Tag Archives: comfort

Another Beginning

20 Sep

In the early morning hours I sit here thanking the Lord for His sweet provisions.  For the birds singing His praises as dawn breaks and overcomes darkness once again.  For the brisk breeze sweeping away the last whisper of summer and ushering in autumn and the beauty of the colors of the falling leaves.  For the quiet house and sweet sleeping faces still tucked in tight , safe and dreaming away, waiting for the first rays to dance upon their faces.  For the blessing of another season to love, play, and worship. For breath, health, family, and friends.  But mostly for a Savior who is present with me, reminding me that the day is new and so are His mercies.  That yesterdays failures are todays testimonies. Another day, another chance, another beginning.

What are you thankful for today? I would love to know.

~Be Blessed and be a Blessing~

Rebecca

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I Saw Faith

16 Sep

I held a woman today as she sobbed for her daughter who recently passed away.  I have not drank from that cup so I can’t imagine the debilitating pain of losing a child.  There is nothing, even with my very best intentions, I could do to ease the terrible ache in her soul.  I did experience something extraordinary in the midst of her pain.  I saw real faith.  Not the “God is good because life I going my way” faith but faith in the arena of despair.

This woman, in her profound agony, said “I trust in you, Lord”.  She is battered and beaten, breathlessly crawling her way to the throne to the feet of our Savior and she says in between sobs, “I trust you, Lord”.

Faith that doesn’t doubt God’s goodness but trusts that He is Sovereign.   Faith that says “I’m not OK”, but I will be.  Faith that says “Your will, not mine”.

I know grace is given in accordance to what we are going through but I am not sure if my faith is that unshakeable.

What I do know, is that today, in the brokenhearted face of a mother, I saw faith and hope and trust and Jesus.

Through all the pain and heartache, the victory is still ours!

~Be Blessed and be a Blessing~

Rebecca

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It’s a Wrap

13 Sep

When we are wanting to whip up something quick but delicious, you will usually find a wrap on our dinner plates. Tortillas are so versatile, you can’t go wrong (well except for that one time…but we won’t talk about here). With a little prep work you can have dinner ready in a jiffy! This recipe will make 6-8 wraps.

You are going to need 1 large green pepper, 1 large onion, 2-3 Roma tomatoes, 
 1 8oz package of fresh mushrooms and 3 cloves of garlic. Chop pepper, onion,
 tomato and mushrooms into bite size pieces and finely chop the garlic. Set aside.
 1 package (8-10) of your favorite tortillas. *You'll want to turn your oven on warm now
 and add your tortillas if you are not microwaving them*
I have chopped up 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts into bite sized pieces.
For spices you are going to need 1 1/2 tsp salt, 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder,
1 tsp of black pepper and 1 tsp turmeric.
In a large skillet heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over med-high heat.
When pan is hot add your chicken breasts and seasonings. cook
6-8 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Remove from pan and set aside.
In the same pan heat another tablespoon of olive and heat over med-high heat.
Add the green peppers, and onions. Cook for about 4-5 minutes or until they are starting to get tender.
Add the mushrooms and tomatoes and cook another 2-3 minutes or until the veggies are
tender add the garlic and cook a minute longer. *Please note that you may have to adjust the cooking temperature of your
stove top*
Add the chicken back in and stir well.  Turn your heat down to low.
Get your tortillas ready.  *If microwaving your tortillas do it now. I add 2-3
at a time and heat for 15-20 seconds and repeat until all tortillas are warmed*
Add filling to center of tortilla and sprinkle on your favorite
cheese ( I used a Mexican 4 cheese blend).
Wrap up like a burrito and enjoy! Makes 6-8
burritos.

Ingredients
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 large green pepper
1 large onion
2-3 Roma tomatoes
1- 8 oz. package fresh mushrooms
3 garlic cloves
olive oil
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp turmeric
6-8 of your favorite tortillas (burrito size)
Your favorite shredded cheese
Instructions

-Chop green pepper, onion, mushrooms and tomatoes into bite sized pieces.Finely chop the garlic set aside
-Chop chicken breasts into bite sized pieces. In a large skillet heat 2 tablespoons of olive    oil     over 
med-high heat. When pan is hot add the chicken and spices. Cook 6-8 minutes or until cooked 
through. Remove from pan.
- In the same pan add another Tablespoon of olive oil and heat over med-high heat. Add the green pepper and onion. Cook 4-5 minutes or until they are starting to get tender. Add the mushrooms and tomatoes and cook an additional 2-3 minutes or until the veggies are tender. Add garlic and cook a minute longer.
-Add the chicken back in the skillet and mix well. Turn heat down to low.
-Prepare your tortillas by heating them up a bit (if you desire) in the microwave 15-20 seconds
or in a warm oven for 5-10 minutes.
-Add a heaping spoonful in the center of the tortilla and sprinkle on your favorite shredded cheese.
-Wrap up like a burrito and enjoy! Makes 6-8 wraps.

