8217;s late dad&#8217;s sister); for my husband&#8217;s grandma Mary&#8217;s soul (his Dad&#8217;s mother); for his parents and family as they mourn these loses and remember the good memories; for all those who have either left the Catholic Church or who have never known of her beauty &#8211; that they will.</p>
<p><strong>I am Reading</strong>: I started reading Les Mis again on the our trip and got to a not-so-boring part again with Cosette. I&#8217;m only 27% through the book though so it might take me as long to read it as it did to write it! I&#8217;ve also been reading a lot of articles and information online about science and faith and reason and how the bible and history play into all that. I don&#8217;t know if it is because of the Kindle and blogging or what but I have a hard time staying focused and almost prefer reading several articles instead of a whole book. Once summer is here, I&#8217;d love to get lost in a delicious novel or something though.</p>
<p><strong>Watching</strong>: My husband and I watched <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0478304/?mode=desktop" target="_blank">The Tree of Life</a>. Awesome verging on masterpiece. I do recommend it. However, go into it with a very open mind and know that it is unlike any other movie. It was &#8220;God-incidental&#8221; that we watched this just after getting back from the funeral.</p>
<p><strong>I am Thinking</strong>: Of how quickly summer break is coming; of how <del>I&#8217;m</del> we are going to <del>survive</del> enjoy it; of all the bazillion things I&#8217;d like to do but probably never will.</p>
<p><strong>I’m working on</strong>: Well this week I&#8217;m catching up since we left so unexpectedly for a few days. I&#8217;m still working on getting our new kids&#8217; bathroom towel hanger. I have it marked, just waiting on the hubby to help me hang it. Last week and this week I&#8217;ve also been working on changing over some of the baby&#8217;s clothes. I&#8217;m hoping it&#8217;s finally safe to put away the cold-weather clothes. I&#8217;m kind of mad that we weren&#8217;t able to use some the cuter spring outfits since he&#8217;s grown out of them before it got warm. I&#8217;m so thankful for all the clothes we&#8217;ve been given for him but after 3 other boys (my 2 and a nephew and some friends&#8217; boys) I think it might be time for some new additions.</p>
<p><strong>Around the House to-do&#8217;s</strong>: Sweep out garage and rearrange, sweep back and front porches, sweep house cobwebs, pull out weeds, lay down new mulch, plant some new flowers&#8230;.a.k.a Spring Cleaning!</p>
<p><strong>From the Kitchen</strong>: I think we&#8217;ve eaten&#8230;I can&#8217;t really remember. I&#8217;ve been meaning to post some new <em>Tasty Tuesday </em>recipes but haven&#8217;t had the time. Soon, hopefully.</p>
<p><strong>Craftihg &#8211; </strong>Yes I did! I knitted a little baby hat for our newest god-daughter, Miriam. I forgot to take a picture though! It fit her just right. I also recently made some baby bead necklaces for my god-son and same god-daughter from the beads of our Melissa &amp; Doug abacus that broke.</p>
<p><strong>The Kiddos</strong>: I&#8217;m going to start sharing more about the kiddos and baby in their own journals on our family blog. Otherwise these journals would end up way too long. <img src='http://onesimplemama.com/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_smile.gif' alt=':)' class='wp-smiley' /> </p>
<p>For here I&#8217;ll just say that I love my children immensely. It was &#8216;nice&#8217; to have some time away from the older three for the funeral but I reallllyyyy missed them. Though I was so tired, they really did make Mother&#8217;s Day special just by their simple love.</p>
<p><strong>The Baby</strong>: Love, pure, sweet love. I can&#8217;t believe he is 9 months today! These 9 months went faster than the first. And I have to say it&#8217;s definitely more enjoyable seeing him growing and developing on the outside rather than hidden.</p>
<p><strong>Picture to Share:</strong><br />
Spring Flowers!</p>
<p><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/5O5uvKV2ZxBgl4CREgAGqf7GgfOS1oC5Xk6p2oBd7ew?feat=embedwebsite"><img alt="" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-60riXK7Iwc8/UZU7QZcOvmI/AAAAAAAANGg/UJHgwUsaE6E/s640/DSC00398-1.jpg" width="426" height="640" /></a></p>
<p><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/irvgTXc2vtpqxv3FR5dHk_7GgfOS1oC5Xk6p2oBd7ew?feat=embedwebsite"><img alt="" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Tjxve4hv4Fk/UZU7YSFOhrI/AAAAAAAANGo/SrkCL9HF5UQ/s640/DSC00409-1.jpg" width="640" height="426" /></a></p>
<p><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/CJTcSsKOlHIoJYNjTzAgUf7GgfOS1oC5Xk6p2oBd7ew?feat=embedwebsite"><img alt="" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-j1bmuAkHpTo/UZU7dS447yI/AAAAAAAANGw/TjNE6fGgxzE/s640/DSC00465-1.jpg" width="426" height="640" /></a></p>
