Okay....

So maybe they just don't want me adding pictures to the main page and I can still add pictures to the body of the blog in the posts.  I will go with that for a little while until I get another nasty gram!

We Love You

Blogging Block

Well, after almost three years I have hit the blogging block on pictures.  So frustrating!  As you can see the front of the blog looks a little different, I don't have the usual title picture and I had to delete a few of the other pictures from posts as well.  Even after trying all that I have been informed by Google that I have hit my picture limit for this blog and if I would like to continue posting pictures I will have to start paying a few.  Well being the cheap skate that I am I have decided that I will not pay anything to post pictures instead I might actually just move the family blog to another site... the actual kulowhouse site.  Now for this to be done Michael will have to help me get it set up.  Being that he has been crazy busy and I know nothing about website stuff I am at a stand still.  So although you can read all my lovely posts there will not be pictures for a little bit.  How long you might ask... well who knows!  I was super bummed because I had taken some really cute pictures of the boys last week and I had full intentions of replacing and updating pictures only to get that dreaded note.  We'll see I suppose!

Profound

LOL!  With a title like that I really am setting you up for a dud!  

Lately my heart and head have been going to some places that in my small world sound very profound and then once I actually sit down to write out my oh so profound thoughts I wind up spending ten minutes trying to think of those thoughts and walk away with the single thought... "Man, if I had a tape recorder for my mental thoughts I would be better off!"  Silliness I know, but that is just me.
Between my children yelling and me yelling at my children my oh so profound words are lost in the recesses of my mind. Between the first cries of Riah in the morning at a god awful hour of five to the time that I actually get out of bed when the other two have begun in on their yelling I loose the reminder of taking every thought captive and remembering that God is still on the throne.  As I am pouring Ki his bowl of Cheerios and him deciding that he wants Raisin Bran instead, I forget to be thankful that I have food to feed my boys.  As Zeke does his headstands in the living room banging his dirty feet against my white walls, I forget to be thankful that I have a place to call home.  When my boys are running around the house yelling and shooting their guns and the little Nerf bullets are landing all over my house for Riah to find and chew the tops off of, I forget to be thankful that I have three healthy boys. 
***As a preface to this next paragraph... I am by no means a Bible scholar - I am simply a stay at home mom looking for encouraging words in this season of life.  I realize that the verse that I am about to quote has a lot of meaning in it's context, however as a mom I took the verse and chapter and used my personal application license (that's real right?) and ran with it.  So, here is a glimpse into what I took away from the chapter...
This week I was studying Psalm 110 and there was a verse that stuck out to me for the life that I am in today... Psalm 110:3 "Your troops will be willing on your day of battle.  Arrayed in holy majesty, from the womb of the dawn you will receive the dew of your youth."  Now as a mom of three boys there is a lot that struck me... I feel like just about every day is a battle, I am faced with these three little faces that want me to pay all my attention to them, they need me for everything.  It has become my prayer this last week that I would be willing to attack each day with a willingness!  "Arrayed in holy majesty"...  as a stay at home mom I have found that my clothes really don't matter but my head went to being arrayed with the word of God.  For those times that my little men are screaming and I can feel the frustration in myself rising remember that I am the adult and that I can keep my tongue and show them the love of Christ because sometimes, in all honestly that is about all that is present.  "from the womb of the dawn"... on a daily basis... that goes back to my willingness and every day at that god awful hour that Riah wakes up remind myself that I am being an example to my boys of what a wife and mother should be.  "the dew of your youth"... I guess being that I am caring for these three youngsters I pray that I would have that same excitement and zeal for each day that they have.
To add to my profound thoughts... I thought I would share a poem that was shared at MOPS last week that I think brought about this sense in my heart...

I started my day early,

Before the room was light.

I lifted my son from his crib

And wished it was still night.

But as I held him close and said,

"Hi, Kenneth, precious one,"

I knew that as I greeted him,

I greeted too God's Son.

When my daughter woke up later,

Calling, "Mommy!  Mommy!  Down!"

I picked her up and hugged her

In her worn Elmo nightgown.

I know she felt the closeness

That a mother's touch affords.

I welcomed not just Ellie,

But so, too, the Lord of Lords.

That day, I mixed some formula

And opened jars of peas.

I fixed some "pizza butter" bread

When she grinned and said, "Pleeeeease."

I heated up some leftovers;

I had to nuke them twice.

And when I fed my children,

I was feeding Jesus Christ.

I made some funny faces,

And "played puzzles" on the floor.

I dressed kitties, ran around outside,

And played with them some more.

We laughed and jumped and tickled,

Making memories to be stored.

When I spent time with my children,

I spent time with my Lord.

I wiped up sticky cereal

And washed the dishes clean.

I straightened, picked up, put away,

And dusted in between.

