JOY COMES IN THE MORNING!

Psalm 127

A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem. A psalm of Solomon.

¹ Unless the Lord builds a house,
    the work of the builders is wasted.
Unless the Lord protects a city,
    guarding it with sentries will do no good.
² It is useless for you to work so hard
    from early morning until late at night,
anxiously working for food to eat;
    for God gives rest to his loved ones.

³ Children are a gift from the Lord;
    they are a reward from him.
⁴ Children born to a young man
    are like arrows in a warrior’s hands.
⁵ How joyful is the man whose quiver is full of them!
    He will not be put to shame when he confronts his accusers at the city gates.

Once in awhile in a flurry of excitement, I just want to SHARE something...really wonderful, really funny, really bad, really...anything...with someone...ANYONE!

But then I think:  Would *anyone* even care about this anyway?  Would *anyone* even have time to listen?  (The list is short.) Would *anyone* NOT think I'm a dork? (The list has just grown shorter...)

The hard, honest truth is:  Probably Not. 😏

When God shares a special insight with us, He gives us a pearl.  When we run with our pearls to just *anyone,* it often ends in disappointment.  We must be selective about who we share our heart's treasures with.

Jesus tells us in Matthew 7:6:

“Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces."

Am I saying our family and friends are pigs?  No.  BUT...when we share things that are close to our heart, and then discover that people just don't "get it" or don't have time, don't respond, or even end up discouraging us, we must ask ourselves:  Was it worth it to share?  

So what do we do with all these pearls (and sorrows, and fears, and, and, and...)?

The answer to all of those questions above is the same:  Give them to God. God always cares...always has time...never thinks I'm a dork.  He already told me what He thinks of me:
I am His good work in progress...
I am His masterpiece....
I am filled with His Strength...
I am Fearfully and Wonderfully made...
That is TRUTH. Because He said so! :)

Philippians 1:3-6
"I thank my God every time I remember you. 4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."
and

Ephesians 2:8-10
"God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago."


2 Corinthians 12:9-11
"But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

Psalm 139:14
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.

Sometimes we as Mamas (and humans, for that matter) forget how God sees us, and we base our worth/success/moods on "how good" we are being...or how funny or interesting we are.  I think at the base of our hearts we are wondering:  Am I special?  Am I making a difference?

The Enemy of our souls would love for us to be defeated in every way every day. I'm so thankful that God took special care to remind us that we are precious because we are HIS, not because of what we do or how far we have come so far. His Strength is Perfect in our weaknesses...I want to glorify Him in my weaknesses (which are countless...ever so many) so that His Power may rest on me!

~Grace and Peace from one of God's masterpieces to another
❤

Dear Someone

Dear Someone,
I am weary and worn. It's hard to describe it in words...I have multiple layers of myself.  There's the ME that I can be in front of my kids...and the deeper ME in front of my husband...which is a different ME than I can be in front of my sisters...or my parents...or my friends...or my facebook peeps...

Then there's the ME that I am when I pray and do my Bible study...and then...THEN...there's the REAL DEEP DOWN ME that no one--NO ONE--sees but God.  It's a secret society thing, because I know He sees...and He knows that I know...and we don't talk about it.  Or at least I don't.  I have trouble revealing myself to Him, but I know He knows me anyway, despite my best attempts to be a "godly girl."  And yet somehow, I still play the charade, knowing He knows the truth, and still somehow finding comfort in the fact that I don't go "all out raw" in my time alone with Him.  Maybe that's because I don't have it.  I don't have time alone with Him...almost ever. My tears fall silently down my cheeks as I type this. My life is filled with people...and barking dogs...and noise...and phone calls, and texts, and responsibilities, and schedules, and events, and homeschooling, and company dropping by, and laundry, and meals to make, and diets to fail...and STUFF. I can't even look at the computer screen as I type because I know it will slow everything down.  I look out the window as I listen to an airplane fly by...and a cat meow, and my bamboo wind chimes clacking in the breeze.  It's gray outside, which suits me fine.  I'm not really depressed, I don't think...just worn out.  I wish I could get past my quicksand.  I need a miracle...literally. I'm so stuck in my going, but I need and want REST.  Jesus said, "Come unto me all you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest." (proper verse with reference listed later, after feverish typing subsided...):

Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV)

