Here are a few pics (not in any kind of order)....
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
A Glimpse of Last Week....
We spent 3/12 glorious days with our special Family in FL and it was just perfect! We were truly blessed.
Here are a few pics (not in any kind of order)....
Here are a few pics (not in any kind of order)....
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Roasted Veggies & This and That
So much for posting a recipe once a week! Woa...life is throwing me right now.
Here is a simple thing we have once to twice a week with some sort of meat (no bread) as a huge side dish (filler).
Take 4-5 different veggies, cut in bite size pieces, and toss in Olive Oil and oregano. The amount of oregano and Olive Oil depends on how many veggies you roast. I do a lot so about 2 tsp of oregano and just make sure the olive oil lightly coats the veggies.
Line Jelly Roll pan with Foil, spread out veggies, and then lightly salt the top. I tend to use Onion Salt or Garlic Salt.
Put in oven at 400 degrees and cook to the crispy tenderness you like. It's usually about 20-25 minutes.
Veggie Combinations: This usually depends on the cost of veggies at the time and if I need something green I will put my frozen green beans I did up this year in. I always use grape tomatoes, carrot, and onion. Then I will add either, red, yellow, or orange pepper. I either use asparagus or green beans for my green color, but have used zucchini too. I have even tossed frozen cauliflower in. Really it doesn't matter what you throw together it all has turned out for me.
Now on to pics...
These are pics of things we do when we are going stir crazy being indoors.
Yes, I let my kids play with the couch cushions and jump on my bed...all supervised of course!
They love to paint... (And yes the date on my camera is still very messed up!)
Our church has started a faith legacy series and the first session was for parents of 2 year olds. It was pretty good, and pretty important to learn and talk with other parents on how to raise your child spiritually even at 2.
Last Sunday we all presented our children with picture bibles and spoke a blessing. Now when you look at the pics you need to remember that these are 2 year olds. Church was a little long, Mo was teething, and well this is the best we got for pics. I love em! :)
On the 24th of January Ms. EJ had her annual visit to the heart Dr. It went very well, she didn't freak out as in the past and she received a VERY GOOD report. We go again next year and if all still looks great she will not have to go again! YAY JESUS!
This is me and my sweetie before we left....
Here is a simple thing we have once to twice a week with some sort of meat (no bread) as a huge side dish (filler).
Take 4-5 different veggies, cut in bite size pieces, and toss in Olive Oil and oregano. The amount of oregano and Olive Oil depends on how many veggies you roast. I do a lot so about 2 tsp of oregano and just make sure the olive oil lightly coats the veggies.
Line Jelly Roll pan with Foil, spread out veggies, and then lightly salt the top. I tend to use Onion Salt or Garlic Salt.
Put in oven at 400 degrees and cook to the crispy tenderness you like. It's usually about 20-25 minutes.
Veggie Combinations: This usually depends on the cost of veggies at the time and if I need something green I will put my frozen green beans I did up this year in. I always use grape tomatoes, carrot, and onion. Then I will add either, red, yellow, or orange pepper. I either use asparagus or green beans for my green color, but have used zucchini too. I have even tossed frozen cauliflower in. Really it doesn't matter what you throw together it all has turned out for me.
Now on to pics...
These are pics of things we do when we are going stir crazy being indoors.
Yes, I let my kids play with the couch cushions and jump on my bed...all supervised of course!
They love to paint... (And yes the date on my camera is still very messed up!)
Our church has started a faith legacy series and the first session was for parents of 2 year olds. It was pretty good, and pretty important to learn and talk with other parents on how to raise your child spiritually even at 2.
Last Sunday we all presented our children with picture bibles and spoke a blessing. Now when you look at the pics you need to remember that these are 2 year olds. Church was a little long, Mo was teething, and well this is the best we got for pics. I love em! :)
On the 24th of January Ms. EJ had her annual visit to the heart Dr. It went very well, she didn't freak out as in the past and she received a VERY GOOD report. We go again next year and if all still looks great she will not have to go again! YAY JESUS!
This is me and my sweetie before we left....
Friday, February 3, 2012
One Day, One Click...Makes a HUGE Difference!
Go Here for details...please! We did it! My daughter is Guatemalan and this is one way to help those who are living in an orphange or cannot afford school.
God Bless!
God Bless!
Monday, January 23, 2012
Crockpot Chicken with Salsa
All last year I kept thinking I needed to post recipes that are easy, healthy, cheap, and if need be things you can prepare on the weekends for the next week. I work full time and this has become a huge thing for me. I am great at multi-tasking, but not great at organizing. I am becoming a lot better at this and wanted to share.
