A Journey Down the Narrow Road

I'm BAAAAAAAACK!

2009-03-08T20:23:00.000-05:00

I have missed blogging! I haven't written in over a month, actually nearly 2 months. Man. . .I have been LAZY! I thought I'd start back with Menu Plan Monday. Rev and I are restarting the Low GI diet, based on the book Living the GI Diet by Rick Gallop. The hardest part will be (once again) giving up my favorite beverage of all time. . .COKE. Man, am I going to miss my Cokes. Here's our Menu for this week. (and, be sure to visit Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie for more great Menu Plan ideas!)

Monday ~ Crockpot Cheesy Chicken (This is a new recipe, so I'll post it later in the week if it's a keeper), Steamed Broccoli, Wild Rice

Tuesday ~ Crockpot White Chicken Chili, Cornbread

Wednesday ~ Pecan Crusted Tilapia, Mashed Cauliflower ("Potatoes"), steamed green beans

Thursday ~ Crockpot Stuffed Bell Peppers, green salad

Friday ~ Grainy Mustard and Chive Crusted Pork Tenderloin, Sweet Potato Latkes, Asparagus

Saturday ~ Church's Wild Game Dinner

Sunday ~ Spaghetti and Turkey Meatballs, green salad

I can't wait to see what YOU'RE cooking!

Menu Plan Monday

2009-01-11T21:30:00.000-06:00

This MPM may look familiar. . .because it is almost exactly the same menu from last week. You see, Skywalker got a stomach virus, and then passed it on to Rev. Rev was sick for 4 days. . .and didn't feel like eating ANYTHING! So, I didn't cook. Then, I got busy with work. . .and my menu plan just fell by the wayside. . .so, we'll try it again this week. The good news, though, is that our grocery bill should be very small this week!

Also, I have a NEW obsession. . .stay tuned for more information. . .you won't want to miss this one!

Monday ~ Crockpot Stuffed Bell Peppers, green salad

Tuesday ~ Crockpot Spicy Black Beans, Smoked Turkey Sausage, Brown rice, green salad

Wednesday ~ Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Meatballs, green salad, steamed green beans

Thursday ~ Crockpot Peppersteak, brown rice, steamed snow peas

Friday ~ Rev and I are going on a DATE!!!! An awesome family from our church gifted us with an Olive Garden giftcard and a night of free babysitting for Christmas, and we are taking advantage of their gracious gift!

Saturday ~ Grilled Balsalmic Bruschetta Chicken, Whole Wheat Cous Cous, steamed snow peas

Sunday ~ Lentil Haystacks

24

2009-01-11T17:45:00.002-06:00

I am so excited, I can hardly contain myself! 24 is finally coming back on! I absolutely LOVE this show. I have to confess, though. This show did not interest me from the beginning. I think the show was in the middle of season 3 when Rev rented the Season 1 DVD set and we began watching. This was actually a great way to start, though, since I didn't have to wait an entire week to view the next hour. Of course, I was hooked instantly. . .You can just imagine how upset I was last year when the writers strike caused this show to be delayed an entire YEAR. And now, the long anticipated season is upon us. If you are NOT yet a Jack Bauer fan (though I can't even begin to imagine how that can be) you MUST tivo this show. . .but do NOT watch. Join Netflix, and rent all the previous season's DVD sets, and watch them first, then catch up with this season. Just keep in mind, you won't be able to just watch one episode. . .you will get addicted! Anyway, I just had to share my excitement alittle bit!

Menu Plan Monday

2009-01-04T20:32:00.000-06:00

Another week gone, and here we are, nearly a week into the New Year. Today, I am starting my "healthy eating" plan. . .I am trying hard NOT to call it a "DIET" since we all know what the first 3 letters of that word spell! (If you are interested on where I came up with out "healthy eating plan", mostly it came from "Living the GI Diet" by Rick Gallop.)

So, I informed Rev that he and I would be going back on out healthy eating plan. The problem with this, really, is that I have more will power than he does when it comes to food. No matter what I cook for him at supper, or leave for his lunches, 9 times out of 10, he's getting fast food for lunch. I have accepted this about him, so I will strive even harded to make at least one of his daily meals healthy. I mean, lets face it, we aren't getting any younger, and our waist lines won't get any smaller without serious help. The good news for him, though, is that he's a runner. So, he can still get away with a cheeseburger now and then. . .he just goes running to burn off those extra calories.

I, on the other hand, am trying to get back into a routine of using my treadmill. My plan is to use it at night, after the kids are in bed, while I watch a show. . .we'll see how this works. The problem is, I am sooooooooo tired at night, I can barely function.

On to our meal plan for this week. I have planned crockpot meals or leftovers for my work days, since I get home so late.

Monday ~ Crockpot Black Bean Soup, green salad

Tuesday ~ Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Meatballs, green salad, steamed green beans

Wednesday ~ Walnut Crusted Tilapia, Steamed green beans, brown rice

Thursday ~ Crockpot Stuffed Bell Peppers, green salad

Friday ~ Leftovers

Saturday ~ Grilled Balsalmic Bruschetta Chicken, Whole Wheat Cous Cous, steamed snow peas

Sunday ~ Taco Bowls

Happy Eating!

My reading list. . .

2009-01-04T14:39:00.002-06:00

I love reading. The problem, of course, is that I have absolutely NO time to sit down and read anymore. What, with 2 preschoolers to run around after, a full-time job as an RN, a husband to support, a Church family to serve, and house to clean, meals to cook. . .I could go on, but you get the picture. Anyway, I've decided to list out the books "on my list" to read. . .hopefully I'll be able to get to them over the next year.

1.) Heaven, by Randy Alcorn ~ this one was a gift from my dad, and it sounds intriguing, so I'll start here.

2.) Have a new kid by Friday, by Dr. Kevin Leman

3.)The House That Cleans Itself: Creative Solutions for a Clean and Orderly House in Less Time Than You Can Imagine by Mindy Starns Clark

4.) The Lucky One, by Nicholas Sparks

5.) Kiss, by Ted Dekker and Erin Healy

Well, I'll start here. If I can find time for these, I'll add more.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T10:31:00.002-06:00

Happy New Year to all. I've decided to write out my New Year Resolutions this year, so that all of you can help to keep me accountable. I rarely make resolutions, I've always just seen it as one more thing to worry over not completing through the year. . .but, now that I am 30. . .older and wiser than I used to be, I have discovered that a little accountablility really helps me, so I am turning to you. Here they are, in no particular order: (and yes, I realize that they are NOT really original)

1.)Exercise : I'm not sure how many of you noticed the treadmill in the background of our Christmas pictures, but it's been sitting back there, virtually untouched, for nearly a year. I can actually cound on both hands the number of times I've used it. My goal is to use it 3 times a week for at least 30 minutes each time.

2) Lose Weight : When I started the low GI diet last July, I had a goal to lose 17 pounds, and I stopped at 12. . .of which I have regained at least 3 or 4 pounds. Anyway, I am restarting the diet Monday (It's just easier to start on a Monday for me. . .). This means, of course, that I have to give up drinking my favorite beverage ever made (Coca-Cola Classic), and my second favorite (Dr. Pepper). Anyway, the low GI diet really works for me. . .the first week was hard, but then, I enjoyed the food, and didn't really miss all the sugar and junk.

3) Stop yelling at my children : No, I don't yell ALL the time, but I really don't want to yell at all. I need to find ways to make them listen without yelling. . .

4) Be dilligent in my daily Bible Study : I have always gone through spurts of being very dedicated in a daily quiet time and Bible study, and slacking off. For the past month or so, I have definately been slacking. . .and I can totally tell. I have less joy and less patience. I am choosing a book per month (or 2) to study, deeply.

5) Keep my house clean : This one I can NOT do on my own. I need Rev, Stonewall, and Skywalkers help. I want to be able to receive guests at any time, without worrying about toys scattered all over the floor, or dishes left out.

Well, there they are. . .

Haircuts

2008-12-28T22:34:00.000-06:00

Well, I needed a trim, badly. The problem, of course, was that my usual guy, Jay, was off Friday, and Friday was the ONLY day I had for like the next 3 weeks, that I didn't have to work, and wouldn't have my kids with me, so I went for it, and used someone new. I just wanted a trim, really, nothing drastic. Last June, I cut bangs. I had had long straight hair, all the same length, for practically 10 years, and I wanted a change, so I had Jay cut some long layers, and longish, side-swept bangs. I really liked it. The only real problem, though, was that I wore it in a ponytail almost everyday.

Then, In August, I decided to cut off some length. I got it cut just above my shoulders, and kept my bangs, because I liked them. (basically, the layers were just cut out, and now I had shorter, shoulder length, straight hair). I liked this pretty well, and had really decided to keep it this way. I had had it trimmed since, with the same results. Since my last trim, though, my bangs have gotten pretty long, and theI decided this time, to leave them longer. I told the new girl, I wanted a trim and shape up. I told her I wanted to pull the length up just above my shoulders, and a very slight angle toward the front, with the back slightly shorter.

What I got? A Chin length bob, longer in the front, and stacked in the back. I have to say, that the look is growing on me, but I'm still not sure about it. . .it is REALLY short! When I picked up the boys from school that day, Skywalker noticed first, then Stonewall. Skywalker said I looked pretty, but when I asked Stonewall if he liked it, he said "well, kind of I don't" and then asked if I could make it longer again. Then, when Rev saw it, all he could say at first was, "it really short, isn't it?" I don't blame him, I was pretty shocked, too. I will say, though, that it is growing on me. . .I am beginning to like it, at least the front part that I can see. . .I think the length is good now. . .(still not too sure about the back, though) maybe this new girl really did know what she was doing? (And yes, I had to take the pics myself!)

Menu Plan Monday

2008-12-28T21:00:00.003-06:00

Here's my humble attempt to get back into the swing of things. . .I missed last week's MPM, and let me tell you, my grocery bill, my menu, and my sanity all paid for it (not to mention, my waistline. . .) I have decided to take one final week off of my "healthy eating plan", and I will start next Monday (Not on January 1, because it's just easier to start on a Monday, plus, I really want some good New Years Food, and who really wants to start a diet on the weekend, anyway!

This last week, I had no plan except for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and we ended up eating out more times than I can admit. . .so, this week, I'm back with a vengeance! Here it is, and as always, stop by Orgjunkie.com for more great menu plans!

Monday ~ Crockpot Roast Beef Vegetable Soup , French bread

Tuesday ~ Crockpot Swiss Chicken, Green Salad

Wednesday ~ Beef Stroganoff, steamed snow peas, green salad

Thursday ~ My favorite Pork Tenderloin, boiled cabbage, black eyed peas (pretty traditional New Years Meal)

Friday ~ Taco Soup

Saturday ~ Crockpot Hoppin' John with brown rice, Smoked Turkey Sausage, green salad

Sunday ~ Still Unsure, maybe leftovers or out to eat, we'll see how the week goes.

Christmas

2008-12-25T20:19:00.011-06:00

Luke 2 (New American Standard Bible)

Jesus' Birth in Bethlehem 1Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth.
2This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria.
3And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city.
4Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David,
5in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child.
6While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth.
7And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
8In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night.
9And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened.
10But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people;
11for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
12"This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
13And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14"Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased."
15When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, "Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us."
16So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger.
17When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child.
18And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds.
19But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart.
20The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.
Jesus Presented at the Temple 21And when eight days had passed, before His circumcision, His name was then called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.
22And when the days for their purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord
23(as it is written in the Law of the Lord, "EVERY firstborn MALE THAT OPENS THE WOMB SHALL BE CALLED HOLY TO THE LORD"),
24and to offer a sacrifice according to what was said in the Law of the Lord, "A PAIR OF TURTLEDOVES OR TWO YOUNG PIGEONS."
25And there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man wasrighteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
26And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ.
27And he came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to carry out for Him the custom of the Law,
28then he took Him into his arms, and blessed God, and said, 29"Now Lord, You are releasing Your bond-servant to depart in peace, According to Your word; 30For my eyes have seen Your salvation, 31Which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples, 32A LIGHT OF REVELATION TO THE GENTILES, And the glory of Your people Israel."
33And His father and mother were amazed at the things which were being said about Him.

Thank you, God, for the greatest gift You could have ever given to us, Your people here on the earth. . .the gift of Your Son, Jesus Christ, AMEN.

Tuesday night, we went caroling with the church. I was supposed to be working, so I hadn't planned on going, but I was given an unexpected afternoon off, so I talked Rev into going us, as a family. We carolled at 10 hourses, to some of our seniors and shut-ins, and delivered fruit baskets to them. Skywalker got really fussy (he had missed his nap) so Rev took him home after the third house, and Stonewall and I finished up with the rest, then we went over to a Church member's house for Taco soup. It was a great time of fellowship with my fellow choir members, and a great ministry opportunity. So many of out seniors and shut-ins have had bad years, I really hope that we were used by the Lord to bring some Christmas Joy to their lives!

Yesterday, we had a wonderful family day! We made a gingerbread house, which didn't last 20 minutes before the boys were eating it.

Isn't it cute? I have to admit that I bought one of the kits, with the pre-baked gingerbread that only has to be put together. . . and I am totally glad that I did! I would have been pretty upset if I had really put alot of time and energy into the house and then it was destroyed. . .

Here is a very proud Skywalker and Stonewall with their finished house. . .

And here is Skywalker, caught red-handed tearing apart the gingerbread house. . .Cute, isn't he?

Of course, this morning, started with two very happy, excited boys giggling in our room and begging to go open their presents. . . I have to give them credit, though, they lasted until 7:15 this morning, which is better then I used to do when I was a kid. Here are a couple of pictures of our tree before we let the kids in the room.

Here is a picture of the boys each enjoying their Santa gifts. . . Stonewall got Spike, the Ultra Dinosaur, and Skywalker got a Smart Cycle.

I felt really bad, coming up to this day, because all Skywalker wanted were the EXACT same things that Stonewall asked for. . .namely, Spike the Ultra Dinosaur. We couldn't get two of them, and weren't really sure that Skywalker would like it, anyway, so "Santa" went out on a limb and bought Skywalker something that wasn't on his list. . .Thankfully, Skywalker seems to LOVE his present. . .Spike the Dinosaur, though, is another story. . .Skywalker was terrified of him (at least at first). . .I think this last picture speaks for itself:

Menu Plan Monday

2008-12-14T21:12:00.005-06:00

Merry Christmas, everybody! We have been so busy, buying last minute christmas gifts, hosting a Christmas Party, working with the Children's Choir on their program, not to mention working and taking care of my family, that I haven't been on here at all this past week. So sorry for the neglect. . .I will try to do better!

We had our Sunday School Christmas Party at our house Saturday night, and had a great time. There were about 20 people there, and after eating appetizers and desserts galore, we played scattergories in one room, and Rock Band in the other. I have a new addiction: Rock Band. . .I have to say, I am an amazing drummer, and singer. . .though I still can't really figure out the guitar. Oh, and then we played a mean game of Dirty Santa before breaking up the party so we could all pick up the kids from the babysitters at church. It was a great time, and makes me wonder why we don't entertain more often. . . And, I have a great recipe to share with you for Wassail, I make it every year, and absolutely LOVE it!
My parents and my talented little brother (he's 25, not so little. . .) are coming to visit us this next weekend for a couple of days, and I'm so excited! Stonewall is thrilled because he has a small solo in the Christmas Program, and Mimi and Poppy will get to be here for it!
Anyway, on to our week in food: (and, of course, go on over to Orgjunkie.com for more great menu plan ideas!

Monday ~ Crockpot Garlic Swiss Steak, steamed green beans (Yes, this was supposed to be eaten Sunday last week, but I just couldn't get it together and in the crockpot before church.)
Tuesday ~ Crockpot Honey Balsalmic Chicken breasts, green salad, brown rice
Wednesday ~ Zuppa Toscana , green salad
Thursday ~ Leftovers
Friday ~ Turkey Sausage Pasta Bake, green salad
Saturday ~ Out to eat
Sunday ~ Crockpot Roast, Mashed potatoes with gravy, steamed green beans

Menu Plan Monday

2008-12-07T20:27:00.000-06:00

Okay. I'm BACK! I can't believe that I haven't blogged in three weeks. I've just been so busy. . . Two weeks ago, I didn't post a MPM because we were leaving town for an entire week, and I didn't want to post a MPM that was blank, or gloated about going out of town and not cooking for an entire week, so I didn't post at all. Then, last week, we only got back in town Monday at lunch time, and I was too tired to plan out my meals this week. Guess what happened: with no menu plan, I only cooked three meals. I can't believe that I was so lazy this week with cooking. . .I mean, I love cooking, and eating home-cooked meals much more than eating out, but It was so much easier to pick something up. So, with new resolve, and evidence that it really works, I now present my Menu Plan for the week of December 8-14.

