Enough

You are enough. You out there, reading this. You are enough. Whoever you are, whatever your circumstances, whatever your desires, dreams, goals...You are enough.

The other night I was thinking about all of the things I wish I had gotten done off my to-do list, all of the fun crafts/activities I wish I had accomplished with my kids and I just had a moment where I felt like the Holy Spirit spoke to me and said, "Enough. Stop 'doing' and just sit in my presence and realize YOU are enough".

My deepest desire for my kids and those around me is for them to feel valued, to know they are enough. For those I encounter on a daily basis to feel loved, noticed, and important. God has been working on me for years in ways that all point to the importance of people, of relationships, of hospitality, of taking time to have conversations with people, of recognizing the impact of a listening ear, showing up, and taking time to notice people's mannerisms/needs. Through trials of my own, I get frustrated with the lack of connection, lack of people taking time for one another, the lack of people's ability to slow down and be available, even for people they love. With my frustrations, have come my prayers for community and God has been so faithful in answering those prayers. I also am extremely blessed with a family that's MO is "show up". My husband jokes that we are like Everybody Loves Raymond accept no one is annoying - ha! Needless to say, my expectations were set high for what I wanted in my friendships, but I also didn't always want to show up for those I didn't know. Seriously, what is wrong with me? I want people to show up for me, but yet I lack the desire to take effort when I don't know the person as well as I think I should. I have needed to learn how to get over myself....it's still a struggle. For those that I've hurt, I hope you can forgive me. For those that I fell short in listening, caring, loving, and showing up for, please forgive me.

I've prayed. I've been on my knees and weeped over my desire to see God in my daily life. Cried out to feel the Holy Spirit in me. To stop doubting. I specifically remember in moments of doubt thinking, 'How do I expect my child to be confident in who Christ is, if I'm doubting Him?' God showed up for weeks after that prayer, in ways that can only be explained by the presence of the Holy Spirit. I have story after story from the month after I prayed for God to show up in my life. I'll have to write about those later.

I fail. I fail a lot. But what a beautiful thing is grace. What a beautiful thing is God's mercy. His love. His desire to love us even as we/I continue to make mistake, after mistake, after mistake. God is so good. I hope you hear that through my words. I hope you see that through my writing. I hope you know you are enough. You are doing enough. God doesn't care about your to-do list....or maybe He does, but I've found more often then not he's telling me to sit back and just know I can come as I am, with wet hear, pajamas on, sitting in a room that is in dire need of a cleaning lady and be fully, completely loved because God is more than enough for me. And I am, as I am, enough.

Nudge Me Not

I like to journal. I guess that is no surprise as I enjoy words. I like to write, I like to take notes, I like to make lists, and I like to put my prayers on paper. I've noticed a theme with my words as I look at my written prayer requests and think about my desires of not being so focused on my to-do list, and I thought I'd share.

I don't like to be busy. I LOVE to get out of the house each day but nothing stresses me out more than having a full calendar when I don't have at least one night where I know my whole family will be able to enjoy each others company. I know this about myself, and I joke that I have a fear of commitment because I hate booking things. When the day comes for said commitment all I want to do is sit and watch Netflix with my husband, or go on a walk with my kids. Clearly, I have issues. That 'maybe' button on electronic RSVP's was made for people like me. "Are you coming to the party?""maybe" if I feel like it that day or something better doesn't come up - seriously, what is wrong with me?

My desire to have community conflicts with that desire to get things done. But God has been teaching me slowly I've been learning slowly that God has been there the whole time trying to drill into my head to stop focusing on what needs to get done. Be Mary (read more about Mary and Martha Here), take the time to be in relationships instead of doing, doing, doing.

What is SO cool about this, is when you pray and ask God to help you see the needs around you He delivers. So I recently prayed (like I have in the past) to be nudged, for the Holy Spirit to help me see where I can be helping those around me. Help me prioritize, if you will, what really needs to get done. Can I just say, when you listen to those nudges, VERY rarely do things go wrong? In my experience I am yet to be nothing but overwhelmed. Overwhelmed by how God is working all around me.

My mom read an excerpt from a book and I know I'm going to misquote it but it said something along this:

Listen to your nudges. Say you are nudged to make a pound cake for a friend. Make it. What if you make that pound cake and deliver it to your friend and she isn't have a rough day after all?

And THEN your friend tells you she is no longer eating sugar. 
You can sit in your car and laugh with God about it and enjoy every bite of that pound cake. No reason to fret if things don't go as planned.

What if YOU don't listen to those nudges though friends? The majority of the time I have listened, something miraculous has happened. I've had a few flops, where I just had to sit back and laugh. But nothing feels worse then not listening to 'the nudge' and wondering 'what if?'




'What is my calling? What is your will for my life? Where is my community?'

Are you so focused on what you should be doing, your endless lists, comparing your life to other people's that you forget to take action?

St. Patrick's Day Activities

Saint Patrick's Day Activities

I have to admit I haven't been focusing too much on Saint Patrick's Day, but as we've done a few activities I am trying to answer questions about why/what is Saint Patrick's Day. I found a few fun facts along the way. And this was from some online searches, so some of these may not be 100% accurate but I still found it interesting.

Who? Saint Patrick - born in Britain, captured into Slavery and taken to Ireland, escaped and converted to Christianity. Moved back to Ireland to be a missionary.  After his death he was named Ireland's Patron Saint. (There are some fun books out there that if we have time I'll try and grab at the Library to explain this more in detail)

Why a Shamrock? Some say that St. Patrick used the 3 leaf clover (shamrock) to explain the Trinity.

