Peanutgallery Trying to live by Truth and Grace

Been A While

noreply@blogger.com (PATTIPEANUT) — Wed, 28 Jan 2015 20:56:00 +0000

So it has been a while since I have posted here. Christmas and New Year's Day have come and gone. It is now almost the end of January. It is hard to believe this month has come and gone so quickly.

We are working towards getting back into a routine with homeschooling. Organizing and decluttering are two words that are heard frequently about our home. Dennis is in the process of getting his re-enlistment paperwork filled out. Life just seems to be moving very quickly and so slowly all at the same time.

I am working on getting a Masters degree this year. I have also become involved in something new, Bible Journaling. So I am accumulating all kinds of information to assist me in the effort. As I complete some things, I will be posting them here. One thing I have been doing with this is using PicMonkey to create Scripture Art.

Here are two of my personal creations:

So what is going on in your world? I would love to hear from you.

#NaBloPoMo December 2014 Day 1

noreply@blogger.com (PATTIPEANUT) — Mon, 01 Dec 2014 18:34:00 +0000

*********This post is a duplicate of one I posted on my new Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy Blog found on Wordpress***********************

This is the first day of the December NaBloPoMo challenge and I am still on a roll. I blogged for every day of October and November and now I am trying to see if I can do the same thing for December. The theme for December’s NaBloPoMo challenge is “Joy” and everyone needs joy in their life.

Our prompt for the day is to discuss when we are down what we do to bring ourselves up. My favorite things to do when I am down is to spend time with my children – all 4 of them to be precise, three boys and one girl – they have a way of making me laugh and find joy in the world.

Another thing I like to do is spend time with my Bible. I love to pick a word such as joy and find various Bible references for that word. So for example, when I used my Bible Gateway app to search for the word Joy, I found quite a few references.

Here are a few of the ones I really like:

Psalm 32:11 – “Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.”

Psalm 35:9 – “And my soul shall be joyful in the Lord: it shall rejoice in his salvation.”

Psalm 66:1 – “Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands.”

Psalm 95:2 – “O come, let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.”

Luke 1:14 – “And thous shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.

John 15;11 – “These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.”

Romans 5:11 – “And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.”

Galatians 5:22-23: – “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance, against such there is no law.”

Philippians 1:4 – “Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy. “

James 1:2-8: “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.”

and finally:

Psalm 30:5 – “For his anger endureth but for a moment’ in his favour is life, weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.”

So what brings you joy?

noreply@blogger.com (PATTIPEANUT) — Mon, 01 Dec 2014 02:15:00 +0000

This is a cross post because I am thinking about moving my blog from blogger to Wordpress. So while I am trying to decide which one I like better, I will be posting in both places.

So here is the post:

Well I officially did it. I successfully completed the NaNoWriMo challenge, meaning I have officially written at least 50,000 words in an original novel by me. I had just heard about these two challenges in November, but decided to attempt to complete them both. After all I had everything to gain by trying and nothing to lose. So I stepped out on faith and was amazed this evening to be able to write this post saying I completed both challenges. I am amazed that I did them both.

I know that some people knew what I was trying to do, but I did not really broadcast it to everyone. Now I want all my friends to know what I have done with God's help. I know it had to be Him on provided the inspiration and that helped the words flow freely. I truly am amazed at His goodness and mercy. I still need to finish the novel, because for some crazy reason, fifty thousand words was not enough to complete what I wanted to say. But there is not much left. Plus I can already see this book is going to need at least one sequel to complete the story. I am not willing to commit beyond that.

Today is also the first day of Advent. Unfortunately my advent wreath is up in the attic still, so I am praying I can convince my children to bring down our Christmas tree tomorrow. At least my Christmas tree is up even if we don't have any lights or decorations on it yet.

So what is up in your world today?

