randomness

just got home from bible study. i'm always a little worn out after leading. i love it but i always need a little time to turn of my brain and just not think for a bit!

my little lady is at school and my little guy is down for his nap. i made this for lunch...
nothing better than a big salad and a nice quiet house!

this weekend was busy! we painted.

it's our family room. it was a yellow-white color. since the room doesn't get direct sunlight it is a hard room to pick a color for. i went with polar bear white, to brighten it up a bit! it looks much better!

we also had some friends over and had a ton of fun! i made two types of enchilada casseroles. one of the recipes you can find here.

the other recipe is from our friend Joy, who use to live by us in PNG...

White Enchiladas
1 cup mushrooms
1 can of roasted green chilies
1 cup of sliced black olives
1 cup of sour cream
1 can mushroom soup
1 bunch green onions
1 tsp chili powder
½ tsp cumin
1 cooked boned chicken breast per serving
1 dozen white flour tortillas
1 cup of sharp cheddar cheese

If you have not done so before hand, boil the boned chicken breasts for 20 minutes, remove skin and set aside to cool.

Combine cream of mushroom soup, mushrooms, chopped green onions, olives, chili powder, cumin, sour cream and mix thoroughly.

Spray a 9 x 13 pan with cooking spray

Shred cooled chicken breasts

In a flour tortilla place a line of shredded chicken with a line of roasted chilies, pour sauce on top so that the chicken and green chili slice is covered, roll and put seam side down in pan. Continue with this process until the pan is filled. Cover rolled tortilla with grated cheddar cheese, and sprinkle garnish of a few more olives on top.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Serve with sour cream and guacamole.

a rainbow bouquet of hearts

i made these the other day. i had been inspired by something i pinned on pinterest and decided to create my own version. i wanted to show you the one that inspired me, but there was no link to whomever created it.


i wanted something colorful for my dining room table. here's what i used for the project...

materials~
different colors of felt
pillow stuffing
skewers used for cooking
twine
paper doilies
glue gun
a collection of jars



linking up with...
tatertotsandjello
kojodesigns
sunscholars
bedifferentactnormal
underthetableanddreaming
C.R.A.F.T.

i {heart} the book of James

i just wanted to share how much i'm loving studying the book of James! i love his boldness, he doesn't sugar coat anything he says! sometimes, it stings when you read it or is like a dagger to the heart, but it challenges me to change. i've memorized up to verse 21. i'm getting close to finishing the first chapter of James, which is going pretty well, since i still feel like my head is at capacity for things i can remember. case in point...the other afternoon i went to the grocery store to pick up milk, eggs, cereal, etc. when i got home, i forgot to unload them! i didn't even remember that the food was still in the car until the next morning, when i was looking for the milk to pour on the kids' cereal. i know...super sad, my memory is failing me! however, i'm still learning my verses but that is definitely through God's divine work and not my own!

here are some ways i'm practicing my verses...
when i'm cooking dinner.
when i'm driving, i say them out loud.
when i'm working on a project. the other day i was making felt hearts which doesn't take too much concentration and i was able to have my bible right there and learn some new verses.
in the shower.
and i say them to my man as he is getting ready for work.

asian cuisine

i thought i would share the different sauces/seasonings i use when cooking asian cuisine. you might find this post boring, but one of the reasons i blog, is to be able to turn my blog into a scrapbook of sorts for my kids. one of the things, i hope to give my kids when they leave home is a cookbook of all the recipes we have loved over the years. both my kids love asian cuisine! i took them the other day to an asian market to buy some things that you just can't find at a regular grocery store. it was a culture experience for them! my little lady loved looking at all the unusual ingredients, like jelly fish for an example. i enjoyed it too, because it reminded me of all the places i've lived and i saw familiar things from each of those countries.

so here is a breakdown of some of the important ingredients in asian cooking...at least according to me, whatever that is worth...
soy sauce...it's an essential in asian cooking. it can also be a base for making different types of sauces, like teriyaki.
sesame oil...used to flavor the food as your cook it. it's what evoo is to italian food.
garlic...it flavors any dish!
ginger root...i use my zester to cut it up and it adds a big punch of flavor. eating it will also help relieve motion sickness.
rice vinegar...it is used in not only hot dishes but salads too. often times you can use it to make asian salad dressings. it gives a nice tangy taste.
oyster sauce...i use this sauce to add flavor to my mixture that i use to make egg rolls or dumplings.
hoision sauce...i use this when cooking kung pao chicken.
black bean garlic sauce...i use this when cooking kung pao chicken.
fish sauce...i use when making pad thai.
ground fresh chili paste...i mix about 2 teaspoons of this with 1/4 cup of soy sauce and it becomes our dipping sauce for dumplings or egg rolls. it's got a nice kick to it and is so good!
it would also add red pepper flakes and dried red chili's too. they turn up the heat on any dish!

