the payne's

GF Pumpkin Pie Muffins

2011-11-21T14:38:00.001-08:00

So I've had a hankerin' for something pumpkin. Found these on this blog: www.elanaspantry.com/

Gluten Free Pumpkin Pie Muffins
1 ½ cups blanched almond flour
¼ teaspoon celtic sea salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
1 pinch ground cloves
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
½ cup agave nectar
2 large eggs
1 cup fresh baked pumpkin (or winter squash), well packed (learn how to roast pumpkin in 10 easy steps!)

In a large bowl combine almond flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves
In a Vitamix puree oil, agave, eggs and pumpkin until smooth
Stir wet ingredients into dry
Place paper liners in muffin pan
Scoop batter into paper liners
Bake at 350° for 40-45 minutes
Cool for 2-3 hours
Serve- makes 8 big muffins

**I used Bob's Red Mill all-purpose GF flour instead of almond flour and canned pumpkin instead of baking it myself. I dusted them with cinnamon and powdered sugar. They would be over the top with cream cheese icing. They turned out fabulous! The texture was amazing. YUMMY!

Thankful

2011-11-15T08:16:00.001-08:00

:conscious of benefit received.

Why is it so hard to be thankful? As a sinner, I confess that my heart is bent towards ungratefulness b/c I am not always conscious of the benefits I have received in Christ. When I looked up the antonym for thankful one of the words was "joyless." I don't want to be a joyless person. I am a Christian saved by grace and have every reason to rejoice!

This verse is always one that reminds me of why I should live day to day thankful and full of JOY!

    Bless the LORD, O my soul,
        and all that is within me,
        bless his holy name!
    Bless the LORD, O my soul,
        and forget not all his benefits,
    who forgives all your iniquity,
        who heals all your diseases,
    who redeems your life from the pit,
        who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
    who satisfies you with good
        so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
                    (Psalm 103:1-5 ESV)

Today and everyday,

I am thankful for the Cross of Christ for without His blood shed for me I am nothing.

Lovin' Life in Austin

2011-11-14T12:58:00.001-08:00

2011-09-13T19:48:00.000-07:00

This whole thing is super cool but super new to me. I love to see everyone's sense of style and the things that they love! The DIY, home decorating and of course recipes have to be my favorite things to look for. Follow me lindseyapayne but remember I am just learning and figuring out how to use it.:)

Caleb and Ole' Blue

2011-09-12T14:32:00.000-07:00

One of Caleb's favorite things in the whole world right now is to sit in the driver's seat and "drive, drive." Bryan sold his new truck and got this old FORD that he calls "Ole' Blue." Not having a car payment is super nice and Bryan loves his old truck. :)

Back to School

2011-09-11T19:57:00.000-07:00

The kids started back to their little Mother's Day Out program this past week. They absolutely love it! The Lord has been kind in that they enjoy it and it gives me time to meet with women, go grocery shopping (ALONE), spend extended time reading, ability to clean the house in half the time and so on! You get the picture...

Caleb just turned two and he is becoming a little boy so quickly. In the past week and a half he has developed in his speech so much! It blows my mind how fast they really so grow. He is still very attached to his pacifier and loves his daddy!

Nathanael is learning to be a big helper and to prefer his little brother before himself. He is really a great big brother and Caleb copies EVERYTHING he does. Thankfully for the most part he is a sweet obedient little man.

Here are some pictures from the first day of school. Enjoy my two little munchkins!

Sea World

2011-06-06T20:49:00.000-07:00

We took Nathanael to Sea World today and it was so much fun! We went with our friends, Lori and Ky and their two oldest boys. Here are some pictures of some of our adventures. Oh and I think it was over 100 degrees and it's only June. I think we maybe in for a long HOT summer!

long overdue :)

2011-03-26T19:52:00.000-07:00

I knew it was time to change the blog when one of my sweet friends texted me and reminded me that fall and winter have both passed. It has been that long since I updated our blog. Yikes!!

Here are some new pictures of my boys from this week. Its hard for me not to squeeze the stuffin' out of them every single day. Enjoy!

Fall is Here!!!

2010-10-18T15:15:00.000-07:00

Today we drove to Marble Falls, TX to Sweet Berry Farm. They had so many activities for the kids and lots of pumpkins. We had a great family day!

Harvest Bible Chapel Austin- Launching October 3rd

2010-09-27T12:25:00.000-07:00

It is hard to explain the emotions that I feel when I tell myself that our church is launching on Sunday. My heart is overjoyed when I think about the journey that the we have taken to finally get to this point in our lives. I love the Hillsong song the says "all of my life, in every season, you are still God, I have a reason to sing, I have a reason to worship." All I can say is WOW the Lord has always been kind to us and has taken care of us in every season of our lives. My prayer is that this church, and all the work we have done, is and has been true worship to Him.

Just this past year the Lord has given us amazing people that have helped in so many ways to get this church planted. One huge way the Lord has blessed is by giving us such power players that have taken ownership over their areas and run with it. It has taken so much off of Bryan and allowed him to function in his role more efficiently. We are thankful for our launch team and for their sacrifices during what has been a busy season in all of our lives. We are so excited for Sunday to come so that we can worship the Lord together and to see lives changed through the Gospel.

The past two Sundays we have practiced setting up and tearing down the entire operation and I took some pictures of what all is involved. It is alot of work but we had a blast doing it together.

Please, please remember to pray for us this week and on Sunday, October 3rd. Please pray that people show up, that everything goes smoothly and most importantly that lives are changed.

My sweet ONE year old

2010-09-16T10:57:00.000-07:00

We had a family birthday party this last weekend for my nephew Cooper who is turning 2 and Caleb who turned ONE on September 2nd. We ate good food, had an amazing cake, a bouncy house for the kids and lots of presents. We had a really great time and honestly can't believe my little guy is already a year old.

We are loving our time that the Lord has given us with Caleb and pray that we have many more years to celebrate birthdays. He is such a joy to us in so many ways!

Praise the Lord!

2010-08-07T19:40:00.000-07:00

We have been praying for a location for our church and the Lord has answered our prayers! We will be meeting at Raegan High School. The Lord has been so faithful in providing for us in ways that we would have never seen.