Sacred Sunday - November 30, 2014

noreply@blogger.com (PATTIPEANUT) — Sun, 30 Nov 2014 14:00:00 +0000

So today it is time to say good bye to the November challenge for NaBloPoMo and the writing challenge for NaNoWriMo. I can't believe I have done all this writing for the past two months. Moreover, I can't believe I am actually looking forward to the NaBloPoMo Challenge for December.

Today our family will be attending church and then we will probably spend a quiet afternoon and evening together. Maybe we will play some board games or have a family movie night. It is hard to say right now. But what is certain, is that I plan on enjoying the day to the fullest. It will be 3 weeks before we have another quiet Sunday together.

Next weekend, Dennis will be flying home from Fort McCoy (he leaves on Thursday). Then the following weekend we will be having our Army Family Christmas party on Sunday - so that will be a day of fun, family and soldiers with their families.

That means it will be the weekend before Christmas before we can do our main Christmas shopping as well as buy groceries for the rest of the month. So how is your month of December shaping up? I look forward to hearing from you.

Supposed to be Saturday Shopping Day

noreply@blogger.com (PATTIPEANUT) — Sat, 29 Nov 2014 14:00:00 +0000

Today is day 29 of the NaBloPoMo challenge for November. It is hard to believe the month is almost over. Unfortunately, I don't have a "Saturday Saying" for today. I know earlier in the week, I heard my children say several things that I wanted to record for this, but I have forgotten what they are. I guess I need to start using the notes feature on my Ipad or the Dragon program on my Iphone to record these thoughts when I have them. That way I won't forget.

Today was supposed to be a shopping Saturday. This meant we should be loading up the entire family to go out for a day of shopping in our "School bus" - meaning our 12 passenger Chevrolet Express van - big enough to hold the food to feed 7 people plus anything else we might decide to buy (or should I say that Dad and I allow anyone to buy) - meaning it has to pass the "Will it fit with everything else we already have planned to buy or have already bought?" If it does not pass this test, then no purchasing it until another trip. Oh yes, "and if it is not on my list, don't ask if you can have it - unless it is something you know that 'I' will declare to be a necessity of life.

However, life has a funny way of changing our plans thanks to God. Yesterday we spent the morning in the ER with our oldest son. So by the time we got home, we knew he would not probably feel like going anywhere with us today. Plus my mom was not feeling her best. Add in to that our youngest son not feeling his best and it results in plans changing. Because we did not get a lot of sleep yesterday, when we came home from the hospital, Dennis slept away most of the afternoon. When he got up, he announced that there was a "frago" - meaning a change in plans. He felt like we should go shopping then instead of waiting until today. So he, me and our middle son loaded into our Chevrolet venture instead to go shopping. We went to a grocery store called "Giant". Then we went in "Sam's Club" and we finished off our shopping "Walmart".

I have to remind those of you here in the USA, that yesterday was BLACK FRIDAY. If we were still back in North Carolina, the stores would have been packed with no room to move probably. Instead we found the stores remarkably empty. I have never been out on Black Friday where Walmart was not insane. But this Walmart was almost empty. I have never gone to check out on Black Friday where there were multiple cashiers standing at the end of their checkout lanes waiting for people to come check out. Yet that is exactly what we found. I asked about the lack of customers and she responded that all their sales had been that morning, so evidently no one was really shopping. I think it also may have had something to do with the fact that this store is located miles away from Penn State University and all the college kids were probably still at their own hometowns. But I have to say it was a wonderful time to shop.

So how are you spending your Saturday. I would love to hear from you.

If I could be any TV character who would I be #NaBloPoMo Day 28

noreply@blogger.com (PATTIPEANUT) — Fri, 28 Nov 2014 15:00:00 +0000

Today is day 28 of the NaBloPoMo challenge for November. Our prompt for today is what TV character would we like to be? If I could be any character on TV, I would want to be Annie Camden from "Seventh Heaven". This lady is an amazing mother with an amazing husband and family. She has the ability to fix anything in the home - including plumbing. How awesome is that? She was truly a multifaceted and multitalented lady. She wasn't afraid to show her emotions. She was able to be tough when necessary. She faced her husband having heart problems and being shot with grace and composure.

