What God is teaching me in my Quiet Time (Devotional:Soul Detox)

     Maybe I should start with what a quiet time is.  This is time I take during my day to read the Bible and pray.  Many times I read devotionals on different topics also.  Most of the time I use the Bible App for my quiet times. I am going through a devotional right now called Soul Detox, by: Pastor Craig Groeschel and Life Church.  It is a 35 day plan,  I am on day 17 and I am learning so much.

     So during my quiet times I try and find verses that I can apply to my daily life and focus on during the day and week.  During daily life we can sometimes forget that what we are putting into our minds and what comes our of our mouths can be toxic to ourselves and to those around us.  I know that this was a much needed devotional for my life.  I hope the verse and what I have learned so for can be an encouragement to you.

"Not only should we speak life-giving words to others, but we should also speak them to our circumstances and ourselves.  The toxic words we speak to ourselves can be some of the most dangerous." -Craig Groeschel

This was a quote from day 14 of this devotional.

This quote made me thing about what I am saying to my family and what I am saying to myself.  What I am I believing about those around me and about myself.  What does God think about others and about me?

here is a verse from the reading on day 14:

Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.  And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.
-Mark 11:24-25

Check out the devotionals on the Bible App

October Infant and Pregnancy Loss Awareness

    So October is Infant and Pregnancy Loss Awareness month.  I have not shared my story with many people until recently.  Mostly because I thought it was a subject that was not suppose to be talked about.  So about six months into our marriage my husband and I found out we were expecting our first child together. I had children before we were married.  It was spring 2004 and we were so excited.  We wanted to wait to tell everyone just a little bit.  So we kept it a secret from everyone but my employer and our parents.  We told my job because I worked in a daycare and I had to do a lot of heavy lifting.  
   At about 10 weeks, I was at work and I started to have a lot of pain.  I told the director and I called Marshall to come get me to go to the hospital.  I had called my OB's office and that is were they told me to go.  So we drove in silence to the ER and I was praying the whole drive.  After what seemed like forever I was taken back into a room and a ultrasound was done and blood work was taken.  It was confirmed that we had lost the baby.  We were devastated,  I felt like a failure.  I felt I had done something wrong.  We sadly had to tell our parents we lost the baby and I took a couple days off work.  My boss was so rude after I returned to work.  Telling me well it was not really a baby yet.  That made me so mad.  After talking with my OB he really encouraged us to name the baby that we lost to help us heal.  We named the baby Kaya, we did not know if it was a boy or a girl, but something told me it was a girl. 
   We never told the kids, because they were little.  I felt after a couple weeks I was the only one mourning our baby.  I felt like Marshall had gotten over it and moved on.  I never wanted to ask him, mainly because I did not know how to ask him.  I read the Bible and prayed a lot in the 2 months following the miscarriage.  When the doctor said it was ok to start trying again we got pregnant  almost right away.  This time we did not tell anyone until I was almost 3 months.  I had changed jobs and so I was not doing any heavy lifting.  We were worried for the baby I was now carrying.  I prayed all the time asking God to let us deliver and happy and healthy baby.  In March 2005 we welcomed our Rainbow baby.  He is now an amazing 12 year old.  We were blessed again and  welcomed our daughter in the summer of 2008.
   I have a story to tell you all about our daughter we had in 2008.  When she was about 3 years old and we were looking at an American Girl catalog, she was asking the names of all the dolls.  When we got to the Native American History Doll, who's name is Kaya, she looked at me and said, "Like my sister in Heaven."  I asked her what she was talking about.  She said, " That dolls name is the name of my older sister that has to live in heaven."  remember I told you earlier we never told our older kids.  That was such a chilling, but comforting moment for me.
   As time has gone on and friends of mine have lost babies I have shared my story with them.  Remember how I said that after a couple of week I felt like I was the only one mourning our baby.  Well in August (2017) as we were starting up our home group meeting again for church, we were asked to share a time when God brought us through a tough time.  Marshall spoke up about the loss of our baby and how God had brought him trough, us trough that time.  It was hard for me to see him cry about it, I did not know that it affected him so much.  I am even tearing up as I type this, thinking back on that night.
   Marshall sharing that with close friends of ours that had no idea that we had gone through a miscarriage, has helped me to talk more about it.  To share our story when I fell it appropriate.  I hope my story helps someone in someway.

14 Years Together!!!!!!!!

  October 20th was our 14th Wedding Anniversary.  So this year we decided that we would stay in for our Anniversary.  I still wanted to do something special.  Two amazing friends taught myself and a few friends how to make Sushi.  So I got the idea that I would make Sushi for our Anniversary Dinner.  It was so much fun to make, but a lot of work as well.  It took me about an hour and a half to make every thing.  I am so amazed how God has worked in our lives and our marriage.  In 14 years we have been through so much.  Our Story is for another post.  I am just grateful for the time that God has given us and I am thankful for all the days he has for us.  So how about some pictures of the Sushi.

I am Christan, but I am not perfect!