²⁸ “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Right now, I can't figure out how to have time/energy/"realness" to even come to Him.  I *know* that's where rest resides... Even as I type this, my phone is clanging a new text from one of my sisters. sigh. I can't silence my phone...I am the hub/contact person for the family...for my mom's caregivers...for my oldest kids who are in another state on a mission trip...for my hubby who needs me to take care of some business paperwork today that I don't even know all the answers to...for my friend whose son died and struggles every day with more grief than I could imagine carrying. So many family and friends with so much loss!  Break-ups, divorces, deaths, and devastations. I have no right to cry...no right to feel "done."  No right to want to give up, but I do...I'm exhausted emotionally, mentally, physically, and spiritually. I have swollen lymph nodes, and am drained.  Maybe I'm not writing this to the blogiverse...no one reads this blog anyway.  Maybe I'm really writing to you, God.  I know you're there.  I have faith in you, and I always have. I'm sad that I'm struggling, and I'm sorry...I'm sorry I'm having such a hard time having real time with you and in your word because it is what gives me life. I'm sorry that I play Farm Heroes instead of read Your Word...I'm sorry I listen to a sermon instead of You as I fall asleep. I'm sorry that I can only type this to "someone" instead of just pray to you during my "prayers."  Hold on...I better check that text, I guess...

I just don't know where to begin. You know about Mom...3 cancers in 3 years...what is her prognosis going to be? Only you know.  Our finances...ugh. going through all the paperwork and hard work of pinching pennies, saying NO to things, missing out, so many demands, so little time to figure out what's next.  Do I work full time? Who will teach the kids? How will this work?  What's happening with Mom? Are we going to have to move out and let them move in so they have a one level?  Thank you for providing the Stair lifts.  I know they are broken...will you please provide someone and the money to fix them and install them right?  Jesus, I need you but I can't get to you...can you please come get me? I am lost...I am overwhelmed, I am hurting, and I am feeling alone. I KNOW you are with me, but I still need you to come get me and fix me. There's no one to talk to...no one to hear my hurts...no one who will just listen and not "fix". Their solutions are all wrong. I need someone to hear my heart, care about it, not judge me, and not try to tell me to stop doing what I know I must do. I can't see how to take care of myself better. I keep hearing that...HOW??? I can't get enough sleep to feel rested; I can't clean my house enough to make progress; I can't stay on top of anything; and I can't stop eating crap!  It's all I want right now...it makes me feel better...then WORSE after that!

Anyway...there it is.  There I am...warts and all.  Thank you for letting me cry and for listening, Lord.  Thank you for being my "Someone" and helping me pray for real...I love you.  And please remember to come get me to help me come to you.  I'm a little lost, I think.

VALENTINE'S DAY MENU ROUND-UP

Usually when we think of the word Valentine's Day, we think of cupids, chocolates, flowers, and fancy-schmancy, expensive restaurants.  And everyone loves that now and then...am I right?  BUT...what could communicate LOVE to your beloveds (especially since Valentine's Day is on a week night this year) more than a delicious home-cooked, not-very-expensive, not-very-hard-to-make meal?!  After all...time is precious, and giving that in and of itself is a gift, is it not? 

Need some inspiration for a Valentine's Menu? Here are some SIMPLE and AFFORDABLE menu ideas! I love a good gourmet meal...but I'm also often tight on time and money, so here is my solution for making LOVE DAY special at home!

 Love Shack Ribs Menu

OR
 Loverboy Lasagna Menu

AND...
 Frozen Potion #9 for Dessert

 LOVE SHACK RIBS MENU
Root Beer Ribs
Steamed red potatoes, with butter, seasoning, green onions
Garlic butter green beans

ROOT BEER RIBS:
Pork baby back ribs
Red Robin Seasoning
1 bottle favorite root beer (To keep it THM-friendly, use Virgil's or Zevia)
Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ Sauce (or THM--make your own from the cookbook)

Spray baking dish with non-stick spray. Rub ribs with Red Robin Seasoning. Place in baking dish.
Pour 1/2-3/4 bottle of favorite root beer in bottom of dish. Drink the rest. Hahahaha!
Cover with Foil.
Bake at 350 for about 2 hours. Check for tenderness. When tender and pliable, but NOT falling off the bone, brush on Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce. Put back in oven uncovered for an additional 15 minutes or until glaze caramelizes, but doesn't burn. Allow to rest for 10-15 minutes before enjoying.

