Happy 27th Birthday, Joe!

Twenty-seven years ago today, you were born into the Rigney family in the little West Texas town of Odessa. Today, I am joining with your son, parents, grandparents and brothers in Rockport, Texas to give thanks to God for you today. We love you very much.

About every four years, your birthday falls on Thanksgiving day, so I thought it would be appropriate to express my gratitude for you today- both on Thanksgiving and your 27th birthday! Sam and I are blessed beyond measure to have you as a husband and father. This post could become ridiculously long if I were to share everything about you that I am grateful for, so I will just highlight a few…

I thank the Lord that you are such a gracious husband. You are so patient and kind. You are helpful to me in a thousand ways…my faith in Jesus, being a wife, being a mother, being a friend. You teach me more about the gospel than anyone I know and I respect you for leading our family so faithfully. I love being your wife.

I am thankful to God that you are the kind of father that you are to Samuel. It is apparent that he adores you every time you walk in the door. I always thought you would be a wonderful father, but you have surpassed every one of my expectations. Of all the things I am thankful for in my life, you being Sam’s father is one of the greatest.

I am grateful that you work so hard to provide for us. You are an incredible teacher, thinker, leader and I thank God for your gifts and how you diligently use them at Bethlehem College and Seminary.  It encourages me every time I hear about how God has used you in the lives of your students and co-workers.

I’m so glad that we were able to celebrate your first birthday as a father in one of your favorite places…

I think Sam is loving Rockport as much as his daddy…

Happy Birthday, Joe!  Sam and I love you so much.

happy thanksgiving from our little turkey!

Before Turkey…

During Turkey…

After Turkey…

Happy 5 Month Birthday, Sam!

Sam here! I am celebrating my five month birthday today in Rockport, TX. for our Rigney family Thanksgiving!  It’s a rainy morning here, but that hasn’t stopped our celebrating!

Month five has been great!  Instead of focusing on the boring stuff like rolling over, sitting up, walking and talking…(ok, ok- so it’s not boring, I just can’t do any of that stuff yet so I don’t like to bring it up!)…instead I’m going to show you (in pictures) some of my favorite new things this month.

I have found the most amazing toys at the bottom of my legs.  My momma told me not to brag, but c’mon…not only did I discover these things on my own, but I can also grab them.  At first, my hefty stomach was getting in the way, but with perseverance and a strict “milk only” diet…victory!  This has opened up some serious possibilities, I’m even contemplating putting them in my mouth if I can shave off a few ounces.  Stay tuned.

So, at the top of my favorite things this month…the number one slot has to go to my feet!

Next on my list? Drooling.  I can drool on anyone and anything at any time during the day.  I’m pretty much a pro at this. Not trying to brag, I’m just sayin’.

Third?  Check out this new smile I’ve started using lately!  I just stick out my tongue a bit when I smile and then I squint my eyes and…Bam!  Momma and Daddy melt!  I love it!   You should see their faces when I do this.

It’s a bit mischievous, I will admit.  Every now and then, I will whimper in my crib until my parents come check on me. The second they look down at me, I simply whip out this smile and get an instant kiss!  Genius.  However, this little trick doesn’t work for long…they always put me straight back to bed.  Those two are smarter than I give them credit for!

Next?  Nakedness.  I love being naked…all the time.

Don’t judge me.  It’s the way God intended it…

Fifth on the list?  Dressing up in foil with my buddy J.J. and getting free burritos at Chipotle on Halloween…

Playing with Maggie (my grandparent’s puppy) was also a highlight of my month.  I got so excited that I wanted to climb on her back and pretend she was Seabiscuit, but my mom told me to “play it cool”.  Maybe one day my dreams of becoming a jockey will come true…

Something else new this month is that my winter hats keep finding their way on my head every day.  I love them!  It is getting really cold in Minnesota and these hats keep me super warm.  My doc said that my head is a tad big and that one day I will grow into it.  In the meantime, I’m thankful that my momma’s friends, Katie and Molly, made me ones big enough to fit on my “80th percentile” head!

Another one of my favorite pastimes this month has been playing on the play quilt that my momma made.  She puts toys on the blanket for me to play with, but I would rather look at all the colorful fabric instead!

This month, I also spent two weeks in Texas with both sets of grandparents, but my Momma is saving that for another post!

See you next month…when I turn half a year old!

the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree…

When asked how I first thought about taking pictures of Sam with his monthly birthday signs in the background, I have to give all the credit to my mom.

