Dinner Revisited

Sadly, I must confess that since school started my meal planning has fallen by the wayside. 

Several things have attributed to this lack of meal organization. First and foremost is the amount of catching up I'm doing on bulletin board projects. I came to the realization this summer that school break and these style of projects do not play well together. When the kids went back to school, I had 5 bulletin boards needing to be done. To date, I've completed 2 and a half. One board at my kid's school is dependent on another being completed so elements can be transferred. All in all I've made good progress but I am still in working mode. 

The other factor to this "meal" disorganization, is that our daughter, Emily, decided to join the school soccer team. We are so very pleased that she is part of an organized sports team and being it is the school team makes its a little less hectic. However, 2 and sometimes 4 out of the 5 school nights she has practice or games that end around 5:30 or 6 pm. I haven't quite mastered the task of picking up one child at 3, coming home doing homework with him, then returning to get Emily at 5:30 (or later that is if it isn't a game we attend), assisting her (if needed) through homework all the while getting dinner on the table. I'm getting better at this planning process but I'm not nearly as organized as I usually am. 

Anyway, I do have two recipes to share that we've tried since the start of school. See I do get a few meals planned in here and there. 

This first recipe is Greek Marinated Chicken that I got through Pinterest from the website Budget Bytes. I used only chicken thighs and it did cook for a little longer than required due to a late arrival of my husband from work and the distraction of homework. Still it was very yummy. Dave & I really enjoyed it, the kids were so so but I plan to try it again and cook it for the allotted time. 

The other dish I made was a hit for everyone, even Emily who is not always a "fan" of Mexican cuisine approved of it. The Chicken & Black Bean Enchilada Casserole I found at the website Sweet Treats and More (also, via Pinterest) was absolutely wonderful and so very easy to make. 

Matt LOVED it and LOVED it even more when he put Red's Hot Sauce on it....he puts that stuff on everything. This is a meal we will definitely make again. Emily ate everything on her plate and quickly, usually if she's not a "fan" it takes her a long time to eat her meal. 

Please try out these recipes and let me know what you think.

As always, thanks for stopping by!

Its Iconic

As most of you know, I not only create bulletin boards for my church but another local church. The Pastor will usually send me a graphic that leads me in the direction of how the board should look. Of course, there is always the understanding that I may not be able to reproduce it exactly and variations may occur. 

Here is a picture of one the two graphics he forwarded to be considered for reproduction in bulletin board form.

As soon as I saw this graphic, I knew I wanted to try and reproduce it even though it is out of my creative comfort zone. Of course, I took the pic to review with my friend, Debbie, who always helps me talk through how I can make the possibility given come to completion.

My goal was to make the main element look like a slab of stone with the icons etched in the stone. Now, I've become pretty proficient in cutting items from foam board. However, I also know foam board is not really paintable as it likes to warp during the drying process. It wasn't until I took a trip to Hobby Lobby that I found how to resolve this "problem". There I found large sheets of picture mat board. I purchased two pieces in a sand color. 

Then, the icon process began. 

First, I sketched the 3 icons from the graphic and an additional icon (not pictured) in the form of a cloud on to sketch paper.

Then using a utility knife,  I cut out the "templates" that would be traced onto the mat board pieces.

After measuring and tracing the icons onto the mat board, I used a utility knife to cut out the icons. 

I also cut out the word "The Journey" using letters I cut with my Cricut cutter and I traced onto the mat board.

Over the next few days, I applied stone texture spray onto the board. I used 1 1/2 cans for the base. Then, I used a light gray and pebble stone colored acrylic paint to add some shading to the edges. Once the shaded areas were dry, I sprayed the entire mat board with the remaining stone spray to soften the shading a touch. I also, put a black luster card stock behind each icon and the words to give it the look that they were etched into the stone. Finally, using my Cricut cutter I cut out the title words "Exodus God's Story Continues".

Last Thursday, I installed the board at the church. It was placed off center and on the right side of the board I attempted to do an accordion fold with the background paper to give it a little texture.

The board will be up until the end of November, so the Pastor is going to apply (via ink pad) some sandal "footprints" in some of open the blue space.
This was a first attempt at "mimicking" a slab of stone. There are several things I would do differently. I would back the mat board with foam board to give it some more dimension. I would also give the sides a rugged cut to give that "look" of a stone that has been quarried.
All in all though I am pleased with the outcome.
As always, thanks for stopping by!

Remembering Anthony

For our family, today is a day of remembering a sweet, loving little boy - Anthony Pantano.

