My Valentine...

Mrs. Nurse Boy here.

Kristen, over at We are THAT family, is having a little carnival for you to honor your spouse. I encourage you to check it out. Take time this week to do just that. It will actually bless you both when you take time to think about all the things you appreciate about your spouse. No one is perfect, but everyone has traits that make them remarkable. Today, I will share some of the things that make my husband remarkable...


I met my husband when we were both just kids. Oh, don't get me wrong. We thought we knew everything. But, at 18, you know nothing about real life. (Sometimes I realize we still don't.)

We started dating at the end of our senior year in high school. I never felt so close to someone before. Many of the things that attracted me to him then, still attract me to him now.

Nurse Boy was, and still is, very honest. (Yes, sometimes a little too honest. Which is why I will never ask him if my butt looks big in these jeans.) He also knew how to have fun. He knew how to enjoy life, yet be responsible. He always made me feel relaxed. And, he made me laugh. Honestly, laughter can make almost anything seem better. I should know, he makes me laugh all the time.

We have grown up together. We met when all we had were dreams and ideas. We didn't know what life had in store, but we were excited to find out.

In some ways, we are still those 18 year old kids. (Which is part of the reason I am always surprise by those laugh lines in the mirror. When did those creep up on me? Where, oh where did that youthful face go?) We really enjoy spending time together. We find a lot of comfort in one another. We are still somewhat unaware of what life has in store for us. We are still dreaming. Our dreams are more simple, more refined. They are actually based in reality, now. But, they are still our dreams. I hope we never stop dreaming together.

Thank you, Nurse Boy, for not only putting up with my imperfections, but embracing them. Thank you for loving me just the way I am. You are such an awesome example to me and our children. You, in so many ways, love me just how Christ loved the church. For that, I am truly blessed.

I am so thankful you are the person I get to sleep next to at night, wake up next to in the morning, and share my dreams, passions, and my heart's desires with each and every day. I am so excited that God put us together and I get to spend my days dreaming with you!

You make me more complete and compliment me in ways that no one else can. You make me a better woman, mother, and wife. For that, I am eternally grateful. You are definitely a gift from above. You will always be my Valentine.

Now, let's keep dreaming...


Don't forget to love on your spouse this week!

Everything...

you never wanted to know about us.

A list of random facts about us, as a couple, in honor of Valentine's Day.

**We hate buying cars. We once bought a used van (2 years old) that ran for only 7 out of the 30 days we owned it. It shall never be forgotten. Neither will the dealership.

**We have purchased 2 homes thus far. Both times we feared we had made a horrible mistake. Somehow we survived. Plus, we may have gained a little wisdom. Check back with us when we purchase our next house in 2080.

**Neither one of us likes to kill spiders/bugs. We both do it when we have to. Nurse Boy has to do it whenever he is around. He almost never kills the insect on the first try and he can never find it once he "thinks" it is dead. This includes spiders crawling on the ceiling directly over our bed. There have been several arguments over spiders. Especially the ones over our bed. I am totally serious.

**We are both crazy about our kids. We honestly believe they couldn't be more beautiful on the inside or the outside. If you don't agree, we don't like you. It is that simple! ;0)

**We both hate to clean the kitchen and do the laundry~~two jobs that have to be done ALL THE TIME at our house. Thankfully, we help each other out a lot in these two areas.

**Neither one of us likes to handle the finances. Don't get me wrong, we are BLESSED not to be in credit card debt. (Mortgage, well, that's another story.) We aren't careless, just not interested in handling all of the little details that can go along with running a household and a family. Usually there is one person who enjoys budgeting, crunching numbers, and analyzing their 401K. All we like to crunch around here are carrots. It is the sad, sorry truth. The upside? We never fight about finances. I honestly can't think of one fight about finances. Spiders, on the other hand...

**Peanut butter is a staple in our home. If you don't like it...leave.

**Our dream car is a brand new Town-N-Country with leather seats and everything on it. We will never have this dream car. As practical as that sounds, it still isn't practical enough for our reality. We just can't bring ourselves to buy a NEW car.

**We complete one another. We compliment each other's strengths and weaknesses. We are both better people because of our marriage and our relationship.

**We spend endless hours every month talking about each one of our children. We discuss any needs, wants, achievements, goals, problems, or concerns. We are always reflecting as parents. It is the toughest job we have. Just when we think we have something figured out, we discover we have NO IDEA what we are doing.

**We have a passion for marriage ministry. We feel that God has plans to use us in this area, but we don't know how or when. If it is licking stamps for Gary Smalley's ministry, we will do it. We want to be a vessel and are excited to see what is in store.

**We really enjoy this blog together. We have always cracked each other up and enjoyed playing off of each other's strengths. We also enjoy the community of bloggers that we cross paths with each day. Thank you for stopping by.

