Southern Meets Mennonite

Food that Feeds Your Story

Weldon’s Grilled Ranch Cheeseburger Sliders

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These ranch-seasoned cheeseburger sliders are a great make-ahead grilling recipe, perfect for appetizers or a simple family meal. They’re freezer friendly and cook quickly. We love making them throughout the year! 

 

Watch our video that featured Weldon grilling up these delicious little bites of heaven plus listen to our tips on how to make your family’s mealtime meaningful:

 

Grilled Ranch Cheeseburger Sliders

SarahBeth
These ranch-seasoned cheeseburger sliders are a great make-ahead grilling recipe, perfect for appetizers or a simple family meal. They're freezer-friendly, cook quickly, and are packed with lots of flavors!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Course Main Dish, Sandwiches
Cuisine Beef
Servings 24 mini-burgers

Ingredients
  

  • 3 lb ground beef 80/20 is best for this
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 2 oz ranch seasoning 2 - 1oz. packets
  • 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp worcestershire
  • 1 tsp liquid smoke
  • 1/4 cup green onions sliced
  • 24 hawaiian rolls or slider buns
  • 24 slices american or easy melt cheese
  • softened butter for spreading on buns
  • burger toppings of your choice ketchup, mayo, mustard, pickles, ranch, etc.

Instructions
 

  • In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, black pepper, garlic powder, ranch seasoning, soy sauce, worcestershire, and liquid smoke. Mix with your hands until everything is well incorporated.
  • Add in the green onions and distribute evenly within the meat. Portion out into 24 patties, making a small well in the center of each.
  • Place in the refrigerator for several hours or up to one day to let the flavors come together. You may also freeze the uncooked patties at this point for later use if you wish.
  • When ready, preheat a grill to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and cook each patty for 3-4 minutes on each side.
  • After the second side is almost complete, add your slices of cheese on top of each and allow it to melt. Remove the burgers to a holding tray.
  • Next, prepare your buns by slicing the contiguous loaf in half lengthwise and spreading butter on the insides. Place them butter-side down on the grill grates for no more than 45 seconds to a minute to brown the edges and toast --they will cook fast so watch them carefully.
  • Last, assemble the burgers and buns, then add toppings of your choice. Serve them while they're hot and enjoy!

Deviled Egg Potato Salad

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You’ve been asked to bring a cold, side-dish to the cook-out and you can’t decide what to make. You love the tangy but cool bite of a deviled egg but also love that creamy, comforting texture of a good ol potato salad. Either one is going to compliment those baked beans beautifully but like the last episode of the Bachelor your heart is having trouble choosing which path to take, knowing you’ll be breaking a heart no matter the choice. But better than Neil Lane or his couture could ever be, I’m gonna show up for you big here and tell you that YOU DON’T HAVE TO CHOOSE! You don’t have to break hearts. No. You can have both, together, forever, amen. And also…calm down. <—It’s just a barbecue ok?!

Today I’m going to be showing you a recipe that will combine two ultimate cook-out favorites: the deviled egg and cold potato salad –and turning them into a one pot (one bowl) wonder using your Instant Pot or Quick Cooker. With only a 4 minute process time, this is so simple and easy to make ahead, in fact, next day potato salad is ALWAYS better, IMO.

 

Let’s talk just potatoes first.

I don’t peel them, like ever. It’s a time suck and I honestly don’t mind them in my salad. My mother-in-law makes THE best creamy mashed potatoes with browned-butter and for that she does peel them, hence why I don’t make that very often (hello instant flakes). 

But if you’re leaving the peels on especially, it does matter which type you use. I prefer reds or creamers. They’re thin skinned plus add a nice color and texture too. In reality, you can use just about any potato you want here. Cut them up into half-inch cubes and toss them into your inner pot of your electric pressure cooker. Add 1 cup of water or broth if you want to up the flavor and season with a nice, four-finger pinch of salt. Remember, these starchy potatoes will soak up salt!  

 

Cook the potatoes and eggs, together. 

Say what?! Yes. You CAN do this. I told you we were bringing it all together, didn’t I?!

Now take 6 whole, fresh eggs and lay them gently on top of your potatoes in one layer. Tuck them in for a quick little siesta, put your lid on and set for high pressure for 4 minutes. Mine takes about 10 minutes to build up before the countdown from four minutes starts, just FYI. When time is up, immediately do a manual release. You don’t want your potatoes too mushy! 

 

A note on my Quick Cooker.

I have the Pampered Chef version of the Instant Pot. I have loved it from day one. I’m not a consultant (anymore) but still love the company and their products. I can’t vouch for the Instant Pot brand but have friends and family that love it, I know it’s wildly popular! Specific directions for Quick Cooker are as follows: Custom + Time + Down Arrow to 4 Min + Start. When the timer beeps, push the vent button open and wait until the red pin drops before attempting to open the lid. 

[If you make this with your Instant Pot, let me know in the comments! The times should be the same, most IP recipes I follow for my Quick Cooker work out so they should also work in reverse order!]

 

Let it chill. 

You’ll probably need a hot pad for this, but carefully pick up your inner pot and dump out your potatoes and eggs onto a large sheet pan. Keep any starchy liquid with it. That’s going to help make it even creamier! 

Pop your sheet pan in the freezer for 30 minutes or so until you can handle the eggs to peel them and the potatoes are cooled. 

 

Make the dressing.

These flavors right here, are the heart of the marriage between the deviled egg and the potato salad. Our dressing has mayo (for the tang) and sour cream (for more tang and cream factor) then the BEST mustard: a coarse-ground dijon. Of course, you could sub any mustard here but I’m telling you, this one is hard to beat! 

It’s then seasoned with some apple cider vinegar, sugar, celery salt, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, and black pepper. Can you see how we’re bringing together those classic flavors as one happy family?!

Mix everything together well in a large bowl and let it chill in the refrigerator until your potatoes & eggs are ready! 

 

But wait,  you’re missing the pickles.

Stop right there and hold the phone. 

To Whom it May Concern: 

Do not ruin my potato salad or deviled eggs (or pasta salad for that matter) with crunchy things. No raw onion, celery, pickles or relish allowed. You have all the flavor you need from those (vinegar, onion powder, celery salt) above. Keep your pickles to yourself and don’t defile creamy things with crunchy things, thank you. Each has its own place and together ain’t it.  

Sincerely,

 A Recovering Texture-Phobe

P.S. Okay. I’m kidding, put chopped pickles or relish in if you must, but don’t bring it to my barbeque. (Just kidding again…sort of) I mean, I’ll still eat it out of politeness. 

Now, put it all together. 

Once you can handle the eggs, rinse, peel them, and then give them a rough chop. Scoop up the potatoes and toss them into the bowl of dressing. Add in the eggs and give everything a stir, making sure the dressing is coating all the ingredients evenly. Then for a finishing touch, you can sprinkle a little paprika on top or fresh herbs as desired. 

Cover and let it keep on chilling all together in the fridge. I love making this several hours ahead or even a day before. As it sits, it gets better! 

If you prefer to watch the video version of this recipe, check out this one where it was featured as we shared our 5 best tips for making family mealtime more meaningful.

