I follow the blogs of a couple of my friends from college. I was introduced into the idea of weekly meal planning through a blog and I love it! I am going to try to share my meal plans with you each week as they do. So, here's my first Meal Plan Monday!
Monday: Creamy Chicken Stew with whole wheat rolls
Tuesday: Lasagna, salad, and crescent rolls
Wednesday: Breakfast for Supper! Whole wheat pancakes, turkey bacon and scrambled eggs
Thursday: Fish Tacos (Yum!), Spanish rice, and refried beans
Friday: Pizza Night!
Saturday: Leftovers for Lunch and Out to Eat for dinner (maybe sushi!)
Sunday: Turkey hotdogs for lunch (it's race food!)
Black bean corn wraps and rice for dinner
I adhere pretty strictly to this, but if something really doesn't sound good to anyone on a given night, we will flip-flop. I also keep some staples on hand that are my go-to meals like spaghetti.
Great, now I'm hungry!
Monday, February 22, 2010
New Addition
I'd like you to meet our newest family member, Maxwell C. Pepper, a big name for a teeny weeny little part of a puppy. We adopted him today. I got to spend the morning getting our new little one and Rascal acquainted. So far, so good. Rascal is intensely jealous as any big brother would be! The kids are over the moon excited about him. Needless to say, our family night activity for tonight was Max and nothing but Max! Well, ok, Danny and Mason managed to work a little Wii in too! It's amazing how a new life can upset an apple cart...change the rhythm of everyday life...and melt your heart! I've resisted this upset for a while now. Two kids, one puppy, life is good. I didn't want to go back to cleaning up poo, getting up with a puppy, trying to figure it out...again! However, I'm so glad we did. He is just yummy adorable. He was eating his supper and started picking up his hind legs...cute. He's built like me, kind of short and round...so I have a real fondness for him! Very fun. Now, we just have to hope we can all (including Max) survive the arguments about who gets to hold him and for how long, who cleaned up the last mess he made, and who's turn it is to play with him. I think we will be just fine. Danny and I probably won't get a lot of sleep tonight...or this week...but that's ok.Better go, think it's my turn to hold the puppy!
Melissa
Friday, February 19, 2010
Insecurities
Yep, that's right, I got 'em. LOTS of them! I started thinking about blogging way back a long time ago. I have talked myself out of it SO many times. I always think, "Who in their right mind would give a rat's patootie about reading ANYTHING I have to say?" And so I didn't. I guess that's why I convinced myself when I was thinking about my resolutions for 2010, that if I set a resolution to begin blogging, then I'd be FORCED to do it! Well, I started a blog and then immediately got discouraged. I have TWO, count 'em, TWO followers...and one of them is married to me. I figured I have about as many people reading... So, this week, with a renewed sense of "Who cares? I'll just do it for me!", I revamped my blog design and started anew. I decided to add a counter...and when given the option to start my count at 0 or 1000 I really almost chose 1000. I didn't though, I started at zero. I figured that with Danny and Amy reading, I might slowly climb to 10!!!! I was thrilled tonight to see that I have had 35 hits. Now, I realize 20 of them have probably been Danny...but maybe someone else is out there???
If you are, and if you want to help a poor insecure soul feel amazingly good about herself...feel free to just post a "hello" or "nice punctuation...NOT!" If you really feel led, you are welcome to follow me. I won't let it go to my head, I promise. I know you won't really be following me. I'll just view you as a companion in my quest to follow God!
Happy Friday! I'm off to eat homemade apple crisp with the fam...YUMMO!
Melissa
If you are, and if you want to help a poor insecure soul feel amazingly good about herself...feel free to just post a "hello" or "nice punctuation...NOT!" If you really feel led, you are welcome to follow me. I won't let it go to my head, I promise. I know you won't really be following me. I'll just view you as a companion in my quest to follow God!
Happy Friday! I'm off to eat homemade apple crisp with the fam...YUMMO!
Melissa
I LOVE FRIDAY!!
