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