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!

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.

New Kitchen Floor

So last Monday I put in a new kitchen floor. We are anticipating doing a "new kitchen"..cabinets and the whole thing, but for now a new floor is sufficient until we do the extreme remodel!

I used the same vinyl plank stick flooring as I put in the bathroom (refer to that post for those pics) but in a different pattern and color. I was not as happy with this flooring, nor the results. The backing did not seem as consistant as the other I have used. But, nevertheless, for under $150, we have a  nice fresh upgraded look that should last until we are ready to upgrade the whole kitchen. It REALLY brightened the space and I like bright so that rocked!

Bathroom Flooring

Simplifying can mean lots of things to lots of people, but to us it and homesteading go hand in hand, so we elected to do our own bathroom remodel. The benefits 1) Learning Skills; 2) Saving Money; 3) Getting it done Quickly.   The downside? A very sore body! lol! The bathroom seems much more spacious now and of course all fresh and clean!

Here is the after of the sink issue previously posted about..So much better!

The floor was easy to install, and fast. Fast being somewhat relative! Measure and cut. I only used my old sewing scissors.

So pretty! I am pleased with it. Total cost about $50