Oh Glory, Hallelujah!! Today is F-R-I-D-A-Y!!! I'm so happy. I love Fridays. I love the anticipation of the weekend. I like knowing when I wake up early to get the kids up for school that tomorrow I get to sleep in! I love knowing that the evening will be longer without early bedtimes. I love that the weekend will be full of time with the people I love best. So, I can really and truly say, "THANK GOD IT'S FRIDAY!!!" I truly thank Him for getting us through another week. I truly thank Him for being with us and leading us to yet another Friday. Have you ever noticed how people are just in a better mood on Friday? You never hear someone say, "Oh well, it's Wednesday!", in response to something that has happened that might be negative. However, I don't know how many times I've heard someone say, "Oh well, it's Friday!" WHO CARES! Tomorrow is Saturday! Just like this morning, I went out to the super mini-van to take my kiddos to school. I was ready for them to GOOOOOO...so we were in the van early today. I pushed my handy dandy little button that's part of the console in my van that opens the garage and....nothing happened. So, I pushed it again...and then realized that the dome light was eerily dim. Just then, Mason said, "I turned the radio up in the van when we were playing yesterday!" Battery...dead. So normally the rush that ensued after that to figure a way to get them at school and all would have ruined my entire day...but nope. I just shrugged it off and told myself, "Today is FRIDAY!!"
This leads me to think, shouldn't I have this same attitude about each and every day? After all, is there a day of the week that is void of the Lord's creation? Shouldn't I rise everyday with an anticipation of what the day that the Lord has made will bring? I really should proclaim on a sleepy Monday morning..."Thank God It's Monday!!!"
I had my bible study group this morning (which I walked to, begrudgingly at first, but then realized it was a blessing, a GORGEOUS morning, and exercise!!) We reviewed this week's lesson and watched the taped session with Beth Moore. She was discussing the manna that I spoke about in yesterday's blog. She explained that God was not only seeking their daily obedience and dependence, he was seeking a daily relationship for them. Our daily bread is Jesus...and in order to fully experience Him, we must have relationship with God. We can't just follow the rules, we must enter into a relationship with our Lord. So, why do we often fight it? Why do we choose to take things into our own hands. She pointed out that our problem with that daily approach is that we are often full of pride and/or we are full of fear. It's scary to think that we are putting all our hope in God. What if He decides we aren't worthy? What if He doesn't come through? And that is where faith enters in...that believing in something that we cannot see.
So, back to the weekend...I am really excited for this weekend. First of all, thanks to my van battery, I get to start my weekend early with the Dan Man. He's going to ride in early this afternoon on his great white steed to rescue me...I'm the damsel in distress, get it? Anyway, then Mad is having a friend over to spend the night. We will get to sleep in tomorrow morning, as we have no where to go, Praise Jesus! And tomorrow night, we are going into Wichita to try out a church. It's a mega-type church...and it's not a Methodist church...a few years back, that would have been two strikes AGAINST it...now, it's sort of two checks in the pros side of things. We have a whole new outlook on what we "want" from a church...and that is really, nothing. We aren't coming with a long list of qualifications that they must meet. Our only real qualification is that we hear the truth of God, the Gospel, being shared and that it's biblically based. I have had a yearning in my heart for the last several months to be part of a worship service again. I miss the experience of standing among fellow believers with voices and arms raised. It will be fun. Some of our fellow wandering Methodist, misplaced in the last few months, have attended this church and really liked it. They have a five o'clock service on Saturday nights, so that fits us like a glove! We are also beginning a couple's group with some of our church friends. It's called, "Laughing Your Way to a Better Marriage", and it sounds like a lot of fun. Mostly, we are really looking forward to fellowship with some people that we haven't seen in a long while.
Good stuff.
I pray that the Lord blesses you this weekend. I hope that you will wake up each and every day and rejoice in what He is doing in your life. I hope that we will all remember to go out and collect the manna that He has offered to us.
Blessings!
Melissa
This leads me to think, shouldn't I have this same attitude about each and every day? After all, is there a day of the week that is void of the Lord's creation? Shouldn't I rise everyday with an anticipation of what the day that the Lord has made will bring? I really should proclaim on a sleepy Monday morning..."Thank God It's Monday!!!"