<p><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/OvloYFxvYTSCJBgYrDQN8v7GgfOS1oC5Xk6p2oBd7ew?feat=embedwebsite"><img alt="" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-TdufCedPPVg/UZU7hnLqPLI/AAAAAAAANG8/cdXuUowe_O8/s640/DSC00471-1.jpg" width="426" height="640" /></a></p>
<p><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/sq_k8h7mVsNdC8Qq_gv9z_7GgfOS1oC5Xk6p2oBd7ew?feat=embedwebsite"><img alt="" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-8SzrAWg69yg/UZU8FVYkejI/AAAAAAAANHM/wJoDDedFxoQ/s640/DSC00395-1.jpg" width="640" height="426" /></a></p>
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		<title>Food for Thought May 11</title>
		<link>http://onesimplemama.com/2013/05/11/food-for-thought-may-12/</link>
		<comments>http://onesimplemama.com/2013/05/11/food-for-thought-may-12/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 11 May 2013 11:29:08 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Erika Marie</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Random]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://onesimplemama.com/?p=4274</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Well, it&#8217;s been quite the interesting week. Lucky for you, I had most of these ready to go ahead of time. I hope you like inspiring and soul-moving videos. I&#8217;m not in a place where I can see if they work. There are also two excellent text articles at the end. Have a great Saturday! [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img class="alignleft" alt="" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Uif_t4E5lEw/USmi953CEVI/AAAAAAAAMv4/GQWlgEalVJg/s288/Simplemama%2527s%2520Saturday%2520Round-Up.png" width="218" height="288" /> Well, it&#8217;s been quite the interesting week. Lucky for you, I had most of these ready to go ahead of time. I hope you like inspiring and soul-moving videos. I&#8217;m not in a place where I can see if they work. There are also two excellent text articles at the end. Have a great Saturday!</p>
<p><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/video/embed?video_id=150812305082818" width="720" height="480" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/video/embed?video_id=168165406680841" width="1280" height="720" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/video/embed?video_id=164286517068730" width="400" height="266" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/video/embed?video_id=150547928453998" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p><span class='embed-youtube' style='text-align:center; display: block;'><iframe class='youtube-player' type='text/html' width='630' height='385' src='http://www.youtube.com/embed/ApVYpBwXWLk?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;fs=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;wmode=transparent' frameborder='0'></iframe></span></p>
<p><span class='embed-youtube' style='text-align:center; display: block;'><iframe class='youtube-player' type='text/html' width='630' height='385' src='http://www.youtube.com/embed/qZ_zux8PCrE?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;fs=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;wmode=transparent' frameborder='0'></iframe></span></p>
<p><a href="http://wearethatfamily.com/2013/03/raising-grateful-kids-in-an-entitled-world/">Raising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World</a></p>
<p><a href="http://ifwp.wordpress.com/2013/04/28/adoration/">Adoration with children</a></p>
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		<title>Food for Thought Round-Up May 4</title>
		<link>http://onesimplemama.com/2013/05/04/food-for-thought-round-up-may-4/</link>
		<comments>http://onesimplemama.com/2013/05/04/food-for-thought-round-up-may-4/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 04 May 2013 13:43:52 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Erika Marie</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Saturday Food for Thought Round-Up]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://onesimplemama.com/?p=4247</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Ok I had some funky formatting issues but at last here is the Saturday Food for Thought Round-up for this week. Parenting Having Babies {in Opposite World} Dear Less-Than-Perfect Mom 20 Things Every Parent Should Hear Making Peace with Birth Faith A New Voice for U.S. Bishops &#38; Women in the Catholic Church Second Vatican Council [...]]]></description>
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<p>Ok I had some funky formatting issues but at last here is the Saturday Food for Thought Round-up for this week.</p>
<p><strong>Parenting</strong></p>
<p><a href="http://womenlivingwell.org/2013/04/having-babies-in-opposite-world/" target="_blank">Having Babies {in Opposite World}</a></p>
<p><a href="http://becomingsupermommy.blogspot.com/2013/04/dear-less-than-perfect-mom.html" target="_blank">Dear Less-Than-Perfect Mom</a></p>
