Uncategorized

Freshen Up Friday

RefreshHerLeave a comment

Here are a bunch of weekend refreshment ideas for you…

Spiritual Refreshment ~ This time next week (Sept. 14th) our church will be hosting our own Ladies’ Retreat!  We are excited to have Carol Trahan joining us for the weekend.  She will be teaching a session Friday night, then two more when we reconvene on Saturday morning.  What better way to refresh your heart spiritually, than with the teaching of God’s Word with messages that are directed towards women?

Our theme is,

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good.
 
I know that we will taste the Lord’s goodness as we gather together to feed from God’s Word, enjoy some good ideas in our two group workshops, and as we fellowship together. You can go here for the details of time, registration, and workshops.  We’d love to have you join us!  I’m praying for 100 ladies!

Home Refreshment ~ 

Wouldn’t this pumpkin “sign” be cute at your doorstep?  They used old keys, but I think it would be just as cute to hot glue twigs on the pumpkin to spell out “fall.”  I love the colors of these little guys.  I’ll bet Hobby Lobby has them half off right now if you wanted to go with artificial ones!

Marriage Refreshment ~ When the nights are a little cooler (and I hear they’re supposed to drop this weekend!), grab your lap top or Smart Phone, a blanket, and some popcorn and make a date with your hubby out on the deck or backyard swing.  Pull up a favorite show on your computer and snuggle together and have your own “Drive-in” movie time!  My husband and I did this earlier in the week while he was recuperating.  He had to keep his head down on my lap, due to his eye, but that was even cozier!


Fun Refreshment ~ My Blessed life has some adorable printables you could use for tags on treat bags,or put in frames or on cards. 

Work Refreshment ~ It’s amazing what one little change can make!  This week I changed out the drawer dividers in our bathroom drawers.  The old ones had become too…used!  They were old and tired.  I found a great deal at Walgreens for only .89!  I got three rectangular baskets that fit perfectly in the drawers on either side of the sink.  Toothbrushes, contact lenses, combs, etc. fit perfectly inside and made the drawer look 100% better. I also put new drawer liner in there.  It looks fresh and clean now! Is there some little area in your house that just needs a little pick-me-up?  Why not tackle it this weekend? 

Food Refreshment ~ I’m making these for breakfast this weekend.  They look like a great intro into fall foods, don’t they?  Why not try a batch too?


Have a great weekend!  See you in church!

Be refreshed,

Uncategorized

Thrifty Thursday: More Thrifty Tips

RefreshHerLeave a comment
This is the fourth post in this series. If you haven’t read them, here are the first three posts: 

Thanks for hanging in there with all my thrifty soapboxing! Today I’m bringing you time and money saving tips, all in the same post….It’s like using a coupon on top of a sale! =)
Here’s a meal I served recently:
Picture from WomensDay.com
Steamfresh Vegetable Medley: Snow peas and red potatoes
Chunky Peach Applesauce 
Hot dog buns spread with butter and broiled in the oven
(keepin’ it real, folks! I was out of regular bread and my man doesn’t eat supper without bread)

This meal is a great example of how to save time and money while feeding your family! Here are three tips that come to my mind:


1. Do Prep Work Ahead of Time

This is how restaurants do it – they make your meal from thawed chicken, chopped vegetables and marinated meat!
  • Brown all three pounds of hamburger from the package, instead of just the pound you need for that night’s meal. Put the other two pounds (about 2 cups each) into ziploc bags. The night before you’re having another ground beef meal, put the frozen hamburger in the fridge to thaw overnight.  
  • Same idea for the chicken used in this particular meal: buy bone-in chicken breasts at .98/lb. Remove the skin and filet the breasts to whatever size you want. These get frozen in ziploc bags, labeled with a sharpie, and added to your freezer organization chart. These thrifty packages also defrost overnight in the fridge and are so convenient! 
  • When you get home from the store, wash and chop vegetables before you put them away. I’m always glad to have chopped vegetables for salads or even for my husband’s lunch box! 
2. Plan Weekly Menus