I am also restarting my diet with new resolve. I had started following the Low GI diet last July, and quickly lost 12 pounds, and was able to maintain that loss for several months, but fell off the wagon a month or so ago. I have since gained back 4 pounds, and I am restarting the diet TODAY! I would like to lose 8 pounds from my weight right now, BEFORE I go to a Sorority Reunion the end of January! So, I MUST get serious!

For breakfasts, I will either have : Yogurt Smoothies (Made with FF/Sugar Free fruit flavored yogurt, frozen berries, skim milk, and flax seeds), Breakfast burritos (Made with Whole Wheat Tortillas, Egg beaters, reduced fat cheese, canadian bacon), or All-Bran Cereal with berries and skim milk.

For lunches, I will either have : leftovers from supper, Large salad with balsalmic vinigarette and grilled chicken, Open faced turkey sandwich (Made with Whole Grain, low carb bread, FF mayo, spinach, tomato, and reduced fat cheese), Black bean soup, or Tuna Wraps (Made with Whole Wheat Tortillas, tuna, FF mayo, spinach, tomato, balsalmic vinigarette dressing).

For Snacks: Fresh fruit, yogurt (FF/Sugar free), Balance bars (I love the Peanut Butter ones), Triscuits thin crisps, celery stalks with laughing cow light swiss.

For Suppers:

Monday ~ Crockpot Stuffed Bell Peppers, green salad

Tuesday ~ Grainy Mustard and Chive Crusted Pork Tenderloin, Sweet Potato Latkes, green salad

Wednesday ~ Lentil Haystacks

Thursday ~ Crockpot Mapel-Dijon Chicken, steamed green beans, green salad

Friday ~ Leftovers

Saturday ~ Sunday School Christmas Party at our house! (Oh, the cleaning I must do this week to get ready!) We're buying a Honey Baked Ham, and the others are bringing the other dishes. I will be making a few appetizers as well, because we really like them! I'll make: Red Pepper Jelly Dip, Stuffed Brie, and Bacon-wrapped Artichokes.

Sunday ~ Crockpot Garlic Swiss Steak, brown rice, steamed green beans

Menu Plan Monday

2008-11-16T18:49:00.000-06:00

Man, I can't believe that another week's gone by. . .and I only blogged once. (I am totally embarassed about that, too - trust me, I am!) I have been so incredibly busy this week. I worked Monday, Thursday, and Friday, and we were incredibly busy ~ people seem to get sick when the weather turns cold! I did have the chance to become close with 2 patients and their families this week, which is always nice. . .usually, when we're this busy, there isn't time to visit and spend quality TLC time with patients. Anyway, One more week until we leave town for the Thanksgiving holiday.
I have to confess something, and if you have any advice for me, PLEASE leave a comment! Stonewall is a PICKY EATER. and I mean PICKY! As in, he ONLY likes hotdogs, cheese pizza, PB&Js, fish sticks, McDonalds's chicken nuggets, cheese, and most fruit. We offer all types of food, and we can't get him to willingly try anything. It usually turns into a battle of wills. . .he usually wins. Rev. has decided that now is the time, and he has even threatened to throw away all the hotdogs. I just don't want our mealtimes to be yelling and crying matches. . .but, I hate feeling like a short-order cook. I want to sit down for a family meal where we all eat the same meal. . . but I HATE forcing Stonewall to eat stuff. . .I think it only makes him want to eat it less. Anyway, now that I have that off my chest, on to our week's menu.

Monday ~ Crockpot Chicken Soft Tacos (I use whole wheat tortillas, this meat, lettuce, tomato, sour cream, shredded cheese), Mexican Rice (brown rice with salsa and black beans mixed in)

Tuesday ~ Black Bean Soup (I've decided to make it in the crockpot this time, as suggested by one of my wonderful commenters)

Wednesday ~ Lentil Haystacks (We missed them last week)

Thursday ~ Beef Stew, Corn Casserole, green salad

Friday ~ Leftovers

Saturday ~ Stuffed low carb burgers, sweet potato fries

Sunday ~ Out to eat after church, we're leaving home tomorrow, and I don't want to have any leftovers.

SOAP ~ Philippians 1:12-14

2008-11-15T14:14:00.003-06:00

S: Philippians 1:12-14
12Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. 13As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. 14Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly.

O:First, we have to look back. Paul here, is saying in light of what happened. . .so, what happened? We must remember first, that Paul is writing this letter while a prisoner in Rome. (When he wrote the letter to the Church in Rome (Romans), he spoke of how much he wanted to go the Rome to minister and preach there, but the Lord hadn't opened a door for that ministry, instead sending Paul elsewhere. (Romans 1:9-13).
What dire circumstances he faced (though, he faced worse, being beaten at times, stoned once, imprisoned several times, run out of many different towns, and ultimately crucified upside down on a cross. . .all for Christ! Surely a lesser man would have been defeated after facing even a few of these things, but not Paul. These trials and persecutions almost seemed to make him stronger in his resolve to serve God and preach Christ to all.
We see in verses 12-14 how Paul used his imprisonment to be a witness to the very guards who were imprisoning him. . .and that because of his consistent Christ-like attitude and continualy sharing of the Good News of Christ, many of these Roman Guards came to have a relationship with Christ as well. How awesome is that!
It seems as if Paul's imprisonment is serving to advance the gospel on 2 fronts. Outside of the church, as in the guardsmen who are hearing Paul preach about Christ and coming to know God because of it, and in the Church itself. Paul states that his "brothers" are more courageous and fearless because of Paul's imprisonment. These Christians saw God protect Paul, even in prison. They saw Paul's ministry blessed, even in these horrible circumstances, and they were imboldened in their own ministries.

A: If the Christians in Rome were encouraged through Paul's sufferings and imprisonment, shouldn't I be, too? I don't face imprisonment for sharing the gospel. Public ridicule? Maybe, but not likely. . .being "left out" of activities and conversations. . .possibly, but are they really activites or conversations that I want or need to be a part of, No. Paul found joy in the worst of circumstances, because he was serving the Lord, and sharing in the suffering of Christ. How can I find joy in my circumstances? I have great opportunities everyday at the hospital to minister to people in need. Some are not believers and need the hope, comfort, and healing that ONLY God and give. . .I am joyful that God can use me to share with them His LOVE and POWER. Some are believers, but are physically hurting. . .I am joyful that God can use me to pray with them, and that God can use me to perform his healing and comfort to these families. I can share my life with my church family, with my co-workers, and with other moms around me, so that they may be encourage by God's faithfulness in my life.

P: Heavenly Father, You alone are Worthy. You are faithful to me, even in my most dire circumstances, when I am overwhelmed with life. You give me strength to endure. I ask that you will bring people into my life, at church and at work, that need to know You. I love to share your Love and Salvation with others, give me the courage to do this, like Paul had. In the name of Your precious Son, Jesus, Amen.

Menu Plan Monday

2008-11-09T19:45:00.000-06:00

Another week gone by. . .another week closer to Thanksgiving! We are going to Arkansas for Thanksgiving to spend time with Rev's family. Rev's father "Big Daddy" works in Saudi Arabia, but will be in the states for Thanksgiving, so we are going to spend some time with him. Rev's Mom "Bubbles" will be playing hostess not only to us, but also to both of Rev's brothers, Uncle Patrick and Uncle Beck. (Stonewall and Skywalker are the only grandchildren on this side of the family, so they will be spoiled rotten!) Aside from the rather long, boring drive there, we should have alot of fun and some really, truely COLD weather for a change!

Our whole family has been SICK this week. I've had a sinus infection for going on 2 weeks now, and am still not really better, but my bronchitis is improving at least. Skywalker had croup last Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, and when we went in to see his pediatrician Monday, he also had a sinus infection and an ear infection. The problem is, the Medicine she gave us is so disgusting, I can't get him to take it half the time. . .he jsut spits it back out (I even tried hiding it in juice and milk, and the boy KNOWS it's there). So, he is slowly recovering. Then, Stonewall started running fever Thursday night, and again last night, and has a bad cough, so I am guessing he has a sinus infection too! UHHGGG! (Rev. has been complaining of a sore throat, too, not to leave him out.) I am hoping that we are all on the mend, but it's been a rough week.

Foodwise, we did well, except that we skipped the Quesadillas in favor of leftover spaghetti and meatballs, so you will see quesadillas again this week. The crockpot Asian Short Ribs with Cabbage and Carrots was AMAZING!!!!!!!!! I used "country-style" beef ribs because I couldn't find any "short ribs" at Walmart, and I substituted Splenda-brown surgar blend in place of the plain brown sugar. The entire meal was delicious, the cabbage and carrots had great flavor, and this cooked all day without burning, which is a plus! It did have kindof a funny smell while cooking (I guess the cabbage), but it tasted great, and we will definately be having this again soon!

On to this week. The days denoted with * are the days that I will be at work, so I have scheduled either crockpot meals, or something that Rev. can throw together himself. And, Wednesday is both Soccer Practice and Church night (I teach the preschool class, and then have choir practice after), so it is quick and easy this week! I have included links to the recipes if you are interested. Have a great week!

*Monday ~ Crockpot Turkey and Black Bean Chili, spinach salad

Tuesday ~ Sweet & Spicy glazed Salmon, whole wheat cous cous, steamed asparagus

Wednesday ~ Quesadillas made with whole wheat tortillas, and leftover chicken and black beans from last week

*Thursday ~ Lentil Haystacks

*Friday ~ Crockpot Pepper Steak, brown rice, steamed snow peas

Saturday ~ Either leftovers or going out to eat. . .we'll see what Rev wants.

Sunday ~ Crockpot Pork Chops, brown rice, spinach salad

Yankee or Dixie?

2008-11-07T15:21:00.000-06:00

I found this fun little quiz, and thought I'd share it with you. Supposedly, it analyzes you accent/dialect to tell you if you are yankee or dixie. . .As if I don't already know I'm totally Dixie! Anyway, here's my results:

96% (Dixie). Is General Lee your father

Well, no, General Lee is not my father, and I'm sure that my Yankee Mom would be unhappy to see this. . .but, I am a southern girl through and through! And even though she may not admit it, being from New Jersey and all, my sweet Mom is a Southern Girl now, too!

Stonewall's Birthday!!!!!!!!

2008-11-05T09:42:00.000-06:00

Today is Stonewall's 5th birthday. I can hardly believe that my first child, the tiny baby boy is growing up into such a sweet young man. He was born at 6:54pm on Wednesday, November 5, 2003. I was scheduled for an induction on Thursday, November 6, but due to my increasing blood pressure, my OB/GYN decided to induce a day earlier. I was definately ready, I had already been on bedrest for 7 weeks, and was TIRED of it! When we arrived at the hospital, I was already dialated to 4cm, so my doctor broke my water right away, and I was able to have an epidural before any labor pains started! my entire labor lasted about 9 hours, but I was totally comfortable until he was crowning. My sweet baby boy, Stonewall was born weighing 7 pounds, 13 ounces, and 21 inches long. He did have a bit of a cone head at first, and a bright red stork bite on his forhead. Here are some pics of him throughout his life:

I don't have any of his infant pictures on this computer, I will try to scan some in and show them later, as Stonewall was one of the 2 most beautiful baby boys ever born (Skywalker is the other!).

Stonewall at about 10 months old. . .He has the brightest smile!

Stonewall a few days before Christmas, after his 2nd birthday, riding his new tricycle.

Stonewall at his 3rd birthday party, Cowboys!

Stonewall the morning of his 4th birthday party, with yogurt all over his face! (You should see Skywalker!)

Look at my Strong Batman! This picture was taken a few weeks before his 5th birthday.

A curse and a prayer. . .

2008-11-05T07:47:00.003-06:00

Curse you, Daylight Savings, Curse you! My sweet, adorable, good little children have a schedule, that usually runs like clockwork. Up at 7:30am, breakfast, play or school, lunch at 11:30, play, nap (for Skywalker), snack, playtime, Supper at 5:00, Bath at 7:30, bed at 8pm. But for the last 4 days, have they abided by this perfect little schedule? NO. Why, you may ask? It is BRIGHT as day in our house at 6:00am now, and my sweet precious boys' bodies have yet to adjust to the new time schedule. So, they are up at 6:15-6:30 EVERYDAY so far. . .yet, for some strange reason, they can still make it to 8:00 at night. . .so, as I said before, Curse you, Daylight Savings!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And, now, on a much more serious note, our Country has a new President-elect, Sen. Barack Obama. If you have read my blog before, you know that I was not supporting Sen. Obama during the campaign. . .but I digress. Sen. Obama has his work cut out for him, to say the least. I truly believe, that we need to commit ourselves to pray daily, to pray without ceasing for our country and for Sen. Obama, and his leadership. That the Lord will ultimately guide his decisions, and the future of our country. I don't believe that we can necessarily change Sen. Obama's views or policy ideas, but at least we can pray for protection from some of them.

Our Heavenly Father, Lord of my life, Savior of my soul. You truly are the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. You have sovereignty over the whole earth, and everything in it, all of creation is Yours! We are a nation of sinful people, we, as a nation, have turned our backs on you, and turned to sinfulness, we are guilty of pride, we are guilty of self-importance, we are guilty of sexual immorality, we are guilty of tolerance, of lowering our godly standards and morals to earthly ones. . .we are guilty of idolatry, we are guilty of greed, gluttony, and carelessness of others. God, I confess these sins to you, I ask forgiveness for myself personally, and I ask forgiveness for the nation. I pray for a Revival in the land, of Christians being reinvigorated in our service of you, that we may be a light in this nation for YOU, and that you would choose to use us to lead others to you. . .So that they may receive your precious gift of salvation. God, we believe that it is by Your GRACE, through faith in Jesus Christ and his sacrifice on the Cross that we can have fellowship with you, that we can follow you as our leader. I claim the truth that YOU are my leader, not some man on earth. Lord, God, I thank you for my country, for all that it stands for. . .Justice, Liberty, Freedom for ALL. I am thankful that I live in a country where we are free to Worship you, free to share You with others, so that they may know their Creator. I am thankful for the opportunity to vote, that so many of us took advantage of yesterday. Though, God, you know my heart, and know that I am sad at the outcome, I know that You can use Sen. Obama just as You could have used Sen. McCain, if he will submit to your Will for both his life and for our country, so I pray that you will soften his heart to Your Will for our country and for the world. . .bring strong, Godly advisers into his life that will lead him towards Your Will, not away from it. Preserve our capitalistic, free market system, and protect us from socialism. God, I pray for our soldiers, serving in Iraq and Afghanistan right now: protect these men and women who will soon be under the command of Sen. Obama. Let his decisions protect these soldiers, enabling them to do their job in winning this war on terrorism, that our world may be a safer place, free from Radical Islamic Terrorism. I truly believe that the war we are fighting is a holy war, and that YOU will overcome these Islamofacists in Your timing, if we are patient. I also pray that you will place a hedge of protection around Senator Obama himself, and his family in the weeks leading up to his Inauguration and the years following, that nothing bad happens to him or his family.
In the name of Jesus Christ I Pray,
Amen.

VOTE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-11-04T11:41:00.004-06:00

Yes, we have finally arrived at Election Day: November 4, 2008! This election cycle has lasted SO long! And, it is almost over. I have to say, that I am scared for the results, and excited. If my candidate wins, it will be a big upset, at least according to the Main Stream Media that has been bombarding the news with polls that the other candidate is leading by double didgets in some circumstances.

This post is simply a friendly reminder, no matter your political affiliation, to GO VOTE TODAY!

I am voting for McCain/Palin, and here are a few reasons why (not by any means a comprehensive list!)

1) Pro-Life

2) Stronger on War/Military issues. . .definately NOT a "cut-and-run" approach which, in the long run, will leave us in a much bigger mess than before

3) Sen. McCain does not have a long history of voting "present"; he takes a stand on issues

4)Taxes: Sen. McCain will give EVERYONE a tax cut, NOT just select groups of people. When EVERYONE gets a tax break, EVERYONE wins because that is how jobs are created, benefits are increased, and raises are given. You can BET that I, personally, will not be getting a raise at all over the next several years if Obama's tax plan is implemented, because my company will have much less money around to dole out.