<p><a title="Permalink to 20 Things Every Parent Should Hear" href="http://putdowntheurinalcake.com/2013/05/20-things-every-parent-should-hear/" rel="bookmark">20 Things Every Parent Should Hear</a></p>
<p><a href="http://kindacrunchy.com/2013/04/28/making-peace-with-birth/" target="_blank">Making Peace with Birth</a></p>
<p><strong>Faith</strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.patheos.com/blogs/kathrynlopez/2013/04/a-new-voice-for-u-s-bishops-women-in-the-catholic-church/" target="_blank">A New Voice for U.S. Bishops &amp; Women in the Catholic Church</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.ewtn.com/library/papaldoc/p6closin.htm" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: large;">Second Vatican Council II Closing Speeches and Messages</span></a></p>
<p>The hour is coming, in fact has come, when the vocation of woman is being achieved in its fullness, the hour in which woman acquires in the world an influence, an effect and a power never hitherto achieved. That is why, at this moment when the human race is under-going so deep a transformation, women impregnated with the spirit of the Gospel can do so much to aid mankind in not falling.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/confessional-not-a-dry-cleaner-says-pope/">Confessional not a &#8216;dry cleaner,&#8217; says Pope</a></p>
<p><a href="http://blog.acton.org/archives/53872-im-not-a-bum-im-a-human-being.html " target="_blank">I&#8217;m not a bum I&#8217;m a human being. </a></p>
<p><strong>Funny </strong></p>
<p><strong></strong>I know this isn&#8217;t supposed to be funny but I couldn&#8217;t help chuckle when I read it.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/10008707/Toddlers-becoming-so-addicted-to-iPads-they-require-therapy.html"> Toddlers becoming so addicted to iPads they require therapy</a></p>
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		<title>7 Quicks &#8211; What I want to be when I grow up</title>
		<link>http://onesimplemama.com/2013/05/03/7-quicks-what-i-want-to-be-when-i-grow-up/</link>
		<comments>http://onesimplemama.com/2013/05/03/7-quicks-what-i-want-to-be-when-i-grow-up/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 03 May 2013 21:50:52 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Erika Marie</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[7 Quick Takes]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[Today I got lost in Hobby Lobby &#8211; a favorite pastime of mine. I can&#8217;t even remember what I went there for exactly. Anyway, while I was walking around I started thinking about all the cool hobbies and projects and crafts I could do. Thankfully my 3 year-old and baby were there to remind me [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.conversiondiary.com/2013/05/7-quick-takes-friday-vol-215.html"><img class="aligncenter" alt="" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-OsmfVZFNUDY/UXFL_vdr9zI/AAAAAAAANCU/NYvjwZAhQIo/s288/7_quick_takes_sm11.jpg" width="288" height="194" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Today I got lost in Hobby Lobby &#8211; a favorite pastime of mine. I can&#8217;t even remember what I went there for exactly.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Anyway, while I was walking around I started thinking about all the cool hobbies and projects and crafts I could do. Thankfully my 3 year-old and baby were there to remind me (loudly) about reality. I love my life, I am so blessed. But, I do like to dream. When I grow up, I&#8217;d like to be a&#8230;.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>~ 1 ~</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Pretty Paper Specialist - cards, stationary, picture frames/memorabilia,  etc. Other ideas?</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/S1r2WzsptJF4ipDtm186rv7GgfOS1oC5Xk6p2oBd7ew?feat=embedwebsite"><img alt="" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-cSzRCkvYR_U/UYQtD7w-_SI/AAAAAAAANE0/tii_liW3NQM/s640/DSC00376.JPG" width="640" height="426" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">I am a lover of beautiful paper. I&#8217;ve loved beautiful paper ever since I can remember. You&#8217;d think I&#8217;d be a scrapbooker but that&#8217;s just too overwhelming for me. I can&#8217;t even keep up with the family blog-scrapbook. I do, however, think it would be fun to make personalized cards and such. I should just do that more often. In my dreams, I&#8217;ll do that one day and then offer my cards to paper boutiques to sell. <a href="http://www.adaleespaper.com/" target="_blank">Like this store maybe. </a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">I did end up buying some pretty paper today for a project I have in mind, plus some extra that I will put in a special place and get out every now and then just to make me smile. <img