STEAMED RED POTATOES:

1/2-1 lb. red potatoes per person served (I usually make 5 lbs. so we have leftovers) (or to keep Low carb, use steamed cauliflower, radishes, or turnips.  Delicious!)

Butter

Garlic powder

Trader Joe's 21 Seasoning Salute

Salt/Pepper

Green onions

Wash potatoes and cut into fourths.  Steam covered in the microwave for 7-10 minutes, checking for tenderness and adjusting.  Drain any excess liquid.  Add butter, garlic powder, salt/pepper, and TJ's 21 Seasoning Salute.  Toss together until awesome.  Cut green onions and sprinkle over the top.

GARLIC BUTTER GREEN BEANS:

2-4 Cans cut green beans (depending on family size) --or fresh...whatever you have on hand/prefer

Heat them using  your preferred method.  Add butter, garlic powder, salt/pepper to taste. Easy-peasy.

LOVERBOY LASAGNA MENU
{Lazy} Loverboy Lasagna
Italian Stallion Salad
Parmesan Garlic Bread

{Lazy} LOVERBOY LASAGNA:
1 lb. ground beef
1 lb. ground Italian sausage
1 pkg. spinach/kale blend (from salad section)
2 jars Classico sauce (I combined fire roasted tomato and garlic and Italian sausage with peppers and onions)
1 box lasagna noodles (to keep it THM friendly, use Dreamfield's, Zucchini, etc.)
1 15 oz. container part-skim ricotta cheese
2 eggs
Parmesan cheese (I used the green lid kind)
Italian seasoning
Shredded Mozzarella cheese

LAZIEST DIRECTIONS:
Cook meats together thoroughly. Add spinach/kale blend. Turn heat down to med/med-low. Cover and steam for and steam for 3-5 minutes. You shouldn't have to drain fat, unless it was a high %age of fat in your meat. Add sauces and stir together.

FILLING:
In a bowl put carton of ricotta cheese, eggs, a healthy sprinkle (about 1/4 cup?) parmesan cheese, and Italian seasoning. Stir together thoroughly.

In deep dish pan or baking dish, spray bottom and sides with non-stick spray. Layer uncooked noodles on bottom. Add a layer of sauce. Layer 1/3 filling. Add shredded mozzarella. Repeat until you run out of ingredients or room in your pan, with the top layer being sauce topped with mozzarella.

REFRIGERATE OVERNIGHT. Cover with foil. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes+, until hot and bubbly and cheese is melty. Remove foil and bake for 10-15 minutes more until cheese is bubbly and slightly browned.
*********************************

SLIGHTLY LESS LAZY DIRECTIONS:
Cook meats together thoroughly. Add spinach/kale blend. Turn heat down to med/med-low. Cover and steam for and steam for 3-5 minutes. You shouldn't have to drain fat, unless it was a high %age of fat in your meat. Add sauces and stir together.

FILLING:
In a bowl put carton of ricotta cheese, eggs, a healthy sprinkle (about 1/4 cup?) parmesan cheese, and Italian seasoning. Stir together thoroughly.

Bring large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add lasagna noodles. Par-boil for 3-4 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. Separate...

In deep dish pan or baking dish, spray bottom and sides with non-stick spray. Layer uncooked noodles on bottom. Add a layer of sauce. Layer 1/3 filling. Add shredded mozzarella. Repeat until you run out of ingredients or room in your pan, with the top layer being sauce topped with mozzarella.

REFRIGERATE FOR A FEW HOURS. Cover with foil. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes+, until hot and bubbly and cheese is melty. Remove foil and bake for 10-15 minutes more until cheese is bubbly and slightly browned.
************************************

NOT EVEN LAZY...
Cook meats together thoroughly. Add spinach/kale blend. Turn heat down to med/med-low. Cover and steam for and steam for 3-5 minutes. You shouldn't have to drain fat, unless it was a high %age of fat in your meat. Add sauces and stir together.

FILLING:
In a bowl put carton of ricotta cheese, eggs, a healthy sprinkle (about 1/4 cup?) parmesan cheese, and Italian seasoning. Stir together thoroughly.

Bring large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add lasagna noodles. BOIL for 7-9 minutes until al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water. Separate...

In deep dish pan or baking dish, spray bottom and sides with non-stick spray. Layer uncooked noodles on bottom. Add a layer of sauce. Layer 1/3 filling. Add shredded mozzarella. Repeat until you run out of ingredients or room in your pan, with the top layer being sauce topped with mozzarella.

