Dinner!

I haven't done much with cooking lately, so decided to make tonight's dinner a bit more interesting than the last few meals have been. It turned out great! Here is what was on the menu:

Marinade Chicken Basmati Rice Prosciutto Asparagus Fresh salad

My Marinade: 2 tsp. minced Garlic 8 tsp. Worcestershire sauce 6 Tb. lemon juice 1/2 C. oil 1/2 C. apple cider vinigar 4 tsp. stake seasoning 1/2 tsp. sugar 1 small minced onion Makes enough to marinade 1 whole chicken breast I marinaded the chicken for 2 hours, then baked it in the oven for about 30 minutes till done. I wanted to grill it, but alas, there was no charcoal for the grill... grill marks make everything look yummier, and that charred flavor...mmm! Can't beat it! Prosciutto Asparagus I found this recipe in a Better Homes and Garden magazine. As I don't particularly enjoy asparagus, I'm taking my family's word for it that it was good. (judging by the way they ate it, I'm sure it was:) 6 Tb. Cream Cheese, softened 1/2 lb. prosciutto (or ham, I used ham) 2 sheets puff pastry abt. 30 spears of Asparagus Defrost the puff pastry and unroll, spread the cream cheese evenly on the pastry then layer with prosciutto or ham. Cut each sheet into 15 strips (pizza cutter works perfectly for this job) wrap asparagus with pastry strips, place on cookie sheet seam side down, and bake at 400 for 15 minutes (thus says the recipe anyway. I had to bake mine for about 30 minutes to get the pastry done. I was afraid the asparagus would burn, but it turned out ok. Some of the smaller spears were a little crisp but Clay said he liked it...) So to all you asparagus lovers out there, let me know how your's turn out!

Vacation Bible School

So, I've been working on skit writing for a couple solid weeks and I needed a break. Then Pastor David mentioned wanting to play a slide show at church of pictures from last year's VBS, so I took that as a sign from God that I was supposed to take a break from skit writing :) This is what I came up with...what do you think?

VBS inspiration

Its no secret that this year's VBS has a farm theme. It is also no secret that I am a country girl at heart. (my email address, the cowboy boot necklace that I wear all the time, my attempt at keeping chickens in a very tight space, the fact that I volunteer at a barn...need I mention the theme I picked for the VBS?) So I didn't think it would be that hard to come up with plenty of curriculum ideas. While I have bushels of ideas, they had not been coming together quite like I had wanted them to. Writer's block had set in, my creativity quit and I grew tired of trying to make something work that seemed set on doing quite the opposite! Then, inspiration knocked. Literally. (well, o.k, it was the door bell) Some friends stopped by with some things for me from a mutual friend who knew of the VBS. Out from the trunk of their car they produced a variety of farmish looking things! Wicker baskets, metal buckets, milk jugs, a small wagon, lanterns, a pump, a pair of overalls... yep, I am happy! It was just what I needed to get my creative juices flowing again! For some reason, it is so much easer to write skits when you have an abundance of amazing props in front of you. You can sit down to write a skit to illustrate a particular lesson, but if you don't have any inspiration, you're sunk. Thanks Annick! You made my day, and quite possibly, the VBS!

Fried PB&J

I have yet to post anything about cooking, and I haven't tried any new recipes recently that are worth posting, so here is a fun way to fix PB&J that my team enjoyed during Character Suite. We didn't have much to cook with; a microwave, a burner, a toaster, and an iron. Yes, the kind you use to get the wrinkles out of clothes. (After three weeks in the same four walls, you learn to be creative with what you have on hand...)

This is the crazy crew who turned an iron into a cooking appliance...

Step One: Make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. (easy enough...)

Step Two: Cut a piece of tin foil that is big enough to wrap the entire sandwich. (What?)

