Christmas Goodies: Peppermint Fudge

For the best Peppermint Fudge I've ever made I use the Eagle Brand recipe which you can find here.  But to make things simple, I'll type out the recipe too...


Ingredients:

• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 2 cups milk chocolate chips
• 1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk
• dash of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of peppermint extract
• 1/4 cup peppermint candy (I use Andes Peppermint Crunch bits which you can find at Wal-Mart)

Directions:

1. Line an 8 or 9 inch square pan with wax paper. 
2. Melt chocolate chips with sweetened condensed milk and salt in heavy saucepan over low heat. While melting chocolate do not stop stirring, you might burn the chocolate and thus ruin the fudge. 
3. Remove from heat; stir in peppermint extract. Spread evenly into prepared pan. Sprinkle with peppermint candy. (Make sure to lightly press the peppermint bits into the fudge because otherwise once the fudge is hard the peppermint bits will fall right off!)
4. Chill in fridge for 2 hours or until hardened. Remove from pan by lifting the edges of the wax paper, and remove the wax paper.  Cut into small squares.

 Enjoy!

A fun lunch from my childhood: Pizza!

Now doesn't that look DELICIOUS?!

When I was a kid my Mom made some creative lunches for us.  This one was especially fun because we could help, and it didn't take very long.

Ingredients:

• English muffins, split
• Marinara sauce or Pizza sauce
• Mozerella cheese, grated
• Pepperoni (or whatever pizza toppings you like)

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350.
2. Place english muffin halves on a baking sheet.
3. Spread sauce on each half of the english muffin.
4. Top with cheese and pizza toppings.
5. Bake for about 7-10 minutes.
6. Cool for 2 minutes and serve!

Kids and adults alike with love these!

A comfort meal: Meatloaf and Mashed Potatoes

I'm a big fan of meatloaf and mashed potatoes.  I don't make it often because ground beef can be expensive, but on the occasion that I do make it I always make both, you can't have meatloaf without some fluffy mashed potatoes!

Meatloaf

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lbs ground beef (80/20, or 90/10)
• 3/4 cups quick cook oats
• 1 Tblsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 small onion, diced (optional)
• 1 Tblsp Italian seasoning (or 1/2 tsp basil, 1/2 tsp sage, 1/2 tsp garlic salt or pepper)
• 1 egg
• 1 cup milk

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375.
2. In a large bowl mix together all ingredients.
3. Scoop meat mixture into a baking dish.  You can use a casserole dish, or a loaf pan.
4. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until meat is cooked all the way through.  Don't worry if there is a little bit of a pink tint (a tiny bit) because it may be caused by the onion and Worcestershire sauce.
5. Serve after cooling for about 5 minutes.

Mashed Potatoes

Recipe can be adjusted to your preferences.

Ingredients:

• 4 medium or large potatoes
• Whole milk
• 1/2 cup salted, or sweet cream butter
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 clove garlic, mashed or finely diced (optional)

Directions:

1. Rinse and peel potatoes (wet potatoes are easier to peel than dry ones).
2. Slice potatoes into 1/2 inch thick slices.  Place in a large pot.  Fill pot with water until potatoes are covered, but not more than just covered.
3. Bring to a boil on high heat. Turn heat down to medium high and boil for 30 minutes or until potatoes are soft enough to mash.
4. Drain water and place potato slices into a large bowl.
5. Begin mashing.  Add butter, sour cream, and garlic.  Continue mashing.
6. Add in milk 1/4 cup at a time while mashing until you achieve preferred consistency.
7. Serve immediately.

A Prayer and Praise

Turn to me and be gracious to me,
For I am lonely and afflicted.
The troubles of my heart are enlarged;
Bring me out of my distresses.
Look upon my affliction and my trouble,
And forgive all my sins. 

Psalms 25:16-18

I wept today. I wept because of a mistake I made, because of sins I needed to confess to God, because I felt overwhelmed with frustration... I wept until the tears dried up.  Then, I begged God for forgiveness.

I still want to curl up into a little ball and hide, and I still feel like I've let some people down especially Andrew and Oliver.  So I searched Psalms to find a prayer that said what I needed to say and the Psalms above did.

Before I found that one though I found Psalms 8.  Psalms 8 is all about praising God.

O LORD, our Lord,
How majestic is Your name in all the earth,
Who have displayed Your splendor above the heavens! 

