Ten Things

1.  Going back to school after an unplanned week off for ice and snow is really difficult for an 8 year old boy.  He kept looking out the window...like everything would spontaneously freeze and school would be called off at the last minute.  One can always hope, right?

2.  The dog is driving me nuts today.  I guess since we actually got up and started moving around this morning, he is worried I am going to leave him.  Because he is constantly under my feet...I can't even walk in my own house.  I had to take him with me when we took Aidan to school, because he just about had a heart attack when he saw us headed to the car.

3. I am happy that the Steelers lost...but it was hard to be too happy because they're my sweet hubby's team.  Even Aidan was pretty low key about the Packers winning.  He felt bad for his daddy...isn't that sweet?

4.  Mostly, I'm just glad football is over for a few months.  The week leading up to the Super Bowl was especially hard...seriously, how much can you talk about a game that had not even happened yet?  Apparently, you can talk about it A LOT.  Enough to fill a whole week's worth of TV watching.

5.  If my daughter doesn't stop waking up in the middle of the night...only to walk in my bedroom and say, "mommy, can you take me back to bed?"  I am moving out.  Not really.

6. Dogs + tubes of yellow gel food coloring + carpet= tears of frustration and 1 partially yellow dog

7.  I made cupcakes with the Steelers emblem on them last night for Mark.  Because he asked me to.  He did not even eat them after I made them.

8.  I made an Aaron Rodgers cupcake for Aidan last night.  Because he asked me to.  He promptly ate and enjoyed it.

9.  I think my cupcakes had an influence on the outcome of the game.  Maybe the next time I make special cupcakes for Mark, he will take enough time away from the football game to actually eat them.

10.  My husband did not make me any coffee this morning.  I don't want to make it myself.  If he had made it for me, I would be drinking it right now.  But I'm not.

Texas Snow

I love Texas snow, although I'm sure Jerry Jones does NOT love it, and that makes me love it a little more. Is that wrong?  Anyway, I love Texas snow, because it is so rare.  We're lucky to get it once a year, if at all.  We're more likely to get slush than snow.  But, when we get real snow, it is such a treat.  Not only is it rare, but it's fleeting.  It never lasts long.  It's not unusual for Texas snow to be here in the morning, and melt by the afternoon.  So, whenever we get this treat, we take full advantage.  We get outside as soon as possible, make snowmen and snow angels and have snowball fights.  It is all the more joyful, because we don't know when we'll be able to do it again.  Snow is a gift...at least in Texas.  Mark and I stood watching the snow come down the other night...the big beautiful flakes that I love.  It was so peaceful.  I had this sense of God saying, "shhhh" to my spirit.  Snow quiets the world and covers all the ugliness and grime with pure, perfect sparkling white.  Sort of like what Jesus does for us.  That is why I love snow.  I just wanted to bask in that moment...take in the beauty and the peacefulness of it.  God never ceases to amaze me with beauty and awesome power.

 No one can mistake that voice--His word thundering so wondrously, his mighty acts staggering our understanding.  He orders the snow, "Blanket the earth!" and the rain, "Soak the whole countryside!"  No one can escape the weather--it's there.  And no one can escape from God.  Wild animals take shelter, crawling into their dens, when blizzards roar out of the north and freezing rain crusts the land.  It's God's breath that forms the ice, it's God's breath that turns lakes and rivers solid.  And yes, it's God who fills clouds with rainwater and hurls lightning from them every which way.  He puts them through their paces--first this way, then that--commands them to do what he says all over the world.  Whether for discipline or grace or extravagant love, he makes sure they make their mark.  Job 37:2-3 (the message)

"Come now, let us argue this out," says the LORD. "No matter how deep the stain of your sins, I can remove it.  I can make you clean as freshly fallen snow.  Even if you are stained as red as crimson, I can make you as white as wool.  Isaiah 1:18 (NLT)

Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me and I will be whiter than snow.  Psalm 51:7 (NLT)

Praise the Lord from the earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean depths, lightning and hail, snow and clouds, stormy winds that do his bidding... Psalm 148:7-8 NIV

Happy Snow Days!  

Snow Fun

It is our 3rd snow day in a row!  I don't know if we've ever had this many in a row.  We have had so much fun with everyone home.  I love that since Mark is a teacher, if school is closed he gets to stay home too.  I hate when it's icy and you have to make that decision about going into work or not.  I'm sorry for those that this ice has caused such an inconvenience for...frozen pipes, electricity outages, etc.  Fortunately, this time has been a huge blessing for our family.  There is no where to go, and we've just been hanging out having a good time together.

If you're pulling your hair out wondering how to entertain your kids on the THIRD snow day, and the thought of your kids flying across the ice in a flimsy laundry basket doesn't scare you half to death, AND you can tolerate single digit temperatures, you should try this today:

Can you tell by their faces how much fun they're having?  One word of caution, if you do this, 8 year old little boys will NOT under any circumstances want to come in the house.  Even if his mother's fingers and toes turn black and fall into the icy street.  He will just laugh and say, "more! more!"  Then, you will have to use your mean momma voice and tell him to get inside before he freezes to death.  When that doesn't work, you will have to bribe him with hot chocolate.

