(That’s what we get for indulging in pagan rituals, I suppose.)
 

Hee hee.  I kid.  I love that somehow dying eggs on Saturday night suddenly helps build the excitement for a Sunday Resurrection Celebration……

and boy, did we ever celebrate!!  Woo-Hoo!!!
 

But back to the reality that I have a gazillion eggs in my fridge that I can’t stand the thought of throwing away…..

I did a little “looking,” and it appears the general consensus is that we have ONE WEEK to use those little darlins’……
 

So yesterday, we had the obvious choice for lunch….

Photo Credit

TUNA SALAD!! ( Of course, it doesn’t hurt that I have a case of $.50 tuna in my basement…….)
 

I think tonight’s cuisine will be…..

Photo Credit

Fancy Schmancy CHICKEN SALAD!!  Made better by the fact that my Mr. Wonderful just got a LOAD of half price chicken from “The Box” the other day…..

Yikes, my mouth is watering…..
 

And of course there is always…….

Photo Credit

Devilled Eggs!!  My mama uses her icing tips to fill them up “all purdy like”…..

(But really, how many devilled eggs can one person take in one week’s time?)
 

I remember growing up, Mama would make these for herself for lunch….

Photo Credit

Egg Salad Sandwiches.

I’m thinking you have to be “in the mood” for these babies.
 

I know yesterday Mama was boiling potatoes to make this for their dinner….

Photo Credit

POTATO SALAD!  I’m thinking this was even their main course…..

Hey, why not?

 
When I was a kid, I always liked just plain ole’……

Photo Credit

Hard Boiled Eggs dipped in salt!

 
I came across several recipes for this one….

Photo Credit

Cesar Salad with hard-boiled eggs….
 

And if you were REALLY, SERIOUSLY, desperate….

Photo Credit and Instructions

You could pickle them.

I, on the other hand…..am not that desperate.
 

I’m afraid I would rather throw them away than let it come to that.
 
 

Do you have any other suggestions for us?  We would be so encouraged to hear them!!
 
Still remembering and celebrating the Resurrection with you,

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She has the kindest spirit.   You can’t possibly spend time with her and NOT be encouraged.

And I won’t even mention how adorably sweet and love-able her three kids are.   I just dare you to talk with them for at least five minutes and not want to steal them right from under her.   Seriously.  It’s called “child-envy”.    And I have it big time.

(See, PROOF.)

So yesterday after services, when she told me about this new recipe and how good it was…..I listened.

It also made an impression that as she was talking, her husband and three (adorable- I want them) children were all bobbing their heads “YES” along with big smiles on all their faces.

In fact, I think there was drooling.
 

Okay, maybe not.
 

Then she said it was very inexpensive, around $5.00 to make…..

THEN she said it made the house smell incredible….

The final straw was when she said “it was SOOO good, I thought about making it two days in a row!”

 
Okay, you hooked me with that one, Jennifer.

So here we go sisters…..let’s try this one out and see if all this “husbands drooling, kids smiling, good enough to have two days in a row” is actually a winner!!

CHICKEN TACO STEW (Crockpot)

1 Diced Onion
1 16oz can Black Beans (rinsed and drained)
1 16oz can Kidney Beans (rinsed and drained)
1 16oz can Corn (I did not drain)
1 8oz can of Tomato Sauce (Got mine at Aldi)
2 14.5oz cans of Diced Tomatos with Chilis aka:Rotel (this makes it pretty spicy you might want to do 1 regular can of diced tomatos and then one with the chilis. I also drained one can and used the juice in the other)
1 package of Taco Seasoning
Chicken

Dump all ingredients into your crock pot except the chicken. Mix together until taco season is evenly disbursed. Place Chicken on top the mixture (I used 2 giant boneless skinless chicken breasts, they were just over a pound for the two of them). Cook for 5-6 hours on low (or 3-4 on high). Take chicken out of the crock pot shred the chicken. Put the shredded chicken back into the crock pot and stir. At this point it is done. I left mine in on warm for awhile just cause it wasnt dinner time yet.

I found this beautiful photo at By Your Hands… looks like the same recipe, looks like she adds 1 1/2 cup of chicken broth as well.  Looks like a nice blog to check out!

(She also mentioned that you can use ground beef as well:)

 
I’m off to Save-A-Lot to grab the few ingredients I don’t have yet right now!!

