Russell Family Blessings

Ingredients: 1 large box instant vanilla pudding/pie mix 3 cups milk 1 block cream cheese, softened 2 Tbs. Vanilla 4-5 bananas 1 Can Eagle Brand milk 1 Large container Cool Whip 1 Large box Nilla Wafers Blend 3 cups of milk into the pudding mix.   In mixer bowl, cream together cream cheese, Eagle Brand Milk, and vanilla flavor.  Once it is smooth, stir in pudding.  Fold in about 3/4 of the Cool Whip (be sure to reserve enough to cover the top of the bowl for later).  Layer Nilla Wafers, banana slices (we like them sliced thin) and pudding mixture.  Repeat until pudding is gone.  Top with remaining Cool Whip.  Refrigerate at least 4 hours before serving. Credit:  Recipe taken from "A Taste of Heaven" by Sweetwater Baptist Church WMU Cookbook Recipe submitted by Thera Mott

Most recipes that I use are not original to me.  I almost always use recipes from friends or the internet.  This recipe, however is one of my own.  After I graduated from college and before I got a teaching job, I was a waitress at a small restaurant in town, MD's.  Some of you may remember it.  They served a delicious potato salad...This is my version! Ranch Potato Salad Ingredients: 3-4 lbs. Red Potatoes, washed and sliced 1/2  small red onion, finely chopped 1 pkg. Ranch dressing mix 2 (3oz) jars real bacon bits 16 oz sour cream 1/4 -1/2 cup mayonnaise salt and pepper to taste Directions: Boil potatoes until tender, but still firm.  Rinse in cold water and drain.  Mix remaining ingredients.  Pour mixture over potatoes and toss.  Refrigerate overnight to allow flavors to blend.

We've been busy, busy, busy! No excuses, just life!  Between managing a full-time job and our home and family, there has been no time to blog.  I think about it often...I even go as far as thinking about what to say.  I just never follow through.  Mostly because I'm too tired to consider organizing my thoughts and actually uploading pictures!  So many things take up my time...not all are good! Sometimes I feel like all I do is RUN!  I know I'm not any different than any other mother...but it does feel therapeutic to actually type it out!  Let's see...a typical day...wakeup, get ready for work, get Oki ready for school (no small task since she is NOT a morning person), run out the door like a shot heading to work, work (busy, busy, busy), hurry home, pick up kiddos, referee the fight in the backseat while driving home, cook supper while trying to get homework done, laundry, supper, clean kitchen while monitoring bath time, prayers and bedtime, then ...

It's been a while, I know...it seems that every time I blog I begin the same way! I can already feel it coming...we've been busy, I want to blog more, I will try to do better...blah, blah, blah! The truth is that in all honesty, it will probably be a while before I blog again! Anyway, we have been enjoying the wonderful spring days lately. Since the time has changed, we stay outside as much as possible in the afternoons. We really love living in our new neighborhood because we have a great place to ride bikes and walk without worrying about safety. Since Christmas when Oki got a new bike, she has been learning to ride. She's come a long way, from this... To this!!!! Here's my little princess on her bike now...notice the costume, boots and skinned knee!!! Now she's a whiz at riding and doing great! I have a hard time keeping up with her! Last week Max got a new bike and he LOVES it! Of course he could already ride well, but he has had the best time every afte...

Just a little background... God has given our church a heart for missions and our church has been listening and responding to God's call. During the last year our church has sent teams to Venezuela, Pennsylvania, and Kentucky. During our Thanksgiving break, it was our turn! Our family participated in a missions trip for the first time! We traveled, along with 22 others from Ino Baptist Church, to Carnegie, Oklahoma to minister to the Native Americans in the name of Jesus. Our mission was to encourage others and demonstrate God's love by helping to provide a Thanksgiving meal to the people of Carnegie. It all began like this... Lots and lots of laundry!!! Haha! Packing for five people for six days is a chore! Of course, I was the only one that could do it! I'm a little OCD about packing...clothes must be in sets and in the order that that they will be worn. I don't really know why I bother, but it's just how I pack. Thankfully, I took the day off of work o...

For the first time ever, I actually had our Christmas cards created and ordered before December 1!!!! Too bad it took me 2 weeks to actually get them addressed and in the mail. I had to order more since I ran out...they were delivered to our old house yesterday...I hope they aren't wet! I just realized that they were delivered to our old address! It was my fault, though. Anyway, I'll have to wait until tomorrow to see if our renters have them. I'm keeping my fingers crossed! I hope you like the card. We love Shutterfly! Check it out! Stationery card View the entire collection of cards.

