Category Archives: Lessons

Sufferin’ Succotash

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It’s Friday and usually I round-up the week with a little summary of what went down this past week with Jennifer Fulwiler and her peeps @ Conversion diary, however, it seems I’ve been doing plenty o’ whining about my week all week-long.  This Friday is a little different version…..because amidst all my moaning this week I’ve had a lot on my heart and prayers going up for various friends.  Tonight, in the midst of our evening routine a good friend emailed me great news regarding some prayers answered.  It was a reminder that suffering, though inevitable, often brings great changes.  This week I’ve been praying a lot and chewing on suffering.  We don’t always find out the “why” but when we realize that this life is temporary and accept that God CAN and DOES use all things to His glory, we can manage through a little bit easier until we gaze upon that which is eternal.  hopefully.  generally easier said than done.

  • In suffering we become more empathetic toward others, realizing we all have a cross to bear, none heavier than the other.
  • In suffering we are given the opportunity to open up and allow others in because we aren’t meant to carry our burdens alone.
  • In suffering we have a choice, to be bitter and let the weight of the world crush our shoulders or accept and let our suffering bring us to a healing relationship in Christ.
  • In suffering we are often begin to see more clearly the difference between what is useful and necessary and that which is excessive and confusing.
  • In suffering we prioritize the important and (hopefully) adjust our sails accordingly to tweak our actions to match our priorities.
  • In suffering we step out in faith.
  • In suffering we receive grace.

Whatever cross you bear, may you be fully comforted in the Truth and Joy that comes in a Savior that died for us so that we may be received into heaven freed from the suffering that comes in this life.  Be blessed.  Be encouraged.  You.  ARE.  Loved.

Psalm 66:10  For you, O God, tested us; you refined us like silver.

Psalm 94:12  Blessed is the man you discipline, O Lord, the man you teach from your law.

Isaiah 55:9  As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Romans 8:18  I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.

Romans 12:12  Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

Revelation 21:4  And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain:  for the former things are passed away.

Manic Monday

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After the whirlwind weekend comes crazy Monday….

Starting off innocently and with bright hopes for the day with a great boot camp, shower, some quiet time and then off to wake up the littlest (our older girl had a sleepover) and then…..at 7:22 a.m. as I was gently waking her and asking what she wanted for breakfast….I realized….I……was the early person.  Yes, the person who “opens up” at 7:30 a.m.  Oh.  crud.  Bless her heart,she opened those eyes and joined “Team Mom” and dressed and got ready in record time as I made lunches and got myself ready.  I made it to work @ 8:06 and FORTUNATELY had NO patients waiting…..phew!!!

Nothing like a little adrenaline to start the day.

The evening was apparently a bit of a peek into what the next few months have in store for us with dueling sports/practices/games going on.  We’ve done this before and I guess enough time must have passed that I forgot how psycho that time was….kind of like being pregnant/giving birth/babies.  So….here we go again.  Lord, have mercy on us.

We have a cheerleader for a Pop Warner football league and a soccer player entering the club bracket for the first time.  We will have NO.  LIFE.   for the next four months. So call me.  maybe.  or text.  or email.  or Facebook me.  or read my blog, it may get interesting as the seasons start (because we’re still in “practice” with no games until September)….on a plus side, I’ll be getting lots of cardio in during the practices, so there’s that.

I thought it went fairly well with Hubby on “deliver-the-girls to practice” duty and me on pick-up.  I had son #2 put dinner in the oven and Hubby would be home in time from his swim to dish it out and get the sides ready, except………somehow…..the oven didn’t actually get turned ON.   Therefore….pancakes, eggs and hash for dinner.  And it was ready.  My Hubby rocks.  and he makes great pancakes, too!  😉

So…..little speedbumps to smooth out…but that’s what practice runs are for, right?   Boys and girls we learned a few good lessons today:

1) Make sure you know WHEN you are supposed to be somewhere.

2) Make lunches the night before.  Time saver here.

3) Teach the boy to push the button PROPERLY…

4)  Always have  pancakes, eggs and hash on hand.  oh, and chocolate chips.  they go good in pancakes and in a REAL crisis you can just eat them by the handful.

Spastic Sunday….

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Sunday.  A day of rest.  After our “shopping Saturday melee” you’d think I’d really take advantage of that….and the day started out innocently enough:  Mass and donuts and then home for a “Teamwork” chores activity and by Noon, the house was clean, laundry was going, it was raining (again–thankfully!) and we were one kid down for a sleepover.  Then I don’t know what happened.

I had to take our youngest to get shoes (shoes and supplies are essentially all that’s left on the school shopping list) for her and her sister, who told us what she wanted…we ran a couple of other errands (buttons to bling up her backpack and a new pillow for my awful, aching neck), somehow managed to drop her off at her friends (now down two kids to friends) and made it home.

Love this cookbook!!

Sitting for a few minutes I remembered I really wanted to cook a few meals ahead and freeze because we have an insane couple of weeks with practices nightly until 7:30 and it’s so much nicer if dinner is READY when we get home.  So I began.  Sometimes when I do stuff like this, it is utter chaos….controlled, mind you….but there is nothing anyone can do to help me because it would take WAY too long to explain the stream of consciousness going on in my head and here’s the breakdown that took place in the two hour period:

(It’s kind of like “If you give a mouse a cookie“….I am the mouse.)