A year ago today, Anthony was unexpectedly taken home to be with Jesus. The last few days have been filled with memories today being the hardest. 

Anthony captured people's attention with his bright, beautiful red hair and then drew them in with his sweet face and amazing smile. In the short time he was here, he touch so many people's lives.

Today please keep his family in your prayers, hug your kids and tell them you love them. 

We love and miss you Anthony! 

Saying "Goodbye"

Saying "goodbye" is never easy. We have been attending our church, Bible Baptist Church, for 5 years. Sadly, at the end of this month, our beloved Pastor is retiring. Our family has been blessed by his preaching for 5 of the 25 years he has been leading this church. He is an amazing man of God who passionately brings the Word every time he is behind the pulpit. Personally, I can say that I have grown spiritually stronger under his shepherding.

Pastor Bill also has a special place in my heart because he has been a strong supporter of me using the abilities God has bestowed upon me to create bulletin boards at the church. He has such a creative side and is always so appreciative of the work that is done. 

With his leaving, it only seemed appropriate to create a bulletin board in tribute to Pastor Bill's service to God's call of preaching the Gospel. This was a hard board to do because I wanted it to show how truly thankful everyone is for his service. After brainstorming with my creative side kick, Debbie, the decision was to go the route of listing the names/titles of what a man called to bring forth God's Word is called in the Bible. Then, also list the character attributes they should possess.

To make it even more of a personal thank you, I asked, Debbie, who has been under Pastor Bill's shepherding for many years & has also been working with him in the church office, to write a "thank you" note that we placed in the center of the board. 

This has been such a bittersweet board. Bitter because it means Pastor Bill will be leaving soon and I will truly miss him. Sweet because I can pay tribute to the amazing ministry he has had. Also, it is my thank you to him for always supporting my effort to minister through bulletin boards.

Thank you Pastor Bill, you will be greatly missed!!

91,663 Steps

As of today, I have intentionally walked an extra 91,633 steps.

You see for the last year, my 45th year, I have been in a struggle with my body. I've always heard that as you get older maintaining your weight is more difficult and that what you did or ate before doesn't seem to work anymore. I was sure I would defy this BUT one year has proven this to be true, at least for me. 

Sadly, my workouts had become less and less. I would get into a routine but would quickly be diverted from it due to a project, traveling, etc. - you get the idea! 45 was my year for exercise excuses. This is somewhat ironic because of how dedicated I was just a year or so before not only getting to the gym and doing additional training but following a very strict eating plan (okay, the eating plan was more a beginning eating plan that needed to be adjusted over time.) If you know me well, you know I'm either all in or all out, I'm very rarely an in the middle kind of girl. 

Because I can be an extremist, finding a happy medium has been a struggle and let me tell you my scale has not been a friend lately....it has been a foe! I know, I know, I shouldn't be "hung up on a number", "muscle weighs more than fat", "you still look the same" etc.  But here is my confession, I have always struggled with how I look. It goes back to my early teens like it does with so many girls. No, I am not going to give details because that really isn't important. I just want you to know that this self-esteem issue has been a life long issue. Now, I am a Christian and I know God makes no mistakes. I also know that I am "fearfully and wonderfully made" (Psalm 139:14). Because I not only know this but believe it, each day I have to turn this insecurity over to God. Why? So it doesn't keep me from doing what He has planned for me in order to bring glory to Him. So, with His help, I'm working on this "struggle" trying to make exercise and eating well part of a healthy lifestyle and not a fad for a number or an acceptable look to others. 

There is a group from my church who started an early morning workout program and my one friend, Jen, is a part of it so I thought I would join in. On Thursday, August 29th, I met up with Jen at 5a.m. (yes, that is a.m.) and we did our first speed walk together. This started a whole new exercise plan for me. Now, before I go any further I have to tell you that Jen is my inspiration. She has been losing weight the smart way through diet and exercise and is a great encouragement to me. Jen is beautiful through and through and I am so proud of all she has and continues to accomplish. 

Okay, so on my birthday, Sunday, September 1st, I started my "new year" off by walking 6 miles and keeping track of the extra "steps" I'm taking toward being healthier. Out of the last 19 days I have walked 11 of those days. I do take the weekends off although occasionally I will walk early Sunday morning before church. Also, I did for one week join the church team for their strength training workouts, however, being at the park at 4:15 a.m. was hard for me so I decided to stick with my walking routine for the time being.  I'm a morning person but blame my age, I'm too old to be getting up before 4 to workout at 4:15. At least that is what my mind and body are telling me.

