Foodie Friday- Sloppy Joe Ring

Saturday is our “Leftover” day. It’s a time to use up what has accumulated in the fridge all week. Normally that’s our plan for lunch on Saturday. Unless we’re out all day, and then that’s the plan for dinner. Anyway, we go through the leftovers in the fridge on Saturday. LOL

I recently posted my Sloppy Joe recipe. (No pics of that one, I’ll have to get them next time.) That particular recipe makes a TON of Sloppy Joe filling. We always have leftovers. Here’s what I did with them this time.

Sloppy Joe Ring

1-2 cups leftover Sloppy Joe filling

2 cans crescent rolls

Preheat your oven to 375. Get out a large pizza pan. I got the giant pan in the picture from Wal-Mart for like $3. Open the crescent rolls and place wide side to the center of the pan, over lapping the edges to form a circle. This was kinda tricky for me (Because I am a little OCD and it was really stressin’ me out that they were not exactly spaced and centered on that pan.) and I had to re-arrange them a couple of times. Spoon the Sloppy Joe filling along the inside of the ring, on the wide edges. Don’t put it right on the edge. You need a little bit of space to tuck the pointy bits under. After you get the filling in, fold the points into the center and slightly tuck them under the inside edge of the circle. Put in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until filling is hot and crescent rolls are slightly brown. Easy Peasy.
This was a hit with most of the family. They Hubby loved it. The Large Boy enjoyed it.The Medium Boy ate seconds, which he doesn’t often do. The Small Boy didn’t like the crescent roll part. ( I seriously do not know where this kid came from. No pizza, not a fan of cheese, and now crescent rolls….LOL) I thought it was yummy and supper easy. I will be making it again for sure.

Missions Monday- What is your mission?

I know that finding your purpose in life can sometimes be overwhelming. Trying to hear what GOD wants you to do can be frustrating, sometimes. So, during those overwhelming frustrating times, what is your mission? Your mission is to LOVE.

Why love?  Well, because GOD says. :) John 15:12  in the NIV says, "My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you." That's pretty clear.  GOD commands us to love. Sounds easy, right. Yeah, sure it is. It is easy to love those that are easy to love. That's not really what GOD is talking about, though. We ALWAYS have to love. Even when we don't feel like it. Even when it's hard. Even when people seem unlovable. We still have to love. 

Loving is not always easy. It can be one of the most difficult things we do. Sometimes is seems like GOD places us in the paths of what we consider the 'unlovables'. Every one's 'unlovable' is different and our reasons for avoiding love are different. Maybe we've been hurt in the past. Maybe those 'unlovables' remind of us that hurt. Maybe we have built protective walls that we are just not willing to tear down. Whatever our reasons for avoiding love, we have to get over them. We have to move past the hurt, or the issues and get to lovin'. :) 

Once we really grasp the reality of GOD'S love for us, how can we not want to love like HE loves? He gave HIS son, HIS life, HIS everything for us. The sacrifices HE has made are tremendous, can we not make the commitment and small sacrifice of loving our 'unlovables'?

GOD has left explicit instructions on what love is, what it means to love, and how love works. Take these words to heart and work on sharing love with your 'unlovables'.



1 Corinthians 13

1 If I speak in the tonguest of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,t but do not have love, I gain nothing.

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part,10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears.11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Foodie Friday-Honey Glazed Dump Chicken

Honey Glazed Dump Chicken

Have I mentioned how much I LOVE dump chicken recipes? Well, if I haven't mentioned it before, I really really LOVE dump chicken recipes. You basically just dump some chicken pieces in a zip top freezer bag with your favorite marinade or sauce, label and toss in the freezer. :) This is the recipe that made me totally fall in love with them. This is my all time favorite chicken recipe, hands down. However, it’s not one my hubby enjoys. He’s not big on sweet in general. I can get by making it twice a month. Anymore than that and he’s not happy.

Honey Glazed Dump Chicken
1/4 c butter, melted

1/8 c soy sauce

1/2 c honey

4-8 pieces of chicken



Place chicken pieces in a freezer zip top bag. Mix remaining ingredients and pour over chicken. Freeze.

To cook: Take zip top bag out of the freezer the night before you want to cook it and let it thaw in the fridge. Pour thawed contents of the bag into a baking dish big enough to contain the chicken and sauce. Bake at 350 until chicken is done. It will depend on the type of chicken you use. Boneless skinless breasts will take 20-30 min, bone in pieces will take longer.

I serve this with rice and ladle the sauce over the rice. It is YUMMY!

Things I Love Thursday (TILT)- My Lap Band

Yep, it's true. I LOVE that thing. It has been a life saver for me. I was heading down the road of self destruction, and this little bit of plastic really helped me. Now, I am not saying Weight Loss Surgery (WLS) is for everyone. However, it was a good choice for me. You don't have to agree with me. I know that there are some dead set anti-WLS people out there, and I don't have to agree with you, either. :)

It will be 3 years in November since I had my surgery. My weight loss has been slower than I have liked, but then again, I haven't worked as hard as I should have all the time. Totally not a LapBand issue, but a Denise issue. :) I have a lot of people aske me about the Band. The photo above shows how it is placed in your body. Yes, it stays in there forever, unless there is a serious complication. Yes, my new stomach is really that tiny. Yes, you can feel that port. Yes, I would do it again. Yes, I would recommend it to people. However, if you are considering WLS, you really need to do your research and find what works for you. There are many WLS options out there and different people have different needs.

So, that's my short but sweet post this week. :)

Wordless Wednesday- Before and Almost but not Quite After.

