TESTIFY!

THIS RIGHT HERE.

So in the past week or so God has been using me... and I couldn't be more excited! I work in Home Health and in a Pregnancy Resource Center. These jobs really just help me use the gifts God has given me for His glory. Every day I am amazed at how God blesses me with the people I serve <3 

I recently spoke with someone who was unhappy with their current church. They loved the people there but there was nothing age appropriate, nothing for their kids, etc. They just felt like they didn't fit in. But like most people, they had been attending for a while and did not want to leave even though they were not getting spiritually fed. I encouraged this person to even just check out a new church, any church (that loves Jesus), for a midweek study, women's group, etc. Just to see how it would be, how they fit in, to get new opportunities for their kids, etc. A few weeks later I spoke with this person again and they were lit up with joy and poured out to me about this great news- they found the church God wanted them at! They attended a church and while there they went for an alter call... the Pastor's wife came up to them and said "God wants me to tell you this is your church now" BAM!What! Jesus wins again!! MULTIPLE others told her the very same thing! How exciting! The joy while she shared this testimony was so undeniable. I got shivers as she told me! For me, I just feel so honored that God allowed me to help plant this seed and be a part of something huge <3 To be where God wants you, so you can grow in your relationship with him, THAT is life changing! 

In home health I see some amazing elderly people- they are so sweet and heart warming. They touch my heart all the time and I don't think they even know it. A couple weeks ago I was seeing my sweet client friend and I love to read scriptures with her (she is also a strong believer). I read her scriptures or devotions and we talk and she started to cry and told me she was so happy we did this together because no one else likes to talk about it much and she thinks its so nice. THAT. That is why I do what I do. My jobs are just opportunities to share God's love. to be His hands and feet. 

Many days I am doing paperwork, cleaning microwaves, giving baths, talking about bowel movements, talking about menstrual cycles, making beds, etc. etc. and ya know what? THAT is being the hands and feet of God. I feel absolutely honored and blessed that God has faith in me to entrust me with all these beautiful souls. That He would choose to use me.... that is mind blowing. "God doesn't call the qualified. He qualifies the called." 

THINK ABOUT IT.

God totally has a plan for you and he wants you to be His hands and feet, where you are, right now. Take your opportunities, and use them for His glory. Every moment of the day is an opportunity to serve, show love, and be an example of Christ. Are you up for the challenge? When you change the way you look at life, I promise, your life changes in amazing ways and God will begin to use you like never before! 

-From my heart, Alicia <3

I'm Joining the LuLaRoe Team!

Hello loving small following of mine! ;-) So a little bit of a big deal... I'm going to be a LuLaRoe Fashion Consultant! :-D Let's be real- I am not a clothes horse type person. Frankly, I am lucky if I have time to brush my hair let alone think about fancy outfits! But the fact of the matter is- LuLaRoe is magical and amazing. Because it made me love clothing and enjoy what I wear! I really just want to share this amazing news with you and tell you how excited I am! As soon as my inventory comes in I will begin in-home "pop-up" clothing boutiques with over 350 pieces of clothing! It's awesome that I can make this work around my work and mommy-ing schedule and not sweat about missing my little Savannah-boo more than I have to.

With sizes 2T-26 in women's there is pretty much is something for every woman and girl! I am plus sized and totally laughed to myself when I began to hear about LuLaRoe because cute stuff is rarely for "big girls" but seriously it has blown me away!

What makes LuLaRoe Unique:

• When you host an in-home pop-up boutique all of the clothes are there! No catalogs! So you can try it on and take it home the same day!
• LuLaRoe only makes a limited number of each design they release. So you like the cupcake print? You better snatch it up because you may never see it again! That also means when you go to your friends party, they may all be wearing Lula but odds are you are NOT "twinning" with anyone! :-)
• LuLaRoe is still a very small direct sales company, and was started about three years ago in California
• Many of LuLaRoe's pieces are made in the U.S.A. and those that are not are made in factories where the workers are paid real living wages and have safe work conditions- NO sweatshops!
• LuLaRoe also has a little girls line that includes dresses, skirts, shirts, and of course- leggings!
• Their leggings are the most popular and know as "butter leggings"!

Soooo if you want to talk to me more about my awesome new business let me know! I am still awaiting the finalization of some details and the shipment of my inventory, but I would love to answer all your questions. I appreciate the support of my friends and family more than you would ever imagine! And I promise I will try my best to not annoy anyone with non-stop 'lula-love" I just can't help it, these clothes are buttery soft!

