Tag Archives: family

What to do when the flu hits…

11 Friday Nov 2011

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I heard, and trembled within; my lips quivered at the sound. Rottenness entered my bones; I trembled where I stood. Now I must quietly wait for my day of distress to come against the people invading us.  Habakkuk 3:16 HCSB

My morning began with stubbing my pinky toe on a chair in the living room. Leaping to the sofa yelping and seeing blood trickle across my toes. My daughter  very softly and asks “Mom are you ok?”
Every fiber in my body seemed to hurt and I simply wanted to crawl back in bed. I did not know it, but my balance was off because the flu had hit our house. The  invaders were the viruses from the Mucinex commercial. We had gone to bed very late the night before, our throats were sore and we could not sleep. It hurt to swallow. I drove my daughter to school thinking in my head she should have stayed home, and praying she would decide to care for herself and call. I looked at her as she exited the vehicle and said “I love you honey call if you need anything.”

My one day off all week I dragged a huge basket of laundry next to the sofa and proceeded to fold laundry while lying down.  Folding was a bit tricky and placing the piles so they would not fall was unsuccessful as they slipped off the back off the sofa.  The phone rang.  Our daughter was coming home.

If you are swept off your feet, its time to get on your knees.  Fred Beck

Somehow a jolt of strength whipped into me as I stripped down her bed and blankets to give her clean sheets and warm blankets to crawl into.  Where did my strength come from?

My lips quiver with fear. my legs give way beneath me and I shake in terror.  Habakkuk 3:16 TLB

My flesh had no strength… I ached, but on my knees before the Lord he poured into me.

 

 

Dark Chocolate Brownies

05 Monday Sep 2011

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Happy Labor Day Everyone!

This should be your ambition: to live a quiet life, minding your own business and doing your own work.

1 Thessalonians 4:11 TLB

(I keep this tucked in my pocket at work and it has been very helpful over the years.)

The base of this recipe comes from the “Joy of Cooking”. I received it from my Aunt Bernice as a wedding shower gift 25 years ago. I love the inscription inside….

A well prepared meal, graciously served will be helpful to Todd’s Air Force career.

This note will make a few of you gasp, but my Aunt was correct in coaching me. She was a great cook, I can still taste and see her crepes stacked 12 high with chocolate in between each one.  She was a Nurse anesthetist in the  Navy and married in her 50’s to our beloved Uncle Fred.  If you do not own the “Joy of Cooking” click on the GFCF Lady link on this website and order one from Amazon.

Turn to page 701 and use Brownies Cockaigne as your guide.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and get started early in the morning.  We have had over 70 days over 100 degrees and today is our first day we have been able to open the windows here in Texas.  (I have made dinner very early each morning and setting in the fridge given the extreme heat later in the day.)

In a double boiler melt 1 stick of unsalted butter, 4 tbsp. of evoo, 12 tbsp. of Hershey’s Unsweetened Cocoa and whisk till smooth.  Set aside to cool.

Beat 4 eggs and 1/4 ts. salt till light and frothy.

Add 1/2 cup of sugar, 1 and 1/2 cups of brown sugar and blend gently with a spatula.

Add 1 cup of flour, folding in carefully and taking the time not to over mix.

Bake in a 9 * 13 for 22-25 minutes.

The taste is not sweet and is a delightfully dark.

Serve in very small square servings with petite glasses of milk on a serving tray for your guests or family.

Sopa de Pollo con Calabaza

31 Monday Jan 2011

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Don’t be frightened by the size of the task, for the Lord my God is with you.   1 Chronicles 28:20 TLB

makedomondays

We saved our Cinderella Pumpkin from fall and decided to break it open and see if it was still fit for consumption. Our pumpkin was so heavy I could not pick it up so my beloved did the hard work, lifting, not to mention cutting and cooking.

Nobody else can do the work that God marked out for you.   Paul Lawrence Dunbar

We had been storing it in the garage. Todd stepped in at this point cutting one-quarter of the pumpkin up into cubes and simmering it on the stove top for about ninety minutes.  From the sofa reading I watched as he drained off cooked pumpkin and set aside leaving the lovely orange broth in the pan.  He added 2 tablespoons of butter to a small metal dish …floated it on top the broth for a couple of minutes, and dangerously pulled it with his bare hands added 2 tablespoons of flour to the butter and made a roux.

Next he added the breast of one chicken from a rotisserie chicken(hand shredded) from the market.  (I try to keep one on hand at all times as my back up plan) sprinkled a bit of curry, cinnamon, salt and pepper to taste, added the roux and garnished with green onions.

