Testimony Tuesday

Sharing testimonies is life changing.  There is no doubt about it.  God uses our stories to bring people to Him.    When someone is so closely connected to Jesus each day and shares their stories with others, they see Jesus in them.  Sometimes words are not even required, it just shows through our lives and our actions.  Our stories and what God is doing in our life is so important to share as He leads so that God can be glorified in us and others can be reconciled and brought to Him.  

So I want to share something God has done in my life this week with you in hopes that it will spark something in your heart and make you smile and know God loves you.  

God knows that I am a control freak-okay recovering control freak.  Especially with parenting.  Ya'll having three children is wonderful, they are all gifts, but when you want to control everything and have it all go a certain way--yeah, that just doesn't happen.  So I tend to just let it all go and not try too hard at all in organizing our days and our time because I get overwhelmed in not making it work the way I think it should or even sometimes I think I am not meeting God's expectations of me as a mom because I can't do it all the way I think it is supposed to be.  Well...enter Grace.  God is teaching me to take one moment at a time and one day at a time and one situation at a time.  He is my biggest fan.  So this week we have had many sweet moments of time where I felt I knew God had invaded that moment and that I had let go of control.  Amazing.  I can't wait for it to be like that constantly throughout a day, that is my goal.  Can you say freedom!

I also want to share with you a testimony video that is so inspiring.  Hearing other people's testimonies changes lives.  Mark Hall is the lead singer of Casting Crowns, and he gives a powerful testimony here.  Sit back and take some time out of your day to hear what he has to say.  Amazing.  

Please take a moment and share a testimony of yours with me.  Something small or big, it doesn't matter, what has God done in your life lately?  

More later...

Menu Plan Monday-Gluten & Milk-Free Style

I do a weekly menu plan on a regular basis so I know what we have for dinners for the following week, taking out a lot of the guess work.  I do not assign a meal to a certain day all of the time, but it is nice knowing I have enough ingredients in the house to have meals for a week.  These next 2 weeks will be a little more fun because we are trying gluten free and milk free for most of us.  So here goes sharing our meals for the week.

1. Sweet Italian Sausage with bell peppers and rice.
2. Crunchy Tacos with my homemade taco seasoning (minus cheese).
3. Poncit (will have to share this recipe as it is delicious-though I am still learning to perfect it).
4. Salmon nuggets (my own created recipe that is a family favorite), rice & sweet peas.
5. Baked Teryaki Salmon (homemade marinade), steamed broccoli, hush-puppies & rice.
6. Breakfast for dinner-gluten free pancakes, bacon, strawberry smoothies & scrambled eggs.
7. Leftovers/fend for yourself.

Check out the recipes and let me know if you have any questions about them.  

I am joining with Organizing Junkie in the Menu Plan Monday.  Check out her website for lots of recipe and meal plan ideas.  You can find her here--

Also found this site and will be sharing there as well.
 

More later...

Salmon Nuggets

This recipe stems from when I was playing around trying to make fish croquet's without egg.  It is super simple, and really good, a family favorite here.

Salmon Nuggets

Ingredients:

• 1 can salmon NOT drained
• 1 cup gluten free corn meal
• salt & pepper to taste  
• Canola oil

Directions:

1. Mix first three ingredients in bowl.
2. Add oil 1-2 inches deep in pan and heat.
3. Form the ingredients into little balls and drop in heated oil-cook until golden brown.  Do not crowd them so they can fry evenly and not get mushy.

Enjoy!  We like to eat these with jasmine rice and a veggie.  Add some soy sauce is pretty good too.

Taco Time

I created my own taco seasoning from searching online a few years ago and leaving out things I didn't like.  I am sure there are some just like this all over the web, but it is a family favorite and I use it in anything that calls for taco seasoning packets.

Taco Seasoning

• 1 tablespoon of chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne powder
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 teaspoon course salt

There you have it.  Mix it all together and add to anything you are making that calls for taco seasoning packet.  

Enjoy!

2 Weeks-Be Free Challenge

I stumbled across this blog intentional.me several months ago, and she was talking about her new book that was coming out soon.  I also watched a video of them on a morning news channel talking about the book, called Be Free.  I was curious and I got it.  I read it.  I thought it wasn't completely for me.  I put it aside.  Even deleted it from my Kindle reading app.  I kept feeling a nudge that maybe it would be beneficial to try it.  It may help some of the problems we are having in our health at home-asthma, allergies and eczema, going on.