5) HealthCare: As a RN, I DO NOT want the government to be in control of health care in any way, shape, or form. . .I mean, Medicare and Medicaid are already horrible programs, what makes people think that they can do better with more people to take care of? Also, my hospital will end up with LESS money in the long run for the same amount of patients/procedures, which again cuts into my raises, and probably will start affecting ancillary staff (Nurse Aides, Unit Secretaries, EKG techs, even respiratory, physical therapy, etc) which will eventually increase my workload for the same amount of money. . .BAD BAD BAD!!!!!! Not to mention, that once the government gets control of healthcare, it will be the government making YOUR health care decisions, NOT YOUR DOCTORS! The government will decide if that surgery is really necessary, or if you really need those antibiotics that the doctor ordered. And yes, I realize that Obama's plan will not IMMEDIATELY give us government run universal health care at first, but that is is end game here, make no mistake about it!

6) Sen. McCain has a long record of reaching across the aisle to get things done. . .Sen. Obama simply does NOT. 97% of the time, he has toed the party line.

7) I just LOVE Gov. Sarah Palin. I agree that after her blowout at the convention, she did have a rough patch including the interviews with Katie Couric and Charlie Gibson, but since then, she has totally blossomed. I like the fact that she is NOT mainstream Washington. I like the fact that she has EXECUTIVE experience. I like the fact that she is a MOM just like me (Though, I'm a soccer mom, not a hockey mom). I like the fact that her children are with her on the campaign trail (I mean, whatever happened to Sen. Obama's children after the convention? You see the Senator and Michelle Obama everywhere, but the kids are MIA). I like the fact that she got "punked" by that Canadian DJ and took it so well. I like her history in Alaska, and what she's done there, and I am excited to see her in the VP role.

8) I like Cindy McCain. Did you know that despite her being "filthy stinkin' rich" (which is all some people see) she got her Masters in Special Education and was a teacher? Did you know that she founded the American Voluntary Medical Team (AVMT) in 1988, leading several medical missions to developing and war-torn nations during the Team’s seven-year existence?

Did you know she serves on the board for Operation Smile? Did you know that she handpicked a child while in Bangledesh, and brough the child back, telling Sen. McCain that they were going to adopt her? (I just totally love that!)

So, for all these reasons, and many others, I cast my ballot for Sen. John McCain and Gov. Sarah Palin today!

Menu Plan Monday

2008-11-02T17:00:00.000-06:00

Another week gone by, and it's once again time for Menu Plan Monday. If you're not familiar with MPM, it is hosted by Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie, you should check it out!

Lask week was good. I do have to admit, Saturday, instead of just making grilled chicken, I tried a new recipe because I had the ingrediants on hand: Parmesean Crusted Chicken, and it was phenomenal! Rev was skeptical at first, but he did like it. Stonewall kinda liked it, but Skywalker wouldn't even try it. . .Oh well, you can't please everyone!

I was a little disappointed with the Crockpot chicken and rice recipe. . .it was a little lacking in flavor, I guess I'm so used to making it with canned cream of mushroom soup? And, it got a little overdone. (I set the crockpot on high for 4 hours, and then it automatically turns to warm. But, Rev didn't know that, and had to leave the house, so he tried to be very helpful and turned the crockpot to low (which reset the timer for an additional 8 hour!) Oops!) The good news, is, when he realized his mistake, we picked up a pizza from Papa Johns with a Whole Wheat crust, just for me!

Anyway, this week is going to be busy, since we have Revival Services at church Sunday through Wednesday.

Monday ~ Crockpot Spicy Black Beans with Turkey Smoked Sausage, Brown Rice, and salad

Tuesday ~ Cornmeal crusted Tilapia with Zucchini and Tomatoes, and green salad

Wednesday ~ Quesadillas made with whole wheat tortillas, leftover spicy black beans and leftover chicken (from last week), southwestern rice (brown rice mixed with black beans and salsa

Thursday ~ Crockpot Asian Short Ribs with Cabbage and Carrots, whole wheat cous cous

Friday ~ Leftovers or Pizza night

Saturday ~ Blackbean burgers (using the leftover spicy black beans) on whole wheat buns with spinach, tomato, and co-jack cheese, green salad, baked sweet potato fries

Sunday ~ We're trying to have those Taco Bowls again. . .for some reason, I never make then when I plan them. . .We always end up going out to eat.

Buccaneer Bash

2008-11-01T18:44:00.005-05:00

Stonewall and Skywalker had a combined birthday party last weekend, and decided to have a pirate party. We had a light supper for the kids, including Golden (Chicken) Nuggets, Pirate Faces (Smily Potatoes with a ketchup eyepatch), and treasure chest fruit salad. After they ate, w

e had a treasure hunt, complete with a treasure map that the kids had to follow. The treasure was a treasure chest shaped pinata. They, we strung up the pinata, and the kids had at it. . .that thing was impossible to break! We finally had to tear it open, come to find out, it was made from a THICK cardboard box!

After the pinata, we went back inside and had cake. I made a chocolate "pirate ship" cake, and a white "treasure island" cake. They were both covered in chocolate marshmallow fondant, and decorated. I was very happy with how they turned out, except for the fact that my pirates were Giants compared to the rest of the cake. (I made them first so they could harden).

And, of course, we opened presents before everyone left with their pirate loot bags filled with telescopes, eyepatches, a small treasure map, gold coins, and the candy from the pinata. (We had several other ideas for games, but I just didn't have time to get it all together, and honestly, the kids probably wouldn't have had the attention span necessary.)

Trick or Treat

2008-11-01T18:27:00.004-05:00

Well, lets just get right out and say it. I am a horrible mom! I totally FORGOT the camera on Halloween. I have no "action" shots from last nights, so I just have to give you a play by play. I will share a picture with y'all, it's of the boys in their costumes, but we took it a couple of months ago, when we bought the costumes.

Skywalker is the Incredible Hulk, and Stonewall is Batman.

Last night, we had a "Trunk or Treat" event at church. It was a blast. However, I missed our full-fledges Fall Festival that we had done in the years past. . .I would actually LOVE to combine the events for next year. The cookout, games, prizes, facepainting, and more games from the Fall Festival, with the Trunk or Treat aspect mixed in. . .that would be a great evening, I think. This year, though, it was a trunk or treat. If you are unfamiliar with the concept, essentially, you are trick or treating, but instead of going door to door, you go around an open area, where everyone is, with candy in their decorated trunks. We put a toddler sized homemade scarecrow in our trunk, with some fall colored leaves and a green blanket, then had candy inside a big stray basket. Others had carved pumpkins, and all sorts of other non-scary fall decorations. The cars were parked in a large u-shape in the parking lot. The kids really enjoyed it, and we had a great turnout. The youth group was disappointed when they found out there wouldn't be the usual games, so they put on a few by themselves, including a facepainting booth, a kissing booth (with hershey's kisses), and a ring toss. Then, the youth group had a cookout and bonfire after the kids left. All in all, a great evening. I do have to admit, that there were several batmans last night. Several times when Stonewall ran off with a friend or to get more candy (It was a small, enclosed area filled with people I knew, so I didn't keep him too close to me the whole time) I started looking for him, and approached the WRONG batman! I felt so silly. . .but I always found him like a second later.

I do have to share something else with you. Skywalker's teacher at preschool was teaching them about how to go trick or treating, and they learned this "chant" for lack of a better word, with motions. If you ask Skywalker what you do on halloween, here is what he'll tell you: "Get yowa yitto bag weady. . .I walk down the stweet. . .I knock on the dowa. . .and I shout Twick owa Tweat!" (The poor child can't say his Rs or his Ls very well.)

100 books

2008-11-01T13:27:00.002-05:00

The Big Read is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts designed to restore reading to the center of American culture. (Now, usually, I am not a big fan of the NEA, I find them to be way too liberal for me, but I really like this initiative.) Here is their top 100 books, of this list, they estimate the average adult has read only six. Here’s what you are supposed to do:
*Look at the list and bold those we have read. (No, the movie doesn't count!)
*Italicize those we intend to read.
*Underline the books we LOVE . ( I am not very good at this blogging thing, yet, and I don't know how to underline. . . So I will put a * before these)
Share this list in your blog, too, if you like. (I found this from C*R*A*Z*Y??? I was crazy once! Check out her blog!

*Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
*Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte (Probably my all time favorite, I've read it at least 6 times)
Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
The Bible - (I try to read everyday!)
Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman (I will not read it, nor can I recommend it, as it is atheist)
Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
*Complete Works of Shakespeare (A good portion, anyway!)
*Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
The Time Traveler's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
Middlemarch - George Eliot
*Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
Bleak House - Charles Dickens
War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame (I really didn't like this one)
Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
*Emma - Jane Austen
*Persuasion - Jane Austen
The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden (I did enjoy the film, but haven't read this one)
Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
Animal Farm - George Orwell
The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
*Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
Lord of the Flies - William Golding
Atonement - Ian McEwan
Life of Pi - Yann Martel
Dune - Frank Herbert
Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
The Secret History - Donna Tartt
The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
On The Road - Jack Kerouac
Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
Bridget Jones's Diary - Helen Fielding
Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie
Moby Dick - Herman Melville
Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
Dracula - Bram Stoker
*The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
Ulysses - James Joyce
The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
Germinal - Emile Zola
Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
Possession - AS Byatt
A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
The Color Purple - Alice Walker
The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
Charlotte's Web - EB White
The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
Watership Down - Richard Adams
A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
Hamlet - William Shakespeare
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
*Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

Looks like I have alot of reading to do!

The U.S.S.A.?

2008-10-29T14:14:00.002-05:00

Is this what we are facing over the next several years? Changing from the United States of America to the United Socialist States of America? Really, is this what people actually want for our future?

Election day is next Tuesday, November 4. I had to put in my 2 cents beforehand. I am staring in unbelief at the citizens of our country who are voting for Sen. Obama. I mean, do they actually want their taxes to increase so that Sen. Obama (and Pelosi, and Reid, and all the others) can "spread the wealth" around however they see fit? Are they so blind to believe that because they make less than $250,000 per year, that they will be unaffected, or even benefit? Why don't they see that small businesses will no longer have the necessary money available to create new jobs? That more people will be laid off and there will be fewer raises once the tax rates go up.

But wait, maybe they don't care, because with Sen. Obama in the White House, at least they will have Universal Health Care. But, eventually, will our system turn into one similar to UK's or Canada's, where the government decides who is "sick" enough to be seen. . .where you have to wait months on end to have necessary surgery? And a non-necessary surgery, such as a hernia repair or ear tubes for your child? No, you won't be able to have that, it just plain costs too much. . . Of course, Sen. Obama doesn't want you to think like this!

And, even if the possibilities of what Sen. Obama's Health Care for all does bother them a little, they just choose to remember that he has also promised us free college for everyone, too! Sounds great, doesn't it! But, does that mean, that since the government is now paying for my college education, that they now have a say in what I study, on what I major in? What If I want to become a lawyer, but they decide that there are too many lawyer, and decide instead that I should become a journalist. Or If I want to be a plumber, but they decide I need to be a medical researcher, instead. It'll never happen that way, they say. But, what's stopping them? Oh, and don't even THINK about studying religion or theology! There is NO WAY that government tax dollars will ever go to support an education for that. . .Separation of Church and State, they'll cry.

Oh, I could go on all day! But, thanks to the good old Fairness Doctrine, I'm pretty sure that after Sen. Obama becomes President, I won't be allowed to, unless I allocate equal space on my blog to a left-leaning opinion on the subject. . .

Forgive me for my brief vent. . .Now, I will return to my regularly scheduled blogging.

Menu Plan Monday

2008-10-26T20:08:00.003-05:00

I can't believe another week's gone by. . . It was a great week for food! I was extremely disappointed, though, with Monday's Crockpot Thai Chicken. I forgot to ask Rev to turn the crockpot off at lunchtime (our crockpot cooks most things fast), so by the time he got home with the boys for supper, it was burnt beyond repair, and he had to throw it out. We were really excited to try it, though, because we LOVED a similar dish from a restaurant down in New Orleans when we lived there. Don't be surprised to see it on our menu again in the coming weeks!
We had a very busy week, with the fair, (or, as Skywalker puts it, the "County Fayah") the boys' big birthday bash, and a visit from Rev's Mom "Bubbles".
Here's this week. The days with * are my work days this week. I leave at 6:15am, and don't make it back home until 8 or 8:15pm, I plan a crockpot meal with sides that Rev can fix himself. Otherwise, the boys end up with McDonalds, and I end up eating cereal.

*Monday ~ Crockpot chicken and rice, green salad, steamed green beans
*Tuesday ~ Crockpot black eyed peas, brown rice, green salad
Wednesday ~ Sausage oven omelet, (with somechanges, asparagus instead of brocolli, eggbeaters, and turkey sausage) fruit salad
*Thursday ~ Crockpot Turkey black bean chili, green salad
Friday ~ Spaghetti with homemade meatballs, homemade marinara, whole wheat spaghetti, and green salad
Saturday ~ Grilled chicken, roasted vegetable medley, whole wheat cous cous
Sunday ~ Meatball subs (made with whole wheat sub rolls, and leftover meatballs from Friday), salad

Hope you have a delicious week!

Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz

2008-10-21T06:00:00.000-05:00

I found a new quiz while purusing blogs today, and it looked like fun, since Rev is a fan of the new show Mad Men, so I took it. You can find the quiz here.

And, my results:

Your result for Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz ...
You Are a Doris!
You are a Doris -- "I must help others."
Dorises are warm, concerned, nurturing, and sensitive to other people's needs.

How to Get Along with Me
* Tell me that you appreciate me. Be specific.
* Share fun times with me.
* Take an interest in my problems, though I will probably try to focus on yours.
* Let me know that I am important and special to you.
* Be gentle if you decide to criticize me.

In Intimate Relationships
* Reassure me that I am interesting to you.
* Reassure me often that you love me.
* Tell me I'm attractive and that you're glad to be seen with me.

What I Like About Being a Doris
* being able to relate easily to people and to make friends
* knowing what people need and being able to make their lives better
* being generous, caring, and warm
* being sensitive to and perceptive about others' feelings
* being enthusiastic and fun-loving, and having a good sense of humor

What's Hard About Being a Doris
* not being able to say no
* having low self-esteem
* feeling drained from overdoing for others
* not doing things I really like to do for myself for fear of being selfish
* criticizing myself for not feeling as loving as I think I should
* being upset that others don't tune in to me as much as I tume in to them
* working so hard to be tactful and considerate that I suppress my real feelings

Dorises as Children Often
* are very sensitive to disapproval and criticism
* try hard to please their parents by being helpful and understanding
* are outwardly compliant
* are popular or try to be popular with other children
* act coy, precocious, or dramatic in order to get attention
* are clowns and jokers (the more extroverted Dorises), or quiet and shy (the more introverted Dorises)

Dorises as Parents
* are good listeners, love their children unconditionally, and are warm and encouraging (or suffer guilt if they aren't)
* are often playful with their children
* wonder: "Am I doing it right?" "Am I giving enough?" "Have I caused irreparable damage?"
* can become fiercely protective

Yep, that about sums me up!

Menu Plan Monday

2008-10-19T14:56:00.003-05:00

It's that time again, Menu Plan Monday. . .I just love participating in this! If you've never done Menu Plan Monday, check out I'm an Organizing Junkie's blog for lots of other menu plan ideas! Last week, our menu plan went really well. We changed around a couple of days, to make it work better for us, and since we went out to eat after Church Sunday, we postponed the lentil haystacks from Monday and had them Sunday, which means, we'll postpone our taco bowls until this Sunday. We really enjoyed our food last week, though, and had no "bad" meals. The Crockpot Pepper Steak turned out especially good! Here's this week's menu plan, with links to all recipes!

Monday ~ Crockpot Thai Chicken with whole wheat noodles, and steamed snow peas

Tuesday ~ Crockpot White Chicken Chili, green salad

Wednesday ~ Asian Shrimp Lettuce Wraps, brown rice

Thursday ~ Leftovers

Friday ~ We'll be going to the Jackson County Fair, and eat there. They have tons of booths set up selling all sorts of delicious things, like seafood gumbo, chicken & sausage gumbo, fried catfish plates, phili cheese steaks, and all sorts of other stuff! It's going to be great!