 
Loving it when great sisters encourage me with great recipes,

 
P.S.  Thanks Jennifer  :)

Two of my favorite events of the year,  decided to happen at the same time.

First,  was the Stork Lady’s Kid & Baby Consignment Sale.

I spent two weeks getting things together, tagged, and dropped off……

Stork Lady Photo (Fall 2010)

And because I volunteered to work (LOTS) of hours, I got to shop early!!

Stork Lady Photo (Fall 2010)

The good news is, after all the work, sweat, and gas money up there, I sold most of my items and made over $900!!!!!!

Woo-Hoo!!!!

The bad news is, I might have quite possibly spent $400 of it on summer clothes, shoes, Easter outfits, homeschool stuff, birthday presents, sippy cups, potty seats, YOU NAME IT!!

But still.

And I only confess that to make you feel better about yourself, by the way.

So in the end,  when the sale was all said and done, I pretty much felt like….

Photo Credit

In the evenings, after working the sale all day, I would drag myself on over to our church’s annual CAMP MEETING…..

If you’ve never been to a Camp Meeting, it’s pretty much a week sent down from Heaven full of…….

Preaching…….

Photo by the Amazing Billy Jackson

Oh my, was there preaching…..

Photo by the Amazing Billy Jackson

Like, 13 sessions of good, solid preaching!

Loud singing….

Photo by the Amazing Billy Jackson

(Isn’t it great to know that when you might still be a little self conscious about raising your hands in church, there just might be someone behind you taking your picture?)

(And yet someone else who may or may not just post it on the internet?)

 I’m kidding.  That wouldn’t happen.

Probably.

There were awesome testimonies……

Photo by the Amazing Billy Jackson

And seriously adorable little people who you can’t help but grin at during service….

Photo by the Amazing Billy Jackson

And then there were the “in-between” times.  Which all included food.  Really good food.

Photo by the Illustrious Stephanie Lee

There’s really no better way to get to know a sister than by cutting up tomatoes together.

And for those shorter breaks, there was the wildly amazing…… St. Arbucks.

Photo by the Amazing Billy Jackson

Unbelievably staffed, by the way.

(Although I’m pretty sure they may be breaking some kind of child labor laws here.)

Photo by the Amazing Billy Jackson

Sorry Liam, I didn’t get to try the Raspberry Latte, but I can definitely vouch for the Raspberry Mocha!!

Photo by the Illustrious Stephanie Lee

I’m just loving the whole “younger women learning from the older” concept.  Who’d a thunk??

And we can’t forget about the “chair brigade”……..

Photo by the Illustrious Stephanie Lee

This sturdy crew set up and took down the chairs before and after each meal.  (And felt pretty important doing so, I might add!)

I hear tell they got it down to 5 minutes by the end…..

(But I must admit my bias.  I’m a proud mama to one of those lean mean serving the Lord machines.)

Photo by the Illustrious Stephanie Lee

They had some pretty stellar shirts, too.  The bottom line says,

“We know when to fold em’”

And last but not least, there were……

Photo by the Illustrious Stephanie Lee

Oreo Balls.

And WHY, I ask myself, did I save the Oreo Balls until last??

I have issues.

(And apparently so does my 6 year old daughter.  I found out on Sunday that she had “bummed” six quarters off a dear brother in the church during the course of the week.)

So now, after such a week my spirit is full, but my flesh is……

Photo Credit

(I took that with my computer cam.  Amazing quality, don’t you think??)

And the day after all of this amazing wonderfulness was over, the Lord gave us another gift. A really beautiful ultrasound.

(It took me a while to find the heartbeat….because the arms and legs were going so crazy!!)

By the way, this is NOT our ultrasound (we don’t exactly speak Chinese), but it was so incredibly close I had to share!

Thanking the Lord for so much, (and feeling like His GRACE has hit me like a mac truck),

When your family all arrives at your house for a “smashing” birthday party, and you realize…….I forgot the ICE!!!!

And you have to send your wonderful husband out on a mad dash to get some….

(Oh the horror…)

Okay, well I guess there are worse things going on out there in the world.

(Spoiled Americans)

Anyway, when we finish a loaf of bread around here…..everybody knows not to throw away the bread bag…..

I then fetch the ice trays from the freezer….

And fill up the bag!  (I usually turn the bag inside out as well….to spare myself the embarrassment of my party guests finding crumbs floating in their drinks!)