Before Lap-Band Surgery- Summer 2007
Visiting Platform 9 3/4 at Kings Cross Station



Almost, but not quite after Lap-Band surgery-Summer 2010
 Meramec Springs, Missouri



Thoughtful Tuesday- Decluttering and Organization Time

Well, after spending the entire weekend earlier this month digging through the unpacked boxes in the garage, I have decided we need to declutter and organize a bit around here.  We were looking for an expired passport so my husband could apply for a new passport so he could go on a missions trip to Haiti this summer. It was a grueling process and it made us realize just how much disorganization and clutter had taken over our lives. We have 'lost' hundreds of things over the years, many of which we found during the Big Expired Passport Hunt of 2011.  Some of these boxes hadn't been touched since we moved into this house almost 4 years ago. Now, I know that is shocking, however, some of those boxes hadn't been touched much longer than that and had been moved from house to house while we lived in England. That's a LOT of  junk. Useless junk. Junk that has just been taking up space.


So, in an effort to help minimize the stress in our lives, and make our house hold run a bit more smoothly we HAVE to declutter and organize.  First we are going to get started with the house, then move on to the garage. That just makes the most sense.

First I think I am going  to set up an area for backpacks, jackets, shoes, etc.  The boys have bins to place their backpacks in, but very often notes and other school related things get misplaced or lost around here. Mostly because there really isn't a home for these things. Of course some of it is because my children have been blessed with an ADD mother. :) Add  that in with a busy husband serving in the U.S. Air Force,a 3rd grader, an ADHD middle schooler, 3 dogs, mom going to school, and an almost 20 yr old working out of town during the week but home on the weekend, and it's a little chaotic around here.

What are your best ideas for organizing school stuff? Do you have a designated area for things? How to you corral all those notes and homework papers that need to be taken care of?  Post what works for you in the comments area below. I am sure we can all use a little help with organization.

Missions Monday-A missions trip of our very own.

I am pretty sure I have mentioned that I have a heart for missions. I was always fascinated with the missionary stories I heard as a kid. However, I didn't grow up in a church that was very missions minded. We are lucky to have found a church here in Texas that is VERY missions minded and it is wonderful.

I know that I have a calling to missions. Not sure how that is going to play out, but I know that GOD has placed that calling on my life. When we moved to Texas from England, and we found this wonderful church, I began praying for direction. We had decided that I would stay home the first year we were here so that everyone could get settled, then I would start back to school. I had no idea what I was going to go to school for. I had wanted to be a teacher when I was younger, but the more I thought about it I wasn't sure if that was the right choice now. I had narrowed it down to teaching and nursing, then I began to pray. During that prayer time GOD told me to go with nursing and that eventually that would lead me into some sort of missions related thing. Now, I thought that was awesome news. However, my husband was not a believer at the time and his view on missions was pretty much "why can't you guys just leave those people alone and let them believe what they want to belive". I believe there were several references to The Crusades mentioned as well.  So, I moved forward with the nursing thing and figured GOD would have to work on the husband thing.  After much prayer from many people, and the loving acceptance he felt at our church, my husband gave his life to the LORD. His views on missions changed and I continued to plug on with my schooling. 

Recently our family had the priviledge of meeting the Freeman family, who spoke at our church on Missions Sunday (which is the 1st Sunday of every month).  I wrote about that experience here. It really ignited a passion for missions in our family. Shortly after that our church announced it was going to be a part of a missions trip to Haiti. This is a building trip, for men ( not that women aren't capable, but the logistics are easier when it's just a group of the same sex). My husband jumped at the chance to go. I couldn't have been more thrilled.

After a bit of stress with getting paperwork sorted, (he was born in Germany, and we didn't have a properly certifed copy of his Birth Abroad form to send in for a passport and we couldn't find an expired passport until recently) he has finally turned in his passport paperwork and he's ready to go just as soon as that passport gets here. I am so excited and thrilled for him, and a little bit jealous. I know that this is going to be such a blessing for him and I can't wait to hear how GOD works through this team during this trip. This group of men are going to help build buildings that were destroyed by the recent earthquake. It is going to be a lot of hard, but rewarding work.

Now that we have sorted out all the paperwork issues, it is time for the planning stages of this trip. We do have  cash set aside for this trip. However, I know that some people that want to go on this trip but do not have all of the funding necessary. We were recently blessed by an anonymous donation toward Dave's Haiti trip from someone at our church that will help pay for some of his costs. I would like you the chance to help with this Haiti trip.  First and foremost we need this entire team covered in prayer. Our church is going with several other churches. If you could cover all those involved in prayer leading up to this trip, during this trip, and during their return, we would greatly appreciate it. We all know that the enemy loves to throw monkey wrenches into the works of such wonderful projects as these. We would also like to give those of you that are interested in donating funds to help meet someone's fundraising needs. I have created a paypal donation button that I am going to attempt to attach to this post. If that doesn't work, I'll stick it somewhere over there----->. Any money that is donated will go straight toward this Haiti trip help someone meet their financial goals. We will donate the money to those that need it. If you want the money you donate to go specifically to Dave, please let me know when you make your donation.

Your prayers for this trip are much coveted and greatly appreciated.

Foodie Friday- Sloppy Joes

I recently scored a super good deal on ground beef. I found the 93% lean stuff for .89/lb. I bought a lot. Like 20+ lbs, a lot. Here is one of our favorite ways to use it up.

Who doesn't like Sloppy Joes?? Well, I am sure some people don't (Let's pray for them, shall we?) , but I am sure they are in the minority. Right??? Well, we like Sloppy Joes around here. The medium & small boys like them with ketchup and cheese. I like mine off the bun, in a bowl, with cheese. The large boy & the hubby just like them. Here's the recipe I use.

