August in Review

August was here and gone before I could blink my eyes yet looking back so much happened...


Family
We started the month off by taking our first official family pictures.

Micah's grandma, Ruby Crews, passed away at the age of 93.  Although I did not have the privilege of knowing her well, I am so thankful for the rich legacy she has passed down and I am honored to be named among her family.  She was a devoted woman of God, sewing quilts even at the age of 92 for less fortunate children in El Salvador.  She will be dearly missed by many.

Axis

Between junior high and high school we took over 200 students to camp.  Lives were touched, friendships were made and results are evident.  Two weeks later we baptized 22 high school students. Baptism isn't something that saves you.  Baptism is an outward sign of something that God has done in you.  It is a public declaration that you are going to follow God for the rest of your life!  That is what these students did in front of the whole church; they let everyone know that this is serious stuff and they are serious about following God.

Micah with the high school students that got baptized.

Went bowling with my Connect girls (it's always hard to get everyone together at the same time).

PVC
Progress is being made on the new building - hoping to move into offices sometime in September and the the goal is to be in the sanctuary before Christmas.

Micah and all the student ministries took a little retreat to San Antonio where much brainstorming and planing took place as well as a little R&R.  


Mack's Moments 
Mack had his 9 month check up.  We got a healthy boy at 18.13 pounds.  He's officially got 2 teeth now and crawling all over the house.  

And to wrap up this month... Micah and I cleaned, organized and decorated our friends apartment while they were on their honeymoon.  

Before

After

Chicken with Lemon Sage Sauce

On the menu with cooking at the Crumps was Chicken with Lemon Sage Sauce (recipe compliments of Olive Garden), asparagus with cashews and mashed potatoes.  It was one of the best meals I think I've ever had. If you're up for it this is definitely one you should try.  

Chicken with Lemon Sage Sauce 

Prep Time:	45 minutes
Cook Time:	45 minutes
Serving Size: 8

Ingredients
PICCATTA BATTER
12 eggs, whole
1/2 cup fresh parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 cup fresh Romano cheese, grated
4 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped (or 4 tsp dry)
4 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped (or 4 tsp dry)

CHICKEN
8 ea 6oz. chicken breasts, boneless/skinless, split
2 cups flour, seasoned with salt and black pepper
1 cup olive oil (or as needed)

LEMON SAGE SAUCE
1/2 cup shallots, finely chopped
2 Tbsp garlic, chopped
4 Tbsp fresh sage, finely chopped
4 Tbsp parsley, chopped (or 4 tsp dry)
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 Tbsp lemon zest
1 cup white wine (we omitted this ingredient)
2 cups heavy cream
12 Tbsp unsalted butter, cold
Salt and pepper to taste

Procedures
Pre-heat oven to 350ºF.

PICCATTA BATTER

1. COMBINE eggs, cheeses, parsley and basil together in a large mixing bowl.

CHICKEN

1. POUND chicken breasts until ¼” thick. Dredge chicken in the flour mixture and dip it in the Piccata batter; coat evenly on both sides.
2. HEAT olive oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Place chicken in the skillet and fry until edges are golden brown on each side. Transfer chicken from skillet into a baking pan.
3. BAKE in a 350ºF oven for 5-6 minutes, until juices run clear.

SAUCE

1. DRAIN 3/4 of the oil from skillet and add the shallots, garlic and herbs. Saute over medium heat until shallots are transparent. Add lemon juice, lemon zest, white wine and reduce liquid by 1/2. Add heavy cream and simmer until the sauce has thickened slightly.
2. REMOVE pan from heat and whip in the cold butter. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

SERVE

1. POUR ¼ cup of sauce on plate and place chicken on top. Serve immediately.

Mack - 9 Months

It seems like so much has happened over the last month...  

Army crawl, can't leave him out of sight anymore.

Pulling up on his bookshelf.

He likes to pull all the books off the shelf (and eat them too).

Playing with his toys.

Rolling the ball back & forth with mommy.

His favorite toy is a lime juice bottle.