Another great add to these wraps is fresh flat leaf Italian parsley. It gives it such a fresh summery taste! Have fun and experiment with different spices and ingredients. It is fun to get the little ones in the kitchen and let them "design" their own. Our children are more likely to try something new and enjoy it if they had a hand in helping to make it.  Thanks for visiting!

~Be Blessed and be a Blessing~
Rebecca
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~Luvmybebebugs~

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We Will Never Forget

11 Sep

We all have our stories. Stories, that with time, our children will ask about.  Where we were, who we were with, and how we heard about it.  Stories that regardless of how much time passes will remain freshly etched in our minds and freshly felt in our hearts.

We all saw the horrific images and stayed glued to our TV’s for days.  We remember how eerily quiet the skies were and how we let our differences go to become united as a country.  In one day we saw the very worst and the very best of humanity.  We saw what one human being was willing to give up to save another human being, we saw heroism and bravery on a scale we might never actually get to witness again, and we were brought together as a country, even for just a moment, like we may never experience again.
For the brave men and women on the flights, for the first responders, for our firemen, police officers, for those who stayed back to make sure everyone got out, for those who left last, for those who went back in, for those who never came out, for the doctors, nurses, medical professionals, good Samaritans, clergymen, our brave soldiers, and all those who shed tears for the loved ones they lost-WE WILL NEVER FORGET!

God Bless the USA!!

~Be Blessed and be a Blessing~
Rebecca

 

*Photo credit Google images

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Awww Shucks!

6 Sep

I have really enjoyed my short time here on WP and have come across some awesome blogs.  I have received a few messages lately letting me know I have been nominated for a few liebster-awardawards. Thank you, I am very humbled!  Please visit and say hello to the sweet bloggers who nominated me, you won’t be disappointed!

http://alygeorges.wordpress.com/

and

http://kristenzuray.wordpress.com/

and

http://ebun23.wordpress.com/2013/09/19/the-liebster-award/

and

http://helenaalcala02.wordpress.com/

Have  nominated me for the  Liebster Award.

Here are the questions asked by http://alygeorges.wordpress.com/

MY 10 QUESTIONS FOR MY NOMINEES

1)      How has your childhood affected you?–It has shown me that with God nothing is broken.

2)      If you went back in time, is there one particular thing you would do differently?- It has all made me who I am. So I don’t think I would change a thing.

3) Is there any particular experience that has made a significant impact on your life? Being a teenage mama of a micro-preemie.

4)    If there was one thing you could do to make the world a better place, what would it be? End abuse and famine.

5)      What are the three most important things in your life? Jesus, Husband, and my chidren.

6)   What characteristic do you admire most in a person? Honesty and kindness.

7)   Is there anything you feel people don’t know about you that you wished they knew? Hmmmm…..

8)      What’s your favourite pastime? Bargain hunting and just spending time with my loves.

9)      If you had a chance to dine with three famous people, dead or alive, who would they be and what would you say to them? Jesus, Pontius Pilate, and John the Baptist.

10)  Do you have a favourite quote? If so, what does it state? I have many but this one comes to mind-“Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching.” ~C.S. Lewis.

and the sweet gal over at http://kristenzuray.wordpress.com/  asked these questions.

1.)  What prayer has God answered recently? School bussing for my oldest daughter. I love that God cares about even the smallest of details!

2.)  How do you wish God will use you? I have always admired missionaries who serve abroad, but God has me content where I am.

3.)  What is your spiritual gift? Service and mercy

4.)  What is something fun you like to do? Bargain hunting and spending time with my family.

The Official Rules Of The Liebster Award
If you have been nominated for The Liebster Award AND YOU CHOOSE TO ACCEPT IT, write a blog post about the Liebster award in which you:
1. thank the person who nominated you, and post a link to their blog on your blog.
2. display the award on your blog — by including it in your post and/or displaying it using a “widget” or a “gadget”. (Note that the best way to do this is to save the image to your own computer and then upload it to your blog post.)
3. answer 11 questions about yourself, which will be provided to you by the person who nominated you.
4. provide 11 random facts about yourself.
5. nominate 5 – 11 blogs that you feel deserve the award, who have a less than 1000 followers. (Note that you can always ask the blog owner this since not all blogs display a widget that lets the readers know this information!)
6. create a new list of questions for the blogger to answer.
7. list these rules in your post. (You can copy and paste them from here.)
Once you have written your post, and published it, you then have to:
8. Inform the people/blogs that you nominated that they have been nominated for the Liebster award and provide a link for them to your post so that they can learn about it (they might not have ever heard of it!)