Instant Pot/ Quick Cooker Deviled Egg Potato Salad

SarahBeth
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Course Sides
Servings 8 people

Ingredients
  

Potatoes and Eggs

  • 6 cups red potatoes diced
  • 6 large eggs
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 tsp salt

Dressing

  • 3/4 cup sour cream
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 2 tbsp coarse dijon
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 tsp sugar
  • 1/2 tsp celery salt
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1/4 tsp red paprika plus more for topping
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper

Instructions
 

  • Add potatoes, water, and salt into the inner pot of the pressure cooker. Lay eggs on top of potato bed then cook on HIGH pressure for 4 minutes with a manual release.
  • Carefully dump the hot potatoes and eggs onto a sheet pan [including the starchy liquid, it will make your salad creamier] then pop it into the freezer for 20-30 min or until the eggs are cool enough to handle.
  • Meanwhile, prepare the dressing by combining all the ingredients in a large bowl and stirring well. Let it chill in the refrigerator until you're ready to use it.
  • Peel the eggs and roughly chop them, and add them to the bowl of prepared dressing.
  • Dump in potatoes and stir together until everything is coated well. Top with extra hard-boiled egg slices, more paprika, or fresh herbs like parsley, chives, etc.
  • Allow it to chill in the refrigerator for at least 2-3 hours before serving. I prefer making mine 12 hours to 1 day ahead of time for the best results! Enjoy!

4th of July Table – Charcuterie, Favors & Printables!

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Well, it’s true.

The 4th of July holiday is just days away y’all and like a good BFF I’m swooping in at the last minute, bringing you some extra good freebies to download to make your patriotic table shine!

In today’s lineup, the girls and I are setting up a super easy charcuterie board, or really I should say, “char-cheat-terie” board. I don’t follow the etiquette rules on this y’all. I just throw things that look good together and try to create some type of eye-appealing balance. Plus, I wanted to make this both kid and budget-friendly!

Everything included is pretty much storebought with the exception of me using my own salsa and pesto that I already had made. But of course, you can grab both of those items at your favorite marketplace. Usually, the cheese and meats are the most expensive so you’ll see that I went with really simple choices here. Then, I added in all the salty things, fruits, veggies, and even some candy we picked up at the dollar store.

Speaking of the dollar store…

The table decor that you’ll see today is mostly from there too. Dollar Tree is stepping up its game y’all. I love shopping for seasonal items at my local store.

Then, I’ve got several free party printables for you today that include some foldable popcorn boxes that will be used for favors, circle labels, and a fun 8″ x 10″ print that you can frame and use as decor as well!

And I’ve got ALL three of my little helpers appearing in the video. Be sure to watch until the end for the hilarious outtakes –I mean I’m a little biased but totally claiming their sense of humor here.

It’s all going down right here in this video:

Download your FREE Printables:

I hope y’all have a wonderful weekend celebrating together with friends and family! I know it might look a little different this year in light of our circumstances, but I hope this inspires you to make the best of it.

If you use any of the printables, please let me know! Tag me on the gram or FB @southernmeetsmennonite to be featured!

Happy Fourth of July!

 

Decorating for Easter with Party Printables

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Here at Southern Meets Mennonite, our mission is to celebrate the big days and the “every” day with purpose.  We love to be creative, but at the same time, create with purpose. Today’s post is going to show you how to do just that. We all know that Easter this year is going to look a lot different than others.  But just because it’s different this year, doesn’t mean you can’t make Easter with your family special. In fact, you might find that this year you have a little more time on your hands than usual. That’s why today, I’m giving you a free download of my first ever digital party pack!  What better time is it to break out the scissors, tape, and string to make your home a happy place without even having to leave?

I don’t know about you but when I know that we have company coming over, the house and the efforts I put into “entertaining” are way more involved than when it is just my little family having dinner. If that’s you, I want to challenge you (and myself) to go extra for your family this year! I want your kids to think that you’ve lost your mind as you’re placing toothpick toppers in their donuts. I want them to ask, “Mom, who’s coming over?”, just so you can say, “no one, this is just for us!”  Using these printables I’ve created for you and the things you have at home, you can design a beautiful but simple Easter tablescape and decor that will make this a year to remember.

To lead you through this today, my amazing friend and favorite photographer Sara, from sarawalkerblog.com  put her own spin on our Free Easter Party Printables and set up an “Easter Breakfast” shoot inside her gorgeous, Southwest Florida home. Sara has three daughters (including twins) that are all teenagers now. We actually have a fun thing in common: not only do we each have three daughters but we are both twin moms too.  

Recently during one of our phone chats, we talked a while on the subject of entertaining guests in our homes and what perception we want to give our daughters about “hospitality”.  We both stand on this philosophy: teach your children that having people over should be fun and simple –not a moment where Mom is stressed to the max, making it not so fun and simple. Practicing true hospitality when entertaining is rooted in service. It’s about taking care and showing love to those who are gathered around your table. As mothers and homemakers, we set the tone for this for our children. They watch us and our attitudes that we have towards hospitality, and that influences their own. 

 When I first mentioned the idea of creating paper party printables to Sara, she admitted to me that she was skeptical as to how paper decor could be used in a way that wasn’t tacky, especially for a holiday like Easter when you want things to be a little more elegant. But I think after this session she’s sold! Having something like printables on hand can be a way to keep your gatherings simple but purposeful. So let’s get started and take a closer look at some creative ways to use your free download; we’re going to make you a paper party decor expert! 

Materials:

There are a few basic supplies that are great to keep around so that you’ll be able to use our printable decor the most efficiently. Then, once you’ve practiced a little, I’ve included some extra supplies that help you elevate it and make things a little easier. Of course, if this is your first time, don’t think you have to have all the extras. Just start with what you already have!

 

How to Download & Print:

When you click the image below to download your printables, you’ll be prompted to enter your email address, then, will be sent a compressed zipped folder (zip file) to that email address. Be sure to save these files to your computer so you can access them again! It’s best to print your pages on a heavy-weight cardstock that will hold up to cutting, gluing, hanging, etc. Not to mention it will give your decor a more polished look. My favorite way to get the best quality prints is to send my files in, to my local print shop! 

 

Inside our Free Easter Printable Party Pack:

This post is going to be a great reference for you to come back to for ideas, tips, and tricks. Despite our current social distancing situation, here’s proof that two creative minds are better than one! I love how this all came together and I can’t wait to see how you use it in your home too! Keep scrolling as we show you how to use each part of our free download:

Napkin Rings:

These little oval shapes come in two designs: one with carrots, the other a chick. You can use them on napkins, or even rolled silverware. They’d also make darling little tags for treat bags or to tie around a jar or glass. 

Toppers

Typically these are used along with toothpicks for cupcakes or other individual treats. I love how Sara styled them here though and sprinkled them throughout her breakfast-table spread. They just add such fun detail even when your menu is simple! These circle-shaped printable toppers could also be used as tags or tied around jars and glasses. 

Large, 8×10 Prints

I loved this symbol of Easter this “Our Redeemer Lives” printable gives; it could be used as a table centerpiece or in another area of your home too.  The “Menu” printable is also a great table or buffet line addition. One tip for making the menu printable reusable is to place it in a frame and write using dry-erase on the glass. Both of these prints are 8”x10” to fit frames, however, you could reduce their size in your printer options too!

