ALL of Him...

WOW it's been a YEAR since I posted!! How sad for me...I love to write! Well here is my God story for the day.... Yesterday (Wed) was a particularly crappy day... seriously it was a day that the song was penned "momma said there'd be days like this" and I was very much unprepared and not feeling particularly loving. So a day without loving feelings is bound to end horribly right?? Well towards the evening I was insistent on going to the grocery store Weis. We attempted once but that got foiled so at 7pm I asked again. Here is the "need to know" part, I am pretty scheduled on what day I do grocery shopping and Wed was not that day, also I almost never ask Dave to join me but for some reason I kept asking so bless his heart he agreed :) We get thru and at the check out the cashier exclaims, "Your the one! The other day, you hugged me, I was having a bad day and you told me you would pray for me and you hugged me and I have to tell you prayer works because the next day I went back to church and my daughter spoke to me" and she proceeded to tell me it was her turn to return the favor and embraced me in a hug. People I am here to tell you it was as if the very arms of God enveloped me at the checkout line at Weis. She has no idea how much I needed that love yesterday and I am so thankful :) God is soo good! On this journey I know I'm not promised days of sunshine and rainbows...there will be some dark clouds but they can NEVER hide the Love of God, HIS love will always break thru!! Have a Blessed day!!!

GREAT taste...NO pain!

So much has changed the last few months….our meal plan is the biggest of all changes. Dave had another bout of intestinal issues and we decided NO MORE MEDICINE, the antibiotics they give are extremely toxic and cause a slew of other problems and we decided ENOUGH!

And so the searching began. Dear friends at church led us to some books called “Great Taste No Pain” we ordered those books and after reading and researching we decided to give this a try. Basically you can’t eat a protein combined with a starch, Hellooo that’s the American diet, meat and potatoes!! But for those that suffer with many of the intestinal diseases those combinations are painful!! We also started looking into GMO genetically modified foods and what all of that means and decided it was time we become aware of what we are purchasing and what is in our foods.

Making these changes was not an overnight thing, we are still transitioning into this new lifestyle, that’s what it is really, a lifestyle not a new diet. I can say with certainty…IT WORKS!! My husband has been pain and symptom free for a few months now and we are overjoyed!!

How did we get started? Well we started by making a few minor changes at first, antibiotic free milk organic brown eggs, organic coffee beans, organic yogurt and organic vegetables. Then we started with hormone free chicken and grass fed beef. As I started shopping I started to pick up organic condiments, ketchup etc… Again it’s a slow process and we are going into this step by step. Our meal menus have changed and for the most part the kids have embraced our new eating habits….sometimes it does come with resistance and we are selective in those battles….if it’s a meal that I KNOW they won’t appreciate I will compromise and make something they will eat which usually ends up being pasta and sauce!!

The more I read and learn I realize there is no turning back. Certain 'go to' foods I just cannot purchase anymore knowing that in the long run could really affect our health... Going out to eat is a challenge and we have to be really selective with where we chose and what we chose. I realize that I can make some amazing meals at home and so going out to eat has lost it’s novelty.

Here is a peak into our new weekly menu:

• Mediterranean veggie Panini (roasted red pepper hummus, sliced cucumbers, roasted red peppers, lettuce, red onion, feta cheese, sliced tomatoes) with Homemade tomato soup
• Spinach Calzones with blue cheese/ grilled veggies
• Honey mustard pork tenderloin with roasted kale
• Falafel pita/ salad
• Pasta puttanesca/salad
• Grilled chicken/ veggies

Enjoying the Journey!!!

I'm eating my toast on the good plates!!

As someone who has struggled with self worth, even the title is a huge thing!! I would never do that, the good dishes are for company, for others more deserving….not for me to eat a simple piece of toast on…until now!! The other week I watched as women of all shapes and sizes walked across a stage carrying their cardboard testimonies and the speaker challenged us to think of our own, I came up with a few, one is for now and one is my big dream I’m asking God! The for now one goes like this: I used to compare myself to others” flip it over “I AM a PRICELESS PRINCESS…my daddy is a KING” . I am worthy! I can eat my toast on the good dishes!!

Facebook withdraw....

A week with no Facebook……I’m in withdraw for sure!! I was on my page on Monday evening and then poof it went off and I have not been able to log on since. Best part is that facebook can’t find me, I don’t exist in facebook world!! Yet my friends can ‘see’ me... I have loved being on facebook, finding lost friends and keeping connected with new friends and now my time there is over….since they cannot find me. I attempted a new account, but when I enter my email account facebook tells me that an account already exists with that email…….hummm so I do exist, but I’m invisible!!! I’m seeing that M & M commercial they play at Christmas time running thru my mind, where the big M & M sees Santa and says “he does exist” and Santa says “they do exist” and they both fall over…. LOL My husband tells me it’s a good thing, I spent way too much time on there. Little does he know I get things accomplished on there………….ok so I may spend to much time on there but I like it danggit. So until ET returns and takes me to my facebook home….I’m off there for now. :(

1-17/1-23 menu

I'm really going to enjoy this once I get a few weeks into this...then I can track to see what was a hit or a miss and see what we eat alot of. Right now it's pasta for sure, with Josh in swimming he likes to have carbs the night before a meet, so I try and buy the 'smart pasta' or whole grain pasta.