Cover with foil. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes+, until hot and bubbly and cheese is melty. Remove foil and bake for 10-15 minutes more until cheese is bubbly and slightly browned.

Serve with ITALIAN STALLION SALAD and PARMESEAN GARLIC BREAD...Pics of ingredients below.  No real explanation needed, probably....

 AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST....DESSERT!

This frozen cherry-berry confection is the perfect de-LIGHT fully refreshing end to your meal!

Frozen Potion #9
1 cup cottage cheese
1 cup frozen cherry/berry medley
2-3 tsp. THM Super Sweet Blend or Pyure Sweet...
1 capful of Raspberry extract
1 splash of 1/2 and 1/2

Dark Chocolate of choice

Whiz this potion together in your food processor or blender until smooth and creamy. Top with dark chocolate of choice..Dove Dark Chocolate works just fine, and you get a Valentine's message to boot!  

"Walk to the beat of your own tuba"

Sounds about right to me!

Happy Love Day from our Home to yours!

FAMILY FAVORITES

FAMILY FAVORITES JAR

One thing we started having fun with recently was a "Family Favorites" jar! The idea came to me when trying to meet multiple goals:
1.) Considering creative ways to trim the budget
2.) Adding variety on Fridays instead of always doing pizza
3.) Trying to include everyone's faves, while still keeping the majority of our meals healthy. :)

Everyone got to put in a few menu ideas, and then then fun is everyone is surprised when we pull that week's choice out of the jar!  This week's surprise menu:  TACO BURGERS

:)

Pulled Pork Verde

This is an awesomely easy and versatile crockpot recipe.  Such a snap to throw together before you head out the door or let it cook all day while you homeschool your little darlings.  Muy delicioso!!!

PULLED PORK VERDE

1 large pork butt (a.k.a. shoulder roast), approx. 8 lbs.

1 large jar salsa verde (green), mild or medium...your choice

You can do this 2 ways:

OPTION 1:

 Brown the pork roast in hot oil in a heated skillet until all sides are browned

Add pork roast and salsa to crockpot

Cook on low 8-10 hours

Shred and serve

OPTION 2:

Pat pork roast dry

Add to greased crockpot

Cook on high for 4 hours, turn down to low for 3-4 hours

Shred and serve

SERVING OPTIONS GALORE....

*Make sure you make homemade pico de gallo...Pioneer Woman's recipe is the best!

*Guacamole

*Sour cream

*Olives

*Shredded lettuce

*Shredded cheese

*Salsa

*Taco Sauce

*Cilantro

*Beans (black beans, refried beans, etc.)

PORK VERDE SALAD

PORK VERDE ENCHILADAS 

(or "ENCHILADAROLE"--my short cut, layered casserole version)

  

STREET TACOS!!!!!

of course, there's always pork verde nachos, pork verde burritos, pork verde taquitos, pork verde tastadas, pork verde breakfast migas, pork verde beans and rice bowls....

You get the idea...

~Ole` and Blessings from our casa to yours!

"Countrified" Independence Day

This 4th of July holiday weekend was epic!  We had the blessing of both sides of the family together for America's birthday this year, and it was beyond awesome!  Casey's Mom and our nephew Nathan came out from Oregon to be with us, and we were also able to be with my parents and both my sisters and their families.  Freedom and family...two of my favorite treasures!  We enjoyed all the traditional joys of the holiday...Old Glory waving, Fireworks, and a little late night swimming...the stress just washed away, as we basked in the love of God, Country, and Family...

Forever in peace may she wave....

But of course...there was food...delicious, amazing, down-home "countrified" cooking!  My mother-in-law is originally from Oklahoma, and no one makes comfort food like she does!  How does this menu sound?  

Chicken/Country fried (a.k.a. "Countrified") steak, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn, sweet tea, and watermelon and strawberries for dessert!! 

Heaven?  I know, right?!  Where's my front porch swing?

By the way...did you know there is a difference between "chicken-fried" steak and "country-fried" steak?  According to Food Network:  "country-fried steak is flour-dusted and usually served with brown gravy and onions, chicken-fried steak is breaded with eggs and served with cream gravy."  So, this is neither...IT'S COUNTRIFIED STEAK Y'ALL!