9 month check-up 18.13 lbs (still only in the 25% bracket)

That's my pediatrician Dr. Martin Garza

They had to poke my finger but I got a cool band-aid to play with.

A few other highlights this months are:

• holds his bottle by himself
• very curious about everything, is constantly looking around
• notices the smallest things even a hair on the floor
• getting attached to mommy and wants to be held all the time but (beginning signs of separation anxiety)
• loves to walk when you hold his hands but thinks he can do it by himself
• is so cute when he's trying to feed himself, using the pincer grasp
• very vocal these days
• beginning to throw little fits - Believe it or not, the stubborn streak is actually key to his development. When he tosses something on the floor or ignores you completely, he's developing his sense of himself as a person who's separate from you. Plus, continuing on his path of destruction, despite your protests, is actually a step toward a prolonged ability to concentrate (though you should be consistent about setting limits, especially where safety issues are concerned).
• all over the house in the walker
• says dada, mum, more, and understands a few other words

the quiet in quiet time

Read this devotional by Alicia Chole and thought it was worth reposting.

the quiet in quiet time

“...and Father please...
and remember to...
and I need...
and watch over...
and help us with...
...thank you for this quiet time, amen.”

“Child, I missed something.”

“Yes, Father, what did You miss?”

“Where was the ‘quiet’ in this ‘quiet time’?”

“Oh Father, I did it again. I forgot to pause, to rest, to wait, to listen.”

“Understandable Child, you do have a lot on your mind.”

“Father, You’re smirking!”

“Ah, but it’s a love-filled smirk!

“Remember to add quiet to your quiet time Child. Quietness creates a pause that re-aligns your values with My own. Quietness unclutters your faith and refreshes your peace. Quietness frees you from the forceful currents of business and magnetizes your soul to eternity. But most of all, quietness gently ushers you closer to Me—which is exactly where I long for you to remain.”

Guidance for reflective journaling

One ~ In Creative Prayer, Bridgid Herman states that, “The most formidable enemy of the spiritual life and the last to be conquered is self-deception; and if there is a better cure for self-deception than silence it has yet to be discovered.” Prayerfully think about the connection between noisy living and self-deception. How can silence unveil deception?

Two ~ Consider Psalm 130.5: “I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning.” Earlier generations often spoke of “waiting” on the Lord. Is the “waiting” spoken of by the psalmist familiar or unfamiliar to you? Spend a few moments evaluating the “quiet” in your quiet time. Are you comfortable or uncomfortable with silence? What role does listening/silence have in your prayer life?

Three ~ This week try an experiment: carve out 3-5 minutes each day to simply rest in stillness and silence in God’s presence. For these few minutes just “be” without reading, speaking, asking, singing, or working. Wait on Jesus not for answers, but because He is worthy of waiting upon. Honor God with a few minutes of silence and stillness.

Summer Camp

We spent a week at Camp Tejas this year with our youth and it was amazing!  Being that this is one of the biggest events of the year I didn't want to miss it.  I have to admit I was a bit nervous... you see I'm a Connect Leader with the junior girls but I was also taking Mack and I HAD to be mom first.    Micah obviously needed to be fully engaged since he was spearheading the event as youth pastor.  I wasn't sure how Mack would do with traveling on a charter bus for 7 hours or the fact that service didn't start till 7 pm and he was usually in bed by 7:30.  Micah assigned another church lady to sleep in the cabin with my girls and for back-up in case I couldn't be available for devotions or group time after services.  May I brag for just a minute on my 81/2 month old? Ok, well I'm going to anyway... he didn't fuss the entire trip up, he kept to his feeding and napping schedule and stayed up 2 1/2 hrs past his bedtime each night without a peep allowing me to have group time with my girls, then went right to sleep without any problem afterwards. I love my kiddo!  (I know I had back up but it just wouldn't have been the same since I am the one that meets with them weekly and knows them).

Out of the 200 students (between junior high and high school) I had 11 junior girls go with 4 different schools represented and prior to camp they didn't really talk much during our Sunday morning Connect time.  After camp they have been inseparable! It was so cool to get to see God work in their lives as well as build healthy friendships that will encourage them in their walk with God.  