We are now praying for a worship leader. We are waiting and trusting the Lord for the perfect man to lead us in worshiping the Lord on Sunday mornings. Pray with us and if you know of anyone please let us know. Thanks!

July 2010

2010-07-28T11:14:00.000-07:00

Here are some recent pics. The kids are great and growing very fast. I can't believe that Caleb will be a year old in a month. Nathanael and Caleb are both such blessings to us. Everyday is a challenge and very rewarding at the same time. We are loving being parents to 2 little boys. Nathanael's favorite song is "Jesus Loves Me" and he has really gotten into reading books. Caleb is weighing about the same as his big brother. He is crawling everywhere and into everything! Oh and his cheeks are the most squeezable kissable cheeks you could ever imagine.

We are loving our new house and the ability it gives us to host people. We have had birthday parties, launch team parties, neighbors over and of course family stay with us. It has been such a blessing from the Lord and we are very grateful.

Right now our church launch date is set for October the 3rd. Please pray that we could raise enough money and that the Lord would bring more people to serve at Harvest Bible Chapel Austin.

Enjoy the pics. I will try to post more often :)

INTRODUCING

2010-06-21T13:26:00.000-07:00

the newest

member

of our

Family.....

DIESEL!!!

New Family Photos

2010-06-08T21:18:00.000-07:00

We had a family photo session scheduled for Mother's Day this year. Never done this before but it was the only day we were all going to be together for a long time. It was fun and the pics turned out really great!

Jason Drumm took these photos and has now moved to LA to go to Master's Seminary. He is going to continue his photography business during seminary to support his family, as well as keep his business going in Houston. They do great work and we were beyond pleased! I can give you their info if you are interested in getting photos taken of your family!

The Joy of Laughter

2010-05-31T20:17:00.000-07:00

TWO

2010-05-25T09:29:00.000-07:00

This is Nathanael telling everyone "tank-chew"

I am learning more and more every day the meaning of treasuring every minute that I have with my little men. I was reminded this week that my little guys are on loan from the Lord and He is in control of how long I get to have them here on earth. My goal is to love them fully and teach them to love the Lord with their whole hearts.

Nathanael has been a true gift from God. One of the most rewarding things about being Nathanael's mother is when he runs up and gives me hugs and kisses out of nowhere! He has a super sweet spirit and loves to be with his mommy and daddy! We are so blessed to have been given 2 years with him and pray that there will be many more to come.

We gave him a birthday party here at our new house and invited our family and our entire launch team. We had a crew and loved every minute of it!

Getting Settled in AUSTIN

2010-05-20T11:24:00.000-07:00

This was at Nathanael's Birthday party last weekend. More to come on that!

On our sunset cruise in TCI.

My 2 sweet boys!

We are excited to announce that we have moved into our new house in Austin and are very excited about it. The Lord has blessed us with a great house that will be perfect for hosting!

Since we left Chicago at the end of April it has been quite a whirlwind. After we left the kids and I flew back to Texas while Bryan drove ALL of our things. Bryan and I were only in Texas for about five days before we left to go on a much needed vacation. We were given a house in Turks and Caicos Islands for 10 days and it was fabulous. It was such a refreshing time and it was more than we could have really dreamed off.

The Lord has been gracious to our family and I know that he has protected each and every one of us. It seems like this year has been filled with many joys and many, many trials. We are blessed to have a Savior that is faithful and that is our refuge. It has been neat to watch the Lord prepare us for a lifetime of ministry.

Trust in Him at all times, you people;
Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Psalm 62:8

Because you have been my help,

therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice.
My soul follows close behind You;
Your right hand upholds me. Psalm 63:7-8

There have been so many things that have happened that I want to write about but I have 2 small children and they kinda prohibit me from sitting for long periods of time. :) I would just ask that you continue to remember us in your prayers!

New "Eat Clean" Recipe

2010-04-08T19:13:00.000-07:00

About a month ago I really started to clean up my diet and really start eating well. By well I mean no sugar or any processed food. So basically is it a lot of fruits, vegetables and lean protein. I have known for a long time that this is how I should be eating but to have the discipline to do it is the key. Anyways, I tried this recipe tonight that my sister gave me this week and it is fabulous. I changed it up a bit and used Quinoa instead of brown rice b/c I already had that cooked but either would be considered, "Clean."

Chicken Rice Cakes

2 Tbsp. EVOO, divided
2 cups chicken, cooked and finely shredded
1 cup sweet potato, cooked and mashed
1 cup brown rice or Quinoa, cooked
1 egg
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 1/2 tsp rosemary, chopped (I omitted this)
sea salt and pepper to taste
1 cup mushrooms, diced

1. Heat 1 Tbsp EVOO in skillet over med-high heat
2. in a bowl mix all ingredients together and shape into 8 patties
3. cook until golden brown on both sides
4. serve with a steamed veggie of your choice

Enjoy!

A few new pics of the boys

2010-02-23T14:58:00.000-08:00

The boys and I are in Texas visiting family and missing our sweet hubby and daddy very much! I has been nice to actually be outside even though today it has pretty much snowed non-stop...very unusual for Texas! We got to go to the zoo last week which was so nice. It was about 68 degrees and sunny. All the animals were out sunbathing and playing which makes it so fun for the kids! More to come!

Praying for Haiti

2010-01-17T11:06:00.000-08:00

I would ask that all of you pray for our pastor as he is planning on flying to Haiti today. He has a heart to help the churches in Haiti that need much help. Please join Bryan and I in praying for Mark Driscoll and James MacDonald as they plan to leave in a few hours.

Please check out the website that has been created to help us know what to pray and James' heart to help Christ's church.

www.churcheshelpingchurches.com

Watch the video that has been posted. Very impacting!

Attention... all parents, future parents and grandparents

2010-01-14T08:48:00.000-08:00

The Jesus Storybook Bible is what I am raving about. We got ours in yesterday and we love it. I have read several of the stories to Nathanael and he seemed to like them as well. He has started to say Jesus and loves to pray with us now. I am hoping that he will love this little Bible and really be able to learn from it.

It is written in story form based on scripture. The illustrations are fabulous! I am really excited to read many of the stories for myself. :)

I took some pictures of some of the pages so you can get an idea of the illustrations and you may even be able to read a little bit as well.