Here is her special step-by-step recipe, complete with photos! I hope y'all enjoy this as much as we did!  Ok...one last thing...this is a Southern Mama's recipe...passed down from her Mama and her Grand-Mama...so there are no measurements.  Just put on your apron, and embrace your inner Mason-Dixon line, and sip a little sweet tea while you listen to some George Strait.

GRAMMY'S "COUNTRIFIED" STEAK DINNER

Cube Steak (or round steak, tenderized) -- make sure you get 1 per person and at least 1 extra each for the menfolk 

Flour

Salt

Pepper

Oil (Bacon fat, lard, shortening, peanut oil, refined coconut oil, etc.--something with a high smoke point)

***********

Canned evaporated milk

2% or Whole milk

Directions:

1.  Heat frying pan/cast iron skillet with oil and melt on Medium heat while preparing the meat.  

2.  Cover a large baking sheet with foil and place in oven on Warm, waiting for freshly cooked steaks.

3.  Get your cube steak unwrapped and ready to go.  If your meat comes in foam packing trays, use those, nestled in plastic grocery sacks for dredging and seasoning, so it can catch the excess flour, etc., and you'll thank yourself for not making a big mess!

4.   Place some flour in an empty foam tray (the one inside the grocery bag) and begin to dredge one steak at a time with flour, patting it inside the tenderized valleys, until a fine yet thorough dusting covers the meat.  Season on both sides with salt and pepper.  DON'T THROW THE LEFTOVER FLOUR/MEAT CRUMBLES/SEASONINGS MIX AWAY!!!

5.  Turn heat up to Medium-High, and place steaks in the frying pan and cook until the bottom is browned and edges are crusty.  Don't over-crowd the skillet.  Leave a little space between each steak, so that the steaks crisp us and fry, otherwise they'll steam in the pan, instead.  

6.  Flip steaks, adding more oil as needed.  Continue cooking on side 2.  If blood/juices being to pool on top of already cooked side (side 1), turn steaks again once bottom (side 2) is browned.  Continue this process until no blood remains.

7.  Turn down heat to medium and continue cooking until no bloody juice remains when poked with a fork.  

8.  Pull steaks off heat and place on heated baking sheet in oven.

9.  Continue this process until all steaks have been cooked and are in the oven staying warm.

Regular AP flour 

 Now for the Gravy....

It's time to make the roux.

1.  Add more grease/oil until you have a total of a few tablespoons accumulated.  Let it melt until it's shimmery and hot on Medium-High heat.

2.  Sprinkle the flour/meat crumbles/seasoning mixture in the the grease, adding more flour as needed until the grease and flour mixture makes a paste.  Cook, stirring semi-continuously.  Don't add the milk yet.

3.  My mother-in-law tells me that one big mistake people make in their gravy is adding the milk too soon...she says you've got to babysit, and brown that roux until it's a nice lovely tannish-brown...kind of close to peanut butter, but not quite.

4.  Add 1-2 cans of evaporated (not sweetened condensed) milk, depending on how much gravy you want to make.  2 cans makes it awfully rich-tasting, so we stick with about 1 1/2 cans of canned milk and save the rest for the mashed potatoes.

5.  Stir the milk in, adding more milk from the jug, until you get a nice thinned-out consistency.  Add salt and pepper to taste. Continue cooking over Medium-Low heat to thicken and meld flavors.  My mother-in-law tells me that a good rich gravy should take at least 15-20 minutes of cook time.  Don't rush it. 

                                                   

                                                   

Did you make mashed potatoes?  Hope so!  This is not a diet meal!

For our big family dinner, we made 10 pounds of potatoes--we always use 50% Yukon Gold and 50% Russet potatoes...in our opinion, that combo makes the best structure and taste!

Peel, cut, and boil them taters.  Drain thoroughly and add the pot back on the same burner, but with the heat off.  Add lots of butter, some canned milk, some milk from the jug, and salt and pepper. You can add a little chicken broth if you want, too.  Up to you...

50/50 Yukon Gold and Russet potatoes

True mashed--NOT whipped--potatoes!

To keep it carby, we just went all the way with some hot buttered sweet corn, too.  If you want to get healthy, you can add something *not* in the brown/tan/yellow spectrum...something like a salad or greens, perhaps!

~Bless Your Heart and Happy Independence from our front porch to yours--and don't forget the iced sweet tea!