In 2012 my goal is to try and post recipes, hopefully at least once a week, for the busy Mom or Wife.
My little chef’s are bringing to you today a recipe that has made 4 different meals/appetizer for me. I think I originally got this recipe Here, but have made other things out of it since then.
Crockpot Chicken for Taco’s and Enchilada’s
Watch the ad’s for sales on chicken breasts. Around here they run them quite a bit and I have a lot of freezer space, so I buy a few packages and toss them in.
Put 6 Frozen Chicken Breasts in the Slow Cooker
*I may put the frozen breasts in the fridge before bed, or just defrost them enough so I can pry them apart in the morning, but they are basically still frozen when I put them in.
*6 Breasts makes a ton of meat shredded up. You could always cut this in half if you don’t want a lot left over.
Take 3 pints of salsa and dump over the breasts
*I have homemade canned salsa at home that I use. If you don’t have canned salsa just buy your favorite salsa. You may not need 3 jars; just make sure the chicken is covered well.
Turn the slow cooker on low all day. I have mine on from 7 a.m. until almost 5 p.m.
Take the chicken out and shred with 2 forks. The chicken shreds beautifully and is very moist. Put the shredded meat back in the crock pot and keep it on warm.
For Taco’s
Take the meat and drain some off the juice and serve with corn or flour tortillas and your favorite toppings.
For Enchilada’s
Lightly fry corn tortillas in Olive Oil for a few seconds on each side, and put on plate with paper towels to drain. Place the chicken in the tortillas and roll. Place in 9 x 13 or larger pan depending on how much meat you have. Pour Red Enchilada sauce over top, I usually use 2 cans, and put shredded cheese on top. Place in 350 degree oven until cheese is golden brown and sauce is bubbling. Again top with your favorite items. They take about 30 minutes in the oven.
Appetizer Dip
If we still have some of this yummy chicken left and we are tired of eating it, I will place the small portion in the freezer and then pull it out when I need an appetizer. I then combine it with Velveeta Cheese, and some more salsa and place in one of my small crocks for an awesome dip on corn chips. If you have some extra black beans around you could throw those in too or corn is good too.
The Final way we eat this chicken…there are times when my husband and I are watching how much “bread” we eat.. so a lot of times I will just take the plain meat and sour cream to work and eat it with no chips or tortilla’s. It is very yummy, satisfying, and filling.
Now as a teaser to you and a way to keep me motivated there are things in these recipes that I make (salsa, black beans, and freezer corn) that you will have to watch for the recipes or methods of cooking or freezing.
More and more I am trying to steer away from store bought canned products and making my own food because I feel it is healthier and cheaper.
Enjoy!
(another goal of mine is to fix the date and time on my camera!) :)
In 2012 my goal is to try and post recipes, hopefully at least once a week, for the busy Mom or Wife.
My little chef’s are bringing to you today a recipe that has made 4 different meals/appetizer for me. I think I originally got this recipe Here, but have made other things out of it since then.
Crockpot Chicken for Taco’s and Enchilada’s
Watch the ad’s for sales on chicken breasts. Around here they run them quite a bit and I have a lot of freezer space, so I buy a few packages and toss them in.
Put 6 Frozen Chicken Breasts in the Slow Cooker
*I may put the frozen breasts in the fridge before bed, or just defrost them enough so I can pry them apart in the morning, but they are basically still frozen when I put them in.
*6 Breasts makes a ton of meat shredded up. You could always cut this in half if you don’t want a lot left over.
Take 3 pints of salsa and dump over the breasts
*I have homemade canned salsa at home that I use. If you don’t have canned salsa just buy your favorite salsa. You may not need 3 jars; just make sure the chicken is covered well.
Turn the slow cooker on low all day. I have mine on from 7 a.m. until almost 5 p.m.
Take the chicken out and shred with 2 forks. The chicken shreds beautifully and is very moist. Put the shredded meat back in the crock pot and keep it on warm.
For Taco’s
Take the meat and drain some off the juice and serve with corn or flour tortillas and your favorite toppings.
For Enchilada’s
Lightly fry corn tortillas in Olive Oil for a few seconds on each side, and put on plate with paper towels to drain. Place the chicken in the tortillas and roll. Place in 9 x 13 or larger pan depending on how much meat you have. Pour Red Enchilada sauce over top, I usually use 2 cans, and put shredded cheese on top. Place in 350 degree oven until cheese is golden brown and sauce is bubbling. Again top with your favorite items. They take about 30 minutes in the oven.