I’ve blogged about menu planning, my mom has blogged about menu planning. So instead of  me being repetitive, just go read those posts, k? =)

If you’re looking for a new recipe or two, try Pinterest! Here’s my recipe board (disclaimer: my meals aren’t always super healthy…)

3. Make it pretty!
I served the applesauce – not a fancy or a complicated side dish – in my lovely green dessert glasses. It looked so much better than a glob of applesauce on our plates would have! A simple meal served on pretty dishes definitely tastes glamorous.

Doesn’t this look yummy?

Have a great [and thrifty] Thursday!

Whitney

Uncategorized

A Peek Inside the Parsonage

RefreshHer4 Comments

Wow.  The parson’s recovery time has been a time of tears and laughter.  When you love someone it’s hard to see them suffer, isn’t it? 

Though I had great ambitions as a child to be a nurse, I learned (thankfully before I did any damage to anyone) that I just felt sorry for people that were sick.  I do not possess the qualities to help them.  So, the first few times of putting the 10 drops a day in his operated eye, I’d pray, administer drops, then go and cry.  That eye just looks so bad, so painful and weak.  It made me sad for him.

Then there is the balance of the laughter caused by another nursing duty – covering his eye at night with a clear plastic shield.  I really don’t try to be like Lucille Ball with these things, but honestly, one night the piece of tape I cut to attach the shield was so long I literally taped his head down to the pillow!  My husband’s comment was, “Yeah, someone’s going to ask, ‘What’s that hanging on the end of the tape?’ ‘Oh, that’s lint from under the bed!’  Sadly, it’s not far from the truth.  I guess I was just afraid it would fall off!  Each night I’m getting better, but we’ve had some hysterical (and needed) laughs at my lack of nursing skills! 

So, I’ll never have a nursing career!  That’s okay.  I’m good with just being the parson’s wife!

From my parsonage windows,

trials

Planted By the River

RefreshHer2 Comments

Waking with the heaviness of what was ahead of us on this day, I headed to my Quiet Place to prepare my heart for the waiting, the giving over of my husband to the surgeon’s hands, and once again giving my path to my sovereign God.  This was the day for the parson’s eye surgery and I had dreaded it.

Turning to my Bible reading schedule, I found myself in Jeremiah 17:7,8.  It reads,

Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is.
 For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.
 
 
It was no accident that those verses were a part of my reading on this day.  Even before my heart could get worried in this “drought,” the Lord reminded me that I could be planted by a river so that I might have green leaves and also bear fruit instead. 
 
So that I would remember this verse through the day, I snapped a picture of that page of my Bible with my phone’s camera, then set it as my home screen picture.  Each time I looked at my phone during the day, I saw those verses.  I was reminded that I could be planted by the river and bear fruit. It was my choice. How does that happen?
 
  1. It comes from taking in the Word of God; of renewing my mind in His truth, then obeying it.  It is here that I exchange my fleshly thinking for His Life giving Word – the Living Water.  All through the day, I needed to remind myself of what was true instead of the “what-if’s.”
  2. When I look for others with whom we can share my faith, I am bearing fruit.  When someone asked how I was doing, I had to acknowledge that I knew the Lord was good, and I was resting in Him.  Giving testimony of God’s provision and faithfulness is another way to bear fruit.  Sharing tracts with folks in the surgery center and others in the community that ask how he’s doing gives other opportunities for fruit bearing.
  3. It is my duty to trust in the Lord. (Verse 7a)  When fear strikes my heart, or sorrow overwhelms me, I must trust in the Lord.  That means to run to Him; give Him my burden.  I must cry to Him before I call others. Having seasons of prayer has been like the soaking rain in a drought; it’s refreshing, it’s calming, it’s welcoming.
I arose from my Quiet Time with a refreshed spirit and a calm heart.  My God knew what I needed and provided before I even noticed the heat of the drought.  Now I’m praying for fruit to be produced in the days and months ahead.  Oh, Lord, may it not cease.
 
