Works for me Wednesday- Helping with Yard Work

Recently, the joy of great weather has also brought back the joy of yard work! Originally, I thought that yard work would be Nate's "responsibility". I figured that because I do most of the cooking and cleaning, he could take care of the outside without my assistance (sounds like a self-entitlement!). Besides, I wasn't "good at" all of that outdoor stuff and I certainly didn't enjoy it. Well, I must tell you that I have since found that helping with yard work "works for me".

I am always really thankful when Nathan (my sister-in-laws, friends, the kids, etc.) helps me with a task that is "my responsibility". Things usually take less time and are more enjoyable when you have a helper, even if the helper isn't doing much. Even the small things like handing me the bread out of the fridge, bringing something in from the car, placing a dish in the oven, or carrying a heavy something to a new location really make things a lot easier for me. Mostly because it makes me feel like I'm not having to do it all on my own.

So, I decided that Nate might like a little "helper" when he is doing yard work (which he actually enjoys doing, for the most part). I put this into practice late in the "yard working" season last year and I assure you that it truly worked for me. My helping can range from me mowing the entire yard to simply making myself available to bring him the tools he needs as he works. I will often assist him by cleaning up branches and weeds after he trims bushes, pulls weeds, etc. I will also often ask him what he needs to get done in the yard and then volunteer to do the tasks that I know I can do (like pulling weeds or watering the plants). Other times, I work inside while he works outside, but I make it a point to check on him periodically to see if he needs help or a cold glass of water ( I realize that depending on your busy schedule (work, school, small children), this may be all you can commit to do and that is okay!). My goal is to make myself available to assist him with yard work. My ability to help him in the yard may change with different seasons of our lives, but I want to have a heart that is always willing to help! Again, it is all about my heart.

Benefits:
1) It is another opportunity to spend time with our spouses (and children) during the sunny months. I know we plan to have our "Linc kids" join us in our yard work adventures from time to time. We see it as another way we can teach them to work together and have fun while doing it. I have found that I can actually enjoy yard work when I have the right attitude and look at it as "family time".
2) Everyone loves to have a little bit of help sometimes. Your husband will cherish his willing helper. Even if you aren't able to mow the entire lawn, he will be glad that you have a heart that is willing to help where you can.
3) Yard work is a great workout. Seriously...whew!
4) We are called to be "help meets". This is just another way we can find joy in fulfilling our great command!

So, next time your man's out there working hard, think about how you can help. This will be different for us all, but as long as we have a heart that is willing to help, we will always find opportunities to do so. It works for me!

P.S. My mom and "grandmother" are coming to visit this weekend!!! They are driving over 14 hours to spend 4 days with me and Nathan. They will be here tomorrow and I can't wait! I miss them so much and am very thankful that I will be able to spend this time with them.

Recipe Share- Whole Wheat Pizza

Happy Monday! I hope you all had a refreshing weekend. Nate and I had a great weekend! On Saturday, we spent time together beautifying our yard. We trimmed bushes, pulled weeds, and even planted a nice rose bush and several flowers in our front beds. Let the joy of yard work begin! On Sunday, we had a great time roller skating with the kids. Needless to say, my skating skills could really use some work. The kids were passing me left and right :). I think the best part of my weekend by far was simply spending time with Nathan. No TV, no Internet, just good conversation. We have so much to be thankful for and so much to learn. We both love to just sit and reminisce about how far God has brought us. He truly is an awesome God!

I thought I would share another one of my favorite simple (from scratch--or as close to scratch as I know) recipes with you all today! This pizza crust might look a bit more complex than most of my recipes, but I assure you it is very simple and delicious! Plus, making the crust from scratch is less expensive than buying the pre-made wheat crust they sell in the store. Just a side note, I usually plan to make fajitas on the same week that I make this pizza so that I can use the left over peppers, onions, and mushrooms for the fajitas.

WHOLE WHEAT PIZZA

INGREDIENTS
1/2 tsp. granulated sugar
1 cup warm water (115 degrees F)
1 pkg. Hodgson Mill Active Dry Yeast
2 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups naturally white flour
Toppings: pizza sauce, turkey peperoni, ground turkey, cheese, green peppers, onions, mushrooms, and pineapple.

DIRECTIONS
Dissolve yeast in warm water. Allow to rest 5 minutes.

Stir in whole wheat flour, sugar, salt, olive oil, and 1 cup unbleached white flour.