Saturday ~ Ahrr, it's Stonewall and Skywalker's buccaneer bash (ie: birthday party) We'll be having Golden (chicken) nuggets, Pirate Ship Planks (fish sticks), Pirate Faces (Smilies Potatos with a ketchup eye patch), Treasure Chest Fruit Salad, and Pirate Punch, with Birthday cake for dessert!

Sunday ~ Taco bowls that we didn't get to last week

Hope you have delicious week!

SOAP ~ Philippians 1:7-11

2008-10-18T19:17:00.005-05:00

S: Philippians 1:7-11
7It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart; for whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God's grace with me. 8God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.
9And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, 11filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.

O: v.7: Paul has great Love (Godly, agape love) for his fellow believers in the church at Philippi. He is concerned for their spiritual wellbeing, even though his live seems to be in shambles at that time. . ."in chains". . .one of the many times he was in imprisoned for his faith. v.8: Paul has lived so that only God needs to testify for his Love. The rest of this passage lays out 4 aspects of Spiritual Maturity: Love, Integrity, Fruitfulness, and Glorifying God.
v.9: Love. . .originates with God, it is commanded of us. In Matthew 22:37-40, Jesus spells out the greatest 2 commandments: Love the Lord above all else, Love your neighbor. Love is smart / not blind. Love of God will grow and increase with increased knowledge of God and God's word.
v.10: Integrity. . ."Pure and blameless" Integrity is having unity between your convictions and your behavior. . .in other words, NOT being a hypocrite.
v.11: Fruitfulness. . ."the fruit of Righteousness" comes THROUGH Jesus Christ! We can not be fruitful without Christ (John 15:4-5).
v.11: Gloryifying God. . .in everything, Paul brings Glory to God!

A: These verses give pretty detailed directions for how to grow spiritually. Love is dynamic, it is not stagnant, it is either growing or decreasing. . .How does Love for God and others grow? Through study of God's word, deepening of your relationship with Him. I have heard many spiritually immature Christians say, "can I do such and such without sinning"? The right question should be, "Will doing this cause others to sin?" That is a mark of spiritual maturity, and a sign of true integrity. . .not only concern for your spiritual health, but for the spiritual health of others! (And the reason that I don't drink alcohol).
What about bearing fruit: there are several kinds of "fruit" talked about in scripture. The most commonly referred to is "Spiritual fruit", in other words, a Godly attitude (Galations 5:22-23). Good works is another kind of fruit. . .as is leading others to Christ (Col. 1:5-6). Glorifying God should be the end result of EVERYTHING we do! I Corithians 10:31 "Whether, then, you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." God's Gloryis His excellence, absolute perfection, His Renown/fame/reputation - live in a way that gives God a good reputation, that spreads God's good reputation.
P: Heavenly Father, help me to become a Spiritually Mature believer. Help me to show true concern for the spiritual wellbeing of those around me. Teach me to Love with your agape love, teach me to love you more every day. . .Mold me into a person of integrity. . .let me be concerned not only for myself, and my own spiritual wellbeing, but for others as well. . .And in everything, let me bring Glory to you! I desire to spread your good reputation to everyone. . .and not do anything that will mar your renown! In the name of Jesus Christ, AMEN!

We were creamed. . .4-1

2008-10-18T19:01:00.005-05:00

Stonewall's 2nd soccer game was this morning. The kids had so much fun. He's in the U-5 division, and it is the whole team's first year to play. They haven't quite figured it all out yet. . .to say the least! For some reason, it is very hard for a 4 year old to pay attention to the ball, run after it, and kick it to their goal. . .but, makes for some great comedy!
I have definately turned into a soccer mom, though. Sitting on the sidelines, yelling, cheering, and encouraging my boy to run after the ball, kick it, etc! We ended up losing 4-1, but everyone had a really fun time! Here's Stonewall sitting down during Half-time. . .(With another players baby brother in the background) Here's Stonewall kicking the ball into play. . .They don't do throw-ins in this age group. They are stress NEVER to touch the ball with your hands right now.

This is Stonewall right after he had a corner kick, running back onto the field. . .Isn't he just adorable in his uniform?

The team really doesn't have a name, but since they are yellow and black, Rev, the other parents, and I have been trying to come up with a name for them. Rev like "the Swarm", but I like the "Stingers" better, it just sounds tougher to me.

Tasty Tip Tuesday

2008-10-14T09:03:00.002-05:00

GardenGirl over at the Pressure Crock is hosting Tasty Tip Tuesday, so I'm going to participate! The problem is, I can't think of any kitchen tips that I have. . .

Well, maybe a couple. . .Here's 2:

1) If you are out of eggs and/or oil and are baking, you can substitute some mashed banana or some canned pureed pumpkin. . .and, as an added bonus, they are much healthier alternatives than eggs and oil! (Applesauce is also a great oil substitute, but you probably already knew that!)

2) Whenever I boil a chicken for a casserole or chicken salad, I save the stock that is made and not used in that recipe. I freeze it in ice cube trays, and once frozen, put them in a gallon sized ziplock freezer bag. Whenever a recipe calls for broth or stock, I throw some in. . .They are also great to use when making rice or pasta, or any recipe for a little extra flavor!

Be sure to check out the Pressure Crock for other great tips!

What made me break my Low GI diet today. . .

2008-10-12T16:31:00.003-05:00

Tonight, after church, we are having a fellowship, to which we are supposed to bring "finger foods". I couldn't decide what to make, so Rev talked me into making my famous Oreo Truffles. These are delectible, fudgy, chocolaty treats, that are so good you can't even imagine how good they taste. (And the best part? only 3, count them, 3 ingredients!) So, I made them. . .Usually, I will cover half of them with white chocolate, and the other half with milk chocolate. But, Walmart was out of white chocolate on the baking aisle yesterday, so I just made milk chocolate covered ones. (Dark Chocolate would have been even better!)

Anyway, after making these delectible (my word for the day :) ) treats, I just had to sample them. I mean, you can't take something to a fellowship if you haven't sampled them first, can you? What if they tasted bad? or made you sick? I mean, it was for the health and safety of my dear church family that I tasted one. Well, four. . .I know, I'm ashamed. I had 4! YIKES. I'm supposed to have self control, but I seem to have none. Oh, and I also made some yummy Peanut Butter/Ritz Crackers cookies dipped in Chocolate, since there was leftover chocolate. (And I sampled one of those, too. . .Because for somereason, I made 13, and you just can't take 13 of something to a fellowship. . .I had to eat one so there would be 12, a nice, even number. . .)

So, now, I've go to go get on my treadmill, and burn those callories. I promise to be good this week on my diet to make up for it! (except for our Deacon's fellowship on Friday Night. . .) What can I say, we're Baptist. Eating is what we do. . . :)

Menu Plan Monday

2008-10-12T06:00:00.001-05:00

We had a great week! Though, the Applesauce Chicken was a flop for Rev. I enjoyed it. . .he just didn't like it at all, though. The Pecan crusted tilapia was AMAZING! I did substitute walnuts for the pecans, as the walnuts were on sale. Rev and I really enjoyed the spicy black beans again. I had plenty of leftovers, and the Chicken/Black Bean Quesadillas were really good! I plan on using the remaining black beans to make black bean burgers this week! I love when a meal stretches like that. Unfortunately, Rev went to Pizza Hut Friday night, instead of trying Papa John's new whole wheat crust, so I had another quesadilla, instead (which I think I liked better than pizza, anyway).
Once again, be sure to check out Organizing Junkie's Menu Plan Monday for more great menu ideas! And, if you have any great crockpot recipes, leave me a comment, I need some more! Oh, one more thing. I have a bag of dried navy (pea) beans in my pantry, and have NO idea what to do with them. . .If you have any healthy recipes using navy (pea) beans, please share them!

As you may know, I've been following the low GI diet, and really love it! I do not feel liek I'm missing out on anything. The food is delicious. Basically, I'm eating alot of fresh fruits and veggies, lean meats, and whole grains. I have cut from my diet white rice, pasta (except for occasional whole wheat pasta) sugar, and potatoes (except for occasionally new potatoes or sweet potatoes). For my lunches this week, I've made a big pot of low GI Black Bean Soup, A friend from a forum I frequent shared the recipe, and I just made a slight change to it. (You can find the original recipe at her blog ChrisianFrog.) It is so totally delicious! I was afraid of the spices, but they were perfect.

Monday ~ Crockpot Stuffed Bell Peppers, green salad
Tuesday ~ Lentil Haystacks
Wednesday ~ Black Bean Burgers on whole wheat buns, green salad
Thursday ~ Crockpot Pepper Steak, brown rice, green salad
Friday ~ We have a deacon's party to attend, I'm bringing Company Baked Beans, and some burger toppings (lettuce, onion, etc)
Saturday ~ Balsalmic Grilled Bruschetta Chicken, steamed asparagus
Sunday ~ Taco Bowls

We actually have alot of this food on hand already, so hopefully, the grocery bill will be down this week!

SOAP ~ Philipians 1:1-6

2008-10-11T09:03:00.003-05:00

So, my journey with SOAPing begins. I really think that this type of Bible Study will be beneficial for me. I am hoping that it will keep me consistent in my Bible study, as well as prevent my study time from getting too routine. Here it goes! I decided to start in Philippians, for no real reason, it just seemed like a good book to start in, but not too long that it's daunting.

S: Philippians 1:1-6 ~~ Thanksgiving

1Paul and Timothy, bond-servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, including the overseers and deacons:
2Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3I thank my God in all my remembrance of you,
4always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all,
5in view of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now.
6For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.

O: This is the inroduction to Philippians. v1. Paul intoduces himself as the author of this letter to the Church in Philipi. This letter was written at the time that Timothy was with him. The audience of the letter: the Church at Philippi. Paul actually writes "to ALL the Saints in Philippi" then he goes on the include as well the "overseers and deacons". This letter is NOT written to the head of the church. . .they are included almost as an afterthought. This letter is for the CHURCH body, the family. v2. There is NO peace without grace. God is our Father and our LORD. This attests to Lordship salvations. As in, there is no separation between Christ as our Savior and Christ as our Lord. You can't have one without the other. v.3-6 Paul Joyfully remembers these Christians in his prayers, despite the dire situation that he often finds himself in. God started the good work in them, it was nothing they had done. . .Salvation is a free gift of God's Grace, provided through faith in His Son's Saving Sacrifice, and it's sufficiency. . .We did NOTHING to deserve it (nor could we ever do anything to deserve it)

A: Am I daily making Christ my Lord, am I allowing him to be the leader of my life, and not just making Him an afterthought. How do I do this: spend time continually in prayer. . .Read the Bible, meditate on it, spend time in the Scripture, journal about it. . .Then, I REALIZE that there is NOTHING I CAN DO on my own. . .It's about God, not me.
Am I thankful for other believers, and the good works they do? Do I remember them in my prayers to God. . .not always. . .I must continue to thank God for the saints who surround me daily, and for the work they are doing to further the kingdom. I must be encouraging to them, and supportive. I must remember that God started this good work. . .there is Nothing I could have ever done to deserve this gift.

P: Heavenly Father, You are Savior, and you are LORD. Your Grace is sufficient. . .and only by your Grace can I find Peace. . .I submit my life you your will. . .I commit to reading your word, I commit to studying your word, and applying it to my life. God, thank you for the great gift you have given me in your Son, Jesus Christ. . .Thank you, Lord, for my Church family. Thank you for their commitment to growing in their relationship with you. Thank you for their willingness to step out of their comfort zone. . .to spread the gospel throughout our community. Help me to encourage them. Teach me how to support them, so that they can grow too. . .In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Skywalker Turns 3!

2008-10-09T07:00:00.000-05:00

Today, three years ago, the second light of my life was born. Here's his story: I was 37 weeks pregnant, and suffering from Preeclampsia and pre-term labor. I had been on bedrest for a month, and was due to be induced on Monday, October 10 (Columbus Day) because of it. My parents, Mimi and Poppy arrived the Saturday evening before, so they could keep Stonewall, and see Skywalker when he was born, and stay for a week to help out. Saturday evening, we all went to bed as usual. About 1:20am I woke up, and was concerned that my water had broken. I walked around for a little while, waiting for a big gush, and sure enough, it came. I woke up Rev, and told hin that it was time, then went in to tell Mimi and Poppy that we were going to the hospital. God is so good. They weren't planning on coming until Monday, so thankfully they came early and we didn't have to wake up Stonewall at 1:40 am and take him somewhere. Anyway, Rev drove like a madman to the hospital, which was 45 miles away. We arrived finally, at 2:45. The first thing I remember saying was "I want an epidural!" Of course, I couldn't get one right away, but I finally got it at 4:35. The labor was very intense, and the epidural was almost immediate relief, and I was able to doze off. Then, at about 5am, I woke up, and knew that it was time to push. I called the nurse, and she said she would go call the doctor. I told her that she better not leave the bed, or I would have this baby without her. She coached me through, telling me not to push, and when the doctor finally arrived, It took 2 pushes to deliver my sweet precious baby. Skywalker came into this world on Sunday, October 9, 2005 at 5:19am, weighing 6 pounds, 13 ounces, and 21 inches long. He had strawberry-blond hair, and blue eyes. Here's some pics of my little angel:

His very first picture. . .He was not happy with the world when he first came out.

Stonewall and Skywalker (and my mom Mimi). When Stonewall first saw him, he said, "That's my baby!"

Skywalker's first birthday. We had a cowboy party (in combo with Stonewall's 3rd).

Skywalker's 2nd birthday. . .A Space theme, hense the rocket ship cake.

And, We'll post a birthday picture after his party. . .it's in a couple of weeks, since it is a combination party with Stonewall. . .so stay tuned in!

A fun game. . .

2008-10-07T22:19:00.012-05:00

1. How old are you?

2. What is your middle name?

3. What is your dream vacation?

(Sandals, Ocho Rios is where we honeymooned, and we would love to go back!)

4. Where were you born?

5. What is your favorite color?

6. What is your favorite drink?

7. What is your favorite cartoon?

Menu Plan Monday

2008-10-05T14:45:00.003-05:00

Another week gone by, a very busy week at that. Stonewall had his first school field-trip. His class went to Ci Ci's Pizza for lunch, then went to see the Beverly Hills Chiuaua Movie. He was really excited for this field-trip, and looking forward to it all week. On the way home, they had a blowout (on a bridge), and as their teacher pulled over to the side, trying to get off the bridge, Stonewall started yelling,"We're going to die. . .We're going to fall off the bridge" and ended up getting all the kids worked up. . .(His teacher didn't think it was as funny as I did when she told me.)

While Stonewall was having fun on his field-trip, Skywalker and I enjoyed a Mommy-Son day together. He requested going to the park and swinging, so we started there. He played on the swings, slides, and fort thingy, until we got too hot. Then, he decided he wanted Chick-fil-a for lunch, so we drove out to Mobile for lunch. We also went to target and looked at all the toys (but didn't buy any, and he didn't even whine about it!)

Then, Saturday, was Stonewall's first Soccer Game! They had so much fun. We lost the game, 2-1, but they were so funny out there on the field. We had one little boy who didn't want ot play at all, he cried everytime it was his turn to play. The first quarter of the game, our team just stood around, watching the other team dribble the ball, and they got their first goal right away. The other team seemed to "get it", while our boys and girls just weren't quite sure what to do. Stonewall did almost score a goal, though. He dribbled it all the way to the goal and kicked it, but the ball went about 6 inches outside the goal. He was still excited! Unfortunately, I get the bad mommy of the year award, though, since I forgot my camera. I know, I know, I can't believe I forgot it either. . .we got a couple of good pics on our phones, but I don't know how to transfer those. Oh well.

Since it's Menu Plan Monday, let me give you last week's verdict: Do NOT try the Crockpot Unstuffed Cabbage! It was gross and wrong! YUCK, YUCK, YUCK! However, the rest of the week was totally delicious. Rev was really sick this week, so Thursday, one of the sweet ladies from Church brough over some "Jewish Pennicillin" (ie: Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup) I hadn't ever heard this before, but that's what she called it. It was delicious, and I didn't have to cook! So, We pushed the menu back a night, and skipped Saturday's Pork tenderloin, which is why you'll see it again this week.