Appetizer Dip
If we still have some of this yummy chicken left and we are tired of eating it, I will place the small portion in the freezer and then pull it out when I need an appetizer. I then combine it with Velveeta Cheese, and some more salsa and place in one of my small crocks for an awesome dip on corn chips. If you have some extra black beans around you could throw those in too or corn is good too.
The Final way we eat this chicken…there are times when my husband and I are watching how much “bread” we eat.. so a lot of times I will just take the plain meat and sour cream to work and eat it with no chips or tortilla’s. It is very yummy, satisfying, and filling.
Now as a teaser to you and a way to keep me motivated there are things in these recipes that I make (salsa, black beans, and freezer corn) that you will have to watch for the recipes or methods of cooking or freezing.
More and more I am trying to steer away from store bought canned products and making my own food because I feel it is healthier and cheaper.
Enjoy!
(another goal of mine is to fix the date and time on my camera!) :)
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Oh, Hello 2012!
So if anyone actually reads this blog we are still alive, and I have had many thoughts and things I have wanted to post, but zero time. So I do plan to start posting again, and hope in the next week I can. At any rate...these two cuties would like to say Hello!
Monday, December 5, 2011
4 Years
I say this every year, and will for the rest of my life, but it's hard to believe that it has already been 4 years since we held and kissed our sweet girl for the first time. She is our laughter and a true blessing to our family every single day.
Last week we celebrated her forever family day and well after the pic of me and the kids I got a little snap happy...just look at what happens when I try to get a pic of the hubby with the kids....I love em!
Last week we celebrated her forever family day and well after the pic of me and the kids I got a little snap happy...just look at what happens when I try to get a pic of the hubby with the kids....I love em!
Thursday, November 17, 2011
This Post is Special
It's special because it is National Orphan Awareness Month, and it's something I am pretty passionate about and we all should be passionate about. :)
I would like to share with you a glimpse into what I believe to be God’s heart for the orphan. Let’s start with a reading from Matthew.
Matthew 25: 31-40
31 “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy[a] angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. 33 And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
35 for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’
40 And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’
“Inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to ME…”
Wow, Scripture is certainly a truth that is undeniable isn’t it?
In example, let me give you a statistic on the orphan and then apply it to the number of children just in my church family.
Every 2.2 seconds a child becomes an orphan.
In my church there are around 130 children from the ages of 0-18. So if every 2.2 seconds a child becomes an orphan that means in 4.77 minutes every single one of these children is now orphaned. In just four short minutes, they have lost their families, their home, most are starving, and they are on there own. These children, mine included, are now trying to survive by living in the streets. They are fighting just to live. It is so dangerous for them to sleep at night that they try to find safe places during the day so they can sleep for maybe 20 minutes. But let’s say maybe they are some fortunate enough to be placed in an orphanage that is extremely understaffed. So maybe now they have shelter and some food, but they spend there days confined to a crib, only to be touched when they need fed or changed. Picture a baby crying for someone to hold them and no one does so they begin to bang their heads against the crib just so they can feel something. Are you picturing your child there? It’s not hard for me to picture because my children have been there.
Every orphan represents misfortune, heartbreak, and tragedy. Can you imagine such brokeness at such young ages?? Can you imagine having death in your face every second of everyday, and then to face that without knowing about the love of our Jesus, without knowing what hope in him means for you and your life?
I know when many see our family they think adoption, and a lot of you know we are extremely passionate about adoption. I want to stress to you that we do not feel every Christian is called to adopt, but we know that every Christian is called to do something for the orphan to advocate for them and their families.
Russell Moore wrote an article called “Don’t Adopt!” Now don’t be fooled this article is not saying no one should adopt, but he his pointing out the difficulties in adopting. He quotes one of my favorite verses from James 1 verse 27 which states:
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
Mr. Moore also says this: Adoption is about taking on risk as cross-bearing love.
Every orphan, every adoption comes wrapped up with some kind of hurt and it takes a sacrificial love like none other to adopt them into your family and give them love. Adoption changes your life plan and it is so worth it. Loving the orphan and helping provide for their needs will do the same thing for you, if adoption is not on your heart.
The adoption of my children is only a small glimpse into how it is for us Christians who are adopted by God into his family. We fail all the time and he takes us back every time.