Knead in remaining unbleached white flour by hand; about 5 minutes (the dough will be smooth and elastic).

Spray a medium-sized bowl with no-stick cooking spray. Place pizza dough in bowl and turn to coat thoroughly. Cover and allow to rise in a warm, draft free place 15 minutes (I use this time to prep my veggies and turkey meat).

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray one 14-inch pizza pan or two 10-inch pizza pans with no-stick cooking spray. Stretch pizza crust to fit pan and flute outer edges of pizza dough to hold fillings. Top as desired. I usually add pizza sauce, 2% cheese, turkey peperoni (and sometimes ground turkey meat), green peppers, onions, mushrooms, and pineapple. Bake until cheese is melted and crust is browned (usually around 10-12 minutes).

ENJOY COOKING FOR YOUR LOVED ONES THIS WEEK!

Works for Me Wednesday- Cooking on Vacation

"Gasp....NO...not on my vacation!" Well, Meal planning on vacation "works for me". I know I have lost a few of you already, but stick with me on this one. You might find out that it works for you as well. This past week, Nathan and I had the privilege of taking a vacation to Kentucky. The vacation was very inexpensive for us to say the least (mostly because our lodging was free of charge), but also because we didn't plan to eat out every meal. I assure you that there are many benefits to meal planning, even on vacation! Now, I realize that you are not able to cook meals on every vacation and it is fun to eat "local" food in new places (we planned for that as well). As always, I am not talking about always and never, I am talking about a balance. I encourage you to look at the possibility of meal planning (whether it is 2 or most of your meals) for your future vacations, it works for me!

Benefits:
#1- It saves you and your family money. Eating out almost always cost more than making a simple meal. Notice I said simple. If you plan to make something elaborate, you may want to assess the cost. I have found that some things are more cost effective to eat out. If you spend less money on your vacations, you will be able to take MORE vacations in the future. The way I look at it, you get more bang for your buck. It works better for me to cook on several vacations than to eat out on one vacation :).
#2- Your family will learn to enjoy your cooking, regardless of location. They will continue to crave your home-cooking instead of someone else's good cooking.
#3- You learn to enjoy cooking meals away from home. For me, it is all about the heart in which you do it with. If I'm excited to save my family money and cook them healthy and simple meals away from home, then it seems like less of a chore.

Why we don't want to:
I can only speak for myself on this topic, but for me, it has a lot to do with self-entitlement. This week, I read a fellow blogger's post on self-entitlement( http://likeawarmcupofcoffee.blogspot.com/) and I was reminded that "what I think I deserve" is at the root of most of my discontent and prideful moments.

* In her words, self-entitlement is the attitude that lurks just under my skin, ready to emerge whenever I’ve worked hard and think I deserve some sort of a pay-back. Also, when I imagine that people are deliberately disregarding my time or work. Also, when I self-righteously call myself a “servant”, but expect to be treated like a “queen”. I would add that it is the long list of things that I believe I deserve- whether that is a break from serving others, a night out, or to be treated better or to be appreciated more by a certain person. It is the little voice inside our heads that tells us that we have RIGHTS!

* I agree with her when she says that I am entitled to 2 stunning rights:
1- To love the Lord our God with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength.
2- To love my neighbor as myself- which includes our family. (Of course, these basically open a glorious storeroom of rights to me: the rights to serve others, love others, and to enjoy peace, kindness, and gladness to my heart’s content.)

Beyond that, though, I have no self-entitlements. None. I am not entitled to sulk, complain, demand, destroy, or resent. GULP... dropping my self-entitlements is going to be an ongoing process.

For me, this means that if cooking on vacation will benefit my family, then I will do it willingly, knowing that it is just one of the many ways that I can be of service to them. If I am tired and feel that I deserve to be served and taken care of and yet I continue to serve my family, then I am thankful that God is giving me the strength to do so because I know I can't do it on my own merit.

The more self-entitlement I allow myself to feel, the less joyful I am about being a servant. I suppose much like anything else I want to change, it will take practice to end these self serving thoughts.

Practice with me this week:
#1- Write down your most common self-entitlement beliefs and make a plan to combat them.
#2- Commit to do one task each day that goes against one of your most common self-entitlement beliefs.
#3- Continue to ask for transformation of the heart. I don't know about you but I can't will myself into dropping my self-entitlements (or anything for that matter).