And, in case this is your first time reading my blog, I am following the low GI diet, based off the book "Living the GI diet" by Rick Gallop. These past 2 weeks, I have only been halfheartedly following the plan (in other words, I've been snacking on non-low GI foods) so though I haven;'t gained any weight back, I haven't lost any either. I've got 4 pounds to my goal, and am giving it a concerted effort this week to stick to the plan. The problem has been Rev t7a-empting me with freshly baked cookies at night, and such. But, I know I can lose 4 more pounds, and I'm just going to do it!

You probably have noticed quite a few crockpot recipes. I tend to plan these for my work days. You see, as an RN, I work 12 hour shifts, 7a-7:30p. . .by the time I drive home, It is WAY too late to cook supper. We had gotten into a bad habit of eating fast food on the nights I worked, and that was part of my weight problem. To avoid that, I now try to plan crockpot meals for my work days. I can set it before I leave in the morning, and it's ready for Rev at supper time. (so, if you have any healthy crockpot recipes, send them my way!

Monday ~ Crockpot Applesauce Chicken, Green Salad, Snow Peas

Tuesday ~ Crockpot Spicy Black Beans , Smoked Sausage, Brown Rice, Salad

Wednesday ~ Quesadillas from left over chicken (last week) and black beans with Whole Wheat Tortillas, and Salad

Thursday ~ Skywalker's 3rd Birthday!!!!! Pecan Crusted Tilapia, zucchini and tomatoes

Friday ~ Pizza night - I really want to try Papa Johns new Whole Wheat Crust!

Saturday ~ Grainy Mustard & Chive crusted pork tenderloin, left over ww cous cous, steamed green beans

Sunday ~ Crockpot Southwestern Chicken, whole wheat tortillas, salad

Bon Appetite!

SOAP

2008-10-03T21:34:00.003-05:00

I recently stumbled upon a blog, Musings of a Future Pastor's Wife, that was talking about SOAPing. I hadn't heard of SOAPing before, so I did a little research, and now, I'm a big fan.
SOAP is an acronym for : SCRIPTURE, OBSERVATION, APPLICATION, and PRAYER.

I have been feeling a little overwhelmed in my bible study lately. . .I have come to a place, where I am essentially reading scripture, and hearing what God has to say, but I have fallen short in applying these Truths to my life. Tell me, what's the point of studying the Bible, if what I study on my own does not change me? I NEED a more formalized way to study scripture, and I think I've found one. My other problem, though, is my memory. What good is it to study God's word, learn great spiritual truths, and begin to apply them, if I can't remember one week to the next? I'm telling you, I need help! Ever since I turned 30 earlier this year. . .wait, that's not completely true. . .Ever since I had Skywalker, my memory has greatly diminished. Oh, the perils of motherhood.

Anyway, my new plan is to use SOAPing for my Bible Study, and journal about it here, on my blog. That way, I will be able to easily look back at what the Lord has taught me, as I continue on my spiritual journey. This also means that you can join me, and maybe, just maybe, we can learn something together.

It would be completely impossible for me to SOAP everyday on here. My goal, is to study over a section of scripture weekly. . .to read it, to meditate on it, to pray over it, and to glean applical truths from it. . .so that my life can be molded, and I can be changed, into the woman God wants me to be. I encourage you to join me on this journey. My first SOAP post will be next week, so be looking for it.

October?????

2008-10-02T22:36:00.003-05:00

How did it get to be October already? My dear, sweet, precious baby Skywalker will be turning 3 in just a few short days. . .How time flies.

The weather has changed, this morning, when I left for work at the ungodly hour of 6am, it was 53 degrees outside! It has been so beautiful outside, and I am looking forward to spending the day outside tomorrow.

In other news, Stonewall has his first school field trip tomorrow, and he is very excited. They are going to CiCi's pizza for lunch, then to see the Chiuaua Movie. Since Skywalker is not old enough for the field trip (it's only the K-4 class who gets to go), we are spending the day together, just me and him.

Volcanos: Part I

2008-09-30T20:56:00.007-05:00

I mentioned last week the special project that Stonewall, Skywalker, and I have been working on. Well, here it is. Stonewall was asking about Volcanoes one day. We looked some information up on the Internet, saw video of eruptions, saw diagrams of the volcanic layers, and talked about lava and magma. Then, being a super-cool mom, I suggested that we MAKE a volcano. (I know, I know, what was I thinking!) Of course, once I'd said it, there was no going back. Stonewall and Skywalker were soooooooooooo excited.
We went to the corner gas station and bought about 10 old newspapers and went to work. Here's our materials list:
1 empty 2-Liter bottle
Old newspaper torn into long strips
old newspaper and old walmart bags balled up
tape
4 cups flour
8 cups water
craft paint
Mod Podge or Spray Clear Gloss Sealant
1/3 cup baking soda
2 tbsp dish soap
red food coloring
1 cup vinegar

To start, I had an old 2 Liter bottle of Coke in the fridge. I gave up cokes about 2 1/2 months ago, but bought one when we were expecting visitors evacuating from hurricane Gustav. Our visitors never came, and I have been having great will power NOT to open it. (You have NO IDEA how hard it's been!) Anyway, pour out the coke, or wait until you'be finished it. Rinse it out, keep the cap on it, and place it int he center of a large piece of cardboard or plywood. Tape the bottle down so it won't move. (As you can see, I did not have any cardboard or plywood, so I used the lid of an old plastic storage bin that we weren't using anymore)
Tape balled up bags and newspaper around the bottle, resembling a cone shape. (You can also use metal screening or chicken wire for the form, but who has that kind of stuff just lying around?) Once you have a general shap, it's time to make the paper mache!
Mix flour and water, stirring until there are no lumps. Then, (this is best to do outside) dip the strips of paper into the flour paste, lift out, and using your fingers, remove excess paste from the paper strips, apply, overlapping onto structure, forming craggy rock shapes as you apply the strips around the volcano. Once you have the stucture fully covered, sit in sun and allow to dry (may require overnight drying). Apply a second and third layer, drying fully in between.
Now you are ready to paint! Give the kids paintbrushes, a couple of shades of brown paint, and let them have at it. You may need to fill in the gaps they leave. Once it's fully painted, allow to dry again. Then, give it a clear coat of glossy sealant spray paint, or a coat of Mod Podge to fully seal it. Allow clear coat to dry. (In case you are wondering about the blue, I asked Rev to go buy us the clear coat enamel spray paint for the volcano Monday while I was at work. When I went to spray the volcano, it came out blue ?! So, we gave the volcano a "stream" going down the side, and went to Walmart to get the right paint.)

Now, you're ready to erupt! Mix the baking soda, red food coloring, and dish soap into a paste, you may need to thin with a little water. Pour/spoon the paste into the empty bottle/volcano. Then, pour the vinegar in and stand back!

Now, I have to admit, we were a little disappointed with the eruption. I think it was because the bottle was so big. . .maybe if we had used a 20 oz bottle instead of a 2 Liter, it would have been more powerful. We really only saw alot of red bubbles coming out.
Later this week, we're going to retry with a different lava, so stay tuned, and I'll post those results when I can.

Menu Plan Monday

2008-09-28T16:56:00.004-05:00

I'm doing great this week. Once again, posting my menu plan on Sunday for the week! We have been so busy this week. Stonewall had an "idea" yesterday for a project, but we're not finished yet, so I'll blog on it when we're finished. . .a couple more days.

This morning, we had a wonderful time at Church. We are having so many visitors lately, and it is just wonderful to see new faces all the time. Rev. just finished this morning a sermon series on giving. He doesn't really like preaching about Money, but felt called to do it, so he did. It was actually a really good series. Hopefully, the church will see an increase in tithing because of it!

As for last week's verdict: Everything was wonderful! The only change was Tuesday, we did not have the 15 bean soup, we had leftover Shredded Beef Sandwiches, since there was so much, and they were so delicious! I absolutely adored the Chicken and Spinach Enchiladas, too. If you like mexican food at all, you've got to try them. They weren't too hard to prepare, and they were yummy. I halved the recipe, and it filled a 9x13" dish, so keep that in mind. This week, we're trying a couple of new recipes, so hopefully I've chosen well.

If you've stopped by here before, you may remember that I am currently doing the Low GI diet. Basically, a healthy eating plan encouraging lots of fresh fruits and veggies, whole grains, and lean meats. I have been avoiding the "red light" foods per the book Living the GI diet, by Rick Gallop. I have to admit that, starting Friday with the Chicken Spinach Enchiladas, I cheated on my diet pretty badly this weekend. Rev and I went on an actual date this weekend, and at the movie theater, we shared a Frozen Coke and Raisinettes. (Then we stopped at Sonic on the way home for a Shake.) So, the rest of the weekend was only a little bit better. So, as of right now, I am oficially back on my diet. I actually really love this diet, I feel full and satisfied, and don't even really miss the bad foods I had been eating most of the time. I still have 4 pounds to lose before I reach my goal, so I'm almost there. (Though, I am considering taping a "4 pounds to go" signs all over the house!) Anyway, here is our menu for the week, and as always, head over to I'm an Organizing Junkie for other great menu plans!

Breakfasts: cereal, milk and fruit for Skywalker and Stonewall most days, I have All-Bran cereal with berries and skim milk or a yogurt smoothie, or an egg beaters breakfast burrito with canadian bacon on whole wheat tortilla.

Lunches: PB &J sandwiches, fish sticks, Hot dogs with fruit and cheese cubes, or homemade "lunchables" for the boys; I will have either Black Eyed Pea Salad over Spinach, an Open-Faced Turkey sandwich with light mayo, spinach, and tomato, or a Tuna salad wrap (whole wheat tortilla, tuna mixed with little bit of light mayo and relish, spinach, tomato, red wine vinegrette).

Snacks: For me: Lots of fresh fruit; light, fat free added fiber yogurt (Benefit brand from Walmart), whole grain crackers with Laughing Cow Light Swiss Cheese, Balance Bar; For the kids: fruit, yogurt, fat free sugar free pudding, ritz crackers with PB, popcorn, pretzles, cheese cubes.

Monday ~Crockpot Unstuffed Cabbage

Tuesday ~ 15 bean soup (with leftover shredded spicy beef from last week mixed in), green salad, Whole grain crackers

Wednesday ~ Roasted beer can chicken with new potatoes and fennel, green salad

Thursday ~ Sweet-spicy glazed salmon, whole wheat cous cous, snow peas

Friday ~ chicken squash bake, boiled new potatos, salad

Saturday ~ Mustard & Chive crusted pork tenderloin, left over whole wheat cous cous, steamed green beans

Sunday ~Crockpot Garlic Swiss steak , steamed green beans

Roasted Beer Can Chicken with new potatoes and fennel:

1 whole roasting chicken

1 bulb fennel, cored and sliced

6 new potatoes, quartered (skin on)

olive oil

2 cloves garlic (1 crushed, 1 minced)

2 tbsp poultry seasoning

1 tsp cayenne pepper

fresh ground black pepper

1 can beer (We do not drink alcohol, but each year I buy a 6 pack and put it away. I have several recipes that use beer, and would not be as good without it! ~ Just don't tell my congregation :) )

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and set oven rack to lowest position. Remove any innards from the whole chicken, and rinse inside and outside with cool water, rub inside cavity with salt, set aside. Take beer can and pour out 1/2. Insert the crushed garlic clove into can, and sprinkle some poultry seasoning and cayenne pepper inside. Set beer can in center of 9x13" pyrex dish. "Impale" chicken with beer can, arranging legs, so chicken sits upright in baking dish. Drizzle chicken generously with olive oil. Using your hands, rub generously with poultry seasoning, being sure to get in between skin and meat if you can. Sprinkle lightly with cayenne. Arrange new potatoes and fennel slices arround chicken in dish, and drizzle with olive oil, salt, black pepper, and some of the fennel fronds. Place on bottom rack of oven, and bake until cooked through, about 45 minutes. (Use a meat thermometer for safety!)

Allow to sit for 10 minutes, then carefully remove beer can from chicken (using tongs) remembering that beer can will be very hot! Carve, and serve with veggies (they will be flavored with the chicken drippings.)

Note: Fennel is sometimes call Anise. It is a white colored bult (kind of onion-like) with green stalks coming off of it (kind of celery-like) with wisypy fronds at the top (like dill). It has a licorise flavor, and is great if fall and winter dishes. I have trouble finding it around me, but found some at a whole-foods type store in mobile recently, so I pulled out this old recipe. I urge you look for it, you'll really like it!

Mustard and Chive Crusted Pork Tenderloin:

1 pork tenderloin, trimmed of silvery membrane

1/4 cup grainy dijon mustard (I use Grey Poupon Country Dijon)

3-4 scallions, white and green parts chopped (original recipe calls for chives)

1 clove garlic

1 tsp canola oil

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Mix mustard, scallions, garlic, and oil, then smear all over tenderloin. Place on baking sheet, and cook for 20-25 minutes, or until just a hint of pink remains inside. Then, place under broiler for 1 minute to brown, turn, and repeat with the other side. Let stand for 5 minutes before slicing. (I do not like mustard, but I love this recipe!)

Scavenger Hunt

2008-09-26T15:06:00.003-05:00

First of all, I spoke with my mom yesterday, and I am happy to report that their power is back on (it was knocked out by IKE)! She was thrilled, it was the second day back at work (she teaches 9th grade World Geography), and when she got home, she noticed the generator was off, so Yeah for Mimi and Poppy!

Today, I really needed to clean my house. My kids ( and husband) have really made a mess out of it this past week. This morning I came up with a new game. Stonewall was whining about a snack, and I was whining about cleaning house. So, I told him that I would fix a snack after the timer dinged. I set the timer for 5 minutes, and told him that when the timer dinged, I was throwing away all the toys on the floor. I handed them the empty toy bin, and they got to work. They were running around the house picking up their toys, and I was cheering them on. They finished with like 2 minutes to spare, and I secretly upped the timer by 3 more minutes and told them to pick up all the dirty clothes off the floor and put them in the laundry basket. They finished this with 3 minutes left, and I handed them an empty trash bag, and told them to pick all the trash up off the floor (like I said, it was Messy!). They ran around, picking up, while I cheered them on, "Go,go, go, Hurry, Hurry" They had a great time, and they picked up! They beat the timer, and in 8 minutes, accomplished what would have taken me over an hour working around and against them. I fixed their snack, and sent them outside in the backyard to play while Rev and I swept and mopped! (Yes, Rev helped, it was so sweet! I just LOVE it when he pitches in and cleans without me even asking!)

Stonewall and Skywalker played on their power wheel until the battery ran out (I forgot to charge it, oops.) Then they were coming back inside, whining about watching TV. I did NOT want them to spend a beautiful day inside watching TV, so I came up with a scavenger hunt for them. I wrote out a list of things for them to find outside, and drew pictures next to the words, since they can't read yet.
Flower, Stick, Stick shaped like a "Y", Rock, Worm, Leaf, bird,berries. Stonewall didn't know what my rock picture was (as if I am notthe best artist, or something), so I asked him to sound out the word "ROCK" and he did it! I'm so proud of him, he is really doing good with sounding out short words! Anyway, after they found everything in their scavanger hunt except for a worm, they were back inside asking for help. The last thing I wanted to do was go hunt worms, so I came up with a new idea. I made them each a bracelet out of duck tape, a simple loop of tape, the sticky side out. Then, sent them out to make nature bracelets. They found leaves, flowers, bugs, grass, and small sticks, and decorated their bracelets. I was so proud of them!

Now, of course, they are sitting inside, watching TV. Oh well, they wanted to play with the slip and slide, but I really didn't want to get it out this afternoon, maybe tomorrow.

And the best part of this day? Rev informed me that he called a babysitter, and we're going to a movie tonight!

Menu Plan Monday

2008-09-21T20:00:00.002-05:00

Well, Sunday, I guess.

First of all, the verdict on last weeks menu. Monday, we tried Crockpot BBQ chicken and cornbread from Crockpot365's blog. She loved it, but we hated it. It was just weird, and yucky too. Tuesday, we tried the Asian Port Tenderloin, and it also was not a hit. I have 2 much better port tenderloin recipes that we love, and we will stick to those. The rest of the week was MUCH better, we loved it all. (Oh, the apple cheddar meatballs were also from Crockpot365, and they were really good!)