Why Corned Beef and Cabbage? Some say that many of the Irish immigrants couldn't afford certain meals so for the holiday of St. Patrick's day, the best they could do was beef and cabbage. 

Fun things we've done the last 2 weeks:

Made Green Jello Play dough 

Made Green Slime 

(using the recipe from the link, but instead of Valentine's used green food coloring) 

This is the slime. My daughter loves to put her plastic animals in the slime and play dough. 

Made this cool rainbow craft, thanks to our local Library's story time! 

For this activity you just need thin strips of each color of paper,  and then the black paper for the pot. They had cut out the gold with a sparkly cardstock. Lucy liked this craft, but really I was assembling as she used the glue stick. 

And today I decided to cut up a green pepper to try and look like a Shamrock - thank you Pinterest!

On Pinterest I had seen something similar to this but then adding a stem with a another piece of pepper. I just wanted to throw this in with her PB&J lunch quickly for fun. I honestly don't think she cared but I liked it! 

I used the same play dough and slime recipe that I had used for Valentine's Day, I just used lime jello for the play dough and green food coloring for the slime instead of red. 

Easy Peasy Chicken Taco's

Today, Saturday, I made the easiest recipe I think I've ever attempted in my life. I can't even express how easy this was. I made chicken tacos in the crock-pot. And I used 2 ingredients. Chicken and a jar of salsa! That's it! Pick out your favorite salsa at the store, and pour it over a pound of chicken (or really however much chicken you can cover with the jar) and put your crock pot on low for 8 hours or high for 4. Easy...I need to find another synonym for easy it was that simple. 

The chicken just falls apart, I scooped the chicken out to shred and it literally fell apart in my bowl. I meant to take a picture, but was too busy eating it.

And I had zero clean up, I put one of those crock-pot liner's in my crock pot so I didn't even have to maneuver that big ceramic bowl into my sink to scrape at it. This is perfect for a weekend when you don't want to clean!

Easy Peasy Chicken Taco's

Chicken (1-3 pounds)

1 jar of your favorite salsa 

Pour salsa over chicken in a crock pot, cook on high for 8 hours or low for 4 hours. Shred the chicken and load up in your preferred shells! 

**Use a crock pot liner so you don't have to clean up! Just throw away the liner when you're done cooking. 

Toppings/Extra's

diced tomato

shredded lettuce

avocado

shredded cheese

salsa

sour cream

corn tortilla shells

flour tortillas

Comfort Food and French Crepes

Our God is a God of comfort, and as we go through life we need to be vulnerable and share our story's. God will always use our experiences to further His kingdom, and you never know how your story will influence/impact those around you! 

 2 Corinthians 1:4 says, "...who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God."

When we go through life, go through life's hard we have a God who comforts us. But as 2 Corinthians says, as he comforts us we should be comforting others. We need to be opening our hearts and homes to others and sharing our stories so we can walk along side our friends, empathize with them, and ultimately help how only WE (you) uniquely can. When we are vulnerable and share our troubles and stories, we have no idea the impact it can have on another. Someone else may be going through the exact same situation, already has, or may experience something similar in their future. What a difference WE can make for HIM with a little conversation over comfort foods...

While growing up, and even now I like to bake/cook when I am stressed. I'm not talking fancy meals or something grande; I'm talking chocolate chip cookies, pancakes, and believe it or not crepes. Can you tell I have a sweet tooth? Anyways, I remember many a Saturday mornings when garage sale season would hit and on the occasion we were hosting a sale I would pull our my mom's 1970's (it was a wedding gift) crepe pan and whip up a batch of crepe's, homemade whipped cream, and sliced strawberries and serve them to my family. No, I never attempted to sell them, I ate them and dished it out for my grandma Jeanne, who was usually around and my aunts, mom, and any relative that popped over to help or scour the sale. 

It was comfort food. It is comfort food even now, as I think of all of the times I would make these for French class, garage sales, friends were over, just because I was stressed and wanted to eat something fancy...So here's the recipe and hopefully you can try and make these, too! 

Crepe Recipe 

(If you don't have a crepe pan you can pour batter in a frying pan)

1 1/4 C Flour

pinch of salt

3 eggs (beaten)

1 1/2 C milk

2 Tbs melted butter

Blend in blender or using mixer until smooth. 

Use hot crepe pan and dip pan into batter and cook until lightly browned. 

If you're using a frying pan, pour a small amount of batter into a heated pan and "swirl" around to get batter around pan so you have a thin 'pancake'. You can flip if you prefer, but it's not needed. 

Fill with your desired filling (sweet or savory) 

**Nutella, cinnamon/sugar, whipped cream and strawberries, bananas and caramel

**ham/cheese, eggs, cheese, butter, 'pizza'

My mom and aunt recently introduced me to a banana caramel filling that is amazing, recipe coming soon! 

Lasagna in a Bowl

I just made this for dinner last night and as it touched my tongue I knew it was a keeper! The original recipe was found through Pinterest from this amazing blog. I of course altered the recipe a bit to fit my liking (and my pantry), but it was an instant hit and it's definitely comfort food. I'm so thankful for creative people and the endless blogs available to find recipes like this!

AND This is super easy as I only had to use one pot. Any recipe that can be made in one pot is a winner for me, but especially when it's delicious. Honestly, I think it tasted even better today as left overs.

I've always loved a good lasagna but was intimidated by the assembly of it all. This recipe is simple and hits the spot for me. I hope you all enjoy it, too! 