Nothing her children did caused her to lose her temper or her cool (well at least not in front of them). Plus she has the most important trait that would be important to me. She had an unshakeable faith in Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior. And she got to ride off into the sunset in a fabulous motor home to see the country with her husband and family.

If you could be any character on TV, who would you choose? I welcome your comments.

NaBloPoMo Day 27 - Where do I See My Blog in a Year or more

noreply@blogger.com (PATTIPEANUT) — Thu, 27 Nov 2014 15:00:00 +0000

Today is day 27 of the NaBloPoMo November challenge and it is also Thanksgiving Day here in the United States. Much of my day will be spent in the kitchen preparing our Thanksgiving Feast.

Today I am thankful for:

1) My husband who is willing to help in the kitchen
2) All of the good food we are going to eat.
3) All of the wonderful new friends and ideas I have found on the web and on Facebook.

I also want to pause a moment to talk about where I would like to see my blog in a year. In one year, I would like to see my blog have a greater following as well as having printables and other useful tools being offered to my readers. I would also like to see it generating some income for our family.

In five years, I would like to see my blog being a way of promoting my writing and being a way of offering special items to my readers.

What would you like to see happen in your life or with your blog/website in the next year or five years. I welcome your comments.

Wednesday Weather

noreply@blogger.com (PATTIPEANUT) — Wed, 26 Nov 2014 15:00:00 +0000

DrToday is day 26 of the NaBloPoMo challenge. It is all the day before Thanksgiving here in the United States. But for the specific area I live in, the weather is going to be the major topic of concern. After all, a winter storm watch has a way of bringing our attention, especially when it is the first projected major snow storm of the year.

To many, I know the word "snow" remains a bad word in their opinion. It is something they long to avoid and be rid of for the entire winter. I was originally born in southern New Jersey and lived there for 9 years. Snow was just something that came with the territory.

Then our family moved to South Carolina, where snow was not such a normal thing. I will never forget one snow storm, the people who lived across the street from us attempted to "wash" the snow of their driveway with their hose. Needless to say, the driveway became a solid sheet of ice. We lived there for four years before moving to Salisbury, North Carolina. I can't say I remember too much about any snow there.

Then I went to college in Asheville, NC while my parents moved to southeastern North Carolina. I flew home from college for Christmas break and could not get out when I was supposed to because it snowed where we lived. Any amount of snow in that part of the country paralyzes the area because there just isn't a high demand for snow removal equipment.

Flash forward many years to around 1999, my husband was away at annual training with the army reserves in January - which was a strange time for him to be gone since he typically goes to annual training in June. I was staying with my mother along with our oldest two sons. In the morning, it was snowing. Originally they called for a delay for the schools, then they changed it to a teacher workday. Since I was a teacher, that meant I had to go to work. So I cautiously got in the van and started to the high school I taught at with one ear on the radio. When I had drove for a while, the news I had been hoping for was announced. I no longer had to go to work, so the hard part became finding a safe place to turn around. But I made it.

Flash forward to our first year in Pennsylvania in 2012, the weekend before Thanksgiving as we were driving to our new home, the skies opened up and the snow began falling. It was not good news for the area. That February I believe we wound up with over 4 feet of snow on the ground before it finally stopped. But my children loved it. They made tunnels in the snow and just thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Only time will tell how much snow we actually will get this year or will wind up with for the year. But I plan on enjoying it. Because being in the military means I have no idea of where we will be moving to next.

How's the weather where you are?

This picture is what our backyard looked like this morning before it began really snowing.

Then the picture above is what it looked like this afternoon.