My Baby Turned One Last Week

So yes, the day has come that Savannah-Boo has turned one whole year old! Who can imagine that, certainly not me! Some days it is hard for me to imagine her being here let alone being one! We prayed for this sweet girl and hoped God would give us a daughter half as loving and zealous as she is,,, we kind of hit the baby jackpot ;-)

She had an absolutely wonderful Birthday week and party complete with her Mimi and Grampa coming all the way from South Carolina to spend it with her <3. At her party she enjoyed the apprx 30 people that came to celebrate with her and she was such a social butterfly, but I am not surprised! She had bunches of baby friends attend and they all seemed to have a great time! Of course, my phone died the morning of so I have few pictures but will be receiving some soon. Her party was cupcake themed and was complete with four different cupcake flavors and of course a very special cake just for her. I made them all and was loving every minute of creating them, finally, for my own sweet daughter! I made most of the decor and food myself but our amazing family pitched in too and it went so much smoother! I found some Pinterest tutorials for some decor but a lot was just a vision in my mind of what it should look like. I can't wait for the challenge of the years to come where she can pick her own theme and then I have to figure it out. It's kind of exciting really, for someone who likes to create! 

After the party we were so tuckered out! All of us ;-) But it was a fantastic day that wouldn't be traded for anything, celebrating our precious daughter <3

This was the Fireplace decor. String lights, Scrapbook paper turned streamer banner, and some foam board all decked out!

 Some sweet pictures strung along the ledge in our kitchen. I am leaving these bad boys up for a while! I love looking at them but Savannah gets a kick out of it too!

 This was my Pinterest tutorial gone awesome! A cupcake liner wreath! And I found those sweet gel clings at Target in the $1 section <3 Here's the link for this awesome wreath tutorial: http://www.imperfecthomemaking.com/2012/02/cheerful-wreath-from-cupcake-liners.html?utm_source=feedburner&amp;amp;amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;amp;amp;utm_campaign=Feed:+ImperfectHomemaking+(The+Com
                                        
This is another ledge in my kitchen that always has Savannah stuff on it :)

And of course my sweet girl on her actual Birthday! Instead of opening her gifts she thought it was pretty awesome she was a "Biggie enough" girl to climb on them. I'll tell ye folks, she sure is a monkey!! 

So there ya have it. I can remember the day of her birth like it was yesterday and I will cherish it in my heart forever. That was the day I became the mommy to the very sweetest, sunshine-y, energetic, dramatic, silly girl in the whole world. Josh and I are having a blast with Savannah and I just couldn't imagine how boring my life would be without her around. Granted, I am sure I wouldn't be so exhausted ;-) At one year old Savannah is 22.5lbs, 31 1/4 inches, and is in size 18m clothing. She wears a whopping size 6 shoe an 2-3T socks. Her days involve, dollies, kitties, laughing, cuddles, Sofia, SNACKS, napping and helping mommy. She loves to go to Grammy and Pappy's, go to the store, cuddle with daddy, play with Sass,  and play with her friends. She just learned how to give real kisses, hug, and blow kisses. She can also walk, get on chairs, climb, brush her teeth, clap, high five, say "sass" and understand many things! She's absolutely blooming into a gorgeous girl and we are so grateful to God for His amazing gifts and timing <3 

"Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children born in one's youth." Psalm 127:4

-Your friend, Alicia :)

Easy Lemon Chicken

Do you love simple delicious recipes? Well so do I! I was making my grocery list the other day when I remembered a delicious recipe I made a few years ago- lemon chicken! I pulled out the card and made it this week and it was just as delicious as I remember! And even better- easy! 4 ingredients!
- About 10 boneless chicken tender cuts, raw
- 1/2 stick of butter
- 1/4 cup of lemon juice (I cheat and use bottled)
- 1 pack good seasonings Italian dressing mix
Wa-la! Melt butter, add everything else, and cook until chicken is tender! It is AMAZING and you could really use any chicken you desire.

How beautiful is that? Paired with some potato salad and a green side salad? Yum! Have a great week!

Hearty Chili

Are you a Chili lover? You are not alone! I just made one of my best batches of chili to date! On a week when our almost 1 year old is having molar teething pain, this bowl of comfort couldn't have happened at a better time :-)

So here ya have it:

-1 large can of plain Tomato Sauce (NOT pasta sauce, simply pureed tomato's) 

-1/4 cup of uncooked Quinoa

-1 large can of kidney beans, rinsed and drained

-1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained

-1 pound cooked and drained ground beef

-2tblsp of Chili powder

-1/2 of a red bell pepper, diced small

-A handful of onion flakes

-A dash of garlic powder

-red pepper flakes to taste (I like to let each person add there own due to a sensitive toddler mouth in our household )

I simply toss all of these ingredients into my crockpot on high for 4 hours (or low for 8 hours). How easy of a weeknight dinner is that?!