Place Cards

You can never have too many of these, in my opinion. This pack includes blank cards that are meant to be folded in half into a tent-style. I like to use my scoring board with these to mark my fold and give it a clean, crisp finish.  You can use these as food labels or as place cards for your table guests. Note: I’ve made the place cards and the menu without specific “Easter” designs so you can use them any time!

Bunting Banners

There are two different-sized banners in our pack. A Large Banner with two pieces to be duplicated, then a Mini Banner with nine pieces. This take on the banners might be my absolute favorite part of the entire set up. First, just look at how our mini bunting banner was used in a floral centerpiece. Using a floral foam block on either side, the pieces were strung between two wooden skewers. This could also be used for a cake topper too (minus the foam of course!) Isn’t this a gorgeous focal point for her table?!

And don’t forget these mini bunting pieces can be used for more than just banners! Add them to toothpicks to make more food toppers or to skewers and dress up your floral arrangements. 

The large bunting banner’s two designs can be used in alternating patterns if desired. Bunting banner pieces can be hung in a number of ways: one is to use a hole punch at each top corner and string them on. Two, use a hot glue gun to adhere them to the string or three, skip the punches and glue by hanging them with mini clothespins. 

And there you have it! There is my very FIRST digital party pack for you to enjoy this Easter. These printable pieces are so versatile and with a little creativity, you can make your family feel special this year as you celebrate our Risen Savior together at home. I’d like to again say thank you to Sara for being our guinea pig and putting our Easter Suite into action this year! Be sure to connect with her on IG and say hello, @weddings.by.swp. 

If you use our download, we want to know so you can be featured! Please tag @southernmeetsmennonite

Wishing you & yours a wonderful, Happy Easter!

Click the image below to download the free printable party pack:

 

 

Overnight French Toast: Blueberry Cinnamon & Orange Cream

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This overnight blueberry cinnamon & orange cream french toast is a delicious make-ahead breakfast casserole packed with citrus and blueberry flavors made comforting with cream cheese and cinnamon undertones. It’s a dish sure to wow your guests and to start their day with a show-stopping breakfast! (Scroll down to the bottom for the full recipe instructions) 

This is what breakfast dreams are made of y’all. Not only are these flavors sure to make your taste buds go wild but the texture, it’s A++! I’ve always kind of had a thing against french toast style breakfast casseroles. I think it’s mostly because they tend to be soggy and just blah. This recipe was none of that! Two things that were a game changer here were making sure to use crusty bread that was a day or two past it’s prime. Then the fact that it was inverted right after baking allowed the gooey creamy custard to seep back towards the golden-crusted top. No soggy bottoms here, boys! (Ha!)

I also might be a little partial to the flavors of this because it’s a perfect way to highlight some Florida Heartland’s heritage with locally grown blueberries and orange syrup bought from my hometown’s grove stand. The frozen blueberries I used were from last season’s u-pick at a nearby patch. Then this delectable syrup is pretty much good on anything –pancakes, ice cream, hot tea, you name it! Joshua Citrus’ Grove Stand has all kinds of great goodies that are sure to make ANY citrus lover happy! If you’re ever in the area, please go visit them!

This Overnight Blueberry Cinnamon & Orange Cream French Toast is a show stopper! I always enjoy having something sweet and savory on a Breakfast Menu for a nice balance of morning indulgence when having company. It would go perfectly with some bacon and eggs!  This comes together super easy and needs to sit at least four hours or in the fridge overnight before baking. I’ll say again, using a day or two-old french baguette was the key to keeping the bread from turning to mush and holding up to the custard overnight soak.

As it’s in the oven, you’ll whip up a quick saucepan of some cinnamon, caramel glaze that has more of that orange syrup mixed right in then drizzled over the toast still while warm.

Can’t find the orange syrup? That’s ok! You can use maple or any other type you’d like. I can just imagine that there could be lots of flavor combinations you could create with this by subbing different types of fruit and syrups for what I have listed here. Feel free to get creative.

Now let’s talk about the importance of inverting this dish when it comes out of the oven. Using my magic non-stick Flexipan Pie Mold, I was able to do this with ease. I never had to grease, oil or spray my pan. It flips right out and the little bit of custard left behind just slides right off with a rinse of hot, soapy water. This dish cooked more even and browned nicely on the sides and top with nothing burning on the bottom. Because who wants to be scrubbing pots and pans in the morning?!

Can I say just one more time how magic it is? I also used my Octagonal Bon Mat to cover my toast until the last ten minutes of baking in place of foil. All of these BonCook products are made from food-grade silicone and woven glass which means your food will cook more evenly and faster than using conventional baking pans. They have superior non-stick properties and are completely flexible making them easy to clean and store. They are heat safe to 480 degrees F and have become the most useful type of cookware I own in my kitchen!  There are tons of shapes and sizes in my online store at sarahbeth.boncook.com If you need any help selecting the best suitor for the type of cooking or baking you do most, please reach out, I’d love to help you get the best bang for your buck!  You can email me at southernmeetsmennonite(at)gmail.com

If you plan to make this without a Flexipan Mold, grease your dish very generously! Also, you might need to bake for slightly longer than my recipe suggests as well. I made this French Toast using one 12-inch baguette and it would serve 6-8 people. Feel free to double or triple this if you are feeding a crowd!

This Overnight Blueberry Cinnamon & Orange Cream French Toast is going to MAKE your menu! You will fall head over heels for the variety of texture and the punch of Florida Heartland flavors you’ll find in this dish. I hope y’all enjoy –if you try this, let me know and tag @southernmeetsmennonite on Facebook or Instagram to be featured!

Overnight Blueberry Cinnamon & Orange Cream French Toast

SarahBeth
This overnight blueberry cinnamon & orange cream french toast is a delicious make-ahead breakfast casserole packed with citrus and blueberry flavors made comforting with cream cheese and cinnamon undertones. It's a dish sure to wow your guests and to start their day with a show-stopping breakfast!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 53 minutes
Servings 6 people

Ingredients
  

For the French Toast:

  • 1 12-in French Baguette (A day or two old so it's extra crusty)
  • 6 oz Whipped Cream Cheese Spread
  • 1/4 cup Orange Flavored Syrup* see notes
  • 1 cup Frozen or Fresh Blueberries
  • 1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
  • 1 Egg
  • 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract

For the Cinnamon Orange Caramel Topping:

  • 4 tbsp Salted Butter
  • 1/3 cup Brown Sugar
  • 1/4 cup Orange Flavored Syrup* see notes
  • 1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon

Instructions
 

To Make the French Toast

  • Slice baguette loaf into 1-inch pieces, discard ends and set aside.
  • In a small bowl, mix together the cream cheese, syrup, and cinnamon until well incorporated. Then, gently fold in the blueberries.
  • Spread a heaping tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture on each slice of bread.
  • Then, in a non-stick Flexipan or well-greased baking dish, lay baguette pieces down so that each side of the exposed bread is covered by the cream cheese mixture. Use any extra mix to cover any exposed areas. Depending on the shape of your dish, you can arrange in rows, layers or circles.
  • In a measuring cup or prep bowl, combine the egg, cream, and vanilla together. Beat with a fork or small whisk until well incorporated. Pour mixture over the bread slices.
  • Wrap pan in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight is best.
  • When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove plastic and tent with a Bon Mat or foil. Bake for 25 minutes, then remove the cover and continue cooking for 10 minutes or until the top is golden brown. (See instructions for making the caramel glaze while the toast is baking)
  • Remove from the oven and immediately invert onto a rimmed serving platter. Drizzle with glaze and top with powdered sugar as desired.

