Baby Smith

Luke and I are PROUD to announce that we will be taking the role of Aunt and Uncle for a second time! My sister Kelly and her husband Andy are expecting their first child on August 22, 2010! Kelly and I both share a August birthday and are looking forward to an up and coming third summer birthday bash! They announced their pregnancy to the family on Christmas eve this year and it's been so hard not saying anything!



We are thrilled for Kelly and Andy and cannot wait to see what their little B looks like! We have already started praying that this baby would come to know the Lord at a young age, trust the gospel and live his/her life to the glory of God, submitting all things to Him!

Be Blessed
Mrs. Hinton

A Night Together

Tonight Luke and I enjoyed a new recipe of beef stew! Thank goodness for slow cookers on a cold day! To end our evening we spent hours reading and studying for our classes and chatted on Skype with Luke's sister Dani. Before getting back to work we took some pics on the web cam and wanted to wish you all a good night! Stay warm and cuddle up with a sweet book and a hot cup of tea! Be blessed!

Mrs. Hinton

Blessed

Luke and I have been overwhelmed with blessings this week. On Sunday, my parents drove down with Kelly and Andy for Stones baby dedication. My mom went shopping the day before and stocked up on some major sales! When they arrived on Sunday my parents gifted us with 6 pounds of ground beef, about 10 breasts of chicken, and a packet of sausage! We were overjoyed and so thankful for that special gift! Our grocery budget is tight and I have been praying for wisdom on how to make our food go a long way. Our Shepherded will supply our needs. If that wasn't enough, I received a phone call from a new friend yesterday. She has a sweet family of 3 boys and a new baby girl! She called me and said that she talked to her husband and they bought us a few things from the grocery and wanted to drop them off. When I walked downstairs she had 10 bags of groceries waiting for us! What a blessing!! They supplied us with milk, eggs, veggies, lettus, cereal and juice! When Luke walked in from work he smiled and handed me a card from his mom with some money in it as well. We looked at each other and immediately rejoiced together for all the unexpected gifts from the Lord! His dad and step mom have also gifted us with a new queen sized box spring and mattress bed that will be here within the next few weeks!

The best lesson we have learned from this is that when the Lord provides for your needs and you live in abundance, to share the gifts that you have been given! We were encouraged by these family members and friends who have so generously given to us what the Lord has given them! May we make conscious efforts to live selflessly and be quick to serve and minister to others!

Our Night With Stone

Luke and I had the blessing to watch our nephew Stone last night while Zack and Allison enjoyed a date night! We had so much fun playing with him and seeing how much he has grown and developed!! Here are some pictures from the evening!

Our Eventful Weekend

We had the honor to drive to Homer Indiana on Saturday to be gifted a bed frame from my grandparents. We started our day driving with the Parker family and arrived around 1:00 in enough time to meet the G's, Mom and Dad, and the Smiths. This is a tradition that has been passed down from my parents, to the Parkers and Smiths, to now Luke and I. The Sampler is a furniture store that specializes in customized cherry wood pieces. Luke and I left my family long enough to design our bed frame style, stain, and detail. My sisters and their husbands took an average time of 1 1/2 hours to choose their frames while Luke and I set a record for 10 minutes! What can I say, when we see it, we know! The frame we chose is the same frame the the Parkers and Smiths chose yet each bed was customized to the taste of each newlywed. We are so excited to receive our bed! The pictures below show the exact design of our bed, and frame afer it has aged for a few years. We chose not to go with any stain which means as the wood ages, it will develop into a deep, rich, cherry color! We are so thankful for the G's and this generous gift!

Stone is our families "rockstar". He's just showing us how it's done...and don't judge him for his pants, we've all had those days :)Mom and Dad...


When we arrived home after church today, Luke got out his guitar and practiced songs for worship tonight with our small group. Needless to say, when he's leading or just practicing, it is true worship!

We hope you enjoyed your weekend and are ready to begin a new week!

Be Blessed,
Mrs. Hinton

New Meal

I tested out a new meal last night that my sister Kelly sent me over the holidays. It is called a Chicken and Sausage Gumbo that you make from your crock pot. The ingredients are simple and so it the process of putting it together. I'm sharing this with you because it was another hit at dinner!

1/3 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cups of oil
3 cups water
12 ounces cooked sausage links sliced (i used breakfast sausage and it worked just as good)
1/2 cups diced, cooked chicken (i used shrimp because that was what we had)
2 cups sliced okra or 10 ounce bag of frozen okra
1 cup onion diced, (about 1 large onion)
1/2 cup green pepper diced
1/2 cup celery diced
4 cloves garlic minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp ground red pepper
3 cups hot cooked rice

To make the roux, stir together flour and oil in a medium saucepan until smooth. Cook over medium high heat for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium; cook and stir constantly about 15 minutes more until it is dark brown/reddish color. Let it cool.

Place water in crock pot then add roux and stir. Add sausage, chicken, okra, onion, pepper, celery, garlic, salt, back pepper, red pepper. Cover and cook on low heat 6-7 hours or high heat for 3. Skim off the fat and serve over rice.

For A Cold Day...

I had a late start to my day. Morning came and I could not get myself out of bed. My sweet husband went off to work and allowed me to sleep in a little longer. When I woke up, I had enough time to clean the dishes before he arrived home for lunch. When he walked in the door his jacket was covered with snowflakes! I giggled with excitement and we ate out lunch on the couch with the blinds pulled up so we could watch the gentle snowfall.

After he left, I wandered over to the kitchen and saw my beautiful, red kettle sitting on the stove. I warmed up some water and poured in a package of apple cider. I then spent the next 45 minutes curled up on the couch with my hot drink, and the precious Word to study James 1:13-18. It's been a peaceful afternoon with the crisp winter air and the murmuring sounds of the Food Network playing in the background. Today my friends, was a blessing spent with the Lord!
Be Blessed,
Mrs. Hinton