One Pot Lasagna Soup

1 lb ground beef

1 onion, diced

2-4 tsp minced garlic (or 4-5 cloves of garlic, minced)

1 jar favorite spaghetti sauce 

6 C chicken stock (homemade or boxed - I used both)

1 - 28 oz can crushed tomatoes

2 Tbs tomato paste

2 tsp balsamic vinegar

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried parsley

1 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper (or red pepper flakes)

1 bay leaf

1 tsp sugar

pinch of salt

10 (or more) lasagna noodles (broken up) or whatever noodle you prefer. I used 14 manicotti noodles broken into pieces because that's what I had in my pantry. 

Heavy cream (1/4 C or more)

Mozzarella Cheese

Ricotta Cheese

Brown the ground beef with the diced onion, the onion will turn translucent. Add the garlic and spices. I did not drain the fat, but I was using a leaner ground beef and I like the added flavor from the fat. 

Add the spaghetti sauce, chicken stock, tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, and if you prefer, sugar. Stir and add noodles. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 20-30 minutes. Add heavy cream to desired taste. Stir, then add cheese. I only used mozzarella and garnished individual dishes, but you can add the cheese right to the pot.

All assembled just need to boil

This was before any cheese was added. And today the leftovers were even thicker, but fantastic!

I attempted to leave the sugar out, but because of the acidity of the tomatoes I felt it did need a little bit. 

Cookie Dough Icing

You guys if you are trying to eat really nutritious things, please don't read any further because this will ruin you. I got on my Pinterest to find a quick recipe to make something sweet. I always want something sweet later in the evening...anways so I got on and BAM, there it was, this picture of cookie dough icing in all of it's glory. It's from iambaker.net and it has other recipes as well that I am sure are just as delicious.

So I did what any mom avoiding bed-time routines would do and I made it. It was super easy, and it is fantastic. It made so much I think I need to make a cake to pair with it (yes, I made frosting and only frosting with no intention of making anything else). A spoon has worked swell so far...My husband and I can't stay out of it.

Ok so here's the simple recipe and the picture I took of it - YUM.

Cookie Dough Frosting after we'd devoured some of it 

Cookie Dough Frosting

1 1/4 C brown sugar, packed

2 sticks of butter, softened

2 1/2 C flour

2-3 tsp vanilla

pinch of salt

8-16 Tbs whole milk 

Handful of mini-chocolate chips

Beat the sugar and butter until smooth. Add flour, vanilla, salt and mix well. Slowly add milk until desired consistency. Enjoy!

 The original recipe says to add 16 Tbs of milk and to add a tablespoon at a time to make a softer/smoother texture. I didn't add as much brown sugar (I was running low) or milk (I just didn't think it needed it) and it still turned out phenomenal. 

Top 7 Reasons We Don't Invite People Over

After writing about the top reason's we don't want to cook, I thought about why we as a culture lack inviting people into our homes. It is common for people to get together, but often it is over coffee or out for a breakfast or lunch date. Very rarely are we inviting our neighbors, community, even our closest friends into our homes. I often wonder why it has become a cultural norm to meet with friends out but not in. Years ago, it was common to host gatherings with neighbors, church groups, and neighborhood barbecues. Just watch a show like 'The Wonder Years' or a movie like 'Sandlot' and it will bring longings of the past, or maybe that's just me. I long for simpler times. When children swarmed the street at the sound of the ice cream truck, instead I often look out my window's and see empty streets and sidewalks. Maybe I'm being a bit dramatic, but I do wonder what it would have been like to raise my kids in a world known for hospitality instead of a world priding itself on independence.

a world known for hospitality

When my husband and I bought our house I remember praying, hoping, dreaming it would be a home full of people. I vividly remember before we even found our home I prayed for our future neighbors and community. This desire to be surrounded by authentic community still burns inside of me, especially more so now that we are raising children. What will they see? What will they remember about their childhood? Did we choose television and nights in, instead of gatherings and game nights? Did we choose going to the park alone instead of inviting our friends to come along? Did we choose to sit at our table each night and never offer our neighbor or friend a warm meal? What is stopping us from having people we are in relationships with in our homes? What is drawing us into living a life of solitude?

What will they see?

God calls us to more. God calls us to having relationships. He made us in his image and he was all about having a relationship with US and others. And building community. Oh the power of community. And so my Top 7 Reasons for why we don't invite people IN:

1 Corinthians 11:33
'So then, my brothers and sisters, when you gather to eat, you should all eat together.'

#1 The Mess
We don't want people to see how we really live. The full sink, the unswept carpets, the piles of laundry waiting to be folded, the half eaten food still left on the table from breakfast, the overflowing trashcan, the pile of papers that just can never find a home. Is any of this ringing a bell for anyone? Is it just me? I feel like I have to clean like a mad women every time I hear someone may be entering our door. Even if it is semi-decent I run around like a crazy person throwing piles into our bedroom or shoving miscellaneous piles into our closets. Confession over. But yes I tend to think it's the state of people's homes that allows us greet people outside and bolt our doors closed. Or maybe how we perceive our mess - it's usually not as bad as we think.

#2 The Ease of TV or Solo Time
Ok this is not to shame anyone AT ALL. I love me some good television time. Netflix binges are my friend, especially when the house is asleep and I have the controls BUT do we use our televisions and relaxation time as an excuse to not gather? Something to ponder, because I know it is much easier for me to push plans back and lounge on the couch then take the energy to entertain. Which in my idea of perfect hospitality, it would take no energy because we would be allowing people to enter into our lives, messy as they can be.