These may be the cutest little snow babies I've ever seen...I mean, ice babies.  (ice, ice baby...sorry, I had to).

Happy snow days!  And don't forget to let those faucets drip...and stay home...and eat...at least that's what we're doing, and it seems to be working so far.

Corn, Rice and Bean Burritos

I'm making out my weekly menu, so Ella and I can do our shopping in the morning.  If you don't plan out your meals, you should give it a try.  We save so much money...and so many last minute trips to restaurants because we always know ahead of time what's for dinner that night.  This recipe is really yummy...healthy, inexpensive and easy.  What more could you ask?  My kids love it too, which is always nice.

 

Ingredients:

1 1/3 c. frozen corn, thawed

1 med. onion, finely chopped

1 med. green pepper, finely chopped

1 Tbsp. oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 1/2 tsp. chili powder

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 1/2 c. cooked brown rice

8 flour tortillas, warmed

3/4 c. shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 c. reduced-fat plain yogurt

2 green onions, sliced

1/2 c. salsa

In a large skillet, saute the vegetables until tender.  Add the spices, cook 1 min. longer.  Add beans and rice; cook until thoroughly heated.  Spoon about 1/2 c. filling onto each tortilla.  Top with cheese, yogurt and green onions.  Roll up burrito style.  Serve with salsa (and chips!).  

Enjoy!

Oh...and while you're here...vote for your pick for the Super Bowl.  I'm torn...do I go with my husband and root for the Steelers...or go with Aidan and root for the Packers?  Isn't there a law against Cowboys fans rooting for the Steelers?  

Stability of Heart

God and I have been doing some work on my heart lately.  Thanks to a great book by Beth Moore, So Long Insecurity, and more and more time in his word, I feel like I am finally winning a life long battle I've had with insecurity, doubt and fear.  Several people have been surprised to find that I struggle with this.  I guess mine doesn't always present itself in the typical way.  Mine presents itself in rabid perfectionism.  I am crippled into doing nothing because I fear not doing it perfectly.  If you struggle with this too, I highly recommend the book.  It doesn't just teach you about insecurity, it provides some very practical steps to conquer it once and for all.  What it boils down to, is all of my stability and security comes from Him.  It is taking lots of prayer and hiding God's word in my heart, but I have made lots of progress.  This is my current memory verse (I'm going to try to type it from memory!):

He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord.  His heart is secure, he will have no fear; in the end he will look in triumph on his foes.  Psalm 112: 7-8
(Okay, I had to peek...I need more work on that one!)


I can't wait to look in triumph on this particular foe!

I love this quote too...this was sent to me in Jan Johnson's wisbit last month.  If you would like to subscribe to these you can visit her website.  It is: www.janjohnson.org/wisbits.html

Anyway, I just love this quote from Benedictine monk, Anthony Bloom, that she included in her December email:

"You will find stability at the moment when you discover that God is everywhere, that you do not need to seek Him elsewhere, that He is here, and if you do not find Him here it is useless to go and search for Him elsewhere because it is not Him that is absent from us, it is we who are absent from Him.  This is important because it is only at the moment that you recognize this that you can truly find the fullness of the Kingdom of God in all its richness within you; that God is present in every situation and every place, that you will be able to say:  'So then I shall stay where I am.'"


Much peace, security and stability to you today!

Thoughts on the State of the Union

Don't worry, this will not be a political post...I save all my political rantings for Mark and my closest friends, and I know they appreciate it.  Today, I just wanted to share a few observations about the State of the Union last night.

First, I always feel that it is my duty as an American to watch these things.  I like to be well informed.  But, any time I watch any politician speak, I don't feel like I know any more than I did in the beginning.  They tell you all these things that sound GREAT.  But, give no real specifics on how or if any of it can actually happen in reality.  And, last night's was LONG.  Poor John Boehner.  I think he was just about bored to tears...and tears are never far off for him.  How embarrassing would that be to cry during the State of the Union?  Come to think of it, why do they make the VP and the Speaker sit behind the president the whole time?  I hate being on camera...especially when I'm not doing anything but sitting.  You always get hyper aware of every facial expression or twitch.  Heaven forbid your nose itch, or you choke on your own phlegm.  I have to say, I was missing good ole' Nancy Pelosi last night.  She was so entertaining.  She was always doing some weird twitch or excessive weird blinking.

I also started to wonder last night about the wisdom behind having the president, the VP and the Speaker all together like that.  Who is 4th in line?  I should know that, right?  I told Mark, many times, that I did not think they were supposed to all be together like that.  To which he replied, "they always are for this," every time I said it.  I don't think he was hearing me.