Getting up and walking at 5 has also allowed for me to make my spiritual life healthier too. By the time I come home from walking, I have 30 to 45 minutes before the kids start getting up for school. The quiet allows me to focus accordingly on what God is showing me in His Word and in the devotional I use. Sadly, before this routine it was easy to say, "I'll do it once the kids are at school" or "a little later in the day" which would most of the time result in me not spending time with God that day.

One humorous "revelation" of this early morning routine is that our bunny has proved to me that somehow he has to have canine blood in him. We always joke how much Mr. Jingle is like a dog, well how is this for proof? Each morning when I return home, I open the door of his cage (which is in Matt's room) to let him out. Jingle meets me in the living room and assumes his place in front of the patio door waiting to be let out. Jingle runs a few laps around the enclosed patio, running up the stairs, in the door and slides across the living room's hardwood floor. The first time he did this, I had to laugh. I though he just didn't know his speed coming in and would never do it again. Well, no, he proved me wrong.  He does this "routine" 4 to 5 times, then heads into the kitchen to get his morning meal of fresh veggies. I tell you it is like having a dog.  Even now with the mornings being cooler, Jingle still likes to go out. 

All in all these first 19 days of my 46th year have proven that I can get back to a balanced routine of exercise, healthy eating and daily spiritual nourishment. Now they do say it takes 90 days to make something a habit, so I pray that the cooler weather coming won't deter me and lead to excuses. Thankfully I have friends to keep me accountable in both area of my life - physical & spiritual. 

As always, thanks for stopping by!

Hiatus - OVER!!!!

Wow! I never imagined how hard it would be to write this first returning blog post.

As I type, my mind is bombarded with the many activities, ups, downs, personal revelations, etc. that have happened over the last two and a half months. I have so much to say and yet it can't all be done in this first post. So, that being the case, I ask that you bear with me as my future posts will not only be regarding current events but some will revert back to things that have already occurred.
One main event that occurred during my hiatus was my 46th birthday, hence the cupcake picture. I don't need a birthday cake for the occasion but I do require a red velvet cupcake from this particular cupcake store. So very yummy!!!
I have to laugh at the fact that I have been telling people for a while I am 46 while only 45. As I get older, I just seem to want to say I'm older than I really am......I have no idea why!!
There is the saying "with age comes wisdom" and I have to say that I totally believe this to be true. If I had only know the things I know today even just 5 years ago, life would have been a little less complicated, or I should say I wouldn't have made life so complicated.
I've grown in so many ways. One area is that I have learned to be less regimented and just open to what is suppose be. I've previously confessed my love of lists. There is nothing wrong with having lists but when you live by lists you tend to get so caught up on making sure everything gets crossed off you miss the little blessings along the way. I truly believe God has been trying to show me this truth for several years now. As I start this new year, I've made the conscious decision to still have my lists but listen for the divine appointments God places in the midst of my "to dos". Yes, laundry, cleaning, cooking, homework help and all the other "mundane" and even "fun" things of every day life are important but when you feel God is calling you to maybe spend time with someone who needs to talk, be in his Word, or in prayer, those every day things need to be put aside. I truly feel that I have missed out on a few blessings He intended for me because I was too busy with my lists and my plans.
Another thing I've come to learn is that being in God's will is putting my life in His hands each day. Turning each moment and day over to Him to be used for the furthering of His kingdom.
I've also learned and continue to learn about how God's timing is perfect. At the end of August, Dave started a permanent employment position. This was after almost 2 years on a consulting position which he took a few months after being at his job for 11 years. We knew from the very beginning God would provide, we trusted Him to bring about the job he wanted for Dave. One thing we prayed was that God would allow for him to work locally (Dave has always commuted either by car or mass transit at least an hour each way). The consulting job Dave took was still a long commute but it provided for our needs. Now I don't want to give you the illusion that in the last 2 years I haven't had moments of stress regarding this matter. When I would feel anxious I knew I had to take it to God, trusting He knows what is best and would bring that about for our family. It was and still is every day a matter of stepping out in faith. The job that Dave got is just 12 minutes from our home. God truly blessed us with the desire of our heart. We needed to trust that He would bring it about and He did in His time. I have to continually remind myself that God's timing is so much more important than mine and over the last 2 and a half months He has shown me this many times.
Well, I could go on and on about the things I have and am learning but that would eliminate more posts so I will end by saying I only pray that I will continue to live each day for Him, keeping my eyes and ears open for the divine appointments He has for me and my family. They won't always be easy or comfortable, but He hasn't promised me that. I do know though that I will be blessed and more importantly He will be glorified.
Thanks for stopping by! (My new post closing line)