I had my bible study group this morning (which I walked to, begrudgingly at first, but then realized it was a blessing, a GORGEOUS morning, and exercise!!) We reviewed this week's lesson and watched the taped session with Beth Moore. She was discussing the manna that I spoke about in yesterday's blog. She explained that God was not only seeking their daily obedience and dependence, he was seeking a daily relationship for them. Our daily bread is Jesus...and in order to fully experience Him, we must have relationship with God. We can't just follow the rules, we must enter into a relationship with our Lord. So, why do we often fight it? Why do we choose to take things into our own hands. She pointed out that our problem with that daily approach is that we are often full of pride and/or we are full of fear. It's scary to think that we are putting all our hope in God. What if He decides we aren't worthy? What if He doesn't come through? And that is where faith enters in...that believing in something that we cannot see.
So, back to the weekend...I am really excited for this weekend. First of all, thanks to my van battery, I get to start my weekend early with the Dan Man. He's going to ride in early this afternoon on his great white steed to rescue me...I'm the damsel in distress, get it? Anyway, then Mad is having a friend over to spend the night. We will get to sleep in tomorrow morning, as we have no where to go, Praise Jesus! And tomorrow night, we are going into Wichita to try out a church. It's a mega-type church...and it's not a Methodist church...a few years back, that would have been two strikes AGAINST it...now, it's sort of two checks in the pros side of things. We have a whole new outlook on what we "want" from a church...and that is really, nothing. We aren't coming with a long list of qualifications that they must meet. Our only real qualification is that we hear the truth of God, the Gospel, being shared and that it's biblically based. I have had a yearning in my heart for the last several months to be part of a worship service again. I miss the experience of standing among fellow believers with voices and arms raised. It will be fun. Some of our fellow wandering Methodist, misplaced in the last few months, have attended this church and really liked it. They have a five o'clock service on Saturday nights, so that fits us like a glove! We are also beginning a couple's group with some of our church friends. It's called, "Laughing Your Way to a Better Marriage", and it sounds like a lot of fun. Mostly, we are really looking forward to fellowship with some people that we haven't seen in a long while.
Good stuff.
I pray that the Lord blesses you this weekend. I hope that you will wake up each and every day and rejoice in what He is doing in your life. I hope that we will all remember to go out and collect the manna that He has offered to us.
Blessings!
Melissa
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Manna for the Planner
For the past two weeks, I've been taking part in the Beth Moore study, "A Woman's Heart, God's Dwelling Place." It's a study of the Tabernacle. It's an amazing study and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the women who I am doing it with. It's the perfect group for me, right now, in this time of my life. Hmmm...almost like God planned it that way...funny how things like that seem to work out.
This week's lesson centered around the Israelites wandering in the desert. They just got rescued from the Egyptians and saw the mighty hand of God in action, Red Sea ring a bell?...but they begin griping about being hungry and thirsty...so God provides for them in the way of manna. I've heard this story a hundred times, but this time it struck me in a new way (isn't God's Living Word just so awesome that way?)
This may be a real newsflash to everyone...I'm a planner. Shocking, I know. I like to know what I'm doing and when. I like to plan my meals out for the week and buy my groceries in accordance. I like knowing that we have enough money in the bank BEFORE I make a purchase (a novel thought these days!). I'm not a huge fan of people just "dropping by" for a visit because I like my house to be in order when someone visits. (However, if you give me a 15 minute warning, I can perform miracles by shoving things in closets and running the vacuum quickly! So, come on by!) I like to know details of where my children are going and what they will be doing when they aren't with me. I like to know what time Danny will be home from work each day. The theme here is I LIKE KNOWING!!! So, you might get a little chuckle out of the journey we've taken in the last year or so...the knowing has become a rare thing. It's been quite a ride!
Ok, back to the manna...