What drought are you experiencing today?  Are you “planted by the river?”  Soak up the Living Water.  Share it with others and watch the fruit that comes.  It will give a new perspective of your trial!
 
With love,
 
Uncategorized

What’s Cookin’ in the Parsonage?

RefreshHer1 Comment

I love finding new crock pot recipes for Sunday dinner.  This one is the crock-pot version of a recipe I’ve made for years – Imperial Chicken.  The only change I’d make next time is to double the sauce that makes the gravy.  White meat tends to be dry in the crock pot, so it needs this delicious gravy to keep it nice and moist.  This is really easy and really good!  I’ll definitely be making this again!
Here was my menu:

Sour Cream and Bacon Crock Pot Chicken
Rice
Green peas
Pineapple-Banana Salad
 

 Here is where I found my recipe for Sour Cream and Bacon Crockpot Chicken.


Sour Cream and Bacon Crockpot Chicken
 
 
 
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cooke Time: 8 hours
Total Time: 8 hours 15 mins
Serves: 8

Ingredients
  • 8 bacon slices
  • 8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 2 (10 oz) cans roasted garlic cream of mushroom soup
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1/2 cup flour (all purpose or gluten free blend)
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
  1. Place the bacon in a large skillet and cook over medium-low heat until some of the fat is rendered. Be sure that the bacon is still pliable and not crisp. Drain on paper towels. If you use this method, reduce the flour to 1/4 cup. Or don’t cook the bacon and proceed with the recipe.
  2. Then wrap one slice of bacon around each boneless chicken breast and place in a 4-5 quart crockpot.
  3. In medium bowl, combine condensed soups, sour cream, and flour and mix with wire whisk to blend. Pour over chicken.
  4. Cover crockpot and cook on low for 6-8 hours until chicken and bacon are thoroughly cooked. You may want to remove the chicken and beat the sauce with a wire whisk so it is very well blended.
  5. Pour sauce over chicken.
  6. If you have a newer crockpot, check the chicken at 5 hours. The internal temp should be 160 -170 degrees F.
Notes:
Serve over rice, couscous, or wide egg noodles.
 
When I went to prep this dish on Saturday night, I realized I didn’t have any Cream of Mushroom soup! So, I Googled a recipe to substitute the canned version, and found this one that was perfect for this recipe:
 
 
 
Substitute for Cream of Mushroom Soup
 
  • 1 tbsp. butter
  • 3 tbsp. flour
  • 1/2 cup any broth (I used a beef bouillon cube to make mine)
  • 1/2 cup milk (I used 2%)
  • mushrooms, chopped and sauteed (how ever much you desire)
  • salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  • Melt butter in a saucepan over Med-Low heat.
  • Stir in flour a little at a time until smooth, then remove from heat.
  • Add broth and milk a little at a time, stirring to keep mixture smooth. Then, stir in mushrooms.
  • Return to heat and bring sauce to a gentle boil; stir constantly until sauce thickens.
  • Add salt and pepper to taste.
  • Notes: This sauce can be used as a substitute for CONDENSED Cream of Mushroom Soup.

The salad I served with the chicken is one of my favorites.  It’s one I’ve been making for years.  It’s fast and easy, and tastes fantastic!  Everyone loves it.


Pineapple-Banana Salad
In small saucepan combine:

1 Beaten egg
1/3 Cup sugar
2 Tbl Lemon juice

Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with whisk.  Remove from heat when mixture thickens to the consistency of pudding. 

2 bananas
1 medium can pineapple tidbits
1/3 Cup nuts
In a bowl, place bananas,  pineapple pieces (I used fresh pineapple), and nuts.  Pour sauce over all. Stir to cover fruit. 

That’s what was cooking at my house. What was cooking at your house this weekend?

From my parsonage kitchen,