One of the highlights at camp was when Micah had the privilege of baptizing one of the students. On August 25 we are having a student baptism service where over 52 students will be getting baptized but Nashae is moving away and will miss this service so Micah baptized her in the lake at camp.   What made this event even more special was Nashae was in Micah's mom's connect group. Karen's mother (Micah's grandma) died the Saturday before camp, she was with her when she passed away, but the next day left in order to make it to camp on Monday.  Nashae had been growing deeper in the Lord and wanted to be baptized.  When Karen asked Micah if he could baptize her at camp he said he would work out a time.   

Only God could have orchestrated that baptism.  At the moment Micah baptized Nashae, grandma's funeral was starting in Oklahoma.  What a glorious experience--saying a final farewell to a woman who had valiantly lived all her days for God (she was still sewing quilts for missions at age 92) and baptizing a young woman who has committed her life to follow Jesus passionately! It doesn't get any better than that!! 

As part of the week each group had to come up with a team name and slogan - we were The Pink Cobras: "Fear the Venom".  They liked it so much we are actually having a t-shirt made for each of us to wear to all of our Connect outings.  Here's what our shirt will look like, on the back we will each have our name.

Micah & Mack on the charter bus.

Swimming in the very warm pool.

Micah in the mud pit.

The Pink Cobras, last night after service.

Homemade grilled chicken salad for lunch"

July in Review

Well since I blogged 15 times during the month of July there's not too much to tell so I'll just hit the highlights without getting into all the details.

Mack is oficially 8 months - trying to crawl, pulling himself up to a standing position (which required us to lower his crib), got his first tooth and is working on the second one.

We've successfully made it through two months of Sunday night "Crump Planning" where we get a game-plan for the upcoming week from date nights, special events, fellowshiping with others, to planning out our meals and weekly groceries.

We've had a lot of fun planning and trying new meals and even cooking together!


Last week I came to grips with reality and realized I need help... I'm overweight and I can't keep using the excuse "I just had a baby" - he's 8 months already! I feel like it's been affecting me in so many areas. For starters I just don't feel great all the time, I don't sleep well, I feel irritable (even though I don't always act that way), I'm insecure... my metabolism isn't that of a teenager anymore and frankly I didn't want to admit I needed help because that meant accountability and I knew it would be hard.  Then I realized not only was I being a bad steward of the body God gave me, it would sooner or later not only affect me in health issues but also those I love most. I understand it's going to take time, it's not going to be some miracle crash diet that does the job either - it has to be a LIFESTYLE CHANGE! To be honest this is very humbling for me to even write but without transparency I won't last more than a couple of weeks.  My name is Buffi and I'm addicted to unhealthy food - I NEED HELP! I'm on the road to recovery, not just to lose weight but to be healthier.

Well lady's and gents I'm done being vulnerable, until next time...

Crispy Skin Salmon Salad w/Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

During our Sunday night planning, Micah found this recipe by Curtis Stone:

CRISPY SKIN SALMON SALAD WITH ROASTED CHERRY TOMATOES 

Serves 4 

Ingredients 

16 cherry tomatoes on the vine 

2 teaspoons plus ¼ cup extra-virgin 

olive oil 

Salt and freshly ground black pepper 

4 6-ounce / 180 gram salmon fillets, 

skin on 

1/2 cup fresh lime juice 

1/4 cup grapeseed oil 

4 ounces / 125 grams mixed baby 

lettuce leaves 

Method 

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F / 180°C. 

2. Place the tomatoes on a small baking sheet and drizzle with 2 

teaspoons of olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. 

3. Roast the tomatoes in the oven for about 8 minutes, or until they begin 

to split. Remove the tomatoes from the oven and cool slightly. 

4. Meanwhile, sprinkle the salmon with salt and pepper. Place the salmon skin side down in a large heavy nonstick sauté pan. 

5. Place the pan over medium-low heat. Increase the heat to high and cook the salmon for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the skin of the salmon is golden brown. 

