Hearts in Service

I've had a busy and productive week! That doesn't always happen but it certainly feels good when it does. Here are some things I've been working on. Another dress for Emily. This one turned out much nicer than the other one. I made it the same size, but just made the seams larger. She is at an in between size so I can't make the eight because it's too small and the ten is a little too big. Here's a close-up of the ribbon. I actually add a roll of this in my drawer and it matched perfectly. This morning I made some note cards. I really dislike those velium words. You have to glue them down and they keep wanting to roll back up. I usually have to set something heavy on top and once they are totally dry they look okay. This one is still wet so you can see where the corner is turning up a bit. I think this one is my favorite. That's it for this week. Have a great weekend!

We all need encouragement from time to time. I find that usually it's my children who will do the thing that provides me the most encouragement. I think every parent questions whether they are doing the right thing; whether their children will develop a Godly character. Sometimes, I want to give up and then other times, like yesterday, they bless my socks off! School was over for the day and I had to make a phone call which was going to take a while. When I got off the phone this is what I found... Nathan & Stephen working on unassigned vocabulary words. I went to look for Emily because she was quiet and found her in my room, cleaning! Of course, when I told her how pleased and proud I was that she was cleaning for me, she said, "I couldn't take the mess anymore!" LOL I love my kids!

I found this recipe online and I tweaked it and boy, is it good! Ingredients * 2 teaspoons oil * 2 onions, chopped * 3 cloves garlic, minced * 1 lb lean ground beef * 2 Chorizo sausage, sliced into small pieces * 1 (14 1/2 ounce) can diced tomatoes * 1 cup strong coffee * 2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste * 1 can beef broth * 1/2 cup brown sugar * 3 1/2 tablespoons chili sauce * 1 tablespoon cumin * 1 tablespoon cocoa * 1 teaspoon oregano * 1 teaspoon cayenne * 1 teaspoon coriander * 1 teaspoon salt * 16 oz. of beans (kidney, pinto, or black) - I used black Chop the onion and mince the garlic. Saute with the ground beef until the veggies are soft and the meat is browned. I added the sausage in at the very end since they are already cooked. Place all the ingredients in a crockpot and cook on low for 5-6 hours. This is so tasty and definitely a hit. Enjoy!

I feel like I need to clarify what I was trying to say in my post yesterday. I was not talking about submission or following any random man. In fact, the scripture is clear that I'm supposed to submit to God and my husband and the rulers and authorities. That's it. What I was referring to is the man-bashing that goes on among many Christian women. The scripture is clear that we are to show respect. How? Well, I think one way is not gossiping, backbiting, and slandering our fellow Christian brothers and sisters. It doesn't matter if they deserve it or not. I don't have to think they are deserving of my respect, but I am required to not say unkind things. In fact, the scripture doesn't say give them respect if they deserve it. It just says do it. There is no qualifier. Our attitudes toward men stink to be honest. Why? I'm not sure. Sometimes it has to do with our upbringing, our lack of a positive male role model in our lives, our own marriages which...

Someone asked if I would post this recipe. It's so easy and a wonderful way to use up your leftover meat, rice and veggies. Normally I only take pictures and post the foods that not only taste delicious but are pretty looking as well. This particular dish is pretty bland looking, however it tastes so good and is so easy that I decided to go ahead and show you. Excuse the pictures. I'll make sure the next recipe I post is aesthetically pleasing! ;-) Coarsely chop 1 large onion and mince 3 cloves of garlic. Cut leftover pork, chicken or beef into bite size pieces. I used pork. If I was going to serve this for someone else, I would probably add a red pepper just to give it some color. Saute the veggies and the meat in 2 Tbsp. olive oil until the vegetables are soft and the meat is cooked through. Add 1 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. black pepper, 1 tsp. sugar, and 1 Tbsp. soy sauce, 1 cup of leftover or frozen peas, beans or corn as well as 3 cups of cooked rice. Stir in 2 eggs until wel...

Today, I am hosting a ladies luncheon at the church. I wanted to add a few touches to make it special since it is Valentine's Day. I made a few centerpieces. Each lady will take home some chocolate roses. I made white, milk chocolate and dark chocolate roses. There will be a place card at each spot. Each card has a different verse on God's love for us. Originally I was going to have each one share about what they love most about their husbands but then I decided to change it because there are going to be a few ladies there who are not married or have been divorced (and not through a choice of their own). I decided that I did not want to make those women who are struggling feel worse about their situation but wanted to focus on God's love for them. So I'm going to have each one read the verse in their card and then tell one way they have seen God's love demonstrated in the past month. It's nice to host these things when there is a definite theme!

"In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." Luke 15:10 This morning my heart is full. One of my girls from 3D Girls prayed last night to follow Jesus! I had prepared a devotional laying out the salvation message and I spent the week praying specifically that the Lord would speak to the girls hearts. It is difficult sometimes to get very deep because there is such an age gap and there are so many of them each week. At the upper ages, peer pressure is really starting to kick in so if one of them is being silly, the rest follow along. I had prayed that the Lord would allow those girls who needed to hear this message to be there. To be honest, I wasn't expecting much because all of them are ALWAYS there. Well, last night only 8 out of the 16 showed up and the ones who atteneded were girls who are on the periphery. They were not the real popular girls and they are exactly the girls who I would of thoug...

