We had a great two days of garage sale fun. We made a good amount of money for our time and this mama is so happy to not have to bring a lot of stuff back into the house!
Thank you to everyone who donated goodies for us to sell and a big thank you to our dear friends who hung out with us and helped tremendously (coffee - THANK YOU!, taking money, smiling and selling sweet treats!)
I have to thank my great kids and hubby too. We have a knack for pulling together to get a job done, but I promise - no more garage sales guys. :-) We are so ready for summer and time for rest and fun. This has been a long year of school and work. It was starting to feel like we'd never make it to the finish line, but here we are! And not one minute too soon.
Hope this is a blessed week for you all.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Garage Sale!
We have decided to have a last minute garage sale this weekend. Didn't have enough going on with the end of the school year! Ha!
Come see us tomorrow and Saturday from 9am - 3pm. We have some great stuff - go-cart, toys, housewares, XBox (the traditional one - with 7 games and controllers), homeschool curriculum, baby clothes, electric guitar, books, baseball cards (lots from 80's-90's) furniture, jewelry . . .
And . . . the girls are having another bake sale! Cookies, coffee, sweet tea and lemonade!!!
Below are some very fun bottle cap magnets for necklaces or your fridge. Hard to see here, but they are all dressed up with a little 'bling' and very cute.
Hope to see you there!
Monday, May 2, 2011
Food - Or What We Do While We Wait (Patiently)
One of my most favorite things to do is to cook. And eat. Having a large family drives me to come up with good food that doesn't cost a fortune. It's a challenge to try to make really yummy meals that are budget friendly but not made of 'cheap' food.
On the menu tonight? Bacon wrapped pork tenderloins marinated in teriyaki sauce and then roasted to a crisp, caramelly, bacony deliciousness. I can buy four nice sized tenderloins from Costco for around $14.00. Bacon, about $4.00 and the teriyaki sauce varies depending on whether it's store bought or homemade. (If you have the time, homemade is infinitely better and soooo worth it.)
Bacon-Wrapped Roasted Pork Tenderloin in Teriyaki Marinade
2 Pork Tenderloins
Bacon (1 package or 6 slices for 2 tenderloins)
Teriyaki Sauce
Take tenderloins and place into a large shallow bow. Cover with 1 2/3 cups of teriyaki sauce OR if time is short, you can use 1 bottle of store bought teriyaki marinade. (I prefer Ken's Steakhouse Teriyaki Marinade because it does not have high fructose corn syrup.) Marinate for a few hours or overnight.
When you're ready to prepare, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Take the tenderloins out of the marinade and place on rack in roasting pan OR 9 x 13 baking dish. I prefer the baking dish because the meat seams to 'soak in' more of the teriyaki flavor as it cooks.
Taking 3 slices of bacon per tenderloin - gently stretch each slice, one at a time and wrap around the first tenderloin. Tuck ends under so they do not shrink and curl while roasting. Follow with second tenderloin. Pour reserved marinade evenly over wrapped tenderloins.
Place in preheated oven for about 30 minutes or until meat reaches and internal temperature of 160 degrees. When done, remove from oven and tent loosely with foil for about 10 mintes. Slice and enjoy!
Homemade Teriyaki Sauce or Marinade
2/3 cup mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine)
1 cup soy sauce
4 1/2 teaspoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/3 cup white sugar
7 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 dash red pepper flakes (if you like more heat, you can kick it up a little!)
black pepper to taste
Directions
Bring mirin to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 10 minutes. Pour in soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and sugar. Season with garlic, ginger, pepper flakes, and black pepper; simmer an additional 5 minutes. Store in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator.
On the menu tonight? Bacon wrapped pork tenderloins marinated in teriyaki sauce and then roasted to a crisp, caramelly, bacony deliciousness. I can buy four nice sized tenderloins from Costco for around $14.00. Bacon, about $4.00 and the teriyaki sauce varies depending on whether it's store bought or homemade. (If you have the time, homemade is infinitely better and soooo worth it.)
Bacon-Wrapped Roasted Pork Tenderloin in Teriyaki Marinade
2 Pork Tenderloins
Bacon (1 package or 6 slices for 2 tenderloins)
Teriyaki Sauce
Take tenderloins and place into a large shallow bow. Cover with 1 2/3 cups of teriyaki sauce OR if time is short, you can use 1 bottle of store bought teriyaki marinade. (I prefer Ken's Steakhouse Teriyaki Marinade because it does not have high fructose corn syrup.) Marinate for a few hours or overnight.
When you're ready to prepare, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Take the tenderloins out of the marinade and place on rack in roasting pan OR 9 x 13 baking dish. I prefer the baking dish because the meat seams to 'soak in' more of the teriyaki flavor as it cooks.
Taking 3 slices of bacon per tenderloin - gently stretch each slice, one at a time and wrap around the first tenderloin. Tuck ends under so they do not shrink and curl while roasting. Follow with second tenderloin. Pour reserved marinade evenly over wrapped tenderloins.