6. Turn the salmon and cook for 1 to 2 minutes longer, or until the salmon is just pink in the middle. 

7. Place the lime juice in a bowl and slowly whisk in the grapeseed oil and the remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil. 

8. Season with salt and pepper. 

9. Mound the lettuce leaves into chef rings on 4 plates or stack the lettuce in the center of the plate. 

10. Arrange the crispy skin salmon and roasted tomatoes over the salads. 

11. Drizzle some of the vinaigrette over the salmon and salads and serve. 

I love taking a recipe and putting my own twist on it (or sometimes I just have to make do with what I have on hand). We didn't have grapeseed oil so I substituted peanut oil, we also used spinach instead of the mixed baby lettuce leaves.  Then we added a few cashews, slivered almonds and a pinch of parmesan cheese. Here's our finished product - in Micah's words, "Sunday night planning taste good!"

Learned my Lesson

As pink as him...

So we took our youth students to Schlitterbahn.  To be honest I was excited to go and have a relaxing day in the sun without the baby... In preparation I decided to put on a low spf sunscreen in hopes I would just get a nice tan.  Micah of course questioned my rationality of the decision and  I had a hard-headed moment, as I can sometimes do. Needless to say this white skin of mine just soaks up the sun but of course I don't feel it or really notice it until the next day when I'm in pain and my 8 month old is grabbing and pinching my arms - OUCH! Hopefully I've learned my lesson.

I remember a couple weeks ago my mom telling me that if I ever got a sunburn to soak in the tub with white distilled vinegar, it really did help relieve the sting - it's amazing all the things vinegar is used for, here are just a few or you can check out this site for 1001 uses for vinegar.

Soothe sunburn with a spray of white distilled vinegar, repeating as often as you like. Ice-cold white distilled vinegar will feel even better, and may prevent blistering and peeling.

Eliminate bad breath and whiten your teeth by brushing them once or twice a week with white distilled vinegar.

Make nail polish last longer. Wipe fingernails with cotton balls dipped in white distilled vinegar before putting on nail polish.

To remove film in glass baby bottles, fill with equal parts hot water and white distilled vinegar. Let sit for at least an hour. Scrub with a bottle brush.

Full of Flavor

On the menu tonight (remix of Donna's excellent cooking)... 

Asparagus sauteed in olive oil and peanut oil with minced garlic and cashews

Bar-b-q chicken (it's better baked, but didn't have the time tonight)

We also had a baked sweet potato and let me just say this meal was full of flavor!

Fun day

Fun day...

At the Hunting and Fishing Expo

Playing with daddy while mommy does some shopping

Daddy is lowering my crib because I'm getting close to being able to stand up...

While mommy and daddy were busy I decided to get out all my books.

I like my lower crib, I stood up all by myself for the first time.

Just the right height, I can chew on this but don't tell my mom :)

Mack - 8 Months

Ahh, my baby is 8 months old today and he's not slowing down... here's a few pics to recap the past month.(Sorry if any of these pictures seem redundant)

Trying out the jumpy thing, I kept hitting the door though, so I may need to wait till I have a little more body control (the tile didn't help with the pajamas).

I'm praising Jesus with my Baby Praise video.

Got all the toys out, now how do I get in this thing...

Mommy got me up on my knees but I can't figure out how to keep them under me.

Saturday afternoon nap with my dad.

Oooh, this is new, it has handles.

I love story time with my Bible.

I think I can get out of here...

Aww the cold ice helps my tooth.

Hmmm, I think I can get out of here too, I keep mommy busy!

See my first tooth, it started cutting through on July 1st.

To be like my daddy, he's cool.

Well I think I'm somewhere between 17 and 18 pounds.

I love to read!

Still trying to crawl, I'm good at getting up on my hands.

And today (officially 8 months) I kept going backwards, how did I end up under the couch?

So Mack has officially cut his first tooth, is trying to crawl, attempting to pull himself up on anything he can reach (including the sides of the crib - time to lower the mattress) and of course he just keeps getting cuter!