Then I tie a knot at the top, and throw the bag in the deep freeze!

On party day, when my wonderful husband asks, “Is there anything I can do?”

“Yes,”  I say…..”Can you get me some ice?”

And of course, he does.

Love you,

P.S….This also works great if you are going camping!!  Only in that case you’ll need LOTS more!!

Doctors, ultrasounds, vitamins, more doctors, ultrasounds, blood tests, and now progesterone…

And thankful for all of it.

Back to saving money…..

So you know that “cooking spray” that makes frying, baking, and general cooking soo much easier??

(Of course, I’ve never actually bought this brand, the “off brand” is much cheaper!)

Well, for a while…..I stopped buying it.

Yep.  Did you know that you can just *pour* a tiny bit of vegetable oil into your pan and wipe it around with your fingers?   (I learned this from a dear sister in Christ….thanks Susan!)

However, recently, as I was snooping around happened to notice an invitation to a “Pampered Chef” party on my mom’s kitchen counter….

I quickly asked her if she would pick me up one of these….

My sister in law has one…..you fill it half way with regular vegetable oil…then put the cap on and PUMP IT UP…..(it takes about 10 pumps)

And whalla!!  Cooking spray!! And the best part is, it will be virtually free from here on out!!

(And by the way, it really helps if you have a really generous mama who won’t let you pay for the pump.  I love my mama.)

Lots.

And check out what I came across while looking up the oil spritzer….

You fill it half way up with hand soap, and the other half with water.  When you pump it up, it turns into “foam”……..stretching your soap (and your money) twice as far!

Now just to wait for mama to get invited to another party……

Saving money in the kitchen for the Glory of God,

*(Feature Image Photo Credit)

Have a wonderful weekend, friends!!!

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And if you want to hear a brother “tell it like it is,” …….Here you go!!

Babe,

I just wanted to take a minute to write you a little thank you.  For what, you ask?

Well, thank you for putting up with me, first of all.  I am so far from perfect, and so far from being the wife I want to be for you.  So many times I am reminded how far I still need to come….as a homemaker, wife, and mother.  Thank you for loving me no matter what my “performance” is.   Seeing you truly love me through all my imperfections makes me see the love of Christ more clearly.  Thank you for that.

Thank you for working so hard for us.  Rain or shine, you go into the “big, bad” world and fight for us.  You sweat.  You endure stress.  You are truly our “warrior,” and I could never express to you how much I love and respect you for that.  In our family, (right down from Jesus Christ, for giving us redemption), you are our hero.

Thank you for being such a great daddy.  Thank you for reading to the children every night, and for helping with bathtime to give me a “break”.  You are such a servant, and in my eyes, you are what every daddy should be.

Thank you for loving our Lord so much.  Thank  you for faithfully reading the Word every morning, and for making sure we are fellowshipping and worshiping with the church body each and every week.  Thank you for being my spiritual leader, and making sure I am growing in the faith.   Thank you for praying with me and for me.  Your love for the Lord and your character are what made me fall in love with you.  My heart still flutters when I think upon these things.

I am forever devoted to you…

Melissa

P.S.  We’re pregnant.

Allow me to introduce you to one of my favorite mixes to have on hand…..

Chocolate Chip (or) Blueberry Muffin Mix!!

I like to make 3 or 4 of these mixes at once, and then I’m “set” for the next couple of weeks!

My wonderful mother in law found some blueberries on sale (at Aldi), and I bagged them up (a handful at a time) in ziplock baggies and popped them in the freezer.  Then, right before baking,  I throw in the frozen blueberries!

(For the choc. chip muffins, I just put them in the jar with the rest of the mix!)

I tape a little piece of paper with the recipe to the back of the jar, so I’m all set when it’s time to make them.  When I’m done, I “stick” the paper to the inside of  a kitchen cabinet until I’m ready to make more mixes!

Here’s what is written on the front of my little paper…..

Chocolate Chip (or blueberrry) Muffin Mix

• 2 Cups Flour
• 1/2 Cup Sugar
• 3 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 chocolate chips(or blueberries)

Topping-

3 TBS Brown Sugar + 3 TBS White Sugar  (optional)

…………………………………………………..

On the back of the little piece of paper is written….

• 1 Cup Milk
• 1/3 Cup Veg. Oil (some people like a bit more)
• 1 Egg

Fill cups 2/3 full.