Place in preheated oven for about 30 minutes or until meat reaches and internal temperature of 160 degrees. When done, remove from oven and tent loosely with foil for about 10 mintes. Slice and enjoy!
Homemade Teriyaki Sauce or Marinade
2/3 cup mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine)
1 cup soy sauce
4 1/2 teaspoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/3 cup white sugar
7 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 dash red pepper flakes (if you like more heat, you can kick it up a little!)
black pepper to taste
Directions
Bring mirin to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 10 minutes. Pour in soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and sugar. Season with garlic, ginger, pepper flakes, and black pepper; simmer an additional 5 minutes. Store in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Easter Traditions II
I had several people ask about the Easter egg activity to teach little ones about Christ and the 'point' of Easter. We love to do this and truthfully, it makes Easter more real for me. Something about the simplicity and the visual, tactile approach of this that brings it home.
So . . . here it is. A little improved over last year . . .
First, you need to gather your supplies.
Eggs (we used fresh white eggs - not hardboiled)
3" wicks (you purchase these in the candle making section of most craft stores)
Candle wax OR paraffin wax you'd use for canning (it's cheaper!)
Egg dye
Something to sit the eggs on & for lighting them later (we used these fun tea light containers I got at Michaels)
To begin, we prayed and then talked about "why an egg?" Eggs represent new life - in the case of Easter, new life in Christ. A new beginning.
II Corinthians 5:17 - "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come."
John 5:24 - "Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgement, but has passed from death to life."
Second, we talked about how we are created in the image of God. We read Genesis 1:27 - "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them."
We talked about how we are ALL created in the image of God, yet each and every one of us - all of humanity for all of time - is one of a kind, unique, special. We considered then, how BIG God is. Billions of people, each made in His image, yet each completely different.
Then, we dyed those plain ol' white eggs and made them each different . . .
And because I want to be totally honest and let you all know that we are just a bunch of sinful folks over here AND because I have a pet peeve with bloggers who paint a picture of family perfection (especially when it's spiritual perfection) it was at this point that we had to take a time out to talk about how arguing about who goes first and throwing the occasional elbow is MISSING THE POINT KIDS! It's at this point that I started praying, PRAYING, for God to send me an abundance of peace and PATIENCE. It is very hard to smile and be spiritual when the little devils are acting like that!
Okay. Smile. Ready to go on?
We got bored with the plain old egg dye . . . not too exciting huh?
So, we broke out the food coloring and started dribbling it over the eggs. A little here, a little there, some really messy hands . . . and here's what we ended up with . . .
Pretty eggs. We were all happy with the way they turned out which led us to talk about the feeling of joy we get when we create beautiful things. Which led us to talk about God and his amazing, breathtaking creation. ALL of it. Does He feel joy about the things He creates??? Does He feel joy over us?
Genesis 1:31 - "And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good . . ."
Zephaniah 3:17 - "The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing."
Third, we talked about the problem of sin. That we have been separated from God because of it. We have a problem that needs fixing.
I took each egg - unique, pretty on the outside, smooth - and broke it open. Inside was a gooey mess. Outside, the shell was jagged, uneven, broken. I cannot tell you how poignant this moment is for all of us. Such an incredible visual and conversation about outward appearances and the truth about what's on the inside.
So . . . here it is. A little improved over last year . . .
First, you need to gather your supplies.
Eggs (we used fresh white eggs - not hardboiled)
3" wicks (you purchase these in the candle making section of most craft stores)
Candle wax OR paraffin wax you'd use for canning (it's cheaper!)
Egg dye
Something to sit the eggs on & for lighting them later (we used these fun tea light containers I got at Michaels)
To begin, we prayed and then talked about "why an egg?" Eggs represent new life - in the case of Easter, new life in Christ. A new beginning.
II Corinthians 5:17 - "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come."
John 5:24 - "Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgement, but has passed from death to life."
Second, we talked about how we are created in the image of God. We read Genesis 1:27 - "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them."
We talked about how we are ALL created in the image of God, yet each and every one of us - all of humanity for all of time - is one of a kind, unique, special. We considered then, how BIG God is. Billions of people, each made in His image, yet each completely different.
Then, we dyed those plain ol' white eggs and made them each different . . .
And because I want to be totally honest and let you all know that we are just a bunch of sinful folks over here AND because I have a pet peeve with bloggers who paint a picture of family perfection (especially when it's spiritual perfection) it was at this point that we had to take a time out to talk about how arguing about who goes first and throwing the occasional elbow is MISSING THE POINT KIDS! It's at this point that I started praying, PRAYING, for God to send me an abundance of peace and PATIENCE. It is very hard to smile and be spiritual when the little devils are acting like that!
Okay. Smile. Ready to go on?
We got bored with the plain old egg dye . . . not too exciting huh?
Pretty eggs. We were all happy with the way they turned out which led us to talk about the feeling of joy we get when we create beautiful things. Which led us to talk about God and his amazing, breathtaking creation. ALL of it. Does He feel joy about the things He creates??? Does He feel joy over us?
Genesis 1:31 - "And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good . . ."