Lettuce Wraps

2010-01-13T10:13:00.000-08:00

Here is another healthy meal option that I love and my sister reminded me of. They are lettuce wraps with lots of love inside. I spread garden vegetable cream cheese on the butter lettuce leaf then I load it up with turkey, veggies, a sprinkle of cheese and sunflower seeds (for crunch). I have done these many different ways...if you want a veggie lettuce wrap you can always use black beans instead of turkey! Build them the way you love and ENJOY!

Cauliflower Power

2010-01-11T17:31:00.000-08:00

I tried a new recipe tonight that I had seen on Rachael Ray about a year ago. It is Smashed Cauliflower! It may sound really gross but I loved it! I just boiled the cauliflower and then added a tiny bit of butter, garlic salt, and pepper. Instead of smashed potatoes I just substituted these and it was a much healthier option.

Gluten Free Peanut Butter Granola Bars...YUMMY!

2010-01-09T18:15:00.000-08:00

So as many of you know I am allergic to gluten. I am always on the look out for healthy snacks that I can eat and even take on the go if I need to. I looked in all the health food stores around here and couldn't really find a good granola type bar that I enjoyed. I look for different recipes and altered several and came up with this. We all love them in our household and they are sooooooo easy to make.

Peanut Butter Granola Bars

1/2 cup of honey

2/3 cup of peanut butter

1 cup of oats (I used Bob's Red Mill GF rolled oats)

2 cups of puffed brown rice cereal (gluten free and low sugar)

however many raisins you desire

Put the honey in a medium size pot and put it on low heat. Stir constantly. You want it to thin out and be melty but not to boil. When it gets to that point you can add in the peanut butter. Stir this until it gets really smooth. At that point turn of the heat and stir in your oats and rice cereal. Add the raisins or whatever dried fruit you would like. After everything is stirred together I lay out some parchment paper, dump everything out and form into a square. After I let them harden up a little bit I cut them put them in a storage container and put them in the refrigerator. Enjoy! (oh and you really could alter them anyway you like...add nuts, more oats than rice cereal, etc...)

Not much new... just the same cute boys!

2010-01-08T08:20:00.000-08:00

Here are some new pics of the boys! They are both super fun and we are having a blast with them!

Nathanael is really growing up so fast. We are loving watching him turn into a little boy. He loves his daddy and can't wait until he gets home everyday. We live in an apartment and every time the door slams downstairs he looks at me and says "daddy?" It is so sad when I have to tell him that daddy is still at work. He loves to play in his new fort WITH mommy and daddy.

Caleb has discovered his voice and his hands. He talks and has had his hands in his mouth constantly. He is also very very ticklish. We love to just sit and watch him. He is precious and a great baby!

Bryan was in Austin last weekend and the Lord is answering our prayers. He is building His church and we are so excited to see Him continue to do it. Continue to pray for us!

We have started to look at houses in the area to get an idea of where we might want to live. This is really exciting for me! I feel like we have kinda been nomads over the past 5 years, so to be looking at houses to rent or buy in the town that we plan to be for a long time...really really thrilling.

My little reindeer...

2009-12-28T20:30:00.001-08:00

Caleb is getting so big...he loves to sit in his Bumbo seat! Next week he will be four months old and I can't believe how the time has flown! Love him so much!

Christmas in Chicago

2009-12-25T14:54:00.000-08:00

We opted to stay in Chicago this year and do Christmas with our little family. We have had a great day celebrating together. For a starter Christmas present for Bryan and I, the kids both slept until around 10 am. After everyone woke up we grabbed a light snack and then started in on opening the presents. Nathanael has never really gotten into the present thing but it didn't take him long to figure it out. I must say that he is very meticulous when he unwraps his presents...one little piece at a time. We opened our presents to each other and then Nathanael and Caleb opened their gifts from Santa.

Bryan made this video of Nathanael's first glimpse of his new fort from his Papaw and Muss. He loves it and actually will play by himself for a little while! Enjoy!

Pondering the Brevity of Life

2009-12-22T07:53:00.000-08:00

"...yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes."

James 4:14

Life has been difficult lately. I have been having some health issues and it has really been such a refining process in my life. I have had some type of a headache since Thanksgiving and when I say that I mean at times it is dull and annoying and others it feels like my head is going to explode. Along with that 2 weeks ago my vision began to blur and I began to have tingling in my arms and legs. Bryan and I really began to get concerned and started to really pray that the Lord would heal me and that He would give us wisdom in what we needed to do. Last Wednesday night I woke up in the middle of the night with a crazy headache and it was so painful I began vomiting. This lasted for 3 days and after some research and talking to a doctor that goes to our church we decided I needed to go and get a CT scan to make sure I didn't have a tumor or some type of a brain bleed. So off we went to the ER to get checked out.

I have to say, I was really scared. To think about having something that serious was truly sobering. Everything from not being able to raise my boys to leaving my sweet man behind led me to tears. BUT then I began to think about how the Lord would use my situation for His glory and it honestly began to be okay. I really began to just pray that whatever the diagnosis I would be able to give glory to Christ and that He would be exalted through it.

We got the results back and the CT scan was negative! Praise the Lord! Even in that I just continue to think about the brevity of life and that we are only here for a little while and that our next minute of life is never promised!

I would encourage you to pray for Matt Chandler, a pastor in Dallas that has brain cancer. Pray that He would continue to honor Christ and that the Lord would give Him the strength during the treatments for the cancer. Pray that the Lord would give his wife extra grace during this time as she takes extra special care of her husband and her children.

"You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand." James 5:8

My sweet man!

2009-11-11T09:56:00.000-08:00

I am so thankful for a husband who is such a loyal and faithful friend to me. The Lord has truly blessed me with a man that protects, leads and challenges me to be more like Christ. His dedication to our family makes me fall in love with him more and more everyday. I am praying that our boys grow up to love the Lord with all their hearts just like their daddy. I am a very blessed woman to have him as my husband!

Bryan Nelson Payne, I Love you!

The Fire

2009-11-06T09:52:00.000-08:00

I pray this video is as impacting to you as it was to me. The video speaks for itself! It is about 12 minutes but it is worth it.

SURPRISE!!! 30th Birthday Weekend!