#3 Hello, I'm Martha. I have to DO more and make everything Perfect.
If you haven't read my post on Mary and Martha, please do. I am what I like to call 'A Martha'. I take Pinterest as a challenge to make every gathering an event. The irony in this is Jesus calls us to be Mary. Forget about the pots, pans, doilies, decorations, pom poms, and just invite people into your homes. My aunt Judy gave me some great advice a few years back and she said these simple words 'Just offer whatever you have." That's it people. If its PB&J, a hot dog, offer it. It doesn't have to be a filet people, some of my fondest memories are over saltine crackers and jam! My mom tells me of times she gathered with groups of women over grilled cheese and canned tomato soup - it really can't be so hard. The struggle is real, I get it. I'm a doer, I'm a Martha. I want the themes and perfect little food signs. I get it, but don't let it stop you from having people over.

#4 Money, money, money!
This goes along with Martha up there ^, it can cost money to entertain. More mouths to feed BUT I hope you don't let this stop you. If you can relax and just offer what's in your fridge, then hopefully it won't cost too much...I find the cost comes when I'm trying to make it a THING and make everything perfect and make more food than is needed. I'd love to eat left overs with you, you, my friend, seriously left over pizza is just fine with me especially if that means I can be talking to an adult over lunch instead of my kiddo's. I won't be offended if you offer me last night's dinner. The truth of the matter is it can cost money, but have a pitch-in or pot-luck, offer popcorn and water, cheese and crackers, grilled cheeses! I have an air-popper and I can make a TON of popcorn for very little cost.

#5 Lack of Confidence in the Kitchen
I love to bake and I still struggle with this. Does having people over stress you out? Do you scramble to look through your recipes and can't find what to make? Are you known for burning dishes? I think with practice comes confidence, but I also think people just want to be around people. I love food, but when it's all said in done I like to be around friends and family. If we are having egg sandwiches, breakfast for dinner, or PB&J's that's ok. Also, some of my best memories are around failed attempts in the kitchen - read about my latest here.

#6 I Don't Have Enough Space
This is the excuse I like to use for not hosting large gatherings and it can be a real thing. I want a house full of people. I also want my friends to bring their families, kids and all. My house is lovely but kinda smallish to host large gatherings with lots of kids. Now summer time, we can throw kids outside, but my excuse is often 'Where would all of the people go?'. Even now as I'm planning a 1st Birthday for my son, I think of everyone I want to invite and realize the space may not work. My thoughts on this are sure to change, but I think of my grandma's house where 30+ aunts, uncles, cousins, spouses, grandchildren, great grandchildren would gather for every Christmas and she lived in a 50's ranch....we made it work. We had an amazing time. I'm trying not to 'sweat it'.

#7 Anxiety
Does having people in your home bring on anxiety? Do you stress before anyone enters your doors? I was baffled by the thought of this but I get it. I clean like a mad women before people come over, I try to plan out meals and scramble to get laundry put away. I get frustrated with my kids for not moving quickly enough and I am short-tempered all because we may have someone over. This is definitely true to my personality but thankfully I'm learning to change. Through lots of prayer, and deep breaths, and really acknowledging that I desire a messy hospitality, I think I'm growing in this area. I desire friends feeling welcome to walk through my door at any moment, morning, noon, and night. I desire to be that friend that everyone knows will always offer a cup of coffee, crackers, Pb&J, whatever's in my fridge, and yes that may even be left overs. I would love to have an abundance of friends that would be ok walking in my door when I'm unshowered, bra-less, and still in my mis-matched pjs (I sound lovely, don't I?). Do you want that? I think of the show 'Friends', 'Seinfeld', 'Cheers', really any show that is based on a group of friends. They are so much a part of each others lives that they walk in and out of each others apartments and homes whenever they please. And that is ok because they are a community.And maybe you don't want to be a mess when someone walks in your door, that's ok too...I just prefer the latter.

 Anxiety is a real thing, I am never going to guilt someone for feeling a certain way or struggling with this. I hope my thoughts at least challenged you and that you can talk to someone, and prayfully consider why you are anxious having others enter your home or lives.



And I'll leave you with this, Genesis 28:3

 'May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and increase your numbers until you become a community of peoples.'

Thanks for reading!

Top 7 Reason's Why We Don't Want to Cook

I recently read this blog post shared by Superhealthykids.com from thefoodnanny.com. It was titled 'The 10 Most Common Excuses for Not Cooking'. I loved the article and found myself thinking about the reasons why I choose not to cook or am hesitant to start up a meal in the kitchen. I realized my reasons were a little different then the ones listed above, and I would love to hear what your reasons are for leaving the kitchen unattended!

 My Top 7 Reason's Why We Don't Want to Cook 

#1 I Don't Want to Make a Mess

You read that right, so many days I don't want to cook dinner because I don't want to mess up my clean kitchen. As I write this it sounds even more ridiculous than when I thought it. I like my clean kitchen, and by the time dinner time comes not only am I tired and don't want to mess up my already cluttered kitchen, but I don't want to make more of a mess. Do I clean the clutter to cook, to make a bigger mess, to clean that up to? Seems crazy to clean, cook, and then clean some more....did I hear someone wanted Pizza? Delivery it is!

#2 It's Cheaper to Go Out!

I like to believe the lie that it is actually in our financial benefit to dine out. I don't want to go to the grocery and spend a X amount of dollars on all of the ingredients I need, to then come home and cook it, when I could drive through or order takeout for $20. BUT when I take the time to think of the number of meals I'll be cooking, all of the left overs, and the cost per person per meal - very rarely is eating out less money then dining in. But I still have a mental battle when my fridge is bare and I just don't want to spend money.

