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Tuesday, October 30, 2007

What Was I thinking...?

Well - obviously last night, I wasn't thinking at all!

So - there I was in line at Country Market with ALL my $100 worth of groceries and the cashier JUST finished ringing up my last 3 items when I felt like I was going to pass out! YES - it happened! I had left my wallet (with money, bank cards AND checkbook) at my office! You should have seen the look on my face when she read me my total, "That will be $96.27 ma'am." It didn't help that I was shopping during PEAK hours when the store was REALLY busy. So - needless to say, I had to suck it up and tell her I had NO WAY of paying and that I would have to be back once I went to get my wallet! How pathetic am I? And HOW did this happen, you ask? Well - b/c for whatever reason I just brought my wallet into my office yesterday - not my entire purse and somehow I just walked off without it! Nice!

So - after retrieving my wallet I headed back to the store to ring up the groceries a second time and actually pay for them!

This week's off to a great start already! Gotta love Mondays...

Saturday, October 27, 2007

My Dad...

I have a great dad! He's truly a gift to me and my family.

Yesterday, I got to spend time with my dad. We had lunch together. It's not often that we have these moments... life is busy and I just don't see him as much as I would like. But yesterday I was reminded of how precious these moments are.

I wanted to share just some of the MANY things I love about my dad...

  • He's a real man of God.
  • He's a loving grandfather.
  • He's loyal.
  • He's generous beyond measure.
  • He's understanding.
  • He's gentle.
  • He's funny!
  • He's dependable.
  • He's smart.
  • He's my dad - and I love him!

Today I just wanted to pay tribute to my friend, my mentor... my dad. THANK you for your love. THANK you for giving me life. THANK you for being you!

Friday, October 26, 2007

Happy Halloween Recipe FRIDAY


These are really cute and look like fun! I always like to make some special treats this time of year... :)








Thursday, October 25, 2007

We're Off to See the Wizard!

Yep - it's official, Chloe's gonna be Dorothy for Halloween! I tried talking her into this last year and she wasn't interested. This year - she complied. No... actually it was HER idea!

I love the Wizard of Oz! It's got to be one of my ALL time favorites!

Now - - to find the red ruby slippers... :)

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

When God says, "Slow Down!"

What do you get when you work like a horse without a break, eat on the run all week long, have multiple projects going at one time and get very little sleep in between? The flu! That's what you get! And I got it last week! God spoke.. "Slow down." I failed to listen. He spoke again, "Slow down." I still failed to listen. So - - he made it so that I had NO OTHER CHOICE than to slow down! I'll admit - it drives me nuts to slow down. I just like the fast pace life. Always got something planned... always have somewhere to be and someone to see. That's my life. But every now in then, we have to take time to s-l-o-w it down a bit. Take time out for ourselves - - to take care of ourselves and nourish ourselves back to health!

Next time God says, "Slow down" I'm gonna listen...

Friday, October 19, 2007

Recipe Friday

Making this for a shower that I am hosting for my niece tomorrow afternoon... I hope it turns out...

AUTUMN APPLE PUNCH

1 1/2 qt Apple juice
2 Cinnamon sticks
8 Whole cloves
1 1/3 c Pineapple juice
1/2 c Lemon juice
2 pt Orange juice
28 oz Ginger ale

Place apple juice in a NON-aluminum kettle; tie spices in cheesecloth, add to kettle, and simmer uncovered 15 minutes; discard spice bag. Mix spiced juice with remaining fruit juices. To serve, place a large block of ice in a large punch bowl, add fruit juice and ginger ale.

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Ramblings (and other useless information)!

Hello blog world! I know, I know... I haven't been too consistent lately in my blogging. I wish I could write every day - - but I am close enough to my goal of 3 times per week. :)

So - - here are some ramblings of things that have been going on in my world as of late...