Tasty Tuesday - November 25, 2014

noreply@blogger.com (PATTIPEANUT) — Tue, 25 Nov 2014 15:38:00 +0000

Today I want to share with you our dinner from last night. I'm made homemade chicken soup. I began by boiling about 12 chicken tenders in water with 3 chicken bouillon cubes. While that was cooking, my oldest son began boiling water to cook the Amish Noodles in that we had bought at Sam's Club. My family loves almost any type of noodles.

When the chicken was done, I removed it from the pot, so that it would cool enough for me to shred it. I then added to cartons of Vegetable broth since I did not have any chicken broth on hand along with carrots and onions. About 7 minutes before the noodles were done cooking, I added about 3-4 celery stalks chopped finely and a bag of frozen roasted red bell peppers. When everything was ready, I served the meal by placing noodles in the bottom of the bowl to my family's satisfaction along with the chicken soup mixture. Along with the meal we served crescent rolls that my oldest son prepared by melting butter and adding garlic salt. He then brushed the mixture on the inside of the crescent roll before rolling it up. Then he coated the tops with the mixture. They were totally delicious. I hope you enjoyed.

Here are some photos of the meal preparations and the finished product.

So what are you having for dinner today? We will be eating the leftover soup.

Monday Musings for November 24, 2014

noreply@blogger.com (PATTIPEANUT) — Mon, 24 Nov 2014 19:13:00 +0000

So today is day 24 of the NaBloPoMo challenge, and I have now been blogging for 55 days straight (including today). I have really enjoyed participating the Ultimate Blog Challenge in October and the NaBloPoMo challenge this month.

It amazes me to think I have been able to come up with that many blog posts in a row. I have almost written more posts in the past two months than I had since I started our blog.

Sometimes thinking of a blog post title can be difficult. The words tend to come easier for the actual post than the title. I want and need the title to catch attention and draw interest to read the post.

In three days, we will be celebrating Thanksgiving. We have everything for our meal except our turkey. Dennis will pick that up on his way home from work on Wednesday since we are getting a fresh turkey from a local grocery store.

Also, we have the possibility of having 2-4 inches of snow on Wednesday. this could make life interesting.

Last night at almost 9 pm we received a visit from the pastor, his wife and his daughter of the church in our new town that we have been attending. Every year their church gives out Thanksgiving meals. This year they decided to bless our family with one of those meals. It meant a lot to us to receive this gift.

In one month, it will be Christmas Eve. There is so much we need to do to get ready for the holiday. Yet nothing we need to do is as important as focusing on the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Our Christmas may be a simple this one this year, but we certainly can turn our hearts and minds to what the miraculous birth of this baby did for our salvation.

So what is on your mind this Monday? I would love to hear from you.

Satisfying Sunday

noreply@blogger.com (PATTIPEANUT) — Sun, 23 Nov 2014 20:09:00 +0000

Some days are just more satisfying than others. It doesn't matter what gets done, as much as it matters who you are with at the time. Today was one of those satisfying Sundays. I stayed home from church with our daughter this morning while the rest of the family went to church. Last night at bedtime she had a bloody nose and just had a rough night in general. So Dennis and I decided it was best for me to stay with her.

While they were gone, I did a few things around the house. Around 11:30, I began preparations for our Sunday dinner. We always eat our big meal on Sundays right after church. So I pulled out vegetables to have as our sides. Our main course was going to be two ham slices. All of the children helped with the dinner preparations once they returned from church. Dad also helped out in the kitchen. We had the ham slices, kale stir-fried with red onions and garlic, baby lima beans, baby potatoes and cauliflower covered in melted cheese. Dad also fixed us garlic toast to have with the meal. Everyone thoroughly enjoy the meal.

The rest of the day will basically be spent doing things of our choosing - either alone or with other family members. All in all it is very satisfying to not have a ton of demands on our time. It is good to have a day to rest and rejoice in our Lord.

So how have you spent your Sunday? Was it satisfying? I pray it was. I welcome your comments.