Learning...
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. (Phil. 2:3)

For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. (James 3:16)

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:1-2)

Our Trip To Kentucky

This past week, we spent 5 days on Lake Herrington in Kentucky. One of Nathan's clients blessed us by letting us stay in their beautiful cabin free of charge. It was such a glorious trip for both of us. As we were driving home (it's about a 5 hour drive) we were discussing how vacations (were you actually travel away from home) are not necessities, so the fact that we have enjoyed many vacations in the past and continue to enjoy trips is a true blessing. Not to mention the fact that many people are not able to take trips due to a lack of vacation time and/or financial means. We are very thankful were were able to take this relaxing trip! We both enjoy traveling and hope to continue to travel in the future (hopefully to Iceland to see our dear friends ;). I decided to share some of our trip with you all by providing you with pictures.
If you look from the bottom to the top, it seems to make more sense.


We were surprised to learn that the Shaker village also has TONS of hiking trails. We weren't able to enjoy them during this trip, but we hope to visit the village again and do some serious hiking.
We decided to enjoy our one night of eating out in this small "restaurant" at the Shaker village. They serve vegetables grown in their large garden and food that the Shakers used to eat. It was very good!
I think this school bench is so cool. Maybe our dear friend Brent will help us make one some day.

This was one of their main living quarters. It was massive, but practical.
All of their rooms were lined in pegs. Everything was hung on these pegs and everything always stayed in it's place. Those pegs were right up my alley.

The last place we visited was by far my favorite, the Shaker Village. The Shakers were very mislead in their beliefs about Christ. The more I learned about what they believed, the more I grieved for them. I enjoyed their large living quarters, beautifully crafted furniture, work ethic, and emphasis on practicality.

This picture makes me laugh because I'm sitting in this fancy great room in a comfy sweat suit.

We heard about this historic inn from a friend and decided to have a look here as well. It was beautiful.

The man at the antique shop suggested we visit this refurbished drug store. They had tons of antiques displayed and the ice cream was delicious.

These are our random finds. We bought several old books. My favorite one is Little Women. The children's table was only $15. I can't wait to see what I can do with it. I may keep it for future use or give it as a gift. The coke boxes were $5, which we thought was cool. I am picturing them hung on the wall with old baseballs and other stuff displayed in them.

We did not plan on antique shopping during this trip (or doing anything outside the cabin for that matter), but this little place was a diamond in the ruff. Thousands of antique books and other items.

I really like this picture of Nathan in front of this beautiful canoe hanging over their fireplace.

Every morning we played bingo on this antique bingo set. We really think we should start having bingo night at our house.

Nathan on the other hand takes a more "active" approach to fishing. He didn't sit down the whole time.

We went fishing a couple of days, but the fish just weren't biting. It was a bit chilly this day so I decided to bundle up and wait for a fish to bite. After about 20 minutes of just sitting, I got out a book and read aloud to Nathan, which made fishing all the more fun.

This is my favorite spot in their cabin.

I like it when we are able to drive to our vacation spot because it allows us to pack additional items. I brought a lot of books and several food items (we even took a cooler on this trip) to complete our menu for the week. If there is a kitchen where we vacation, I am usually cooking most nights. I will be writing more about that and self-entitlement tomorrow!

Works for me Wednesday- Preparing part of our dinner in advance

This past week, I have discussed the convenience of meal planning with several friends. I think many people (I used to) have the misconception that cooking dinner nightly is a hard task that takes up a lot of time. I have spoken to several women who said that the reason they don't plan to cook on a regular basis is because by the time they get home from work or other activities, the last thing they want to do is slave away in the kitchen for hours making a meal. This leaves people eating out on a regular basis or buying convenience meals that are high in preservatives and price.

I would like to share with you all what makes menu planning and cooking meals on a regular basis much easier for me. As I have mentioned in a previous post regarding meal planning, I grocery shop once a week (some people cut this down to only every other week- just a thought) and buy all of the supplies I need for our meals throughout the week. I shop with a list and it usually does not take me over an hour. This is much easier than not planning and thus having to run to the store on a regular basis for ingredients, which adds to the total time it takes to prepare meals. I have all of my meals planned in advance.

