Favorite Fridays:oopsy!

Well, life has been super busy and OOPSY I forgot to even post the homemade recipes I said I would! So, once time slows down a bit I'll get those up here!

Life is too short...

Today my mother told me that a man from my home church had passed away suddenly. He collapsed when he was at work and died of unknown causes. He was really young and had two teenage boys. I didn't know him that well, but he always had a smile on his face, was sweet and generous, and he was a member of the youth committee when I was youth director there. I know that the Lord has a wonderful place prepared for us, but you can't help but think about the people that you love and imagine what life would be like if they suddenly disappeared. I held my baby boy in my arms and cried and gave my husband a hug and kiss with the thought in my mind that this could be the last time I see them. You never know when your life is meant to end. It really makes you think about how you are living this short life and how you need to focus on what really matters.

why was i so worried about having nice things?
or why didn't i treat this person better?
or why do i spend so much of my time watching tv or surfing the internet when i should be praising my God and giving him my time and energy?

It's hard to face the idea of death, but I have to keep reminding myself that I have an awesome God who has an amazing place for me for the rest of eternity. When I was a kid I used to be scared of the word "eternity." I just could not comprehend the idea that life in Heaven will never ever end! It will just keep going, and going, and going! Even now I just can't understand it. It will NEVER END! As humans we are so used to things on earth having a final ending, but God is eternal. It's crazy awesome! I just have to keep reminding myself that though we face the valley of the shadow of death, we have nothing to fear, because our God is for us and nothing can ever stop it!

I love this new song my Chris Tomlin called "Faithful," the lyrics are so wonderful!

Faithful, forever You are faithful
Father to the fatherless
You uphold the one who feels forsaken
You are faithful, God

Faithful, forever You are faithful
Lover of the wounded heart
You defend the poor and the forgotten
You are faithful, God

And I will sing to the maker of Heaven and Earth
God, You reign forever and Your love will endure
Faithful and true is the name of the Lord
You are faithful, God

Faithful, forever You are faithful
Shelter for the fragile soul
You lift us up, You hold us all together
You are faithful, God

You are there in every season of my soul
You are there, You're the anchor that will hold
You are there, in the valley of the shadows
You are faithful, God

'member that time?

hey, 'member that time when we were kids and we used to push the trampoline up to the side of the house, crawl out my bedroom window and jump off the roof onto the trampoline? And 'member how mom and dad never found out? We were good!

If you want to do a 'member that time? Monday go to http://teamvanvoorst.blogspot.com/

Favorite Fridays: Homemade Recipes

I’ve been into making my own homemade products for a few years now and overtime have come up with a collection of money-saving homemade recipes. They are easy, simple, and work well in our household!

Homemade Laundry Detergent

I’ve been making my own homemade laundry detergent since Andrew and I got married. The recipe is:

1 Cup Baking Soda

1 Cup Washing Soda

½ Cup Oxy Clean (I’m trying to find a more natural substitute for the oxy clean but haven’t been able to yet)

I mix it all up in a Tupperware container and use 1 Tablespoon for every load. To add a nice smell I use some cheap fabric softener from Sams Club (since the point of the homemade laundry detergent is to save money!).

For clothes that have stains or are really smelly I spray some white-vinegar on the spot and toss it in the laundry. It’s not good at getting out the deep/tough stains but it works on little ones.

Homemade Hand Soap

Well, I guess you can’t really call it homemade, but it helps me save money! I have some foam pump bottles that I saved from previous Bath and Body Works hand soaps and to save money I bought a big jug of hand-soap from Sams Club and put a tiny bit in each pump bottle. Then I add water and shake it up. I don’t think I’ve had to buy hand soap for over a year because of this and it works just fine!

Homemade All-Purpose Cleaner

I have a cheap spray bottle that I fill with a few drops of all-natural dish washing soap plus a little white-vinegar. Then I fill the rest of the bottle with water and shake it. Did you know vinegar is a great disinfectant? I use it on glass, sinks, counters, toilets, the shower, and even spots on the floor. It’s great!

I really enjoy being able to save money by making my own cleaner, hand soap and laundry soap. Sam’s Club is SO GREAT because you can buy in bulk for cheap. We’ve been buying diapers and wipes there, which we have found will actually be a little cheaper than spending a large sum on cloth diapers. However, I do know that in the future with the 2^nd kid I would be saving more money by using cloth diapers, so when that time comes I will definitely consider using cloth diapers! In the mean time I may start making my own homemade baby wipes.

I am also getting into making my own homemade seasoning mixes. Andrew and I cook a variety of different foods ranging from Italian to Mexican and it’s nice to have a seasoning mixture ready for whatever meal you need rather than having to buy all the different seasonings you need for each individual recipe or having to buy the pre-made packs of seasonings.

Homemade House Seasoning:

In a sealable container mix 1 Cup Salt, ¼ Cup Black Pepper, and ¼ Cup Garlic Powder. We use this on almost everything; French fries, sweet potato fries, chicken, pork chops, and lots more!

Homemade Mexican Seasoning:

In a sealable container mix 1 Cup Chili Powder, ½ Cup Ground Cumin, ½ Cup Salt, and a ¼ Cup Pepper. We use this on tacos, fajitas, and other Mexican dishes. You can adjust the level of spice by using either hot, medium or mild chili powder. I’m trying to find another seasoning to add that will help add even more flavor because I still think this is just a little bland compared to the taco seasoning you can buy out of a packet.