God provided food for his people in the middle of a desert. Each night, he would send down a layer of dew and when the dew dried in the morning sun, there it was quite literally manna from heaven! As Beth Moore called it "heavenly cornflakes". His instructions to the people were simple...take only what you need for that day and no more. That's all they had to do, go out and gather the manna and eat it. Wow, amazingly easy, right? I can get pretty judgmental of the stupid Israelites for being so unfaithful when they went out and gathered MORE than they needed just to be sure they had enough for tomorrow. They didn't trust God to provide what they needed each morning. I get even more irritated when they got picky and decided they wanted meat too...manna just wasn't enough! Geez!! Hadn't they already seen what God was willing to do for them? Hadn't he DELIVERED THEM!? Then I think of it in these terms...hasn't God delivered me? Yes, many times in many different ways. However, I don't always find it easy to just blindly put my trust in His provision for me. I choose to panic, to try to fix things myself, to scamper around like the idiots in the desert...why? Why do I do that when it is so much easier to trust in the One that already promised me a hope and a future. I'm working on it. He's there. God doesn't move, I do. Just like the Israelites had to go outside their tent and gather the manna to receive God's blessing, I too must recognize those blessings and live in God's love in order to reap benefits. Beth puts it beautifully, "God desires to teach you His incomparable sufficiency. Will you accept His provisions? They are right outside your tent." Love that.
I really dig it when God is trying to show me something and everything I pick up has a message for me pertaining to what He wants me to know. A while back I picked up this 15 minute daily devotional book at FCS...it was on the $5 book rack, so I couldn't resist. It's called "My Time With God". I decided to start reading it this week while I'm waiting in the car to pick the kids up at school. Today's lesson was titled "Come, Follow Me". It quotes the verses in Matthew when Jesus approaches Simon (Peter) and his brother who are fishing and asks them to follow Him. Again, heard the story many times, but today I was struck by their response. It says, "So Simon and Andrew immediately left their nets and followed him." (Matthew 4:20) Whew! Immediately...they just went with him! They didn't say, "Can we get back to you on that?" They just left what they were doing, their way of life, probably all they'd ever known. They left it and followed Him. So, the planner in me just GASPS at the thought of that. What about all the responsibilities they had...was someone, somewhere counting on the fish they were catching for dinner? They must have just known without a doubt that they were to follow Him. I wonder sometimes what I would do in that same situation...would I have enough faith to just follow? I'm trying to live my life every day like that. I'm trying to listen when He asks me to follow... To really follow Him I must be willing to sign over the rights to my own life. That's sort of huge. However, why not? Didn't he give me this life to begin with and didn't he love me enough to ensure that I will spend eternity with him? He has given me every provision I need for life. I truly believe that every coupon I clip is in some way manna from heaven...He's providing everything I need when I need it. How easy my life would be if I'd just implicitly trust that and follow him.
Some days it seems easier than others to just trust and follow. The greatest joy for me is to know that every day is a brand new, clean start for me. Every morning with the dew comes a brand new chance to trust His provisions for the day...
All the sudden, I'm hungry for cornflakes...
Melissa
This week's lesson centered around the Israelites wandering in the desert. They just got rescued from the Egyptians and saw the mighty hand of God in action, Red Sea ring a bell?...but they begin griping about being hungry and thirsty...so God provides for them in the way of manna. I've heard this story a hundred times, but this time it struck me in a new way (isn't God's Living Word just so awesome that way?)
This may be a real newsflash to everyone...I'm a planner. Shocking, I know. I like to know what I'm doing and when. I like to plan my meals out for the week and buy my groceries in accordance. I like knowing that we have enough money in the bank BEFORE I make a purchase (a novel thought these days!). I'm not a huge fan of people just "dropping by" for a visit because I like my house to be in order when someone visits. (However, if you give me a 15 minute warning, I can perform miracles by shoving things in closets and running the vacuum quickly! So, come on by!) I like to know details of where my children are going and what they will be doing when they aren't with me. I like to know what time Danny will be home from work each day. The theme here is I LIKE KNOWING!!! So, you might get a little chuckle out of the journey we've taken in the last year or so...the knowing has become a rare thing. It's been quite a ride!
Ok, back to the manna...
