Dressed Up Green Beans

My mom told me a new way to spice up green beans and Wa-La!!! My husband loves them! Lincoln and I do, as well, but Noah takes one bite (makes a nasty face) and spits them out his mouth. 3/4 is success in my book though.

So here we go:
These 3 ingredients:

**Pre-heat oven to 350**

Dump frozen whole beans in corning ware (I think whole ones taste so much better)

Generously spray with cooking spray (or you can use butter/olive oil)

Dump one packet of italian salad dressing mix on top and mix all around.

Bake about 25-30 minutes.

**I also sprinkle with salt/pepper before baking

We have these at least once a week as a side dish. Love them!!!

This Story Will Stop You Cold.

"To End All Wars."
Ernest Gordon's true account of his time in a POW Japanese camp during WWII. I knew it would be good (because every true story is) but this one will absolutely blow you away. Ernest was agnostic going into this camp, and left a firm Believer in Christ - then went on to get his M.Div and be Dean of the Chapel at Princeton for many years. How he came to know Christ in this camp will blow you away. You must read this inspiring story of how Jesus changes lives.
You can read it or watch it (good news, right?).

We watched it because the $4 DVD we ordered off Amazon came in first. :)
But I've heard the book is incredible.

Just a recommendation. :)

Oh - if you want a little taste of this man, google his name for his NY Times obituary.

Go With It

Growing up my parents would tell you I had a WILD imagination and that I was a DREAMER. I was super independent, bold, and far from shy. I would give "concerts" to anyone who would be my audience at a young age, direct plays for my sister/friends that we would then put on for my parents (or the dogs - didn't matter), and was always pretending I was somewhere else on an adventure (think: Backyardigans).

Then high school hit and I became "more aware" of myself and how others saw me (not a good thing), thus resulting me to not be as bold and be more reserved. I used to score as an Extrovert on the MMPI and as the years rolled (if you're a psyc major you take this test a bazillion times), I slowly crept toward the Introverted side.

But in retrospect, it's not that I became more introverted...it's that I was more insecure. It was pure sin...caring more about how the world viewed me versus how God saw me. (Don't get me wrong: not saying introverts are insecure - this is just how it played out in my life because I am truly not an introvert!) I realized in my mid-twenties that when you care more about how the world views you, you will have ENDLESS imperfections because everyone has a different opinion.

Anyway, I went through a period of time in high school and some in college where I allowed my Spirit to be quenched through my insecurities. I had some significant battles that I felt like I always lost...they centered around image and became such a stronghold in my life that was both crippling and damaging.

We are created in the image of God... (Gen 1:27)

This was and is profound for me. Think of all the ways Satan has designed our world to make us believe otherwise...stop and think about it, because it's truly remarkable...and frightening.

Today I choose to run toward the truth so simply stated from God...that we are made in His image. Some verses are debated and up for interpretation.

But not this one.

It couldn't be stated more clearly.

For me, when I really sit and ponder this truth, I takes away the pressure of "measuring up" to everyone/thing around me...of measuring up to current styles, or the "in" look, or what my house looks like, or how my kids dress, or who my freinds are (and you know - we could go on ALL day).

It's not (and never will be) about making sure everyone thinks I'm in style, or have the awesome house, or wear the great clothes, or have the perfect kids...

It's about pleasing my Savior...measuring up to His standards alone. And since I'm made in His image, through His power and Spirit dwelling in me, it's an attainable standard. Praise the Lord.

Because let's be honest: Satan is crafty and brilliant. And he's got us all tangled trying to meet everyone else's standards. Seriously? Not even close to possible.

Now, this is something I fail at often, but - like today - am convicted and reminded of by whom I was created.

Oh - and wouldn't you know, the last time I took the MMPI in grad school, I scored equally on E vs.I which, by scoring default, makes me an extrovert again.

Honestly, I was going somewhere WAY different with this post when I wrote the first paragraph - ha. I was going to tell you how weird it was, that with a wild imagination as a child, how I hate fantasy movies and refuse to read anything that is fiction. Then I was going to share with you the next three books (non-fiction) I plan to read by the end of the year.

But we'll just go with this. I guess I needed this word for myself today. :)

(***The 3 books are on the side bar of the blog though***)

Hide it in Your Heart

Today after naps, I took the boys to the pool (as has been every day this week). But today I was giving Noah a snack and looked down to see Lincoln - in the water - walking along the side perimeter of the pool and "patting" each square inch down with water.
He literally was not missing an inch and had this serious look of determination and hard work on his face. When he made his way down toward where Noah and I were, I asked him what he was doing.
He said, "I'm building the big wall...like the one Joshua's gonna knock down!!!"
And he didn't skip a beat.
In fact, within a matter of minutes, he had recruited 2 other girls in the pool to help him build, and then his brother Noah joined shortly thereafter.
It was awesome.