Another huge part of what makes meal planning WORK FOR ME that I did not share in my previous post is preparing at least part of our meal in advance. The night before or in the morning, I look at the meal I have planned for the (following) evening and determine what part of the meal I can prepare in advance. For example, if I am cooking lemon tilapia, rice, and veggies-I will thaw my tilapia, place my seasonings and lemon on the tilapia, wrap them in foil, place it in a pan, and store them in the fridge. Then, when I get home, all I need to do is place the pan in the oven and boil a couple pots of water for the rice and veggies. While things are baking and boiling, I usually have the time to do other small tasks in the kitchen, so I don't feel like I am standing over the stove for long periods of time.

It usually always works for me to prepare my meat portion of the meal the night before. Several of my common menu items (spaghetti, chicken and rice, etc.) allow me to fully cook the meat the night or morning before I serve the meal. Menu items such as turkey pockets allow me to cook my meat and mix all of my ingredients together in advance, so all I have to do to prepare dinner in the evening is place the mixture in the dough and bake the pockets. I also often chop veggies and other ingredients early in the week that I will use for future meals during the week, which again, saves me time in the evening.

There are several benefits to preparing at least part of your dinner in advance:

1) It shortens the amount of time it takes to prepare dinner in the evening. This is extremely helpful when you are running behind schedule, feeling tired, or have hungry people waiting on your meal.

2) It helps you and your family to eat out less because you know that you have part of your dinner prepped and ready to be cooked at home. You also know that it won't take you long to prepare the meal since the "hardest" parts are already done. If you prepare a part of your meal dinner in advance, you have committed to eating at home that night, so there are far less temptations. Besides, you wouldn't want to waste good meat or fresh chopped veggies.

3) By prepping part (or all) of the meal in advance, you have made the completion of the meal more simple, so it will be easier to call on your spouse or children to help you finish cooking the meal.

"What you do in your house is worth as much as if you did it up in heaven for our Lord God. We should accustom ourselves to think of our position and work as sacred and well-pleasing to God, not on account of the position and work, but on account of the word and faith from which the obedience and the work flow." - Martin Luther

***Thanks to all of you who are sharing what "works for you" with me! I have so much to learn :).

Happy Monday- Recipe Share

Happy Monday! I hope you all had a great weekend. Mine was very productive and relaxing. Nathan was out on business for the weekend, so I decided to take full advantage of this time. I was able to complete my "spring cleaning" list, read for hours, and spend some time with the kids, all of which I love. It was a very rejuvenating time.

I was talking to one of my good friends about menu planning last night and was sharing with her how I have learned several great recipes and "home-keeping" tactics from my fellow blogging friends. So, I thought I would try to share one of my favorite simple recipes with you all this morning. As you all know, I like to keep my cooking fairly healthy and simple, so this isn't an elaborate recipe.

Easy Chicken Pot Pie

Refrigerated pie shells (Pillsbury works, but homemade is even better!)

2 cups, cubed cooked (boiled) chicken

1/2 can of "healthy recipe" cream of chicken soup

1/2 can of "healthy recipe" cream of celery soup

1/2 cup of skim milk

1 small bag of frozen veggies (peas, carrots, corn, and green beans)
1/4 stick of butter (it tastes even better with 1/2 stick, but it isn't necessary)

1/2 tsp of salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix soup, frozen vegetables, cooked chicken, milk, melted butter, and salt and pepper. (The mixture should be fairly thick). Place in pie shell. Top with second pie shell. Cover edges of pie shell with foil. Bake for 35-40 minutes.

Prepare this meal ahead of time:

Cook chicken, mix with all ingredients except frozen veggies. Refrigerate overnight. When you are ready to bake the pie, add frozen veggies to the mixture and place all ingredients in the pie shell.

Enjoy cooking for your loved ones this week :)!

Works for me Wendesday- Thankfulness

Nothing combats a bad attitude like thankfulness! I have discovered that the more thankful I am, the more joyful I am. In fact, the more thankful I am, the more happy my husband and others around me are as well! Thankfulness WORKS FOR ME! Sometimes, finding things to be thankful for is very easy, but during trying times, it is just as easy to forget to be thankful for all you have been given because the trial is in the forefront of your mind. This is when being thankful is a bit more difficult to say the least.

I once read in a great book that you can either practice bitterness and negativity, or grace and thankfulness. Many people (trust me, I could have been one of "these people" very easily), practice bitterness and discontent for years (often times towards the people they love the most- their spouses, children, and family) until it is their first response. Others carefully practice grace and thankfulness for years and the more they practice it (sometimes it takes WORK), the more natural it becomes for them to automatically give themselves and others grace and remain thankful to God and to others. It is important for me to look at the thoughts and actions that I am practicing on a daily basis (I know there are many that I need to discover and work on) because out of my heart, my mouth speaks and I act (seriously!). If you find yourself hitting the keys of bitterness and unthankfulness today, start a new habit- give thanks, give grace! It WORKS FOR ME!