To Make the Topping

  • In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium-high heat.
  • Whisk in the brown sugar and cinnamon, stirring until smooth.
  • Remove from the heat, then add the syrup. Stir to combine and use glaze while it's still warm.

Notes

*I used Blackberry Patch Florida Orange Syrup from Joshua Citrus, Inc. You can substitute maple syrup or any other flavored syrup in an equal amount in this recipe.

Easy Vegetable Side Dish: Bacon & Brown Sugar Green Beans

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If you’ve been on a search for an easy vegetable side dish recipe that can be all things to just about all people, this one might be it. It’s one that will end up back on plates in the “seconds’ round. Ultimately, your guests will leave questioning, “what in the world did she put in those beans”?!

These bacon and brown sugar green beans are the most requested recipe that I’m asked for. No more sending out pictures of my grease-stained, handwritten scribbles over texts.  It’s time to make an official recipe post for this amazing side dish!

I’ve given many different proportions for this ranging anywhere from side-dish-size to football-team-size. It has appeared on Thanksgiving Day, Fourth of July, graduation parties and even in the hospitality line for hungry cowboys at the rodeo.

Adults and kids alike go crazy over this easy vegetable side dish recipe –I can vouch that they are also toddler approved! One thing that is so appealing about this recipe is the simple preparation. The key to getting all that delicious flavor unlocked in every bite is warming them up low and slow. If you dump this recipe into the slow cooker for a few hours, you’ll really make it a “hands-off” dish that’s just plain easy!

These green beans have a perfect balance of sweet and savory taste. The salty tang from the soy sauce complements the candied texture of the brown-sugar-smothered and smoky bacon. Add in the garlic and melted butter and it gives a final touch of flavor that adds richness to a variety of menu styles. My Mennonite side of the family enjoys serving these beans with ham, potatoes, and more homestyle type foods. Typically, the ones that appear at Thanksgiving. The Southern side of my family makes this easy vegetable side dish recipe for more barbeque style foods served at parties and cookouts.

Although I made a few adaptations to it, I can’t take the credit for the original version of this recipe. My Mennonite sister-in-law Charity served these at a Sunday lunch several years ago. Charity is an amazing mother of eight and an even more amazing cook. She loves to host company and feed others. Not only that, she makes the most perfect pie crust you could ever sink your teeth into! After one bite, I knew I needed to know how to make them! She shared this recipe with me several years ago and it has been in my repertoire ever since.

Now that you know how versatile this easy vegetable side dish is you need to let us know when you try it! Use our hashtag: #southernmeetsmennoniterecipes and we’ll feature you in our stories!

Enjoy Y’all!

Easy Vegetable Side Dish: Bacon & Brown Sugar Green Beans

SarahBeth
A southern, home-style favorite for every holiday or bbq cookout. These brown sugar and bacon green beans are slow-cooked and easy to prepare. The sweet and savory flavors of this easy vegetable side dish compliments a variety of menus!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Course Sides
Servings 20 people

Ingredients
  

  • 8 14.5 oz Canned Green Beans, French Style Drained
  • 1/2 lb bacon Fried & Crumbled
  • 1 cup Brown Sugar
  • 6 tbsp melted butter
  • 1/4 cup Soy Sauce
  • 1 tbsp garlic powder

Instructions
 

  • Place drained green beans and crumbled bacon in slow cooker.
  • In a small mixing bowl, add remaining ingredients. Mix with a small whisk until all ingredients are incorporated.
  • Pour sauce mixture over green beans and bacon, fold ingredients to evenly distribute sauce.
  • Cook on low for 3 1/2 - 4 hours or until beans are heated thoroughly. Serve hot and enjoy!

Paper Bag Your Cold Stuff.

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If I would’ve spent about two seconds less deciding what cheese was a better buy, I might not be dealing with this right now –I thought to myself as my toddler twins were melting down into full-out tantrum mode in the check-out line.

Nothing was making them happy. We already ate our free cookie from the bakery. None of the books or dolls we brought along were good enough. You know, I’m not even sure now why they were crying and they probably didn’t know themselves. At this point though, I really needed that cashier to scan and bag a little faster so I could get out of this public establishment before I lost my ever-loving mind.

Then, I saw her.

A middle-aged woman was standing behind me in line just staring. I was scared to look her in the eyes because I figured she would meet me with a look of impatience or annoyance. She’s out just trying to get her groceries too, probably in a hurry, probably tired of waiting on me and very likely: probably sick of hearing my toddlers scream and watching me do nothing about it at the moment.

After those four or five minutes of torture were coming to an end, the girls started to calm down a little after they met eyes with our sweet little bagging lady who offered them stickers (anything at this point – apparently the whole store was desperate).

As I finished checking out and slid my card, I could still feel the eyes of the woman behind me. I always see my fellow mom-friends posting these awful stories of comments made to them by strangers in the grocery store, criticizing them for the way their child is acting in public. I figured that I was about to collect some material for writing one of “those” posts too as I felt her watching me so close. I felt like the least I could do is apologize for keeping her waiting and for having to listen to not just one cry, but two, in-sync, harmonious cries, in a chorus where they felt the need to escalate their volume over-top of the other.  {oh the joys of motherhood}

When our eyes finally met, I was surprised to see a warm smile looking back at me. She said, “I remember those days” as she shook her head and softly laughed. I haphazardly smiled back and said, “well, I try to do this right before nap time, so that I’m able to put them to bed as soon as we are home. Then I can unload and put away my groceries in peace, but my plan always seems to backfire every time.”

Nodding in agreement she said, “Oh yes, I know exactly what you are talking about, I’m a twin mom myself.”

“Really?” I said as relief fell over me, “then how do you handle grocery store trips?!”

“Well, my baby girls are 43 now so it’s been a little while but I remember them looking exactly like this, actually,” she chuckled.

My heart sank with those words as I watched her look over my shoulder to the cart where the girls were now as cool as cucumbers, showing their new friend, the bagger, their dolls and stickers.

She reminiscently looked over and smiled at them saying, “Mama, they are just doing what little girls do.”

As I moved forward to leave, I was trying to hold back the tears as our bagging lady said, “why don’t I help you out to your car, ma’am”, as if she just knew there was no sense in asking if she could because I obviously needed the help.

This lady was a generation older than my fellow twin-mom friend behind me. Her laugh-line-formed wrinkles seemed to have lots of stories and wisdom behind them. I could tell she was completely enamored with my girls because pure joy was radiating from the smile she was giving them.

As we walked to the car together, she asked a few common twin questions like how old were they, were they identical, etc. She helped me get them all buckled in and settled, then we turned to start unloading the cart.