Working Saturday

noreply@blogger.com (PATTIPEANUT) — Sun, 23 Nov 2014 01:54:00 +0000

Well today is day 22 of the NaBloPoMo challenge. Today was one of those rare Saturdays where we did not have to go anywhere or do anything. We actually spent the day working on the house. Everyone had assigned jobs to complete. Dennis worked on the dining room closet. I worked on laundry, Boo's bedroom and my part of our closet. The younger two were assigned the job of straightening up the toy room. The older two had to move some things out to our garage and rearranged one of our bookshelves.

Then Dennis and I had to go to his unit for something. Imagine our surprise when we went out and found freezing rain falling. It was not exactly a good day to be out driving. We were blessed to make it to the unit and back with no problems.

Due to the road conditions, our company for the evening determined it was better to cancel for this evening. I had to agree with them. So instead we are having a quiet evening at home with just our family.

What is going on where you are? I would love to hear from you.

A Year is almost over

noreply@blogger.com (PATTIPEANUT) — Fri, 21 Nov 2014 18:28:00 +0000

A year is almost over. Next week is Thanksgiving. Then we are into December and all that goes with preparing for Christmas. Then it is time to prepare for a new year. This is a time to reflect on the year that has been. What went well? What do I wish I had done differently? What changes do I want to make in the upcoming year?
As I look back on 2014, a lot has happened. We made some choices regarding our future. We feel comfortable with those decisions. We moved from one house to another one that feels more like home for us. And now one of the biggest changes is going to be happening. My husband is about to reenlist for another 6 years. His plan is to complete his Masters Degree in Divinity in that time. It is going to be an interesting couple of years. Time with the family will be a precious commodity amidst the demands of work and school for him. Within the next year, we probably will receive orders to our next duty station. Our oldest should begin taking college courses. And life continues to move forward.

How has your year been and what are you looking forward to in the new year? welcome your thoughts.

NOV 20 2014 THANKFUL THURSDAYS

noreply@blogger.com (PATTIPEANUT) — Thu, 20 Nov 2014 15:53:00 +0000

Today is day 20 of the NaBloPoMo challenge.

Today I am thankful for the 20 posts I have written this month - including this one.

I am thankful to be able to participate in the "Before Amen" Online Bible Study through Proverbs 31 Ministries.

I am thankful for the new homeschooling law that just passed in Pennsylvania.

I am thankful to have spent the last 4 days with my husband.

I am thankful for children that love each other and take care of each other.

What are you thankful for today? I would love to hear from you.

HOME AGAIN HOME AGAIN

noreply@blogger.com (PATTIPEANUT) — Thu, 20 Nov 2014 03:02:00 +0000

Well Sunday afternoon Dennis and I left home to go to Virginia. He was attending a meeting regarding his annual training for next year. This morning we began the trip home. I have to say I am glad our trip home was less eventful than our trip to Virginia. We had no rain. It was daylight. And my husband did not hit his head with the back door of the van.

Our children were reasonably glad to see us. Dennis and I enjoyed playing a game of Yahtzee with our middle two plus my mom. Then we spent time later with our daughter and our oldest son. All in all it has been a fairly good day.

How was your day?

Tuesday Thoughts

noreply@blogger.com (PATTIPEANUT) — Wed, 19 Nov 2014 01:30:00 +0000

So here are some random thoughts for this Tuesday.

Computer Internet connections can wreak havoc with plans. I planned on watching a webcast tonight for "Before Amen" - the latest Proverbs 31 Ministries Online Bible Studies, but the Internet connection at the hotel I am staying at is preventing that from happening.

This same Internet connection problem is causing problems with uploading my NaNoWriMo project so I can check my official word count. Plus my computer is acting kind of strange so I am having to restart it some.

I could be swimming right now, but I looked up the wrong hotel on line so I did not bring a bathing suit with me.

Eating out is not all it is cracked up to be. Two mediocre meals in two days is not a grand beginning.

