Suffers from so much doubt it makes her want to cry
A woman who knows that God has a plan
But can’t stop her worrying
A woman who
Succeeds
A woman who
Focuses
A woman who
Owns up to her choices
A woman who prays
A woman who
Laughs
A woman who
Trusts God
A woman who
Cherishes friendships
A woman who
Loves with all her heart
A woman who
Lives
I don’t usually comment on my poetry, but I did want to ask for your prayers as I go through this season of stress. I’m trying to kick out anything that is not from God, which of course anxiety and worry is not, but I can use all the help I can get. Thank you for your prayers! God bless!
Got your attention, didn’t I? Well, pie is yummy! No doubt about it! But what does that have to do with Young Living and their awesome products? Read on, dear friends! Read on!
The other day we had a small catastrophe. Child #4 accidentally let the pre-made gluten-free graham cracker style pie crusts slide off the tote on which they were sitting, not once, but twice. Oops! I may or may not have lost my mind. So, when all was resolved we had lost one pie crust, had one that was crushed, and a third that was still, amazingly intact.
So, child #2 decided it was time to make a pudding pie with the whole crust, before something happened to that one. Yes, please! I did save the crumbly pieces of the one that was crushed. We will use it to top pudding in the future. So, really, all we lost was one. Not too bad. And since I had gotten them on clearance, even better!
I’m not sure if you’re aware of how I feel about pudding, but here it is in a nutshell: I detest “instant” pudding! I’m sure many people love it, as it is so quick to make. I, however, have always been a bit strange on this front. I would prefer to make pudding on the stove even though it takes longer (not that much longer, but whatever!) than eat instant. It’s not that good, people! Try the cooked version for yourself and you will be amazed at the difference! If any job worth doing is worth doing well, then I say, a pudding worth doing is worth taking the time to cook it!
Snobby? Maybe, but try this recipe and tell me what you think!
Child #2 started with a small box of name-brand vanilla pudding in the cooking variety. She made it according to package instructions. Next, she wanted it flavored. To what did I turn? Why my awesome Young Living Vitality Essential Oils, of course! These oils are formulated to be ingested. I added 5 drops of orange vitality and Wala! The most delectable orange cream pie ever! After adding the essential oil, which Child #2 stirred in thoroughly, she poured it directly into the pre-made gluten-free graham cracker style crust. Do not let the pudding cool, as suggested on the box! If you do, you will end up with a crust that does not stay together and sloppy pieces. However, if you pour the pudding in warm, it will solidify the crust and you will get clean pieces when serving. Refrigerate until chilled through. Serve.
Hi, everyone! Just thought I’d give an update on Annie’s (our favorite drive-in restaurant that burned just a few hours after celebrating my birthday there with dinner.) Here’s the story link:
There is also a fundraiser t-shirt available. One of the local printing companies (where Annie’s gets the shirts that the servers wear) is donating all materials and labor so that all proceeds will go directly to Jeff and Maria to help them in their time of need. Here’s that link:
The fundraiser t-shirt and the night of the fire, May 18
Thanks everyone! Please keep the prayers coming for this wonderful small business! They are like family to a lot of people in Walworth County and have hired countless young people as servers and cooks over the years, not to mention all of their generosity to our community. Please support them as they have supported us!
I had a totally different post I was going to write for today, but, as it turns out, something came up that needs prayers. So…I will give you the story first and then the prayee, so to speak.
Today is my birthday. I never do that much, but we do love having dinner at our favorite drive-in, Annie’s Burger Town. So, that is where we went for my special night.
They have awesome food and gluten-free buns! Yay! Their burgers are legendary and their salads are awesome! We got three bacon cheeseburger meals (comes with coleslaw and fries) and one grilled chicken salad (with a side of fries, because you cannot go to Annie’s and not get fries!) So totally satisfying and wonderful! Best burger ever!
A few minutes ago I got a text from a friend. There was a fire at Annie’s tonight. It looked from the pictures, that it was in the back of the restaurant, where the grill was. I was like “No way! We were just there like three or four hours ago!” Unfortunately, yes.
Our beloved Annie’s Burger Town burning ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜.
So, my prayer request is that everyone is safe. They close at 8 and since this was reported around 9:45, I’m thinking that it was after everyone was gone. Also, please pray for Maria and Jeff, the owners as they assess damages and make plans. Hopefully, it won’t take much to get it back up and running, but the flames don’t look good.
Hurry back, guys! We can’t live without our Annie’s!!!
Thanks for reading! I did have a particularly frustrating day. We had an intake today for a room that was supposed to be cleaned by my co-worker. However, upon inspection, none of the beds were made, or had pillows, sheets, blankets, and quilts! In addition, the baseboards were filthy! I went into the office, shut the door, and let my two bosses know that I was upset.
That about sums it up!
Thankfully, Jim came to help me with the beds and he cleaned the baseboards. I refused lunch because I knew we needed to get the room done and we had an hour! (I did eat – just over and hour later!) 😤!!! This was after he slapped a desk and scared the crap out of me, again! What does he not get about trauma?!!! I know we are all God’s children and He loves us all, but my co-worker was really pushing it today! Thanks for listening! I can always count on you guys! Blessings!