My family has listened to what God purposed our family to do and we know he is asking for more from us. We have battled and continue to battle the spiritual warfare that comes along with adopting and caring for the orphan and we refuse to let Satan win. We have seen the faces of children suffering, and we have cared for the two the Lord planned for our family and we are working fervently for the others he has put on our hearts.
So I ask you today to open your heart to the orphans that are living without love and in fear every single day until they die.
You can’t be the hands and feet of Jesus unless you are right in there doing something and there are so many ways to do something.
If you are doing nothing I ask that you evaluate your silence.
Get on your knees and seek the Lord and his plans for you and the orphan.
Get involved in missions that you are able to and more importantly get your family involved. If the Lord has put it on your heart to adopt, then do it! You will be immeasurably blessed beyond anything you could ever imagine.
Lastly, if you don’t remember any of what I have written today I ask that you at least ask yourself this. Have I said YES to God and his plans for me and the orphan? Then get on your knees and ask God to reveal his plans for you, and His answer will change your life and more importantly bring Glory to
(and because they are cute and were once orphaned a pic of my babes.)
I would like to share with you a glimpse into what I believe to be God’s heart for the orphan. Let’s start with a reading from Matthew.
Matthew 25: 31-40
31 “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy[a] angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. 33 And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
35 for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’
40 And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’
“Inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to ME…”
Wow, Scripture is certainly a truth that is undeniable isn’t it?
In example, let me give you a statistic on the orphan and then apply it to the number of children just in my church family.
Every 2.2 seconds a child becomes an orphan.
In my church there are around 130 children from the ages of 0-18. So if every 2.2 seconds a child becomes an orphan that means in 4.77 minutes every single one of these children is now orphaned. In just four short minutes, they have lost their families, their home, most are starving, and they are on there own. These children, mine included, are now trying to survive by living in the streets. They are fighting just to live. It is so dangerous for them to sleep at night that they try to find safe places during the day so they can sleep for maybe 20 minutes. But let’s say maybe they are some fortunate enough to be placed in an orphanage that is extremely understaffed. So maybe now they have shelter and some food, but they spend there days confined to a crib, only to be touched when they need fed or changed. Picture a baby crying for someone to hold them and no one does so they begin to bang their heads against the crib just so they can feel something. Are you picturing your child there? It’s not hard for me to picture because my children have been there.
Every orphan represents misfortune, heartbreak, and tragedy. Can you imagine such brokeness at such young ages?? Can you imagine having death in your face every second of everyday, and then to face that without knowing about the love of our Jesus, without knowing what hope in him means for you and your life?
I know when many see our family they think adoption, and a lot of you know we are extremely passionate about adoption. I want to stress to you that we do not feel every Christian is called to adopt, but we know that every Christian is called to do something for the orphan to advocate for them and their families.
Russell Moore wrote an article called “Don’t Adopt!” Now don’t be fooled this article is not saying no one should adopt, but he his pointing out the difficulties in adopting. He quotes one of my favorite verses from James 1 verse 27 which states:
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
Mr. Moore also says this: Adoption is about taking on risk as cross-bearing love.
Every orphan, every adoption comes wrapped up with some kind of hurt and it takes a sacrificial love like none other to adopt them into your family and give them love. Adoption changes your life plan and it is so worth it. Loving the orphan and helping provide for their needs will do the same thing for you, if adoption is not on your heart.
The adoption of my children is only a small glimpse into how it is for us Christians who are adopted by God into his family. We fail all the time and he takes us back every time.
My family has listened to what God purposed our family to do and we know he is asking for more from us. We have battled and continue to battle the spiritual warfare that comes along with adopting and caring for the orphan and we refuse to let Satan win. We have seen the faces of children suffering, and we have cared for the two the Lord planned for our family and we are working fervently for the others he has put on our hearts.
So I ask you today to open your heart to the orphans that are living without love and in fear every single day until they die.
You can’t be the hands and feet of Jesus unless you are right in there doing something and there are so many ways to do something.
If you are doing nothing I ask that you evaluate your silence.
Get on your knees and seek the Lord and his plans for you and the orphan.
Get involved in missions that you are able to and more importantly get your family involved. If the Lord has put it on your heart to adopt, then do it! You will be immeasurably blessed beyond anything you could ever imagine.
Lastly, if you don’t remember any of what I have written today I ask that you at least ask yourself this. Have I said YES to God and his plans for me and the orphan? Then get on your knees and ask God to reveal his plans for you, and His answer will change your life and more importantly bring Glory to
(and because they are cute and were once orphaned a pic of my babes.)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