Hearing that your child does not feel good and you are two states away is not comforting.

So what are some thoughts you have for today? I would love to hear from you.

MONDAY MORNING MAYHEM

noreply@blogger.com (PATTIPEANUT) — Mon, 17 Nov 2014 17:58:00 +0000

So it is Monday and it is going to be one of those days. It actually began last night. Dennis and I arrived at a hotel for a conference he had to attend. When he was getting out the luggage for someone who had rode with us, he went to close the rear hatch door of our van and brought it right down on his head. Then we came inside to check in and they gave us our keys. We took our luggage and went up to the room to discover it was not a king sized bed like Dennis had reserved. So he went back to the front desk and arranged for us to change rooms. It took quite a while for both of us to be able to settle down to sleep.

Then we woke up this morning to rain. Dennis has to be outside for part of the conference because they are planning for next year's annual training. He did not remember to bring rain gear, so he is going to be soaked through before the day is over. Our second son called to tell me that the screen on his laptop had broken. I had an extra laptop at the house, but they couldn't get the password to work. Fortunately, they found my cord would work for another extra computer we had, so that problem was solved.

So how are things where you are today?

Trying to Leave the House

noreply@blogger.com (PATTIPEANUT) — Mon, 17 Nov 2014 04:22:00 +0000

Have you ever triedtoget ready to go someplace? Today my husband and I were going someplace without the children. We spent around 30 minutes going over instructions and directions for them while we were gone. It was quite something. Even if we just want torun out for few minutes, it seems to take forever to get out the door. The worst is when we are going on a family vacation. There are always those last minute items we have to go back for that someone forgot.

How do you all do with getting out the door? I would love to hear from you.

Saturday Cooking

noreply@blogger.com (PATTIPEANUT) — Sun, 16 Nov 2014 05:02:00 +0000

Today is all about cooking. I spent the majority of my evening in the kitchen cooking. I was preparing dinner for today plus dinner for one night this week. For tonight I fixed steak tacos with the help of my family. We took steak and thinly sliced it and seasoned it with Mexican spices that we browned. Then we served it with pinto beans that had mexicn seasonings along with rice, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream and guacamole. Here are some pictures of our meals.

For the coming week, I made Chilli and White Bean Chicken Chilli. Once it was fixed, we put it in jars. so here are some pictures.

Come back later this week if you want the recipes. What is on your menu? I would love to hear from you.

Writers Block or Maybe Not

noreply@blogger.com (PATTIPEANUT) — Fri, 14 Nov 2014 16:08:00 +0000

So it Friday, November 14, 2014. I have now been blogging consecutively for 45 days. It is hard to believe that I came up with that many different things to say. And for the past 13 days, I have also been working on my NaNoWriMo project as well. I am finding lots of things to say. But as I began to think about what to blog about today, I hit a wall. I had Writer's Block. I started and deleted several drafts before I began this one.

Yet the third time proved to work. That is this version. It is so hard sometimes to put thoughts on paper. I want to be sure I am using the right words to convey exactly the meaning I want. After all you can't hear my voice or see my facial expressions or hand motions to know what I really mean. All I have is my words. The right words convey exactly the meaning I want, while the wrong words can leave nothing. I just know I have a lot I want and need to share. At the same time, I am finding a desire to write that I never knew I had.

I always thought my sister was the one with the writing talent in the family. I was gifted in math. But as the years have gone by, I find myself spending more time writing or editing writing. As Dennis attended college, I edited his papers for him. I edit my children's homeschool work. I edit my blog and various posts on various forums I am on. I am surrounded by words. I can't escape them. They follow me where ever I go.

What are you surrounded by? Or what do you find yourself doing that you did not expect to be doing? I hope you will share with me!

Thankful Thursdays - November 13, 2014

noreply@blogger.com (PATTIPEANUT) — Thu, 13 Nov 2014 17:56:00 +0000

Today is day 13 of the NaBloPoMo challenge. And I am still here. Today I want to do a post regarding some more things I am thankful for today.