So, Child #4 is sick. Child #3 is also sick. Child #2 is trying desperately trying to not catch this cold, as am I. Solution? Chicken soup! However, I do not like chicken soup!Â
This is a personal issue. I believe it comes from growing up with my dad who absolutely detested anything fowl. You could say he found it foul! (Ba dum dum!) So, no chicken, turkey, goose, etc. Yeah. Thanksgiving was interesting! Especially since he also hated stuffing!
We generally had beef soup when mom made homemade soup. I absolutely adore beef soup and have a wonderful recipe for it, that I based on an awesome vegetable beef soup that I had at a local restaurant. I tend to put extra beef in so that it’s a really hearty soup, and of course bone broth!
But I digress…we were talking about chicken soup. I had such a taste for chicken tortilla soup. Not that I’ve ever made it before, or even know what goes in it. Did that stop me? No way! I dove in with both feet! Here is what I used and how it turned out:
2, large bone-in chicken breasts
8 cups water
1, large onion, peeled and diced
2 cups sliced carrots (we used baby carrots)
1, 12 oz package of frozen green beans
1 cup salsa
1, 30 oz can petite diced tomatoes and the juice
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground black pepper
2 Tbsp. turmeric
1 Tbsp. ground cumin
1 Tbsp. granulated onion
In a large pot (think two-handled 16-cups or so) place chicken breast and water. Add onion and carrots and turn your burner on medium heat. This should work in a crockpot too, if you need to be out most of the day. Turn it on low.
When the chicken is falling off the bones pull it out and separate it. Throw the bones out and shred the chicken. Add the chicken back into the soup and put in the green beans.
Once the beans are cooked, add the remaining ingredients and stir well. Let simmer for about half an hour to meld flavors.
Serve hot with tortilla chips as a garnish. Enjoy!
Even though I am usually not a fan of chicken soup, this was really good! I loved the tortilla chips as garnish! I may or may not have added extra as I ate my soup (😜!) It was so good, I even went for a second bowl! Amazing! A chicken soup I voluntarily went in for seconds! A miracle!
I wasn’t the only one either! There were many bowls of chicken tortilla soup consumed tonight! The yum was resounding!
Not our dinner, but a lovely pork steak nonetheless.
Tonight we had pork steak for dinner, along with green beans and mashed potatoes. Do I have pictures? No. I don’t. We ate it all.
How did I cook it? At 350° F for an hour, flipping it halfway through. (Ok full disclosure: I forgot to flip it until ten minutes before it was done, but I flipped it then and it was fine!) I sprinkled onion powder, salt, and pepper on it. Completely yum 😋!
Now, I could have made baked potatoes and just popped them in the oven with the pork, but upon coming home I discovered that the potatoes I bought were less than ideal. So, being the thrifty soul that I am, I peeled all the remaining good potatoes and made mashed potatoes with butter, sour cream, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Problem solved.
For our vegetable, I chose steamed green beans. A little butter on top, and yum!
Things were a little better today, but also a little worse. I’m still sorting through it all in my mind. I guess it’s just life. Ups and downs. Thankfully, God’s in charge and not me! I do not want that job! Speaking of which, I filled out the application for the job at the shelter officially today. Yay! I love it there!
Yeah… Mmmmhmmmm.
Hope all is well with all of my sweet readers! God bless you now and always!
Do you remember that song from “Mary Poppins?” The one about the old woman who sits on the steps to the cathedral and feeds the birds? She asks others to feed them too. She will provide the food for a small fee (a tuppence) and we can help her to take care of the less fortunate.
I’m not sure why, but that beautiful song got stuck in my head this afternoon. I haven’t seen the movie in quite some time, but I’ve always liked that song, as well as the lullaby “Stay Awake.”
It set my mind to whirring. What is she really asking? She’s asking for help, obviously… someone to care about others as much as she does, if only for a little while. Can you help her? Are you willing to give up yourself for just a short time to help another?
What the bird woman is asking of us is to put aside ourselves and focus on the needs of others. Sure, in the movie, they are birds, but couldn’t she just as easily mean the poor, the less fortunate?
And what about the bird woman herself? She is certainly not high society, but someone that the children’s father hardly notices. But the children see her, as directed by their nanny. Who is she that anyone should listen?
Maybe that’s the point! Not just to stop and smell the roses, so to speak, but to truly notice all of God’s creatures and treat them with respect. From the bird woman all the way down to her birds. All deserve respect. Do we give it?
I work with homeless people everyday. They are as varied as any group of people. These are not addicts and junkies. These are real people. Families. People who have fallen on hard times. People who, through no fault of their own, have become unhoused. Do we even see them?
What makes us so much better than them? NOTHING! And there is that point again. Respect. Do they not deserve it, as fellow human beings? I will tell you – not only do they deserve our respect, but they deserve our compassion! These are people who have seen so much trauma that sometimes they have to fight daily to be able to just breathe!
If nothing else, I ask you to pray for these folks. Their stories are not all that different from our own. There but for the grace of God go I.
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