Here is 1-17/1-23-2011 menu:

*Baked Chicken Cordon Bleu/ long grain wild rice/ sugar snap peas

*mexi-mac skillet (great one dish meal)

*Steak on grill/ baked tator/ green beans with dill cream sauce

*hard & Soft tacos/ spanish rice

*Shredded beef sandwiches/ Coleslaw/ veggie

*Spag with sauce/ salad

*barley beef skillet (one dish meal)

*weeknight chicken & pasta

Weekly Menu

Menu for this week:
Some of the meals were not made this past week, so I'm adding them again!

* French Onion Soup in crocks/ salad

* Tenderloin steak sandwiches/baked tators/veggie

* Weeknight Chicken & Pasta/ fresh rolls

* Crunchy onion BBQ chicken/smashed tators/ veggies

* makeover rigatoni with Bacon & asparagus

* Barley Beef Skillet

* Spaghetti with meatsauce/ salad

* swiss chicken/veggies/cranberry

Weekly Meal Plan

Someone has given me a book that is called “make your own cookbook” where I get to write out my favorite recipes in each category!! I have always had the desire to write out recipes for my kids, that someday they will cherish mom’s recipes in her own handwriting as I cherish recipes from my mam mam.

This inspired me to also write out my weekly meal plans and use this as a tool to track what we like vs. what didn’t work based on how many times we make the same recipes!!

So here goes, each week I will post my weekly meal plan. I don’t pick meals for each day, just 8-9 meals that I have all the ingredients on hand to make and daily I chose what to make from that list. If I happen to have meals left at the end of the week I flip them over to the next week. We always have “mustgoes” that is, everything in the fridge that “must” GO. I will allow the kids to pick what they want, or they can have a bowl of cereal and then I package and give meals to people in the neighborhood or at church!! I’ve been doing this for years, and now I will have a permanent record on my blog!! I have WW points for the majority of my meals and all of my recipes are made with the light alternative (low fat sour cream vs. reg sour cream) and most came from the Healthy Cooking magazines and cookbooks thru the years that I have tweaked.

*Chicken parmesan over angel hair pasta/salad

* Healthy tuna noodle casserole/ peas & Carrots

* Dijon crusted Tilapia/ cooked noodles or seasoned rice/ veggie
(my favorite meal)

*Swiss Chicken/cranberry/ veggies

*Homemade chicken breast sandwiches/ homemade baked French fries/ salad

* Tortellini chicken soup

* Spaghetti with mini meatballs/garlic bread/ steamed broccoli

* Homemade French Onion Soup in crocks

* Pasta Fagioli

The "other shoe has dropped"

The other shoe has finally dropped!! Okay so it’s a boot…but bear with me.

Last year we started 2009 in the ER and spent a significant amount of the year back and forth to Dr’s and surgeons and hospital stays and lot’s and lot’s of antibiotics. Watching my husband suffer was really difficult for me, and soon I was so wrapped up in sickness that I lost myself in it. I remember saying to him that I felt like I was living each day waiting for the “other shoe” to drop. Don’t get me wrong, I had good days and bad days, it was a roller coaster to say the least!

As 2011 approached, I became paranoid…that’s a strong word, but I really felt like I was!! I kept asking him everyday how do you feel, do you have any pain….and not only was I driving him crazy, I was driving myself crazy!

Normally we spend New Year’s Eve with friends, but this year was different, their whole family had the flu so plans changed, and honestly I think it was just what I needed. Instead of staying in we decided to attend our town’s celebration. As cheesy as it sounds our town drops a boot on New Year’s Eve! Why a boot? Well apparently back in its hay day there were four shoe factories and one of those made military boots, hence dropping the boot! LOL It was fun, and we laughed, but I began to think how significant that event was for me…..the other shoe DROPPED!!! It Dropped!! And for the first time in a year I felt like I could exhale…God has it all under control, HE always did, and I just wasn’t letting HIM have it all. I know it sounds so silly but I really needed to see that shoe drop…and this year I resolve to live in Victory and not fear!! I read an article the other day about facing the New Year without fear here is an excerpt:

“Who says, "I will never leave thee nor forsake thee"? It is the omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent God. This is the confidence of His promise.
In the coming year, when you say, "God, I just don't have the strength." The omnipotent God will answer, "I will never leave thee nor forsake thee." When you say, "God, I'm afraid of what is going to happen." The omnipresent God says, "I will never leave thee nor forsake thee." And when you say, "God, I don't know what to do." The omniscient God will respond, "I will never leave thee nor forsake thee." He himself hath said it”

I am confidently going into the New Year with my omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent God!! Happy New Year.

p.s. kermit was the towns anniversary celebration mascot...cheesy I know. And the muppet animal is the fire company mascot :)

Our Holiday Home 2010

This is by far the most wonderful time of year!! I love Christmas…for all it represents and this season, gives me renewed HOPE! It’s been a rough year in our house with medical issues (that began last year at this time) and I have been setting my creativeness aside…too many other things to think about, notice I said ‘think’ and not ‘worry’.
As this holiday approached I had a new sense of HOPE, Jesus is the reason we celebrate and for that I am so Thankful!! This brings a smile to my face and my heart, I felt my creative juices stirring and was actually excited to decorate this year!! While the boys were off hunting, I began pulling out bins and boxes !! Not to mention all the blogs that I read that give me such inspirations, this one blog I enjoy reading "The Glamorous Life of a Housewife” is a big inspiration!! I’d love to just visit her house, it’s so warm and cozy and full of southern charm!! Ohh and her mom…she has the most BEAUTIFUL table scapes, I’d love to be invited for dinner…amen.
My first project was the mantle, I really wanted decorative stockings that were cozy and country mix-matched and I have been searching but couldn’t find exactly what I wanted, so I went to Hobby Lobby, picked out material and made my own quirky stockings and hand stitched the words; Love, Hope, Joy & Peace. The tree is always a country Frasier fir tree with white lights and a tin star and of course the kids ornaments thru the years as well as some handmade ornaments from my mam mam….I always hated those plastic canvas ornaments but now that mam mam is no longer with us they are very dear to me…it’s all about perspective!!
I love to snuggle up on the couch with all the Christmas lights on, and the fireplace glowing and for a moment in time there is Peace on earth!!

Oh Christmas Tree!!

It’s no secret how much I LOVE Christmas! I love birthdays too so having Jesus Birthday to celebrate makes it that much more special…a month long celebration!!! I love the music, I love the smell of a fresh cut tree, I love the twinkling lights and I love decorating the house! This year Hannah and I got to pick the Christmas tree, it was so fun doing that with her. We picked the perfect tree and this year, we got the “marriage saver” tree stand, Ok so that’s not what’s on the package, but it should be! They drill a hole in the trunk and all you do is push this baby on and DONE! NO crawling under the tree to make sure it’s level, no fights saying “more to the left…no more to the right…no more…” We seriously carried the tree in the house and cut the plastic off and DONE! It was up and had the lights on in no time…this photo was taken pre-ornaments.

Farewell to 8th grade...

On May 14th, Dave and I were chaperones for Joshua’s 8th grade farewell dance! He refused to let me take my camera…sigh…so I snapped this while he got ready, not the best picture, I know…sigh…The PTO really did a wonderful job decorating the cafeteria and outdoor area. The Hershey Pantry did a beautiful buffet for the kids complete with mini cheese burgers, pigs in a blanket, chicken tenders and no buffet in or around Hershey would be complete without a chocolate fountain!! The kids LOVED this, dipping marshmallows, strawberries and pretzels into the cascading chocolate…someone stood nearby reminding them to NOT double dip and to NOT use their fingers and I’m sure someone had to tell them NOT to put their mouths anywhere near the chocolate!! The cafeteria had stars hanging from the ceiling and balloons throughout. I was really pleased with the dress code, the kids didn’t wear prom gowns and tuxes, they wore khakis and button down tops, girls were pretty dresses, but they had to cover their shoulders and the dress had to be a certain length. Josh spent the night playing volleyball and basketball, occasionally coming to the dance floor to jump around with his friends…but no slow dances. We did notice there were girls coming to talk to him…I mean he’s so handsome and all!! It’s so hard for me to believe that my baby boy is going to be a freshman in high school next year…it seems like yesterday he was learning to walk….I have always heard parents say time goes so quickly and now I know exactly what they mean. I am proud of the young man that he is becoming and I can’t wait to see what God has in store for his future.

A different perspective...

Hannah came to me the other day stating that "she couldn’t stand her room being dirty, she had SOOOOO much stuff she didn’t want in there." So I gave her a bag and told her to fill the bag with everything she didn’t want and we could give it away…Days later I found the bag and this is what I found,a few papers about butterflies, a bookmark she got for her birthday and 2 notes asking for volunteers for school!! I am SOOOO glad these things are out of her life…I mean whew they really cluttered up the place…note picture of “uncluttered” room!! Gotta love her!!