2009-10-31T10:21:00.000-07:00

So last Saturday was my 30th birthday. Yes I know I am getting really old. In lough of that fact my sweet husband planned a FULL Surprise 30th birthday weekend. It began on Friday night...he surprised me by having some of our friends, Jake and Debbie, come in from Nashville to spend the weekend with us. Friday night was Debbie's birthday so these guys had been scheming and planning for weeks to make this weekend extra special for us!

Friday night we went to Cite, it was a fine dining restaurant that was up on the 70th floor looking out over downtown Chicago. It was beautiful. We had a great time talking, laughing and eating. I think it might have been the record for my longest dining experience. 4 HOURS! :) After we ate we were all very tired so both couples retired to their hotel rooms for the night with a scheduled meeting time of 9:30 AM.

We got to sleep in a little bit, got ready and met down in the lobby. Little did we know that we would be going all the way to Paris. We walked a few blocks and ended up in this really cute store called the Chopping Block. There was cool cooking stuff but on the bottom floor we walked into a huge room all set up for COOKING LESSONS! Debbie and I have always wanted to take cooking lessons and our men set it up for all 4 of us...that's right they took them with us. We made food that you could find in Paris and then got to eat what we made. We had so much fun, and I would love to take a more extensive class again someday when my boys are older.

After our cooking lessons we went and checked out of our hotel and went walking down the Magnificent Mile. At the end of the Mag Mile they surprised us with an hour and a half massage. It was actually one of the best massages that I have ever had!

That night after all of this we came home to pick up my mom (who was keeping the kids) and we all went out to Morton's to get a very yummy steak. It was fun for Jake and Debbie to get to meet my mom and we all had great conversation.

I had so much fun and am so thankful for a husband who is thoughtful and plans fun things for us to do! I will post some pics of our fun weekend. :)

It's been a LONG time!

2009-10-31T09:16:00.000-07:00

Here are some recent pics of the boys, ENJOY!

It has been ridiculously long since I have updated this blog so please forgive me for my lack of updates.

We have landed in Chicago and have gotten settled in. The transition with a 2 week old was interesting and very hard. When we got here the ladies from the training program and some of the ladies from the church had planned meals for us for about 2 weeks. I can't tell you what a blessing this was. Exhaustion had taken over and I was doing everything in my power just to survive. On that note, I figured out that I couldn't do it on my own and in my own power. You would think that I have learned this by now but I was begging the Lord for His strength and He has given it to me! With a newborn it seems that things with regards to sleep will never get better and it slowly and eventually does.

We are still not sleeping much but our little Caleb is such a lover. He is so snuggly and sweet! He is also a very good eater and has little rolls on his legs to show it. Nathanael was and is very thin so to have a little one with some squish is fun. Caleb is starting to smile in reaction to Bryan and I talking to him.

Nathanael loves his baby brother and is always wanting to kiss him. It is so neat to watch him grow and to see his personality flourish. He loves to play, read and talk.

The other night he woke up at 11 pm and sounded really scared so we got him up for a bit. I was writing thank you notes at the table and he wanted to sit up there with me. We were sitting across the table from each other and he literally talked to me for about 20 minutes. I had no clue what he was saying but by the way he was talking it was REALLY important. He is also enjoying us reading to him more and more and will actually sit through a book every once in a while.

Bryan is really loving the training he is receiving here at Harvest Bible Chapel. We are very excited about what the Lord is preparing for us in Austin. It is clear that He is working and we are excited to see what He has in store for us. We are in the process of trying to build a core group of people that are willing to sacrifice their blood, sweat and tears to help us plant this church. If you know of anyone in Austin please let us know. Our website is under construction but as soon as it is done we will post that so you can all look at it. For now we have a Facebook group, Harvest Bible Chapel Austin Group.

As for me, I am loving being a wife and a mom. The Lord has really given me the strength and ability to be able to keep up with both boys, the home, and most importantly serve my husband. I am trying to be involved in a weekly Bible study when I can and we have different events for the wives of the training center guys. These have proven to be very helpful to give us some idea of what our role is in the church planting process. The wives are all super sweet and it will be great to have them as friends as we are all going through this journey together.

Swimming lessons

2009-08-04T19:23:00.000-07:00

Nathanael just got done with two weeks of swimming lessons. Of course at this age they are just trying to help them to get comfortable with the idea of getting in the water, splashing around and blowing bubbles. We had a good time getting to watch him and interact with him in the class. We both got in the water with him but Bryan was the main one helping him with what they were teaching. I am glad that he got to do it b/c now he practices putting his face under in the bathtub and is not scared!

Nothing much else is new here with us except, I am getting bigger and it feels like it keeps getting hotter. Nathanael is beginning to try to say more and more things which is fun and hard at the same time. It is fun b/c he is trying to communicate better but hard b/c most of the time I have no idea what he is saying. If we ask him where Caleb is he points at my tummy which is really cute!!! (I am not so sure that he doesn't think that everyone's stomach is named Caleb.)

Bryan is headed to Austin tomorrow to meet with different people about the church plant and to scope out some areas that he has found on the map that might be possible locations for the church. We are praying that the Lord would provide the right people and the perfect place for Harvest Bible Chapel Austin.

You can all be praying for us in the next month or so as we enter into a really hard time of transition. Bryan is leaving on August 24th to head for Chicago and I will stay here until a few weeks after I have Caleb. We are still working through all of the exact details but I am not looking forward to being without him for that long. You can pray that I would be strong and that the Lord would help me to have a good attitude!

Back from Tennessee

2009-07-19T18:43:00.000-07:00

As I wrote before Bryan and I went to TN for Bryan to preach a youth camp. The Lord was faithful in challenging the kids and adults with the preaching of His Word. Nathanael had a great time with his Grammy, which freed me up to support Bryan without worrying about him. I believe that the Lord changed lives and is still working in lives because of this youth camp. It makes me excited to see what the Lord has in store for us and our future ministry.

Since we have been back we have spent some extra time in Conroe with Grammy (Bryan's mom), gone to PF Chang's in The Woodland's t0 hang with family, had another doctor's appt. for Caleb, and celebrated our niece's 3rd birthday. We are busy but having a good time seeing and catching up with all of our family.