#3 It's Work!

This is so true. It takes work to think up a meal, buy the ingredients, create the meal, dish out the food, eat it, and then clean it all up. It's work...work that when I plan is a heck of a lot easier but work it is. Some days I just don't want to 'work' any more.

#4 Dirty Dishes

This goes along with my first reason. I don't want dinner to end because I don't want to attack the mass of dishes, utensils, rags, and chewed food waiting for me in the sink. I just don't want to do it. I've contemplated using paper plates on a regular basis so I don't have to do dishes. We run our dishwasher every night. By the end of the day it is full and I just don't love loading the dishwasher and then hand washing the large pots/pans or whatever doesn't fit in the evening. Is it just me?

#5 I Don't Plan

I cook the most when I plan. I am the most efficient and less likely to eat out when I plan. BUT days, let's me honest here, weeks come when we are scrambling at dinner time, eating out more, or eating poorly all because I forgot to meal plan (that also goes back to #3 It's Work!).

#6 Shopping with Kids 

I love my kids, I actually don't even mind grocery shopping, but something about going to the grocery with my kids makes me want to shut down. I have to give myself a pep-talk before heading to the grocery and it's not because my kids are wild. It's the amount of work I have to go through to get out the door, to then get them in the cart, to walk through the store while magically distracting them, and then loading all of the groceries in and out of the cart and into the car, and trying NOT to leave the kids unattended while getting back IN the car. Ugh it's just not my favorite thing. So this makes me not want to cook some days.

#7 I Don't Know How

Ok, let me explain. I know how to cook, or at least I like to think that I do. I've always loved to bake, and if you give me a recipe I can usually follow it, but sometimes cooking is intimidating. Trying new recipes can be a lot of fun, but when you spend a lot of money on ingredients you don't want to screw up a recipe. So I know that sometimes we don't want to cook because we are intimidated by the  idea of cooking or the specific meal.

Rule Breaker - Pasta

I'm terrible at following a recipe, and when I say terrible, I don't mean I can't follow directions I mean I cannot get my brain to follow the rules. Rules. Rules just limit me in the kitchen. Some people are rule followers, some people choose a different path, like me. It makes no sense, a recipe may say 'add a teaspoon of salt' and I throw in 2 pinches. A recipe calls for 'a cup of flour', and I'll scoop a rounded Cup measure overflowing with flour and then shake a little off the top maybe. My grandma, Jeanne, she always used a knife to level the flour off the top of a cup measure to make a perfect flat surface; the perfect Cup measure. Anyways, I just can't do it. Maybe it's the rebel in me. That is probably why I can never make the same dish exactly the same twice. My mom always gives me a hard time for not following directions, especially when I bomb recipes...I get questioned step by step of what I did and there is usually some horrendous misunderstanding or mishap on my end. And tonight....TONIGHT while I'm making HER recipe of Beef Stroganoff (the best flipping grey gravy goo that will ever touch your taste buds) she took over because she doesn't even follow her recipe.  The apple doesn't fall from the tree people...not far at all. Her recipe called for teaspoons of paprika - she just "pours some" and it calls for salt - she chooses to omit it, it doesn't even list minced onion, but yet she shakes some of that in, too. Ladies and gentlemen, my mom is a wonderful cook and she has taught me endless tips in the kitchen but following a recipe to a T is not one of them. So if you're worried about following the rules in the kitchen, I like to think recipes are guidelines for numerous experiments. Unless you're baking, in which case you should probably stick to it pretty closely, unless you're a rebel like me and just can't do it!


This week we had family over for my husbands favorite meal. His mom used to always make a beef manicotti that was DELICIOUS and I loved it when she made that for us. After we got married my MIL gave me the recipe, and I got lazy (no surprise there) so I modified the recipe because I'm so great at following directions anyways, and I came up with what I like to lamely call "Pasta Bake"

Pasta Bake

1 box Penne Pasta 

1 jar favorite spaghetti sauce

1 lb ground beef

1 1/2 C shredded cheese (mozzarella or whatever's in the fridge)

2 tsp Italian seasoning

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 egg

2 tsp garlic, minced (I often have a jar of minced garlic on hand in my fridge)

1 onion, minced (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and pull out a 9X13.

Boil a large pot of water (I know so descriptive) and add a pinch of salt to the water. Once it's boiling cook the penne pasta according to box directions. I like my pasta to be al dente and it usually calls for 10-12 minutes and I don't boil past 8 minutes. While you're waiting for the water to boil, brown the ground beef in a large frying pan. If you are adding onion, chop up your onion in small pieces (diced or minced) my husband doesn't like big chunks so I cut pretty thin. Saute the onions with the ground beef until the onions are translucent. I usually add the minced garlic at this point, too. Once the ground beef is fully cooked, and the onion is translucent (no longer white) I turn off the heat and let it cool for a few minutes, then I add about a 1/2 Cup of spaghetti sauce, 1/2 Cup cheese, 1 tsp italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and egg. I stir this all together and set aside.

Once the noodles are cooked, strain the noodles. Put the noodles back into the large pot. Add another 1/2 C of spaghetti sauce to the noodles, stir. Add the meat mixture to the noodles, mix. Set aside. Pour enough spaghetti sauce to just cover the bottom of the 9X13. Reserve about a half a cup of spaghetti sauce for the top of the casserole. Add any remaining sauce into the noodle/meat mixture. Pour the meat/noodle mixture into the 9X13. Top with reserved spaghetti sauce. Then sprinkle with remaining cheese on top, and Italian seasoning. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until bubbling on edges and hot in center. If the cheese is browning too quickly you can always cover with foil.

