A few new pages and another freebie!

Here are a couple of pages that I made and a freebie from one of them. I can't believe that the little baby in my mom's arms is the same child eating the tomato....My how time flies!

This is a little something I made for a challenge over on gottapixel.com....Hope you love it!

Preview of PineappleSage kit and a Wordart Freebie

I'm working on a new kit, Pineapple Sage. It is named after one of the newest plants in my garden.

So far it has 2 bows, 3 flowers, 1 pair of glasses, 1 stamp frame, a doily and 12 papers.

As a thank you for visiting my blog, I have a freebie for you....

Just a little something for my scrapbooking friends, this is a piece of wordart that I created for my husband. Hope you enjoy!

My June Habit Focus - Dishes

I'm borrowing this and making it my own from Simplemom - This month, I’m going to focus on cleaning the kitchen after every meal. Sounds so easy, doesn’t it? You’d think.

Lately in my vain attempt to get my husband to help around the house, we’ve been letting the dishes just sit there. This week was very busy and I wasn't home most of the time. I suggested that the girls cook, so the boys, my husband and his son, do the dishes on Monday. They didn't, so I ended up cleaning up a stinking mess on several days later. It’s so discouraging, and it’s not how I want to end my day.

So starting today through the end of June, I’m going to clean up after every meal right after we’re done, so that after dinner, all I have left are dinner’s dishes. I’ll clear off the dining room table, put dirty dishes in the dishwasher, and clean off the kitchen countertops from cooking.

What about you? What are your plans for the month? Remember, vocalizing your goals helps you stay accountable to your word, and it provides encouragement from everyone around you.
Please share your plans in the comments, or if you’re brave, post your habit focus on your own blog and share the link.

For more good reading, check out Steve Pavlina’s 30 Days to Success.

Fear Not. . .

I was recently challenged to do a scrapbook page on my greatest fear and what they Bible says about fear. I did the page and listed my greatest fears and when I was satisfied with my accomplishment, I submitted the page. My greatest fears were:

1. Losing my family


2. Financial problems


3. Not having my entire family in Heaven


4. People not liking me

But then as I was sitting in church Sunday afternoon, God convicted me that I had not been honest with myself about my fears. My greatest fear is that I'm not good enough. I'm not a good enough wife; I'm not a good enough mother; I'm not a good enough friend, employee, or whatever. But most of all I am afraid that I'm not a good enough Christian. As I stood with outstretched hands toward Heaven singing, "In Your presence, I find peace, in Your presence, I find healing . . ." there was this still, small voice speaking to my heart. "No, you will never be good enough." Now for most folks, that might not seem very uplifting. "You don't have to be good enough, because I sent my Son to satisfy your failures. My grace is sufficient. My Son is better than good enough and I love you." In that moment, I stood in the presence of my Heavenly Father and basked in His love and peace. My prayer is that I won't forget this lesson and that with His help, I can give Him my fears.

The time is near....

I had a dream this morning that the day of the rapture was being preached from pulpits across the land. In the dream, Christians were preparing, because they knew the day that Christ was coming back. Christians were closing down their shops and giving away their possessions in anticipation for Christ's return. There was a supernatural feeling in the air like no other. Christians were deemed as crazy by nonbelievers. It was a very strange world, but then again it was a dream.

I woke up thinking, What would be different if Christians did know the day of Christ's return? How would we act? Would we be more actively telling nonbelievers about God's love for them? Would we be more giving and loving? Or would we just act like it was every other day and go about our normal business? The time is near though. The Bible says that we don't and won't know when, but that we should be looking forward to Christ's return.

Romans 13 says....8Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. 9The commandments, "Do not commit adultery," "Do not murder," "Do not steal," "Do not covet,"and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: "Love your neighbor as yourself." 10Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
11And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. 12The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. 14Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.

The time is near.....are you ready?

Easy Chicken Parmesan

This is the recipe that everyone oooohhh's and aahhh's over. It is also one of the reason's that my husband married me. My husband and I love Semolina's International Pasta, so I looked at their Chicken Parmesan and made up a recipe based on what I thought it had in it. Recently, I have simplified this even further, but not using the bread crumb crust. I will write down both ways of doing it and let you decide what is best!

You will need for the traditional recipe:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 cup Italian bread crumbs

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus some extra for sprinkling on top

1 egg, beaten

1/4 cup oil, your favorite kind...I use olive oil.

Adobe seasoning, found in the Latin foods isle of your local grocery, if not use garlic salt.

1 jar of your favorite tomato based red sauce, I like Ragu Robusto! Parmesan and Romano

1 container of your favorite alfredo sauce, I like to make my own and will post that recipe soon, but in a pinch I use Buitoni in the refrigerated section.

1/2 box of your favorite pasta, I like Ronzoni Smart Taste pasta because it has fiber and fills me up faster and longer.

Start your water to boiling and set out all your ingredients.

Pound your chicken breasts out to your desired thickness. I cut the chicken breasts in half to get 4 breasts, so I can stretch my grocery budget and keep from stretching my waistline. Sprinkle each one with a little Adobe.

Mix the cheese and bread crumbs.

Dredge the chicken breasts in the egg then the bread crumbs.

Fry the breaded chicken breast in the oil until completely cooked through.

While cooking the chicken breasts, I heat the two sauces in the microwave and cook the pasta. I'm also swinging my daughter in the swing that hangs in the dinning room doorway too, but that is totally optional for you. Yup, I can mulitask!

Drain the pasta. Drain the chicken on paper towels and prepare assembly.

Toss the pasta with the alfredo sauce. Make a mound of pasta on each plate. Top the pasta with a piece of chicken and then ladle some red sauce on top. Sprinkle with cheese and serve.

If you want to simplify this further, don't beat or bread the chicken and cut the oil down to just 2 tablespoons.

Yummy!!!

Desire

What is desire? According to Webster’s, it is “to wish, long for, crave, or covet.” Vine’s Dictionary of the Bible, it is “a craving or lust.” Vine’s also reminds us that there are good desires and evil desires. So often in our lives, we pray for healing, for financial blessings, for peace, for freedom from trials and trouble, but often our desires are not God’s desires. Sometimes, I think God allows us the suffering to bring complete glory to Himself. We have to go through the valley to get to the mountaintop. No one desires to live in the valley of life, but the valley is where God is actively teaching through love and compassion. Sometimes, we desire to do things for God, but He tells us to wait. David desired to build the temple, which was a Godly desire, but not God’s will for him. God. What is your deepest desire? Is it for a quick end to a painful situation that you are in, is it a Godly desire that may not be God’s will for your life or is it that God would be praised in all of your life experience?
Max Lucado says it so perfectly, “In all of our thoughts, all of our actions, in every part of our character, the ruling principle that motivates and guides us should be the desire to follow Christ in doing the will of the Father.” Psalm 40:8 "I desire to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart."Proverbs 11:23 "The desire of the righteous ends only in good. . ."