I was just wondering if anyone else has trouble getting their children to eat anything that is good for them? In an effort to be good parents, Wayne and I want to provide healthy food for our children. We try to serve at least one green vegetable with almost every meal. Being the the good mommy that I am I served Brussels Sprouts tonight. Our menu was as follows: Savory Meat (Sirloin Steak), Mashed Potatoes, Whole Kernel Corn, Brussels Sprouts and French Bread. Yummy, I know! As we stood around the bar in our kitchen serving plates and getting everything ready, I popped one steamed Brussels sprout into my mouth and gave one to Wayne. He didn't really care of it, but I liked it ok. Wayne went on to put one one sprout on the plate of each of the children. Immediately, they started to complain! Max, our good sport, tried one (of course he thought it was gross!) After a discussion about what they were, Oki announced that we could all eat our Russell sprouts, but she didn...

I started this post way back during the summer...These pics were already uploaded so I just thought I'd share... The first one is what I found as I looked out my back door one summer morning...Can you tell we're country folks? My kids love to deck out and play outside!!! Eli and Max have even corrupted my little princess! We spent a tremendous time at the baseball field this spring. Max and Eli both playing baseball+ different age divisions=6 weeks of M,T,Th and F nights at the field...Plus 2 practice sessions on Saturday. That was a lot of baseball! Eli played Third Base, Second Base, Catcher and he even pitched one game...Max played mostly Right field. It was his first year in regular play (not coach pitch) and he was a little out of his element. The main thing was that they had a great time. Here's Max up to bat and Eli waiting to field a ball... This is what Oki did all those days at the ball field...she played!!! Here she is peeking in the d...

We've been EXTREMELY busy! When I first started this blog, I thought it would be easy and fun to chronicle the goings-on of my family. Well, blogging is really fun and easy, but really...who has the time? It seems that all I do is run at break-neck speed all day and fall into bed exhausted at night, only to do it again in the morning! Now, please don't misinterpret me...I love my family, my life and my job, but sometimes it seems a little hectic! All funny business aside, I am a thankful woman. Seriously! I have been trying to write this blog post for a month now, but haven't been able to find the time. Well, I've been a little under the weather for a few days so it seems that I have finally "found the time" to blog! Yea! There IS a bright side to everything! Our summer ended, as has been tradition for the past few years, with our BIG family vacation in Destin. The weather was a little less than desirable, but we had fun none the less! The first few p...

Today I'm going to share a yummy recipe for Old Fashioned Banana Pudding, the kind you cook. My Papa loves it! I made it for him instead of a cake on his birthday, so I thought I'd take a little extra time to type it out for everyone to try. I wish I could take credit for it, but it's not my recipe. I got this a few years ago from a lady at church, Mrs. Betty Danford. I'm so glad she shared it! I am posting a few pictures so that you can see how mine looks. I wish I had more to share and that they were better quality!!! Anyway, here goes... Old Fashioned Banana Pudding Ingredients: 3/4 Cups Sugar 3Tbs. Plain Flour 3 Large Eggs (separate whites into another bowl and refrigerate) 1 tsp. Vanilla 2 Cups Milk Vanilla Wafers 3 Bananas In a heavy sauce pan, combine sugar and flour, mixing well. Add milk, beaten egg yolks, and vanilla. Cook on medium heat, stirring CONSTANTLY until mixture thickens. Remove from heat. In a casserole dish (I...

I've got to get better at this! Promptness is definitely not my forte...and I've never claimed to be anything other than a procrastinator. I have so many pictures that need to be uploaded and blogged about. This post is an exception, though. I'm actually going to get this one done in a timely manner!!! Kudos to me! ;) Anyway... Thursday night, our baby, our caboose, our little princess, our Oak Tree...Oki graduated from Preschool! I absolutely cannot believe that she is going to Kindergarten in the fall! Where did the time go? I guess the time flies when you're busy...and boy have we been busy! First, I need to say that we have been very blessed to have the staff family at Kid's World care for all three of our children. Mrs. Pam and the ladies there are an outstanding group and have loved and nurtured Russell children since 2002. For ten years (wow! That seems like forever!) we have been leaving our kids there for care while we work. Not everyone can s...