This week, we are only trying 2 new things. The "theme" for Menu Plan Monday, is Family Favorites, so we are having several tried and true recipes. Oh, and go on over to OrgJunkies site to check out other great menu plans! Here's my plan:

Monday ~ Crockpot Shredded Beef Sandwiches, steamed green beans

Tuesday ~ Crockpot 15 bean soup (with some of the leftover shredded beef), green salad

Wednesday~ Church Fellowship Meal: We're having a special WMU supper of Taco Soup, cornbread, and green salad to benefit the Margaret Lackey Special Offering for state missions

Thursday ~ Crockpot oregano marinara chicken over whole wheat spaghetti, green salad

Friday ~ Picky Palate Spinach/Chicken Enchiladas, Southwestern Rice (Brown Rice with Black beans, corn, and salsa mixed in)

Saturday ~ Low Carb burgers stuffed with pepper jack cheese, green salad, sweet potato fries

Sunday ~ Crockpot Porkchops with gravy, brown rice, black eyed peas, green salad

Crockpot Shredded Beef Sandwiches:

1 3-4 pound roast ( I usually buy rump, but a tender chuck roast is fine, too)

2 16-oz jars pepperocini peppers, NOT drained, sliced

2 large yellow onions, sliced

2 bell peppers, sliced

1 cup water

1 TSP fresh ground black pepper

Cut roast into chunks (approx. 4"x4") Put meat into crockpot, along with sliced onions and bell peppers. Season with fresh ground black pepper. Pour Pepperocini peppers (with juice) and water over meat and vegetables. Cover and cook on low 8 hours. Remove meat from crockpot, and shred using 2 forks, then return to crockpot.

To serve, Split open whole wheat hoagie rolls, scooping out some of the bread from the center, to form a "bread shell". Place some of the shredded beef, along with onion and peppers into the "bread shell" Top with Sliced cheese (Provolone or swiss are equally delicious). Place under broiler for 2-3 minutes, or until cheese melts and bread toasts.

The leftovers freeze well.

Crockpot Oregano Marinara Chicken:

1 package chicken breast tenders

1 jar marinara sauce (I'll use my leftover homemade veggie packed tomato sauce found here)

1-2 TBSP dried Oregano

Place chicken breast tenders into crockpot, and pour the jar of marinara sauce over top. Sprinkle the top with dried oregano, and cook on high for 4 hours, or low for 6-8 hours. Serve over whole wheat spaghetti, with a large green salad on the side.

Low Carb Burgers:

1 lb 93/7 ground beef

1 small onion, diced

1/2 zucchini, shredded

1-2 tbsp worchestershire sauce

1 tsp grill seasoning

2 tbsp flax meal

Pepper Jack Cheese cubes

In bowl, mix ground beef, and all other ingredients (except cheese) with your hands. Divide into 4 portions. Form each pattie by inserting 1-2 cheese cubes into the portion of meat mixture, forming a pattie around the cheese, making sure the cheese is sealed inside. Grill outside on grill, on indoor grill pan, or George Foreman Grill until desired doneness. To serve, Wrap each pattie in a large bibb lettuce leaf, with sliced tomato, onion, spinach, and condiments of your choosing.

Crockpot Porkchops with gravy:

4-6 bone-in pork chops (neither "thin" nor "thick" cut, just regular pork chops)

1 package brown gravy mix

1 can cream of mushroom soup (or the equivalent of homemade cream of mushroom soup)

1/2 cup water

Place the pork chops in the crockpot, mix the gravy mix, soup, and water, and pour over pork chops. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6-8 hours. These are so tender and delishious. Serve over brown rice, with black eyed peas and green salad.

Deep Thoughts by Skywalker

2008-09-20T20:40:00.003-05:00

Last night, I was cuddling on the couch with Skywalker, and he was being silly, and just plain cute. So, I asked him, "How did you get to be so cute and adorable?" His response? (Keep in mind, Skywalker is 2 (Well, actually, he will be 3 next month, but I'm not ready for him to grow up, so I still see him as "only 2") Anyway, he looked at me pensively, put a finger up to his sweet rosey cheek as if in deep thought, and said, "well, I brushed my teeth."
I busted out laughing. Of course, he didn't understand what was so funny, but it was just too precious!

So remember, people, always brush your teeth if you want to be cute!

Tasty Tuesdays

2008-09-16T19:41:00.003-05:00

A friend from an online forum that I frequent is hosting something called "Tasty Tuesdays" on her blog, Cheaper by the (Half) Dozen, so I though I would join in.

Ok, so I made the Asian Pork Tenderloin tonight for supper, and it was NOT a hit. I really didn't like the flavor of the sesame oil, and it didn't really taste "Asian" to me at all. So, since it was a flop for us, I've decided to share my no-fail pork tenderloin recipe. (We also LOVE the Grainy Mustard and Chive crusted Pork Tenderloin recipe, but I'll blog on that on another time.)

Marinated Pork Tenderloin:
1/3 cup canola oil
1 packet dry onion soup mix
5 tbsp worchestershire sauce
1 pork tenderloin

Mix oil, soup mix, and worchestershire sauce in a gallon-sized ziplock bag, and shake to combine. Then add pork tenderloin to the bag and seal. Place in the fridge and marinate for 2-4 hours.
When time to cook, Preheat oven to 375. Place large sheet of foil onto cookie sheet. Remove Bag from fridge, and place pork in center of foil, pouring remainder of marinade over tenderloin. Bring up long sides of foil, folding over twice at top, then fold in ends, forming a foil packet. Bake for 30-40 minutes, depending on size of tenderloin, until no pink is left in center.
Remove from oven, and open foil packet to vent. Allow to sit about 5 min, then remove to cutting board. Allow to sit for additional 5 min, then slice and serve.

I have NEVER had a pork tenderloin cooked this way turn out badly. . .it is just so good! I hope you enjoy this!

Also, we absolutely hated the barbequed chicken and cornbread crockpot dish that I tried last night. . .It was just weird. So, For next week, we'll probably have some tried and true recipes instead of all the new ones I've been trying out lately.

Menu Plan Monday

2008-09-14T17:43:00.005-05:00

I will do better blogging this week. I will do better blogging this week. I will do better blogging this week. . . . .

I feel like I need to write sentences for slacking off this week and not blogging at all. I was sick with this horrible sinusy stuff. I was busy, very busy with work and home. I even worked overtime this week. I was worrying about my family in the path of Hurricane Ike. -- These are my excuses for neglecting my blog all week. But, as I always say to my boys, NO EXCUSES!

So, I am back once again with my Menu Plan Monday, and a fresh resolve to add to this blog.

That being said, I'll give you the verdict on last week menu. We did really well sticking to it (Until yesterday, that is) The Roast was good, but I forgot to sear the roast before cooking it, and it really makes a difference if you've never done it that way before. The black beans were quick and easy to prepare; however, I really preferred the spice from the other black bean recipe that I made a couple of weeks ago, the Rotel in this was too mild after slowcooking all day. The tilapia was excellent, and the black beans &brown rice from Tuesday were reinvented into the southwestern rice dish, which really turned out well. My favorite of the week, though, was Thursday's Balsalmic Bruschetta Grilled Chicken. It was amazingly simple and delishious! You MUST try it. Saturday's meal will be featured again this week. I didn't get off work until 4pm Saturday, and it was just too late once I got home to get started cooking for our usualy 5pm supper time. So, we had fast food. (I know, I know, really bad. I did, though, eat a grilled chicken salad with lite dressing, so not too bad.) The meatloaf was alright. Rev really liked it, but I'm just not a big meatloaf fan, so I can't get too excited about it. . . On to this week:

When you're done here, head on over to I'm an Organizing Junkie's website for more great menu plan ideas!

Monday~ Crockpot barbequed chicken and cornbread, salad

Tuesday~ grilled Asian Pork Tenderloin, crash hot potatoes, grilled zucchini/squash/tomato medly

Wednesday ~ Cormeal Crusted Tilapia, leftover grilled veggies, salad (scroll down for recipe)

Thursday~ Crockpot Black Eyed Peas, Turkey sausage, salad

Friday~ Leftovers

Saturday~ Apple Cheedar Turkey Meatballs, green beans, Sweet potato Latkes (recipe below)

Sunday~ Taco Bowls

Sweet Potato Latkes:

1 sweet potato, peeled, then grated

4 green onions, sliced white and green parts

1/4 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 cup eggbeaters

Salt and pepper

Mix all, drop in by 1/4 cup fulls (or smaller) onto hot skillet with about 2 tbsp canola oil on it. Cook for 3-4 minutes per side.

Menu Plan Monday

2008-09-07T20:46:00.002-05:00

Another week, another Menu Plan Monday. I am beginning to love the freedom that comes from planning my meals this way. I don't get anxious, going back and forth between the pantry, refrigerator, and freezer, trying to figure out what to cook each afternoon. We are not going out for fast food or pizza several times per week because we don't have anything to eat. And, we are spending much less at the grocery store! Please, check out Org Junkies Mr. Linky for more great menu planning ideas!

The verdict from last week: We did not have our southwestern tilapia last week, as I blogged about creating a pizza pocket recipe instead. Also, Sunday, I was sick, so I didn't cook the roast. Both of these will be on this weeks plan instead. We totally loved the Pioneer Woman's Crispy Yogurt Chicken, but I made it with homemade whole wheat bread crumbs and boneless skinless chicken breasts isntead. They were great!

In case you haven't read my blog before, I am following the low GI diet plan for healthy eating and weight loss. All of the meals I make, if they do not fit into this way of eating, I modify them so they do. I'll try to either post recipes below, or links to where you can find them. Enjoy.

Monday~ Crockpot low GI Pot Roast with Sour Cream Gravy, wild rice, steamed green beans
Tuesday~Crockpot Rotel Black Beans with Brats, brown rice, salad
Wednesday~ Southwestern Tilapia, Southwestern rice with black beans and corn
Thursday ~ Balsalmic Bruschetta Grilled Chicken, asparagus, salad
Friday ~ Fend for yourself
Saturday ~ Grilled Asian Pork Tenderloin, grilled zucchini/squash/tomato medly
Sunday~ Crockpot Italian Stuffed Meatloaf (low GI ~ recipe below), salad, leftover zucchini/squash, tomato medly

Crockpot Italian Stuffed Meatloaf ~ low GI recipe

1 1/2 lb 93% lean ground beef
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 small zucchini, grated
1/3 cup eggbeaters
1/8 cup old-fashioned oats
1/8 cup flax meal
3/4 cup tomato sauce (I will use my homemade veggie-packed sauce)
1 tbsp fresh parsley or basil, chopped
1 tsp salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 cup shredded, reduced fat mozzarella cheese

Mix all ingredients, except for cheese, in large bowl with hands until well mixed. If it is too wet, may add more oats until the correct meatloaf texture is reached. Form into an 8x8ish square shape on a large sheet of saran-wrap. Visually divide in half. Spread shredded cheese over one half of the meat square, leaving a 1 inch border around that half. Fold other half over top of cheese half, sealing edges and forming a loaf shape, using the saran wrap.
Place inside the crockpot, cover, and cook on high for 4 hours, or low for 6-8. Use 2 spatulas to lift the meatloaf out of the crockpot,and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

Get Well Soon. . .

2008-09-07T16:15:00.004-05:00

Beautiful, isn't it.

Yesterday, my throat started getting scratchy, by last night, I had a pounding sinus headache. I took some medicine and went to bed. I tossed and turned all night long, and this morning when I woke up, my chest and head were full of congestion, and I felt so aweful I could barely move. So, I got the boys ready for church, shipped them off with Rev, took a shower, and went back to bed.

After Church was over, the boys all came home, and very sweetly gave me hugs and told me to feel better, they were so sorry I was sick. Then, Stonewall set off to make me a "Get Well Soon" card. (Which, as I'm sure you've guessed, is pictured above.) Let me interpret it to you. The person on the right is, of course, me. The rainbow above my head is my hair, aren't I pretty? The figure to the top left is our Church. The writing at the bottom is translated (per Stonewall) as "I Love You, Mommy". He also said that the card says he wants me to feel better so I can go to Church with them. So sweet, isn't it! Also, pretty impressive writing for a 4 year old boy with no help (he can spell MOM, can't he!)

I really don't feel good enough to be witty and long-winded, but I needed a quick shameless brag for Stonewall.

Pizza Pockets

2008-09-03T21:26:00.010-05:00

I was inspired by reading some of the blogs this week posted on Org Junkies Menu Plan Monday to try to make homemade, healthy pizza rolls (mine actually ended up being more like pizza pockets, but that's merely semantics, really. My boys, Stonewall and Skywalker, love pizza rolls, you know the ones, they come frozen, you bake them up, little rectangles of pizza-ey goodness (Now I'm making up words). The problem, they are full of fat, calories, preservatives, you name it. When I told my boys I was making homemade pizza rolls, Skywalker said, "Well, I like those at school, but I don't think I like them at home." Meaning, he knew inately that I was trying to make them healthy, and he wasn't having any of it. So, I changed the name to pizza pockets, I mean, why compete with something so loved. No, this is NOT what I'd planned for supper tonight, we'll have to have that tilapia another time.

First, I needed pizza sauce. I've always wanted to try making a tomato sauce, but never have. I didn't want to spend any extra money on this meal, since I've already done my grocery shopping for the week, so I kinda just grabbed things from my pantry and fridge. I decided I wanted a veggie-packed sauce so the boys would get all sorts of vitamins and good stuff. Here's what I did:
Veggie-Packed Tomato Sauce:
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
2 tsp minced garlic
1 small red bell pepper, chopped
1 small zucchini, chopped
1 cup spinach, chopped
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can tomato puree
3 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped (may substitute basil)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp splenda
1 tsp dried oregano (if you've got fresh, use it!)

Here's how I put it together:

Heat EVOO in skillet over med-high heat. Add garlic and onion, and cook, stirring frequently, for 2-3 minutes. Throw in zucchini and bell pepper, and continue cooking about 8 minutes, or until the veggies are tender.

Add Spinach, and cook until wilted.

Add diced tomatoes and tomato puree, and stir to combine. Reduce heat to med-low. Add parsley, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and oregano, stirring to combine. Allow to simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes. At this point your sauce is done, but I knew that my boys wouldn't eat it in this state, it's too chuncky.

So, I removed it from heat, allowed it cool for about 10 minutes, than put my new immersion blender to work, and pureed it smooth. Isn't it pretty!

This recipe yielded 4 cups of sauce. I froze 2 cups for another meal. I think it will be great on spaghetti, or stuffed bell peppers! The remaining 2 cups, I used for this recipe (and yes, we probably only used 1/2 of that. I may still freeze the remaining cup sitting in the fridge right now.

Then, it was time to make some dough. I finally found a recipe that I liked the ingredients in, but when I make it and allowed it to rise, it was way too sticky, and I would never have been able to roll it out, so I added some other things, and it worked. Here's the recipe I ended up with. (My hands were too sticky to take pics at this point, so bear with me.)

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough:

2 1/4 cup whole wheat flour

1/3 cup oat bran

1 packet active dry yeast

1 tbsp honey

1 tbsp olive oil

1 cup warm water

I just mixed the dry ingredients together, then added the wet and stirred/kneaded until well combined. Then, let sit, covered by a damp cloth for about 10-15 min to rise. Punch down, and roll out. (I greased my counters with olive oil because it was still a little sticky) I used a 4 inch round cookie cutter, and my dough made about 18-20 circles.

Then, to put to all together:

Pizza Pockets:

1 recipe veggie-packed tomato sauce

1 recipe whole wheat pizza dough

1/2 package turkey pepperoni

1 cup 2% Mozzarella cheese, shredded

(Any other pizza toppings you want, finely chopped)

Lay out your dough rounds on a greased cookie sheet, spread a small amount of sauce over each one, leaving 1/2 inch border. Then, top with tsp of chopped up pepperoni and 1 tbsp cheese. Fold in half and seal edges, crimping with fork.

Aren't they pretty! This was before baking. I baked them at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, and they were perfect. I served them with warmed sauce on the side to dip.

Stonewall ate them and liked them. Skywalker ate about 1/2 of one, then said he didn't like it. Oh well, you can't win them all!

