An Apple a Day Keeps the Jealousy Away!

Hello pretty ladies! I am inspired to dive in deep today because of what I just read on my friend Nicole's blog. So buckle up and hold on tight!

I think she hits the subject of jealousy HARD on its head! Jealousy... everyone is guilty of it in one way or another. Whether we want the life someone else has or just one part of it, just a moment even. We are ALL guilty! I am going through a really challenging experience right now where jealousy and discontentment are trying to take me over!

Both of my sister-in-laws are pregnant (one of which has been trying for some time now). I think that it is GREAT that our God has given them this blessing, please do not get me wrong. I JUST WANT TO BE PREGNANT TOO!!!!! Yeah, I said it. There is nothing more extraordinary than going through a pregnacy (minus the sickness, uncomfortable sleeping anything, and body changes). When the day finally comes to have your little dumpling, the adrenaline and nerves are pumping inside of you as hard as fists pump on the Jersey Shore. Then, the moment comes when you are face to face with the one you love right beside you as it is time to welcome the blessing into your world. It is MAGICAL! Tears, trembling, sobbing, smiling... THE MOMENT YOU HAVE WAITED 40 WEEKS FOR HAS COME! She is HERE! It brings tears to my eyes just typing about it.

That is my baby!!! (Well, WAS my baby. She is definitely a BIG GIRL NOW!!!!!

What do I have to be jealous about, really? God blesses me EVERY SINGLE day with the moments I am given with my WONDERFUL family!

I have been fighting like the dickens to keep jealousy out of my life. Brandon is (actually) being the smart one when planning our family. He wants to make sure that we are stable financially AND spiritually. I understand his argument, I DO... I just have our life planned out somewhere along the lines of:

1) Get married. CHECK!

2) Have a baby. CHECK!

3) Have the next baby when the first baby is NO OLDER THAN THREE. NO CHECK!!!!

4) Have the last baby when the first baby is NO OLDER THAN SIX and the second baby is NO OLDER THAN THREE. DEFINTELY NO CHECK!!!!

I have this wild idea that my children should not be any more than 3 years apart mainly due to the fact that I wished everyday growing up that my sister and I were closer. She is 6 1/2 years older than I am! I was either her baby doll to dress up and drag around (literally) or her worst nightmare once I turned 3. She had REAL friends to play with then, and I just wasn't as fun when I could talk (tattle)! THE POINT IS that I do not want McKinlee to be too old before she has a younger sibling.

THE REAL POINT IS....

I AM NOT IN CONTROL OF MY LIFE! NEITHER IS BRANDON..OR McKINLEE for that matter!

GOD IS IN CONTROL! I have to step back and let Him hold the reins to my life. He is the glory. He is the truth! I also have to turn my cheek to the GREEN EYE OF JEALOUSY! God will provide for me. God will give me what He has designed for me. I have to TRUST IN THE LORD! I lay it all out at His feet. He is the ultimate provider! He is the answer!

I stole this verse from a blog that Nicole is also a part of with three other young women called Fearless. This blog is one of the best parts of my day! I love reading what these four women share through our Lord. He has given all four of them such a beautiful way of communicating His love. Everyone should definitely CHECK THEM OUT! 

"Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that... Don't compare yourself with others." Galations 6:4

I hope that everyone has a WONDERFUL rest of their day! Love you, girlies!

Oh, and the recipe for the day is:

Apple-Cinnamon Cake

Ingredients

• cooking spray
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 6 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 2 large baking apples, peeled and chopped

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray an 8-inch springform pan with cooking spray.
2. Beat 1 1/2 cup of sugar with the butter, vanilla extract, and cream cheese in a bowl until soft and creamy; beat in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. In a separate small bowl, stir together the cinnamon with 1/4 cup of sugar. Stir 2 tablespoons of the cinnamon-sugar mixture into the flour mixture; reserve the rest of the cinnamon sugar. Stir the flour mixture into the butter mixture to make a smooth batter, and mix in the apples. Pour batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the top of the batter with the reserved cinnamon-sugar mixture.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until the cake pulls away slightly from the edges of the pan, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Cool cake completely on a wire rack before removing the pan and slicing the cake.