A new “arrival”
There are all these milestones in life that have this stigma of “once I get there, my life will be complete”. “Once I turn whatever age, I will have it all figured out.” “Once I get my license I will be free” “Once I finish school, I will have more time” “Once I can fit into this size, I will feel good” “Once I get married, life will be perfect” and the list goes on and on and on. I am sure you can think of a few times in life where you have felt that way.
What I have realized, we will never “arrive” as the world puts it. Life is never complete. We will never be finished growing, changing, learning, adapting, and developing. Some of you may think this is very disappointing. You may have been waiting for that promotion, or that location change, or that next vacation time to reach euphoria. But let me let you in on a little secret, once you get there, it will be something else. The success of this world is just this never ending mirage of making you feel fulfilled. You will still be empty. It is great when you are blessed by something like a house. But once you have the house, there is the pet, or the boat, or the remodeling… That is just the impression the world puts out there. So there’s this push to arrive at some place. And once you get there, there is no satisfaction, just wanting more. It’s a rough road down that path.
But you don’t have to feel like this. There is more to life. There is more to who you are. It is not about what you do or what you have. It is about who you are. But I have …
Read MorePeace
I am currently in a book group/bible study/accountability group with my closest girlfriends here in Grenada. We don’t really have a name for it so I just call it my “Girls Group”. And, it is just that– Our husbands always seem so surprised when we always go overtime and can’t seem to figure out what we have to talk about for 4+ hours! 🙂 We read a book together, we talk about life together, we laugh and cry and encourage, we pray together and worship God together. The last few months we have been reading Cold Tangerines by Shauna Niequist. (If you have never read anything by Shauna Niequist, I HIGHLY recommend it!! Cold Tangerines is my favorite so far) I had actually read Cold Tangerines in college with my softball D-group (devotional group). But, it has been really neat to go through it again in such a different place of life. It relates to my life in ways so completely different than the first time I read it and in other ways, quite similarly! Here is an excerpt from her chapter called Shalom…
“There is a way of living, a way of harmonizing and hitting a balance point, a converging of a thousand balance points and voices, layering together, twisting together, and there are moments when it all clicks into place just for a split second- God and marriage and forgiveness and something deep inside that feels like peace- and that’s the place I’m trying to get to…The word I use for it is shalom. It is the physical, sense-oriented, relational, communal, personal, ideological posture that arches God-ward. That’s the best way I can describe it. It’s equilibrium and free-fall, balance and shake. It’s a new dance, a new taste, the feeling of falling in love, the knowledge of …
Read MoreFrom the Heart-Bible Verse Memory Card Holder
I have been reading the book I recommended a few weeks ago, The Well Versed Family, by Caroline Boykin, and was inspired to make my grandkids a bible verse memory card holder. Believe it or not, I do remember the days of trying to keep all four girls organized, papers in the proper place, backpacks ready for school each morning and the deep desire to make memorizing bible verses a top priority. We were fortunate to have the girls in a school where hiding God’s word in your heart was part of the curriculum and our home church, youth groups and Awana clubs emphasized that important skill as well. So I felt like I had the support from many angles. As I was reading this book I came to the awareness that even without the support from school, church or clubs, you can develop a great system in your own home for helping your kids learn God’s word by memorizing bible verses together as a family. So I decided to help my daughters from the organizational angle and encourage my grandkids in their pursuit of hiding God’s word in their heart. thus the Bible Verse Memory Card Holder idea described below. I will describe how to make one and you can double or triple the supplies if you plan on making more than one.
Supplies needed
scraps of fabric-you need two squares 12×12 inches
1 piece of notebook or construction paper to make your heart pattern
letter stencil for 2-3 inch alphabet
1 package of Warm White cotton batting
1 small piece of clear vinyl fabric
small square of felt
small piece of Wonder Under (one side fusible one side removable paper) or Stitch Witchery (double sided fusible material)
12 inches of grosgrain ribbon
Iron and ironing board
thread
Cut …
Read MoreBombay Bowl
This weekend, I went to a fantastic restaurant called the Veggie Grill with some really special friends. I ordered a vegetarian meal called the Bombay Bowl, which came highly recommended. This is my best re-creation of that fantastic bowl of healthy deliciousness.