The Aftermath of Gustav

2008-09-02T19:26:00.004-05:00

Well, yesterday, we sat inside watching hurricane Gustav blow through, waiting to see if we would lose power and phones or not. Thankfully, We lost power only for a couple of hours overnight, and it was back on by 6am, so we didn't even miss it. We escaped any major damage except for some downed branches in our yard (many thanks to Rev and his Friend Jim who dilligently hammered down new shingles on our roof Sunday)!
Needless to say, though, we all had a bit of cabin fever by the end of yesterday. My creative boys played "tranpoline" in the living room on the couch cushions, then moved on to practice for their future architecture degree by building forts on the living room floor. They also practiced their engineering by building train tracks. They watched more Ducktails episodes than I thought existed. By the end of the day, they we BEGGING me to take them to Pump It Up. Of course, Pump It Up was not open during the hurricane, so they took it upon themselves to make their own home version. They put the guest room mattress off the bed and onto the floor, then "decorated" for their party with streamers (t-shirts hung over doorknobs) and we ate pretend cake. They jumped for a good 30-45 minutes straight and had a great time. (And I did promise to take them to the real Pump It Up soon).
Anyway, Today, we just HAD to get out of the house. I needed to do some grocery shopping, so we decided to drive into Mobile, go grocery shopping and go to Blue Rabbit (kinda like Chuck E Cheese, but better food, less arcade games, and a bigger indoor playground) I decided to try a new place for my groceries, Jimmy Lowes Fruit Stand. A local favorite in mobile, with great fresh produce for great prices. I was So pleased! I ended up spending $19.05 (Including tax) for my produce, and this is what I got:
1 bunch parsley
5 gala apples
3 bartlett pears
1 2-pint package strawberries
2 large zucchini
4 roma tomatoes
1 package baby spinach
1 package salad mix
1 lb green beans
1 lb pink eyed peas (I'm assuming these are like black eyed peas, but we'll see)
1 bunch asparagus
1 lemon
1 red bell pepper
1 red onion
(I think that's everything, and I will definately be going back to Jimy Lowes Fruit Stand)
Of course, I had to go to super walmart for everything else.
Now, we're home, supper is finished, and after I get the boys to bed, I've got to clean up from our Hurrican adventures yesterday!

Menu Plan Monday

2008-09-01T09:34:00.004-05:00

It's that time again, Menu Plan Monday! I made my tentative menu plan last Friday, but it is subject to change at any moment due to the Hurrican blowing over my house at this moment. We are still following the low gi diet plan, and it is going well, despite majorly cheating yesterday at our Church's Homecoming Fellowship Lunch. So, without further ado, here it is:

M~ LABOR DAY ~ Low carb burgers, black-eyed pea salad
T~ Lentil haystacks
W~Southwestern Tilapia, steamed green beans
T~Crockpot Turkey Black Bean Chili (recipe below)
F~Free For All
S~ Crispy Yogurt Chicken, roasted veggies (with low GI variations)
S~ Crockpot low GI roast with sour cream gravy, steamed green beans, wild rice (recipe below)

Recipes:
Low Carb burgers:
1 lb ground beef
1/2 yellow onion, diced finely
1/2 zucchini, grated
2 tsp worchestershire sauce
1 tsp grill seasoning
Pepper Jack Cheese, cut into cubes
Large Leaf Bibb lettuce
Baby Spinach
2 Roma tomatos, sliced
Condiments per your taste

Mix the ground beef through grill seasoning well, divide into 4 equal parts. Take 1-2 cubes of pepper jack cheese (depening on your taste) and form one of the parts of the hamburger mixture around the cheese to form a burger pattie, repeat for all patties. Grill the burgers until cooked through.
To serve, take a large bibb lettuce leaf, spread with some mayo (or condiment of your choice), them place one burger on top. Top with tomato slices, spinach, and more mayo (Ranch dressing is awesome here, too) Then, wrap bibb lettuce leaf up around burger to become the "Bun". Enjoy!

Crockpot Turkey & Black Bean Chili :
1 lb ground white turkey
1 cup chopped onion
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 jalepeno, diced
1 tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp each salt, black pepper, and cumin
2 cans diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can black beans, drained
1 can (14 oz)chicken broth
1 cup frozen corn (optional)

Brown Turkey in nonstick skillet. When browned, pour into Crock Pot, add all other ingredients, and mix well. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Serve topped with light sour cream and reduced fat cheddar cheese.

Crockpot Low GI Roast with Sour Cream Gravy:
Pot Roast with Sour Cream Gravy G.I. rating is VERY LOW
2-1/2 pounds eye round roast
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 packet lipton's onion soup mix
1 can beef consumme
1/2 cup strong coffee
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
Gravy:1/2 cup nonfat or light sour cream
3 tablespoons whole-wheat flour
1. Trim the meat of visible fat, rinse with cool water, and pat it dry with paper towels. Sprinkle all sides of the roast with some of the black pepper.
2. Heat 1 tbsp canola oil in skillet, Brown meat in skillet over med-high heat, then place the meat in Crock pot. Deglaze the skillet with the coffee, then add in the soup mix, beef consumme, and spices, stir and scrape off all brown pieces stuck in skillet, then pour over roast.
3. Set crock pot to low, and cook 8 hours, or until roast is fork tender.
4. To make the gravy, combine the sour cream and 1/2 cup of the pan juices in a blender (I just used a whisk) and blend until smooth. Add flour, and blend until smooth. Set aside.
5. Pour the remaining pan juices into a measuring cup. Add water if necessary to bring the volume up to 1 cup. (If there is more than 1 cup of liquid, return it to the pot and cook uncovered over medium-high heat for a few minutes to reduce the volume to 1 cup.) Return the pan juices to the pot. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for about 5 minutes. Slowly add the flour mixture while stirring constantly with a wire whisk. Cook and stir for a minute or two, or until the gravy is thickened and bubbly.
6. Slice the roast thinly across the grain, and serve accompanied by the gravy

Black-Eyed Pea Salad

2008-08-31T21:50:00.003-05:00

Hurricane Gustav is looming in the gulf, we have already begun experiencing some of his outer bands. I am NOT looking forward to losing power and water in the days ahead, and am still praying that we will be spared.

Right now, though, I am choosing to ignore the looming disaster, and instead have decided to share with you one of my new favorite recipes. It makes a great lunch, or side dish for supper. I got the recipe from someone who posts on the MOPS forums with me, Cheryl, you should really check out her blog, she's got some great recipes (vegan). Doesn't it just look delish? And the best part, It is completely low GI diet friendly!

Black-Eyed Pea Salad:

1 can black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 small red bell pepper, diced

1 small green bell pepper, diced

1-2 jalapeno pepper, diced small (I can't take too much heat, so I use 1 jalapeno pepper, and scape the seed out of 1/2 of it. It still has spice, but not too much to handle.)

1 small red onion, diced

Dressing:

1/4 cup of olive oil

4 tbsp red wine vinegar

2 tsp sugar (I use splenda to make it low GI friendly)

salt and pepper

dash of cayenne pepper

dash of pepper sauce or tabasco

Toss the vegetables and beans together in a large bowl. Pour Dressing over top, stir to combine, and allow to marinate in refrigerator for several hours before serving. Serve over a bed of baby spinach.

Waiting for Gustav. . .

2008-08-29T16:23:00.005-05:00

While sitting here, contemplating hurricane Gustav (which seems to be bound and determined to make his mark somewhere on the gulf coast) I was looking through old pics on my camera card and came across this one that I took last week, of Fay before she really started pouring on us.

I actually went to walmart today, less than a week before the hurricane. BIG MISTAKE! On a Friday morning, the place was PACKED. People were pushing their buggies through the store like madmen, grabbing the last of the bottled water, canned tuna, and peanut butter off the shelves. Okay, not really. It was busy, there were more than usual people there, but not quite what I just described. (Although I'm sure that by late Sunday, or Monday it will be that hectic there.)

In all actuality, they were out of individually bottled water, only had the gallon jugs left, so we bought 3. They still had plenty of tuna, but their ramen noodles section was running less than half full. Well, I bought a few cans of soup, some ramen noodles, an extra loaf of bread, and a few flashlights. Thankfully, we already have pretty much everything we need. There's just something about a hurricane looming in the gulf, though that makes me want to go to Walmart and stock up on stuff.

And, just because they are so adorable, I'm going to post another pic of my boys. "Return to Neverland" is playing on TV now, so Skywalker dressed up in his Peter Pan costume to watch the movie. Isn't he adorable!

Not to be outdone, Stonewall had to go put on his Black Spiderman costume. Hs is pretty upset, though, because he can't find is mask. He seems to be hiding it well in this pic, doesn't he?

Menu Plan Monday

2008-08-25T20:55:00.004-05:00

Well, here is it once again, Menu Plan Monday, hosted by Laura over at I'm an Organizing Junkie. You really need to check out her website if you haven't seen it before.

Last week, we strayed from our menu plan twice, Monday and Sunday. My goal for this week is to not stray at all! I hope we can do it. For those of you who haven't read my blog before, I am following the low GI diet. Basically, I am eating lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, lean meats, and whole grains. I have given up cokes, sugar, and starchy foods for this healthful way of eating(though I must admit that I have cheated several times over the past 5 weeks). I am happy to report that I've lost 9.5 pounds in 5 weeks! I am so excited over that! I would encourage everyone to check out this book!

Here's our Menu Plan (for suppers):

Monday ~ Crockpot Stuffed Bell Peppers , salad (yes, we were supposed to eat this last Monday, but as I said before, we we offered free supper, so we put this off until this week)

Tuesday ~ 15 bean soup, I would LOVE to make these cheesy muffins to go with the soup, but I will resist this temptation for two reasons: 1. I am working, and cannot bake these fresh cheesy muffins while at work; 2. These are NOT low GI diet friendly. TOO BAD, because they look delishious! So instead, we'll have a nice, green salad on the side, and if I'm feeling really generous,some low carb bread toasted with garlic and smart balance light buttery spread.

Wednesday ~ Spinach & Squash Chicken Bake, Boiled New Potatoes

Thursday ~ Leftovers

Friday ~ Spinach Walnut Pesto Salmon with Whole Wheat Penne, Spinach Salad (I made this Spinach Walnut Pesto 2 weeks ago, and need to use it up, so I thought I'd try it on Salmon, Sounds yummy, doesn't it!)

Saturday ~ Dijon Parmesan Chicken (a new use for Fiber One cereal, I can't wait to try it), Zucchini & Tomatoes

Sunday ~ Church's Homecoming, we will be having a HUGE potluch fellowship lunch after church. I am planning on bringing Crockpot Sweet & Sour Pork, Baked Mac & Cheese, and Something Fabulous for dessert (I just haven't decided what yet.) And no, none of this is on my diet, but I have decided that I just have to cheat this day, and I think that God approves, since it's a church function, and all.

I Stand Corrected

2008-08-25T08:18:00.003-05:00

Fay decided to prove me wrong last night. About 18 hours later than expected, the rain came down. My yard once again is a lake, no, wait. Everyone's yard is a lake right now. Go back a few posts to the Redneck Waterpark post, and you'll get the idea, just multiply that amount of water by 10. To top it all off, Stonewall is sick and I had to work today. So, Rev is taking Stonewall to the doctors office and he's supposed to call me after they see her. I hate sitting here at work while my boys are sick. I totally would have called in today and taken him myself, but I had a couple of "unexpected" days off recently (due to low hospital census) and really need to work. I know that Rev is perfectly capable of taking my son to the doctor, but still, a Momma should be with her baby when he doesn't feel good, right? Anyway, I've got to go to work now, but I'll post Menu Plan Monday later today.

Random Thoughts

2008-08-24T20:55:00.003-05:00

It has been a dreary day. The sky has been cloudy. The wind has been blowing. The rain has been falling. All in all, a dreary day. Fay has been roaring all over the Florida this past week, and she finally made her way here. Stonewall and Skywalker were excited for the storm, they want to play in the puddles. Unfortunately, though, there wasn't even enough rain for that. To top it all off: because the boys were stuck inside all weekend, my house now looks like a hurricane blew through the inside, instead of outside. I guess this means I'll be cleaning all week long.
To change the subject and move on to happier thoughts, tomorrow is Menu Plan Monday. Last week, we did really good following our menu, except for Monday (we were unexpectedly invited to a family friend's house for supper) and today. We were supposed to have taco salad, but instead, were invited out to lunch after church. Then, we were given a huge pot of delishious homemade chicken noodle soup, so we ate that for supper tonight. I put the meat in the freezer, and we will revisit taco salad in the weeks to come. I already have this weeks meal plan ready, but will wait to post until tomorrow.
We had an awesome church service today. I totally wish I could post Rev's sermons here, because they are sooooo good, but I guess you'll just have to take my word for it instead. He is currently preaching a series about Lorship Salvation. His main point being, that there is No Such Thing as a "carnal christian". There can be no separation between Jesus as Savior and Jesus as Lord. He is BOTH, not just one. Anyway, I just wish you could have heard it! I hope that each of you are involved in a Church that preaches the Word of God and not just self-help fluff. Until tomorrow, Mandy.

Low GI Apple Oatbran Mini Muffins

2008-08-19T21:21:00.002-05:00

I have been experimenting with different muffin and breakfast bread recipes that fit into the low GI diet that I'm following, and so far, everything has been pretty bad. So I decided to create my own recipe. I perused the internet and combined 3 different oatbran muffin recipes, and added my own twist to them too. The final result was fabulous! Rev and the boys liked them. We plan on eating these for breakfasts and snacks. I will attempt to freeze some, too. Here's the recipe I came up with:

1 cup oat bran
1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
3 TBSP Splenda Brown Sugar blend
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 4-oz container of nonfat, sugar free or low sugar vanilla flavored yogurt (I used Walmart's GV brand Benefit vanilla yogurt)
3/4 cup skim milk
1/4 cup egg beaters original
1 small apple, chopped
1 Tbsp canola oil
Combine all ingredients. preheat oven to 375 degrees. grease mini-muffin pan or use mini muffin papers. fill 3/4 with batter, and bake for 16-18 minutes.

Variations: substitute blueberries or strawberries for the apple; substitute semi sweet chocolate chips and 1 tsp vanilla extract, and leave out cinnamon.
Hope you enjoy!

Menu Plan Monday

2008-08-18T13:59:00.004-05:00

I have been perusing a webside http://orgjunkie.com/ each week for a little over a month, and decided to join in on the fun this week. I have only been menu planning for a few months, and it gets easier every time. I really don't know how I cooked before! I mean, I would just buy some meat that looked good, a few veggies, and wing it. I was always going back for 1 or 2 more items at the store because I didn't have what I needed to prepare the meal that I decided to cook at the last minute. If you aren't menu planning, you MUST start!
My husband and I have also recently started the low GI diet. If you aren't familiar with it, check out the book by Rick Gallop, Living the GI diet, you can purchase it here: http://www.amazon.com/Living-G-I-Glycemic-Index-Diet/dp/0761135944/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1219086246&sr=8-1 . The reason I'm telling you this, is that the meals and recipes that I'm posting are all GI friendly. I am only posting dinners this week. Hope you enjoy.

Monday~ Crockpot stuffed bell peppers and green salad

Tuesday~ Grilled chicken with whole wheat cous cous and steamed green beans

Wednesday ~ Cornmeal crusted tilapia with tangy coleslaw and zucchini and tomatoes

Thursday~ Crockpot spicy black beans with brown rice and spinach salad

Friday~ Free for all (This means, Momma's working, so Daddy takes care of himself and the boys, usually happy meals, and Momma eats cereal when she gets home)

Saturday~ Quesadillas with left over black beans and grilled chicken

Sunday~ Taco Salad

Recipes:

Crockpot Stuffed Bell Peppers:

4-5 bell peppers, tops cut off (and reserved) and seeds scraped out

1 lb 97% lean ground turkey

1 small red onion, diced

1 small zucchini, grated

2 cups cooked brown rice

tony's seasoning to taste

black pepper

1 jar spaghetti sauce ( I use bertoli olive oil & garlic or tomato and garlic~if you can find a low sugar or sugar free sauce, use that)

shredded parmesan cheese

Chop off any remaining bell pepper that's usable from the tops. In a large skillet, brown the ground turkey with the onion, bell pepper, and zucchini until no pink is left. stir in cooked brown rice and about 1/2 cup of spaghetti sauce (until it loose, but not runny) season to taste with black pepper and tony's. (I prepare to this point the night before). Pour 1/2 cup of spaghetti sauce in bottom of crock pot. Stuff each bell pepper shell with equal parts of turkey mixture, and place side by side on top of tomato sauce in crock pot. pour remaining spaghetti sauce over and around the peppers. Top each with a sprinkle of shredded parmesan cheese. Cover, and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4 hours. serve with green salad or sauted zucchini.