Sloppy Joes

Here is a super easy, not from the can version ( well, not totally from a can. You know what I mean. ) that our whole family loves. It makes a lot, and we usually have leftovers. You can freezer the leftovers or use them in another meal. I'm working on a recipe for the leftovers. I'll post it when I've got it perfected.

2lbs ground beef

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 can condensed tomato soup

1- 8oz can tomato sauce

2 tbsp ketchup

1 1/2 tbsp worcestershire sauce

1 tbsp mustard (whatever you have on hand will work. I have use regular yellow and coarse ground with good results. )

1/4 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp garlic powder

Hamburger buns

In a large pan, brown ground beef and onion.  Cook an additional 5 minutes or so until beef is cooked through and onions are soft. While the meat mixture is cooking. Put the tomato soup, tomato sauce, ketchup, worcestershire sauce, mustard, chili powder and garlic powder in a crockpot. Drain meat mixture and add it to the crockpot. Cook on low 3-4 hours. Serve over buns.

I have let this cook much longer with no problems. You could shift it to the "keep warm" setting on your crockpot, if you have one, at the 3-4 hour mark if you like.

You can also make this on the stove top. Brown the beef and onions with the chili & garlic powder then add the soup, tomato sauce, ketchup worcestershire sauce, and mustard to the beef after it is browned and let simmer for 20 min or so.

Wordless Wednesday-Like Father, Like Son



Dave- age 11



Griffin- age 9



Thoughtful Tuesday- Family Organization

Hmmm....It's time for another Thoughtful Tuesday post. I'm at a loss for what to blog about.

Not only was the time change last week, it was also Spring Break for me and both Small Boy and Medium Boy. We spent the week hanging out with friends and having fun. I still don't feel as it I have recovered from either one of those things.  The time change has left me feeling out of sorts, and with the change in our schedule due to Spring Break, I just feel....well, out of sorts. :)

Now, we are not a very structured family as far as schedule goes. I mean, we have our regular scheduled things we do like work, school, church activities, etc. However, when we aren't doing those required things, we just kinda fly by the seat of our pants. I am thinking that is gonna have to change a bit. There just seems to be so much down time, but we never seem to get anything done.

I have tried a million different organization programs, chore charts, schedules, and the like. None of which have worked well. Most of that is due to my inability to stay on task and keep up with things. I did find a  chart somewhere that I think will work. We have implemented some things recently, but there are many more things we need to work on and get sorted out. 

So, this week (and the weeks to follow) are going to bring some changes at our house. More structure is in order. We need more organization and structure around here in order to fully enjoy our down time. :)

What are some things that you do to keep yourselves and your family on track and organized?

Missions Monday- Swaziland and the HIV and Aids Epidemic

This is a fairly new blog and you guys know I've been tweaking things and trying to figure out a regular posting schedule and theme. Well, in light of our family's recent connection with the Freeman Family, I have decided to make Monday's theme "Missions Monday". Obviously, I'll be posting missions related stuff. It might be information about certain countries, or missionaries. It could be projects we are working on as a family. It could be ways you can help out or do to help the missions cause. Whatever the post, it will be missions related. :)


As my first Missions Monday post, I thought I would share a little I have learned about Swaziland. Now, I am in no way an expert. This particular nation and family weigh heavy on our hearts as a family so I am doing a bit of research about it.

Did you know?

(information collected from http://www.avert.org/aids-swaziland.htm unless linked to another website)

• In February 2010, UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibe visited Swaziland where he presented a report estimating that three in every 100 people in Swaziland will be infected with HIV every year leading to an expected 18,000 new infections each year by 2012.

• Approximately 190,000 people in Swaziland are HIV positive, including 15,000 children under age 15 .Swaziland has the world’s most severe HIV/AIDS epidemic, posing a serious challenge to the country’s economic development.

• As elsewhere in sub-Saharan Africa, the huge number of people dying from AIDS in Swaziland exacerbates existing poverty, which in turn leaves individuals vulnerable to the adverse affects of HIV. When those of productive age die from AIDS or are too sick to work, there is less income and therefore less food for families. Lack of adequate food and nutrition leaves individuals less able to cope with HIV if they are infected, as effective treatment depends on a good diet.

•  Around 39 percent of the population are under 14, and those over 65 only account for 3.7 percent.

• HIV/AIDS is also responsible for 47 percent of under-5 mortality in Swaziland.

• There are only 2 physicians available for every 10,000 people, and one nurse for every 356 people in Swaziland.

• The government estimates that only 16 percent of people aged 15-49 years old have been tested for the virus and know their results

• The extremely high rate of tuberculosis (TB) co-infection with HIV is also a major concern and the main cause of mortality in the country

Things I Love Thursday (TILT)- FRAMILY

Framily. Yep, that's right. Not a type-o. Framily. It's that thing thing every military family longs for every time they get a new assignment. Friends so close that they become your family.

 I wouldn't trade my life for the world, but military life isn't easy. Now, we have had it relatively easy because my husband has had 3 assignments so far in his career. ( We're praying this is the last.) We spent 7 years at Tinker AFB, Oklahoma. Then we spent 8 years at RAF Lakenheath, England. We have spent almost 4 years here at Dyess AFB, Texas.

 With the exception of Tinker (which was 'only' a 5-6 hour drive home depending on potty breaks and rest stops) we haven't lived close to family for a LONG time. I love my Air Force framily. Not everyone I have met or gotten to know during my husband's almost 19 yr career get the privilege of being called my framily, but quite a few do. Not only do we have that Air Force bond thing going on, we also have a faith bond. We all have the same values and morals. It makes a big difference.
This framily fills in the gaps that you get when you don't have your 'real' family close. It provides sisters, brothers, mothers, fathers,  aunts, uncles, brothers, cousins, grandmas, and grandpas when you need them. My kids have been blessed by having a great group of framily cousins here in Texas and in England before that. I have been blessed by my framily through the years as well.