I love the imagination. I love how he acts out different Bible stories we talk about on a daily basis (he also has a "Goliath jump").

After a good talk with my sister the other day - sharing kid disciplining things and whatnot - she told me of an older woman who spoke to their community group on parenting. This woman taught her kids what it meant to be a "blessing" and used this word often int he home.

I loved that. So today I worked with Lincoln on what it means to be a blessing. He hasn't totally caught yet, but I'll keep talking until he does. :)

We also decided it was time for a new memory verse: "Blessed are those who obey God." Luke 11:28 (toddler version!).

Anyway, this has been heavy on my heart the past few days (I think because of the friends I have whose kids just started kindergarten!)...how MASSIVE of a responsibility these few years before they go to school are...to train them in the way of the Lord...to teach them how to obey and what pleases God...and how blessed I am to have every day with these little Tigers to show them the amazing love of God. I don't do it perfectly and I definitely have those days where I just don't feel like "teaching" (to be honest) but I pray for perseverance through the next few years with these precious guys. :)

The Piccata

Yall I swear this isn't turning into a food blog, but I'm sticking with reviewing these new recipes for those that care to know (my apologies if you're eyes are rolling right now).

Tonight was the Chicken Piccata (recipe on previous previous).

I followed recipe except I omitted the capers and used fat-free half & half.

I turned out quite tasty! Noah absolutely loved it (more than anyone) and Jason gave it high reviews. :) He said it ranked lower than last nights creation only because he knew last nights was a little healthier for him (I'm training him well!).

We all agreed the large amounts of fresh squeezed lemon juice made it tastier and added the kick.

Oh - I also learned how to grill tonight. :)

So there you have it...3 successes so far!

Today in Three's

Three things today:

1. The 2 new recipes I tried today were a SUCCESS!!! Both of them! The blueberry bread was liked by all for breakfast and then I cooked this one tonight:

The chicken and rice variation (recipe on previous post). The only things I changed were I used white rice instead of yellow (because I could not find a gluten-free yellow) and I used 2% cheese to make it healthier. My husband is always the big test and he LOVED it. This will be added to our rotation and I'm glad it's Gluten-free. :)

2. Lincoln went to church today in his undies (has been going in pull-ups) and had perfect success! I felt like this was huge milestone. It has now been close to 2 weeks of zero accidents  - even when we go out and about. He still wears pull-ups when he sleeps, but that's it. Great news.

3. In church this morning, the pastor showed numerous clips from a film with none other than Jack Bauer himself (or Kiefer Sutherland, I guess). But he looked all Jack Bauer-ish in the movie. It was one we had never even heard of but looked AWESOME. It's based on a true story (and a non-fiction book) about a group of POW's in WWII Japanese camp. This is right up my alley with books/movies and I was lost at how I had never heard of it. We started googling it from our phones in church and realized it was made in 2001...and that you could buy the DVD for $1.59 on Amazon (which we did). Anyway, can't wait to watch it and my next step is to order the book - supposedly it's phenomenal. But I think every true story is phenomenal.

 (Movie)

(Book)

So now on to the first day of school tomorrow. I'm excited because our pool will most likely be bare.

Food For Thought

This morning was amazing. The temps were in the low 70's so we all went out to the Farmer's Market. We snatched up some local honey, salsa, and the boys got them some baked goods for a (I'm sure healthy) breakfast. Then we headed over to the park off the square to let the boys play.
On a side-note, it has been a week now of letting Lincoln go "out" in just undies (no pull-ups) and we have ZERO accidents!!! If he needs to go, he tells us. :) But usually he can hold it the whole trip. This is new for us but I feel since it's been a week now of numerous outings, it's safe to say we've made MASSIVE improvement (if not fully trained!).

Now. I do our grocery budget in terms of every two weeks. I'm also trying to get better at meal planning and thought I'd share what's on the docket for this week. This first week, I'm trying a bunch of new recipes I've collected from Pinterest (I'll let you know how it goes). So here's the first week (all of which I can make gluten-free):

Sunday:
Chicken & Rice

Mon-Tues (we do leftovers):
Chicken Piccata

Wed-Thurs:
Mexican Crock-pot Chicken

Fri-Sat:
Roast.
No pic here, but I have found the best way to make it is in the crockpot with McCormick Roast seasoning. And I use the very lean roast which is super tender.

Then for breakfast tomorrow, I'm going to make this amazing blueberry thing:

Then Sunday is birthday lunch with my family for 2 birthdays so no cooking for me. I hope we have success with these new recipes!! :)