I did six loads of laundry

And folded it like new.

When I cleaned for my children,

I cleaned for my Savior, too.

When my children were both crying,

I held them in my arms.

I cuddled them and whispered

That I'd keep them safe from harm.

I told them how their Father saved them

With His perfect Lamb.

When I comforted my children,

I comforted I AM.

Later on that evening,

I put them in the bath.

I washed their little bodies

As they kicked around and splashed.

I dried them in soft towels

And put their jammies on.

When I had washed my children's feet,

I'd washed the Holy One.

I cooked and cleaned and rearranged,

Made beds and taught and played.

I made sure that we had food to eat

And that we often prayed.

I died to self.  I made a home

From ordinary things.

But when I served my children,

I served the King of Kings.

To some, I have done nothing,

But to two, I've done the world.

I made eternal difference

To my precious boy and girl,

And to the One who watches over

Every pathway that I've trod.

For when I've loved my precious children,

I've loved Almighty God.

 - Megan Breedlove (www.MannaForMoms.com)

Thank You Pinterest

I know that I have mentioned before my love for Pinterest but I thought I would share some of the love with you...

Soooo - Thank you pinterest for the following recipes.  

No Bake Granola Bars Just made these tonight.  To the oat mixture I added 2tbs of flax seed and 2tbs of coconut.  We had them as a late night snack and they were yummy. 
Baked Apple Chips Just made these tonight and they were yummy.  I will admit that I ran out of cinnamon and used allspice and it was okay but the first few that I made with the cinnamon were much better.  I made them with two granny smith apples and I had to double the cinnamon/brown sugar mixture (maybe I should have been a little more sparingly flipping the apple slices!)
Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Cookie Okay these are THE BEST cookies ever.  I made these a few weeks ago.  I was super bummed and worried because the website was down that had the recipe and I was going through withdraws. 
Oreo Rice Krispies Okay so I haven't made these yet.. but I bought all the ingredients and I am planning on making them Wednesday.  Does it get any better?  Really?
Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies  I made these a few weeks ago in my attempts to use up the Costco oatmeal and these were worth it!  Yummy!
Sweet and Salty Chickpeas  Here was another attempt to use up Costco purchased amounts of stuff.  These were pretty good.  The boys liked them but honestly if they are not eaten fresh from the oven they really are not all that good.  So make them up and plan on sitting down and eating them all.
Frozen Banana Bites I made these for a MOPS morning and they were all gone quick.  They are yummy.  I made sure that they were totally covered but I think if/when I make them again I will not worry about covering the whole banana and just dip in the bottom portion and them freeze with the top of the sliced banana bare for better finger grabbing and eating.
Sweet and Salty Pumpkin Seeds I think I already wrote about these back in October but I honestly can't wait for pumpkin season to come around again just for these! 

I have plenty more recipes to try but these are some that I have made and will keep stashed in my little pin board for later! 

Pictures

I feel like every time I sit down to do a post I always start off with... things have been crazy busy... well this post will be no different.  I wanted to share a few pictures though... Enjoy!

Homemade Granola

I don't know why it never occurred to me to make my own granola, however last week we were over at a friend's house and she said that she had just run out of hers and she needed to make some more.  A light bulb went off... I could make granola.  I have been trying to use up items that we have in the house and for the Costco amounts of oatmeal I have been making oatmeal cookies which I like but the boys were not hip on.  I asked for her recipe but she has been making it for so long that she doesn't have a recipe and just adds stuff because she has a sense of the taste and amounts.  So I have been looking through a few recipes and I decided on combining a few...  Let me just say the house smells so yummy (between the granola and the puled pork for dinner - YUMO). 
So if you too purchase Costco style and have copious amounts of oatmeal laying around here is what I did and I will tweak it a little in the future but it was a good base to start with.  Plus it was a family affair.  I let the boys help and they thought that was the coolest thing.  I will admit that is not my style - I usually just like to get it done myself but I thought they might really enjoy it and it would be an opportunity for some bonding time.  Any way... here is what we used...

Kulow House Granola -
6 cups of rolled oats
1/2 cup of shredded coconut
1/2 cup of golden flax seeds
2/3 cup of vegetable oil
1/2 cup of honey
1/2 cup of packed dark brown sugar
2 tbs of water
2 tsp of vanilla extract

In a large bowl, toss oats, coconut and flax seeds.  In a saucepan over medium heat, cook oil, honey, brown sugar, water and vanilla until well fixed.  Pour over oat mixture and stir to coat evenly.  Pour into two greased 13"x9"x2" baking pans.  Bake at 275 degrees F for 45 minutes, or until golden brown, stirring every 15 minutes .  Cool, stirring occasionally.  Store in an airtight container.

I think the next time we make it I might add some craisens or even dried apples.