  • I fried up some bacon because bacon=yummy dinner to my kids
  • I chopped and caramelized onions in the bacon drippings because kids don’t mind onions if they taste like bacon
  • I browned some ground beef added the onions and split it up for two dinners
  • I made some coffee and sweetened condensed milk ice cubes for my weekend iced coffees
  • I hardboiled a dozen eggs because we had a ton in the fridge
  • I had leftover SCMilk so I made a killer chocolate cake
  • I made two shrimp quiches and had leftover cream so…..
  • I made homemade whipped cream for the cake
  • I finished dinner for that night which was SOOOOO easy and so delicious that my 9-year-old daughter’s friend said, “Let me know the next time you have this and I’ll drive myself over here!”  Here’s that recipe:

Spray a 13X9 pan and place chicken breasts in pan

Pour a jar of Alfredo sauce over chicken

Sprinkle bacon crumbs over sauce

Grate Havarti cheese and sprinkle over bacon

Bake @ 375 for 20-30 minute (until chicken is done)….enjoy!

I ran out of steam and then had a mountain of a mess to clean up, but I am hoping that it helps our hellish evenings go a little smoother knowing that dinner is ready when we get home.  How do YOU prepare for your crazy nights without Driving Through and killing your budget???

Now it didn’t go as planned on Monday….but that’s another post!  Have a blessed day!

Sweet nectar…

Friday: caffeine, cooties and chicken edition

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All I can say is T.G.I.F.!!!!!!  It’s been a full and exhausting week and I pray, Pray, PRAY we have zilcho going on this weekend—-even though I know it’s doubtful….I’m still going to pray for it!  Read about Sunburned Jen who also enjoys her coffee (especially when it’s free!) and her other friends/groupies/bloggies and their week HERE!!

  • The Olympics.  Holy.  Cow!  I am loving it.  Every bit.  Diving, swimming and gymnastics take up most of our viewing time due to our TV window in the evening, but a little beach volleyball, rowing, biking have snuck in and I’m really looking forward to track and field.  Anyone else  completely in awe and inspired by all this athletic talent?!?!?!?  The only down side is that with such a time difference here in the States, many of the results are spoiled before we can see the contest AND I’m up WAAAAAAAAY too late and am taking in seriously increased amounts of caffeine to make up for it.  I’ll suck it up.  It’s worth it.
  • The Chicken.  Holy.  Non-cow.  I thoroughly enjoyed my chicken biscuit for breakfast the other day, but I REALLY enjoyed all the pics and news coverage of people all over the country waiting in MASSIVE lines supporting Chik-fil-A, traditional values (crazy, right?), and freedom to speak DIFFERENTLY.  Political correct-ness, be damned.
  • Strep.  Round 2.  What the FUDGE!??!?!  Our youngest is going to have her tonsils yanked (by me!!!) if this keeps up.  OY!  And then dear ole dad/Hubby succumbed to the cooties for a double dose of fun.  Let’s just say the week started off quite bumpy and grumpy but THANKFULLY is smoothing out.  Phew!
  • Adoration.  For a dear friend’s daughter.  There is simply NO better way to spend a lunch hour…although with the drive to and fro it’s a more like 30 minutes, but….I’ll take it!!!
  • Boot Camp.  I make it back.  One day anyway.  (planned on this morning, but last night’s Olympic-viewing killed me for this morning…apparently I didn’t hear the alarm)  I did get some walking in the evening though this week during soccer and cheer practices.  So there’s that.
  • Cloning.  Can we reconsider this?  I’d like a clone of me.  To send to work.  Then I could shuttle kids to and fro to practices/games and work on dinner….OR.  OR.  OR.  I could learn to LET GO and share tasks with my Hubby, my helpmate, my love.  (but it’s so haaaaaaaaaard to not do it all, I say!!!)  Either way, something’s gonna give since with soccer and cheer our fall will be full…right up to January.  I do believe I will begin a love affair with my crock pot, otherwise our family will surely starve to death these next 4 months!
  • Back-to-school will be what kills my weekend.  We start the 20th (yes, 17 days away) and this weekend is “tax-free days” and with 4 kiddos to supply we’ll take every percentage we can get.    I’ll need some beach time to recoup from it for sure!

How’s YOUR week been?  What’s YOUR weekend shaping up to be?  How’s YOUR Olympic experience going??  Check out Jen and the throngs @ Conversion Diary and see what’s going on around the world!   If you haven’t already seen this, I’ll leave you with this tasty idea in caffeine enjoyment! Blessings and Happy Friday!!

What?!?! A cookie coffee cup! Yum!

 

Eat mor’ chik’n

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Breakfast….because I only get an hour for lunch, I knew this was my best shot at making the CFA run!

Yesterday was Chick-fil-A appreciation day.  A day where people supported the fact that a restaurant or business is just as entitled to their beliefs as any other person.  Sadly, because Chick-fil-A, a Christian company (I’ve mentioned this before) supports the biblical definition of marriage between a man and a woman the entire liberal world is up in arms because (gasp) someone doesn’t agree with their view.  It’s not a hate thing, it’s a differing of opinions and I loved to see all the pictures from around the country of people supporting the same idea of FREEDOM OF SPEECH, freedom to express one’s faith and freedom to disagree RESPECTFULLY with one another.

 

 

 

abcnews, fresnobee and abclocal web pics