The most rewarding things you do in life are often the ones that look like they cannot be done.     Arnold Palmer

A Walgreens Christmas Dinner

28 Monday Dec 2009

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The Christmas season in a pastor’s home is always an active time, and this year is no exception, but our family planned ahead, purchased and shipped all our gifts early, and managed to send out one box of  Christmas cards to most of our family.  At  the store a memo was posted notifying us no time off would be granted in December — no need to ask.  With that the pace quickened as Christmas approached, and my part-time job became a full-time thing.   There was less time to prepare for Christmas than in previous years,  and we encountered a few unanticipated “opportunities” for faith and laughter, but it had been a fun-filled month of anticipation.   On the weekend before Christmas we had an Open House for young and old from our church, Todd’s folks arrived the twenty-third, the house was tolerably clean, and we waited excitedly for the Texas and North Carolina cousins to arrive.  And then…

“the night before It was Christmas and we were without…”, gifts needed wrapping, and the trip to the grocery store was fast disappearing.  My husband who had been down for the count sick for three days finally arose in the morning of Christmas Eve day with no voice, and it was looking like this year’s sermon would be retitled “Silent Night” and the Christmas story would be done in pantomime.    His voice recovered, a few packages got wrapped.  I dressed in my most festive attire and off to work I went at eight am.  Somewhere during the day my husband called to see if I would be up for going out to lunch.  I looked at my boss and asked her if I was crazy to go out given I only had a cooked Country Ham for Christmas dinner and was unable to find a Crown Roast at any local store.  I was still absent of the necessary sides for dinner. She and I concurred I must go and be carefree for a couple hours and “just shop later”…perhaps very quickly before our six pm Christmas service. Sounded like a good idea at the time.

The story picks up quickly at this point because with so many unwrapped presents, the only rule as every one wrapped that afternoon was that you could not wrap your own.  We ran out of wrapping paper at one point and began wrapping with scraps…a real patch job.  We then left at five for the service and decided a little run to the market after the service would have to do. 

Around eight pm Marilyn (Todd’s Mom) and I left for the one place we were sure would be open on Christmas eve.  I know you’ll shudder if I put the big box store name in print so we’ll leave it out and let you fill in the details.  We pulled into the parking lot just as the doors were being locked, lights turned off, and shoppers left the store, bags in hand.

Marilyn and I start to laugh hysterically as we and an army of late shoppers sped across the street to another grocer only to see the same thing unfold. My face went pale and my mind numb as I started envisioning my bare pantry and lonely, country ham — naked in the middle of my beautifully set table with nothing to dress it up. My mother-in-law was not phased and said “Trish we just need to find a 7-11, we’ll be fine, we’ll make-d0.”  The light bulb went on for me in that moment as I realized the Walgreens would be open.  Others would soon realize the same thing, and another stampede was about to begin.  The first ones to Walgreens would get the choicest crops from their canned goods aisle.  We sped off in a hurry…   

We leapt out of the car, grabbed one of the last carts available and there we were, standing in the canned goods aisle at Walgreens preparing Christmas dinner, laughing uncontrollably as Marilyn author of , Taste and See That The Lord Is Good ~ Psalm 34:8,  ( a published cookbook) creatively put together dishes from what was available for our Christmas Dinner.   

Our menu:

A jar of green olives and a can of black olives

Green beans and Campbell’s Mushroom soup (no French-fried onion available) home- made caramelized onions topped the dish

Peas and mushrooms

Au Gratin potatoes (from the box)

Corn pudding made with canned corn

Orange jello and crushed pineapple ( my daughter’s contribution)

Frozen Mrs. Smith pumpkin pies

Our Country Ham and Sweet potato biscuits from Smithfield, Virginia shipped earlier that month from the Southards. 

Don’t you all wish you were here for this delicious Christmas dinner from Walgreens.

Trish and Marilyn

A Christmas Devotion

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My family was leaving a Chinese restaurant after lunch on Christmas Eve in 2006.  A little boy about 9 years old asked his Mom if he was Jewish?  She said “No!” and the boy shouted back “RATS!”
He then asked “What I am?”  Mom’s reply was too soft to hear.  It was a teachable moment as we backed our car out of the parking lot. I asked our daughter the same question — “Who are you?”
I knew even before she answered she would say “Child of God,” because over the years we have sought to share our Christian faith and heritage with her, so that she may know she is fearfully and wonderfully created by God.  The map to who we are, where we are and come from,  must be communicated to our children, our neighbors, and our coworkers, those in our spheres of relationships as well as others who are not.

The Christmas season the world offers is a Retail Christmas.  Though exchanging gifts brings great joy, without Christ at the center it will not lead us anywhere closer to the true essence of Christ and His message, but become a distraction at the very time of the year we set a day aside to celebrate Immanuel — God with us.  Bumbling along in a haphazard existence will give our children a life with no identity, no sense of who they are, and open them up to other’s values and beliefs, man’s way and not God’s way.  They will not have a map of life.