 So, I figured I'd share a few photos from my framily album. :)
This is in no way a complete album. These are just photos I had handy when I typed up this post.



Solid Rock Ladies 2004
My RAF Lakenheath Framily



Erin and I 2006-ish (We really need a post WLS pic)
My RAF Lakenheath Framily

Solid Rock Ladies 2006-ish
My RAF Lakenheath Framily

My crazy boys and some of  their Dyess framily.

Steph, Julie, Me, Crystal, Tracee, and Elaina
Some of my Dyess Framily

The Harman and Banks Framilies
More Dyess Framily



My Dyess AFB Framily

Women of Hope Christmas 2009
Dyess Framily



Thoughtful Tuesday-Becoming a Missions Minded Family

I think that in our efforts to bring people to God, we sorta dumb Him down. We make Him a pleasant, jolly type of god and make people think that following Him is all rainbows and puppies and sunshine. Not totally true. Of course God is loving, kind, gentle, etc. Of course He has our best interests at heart. However, to truly live the way God wants us to live. To be totally sold out for Him. To be of the same heart as Him. To have the same mindset as Him is so not a rainbows, puppies, and sunshine life.
Don't get me wrong. I LOVE the life I have in Christ. I am blessed beyond measure. My family is blessed. My life is wonderful. But, it's not always like that. We have lost 'friends' because of our faith. We have been verbally attacked because of our faith. We have been tested and tried. Sure some of our tests and trials could be considered 'self-imposed' because they come as a direct result of our choice to follow Christ and life our lives for him. However, I would never give that relationship with Christ up just to make things easier. For us it is not an option.

With all that being said, the sacrifices that we have made as a family are nothing compared to sacrifices that Christians all over the world are making.  Some are leaving families behind to travel to dangerous countries to serve GOD in the way HE has called them to serve. I have a missions heart. A desire to go where GOD wants me to go and to do what GOD wants me to do. Right now, GOD has called me to pursue my nursing degree. Not sure what HE has planned for me after that, but for now I'm pressin' on and pressin' in and doing what HE has instructed me to do at this time. Hopefully, eventually HIS call will be more missions oriented, but even if that doesn't happen, it's ok. I know that HIS plans for me are wonderful.

Jeremiah 29:11

 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Our family has talked about supporting a missionary family for a while. Well, Dave and I have talked about it. We want our boys to be more aware of what is going on to further GOD'S Kingdom. To understand the sacrifices involved. To develop a heart for missions. It has been hard to pick a missionary family. We wanted one with boys the same ages as our boys, or as close as possible. Sounds easy, but it's not. We wanted one that really spoke to us. A missionary family whose mission field resonated with our hearts. It's been a long hard search, but we finally found the family for us.

Every Sunday is Missions Sunday at our church. We have different missionaries come and speak about their mission fields. It is always amazing. However, this Sunday was different. Our church had the privilege of hosting Randy and Dezra Freeman and their lovely children, Hudson (who is roughly the same age as our Medium Boy), Olivia, Griffin (who has the same name as our Small Boy. It's not terribly common), and Ella. Randy and Dezra have been called to  the nation of Swaziland. Swaziland has the distinction of having the highest HIV/Aids rate per capita in the world. It is projected that it will be the first modern nation to become extinct. As I watched the short video presentation Randy showed before he spoke, GOD began speaking to me. He was telling me that this was 'our family'. The family we had been searching for. The family I had been praying for.  So, I nudged my husband and told him, "This is our missionary family." He agreed.

I am so excited to be able to support this missionary family. They have a website set up with photos and information about their family and their mission, a blog, and a schedule of their speaking events and such. I have been doing a bit of research on Swaziland, but there is a ton more research to do. We are setting up a change jar for pledges in our house so we can put in our pocket change and get that sent to their account. I personally can't wait until they actually get to Swaziland so we can find out what their physical needs are going to be and what we can do to help meet those. 

The Freeman Family

I am looking forward to what GOD has in store for us as our family moves forward in developing a more missions focused mindset. I am looking forward to hearing how GOD moves in Swaziland and through the Freeman family. I am looking forward to seeing how this changes the boys and their outlook on life. I am looking forward to seeing how our perception of things change, how our priorities change, and how our lives change.

Foodie Friday- Soy Garlic Marinade

I'm a pretty simple cook. I know what my family likes, and tend to stick to those things. I don't use a lot of 'fancy' ingredients. I just like to keep it simple. Here is one of my favorite marinades. I have used it on pork, chicken, and beef. It is my fall back marinade. Everyone in the family likes it, so it's a keeper. :)

Soy Garlic Marinade

1c soy sauce

1c oil

5-6 cloves of garlic

1-2 tbsp dried minced onion

Measure soy sauce and garlic out into a large Pyrex type measuring cup. I use a 4 cup one and just mix everything in there. Saves me from dirtying a ton of dishes.  Peel and mince your garlic. I use a garlic press. It just makes it much easier. Add your onions ( you could use fresh, but I don't always feel like mincing such a small amount, so I use dried) and whisk until everything is well combined. Pour over the meat of your choice and let marinate in your fridge for a couple hours.