Stephen celebrated his 16th birthday yesterday. He got to choose his favorite meals for breakfast and dinner and we went out to lunch and shopping for his gift. Personally, I wished we could of done more but he said the same thing he always says, "This was the best birthday ever!" He is turning into such a wonderful young man! He is compassionate and kind. He is quick-witted and loves to laugh. He loves to learn and always has his nose in a book. He loves to try new things and he especially loves to eat! He loves to play guitar and piano and will often write new songs. He really is maturing and growing in his walk with the Lord. In fact, he volunteered to do a devotional this Saturday for the men's breakfast at church. I'm excited to see what the Lord is going to do in his life. Happy Birthday, Stephen. I love you!

One of my goals this year was to get back in the habit of making a menu for two weeks at a time. I find it helps me with my grocery shopping as well as just being better organized. Instead of staring into the refrigerator at 3:00, wondering what I'm going to do for dinner, I know ahead of time. This way I can make sure I pull out any meat the night before to thaw and prep. anything that needs to happen in advance. My food bill has jumped about $75 the past couple of months and I think that just has to do with the fact that everything is more expensive. I'm buying the same amount of food but the cost is more. Here is my menu for this week: Monday B - cereal, juice L - Leftovers D - Parmesan chicken, whole wheat pasta with fresh tomato & basil sauce, homemade Italian bread, tossed salad Tuesday B - Egg & sausage sandwiches, juice L - Leftovers D - Minestra soup, homemade Italian bread Wednesday (It's Stephen's Birthday so he got to pick the me...

We had a great turnout yesterday for the craft day so I was very pleased. It was a lot of fun and everyone seemed to have a great time. The neat thing was that not only did the children pick one of the crafts to do, but they were able to create one of their own. That was impromptu but it made it that much more enjoyable for them. Here are some pictures from the morning. I love this one. The oldest and the youngest working together. This little guy wouldn't sit still for anyone and his mother was getting worn out trying to chase him around and focus on the other two. However, Mary stepped in, picked him up, and he just settled right down. She put stickers all over him and that kept him occupied. You can tell she's a grandma of many! LOL Rebecca brought her cousin. I was wiped out by yesterday afternoon and today is going to be busy as well. We are having Friend's Sunday with a potluck afterward. The girls and children are all singing so I have a feeling I'm goi...

My house normally looks fairly neat. I mean there are those little pockets of clutter here or there which I try to tackle when they get too bad. However, when I am in charge of an outreach event, chaos normally ensues. Dan is used to seeing this type of thing before Vacation Bible School, craft days, fall festivals and a host of other events. This morning is our church's Valentine's Craft Day. This is what part of my house looks like today. Goody bags ready to go. Piles of craft supplies. More craft supplies and things for Friend's Sunday tomorrow. The girls from 3D Girls and children's church are singing so I still have a pile of things to do for that. I'm looking forward to the month of March when there is nothing major on the calendar!

I tried a new recipe the other night and it was a winner! The success of a recipe around here is usually shown by how many helpings everyone has. Nathan had 4 huge helpings and Stephen had 3 so this one is a keeper. :-) I tweaked it a bit to make it my own. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the penne pasta (I used whole wheat), and cook until tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Place 1/2 lb. bacon in skillet, and cook until brown and crisp. Add 3 cloves, finely minced garlic and cook for about 1 minute. Stir in two 14 oz. cans of diced tomatoes and cook until heated through. Rinse 1 bag of baby spinach leaves and add to the skillet. Cook until wilted. Add freshly ground pepper and a pinch or two of salt. Pour over the penne pasta and toss until well mixed. Serve with romano cheese sprinkled on top. Enjoy!

I was rethinking the crafts I have planned for the children for Saturday's Valentine Craft Day. I decided to get rid of the wind sock and go with this little guy. Isn't he cute? So now the children attending will have a choice of the butterfly, valentine person, or love bug card holder. That should cover the range of ages that may be there.

I am hosting a Valentine's Craft Day at church this Saturday for children of all ages. The children will be able to do a craft, have some refreshments and take home a goody bag. I wanted to have 3 different crafts for the children to choose some and also crafts that would be good for preschoolers all the way up through elementary school. Here are the three I came up with. I made a sample of each to show the kids. A wind sock. This one I'm going to redo. I need to get a different kind of sticker for the cups because they started to come off as the day went on. Also, I want to buy pink and white streamers as well to give it some more color. Close-up. A Valentine's person. Finally, a love bug card holder. I thought it was so cute! Now all I have to do is prep all the crafts and pray that my box of trinkets hurries up and gets here before Saturday so I can stuff the goody bags!

I haven't posted a recipe in a while so I thought I would share my recipe for Italian bread. This is the easiest bread to make and turns out great every time. In a mixer, whisk 1 Tbsp. yeast with 2 cups warm water. Add 1 Tbsp. salt and stir until dissolved. Add 5-6 cups of flour and mix until the dough is smooth and elastic. The great thing about mixers is that you get to skip the kneading part. However, if you don't have a mixer, just add the flour until a well combined and then turn out onto a floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes. Cover and let rise until double, about 2 hours. Form into two balls and roll out into a long loaf shape. Place on a greased cookie sheet (ignore how disgusting mine look). Brush with water and score the top of both loaves with a knife. Let rise another 5 minutes. Meanwhile put on the tea kettle and boil some water. Place the water in a loaf pan. Put the loaf pan on the bottom rack of the oven and the cookie sheet with the bread on...

Our church had our annual sleigh riding party today and I haven't laughed so hard in a long time. It was great fun! Of course, I didn't actually do any sledding but it was fun to watch everyone else try and break their neck. :-) The children all had a great time. As did the adults! After sledding we all went back to the church for hot cocoa and cookies. It's definitely something we look forward to every year.