Oh and did I mention that I got a new car? It is actually a little bit bigger that your average car... I got a Ford Excursion. It is gorgeous and it drives like a dream! We decided to go ahead and get one of the biggest cars on the market to accommodate all the kids, both present and future. Bryan believes that I should have a one ton diesel so that his family will be safe and can drive it forever.

Nathanael is getting really big and loves to play golf. He has little golf clubs and will go around the house or the yard hitting anything and everything in his way. He also really loves taking rides in his papaw's golf cart! He is having a blast here because he actually has a back yard to run free and play. He wants to go outside all the time!!!

We have been swimming quite a bit as well...Nathanael enjoys it and it feels really good to a pregnant woman!

We are still alive!!!

2009-07-01T19:57:00.001-07:00

Well here we are and it is already the first of July and I haven't posted in a really long time. My apologies to you all! When we decided to come back to Texas we thought that we would have time to rest and relax but it has been quite the opposite. Four days after we arrived Bryan flew back to LA to preach at the Chinese Bible Church's retreat, four days later we flew to Lubbock, TX to visit Bryan's dad and to pick up our car, then on our way home we made a pit stop to visit Bryan's grandparents in Wichita Falls. The day we arrived to see his grandparents his Dedaddy was put into ICU. The Lord was gracious to allow us to see him one last time before he past away about a week later. Bryan had the privilege of preaching his funeral message and presenting the Gospel to many who have heard it all their lives and probably many who have not.

After returning from Wichita Falls we went over to Conroe to spend some time with our dear friends, the Carlson's. We celebrated their son's 2nd birthday and then came back home to make it time to honor my dad, Bryan, and James(my brother-in-law) on Father's day. Three days later we left to go back out of town to my parent's lake house to relax for the weekend. So as you can see we have gone non-stop since we have arrived.

On July 4th we are flying to Tennessee b/c Bryan is preaching at a week long youth camp with Vince Greer's church. I am getting to go with him to be with him and support him in that! Nathanael is getting to stay with his Grammy for the week. I am excited to get to go with Bryan but very very sad to leave Nathanael for this long.

Our new doctor's name is Justin Gayle. He is very personable and is always willing to spend ample time answering any questions we have. We had our 28 week doctor's appointment last week and Caleb is growing at the average rate that he should be. He is extremely active, moving and kicking all the time.

It has been difficult being big pregnant and keeping up with Nathanael. Bryan has been such a huge help with Nate... I could not do it without him.

Hopefully this helps catch you all up...I will post some new pics in the next couple of days!

Nathanael's First 1st Birthday

2009-05-04T13:08:00.000-07:00

The reason I say Nathanael's First 1st Birthday Party is because this is his CA party with his friends and his Texas party is in a few weeks.

We had so much fun on Saturday celebrating the 1st birthday of our little miracle baby, Nathanael. I honestly have a hard time believing that a year has gone by but it has! We did a little fire truck theme party and invited a few of Nathanael's little friends. Katelynn, Hudson and the Norton kids all came to play and celebrate. We had yummy Subway sandwiches to eat and lots of playtime at the park. It was forecasted to rain all day but it ended up being one of the most beautiful days we have seen yet in SoCal.

By the time it was gift opening time Nathanael was exhausted and just crawled up in my lap and started sucking his thumb (which means please put me to bed!). He got some rally fun toys that he has very much enjoyed playing with over these past couple of days. We are thankful for great friends and the fun time that we had!

One of our high school students, Hailey, came and took pictures for us so that we could just enjoy the day. She got some really good ones! Enjoy!

too cute to resist!

2009-04-30T19:33:00.001-07:00

Mexican Meatballs

2009-04-27T20:01:00.000-07:00

So I had no clue what I was going to make for dinner tonight all that I knew was that it was going to be something with ground beef. I was talking to Lori on the phone and I asked her for ideas for dinner... one of the things she said was meatballs. Bryan is not a huge fan of meatballs so I decided to change it up a little and make some Mexican meatballs.

I dug around in my refrigerator and found some different items that are used when cooking Mexican style meals. So, I made Mexican Meatballs and boy did they come out yummy! I have to share what I did with you. All of these measurements are not exact so just do what looks good to you...

Mexican Meatballs

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

1 pound of ground meat

handful of cilantro, chopped

1/2 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped

1/4 onion finely chopped

1/4 bell pepper finely chopped

handful of bread crumbs

1 egg beaten

1 big handful of grated pepper jack cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Mix all the ingredients together and make good size meatballs. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown and cooked through. Enjoy!

I served this with black beans (I added a tbls. or so of Rotel for a little kick) and rice. Yummy!

Can I take a nap yet?

2009-04-27T10:19:00.001-07:00

So, I was doing some things around the house this morning and Nathanael had gotten really quiet... you know what this means. Usually, TROUBLE! So I go looking for him and since are apartment is tiny it didn't take me long to find him. He was in his room and this is what he was doing....

My Preacher Man

2009-04-20T13:57:00.000-07:00

Bryan preached yesterday in the High School department at Grace. I wasn't able to stay for the whole thing b/c Nathanael wasn't feeling well but I heard he did an outstanding job! I am posting the link were you can download it and we can listen to it together. Thanks for loving and praying for us!

The Lord continues to bless!

www.gracechurch.org/ministries/audiodownloads.asp?ministry_id=4

Easter Sunday

2009-04-12T17:23:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures from this morning. Nathanael is such a handsome little man! We had a great time celebrating the resurrection of Christ this morning! Hopefully it is something that we are mindful of year round and not just on Easter Sunday. Enjoy the pics!

Fun times in Texas...

2009-04-10T13:29:00.000-07:00

Cutie Patootie!

Look at all of the bluebonnets!

Nate in the Texas Bluebonnets

Grams and Baby Nate

My beautiful sister and "super duper" Cooper!

Chloe and Nate playing

Grammy getting some love

Crawling to the next one daddy points out.

Nathanael very excited about the eggs!

On Thursday the 2nd we got to the airport no problem. Our flight was scheduled to leave at 6:20 but was delayed. We ended up not leaving until around 7 which is Nathanael's bedtime... you can probably see where this is going. It was a very difficult flight! Food only did the trick for so long... we finally just had to let him scream it out on the plane while Bryan was bouncing him so that he would go to sleep. It was humiliating, but nice once he drifted off. We made it there at 12:15 Texas time. We spent the night with Bryan's mom and then my mom came and picked us up on Friday.

