And We're Back!

Our family just returned from a trip to Arkansas to visit some "old" friends. We had a really nice time with them, catching up and encouraging each other. I have to admit that it was hard being away from the computer...especially since I've been blogging so frequently. But it was such a joy being with close friends. I just wish they lived closer so we could hang out more often.

Our boys handled the trip pretty well. The younger one slept a lot and was in his own little world, but the older one was harder. He just asked to be out of his seat and wanted to go play. I felt bad for him. I can at list shift my weight around, but in those car seats, they can't really move. At lease they were safe.

This week I will be in full-bore cleaning mode because my mother-in-law is coming to watch the kids next weekend. My husband and I are going to a youth pastors and wives overnighter. It should be a good time of encouragement and laughter. We've gone several times before and it's a lot of fun. It's also nice to hear about how people's ministries are going and learn from others what works and what doesn't. For a "newer" ministry couple like us, it's nice to hear encouraging words from more "experienced" youth workers. It's always a great time of refreshment for us. My husband found a hotel in an adjacent town that will give ministry people a free night. So we're going down a night early and taking some time for ourselves and our marriage. So glad to have such a healthy and fun student ministries district.

Hope you all had a great weekend and I will be purusing the blogosphere this afternoon and evening finding out what you've all been up to.

Works-for-Me Wednesday: Bucket of Shoes

Our older son has a LOT of shoes, thanks to his wonderful Papa and Nana. My mom is the best second-hand shopper around. It helps that there are three clothing consignment shops in my hometown and they're all really good quality. Anyway, I'm off the topic.

My parents had gotten our son some summer toys for his Easter basket when he was 2 months old. The toys are in the shed now waiting for another Spring where they can bring joy and delight to (now) two little boys. But I saved the bucket for the house. The shoe-bucket now sits by the door with ALL his current shoes in it. I change out the shoes for the season and sometimes the bucket goes in the big basket (which is now housing the hats, scarves, mittens, and gloves). I take joy in this little bucket because it saves me from the headache of finding his shoes so we can run out of the house because we're late...again. But more than that, I smile at this wondering how many years will his shoes fit in this little red bucket...'til he's 10? 16?


Check out Rocks in My Dryer for more Works-for-Me Wednesdays.

15-minute Pick-up

FlyLady always says, "You can do anything in 15 mintues." And it's true. All it takes is 15 minutes. Just set your timer and get to work. No distractions. No jumping from room to room. Only 15 minutes in one room! It's amazing.

Check out what I did in 15 minutes this morning:

This may not look like much, but we're not talking deep cleaning, just picking up and putting things away where they belong.

This was probably my biggest mess and I still need to go through all of my papers, but at least they're not scattered all over the desk.

Here, again, I put things away that shouldn't be out. I didn't have time to wash the dishes, but at least all the dirty dishes in the kitchen and living room were at the sink. Makes it easier to do if you don't have to keep refilling the sink or not getting finished because you keep finding "one more cup."

I didn't get the towels folded, but I decreased the distractions by putting the toys away, the coats and shoes in the closet.

Remember, this is a 15-minute pick-up, NOT A DEEP CLEAN. I'm not even talking about vacuuming. It's just a pick-up and put things away. My husband stopped home after lunch and was impressed by how "clean" the house was. He treasures having the house picked up and I try to honor that. It definitely doesn't happen everyday, but it happens when I set that timer.

Now, GO! Set your timer and see what you can get done in just 15 minutes.

(The dishes are now resting in the cupboards and the towels are folded and put away. Sometimes I just have to remove the other distractions so I can get some "real" work done.)

Zucchini Pie

This is an easy recipe from Steph at Live.Love.Eat, one of my favorite foodie blogs. She has great recipes and is now posting Not-So-Fat Fridays. Be sure to check out her blog!!


Zucchini Pie

3 c. zucchini, sliced thin, with skin on
1 c. Bisquick
1/2 c. chopped onion
3/4 c. Parmesan cheese, grated
2 tsp. parsley
1/2 tsp. salt
Pepper
Dash oregano
1 c. oil
4 eggs

Mix all ingredients together in large bowl. Pour into greased casserole & bake at 350 degrees until brown & firm, about 35 - 45 minutes.

My toddler even helped with the prep of this meal by pouring the ingredients in the bowl. He also "helped" by eating the extra sliced zucchini. He ate a plateful of zucchini pie at dinner and I don't know if it's because he liked it or because he helped make it. One thing: I would add more cheese. I love cheese and would make it an even cup of Parmesan. I served a side salad with it and a glass of ice cold milk. Yumm!!

Works-for-Me Wednesday: Reheating Popcorn

We don't go to the movies much anymore. Usually it's hard to find a babysitter so we can eat dinner and see a movie because it gets kind of late. Also, going to the theater is expensive. We do have a "dollar theater" in town that plays movies that aren't in the regular theater and they're not released on DVD yet. It's only $2 to get in, but there's still the time factor. And then if you want popcorn!! YIKES!! That can get spendy fast!

What we've been doing is getting a movie from Redbox for $1 a night, or using the codes for a free movie on Mondays. Then my wonderful husband will stop at Target, if I remind him, to get a bag of popcorn for $0.50 or so. Yumm! It's just like the theater's popcorn. Popcorn is my favorite snack so sometimes I ask him to grab two bags and save one for later in the week. I keep it in the paper sack and then put it in a zip-lock bag. Later in the week, I'll line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, set the oven to 250 degrees and pour my popcorn onto the baking sheet. You bake it for about 10 minutes and Voila! you have that movie theater popcorn all over again. It really is good!!


