Deep Thought Monday

I'm taking a hiatus from Menu Plan Monday this week to share something I came across. It's not really all that revolutionary, but it was a good reminder to me of a truth I sometimes forget. (If you had your heart set on a menu plan, head on over to Org Junkie...there are plenty to choose from!)

From time to time I've been known to react from emotion rather than logic, rationale, or even what I know to be true. You could say I've let my emotions get the best of me on occasion. (You can stop laughing and nodding your head now, Hubby.) That's something I've been working on lately...Choosing to be the best person I can be, no matter how tired I am, how discouraged I feel, or how much I just want to crawl in a hole and cry (or sleep!). I've discovered (yet again) that the strength I need to handle (i.e., control) my emotions doesn't come from within me...that was the mistake I had been making for so long. The strength to handle my emotions, my choices, my circumstances, my life comes from the One who created me, designed my emotions, gave me the freedom to make my own choices, controls my circumstances, and orders the steps of my life. That's why these passages I came across this week meant so much to me:

"'As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.' (Proverbs 23:7).
This meant that circumstances did not cause my emotions,

but my thoughts about my circumstances did."

--Erik Johnson in an article "Driving Yourself Crazy,"

from Focus On the Family (April 2008)

“We become what we think about all day long.”

— Ralph Waldo Emerson

"I have learned the secret of being content in any and
every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in
plenty or in want. I can do everything through
him who gives me strength."

--The Apostle Paul in Philippians 4:12,13

Do you have a favorite passage, verse, motto, or exercise you use to manage your emotions?

Know and Tell Friday

A little Friday Fun...

1. What is your favorite mode of transportation (flying, train, car, boat, etc.)? Why?

Before kids, it was flying because it was fast. That might still be the case, but we haven't tried it with 2 kids, so I'm not sure. Now that we have the minivan with DVD player, traveling by car isn't so bad. But I'd probably have to say flying is still my favorite overall because of the speed (unless, of course, you get grounded somewhere!).

2. If you could fly like Superman, jump and swing like Spiderman, swing on vines like Tarzan or fly on an umbrella like Mary Poppins, which would you choose?

Hmm...that's a tough one. I think swinging like Spiderman or Tarzan would make me a little nauseous. It seems a little inconvenient to have to always have an umbrella when you want to fly somewhere, so I guess I'd go with flying like Superman.

3. You're driving down the road and you see a small cluster of people, all with their thumbs out hoping to hitch a ride with you. As you near the group you realize that the people standing there are Queen Elizabeth, Johnny Depp, Barrack Obama, Oprah Winfrey, and John Grisham. You only have room for one person. Who would you pick up?

Um, hello...Johnny Depp! The Queen would make me too nervous. I wouldn't have anything to say to Barak Obama. Oprah would be fun, but doesn't compare to Johnny Depp. And while, it would be fun to pick John Grisham's brain on tips for writing a novel, Johnny would have so many interesting stories. Plus, he'd just be fun to look at. I mean, c'mon...it's Johnny Depp.

4. What was the most memorable trip you've ever taken?

While I've taken many fun and memorable trips with Hubby, I would have to say visiting Paris, France with my parents and sisters (May 2000) is the MOST memorable simply because of the awe-inspiring history and culture of the city.

5. If you were planning a road trip with your best friend, where would you start, what would you stop to see and where would you end?

We would probably start in Kansas City or St. Louis, MO because they are the closest cities. We would head toward New York and stop in every major city to see a broadway show, then end in New York and see any shows on Broadway that we had missed along the way.

6. You are able to transport yourself back to any time. What would it be and why?

I would travel back to the late 19th century....life was so much simpler and yet there was so much going on in our country. I think it would be interesting to get a glimpse of life in simpler times.

7. Would you have flown with the Wright Brothers when they first discovered air travel?

Definitely not. I'm a big chicken who's scared of heights.

Hope you enjoyed my answers. For more fun responses, head on over to Kickin' It In Crazyville.