In Barbara Tompkins Mom’s Class last year we made Jesse Tree‘s ornaments.   Our family systematically read through the story of Christ and hung ornaments on a small pink feather tree as our Christmas decorations were all packed and ready for our move the Texas the next week.  It was a comical tree with a serious message in those Jesse Tree ornaments, the story of God found in the Bible, a message of

God’s love and provision of redemption found in Jesus Christ.   

We are all unpacked this Christmas, and instead of the pink feathered tree, we are back to our home-grown artificial tree as we again tell the story of who we are in Christ by telling the story of God and his redemptive plan of salvation.  Each ornament symbolizes an accompanying Bible story that, with the help of the book The Advent Jesse Tree, Devotions for Children and Adults Preparing for the Coming of Christ Child at Christmas (Nashville: Abington Press) directs us to a daily story from the Bible and provides songs of praise to sing as a family.

As Christmas arrives our anticipation is toward the greatest gift God has given the world — the birth of Jesus the Christ, God’s own Son, Immanuel — God with us.  The Scriptures read throughout the month show us The Way, providing a clear and concise map of who we are, the identity we have in our Lord Jesus, the hope of glory.

Resting in Him,

Trish

Make do… Tucson Tuna Noodle

23 Monday Nov 2009

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Teddy Bear Cholla

We were out of mayonnaise and I decided to substitute the Marie’s Jalapeno Ranch and top with tortilla chips instead of the traditional Lay’s. The dish was quite a nice twist on the traditional, and my family real enjoyed the standby casserole on a chilly night.

1/2 jar of Marie’s Jalapeno Ranch

1/2 jar of Newman’s Own Alfredo Sauce

1 – 12 ounce can of Starkist Tuna drained well                                                                                         

makedomondays

1 box of noodles cooked ( I prefer bow tie pasta/ whole grain if available)

Mix well, and place in oiled pan topping with buttered,  hand crushed tortilla chips.  (Just throw a few dabs of butter here and there after you put the chips on top, and bake till golden @ 425 degrees.

Enjoy,

Trish                                                                                                                                                  

 

Patty’s Cakes

22 Sunday Nov 2009

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We ran out of flour so I made do with a substitution of 1 cup of “Hodgson Mill”, whole grain brown flax seed and 1/4 c of 100% whole grain whole oats.  The family raved about them, and we have now switched over on a permanent basis. 

1 c of whole grain brown flax seed

1/4 c of whole grain whole oats

2 ts baking powder

1 beaten egg

1 c milk

1 tbsp oil (your favorite)

2 tbsp sugar

Mix well till smooth, and allow to cook thoroughly on the griddle.  Take care when flipping and use two spatulas if possible.  Makes 8 small patty-cakes. 

Serve with a dash of sugar and a squeeze of lemon.

Flipping cakes,

Patty

aka Trish

Sandwiched Between Two Parents

09 Friday Oct 2009

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fof

 

One morning this week Todd was making lunch for our lovely teen daughter. She has always preferred one piece of bread cut in half with just the meat. Mom’s just know what their kids like best. My husband was making a sandwich with everything in the fridge on it with two pieces of bread. He had large pieces of lettuce, a large slice of tomato, mayo on both pieces of bread, 6 or 7 slices of turkey, a real Dagwood sandwich.   I was aghast…she doesn’t like mayonaise…or lettuce.  But I held my tongue.  She would face this alone.  Mom needed to step back as there was no sense micromanaging my husband’s sandwich production.  My daughter could just pull off what she didn’t like at school.

I envisioned her distaste as she slipped the gigantic sandwich from her lunch bag in front of all her friends.  Later that evening she called me into her room.  I expected she would quietly bemoan her mayo and meat behemoth.  But this was a meeting of another order, a monumental announcement from our formerly finicky eater who is exploring new horizons this year from cross country to choir.   In the kindest way possible she said “Mom, I don’t want to hurt your feelings, but I like how Dad makes my sandwiches.  Do you think you could add all the extras like he does?”

 

Stepping back,

Trish

The Smaller Footprint

06 Tuesday Oct 2009

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During our years in Tucson our small group read a book by Randy Frazee “Making Room fo Life”.  The Navigator staff couple leading the group asked us to read and implement the changes in every area of our life.  Our first change was to purchase a home in an area walking distance to school, a market, and would allow us to ride our bikes to and from work in good weather.  Freeing ourselves from the additional expense of one car, and ultimately allowing ourselves more time as a family.  We recently moved to a Texas and our home we selected had to fall into all the categories to be a “go”. 

Walking home from work today took exactly 16 minutes. 

These hidden blessings to our family have been the sunshine in the occasional cloud of inconvenience.

First off, our windshield time has been reduced dramatically. We stopped going in all different directions and started moving in the same direction as a family laughing, exercising and simply enjoying each others company as we are physically in each others presence.

Our school, tennis courts, restaurants, market and work are in close proximity to our neighborhood.