Yours truly at one month…

two months…

three months…

four months…

five months…

(Sam will be 5 months tomorrow and he weighs almost twice as much as I do in this picture!)

six months…

seven months…

(don’t ask me why this month seems to be more special than the others)

eight months…

nine months…

( I just couldn’t contain my excitement about turning 9 months old)

ten months…

(check out this wallpaper)

11 months…

12 months!

No sign needed really, the “little girl candle” that we were about to light (a bit strange if you think about it?) says it all…

home for the holidays…

Sam and I are in Texas right now visiting family and friends for the Thanksgiving holiday.  Joe will join us in Houston on Friday evening when the annual ETS conference wraps up in New Orleans. 

Since being in Houston, my parents have spoiled me by taking care of Sam in the mornings so I can sleep in.  I have even finished two books since arriving here on Saturday evening!  I’m not the only one getting spoiled though…Sam is getting plenty of love and attention from his Papa and Sassy, and I plan to take full advantage of the wonderful (free) babysitting that my parents provide so that I can catch up with some dear friends! 

We love coming home!  We love coming home so much that Joe and I are spending a total of five out of the next eight weeks in Texas for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years combined!

On Monday, we will make our way down to Rockport, Texas to celebrate Sam’s 1st Thanksgiving and Joe’s 27th birthday (which happens to be on Thanksgiving day this year!).  Joe grew up going to Rockport every summer with his family since Joe’s grandparents have a home there.  We are so excited about sharing this special “Rigney” tradition with Sam.  We are especially excited about introducing Sam to his great-grandparents, Daddy Jim and MaNaynie, and his Uncle Robby and Uncle Danny for the first time. 

Christmas will be even more special this year.  We will have a full house in both Houston and Midland for the holiday season.  Just thinking about this makes me so thankful for our families this Thanksgiving.  We love our lives so much in Minneapolis, but it is such a blessing to be able to come home for the holidays to two wonderfully loving and supportive families.  I am so glad that Sam will be able to celebrate both holidays with both families this year!

Pictures and posts to come of our time here in Texas!

Molly in El Salvador…

My good friend, Molly, is in El Salvador right now serving as a blogger for Compassion International.  In the weeks leading up to her trip, my excitement grew every day as I anticipated hearing about what the Lord was going to do in, and through, her this week.

Opportunities like meeting her sponsored child and working with the Child Survival Program have led me to crying pools of tears on our living room couch in the evenings.  I feel like I am vicariously living through my friend!  Multiple times this week I have found myself just thinking about and praying for her…and then again the tears come.

My heart has been so stirred this week to sponsor a child, something I have never done before, due to the accounts that Molly has been giving on her blog about Compassion.  Earlier today, Joe and I sat down and looked through the list of children that are in need of sponsorship right now.  We wanted to find a little boy named “Samuel” to sponsor…and there just happens to be three!

If you don’t already read Molly’s blog, I would encourage you to check it out and read her posts from this past week in El Salvador.  And if you are interested in sponsoring a child or supporting the Child Survival Program, Molly links to both of these ministries throughout her posts.

Molly returns home tomorrow night and I am sure she is a mixed bag of emotions right now.  It will be bittersweet for her to leave, I’m sure.  But I have a feeling she will be returning one day…

 

my first homemade mobile…

This post is for all of my crafty friends who have asked to see pictures of the mobile I made for Sam.  The whole reason behind me making a mobile for Sam (instead of buying one) was primarily out of frustration.  Baby mobiles in the stores have cute animals hanging from them, but the only thing the child can see is the boring bottom of the creatures!  They can’t even see the faces…just the boring brown feet of some monkey or giraffe!

My original idea was to sew fun-colored fabric into balls and fill them with stuffing, but one night I was laying in bed and this idea popped into my head…Yarn! (Yes, at times I do think about homemade crafts in the middle of the night). I love yarn and all things knitted (even though I am not such a great knitter), so…I thought I would give this a try.

Since I have never made anything like this before, I wanted it to be super easy to make and very inexpensive, just in case the idea flopped!  Obviously, this mobile accomplished both- yarn is cheap and even Sam could probably roll it into balls!

Anyways, I wanted Sam to have something colorful to look at when he plays in his crib.  The boy loves looking at the colorful pictures in the books that we read, so hopefully he will enjoy this!

The more I look at it, the more it resembles a solar system to me (not exactly what I was going for), but I like it nonetheless!

strawberry picking + strawberry recipes

One of mine and Joe’s favorite things to do here in Minnesota is go berry picking.  Picking strawberries is our absolute favorite!  We like to visit the strawberry fields that allow you to eat as you pick, so…we spend all morning picking berries and leave very well fed!  One of my little dreams is to grow my own berries one day, but until then, we are happy to take the thirty minute drive to pick our own.