Quote of the Week

"Be courteous to all, but intimate with few, and let those few

be well tried before you give them your confidence. "

— George Washington

Mellow Wednesday

It's a rainy, dreary Wednesday here, so I thought I would simply share some more photos from my talented brother in law to set the mood for you. To see more of "Omerad's" talent, visit his Flickr page here.

Menu Plan Monday and Fun Project

I wanted to share this Weekly Planner project I did with Little Miss this morning. It's great for preschoolers. She's just starting to learn the different days of the week and the fact that we do certain things on certain days. (For example, church is on Sunday, Daddy is home from work on Sat., etc.) Since we don't have a lot of recurring activities over the summer (lessons, preschool, etc.) we used our weekly routines (shopping, laundry, etc.). And since I didn't have any post-it notes on hand, I cut small scraps of paper and we taped them on. When we have something special coming up (like a visit from grandparents or a birthday party), I'll print a picture of the person to put on the day. Then we can count down to the special day. For more great, educational projects, visit PBSParents.org.

Do you have any special educational projects you like to do with your kids? Or any great resources for project ideas? I'd love to hear them!



Also, here is my Menu Plan for this Monday. For more great menus (and recipes), head on over to Org Junkie...there are hundreds to choose from!

Monday: Chicken Fried Rice and Asian Steamed Vegetables
Tuesday: Pot roast with potatoes and carrots (putting the slow cooker to use again!)
Wednesday: Spaghetti with meat sauce, salad, and garlic bread
Thursday: Leftover night
Friday: Family Night Out
Saturday: Grilled Tri-Tip, Pasta Salad and fresh veggies
Sunday: anything you can find in the fridge!

(Sorry no recipes or links this week...it's been a crazy weekend and will be a crazy week, so I'm doing a lot of "from the box" dinners and "off the top of my head" meals...thus, no written recipes. I hope to contribute more next time around!)

Carry-On: A Book Review

Excerpted from the back cover:

In one entertaining and enlightening book, Scotty Gibbons unpacks 15 years in student ministry at one of America's fastest growing churches. Scotty's proven principles will encourage and equip you (and the leaders around you) to go the distance.

I met Scotty Gibbons 15 years ago when I interviewed with him to become a volunteer leader in the youth ministry. I served under Scotty's leadership for seven amazing, challenging, and life-changing years. He poured into me as a leader and a friend. Many of the principles I learned from him have helped mold the person I am today--not only in leadership, but in personal discipline, interaction with others, and basic communication.

Although I am not currently involved in youth ministry, I wanted to read Scotty's book because he is an amazing communicator and a good friend. I wasn't disappointed. While Carry-On is a must-have resource for anyone involved in youth ministry, the leadership principles Scotty writes about are beneficial for life in general. As always, I found Scotty challenging me in my personal life as well. And I found many of the principles applicable to my role as a mother (if you simply substitute the word "ministry" for "motherhood" because after all, that's what motherhood is.)

If you're involved in youth ministry (or ministry of any sort, really) I highly recommend this resource. (You can order it here.) You can check out what Scotty and his staff are currently up to at their Realife web site, or visit Scotty's blog.

Know & Tell Friday

It's that time of the week again...YEAH!!! For more answers, head on over to Kickin' It In Crazyville. For now, here are my answers:

1. Why were you given your particular name? I was supposed to be Melissa Renee, but a friend of my parents' at their church had a girl a few days before I was born, and she named her Melissa Renee. So, I was named Nancy Renee.

2. What's your favorite song of the moment? This is a tough one since I rarely get the chance to listen to "grown-up" music these days. For that reason, anything that doesn't rhyme and isn't sung by a cartoon character would probably be at the top of the list.

3. What are you wearing today which is most reflective of who you are? Probably my bare feet (comfy), or my khaki capris.

4. Have you ever had a pet that was not a cat or dog? What was it? I had a couple of guppies in the 3rd grade, but they didn't last long. Other than that, it's always been dogs.

