Project 366: Day 20 [March 7th]

What is it with packages being delivered first thing in the morning anymore?? I love it! :) As one of my sweet friends said yesterday, it feels like Christmas! I love waiting.. and then getting them! :) What came today you might be wondering?? The supplies for Tayler's first birthday! Well... a few of them! Her tablecloths, plates, cups, napkins, forks, bowls, and table decorations came today!

And we got her Brobee cup! She is going to love sipping out of this on her party day! I am so excited I cannot even stand it!

And well, all of that package opening must have worn Tayler out ;) haha! It was cuddle time. We sent this picture to Daddy. (We send him at least one picture a day. We think he really enjoys it, hehe!)

Once Daddy got home, we ran a few errands. It was a GORGEOUS day out today! Yes, we all went out of the house without coats! Of course, I took Tayler's along with us because I'm a paranoid Momma, haha, but it was just lovely out. We had the windows down in the car and we were rockin' out to some music! I took a picture of one of the spots we stopped at. It was a quick stop, so Ethan just ran in as opposed to me getting Tayler out, taking in the diaper bag, etc :) He's a good hubby!

Doesn't it look just gorgeous? Sun shining... breeze blowin'.. definitely my kind of day!

When we got home.. I was starving and so was Ethan! I laid Tayler down for a nap and I started on dinner! We were having our own version of stir fry this evening! Basically what you'll need is steak (I bought the stir fry steak at the store), 3 green peppers, 1 onion, and I threw a Serrano pepper in there because we wanted some spice! Put all of that on top of some white rice with some soy sauce, garlic powder, and pepper. (I completely forgot to take a picture of all of that. Oops!)

First, get a pot and start boiling water for rice. I used instant rice and just followed the ingredients on the side of the box :) I made enough for '4 servings' because my husband really enjoys his rice!

Chop your steak up and put it in a pan with some butter, garlic powder, pepper, and soy sauce. 

While that is browning, chop up your green  peppers, onions, and serrano pepper and throw those into the pan after the steak has browned. I threw in a little more garlic, pepper, and soy sauce, but that's because we LOVE it. Do as you please! :)

Mix all of that around and soften up those peppers as good as you can! :) 

After the rice is done and your peppers/steak are cooked to your desire, put some rice on your plate, then the lovely meat and veggies mixture and there you have it! I added more pepper and soy sauce because I LOVE it!! 

This is a favorite around here. It was a simple recipe that was passed down from my Grandpa to my mom and then to me. I hope you all enjoy it!

After dinner, we watched 'Prank My Mom.' I didn't take a picture of this, but I DVR'd it Tuesday night and let me tell you-- if you haven't seen this yet, TAPE it or WATCH it! It just premiered this past Tuesday night, so keep your eye out for it! I was laughing so hard I had tears streaming down my face and that hasn't happened in a long time, haha! :)

Then, I decided to share Tayler's 1 year old pictures with everyone. I gave this disclaimer at first:

"I posted some pictures of Tayler. I in know way claim to be a professional photographer. I have been working on these to try and make them as good as I could, but I'm still learning. All I can say is taking pictures of Tayler is what I absolutely love to do! I'm just a Mommy that wanted her baby to have some pictures taken of her... to remember this moment in time. I'm not perfect at what I do, but I know that I will cherish these pictures for as long as I live because they caught that one moment in time where my baby was a year old. I love you with all of my heart Tayler Serenity. You are the light of our lives and we wanted to see that!"

And I figured I would share a few with y'all! I know they are not perfect, but I love them and I cannot wait to share them with all of you!

I think she is the most beautiful baby in the entire world :) Biased? Nah! ;)

I caught a few pictures of Tayler playing in her play room today. She will literally go in there and play for hours. I LOVE it! I feel like she is using her imagination and just having a blast. It makes me so happy. Ethan and I talked about having a play room for her when she was still in my belly.. and now look.. she's actually big enough to play in one! Crazy, right?

She had it a mess in there today, but I figure that just means she is having a blast! :) 

Then it was bath time! And we always laugh at Tayler's hair after she gets out of the tub and we dry it, haha!

Freaking cutie.

Then... I made doughnuts. I didn't take pictures this time around because I already posted the directions on another blog, so I'm just going to share that link with you all if you are interested! Just click here.

Ethan's sister and her boyfriend came over with their new baby and we spent the rest of our evening visiting with them. It was wonderful! :) 

And now for the lesson and prayer today...

Lesson #10

Apologize. Think back over the last couple of days (or weeks) when you should have apologized for something. Say, "I was reflecting on something that I said the other day. I said that disrespectfully. What I said was wrong. I am sorry. Will you forgive me?" He may have been 90% to blame. This is not done to re-open the subject.  You are apologizing for YOUR disrespectful part. If he starts justifying himself just say, "Honey, You don't have to get into that. I am apologizing for acting disrepectfully. Will you forgive me?" When he says, "Yes," respectfully say, "Thank you," & go do something else. Walk away. Please do not use this as an occasion to rehash the conflict. The showing of respect during this two weeks is not done for the purpose of getting him to look at his failure to love. You are showing respect in obedience to God's Word.

(Source)

 And now for the prayer today:

Pray that your husband will cultivate strong integrity, and not compromise his convictions. Pray that his testimony will be genuine, that he will be honest in his business dealings, and will never do anything that he needs to hide from others. (Prov. 20:7; 1 Tim. 1:5, 3:7; Eph. 6:10-12)

 (Source) 

The Bible scriptures that go along with this particular prayer are as follows:

Proverbs 20:7 (The Message) God-loyal people, living honest lives,
   make it much easier for their children. 

1 Timothy 1:5-7 (The Message)  The whole point of what we're urging is simply love—love uncontaminated by self-interest and counterfeit faith, a life open to God. Those who fail to keep to this point soon wander off into cul-de-sacs of gossip. They set themselves up as experts on religious issues, but haven't the remotest idea of what they're holding forth with such imposing eloquence. 

1 Timothy 3:7 (The Message) For if someone is unable to handle his own affairs, how can he take care of God's church? He must not be a new believer, lest the position go to his head and the Devil trip him up. Outsiders must think well of him, or else the Devil will figure out a way to lure him into his trap. 

Ephesians 6:10-12 (The Message) And that about wraps it up. God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we'll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels. 

Dear God, thank You for the blessing of my husband. I ask that you guard him today. Let him live an honest, pure life. It is vital that we keep relationships healthy in our family, friends, and work places. Please let him have a clean reputation free from lying, theft, etc. Keep him strong in You! You are the one we want to model ourselves after. You are perfect, kind, gentle, meek, and honest. Lord, let us be like You!! Keep our relationship strong in You. We want to be such a good example for Tayler and our future children. We love You so much, Jesus!! I plead Your blood over Ethan and our family. In Your precious name, Amen!

God bless you all

and Cheers to Project 366!