It reminded me of why we should praise God, even when we are having a bad day, or our troubles are weighing us down... we praise God simply because of who He is!  So even when it feels like our world is just tumbling down around us, we can still praise God... no matter what we can praise Him just because of who He is and what He did for us.

When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
The moon and the stars, which You have ordained;
What is man that You take thought of him,
And the son of man that You care for him?
Yet You have made him a little lower than God,
And You crown him with glory and majesty!
You make him to rule over the works of Your hands;
You have put all things under his feet,
All sheep and oxen,
And also the beasts of the field,
The birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea,
Whatever passes through the paths of the seas. 

O LORD, our Lord,
How majestic is Your name in all the earth!

The absolute best way to cook chicken!

The other day I tried something new.  It was an idea I'd had for a while, and had just never been brave enough to try.  A few of Andrew's favorite meals consist of chicken marinated in either terriyaki sauce, a lemon marinade, or barbeque sauce, with rice on the side.  It can be quite delicious, but not one of those has been a favorite of mine.  So, my idea was to cook the chicken with the marinade in the slow cooker, but I'd never tried it before.

Oh my goodness!  I don't think I'll ever cook chicken in the oven or on the stove again!!!  Slow cooker chicken is so tender and juicy and absolutely delicious!

So, here's what to do for the absolute best chicken you'll ever taste...

You'll need:

• a slow cooker
• boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• a marinade of your choosing
• olive oil

Directions:

1. Prep the chicken.  I normally rinse it and cut of any fat I don't want on there.
2. Place the chicken in the slow cooker.  Drizzle olive oil over the chicken, then add about 1 1/2 cups marinade.
3. Cook on high for 3-4 hours.

Voila!  Delicious chicken, and you only took a few minutes to get it going.

Pulled pork sandwiches: an easy breazy dinner

I'm a mom... a pregnant mommy right now, and easy, quick dinners are essential.  I don't have much time or energy sometimes to make something that takes more than the most minimal effort.  This is why my slow cooker is used many times a week.  One of our favorite slow cooker meals is pulled pork sandwiches.


What you need:

• a slow cooker
• a pork shoulder (it's best if you find one that has netting around it), pork roast can work too but it's not as good
• barbeque sauce
• a small onion
• Worcestershire sauce
• hamburger buns

You'll want to give the pork several hours to cook.  Depending on your slow cooker it can take between 4-8 hours before the meat is just falling apart, which is how you want it to be.  It's best if you give it more time than you think you'll need and just check it every few hours, you can always warm it again if it gets done too early.

Directions: (All amounts are according to personal preference, you can use less or more of everything depending on your own preferences.)

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 4-8 hours

• Place the pork shoulder in the slow cooker.  Leave the netting on the pork.
• Cover the pork in about 1 1/2 cups barbeque sauce.
• Add about 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce.
• Slice up half the onion and place on top the pork shoulder.
• Put the lid on the slow cooker and turn on High.  Cook for 4-8 hours, or until meat is tender and falling apart.
• When it is done cooking you'll cut off the netting, and use two forks to pull apart the meat.
• Serve on hamburger buns.

Consider my groaning...

 Give ear to my words, O LORD,
Consider my groaning.
Heed the sound of my cry for help, my King and my God,
For to You I pray. 

Psalm 5: 1-2

Normally I put a verse at the end of a post, but this time the verse is word for word the cry of my heart, the groaning of my soul.  

 

Yesterday was a difficult day for me.  I have been in a lot of pain for the past few days, since Sunday evening actually.  There hasn't been much relief, if any.  It's hard to describe what I'm going through right now, but because the ligaments are too loose and soft in the area of my pubic joint (did you know that was a joint?  I sure didn't!) I experience almost consistent pain with any movement.  Sitting brings the most relief, but I cannot sit on the couch all day, I have a son to care for. 

 

So, back to yesterday, I was in a lot of pain, and poor Oliver is teething and he deals with that by either being cranky and needy, or by being obnoxious and difficult.  Yesterday he decided to be obnoxious and difficult.  Both of us had a bad day as far as moods go.  He was into everything and not listening to me at all, and I was frustrated both with him and with my own pain.  I lost my patience several times.

Last night, after Oliver was sound asleep, and about the time I should have been falling asleep too, I burst into tears.  This was my desperate prayer:

God, please forgive me for not being the mother to Oliver today that I should have been.  I am so tired of this pain.  I miss being able to play with my son, chase him, and tickle him, and wrestle with him.  I miss making him laugh and smile.  There isn't much I can do with him right now, it's even hard for me to walk to the kitchen and make him breakfast or lunch or dinner or snacks.  I beg You, God, I beg You to send me into labor, to end this pain.  I love my son so much, but I feel like it's so hard to show him this right now.  Please, either help me to work through this pain, or send me into labor so that I can get back to playing with Oliver like I used to.