Next I need to come up with a homemade Italian seasoning. Usually we grab what we want from the cupboard and just start sprinkling but it would be nice to have our own premade mix that I can grab and sprinkle rather than reaching for multiple things. Usually we use garlic powder, parsley, oregano, rosemary and thyme.

Coming next week for Favorite Fridays: More Homemade Recipes!

Crockpot Turkey

I tried a new crock-pot recipe today that was really good! It was literally a "throw all in and let it cook" recipe and it was so nice because I was home sick today and didn't have the energy to make an entire meal for us. If you'd like to know where I got it I can let you know the website, but here is the recipe:

2 lbs. Turkey Breast
4 Rosemary Sprigs
4 Garlic Cloves
1Tbsp Brown Sugar
1/2 Tsp Black Pepper
1/4 Tsp Salt

Place Turkey in the crock-pot, arrange rosemary and garlic around the turkey, coat turkey with brown sugar/black pepper/salt, and cook on low for 6 hours.

I'm glad I was home when I made this recipe because I ended up turning the heat down to 10 hours and then eventually to warm because the turkey cooked really fast. This recipe actually calls for a whole 6-7 lb turkey breast but obviously we didn't need that much for just Andrew and I so I think that's why the turkey cooked faster. However, it's so great because you literally throw everything in the crock pot and let it cook. Those recipes are my favorite! Again, I don't take the credit for this, but I hope you will make it and enjoy it just as much as we did!

Favorite Fridays: I'm A Reader

I've always been someone who enjoys a good book. Even in high school I would make plans to go to the library after school to check one out. Being so busy though, it takes me months to get through a single book, and sometimes I read multiple books at one time just because I can't wait to start the next one before I finish the one I'm reading. I'm willing to admit that I'm a Twilight geek and a Harry Potter fanatic, but most of all I enjoy reading love stories. I'm especially a fan of Nicholas Sparks! I've been reading his books since High School and was so excited when they started making some of them into movies (although the movie is NEVER as good as the book)! I'm currently reading one of his new books called "Safe Haven" that is also being made into a movie.

http://www.nicholassparks.com/

Another author I really enjoy is Francine Rivers. She is my absolute favorite Christian author. Her books are based off the Truth of the Bible and God really speaks to me through her stories. If you haven't already, I would recommend reading "Redeeming Love" AH! It's by far my favorite book of all time and definitely the best romance ever (since it models God's love for us)! She also has a series called "Lineage of Grace" which tells the stories of some incredible women from the Bible. She does a great job of pulling you into the story so you can experience the emotions that some of these women faced; such as Mary the mother of Jesus, Tamar, and Rahab. One series of hers that I really enjoyed (and I've currently got my mom hooked on) is the "Mark of the Lion." It takes you back to the first Jewish-Roman war and brings about a romance between a young slave girl named Hadassah and her master's son Marcus and the struggles she faces being a Christian. I actually still have the last book in that series to read, but as I said earlier I start new books before I finish others, so I must admit that I'm also in the middle of another one of her series that has two books "Her Mother's Hope" and "Her Daughter's Dream" which contain the memories of her great grandparents. All of these are incredible books and I truly believe Francine Rivers is writing the from mouth of God.

http://francinerivers.com/

This year I have hopes of actually finishing some of these books and starting new books from different authors. I would really like to read "Jane Eyre" (which they are making into a movie of by the way) and I've heard great things about the author Beverly Lewis (another Christian author). If you have other suggestions of good love stories or authors please let me know!

Crockpot Thyme Chicken

I've been working on going Gluten Free for a while now. Since December turned out to be majorly unsuccessful, I've decided to change one part of my diet each week so that as each week progresses I become more and more gluten free. My goal right now isn't to become completely gluten free, but to trim out the things in my diet that may be influencing my stomach issues. This week my goal is to put together a gluten free flour mixture and make my own homemade gluten free bread! I'm still looking for some ingredients for my flour mixture, so I will be sure to let you know how it turns out.

On the other hand, I've been talking a lot lately about how I need some quick recipes to help with our evening meals since Andrew and I both work till 6 and by the time we get home we need a quick meal before we put Josiah to bed. Here is a crockpot recipe that we tried once before and it turned out really bland. I decided to change it up a bit for this second round and it turned out really great, so I thought I'd share for you moms who are also "on the go" a lot and need a good crockpot recipe.

Crock Pot Thyme Chicken
4 cups chicken stock
2 cups white wine
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1/2 tablespoon oregano
1/2 tablespoon parsley
a pinch of ginger
(add any other spices you'd like)
1-2 cloves of garlic (or one large clove, minced)
1 lemon
1 1/2 lbs. Chicken
(we used boneless chicken breasts and then cut them in half. If the pieces are too small then they overcook. The recipe calls for 3 lbs. of chicken but we don't need that much for just 2 people)

1. Place everything except the lemon in the Crock Pot.
2. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze half into the crock pot. (You can toss the lemon into the mixture if you wish but we didn't want too much lemon flavor).
3. Mix it all together, make sure to coat the chicken in the liquid.
4. Cook on low for 7-8 hours.

Serve over mashed potatoes, brown rice, or vegetables.

I honestly can't remember where I got this recipe, but we love it! Let me know if you try it!