“It seems like it’s going on nap time soon,” she said. I replied, “Yes ma’am, it is, but the nice thing is once we are home I can lay them down and unload my car afterward.”

As she grabbed the bags she said, “well honey you should really get them to start paper bagging your cold stuff”. Kind of confused but curious I responded, “Oh yeah?”

She said, “Heaven’s yes, sweetheart. You always ask for your cold stuff to be put in paper bags. That way when you get home, you know to grab those first and if it’s hours later before you can unload the rest of car why then it’s okay!”

She continued talking as we loaded more groceries. “And you see these bags with canned goods and jars? You want to tie them up real tight and then tuck one loop inside the other like this,” she demonstrated, “then the handles will hold up to the weight of the bag and save you a broken toe or busted can or two. I can’t tell you how many times I ruined a pair of slacks due to tomato sauce splattering up my leg.”

I never knew there were so many tips and tricks for bagging groceries. But I couldn’t help but smile as she graciously shared her little bits of grocery-bagging-wisdom with me. I felt for a moment like I had my Nanu (my late great-grandmother) with me again, she too sure loved “giving us advice”.

As we finished loading the last little bit, she said, “you sure do have your hands full dear but always remember you are doubly blessed. They grow up too fast, so enjoy it while it’s here. You girls have a good day now!”

As she gathered the carts to leave us, I thanked her and as I pulled away tears poured down my face. I almost wanted to load her up too and take her home with me.

Just as I thought that I was at my wit’s end for the day, these two gracious angels stepped in and reminded me it was going to be okay. But better than that, they helped me see that these little moments are numbered.

One day I’m going to be that woman with 43-year-old twin girls reminiscing in the check-out line back to THIS day.  Then shortly after that, I’ll be the one with silver hair and a sweet wrinkle-faced smile watching other young mothers live decades behind me while I pour out any small bits of wisdom I can to help them face their day.

It seems like sometimes “mom world” can be a tough place. Everyone has an opinion of what and how you should be doing it. Then as you choose a different way, the judgment cloud rolls over-head! But on this particular day, I saw “mom world” as it should be. These precious women weren’t asking me if I breastfed exclusively or if I feed my kids organic meat. They weren’t telling me how to keep a toddler from screaming in the store by having rational conversations with them.

They just simply smiled and said, “I’ve been there too, cherish it.”

God used these two women to speak to me that day, bringing me to a particular passage of scripture that I’ve read over a million times. However this time, I saw it in a new light.

Titus 2:3-5

“Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, 4 so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, 5 to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored.”

I feel like I could write a book on these three verses here, but right now I just want to focus on one part: teaching what is good.

Titus 2 sets up the perfect picture and process of how one generation can inspire the next to live in a God-honoring way. They are to teach the good in order to encourage love, self-control, purity, diligence, kindness, and respect.

Today, these women simply taught me the good. As simple as our interactions and conversations went, I walked away feeling encouraged, not discouraged. I found that self-control I was needing before I lost my mind over my tantrum-throwing toddlers.

This inspired me to take a look at my own life to see where I could begin teaching what is good. Although my age and experience categorize me more in the “young women” section of Titus 2, I’m still a living a decade ahead of younger women that are just beginning their journeys into the next step of adulthood: choosing colleges, careers, friends, jobs, new towns, etc. They soon will be right where I am, in a grocery store line with screaming toddlers.

Speaking of those screaming toddlers, whose primary responsibility is it to teach the good to them? Me -their mother who needs daily encouragement to keep loving them through all their unlovable moments, setting an example before them to also be teachers of the good one day.

My point is, nearly all women, no matter what age, are called out in this passage to be teaching the good. Different seasons in our lives will dictate whether we will be spending more time learning to thrive in what is good when our nests are full or learning to share that good with others when our nests are empty.

So I’ve decided to make it my mission to seek out that good. I am blessed to be surrounded by older women that love and encourage me daily with this kind of teaching. I want to be sure to soak it all in while learning to thrive in these moments as a young wife and mother. Just as importantly though, I realize that I am called to share it with others too. I’m making it my goal to let this blog be a place for that.

I want to challenge you today to think about your impact on the next generation of women behind you. There may be only one or you may be blessed with a silver crown of wisdom to share with those several generations behind you. Wherever you’re at, I challenge you to find those moments and be the Titus 2 type of woman God has called you to be….and start paper-bagging that cold stuff!

 

Thank you for reading! If this inspired you in any way, I want to know! Send me an email at southernmeetsmennonite@gmail.com

 

 

Beef Stroganoff

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A hearty, creamy, robust sauce that encompasses tender, slow cooked beef piled high onto extra wide and starchy egg noodles; if you were to see that on the plates of our table, you better believe the only sounds you’d be hearing after slurping would be, “Can I have seconds, please?”
 
Beef Stroganoff was a staple in my mama’s kitchen and her mother’s as well. When I asked Gran to tell me the story of where she got this dish from, she told me that she found it years ago in a cookbook. This cookbook was a gift given to her by my grandpa shortly AFTER they married. She is almost positive that her mother-in-law made this suggestion to him for the gift but at least now it is something we can laugh about. That’s proof that we all have to start somewhere. This reminds me of my favorite quote from Julia Child, “no one is born a great cook, one must learn by doing.”
 
How ironic that the first time Gran made this was for her twin boys’ birthday dinner. She chose it as a special meal to serve them. Last week, I made this for our girls’ birthday dinner too. They lapped it up.
 
It is the perfect meal for filling the stomachs of a large crowd, the growing appetites of teenage boys, or even two 1-year-old girls. The other advantage of this dish is its independence. It definitely holds up as a stand alone meal, yet, our favorite way to serve it up is with a big garden salad and a roll. The main components of beef stroganoff are, of course, the beef, then mushrooms and onions. The sauce gets the richest part of its flavor from beef consomme, minced garlic, and butter. Then it’s velvety goodness comes from sour cream and cream of mushroom soup.
You can use about any cut of beef for this. Gran uses round steak cut into strips, Mom uses a roast cut into strips and I used beef stew meat as it was. There’s also versatility in how you can prepare it. You can flour then fry your meat and dump all the ingredients (minus the sour cream) into your slow cooker. Then stir in the cream at the end so it doesn’t disintegrate during the slow cooking process. Or, you can cook the meat in the broth and prepare the sauce on the stove top as I prefer to do. Bottom line: don’t make this harder than it has to be -do what works best for you!
The most important part of getting this recipe right is the texture and flavor of your meat. A cut of meat needs seasoning and searing to lock in its extensive flavor before it ever enters the slow cooker. Even if it is part of a flavor-packed sauce, it’s necessary to take this extra step. Emma Christensen says it best as she answers this question on “The Kitchn” blog, proving that searing meat before slow cooking is worth the effort.
 