I begged, cried, and sobbed, until there were no words left to say.  I repeated several times my earnest desire for this pregnancy to be over so that I could go back to being Oliver's mommy the way I had been.  I expressed my love for both my children, but my grief over what Oliver is missing from me right now.  I begged for labor so I could begin to heal, and I also said that if it wasn't time for Wynter to be born that God would either take away the pain, or help me find ways to show Oliver how much I love him in new ways.

I have not begun labor, and the pain has actually gotten worse, so for today I shall find ways to shower Oliver with love that do not involve me moving much, and I pray it is enough.

Festive Snowballs

One of my favorite Christmas cookies:

Festive Snowballs

Ingredients:

• 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1/3 cup dates, cut into quarters (maraschino cherries, or dried cranberries can be used instead)
• 2 cups mini marshmellows
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (almonds can be used instead)
• 3 cups flaked coconut

Instructions:

1. Line cookie sheets with wax paper. Combine sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, dates, marshmallows, walnuts and graham cracker crumbs. Mix well. 
2. Place coconut in a shallow bowl. Roll cookie mixture into 3/4-inch balls; roll in coconut. Place onto prepared cookie sheets. Chill 4 hours or until set.

Struggling with trust

Wynter is going to come soon.  Her due date is Christmas Day, but I think she'll come before then.  Her arrival is not in my control, no matter what I do, it is all God.  I know that.  I'm trying to accept that.

Right now I think that if she comes any day it won't be good timing for us financially.  Andrew gets a week off from December 25th (plus the Friday and Saturday before) to January 1st, unpaid.  We've already planned for this.  What we didn't plan for was any extra time he might take off if Wynter is early or late.  So I worry that one or the other will happen and we'll struggle financially and it will be a stressful time instead of a joyful time.  I also worry that in order to avoid the financial struggle Andrew won't take any time off, which would be difficult on both of us emotionally.  So I try to remind myself that whatever God's timing is, it will be perfect... but I don't really believe that.  I am trying so hard, because I know it is the truth, but the part of me that worries and plans and needs to be in control keeps telling me that my timing is better than God's.

I know there are other areas of my life in which I have done this before, or still do it.  It's arrogant, and sinful, to think that I know better than God.  I mean, He is GOD!  His plan is perfect, even when it doesn't line up with what we think is perfect, God's plan is always perfect.  I think I'm afraid to trust Him with the timing of Wynter's birth.  I need to remember that God is the one who formed Wynter inside me.  He knows every breath that she will take, every movement she will make, every thought she will have.  Even bigger than that He created this world and me and you, placed every molecule where it should be, designed everything perfectly according to His PLAN.  I need to rest in the knowledge that God will bring Wynter into this world when it is time, and not a moment too soon or too late.  And He will take care of the rest too, I need to rest in the knowledge that He sees us not as pawns that He just moves around at a whim, but as precious children who He will take care of... this alone will give me peace, is giving me peace as I write this.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.  

In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight. 

Proverbs 3:5-6

A quick study in James

I wanted to share some verses from the book of James today that really encouraged me and are a good reminder to not rely on myself, but on God.

James 1:2-7

Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, ³ knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. ⁴ And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
   ⁵ But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. ⁶ But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. ⁷ For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, ⁸ being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. 

As this pregnancy draws to an end I find it harder and harder to be patient, to endure through the discomfort and the pain.  I have been whining about these hardships, complaining about how frustrating it is, devising plans to end this and give birth already!  The emotional hardships due to hormones are contributing to my general misery.  That I am to persevere with joy had been put entirely from my mind.

These trials have also made it difficult for me to be a mother to Oliver.  He finds it easy to run away from me when he knows he's in trouble, and because of how difficult it is to move I rarely go after him.  He has learned to take advantage of my slower movements, and other physical limitations.  I've found myself lamenting to Andrew often that I am at my wits end with Oliver and I don't know how to correct him, how to teach him to obey, and show him right from wrong.  Again, I have whined, complained, and cried over this, generally feeling frustrated and sorry for myself.

But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

How could I forget that God is who I should turn to for help?!  He alone can give me wisdom when I have none, and He will give it generously!  But I must remember to have faith that He will give me wisdom, because if I ask for it and don't believe that He will give it to me I am being double-minded, asking for what I do not believe I will receive.