So just this last week I talked with my hubbs about this and really for our little princess who itches often from eczema and thought it would be beneficial to try for 2 weeks eating gluten and milk free ( though I am already gluten free).  What would I be missing if I didn't do it--what if it helped all of her itching like crazy eczema that she struggles with each day.  What if belly aches are no more.  What if my shortness of breath and/or wheeze I get sometimes are no more?  

So we decided I am going to stock up this weekend and we will start tomorrow trying the free challenge.  She mentions several types of foods to eliminate.  I am okay with gluten free.  I find things so satisfying and do not struggle much with it, especially knowing that if I did eat it, I would get so extremely sick it would not even be worth a single bit of it.  

Now the milk...I only think about cheese and the products that I like that have milk in them.  We don't drink milk, and have used Rice Dream Rice Milk for years-and love it.  So I am trying to make lists of foods and meal ideas for all meals of the day that don't have gluten or milk so I can create a gluten free/milk free home for 2 weeks, and longer if we see the benefits.  I also think about eating out, I think about when I am at work and my hubbs will have to find things for my daughter to eat when he is used to being able to feed her whatever she wants-gluten and milk or not.

The soy, I am not going to try yet, as it challenges me to my core.  I already deal with a son gluten free, milk free, egg free, nut free and more, but soy, oh my goodness it is in everything.  Baby steps...but if it is effecting our health badly, I would like to make sure.

So prayers appreciated.  I have some fears, but the possible benefits outweigh the things I am fretting about. Please share with me your experiences if you have gone through anything similar.  I love to know I am not alone in it.  

Have a great day.  More later...

Bible Study

This is the study that I am using right now in my time in the Bible mostly.  I have started several studies during my Hello Morning Challenges, but this is the one I have stuck with the most.  God is using it in my life right now, well His word never returns void so anytime we are in it He uses it and it feeds our Spirit, but I am learning in this study.  It is not set on one specific book, but mostly Job right now.  

I am seeing how all that Job went through, which pales in comparison to any circumstance I am facing, He still was sold out for God.  He had His mind and heart completely set on Him.  I am learning about friendships from reading about the friends that came and tried to help Job.  How they spoke words to Job that could have confused him and not comforted him.  That made me think about my friendships and the words that I use.  

Proverbs 18:21 says, "The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences."

So I thought about my responses to my friends.  I can seem pretty insensitive when I speak to my friends.  What it really comes down to is that I am super tenderhearted (and I am just learning this about myself) and so I hate to see anyone uncomfortable and want to fix it all.  When I cannot fix it all I tend to want to say it will all be okay and that is it.  I am learning that I don't always have to have the right words to say.  I don't always have to say anything at all.  Sometimes my presence and my listening is just enough.  Sometimes our actions can speak louder than words.

My prayer is that I can be more careful with my words.  That I can really pay attention to what is the purpose of my words before they come out of my mouth.  I don't want reap bad consequences for saying something that will not be fruitful or bring life.  I want to be a better friend and not act so quickly in words and seem insensitive, which will hurt them even more.  

That is all for now...I pray I can be a better friend and that I can really not let this slide by  me, but that I can take it to heart and learn from it.  Really apply it to my life.  Pause before speaking and ask God to be my words, all the time, as a habit.  Help me in this Lord, in Jesus Name, Amen

More later...

Testimony Tuesday

Happy Tuesday to you!  What is God doing in your life this Tuesday or lately?  There are so many things I could share I don't know where to start.  This past week I have been praying for help in waking up each morning.  I do participate in Inspired to Action's Hello Mornings challenge so this is something I have been working on for a while.  When I really surrender and ask God for help He does what He did this past week. My goal is to wake up at 5:30 a.m.  I usually have my alarm go off at 5:30 a.m. and then I snooze until 6:30 a.m. and then I have less than an hour to get up and get myself all prepared for the day as well as getting up 3 children and getting them all prepared for the day.  Well this past week I smiled almost every morning as God woke me up gently with sweet things, sounds of birds outside or just a gentle waking where I wasn't so tired, and guess what time He did that...5:25-5:28 a.m.  Always before my alarm.  I love it!  So that is my God story of the week.  Just remember that nothing is too small for God.  He cares about every single detail of our lives, every little one of them, and ya'll He is so incredibly creative.  I pray we fall more in love with You Lord this week than last, reveal yourself to us, in Jesus Name, Amen!

I do have to share though that I wasn't the best in responding to this each morning and I did not get up every single time, but I did get awoken and had a sweet smile.  Progress.  God is working  and He is amazing!