mhmm monday

Winter is the perfect season for meals made in the crockpot. Here's another yummy recipe to try!

Crockpot Peach Salsa Chicken

{photo credit & recipe}

Ingredients:
4 – 5 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts, thawed
1 jar Smucker’sÒ Peach Preserves {18 oz.}
1 jar PaceÒ Medium Chunky Salsa {16 oz.}

Directions:
Cook chicken in crockpot on high for 3 hours {covered}
After 3 hours, drain juices from crockpot
Mix together Salsa and Peach Preserves
Pour mixture over chicken, and cook on high for 30 more minutes {covered}
Enjoy!

That’s it… now wasn’t that easy??

Take Care

Celebrating Papa

It was my Dad’s birthday yesterday; and most of the family was able to gather today to celebrate!

Happy Birthday Dad, may you have a wonderful year, full of great health, happiness and many, many blessings! Looking forward to celebrating many more years with you!

Take Care

God's Timing

Today, as I read in “Jesus Calling by Sarah Young”  I found God’s timing to be perfect as usual.  You see, I’ve been struggling as of late with different things and it was inspiring to read;

~ COME TO ME FOR REST and refreshement.  The journey has been too much for you, and you are bone-weary.  Do not be ashamed of your exhaustion. Instead, see it as an opportunity for Me to take charge of your life. 
Remember that I can fit everything into a pattern for good, including the things you wish were different.  Start with where you are at this point in time and space, accepting that this is where I intend you to be.  You will get through today one step, one moment at a time.  Your main responsibility is to remain  attentive to Me, letting Me guide you through the many choicees along your pathway.
This sounds like an easy assignment, but it is not.  Your desire to live in My presence goes against the grain of “the world, the flesh, and the devil.”  Much of your weariness results from your constant battle againste these opponents.  However, you are on the path of My choosing, so do not give up!  Hope in me, for you will again priase Me for the help of My Presence. ~

Romans 8:28 {Amplified Version {AMP}}
We are assured and know that [God being a partner in their labor] all things work together and are [fitting into a plan] for good to and for those who love God and are called according to [His] design and purpose.

Psalm 42:11 {New Amercian Standard {NASB}}
Why are you in despair, O my soul?  And why have you become disturbed within me?  Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God.

How wonderful that what I needed to read the most was there exactly when I needed to read it!  Too often we I get consumed with my troubles and sadly, easily discouraged.  The challenge is to trust His timing.  He knows what is best.

God's timing is perfect!

Take Care

Another day, another year

It’s a New Year ~ well technically we’re already more than a month into the new year ~ however… with the start of another new year, most people take time to reflect on where they’ve been and where they’re heading, making resolutions or choosing their one word.

Living with an auto-immune illness can make this exercise a little less appealing than it can be to most people. As we look to the past, we can see pieces of dreams lining our calendar. We can spot the disappointments, and the misunderstandings our illness has caused.

2015 is a new year, but my health problems are not. My new year has begun with me in an active cycle {wide-spread pain, sleeplessness, digestive issues, fibro brain fog, dizziness and nausea} of my illness. I’ve struggled with how I would survive the day, let alone another year.

But God promises;

I don’t understand all the reasons for suffering/pain. What I do know is that living daily with an auto-immune illness is hard; and I also know “That in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28 {New International Version {NIV}}

How are feeling about the new year? Discouraged and weak, or hopeful and strong?

Perhaps as you look toward the new year, it doesn’t seem to be filled with potential, but only more tests, procedures, pain, and loss. We don’t always understand “the why” but we can be assured that God will never leave our side. We can turn to Him. Rest in Him. Put aside the bitterness, and disappointments and ask Him to give us the strength that only He can give.

Take care

Thankful Thursdays

…and so we continue counting the things we are thankful for…

30. walking the trail with my girl
31. superbowl parties
32. fresh baked cookies
33. vanilla scented candles
34. sunday lunches with friends
35. mini-vacations
36. Skype

Will you join me as we begin to be truly thankful for each day, and for each opportunity given to us, and who knows? we might just see how truly blessed we really are.

Because a thankful heart is a happy heart!

Take Care

tasty tuesday

The chia seeds when soaked in milk transforms them into a luxurious and creamy tapioca-like pudding. Serve this over some fresh fruit, and you have yourself an incredibly delicious breakfast!

Vanilla Almond Chia Pudding

{recipe website}

Ingredients:
2 cups milk
1/2 cup chia seeds
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-2 tablespoons pure maple syrup or raw honey
Seasonal fruit for topping (blueberries, peaches, mangoes, figs, plums or strawberries ~ pictured here)
Almonds or other nuts for topping

Directions:
Combine milk, chia seeds, vanilla and sweetener in a bowl. Mix well until combined and the mixture begins to thicken. Store covered in the refrigerator overnight or for at least an hour.
Stir well before serving and add a bit of water to the pudding if it becomes too thick. Top with fresh fruit and nuts of your choice.
Note: This recipe makes enough for two large servings, but feel free to double the recipe and keep it in your refrigerator so that you have breakfast for a few days in a row. It will keep refrigerated for up to 5 days.
Enjoy!

Take Care

So this is love...

Ahh yes, February 1st ~ the month of love has arrived; let the “countdown” begin.

February has always seemed like an odd month to me, nestled in between hibernation-friendly January and blustery March. It’s also the shortest month of the year; with only 28 days and then of course there is Valentine's Days, smack dab right in the middle of it. This is the month when some most of us celebrate Valentine’s Day by giving the one we love candy, flowers, and much more.

I’m what you might call a very romantic girl. This is a fact; I love chick flicks, romance, candles, dinner dates, listening to country songs … well you get the drift. However, sometimes I don’t get the hype about Valentine’s day. Sure it’s nice to celebrate love, offer get gifts, be taken out to dinner, enjoy a glass of wine together, etc…

And yet.

It still all feels a little forced. A little too commercial.

Because at the end of the day, this woman just wants to feel special. And call me crazy, but mass produced cupids just don’t cut it. Really, I just want to be loved. Thought of. Not as an obligation because the calendar holiday demands it. But rather, just because… He loves me.

So “what is love”?

Scripture tells us “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.” 1 Corinthians 13:4 - 8 {New International Version {NIV}}

So this Valentine’s Day… let’s take the opportunity to tell our loved ones we love them. Remembering that love is real, it is deep, and it is priceless. 

“All you need is love..” ~ The Beatles

Take Care