Walking to anywhere or riding your bike is not only is refreshing 

During our years in Tucson our small group read a book by Randy Frazee “Making Room of Life”.  The Navigator staff couple leading the group asked us to read and implement the changes in every area of our life.  Our first change was to purchase a home in an area walking distance to school, a market and would allow us to ride our bikes to and from work in good weather.  We are now free from the additional expense of one car.  We recently moved to a Texas and our home we selected had to fall into all the categories to be a “go”. 

Walking home from work today took exactly 16 minutes. 

These hidden blessings to our family have been the sunshine in the occasional cloud of inconvenience.

First off, our windshield time has been reduced dramatically. We stopped going in all different directions and started moving in the same direction as a family laughing, exercising and simply enjoying physically being in each other’s presence.

Our school, tennis courts, restaurants, market and work are in close proximity to our neighborhood.

Walking to anywhere or riding your bike is not only is refreshing as you enjoy fresh air, we are together more often laughing  while doing these things  and modeling a smarter, simpler lifestyle for our teen. 

Our daughter had a flat tire recently and undeterred rode her skateboard beside me as I rode my bike to the new breakfast spot that opened near our home.  We ride our bikes to the orthodontist, our family doctor, the post office and the library.  I rode my bike to pay my recent speeding ticket at the local police station.

My husband keeps our one car in tip-top shape, keeping up with repairs.  We rent a car when taking long trips out-of-town, and when attending a women’s retreat in Dallas I was able to rent from Enterprise a nice sedan for the weekend.

We communicate each day about our various errands, talking through our day instead of living out our lives separately.

Park a car for a day, a weekend, and work up to a month and perhaps permanently.  Methodically move towards a slower and healthier life creating a tight-knit family in today’s jam-packed lifestyle.

I advise something which frees you of additional financial pressures, your family leaves a visible smaller carbon footprint, and all relationships in your life especially the one with God have the space they need to flourish.

Resting in Him,

Trish

Vegetarian Refried Beans

19 Saturday Sep 2009

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 This week our church started reading Ann’s book “Not So Fast”.  We had a  lot of laughs as our leader Debbi Keller had us name off all our roles on any given day.  The small group  spent most of the time just  getting acquainted.  We will meet for the next ten weeks to discuss two chapters a week, and pray for our children.  Two of the Mom’s are vegetarian and from India. Interesting to hear their stories of having arranged marriages.  Looking forward to next week and developing friendships with all the women in the group.

 

 

 October Fest Carnival

 Rosh Hashanah is literally the head of the Jewish New Year followed by ten “Days of Repentance.”  I think of my Jewish friends on Jewish holidays and of the many blessings they bring into my life.  I have learned the importance of planning meals ahead of time for the weekend and lessons of their Jewish faith, both lasting gifts from Stacie, Elisa, Julie and Wendy.   They prepare dishes early on Friday mornings so they can enjoy their family over the Shabbat or Sabbath. 

Here is a simple, heart healthy starter dish you can prepare for your family in advance for the weekend.  Top off salads, fish or tortillas, convert to chili, or do or anything else you imagine for that matter:

Boil 2 pounds of pinto beans for 1 hour  and drain off the water completely

Saute in EVOO, one ice-cream scoop full of chopped garlic 

Chop 1/4 of a red onion and toss in with the onions

Slice off 1/4 of a fresh jalepeno

1/4 cup of Valentina Salsa Picante 

Combine all with drained beans in crock pot on low and add water to about 1/2 way up the beans

Put the top on and set for 3 hours on low 

 The beans will be quite dry the first time served, but after a day or so in the fridge they’ll be quite nice. 

Serve with fresh cilantro, a squeeze of lime, and if your diet allows, La Morenita, Queso Fresco crumbled sparingly on the beans.

The only oil in the recipe to help justify the refried title is the extra virgin olive oil.

Cynthia Heald speaks on the Sabbath and rest in her new release this month.

“Jesus confirmed that the Sabbath, a day of rest instituted by God, was made for us (See Mark 2:27). Christians now set aside the Lord’s Day for worship, for our rest is not in a day, but in a Person. We are no longer bound by the Old Testament law to keep the Sabbath, but nevertheless I think that as we observe the rhythm of God, we would be wise to rest one day a week. I do my best to schedule one day where I do not have to do anything. It doesn’t mean that I sit all day and do nothing, but I avoid pressing appointments or obligations for that particular day. For me, at my season in life, it is a day for quiet, for extended time with God, or for time with a friend. I know what it is like to have children, activities, work, etc., but even with your family, do what you can to keep a day that is commitment free. I think that this is God’s way for us to manage stress – to stop and rest from our labor one day a week. ”  

                                                                                                                                       –  Cynthia Heald, Becoming a Woman of Simplicity,Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2009, pg.122, www.navpress.com

Rest up this weekend,

Trish