The most irritating thing to me about State of the Union Addresses, or really any political address, is all the personal stories.  You know, when they say, "this makes me think of Sally Rogers, from Fort Worth, Texas who was living on the streets with her 4 kids and a 3-legged dog.  Then, I became President and now she lives in a mansion and her dog has been completely healed."  All presidents from both parties do it, and it makes me laugh.  Where do they find these people?  They act like they know them personally and have spent all this time with them.  I don't know this, but I suspect they send out researchers to search these people out, just for their little stories.  Did you see the lady last night?  When Obama started talking about her she looked to the person on her right and said, "that's me!"  Then a few seconds later, she turned to the person on her left and said, "that's me!"  I think we backed that up and watched it about 3 times.  We are easily amused.  I got the feeling that Biden wanted to do the same thing when Obama mentioned him.  He got really excited.  I know he wanted to turn to Boehner and say, "that's me!"

The most interesting thing I found out last night is that both the Department of the Interior AND the Department of Commerce are in charge of Salmon, depending on if they are in fresh water or salt water. I know Obama pointed this out in order to say the government needs to be more streamlined.  But, what I want to know, is why is the government in charge of salmon??  Really?  Do they pay taxes?  Are we protecting their civil rights?  Issuing them passports?  George Washington would be choking on his wooden teeth.

After the speech, all the "analysis" starts.  This really drives me crazy.  I think there should be a rule that no one is allowed to talk about the speech for one hour...give people some time to process it on their own, instead of telling them what they are supposed to think about it.  Maybe it's the teacher and the mom in me, but sometimes when all that garbage is on, I want to ring a bell and say, "excuse me!  this is a no talking time.  Everyone do your OWN work."

I think the State of the Union should have more facts...like, this is how much we're spending, this is how much we're bringing in.  This is how the war is going, this is how much we spent on education, and this is how it turned out.  Instead, it's a whole lot of this is what I want to do, this is what I think we should do, with only a fact or two thrown in here or there.  Our founding fathers were not being creative or catchy when they named it the State of the Union.  They didn't consult advertisers or PR people to help them find a serious sounding name.  They called it the State of the Union, because the president is supposed to tell Congress and the American People the State of the Union.  Instead, it's like a sports highlights reel of all the things the politicians want to pat themselves on the back about.  That is only my opinion of course...but I'm a facts and numbers girl.  Just give it to me straight and save reelection speeches for the campaign trail.

Finally, I will agree with Obama, I am so glad we live in a country where we get to argue and fight and bicker about politics.  That means we still have a choice!  Go USA!!  Whatever state the union is in, I'd rather live here than anywhere else on earth!

Football Food

It's almost Super Bowl time!  I should remove that exclamation point...I'm really not that excited about it.  I don't really care about either of the teams.  Mark is excited because his Pittsburgh Criminals, I mean Steelers, (sorry...after all the jokes about the Dallas Cowboys, I had to) have made it to their 7th 8th Super Bowl.  (Mark corrected me!)  Aidan is excited because he decided, just this weekend, that the Packers are his favorite team.  Gag.  But, it will be fun to get together with some friends, eat some football food and watch the commercials, I mean, the game.  At least I hope we're getting together with friends...if you're my friend and you're reading this, please plan something.
Anyway...last night in honor of the play off games we had a very healthy dinner of potato skins, mozzarella sticks and nachos.  Mark was very excited.  I've learned a lot in these last several years of cooking for him...keep it simple...think bar and grill...that's what he gets most excited about.  The potato skins may have made him more excited than just about anything I've ever made.  I've been asked to make these for the Super Bowl.  They were simple to make, and very tasty...so I thought I'd share.

Potato Skins:
yield: 12 potato skins

6 small to medium sized potatoes
3 Tbsp. oil
1 Tbsp. Parmesan Cheese
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/8 tsp. pepper
real bacon bits
4 green onions, chopped
1 1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese (buy a block, shred your own, it makes all the difference in the world!)
sour cream

Bake the potatoes.  Slice them in half and scoop out the potato, leaving about 1/4" in the shell.

Mix together the oil, Parmesan and spices.  Brush onto both sides of the potato skins.

Bake at 475 degrees for 7 minutes, turn over and bake another 7 minutes.

Sprinkle cheese, bacon and green onions into the shells.  Serve with sour cream.

I'll also share the recipe for the mozzarella sticks...I overcooked mine a little, so watch them carefully.  The ones that were just barely golden brown were the best.

Mozzarella Sticks:

10 mozzarella cheese sticks
1 1/2 c. Italian bread crumbs
1 c. shredded Parmesan
1 tsp. salt
4 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 c. oil

Mix bread crumbs, salt and Parmesan.  Dip a cheese stick in egg, let excess drip off, then coat with bread crumb mixture.  Place on baking sheet.  Repeat with remaining cheese sticks.  Dip each cheese stick a second time in egg and then bread crumb mixture to get a good coating on them.  Put them in the freezer for 2 hours.

Heat oil in a skillet.  Cook cheese sticks about a minute on each side, or until golden brown.  Serve immediately.

Happy Super Bowling!