I also use this as a freezer recipe. I portion meat into labeled freezer bags and pour the marinade over the meat and pop it into the freezer. Just pull the freezer bag out on the day you want to cook it and let it thaw and marinate at the same time. :) When I am ready to cook, and the meat has thawed, I pour the entire contents of the bag into a baking dish and bake. We usually spoon the extra marinade over rice. :)

Foodie Friday- Condensed Cream Soups

I don't buy condensed cream of whatever soup. It just kinds weirds me out and it is not exactly that great for ya. I make my own. It's pretty easy. If you can make gravy or a white sauce, you can do condensed cream soups. The first time I made it, I followed Tammy's recipe. It's a great recipe. I still use it as a guideline for basic ingredients. Here is my version.

Condensed Cream Soup

3 cups chicken broth

3 cups milk

1 1/2 cups flour

1tsp seasoned salt

1-2 TBSP parsley

1-2 TBSP dried chives

1 tsp ground black pepper

Heat chicken broth and seasonins in a large pan until it boils. In a large mason jar, put all of the flour and enough milk to almost fill the jar. Shake well to fully mix the flour and milk. Pour milk/flour mixture into the boiling chicken broth and whisk until mixture is thickened. I whir it up with an immersion blender just to make extra sure it's not lumpy. Portion out the soup into freezer containers and freeze. I use these.

Ziploc Twist 'n Loc Containers & Lids, Small 3 ea

You can make a cream of mushroom version by adding finely chopped mushrooms to the broth when you are starting. I make the mushroom version quite a bit. Sometimes I can find mushrooms marked down for quick sale, so I buy all of them I can and use them to make this soup. I like the fact that I know exactly what is in it and I can feel good about feeding it to my family. :)

Menu Monday

Here's the plan for the week...I think. :)


Monday- Italian Sausage and peppers, pasta, broccoli
Tuesday- Taco Rice
Wednesday- Chicken breasts, twice baked potatoes, green beans
Thursday- Family Night- We usually order out.
Friday- Crockpot something or other. I'm thinking Sloppy Joes
Saturday-Leftovers
Sunday- Roast Chicken, mashed potatoes, home made rolls, broccoli

Wordless Wednesday- Brothers

Thoughtful Tuesday-Getting the rest we need.

 

As I was doing some bible study/personal God time this week I came across a couple verses that got me thinking.  One of them is Galatians 6:9. In the Message version, it reads like this, " So let’s not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don’t give up, or quit."  I think that sometimes people understand this as meaning keep doing services, actions,  'stuff', even if it is to the detriment of yourself or your family, because eventually we will get something out of it  and we will be greatly rewarded if we just stick to it long enough. Even if we are worn out, broken down or physically, spiritually, and emotionally exhausted, we just need to keep trucking along and do all the 'stuff' everyone thinks we should do.

 I don't think so. I think that we are supposed to do 'good' and not let it get us down. I don't think that we are supposed to run ourselves ragged trying to be everything for everyone. Doing 'works' and doing good are not always the same thing. Sometimes they are, but not always. To me, and you don't have to agree with me, doing good is well...doing good. We all know what good is, really. Doing good is doing what God wants you to do when and how HE wants you to do it. It is living a life God would be proud of. A life that would please Him. We should do what it says in 1Corinthians 10:31 "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." Everything we do should glorify God. Everything.
 It doesn't necessarily have to be a public thing. It can be very private. No one but you and God even needs to know what your particular 'good' thing/things is/are. We just have to do those things in the right mindset. We can't do them begrudgingly, or just because it's expected, or whatever your personal reasons might be. We have to make sure that we are doing the things God has called us to do. Sometimes we don't get the right message from God. Sometimes the needs of the church or ourselves or even our own emotions cry out louder than the voice of God and we end up making rash judgements or wrong choices. Do we keep doing those things anyway and wait for our 'right time' to come? Maybe. That's a personal call, I think.

Galatians 6:7-8 says "7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8 Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life."NIV

If we are sowing when we are tired (spiritually, emotionally, or physically), unfulfilled, concerned about our image, worried about what other people think, sowing with halfheartedness, resentment, or anything that is not 'good', what kind of harvest will we be reaping at the end?  Not the kind of harvest I am personally looking for. I don't want a half-hearted harvest. I don't want a harvest full of resentment. I don't want a harvest that doesn't bring joy. I don't want a harvest that comes with a 'whew, I sure am glad that's over'. I want a joyful harvest. Maybe that's selfish, I don't know. That's just me being honest right now.

Matthew 11:28. "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." We go to God.  We let Him restore. We ask Him for guidance and we keep asking until we CLEARLY hear what He wants us to do.  Maybe we step down from things, narrow our 'to-do lists', clear out the clutter of our lives, re-focus. Whatever it takes to restore that relationship with God. Whatever it takes to get back our energy, our hope, our fervor, our zeal, our excitement for God and for following Him. That is going to look different for each of us, but that's OK. Your friends will still like you.(Probably, and if they don't then well...re-examine your friendships.) Your Pastor will still like you. God will still like you. It is not selfish. It is not self-serving. It is what it takes for you to be productive in the kingdom and in your calling.

Isaiah 40:28-31

NIV

28 Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.

29 He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.

30 Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;

31 but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.

Menu Monday

Here's what we ate at the Harman House last week. :)

Monday:Pork steaks, yellow rice, broccoli

Tuesday: Chicken tacos, rice, salad

Wednesday: Baked chicken breasts, leftover side dishes & veggies from the fridge

Thursday: Crockpot pinto beans, rice

Friday: Mac & Cheese w/ ham, peas

Saturday: We ordered out. Medium Boy had a banquet at the country club, so the rest of us watched Netflix and had dinner delivered.

Sunday: Leftovers

Scripture Sunday

"Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask because we keep his commands and do what pleases him. And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us" (1 John 3:21-23, NIV).