Practice with me this week:
- Say or write one thankful comment to your spouse, significant other, kids, or friend each day. Appreciation is powerful!
- Put the things you are thankful for in writing. Having these things in writing is extremely helpful when you are having a "tough time" being positive.
- Look for things to be thankful for throughout the day, when you discover them, give thanks to God!

Learning...
"I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now,..." (Phil 1:3-5)

"Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving;..." (Col. 4:2)

"Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God is a consuming fire." (Heb. 12:28-29)

"From the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks." (Matthew 12:34)

Updates: Wrestling, Baby Showers, and Playing Cards

My title says it all. This is what we have been up to for the past month. Wrestling tournaments with the boys, baby showers for lovely ladies, and playing cards with dear friends. I even managed to take a few pictures of these fun times. Nathan and I have spent the past 3 weekends supporting the boys at community wrestling tournaments with a few of our friends! It has been so much fun! Wresting is such a great outlet not only for our younger boys from the Linc, but also our older boys from the inner city who are not involved in the Linc. Our boys naturally love to wrestle! Nathan is always wrestling with them on the living room floor. Due to the environments the boys are growing up in, they are naturally very aggressive, but wrestling teaches them to control their aggression and respect their competitors. Several of our boys are learning not to "give-up" when circumstances are tough, as well as how to be a "good sport". They have also hopefully felt loved and supported by people who have cheered them on during their matches, and also comforted and encouraged them when they have lost. There are many benefits to getting them involved in community sports, but the best part in my opinion is simply spending quality time with them. The boys and other adults that support them are truly a blessing to us.

I had to give him a little love while he was waiting for his next match :).

I usually help with two things at the tournaments: writing numbers on the boys' hands so they know when they wrestle and making sure they are fed and hydrated. We usually have close to 15 kids there, so we make a lot of sandwiches and Gatorade.

Natan, Jason, and our tough wrestlers!

Go Harvelle!

Keekee showing off for the camera.

Quante going for the pin!

As I mentioned, I have also been helping with baby showers for expecting friends. The babies are multiplying rapidly at church, so it seems like we've had a lot of celebration showers/dinners lately. It's so fun to celebrate with them! Our friend Cani is next! We can hardly believe she is due in July! This picture is from our dear friend Dasha's baby shower. It was so great having her visit from Iceland for awhile. We miss her so so much!

Lastly, I mentioned that we have been playing cards (sorry no pictures of this). We have started to play cards with friends every other weekend. We've been able to play twice thus far and it's been a blast! Hopefully we can continue to play despite all of our busy schedules.

Hope you all have a great week!

Works for Me Wednesday- "If you don't look, you don't buy"

A good policy that works for me is "If you don't look, you don't buy". I have used this policy many times when Nathan and I are wanting to save up for something special or simply want to practice being content with what we have. If I don't go into stores like Hobby Lobby, TJ Max, Marshalls, Kirklands, or browse the clothing, craft, and home decor sections in any of my favorite stores, I don't spend money on things that I don't need. I have found that when I frequent these stores or any other place that is fun to shop, I can ALWAYS find something that I really want. The more I stay out of stores, the less likely I am to want or think that I need something.

Have you ever noticed how if you browse a store, you suddenly feel like you don't have much or really want this or that? You magically forget about all of the things that await you at home and suit you just fine. I know that I am blessed with the financial means to purchase far more than I need and I am thankful for being able to enjoy decorating, crafting, and fun new clothes. I just don't want to fall prey to this constant cycle of wanting.

I am not saying that it isn't okay to treat yourself or want something new. What I am speaking of is the way browsing suddenly makes us want. The problem is the motivation for wanting. So, if you find yourself in the same position (some of you may not ever have this problem), try out this policy for a week, a month, or maybe even a couple of months. It WORKS FOR ME.

On a side note, I have found that it also helps me to allow myself to want something, but to have to wait for it. If after a period of time (I often try to wait at least a month), I still really want the same items, I will make a plan to purchase just these items, not to browse the entire store.

Learning...

"I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength. " (Philippians 4:12-13)


Not to fear.

To Pray.

To Trust.

To Have Peace.

Updates...
COMING SOON!