God provided food for his people in the middle of a desert. Each night, he would send down a layer of dew and when the dew dried in the morning sun, there it was quite literally manna from heaven! As Beth Moore called it "heavenly cornflakes". His instructions to the people were simple...take only what you need for that day and no more. That's all they had to do, go out and gather the manna and eat it. Wow, amazingly easy, right? I can get pretty judgmental of the stupid Israelites for being so unfaithful when they went out and gathered MORE than they needed just to be sure they had enough for tomorrow. They didn't trust God to provide what they needed each morning. I get even more irritated when they got picky and decided they wanted meat too...manna just wasn't enough! Geez!! Hadn't they already seen what God was willing to do for them? Hadn't he DELIVERED THEM!? Then I think of it in these terms...hasn't God delivered me? Yes, many times in many different ways. However, I don't always find it easy to just blindly put my trust in His provision for me. I choose to panic, to try to fix things myself, to scamper around like the idiots in the desert...why? Why do I do that when it is so much easier to trust in the One that already promised me a hope and a future. I'm working on it. He's there. God doesn't move, I do. Just like the Israelites had to go outside their tent and gather the manna to receive God's blessing, I too must recognize those blessings and live in God's love in order to reap benefits. Beth puts it beautifully, "God desires to teach you His incomparable sufficiency. Will you accept His provisions? They are right outside your tent." Love that.
I really dig it when God is trying to show me something and everything I pick up has a message for me pertaining to what He wants me to know. A while back I picked up this 15 minute daily devotional book at FCS...it was on the $5 book rack, so I couldn't resist. It's called "My Time With God". I decided to start reading it this week while I'm waiting in the car to pick the kids up at school. Today's lesson was titled "Come, Follow Me". It quotes the verses in Matthew when Jesus approaches Simon (Peter) and his brother who are fishing and asks them to follow Him. Again, heard the story many times, but today I was struck by their response. It says, "So Simon and Andrew immediately left their nets and followed him." (Matthew 4:20) Whew! Immediately...they just went with him! They didn't say, "Can we get back to you on that?" They just left what they were doing, their way of life, probably all they'd ever known. They left it and followed Him. So, the planner in me just GASPS at the thought of that. What about all the responsibilities they had...was someone, somewhere counting on the fish they were catching for dinner? They must have just known without a doubt that they were to follow Him. I wonder sometimes what I would do in that same situation...would I have enough faith to just follow? I'm trying to live my life every day like that. I'm trying to listen when He asks me to follow... To really follow Him I must be willing to sign over the rights to my own life. That's sort of huge. However, why not? Didn't he give me this life to begin with and didn't he love me enough to ensure that I will spend eternity with him? He has given me every provision I need for life. I truly believe that every coupon I clip is in some way manna from heaven...He's providing everything I need when I need it. How easy my life would be if I'd just implicitly trust that and follow him.
Some days it seems easier than others to just trust and follow. The greatest joy for me is to know that every day is a brand new, clean start for me. Every morning with the dew comes a brand new chance to trust His provisions for the day...
"God’s loyal love couldn’t have run out, his merciful love couldn’t have dried up.
They’re created new every morning. How great your faithfulness!"
They’re created new every morning. How great your faithfulness!"
Lamentations 3:22-23 The Message
All the sudden, I'm hungry for cornflakes...