The trip was filled with lots of family fun. Friday night we cooked out hamburgers, Saturday morning my parents invited my cousins and their sweet kids over for a big breakfast and an Easter egg hunt, and then Sunday after church Bryan's family came over for brisket and sausage. Lots of eating!

Chloe loved being able to be a big cousin to "Baby Nate" but she really wanted him to be able to walk. Maybe when we get there next time he will be walking for her. She was a big helper with both Cooper and Nate. Cooper has the sweetest disposition and he is totally in love with his mommy!

It was cold most of the time we were in Texas so we didn't get to take the ever-so-ready boat out but she is waiting for us to get back! She is tuned up and ready to go!

Oh and on our way to the airport we stopped and got some pics in the bluebonnets! Nathanael is still in his jammies but I think they turned out cute! Enjoy!

TEXAS here we come!!!

2009-04-01T11:38:00.000-07:00

We are headed to Texas tomorrow to visit family for Bryan's Spring Break. So I am busy doing laundry and packing for the family to get us ready to leave tomorrow.

It has been a great week figuring out all the details of the summer. We have decided that we are moving to the great state (Texas) for the summer and for me to have this sweet baby. We are looking forward to a fun filled summer full of family time and relaxation.

The Lord is good to give us this little break before we hit the ground running in September with Harvest Bible Fellowship. For those of you who don't know, we are moving to Chicago for 8 months for church planting training.

For now things are busier than ever trying to plan for our future and finish off this semester. It has been neat to see the Lord work out every single little detail. The business sold and should be completely gone by May 1st, our apartment manager is allowing us to only pay a pro-rated amount for the month of May, the POD should be arriving in a couple weeks so the we can strategically start packing for our final destination, Austin, TX, and the Lord continues to teach us and grow us daily through all of this.

We are hoping that the Texas bluebonnets will still be around when we get there. Hopefully I will post some pics in a few days. Have a great day!

The Business SOLD

2009-03-30T15:29:00.000-07:00

"Yahweh, Yahweh, a God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness and faithfulness..." Exodus 34:6

Many of you don't know that while in seminary we have owned our own business. Bryan started a luxury portable restroom company about 2 years ago. In doing this he wanted to see it make enough money to support itself and provide for our family. The Lord truly blessed it and it has done both. I have been able to stay home with Nathanael while Bryan attended seminary and ran the business. Our desire all along has been that when seminary comes to an end we would try to sell it so that when we left here our main focus would be on planting the church.

This past weekend the Lord provided a buyer for the business who goes to Grace Community Church. His desire in buying Uptown Restrooms is to hire seminary men and their family's while they are here. Not only are we thrilled that our business sold, but we are excited that it will be used for helping other men while they training to be pastors.

We see the Lord providing for us once again as He so faithfully does. Now, our goal is not to thank Him and walk away and "forget all of His benefits" but to trust Him for His provision in every situation!

Stellan

2009-03-28T21:25:00.001-07:00

So, I ran across this blog off of one of my friends blogs. I have started praying fervently for this little boy and his family. You can click on the link to the right to read his story. Please join me in praying for him, he is so precious and I know the Lord is faithful and can heal him. Thanks!

Our Little Abundance

2009-03-26T11:06:00.000-07:00

So this is Baby # 2, which we are calling Abundance at the moment. We just realize that the Lord blessed us so with Nathanael and then to give us another is pure abundance.

I know I promised this a long time ago but here is our first ultrasound pictures. At this point it is so hard to see what everything is but we do know that we saw a sweet little beating heart! We are praying that this little one is growing and healthy! We are so thankful!

10 months ago

2009-03-19T13:20:00.000-07:00

Nathanael... you are such a sweet gift that we cherish everyday. Mommy and daddy love you so much and are so thankful for you. The joy that you have brought to our lives is immeasurable. The fun times you and daddy have playing football on the living room floor and the snuggle times we have while I sing you songs are irreplaceable. Your love for us is evident by your big smiles and the open mouth kisses we receive! We Love You Son and can't believe you have already been with us 10 months! You are so much fun and we can't wait to see what the Lord does in your life!

Yosemite National Park Weekend

2009-03-19T11:35:00.000-07:00

We were blessed to be given a cabin up in Yosemite for the weekend to enjoy as a family. It took us 6 1/2 hours to get there b/c we had to stop at the 2 Sonics and the Chick-fil-a we found along the way. For those of you that don't know in L.A. we don't have either of those. It was great... we enjoyed our trip that was only supposed to take 4 hours......

Once we got to the cabin we cleaned it a little and then put the little man to bed! He was exhausted from the trip so he slept all night. (this usually doesn't happen when we are somewhere other than home) Bryan built us a huge fire and we enjoyed some time by ourselves.

We began reading "Respectable Sins" by Jerry Bridges on Friday night and continued throughout the weekend. We have not finished the book but it has made me more aware of my sin. I just realized how sinful I really am on an everyday basis. Frustration is huge for me! I get so frustrated when things don't go the way I think that they should go. It has just become so evident that I respond like this way too often. Instead of responding with an attitude of graciousness and understanding that this might not have been my ultimate plan but it is God's. I need to learn that I am not in control and that Christ is and he might be trying to teach me something.

Whenever I feel frustrated and know that I am sinning I have begun to meditate on Psalm 139:16, "All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." So just understanding that every circumstance that occurs during the day is part of God's plan for my life that day! Then I just have to pray and ask the Lord to help me to respond appropriately! I am learning so much from this book and if you want to be more aware of your sin then this book is awesome! I am sure there will be more of this to come! My heart is overflowing with things that I am learning from it!

So this was a highlight of the weekend and then other highlights would be the views that we got to see and the awesome time spent with my 2 favorite men.

It was so beautiful and so majestic! It was amazing to look at and know that we serve such a huge God!

I was great to have this family time together and I am thankful that the Lord allowed it!

Daddy Day

2009-03-19T11:21:00.000-07:00

This post is way overdue!!! I am so behind on my blogging and I apologize.

Bryan decided that he would spend Friday afternoon (2-26-09) and evening with our little Nathanael. He took him to a Texas Tech baseball game and then they went on a stroll in the mall. Nate loves to stroll and people watch!

