Carrot Cake has been a long-time celebration cake in my husband’s family. And why not? It’s moist and delicious and wonderful. I always frost mine with a Browned Butter Cream Cheese Frosting that takes it to a whole new level. So yummy! This past weekend at the Schell Sibs Gathering, I snuck out of bed…
Face-to-Face
“May the LORD bless and keep you; may the LORD cause his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; may the LORD lift his face to you and give you peace.” Numbers 6:24-26 I love this beautiful blessing God gave the priests who would pass it to the people. It contains protection…
Generosity Does a Body Good
A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed. Proverbs 11:25 NIV Generosity is one of those things it pays to practice. Before you think I am preaching some crazy prosperity gospel, let me tell you, I AM! Lol! But it’s not what you think. I’m not talking about amassing great piles of…
Evidence of Love
Life has brought me around to reading back over some past posts. This one resonated with me today. I hope you enjoy reading it. My five-year-old granddaughter, Brielle, never shows up empty-handed when she comes to visit. Many times, she’s the first of her tribe of seven into the house. She always rushes to the…
Goodness Overflow
“JAMS, I need you to stop doing that.” “I need you to stop doing that NOW!” “OKAY, I AM COMING TO HELP YOU TO STOP DOING THAT!” I cannot tell you how often I say these exact phrases each day. Life with a curious, intelligent, and confident child can have its challenges as they exercise…
Go Ahead, Take a Bite
Give it a taste and see if you like it. I have said that countless times over the years to children (and sometimes adults) that have sat around my table. The “taste and see” encouragement usually comes when the groan escapes their lips brought on by unfamiliar food. It would take a bite to know…
Creamy Chicken Verde Soup
New Year’s Day we had a very quiet day at home. I decided to use up some chicken verde I had stored in the freezer earlier in the month. I love when you can enjoy things twice in different forms. The chicken with green chiles was used for tacos after Christmas recital dinner and then,…
Sow Loud!
Happy New Year! Here we are in the season of pondering what life would look like if we made a few changes to better ourselves. I do it. January brings the idea of the promise of a new way of doing things. I always tend to think of losing the holiday celebration weight and moving…
Bring on the Feast
Feasting days are upon us. What do you have planned to eat at your holiday celebrations? Me? On Christmas Eve, I plan to enjoy a delicious meal of Smoked Prime Rib prepared by my son-in-law. He is very experienced in bringing the yum to meat, and I can’t wait. My contribution will be Hassleback Potatoes,…
A Very Bright Light
An Angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the Angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all people. Today, in the town of David, a Savior has been born…
Shrimp Boil
This a quick, easy, and fun dinner. Low in points and but big on flavor. One of our little Miss J loves. So do we. I don’t count the beer when calculating the points because all but a quarter cup of the liquid is drained away. Shrimp Boil Four servings Ingredients Instructions You don’t have…
Weekend Wander
Weekends are for recharging the soul. I think that is what God had in mind when he designed the Sabbath—a time to take a break and remember all the goodness of life. This might be why the Sunday Drive was born. Now that the weather has cooled and fall colors are starting to show, it’s…
Have Your Cake
Sorry, no cake recipe here, but I thought it was about time to time for an update about my weight loss journey. Yes, I am still on the wagon. (See my last update here.) I am very excited about some significant victories in changing my habits for good and I want to celebrate. A few…
Pizza Dough
Some deliciousness is happening at our house. Jayme is all about pizza these days, and I don’t mind at all. I love it too. I use the bread machine to do the work of kneading and proofing. My part: Roll, prebake for a few minutes, add toppings, and finish a few more minutes in the…
Granola
My husband’s go-to breakfast is yogurt and granola. I like granola with a bit of milk for a snack, dessert, or used as crunchy. It’s one of the easiest things to make and allows me to change it up according to what is in the pantry. It’s a healthy sweet treat but watch your portions…
Smoky Black Bean Soup
This is a super quick and easy recipe that is great whenever you don’t have a lot of time. For those of you on WW this can be zero points if beans are part of your zero points foods. Feeds four to six hungry people Ingredients 1 large onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 1…
When Anxiety Stops By
When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy.Psalms 94:19 NIV Anxiety. Its weight and crazy tentacles reach into every area of life strangling our senses. When in the midst of anxiety, life feels hopeless and unchangeable. It demands our attention and wears us out lugging it around. I love that the Psalmist…
The Power of Living Loved
One constant thing in my daily routine is meditating on scripture when I wake up. I have an app, You Version, on my phone that makes it easy to access the Bible wherever I am. Each morning, I find the Verse of the Day and a couple of short teachings from different individuals on its…
Where Is That Wagon?
Falling off the wagon hurts. I know this from experience. I was sharing with one of my daughters that I not only fell off the wagon but also rolled down the hill, knocking the air out of me. In hindsight, it wasn’t quite that bad. I just spent the summer maintaining my weight. I didn’t…
The Habit of Candles
For the past few mornings, Jayme has jumped out of bed asking for some birthday cake with a candle. I think that she has been in the celebrating mode since my birthday last week. I can’t blame her. Birthdays are fun. This past one marked sixty-six years of life that has not always been easy…
Roasted Corn and Black Bean Enchiladas
I have been trying to edge our way towards a bit more plant-based eating a few days a week. (Yes, another new habit.) We do not really desire to be fully vegan or even vegetarian. We are equal opportunity eaters. Lol! We love to eat foods of all types. We especially love when we are…
One Day at a Time
“The best way to predict the future is to create it.” Peter Drucker My journey of adding daily habits that will decide my future has continued. A few weeks ago, I started doing something I had never done. I added a weight training class to daily practice and placed myself in the competent hands of…
Hawaiian Pasta Salad
Before I give you the recipe, I must give you a disclaimer. I have never been to Hawaii. Nope. Not even once. But I have eaten at a few Hawaiian BBQ places here in California. Most serve a scoop of steamed white rice and a scoop of macaroni salad. I have made up my own…
Slipping into Summer
Now that summer is upon us, we have the opportunity to enjoy picnics, BBQs, and al fresco dinners. These days it can be as simple or as fancy as you like, but the real focus of any event are the people we will share with. For that reason, ease is important to me. Less time…