everyday Ann

living the ordinary seeing the extraordinary

Yogurt Cones

A simple, patriotic and healthy snack while celebrating the 4th of July holiday. A sweet treat without the extra sugar that ice cream brings. Plus, an easy way to sneak in some fruit and protein. The kids love the idea of eating out of a waffle cone even if there isn’t ice cream inside of it.

Ingredients

Blueberries
Strawberries sliced
Vanilla Greek Yogurt
Waffle Cones

Recipe

Drop a few blueberries into the bottom of the waffle cone and spoon some yogurt over it. Continue to layer with blueberries and yogurt finishing with sliced strawberries and a few blueberries on top.

Have a great 4th of July!!

Walking Billboards

I am realizing more and more that every time I am out in public with the kids people are watching us and observing our actions. Commenting on our family size, the kids behavior or cuteness, my look of joy or exhaustion. Whether we want to be or not we are billboards advertising motherhood and family life, and I have to ask myself what kind of message am I sending? Over at Catholic Mom today sharing my reflections.

Dining Room Update

In our ten years of marriage we have never purchased a dining room set. During our apartment living we used a cardtable. When we bought our house we received a hand me down table that Aaron refinished. We rummaged his parents attic for some mismatched chairs to go with it that I painted.

Last year a friend had some chairs they were looking to get rid of. I wasn’t sure how they would match with our table, but once assembled loved the brightness they brought to the room. Once I saw how the chairs lightened everything up I decided to trade in the brown curtains for some off-white ones (waiting for the day they get covered with spaghetti sauce).

It’s amazing by how just changing out the chairs and curtains the room really transformed and seems a lot brighter, cheerier and bigger. I decided the room wouldn’t be complete without a new piece of art work. Absolutely love the quote from St. Teresa of Calcutta.

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

Seeing the Hand of God

(source)

I am a person who gets anxious easily, find myself worrying over what I cannot control and fretting over minor details. Within the past few years since having children I have gotten a lot better, because we all know there is no predictability with little ones. Still I find myself daily working on tempering my undue worry and learning to let go.

Aaron and I host a couples group and at one of our meetings Sister brought to our attention that anxiety stems from a lack of trust and not willing to let go of our own will. (Did I mention I have a few stubborn threads in me as well.)

An inability to let go of my own will, plan and desires and trust that no matter what happens during the day from the small occurrences to the large events there is something greater. Learning to trust that all of the worries that consume our hearts and minds are not unseen or unheard because there is someone greater.

Someone greater who hears our concerns, our hearts restlessness, our discontent. Someone greater that no matter what the trial may be is still present. Not just present watching over us but truly present, making Himself known.

We have a God who loves us, who is actively a part of our lives. Through the thick and the thin of it He has our back. And if we quiet ourselves enough and let our anxiety rest we can see the hand of God.

A few months ago we started a new tradition at the dinner table asking each person how they saw God’s love revealed to them that day. In what way they saw the hand of God. In an effort to help our children recognize that we have a loving God who daily shows His love to us if we only open our hearts and minds to see. A God who participates in our lives.

All too often we fall into focusing on what went wrong, what didn’t get done, or what needs to be accomplished instead of reflecting on the gifts, the beauty, the love. While we busy ourselves with distractions we miss the beauty that God reveals to us each and every day.

From the small moments that only we recognize as God reads our hearts to the larger ones revealing his love for all to see.

Here are a few ways I have seen the hand of God the past few days:

Aaron pulling college hours this weekend to paint three rooms for me.
Having a park all to ourselves and wasting hours together as a family.
Receiving unexpected financial aid for school tuition.
Waking up early and seeing my seven year old kneeling next to the couch and praying the rosary for his friend.

Lord, may I truly have eyes that see your love.

What ways have you seen God’s love this week be it small or large?

Ice Cream Treat

Summer has certainly arrived. This past weekend we felt the 95 degrees heat plus humidity, which gave the kids a good reason to have a water fight with their cousins and me a good reason to make this delicious ice cream dessert.

As a child my parents would treat us to Dairy Queen. We would get our ice cream to go and then drive around town. We usually ordered cones, but once in awhile we got to splurge with a blizzard or peanut buster parfait. This simple yet scrumptious ice cream treat is a Dairy Queen variation of the buster bar. Recipe credit goes to my mom who shares our love of ice cream!

Ingredients

Crust:
1 package/pound Oreo cookies, crushed
1/2 cup butter, melted

Filling:
1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream
2 cups powdered sugar
1 small can evaporated milk
2/3 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup butter
Spanish peanuts

Recipe

Crush the oreo cookies. I like to put them in a blender on chop, which gets them very fine. Combine the cookies with melted butter. Mix well. Pat into a 9×13 pan. Freeze until firm.

Cover crust with softened ice cream and freeze overnight.

Mix together powdered sugar, evaporated milk, chocolate chips and butter. Stir and boil a few minutes. Remove from the burner and allow to cool, while continuing to stir occasionally. Once cooled spread over the ice cream. Top with peanuts. Freeze several hours before serving.