Happy Chinese New Year!

in honor of the Chinese New Year, we had a family fun night with yummy food and crafts! my little lady and i made paper lanterns and a paper dragon, since it is the year of the dragon.

my second favorite food to make besides mexican food is chinese food. maybe it's the time my man and i lived in china that has given us a fondness for the food. whatever it is, it's good!

snowflakes

a week or so ago, i learned how to cut out snowflakes that actually look pretty, not the kind i made as a kid. they are really easy to make and i wanted some to lay on top of my dining room table. i found a tutorial to help me...it's martha stewart.



linking up with...
tatertotsandjello
kojodesigns
sunscholars
bedifferentactnormal
underthetableanddreaming
C.R.A.F.T.

snow ball cookies

my mom made these cookies for us when i was little and now i made them for my little ones. be sure to double the recipe!

1/2 cup butter
2 to 3 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup ground pecans
1 cup flour
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

preheat oven to 250 degrees. cream sugar, butter, and salt in a bowl. then add vanilla, flour and pecans. roll dough into 1 inch balls and place on cookie sheet. bake in oven for 40-45 minutes. allow to cool. roll balls in powdered sugar to coat.

real life

my week has been...
rough. one of my friends from MOPS passed away last week. the funeral was yesterday. she was only 32 years old. it breaks my heart for her husband and two little girls.
inspired. i took a photography class this weekend. i have a lot to work on and i'm hoping to work on building my portfolio in the next couple of months. more to come on that soon!
tiring. tuesdays are always so busy with bible study, meetings, school and awana.
fun. i beat my husband at monopoly the other night! i desperately dislike the game but it is his favorite. usually, i'm the big loser!

discouraging. my little guy has been potty trained for months now, and is now wetting the bed at night. my doctor says it's normal for boys. he doesn't even wake up after he has gone. i don't get it! if you have a boy and have advice, i would love to hear from you!
exciting. i've memorized 12 verses so far in the book of James. i guess God has a sense of humor and is allowing my brain to intake more information than i thought was possible.

p.s...the pizza casserole that i talked about the other day was very good!

happy friday

our little lady lost another tooth last night. she was so excited to pull it out herself! and since she doesn't believe in the tooth fairy {crazy, i know}, we are having a celebration instead. she just asked me to surpirse her with a special dinner and dessert...easy enough!

we are having this for dinner tonight.


i pinned the pizza casserole awhile back and have been waiting for a good opportunity to make it. tonight, we are having friends over and our husbands are off to the men's conference at church. nothing better that good food and friends to share it with!

snowman garland

this craft was easy enough for my 2 year old to do. i purchased white paper plates at the dollar store and we used different colors of card stock to embellish our snowmen. my little lady wanted them hung over the fireplace, so that's where they hang...i hope they won't melt!




this was a fitting craft for yesterday, since it snowed all day!
linking up with...
tatertotsandjello
kojodesigns
sunscholars
bedifferentactnormal
underthetableanddreaming
C.R.A.F.T.

snowman art

this was a fun art project! all you need is equal parts shaving cream and glue...and a little goes along way. mix them together and use your fingers to create your snowman. then, we used cardstock to embellish our snowman. the shaving cream/glue mixture dries puffy and is really fun looking!

a new challenge

today, i'm just giddy with excitement! no, there's no big announcement coming your way, just the joy that lies on my heart.

there's nothing more that i love than to be with a group of women and study God's word together! i'm very passionate about both...God and women! i love seeing how God works in other women's lives. i love sharing the journey together as we struggle through whatever circumstances we face, because we all know life isn't easy! sometimes it is down right hard, it even sucks at times and can be so discouraging! i can't imagine going through life without the support of women in my life!

i can't imagine if i didn't have their words of encouragement, their words that challenged me to go deeper with God and their willingness to pray for me. i love how God uses different women to bless my life. there's a particular lady that challenges me ever day to be a better woman, one that is continually growing closer to God.
my little lady inspires me everyday.
she also challenges what kind of person i really am.
she knows every flaw of mine.
and she's seen me at my best and at my worst.
i can't tell you in words how much i love my little girl, but if you are a mom, you know. i'm just crazy about her and desire so much for her! i know that God has great things planned for her.