  • Sunday evening I finished all FIVE of my daughters classroom baskets for the all-school auction coming up this Saturday, October 20 at her school. Wow! That was an undertaking! I agreed to lead the charge for the five baskets donated by the parents of Chloe's second grade classroom. What a job that was! But they did turn out nice, I have to say. We did 5 themed baskets that will be auctioned off this Saturday. The themes we did are, 1.) Bath Time Fun Basket, 2.) Baker's Basket, 3.) College Exam-Cram Care Basket, 4.) Boredom Busters Basket and 5.) Half Time Snacks Basket. If you're planning to attend the auction, now bid generously! :) They are WORTH it!
  • I am preparing for my niece's baby shower this coming Saturday, October 20 at my house! Wow! Yes - another big project I'm leading the charge of. It will be exciting! She is having a boy (Jayvian) sometime in November. :) First baby and YES - this will make me a Great Aunt for the SECOND time! I feel so old!
  • I'm just getting over what I think was a touch of the flu. YUCK! There's nothing worse than being sick! Makes you SO appreciate the times you feel good! Thank you, God, for my health!
  • Remember my blog on "Conversations" where I talked about interviewing someone to work the What's Happening Center at church on Sundays? She joined the team! I am so excited! She's going to add so much energy to the team! Welcome aboard, Lisa! :)
  • The staff at Crossroads is reading this book right now. It's a good one so far! We've actually gone through most all of Lencioni's books! If you haven't read any of them - I highly recommend them!
  • Project Share is well under way, Crossroaders! Keep your eyes and ears open for more info coming soon! This will be an AWESOME project and a great way to contribute to the needs in our county! Stay tuned for more...
  • Chloe has a dentist appointment tomorrow afternoon. Pray for her! This will be her third visit in a month. The problem is - she has teeth coming in at a rapid speed, but she's not losing them quite as quickly! Last time we were there she had to have a filling and a baby tooth removed to make room for the new one popping out. Tomorrow she will need to have another tooth pulled on the other side of her mouth! Let's just say - she's not too happy about that! She doesn't mind the work they do - she just hates to be numbed. Who really enjoys that anyway? Her biggest worry: How will I be able to eat? Oh - she's her mommas child indeed!
  • We visited one of my favorite stores on the planet this past weekend. I SO miss going to this place! I couldn't go there enough when Chloe was a baby! Stuff's a little pricey - but just being in there made me yearn for another little one!
  • Can I just say that I have the best husband in the world! When I was down sick the other day, he went to Kohl's and bought me new bedding for our bed! It's a set we had been admiring the weekend before. When I was sleeping, he snuck out to Kohl's to buy it and then came home and put it on the bed. It looked picture picture when I woke up! I think he's a keeper!
  • Chloe takes gymnastics every Wednesday night at Maple City Gymnastics. She loves it! I must admit though, she is not the best one in her class. As a matter of fact, I was a little frightened the first couple of times that she might be in a too far advanced class, but I think she's catching on. It's been a while since she was in gymnastics and so, getting used to things again was a little challenging. It's super-fun to watch, her, though, and I really believe it's building self-confidence!

Friday, October 12, 2007

Recipe FRIDAY!

This looks so good. And it's the perfect time of year. With the
cooler weather here - this is something I might even make this weekend! :)

BTW - if you haven't been to this website yet, you've got to check it out. They have some tasty and simple recipes. This one came from there. ENJOY!

Layered Pumpkin Loaf

1 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup plus 2 Tbsp. granulated sugar, divided
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
4 egg whites, divided
1/2 cup fat-free milk
1/4 cup canola oil
2 cups flour
2-1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp. salt
1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Neufchatel Cheese, 1/3 Less Fat than Cream Cheese, softened

PREHEAT oven to 350ºF. Grease a nonstick 9x5-inch loaf pan; set aside. Mix pumpkin, 1 cup granulated sugar, the brown sugar, 3 of the egg whites, milk and oil in large bowl. Add flour, baking powder, pie spice and salt; stir just until moistened. Set aside. Beat Neufchatel cheese, remaining 2 Tbsp. granulated sugar and the remaining egg white with wire whisk until well blended.

SPOON half of the pumpkin batter into prepared pan; spoon Neufchatel cheese mixture evenly over the batter. Cover with remaining pumpkin batter.

BAKE 1 hour to 1 hour 5 min. or until wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Run knife or thin spatula around edges of pan to loosen bread; cool in pan on wire rack 10 min.

Remove bread from pan to wire rack; cool completely.

Thursday, October 11, 2007

Conversations...

Got to hang out and have a great conversation with a wonderful woman this morning about the possibility of joining my team, the What's Happening Center, at my church. She is a great lady whom I feel has a lot to offer. She's outgoing, energetic and has a real "eye" for customer service. I am so thrilled about the possibility of her joining us, beginning next month!

Crossroaders out there - - we are currently seeking individuals who are ready to take their next step toward Christ and hop on board with us at the What's Happening Center! We have GREAT opportunities for you to get involved and make a difference in the lives of our guests and attenders!

If you have a heart to serve... we want to talk with you!
If you have a desire to see life change... we want to talk with you!
If you want help people take a next step at Crossroads and with Christ... we want to talk with you!
If you want to be a part of a team who loves God and want to serve Him fully and faithfully... we want to talk with you!

God is doing incredible things here at Crossroads and I am so blessed to be working along side of some of the most amazing volunteers on the planet! If you want to be a part of something BIG, something GOD-sized, consider getting involved with the What's Happening Center, where we get to be a part of God's design of changing lives!

If you are interested - - simply email me (wendy@ilovemychurch.org). I'd love to talk with you about how we can get your plugged into your new serving role!

Tuesday, October 09, 2007

Today...

~ I woke up 20 minutes late for work. I totally have NO idea how Trevor's alarm AND my alarm both failed to work!

~ I went to Tim Horton's for breakfast... plain bagel, plain cream cheese, toasted with a large drink. Can I just say that I LOVE the customer service at T.H.'s. They totally get it! I honestly can't recall a time that I waited for anything there!

~ My daughter received a 100% on a pre-spelling test. YIPPEE! She has the skill of memorization!

~ I saw a friend of mine I haven't seen in ages. She is just recovering from a divorce from her husband of almost 12 years! They were married before Trevor and I were! I went to their wedding. Very sad!

