Sad Hearts, Simple Love

Simple Love for Sad Hearts

I currently have some friends with sad hearts. Sometimes life deals us a hard hand, things well beyond our choices can take over our lives.  I know, I was there.

For about 7 years I deeply struggled with depression. It was not the "feeling blue" or "feeling down" some associate with the word depression. It was much deeper and very hard to walk through. I did not understand it for about 8 years. I did not need to understand the "why" after a while...I knew God could heal, and in time, He did!

At a ladies group recently, I brought up that we need to help other Sisters. See, for many years I had a happy face on the outside. Inside I was suffering. I know that is not exclusive to my situation. There are so many who try to "hold it all together". That is a good thing in some ways, but they need to have Sisters they can lean on in any situation when they need it. No judgement, just encouragement. We, beloved, can be that to a hurting, sad heart. We are the hands and feet of Jesus on this earth. Are we walking beside those who have sad, hurting hearts? Are we holding, are we comforting with our 'hands'?

Stepping out to do that can be so hard. I've dropped notes of encouragement in the mail to ladies I barely know. At this point in my life, after all the glorious things God has done (He has done so very, very, very much) I figure, what have I to loose? My pride? That went out the door a while back! If they think I'm a nut, that is okay! I've at least tried!!! I can live with people thinking I'm "out of it" or "off my rocker". I don't want to step into eternity and realise I could have helped a Sister in need. I don't want to find out that a Sister felt lonely & isolated when all she needed was a listening ear, a kind word, or a word of hope. I hope that goes for you as well, dear one.

We are here but a moment. Within our reach are things we can do in the physical to demonstrate the Love of God towards others...the possibilities are endless. Notes,cards, words, time, a batch of freshly baked cookies, a text,  fellowship over coffee, etc, etc, etc.....

Be encouraged to reach out beyond what is "normal" or routtine and lets live for Him. When we seek Him, our lives will be so full of so much more than we could ever think or imagine.

In closing, I leave you with this challenge & hope filled statement...

"All His Ways for All My Days"

Camera Found!

Here are the photos of the potato soup thing (last post). A simple way to make light dinners for friends.

I made about 4 gallons soup. That took about 20 lbs of potatoes. About a gallon of milk, about 5 lbs onions, and about 5-6 stalks of celery. Two packages bullion and lots of spices. I hope people liked it!

Apple Cinnamon Mini Loaves

I bet the chickens like my cooking the best! They get the scraps!

BEST bullion EVER!

I leave part of the peel on the potatoes. Makes it more rustic and adds some nutritional value.



I make big sized pieces since they tend to fall apart when cooking and stiring.

New-to-me jars. Half Gallon, pint and a half..beside a regular sized pint jar.

Green Chilies and Tomato Rice. YUM!

Baggies of Cornbread Muffins

Food...Camera is missing...Trip...God's Awesomeness

So, I was taking pics yesterday and now it (the camera)  has apparently vanished. I am really hoping I laid it somewhere and that I do not have to rummage through the trash to find it.

Yesterday, I was making Potato Soup (with chives, bacon, and cheese to top it). I made several gallons (I think like 4 gallons) along with banana bread, corn muffins, & apple cinnamon bread.

Today I made something new!

Slightly Spicy Chicken with slightly spicy rice! I am meeting with the Seniors Group today and I was kind of lost as what to cook. I found chicken on sale, so I knew chicken something. This am I took my standard spices plus Mrs Dash spicy seasoning and boiled my chicken breasts (boneless..they were frozen despite the night in the fridge, so they got boiled!). I added the spices to the water while they were boiling.

Then I took a cup of the broth from the cooked chicken and used it in my rice (I used one part broth to 4 parts water). I added bullion, more seasonings, canned diced tomatoes and green chilies. Then I cooked the rice as "normal" (the directions on the bag).  YUMMY. I have corn and green beans as my side dishes cooking in my crock pots as I type.

Off to the day. Tomorrow we are planning to go to Virgina for a quick trip & a tour of a museum we missed last trip, followed by a "home improvement" work day. Even in a small home, there are always projects to do!!

And I have to share the awesomeness of God! My van was acting up. I just decided there was nothing I could do about it right now. We had to many other financial "commitments." So I drove my husbands car as needed and tried to not drive the van too much. Well, we needed the van for an upcoming Singles Sunday School race thing the guys are doing, so I decided to not panic over the money and just take it in. I was pretty sure it was the same thing as last year I had repaired. About $350 -700 ...depending if they needed to replace one or two of the thingies.

