Basic Alfredo Sauce

I thought I would share one of our family's favorite recipes. Though certainly not low fat, it's oh so very tasty. You'll find this on our menu at least a couple times a month. Even our pickiest eaters love it. I love it because of its ease and versatility. Anyone can make this...yes, even you Ashley!

Basic Alfredo

Veggies of choice (mushrooms, zucchini, red pepper, sun dried tomatoes...whatever you have on hand)

2 garlic cloves, minced

Meat of choice (grilled chicken, sausage, pork. I often make it meatless and add more veggies)

3/4 cup butter

1 cup heavy cream

3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

1/2 cup fresh parsley

1 package of your favorite thin pasta (I use whole wheat angel hair)

• Saute veggies and garlic in 1/4 cup butter over medium heat.
• Add cream and 1/2 cup butter, cut into pieces.
• Bring the liquid to a boil and simmer for 3 minutes.
• If adding cooked meat, stir in now.
• Add fresh Parmesan and parsley and toss gently.
• Pour sauce over pasta and serve immediately.

Tonight we had it with green salad and fresh fruit. Mmmm! Restaurant quality meal at a fraction of the cost. Gotta love it.

Safe in His hand

The wind is blowing in Texas. Not the "oh, it's a little breezy today" sort of wind, but the "oh my, I think I just saw Dorothy and Toto!" sort of wind.

I'm sitting here in my office early this morning, enjoying my hot cup of coffee and listening to it howl. There is no breeze inside as I sit at my desk. No papers are rustling. Not a hair on my head is moving. I am safe.

What an awesome picture of being held in God's hand, safe from life's storms that rage around me. As He holds me close, I can hear the storms rage. I can see the craziness that ensues and yet not a hair on my head is moved. I am safe.

That is a very good place to be.

The Mysteries of Harris Burdick - Greyson

The House on Maple Street

by Greyson - age 7

There was a man who lived alone with his dog on Maple Street. He was building a rocket house to go into space.

Suddenly, the walls shook and the windows began to break as the rocket launched. Then everything stopped. He began to wonder what was wrong, but then he knew just what to do. He grabbed something off the shelf. It was the rocket launcher. He took some tape, ran outside and taped the rocket launcher to the side of the house. Then he ran inside and covered his ears.

It started again. It was a perfect lift-off.

He got to Mars, but something crept out of the rocket house. He saw a Martian. He thought there were no such things as Martians.

Run! Ahhhhhhhhhhh….

THE END

An anniversary...of sorts

It's been two years to the day since we moved into our house here in Texas. It was raining that day and guess what? It's raining today.

In some ways it seems like we've just arrived and in other ways it seems we've been here a long time. Life's funny that way. I spent time today reading back over the posts written just prior to and after the move. Should have grabbed that box of tissues first...sheesh! Lots of emotions I wasn't expecting.

So much has happened...good and bad. I wonder how those same things would have played out if we were still in Idaho? How would the last two years have looked? How has the move changed me as a person? How has it changed our family? I wish I could see a larger view of what God's doing...to be able to see how it all fits into His grand scheme as He leads us closer to eternity. Maybe someday I'll look back and recognize His hand. In the meantime, I'm just thankful I can trust Him.

The Mysteries of Harris Burdick and other random homeschool thoughts

It's been awhile since I've posted what's happening in our homeschool. Things are beginning to wind down...or I should say I'm beginning to wind down. The boys are finishing their math books, spelling is almost done and we're still wading through some history and biology. The lure of warm summer days has us all wanting to finish quickly. I always look forward to a little whole lot less structure to our days and time to get extra projects done. Who am I kidding? I just love hanging out at the pool!

Today the boys are inspired. I came across a book I used years ago when I taught jr. high. The Mysteries of Harris Burdick never failed to get the kids' creative juices flowing and has certainly not disappointed again. The book, illustrated by one of my favorite author/illustrators Chris Van Allsburg, is a compilation of drawings with only a title and a simple caption. The story is left to the imagination of the reader. You can check out the drawings, as well as stories submitted by other young writers here.