Ingredients
1 yellow onion
20 large or 30 medium brussel sprouts trimmed and cut in half
1 head of cauliflower
4-5 carrots
1-2 parsnips
4-5 small red, white or purple potatoes
(any other veggies that you want to try-beets, broccoli, squash)
1-2 Tablespoons olive oil
1-2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon tumeric
1 teaspoon dried ginger or 1 Tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 ½ teaspoon kelp seasoning (Bragg’s Organic Sea Kelp Delight Seasoning)
2-4 cups fresh kale chopped
2 cups cooked quinoa
1 can white cannellini beans (or great Northern beans) drained and rinsed
20-25 raw almonds
COCONUT MILK CURRY SAUCE
1 can coconut milk
1 Tablesoop curry powder
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons Braggs Liquid Aminos
Serves 4
Prepare the vegetables for roasting by cutting them all into 1 inch bite sized pieces. Place them in a large bowl and pour on 1-2 Tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle with curry powder, turmeric, ginger and kelp seasoning. Toss until vegetables are coated with seasonings. 
Place vegetables in a single layer on 1-2 jelly roll pans covered with foil (for faster clean-up). Roast vegetables in a 450 degree oven for 30 minutes or until fork tender. Stir occasionally and remove from oven.
While veggies are roasting, prepare the quinoa according to package directions (3 cups water and 1 ½ cups quinoa in a pot bring to a boil and turn to simmer and cover for 15 minutes or until water is absorbed and quinoa is tender).
Steam 2-4 cups of kale in a microwave safe bowl with …
Read MoreThe Circus Act
Do you sometimes feel like your life is part of a circus? Are you a part of the juggling act just trying to keep all the moving parts flowing? Are you just one second away from one ball dropping? If one ball drops will all of them drop?
Do you feel like I just described one of your days? If I did, that’s okay. You are just like the rest of us. Usually we have too much on our plates, we are afraid to take something off, and we are just trying to figure out how to keep everything afloat. But many of us put ourselves there. Do we really have to juggle all those things? Are they really in our control, or do we just think they are, so then we stress even more about them?
Some things to help you take control of your circus act:
1. Write down your big priorities in order of how you want them (God, family, works, social, sports)
2. Write down the same priorities in how you think they play out in your life.
3. Write down your schedule for the week and see where you spend your time.
4. Schedule an hour to take some down time for yourself.
5. Don’t be too busy for kids, co workers, friends, family, etc.
6. Put down your phone. Facebook and instagram aren’t going anywhere.
7. Be real with where you are at. Emotions are okay. But how do you respond and bounce back.
8. Put control in its proper place.
9. Choose your things. Try to take one non priority off your schedule, if it allows.
10. Talk through schedule, lifestyle, plan with your spouse, family, kids.
Values:
- Be intentional about how you spend your time.
- Strive for a manageable lifestyle, you don’t
Simple Chicken Noodle Soup
Simple Chicken Noodle Soup — An EASY, HEALTHY meal that everyone in your family will enjoy! While we were eating this meal, my husband, a self proclaimed expert in the area of EATING 🙂 said,
“I really like this meal! It’s simple, but really good!”
And it is! I like eating the soup plain with lots of the veggies, but my husband loves adding the noodles to his bowl for a more hearty meal.
Ingredients:
Olive Oil
2-3 Chicken Breasts, cubed
Chicken Seasoning
2 Cans Chicken Broth Low Sodium (14.5 oz each)
2 Cups of Water
1/2 Onion, Chopped
2 Large Carrots, Peeled, Sliced, and Halved
1/2 Stalk of Celery
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Pepper (add more to taste)
1 Lb Bag Whole Wheat Pasta (Optional- We use penne or fusilli but any pasta will work)
Directions:
1. Chop onion, carrots, and celery. Coat a frying pan with the olive oil and sauté the vegetables, with the salt and pepper, for 5-8 minutes or until almost tender. (We like the veggies to be a little crunchy to add something different to the soup, but this is preference. If you don’t want it as crunchy, sauté longer)
2. Cube the chicken. Coat another frying pan with olive oil and cook the chicken, season with a mild chicken seasoning, until fully cooked.
3. Place the water and chicken broth into a pot. Set aside.
4. Combine the vegetables and chicken in the pot with the chicken broth mixture. Put the burner on medium and stir. Cook until fully heated. Add pepper to taste.
5. (Optional) Cook noodles as instructed on the package while stirring the soup.
