Serve Houston 2011

A few weekends ago John and I had the opportunity to join in with some friends from our Bible study class and serve people from our community who need help.  This is always a sacrifice to give up your Saturday and get up early to go do hard work!  Being a teacher and not having kids yet, I definitly love my Saturday morning sleep in time!  Every year though, I am blown away at how much of a blessing it is to me to go and serve. 

We had a great time serving a sweet lady named Margie this year.  We cleaned and painted the trim around her house (whew! was that a big job!) and trimmed some overgrown bushes.  We laughed alot, got to know our friends better, and even got to pray for Margie as she is battling an illness.  Here are some pics from the day! 

Strawberry Project

The Lord has really been stirring in my heart the desire to be outside in His beautiful nature.  So, for the past several weekends I have been spending quiet time in the morning outside with Him out on our back patio.  I have also been planting/designing one of our back flower beds that has been empty for the past few years.  It is still a work in progress and it has been so fun to get a few new plants each weekend to add to the bed. 

But, I must tell you of my most favorite project yet!  I planted some strawberry plants!  I got the idea from my Southern Living magazine.  I planted 3 Allstar strawberry plants in an old colander I had shoved away in my cabinet.  The colander provides perfect drainage.  Along with some potting soil and some 13-13-13 slow release flower and vegetable food, this project turned out pretty easy!  I've even already harvested my first 3 strawberries which turned out to be delicious!  I bought some wire to eventually hang the colander from one of our Bradford Pear trees in our backyard.  

Here is our flower bed that is still a work in progress.  Our Red Mapel tree is now surrounded by a Peace Rose bush, a hot pink Knock Out rose bush, melon petunias, a hibiscus plant, and even bluebonnets!  I'm planning on finding a blooming vine of some sort to go in the back up the fence. 

I'm excited to watch my strawberries grow.  More pictures are to come once it's hanging!

I couldn't resist putting a picture of our fatty cat, Major, rolling around enjoying the beautiful outdoors with me!

Cheers to Good Health!

I've always been interested in nutrition and healthy eating (although sometimes you would never know it!).  In fact, my first major in college was nutrition until I realized how many science classes I would have to take!  Despite not majoring in nutrition, I have continued to have an interest in learning about how our bodies work and what they need to be healthy. 

So, I've recently started drinking this drink each morning upon rising and even when I get home from work for a quick pick-me up.  I am currently on day 15 of my 21 day venture of drinking this drink daily.  "Why 21 days?" you may ask...because that is supposed to be the amount of days it takes to have a routine become more of a habit that you are more likely to stick to.  I will admit it has been hard at times, but I haven't missed a day.  John has also been drinking this with me although very reluctantly at times!

Yep!  That's right...apple cider vinegar with water and fresh squeezed lemon juice!  It's actually not that bad with the lemon juice, but it's definitly not one of my favorite drinks either!  The health benefits are amazing.  It has to be the raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar.  Here are a few of the many reasons why we're drinking this:

• Hippocrates (the father of medicine) found and used it to treat his patients in 400 BC
• It has been proven to be a natural antibiotic and antiseptic that fights germs and bacteria
• Christopher Columbus even had barrels of this on his ships to help fight infection with his crew
• Helps counter the aging process
• Helps joint stiffness
• Supports a healthy immune system
• Rich in enzymes and potassium
• Helps control weight
• Promotes digestion
• Promotes soft, healthy skin
• Relieves muscle pain from exercise
• Soothes sore throats
• Helps remove body toxins
• Helps clean your liver which helps burn 80% of our fat

So cheers to burning fat and good health!  I don't know about you, but I'm going to keep drinking this and see what happens! 

Team "Think Skinny"

John and his good friend, Parker, competed in an adventure race.  This race consisted of running, mountain biking, and kyaking.  They finished in 1 hour and 39 minutes to be exact!  They had a great time doing this together.  I know that John is very thankful for Parker's friendship and the way he brings such truth from the Lord to his life.  I couldn't help but capture some snapshots of the boys as they prepared to head out at 5:45am! 