as i was preparing awhile back for the James bible study that i'm co-leading, i was telling my little lady about what we would be studying. i told her that one of the options in this Beth Moore "James" study was to memorize the entire book of James. i told her this because my little lady is pretty good at memorizing bible verses and i wanted her to ponder what it would be like to memorize an entire book of the bible. you could see her eyes grow wider and wide at the thought of that. our conversation pretty much ended with that. however, God was stirring something up in me that i hadn't really given much thought too. as i had begun preparing for this study, the thought of memorizing the entire book of James n.e.v.e.r. crossed my mind. being a mom of two little ones, i feel like my head is constantly full of things like...
what am i going to make for dinner tonight?
did i switch over the laundry last night or am i going to have stinky clothes this morning?
where is that piece of paper i'm looking for?
i really need to get to the post office to mail out that package.
why are the kids fighting again?
and the list could go on and on.

so when i knew God was asking me to memorize the book of James, all of my thoughts came rushing forward and i thought, how will i ever be able to do that when my head feels like it is at capacity already? i still don't know how i will do it. but, i'm going to because i desire more than anything to be obedient to God. and, if my daughter can memorize God's word, than so can i. granted she hasn't ever memorized a whole book, but i want to be an encouragement to her. i want her to see me struggle through it...because the Lord knows, it won't be easy for me. i want her to see me be obedient to God. and lastly, i know she will get a first hand account of what it is like to her momma persevere through something that is not easy. i know through this i will grow, but i also hope that it will grow her in her faith with God.

so as the weeks progress, i will update you on how i'm doing. not to brag, because i know and so does the Lord, that this will be not of my doing, but rather of His. because if it was up to me, i would have said my head is too full and there might be a melt down if i try to add anything to it. i guess God disagrees. i'm not seeking praise of any kind or for you to say look at what she's doing, i'm just sharing what God has asked of me so that you can hold me accountable. because really, isn't that what life is all about?

i would love to hear what God is challenging or convicting you to do in your life, so that i may be an encouragement to you.

thanks for listening to my heart!

snowman mashed potatoes

we like to have fun with our food here! i love to make snowman mashed potatoes on a cold night in january. we ate them last night with pot roast and salad. it doesn't take much to get the kids giggling when they come to the dinner and see a snowman on their plate!



i'll be sharing some of our other "snowman" fun this week with you!

an old bicycle basket

i'm trying to gather things for my little guys room. his room is pretty bare bones right now...a crib and a dresser. i want to add some decorations and things that he can grow into. he doesn't need a ton, but i want it to be his and something that will be fun for him. i love finding old things and giving them new life. i found this old bicycle basket on ebay and knew exactly where i would use it. instead of a bookcase for his bedroom, i'm using the basket to hold his books.

i have a thing for metal baskets...i probably could blog about that issue too! but, for now i will just tell you that i love using baskets throughout my house to hold books in. most rooms in our house have baskets with books in them. reading is a big deal in our house and i want my kids to love reading! maybe that's the teacher side in me coming out!

paper snowflakes

i'm not a big fan of snow. it's beautiful when it's coming down, but quickly turns to a mucky mess! i'm not even sure if mucky is a word...but it is in my head!

however, since all the Christmas decorations are put away, i wanted something that was pretty to put up in my window. i do love the the thought that no two snowflakes are the same. God is the ultimate artist and even makes the snowflakes uniquely different. how much more then, does He care about us and makes us unique in our own way. the older i get, the more i appreciate this and try not to be someone else, but rather, the one God has created me to be!


i found the tutorial for it here. however, she called them stars and i guess they could be stars, but to me they looked more like snowflakes. which came in handy, since that's what i wanted! they look pretty fancy, but they really weren't that hard.

LIVE IT

i can't tell you how excited i am about this bible study! first off, the book of James is my favorite book of the bible. it contains my life verse...

"consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. perservance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."
James 1:2-4

i'm co-leading this study at my church and i can't wait to take the ladies through it. i've been preparing for our class over the last couple of weeks and i know that it is rich in content and has already challenged me! the one thing that i love about the book of James is the boldness that comes through! James challenges us to live out our faith. it challenges us with the thought of...how we live our life conveys our true walk of faith. basically, are we all talk or are we living out who God has called us to be? it's not easy, but i know this is what God desires for all of us...to live out our faith.
i love this quote, because it captures my heart's desire...

"when i stand before God at the end of my life, i would hope that i would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, i used everything you gave me." ~erma bombeck

my prayer to God this year is...
i want to be changed by You.
i want to use everything for You.
i want to live for You.
i love you, Lord!