These are some blogs I have really enjoyed and think you will to! I nominate, in no particular order-

http://thevintagecouple.wordpress.com/

http://rebecajones.wordpress.com/

http://salruv7.com/

http://ahundredaffections.wordpress.com/

http://helianthusblog.com/

http://redhotinspirations.com/

If you so chose to accept here are my questions for you.

1. What is your favorite Bible verse?

2. Favorite place you’ve ever visited.

3. Favorite movie?

4. Who do you most admire?

5. Favorite season?

~Be Blessed and be a Blessing~

Rebecca

My 13th first Day of School

5 Sep

Well, we made it through another summer vacation.  We had a lazy uneventful but fun summer.  I’ll admit, I am very sad to see it end. I am gearing up for my 13th first day of school….YIKES!

I was sitting here thinking back 13 (that flew by) years ago, Labor Day.  My oldest, Alison, was a precious itty bitty five year old with pink glasses.  She was anxious for her first day of kindergarten-I was not! Tuesday came. Even though we could of slept in a bit (because she had the afternoon class), Alison was up early-ready to make it official. Sporting a new outfit, her name tag, and her new pink backpack, that was almost bigger than her-we headed out on a beautiful Colorado day, on our short walk to school.  The classroom was buzzing with excitement as the kiddos explored their classroom and made new friends.  The teacher gave parents a few minutes to take pictures and give extra hugs.  One by one parents started to trickle out until it was just me.  I was thinking “They expect me to leave this precious child who hasn’t left my side for more than 5 minutes for almost 6 years, here alone-without her mama?”.  I made up my mind right then, that she needed me too much to leave. I was gonna stay.  Of course, the kindly teacher assured me that she would be OK and that I would see her in a few hours.  I left that classroom and cried my heart out all the way home. Sad, because life as I knew it had changed forever and it changed so suddenly in just one day. No more leisurely afternoon Hundred Acre Wood picnics, no more late night blanket fort sleepovers, and no more little shadow all the time.  She was a big girl doing big girl things- without me!  Time passed slowly that first day.  Time eventually passed and I made my way to pick her up.  I remember thinking how upset she must of been all day and how glad she will be when she sees me.  I envisioned her plowing through the crowd and jumping into my open arms begging to never go back.  When she saw me she was in tears, but not for the reasons I thought…the girl didn’t want to leave school.  She really burst my bubble.  She had a blast-without me!  Here I was mourning and she was having the time of her life.  Life did change that day but certainly not for the worse.  We just moved into a different season of life and it was still wonderful. Even if she is a high school senior!

Brouke came along and I went through it all again.  Now I am sitting in the same place as I was 13 years ago except this time, my baby-my last born, my only son will be  starting his journey as a first grader.  Yes, I will cry and have a moment but I will look on with joy as I watch my boy learn and grow and I’ll be reminded how very blessed I am.

I know many are here with me.  My prayer for you is that God will be near to each of you as you kiss the sweet faces of your babies as you send them out into the world. May he comfort you as you adjust to a new season. For all our babies, may God watch over each of them as they begin a new school year.  I pray for safety and protection over each of them.  May God Bless each of you!

~Be Blessed and be a Blessing~
Rebecca

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New Mama Chicken Casserole

2 Sep

I love, love, love bringing a meal to a new mama. It is such a nice stress reducer for a new family to not have to worry about dinner or having to spend a lot of money eating out the first few days and I’ll admit I kinda like getting my newborn fix! Blessing someone with a homemade meal can be quick, easy and budget friendly! I love this recipe because it can easily be put together and even easier for the recipient to throw it in an oven and serve. This is also a recipe my family loves and it is so easy to personalize it and make it your own!  Keep reading for the printable recipe.

The stars of the show.
mix together the soups, the milk and 1 Cup of cheese. Set aside.
Shred or cut chicken into bite sized pieces.
Add your drained egg noodles to a large bowl.
To the noodles add 1/2 the sauce mixture, the chicken, 1/2 C of cheese, and the peas. Mix well. Add more of the sauce mixture until you get a nice creamy moist consistency. I used all but about 1/8 of a cup of the mixture.
Add to your disposable baking dish and top with the last of the cheese.I brought this dish to the family unbaked so they could eat when they were ready. .
Have fun with this recipe! You can add potato chips on top to make a crunchy crust.  Try using mixed medley of vegetables or use leftover turkey instead of chicken.  I hope you enjoy this simple but yummy recipe. Thanks for stopping by!
 ~Be Blessed and be a Blessing~
Rebecca
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Meatloaf Muffins

27 Aug

What did you have for dinner tonight? I made for my family my meatloaf muffins. They take about 15 minutes to put together and you can customize them depending on the tastes of each family member (no whining when everyone can make their own). Use your favorite meatloaf recipe or you can give mine a whirl.