Here are some of the berries we’ve picked along with our favorite strawberry recipes…

Strawberry Jam

2 quarts strawberries, washed and stemmed

1 package (1-3/4 ounces) powdered fruit pectin

6-3/4 cups sugar

Crush strawberries and measure 4-1/2 cups berries into a large saucepan. Stir in pectin and bring to a rolling boil over high heat, stirring frequently. Add sugar and return to a rolling boil. Boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat and skim off foam. Carefully ladle hot mixture into hot half-pint jars, leaving 1/4-in. headspace. Remove air bubbles; wipe rims and adjust lids. Process for 10 minutes in a boiling-water canner. Yield: about 7 half-pints.

Strawberries Romanoff

1 quart fresh strawberries, hulled

1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1/4 cup orange juice

Sprinkle strawberries with sugar. Cover and refrigerate 15-20 minutes. Just before serving, whip cream until stiff. Gently stir in orange juice. Fold in berries or serve individually in small bowls topped with the flavored cream. Yield: 4-6 servings.

Chocolate Caramel Fondue

1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk

1 jar (12 ounces) caramel ice cream topping

3 ounces unsweetened chocolatechopped

Fresh strawberries

In a large saucepan, combine the milk, caramel topping and chocolate. Cook over low heat until chocolate is melted. Transfer to a fondue pot and keep warm. Serve with fresh strawberries. Yield: 2-1/2 cups.

Strawberry Walnut Salad

6 cups mixed salad greens

1 pint fresh strawberries sliced

1 package (4 ounces) crumbled feta cheese

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Balsamic vinaigrette

In a large salad bowl, combine the salad greens, strawberries, feta cheese and walnuts. Drizzle with vinaigrette and toss to coat. Yield: 4-6 servings.

Strawberry Lemonade

3 cups cold water

1 quart fresh strawberries

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup lemon juice

2 cups cold club soda

Lemon slices, optional

Place half of the water, strawberries and sugar in a blender; cover and blend until smooth. Transfer to a large pitcher. Repeat with remaining water, strawberries and sugar. Stir in lemon juice, then add soda. Serve immediately, garnished with lemon if desired. Yield: 8 servings (2 quarts).

Top 10 annoying Facebook Statuses…

One of my friends on Facebook started compiling a list of the most annoying Facebook Statuses.  I found it hilarious because I, too, find the exact same ones a tad annoying.  This is all in good fun so please don’t take offense if you post any of the following statuses. And by all means, please feel free to add to the list…

1. Only posting the word “is” as your status or saying “there is nothing on my mind”

2. Without fail, every Monday someone will post something along the lines of “case of the Mondays”

3. “Woot” – I understand that people are trying to express jubilation, but i don’t think i’ve ever heard anyone actually say this word. Maybe “Woo hoo” but not woot. Is it an Aggie thing?

4. Excessive exclamation points after EVERY sentence!!!!!!

5. Consistently long, drawn out, and very detailed – this would include giving us a rundown of everything you had for dinner, a play-by-play of everything that’s gonna happen with you in the next hour, or anything that takes more than 3 or 4 status lines – Hint: If I have to click “Read More” to read your status, it’s too long. I understand the occasional long status, but consistently is just annoying.

6. Only posting song lyrics

7. Even though I am a twitter user, I still find it annoying when people type stuff like “coffee @ #starbucks w/ @7jay29 @brownbear @razorboy46 @tomfrank @hurley83, then 2 #transformers2″

8. Constantly posting sarcastically, negative things.

9. Anything having to do with how many ugly ducklings you’ve found in farmville, the fact that you are looking for a punching bag in mafia wars, that you just won 1,000 chips in poker on a hand where you had a high king, or how long you would last in a zombie apocalypse.

10. Constantly trying to be abstract

Sam’s first pumpkin…

Today is October 31st.

For some of you that means…”Happy Halloween”!

For others of you that means… “Happy Reformation Day”!

…and for the rest of you, it is a mix of the two, so…. “Happy Hallelujah-ween!”

Today was such a fun day in the Rigney house!  Joe and I carved our first pumpkin together.  That might not seem like a big deal to most of you, but I have never carved a pumpkin in my entire life!  Not once.

We picked out our pumpkin and I designed what we would carve….

Joe did the dirty work of cleaning out the pumpkin…

…and not too long after that, we were done!

My most favorite thing about Fall is when the leaves turn colors, so that inspired our theme…

While I was toasting pumpkin seeds and cleaning up the mess we made, I overheard some giggles coming from the other room and had to grab our camera…Enjoy!