I love this recipe. It's easy and I mix everything in the one pot so it's relatively easy clean up. As you make it, you can add different cheese or use different types of noodles. We double this recipe often, and sometimes I'll only use 1 lb of ground beef while doubling it and it is still delicious and no one notices there's a little less meat. And this makes great left overs!

Maybe...just maybe I'll be able to share my mom's fantastic beef stroganoff someday...if I can ever get the REAL recipe!

Bread of Life

Point of the Week: Jesus said I am the bread that gives life! John 6:35

Exodus 16  tells the story of the Israelites struggling through the desert and the Lord giving them manna, and then in John 6 you read Jesus comparing himself to that manna. 

John 6:32 says, "Jesus said to them, 'Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.' 

' Sir,' they said, 'always give us this bread.' 

Then Jesus declared, ' I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty."

Jesus is the bread of life! Jesus compares himself to the miraculous gift of manna that God sent from heaven. Just as God sent the manna, God sends Jesus to bring life. And I just love how his disciples responded to him saying, "always give us this bread." I hope that is always my prayer and response to God - so cool. And sticking with the theme of bread, we found a fun recipe to make pretzels! 

My aunt found this recipe for pretzels that only takes sugar, salt, yeast, and flour! And the best part is you don't need to let the dough rise; just mix it up, knead it and then roll and twist away! We are calling them preschool pretzels, because this recipe is easy enough and quick enough you can make these with little kids. This recipe is similar to the one found here. And you can even watch a video of a mother and daughter duo on youtube making a similar recipe here. 

Preschool Pretzels 

1 Tbs sugar or honey

1 1/2 C warm water

1 tsp salt

1 pkg yeast

4 C of flour

1 egg (for egg wash)

Toppings:

Kosher/course salt

cinnamon/sugar

butter melted

Mix warm water, sugar, salt and yeast and set aside. It should start to bubble a little bit. Scoop 4 Cups of flour into a mixing bowl. Pour water mixture over flour. Stir until a thick dough forms. Sprinkle flour on dry/clean surface. Put dough mixture on surface and knead for 6-8 minutes. Cut strips of dough (about 3 oz) and roll into long strips. Pull out while you roll. Then twist it like a pretzel or however you desire. 

Mix one egg to "scramble" it and make an egg wash. Use a basting brush to brush the egg wash over your pretzels before baking. Sprinkle with course salt. If you prefer cinnamon and sugar omit the salt but still use the egg wash. 

Bake at 425 degrees for 12-18 minutes until golden brown. If you're wanting cinnamon and sugar brush with melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. 

Mary and Martha

Point of the Week: Be more like Mary! 

Luke  10:38-42 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a women named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!" "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed - or indeed only one. Mary was chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her." 

Martha was busy working in the kitchen and preparing everything that needed to be done, frustrated that Mary wasn't helping one bit and frustrated that Mary was in the room (full of men!!) focusing on Jesus. Martha was doing all of the work and she even called Mary out for not doing anything, and yet Jesus says that Mary had the right idea. Mary was focusing on Jesus and the relationship. 

Lou (my mom) and Kitty (my aunt) shared this easy appetizer sure to dazzle a crowd and easy enough you won't have to sacrifice time in the kitchen instead of visiting with your friends!

Baked Goat Cheese 

1 block/log of cranberry cinnamon goat cheese 

1 can crescent dough, rolled out into one large rectangle 

1 egg, whisked together

Grease a cookie sheet or use silpat baking liner, press the crescent dough into one large rectangle. Open the log of cheese and mold into a large patty (like a hamburger). Place in center of dough rectangle. Fold the dough around the cheese. Turn the cheese/dough upside down so the edges are on the bottom. Brush the dough with the egg wash. Bake according to crescent roll instructions or until golden brown.  (**You can try this recipe with Brie, too!)

Serve with crackers. 

I forgot to take a picture before we dove in! 

Herk's Girls Tip of the week: Use a crinkle cutter to cut carrots. Then serve in little glasses to make individual appetizers. Also try and make homemade ranch, with prepared seasonings from Penzy's Spices and adding sour cream and mayo or buttermilk. SO delicious! 

Herk's Girls

My mom is one of three girls and I've always been mesmerized by their relationships. Every Fall would come and we (myself, my brother, and sister and dad) knew it was time for my mom to be off for a trip with her girls. Herk's girls, my mom, my aunt Kitty, my aunt Judy and my grandma Jeanne. They would always go on a trip, whether it was a road trip out east or a plane ride over to Italy they went. They also are the best garage saling team around and if you need your vehicle to fit one more bag or a large sofa they'll find a way for you to make it. They're Bible Loving, God- Fearing, penny-pinching, honest, and a whole lot of fun. Three daughters of an inventor, chef, VW bus driving, Fixer of anything,  foodie; Jake, Harold Jacob Hershey to be exact. Herk is what he was called at work. I found this out many years after he passed but this name has stuck with me. 

So back to my my mom (and her sisters). My mom has unique gifts, she can turn any room, home, or living space into a magazine ready home. She can decorate up a storm, and host any type of party on a dime and make it look like a million bucks. She finds joy in searching for the best deal and making things pretty. I on the other hand, THOUGHT I loved doing all of these things. But it turns out I love watching her do this dance, this dance of making things beautiful for others. For reupholstering furniture, finding home goods on a dime to put on an event, staging homes, throwing showers, decorating for every celebration and making it feel like you walked onto the set of your favorite holiday film. She makes magic. 

