Don’t Give Me Diamonds

February 12, 2014February 12, 20147 Comments

We got engaged on Valentine’s Day and you gave me a diamond. That was eight years ago.

In eight years we have lived in three cities, had four different jobs, one master’s degree and four kids.

Eight years ago on that night I imagined Prince Charming and Cinderella. Gazing and frolicking into eternity. I knew the words from 1 Corinthians 13 but I had no idea what they meant.

Love is patient, love is kind. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.Love never fails.

This Valentine’s Day eight years later, I have learned that love is so much more precious than diamonds. Sweeter than candy. More beautiful than a bouquet of radiant red roses.

Love is a choice. Built on hard work and moments together that are not as “frolicky” and glamorous as I thought they might be.

Eight years later I am thankful that we have chosen to love in all of our moments, the good and the bad. We have persevered through the pressure cooker of four kids in less than five years. We have built a life together.

We have moments more important than diamonds.

This Valentine’s Day I don’t want the diamonds or the gifts. I just want you.

I want your time and your laugh.

I want you holding our baby daughter late at night.

I want you leaning over the twin sized bed in our son’s room; teaching him the Doxology and explaining what the word “faith” means.

I want you to swim with our sons and toss them around in the water.

I want you in the driver’s seat of our minivan when the sunlight hits your graying temples and I can see how our moments together have aged you.

I want you in the good and the bad. Even when I make you crazy mad and upset with me.

I want you to love me in this postpartum mess of emotions and elastic pants.

I want your patience, kindness and faithfulness even when I don’t deserve it.

I want your southern smile when I ask you to take a trash bag of stinky diapers outside in the polar vortex and ice and snow.

After eight years I don’t want the diamonds or the flowers or chocolates. I just want the moments.

Not the frolicky. Not the glamorous.

The kissing before we’ve brushed our teeth with four kids in between us moments.

The love is patient, love is kind moments of everyday life.

The moments when we go on a date in our sweatpants because we are too tired to get dressed.

The moments that prove we have chosen love. We have chosen one another. We have persevered through the good and the bad.

That is an always and forever kind of love.

Please this Valentine’s Day, I just want you. I want you next to me even if it’s in our sweatpants on the couch with a bag of Kirkland popcorn.

No diamonds. Just you. Just the way you are. With your graying temples and my more rounded hips.

Continue to just give me the moments. It is not in the frolicking or the glamor but in the real moments of our life together when I experience the 1 Corinthians 13 kind of love.

The BEST Plan Ahead Meals

February 5, 2014Leave a comment

If you ask, you shall receive. Here are the meals I cooked and put in my freezer this morning. There are ten bags, each bag will feed my family for two nights. Because I have some meals leftover from last month and February is a few days shy of a real month I will not cook again until March.

i want you to know I am not a good cook. I just need to plan ahead with four kids and a husband who has a sometimes unpredictable schedule.

I shopped yesterday at Sam’s and Kroger in under a hour and my grocery bill was around $250.

I spent about two hours this morning prepping, bagging and labeling the food while my kids watched a movie and I spent probably forty five minutes perusing websites for ideas and writing them all on my calendar for when we will eat them.

So time spent shopping, cooking and planning was about 3 hours and 45 minutes.

You can do this in under four hours.

You go girl.
This meal is has some special WildTree ingredients. You can find their stuff at http://www.wildtree.com.

Smoked Mozzarella and Tomato Meatloaf
1 pound lean ground beef
1 pound lean ground turkey (I skipped this and doubled the beef)
1 sleeve low-sodium saltine crackers, crushed (I used breadcrumbs)
2 eggs, beaten
1 med yellow onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced (or 1-2 tsp Garlic Galore blend)
1 tsp black pepper
4 Tbsp Wildtree Smoked Mozzarella and Tomato Blend

I will thaw this in the fridge and cook in the crockpot on low for 5-6 hours then top with ketchup for the last 30 minutes.
The Best Burgers EVER!
2 pounds ground beef
1 tsp Wildtree Chipotle Lime Rub (OR 1 tsp Cajun Seasoning)
1 tsp Wildtree Rancher Steak Rub & Seasoning

I will thaw in the fridge and then patty the burgers and cook in the skillet. Last month I made these sliders with bacon and muenster cheese on top. Delicious.

Slow cooker chicken teriyaki

1/2 cup teriyaki sauce
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup soy sauce
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon sesame oil
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

This will just be dumped right in the crock pot from frozen. High for 4-6 hours.