src='http://onesimplemama.com/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_smile.gif' alt=':)' class='wp-smiley' /> </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>~ 2 ~</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Professional Photographer</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Photography has always interested me. One of my biggest regrets is not taking a photo class in high school or college. (The counselors thought Math and honors English were more important for some reason.) It&#8217;s amazing how a photograph can be turned into a real piece of art. The funny thing is that I never knew my husband would turn out to be the photographer! I love his <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/68358236@N03/" target="_blank">awesome space photos</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">But I&#8217;m dreaming of more down to earth ideas. Like people, nature&#8230;and food. I&#8217;d say I&#8217;m an aspiring Food Photographer&#8230;who also needs to learn to cook/bake food that is worthy of being photographed. I&#8217;m learning very slowly. It&#8217;s hard because I&#8217;m a visual learner. I can read and read about how to take pictures but I don&#8217;t really get it until I do it.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>~ 3 ~</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Artist</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">I&#8217;ve always dreamed of going to Italy, sitting with my aunt (who is a well-known artist there) and painting all day. One day&#8230;</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>~ 4 ~</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Administrative Assistant</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Ok, I know this is going to sound <em>incredibly </em>nerdy but I&#8217;m divulging anyway &#8211; I love secretarial work. I know it bores most people but sitting at a desk answering the phone, organizing an office, or creating work calendars makes me a little giddy.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>~ 5 ~</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Published book Author and Illustrator</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">I don&#8217;t have an exact book in mind yet &#8211; although my mind rolls out new ideas at the rate of 10000/day. ;) This is just another thing I&#8217;d really like to do one day. Sometimes it&#8217;s about vanity and pride but most of the time it&#8217;s about offering something that can encourage and inspire others to see Christ and live their lives for Him. I have ideas in all the different genres. If I did a Children&#8217;s book I wouldn&#8217;t necessarily have to illustrate it also, but that would be an added fun bonus.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>~ 6 ~</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Work in or with a Pregnancy Crisis Center</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">If you know me or read my blog, you know my passion is women and babies and family support. My heart <em>aches </em>for those women who feel their &#8216;only&#8217; choice is to terminate the life of their unborn baby when they are in a crisis/less-than-ideal situation. Borrowing my friend, <a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/frame?post=988341793&amp;group=392&amp;frame_type=g&amp;blog=5337841&amp;link=aHR0cDovL2xpdmluZ2VhY2hkYXlhc2FnaWZ0LmJsb2dzcG90LmNvbS8yMDEzLzA0L2pvdXJuYWwtc3ByaW5nLWlzLWhlcmUuaHRtbA&amp;frame=1&amp;click=0&amp;user=0" target="_blank">Monica&#8217;s</a>, well-said words - &#8220;<i><b>I have always been nothing but pro-life</b></i>, but I think age and children of my own have made me more compassionate, and helped me see the issue for what it really is, and not just the big political argument the media seems to have made it into.  Abortion used to invoke an almost self-righteous anger in me, and while it still makes me angry, now it mostly just makes me sad.&#8221;  She couldn&#8217;t have put my thoughts to words better. I want abortion to end. But I know now it will come through conversion of hearts. We donate money and other items for pro-life outreach centers but one day I&#8217;d like to do more. I&#8217;d like to help more directly &#8211; with the women who are actually in that situation. I also look at my own life and motherhood and see how much my friends support me in my trials. I&#8217;d like to help start some sort of support group for mothers who come into crisis pregnancy centers looking for help. It&#8217;s &#8216;easy&#8217; enough to talk with them for a few minutes and tell them everything will be ok if they don&#8217;t abort&#8230;but once they leave and go back to their own real lives, it&#8217;s not so easy anymore. They need a community who will be there to support them in their decision and afterwards too &#8211; whether they keep their baby or choose adoption. If I never get to do this, I hope some one will.