Contrary to widely held belief, searing meat doesn’t actually seal moisture inside the cut of meat or result in a juicier finished dish. It does, however, give meat dishes an incredible depth of flavor. Additionally, it gives meat an appetizing color and kills off any bacteria that might be hanging out on the surface of the meat.
Searing over high heat caramelizes the surface of the meat, which enhances the savory ‘meat’ flavor and fills the finished dish with complex layers of nutty caramel and coffee-like bitterness. In technical terms, this is called a Maillard reaction and it’s a flavor profile we omnivores happen to find quite delicious. Without searing, meat dishes can taste flat and boring.
 No one likes flat and boring, especially when it comes to beef stroganoff. Flouring meat before frying helps to thicken the liquid of a dish that often becomes too thin during the slow-cooking process. You would definitely want to flour your meat if you are going to be using the dump and cook method I mentioned above. Otherwise, keep reading to see how you can omit the flour and take control of the thickness of your sauce on your own.
 
Preheat a cast-iron skillet to medium-high heat. Add in oil, just enough to cover the bottom of the pan. Use your favorite all-purpose seasoning. A hearty-flavored, but low salt mix would be my suggestion. You’ll be cooking this meat in salty broth, so be careful not to over do it. I used one of my favorite garlic lovers seasoning from FlavorGod. He keeps the salt content low but the flavor kicked up high. Check out his assortment here with my coupon.
 
Sear the meat on all sides until well browned and caramelly. Place the drained meat in your slow cooker and cover in beef consomme. Cook on low for 4-5 hours or until meat is tender but not falling apart. This may require you to do some taste-testing, but I’ve never known anyone to complain at that.
 
You can begin the next step about a half-hour before your meat finishes cooking. Or, you can postpone until you are closer to the time you’ll serve your stroganoff.
 Cut up a large, sweet onion into slivers, then saute in butter in a large electric skillet or deep-welled pot. Add in a couple cloves of minced garlic and sliced mushrooms. Continue cooking until the onions are translucent. At this point, you can prepare salted, boiling water for your egg noodles as well. Follow the directions on their package to prepare them.
 
To the onion mixture, add your cream of mushroom soup and sour cream, stirring until well combined. Then, using a slotted spoon, add in your meat from the slow cooker into your sauce. Ladle the remaining broth from your slow cooker into your skillet, a little at a time. Keep stirring to thin out your stroganoff until you reach the desired consistency. Allow sauce to simmer for about fifteen minutes. Once the noodles finish cooking, drain and rinse them in warm water. This will rid them of extra starch that might cause them to stick together. You can toss them in a little olive oil to help prevent clumping too.
 
The only thing left for you to do here is to serve it up well. Don’t shy away from giving your table guests big helpings. This is one of those pure moments of warm comfort food at its finest. Spoon your meat sauce over a heavenly heaping bed of noodles and listen for the silence. It will last as long as it takes them to devour their plates until they ask for seconds!

Beef Stroganoff

SarahBeth
A hearty, creamy, robust sauce that encompasses tender, slow cooked beef piled high onto egg noodles.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 6 hours
Total Time 6 hours 34 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Beef
Servings 15

Ingredients
  

  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 7 lbs beef cut strips of round, roast or stew meat
  • 1-2 tbsp low salt all-purpose sesasoning
  • 3 14.5 oz. cans beef consomme
  • 20 oz egg noodles
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 3 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 2 large sweet onions, sliced
  • 16 oz. fresh sliced mushrooms
  • 32 oz sour cream
  • 3 cans cream of mushroom soup

Instructions
 

  • Preheat a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat.
  • Add in oil and allow to heat until ready for searing. Sear meat pieces on all sides until browned. Add meat to slow cooker.
  • Cover meat in beef consomme and cook on low for 4-5 hours until meat is tender but not falling apart.
  • When meat is withing 20-30 minutes of being done, in a large skillet, saute onions, mushrooms and garlic in butter until onions are translucent.
  • Bring a large pot of salted water to boil for pasta. Follow package directions for cooking times.
  • Stir in cream of mushroom soup and sour cream. Add in cooked meat with a slotted spoon, reserving juice for the next step.
  • Ladle the left-over juices from the crockpot into the sauce mixture until desired consistency is reached. Allow to simmer for an additional 15 minutes, stirring occaisonally.
  • When pasta is finished cooking, strain and rinse in cool water. Serve sauce over noodles.

Notes

Notes: The original recipe was made to serve 15. Adjust numbers accordingly for smaller servings if desired. Beef Stroganoff is perfect for freezing, a great solution for leftovers. Make the extra and freeze it for another meal later! I also used a large, deep-welled electric skillet to cook the sauce.   

When God Gave Us Two: Birth Day & Birthday!

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My mama always told me that it was going to go too fast. She told me that the day she watched me hold my girls for the first time in the hospital bed. “I swear that was me holding you just yesterday and now here you are holding your own.” 

Now here we are one whole year later. I’m starting to realize how true those words really are.

“Don’t blink.” 

First let me back up a bit. In my last post on our journey of when God Gave Us Two, I wrote about those moments right before we had the girls. I’m going to disguise my recent procrastination in writing this part of the story as a purposeful, “I was just waiting for this perfect moment”, justification and try to make up for the fact that I haven’t been blogging as much as I’d like to lately. 

July 18, 2016 

I woke up early that morning, well if you could even say that I was getting much sleep at all during those days. Mamas around the world know the agony of insomnia towards the end of pregnancy. If it’s not your mind wandering to a million different places, it’s your hip that’s stiffening once again, your back that needs stretched for the hundredth time or the best, your bladder that needs emptied for who knows how many times. 

This was the morning I woke up just feeling different. I had been on bed rest for a few weeks now due to preeclampsia. We were monitoring my blood pressure very closely and given thresholds to be aware of when it was an emergency trip to the hospital. My doctor warned me that if I woke up feeling off that I needed to come immediately. So a little before 5:00 am, I woke Weldon up and told him that my blood pressure had to be elevated or something else was wrong. 

I can’t remember exact numbers, but for me it was high and above our warning threshold. This had happened a few times already but only when I walked – like literally from the couch to the bathroom -my blood pressure would skyrocket.  If I never had to see another arm cuff in my life I’d be okay. I’m pretty sure constant monitoring my blood pressure gave me high blood pressure…

Our bags were all packed already so we decided to make the hour drive to the hospital to go get checked out. After running tests and labs, everything came back okay. Just as the doctor was about to send me home to play the pressure monitoring game again, she asked a few more questions which prompted her to call my maternal fetal medicine specialist for clearance to induce me.

So at 35 weeks and 6 days pregnant, it began!

I have to admit, sharing the news to your family and friends that “it’s time” was  *almost* as exciting as announcing the girls’ arrival. I was a big ball of emotional mess. Scared for whatever in the world my body was about to do but absolutely ecstatic that I’d be holding my two baby girls very soon. 

July 19, 2016

After spending an uncomfortable night with mild contractions, the doctor came in around 6 to make her rounds and check my progress.

Nothing. Not even a centimeter. 

We discussed options and ultimately decided we would choose a cesarean section to deliver. The nurses said to relax (yeah right) and hang out, they’d be back to prep me around lunch time. Even though I knew the dangers that could be involved during a c-section, in this moment I felt a bit of relief. We just felt personally with our situation with having two and the short window of time I had left to try to progress on my own, this was the best option – an answer to prayer!  

I remember the feelings I had as I kissed my family that was there goodbye when they wheeled me down to surgery. I just couldn’t believe this moment was real. The next time they saw me, I’d be able to finally show them my pride and joy! 