They had a great time and it gave me a chance to rest! They also surprised me a brought me a yummy gooey Cinnabon Cinnamon roll! It was fabulous!

Nate's first official haircut!

2009-02-20T17:50:00.000-08:00

Today was the day we decided that Nathanael needed to finally get his shaggy hair cut. I had cut it several times on top but wouldn't dare try to cut the whole head! I called and made an appointment for after his nap time so that he would be super chipper...12:30 we show up at the place. Amy was waiting and ready to do his first haircut. She came over to greet us and say hello to Nathanael then she asked us to put him in her chair.

This wasn't an ordinary chair...it was a bright yellow car with a steering wheel and everything! He loved it! He wasn't so sure about the water being sprayed on his head but other than that he had a great first haircut!

We are PREGNANT with number TWO!

2009-02-15T14:00:00.000-08:00

Yep... I am pregnant again! We are very excited that the Lord has shown us such kindness as to bless us with another sweet baby! I am really sick again like my 1st pregnancy but it is always a reminder that our little one is doing well!

We went to our first doctors visit on Wednesday and got to hear the heartbeat and see our little "peanut." I could never get tired of hearing that little heart beating a hundred miles per hour! Another fun thing is that my mom got to be here for the ultrasound so she got to experience seeing her little grandbaby in the womb. I will post a picture of the ultrasound in a later posting it is MIA at the moment!

We are truly thankful to the Lord and are taking each day one at a time. You can pray that the Lord would give Bryan an unimaginable amount of energy. He is having to take on many things around the house...most importantly Nathanael when I am really sick. It is hard because he is in school, running our business, the shepherd of a Bible study and now taking on more at home. He is such an amazing man and I love him more every single day! It makes me appreciate him more seeing all that he is having to juggle and seeing him do it with such a willing and happy heart!

Thanks for your prayers as we both seek to honor Christ with our lives and our family!

Corneal Ulcer

2009-01-26T13:22:00.000-08:00

Sunday evening when we got home from church Bryan's eye began to feel very uncomfortable like someone had stuck their dirty finger in his eye. By the time that we were going to bed the eye was getting more and more red and starting to hurt him quite a bit. We finally got him to sleep by putting some drops in his eye and putting some ice on it. I thought the ice might settled the irritation but I knew it might take his mind off of it. Well he got through the night but it was really really bad this morning when he got up. He was in major pain and he couldn't open his eye. So I suggested he call the eye doctor and get an appointment.

An hour later we where on our way to Northridge to see Dr. Yook. Sure enough he has a pretty bad infection in his eye and a corneal ulcer. I posted a picture above which was taken after he had already put some of the drops in his eyes so it is not as red as it was but you can see the little ulcer on his cornea.

The Lord is good and took care of us again. Dr. Yook did not charge us for the visit today because he believes so much in the seminary and believes it is his ministry to help out. We are so grateful and Bryan's eye already feels better after one application of the drops.

8 Months Ago...

2009-01-17T10:59:00.000-08:00

Eight months ago the Lord decided it was time for Nathanael Nelson Payne to begin life in this temporary world we live. Even though time has flown by, I will never forget that moment that I saw him for the first time. The love that I felt, the tears that streamed from my eyes, and the thankfulness to the Lord for the gift of Nathanael.

We have had such a great time learning and loving him over these past eight months. He is such a joy and it is an honor to be his parents. We celebrate the life of Nathanael today as we reflect on the "gift of God" that he is.

Our prayer continues to be for us as parents to show him the love of Christ daily so that he would grow up desiring to love and serve Christ. We continue to be amazed at the kindness of the Lord!

Praying for Our Children

2009-01-15T11:14:00.000-08:00

This morning I was reading and stumbled upon this and thought it was great. I know sometimes I am not quite sure what exactly I should be praying for Nathanael. Bryan and my desire is for Nathanael to be saved and to fall deeply in love with his Savior. To have specific scripture to pray is important so hopefully you can find this as helpful as I did.

Texts to Pray for Our Children

by Jon Bloom

That Jesus will call them and that no one will hinder them from coming. Matthew 19:13-15

That they will respond in faith to Jesus' faithful, persistent call.

2 Peter 3:9

That they will experience sanctification through the transforming work of the Holy Spirit and will increasingly desire to fulfill the greatest commandments. Matthew 22:37-39

That they will not be unequally yoked in intimate relationships,

especially marriage. 2 Cor. 6:14

That their thoughts would be pure. Philippians 4:8

That their hearts would strive to give generously to the Lord's work. Exodus 35:29

That when the time is right they will GO! Matthew 28:18-20

Nathanael Crawls!!!

2009-01-12T17:14:00.000-08:00

Nathanael has started crawling...boy is he going to be hard to keep up with! He has a ton of energy and when he sees something that he wants, he goes for it! Enjoy...

Hudson Beats Up Nathanael

2009-01-12T16:47:00.000-08:00

This is what happens when a one year (Hudson) old tries to put a hat on a seven month old...

An apple a day...

2009-01-11T17:12:00.000-08:00

Nathanael is very serious about his apples. He goes to town with his two bottom teeth. He can bite off really big chunks... then I have to retrieve them from his mouth so he doesn't choke.

He has also started crawling. It is very slow but it is crawling. Once he gets close to what he wants he reverts back to the army crawl. I think that he wants to be like our dog Tilly... she wants nothing to do with him!

Home sweet home!

2009-01-11T15:59:00.000-08:00

Since we've been home we have gotten all of our clothes washed and put away, gone grocery shopping, spent time with our friends, tried to get caught up on sleep, nursed Nathanael back to health and gotten the news that we are excepted to Harvest Bible Fellowship! Yep, you heard me right... .we are going to Chicago and they want us to plant a church in Austin, TX when we finish! We are so excited that the Lord has given us clear direction as to where we are supposed to go to proclaim his name! We couldn't be more excited!

We have prayed and will continue to pray for the Lord's direction in our lives. We own our own business that needs to sell so that we can move on with the ministry that God has called us too! We trust in the Lord's goodness and will continue to pray that he bring the right person along to buy it.

New Year's Day

2009-01-11T15:45:00.000-08:00

Chloe...my niece

dad, cooper (nephew), old poppy (grandpa), Nathanael, and me (4 generations)

Today we just spent time loving on family and reflecting on the year 2008! What a great year!