P.S.  You may notice a sneaky dog in the backs of some of the pictures!  Beau just can't stand not to get some attention! 

They wore matching outfits and made up their creative team name "Team Think Skinny."  I was so proud of them and may even try an adventure race myself one day!

Traci's Baby Shower

Last Saturday I helped host a baby shower along with some great friends.  We were excited to shower Traci with blessings as she expectantly awaits the arrival of her first baby boy, Eli.  The shower was a "world traveler" theme.  My friends who helped host with me are very crafty and the shower turned out very cute! 

This photo board greeted guests as they arrived with pictures of Traci and Nader with a sign that said "Welcome to Our World Eli James".

There was a vintage suitcase with a picture of baby Eli's sonogram and books that guests brought to help build his little library.  Michelle was in charge of all these crafty decorations and did such a good job!  She even wrapped the candles in cute paper with Eli's name.  She has definitly inspired me to be more crafty!

I ordered these cute cookie favors from a lady who does lots of cookie and cake orders for my school.  They turned out so cute, especially the custom packaging!

Look at all this yummy food!  The decor was perfect...complete with a globe centerpiece, map, and a framed onesie.  Michelle even made cute signs for each dish. 

The cake was delicious!  It was decorated with a cute suitcase cookie topper with a tag welcoming Eli.  It was decorated with different traveling tickets that had 9 different months on each ticket...the 9 months it will take for Eli to arrive!

I was in charge of bringing a fruit tray.  I was watching Paula Deen on the Food Network and she made a butterscotch dip for fruit.  I thought that is just what I need for my fruit tray!  It was delicious! 
Here is how you make it:
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 pkg. butterscotch morsels
1 tbs. unsalted butter
1 tbs. white vinegar (Strange I know!  Somehow it works!)
1/2 tbs. ground cinnamon
1/2 tbs. vanilla flavoring

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat.  Once melted, transfer to a cute bowl and serve with a variety of fruit.  It was a hit at the shower!

The drink table turned out so cute too!  Kacey used her new drink server and made a delicious orange punch (to stick with the color theme).  The train track helped give the shower that baby boy feeling. 

Another cute idea of my friend, Michelle.  She wrapped popcorn in cute paper and a sticker that said "Ready to pop!"  These were given out as prizes to the winners of the games.  This is such a cute and inexpensive prize!

Here we are!  Starting with the cute momma-to-be, Traci, Michelle, Kacey, me, and Julie.  I am truly thankful for these friendships that the Lord provided when John and I first joined our church and were beginning our marriage.  They are such strong sisters in the Lord to me. 

Wow!  That sure was a long 2nd blog!  I think I'm really going to like this "blog" thing...

First Blog Ever

Well, I've finally done it.  I started a blog. 

Since John and I don't do Facebook or any other social networking, we don't have a way to share with others what the Lord is doing in our lives.  When I told John I was interested in starting a blog, he wanted to give me some advice.

I remember it very clearly...we were out to dinner when I told him of my blog plans.  Here is what followed:  "Really?  Ok, well, let me give you something to think about."  "Ok" I said, wondering what adivce my wonderful hubby had for me (if you know my hubby, then you know he loves to give adivce!)  "Well, I just think you need to have something to offer your readers.  Don't just be one of those cheesy blogs that you just tell about your day, when no one really wants to read that."  Then, my nose turned really red, and I said, "I don't want to feel like I have to offer anything.  I just want to share what the Lord is doing in our lives!"  He then immediately realized that this was one of those instances when he just needed to listen to his wife's heart and support her. 

Since then he has become my biggest blog fan and has helped me set this all up (which took me a while!) since I'm not a very computer savvy person.  So, for my first official blog, I want to tell you that I hope you enjoy reading about what the Lord is up to in the Hernandez household.  I hope my blogs will minister to you, entertain you, teach you about new things, and bless you!