{10 a.m.}

Most Sundays at 10 a.m. we would be at church. But today Ayden woke up with fever so we decided to all stay home. While Emryn was taking a mid-morning nap, here's what everyone else was up to:

{A Stranger}

After a big winter storm yesterday, I'm opting to stay nice and warm inside my cozy house all day long. So, see that tiny black figure across the way? That's a man dutifully shoveling his sidewalk. He's the closest I expect to get to a stranger today. Fine by me!

{The Stranger}

Perhaps a more creative interpretation would be more fitting. How about a Stranger book? JD did the photography and design for both The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus and By This Name by John R. Cross.

If you aren't familiar with either of these books, here is the Amazon write up for By This Name:

"Are there solutions to everyday problems? Can there be meaning or purpose in life? Is it possible to know why we are here and where we are going? Why is there so much suffering and death? Is there life after death? Can we be enlightened here and now? Am I destined to lose all identity- to become part of a great nothingness? Is it true that there are no answers? There is an ancient book that discusses the many questions in life. It is called, "The Holy Bible." But are the answers found within its pages trustworthy? To decide for yourself, you need to know what it really says. BY THIS NAME peels the religion off this sacred book and lets the ancient story speak for itself. In the process, a message of hope snaps into focus. It is a must read."

{Hands}

Isn't this the cutest photo of Ayden?

I LOVE it!

It was taken three years ago today on February 3, 2009.

I can't believe how much my little guy has grown since then!

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{Words ~ currently on our kitchen chalkboard }

Look what arrived on my doorstep ~ a box big enough to fit all 3 of my kids in!

For $66 and free 2 day shipping, I got 6 diaper genie refills and 252 diapers.

The cost per diaper (with a discount I used) worked out to be only $.11 each.

Score!

Thank you Diapers.com.

Yesterday I came across Fat Mum Slim's Photo-a-Day Challenge via Layers of Meaning. Each day you simply share an Instagram photo using the list she came up with as a guideline. Generally I'm not a "participator" but I thought this sounded fun and easy enough.

Rather than share my photos via Instagram or Twitter, I plan to just post mine on the our blog. I'm kinda hoping some of my friends (you guys!) might decide to join me given that the time investment is minimal. I think it would be interesting to see what different people come up with. Each day allows for interpretive creativity. You could even simply share your pics on FaceBook.

So...will anyone join me? Pretty pretty please with a cherry on top?!

Here's the photo guideline followed by my Day 1 Photo:

{My Morning View ~ JD reading to the kiddos}

It's hard to believe Em is 7 weeks old today. That means she'll be 2 months is just a few short weeks. Wow! Already? Even though I find the first few months with a baby to be the most challenging, I know I will be missing this stage before long. Sweet, sleepy babies and spontaneous baby smiles melt my heart. I don't want to forget any of it so here's a shot I took of Emryn last week. I decided to take pics of her every 6 weeks in addition to monthly pictures that we'll do in her room.

This is my plan for 3 reasons.

#1 ~ We are a photo-lovin' family...to the max.

#2 ~ Typically the 3rd child doesn't get photographed nearly as much as the first two. Thus the "plan."

#3 ~ I'd like to improve my photography skills. Lucky me, I have a handsome in-house teacher!

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*FOR THE RECORD*

Both JD and I take photos for this blog, but he's the one who does ALL the post processing.

And he's the one who really knows what's up.

I love being married to a "creative."

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When A&A studied Octopuses for school I wasn't sure what we would bake for the Letter "O". Oatmeal in and of itself isn't all that exciting. And Oreos came to mind, but I'm really not a fan. There are exceptions though. Like the Oreo Cheesecake that my friends the Karys & Lorussos make ~ yum! But once I remembered Dad's chocolate oatmeal cookies I knew I had my answer.

I love these no bake cookies! Be warned: they're super addicting. We're talking chocolate and peanut butter here ~ it's impossible to eat just one. In fact, I lost count of how many I consumed the day we made them. Shame on me.

Growing up, I can't even begin to recall how many times I mixed some of these up with my dad. Both my parents are awesome in the kitchen so I have many food-related memories, but I have extra vivid ones about these cookies. I can picture standing on one of our barstools over the stovetop, using a long wooden spoon to stir the bubbly, chocolatey goodness while watching the 90 seconds of boiling time tick away on the wall clock. Then Dad would spoon the hot mixture out onto the wax paper, while I'd hover nearby hoping for stray drops that I could sneak into my mouth. Thankfully these cookies cool fairly quickly so you don't have to wait long for the real deal.

I attribute this recipe to my dad, but growing up he constantly ran around with his best friend Randy. I think sometimes they were up to no good; I've heard some funny stories! Anyway, it was Randy's sweet mom, Doris, that got Dad hooked on these cookies. As a result, Ryan and I love them, and now JD and the kids do too. Thank you Doris!

The best part is how easy they are. Easy peasy.

Oh yeah, I've also heard them called Cow Patties. I know...that sounds kind of gross. But remember I grew up in Texas where everything is bigger and the cows are plentiful! Moo.

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{~Ingredients~}

{~The Process~}

1. Melt butter with milk in saucepan. Mix sugar and cocoa then add to the milk mixture. Bring to a boil then boil for 1 1/2 minutes while stirring.

2. Add peanut butter, vanilla, and oats. Mix well.

3. Drop by the spoonful onto wax paper. Cookies will set as they cool.

4. Make sure you sneak a few while they're warm!

{~PRINTABLE RECIPE HERE~}

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He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. ~ Ecclesiastes 3:11

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{via // source}

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I love this typographical design! It brings to mind one of my all time favorite books ~ Don Richardson's Eternity in Their Hearts: Startling Evidence of Belief in the One True God in Hundreds of Cultures Throughout the World. It's truly a fascinating read. If you're not familiar with it, I highly recommend you check it out. I usually reread it every few years. Perhaps it's time for me to pull it off the bookshelf yet again.

I stopped off at the Dollar Store and spent 2 bucks on 20 colorful sponges.

Then after cutting them into thirds, I turned A&A loose.

The result?

HOURS and HOURS of creative play.

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And that, folks, is money well spent!

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