So her dad, Herk, loved food. My mom loves food. I love food. Foodie food. Mouth watering, local, gourmet, ooey-gooey, can't eat for a week if i have one bite FOOD. And so comes this idea of hospitality, hosting gatherings, sharing food, and learning about each other and Jesus while doing what Jesus called us to do in the first place - have relationships.

Tired and Crazy

If you walked into my house right now, I would probably want to cry. I would apologize for the state of my house and claim that it is quite the mess but if I am truly honest THIS is my life. This glorious mess. The cheerios, the half eaten banana, the clothes (that I was attempting to sort) all over the table and couch, the half dressed toddler, the little boy still in his pajamas as it is approaching dinner time; all of this is quite normal around here. I've been trying really hard to keep an organized clean home, but the counter covered in clean tupperware drying, the half-empty dishwasher with clean dishes in it is normal, the bits of play sand all over the island with toy animals strewn about is all very normal around here. I'd like to pretend it's at it's worst, but even as I'm typing my half dressed toddler is jamming a toy screw drive in my ear and "hammering" my shoulder....and I just pulled banana peel out of my son's mouth.

Oh I know I will miss this, and I'm trying VERY hard not to stress about this mess. My goal for 2016 was to be present in the moments and not to focus so much on my 'To Do' list....here's to trying!


Today:

Breakfast - apple slices, pistachios (eaten in the car....)

Real Moms group for me!

Lunch - string cheese, pretzels, and CHEESE GRITS (the best thing to have ever been eaten, made for my bible study this morning so yes a lot of cheese grits were eaten today)

Lucy played with Kinetic Sand

Rhett (and later Lucy) pulled everything out of drawers in kitchen...and the tubs of clothes I'm trying to consign!

Tonight - Mike has the kids while I go to a small group focusing on Hospitality and Jesus - Win!

Dinner - Roast from Costco (that was so kindly delivered after the raw chicken debacle...)

Valentine Activities

Valentine's Activities 2016 

I tried to do a couple activities each week, and I'm logging this so I can look back to this next year.

Hand Print Hearts:

We painted our hands to make hearts with our hand prints...this was tricky with Rhett so I only did a one hand print for him. We wrote a bible verse on it, "Trust in the Lord with all of your heart... Proverbs 5:3" and signed it as our cards from the kids.

Celery Stamps: 

With my friend Katie and her kids, we cut celery stalks and let the kids dip them in paint and stamp them and it looked like little hearts. Sadly, Lucy just wanted to spread the red paint everywhere but when the adults did the stamping it looked pretty cool! 

Salt/Glue Hearts: 

I used elmer's glue to draw a heart and then poured salt over the glue. I then let Lucy put water that had been dyed red on the salt using a paint brush. The idea was to allow the salt to absorb the color...I must have done something wrong because this was a failed attempt. We put googly eyes in the center and a nose with a pom pom, but these didn't turn out as cool as I had hoped. 

Bible Verse Hearts:

I printed these cool bible verses from here on love to review with Lucy, I was hoping to be really creative and make a wreath with all of the hearts or something fun but never got around to it. So maybe next year. 

3 Ingredient Slime:

We made pink slime, and used this recipe and it was super easy and it was hours of entertainment for Lucy! So cool! 

This was as we were still mixing it by hand, the consistency actually got better as we played! 

Jello Playdough: 

We made strawberry/pink play dough using this cool recipe. You just cook it over the stove and it smells wonderful. We've also made orange, and I hope to make green for St. Patricks day. It's super easy and the consistency is SO much better than the no bake play dough. Don't let the fact that you have to "cook" it deter you. It kept my 3 year old and 11 month old busy for over 20+ minutes!!

After you cook it, you get to knead it on the counter while it cools. Please don't let the kids grab it while it's hot. I usually toss it around and am actually quite silly so the kids are entertained while they wait. 

Heart Bird Feeders:

We took bird seed and coconut oil  (using this idea) and scooped it into heart shaped cookie cutters to make heart shaped bird feeders. We gave these to grandparents for Valentine's day - fun and easy! The trick was to scoop the bird seed into the cookie cutters, pat it down, I used a chop stick to make a hole for string, and then I carefully pulled the cookie cutter off the pan before cooling it. Once it cools when I kept the cookie cutters with the bird seed, the hearts would crumble when I tried to get the cookie cutter off. So remove the cookie cutters before cooling or allowing the coconut oil to harden.

This is what happens if you don't remove the cookie cutters before it's cooled, they all break apart! We tried different shapes, and I loved the hearts. We gave these as gifts, AND I forgot to get a picture of the finished product that looked wonderful. 

Heart Shaped Foods: 
One of my friends had the great idea of using a tiny heart cookie cutter (which I later found out is used to decorate the tops of pie crusts) to cut cheese. I attempted to cut mini cucumbers into hearts by cutting a ridge down the spine of a cucumber and then cutting it into slices. Then I attempted cutting a kiwi into hearts, but let me tell you it took some work and they are far from perfect. And the kids, they didn't even seem to care but us adults LOVED it.

If you try this idea, just have fun with it and don't worry about perfection!

Heart Chocolate drizzle:

This idea came from my mom, aunt, and sister. They melted chocolate chips, scooped the melted chocolate into a baggie, cut a tiny hole and then created hearts by drizzling the chocolate on a silpat baking pan liner. Let the hearts or designs cool and then place on cupcakes, cakes, twinkles (see below), or any dessert for your sweethearts. Such an easy idea and wonderful way to bedazzle any treat! 

So fun and easy to drizzle these hearts!