Zephaniah 3:17 - "The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing."
Third, we talked about the problem of sin. That we have been separated from God because of it. We have a problem that needs fixing.
I took each egg - unique, pretty on the outside, smooth - and broke it open. Inside was a gooey mess. Outside, the shell was jagged, uneven, broken. I cannot tell you how poignant this moment is for all of us. Such an incredible visual and conversation about outward appearances and the truth about what's on the inside.
Proverbs 20:9 - "Who can say, "I have kept my heart pure; I am clean and without sin"?"
Ecclesiastes 7:20 - "There is not a righteous man on earth who does what is right and never sins."
So, we have a BIG problem. Sin cannot stand in the presence of God. Sin demands a reckoning, a payment. The wage sin demands is DEATH. Spiritual death and physical death. One look around this world and one honest look into our own hearts tells us the problem is very real.
We have another problem. We can't fix the sin problem on our own. No matter how hard we try.
And so, fourth, we talked about the fact that we NEED someone bigger who can take care of the problem. We need a solution in order to LIVE. This brings us to JESUS CHRIST. The ONLY one who can fix our problem. The ONLY reason we celebrate this Easter holiday.
Romans 5:6-8 - "You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
Romans 4:25 - "He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised up to life for our justification."
Fifth, I melted the wax on low and we placed the wicks inside each egg.
Then I poured the melted wax into the EMPTY egg shell and FILLED it. We discussed how once we have recognized our sin problem we can come humbly to Christ and ask him to fix it. And he will. And he does. He FILLS US with his Holy Spirit, his love, his joy, his LIFE.
Acts 13:52 - "And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit."
Ephesians 3:16-19 - "I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge - that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."
Titus 3:3-7 - "At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Saviour appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life."
Sixth, we reflected on just what that means for us. He gave HIS life - his perfect, sinless life - and submitted himself to a brutal death so that we may LIVE. And if Christ willingly laid down his life so that we may live, and he fills us with his Spirit so that we may live abundantly, the very least we can do is to live our lives for him and in accordance with his will. Perfectly, certainly not. But with perserverance and obedience and allegiance to our KING.
Hebrews 12:1-2 - "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
Romans 12:1-2 - "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will."
I Peter 1:13-16 - "Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy.""
After this, we put the eggs aside to allow the wax to set up and to wait for night. The next part is so much more meaningful if you can do it in a darkened room.
Last, later that evening, we grabbed bibles, turned out the lights, got quiet (darkness helps kids get really quiet) and lined up the candles . . .
John 8:12 - "When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.""
Monday, April 4, 2011
We're Getting Closer!
As of Sunday, we are officially . . .
. . . months DTE (dossier to Ethiopia)!! This is good news because it means we're that much closer to our referral date. I have to confess it seems like we've been waiting much longer than seven months. Praying and hoping we'll get good news soon. We would love to have these kiddos home before summer ends.
We are officially number . . .
. . . on the waiting list for twins or siblings age 0-4 years, and number . . .
. . . on our agency's waiting list for unrelated children age 0-4 years!
Since the Ethiopian government has re-structured the department that writes approval letters for adoption, subsequent referrals, court dates and embassy dates seem to be moving more smoothly and efficiently. This is GOOD news for all waiting on referrals and GOOD news for orpans waiting on a forever family to come to them. With the current movement we've seen, we're hoping for a referral in the next two months. Optimistic, but that is exactly what we're praying for.
Hope you all are enjoying the rain today. :-)
. . . months DTE (dossier to Ethiopia)!! This is good news because it means we're that much closer to our referral date. I have to confess it seems like we've been waiting much longer than seven months. Praying and hoping we'll get good news soon. We would love to have these kiddos home before summer ends.
We are officially number . . .
. . . on the waiting list for twins or siblings age 0-4 years, and number . . .
. . . on our agency's waiting list for unrelated children age 0-4 years!
Since the Ethiopian government has re-structured the department that writes approval letters for adoption, subsequent referrals, court dates and embassy dates seem to be moving more smoothly and efficiently. This is GOOD news for all waiting on referrals and GOOD news for orpans waiting on a forever family to come to them. With the current movement we've seen, we're hoping for a referral in the next two months. Optimistic, but that is exactly what we're praying for.
Hope you all are enjoying the rain today. :-)
Friday, March 25, 2011
Happy 16th Anniversary!!
Hi everyone! This is Olivia, the daughter of the woman who writes on this blog! I wanted to let you all know something very special. Today is my parents' 16th wedding anniversary!! Rather than my mom tell all of you, I "hacked" into her blog to tell you first! This is from me and the rest of the crew, as we are called.
"Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away." I Corinthians 13:4-8
Mom and Dad, you are the best parents kids could ever wish for and we love you so much! You have gone through married life with all of us right there behind you. I don't know if that is completely a good thing or not, but we are glad we are able to celebrate with you today! We love you!!!
p.s. My mom is wishing for more followers! Could you consider hitting that "follow" button for her? I'll help her post more often!
Love,
Your Kids
Sunday, March 13, 2011
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