6. Serve and Enjoy! Add a delicious cheese bread from a fun bakery or make your own grilled cheese with whole …
Read MoreItalian Kale and White Bean Soup
Kale is one of the new SUPER foods that everyone is talking about. I am always looking for recipes that use kale and this one is absolutely delicious! A friend gave it to me and I made a few adjustments in the seasoning to make it my own.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion chopped
3 cloves garlic chopped
1 red or yellow bell pepper chopped
4 chicken or turkey Italian sausages (I used Trader Joe’s Sweet Basil Pesto Chicken/Turkey sausage)
1 bag (10 oz) Italian Kale
2 quarts chicken stock
2 cans (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
1 can (15 oz) Great Northern white beans
1 tsp salt
1 teaspoon seasoned pepper
1-2 teaspoons oregano
Saute the onion and garlic in olive oil. Add the chopped yellow bell pepper and Italian sausages that have ben sliced thin and cook until sausage gets a tiny bit brown. Add chicken stock, diced tomatoes, beans and seasoning. Add kale and bring to a boil. Turn to low and simmer 30-45 minutes until kale is soft and tender. Serve with crusty rustic wheat or sourdough bread.
Have you tried a new recipe using kale? Please share it with us!
…
J-E-L-L-O
With two littles, I am always looking for crafts that are safe and/or edible for my one-year-old that loves to put everything in her mouth.
This week we had some fun with JELLO. It was so easy and yummy I just had to share.
What You Need:
a box of JELLO (let your kids pick the color or colors)
boiling water
cold water
a bowl and a wisk
a glass 9×13 dish
cookie cutter shapes
I did not do anything special with the making of the JELLO. I simply followed the directions on the box. However, I tried to make as many fun learning activities from the snack making as I could think of.
Learning Activities:
COLORS. I let Ellie pick the colors of JELLO at the store. MIXING and POURING. I let Ellie pour the JELLO powder in the bowl and mix once I added the water. HOT vs COLD. We talked about the hot water and that we don’t touch the hot water. We looked at the steam when I poured the hot water in the bowl. We talked about the difference between the hot water and the cold water when I added the cold water. COUNTING. We counted the cups of water as we poured them in and counted as we stirred. LIQUID vs SOLID. I didn’t do this one with Ellie, but with an older child you could observe the JELLO in the liquid state and then compare it to the solid state after it has been in the refrigerator. PATIENCE. The JELLO takes 4 hours at least to solidify, so you have to be patient with this activity. You can’t eat it right away. SHAPES. We talked about the different shapes we cut out of the JELLO with …
Read MoreWhat is Home? My top 10 things that make me feel home
What do you think of when you hear the word home? Your house? Your address number? Where you grew up? Where you live now? Are these your first thoughts… or does the word home strike a chord deep in your heart?… I picture sipping tea cuddled on a couch playing a game. I picture drinking lemonade on a porch catching up with old friends. I picture being surrounded by people I love. I picture laughing so hard it hurts. I picture feeling so free I can fly. But my soul yearns for the deeper feelings of love, peace, acceptance. When I think of Home, I think of what makes me feel warm inside my soul, welcomed and appreciated, at peace in the moment, loved right where I am, and known to the core of my being. For the past year and a half I have been trying to make a new home. Not a new house… A house is just the roof over your head. But what goes beyond that. What is at the core of HOME? Where do you find your significance? Who do you surround yourself with? We all probably have a few different ideas of what makes home… but here’s a few I came up with.
1. To be known and loved: We all want people to know us. So often I try to put on the facade of the person that I want people to know. But it is in those deeper moments where people know the real me and still love me that I really feel at Home. Who knows you? Think about that relationship.
2. Safety and Security: Feeling safe is a big deal for people. But more than just circumstantially or physically safe. I want to be emotionally safe and secure. It reinforces …
Read MoreDIY Turban Headband
I love headbands! I have always bought them thinking that they look quite simple to make, yet cost so much. So, I finally decided to try to make my own! The newest style of headband is the “Turban Headband”. Two pieces of fabric come together to make a cute “knot” at the top. It is a very simple design and now you can learn how to make your own, too!
What You Need:
Cute Fabric — Elastic — Fabric Scissors — Pins — Measuring Tape — Thread to Match Your Fabric — Sewing Machine
1. Cut three pieces of fabric (Two at 3 3/4 in by 14 3/4 in; One at 11 in by 1 1/2 in) and one piece of elastic (7 1/2 in).
2. The smaller piece will be the cover for the elastic. First, create a hem on both short ends to create a clean look for the casing. Then, put right sides of the smaller piece together and pin the long edge before sewing, leaving short ends open. The width may need to be adjusted depending on width of elastic used when sewing the seam because you want it to be taut around the elastic when you pull it through. Sew and trim the seam. Turn right side out to create the casing.
For the two larger pieces, fold in the long edges (1/4 in) to make a hem on both long sides. Sew hem.
3. Secure a safety pin on one end of the elastic and thread through casing, holding on to the other end so the elastic does not slip out. Attach the other side of the elastic to the safety pin for the time being, creating a loop.
4. Take the larger pieces and accordion the short ends. Pin to secure the accordions.…
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