Soul Saving, Life Giving

                  It is Easter week, a time where we are remembering and focusing on Christ's death and resurrection. For those that sacrificed something for lent you may be planning your first bite of chocolate (or whatever you gave up) in many days.  Palm Sunday was a heavy day of sorrow as I reflected on the crucifixion and sacrifices made.  A day of sorrow as I saw my sins nailing his hands into the cross.  A day of sorrow as I saw myself as Peter, promising to never disown my Lord and not once, not twice but three times denying Him all before the rooster crowed. 


               As mid week approaches I am bombarded with the hustle and bustle of Easter parties for school, Easter egg hunts at church and our neighborhood.  I am busy remembering what I am to buy for school, what to buy for Easter morning and making sure my kids Easter clothes fit properly.  The heaviness of Sunday seems a little lighter and it is only Tuesday.  First world problems are over shadowing soul saving, life giving sacrifices. 

             This morning I put my baby down for his morning nap and just before I go to make a shopping list for Target I am stopped in my tracks.  The Lord puts it on my heart to open my bible and read the crucifixion.  Suddenly all is heavy again.  While I know Sunday is coming, the resurrection in this story is coming,  today I am reminded to put away the to do's of this world and remember the soul saving, life giving sacrifices that were given to me and to you. 

             Don't let the busyness of your day or week consume you.  Let the soul saving, life giving sacrifices consume you.  Be overwhelmed in the part you played in nailing Him there.  Be overwhelmed in the part you played in denying Him.  Be overwhelmed that the Resurrection is coming!

           

He Does Not Withdraw His Hand

                          In 2003 I had a benign tumor removed from my left breast.  In December I began to experience a throbbing pain in my left breast in the area where the tumor was removed. I could not detect a lump or knot but the pain wasn't getting any better.  When the pain started waking me in the night I grew more concerned.  I called my doctor and scheduled an appointment to be seen last week.  The doctor could not see me for a few days which gave me time to become extremely anxious and read way too many scary internet articles about breast pain. 


                       I found myself texting friends and asking for prayers, my mom text her friends and my husband and I hit our knees. I hate crying in front of people but when I was driving to the grocery and my daughter said "mommy I like your hair like that" I felt the tears stream down my face.  I was wondering what will she say if I lose my hair? In the grand scheme I know that my hair is an extremely trivial thing but it just shows how anxious I was. 

                    On the day of my appointment my husband and kids circled around and prayed for a good outcome.  That morning I received messages of prayer and affirmation from so many of my family and friends.  When the nurse called my name I was escorted to the very exam room where it was confirmed I was pregnant with Wells.  At that time I had butterflies of excitement thinking of the baby inside me, dreaming of how excited our friends and family were going to be when we told them the good news.  On this day I had butterflies of a different kind, the anxiety of what could be was overwhelming. 

                      After the doctor examining me and an ultrasound, it was determined that I have a partially torn pectoral muscle.  The reason that my pain was getting worse was because I was working out pushing weighted sleds, pushups, pull-ups and weights all making my tear worse. 

                     I got to let out a huge breath, a huge sigh of relief. I prayed a prayer of thanksgiving.  I got to call my husband and tell him the good news, I got to text my family and friends.  While I was celebrating other women on that very day weren't getting the same news.  They were being told they had cancer.  Wife's, moms, 31 year olds, women just like me were receiving life changing news.


                  To the women that got bad news, to the person that is reading this that just got bad news of any kind I want to share with you the words that never left me during my whole scare...

                        IF HE CALLS US TO THE FIRE, HE WILL NOT WITHDRAW HIS HAND

Those words are in a song that we sing at church and those words played in my head over and over. I not only heard those words I believed those words.  Bad things are going to happen.  It is ok to be scared and anxious.  People lose jobs, people have their hearts broken, people get cancer but if you believe in the same God as me, let me remind you, He does not leave you, He does not forsake you.  Friends and family may scatter but the God that we have the privilege of serving stays near and He never withdraws His hand. 