I wish I could take credit for this chocolate drizzle, So fun! 

Heart Marshmallows:

I found these fun heart shaped marshmallows at Aldi, and used them as special treats throughout the weeks leading up to Valentine's day. My daughter also loves hot chocolate so it was a special treat. I was hoping to make a sweet treat candy kabob with the marshmallows and some fruit but never got around to it, but maybe next year. 

I loved that they came in white and pink. Lucy of course only wanted the pink ones.

Heart Twinkie's:

So years ago my mom had pulled out an ad in a magazine that showed Twinkie's cut in half on an angle then arranged to look like a heart, then it said to add fresh raspberries and/or raspberry preserves and voila, you've made a dessert. We took the idea and just added canned cherry pie filling and then added the chocolate drizzle hearts but the hearts were made with white chocolate instead. It looked amazing, if you like Twinkie's you'd love the treat and it was just a simple idea for February. 

Is this not the cutest idea ever?!

Heart Pancakes:

Make your usual pancake recipe, if you need a fantastic recipe try mine! I prefer a thinner batter and we love to add chocolate chips to our pancakes in this house. We made our usual pancakes but added a little red food coloring to make them pink, and then placed a cookie cutter on our griddle (I sprayed our cookie cutters with oil so the batter wouldn't stick) and then poured a little batter into the cookie cutters, lift the cookie cutters when the batter starts to bubble and then flip it. Such a simple idea but the kids loved it and it made our Valentine's morning a little extra special. 

I actually had a pancake "cookie cutter" shape that was given to me, so it was easier to lift because it actually has a handle, but we also used our collection of cookie cutters and it worked well just be careful of the heat. 

Raw Chicken Surprise

So this day has gone far off the path of what I thought it would look like when I woke up this morning. Let's back track, I woke up with an idea of what I thought the day would look like and even though my mornings are scrambled with a 3 year old who desperately wants my attention to watch her play, twirl, eat, talk, sing, you get the point...and an 11 month old who loves to snuggle constantly and pull everything out of every nook and cranny in this house. So my day was going as usual but I decided I wanted to log my day. I wanted to remember some of the fun things I do, especially as I was smelling the wonderful scent of orange 'Jello' play dough I had just made with my kids, happily allowing them to make a mess of the kitchen. I told myself not to sweat it, even though I knew we'd have company later in the evening. So after this blissful moment and some normal craziness to get out the door to go to our story time, I came back home to write what is below.

Today's mission....avoid screen time as much as possible....and try to keep the house manageably clean.

8:00 AM - one PBS show for Lucy (I started the day off with a bang, right?)

8:20 AM - Breakfast: milk, pears, cheerio's, raisins 

8:30 AM - Make 'Jello' Play dough with the kids help

9:30 AM - Kids still playing with play dough (one eating it...) with cookie cutters and rolling pins - YAY

10:00 AM - scrambling to get everyone dressed

10:20 AM - head to Library Story Time

10:35 AM - 5 minutes late for what is actually 'BabyTime', but luckily we had Rhett (11 month old), and Lucy didn't seem to notice all the 1 year olds

11:40 AM - head home to eat lunch 

12:00 PM - lunch : cheese quesadilla's, peppers, berries

12:15 PM - Make healthy "cookie" dough balls (dates, cashews, and chocolate chips)

12:30 PM - attempt nap for both kiddo's

12:45 PM - Rhett down for nap

1:00 PM - attempt to have Lucy play quietly in her room

1:20PM - still attempting quiet time for Lucy

1:30 PM - attempt NAP for Lucy - success!

Today's Activities: 

'Jello' Playdough

Healthy "cookie" dough balls

Library Story Time

Finish Laundry AND Put it all away (Never happened, I'm sitting next to a pile of laundry begging to be folded now...)

My day was already a little comical as we went to Babytime instead of the toddler storytime, but my 3 year old didn't seem to notice or mind. And even after battling naps my day was still going per usual. And then during nap, I decided to get a head start on some beef stew. Earlier we had plans of having a friend over and I don't usually try new recipes but I was pretty excited about this beef stew.

So I'm dunking the stew meat in flour and tossing it before frying it up so it gets that nice brown glaze. I compile this whole stew, I even doubled the recipe so there would be nice leftovers and I notice a chunk of pink "dough" in the flour jar. Weird, but I pull it out and it looks like a piece of play dough from earlier or maybe the slime we made last week. So I continue cooking, at this point I've destroyed my kitchen and have the stew simmering on the stove. After it has filled the entire house with it's scent, I go back to that weird piece of "play dough"....and I realize it is NOT play dough!! It looks to be a piece of meat....raw meat....and not beef. GROSS! After calling my mom, talking to my aunt, and sending pictures of this pink sticky thing we come to the conclusion it must be a piece of chicken. raw chicken. In my big jar of flour. I still feel physically ill as I'm writing this. Needless to say, the entire pot of beef stew was thrown out, the flour jar was dumped and thoroughly washed, and the play dough that was cooked but did indeed have flour in it is sitting on the counter as I contemplate tossing it. And I realize my 11 month old stuck some of that in his mouth earlier in the day....ugh. Hoping and praying that little tiny piece of raw meat didn't contaminate all of the flour and that somehow the play dough is clean. And no one gets sick.

My husband let me know earlier in the day our guests would not be coming for dinner...that would have been quite the story. My mom, aunt, and sister showed up with a roast for me to cook and some moral support, but after everything we ordered pizza. And laughed. And had some great conversation on hospitality.

People, I can't make this stuff up! Life is funny, and I hope to continue to log my journey!