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>~ 7 ~</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Wife, Mom, (future: Grandma)</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Ok, after all that dreaming I have to say that my #1 dream in life is to be a loving wife and mother to a wonderful husband and precious children. I have to admit this was not always a dream of mine. In fact, when I was younger I &#8216;swore&#8217; I&#8217;d never get married. I didn&#8217;t want to have to cook and clean for other people, I was going to go to college and get all sort of degrees and masters and get a big fancy job in a tall skyscraper in a big city and have maids cleaning and cooking in my loft apartment with big windows and stainless steel appliances.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">~~~~~Eye rolllllll ~~~~~</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Sheesh, what was I thinking? That would be an incredibly selfish and lonely life. I&#8217;m glad God knocked some sense into me and I&#8217;m glad I had just enough grace to listen to His plan - wayyyyy better than mine! I can&#8217;t imagine a life better than this. It&#8217;s probably the hardest thing I&#8217;ll ever do. And the least appreciated. But, even if this is &#8220;all&#8221; I ever do. It will be enough. It is good. Those other dreams would be fun. But I&#8217;m sure if I left this life for all those I&#8217;d only be lonely and sad. (and so would my family) The truth is that nothing could give me more joy than loving my husband and our children and, I hope one day a loooonnnnngggg time from now, I can include grandchildren in that as well.</p>
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		<title>Saturday Round-up April 27</title>
		<link>http://onesimplemama.com/2013/04/27/saturday-round-up-april-27/</link>
		<comments>http://onesimplemama.com/2013/04/27/saturday-round-up-april-27/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 27 Apr 2013 13:42:19 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Erika Marie</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Random]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Saturday Food for Thought Round-Up]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[Boy with Downs Syndrome joins baseball team for a day and changes them forever Hilarious &#8217;expert&#8217; sleep advice for exhausted new moms sparkles and rainbows - an honest look at real motherhood Dear Son - I loved this from a friend of mine to her 11 month old baby boy. NFP doesn&#8217;t work you have so many [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img class="alignleft" alt="" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Uif_t4E5lEw/USmi953CEVI/AAAAAAAAMv4/GQWlgEalVJg/s288/Simplemama%2527s%2520Saturday%2520Round-Up.png" width="218" height="288" /></p>
<p><a href="http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20120915/NEWS10/309150118/Ted-joined-Reds-day-changed-team-forever?nclick_check=1" target="_blank">Boy with Downs Syndrome joins baseball team for a day and changes them forever</a></p>
<p><a href="http://t.today.com/moms/exhausted-new-moms-hilarious-take-expert-sleep-advice-goes-viral-6C9559908" target="_blank">Hilarious &#8217;expert&#8217; sleep advice for exhausted new moms</a></p>
<p><a href="sparkles and rainbows " target="_blank">sparkles and rainbows </a>- an honest look at real motherhood</p>
<p><a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/frame?post=971517487&amp;group=6381605&amp;frame_type=b&amp;blog=6381605&amp;link=aHR0cDovL2VyaWthcmVuYm9uYXIud29yZHByZXNzLmNvbS8yMDEzLzA0LzI1L2RlYXItc29uLw&amp;frame=1&amp;click=0&amp;user=0" target="_blank">Dear Son </a>- I loved this from a friend of mine to her 11 month old baby boy.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.houseunseen.com/2013/04/nfp-doesnt-work-you-have-so-many-kids.html" target="_blank">NFP doesn&#8217;t work you have so many kids!</a> I realllyyyy liked this one. Like I commented there and on FB &#8211; We have 4 kids. To some that sounds like a lot. (And I know to some that brings envious thoughts) It is crazy-wonderful. We love them all and wouldn&#8217;t have &#8216;planned&#8217; it any better&#8230;even if we could have.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.focus.org/blog/posts/i-almost-stopped-praying.html" target="_blank">I almost stopped praying (infertility)</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/frame?post=975170587&amp;group=4774581&amp;frame_type=b&amp;blog=4774581&amp;link=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5zdGV2ZXdpZW5zLmNvbS8yMDEzLzA0LzI2L3RoZS1saWUtaS1iZWxpZXZlZC8&amp;frame=1&amp;click=0&amp;user=0" target="_blank">The Lie I Believed</a> &#8220;I do think we’ll be blessed by doing the right thing, but the lie is that the blessing we receive will make us become shiny, happy people who end up on top. I just don’t think that’s true&#8230;Sometimes when you do the right thing, all hell breaks loose.&#8221;</p>