Today the boys are creating a story based on the title "The House on Maple Street". The caption reads, "It was a perfect lift-off." Stay tuned to read their stories!

Scheduling woes

I'm not much of a planner when it comes to our daily schedule. Now, give me an event to plan and I'm all over it, but the day to day stuff...not so much.

The funny thing is part of me wants to be a planner. Can't quite figure out which part, but something in me sighs heavily when I see a neatly printed schedule, each family member's name color coded in those little boxes, all mapped out from morning 'til night. There's just something about the neatness and order of it all. I guess because it looks so orderly, something in me thinks it will miraculously make my life look that orderly.

Problem is I've tried. I've tried the family schedule. I've tried the 30 minute increments. I've even color coded each person's name. Surely if it looks that good, it has to work, right?

Jumping out of bed on day one, I'm ready to implement our new order of business. Extra strong coffee in hand, I start giving orders encouraging everyone in the family in a desperate attempt to stick to this new fangled schedule. By lunchtime, the coffee pot is empty, the house is a wreck, the kids are crying, I've locked myself in the bathroom and the cute little schedule lies crumpled in the trashcan.

So why, when I see one of those schedules, does my heart still skip a beat? There is some crazy part of me that thinks "I could do it THIS time. I know I could!" Nope. Not gonna happen. I need to just accept that about myself and move on...

...and stop looking at those darn scheduling books with the smiling moms on the cover.

Chew on this - Seeking God

Whoever seeks God as a means toward desired ends will not find God. The mighty God, the maker of heaven and earth, will not be one of many treasures, not even the chief of all treasures. He will be all in all or He will be nothing. God will not be used. His mercy and grace are infinite and His patient understanding is beyond measure, but He will not aid men in their selfish striving after personal gain. He will not help men to attain ends which, when attained, usurp the place He by every right should hold in their interest and affection.

~ A.W. Tozer ~

N. Korea's not the only pushing buttons

A gentle and quiet spirit. Hu? You're kidding? The Bible tells us that a gentle and quiet spirit is precious to the Lord, so obviously it is something we should strive for right? Problem is there are lots of things as moms that tend to snatch that right out of our hands...and I mean LOTS. Don't even get me started.

I am here today to confess the number one thing that pushes my buttons and sends the whole idea of a quiet spirit right out the window every single time - PILES. No, not that kind of piles. Piles of stuff.


Piles of books.

Piles of bills.

Piles of "don't move this I have to deal with it later".

Piles of papers.

Piles of left over craft projects.

Piles of shoes.

Piles of Legos.

Piles of socks.

Piles of random princess items.

Piles of computer games.

Piles of stuffed animals.

Piles of plastic fruit.

Piles of "I'm not even sure what that is".

Who's stuff? Thank you for asking! Let's just say it's not mine. I guess that would leave every other person in my house! I seriously think they are running behind me creating piles where only a second ago there were none. Either that, or the piles are breeding on their own. Since the breeding idea is highly unlikely, I'm going with the five wonderful people living in my house. Piling is not a decorating style people!

Yes, the piles themselves push my buttons, but the mere fact that no one else in my house even sees the piles, well that's an entirely different set of buttons. I wonder what would happen if I tried, for just a day or two, to ignore the piles...to stop "encouraging" said family to pick them up...if I stopped picking them up. I think it would either cure my obsession with ridding my home of piles, or completely drive me over the edge.

I wonder...oh, I shudder!

Great decorating blog

If you've known me for more than three days, you can attest to the fact that I love to rearrange things - furniture, decorations, children...pretty much anything. Hubby tells me often that I do more with less than anyone he knows. I take that as a very high compliment. Of course he also tells me he's afraid to come home after dark for fear the furniture will be in a different place and he'll trip on something. That's one way to keep him coming home early!

