Saturday, December 6, 2008
Rough Time of Year
Sunday, November 30, 2008
My baby turns 13 today!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY SON!!!
Monday, November 17, 2008
Precious Joy
Monday, November 3, 2008
FREE STARBUCKS!!
I won't be able to "cash in" on this deal because I will be working the polls from 6am-7 or 8pm. Ya'll enjoy your Starbucks.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
*Written by my husband*
First Baptist of Bolivar before we started working
Debris we cleaned out of the church
I recently returned from a trip to Bolivar Peninsula (near Galveston, TX). This trip was an amazing adventure for me on several different levels. First, this trip was a major breakthrough for me. I was always saying I would like to go on a mission trip yet I always had a reason I couldn't go. God compelled me in the words of James 1:22 to "prove myself a doer of the word and not merely a hearer of the word."
The second breakthrough for me was two-fold. I took my son with me and on this trip I saw him become a man, a servant of God, equal with me. The 2nd part of this breakthrough was personal. I did not meet my biological father until I was 21 years old and I didn't have a DAD until I was 10 years old. Personally, I struggled with raising a son because I didn't have a man to raise me in my early years. God broke down the walls between me and my son on this trip. I can now begin to build a new legacy that I can leave for my son.
The last thing that God has done in my life through this trip is to open my eyes to the never ending hurt and devastation that people go through here on earth. We accomplished amazing things while down there, but there's so much more that needs to be done. I will be going back and we could use many more volunteers. If you can swing a hammer or use a shovel, we can use you. If you would like to be a part of a future trip to Bolivar, please contact me or Thirst No More ministries (http://www.thirstnomore.org/). Consider being a doer and not just a hearer and see what God will do in your life!
Some of the destruction
Before and after pictures of the church
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Hello Big Tex!
Last week the kids and I went to the State Fair of Texas with my dad. We get in free with our homeschool tickets and he gets in free on Thursdays for senior citizen day...all we pay for is parking and food. It's kinda become an annual tradition for us. This year the King Tut exhibit is in Dallas and they had this really cool sand sculpture for it-
Mikayla likes to try weird food at the fair so this year she tried fried alligator. It was gray! ICK! She liked it and that's all that matters.
My girl and me
Hatley likes the car show. He would rather sit in sports cars all day than ride the rides on the Midway. Crazy boy.
Overwhelmed and Amazed
Several times this week God has amazed us. Why are we always amazed when He blesses us? Especially in times we are being obedient? Shouldn't we EXPECT everything to work out for our good? Well, I didn't. I got caught up in worrying about how we will pay the bills with Jeff being off work for a week, how will we pay for all of these supplies, will I find everything they need??? Of course I not only found all they need, we had TONS of supplies donated from our home school group, church (we are just visitors and they helped!), and friends & family. I am talking about enough for them to share with others. Jeff and I were discussing finances a few nights ago and were pondering where the money will come from for gas, food, etc. We recently committed to not using the credit card AT ALL now that we have no debt. We prayed, decided it was going to work out fine, and went to bed. The next morning, the first call I received was a family member saying they are sending a check! I then took my son to math class and a friend gave me a Walmart gift card for the trip! The total of these two gifts was more than we needed!! God is amazing. We are not worthy. Again, why do I worry?
I have learned several lessons through this experience. 1) I need to trust God because He is trustworthy even when (especially when) I have no idea how He's going to pull it off. 2) I am not the "behind the scenes, quiet servant" I have always thought I was...I was u-p-s-e-t that no one (read- husband) thanked me for working so hard and organizing so much...I am a B-R-A-T. Plain and simple. It's ugly and I don't like it. 3) I am proud of my guys for doing something I would not do. This will be dirty, hard work and they are excited about it. Who am I kidding? Wouldn't all boys like getting dirty and possibly seeing snakes and alligators while serving the Lord?
Please pray for our family this week. For the boys while they are working hard and for us girls as we stay home. (slumber party Wed. night..woo hoo!) We are under attack and several battles have been lost already in preparing for this trip. We don't want to lose any more...we want to be joyful and victorious!
Friday, October 3, 2008
Ultimate Lasagna
2 pound dried lasagna noodles (if you don't have a DEEP pan, use 1 lb
Extra-virgin olive oil
2 pounds ground beef
2 pound ground Italian sausage
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, sliced
3 carrots, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon chopped
oregano leaves
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups red wine
2 (28-ounce) cans tomatoes (recommended: San Marzano)
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 quarts ricotta cheese
(2 containers) 2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound mozzarella cheese
shredded Grated Parmesan and mozzarella, for topping
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Cook the lasagna noodles in plenty of boiling salted water until pliable and barely tender, about 10 minutes. Stir with a wooden spoon to prevent sticking. Drain the noodles thoroughly and coat with olive oil to keep them moist and easy to work with.