<p><a href="https://www.facebook.com/ArchbishopChaput?fref=ts" target="_blank">The Gosnell story and its lessons by Archbishop Charles chaput</a></p>
<p><a href="http://the-american-catholic.com/2013/04/17/relics-of-barbarism/" target="_blank">Relics of Barbarism</a> - <a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/double_x/doublex/2013/04/legalize_polygamy_marriage_equality_for_all.html" target="_blank">Legalize Polygamy! No. I am not kidding.</a> Yup, one thing really does beget another. At least we&#8217;re being open and honest about it now.</p>
<p>Lest you think I&#8217;m a bigot who has no heart and hates gays, here&#8217;s one to remember that there is a difference between &#8216;practicing a homosexual lifestyle&#8217; and struggling with &#8216;same-sex attraction&#8217;: <a href="http://thecatholicspirit.com/special-sections/marriage/living-with-same-sex-attraction/" target="_blank">Living with same-sex attraction; Five Catholics describe joys, struggles of embracing chastity</a>.</p>
<p><a href="http://canonlawblog.wordpress.com/2013/04/22/some-thoughts-occasioned-by-rod-drehers-sex-after-christianity/" target="_blank">Shoulder on (even if the world is ending)</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.ncregister.com/blog/simcha-fisher/ten-things-to-do-instead-of-wallowing?utm_source=feedburner&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=Feed%3A+NCRegisterDailyBlog+National+Catholic+Register#When:2013-04-25%2014:53:01" target="_blank">Ten Things to Do Instead of Wallowing</a></p>
<p>And if you&#8217;re still feeling blah, try something Yummy: <a href="http://www.fortmillscliving.com/2013/04/26/recipe-artichoke-hummus/" target="_blank">Artichoke Hummus</a></p>
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		<title>7 Quicks Friday</title>
		<link>http://onesimplemama.com/2013/04/26/7-quicks-friday/</link>
		<comments>http://onesimplemama.com/2013/04/26/7-quicks-friday/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 26 Apr 2013 21:02:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Erika Marie</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[7 Quick Takes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ghiradelli brownies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[post-partum pooch]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[postpartum abdominal diastasis]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[the evolution of music]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[~ 1 ~ Check this out. It&#8217;s awesome. Evolution of Music &#8211; Pentatonix  ~ 2 ~ A good friend joined us for dinner yesterday. I made steak and veggie kabobs! Yes, me the &#8216;can&#8217;t we just eat pbj sandwiches for dinner every night?&#8217; cook made kabobs. It took longer than expected (2 hours vs. 30 [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: center;">~ 1 ~</p>
<p>Check this out. It&#8217;s awesome. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lExW80sXsHs" target="_blank">Evolution of Music &#8211; Pentatonix</a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe src="http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/lExW80sXsHs?rel=0" height="360" width="640" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> <strong>~ 2 ~</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">A good friend joined us for dinner yesterday. I made steak and veggie kabobs! Yes, me the &#8216;can&#8217;t we just eat pbj sandwiches for dinner every night?&#8217; cook made kabobs. It took longer than expected (2 hours vs. 30 minutes) and they were a tad undercooked and we had to keep sticking them back on the grill. BUT- they were delicious!</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Oh and my boys used the kabob sticks for swords. Thankfully no eyes were gouged or hearts pierced.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">My friend brought <a href="http://www.ghirardellibrownies.com/products/caramel-turtle.aspx" target="_blank">Ghiradelli Caramel Turtle Brownies</a> for dessert. And then she did something terrible &#8211; she left the rest here. With me. To sit in my kitchen all day all by themselves&#8230;</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Tell me &#8211; and be honest now &#8211; could <em>you </em>pretend these weren&#8217;t sitting in your kitchen begging for attention?</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.merelymarie.com/2012/04/good-box-brownies-putting-down-the-coffee-cup-for-afternoon-tea/"><img class="aligncenter" alt="" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-tSidcgRRUyQ/UXrWW_kBA8I/AAAAAAAANCc/ecqv1umuC5E/s400/merelymarie-ghirardelli-turtle-brownies.png" width="400" height="319" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>~ 3 ~</strong></p>