Www.damndelicious.net

Easy Crock Pot pulled Pork
5-6 lb pork roast (boneless or bone in, either works!)
2 onions, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups broth (beef, chicken, or vegetable)
salt & pepper

Cook on high for 6-8 hours, or until it’s falling apart and easy to shred. Enjoy!
**If you are freezing this recipe, just dump all the ingredients into the freezer bag and freeze. Allow to thaw overnight in the fridge, then just dump in the crockpot and cook 🙂

http://www.whoneedsacape.com

Cranberry Pork Tenderloin

1 pork tenderloin (1 pound)
1 can (14 ounces) whole-berry cranberry sauce
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground mustard
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons cold water

http://www.tasteofhome.com

Applesauce Barbeque Chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 t ground pepper
2/3 cup chunky applesauce
2/3 cup BBQ sauce (I used Brown Sugar/Hickory)
2 T brown sugar
1 t chili powder

Thaw
Cook 6-8 hours on low setting. Serves 4.
http://www.whoneedsacape.com

Chicken Tacos
3 Boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup taco seasoning

Dump into crockpot frozen
Add 1 cup water
Cook on high 6 hours

Beef Tortellini Soup
http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/slow-cooker-beef-tortellini-soup/f09fea6a-6916-4cf2-ac97-b494c1832bd6
1lb cooked ground beef
1large onion, chopped (3/4 cup)
1large carrot, chopped (3/4 cup)
1medium stalk celery, chopped (1/2 cup)
2cloves garlic, finely chopped
1teaspoons sugar
1can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
2cans (10 1/2 oz each) condensed beef consommé
1teaspoon dried basil leaves
2cups frozen cheese-filled tortellini
1cup Green Giant® Valley Fresh Steamers™ frozen cut green beans

Thaw in fridge
Crock on low 8 hours

Hearty Spaghetti Sauce

1pound cooked ground beef
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 large jar Spaghetti Sauce

From Frozen place in crock pot on high for 3-4 hours

Tortellini
1 bag tortellini
1 jar spaghetti sauce

Dump in crock pot from frozen low 3 hours.

Freezer Mac N Cheese

I did not make this one today but I will make a double batch and have two 9x13s in my freezer. I did this last month and my family loVEd this Mac n cheese.

1 pound cavatappi pasta, (I like penne)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
3 cups milk
3 cups NY aged sharp cheddar (12 ounces), grated
Serves 4-6

PREPARATION

Pre-heat broiler to high or oven to 400°F.

Place a large pot of water over high heat and bring it up to a boil to cook the pasta. Once at a boil, add some salt and the pasta, and cook just shy of al dente, according to package directions.

While the pasta is cooking, heat a medium-size skillet over medium heat and add the butter. When the butter melts, add the flour and cook about a minute. Whisk in the milk, season with salt and ground black pepper, and bring up to a bubble. Turn the burner off and stir in the cheese in a figure-eight motion until it’s all melted.

When the pasta is done, drain it well and combine with sauce. Pour into baking dish and place under the broiler in or the oven to brown the cheese and enjoy.

Make a double batch, pour the pasta into a baking dish and stir in your favorite mix in. Let it stand on the counter until cooled, then wrap in plastic wrap and pop in the freezer. When you’re ready to eat it, it can go straight from the freezer into in a 400ºF oven. Cook for 1 hour, covered with foil, the take the foil off and bake for another 15-20 minutes to brown the top.

http://www.rachaelray.com

My Husband’s Birthday

October 7, 2013February 5, 2014Leave a comment

I have read stories of husbands and wives going on weekend trips to celebrate birthdays and anniversaries.

My heart longs with envy when I read of these things. We live a much more simple life here in this house and weekend getaways just are not a reality for us right now.

We have lots of kids, all under five and we are expecting number four in about two months so finding someone willing to even stay with our kids is challenging – not to mention a pregnant lady in her third trimester would not be the best weekend getaway buddy.

So the weekend getaway was not going to happen for us this year on my husband’s birthday.

i thought of things that he might like but decided we don’t really need another gadget or tool around here.

So I went back to the basics and I came up with the perfect idea for my husband’s birthday.

Fourteen planned, paid for and babysitter arranged date nights.

It’s basic, simple, perfect and aligns with our family goals for the year. My husband have been working hard to get away from the kids and enjoy one another weekly for the sake of our marriage.

With all these babies around us it has been difficult to connect as husband and wife without the titles of mommy and daddy. I knew he would appreciate planned date nights for the next four months.

When I told the kids about my husband’s present they wanted to join in on the fun too. So I planned a free activity for each of them to have one on one time with their dad and they each will get to have a meal with my husband at their favorite fast food establishment.

i started planning about three weeks ago. I looked at our calendars and made a list of dates.

I then emailed a long list of kind hearted friends and family members to sign up for free babysitting. This is truly a collaborative effort and with the exception of two dates being covered by my husband’s sister the other twelve were quickly filled by friends from church.