Melissa
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Ashes, Ashes, We All Fall Down
Today is Ash Wednesday...on the Christian calendar it marks the beginning of the Lenten season...a time of repentence leading up to Holy week and Easter Sunday. Traditionally, Danny's family as Catholics always gave something up for Lent. As a child, I never practiced this, but I remember that my friends who were Catholic did. I remember feeling sorry for them! I used to think, "Whew! Glad I'm not Catholic, I don't wanna have to give up candy for 2 months!" Danny and I are not practicing Catholics, but we do try to observe some of the traditions that he had growing up. We began "giving up for Lent" when our kids were really small. The first few years I didn't really "get it". I just did it for Danny and the kids...it wasn't really anything personal for me, and I usually gave up something that wasn't that important to me in the first place. Until 2 years ago when I gave up chocolate (insert dramatic musical interlude here). For those of you who know me at all, chocolate is a way of life for me. I'm not sure what I was thinking when I gave it up, but oh my goodness...it was tough. That year I GOT IT!! It was a huge sacrifice for me. It made me really focus on all of the things in life that I use to soothe myself in place of God. It was shocking to me how many times I'd stick a Hershey's kiss in my mouth rather than whispering a prayer for help. This year as I began to consider what to give up, God kept showing me that my biggest distraction from time with Him was Facebook. I'm ashamed to admit how very addicted to it I have become. It's sad, but true...I think of things that happen in life in terms of status updates...and when I take a funny picture of my kids, they always say, "Mommy, don't you dare put that on Facebook!" I am home all day, most days, by myself, so I also use it as a connection to the outside world and it's been a blessing in a lot of ways, allowing me to catch up with people that I've lost touch with in life. So, God tugged at my heart and assured me that we could do this together. So, last night at about 11 pm, I shut down my facebook for the last time...I have to say, I had a knot the size of Texas in my stomach all day yesterday thinking about the people I would miss while I'm away from it. It's crazy how dependent I've become on something so trivial. I think I'm going to really enjoy spending more time in the Bible, in meditation and prayer, and maybe even exercising (no promises there!). Today has been rough already though...I found myself on the phone, asking Danny if there was anything posted that I needed to know about! Give me a break, I'm a work in progress!!
For the last several years, we've attended an Ash Wednesday service at our church. It's a time of reaffirmation for us...a time to refocus on the supreme sacrifice made for us at the cross. Our favorite minister, Pastor Van, always had such a special ceremony. Our kids LOVED getting ashes on their foreheads. One year, Madison was sick, so we made our own ashes at home after she threw an all out fit about missing her chance to have ashes on her face. Two years ago, Mason was home sick, so Pastor Van sent some ashes home with us...that was so special to Mason. He still remembers and talks about Pastor "Ban" sending home his very own ashes. This year will be different, we will miss being part of a service, but I think we will make our own ashes tonight (from grass or something instead of last year's palm branches, but I think God will understand) and have our own service at home. Father loves us, and I think He'll be ok with Danny "ashing" us!
Today, as I was thinking about Ash Wednesday, the little children's game "Ashes, Ashes" came to me. I remember standing in a circle holding hands and singing, "Ashes, ashes...we all fall down!" And then collapsing to the ground. Isn't that a metaphor for life? We all fall short of the glory of God, I'm so thankful that as followers of Christ, we have the kind and gentle hand of our Lord and savior to help us up when we fall. I'm also thankful that even when I fall down, I'm always holding the hand of a fellow believer, a brother or sister in Christ. I'm never alone. I'm so looking forward to the next 40-some-odd days of repentance and reaffirmation.
For the last several years, we've attended an Ash Wednesday service at our church. It's a time of reaffirmation for us...a time to refocus on the supreme sacrifice made for us at the cross. Our favorite minister, Pastor Van, always had such a special ceremony. Our kids LOVED getting ashes on their foreheads. One year, Madison was sick, so we made our own ashes at home after she threw an all out fit about missing her chance to have ashes on her face. Two years ago, Mason was home sick, so Pastor Van sent some ashes home with us...that was so special to Mason. He still remembers and talks about Pastor "Ban" sending home his very own ashes. This year will be different, we will miss being part of a service, but I think we will make our own ashes tonight (from grass or something instead of last year's palm branches, but I think God will understand) and have our own service at home. Father loves us, and I think He'll be ok with Danny "ashing" us!
Today, as I was thinking about Ash Wednesday, the little children's game "Ashes, Ashes" came to me. I remember standing in a circle holding hands and singing, "Ashes, ashes...we all fall down!" And then collapsing to the ground. Isn't that a metaphor for life? We all fall short of the glory of God, I'm so thankful that as followers of Christ, we have the kind and gentle hand of our Lord and savior to help us up when we fall. I'm also thankful that even when I fall down, I'm always holding the hand of a fellow believer, a brother or sister in Christ. I'm never alone. I'm so looking forward to the next 40-some-odd days of repentance and reaffirmation.
"Remember that dust you are, and to dust you shall return."
Praying that God will touch each of your lives in a special way today...and always.
Melissa
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