I recently found one of the best sites I've stumbled upon in a long time. The Nesting Place is absolutely inspiring. This lady has an amazing way of using what you have to decorate in a way you love. Don't like it? Don't use it! Tired of something in one place? Repurpose it as something else. I've long been a fan of "shopping" my home for things to use in other parts of the house. It's like a treasure hunt.

One thing I am enjoying about The Nesting Place is the plethora of photos. Visual learner here. She uses "before and after" photos liberally, which seems to add to "Hey, I can do that!" mentality.

When you stop by her site, check out this particular post. She has links to over 125 other blogs who posted "before and after photos" of their 10 minute makeovers. That's right - 10 minutes+small changes=big rewards. Who doesn't have 10 minutes? Um, maybe you shouldn't answer that question.

OK, I guess I really should finish schooling my children instead of drooling over decorating ideas. Priorities ladies, priorities!

Be strong and courageous!

Where God guides, God provides!

Do you believe that, really and truly? My devotion yesterday relayed the story of Joshua and the Lord's admonition to be strong and courageous. He, along with a million or so Israelites, have just spent the last 40 years wandering around the wilderness because they failed to believe God would provide. With the death of Moses, Joshua is faced with the task of leading them into the land God has promised. Not sure about you, but I think I might be a bit a....hesitant...uncertain...terrified...all of the above.

The Lord repeatedly encourages Joshua to be strong and courageous, to not be afraid or discouraged. Why? Because God would be with them wherever they went. Whatever giants they may face (real or figurative) in this new and uncertain land, God would fight for them. But there's a catch.

If you read into Joshua chapter one verses 7 & 8, you see that not only are we commanded not to fear, but also to study God's commands, hiding them in our hearts as a source for our encouragement. The end of verse 8 says, "Only then will you succeed." Our part, His part. Our part is to follow His Word and put our trust in Him. His part is to make us successful in what He's called us to do.

Funny how much our lives today mimic that of the Israelites. They crossed the Jordan at flood stage in order to take hold of what God had promised them. What has God promised you? What steps do you need to take in order to take hold of His promise to you? God promised me back in August that He would carry me through my depression. Great! I'm holding on to that promise, but I also know there are steps I have to take in order to see it through. I can't just sit on the banks of the river at flood stage and expect Him to carry me over. I've got to step out into the rising tide and trust Him to part the waters.

And He will.

He's chasing me down!

Have you ever said something to encourage someone...a friend, your hubby or kids...and then just when you need some encouragement yourself, the Lord brings those very words to mind? I love how creative He is in how He speaks to me.

Just a short week before Fred came for an unexpected and certainly uninvited extended stay, I spoke at a ladies retreat. The topic was faith and how our fears affect our faith. During parts of Fred's visit, the Lord used the words He had given me to share and helped me to identify some fears in my own life. It was a great encouragement and helped me kick Fred to the curb a bit sooner, rather than later.

Earlier this week I was feeling so encouraged by God's faithfulness. No particular reason why, just feeling thankful. So when the mailman brought a bit of bad news yesterday, I was able to remember how faithful He truly is. He had prepared my heart to be able to deal with what was coming. Wow...His goodness never ceases to amaze me. My friend Patti says He is constantly chasing us down with His goodness. You would think after being a Christian for so many years, I'd be use to it, but I'm not...and I hope I never get use to it. He continues to blow me away and I love that about Him.

Thank you Lord for how you are going to work in this situation. I give you thanks and praise and will wait expectantly to see you move!

I'm a chicken too...and not the dainty one!

Ever felt like a chicken? Check out Emily's post today over at The Learning Never Stops. It is a hoot and will leave you feeling like you're in good company. I think there are a lot of us chickens out there, some smaller than others, but all just a little goofy.

God's love letter

When you read your Bible, receive and savor it...like a love letter from God to you. Remember, you're reading in order to meet Someone. Ponder what you have read, and apply it to your present circumstances. Let it go down into the core of your being. And as you read, expect Him to commune with you.

~ Bruce Wilkinson ~