~ I forgot to pick up water softener salt from the store - - AGAIN!

~ I read a chapter from this book. What a good read. This is the only book I've read in a long time that I actually have to put it down after each chapter to allow myself time to "process" the information.

~ I made dinner for my family -- Chicken and Bow Tie Pasta. They liked it and both of them ate seconds! :)

~ I thanked God for the fall and the cooler weather that we're about to be blessed with. I am so over the 85 - 90 degree days!

~ I walked into a MESS my dog made while we were at work. He actually climbed up on top of the kitchen counter and ate an ENTIRE plate of chocolate chip cookies I made on Saturday!! Can I just say he's a 115 pound Golden Retriever that was almost sold to the first bidder on ebay this evening! ARRGHHH!

Friday, October 05, 2007

I can't Wait Until Thanksgiving...

... I'm making this now!

I made this last year when we had Thanksgiving at our house and it was a HUGE hit. I couldn't wait until Thanksgiving to eat it again. I bought the items this week to make it this weekend. You HAVE to try it!

Recipe Friday

Cornbread and Andouille Stuffing

2 teaspoons unsalted butter
1/2 pound andouille, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onions
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped green bell peppers
1 tablespoon minced garlic Basic Cornbread, recipe follows
3 slices white or whole wheat bread, torn into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
1teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
2 large eggs, beaten
1 to 2 cups chicken stock, as needed

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Generously butter a 13 by 9-inch baking dish and set aside. In a large skillet, cook the sausage until brown and the fat is rendered, about 5 minutes. Add onions, celery, bell peppers, and garlic, and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and transfer to a large bowl to cool. With your fingers, crumble the corn bread into the bowl, add bread, the green onions, parsley, and thyme, and mix well with your hands. Add the salt, pepper, cayenne, and eggs, and mix well with your hands. Add enough broth, 1/2 cup at a time, to moisten the dressing, being careful not to make it mushy. Transfer to the prepared dish and cover with aluminum foil. Bake until heated through, about 25 minutes. Uncover and bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes.

Basic Cornbread: 1 tablespoon plus 1/4 cup vegetable oil 1 cup yellow cornmeal 1 cup all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon cayenne 1 cup buttermilk 1 egg
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Pour the vegetable oil into a 9-inch baking pan or heavy cast iron skillet. Place the pan into the oven as it preheats, allowing it to heat for at least 10 minutes. Combine the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt, and cayenne in a large mixing bowl and stir with a wooden spoon. Add the buttermilk and egg to the mixture, and stir well to blend. Pour the cornmeal batter into the preheated pan and bake in the oven for 25 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool before serving or using in the dressing. Note: When making the dressing, make cornbread the day before. Yield: 8 servings

Monday, October 01, 2007

Random Thoughts Part II

I like to blog this way. Let's me get out all of that "stuff" that's seemingly locked away in my brain... so here it goes... my Random Thoughts Part II:

- I'm so getting these for this winter. Laugh all you want - but these shoes ROCK! If you haven't tried on a pair of regular Crocs yet - - let me just tell you what you're missing! Comfort... pure comfort, baby! Gotta get these ones made for the winter months, though!

- Inspired by this website, I have decided to sit down with my hubby each Sunday and actually "plan out" the weeks meals! I decided to do this for 2 reasons... 1.) I was tired of going to the grocery store each Monday and buying things - but nothing really "for an entire meal", just some random things (not to mention I shop when I'm hungry, I know - bad idea!) and 2.) It makes it a lot easier than getting home to try to decide what the whole family would like for dinner. This way - it's chicken - or NOTHING. It's Taco Salad - or NOTHING. Got the idea here?

- There are only 85 shopping days left until Christmas! Can you believe it??

- Two of my friends recommended this movie. I'm planning to take Chloe on Friday night! :) Can't wait!

- I started a new book this weekend. It's called Confessions of Pastor by Craig Groeschel. It's pretty good! Very easy read.

- I bought 5 new movies at Wal*Mart the other day for only $3.98 each!! They are... Mission Impossible 2, Mission Impossible 3, Dreamer, Failure to Launch and The Last Holiday. Not bad for less than $20. I love Wal*Mart!

- So am I the worst mom in the world? Last week, my second grader came home with a fundraiser envelope from school. Honestly, I did look through the book, but it immediately got trashed. I DON'T do school fundraisers. At least not the kind where you have to actually go door-to-door selling items from a book. I have no desire to ask my family and co-workers for money to help my daughters school or classroom earn more money. I don't do them for 2 simple reasons... 1.) The quality of the items aren't anywhere close to the price you have to pay! and 2.) I have no desire to bombard people who are already being bombarded by 12 other students hoping you'll buy what they're sellin'! No thanks, it's not for me. I'd rather give a cash donation to the school or classroom instead of guilting people into buying from us!

- I'm currently in the market for a new vehicle. I have to be honest, though, I detest going car shopping. My hubby, on the other hand, will do his homework THOROUGHLY before buying anything. I've already decided on this. :) (Trevor - you need not look any further!)