5. What type of exercise do you do to keep in shape? I do stretching and strength exercises almost every night (crunches, lunges, etc.) and I've just started lifting weights and walking the dog each morning.

6. What is your favorite movie of all time? I like so many different movies...lots of musicals, old movies, sappy romantic comedies, but probably my all-time favorite is Chocolat. (Johnny Depp and chocolate...what more could you want?)

7. Do you enjoy gardening, or working with flowers? No, not really, but I would like to have a garden b/c I LOVE fresh vegetables...maybe next year.

Quotes of the Week

"Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body"

--Joseph Addison

"If reading were to the body what exercise is to the body, I'd be one fit woman!"

--Nancy @ Chocolate Ink

The Great Conspirators, Episode 3

When we last saw Li'l Miss and Li'l Man, they had enlisted the assistance of the family pet, Chester in Operation Exhausted Mommy. It seemed that, at last, their plan of wearing Mother completely down would indeed become a reality. That was, until Father came to Mother's rescue. (To read previous episodes, click here.) Several days have passed as we check in on the relentless trio...


The pair of youngsters were obviously unprepared for the powerful match that Mother and Father proved to be, for it began to cause dissension among the ranks. Suddenly, Li'l Man enjoyed the idea of sleeping slightly later in the mornings (emphasis on slightly). This apparently did not sit well with Li'l Miss as she had counted on Li'l Man's early wakings, allowing her to sleep in and prepare for her late-night shift. So she devised a plan of her own.

Knowing that Li'l Man was having trouble napping, due to his incoming teeth, Li'l Miss usually allowed Mother to rock Li'l Man back to sleep when he woke early from a nap. However, now that Li'l Man was neglecting his morning duties, Li'l Miss thought it unfair to allow him an extended nap as well. So another ingenious plan evolved. Li'l Miss would allow Mother to go in and calm Li'l Man when he woke early from a nap. She would wait patiently until she knew Li'l Man was just about to sleep (how she knew, no one knows). Then Li'l Miss would burst into Li'l Man's room, snuggle up on the couch next to Mother (who was holding an almost-asleep Li'l Man), look up at Mother with her deep, brown eyes, and sweetly proclaim, "I just wanted to be with Mommy." The interruption obviously started Li'l Man completely awake, and Li'l Miss's adorable proclamation made Mother feel hugely guilty for any frustration or exasperation she felt toward Li'l Miss for the interruption.

Mother then had no option but to get Li'l Man up and continue through her day, battling her own fatigue while entertaining a cranky, teething, sleepy Li'l Man. As for Li'l Miss, she carried on as if nothing at all had happened...and she seemed to be the happiest of them all.

Stay tuned to see if the duo succeed in Operation Exhausted Mommy...or does Mommy find the strength to endure and prove to be more powerful than the pair ever suspected? Only time will tell...

Mondays in the Blogosphere

I've discovered there's a lot going on in the blogosphere on Mondays. While I'm doing well to get my brood up, dressed, and fed, some of my fellow bloggers are already getting a jump on things. In case you're new to the world of blogging (I still am), I thought I'd point you toward some bloggers who are "up and rarin' to go on this Monday morning":

Two of my favorite bloggers over at Kickin' It In Crazyville have started a new Friendship Hall of Fame every Monday. Each week they honor a friend of the many nominated by bloggers everywhere. So, if you have a special friend you'd like to nominate, head on over and submit his/her name. I'm sure your friend will greatly appreciate it!

Also, Org Junkie has Menu Plan Monday every week where you'll find lots (and I do mean LOTS) of great menu plans and recipes (my favorite part!). So, if you're menu-planning-challenged (as I am), head on over and glean from the creativity of others! And, if you're interested, here's my Menu Plan Monday:


Monday: Homemade pizzas (with my favorite pizza crust recipe listed below) and salad

Tuesday: Pork roast (in the slow cooker) with seasoned rice and steamed veggies

Wednesday: BBQ Pork sandwiches (made from the leftover pork roast), french fries, fresh corn on the cob

Thursday: Leftover night (any combination of leftovers from the fridge)

Friday: Family Night Out

Saturday: Breakfast for dinner (bacon, scrambled eggs, biscuits, and fruit

Amish Pizza Crust

(My mom made this all the time when we were growing up...

she got the recipe from an old amish cookbook years ago).

