happy new year!

Goodbye 2013, you were oh so good to our family! And, helllllllllo 2014!

{Feel free to click on and print the picture for a little festive decoration.}

this and that

Hello. Sorry I've been MIA recently. I'm going to probably continue to be until after this wonderful holiday season. In case you're looking for some fun things to read, here are a few fun things I thought I'd pass along:

RECIPES:

Apple Sauce Bundt Cake: oh.my.goodness. we made this for the very first time last Tuesday and it didn't even make it to the weekend. it's amazing! make it.

Sausage, Potato, and Kale Soup: winter is the only time we really indulge in creamy soups, and this one was very much worth it! whip it up the next rainy afternoon with some french bread, i promise it'll warm you right up. hey, at least it has kale.

LAST MINUTE PRESENTS:

Best of my Days cards: all you need is a printer and some scissors. looking for something small for your home group girls? these cards are set up for us to remember each day that God is a good gift giver.

INTERESTING READS:

An Interview with an Adult Adoptee: we are hoping and praying that adoption is the next step for our family. this interview is a reminder to see adoption from the adoptee's perspective, remembering their birth family will always be significant in their lives. 

When White Parents have "The Talk" with Black Sons: if the Lord places a little black boy in our home, it will break my heart to have to have this conversation.

A Concerned Mother's Letter to Teenage Girls: an interesting read on how one mama approaches social media with teenage boys.

The Duck Dynasty Thing: Is There Another Way?: Jen Hatmaker's approach to the heated duck dynasty debate. my favorite line: "The sterile public sphere outside of the protective confines of relationships is not a safe place for such weighty discussions, and we should not add to the pile of condescending, degrading comments about real human people."

VIDEOS:

I dare you to watch this without smiling.