Foodie Friday-Dinner Rolls

I love making breads and rolls from scratch. I usually let my bread machine do the 'hard' work of kneading and rising and all that stuff. But, still.  I have a dinner roll recipe I use all the time and I have used it for years and years. Lately however, it hasn't been turning out as well as I would like it to. It made good roll, but they were not fabulous rolls.

So, I went on the hunt for a new dinner roll recipe to try out.  I found this one, which is fabulous. The rolls are slightly sweet, but not too sweet. They rose perfectly. The texture was great and they didn't taste too yeasty.  I did change it up a bit, so here's what I did.

Sweet Dinner Rolls



1/2 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)

1/2 cup warm milk

1 egg

1/3 cup butter, softened

1/3 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon salt

3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast

Mix water, milk, sugar, and yeast in a bowl and stir well. I just used a Pyrex measuring cup that I measured out the milk and water into. Let sit for a few minutes while you gather the rest of the ingredients.  I let it sit until it started to get a little foamy on the top. Pour milk/water/sugar/yeast mixture into your bread machine, add remaining ingredients and run on the dough cycle.

When bread machine is done. Dump the dough out into a well oiled bowl. You can cover it at this point and put it in the fridge to shape the rolls later, or you can shape the rolls now. Shape rolls into balls the size you desire. I made mine about ping pong ball size.  Place dough balls into a well greased pan. The size of the dough balls will determine how many rolls you get out of this dough. I want to say I got just over 20, but honestly I forgot to count. :) Cover  with a tea towel and let rise until doubled. This took about 30 min or so in my oven with the light on. It will take more or less time depending on the temp in your house. Warmer temps = less time. Cooler temps = more time. 

Once rolls have risen, preheat your oven to 400 degrees. At this point you can melt a little butter (1/4 cup or so) and pour that over your rolls. Put rolls in the oven and bake rolls 10-15 minutes or until done. I had to place a tent of foil over mine because the tops were getting a bit too brown for my liking. It could have been because of the butter, but I don't think so. I don't usually cook my rolls at this high of a temperature.

 These made THE BEST ROLLS EVER!!! The texture was perfect. Everyone ate at least 3 of these rolls for dinner.

Things I Love Thursday (TILT)-

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings
These are a few of my favorite things

Cream colored ponies and crisp apple streudels
Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles
Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings
These are a few of my favorite things

Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes
Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes
Silver white winters that melt into springs
These are a few of my favorite things

Ok, I couldn't resist. That song pops into my head every time I think about writing a Things I Love Thursday post and I just had to get it out. :) I suppose I should get back on track. Easier said than done for this ADD lady.

This week I have a lot of things I love. Well, I have a lot of things I love all the time, but you know what I mean. It's hard narrowing it down and writing a post on just one thing. I tend to go off on rabbit trails and lose focus and totally forget what I was writing about...like right now. Anyway.

 My LOVE for this week is spring time weather.  It has been beautiful the last few days. We've had windows open. Fresh air is flowing through the house (without too much West Texas dust). The birds are singing outside. It has been fabulous. I love the Spring.

Spring is my favorite season. I love the newness of it. The freshness of it. The...Spring of it. It reminds me of everyday with God. Each morning is like Spring. We get to start out fresh and new. The mistakes of yesterday are forgotten and behind us. God loves us where we are for who we are and his compassions are made new each morning.

Lamentations 3:21-24

NIV

21 Yet this I call to mind
and therefore I have hope:

22 Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.

23 They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.

24 I say to myself, "The Lord is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him."

Wordless Wednesday

Thoughtful Tuesday- Getting your priorities in line

I'm just gonna say this post is not going to be nearly as good as the original one I had all typed up and then somehow magically deleted with my fat fingers 2 seconds before it auto saved. :) You're just gonna have to deal. LOL


I think I might have mentioned last week that we were shutting our cable off. We were waiting for the Super Bowl to do it, though. So, after the Super Bowl on Sunday( and the commercials that reinforced our decision to cut the cable off), we shut the TV off and it wasn't turned on again until Thursday night when we watched a movie on Netflix through the Wii. My husband finally got a break in his schedule and was able to call and cancel it totally on Friday. However, a quick check on Saturday showed we were still getting cable channels, so another call is going to be made this week.

I know that some of you may not understand our choice to turn off the cable. I mean we're still watching shows and movies on Netflix or renting movies from the Redbox machine. I know the hubby has found some way to get his Glenn Beck fix. What is the big deal with the cable, you ask. Well, it's the content. We just were tired of being bombarded by inappropriate content. Now, we didn't watch a whole lot of inappropriate shows. No Glee, Private Practice, Grey's Anatomy, Desperate Housewives, etc. Nothing super violent or twisted like Criminal Minds, Supernatural, Vampire Diaries, CSI, Law & Order, etc. However, even with what we were watching ( NCIS, Glenn Beck, Discovery Channel programs, History Channel programs, etc) we were still getting bombarded with in appropriate content from the commercials. It was insane. We would be watching a home renovation show. Safe for the kids. The boys aren't getting hit with sexuality, the language is acceptable, no moral dilemmas we'd have to explain, then WHAM!!! Viagra commercials or some other sexually inappropriate commercial. It was just way too much mess. We're watching a hot rod show. That's safe. Then BOOM!! We've got half nekkid ladies selling brakes and other auto parts. Not good. When you are the parents to 3 boys you really have to guard them against the constant sexual bombardment they get from this world. It's everywhere all the time and they don't need that issue to deal with. Life is hard enough, society is skewed enough, and the whole girl thing is hard enough, without adding to it. The lessons we want our boys to learn about women and sexuality are so far from what is out there in TV land, it is unbelievable.

