Mother of Seven + 2

This is the season for cucumbers.  Here is a refreshing cucumber salad that my family loves.  This came from my mother-in-law.  I'm not sure I make it just like she does, but it's close. What You Need: 3 cucumbers 1 small onion 1/2 c. miracle whip 1/4 c. sugar What To Do: 1.  Peel cucumbers and slice into thin slices. 2.  Chop onion into small pieces. 3.  Mix together miracle whip and sugar. 4.  Pour dressing over cucumbers and onions and gently stir together. 5.  Chill for one hour before serving.

Here are this week's money saving tips. 1.  Give thanks for the generosity of friends and the abundance God provides through them.   We live in a farming community.  Often times people have produce they are not using and many times we have been blessed through them.  Apples, pears, potatoes, and corn are just a few of the things we have been able to enjoy over the years.  This weekend a friend let us pick corn.  Just finished putting up 69 quarts of corn yesterday.  What a blessing!  But the important thing to remember is always be willing to bless others with what God has given you as well.   Don't always be on the receiving end.  It saves money to share with one another! Because of a generous friend, the freezer is filled with corn. 2.  Save water that you use for washing produce, blanching vegetables, canning, etc., and use it to water your flowers and garden plants.   When I'm working with produce, I use a lot of water.  I use plastic dishpans in the sink fo

Molding lives Building futures Shaping dreams Dependable in life Strong in character Steadfast in conviction My dad (with my mom and Amber) Loving God Loving family Loving people Leaders Providers Protectors My husband (with Ryan) Men above reproach Fathers with devotion  Christians with integrity My dad My husband My father-in-law My father-in-law (with Cory) This Father's Day giving thanks for three men who gave me riches for eternity Thank you for loving me Thank you for loving God Thank you for caring about the generations to come  Happy Father's Day! "O my people, hear my teaching; listen to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter hidden things, things from of old-- what we have heard and known, what our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord,

My garden is producing peppers, onions, and zucchini and yellow squash right now.  I ran across this recipe, and the kids thought it was great.  They liked it much better then the way I had fixed the zucchini previously in a similar recipe with diced tomatoes instead of spaghetti sauce. What You Need: 1 lb ground chuck 2 lb zucchini or yellow squash, chopped in bite size pieces 1 green or red bell pepper, chopped 1 large onion, chopped 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 26 ounce jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon dried basil leaves 1/2 teaspoon black pepper salt to taste What To Do: 1.  Brown ground chuck with onion and bell pepper in a large skillet.  Drain grease. 2.  Add garlic and seasonings.  Stir. 3.  Add zucchini and stir.  Cover with lid and cook over medium heat for approximately 15 minutes until zucchini is crisp tender.  Stir about every 5 minutes. 4.  Remove lid and stir in spaghetti sauce.  Co

What You Need 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut in thin strips 1/2 cup Miracle Whip 1 onion, chopped 1 pkg taco seasoning mix lettuce, chopped tortilla chips 1 c. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded 1 small can black olives, sliced 2 tomatoes, chopped Directions Cook chicken in 1/4 c. of Miracle Whip on medium high heat for 5 to 7 minutes.  Reduce heat to medium.  Then add remaining Miracle Whip, chopped onion, and taco seasoning mix.  Cook and stir until chicken is cooked through. Layer on plates. Tortilla chips Lettuce Sharp Cheddar Cheese Chicken Mixture Black Olives You also top the salad with fresh chopped tomatoes.  I didn't today because my tomatoes in my garden aren't turning just yet.  I do not like tomatoes from the store (taste like cardboard), so I just leave them out when garden tomatoes are not available. Serves 6.

This week I'll just be posting some recipes that you might find useful for lighter summer eating and cooking.  I don't like to use my oven as much in the summer because it heats up the house too much.  Also, in the summer there are lots of wonderful fresh vegetables and fruit available.  So I try to save money by not using the oven and using what the garden supplies or what I find at the farmer's market. Today's Recipe:   Pesto Chicken Wraps 3 chicken breasts 1 pkg flour tortillas 1 jar of garlic basil pesto 8 oz shredded mozzarella Slice chicken breasts into thin strips.  Saute until just done. On tortillas spread thin layer of pesto. Add some cooked chicken. Add mozzarella cheese. Fold in half and lightly brown on both sides in a skillet or on a griddle. Recipe serves 6.  Makes a light and easy lunch served with a piece of fresh fruit on the side.

I knew so much when I was 20.  The world was before me, and I thought I had the answers.  The arrogance of youth gripped my life.  Now 20 years later I understand there is much I don't know.  I have mountains more to learn.  The Word of God sometimes painfully reveals to me who I truly am.  I often don't like what I see.  I'm tempted to glance in His mirror and turn away neglecting to change what I saw. "Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like." James 1:23,24 Free image from FreeDigitalPhotos.net The last six years God has shown me over and over that I have an issue with pride.  I never used to think of myself as a prideful person, but I am.  I find myself thinking, "My children will never do that."  Why not?  Because it would embarrass me.  I find I'm more concerned about how their b

Image: Tina Phillips / FreeDigitalPhotos.net Laughter floats across the waves. Minnows tickle my legs As the sand squishes through my toes. The sun warms the top of my head. I watch two children creep up on the darting fish. Their eager hands grasp at the elusive shadows. Water sprays me suddenly. Two boys and their father boisterously dash past in the shallow water. Hand fulls of sand are being stashed down the backs of swim trunks. Further from shore three more children wrestle around, Dragging one another, Splashing and dunking, Enjoying life and laughter. Blessing envelopes me, Holds me in its warm embrace. My Creator's love enfolds me As I'm surrounded by my family and all He has made. Psalm 106:1 "Praise the Lord. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; His love endures forever."

This week's money saving tips: 1.  Don't throw out over-ripe bananas.   If you don't have time right away to bake with them, peel them and put them in the freezer.  They work great for making banana bread and muffins.   Just take bananas out of the freezer and let warm to room temperature.  Then add them to your recipe.  We also like to use them for milk shakes.  Just put your shake ingredients in a blender and add the frozen banana.  Yum!  Nice treat on a hot summer day. Bananas peeled and ready for the freezer. 2.  Freeze those extra garden beans.   We don't plant enough green beans to can because of our limited garden space.  However, sometimes we end up with just a few more then we can eat.  My aunt suggested I freeze them.  It works great and takes little time.   Letting food go to waste is like throwing money away.  Glad to have those few bags of beans in the freezer.  It will save buying beans for well over a month. Blanched green beans ready to put

Tomorrow is Graduation Day. I keep looking back and remembering... the excitement of expecting you, our first child, bringing you home from the hospital, snuggling you close in our bed and nursing you in the dark of night, all those firsts -- a smile, rolling over, crawling, walking, talking, and the toddler years through the school years. Those years slipped away each one sliding by faster than the last. You filled them with blessings, and gave us more than we've ever given you.    The joy and love and pride we feel when we look at you is something money will never buy. Now it is time to look forward. We pray for you as you venture out on your own. Your dad challenged you the other day.  He is a man of wisdom. "Listen, my son, to your father's instruction..." (Prov. 1:8a) His prayer for you is much the same as Paul's prayer for Timothy, and I join him in that prayer. "We thank God, whom we serve, as ni