So this is my prayer today:  God, please forgive me for looking to myself for answers and comfort, and for allowing myself to wallow in misery and self-pity when I did not find answers or comfort.  It is You alone who can provide me with the answers I seek, and the wisdom to know what to do.  Please help me to have joy in all my trials, and help me to persevere through them in a way that honors You.  I ask You for wisdom in parenting Oliver, especially during this time when my body gets in my way constantly.  Thank you for Your never-ending mercy and grace, no matter how many times I fail to seek You, You always forgive and accept me back into Your arms.

Fear

No one is perfect.

I preface this post with that fact because I'm about to be vulnerable and expose my insecurities and imperfections.

So please remember, no one is perfect... not even you.

I have an 18 month old son.  In about 1 month I will have a brand new daughter.

I am afraid that I won't be able to handle it.  Mentally I've been preparing myself for the weeks of staying home, the inevitable difficulties of figuring out nursing, the pain, and I felt ready... until today.  Today I feel so unprepared!  I have no idea what to expect.  I only have one friend who has had children this close together.

Logically, I know that it is not I who needs to handle it, but God who will help me be the mother I should be for my two children.  But I am still afraid.

Incline Your ear, O Lord, and answer me; For I am afflicted and needy. 

Psalm 86:1 

In the day of my trouble I shall call upon You,
For You will answer me. 
Psalm 86:7

Show and Tell

Today I thought I'd share a few things that have really blessed, inspired, or encouraged me (or all 3).

1. Yesterday morning was a difficult morning for me. Our son, Oliver, was hardly being the angelic little boy I know he can be.  He wasn't even being a cute little monster, he was just being a monster.  Not only that but I'm struggling with a lot of physical pain which is keeping me from many of my regular daily activities, mainly many housekeeping chores.  While it may seem a blessing to be able to sit on the couch all day and pass of most of the household chores to my husband, Andrew, it really isn't.  There may have been was a time when I would revel in the opportunity to do such a thing, but now keeping our home clean, tidy, and welcoming has become a joy to me.  I never thought I'd see the day, but it has happened, and it discourages me when I simply cannot do what needs to be done.  I voiced all these frustrations to Andrew, complaining about what a horrid day I was having and what a mess everything was (and by everything I meant me, Oliver, and the house).  So for the first "show and tell" I want to share the encouraging and inspiring words that he blessed me with in response:

"Look at the bright side of the day. You have a home, food, you don't need to work, you have a beautiful little boy with you who has the best laugh, a husband who loves you, you'll have a little girl soon to play dress up with, you get to nap if you need to, you have friends you can talk to during the day online, Christmas is soon, and you have Christ."

That text message changed my entire outlook for the day, and my attitude, and thus instead of having a horrid day I had a wonderful day.

2.  This blog post from Girls Gone Wise, Mary Kassian, about biblical submission.

3.  And this last one is just a tell: Last night I had 3 very obvious braxton-hicks contractions.  Now some might call them fake contractions because they don't mean you're in labor, but they aren't really fake are they?  They are actually contractions and they do hurt.  Now what is funny, and probably a little insane, is that mostly these very early on contractions can be eased by lying on one side or the other, but last night I really wanted to feel them so I lay on my back savoring the pain because I knew that feeling them this strongly meant that we are getting closer and closer to the day when I will hold our little baby girl in my arms.  While I lay there, feeling every bit of those painful contractions, I smiled and couldn't help but get excited.  I do not know when Wynter will come out into the world (her due date is December 25th, but not many babies are actually born on their due date) but I cannot wait until that day, and I can't help but hope that it is sooner than her due date.

'I can do everything myself'

I am 34 weeks pregnant with our second child, a little girl.  We are both very excited to meet our darling Wynter.  No one is more excited than I am though.  Just thinking of all the things I'll be able to do after she is born makes me grin with anticipation.  Things like lying on my stomach, walking without pain, being able to see my feet again, being able to bend over to pick something up and twist and bend in many different directions to reach something, all seemingly little things, but they become things you desire when you are without the ability to do them. 

The biggest thing I'm looking forward to, other than holding our precious baby, is being physically able to really care for our home.  I take great pleasure in having a tidy and clean home for Andrew to come home to after his 10 hour work days.  Lately, for the past 2 weeks I'd say, I've been physically unable to do this as much as I'd like.  I get behind with the dishes, and am only able to do the bare minimum with the rest of the house.  The pleasure I take from having a clean home is something I've had to let go of, but not only that, I've had to learn to accept help from Andrew to keep up with things.  I do not enjoy asking him to cook dinner when he's just got home from a long day of work, or asking him to pick our sons toys up at the end of the day, in fact I can feel downright guilty for asking for his help.