Well, I woke up the other day and decided to trust God on it. I really did too. I had a peace about it. I did not even stress in my tummy! I took it and and waited. {Note: my kids were FANTASTIC waiting!} Then the guy told me it was the same thing, and even though the warranty expired a few months back, the parts store was going to just give me a new one anyway!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yep, that was just the mercy of God. The total cost $77. For labor. Now, if the cost had been  $700, it still would have been the mercy of God. I had something priceless... The knowledge that the Lord would take care of our needs. And the reminder of the absolute truth...is not life worth more that what you eat, or what you drink, or the clothes you wear (or the car needing fixed).? Seek first the Kingdom of God and all these things will be added to you. Oh, how we get caught up in so many temporal things, but with Jesus, we can fully trust Him to provide if we seek Him first!

Ladies Night Out

So I tried to take pics before anyone got there.The pics are not fantastic!  My husband pointed out I did not take any with the ladies there! lol! It went really, really well and we had tons of leftovers. There were some giggles and I hope each lady was reminded of the Love of God towards them!

This is a tutu skirt that I made for a table, but used it for the tv stand. It was super cute I think! The tv was a big focal point because we watched a dvd presentation.

There were "funnies" on the tables and there were funny sayings in the flowers for some chuckles.

A crockpot that MATCHED the theme! Gotta love that!

Yummy! My friend, Karen, made the cookies and brownies!!

I used a black cloth under the to ole....It really looked nice in person, in my view. I also elevated the platters are different heights to give some visual eye candy.

Little paper baskets held chocolates (pic is sideways!)

Ladies Night Out Planning

So, I have the wonderful opportunity to help do a Ladies Night Out thing at Church tomorrow. The theme is "Giggles and Grace" ....just a time for fun fellowship and a dvd presentation called Embrace Grace.

After doing many events, I have learned that I tend to go overboard on the variety of foods and quantity. So this time I really tried to keep it simple. And after making it through the grocery store today, I feel like I actually did it this time!

Our Menu:
Chicken Salad on Hawaiian Rolls
Turkey and Provolone Spirals
BBQ Smokies
Fresh Salsa, Queso Dip (in crock pot,)  and White corn chips
Veggie Tray w/ Ranch Dip
Fruit Tray

Punch

LOTS of desserts (One of my friends, Karen was So kind to make cookies and brownies!)

CHOCOLATE!

First off...I found a crock pot that MATCHES my theme!!!! Actually, I had bought it as a gift, but ended up with it in the trunk of my car! Pics to come of that in the future I hope!

Here are the invitations:

 

Goodie Bag Contents...I decided to not go with the zebra theme for everything...So there are polka dots and more! 

So the theme in our presentation I had put onto...Organic Custom Lip balms! I was so excited to find these! The lady did a fantastic job and I got them VERY fast.

 

I had some photo paper that came free with something, so I made these cute little prayer reminder cards.

 

Found the basket on clearance!!

 

I got the goodie bags in the primary colors of the event...I also got matching paper straws I ordered!

Plates. I love the square thing! 

 

 

Flowers: I was sooooo happy to find these roses today. They are so beautiful. And 24 roses for $22...it was a deal!

 

Make shift vases...Made out of Crystal Light plastic containers! I found the wraping paper at Target for $1 a roll.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Birthday Blessings

In the prior posting on Birthdays I said I would post a pic of the other cake my dear friend made while I was out of town earlier this year! Well, I found them. What a treasure for my daughter! What a blessing for our whole family. I am truly blessed to have such a fantastic friend.

A perfect pink cake for my pink loving princess! Also, she brought icecream! Priceless treasures!

Repainting Cabinets & Expectaions In Life

When we moved into our small home, I did not like the cabinets. So, I painted them. I loved them! They were almost school bus yellow!

 But then we decided to rip them all out and start over. The problem is that takes a lot of time.  Shopping, shopping, shopping, ordering, waiting, etc. Then we found out we might be moving. So, why invest so heavily in a home we might not live in for only a few more months, then convert back into a rental.

So for now I have repainted them with an enamel paint from ACE. It is SO awesome. When I painted them last year, I did  no prep really. The paint would peel and chip off, a pain to deal with. This time I bought a hand sander and we went over the to be painted areas a little. The enamel paint is adhering really well. I did the interior and exterior of the cabinets. I also reused the high quality hinges that were on the doors. We washed them, I spray painted them (the finishes in spray paint are AMAZING these days!) and they look really nice.