     I became a Christian in October 2001.  I had grown up going to church.  I never understood that it was not about religion, but about the relationship.  To be saved, a follower of Christ it was about my personal relationship with my savor Jesus.  I had to choose to follow Him.  Just going to church, "being good," was not going to get me to heaven.  So many people I know that are not Christian have stated to me but I have to be perfect to go to heaven.  My friends no you don't.  I know that I am saved by God's grace because of my savor Jesus. He died on the cross and took on my sins, ALL my sins past, present, and future.  That does not mean I should intentionally sin, but I am human and I will falter at times.  I am a work in progress, I am not ashamed to say that.

     God is always refining me and growing me.  He is always teaching me and shaping me.  He does this in many ways.  First by what our pastors teach on Sunday mornings.  Second is in my quiet times, reading the Bible consistently.  Third is through prayer, our churches home groups and our small groups.  Forth is when I am teaching Sunday School and seeing things trough the eyes of the children I am teaching.  Another way is through the eyes of my children.

     I have over come many trials in the last 16 years as a Christian, I know there will be many more.  The thing I have now that I did not have before in the knowledge that God will walk with me through any trial.  At times he will carry me during trials, and it is all for His glory and the story He is writing of my life.

All Things Fall -Part 2

   So one thing I enjoy in the fall is braking out the soup recipes.  This week has gotten colder, and will not get to warm again until Spring.  So on our menu for the next two week I have a lot of soups planed out.

   So on Tuesday night I made carrot soup and lemon pepper chicken nuggets.  I will share the carrot soup recipe I use.  It is from The Pioneer Woman with my own little twist.

Carrot Soup: about 8 Servings

3lbs of baby carrots
2 quarts of chicken or veggie stock
2 sprigs of Thyme
1/3 cup honey or if you are out of honey you can use 1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream ( sometimes use up to a cup)
4 oz.  of cream cheese


1. Put carrots, Thyme, and Stock in a stock pot.  Bring to a boil and hen let is simmer for 45min to 1 hour.

2. Take the stems of the thyme out.  Use an emergen blender to blend the carrots smooth.  If you don't have one you can do this with a blender in to batches.  It will be very hot, do be cautious.

3. Once smooth add in the cream cheese and heavy cream stir until the cream cheese has melted.  Taste and add slat and pepper if needed.

For the Lemon Pepper Chicken Nuggets:

2-3 chicken breast.  I cube them up
lemon pepper seasoning

1. I put all the pieces of chicken into a gallon size baggie.
2. Add the seasoning, and close the bag.
3. move the chicken around in the bag until the coated.
4. cook the chicken in a frying pan, I like cast iron skillets

All things Fall Part 1

     So I love fall.  The crisp weather allows me to were my favorite boots, jeans, and sweaters.  I love decorating for the fall and the vibrant colors of the leaves.  In the fall football on the TV is a must.  Family movie nights become more often as the sun sets earlier. As a family we enjoy outings to the pumpkin patch and to other fall events that have become family traditions. 
  
     I enjoy the smell of warm soup cooking on the stove and hot coco in my cup.   The smell of home made breads come into our home more and more in the fall.  Fall is the time when I do some canning.  I can apple butter, spaghetti sauce, and a few other things.

    I enjoy planning fall activities for our family.  Every fall our church homeschool group does a harvest party.  New this year our youth group will be going to a local pumpkin farm.  We will be having a bonfire, food and fun.  The last couple years, our neighborhood has been doing some fun Halloween night things for the kids also.  

     By mid October I start to plan Thanksgiving.  We are blessed to be able to take the whole week of Thanksgiving off.  I do most of the cooking so it can take me almost 4 days to cook every thing.  I try to get pies done earlier in the week and have a schedule of things I make or prep each day Monday-Thursday of that week.  The kids don't get off the hook and get to do nothing all week. They are on cleaning and cooking prep duty also.  J- our 17 year old is an amazing cook, even though he does not think he is.  Each of the kids have a dish they like to help with.

     This month I am hoping to share with you all some of the fun things we do, how to plan a Thanksgiving meal and much more.

Homemade Mac & Cheese

For dinner tonight I made homemade mac & cheese with chicken strips and a side salad.  I am going to share the mac & cheese recipe with you.

Ingredients:

2 boxes of Cellentani Noodles

16 oz of white cheddar cheese ( shredded)

2 cups heavy cream

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 cup milk

4 table spoons butter

4 table spoons flour

1 small onion finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic finely chopped

Directions

1. Cook the noodles according to package directions.

2.  In a medium sized sauce pan melt the butter and add the onions and garlic. Cook until they  are translucent and tender. About 3-5 minutes

3. Add the flour and cook another 1-2 minutes. Until fragrant.

4. Add the heavy cream and milk to the pan and stir on low. Simmer for 2-3 minutes.

5. Add the cheese to the sauce pan and stir until combined.

6. Before draining the water skim off about a cup of the pasta water and set aside.  Drain the noodles and return them to the pan.

7. add the cheese sauce and the cup of pasta water to the pan with he noodles.  Mix everything together. 

8. Enjoy!!!