<p>Yesterday my father-in-law took mercy upon me and let the 3-year-old hang out with him for 4 &#8211; 1, 2, 3, FOUR &#8211; hours! The three-year-old was so excited to spend time with his grandpap.I got to hang out with Mr. kindergartener without having to stop every 2.5 seconds to break up an argument or tell the boys to stop spitting or hitting or whacking or <em>barely </em>touching each other. We worked on his homework and even read a few more pages in his book we&#8217;ve been reading without any distraction or interruptions! Then the baby took a loooonnnnggg nap and we had some down time. It was awesome. Thank you father-in-law!</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>~ 4 ~</strong></p>
<p>Today we spontaneously joined my daughter for lunch. She asked me this morning if I could come and I could tell she was happy we decided to come. We sat with her and her friends and I looked at them and realized how much older they look suddenly! Soon she&#8217;s not going to be my &#8216;little&#8217; girl anymore. I&#8217;m glad she likes me to be involved and I&#8217;ll keep coming to visit her because I know one of these days she&#8217;ll just roll her eyes and pretend she doesn&#8217;t know me &#8211; her own mother.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>~ 5 ~</strong></p>
<p>One of the teachers commented to me as we were leaving how wonderful it is that I get to come sit with her at school for a little bit. She reminded me how blessed I am to be a &#8216;stay-at-home&#8217; mom so I <em>can </em>do things like that. She assured me that they (the kids) <em>will </em>remember and treasure those little things. I&#8217;ve been struggling a little with my role/vocation as a &#8216;stay-at-home&#8217; mom so I felt this was God speaking to me through her and giving me a high-five and sending me encouragement as I &#8216;run this race&#8217;.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>~ 6 ~</strong></p>
<p>I&#8217;m in the process of deciding whether or not to move all my email from my outlook program to an online email service like Gmail. I know, I live in the dark ages. I&#8217;d like to be able to check my email or see previous ones if needed when I&#8217;m not at home. But, I wonder what would happen if Google crashed or the Internet stopped working and the world collapsed into itself &#8211; how would I check my email?</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>~ 7 ~</strong></p>
<p>Well it finally happened. Twice (yes twice) in this ONE week, I received 2 comments (from strangers) indicating I looked pregnant &#8211; and I&#8217;m not. I just had my baby&#8230;8 months ago. Because of my pregnancy-caused Abdominal Separation <a href="http://www.befitmom.com/abdominal_separation.html" target="_blank">(diastasis recti)</a> my postpartum pooch lingers&#8230;and lingers&#8230;and&#8230;never goes away. I&#8217;ve been looking for shirts that cover it up better but so far have had little luck. I&#8217;m small everywhere else except for the pooch. So if I buy a size large, it&#8217;s too big at the top and shows the whole world where my baby keeps his secret love potion. If I buy size medium, it fits well at the top but then clings to my belly &#8211; I might as well color a target around it. I <em>could </em>wear my maternity shirts but most of those also fit tightly in the belly &#8211; since it&#8217;s now &#8216;trendy&#8217; to have that &#8216;cute&#8217; pregnant belly button poking through. While thinking and writing about this, I did stumble upon this cool site: <a href="http://thehumbledhomemaker.com/2013/02/what-to-wear-postpartum-dressing-to-cover-the-tummy-diastasis.html" target="_blank">What to Wear Postpartum {Dressing to Cover the Tummy &amp; Diastasis}</a> postpartum and <a href="http://www.mothering.com/community/t/1245488/how-did-you-fix-your-postpartum-abdominal-separation-diastasis-recti" target="_blank">how to fix it</a>. Is there a place that sells looser-fitting shirts without being maternity or  &#8216;plus-sized&#8217;? (since I&#8217;m not that big everywhere else) I&#8217;ve been doing a few exercises for it but now that I&#8217;ve found this other information I&#8217;m excited that maybe there&#8217;s more I could do. The diastasis is not only a problem of vanity &#8211; it caused issues during my pregnancy and labor so I&#8217;d reallllyyyy like to get those abs back together before the next one comes along! (Pardon the assumption of God&#8217;s blessing of another child.)</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.conversiondiary.com/2013/04/7-quick-takes-friday-vol-214.html" target="_blank">Ok that was fun, now go check out others Quick Takes - Ms. Fulwiler is back!</a></p>
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		<title>I am my own proof of God&#8217;s existence</title>
		<link>http://onesimplemama.com/2013/04/25/i-am-my-own-proof-of-gods-existence/</link>