Finally I went out to get the gift cards. Each envelope has a gift card or cash enclosed based on what we are doing. I tried to buy all the gift cards at Kroger and I purchased the local small business gift cards with cash so my husband couldn’t track my spending.

And there you have it. Date nights set for the next four months even with a new baby coming in the middle of all of it.

This only cost a little under 300 dollars. Like I said we live a pretTy simple life.

Happy Birthday to my husband and cheers to my married life with him.

Find more to the story here… I love to write about “Redeeming Date Night.”

Redeeming Date Night

June 4, 2013February 5, 20142 Comments

Imagine a world where even through the exhausting years of pregnancy, breastfeeding every three hours and postpartum panties you never skipped a date night.

This world has not existed for my husband and me.

We skipped several date nights after our first son was born. Then it wasn’t long before we were back in the exhausting years of pregnancy, breastfeeding, and postpartum panties for the second time and then the third.

We were sitting across the dinner table from one another using octopus arms to shovel food into the mouth of babes, side by side parenting as mommy and daddy but not really connecting as husband and wife.

We made excuses.

Michael and I were actually spending lots of time together. We have family days and we eat supper together every night. We minister to couples and students together and we would both crash on the couch in front of the television most evenings after the kids went to bed.

BUT. We were not having fun together. We were not enjoying one another as often as we needed to.

Since February we have been on a mission to redeem date night. To find a night once a week where we can sit across the table from one another and leave our octopus shoveling arms at home.

Redeeming date night has been challenging. The first three weeks we fought because learning the new routine was tough on me. If you have ever prepared three small children and your home for a babysitter you know it can be challenging. The process of getting ready to head out the door was so stressful for me I was exhausted when we headed out the door.

There have been budget concerns. We do not have the kind of funds to go out every week and pay a sitter.

Luckily my husband is good a redefining expectations and being creative about date and babysitter planning.

The body of Christ has been so good to us and we have about three couples and a few young adults that have offered to give up their Friday nights to us at no charge.

We stretch the gift cards we have been given, we go to high school musical productions, we have been to see one of our friends sing and play piano with his band, and our Cincinnati Ballerina friend has given us some of her discounted tickets to the Ballet.

I have learned to give my husband a list five hours prior to leaving for a date with all of the things I “think” need to be done before leaving for the evening. My husband helps me divide up the list and I now can feel less exhausted when we head out the door.

Redeeming date night has been hard work. It seems like in the exhaustion of pregnancy, breastfeeding and postpartum panties we forgot how to go out together. But redemption is a process of recovery and restoration. Taking something that has been tarnished and restoring it back to the way it once was: before the years pregnancy, breastfeeding and postpartum panties.

Little by little date night will be redeemed and restored to the way it used to be.

Keep the conversation going…

How have you kept date night going in your home?

What are some creative budget saving ways you have discovered while redeeming your date nights?

Whatever Is Lovely…About My Husband

April 5, 2013February 5, 20143 Comments

My worst enemy seems to prodding at my husband lately. In my thought life I have found myself majoring on the minors and letting my toxic thoughts affect my relationship with him.

When I say it out loud it sounds silly.

The ice cream dish in the sink… what a monster.

The hanger left out from ironing his shirt…he can’t get it together.

The shaving cream in the sink…what a despicable man.

These are truly the things that ruffle my feathers about my husband; dirty dishes, hangers and shaving cream. The toxicity in my mind no matter how much I hate to admit it contaminates my relationship with my husband. Sometimes I am mad at him before he even gets home from work because I have let my mind fester on these minor imperfections.

My worst enemy wins when I don’t fight against negative thoughts about my husband.

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

I saw an image of my husband from this past Easter Sunday. He is an important man and just like all the other men of our church he was in his blazer, dress pants and pressed shirt on Sunday morning. However, he was not in the worship service, he was in a small room across the hall with the preschool children.

He was singing songs with them and laying on the floor with them, in his fancy Sunday clothes. I don’t know many people who are truly joyful about serving with children on Easter Sunday but he is and I know for sure you would not find me laying on the ground in my Easter outfit being silly with the children.

These are the lovely images and thoughts about my husband I am working to focus my mind on. The humble man laying on the ground with the tiny worshippers of our church, the mountain top moments where I can see the whole picture of who God is making my husband to be in Christ.

Your worst enemy might be attacking your husband too. Or maybe your roommate, your parents or your children.

How can you give them more grace in your thought life? Can you find a mountain top moment to battle the little annoyances that might go through your mind throughout the day?

I am battling to give my husband more grace in my thought life. To focus on the lovely instead of the dishes, hangers and shaving cream. He deserves for me to see him as Christ sees him. The redeemed prince, on the floor in his suit, praising Jesus with the little children.