Here is where I am at...I did all the lower ones..I have no enthusiasm to do the top ones. Maybe next week!

 

 

 

 

 

 

And talk about expatiation management! I never, ever, never thought I would put industrial shelving in my kitchen to store stuff on!(below pic) But, it really works well for me right now. I can easily access what I need & I can see what I have. I am trying to stop wanting everything

  to be "magazine" worthy. In my last home I did that, and it really makes no since. I want a nice looking home, but it does need to be functional and practical, and frankly not stressful. Today I tried to remind myself that in the end of my life, these things wont matter...my home style, my colors, my "look". What will matter is my heart and service before God, time spent working on my marringe &  my children's hearts that I tend to in lieu of stressing over my decor.  So today I am trying to focus on those things!And as Scripture admonishes me, even in my small space, to be content with whatever I have. In all things.

Let the field trips resume!

So, school is back in session! And for me that means trips! We did a lot this summer.{but to be able to go without mass crowds is like a totally better realm! } The kids and their pals went to lots of movies together (I really think I might have lost brain cells at one of them!lol) and we also went with some pals to two of the three NC Aquariums.

No, they were not told to stand in order of height, they just did it naturally!

 

 

 

We went to Quantico,VA for about a week while my husband had work to do there. We went to the grainary and distillery at Mt Vernon. It was fantastic. And not busy!

 

We used to live 30 min outside of DC...but it was SO busy at this time of year (August) that it was not too fun for me to drive in, and the lines were longer at exhibit. So we did a car tour of the city, then went to a park in Prince William County! The weather was so much better than where we live.

 

 

Then for Memorial Day we went to Fort Macon. We had not been with my husband yet. It POURED rain, so we just did the interior museum. We hope to go back again to finish it out with him.

 

Picnic in the rain! We had a light snack we had packed after the museum. It was rainy, but a covered area made it fun! We almost always eat out on these trips lately, so this was a great way to try to simplify...pack our food!

 

 

I look forward to seeing where we will land this year. We usually try to go to as many places as we can so the children get exposure outside of the textbooks.

 

Slow Cooker Recpies, Most Popular

I will not give too many specific measurements on some things. I am not really stuck on that when I cook. But if you should need them, just ask! **Bullion Cubes...Knorr has the BEST. They are worth every penny! Also, 4-6 hours is on HIGH :)

Cheesy Chicken:

3 Chicken Breasts
1 Cream Of Chicken Soup
1 Condensed Cheese Soup
Seasonings for chicken
1/2/ Cup Water
Sour Cream, optional

Put all but the Sour Cream in the crock pot. Cook 4-6 hrs. Stir in sour cream before serving if you desire. GREAT over tortillas, rice, and pasta. Also good as opened faced sandwich on french bread.

Pepper Steak
Stir Fry Meat or London Broil cut into 2" strips
Green Peppers, cut into strips
Red Pepper, cut into strips
Onion, Cut into wedges
Garlic
Seasonings
Canned chopped tomatoes
Beef Bullion
1/4 Cup Water

It all goes in for 4-6 on high. Good with rice.


Chicken and Dumplings
Chicken
Frozen Veggies (your preference) { For a better meal ,use fresh cut carrots and celery instead of frozen veggies)
Chopped onion
Bullion Cubes
1 C water
Salt and Pepper (or whatever you like to season with)
Chicken Gravy Mix (dry...found in gravy isle)
Canned Biscuits

Put it all in, except biscuits...stir well...tear biscuits up and put on top...cook for 4-6 hrs.

Salsa Chicken
Chicken
Canned Black Beans
Jar of  Salsa
Rotel or canned tomatoes
Onion
Garlic
Canned Corn
Taco Seasoning Mix (on gravy isle)
Bullion

Mix it all up. Cook 4-6 hours.  Good over rice.

Taco Soup---this stretches to feed a lot!
Cooked ground beef
Dry Taco Seasoning Mix (on gravy isle)
Canned Corn
Canned Kidney Beans
Canned Black Beans
Canned Tomatoes ...diced
Canned Tomatoes...crushed
Salt and Pepper, Garlic Salt

Cook 4-6 hours. Yummy!