Here's one satisfied "I love momma's chili" face! :-D

Baby Food- The Fresh Way

Well- my baby girl is 5 months old! Can you believe it? I sure can't! So in honor of this gorgeous summer we are having I thought I'd share with the masses my first attempts at baby food making! So far we have officially made apple/zuchini, banana blueberry, and banana/avocado. Savannah loves bananas and if it was up to her they would be in everything! She truly is my monkey.

To start off- I am a fan and of doing what works for my little Babe- and that is NOT ALWAYS what is recommended by doctors. So this is just me sharing how we do things in the Drake household :)

Savannah has been tasting baby foods since about four months old. I decided it made sense to give her tastes every so often early on so it wasn't a huge shock to her system. We started with easily digested foods like bananas, apples, and avocados. :) studies show that baby cereal actually rots in the stomaches of babes so young because they can't digest grains properly. So after learning this we decided to limit her grain intake. We use cereal a little bit but I'd rather my babe have easily digested and YUMMY foods! Savannah even sucks/gnaws the banana right off itself- I watch carefully to make sure she doesn't get chunks :) So you could say we do a little baby-led eating! She loves her mesh feeder too- that's a great option if you feel uncomfortable with the banana sucking technique!

I love avocado/banana food momma makes!

Avocado/Banana Puree: 1 peeled banana and one scooped out avocado placed into a food processor! Wa-la!

Blueberry/Banana: 1 peeled banana and a half cup blueberries in the food processor!

Zuchini/Apple: cut up pieaces of both (peels on) cooked on med heat for ten minutes with two tbsp of butter. I then poured liquid off and blended in food processor. Once done I strained through a small mesh strainer. Wa-la!

Once all of these were done I spooned into an ice cube tray- froze- and then popped them out and bagged them in freezer. Right now Savannah only eats about one or two cubes worth- so it's great to have the ability to take as many out as needed!

So there ya have it! A foodie glimpse into Savannah's routine :)

Savannah Marie

So it's been just a little while since I have blogged- huh? It's like I had a baby or something! 

So here she is! My sweetest little froggy! Savannah Marie was born 1-14-15 and she came out perfect,flawless, amazing, and all of the other words that mean I'm a mom now ;-) Oh yes- and with huge feet like her momma. Josh tells me while they were cleaning her up a nurse exclaimed "she has huge feet!" I am so smitten on this little girl it's crazy! When she wakes up in the morning I cannot wait to go see her because she is always so happy in the morning. When I get home from work she is all smiles and she just makes life have even more meaning! 

Being a mom is for sure the toughest job I have ever had- but other than the no time off the benefits are pretty good! Savannah is almost three months old and I absolutely love seeing her grow and hit new milestones- there's always something new with this little firecracker! She already has my demeanor but is a spitting image of her daddy! I could count on one hand the amount of people who say she looks like me but that is quite alright because I think her daddy is pretty good looking if I do say so ;-) This girl is SO curious and ever since she was born she wants to see everything, sit up, chew her hands, suck her thumb, lay on her tummy, and sleep a lot! Since being born she has been ahead for her size and at her last appointment her length was 95% so she might just be tall like mommy! I can see some red in her hair in the sunlight but we won't be able to tell for sure til it gets longer- right now it's just pretty brown :-) 

Some things I've learned since my little Savannah came out to meet us:

• Caffeine is so popular because of moms
• Sleep deprivation makes everything more dramatic
• Baby poop is not normal and can totally shoot like a squirt gun
• Bath time is so much fun until it's time to get out- then brace yourself
• Thumb sucking is great because they will never lose it- but then again when she's mad she makes a fist and cannot find it anyway
• Having a baby girl is the best doll you could ever dress up!
• Sometimes the baby's clothes get stained with YOUR food because you're always holding them at first- haha!
• Breastfeeding is hard no matter what they say- but you'll find what works for you
• Your cats will get jealous of the new baby and start acting like lunatics
• There is SO much more laundry just with one baby!
• There is so much more trash too
• Don't get attached to your favorite baby outfit- they'll probably have a poop blowout on it
• Baby girls can get pee all over too- don't think you dodge a bullet with that one!
• Always plan to leave a half an hour before you need to- but you will still be late.
• Being a mom brings more reward than anything I've ever experienced
• Having a great husband is priceless- especially when you just want a shower

So that's just a little bit about my sweet girl and our life as a family of three so far! More updates coming soon! <3

Savannah Marie 1-14-15 7lbs. 5oz. Perfect <3

Flawless

We love being a family of three!

The day I became this girl's momma was one of the best days of my life <3