Monday's Random Musings

Mrs. Nurse Boy here.

In honor of Valentine's Day, I am dedicating today's post to our relationship. I personally think that marriage is one of the most wonderful things that God created. Oh, don't get me wrong. It is work. Sometimes it is a lot of work. Most of the time it is what keeps me grounded, sane, and feeling loved and supported. I am so thankful for a loving husband who puts up with all of my imperfections!

Today I will share some random facts about our relationship. Some facts might be interesting, some not so much. It is our life. Sometimes we sit in front of the TV in our PJ's just like everyone else. Sometimes we go out on the town.

OK, we almost never go out on the town. I'll just be honest and stick to the facts.

Random facts.

**We met our senior year in high school. We both took "Interpersonal Relationships," for an easy "A." Who knew we would find love?

**I was attracted to Nurse Boy because he was one of the most open, honest, and fun people I had ever met. With Nurse Boy, what you see is truly what you get. I admire that about him. Always have. (It can also be embarrassing, but that is another post for another day.)

**We dated for 3 years, then we were engaged for 2 years, and have been married for 12 years.

**One summer night in 1996, we almost broke off our engagement. It was a few months before we were married. (A story most people don't know.) Reflecting back on that night, we both believe that was when God intervened and took over. We believe that His plan was to put us together, but we were to submit to Him. This was something we had not been doing. We actually treasure that memory now. It is a reminder that there are 3 of us in this marriage.

**We were married at a local country club in the "Pub Room." I know! How romantic, right?There were only 45 people present, including us. The ceremony and reception were in the same room. Nurse Boy was the sound man. He actually held a remote to the CD player during the ceremony. (Yes, we are some classy people.) It was very small, but exactly what we wanted at that time in our life.

**We lived with my parents for the first 6 months after we were married. Nurse Boy had moved here to join me and was looking for a job while I was teaching third grade in the inner city. It made sense at the time. (But, I wouldn't recommend it.)

**Nurse Boy would have lived there forever. My parents always took his side, pampered him, and made only meals he liked.

**Some of our favorite memories were from our first apartment. Back when we had money, but didn't know it. Not to mention, very few responsibilities. Dinner and a movie were a weekly occurrence. (It now takes an act of congress.)

**It was in that apartment we found out we were pregnant with our first child. It was about 2 years into our marriage and we were very surprised. Who knew that unprotected "relations", just once, would change your life forever? Oh, I guess God did. We had planned on waiting for a few more years. We are both grateful for the timing, now. If we had waited, we don't think we would have 3 children.

Tomorrow we will post another random list. This list will include everything you never wanted to know about us and more.

Oh, you thought you already read that, huh?

Friday Fare!

Mrs. Nurse Boy here. Like you were expecting Nurse Boy to suggest a recipe, right? If he did, it would be a bowl of Peanut Butter Captain Crunch with skim milk, poured to overflowing. Let's just say that he is not the cook in this household. Although, he can grill a mean steak.

We are almost a week away from Valentine's Day. I know it is really just a day for the greeting card industry, but it is always nice to be thankful for the special people in your life. Next week, we are going to focus on our marriage and share some funny facts about what brought us together, what keeps us together, and our journey along the way. Just for fun. We hope it helps you stay focused on all of the blessings in your life. Come back next week to read, laugh, cry (just kidding!), and maybe even share some of your story!

Today I will share another family favorite. I have adapted this recipe from hungry-girl.com. If you haven't checked her out, you should! She takes many of our favorite recipes and makes them healthier. So, I took one of her recipes and added more fat. It's OK, I'll own it. This is still healthy and my whole family loves this recipe~including my extended family.

BBQ Chicken Wraps

(All measurements are approximate.)

About 1 lb. cooked boneless skinless lean chicken breast, chopped or shredded
10 small low-fat flour tortillas
About 3 cups raw coleslaw (Or you can buy prepared coleslaw and drain or rinse all excess dressing. If you do this, you do not need the Marzetti's Dressing.)
4-6 tablespoons of Marzetti's Light Coleslaw Dressing
1/2- 1 cup of BBQ sauce (Our favorite for this recipe is Cookies brand. Something sweet and tangy is perfect. Use whatever you prefer.)
Shredded Cheese is optional~~~This is where you can pack on the fat. I prefer these without the cheese, but most of my family chooses to add some cheese.

1. Mix the cooked chicken with the proper amount of BBQ sauce. You don't want this to be too messy, yet you want it to have some flavor.

2. For the coleslaw, I prefer to mix my own. I add small amounts of dressing to the raw coleslaw. Maybe 4 tablespoons or so. You want it to have a little bit of a sweet flavor, but not a messy, drippy mixture. The coleslaw is more about its crisp texture in this recipe.