		<comments>http://onesimplemama.com/2013/04/25/i-am-my-own-proof-of-gods-existence/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 26 Apr 2013 04:37:47 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Erika Marie</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[faith]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[I believe]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Random]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[I believe in God]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://onesimplemama.com/?p=4217</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I believe God exists because I am here, thinking about this and writing this. My brain is thinking these thoughts and my fingers are typing them and you are now reading the words that were in my brain on your computer screen. Or your phone or iPad or whatever other nerfty gadget you have.  And those [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://onesimplemama.com/2013/03/08/why-i-believe-god-exists/" target="_blank">I believe God </a>exists because I am here, thinking about this and writing this.</p>
<p>My brain is thinking these thoughts and my fingers are typing them and you are now reading the words that were in my brain on your computer screen. Or your phone or iPad or whatever other nerfty gadget you have.  And those right there should be proof enough of our intelligent design.</p>
<p>In school we learn about animals and the various species. Reptiles, amphibians, arachnids (eek!), birds, insects, and mammals, etc. And of course we learn that we - homo sapiens &#8211; are part of the mammal species.</p>
<p>But we all know we are much more than &#8216;animal&#8217;. Sure we share <em>many </em>characteristics and traits with all the other creatures out there. (Another poof of intelligent design) We eat, drink, sleep, breathe, pee and poop, reproduce, gestate, give birth and nourish new life. We do what we can to at least stay alive. But it&#8217;s obvious there&#8217;s something different about us &#8211; something extraordinarily unique.</p>
<p>We care about things that animals clearly do not. You don’t see animals walking around in clothes and getting together for coffee to talk about the state of current affairs. Animals don’t spend time looking up into the night sky and wondering if there is a God or not. Animals don’t sit around wondering what they are supposed to do with their lives, they don’t think about who they want to be friends with or where or if they are going to go to college or who they are going to marry and how many kids they will have. (They are actually a step above us in that respect.)</p>
<p>But I do. I’m more than some ‘evolved mammal’ who lives only to survive and follow my animal instincts.</p>
<p>I think. I <i>ponder</i>. I <i>wonder. </i>I <i>contemplate. </i></p>
<p>I <i>feel</i>.</p>
<p>And not just pain – animals feel that too. And not just basic emotions – animals can be depressed or content. Ask anyone who has a pet.</p>
<p>I feel sadness, grief, anger, frustration…hate.</p>
<p>I feel peace. I feel joy. I feel LOVE.</p>
<p>And be<i>cause </i>of these thoughts and feelings, I <i>do. </i></p>
<p>I move. I work. I <i>act. </i>I <i>decide</i>.</p>
<p>What I <i>do </i>isn’t just about survival. I don’t behave only according to whatever is best for my survival. I don’t only make behavioral choices because of ‘forced social norms’ or because of how it will benefit me. (Well not all the time.) I have the capacity to go beyond that.</p>
<p>I have the capacity to forget myself, to forget what’s best for me, and do what’s <i>better </i>for another.</p>
<p>That’s called <i>LOVE. </i>Not only can I feel love, I can <i>choose </i>to accept it and to <i>give </i>it. Because it has been given to me.</p>
<p>If you think about everything humans can do and have done. It’s incredible.</p>
<p>We talk, we sing, we dance.</p>
<p>We explore, discover, learn and teach. We dream and aspire. We <i>yearn. </i></p>
<p>We create, build, and express -</p>
<p>Captivating art, music, prose and poetry that reach into the depths of our souls; the great and mysterious pyramids and other awesome architectural buildings; planes, trains, automobiles, space shuttles that stretch our minds (and the laws of physics!); machines, computers, robots, things like <a href="http://www.google.com/glass/start/">Google glass</a>; and let’s not even get started with modern medicine and all the life-saving miracles it can bring!</p>
<p>And I’m sure we haven’t even gotten started yet.</p>
<p>Humans are amazing creatures. And we are not just some random and unorganized mass of protons and neutrons with the capacity for high intelligence and grand ideas.</p>
<p>What we are and who we are &#8211; and all that we can do and be &#8211; is because we are intelligently <i>designed </i>that way.</p>
<p>Hence, a Designer.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
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