              

Beauty at the Sea

           We first saw her 4 years ago, we were immediately captivated by her beauty.  She stood tall just a short walk from the waters tide.  The first time we saw her we were staying next door in a modest two bedroom townhouse, she towered over us and her modern details stood out in comparison to our 30+ year old townhome.  She had a lot to boast about, the exterior covered in windows, the way her roof curved to make the oceans, sometimes, furious winds still seem gentle, two huge balconies, one that had a rectangular pool another with a fire pit and lots of seating. 


          We have been fortunate to visit the beach a lot in the last 4 years and every time we drive down to look at the house we grew to love.   When we aren't at the beach we have dreamed about her too. Brian, my husband, found her on the internet and we have looked at her photos and again talked about how much we loved her.

         Last week we went on an "escape the snow" getaway to the beach.  We took the kids and enjoyed time away as a family.  The weather was warm enough that we were able to ride bikes the majority of our time there.  One afternoon I was trailing behind my husband and without him saying a word I knew where we were going.  We pulled into her driveway and immediately we both started grinning. As we walked the beach in front of her we couldn't help but notice that prettier, more modern, more amazing homes were being erected around her.  She had been such a standout and suddenly she was fading while others were being noticed. 

         The clear glass balcony was suddenly not so clear and a little more dingy, her white exterior had been hit with sandy winds a few too many times and they too appeared dingy.  While still a gorgeous home and a dream to be right on the beach I suddenly felt let down.  I started to say this to my husband when he spoke first "man the house has kind of gone down hill, huh?" he stole my words.  He felt the same way. 

         I then looked out to the ocean and was immediately reminded that the beauty of man fades, but things created by God, like the ocean, they remain majestic and beautiful forever.  I want to be less impressed with gorgeous beach houses and more impressed with the beach and the one who made it. 

Let Them Be Little

              

 

The nights your baby just won't sleep, the time your toddler decides to throw an Oscar worthy tantrum in the middle of target, Easter Sunday you put that brand new bubble on your baby boy and he immediately has a blow out ruining the bubble.  Moments like these leave you dreaming of them just a little bit older.  Nights where they sleep better, trips to target where they are mature enough to not throw tantrums,  Sundays where they are potty trained and make it to church in the outfit you had planned. 

 

 

She is headed out for her first date,  He is now 30 minutes late for curfew and isn't answering his cell phone, she has decided that being seen in public with her parents is as bad as having ebola.  Moments like these leave you reminiscing of the days when they were with you all the time.  These moments leave you longing for the time when she said she wanted to marry daddy, longing for the time when his only truck was a Tonka truck that he rolled up and down the sidewalk, wishing for times when she asked to hold your hand as you walked down the street. 

 

While babies and toddlers are hard, it only gets harder.  Appreciate the tenderness of these tiny souls and don't wish for another day.  For when another day comes you will surely miss these young times.   

 

 

Single On Valentine's

               For some, Valentine's Day can't go away quick enough.  Going to work is hard when it feels like all of your coworkers are being gifted with flowers and chocolates.  You open up Instagram or Facebook and immediately regret it.  Once again you are bombarded with pictures of couples in love and romantic gestures that have been done to your friends.  For the millionth time today you are reminded that you are single. 


            You are just about to cave into a dark place of self pity and binge on a bag of Doritos, but then you look at your phone and go through your contact list. Wow! You are suddenly reminded of the army of friends that you have.  While being single on Valentines is hard, knowing that you have great friends softens the blow.  You put the bag of chips back in your pantry and you decide to do something special for yourself! Buy yourself a massage, or chocolates or a new outfit.  Celebrate yourself and do something for yourself that you wouldn't normally do.


             Friends, just because you have a valentine doesn't mean that everyone else does.  If you have a friend that is single this Valentine's day I encourage you to get them a card, shoot them a text or bring them a coffee.  Everyone wants to be loved and those that are single need to be reminded that they are special and loved too. 

           


          

BBQ Nachos with Zucchini Chips

 

 

I was trying to do something different with zucchini other than pasta so I got the idea for nachos.  I had seen on pinterest a recipe for salt & vinegar zucchini chips.  When I saw that a light bulb went off and gave me an idea to make a play on BBQ nachos using zucchini chips.  These were a homerun at our house and we will have these again and again.  The best part is you can use any toppings you like so you can make them many different ways. 