Today I am thankful for a home that suits the needs of our family perfectly. My children are really enjoying it and it suits our family well.

I am thankful for those in my husband's family who took the time when I first met Dennis to teach me how to crochet. I have completed many blankets over the years. Most have been given away to family and friends. It is something I really enjoy doing.

I am thankful that my parents (my mom specifically) instilled a love of reading in me. I am never bored or without something to do because I can always read.

I am thankful for our 12 passenger van that allows us to travel in comfort and grocery shop in one trip instead of many trips.

Oh and in honor of Throwback Thursdays, here is a picture from several years back. This picture was from back in 2010. Boy have my children grown.

So what are you thankful for today?

DAY 12 NaBloPoMo - 12 Things I am Thankful For

noreply@blogger.com (PATTIPEANUT) — Wed, 12 Nov 2014 15:53:00 +0000

Today is day 12 of the NaBloPoMo challenge. I thought I would share 12 things I am thankful for since it is November and quickly approaching Thanksgiving here in the USA.

12 Things I am Thankful for:
1) My amazing and wonderful husband. I was truly blessed when he entered my life.

2) My four children - They light up my world and keep life interesting.

3) My extended family - they too make life interesting.

4) My Online Bible Study friends that have become like family

5) My Savior Jesus Christ who was willing to die on the cross for my sins

6) The ability to homeschool my children

7) Our various church families: Because we have moved twice in the past 6 years, we have had to find new churches. Our church families in Greensburg (there were two different ones) and the three different ones we have interacted with where we are living now have blessed our family

8) The ability to serve God as he calls me to do

9) The Cozi app that allows me to keep track of our calendar and to share it with my family, including sending reminders.

10) YouVersion App - that ensures I spend time in God's Word every day.

11) My Teddy Bear that my wonderful husband bought me for our anniversary many years ago.

12) The ability to spend time blogging and writing.

So those are the things I am thankful for today. What are you thankful for? I would love to hear from you.

Tasty Tuesdays - Mexican for the Lactose-Intolerant

noreply@blogger.com (PATTIPEANUT) — Tue, 11 Nov 2014 19:12:00 +0000

Today is day 11 of NaBloPoMo and I wanted to do another "Tasty Tuesday" post about Mexican food. I have a child (well not exactly a young child - he is 18) who is extremely lactose intolerant. He is "can't eat anything that is even produced on a line where other products containing lactose are produced. We only discovered this less than 2 years ago and had been dealing with for over 7 years. So this really limits where we can eat at and what we can eat.

So I have had to get real creative in the kitchen. When we first received the diagnosis, we asked to speak to a nutritionist but had the request denied. Our gastro-intestinal doctor felt that handing us about 4 sheets of paper counted as nutritional counseling. Now for someone who had never even had friend in person that had the diagnosis, it made things very challenging. Many items either contain lactose (like certain brands of ramen noodles) or are produced on a line where other products are produced that contain lactose. But labels frequently don't identify that fact.

Our family loves Mexican food, but with someone who is lactose-intolerant it is out. So you can't imagine our excitement when we discovered a brand of cheese that is lactose-free because of the way it is made. So this allowed us to increase some of the items we could fix.

So for the last two months or so, I have tried preparing mexican food for our family. Tortillas are safe. I make homemade guacamole from avocadoes, green and/or red bell peppers, fresh tomatoes, red onions and I may or may not use cilantro (part of my family likes it and part of my family does not). I cut open and scoop out the inside of the avocados (discarding the seed) and place it in my food processor with some lime juice. I coarsely chop it. Then I dice the rest of the ingredients and mix them together gently. I typically add mesquite seasoning, chipolte seasoning and a small amount of chili powder to taste. I have some in my family who can't take a tremendous amount of spice, so I go on the light side. Add whatever is right for your taste.