400 degrees for 20-25 min.

So when morning comes, and my kids ask the age old question, “What’s for breakfast?”……..

……and  my mind starts reeling through the options….”Let’s see… cereal?  Toast?  Should I make pancakes? OH WAIT!!  I have that MUFFIN MIX!“

I just dump the wet ingredients in a bowl….

Dump the muffin mix in…..

Either spray or wipe some veg. oil in the muffin pan, and fill them about 2/3 full…..

Forget to put the sugar topping on put the sugar topping on…..

( I have trouble remembering that part:)

Pop them in the oven…..and whalla!

Morning happiness.

And the extras?

Pop them in that pretty cake dish that you got for a wedding present, but never use…

It’ll give you that “domestic feeling” for the rest of the day, and your kids will love having something to snack on, as well!   (Notice the “steam” fogging up the cake dish?  They’re still hot!)

(You could also freeze the extra to eat another day!)

This is just a very basic muffin mix, you could easily change it up!  I think next time I’ll share my new find…..

How to make your own “Shake-N-Bake” mix!!

It’s a lot of fun, cheap to make, pretty in a jar, and great to always have on hand!  Until then….

Love you,

This post is linked to:  Making the World Cuter, Motivate Me Mondays, Market Yourself Mondays,  Made By You Mondays, *The DIYShowoff Project Parade, *Metomorphosis Monday , Just Something I whipped up Monday, Craft , Craftomaniac , Menu Plan Monday , Life Made Lovely Monday, Craftastic Mondays-Sew Can Do,Motivated Mondays-Becolorful,  Made it! Mondays-Ninth Street Notions,  Support Blog For Moms Of Boys – Mad Skills Monday,  Tasty Tuesday, Tempt My Tummy, Tuesdays at the Table, Topsy Turvy Tuesday, Tip Me Tuesday, From Inmates to Playdates *Get Your Craft On Anything Related, The gypsy corner,  Take a look Tuesday, Show and tell Not Just A Housewife Sew Cute Tuesdays-Creative Itch Tot Tuesdays-Delicious Ambiguity, Tute Yourself Tuesday ,Tutorial Tuesday, A Stroll Thru Life – Table Top Tuesdays , A Silly Little Sparrow – Toot Your Horn Tuesday A Soft Place To Land – Do It Yourself Day My Frugal Family – Talented Tuesday, New Nostalgia – Anti-Procrastionation Tuesdays ,  Victoria - A Return To Loveliness,  Living Well Wednesdays,  Works for Me Wednesday, Homemaking Link Up,  Women in the Word Wednesdays,  Show and Tell, Whatever Goes Wednesday, Pinching Penny Party, Creations By Kara,  My backyard Eden ,We Did It Wednesdays-Sew Much Ado, Sugar & Spice and Everything Nice-Seven Thirty Three, We’re Organized Wednesday-Organize Your Stuff Now, Hoo’s Got Talent?-Night Owl Crafting,  All Things Heart and Home,  Make It Yours Day, Creative Share Wednesdays- Trendy Treehouse,  Transformation Thursday, Tablescape Thursday, Show off Your Stuff,  Somewhat simple, HOH, Thrifty Thursday, Under 100 , Stuff for little boys,  Thrilling Thursdays-Paisley Passions, The Treasurista, It’s a Keeper Thursday,    Friday Favorites, Show and Share Day, Foodie Friday, I’m Lovin It,  Fabulous Friday Finds, Frugal Friday, Fun For Kids Friday, Tickled Pink*,  Weekend Wrap Up,  The Shabby nest, Show and Tell Friday,  Remodoholic, Finding Fabulous, Furniture Feature Fingerprints on Fridge, Blog Hop , kojo designs , Look At Me-It’s Fun to Craft, Home and Family Friday-Home is Where My Story Begins,Categorically Crafting-Someday Crafts,  Friday Brag Fest-Fun on a Dime, Sweet Tooth Fridays, Be Different Act Normal,

Happy Free Friday!!  Have a lovely weekend, my sister!!

The Holiness of God
by R.C. Sproul and read by Grover Gardner

What is the holiness of God? Are you intrigued by it, or are you terrified? R.C. Sproul clearly identifies this attribute of God and all the associations one may make with it. This absolutely will inform and radically cause a re-thinking of one’s view of God

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