3. Warm the tortillas. Next, add the chicken, coleslaw, and cheese! Easy and delicious!


I already made these this week and I remembered to take a picture! I know! Amazing! I like to serve these with corn and a salad.

Have a great weekend!

Baby It's Cold Outstide!

Mrs. Nurse Boy here.

Have I mentioned that it is time to move south? I would say Florida, but I spent a few days there in the month of April a couple of years back and I looked like I had stuck my finger in an electrical socket the entire trip. Not a pretty sight. My hair had a mind all of its own. It was so bad that Nurse Boy kept asking me if I had already styled my hair before we would leave the hotel room. I had indeed. Nurse Boy kept introducing me as his poodle, err, I mean wife. So, I need to move south, just not sure how far south.

My family, however, LOVES the winter and all of the surprises that it always has in store. Nurse Boy wants to move NORTH. Let's just say that is NOT happening. So, I guess we will just stay planted.

While we don't have snow on the ground today, we do have some cold temps. I am tired of them! Today I will share some pictures from a few weeks ago. My children believe that if it is going to be cold, we should at least have snow on the ground...

Just don't eat the yellow snow ;0)

Making a snow angel.

Taking one for the team.

Little Miss Pris did NOT want to get too wet or too cold. Oh, wait. That was me.

Let's build something.

Are these kids having fun, or what?!



Of course, you MUST end all snow activity with a cup of Hot Chocolate!

(Which you are apparently suppose to lap up like a little puppy?)

Fighting the Winter Blahs...

Mrs. Nurse Boy here.

I don't know about you, but we are fighting the winter blahs. January is such a let down after a busy, crazy, blessed December. Now, we have moved into February.

At a mommy group the other week, they shared a tried and true recipe for homemade playdoh. I know I already have this recipe...somewhere. At least I put it in a safe place so I would know where it was... of course, I have NO IDEA where that is.

The story of my life.

Since I now have the recipe back in my not-so-safe-hands, I decided Sweet Pea and I needed to pound out some fun.

I thought I would share the recipe and some pictures of those chubby hands at work. And, no, I am not refering to my own hands.

Yay! PINK playdoh!

Aren't those hands so cute?

SHE is the master of design.

OK, she had a little help here.

Adjusting...

Perfection!

Homemade Playdoh

1 c. flour

1c. boiling water

2 tbsp. cream of tartar

1/2 c. salt

1 tbsp. oil

food coloring

Mix and knead together. Next, add kids!

By the way, pounding the playdoh IS a great stress reliever!
I'm just saying...

Monday's Random Musings

Mrs. Nurse Boy here.

I know you have been waiting all weekend for some random thoughts. You are in luck! It is Monday, so that's all I am able to muster up.

Random. Thoughts.

* * * * *
I am obsessed with my bed linens. I love fresh, new, clean linens and comforters. Not to mention pillows. Every year I get the itch to replace our bedding. Just last week I bought a new comforter set. Nurse Boy hasn't noticed that this obsession is somewhat abnormal. Until this year. He is on to me. I just MIGHT have to make my bedding last longer. Sigh...
* * * * *
Nurse Boy is going on a missions trip to New Orleans in the very near future. I am so excited for him. He has always had a strong interest in missions, but I never felt the timing or finances were right. Well, I realized (with a little prodding from above) that they never are. So, he is going. He will be missed. He is going to be building houses and I am going to be holding down the fort by myself. I am praying that I can be super supportive. Not jealous. Not that I want to build houses, mind you. I just want to go to the bathroom alone. For once. Sometime in the near future. And, maybe, squeeze in a long, hot shower. Shaving my legs would be heavenly. Oh, wait. This isn't suppose to be about me, is it? THAT is what I need to work on. I think in some ways this missions trip is more for me than Nurse Boy.
* * * * *
Nurse Boy has tightened up our budget in preparation for the missions trip. How come it makes me want to spend money even more? Those clearance racks are calling out my name...
* * * * *
Nurse Boy and I are still doing our daily workouts on the treadmill. We still hate those 30 minutes of our day. Yeah, yeah...we know it's good for us. That is the only reason why we are keeping it up.
* * * * *
After my workout, I can have a cookie or 5...right? I know, I know. I'll grab an apple. Just a thought...
* * * * *
I just found out that they pump oxygen into the casinos in Vegas. That is apparently what keeps people awake, refreshed, and excited enough to lose lots of their own hard earned money. This gave me an idea. What if I invented an alarm clock that shot out oxygen at the same time the alarm sounded? Would I be able to jump out of bed, ready to take on the day...and my three grumpy children. Is there enough oxygen for that? I sure hope so... Not to mention, this idea could just make us millions. Then I could hire a nanny. Just for the morning routine, of course ;0)

Thanks for reading. I am off to the dreaded treadmill. Maybe I just need an oxygen mask to make the workout more refreshing...