Step Three: Spread butter on one side of the outside of the sandwich, place face down on the tin foil, and spread butter on the remaining plain side of the sandwich. (I know, we're weird! ...as if the picture didn't clue you in...)
Step Four: Wrap the sandwich in the tin foil so that there is only one or two layers of tin foil on each side. (Wrapping the sandwich like a tootsie roll, or scrunching/rolling the foil up to the crust works well, just make sure the tin foil on the bread side is relatively smooth)
Step Five: Pre-heat iron (yes, the one you use to get wrinkles out of clothes...) to the wool or cotton setting.
Step Six: Place the foil wrapped sandwich on the IRONING BOARD!!! (IMPORTANT STEP!!!)
Step Seven: Place heated iron on top of sandwich (still in the foil!) and leave for approximately 30-45 seconds. Repeat on second side. (you can very carefully place your ear by the sandwich while the iron is still on it and hear the butter crackling!) The bread should have a grilled look when it is done. Step
Eight: Let cool
Step Nine: Carefully unwrap and enjoy!

Sometimes life makes me smile :)

Last Saturday I went to a friend's house to help out with some things, and brought Grandma along. She had such a good time playing with the kids and holding the baby! She was especially taken with red-headed Lydia. She spent at least an hour out side with her, watching her play, and trying to explain why she couldn't join her on the trampoline! When they came in side Lydia crawled up on the couch next to "Gamma," as she calls her, and this is what happened... Tina and I must have taken at least a dozen pictures of them sleeping like that. Both of them were out like a light! A few other cute moments...

Grandma and Esther

Lydia, Esther, and Josiah playing paper dolls

Baby Malachi

Lydia, Grandma, Malachi, Josiah

I'm so thankful for friends!

Lilly of the Valley

I have found a friend in Jesus, he's everything to me,

he's the fairest of ten thousand to my soul; the Lily of the Valley,in him alone I see all I need to cleanse and make me fully whole. In sorrow he's my comfort, in trouble he's my stay, he tells me every care on him to roll.

He's the Lily of the Valley, the bright and Morning Star, he's the fairest of ten thousand to my soul.

He all my grief has taken, and all my sorrows borne; in temptation he's my strong and mighty tower; I have all for him forsaken, and all my idols torn from my heart, and now he keeps me by his power. Though all the world forsake me, and Satan tempts me sore, through Jesus I shall safely reach the goal. He's the Lily of the Valley, the bright and Morning Star, he's the fairest of ten thousand to my soul. He will never, never leave me, nor yet forsake me here, while I live by faith and do his blessed will; a wall of fire about me, I've nothing now to fear, with his manna he my hungry soul shall fill. Then sweeping up to glory, to see his blessed face, where rivers of delight shall ever roll. He's the Lily of the Valley, the bright and Morning Star, he's the fairest of ten thousand to my soul.

The happy chart!

Sometimes I get creative urges. One of those feelings that says make something! Now! Friday night I had one of those, ‘I need to make something’ frenzies, so as Clay watched the basketball game, I lugged out my scrap booking stuff and spread it all out on the living room floor. I finally decided to make a new happy chart! Our current happy chart was running out of room to write on! What is a happy chart? A place ready and waiting to be filled with funny quotes, silly happenings, and simple things that make the writer happy… all the little ways God says ‘I love you!’ to His children. I was first introduced to happy charts when my family lived in Indiana. The staff used them as a way to focus on the blessings God had given us instead of concentrating on all the things we could complain, or be ungrateful about. When something happened that brightened our day, be it as simple as the sun shining after days of clouds and rain, or the kitchen making our favorite dish for dinner, it went on the happy chart. During character suite when all four of us on the team were doubled over in laughter at something that happened, it usually ended in a race to the happy chart to see who would get to write it down! Its a great way to cheer yourself up on a dreary day too! Earlier to day I re-read some quotes from a while back and couldn’t help laughing out loud! After cutting and tracing, gluing and placing, I came up with this bright spring design for the happy chart which is now prominently displayed on the refrigerator. There aren’t many happy things on it yet, but it will fill up fast! Here’s what’s on it so far: Clay to mom while driving: “I didn’t slam on the breaks, I calmly put them on quickly” Mom: “Facebook reminds me of what ultrasounds do to pregnancy” Clay: “…like a ballerina on steroids.” “Ode to a Butterfly!” (A favorite bluegrass song, that no one else in my family particularly likes, that I had set as my ring tone on my cell phone!) When you go through life looking for the little blessings God sends our way, the items on your to do list that you previously worried about or stressed over don’t seem quite as important. As you go through life don’t just “stop and smell the roses,” Thank the one who made them!