I start a pot of rice (well I actually have either my son or my husband do this for me). We also put a pot of either black beans or white northern beans on to cook, adding some of the mexican seasonings to them. Then I brown either ground beef or chicken in a fry pan. Once it is browned, I add the same spices that I added to the guacamole - again to taste. In the meantime, my children and husband dice tomatoes and onions, shred lettuce and cheese and prepare the table with the other items including the tortillas, taco sauce, salsa and sour cream. When everything is ready I set up a station with the ingredients. I then have each family member tell me what they want on their burito/taco. I add those ingredients to their shell and wrap it for them.

Here is a picture of my husband's after he had made it picture perfect.

So there is our version of Mexican food. I hope you enjoy! What is your favorite food?

Day 10 of NaBloPoMo Challenge - 41 DAYS IN A ROW OF BLOGGING

noreply@blogger.com (PATTIPEANUT) — Mon, 10 Nov 2014 19:17:00 +0000

So today is day 10 of the NaBloPoMo challenge. So I have now been blogging for 41 days straight. I am rather proud of my accomplishment. In addition to the NaBloPoMo challenge, I am also participating in the NaNoWriMo challenge. My goal for that challenge is to write 50,000 words by the end of November. So far I am keeping up well. I am not going to go into details about what topic I have chosen to write about yet. But I have to say I am pleased with my progress.

I never planned on trying to write a novel. I never really planned on writing anything. But I have to say I am enjoying the writing process. It is somewhat magical to come to my computer with nothing really on my mind and see what eventually becomes a blog post or part of the book. Of course our life is never boring, so I can find plenty to say.

So what things have you done or are doing that you never expected to see yourself doing?

Week in Review - NaNoBloMo Day 9

noreply@blogger.com (PATTIPEANUT) — Sun, 09 Nov 2014 16:45:00 +0000

So we have had quite a week around here. We had to take our youngest son to get his military id renewed. Since we were already going to Hershey Medical Center on Wednesday for our second son, we decided to combine the trips into one. The two boys, Dennis and I left the house around 8 am and followed the GPS' instructions to get to Carlisle (the nearest location to renew a military id). We were directed to get off of the main road way before we expected to do so. But we wound up liking the back road we went on for the most part.

We completely missed Harrisburg and some other high traffic areas. When we arrived at Carlisle, the GPS brought us in the back gate, which was perfect for where we were going. We found a parking spot and walked into the ID center. There were several people ahead of us. So we sat and waited. Finally it was our turn. We quickly completed what was necessary to get the id and were back on the road. By this time, everyone was getting hungry. So we started to decide where we wanted to eat at. We finally decided on Mexican. Several years ago, we found a really good Mexican restaurant in the area. So we used the GPS to find it. Although, the area had changed so much that we were not sure we were at the right place. Once we walked inside we knew we had though.

Dennis and Joseph ordered a chicken dish with jalapeno peppers. Nathan ordered the fajitas, while I ordered chimichangas. The meals were fantastic. We really enjoyed our meals. We then continued on our way to the Medical Center. We arrived at the medical center and followed the directions provided to us. We finally found a parking spot (it was quite the adventure) and went inside. While our second son located a bathroom, Dennis and I located where we were going (this was our first time ever in this medical center). Once everyone had used the facilities, we went into the clinic.

We knew we were about an hour early, but decided to check in anyhow. Surprisingly, when we got back to the waiting room, our son was almost immediately called back. By the end of his appointment, I knew my son was exceptionally flexible (which I already knew) and that he did not have Marfan's Syndrome. I also knew my son thought it was really fun to have a geneticist, a genetics counselor and a medical school student all in his room at the same time. I also found out our son is well over 6 feet tall now.

To finish off our week, our microwave oven died. This is a tremendous tragedy for our family. It is used to make tea, prepare lunches and even fix dinner at times. So with a broken microwave, it is not a good thing.

So how has your week been?