For more Works-for-Me-Wednesdays head on over to Rocks in My Dryer.

Getting Prayer Focused

I've been reading a book series by Neta Jackson - "Yada Yada Prayer Group". It's a really good series of 9 books. I'm almost half-way through the 8th book and they're pretty easy reading.

These books have really encouraged me in my prayer life. I want to grow like these women and to include prayer in everyday. I want to have an active prayer life so that I may better be able to discern what God's will is for my life. I think prayer is very important.

There's a woman, Delores, in the Yada Yada book series that is really good at praying the Word of God. I want to be better at that and so I've purchased the book "The Power of Praying Through the Bible" by Stormie Omartian. I'm really excited to read it and to start some Scripture memorization that I can use in prayer. I think it's such a neat way to pray and I'm excited to get started!!

At the Heart of Hospitality: A Plan

Organization and planning ahead:
Know Thy Recipe!
Have a plan!
Make lists!
Experience the power of delegation!
~ Sandy Coughlin

First of all: I love a plan and I love organization. It's so fun for me to check off an item on a list of to-do's. Done and done. See how much fun that is!

Sandy mentions four main things when it comes to planning ahead when playing hostess: know your recipe, have a plan, make a list, and delegate.

Know Thy Recipe!
I have to admit that I'm not great with this one. It depends who is coming over for dinner, but I tend to "try things out" on my guests. It's not a great idea, but I've done well with it so far. I don't try out new main dishes on my guests very often, but I've tried out various appetizers, side dishes, and desserts on my guests. But if I know my guests well and know that they're adventurous, I'll plan on something new...and if it fails, we can always order pizza.

Here are some dishes I've served to guests many times and they always turn out delicious:

• Easy Pasta Casserole
• Spinach and Artichoke Dip
• Grilled Chicken
• Grilled Vegetable Skewers
• Quick and Easy Chicken and Rice
• Salad Pizza

Some of the dishes that I've tried on people that were really yummy:

• Fish Tacos
• Sliced Grilled Steak on Blue Cheese Biscuits
• Pear Cranberry Side Salad
• Hummus

Knowing my recipe is something I need to work on, but it's fun to try out a new recipe on friends and family, just not on the newbies.

Have a Plan!
Planning the menu is something that comes easy for me because I already have a weekly menu plan. I try to plan it out about 4-6 weeks in advance. Sometimes I move things around if there's a particular sale going on, but usually we stick to the plan. This helps when having guests over as well. It's nice to know you have all the ingredients in the pantry, and even ingredients for a back-up plan if necessary. Like I said, I love planning a menu so this is fun for me. Here's how I plan my weekly menu for each day:

Sunday:
main dish:
veggie:
side:

I do this for each day of the week and at the bottom of the sheet (for easy tear-off) I put the grocery list. I usually get most of my items in one stop then stop in weekly for fruits and veggies. That way I don't have an excuse for not making dinner and just ordering out. It has really helped us stay in our budget.

Make Lists!
Yet another thing I love to do. It's nice to have a list made out in advance of preparations when having guests over. I like to ask myself if there's anything I can do ahead of time (like a day or two before) so I don't have to do it on the day of. For example, I'm hosting our small group this month. I'm planning on making Cincinnati Chili and Triple Chocolate Sour Cream Brownie Bites for dessert. They're coming over on Tuesday, so on Monday I will make the brownie bites and brown the hamburger for Tuesday. Since it's mainly a crock pot dish, I will chop my veggies tonight so tomorrow morning I can toss them in the pan with the meat, canned goods, close the lid and let it simmer. Being organized and crossing things off of my list is something that I enjoy.

Experience the Power of Delegation!
This is a hard concept for me because I want to be the hostess that can do it all. But I can't. I can, but I'm not always at peace with it. (This is an area in which I struggle in other aspects of my life as well.) So, if someone asks if they can bring something, I say yes, look at my menu and tell them something that they can bring. I usually try to make it fairly simple like bread, a beverage, or a side salad. Nothing that they have to spend a lot of time making.

"It's easy to spend days in elaborate preparations that just rob us of our time." Again we must look at our attitude when serving our guests:

1. Am I feeling stressed or burdened by the need to impress?
2. Am I putting my guests first (i.e. not the dirty dishes in the sink after the meal)?
3. Am I expecting something in return?

Sandy tries to have all of her cooking done 3o minutes before guests arrive so she can sit and relax with her husband before the guests knock on the door. I'm not good at that and I don't feel comfortable with that yet. I'm still working on my timing and I admit that I'd feel nervous if I had time to sit and relax...like I forgot something. This is something that I will work towards as I grow in my hostessing skills.

All quotes are from Sandy Coughlin from 4 Reluctant Entertainers. This is the second of her "Ten Commandments" to hospitality. Please read what she has to say regarding being organized and having a plan. Thanks!

Please Pray!

Please pray for our dear friends, Clint and Jess. The birthmom has now decided to keep the baby. Please pray. Pray for healing for all involved. Pray for the birthmom. Pray for Clint and Jess. Pray for that precious baby girl.

Psalm 20:4
May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed.

Psalm 33:11
But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.

Proverbs 16:9
In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.

Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.