Over the past two weeks, as I've learned to pleasantly ask for help and graciously accept it when given or offered, I've realized that this is the same attitude I sometimes have in asking God for His help.  I want to think I can do it all myself (another control issue? I think so!), and when I can't and I am forced to turn to God for help I feel ashamed and weak.  What I need to remember is that I cannot do anything without God's help!  It is not a show of weakness, or something to be ashamed of, asking for help is a sign of humility.

Philippians 4:13

I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

Double Lessons

One of the first things I learned about submission is that it is about surrendering control.  I had never before realized how much of a control freak I was.  There were signs, I knew I wasn't spontaneous, I liked to have plans and know how each moment of my day would fit together, last minute alterations to "the plan" would stress me out and sometimes even make me irritable and unpleasant to be around.  I didn't like doing things if I didn't know what the outcome would be, and for this reason many things made me nervous.  I needed everything to line up nicely into my little plan.

Can you see where the problem is?  It's pretty obvious.  "My little plan"... I needed to be in control.  What I wasn't realizing is that I am not in control at all!  God is.  Submission isn't all about submitting a man, who can make mistakes and wrong choices, it is about submitting to God and giving over that control to Him.  Yes, I do also need to submit to my husband, but it really goes beyond that to submitting to God and trusting Him that He will guide and lead Andrew.  When I realized this it made submitting to Andrew less of a risk because I know that God's plan is perfect.  My plan may not always line up with God's plan, and that also means that my plan may not always line up with Andrew's plan, but as long as I keep submitting to God first and trusting Him to lead Andrew, and thus our family, in His perfect plan then I can more easily let go of my plan.

I still fight to be in control quite a bit.  I forget that I really don't have any control at all, everything is in God's hands.  This is why I am so thankful for God's never-ending mercy and grace.  No matter how many times I forget and try to be "god" in my own life, He is always ready to forgive and welcome me back into His arms.  Not only that but He never stops calling me back to Him whenever I stray.

James 4:7

Submit therefore to God.  Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

Where it all started...

It's been an interesting journey for me, getting to where I am now.  Just two years ago I would have mostly balked at the idea of headship and submission in marriage, but part of me would have also been eager to learn more.  In fact, part of me has been longing all my life for that in marriage, but I never would have seriously voiced that longing because in the face of society today it seemed wrong.  Honestly, my view of it was off kilter too.  I had this longing for what I saw as the 50's marriage, I wanted to be the perfect little wife, with the perfect little home, and perfect little children, and yes I wanted my someday husband- at that point in life- to be "the boss".  And although I longed for this, I felt it was wrong of me, so I kept it mostly hidden and instead cultivated what I was taught: in-dependency, feminism, that women are at least equal to men (if not better).  I was taught by society how to walk all over a man, how to use my femininity to get what I wanted, I was even taught that women could be stronger, smarter, and overall better than men.  I never would have said any of those things, but my attitude toward men spoke it in volumes!

I feel blessed that it only took us 1 year of marriage before we realized that we had it all wrong.  God mercifully brought friends into our lives that pointed us in the right direction.  I learned that what society had taught me, and even my own secret longings did not line up with God's plan for marriage.  Ephesians 5:22-27 tells us that the marriage relationship is to mirror Christ and His church.  Just as Christ leads, shepherds, and sacrificially loves His church, husbands are to lead, shepherd, and sacrificially love their wives.  And just as the church submits to Christ's leadership, wives are to submit to the leadership of their husbands.  This was eye opening for me. 

I have no where near perfected this calling to submit, I am human after all, but I strive for it daily.  Some days are easier than others, some days it feels impossible, but this calling is on my mind and heart daily.  I am eager to learn more about what submission means and how to practically apply it in day to day life, and I am eager to apply it.  I believe I will always be learning new things about being a godly wife, or godly mother, and I will always struggle because of sin, but it is because of my past struggles and even my current struggles that I desire to share this journey with others so that some might be encouraged or learn what I have about God's call to wives and mothers.  And that is what this blog is for, sharing my journey into biblical womanhood for the purpose of teaching and/or encouraging other young women (whether you have grown up learning all of this, or like me you are just learning it, or have yet to discover it).