The REAL Sock Monkey

Our little sock monkey :) 

We've had to resort to socks on the hands to keep our boy from scratching up his precious little face.  Ever since he was teeny, he has loved being swaddled...loves to be cozy.  But I guess he's growing out of it, because every morning, he has wriggled his way out of it, and his face is all scratched up.  Hopefully socks are an acceptable solution :) 

Perfect Design

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful."  Psalm 139:13

Watching our little boy grow has me utterly convinced that God designed us perfectly...better than any of us could have done.  Watching my belly grow as he developed from the size of a pumpkin seed to an 8 pound, 1 ounce bundle of joy, and now watching him transition from a baby to a little boy.  Amazing!  Each stage is amazing and leaves me in awe of God's perfect plan.  Take eating for example...I am so thankful God saved us from the embarrassment of learning how to eat at any stage of life other than babyhood.  At what other stage could it be adorable to allow food to dribble down your face, all over your clothes.  I mean, we even take pictures of it!   

How cute is he??  :)

Can you imagine as a 25 year old, sitting in a restaurant, and every spoonful of food you put into your mouth, you push out with your tongue and let it dribble down your chin?  Not so adorable...I don't think anyone would be taking pictures :)

And take teething!  Lord, thank you for including teething in our lives at such an early age, so we don't remember it.  It just seems miserable!  I keep telling Calvin that daddy and I went through the same thing and we don't remember any of it.  I'm pretty sure he hears me, but I'm not sure he understands :)  You can all be praying for us as we go through this stage :) 

Thank you, Lord, for the way you perfectly designed each one of us.  We can't wait to watch our little boy continue to develop into who You want him to be! 

I Love Homemade!!

So I have been really getting in to making more things homemade.  I still have a long ways to go, but I find great joy out of making something from scratch, especially when it makes it more healthy, and cheaper!!  I love replacing something that typically comes from a can, with something fresh and delicious and homemade! 

I stumbled across a friend's recipe for homemade refried beans and cooked them up today.  They were soooo good!!  I had made refried beans before, because I've become a HUGE fan of beans (so, so cheap!! and healthy!!).  But this recipe was for enough to put in the freezer so I can have them on hand.  I haven't eaten any that have been frozen yet, but the fresh ones are AMAZING!!  So flavorful, so fresh, so wonderful!!  But the GREATEST thing about this recipe was that the beans are cooked in the crockpot!!  If you are friends with me on facebook, you have seen my many, many comments referencing my love for all things crockpot.  If you don't own one, get one...go, get one now!!  Throwing ingredients together in the morning and having a fresh cooked, delicious meal that evening without even having to think about it is nothing short of a miracle :) 

I hope my friend doesn't mind, but I thought I'd share the recipe so you all could enjoy the goodness!!

Homemade Refried Beans

6 cups dry pinto beans
9 cups water (may need more during cooking process)
1 diced onion
1 jalapeno, diced (I actually didn't have one on hand, so I didn't add)
4 T. garlic, minced
8 t. salt
1 T. pepper
1/4 t. cumin

Put all ingredients together in your crockpot.  Cook on low for 8-9 hours, or on high for 4 hours.  Once beans are softened, mash to desired consistency.  I actually used the food processor and it was WAY easier than mashing :)  I added some shredded cheddar cheese.  I'm told the beans can be bagged and put in the freezer, which I will be experimenting tonight. 

Enjoy!!  Oh, and if any of you have any delicious homemade, low budget recipes, please share them!!  Help me keep my family healthy, and save some money!!