My basic meatloaf recipe is easy peasy-I start with 1 1/4 pound lean ground beef
and 1 small onion grated (using a box grater).
I add in about 14-18 crushed saltines (yes, saltines), 1 egg beaten, a few
splashes of milk, salt, pepper, and a little onion powder.
Mix Well.
This made exactly 12 muffins. From left to right-Row 1 topped with BBQ sauce
 and sliced onion. Row 2 made a well and put American cheese slices. I sealed the beef
 over the top and topped with ketchup and onion. Row 3 topped with ketchup and
 onion. Row 4 made a well and put in Colby-Jack cheese sealed it up and topped
 with BBQ sauce. Use your imagination! Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes and
 voila! Dinner is done! The meatloaf cooks through without drying out.
Here is what you get (American cheese stuffed topped with ketchup).
We serve ours with some mashed potatoes and salad.
What are your favorite easy go to meals?  If you’re a food blogger (or have a food blog you love) leave me a link in my messages, I would love to see what’s cookin’ in your neck of the woods.
~Be Blessed and be a Blessing~
Rebecca
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Good Intentions

24 Aug

Image“We are a culture trained to be a great starter but not a finisher”

-Beth Moore, A Woman’s Heart God’s Dwelling Place. Video session 9.

I am a gal filled with good intentions.  I daydream and plan loads of things, good things, and helpful things.  The problem is, is that they usually don’t come to pass.  I have purchased supplies to create beautiful things, and ingredients to cook delicious things to just have them collect dust and turn rotten.  I am by no means a mass collector of stuff, (I actually loathe clutter, even the secret kind) I am just a do it tomorrow person.

When watching the above mentioned video, my heart was deeply convicted.  Out of all I have learned and studied the past 10 weeks in this Bible study God decided this is where he wants me to focus a little more intently and seriously.

I seriously made the exasperated sigh generally reserved for teenage parental annoyance.  Seriously, of all things to call me out on You are choosing to call out my good intentions?

It brought me to a place that had me looking and praying long and hard as to why God was calling out this seemingly, insignificant part of my life.  Here is what I learned.  God wants me to make the most of my gifts and abilities.  By not following through I am falling prey to laziness.  Not just to my good intentions but to the most important parts of my life such as prayer, worship, wife, mother, homemaker, homeschooler, etc… I’ve looked over my life lately and see where my laziness as crept into every facet of my life.  Several verses came to mind but the one that really stuck to me was Proverbs 14:23, “In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty.” 

So all my talk and good intentions is stealing my full potential of what God has in store for me.  It never ceases to amaze me that God longs for us to strive for righteousness and He uses, sometimes, interesting outlets to bring forth change in us.

I am always a work in progress but I am sure glad to know that God sees the value in me and puts forth the love and time to help me to be all He has created me to be.  What an awesome God we serve.

Has the Lord convicted you of anything recently?  I would love to know how God is working in your life.

~Be Blessed and be a Blessing~

Rebecca

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Homemade Corndog muffins

21 Aug

I have been inspired by many Pinterest recipes some with and some without success.  Here is my version quick, easy, and delicious.  Keep reading for the printable recipe.

This is all you need!
My lovely assistant is demonstrating putting the hot dog pieces into the muffin pan.
Cover each hot dog piece up with some batter and bake for 15 minutes.

                                                                                                                                                
                                                                                 Voila!   Let cool in the pan for about 5 minutes to avoid them becoming a crumbly mess .  Was it a success?  Let’s find out…..                                                 Two enthusiastic thumbs up from my boy-o-boy.  He prefers it with no cheese.  As for my Mells?…..

                                                                                                                                                  

She gives it two thumbs and two toes up! She prefers hers with cheese.
Like it spicy?  Add some chopped Jalapenos to the batter.  Want it more meaty? Go ahead and add more hot dog to each cup.  Have fun making it your own!
 
 This recipe is economical, healthier than the fried alternative especially if you use turkey dogs.  It is quick, and easy enough the kids can help!  Makes a great on the go meal.   Thanks for visiting!
~ Be Blessed and be a Blessing~
Rebecca
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