Combine:

1 cup warm water

1 pkg yeast

When dissolved add:

1 large tablespoon sugar

1 1/2 tsp salt

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 1/4 cup flour

Beat until smooth and add:

2 cups flour, or enough to make stiff (I substitute up to have with whole wheat flour)

Knead until elastic (about 5 min). Place in greased bowl and let rise until it doubles in size (about 45 min). Form 2 balls, pat and stretch to fill 2 greased pizza pans. Let rise another 10 min. Add pizza sauce and your favorite toppings. Bake @ 450 degrees for 20-25 min until crust is golden.

If you do not need to make 2 pizzas, you can freeze one crust. After I spread it on the pizza pan and let it rise again. I move it to a sheet of cling wrap, place another on top, then roll the crust and place it in the freezer. Let thaw completely, then add toppings and bake.

Do you know any other secrets to freezing pizza dough (or any other kind of dough, for that matter)?

Family Fun

We live literally minutes from the headquarters of a nationally-known hunting and sporting goods mega store. Last Friday night we packed up the kiddos for our weekly "Family Night Out" and drove less than a mile to enjoy a delicious dinner at the in-store restaurant and let the kids see the wildlife sites around the store (both live and "formerly live").

Little Man LOVED the huge fish aquarium, and Little Miss was enraptured by the turtles warming under the sun lamp. I thought I'd share some pics of our fun, little outing:

(Not the best picture, but so cute with Little Man and the fish!)

Wow! My First Award!

I was so honored to receive the "Arte y Pico" Award by Lora from My Blessed Life. Lora is the one who inspired me to start blogging. I always enjoy her blog, not just because it's how I keep up with her life and family. But she also gives so many inspirational and creative ideas. Thanks so much, Lora!

_______________________

Here are the guidelines for this award~~

1) Choose 5 blogs that you consider deserving of this award for their creativity, design, interesting material, and contribution to the blogging community, no matter what language.

2) Each award should have the name of the author

and link to his/her blog to be visited by everyone.

3) Each award winner should show the award and put the

name and link to the blog that presented her/him with the award.

4) The award winner and one who has given the prize should show the

link of "Arte y Pico"blog so everyone will know the origin to this award.

I've decided to award the "Arte y Pico" to the following bloggers who inspire me. Some are personal friends, some are simply blogs I enjoy reading for their information, advice, and/or inspiration. I hope you enjoy them, too:

I'm an Organizing Junkie

The Howe Family

Under the Bell Tower

Logorrhea

My 5th nominee would be Kickin' It In Crazyville, but since

Lora already awarded them, I'm going to go with I Take Joy.

Touching Tribute and Shameless Plug

I received a link today to this touching tribute to our men and women in the military. The vocalist is a new artist, Leah Faith, who attends my dad's church in Alabama (U.S.). The shameless plug is the fact that the girl who plays the wife of the soldier is my baby sister (all grown up, of course!), and my brother-in-law produced the video. Hope you enjoy! (Hint: You might grab a box of tissues before you click "play.")

Quote of the Week

"Be faithful in the small things, because it is in them that your strength lies."

--Mother Teresa

Weekend Fun and Projects

I hope you all enjoyed your holiday weekend as much as we did. On Friday we attended a community I Love America celebration that our church hosts each year. They have a ton of games for kids, live music, presentation of the gospel message, then a spectacular fireworks display. It was a long day, and we didn't make it through all the fireworks (Little Miss is not a fan of loud noises!) But it was a lot of fun, nonetheless.