Coat a large skillet with olive oil, add beef and sausage and brown until no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. In a food processor, combine the onion, carrots, celery, garlic, basil, parsley, an oregano. Process until pureed, add to the pan with the ground meat and stir to combine. Stir in the flour. Add the wine and cook until it has reduced by half. Stir in the tomatoes and add the heavy cream and the cinnamon.
In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta and the parmesan. Stir in the eggs and season with salt and pepper.
To assemble the lasagna: Coat the bottom of a deep 13 by 9-inch pan with olive oil. Arrange 4 noodles lengthwise in a slightly overlapping layer on the sauce. Then, line each end of the pan with a lasagna noodle. This forms a collar that holds in the corners. Dollop 1/2 of the ricotta mixture over the pasta, spread to the edges with a spatula. Spread 1/2 of the meat mixture over the ricotta. Sprinkle 1/2 of the mozzarella on top of the ricotta. Top with a ladle full of sauce, spread evenly. Repeat with the next layer of noodles, ricotta, sauce, and cheeses. Top last layer with noodles, sauce, shredded mozzarella and Parmesan. Tap the pan to force out air bubbles. Bake for 1 hour. Remove from oven. Let lasagna rest for 30 minutes so the noodles will settle and cut easily. Cut into 2-inch squares and serve.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Why I haven't blogged lately
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Parenting is so FUN!
Friday, September 12, 2008
ingredients:
8 oz pkg. cream cheese (softened)
14 oz frozen artichoke hearts(canned is fine)
1/2 C. spinach frozen, chopped, drained
1/2 C. mayo
1/2 C. parmesan cheese
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp basil
1/4 C. mozzarella cheese, grated
1/4 tsp garlic salt
salt and pepper to taste
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Stuffed Poblanos
Cook 3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breast(seasoned with salt/pepper), dice. Saute onion(about half an onion) and two cloves of garlic in olive oil until tender. To diced chicken breast, add 1 cup monterrey jack cheese, 2 tbls cilantro, onion/garlic, and diced tomatoes.
Roast poblanos in broiler until blackened. Place peppers in a ziplock bag and steam for 5-10 minutes. Peel skin off. Cut open lengthwise and scoop seeds out. Stuff each pepper with chicken mixture and top with more cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until cheese is melted. YUM!!
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Making Grandpa Proud
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Politics on the Farm
Monday, August 25, 2008
Peace and Chaos
Friday, August 22, 2008
GREAT DEALS tomorrow at Old Navy
Back to School
I probably spent, oh.. let's say... 100 hours or so trying to decide which outfit was perfect for my first day of high school. Let me just tell all of you that don't know where I grew up just how NOT a big deal fashion was in our school...
1. Most of us went to school together since kindergarten (my class was largest with 24)
2. We all lived in the country (I'm talkin' WAY out- 20 min. to the nearest grocery store)
3. Most guys wore wranglers, ropers, big belt buckles, and always had a dip in their lip(yes, it was allowed in class, but gum was not)
4. The closest mall was Tyler or Dallas (at least an hour for one, 1 1/2 hours for the other), so shopping was limited.
So, shopping "out of town" for school clothes was a BIG deal. Almost as looked forward to as Christmas. As a matter of fact, my BFF and her mom would often make plans with my mom and I to go together for this "out of town" experience. It was big-time people. We couldn't wait to get to school to show off our new clothes. Yes, I know how shallow this sounds, but it's all we had in the country. I made it my mission to be as far away from hick as I could in my dress. Other than the time I dropped some $$$ to impress a cowboy, but that's another story for another day. sigh.
Back to my story, I am so thankful that my children can wear pj's to school or clothes that have paint on them(M would wear them in public, but I won't let her), or whatever they want. They don't care AT ALL about fashion or brands. I even had to send one back into the house Tuesday to iron the pants he/she had on to wear to class. It was so obvious they needed to be ironed, but my kids just don't notice that sort of thing. So, while many believe homeschoolers are being cheated socially, that's just not the case here...However, we are doing an injustice to our children by not teaching them to be obsessed over fashion and looks. I just don't know how they will manage in the real world.