Once I was prepped and ready to go in the OR, Weldon came and stood by my head, held my hand and waited. We walked (well I rolled) into that room as just a husband and wife but would come out as a family. A family of four!

At 1:00 pm the doctor said, “take a breath, you’re going to feel lots of pressure.” And by pressure, I think she meant to say, “Girlfriend, we are about to push every abdominal organ you have into your throat and come back out holding a human”. Weirdest. Feeling. Ever. 

The “pressure” came and went. Out came our Baby A. The whole staff of the OR ooo’ed and awe’d. “That’s the first one, now the second!” I don’t even remember much of the next couple of seconds, but at 1:01 pm came our Baby B. We immediately heard two distinct, tiny cries from behind the curtain -a relief, a joy and a flood of tears came over us.  “they’re perfect,” said our sweet nurse anesthetist who ended up being our personal photographer in the OR. 

They laid Baby B down on my chest first. This was our Ansley Elizabeth, “Ansley Beth”. Her little but wide open eyes stared into mine. I looked down as much as I could as I was still strapped to the table, and I kissed her tiny little face. She was perfect. 

Next came our Anna Katherine, “Anna Kate”. She laid there the same as her sister, so wide-eyed and alert. Just looking straight into my eyes, studying my face and my smile. This moment literally took my breath away. How can it be? These babies were miracles – miracles of pure, sweet, innocent grace. We were in love.

They took them away so I could be moved to recovery, but before they carried them out to our room they gave us this precious look of our sweet angels side by side. I couldn’t believe it -two. So tiny, so beautiful – these two precious little angels were finally here. We just looked at each other, no words to say and cried. Time stood still. 

Anna Kate was 5 lbs, 8 oz., 19″ long. Ansley Beth was 4 lbs, 7 oz., 19.5″ long. No oxygen or NICU time was needed – a miracle. No issues with blood sugar – a miracle.  These two teeny tiny babies had come into this world strong and healthy – a miracle. 

A year ago today, this was us:

I blinked once and now today is here already. July 19th, 2017. Our sweet Anna Kate & Ansley Beth are ONE!

 

What a sweet, incredible year it’s been. I don’t think I’ve ever learned as much, grew as much and cried as much as I have in the last 365 days. Who knew that motherhood could and would ever be this grand? There’s so much more to write about our first year as parents of twins. I hope to share more of that in the coming months on the blog.

But for today, I just want to celebrate my babies and the joy they each have given us. I chose a song for each of my girls below because music just helps me find the right words to say when I can’t on my own sometimes. So if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go ugly cry for the rest of the day now…

 

First Birthday Songs from Mama

To: Anna & Ansley2017

Anna Kate's Song (I Hope You Dance)(Lee Ann Womack)
Ansley Beth's Song (In My Daughter's Eyes)(Martina McBride)

 

I’ll start with my Anna Kate:

With a sweet smile and soft, sensitive spirit you bring light to my world. From the very beginning, you’ve been the loudest. Taking after your mama’s own heart you surely love your groceries. You had a way of letting us all know that it was indeed Anna Kate’s time to be fed. It didn’t matter if I was in the middle of feeding your sister, showering, sleeping, going to the bathroom -whatever. You knew you wanted something so you didn’t stop trying until you got it. This spirit still is with you today. You see that toy over there? You want it, now. Your sister has it but who cares. You’re going to get it -determination. Heaven help us if you can’t. You let us know immediately that you aren’t happy about it. 

You were first in doing most things this year. The first to smile, first to roll, sit up, crawl, cut a tooth, walk and now climb! You love to give kisses, open mouth -all in. You love music and dancing. Did I mention you love to eat? Some of your favorites are peas, bananas, cottage cheese and yogurt. You set the stage often for your sister. Maybe you won’t be the one who pulls the dishes out of the cabinet first, but you’ll surely open it up and invite her over to start the deconstruction process with you. You love doors -opening and closing them but hate when they are closed on you. You have a love-hate relationship with the vacuum, the mixer and other loud-noised machines. It’s getting better in time though.

You’re usually the one who knows how to entertain herself longer as you toddle about in your own little world. You’re so curious and you want to know how things work. You’d give anything to be right in the middle of whatever I’m doing, always. Being nosey  or “well informed” definitely runs in your bloodline though, you come by it honestly. 

I absolutely adore your belly laughs and breathless giggles. They light up my heart like no other. Your sweet snuggles and hugs are one of the best parts of my day. My song that comes to mind for you today is “I Hope You Dance”, by Lee Ann Womack. Just hearing it, makes me think of you as you bounce along innocently spinning around through the wonders of life you’re little eyes are seeing now. I see your soft and sensitive spirit as something familiar, because it’s identical to mine. Your tender heart will guide you towards compassion for others but don’t ever let it keep you from being bold, from going against what everyone else might be doing because you feel it’s right. You’ll be my dreamer, my idealist. When you learn of the realities and evils of the world that I wish I could forever keep you from, don’t let it discourage you. Jesus will carry you, He’ll protect you and love you when you give Him your whole heart. I love you so much my sweet Anna and I wish you a day full of happiness today as always, with lots of sweet sugar! It will always be my delight and  joy to watch you as you grow.  

And now I’ll end with my Ansley Beth:

Big things come in tiny packages and you surely hold that statement to its maximum truth. From the very beginning you’ve been our carefree, fearless and strong little peanut. You might be little but your personality and spunk is mighty. You make us laugh all the time with your timely expressions and mannerisms. You’ve always had that tiny smirk in your smile that hinted all that sass you have inside, waiting to be poured out at just the perfect moments. Your smile, let’s talk about that. You do it so proudly, it takes up your whole face -I have always been in love with those little gums! You are still are  our two-toothed wonder today, but more are coming in soon. 

You’re the first to try something new usually – like touching the dog first or testing out a new toy. In a battle of wills or disagreements with your sister, you’re usually our winner. You do have a more “personal” approach to squabbles though as you have learned to go for the hair, use your teeth or just a good ole’ body-slamming tackle. We’re working on changing that though because we know deep inside you really do love AK  so you’ll need to learn to express that love to her differently in time. 

You hate to be left behind and love to go! Even if we walk from one room to the next, you need to be with us and be going along too. With all that strength you have within you comes strong emotion and compassion too. Your broken heart seems to last a little longer and sometimes you just need to be held a little more. When you pick up on something, you are so quick to learn it and figure it out for yourself. When you learned how to walk at 11 months, it only took you about 2 days to conquer it all! Getting you to be still is a challenge at times because you love to go and be busy so much! When we can get you to sit still and eat for us your favorites are bananas, peas, hot dogs and bread. You love, love, love cuddling your soft blankets and spitting out cold water from your sippy cup as you watch it roll down your belly. 