Now, I am not saying that if you watch any of the shows I mentioned as unacceptable for our family, that you are some horrid person with issues. You may not have issues with the commercials. You may be just fine with watching whatever shows you wanna watch and whatever commericals pop up. I'm good with that. I am in no way judging you for being different than we are. I say have at it. Those shows and things just don't work for our family and they don't fit in with our lifestyle. That is just where we are right now. You might think we're weird or odd. That's fine. You do what works for you and your people and we'll do what works for our people. I'll still like you, I promise. :) 

Anyway, we thought the kids would have a harder time with the switch. With the exception of our oldest who experienced no TV the first year we were stationed in England ( He was around 8 at the time and he'll be 20 in May, so that tells ya how long ago that was.) the boys have always had TV and it's been on a lot. We used it as background noise, as a time filler, as a boredom fighter, as well....whatever. It was on A LOT.  So far everything has gone smoothly.  Medium Boy did ask what they were supposed to do with no TV, but they figured it out. The Small and Medium Boys have been reading more, which is great. Small Boy just got some books from the book fair at school and they have both been reading those. They are actually playing outside together. Usually Small Boy ( who is 9) is outside and Medium Boy ( who is 12 and can't be bothered with his little brother) is inside watching TV. It has been an adjustment, but they are doing fine.

Things have also been a lot more calm around here. Without the constant noise of the TV, there is just not as much stress. Now, I'm a noise sensitive person. Some noises I can block out, but other just annoy me to no end, and if there are a whole lot of noises at once I just can't handle it. Having the TV off has personally made me less edgy. No more super loud TV blaring in the front living room over the sound of the 3 dogs playing  along with another TV with a different show on  blaring from the back living room, people yelling at each other from one room to the other because they can't be bothered to get up and miss part of their show to actually talk to someone. The silence, well as silent as it gets around here, has been nice.

So, what are we doing with all that extra time?  For now we are using this time to re-connect as a family. We're eating dinner together at the table, like I mentioned before. We're playing games, watching movies, talking to each other, cleaning the kitchen and doing other chores together. Medium Boy is spending more time practicing his violin and flute. Small Boy is reading more. Large Boy is spending more time with this brothers. I am actually studying for my  microbiology class, getting Sunday School homework done, and doing my bible study stuff before bible study. My husband is doing...well, whatever it is he does when he's not working. LOL I'm not exactly sure. I've never asked and he looks busy. LOL Oh, and we're all getting much more sleep. :)

When we were deciding on wether or not to keep the cable my husband said something that was so true. He said "In 10 years from now we're not gonna remember what shows we watched or what was on the tv. We're gonna remember the stuff we did as a family. If we don't do things now, our kids will be out of the house before we know it and we won't have anything to look back on." He's right. That time is quickly coming for us. Who knows where we will be in 10 years. I do know that by getting rid of the distraction of tv, we will have plenty of time to make plenty of memories during those years. To foster a sense of family in our children. To teach them how to look out for each other. To foster compassion and caring in them. To help them reach their goals and to dream big. To encourage them and build them up.To grow them up to be the men God created them to be. All of those things are more important than anything on tv. Those things are the things that make up life. Those things make a family.

Meditating Monday

I am still deciding on a working on a daily set theme format for this blog. I know last Monday I posted my menu plan. Well, I didn't really keep track of our menus last week, so I have no idea what we ate and that makes for a boring blog post. So, today I am just going to post a scripture for us to mediate on.  :) So, read it and share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Isaiah 40:28-31

NIV

28 Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.

29 He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.

30 Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;

31 but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.

Foodie Friday- Freezing Milk

In an attempt to keep our grocery budget down and  make our lives easier by reducing the amount of time I actually spend grocery shopping, I freeze a LOT of stuff. I look for really good sales and I stock up as freezer space and grocery money allows.

Earlier this week I took the last gallon of milk out of the freezer. That means I needed another sale on milk. Now, I could pay full price for milk, but I don't wanna. I usually stock up on it when it is on sale and I freeze it. It's pretty easy to do. Anyway, today I went looking for marked down milk, since no one in town had any on sale, and I found some. YAY!! I love how God provides the things you need when you need them. I had just enough grocery money left for the week to buy just enough 1/2 gallons to fill the empty space in our freezer. That is God's provision at work right there. :)

So, how to you freeze milk, you ask? It's easy peasy. You buy your milk and bring it home. You open it up.  You pour a little bit of milk off of each gallon or half gallon or whatever, put the lid back on and pop it in the freezer. Not everyone I know pours a bit off, but I do. I have had milk jugs split, and sometimes you don't know until you are thawing the milk out. Not pretty.

It is super easy to thaw. Just take it out and put it on the counter. Shake it up a bit whenever you walk by. Stick it in the fridge when it's almost totally thawed. Now, I am sure there are some people who are freaking out because I just said to thaw something out on the counter. I grew up in a time where you thawed chicken out on the counter. I survived. But, if you don't wanna take a chance with counter thawing ( I'm not entirely sure how big a risk it really is, actually.) You can put it in the fridge to thaw. It takes a lot longer that way, but it'll work.

I usually take a frozen gallon out to thaw when we are down to about 1/2 a gallon left. That's what works for us. We usually won't finish out the remaining gallon before the frozen one thaws. Lately we've been buying 1/2 gallons, because of sales/markdowns. (See the picture above. Can't pass up that kind of a deal.) I take 2 of those out to thaw when we are down to 1/2 gallon in the fridge.


So, that's your freezer tip this week. Come back next week and see what I'm feeding my family. :)

Things I Love Thursday(TILT)- My Family

Harman Family- 2005-ish, I think...