 

 

 

First, to slice the chips, I used a mandolin.  You could use a spiralizer and do the largest spiral setting or a knife and slice the zucchini thin but the mandolin seemed the simplest way for me.  Now, I must warn you that mandolins can be dangerous so please use with extreme caution.  I did this while my kids were napping so that I could pay full attention to the task at hand :) 

 

 

Once you slice your zucchini chips layer them on paper towels so that the water that the zucchinis retain can be absorbed.  Place a paper towel on the top as well, let them sit for 10 minutes and then pat them dry with the top paper towel. 

 

Next spray a baking pan with nonstick cooking spray and then salt and pepper the entire pan.  Next, lay your zucchini chips on the pan.  Now, salt and pepper the tops of your zucchini chips.  Bake at 425 degrees for 20-25 minutes.  You may have to cook your chips in batches depending on how many you have. 

 

 

 

Start slicing and dicing any of your favorite toppings.  I went and got 1/2 a pound of pulled pork BBQ from our favorite BBQ place.  If you are cooking your own meat this would be the time to do that as well.  You could easily do chicken or ground beef.  Also these would be delish with just lots of veggies. 

 

 

 

Once your chips are done cooking put them on the plates and you are ready to start assembling your nachos. 

 

 

 

Ingredients

 

2-3 zucchinis

5 cherry tomatoes, quartered

1/4 cup shredded carrots

1 bell pepper, diced

1/4 cup black olives, drained and diced

1/2 cup shredded cheese

dollop of sour cream

dollop of salsa

1/2 lb of chicken, pulled pork or ground beef

 

These nachos were delicious and the best part is we did not have to feel guilty for indulging!! Enjoy!

Pad Thai with Peanut Butter dressing...Two Ways

 

 

          About a month ago we had a raw pad thai dish with a peanut butter dressing; it  was delicious and I have eaten it every week since I discovered it.  I have also tweaked the recipe and added in some things that made it taste better, in my opinion.  I found the original recipe on pinterest.  This week I wanted to eat the pad thai hot instead of raw.  Below I am going to share both recipes along with the curried shrimp that I made to serve over the pad thai. DELISH!!

 

 

 

The first step is to spiralize two zucchini's on the smallest spiral setting.  I purchased my spiralizer at Williams Sonoma and I have used it at least 5 times a week since I got it.

 

Next I prepped my other veggies.  Once this step is complete if you are making the raw pad thai you combine these veggies with your zucchini and add the dressing. So EASY!!

 

2 zucchini spiralized

1 red bell pepper diced

1/4 cup edamame (I buy the frozen kind that are already shelled)

1/4 cup chopped purple cabbage

1/4 cup shredded carrots

3 green onions diced

 

For the cooked version you will add all veggies except for the chopped green onion into a skillet with the zucchini and olive oil.

 

 

I used my electric skillet because of how much bigger it is.  The veggies only need to sautee for 5-7 minutes just until veggies are tender. 

 

Once the veggies have cooked through add 1 tbsp of chili garlic sauce.  This step is optional but phenomenal in my opinion! Next put all your veggies in a large serving bowl, add in the chopped green onion and pour the peanut butter dressing over the top...

Now for the Peanut butter dressing

 

 

1/4 cup of peanut butter
2 tbsp tamari sauce
2 tbsp water
1 garlic clove minced
1 tsp of fresh shaved ginger
2.5 tsp of pure maple syrup
1/2 tbsp of sesame oil
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

This is the peanut butter dressing you will use for the raw or cooked pad thai and it is amazing!
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For the curried shrimp I bought 1 lb of fresh shrimp, that already had the peels removed.  Once my veggies were done in the electric skillet I put them in a bowl and added the shrimp to the skillet and added in about 1/2 a cup of the Madras curry sauce.  I found it in the organic section at Kroger. It is delish and so easy. 

                            I then topped my pad thai with the shrimp and my meal was complete!