You’re a little more stingy with those kisses but because you love to be held, I adore the feeling of those tiny hands and feet wrapped firmly around me to make sure you won’t be put down until you’re ready to.  Your sweet giggles just melt my heart over and over again. My song to you is “In my Daughter’s Eyes” by Martina McBride. I see your strong and fearless spirit as a mark made on you from the man who has my heart, your Daddy. You are just like him and you both inspire me to be better – always. You have a heart that will go and do extraordinary things if you let it. I have a feeling that there won’t be many things or people that you’ll let stand in your way of following your dreams, reaching out and trying something new. You’ll be my doer, my realist. You’ll be our truth teller and honest friend – and probably our most favorite personal comedian (which I’d like to claim as a trait you inherited from me). Soar high my baby girl, but learn to boast of the wonderful things you’ll accomplish as evidence of God’s immeasurable grace poured over your life through Jesus. Give Him your whole heart first and with that you’ll forever fly. I love you so much my sweet Ansley and I hope today is full of lots of cake and fun! I’ll always feel  privileged to have the front row seat to your story. 

 

Happy Birthday to my Twincesses, I love you both to the moon and back! 

 

When God Gave Us Two: Growing Double

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“Enjoy every minute. Before you know it, they’ll be here and your life will have changed forever.”  I wasn’t enjoying these minutes though. Not even just a little. During my first trimester of my twin pregnancy, vomiting became my new way of life. One odd texture, one off smell or hard cough is all it took. Every morning and especially every night. It felt like it was taking forever to get through. I didn’t have energy for anything; my poor husband did everything. I’d get some encouragement from others when they’d tell me it only lasts through the first trimester but then you’d always have that one person that said, “oh I threw up every day until I had him/her.” No!

My loving church family had given us a meal train during this time which was a huge blessing! I still couldn’t eat most nights but at least Weldon would get something more at dinner time than a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Not being able to cook was hard for me. I loved being in the kitchen. Making dinner after a long day of work was always a stress relief for me. Even scrolling through Pinterest looking at recipes would make me queasy. I had just started a new job too; teaching Culinary! We thoroughly studied kitchen safety for several weeks until I could handle the sight and smell of food again. I remember a night that I sat crying to Weldon saying, “I’m so tired of being sick and tired”. It was getting old but he was so patient and supportive. He handled my hormonal, tender emotions with so much grace.

But like many things in life: this too shall pass and it did, eventually. I was able to get some anti-nausea medicine from my doctor to help. Having somewhere to be every day helped too. It was a struggle most mornings but once I got up and going, I’d always feel better than if I would’ve stayed laying on the couch wallowing in my misery -even though that’s what I really felt like doing. By week 14, my nausea had pretty much gone away with only an occasional moment if I forgot my medicine. I was having trouble gaining weight from being so sick, which caused some concern from my doctors in the beginning. Never had this been a problem for me – no one had ever instructed me to gain more weight. One of my doctors literally told me to eat more ice cream! What?! I’m pretty sure that might have been the best day of my life.

Speaking of doctors, if you ever have a pregnancy that’s the slightest bit unusual (like having two at one time) make sure you really love them. Every other week, we were there to see them. Towards the end it was 3 times per week. They really did become our family!
 

Week 18 came and it was time for the anatomy scan ultrasound. We hadn’t had an ultrasound since the day we found out there were twins. We were so excited to see our babies and how they had grown! We decided to have a gender reveal party, so we asked the tech not to tell us the sexes at the appointment. I remember the first thing we saw on that screen were feet and hands bouncing everywhere! Twenty fingers, twenty toes; they all were there and very active. I couldn’t feel any movements still at this point, but those days would soon be coming. Baby A was the lowest positioned and seemed to be a little more reserved in utero than our wild Baby B, who was uncooperative and sitting on the other’s face. Everything checked out perfect, they were growing well and healthily. They each had a separate placenta which they told us was the best possible scenario for growing twins as it usually resulted in less complications. The tech placed the pictures in a sealed envelope that Weldon had to hold since I have zero self-restraint.

We delivered the envelope right away to my brother and sister-in-law who’d be planning our reveal. This was a Tuesday and we wouldn’t be having the reveal party until Saturday. Longest. Week. Ever. In true redneck fashion, we were going to reveal with tannerite and colored chalk for each baby. I had a strong feeling that we’d end up with one of each or two boys. I just knew it wouldn’t be two girls. Sure enough, Weldon fired the first shot and a pink cloud came up. Then the second, another cloud of pink! Two bow wearing, chicken farming beauties! I couldn’t believe it!

Now the real work and preparation could begin. Furniture shopping, nursery decorating, shower planning, baby registries -so much needed to be done before these babies came. It was around this time that my nesting energy kicked in. This was definitely the glory days of my pregnancy. Glowing skin, great energy and always wearing comfy, stretchable pants. If they could sell that all in a bottle, I’d buy stock in it! Never had my house been so organized and clean! I had lots of help from my family which was another huge blessing.

As the days progressed, my belly kept stretching and my feet kept swelling. I was determined to finish out the school year though. Middle school students have such a way with words. At about 24-25 weeks as I was starting to look pretty large they would say, “Mrs. Campbell, we heard that you were pregnant with twins.” I would answer, “Yes, I am.” “Well we thought you might be but didn’t want to say anything just in case you were getting fat.” Thanks. Or my favorite compliments to hear on a Monday morning, “Wow Mrs. Campbell, you look really big today!” Thanks again. There were also the questions: “So are they going to be born on the same day?” Or another favorite, “how big are you really going to get?” Tweenagers -gotta love them!

By the time I reached my third trimester, I could tell my body was really changing. The glory phase was quickly fizzling out. Bring on the tired, uncomfortable and ready for this all to be over already phase. Summer was here and I realized I picked a great time to be pregnant – 90 degrees and 1000% humidity, thank you Florida!

Even though it would have been easy to complain and grumble, I remember back to these days of placing my hands on my belly, just dreaming and being thankful. Every little pitter-patter and bump I felt reminded me of the crazy, abundant blessings God had gifted me with. I was ready to see them, hold them, kiss them and know them. At the end of the day, I’d sit back amazed and humbled at the fact that these two precious little souls were mine. I was excited for the bond we’d have as mother and daughters but then for the amazing bond they’d always have as two best friends for life. You experience so many emotions during pregnancy. And it’s hard to understand them all until you’re in hindsight.

A mother’s body, whether during a singleton or multiple pregnancy, goes through so much that it’s almost hard to comprehend. Ligaments start stretching and expanding; nutrients that were once all for you now are given to your baby as priority. As their little organs form and grow, so does your uterus along with them. I don’t know how anyone could endure a pregnancy without realizing that the human life is all an ordained miracle performed by God. Every life is. He knits us together in our mother’s womb, forming us into a work of His art (Psalm 139:13). He designs a female body with all the elements she needs to grow more life. When He formed me 26 years ago, He knew that these two eggs of the two million I’d be born with would become my little girls one day. He made my body so that it could support two growing humans at once. I am still absolutely awestruck.

Was I ready for this? From now until forever, I’d always be a mom. I’d always be responsible for guiding, teaching and loving them. They would depend on me for so much, everything. Inside the womb, it’d be easiest to care for them. But once outside, it all would fall on me. Dreaming, praying and hoping – I could only imagine what was on the road ahead of us. Weldon and I knew that our lives were about to change forever.

These minutes that I was told to enjoy from the very beginning were coming to an end, all too soon. I tried to soak it all up: the anticipation, the joy and the waiting as our two little girls were growing inside.

Stay tuned for more on our journey of When God Gave us Two! If you missed last week, you can catch up here.

 

 

 

 

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