We are so blessed to have 2 new lives in our family. Baby Nate and baby Cooper, what sweet little men the Lord has seen fit for us to raise. We must not leave out Chloe Grace... to see her grow in her understanding of what it means to love her family and to get so excited to celebrate Jesus' birthday is so fun to watch! She loves her mommy and daddy and is such a special helper with her baby "tooper."

Old poppy, my grandpa has had several health problems this year but it was a blessing to have him around for another year! I have posted some pictures of him with the 2 babies! He loves the kids and they love him... there is never a dull moment in the house when we are all together!

New Year's Eve

2009-01-11T15:22:00.000-08:00

our desert at Christopher's

my mom and dad...flirting

me, my mom and sister

On December 31st we made our way back to College Station to spend New Year's Eve with my family. We had dinner reservations at Christopher's World Grille.... it was fabulous. I ordered the Christopher's House Filet and ate every delightful bite of it! We also ordered yummy deserts...see the pictures! Family and food was a great way to bring in the New Year!

Later that night we joined some of our friends, the Carlson's and the Kirbel's. We sat around a fire and enjoyed great conversation about churches.

We have been blessed with very special family and friends!

On to Grammy's house we go...

2009-01-11T14:51:00.000-08:00

My sweet hubby-Bryan, my niece-Ashton, my son-Nathanael

Grammy and Nate

My niece- Ashton, Nephew-Todd, and Nate

About an hour from my parent's house is a little town called Montgomery. This is where Bryan's mom, sister and her family live. This is also the home of our dearly beloved Lakeside Bible church, the church that we served in before coming to seminary.

While we were in Montgomery....we just relaxed around the house, had Christmas with Bryan's side, ate dinner with the Ramey's, went on a much needed date and got to catch up with our sweet friends the Carlson's. We had a full but fun time!

Bryan had the privilege of preaching to our dear friends at Lakeside Bible on Sunday, Dec. 28th. He is always excited to get to share from the pulpit what the Lord has been teaching him!

On Monday the 29th, April, Bryan's oldest sister and her family came for a short visit. We just has family time on Monday night and on Tuesday the guys and girls went their separate ways. The guys went to the golf course and drove carts around while the ladies went shopping. After that we all met back up for some yummy Mexican food. Thanks Grammy!

College Station here we come...

2009-01-10T20:38:00.000-08:00

My grandma with Nate

My cousin's baby, Ana and Nate

"Muss" and Nate

Cooper, my nephew

Chloe, my niece and Nate

On December 19th we left Austin city limits and drove about 2 hours to my home town of College Station. Our plan for the time spent here was to relax and enjoy family. The only problem was that I hadn't even started my Christmas shopping. Yikes! I did get it all done with no stress at all! Bryan got to enjoy playing some golf with my dad, reading and hanging out with Nathanael. There was never a dull moment in the house especially with all three grandkids!!!

We celebrating Jesus birth by baking him a birthday cake and singing Happy Birthday to Him. Chloe, my niece, loved this...this is all she wanted for Christmas. On Christmas Eve we went over to Madisonville, TX which is where my grandparents live. We celebrated my great aunt's 94th birthday and opened our gifts from the family.

On Christmas day, my parents hosted everyone at their house for late lunch! The house was decorating beautifully and the steaks were great! After the yummy meal the guys went to play golf, the girls cleaned up and I actually took a nap!

Later that evening we packed up and moved on.....

Austin, TX

2009-01-10T20:23:00.000-08:00

Our second stop on the holiday tour is Austin, TEXAS! We are thinking and praying about planting a church here in Austin. Our goal in coming here is to meet some people who would potentially be involved in helping get that church planted. There is a real interest in having a good Bible teaching church in the Austin area.

We have a heart for people who have grown up in a culture of christianity but aren't truly saved and for those that just outright reject Christ. Our desire is to see these people saved! We are excited to see what the Lord is going to do in Austin!

Chicago

2009-01-10T20:05:00.000-08:00

Our holidays started on December 12th with a trip to Chicago. We went to do our final interviews with Harvest Bible Chapel for Bryan to become one of the residents in their church planting ministry. As we were going through the interview process the thing that we continued to come back to was that we felt encouraged and challenged spiritually. I got to attend my first church service at Harvest and I absolutely loved it. The worship was amazing and the preaching was solid. We also got to stay with Jason and Grethel Fevig which are our friends that are currently in the church planting program. At this point we do not know an answer as to whether we are excepted or not so we will just continue to pray and ask the Lord to give these men wisdom in their decision making process. We left Chicago on the 16th of December and headed to Austin.....

the payne's

GF Pumpkin Pie Muffins

Thankful

Lovin' Life in Austin

Pinterest

Caleb and Ole' Blue

Back to School

Sea World

long overdue :)

Fall is Here!!!

Harvest Bible Chapel Austin- Launching October 3rd

My sweet ONE year old

Praise the Lord!

July 2010

INTRODUCING

New Family Photos

The Joy of Laughter

TWO

Getting Settled in AUSTIN

New "Eat Clean" Recipe

A few new pics of the boys

Praying for Haiti

Attention... all parents, future parents and grandparents

Lettuce Wraps

Cauliflower Power

Gluten Free Peanut Butter Granola Bars...YUMMY!

Not much new... just the same cute boys!

My little reindeer...

Christmas in Chicago

Pondering the Brevity of Life

My sweet man!

The Fire

SURPRISE!!! 30th Birthday Weekend!

It's been a LONG time!

Swimming lessons

Back from Tennessee

We are still alive!!!

Nathanael's First 1st Birthday

too cute to resist!

Mexican Meatballs

Can I take a nap yet?

My Preacher Man

Easter Sunday

Fun times in Texas...

TEXAS here we come!!!

The Business SOLD

Stellan

Our Little Abundance

10 months ago

Yosemite National Park Weekend

Daddy Day

Nate's first official haircut!

We are PREGNANT with number TWO!

Corneal Ulcer

8 Months Ago...

Praying for Our Children

Nathanael Crawls!!!

Hudson Beats Up Nathanael

An apple a day...

Home sweet home!

New Year's Day

New Year's Eve

On to Grammy's house we go...

College Station here we come...

Austin, TX

Chicago