The rest of our weekend was spent cleaning out and organizing our attic to prepare for an upcoming Yard Sale. Since we're unsure if we have completed our family, I have kept some baby clothes from both Little Miss and Little Man, plus my maternity clothes. We spent Saturday and part of Sunday shopping for plastic bins, hauling boxes down from the attic, and reorganizing and labeling boxes for easy access in the future. I was pretty proud of the outcome (although a lot of the credit goes to Hubby for being the Organizational Guru). After a weekend of hard work, here's what we have to show for it:

Next on our "list" is the other keepsake-type stuff in our attic (high school yearbooks, college term papers, wedding memoribilia, baby keepsakes, etc.) Do you have any creative and/or ingenious ways to store such keepsake items? If so, leave me a comment...I'd love to hear your ideas! (Feel free to leave a comment even if you don't have any organizational ideas...one can never have too many comments...as long as you keep them nice!) ;)

Know & Tell Friday

Well, since it's a holiday, I almost COMPLETELY forgot about Know & Tell Friday! Good thing I checked my friend Lora's blog (My Blessed Life). So, here goes...

1. If you are a blogger, what got you started? Have you ever made, or do you hope to make, money blogging? My friend Lora got me started. Her blog got me hooked, and I figure two of my favorite things are writing and friendship, so why not? I've never made money blogging, but would love to someday. Maybe when the kids are a little older and I can pour more time into it.

2. Are you a collector of anything? I used to collect a few different things, but then I married The Minimalist and my eyes were opened to the fine art of simple living. :)

3. Apple juice or orange juice? Usually orange, but occasionally apple.

4. What are 3 of your best personality traits? outgoing, considerate, loyal (had to ask Hubby to help with those!)

5. Name 1 thing you miss about being a kid. No responsibilities!

6. What is usually your first thought when you wake up? "what the heck?!!?!"

7. Regarding material possessions: the more the merrier or less is best? Depends...when I'm shopping it's "more the merrier," when I'm cleaning, it's "less is best." I guess I'm a bit schizophrenic. :)

For more fun responses, head over to Kickin' It In Crazyville.

Happy 4th of July!!

Happy Birthday America!

As we celebrate the anniversary of our nation's independence today, there are so many things I am thankful for--the freedom to worship whomever and however I choose, to express myself through speech either private or public, the godly heritage on which our founding fathers chose to establish this great country (even if we've drifted far from it!), and most of all the freedom to train my children in the faith without fear of persecution or imprisonment.

I know our country is not perfect. All you have to do is watch the news for a few minutes to discover all that is wrong with our country (especially in an election year!). But today is a day to focus on all that is right with our country. There is so much for which we should be thankful. We live in a great, prosperous country, and I hope you take the time today to celebrate that.

Before I go, I want to share some great pictures that I believe capture the heart of "Americana." They were all taken by my brother-in-law. You can visit his gallery here.

The "Old Farmhouse" that belonged to Hubby's grandparents

My in-laws' log cabin

Happy 4th of July, everyone! Enjoy your time with family and friends!

Forgiveness

I hate that after 30+ years in this thing we call the Christian walk, I still have to ask for it (forgiveness). But I'm so glad that once I do, it's available--from God, from my family, from my friends. Unfortunately, it's often those closest to me whom I ask it of most often. I guess that's how it is with us all. We show our true colors to those we really love. It's just that sometimes those colors aren't the prettiest in the box. Sometimes they're tainted with fatigue, attitudes, emotions, tempers, reactions...the list goes on.

The whole concept of God's forgiveness fascinates me. When you really stop to think about the fact that God chooses to completely erase our trangressions, it's overwhelming. To think that He can absolutely NOT remember my previous sins (for which I've asked forgiveness) is utterly amazing to me. I only wish I could do the same, because it seems that when I fall I'm reminded of all the times I've fallen before and will probably do so again. I'm reminded once again how truly mortal and imperfect I am. Then again, I guess that might be a blessing in disguise, for not only am I reminded of my failures, but I'm reminded of His grace...His truly amazing grace.

"As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed

our transgressions from us"

--Psalm 103:12

Quote of the Week

"The years teach much which the days never knew. "

--Ralph Waldo Emerson