Crock Pot Cookery In Mass

So......before I had spoken of Dinner Delivered meals I was doing. They were fun, but on a month when I had VBS, I did a freezer slow cooker meal to deliver. It turned out wonderfully for the recipient (as far as I know!). Now that is what I have been doing for a few months. It is SO EASY and then the families have meals when they need them. And I only spend one day a month delivering. Last month I made about 18 meals. It took about 3ish hrs to prepare, 1ish hours to go to the store to get the supplies, and about 2 ish hours to deliver. (For those interested in cost to do this, below is a chart showing what a value this is). It was SPLENDID!  I LOVE doing this, it is such a blessing to me! I am so thankful others allow us to deliver these to them!

How I "Roll"

               Preparation

I buy the slow cooker disposable bags found in the plastic baggie/ foil section of the store. We have access to a commissary, so my cost is about $2 a box. If they were too much I would use the large zip locks instead. They would then have to wash the cooker afterwards. I love the idea of NO scrubbing! I then make a list on the computer of the meals so they will know what they are eating! I then assign a number or a color to each meal. This paper is printed out and included with the meals.

I make a list of the meals. Then I make a list of who gets what meal(s). I use a handy dandy chart like this:

                         Chicken       Roast        Ham        Soup
Mrs. A                    x                                                x
Mrs. B                    x               x              x              
Mrs. C                                     x                   
Mrs. D                   x                               x                x

Then I tally up needed baggies and ingredients. I use a similar method as above to figure out the food quantities I need. I let the ladies know a few days ahead I am doing it on such and such a day.

               Shopping

I am NOT a list person, but to do this effectively, it is needed. So I shop with my list. On these days, I try to NOT buy anything for myself. Only the things for the dinners. I bring it home and promptly fridge the meats and perishables. Then I either get to work or I do it the next day.

               Assembly/Delivery

I CLEAN my kitchen WELL before I start..even the parts I will not use. Obsessive? Yes, but this is for others, so we should do our best. Then I get out the veggies and cut them as they will be needed in the recipes. I do all this on my little kitchen table in my little kitchen. Then I get the meat needed out and a mixing bowl for each meal (for example...in the chart above three people will be chicken dishes...so three bowls I get out and put the liners into them so I can do it assembly line style). I assemble, then either tag it by color or by number and then pop into the freezer/fridge. I do this for each meal, then I place them in a cooler or a freezer tote and take them to the recipients. Clean up is Quick, just some bowls, knives, and two cutting boards!

                Cost

I think this slow cooker thing is a b-a-r-g-i-n!! My family of 6 costs about $50 to eat at a mid range eatery, $100+ at a nicer establishment. Fast Food is about $30 for us (and YUCK!). Look at this below:

Fast Food Meal $30 each x 18 meals = $540! For Fast Food! **No veggies, no leftovers, not usually healthy!
Mid-Range Eatery $50 each meal x 18 meals = 900!!!

The meals I prepare (usually one crock pot meal feeds my family of 6, with leftovers sometimes too!) On the 18 meals I spent about $160.  For 18 meals for $160 = 8.88 EACH! That is a savings of  $21.12 PER MEAL over fast food prices. And 41.12 over mid range eateries! So really if we give up 5 fast food meals a month, it pays for 18 meals to give. Not much of a sacrifice there!!  (And fyi...I include some rice and pastas and drink mixes with the meals (not all the meals, but some).


Easy, Fun, and Fantastic!

Ducks & Chickens

The ducks went to a new home. Our mallards are a happy couple on a friends pond! And the Pekings went to a duck farmer, they were aggressive to the mallards and NASTY to keep on our sized property. It was a fantastic experience and I hope to do mallards again next year. They were so loving and would follow us around! 

Our chicks are now teens and starting to produce eggs for us. After almost a year of chicken keeping I can say it is awesome and not too much work. It is a wonderful thing, even in out city home. We expanded out flock to new breeds, but were not able to get any rainbow layers :( Hopefully next season!

We plan to add 6-8 a season to keep egg production up. We will likely rely on the eggs and the meat from the ones at the post peak laying era of their lives for food once we head into retirement, in about two years.

 

 

Garden Update

 

Our garden ended up looking full and lush! The lettuce did great. The tomato plant ended up growing HUGE! We used no chemicals or pesticides at all. We ended up not putting much effort into the care of it at all due to other things going on, but it was fun and we look forward to doing it again next year!