There we are in all our glory.(Many years and many lbs for me ago.We really need a new family picture.) This is precisely why I love these people so much. They are nuts, just like me.  We're pretty much a what-you-see-is-what-you-get group of people. We have changed over the years in many ways, but that's how life and family goes.

So, what is it that you are lovin' this Thursday?

Wordless Wednesday....sorta

This is what the tv is looking like at our house. We're cutting off the cable and getting our priorities in the proper order.

Thoughtful Tuesday- Treating God Like the King He Is.

So, Sunday at church our pastor's sermon was titled "Developing a 'Bring' Mindset". (You should be able to listen to it here. If it's not up today, it will be soon. ) The basic premise of the sermon was that we, as American Christians in general, life in a false mindset. A mindset that is totally opposite to the mindset we need to have a Christians. We are always looking for the pay-off. We gauge how much we do based on how much we get. We're always concerned about 'what's in it for me'. We don't value God for who He is. Now, before you get your knickers in a twist, understand that I am not saying that ALL American Christians live in this way. However, most do. Be honest. We have all been in that mindset at one point or another in our lives. It is easy to live the watered down version of Christianity that most churches teach. No risk involved. Show up on Sundays with your 'church face'. Check the boxes. Play the game.



Anyway, back to the point. :) You wanna know what I think the issue is? No, well then stop reading for today and come back tomorrow. I might post something more agreeable and easier to swallow then. If you do wanna know what I think the issue is, then read on baby. I think the main issue is that we as a culture have a skewed sense of value and our priorites are out of whack. We value all the wrong things and we put those things before God. Maybe we just don't understand who God really is. Maybe we are just ignorant in our understanding of God. I think the biggest, most common problem is that we just don't treat God like the king He is.

I am guilty of this. Of not treating God like a King. We like having God available to us when we need him. We like having Him work in our lives and in the lives of our friends and family. We enjoy all the perks we get from having a relationship with him. We do what we can when we can to foster that relationship. However, it is not usually our number one priority. We have great intentions. We plan to do pray more, read our bible more, worship Him more, but we just don't get around to it. Is this the way we should be treating our King? The Creator of the Earth? The Lord of Lords, King of Kings, the Alpha and Omega?

My challenge to you this week, and to myself, is to find ways you can honor The King this week. Now, I'm not saying beat yourself up and think about how horrible you are and how you totally suck at this "Christian thing" and come up with a huge list of how you are lacking in your walk with Christ. Just think about one or two things you can do to bring honor to your Saviour and actually do them. That is the hardest part for me. I can come up with lists all day long, but actually implementing them is not my strong point.

Here is what I am going to do this week:

1. Actually wake up early and read my bible and pray. I've been meaning to do this for months, but I just never got around to actually getting up. I'm not exactly a morning person, so this is a tough one for me. However, my dear husband has actually been getting up at 4 to get his personal devotional time in and well, there really is no reason I can't get up and do it.

2. I want to implement a daily family devotional. We're turning our cable off this week. (Just as soon as my husband calls the cable company.) Our hold out was the Super Bowl, and now that it's over we're done. With the extra time we'll have I think this will be a great thing to do. I'm thinking about doing it at dinner time, but we'll have to see how the schedule works out.


So, those are my two things for this week. Leave a comment and post what you are doing to properly honor The King in your house.

Menu Plan Monday

So, this is my first attempt at doing a Menu Plan Monday post. Honestly, these things are probably not going to be on the menu this week, but they are often on our menu plan. Personally, I like the posts with links to recipes and reviews. I figured the best way to get that type of post is to post the menu from the week before. That way I can put in personal notes, links to recipes and maybe even pictures. So, with this being my first post, I'm just gonna post family favorites. Next week I'll post this week's menu with notes and such. Understand? Good. :) Here we go.

Monday: Honey Glazed Dump Chicken, rice, broccoli

Tuesday: Tuna Cakes, mac & cheese, green beans

Wednesday: Taco Rice, tortillas ( in case someone wants to turn the taco rice into burritos or whatever), corn

Thursday: Home made pizzas. I'll probably make these with tortillas, but I do have 1 pizza crust in the freezer. Thursday is family night at our house, so we usually do something like pizza. Well, everyone except for Small Boy, who doesn't like pizza. He has issues. :)

Friday: Individual Chicken Cobblers

Saturday: Lemon Garlic Chicken, rice, mixed veg

Sunday: Leftover buffet

A Heart For...More

You know, sometimes as we are carried along on this roller coaster ride called life, we get too used to riding along. Too busy doing your own thing. Too busy with your own life. You know what I mean, right? You're sitting there and things are happening all around you but you are too busy with 'the ride' of your own life and your own stuff to be bothered with what is zinging by in that blurry world outside 'the ride'. Then one day you notice something outside in all that blurry mess. Something that calls to you. Something that makes you think about what you have been focusing on. Those things that you think are so important. You realize that there is just so much more outside the ride. So much that is more important than the things you are focusing on now. That something calls to you. It haunts you. It leaves you wanting....well....wanting more.







My heart has been longing for more in life. More peace. More structure. More excitement. More organization. More family time. More quiet time. More of God. Just...more. Not that greedy, selfish 'more'. The 'more' that motivates you to do only for yourself or for what you can get out of it. I am talking about the 'more' that makes you want to be a better person. The 'more' that drives you to create a better home for your family. The 'more' that makes you want to impact lives, yours or someone else's. The 'more' that draws you closer to being the person God created you to be. That's the 'more' I'm talking about.







This is my journey toward that 'more'. I have no idea how to get there or when I will reach the end of the journey, but I do know that as long as I keep moving forward, pressing on, and listening to what God has to tell me, I'll get to where I need to be when I need to be there.