Cornmeal Crusted Tilapia

4 tilapia fillets

1 cup cornmeal

2 tsp dry dill

1 tbsp grated parmesan cheese

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

pinch of cayenne pepper

1/4 cup eggbeaters

2 tbsp canola oil

combine cornmeal, dill, parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and cayenne in pie plat and set aside. pat each tilapia fillet dry with a towl, brush with eggbeather, then dip in to cornmeal mixture, turning to coat both sides.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the fish fillets and cook for 3-4 minutes, turn using a spatula, and cook for another 3 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork. remove from heat.

Tangy coleslaw:

1/2 bag coleslaw mix (green cabbage, red cabbage, carrots, shredded)

small handfull of chopped fresh parsley (optional)

1/4 cup cider vinegar

1 tbsp canola oil

2 tsp splenda

1 tsp celery seeds

1/4 tsp salt

pinch of black pepper

Make the dressing: whisk together vinegar, oil, splenda, celery seeds, salt and pepper. Pour over coleslaw mix, too to coat. place, covered in fridge for 2+ hours to allow flavors to mix.

Zucchini and tomatoes:

1 pound zucchini
1 tablespoons olive oil
1 small chopped onion
1 cloves minced garlic
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped fresh tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon salt
Black pepper to taste
1/3 cup grated part skim mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 375° F. Wash zucchini and cut into 1/4-inch slices.
Heat oil in saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add zucchini and cook 5 minutes longer, stirring frequently. Add tomatoes, salt and pepper. Cook 5 minutes longer.
Turn into greased 9x12-inch baking dish. Sprinkle cheese over top and bake 20 minutes, until zucchini is just cooked through and cheese is melted.
Makes 4 servings.

Crockpot Spicy Black Beans:

1 pound black beans, soaked overnight and rinsed

1 diced jalapeno pepper
3 cups chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
I can diced tomatoes with garlic & onion
Drain black beans, and rinse.
Combine beans, jalapenos, and chicken broth in a slow cooker. Season with garlic powder, chili powder, cumin, cayenne, pepper, and hot pepper sauce.
Cook on High for 4 hours. Reduce heat to Low, and continue cooking for 2 hours, or until you are ready to eat.

Serve over brown rice, with fresh spinach salad on the side.

(I will probably cook up some smoked sausage on the side for REV, since he doesn't believe in meatless meals!)

Redneck Waterpark

2008-08-13T14:08:00.004-05:00

It had been storming for almost 3 days now, and we are finally getting a respit. Around 10:30 or 11 this morning the bad storms stopped, and it has just been sprinkling since then, so after lunch, Stonewall and Skywalker (who have BAD cabin fever) talked me into putting their swimsuits on and playing outside.

Here's Skywalker about to splash in the puddle.

Then, they decided to bring over the slide. . . .This is what I call a Redneck waterslide (we are in Mississippi, after all)

They had a great time playing in the swamp that is our yard. That is, until the storms came back. my camera battery died, so I didn't capture the picture, but you should have seen these boys, when it started raining hard again, clutch their hands over their heads and run to the carport so they wouldn't get "wet" !

Grilled Turkey Medallions with Spinach-Walnut Pesto

2008-08-12T14:16:00.001-05:00

We're changing up the week's menu a little bit already. I got an "HR" at work today, so I've been home with the boys and can cook tonight. (An HR stands for hospital request off, which simply means that our census is down, they had extra people on the schedule that they didn't want to pay, so they "let" me stay home. Of course, I have had to sit by the phone today, just in case they got busy and needed me after all.) Anyway, I decided to postpone the lentil haystacks for another day, and tonight we're having what was planned for wednesday: grilled turkey medallions with spinach walnut pesto over whole wheat spaghetti and a fresh green salad. My plan is to grill the turkey on the George Foreman Grill, which is one of the greatest inventions ever! I just whipped up the pesto, and it smells divine. Here's the recipe:

Spinach-Walnut Pesto
1/4 cup walnuts, toasted
3 cups fresh spinach leaves
1 cup fresh basil leaves
1 clove garlic, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoon grated Parmesean cheese
1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Yields: About a cup

Place walnuts, spinach, basil, garlic, salt and pepper in a food processor. Pulse until it forms a paste. Drizzle in oil slowly until the mixture is all combined and makes loose paste.

Yummy! I can't wait for supper!

Dauphin Island with Mimi and Poppy

2008-08-12T11:56:00.009-05:00

That's right, my parents, Mimi and Poppy came to visit all the way from Kingwood, TX this past weekend, and Stonewall and Skywalker were THRILLED to see them! Mimi and Poppy always do lots of fun stuff with the kiddos! On Friday, we drove down to Dauphin Island, AL and visited the Sea Lab and Estuary, and Fort Gaines. We all had a blast, but it was Hot, and the boys were exhausted when we were through. We arrived at Dauphin Island just in time for lunch. I planned very poorly, and had not packed lunch for us, so we had to discover what the island had to offer. We ended up at a Dive called (I kid you not) the Crusty Crab. The service was aweful, the food was decent, but almost everything was fried. I ended up eating a grilled shrimp salad, which had grilled baby shrimp over salad greens and a vinigrette dressing, no too bad. Then, we were off to the Sea Lab: http://www.disl.org/. They had this big aquarium area to walk through with all sorts of indiginous species, as well as some imports from other areas. There were tough tanks for the kids, with shells, horseshoe crabs, hermit crabs, and snails. We really had a great time!

Here's Stonewall with a turtle.

Here's a pic of Skywalker on the left and Stonewall on the right trying on a diving helmet.

Since it was just across the street, we then visited Ft. Gaines. The boys really enjoyed it, they were lots of cannons lying around, and a real blacksmith was there giving demonstrations of

his craft. He was really amazing. He even made each of my boys a handmade square nail with a face on the head. We walked all around that Fort, looked at every nook and cranny, and pretended to fire every cannon. All in all, we had a great day! Stonewall and Skywalker were really sad to see Mimi and Poppy go back to Texas Sunday! But, I only had to remind them, that Rev's parents Bubbles and Big Daddy are going to be here next week!

Menu Plan Monday

2008-08-11T18:28:00.002-05:00

OK, I have been doing this new thing, the low GI diet, based off the book by Rick Gallop, "Living the GI Diet". So far, I've been on it for 3 weeks, and have cheated numerous times, including an anniversary dinner at the Melting Pot in Birmingham, AL, which is my new favorite restraunt! Anyway, I am going to start posting my weekly menu, and as I can, the recipes that go with it! So, for the week of August 11-17:
Monday~Rev took Stonewall and Skywalker to Pizza Hut, so I'll make up a quick breakfast burrito when I get home, with egg beaters, reduced-fat cheddar cheese, green onion, tomato, and canadian bacon on a whole wheat tortilla, with a plum on the side.
Tuesday~Lentil Haystacks. This lady on a forum that I frequent has posted about this several times, and we are now trying it. We're having smoked turkey sausage on the side, and serving the lentils over brown rice, then piling on salad toppings to our desire.
Wednesday~Grilled Turkey Medallions with fresh green salad and spinach-walnut pesto (homemade) over whole wheat spaghetti.
Thursday~ Raspberry Chicken with whole wheat couscous and steamed green beans
Friday~ left overs
Saturday~Grilled tilapia, tangy coleslaw (not the creamy kind), and grilled asparagus
Sunday~ Crockpot stuffed bell peppers (made with ground turkey, brown rice, and zucchini) with green salad.

It all sounds great, hopefully, it will all taste as good!

8 Wonderful Years

2008-08-05T21:51:00.004-05:00

Today is Rev and my 8th anniversary. Yes, that's right, 8 years ago, when we were mere babes (22 years old), we married at Kingwood First Baptist Church, Kingwood, Tx.

Rev and I met our junior year at Kingwood High School, we were both in the honors Physics class with Mr. Doolittle (truely his name), but in different sections. Mr. Doolittle had study sessions the night before a test, though, and everyone who wanted to could come and study together. At one of these sessions, Rev leaned back from a row over, and offered me a Thin Mint. That's right, the Girl Scouts brought this couple together. We still didn't know eachother well, and I had kinda forgotten about him, until finals week. You see, my dad was the director of his Sunday School class at church, and he needed a substitute teacher for the upcoming Sunday. Rev's mom was finishing up her Masters in Divinity at Southwestern Theological Seminary in Ft. Worth (HBU extension campus) in Comparative Religion, so dad asked her to teach. Anyway, my mom conned me into coming with her to drop off the teaching book in exchange for a study break and a chocolate shake from Sonic. We were sitting in their living room chatting, when Rev walked in. He and his best friend had just given each other buzz cuts, and he was pretty embarrassed about it, but I like it. he had been attending youth group at another church with some friends, so I hadn't ever seen before at church, and I invited him to youth VBS the following week. We hung out all the next week, and by the end, he asked me out on a "real date". We went to see the movie Congo, which was probably one of the worst movies made that year, then we stopped at Baskin Robbins on the way home! Anyway, 5 years later, after senior prom, graduation, college at Baylor University, a 14 month breakup, my going off to nursing school in Dallas while he was still in Waco, and we finally made it to our wedding! That's a little bit about our beginnings, some other day, I'll share more. Praise the Lord, we have had a blessed 8 years of marriage. Looking forward to 100 more!

Soccer Camp

2008-08-03T14:26:00.004-05:00

So, Stonewall is growing up sooo fast, he just attended soccer camp for the first time, and we are totally looking forward to playing with the city league this fall. The camp he attended was called the "Challenger British Soccer Camp". A group of 3 brits came all the way to our little Mississippi town to teach our kids about soccer (apparently, they were doing it all over the country all summer long)! Anyway, the coach for the 3-6 year olds was Chris from Scotland, and he was really great with the little ones. The only problem: no one could understand what he was saying, and he called things funny names. The boys and girls would just stand there looking at him until he actually demonstrated what he wanted. It was pretty comical, but by the end, the kiddos were understanding a little better.

This pic is of the kids in Stonewalls group, Stonewall (with his new buzz haircut) is in the middle in the green shirt sitting on the soccer ball: (doesn't he look sooooo excited)

Just to be fair, I have to through in a pic of Skywalker too. he was too young for soccer camp this year, but he did watch with me from the sidelines!

Beach Bums

2008-07-16T16:28:00.004-05:00

I went to take Stonewall and Skywalker to the beach park today. There is a really nice park with playground and water pad right on the gulf. It's a little cooler to go there than play at home since there's a nice gulf breeze. Well, when we got there, Stonewall somehow convinced me they needed to get into the "salt water" (ie. the gulf) instead of playing on the water pad at the park. I, of course, did not wear my swim suit since we were just going to the park, so I rolled up my shorts and we went. They had a great time playing in the tide and trying to build a sandcastle. Then, a couple of other little boys came out to play with their grandpa. The four boys played together for a while, then went off to hunt for hermit crabs. They found 4 and set them on the ledge, then watched and waited for them to escape back into the ocean. FUN! We also saw a jellyfish (which we stayed away from!) and pulled up a crab pot to look with 12 blue crabs in it, it was so cool. The boys had a great time, and were so tired when we left. Unfortunately, no pictures today, I forgot my camera.
Being at the beach reminded Stonewall of his favorite joke. Why do sharks only swim in salt water?

I stumped you, didn't I?

It's because Pepper water makes them sneeze! Oh, the humor of a 4 year old!

If you love me. . .

2008-07-13T17:56:00.002-05:00

A month or so ago, on a Sunday afternoon, my two boys were playing surprisingly well together in one of their rooms. That morning in Sunday School, their memory verse was, "if you love me, you will keep my commandments." John 14:15. Stonewall practiced it in SS, then recited for me after church with his teachers prompting. Anyway, that afternoon they were playing well, until Skywalker decided that he wanted to do something else, and was no longer playing as Stonewall was leading. I could hear them both getting frustrated, Stonewall because Skywalker wasn't doing just what he wanted him to do, and Skywalker because Stonewall kept telling him what to do. As I was trying to let them work it out, I hear Stonewall say, "Skywalker, If you love me, you will keep my commandments!" I started laughing, and then had to go break up the impending fight. Then I had to explain to Stonewall what that verse actually meant, that it was about God, not us.
I was thinking about that afternoon today, as the boys were playing. It's a funny antecdote when a 4 year old misinterprets scripture, but it's just plain sad when we adults do. I think that Stonewall was showing off his "human nature" so to say. He, as most of us, make the mistake to think that it's about us, but it is not! It's about God! In so many situations, this is the real truth. If we would sit back and examine the situation, we would realize. It is not about US! It kinda changes your perspective when you think about it that way, doesn't it? We might be at church get offended because someone doesn't greet us, even though we haven't been in a couple of weeks. We might be offended that a visitor came to church dressed in jeans instead of a suit and tie. But the truth is, that visitor can worship God in jeans just as well as he could in a suit. that person who didn't greet us may have some really tragic situation in their own lives and just need someone to ask THEM how they're doing. My point is, it's not about US, it's about GOD, and how we can Worship Him and Minister to His People, right? So, then next time you're in a church business meeting and the vote doesn't go your way, don't get offended, it's not about YOU. It's about GOD!

My Cakes

2008-07-13T16:35:00.007-05:00

I love baking and decorating cakes. I started right before Stonewall's first birthday. I decided that I needed to make his cake, since my mother had made all of mine growing up. For that first cake, I used a mix, but decorated it myself with store-bought icing.

Stonewall's second birthday cake was OK, It was a train party, and the cake looked like a train with an engine and 3 cars. Not showing a picture, though, because it wasn't too cute. For His third birthday, and skywalker's 1st, I still used a mix for the cake, but made my own icing (yummo!). It was a cowboy theme party, so Stonewall had a horse cake, and Skywalker had a cowboy cake. They were pretty cute.

After this birthday was over, I decided to learn how to bake from scratch, and I sampled several recipes until I found 2 excellent recipes, a white cake and a chocolate cake. They are moist, flavorful, and firm enough to hold heavier fondant icing. I also started experimenting with fondant. I loved the way it looked, but hated the taste. I tried kneading in flavoring, but it wasn't enough. Finally, I found a recipe for Marshmallow fondant. It is perfect! Tastes just like a super-sweet marshmallow, but is the texture of regular fondant. Since then, it's what I use exclusively. Last year's birthday party was 'outerspace', so they had Rocket Cakes. Here they are side by side.

Last February, we had a wild game dinner at church. The men did the cooking, so the ladies brought desserts. I decided to stick with the theme of Wild Game, and made an Armadillo cake (kind of a throwback to Steel Magnolias) Anyway, it was chocolate cake with raspberry filling, and chocolate marshmallow fondant. Personally, I'm really proud of it. Rev wanted to help, and since he's an artist, he molded the face for me, and even helped place some of the scaley things.

My most recent cake was for a friend's daughter's 1st birthday party, and I actually got paid to make it! I would love to do more of this. It's great to do something I love, that is so much fun, and actually make some money doing it. Anyway, it was a Minnie birthday party. It is chocolate cake with (once again) raspberry buttercream filling, and marshmallow fondant for the icing. Hope you've liked my cakes. I'll post more as I make them, and If you live near me, I'd love to make you a cake!

The Preachers Wife

2008-07-12T22:12:00.003-05:00

Well, here I am. This is my first attempt at blogging, so we'll see how it goes. I plan to blog about my life, my family, my prayer life, my daily bible study, even my hobbies, so hopefully it won't be too boring. A little about myself, I work full-time outside of the home, I'm an RN in cardiology. I love my job most of the time. I have also worked in the past in a Neonatal ICU, which I adored. I needed a change, though, as it's an emotional area, so when we moved a year ago, I had a great oppertunity open up.
My wonderful husband "Rev" is a Baptist Pastor. He is handsome, funny, and a great daddy. He loves the Lord first, our family next, and video games third. We've been married for almost 8 years, and it's been an exciting journey. Our first blessing is "Stonewall", he is 4 1/2 going on 16. He is going to play city league soccer this fall, and is extremely excited. He's full of energy, and very outgoing. He's never met a stranger. Our second blessing is "Skywalker", he is 2 1/2, but don't try to tell him he's not big enough for something. He is a little shy, and will follow big brother anywhere, and do anything big brother tells him to do, which gets him into alot of trouble. Skywalker is also my climber, there is no shelf too high for him!
Skywalker was sick last night, so I stayed home from work. Rev had VBS promotions and decorating to do up at the church. Skywalker was feeling better, so the boys and I went to Walmart, their FAVORITE place. Stonewall needed a haircut, and we ended up giving him a buzz. It's a pretty shocking change, and it makes him look so grown up.