Works For Me Wednesday

Chicken Divan.

4 Chicken Breasts
1 large can or 2 small cans cream of chicken soup
1 cup mayo
1 package egg noodles-cooked

Cook the chicken breasts. I like to put them in the crock pot in the morning on high and add about 1/2 bottle of Italian dressing for some extra flavor.

Line the bottom of 9x13 pan with cooked chicken. Mix the soup and mayo and spread 1/2 of this mixture on top of the chicken. Spread the noodles on top of the soup mixture and spread the rest of the soup mixture on the top of the noodles. Sprinkle some bread crumbs on top- you can also add shredded cheese if you want.

Bake covered at 350 degrees for about 30-45 min.

This is an easy and delicious meal that my family LOVES. I found the recipe somewhere on the the Internet about 18 months ago and we eat it at least every other week.

Works for me! Read other ideas at http://rocksinmydryer.typepad.com.

Blog Party

I'm sure by now you've heard of the big happenings at 5 Minutes for Mom! The week of March 2nd there is to be a HUGE blog party over there with lots of fun and free stuff. Go check it out!

Wordless Wednesday

Don't mess with my brother when he's hungry!

Blast From the Past!

Here I am, a dorky 13 year old adolescent- a product of the 70's! Check out that polyester shirt.

For more "dorky" pictures, check out "Glass half full" at http://tripfamily.blogspot.com.

Who is that Girl?

May, 1988, Boston Massachusetts. I had just graduated valedictorian of my class- I was on cloud 9! My Dad was congratulating me and I was just floating. My dream thoughout the four years of college was to do well and for my parents to be proud of me. They footed the bill and I worked very part time for spending money. I felt very indebted to them. I was telling this to a friend of mine and he said, "You just need to do your best so they will be proud of you". This conversation took place the beginning of my first year and I determined to take his advice.

So when I graduated valedictorian, I was elated! I had done it- I had made them proud of me. I know they would have been proud of me regardless, but it felt so right to have it known publically how well I had done.

That seems like years ago- like it was someone else. I look at that picture and wonder where that young girl went. I dream of going back into that time when my biggest responsibility was getting homework done and getting up in time to eat breakfast. I was so naive and so innocent about life. Too bad youth is wasted on the young when they have no idea how good they have it.

Wordless Wednesday

Christmas, 2006. He'd had enough.

I do not like cleaning the shower/tub. It is one of my most disliked jobs in the house. For many years, I did not clean the shower until things were growing in there and then it took me a LONG time to get it clean and it took alot of cleaner/bleach to get it respectable.

Now, I keep a scrubie just for cleaning the shower in the shower and when I take my shower, I scrub the walls using bath soap/gel. This works because I am able to get all parts of the shower, including the tub part, and it doesn't matter if I get wet. I do not have to use chemicals- only my shower gel. I try to do this every other day or so, so the shower does not ever look dirty.

Works for me!! Read more at http://www.rocksinmydryer.typepad.com

Jillian

I've added a button to my sidebar with Jillian's picture. (The little girl I posted about a few postings down). Please keep her in your prayers and visit her mom's blog for more updates.

Blessings

How young my husband and I look in this picture! It was taken about 4 months before we were married in 1988. We were so young and innocent and thought we knew it all. Little did we know what we were in for. Our first year of marriage was rough. We were both stubborn and selfish and it showed. We had many fights and disagreements and too many ugly words. But, somehow, God blessed us.

Our marriage did not "bloom" until we lost a baby in 2003. It was then that we realized life was not about us, but about raising the next generation for Him. We realized that not every pregnancy would result in a healthy baby. We learned that losing a baby, at any time during a pregnancy, hurts worse than you can imagine. And we learned that we can hang onto God and His truth during the most devastating times.

And through this, we learned that every life is a gift, even a life that lives for only eleven weeks in utero. That short life was a gift. Samuel, our son born after the miscarriage, is a treasure, because we know the pain of losing a life.

I am begging God for another gift, another life to pour my life into. His answer has been no so far, and I am submitting to His perfect will. If His answer is permanently no, then I will be OK with that. But until I know that for sure, I will keep asking and begging Him to bless me.

"The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away; blessed be the Name of the Lord".

Thursday

Thank God I'm over the mean and grumpies! Today was a much better day all around. I don't understand why I get like that sometimes. Human I guess.

My husband gave me a Valentines Day gift of seeds and the promise of making me some square foot gardens. We are excited about gardening. He tried a few years ago, but I was not involved (stubborn). Now that I am involved, I am hoping it goes better. I'm looking forward to some fresh lettuce.

My son Sam will be 2 in April. Here he is in his favorite hat:

Homemade laundry detergent works for Me! I had used Tide for years because it was the only detergent that got my kids clothes clean. Cheap laundry soap never worked and it made me frustrated because doing laundry is ALOT of work, whether you have 2 or like me, 5 kids. Tide is not cheap, but it works.

I read on a couple of message boards about this homemade laundry detergent. I was full of doubts, but I decided to try it. I am amazed. It gets everything out except the most set in mud or spaghetti sauce. I have used it for about a month, and I will NEVER go back. My kids can get clothes dirty big time and this soap gets their clothes clean.

The magic recipe? It's so easy and so quick! Grate 1 bar Ivory soap. (I use an old cheese grater). Add 1 cup borax and 1 cup washing soda. Mix. Store in an airtight container. Use 2 tbsp. for every load. Add the soap first and give it a minute in the water to dissolve.

THAT'S IT! It couldn't be easier. You can make liquid, but it is a lot more time consuming. Also, I use vinegar instead of fabric softener. Works well also and you are not putting all those chemicals on your clothes to rub on your body.

Works for me! Check out more ideas at http://rocksinmydryer.typepad.com.

Wordless Wednesday

Summertime, Summertime, Sum, Sum, Summertime.......

Saturday

My heart is heavy this morning. 3 year old Jillian, daughter of a blogger that I've been reading for over a year, has a football sized tumor inside her chest that is squishing her heart. Her condition has gone from serious to grave in a matter of hours. If they don't do something quick, she may die within 3 days. Her mom's name is Katie. Please keep them both in your prayers.

It seems that lately I've read about alot of children that have gone to be with Jesus on blogs. Canon, Elena, Eliot, Joel, are just a few. Many days I've read the blogs with tears streaming down my face. How easily it could be my children.

My oldest son turned 17 yesterday. One more year and he will be of "legal" age. We're not sure about his future direction, but he is committed to following God's plan for his life, as are we. We are praying God will make that direction clear in the next few months.

Thursday

I finished reading Terri Maxwell's Managers of Their Chores. It was a great book, and offered a unique way to do chores with chorepacks. We will implement this system; however, I don't think it will work until we impliment a schedule. So, back to Managers of Their Homes.

I do not like the idea of a schedule. I do not like the idea of having to do what the schedule says when it says it. I want to do what I want to do, when I want to do it. However, this mentality has caused us to have the worst homeschooling year in our 10 year history. Even I know we need a schedule and I am willing to do what it takes to get it done right. Flexibility is great, but it can also be a detriment. Balance is the key and we are falling short on the side of structure in the name of flexibility. So changes are coming......

This is one of my favorite pictures of my son Samuel. He was 2 months old and so cute. I miss the days of having a baby around. I'm praying God will send me 1 or 2 more. I'm only 40, so it could happen, but it's not. Pray for me!

Have a great day.

Beth

Psuedotumor

Have you ever heard of this medical condition? I hadn't either until I was diagnosed with it about 1 year ago. I had been experiencing horrible headaches for 4 months. They were positional headaches- usually, if I laid down flat, they went away. At their worst, I couldn't even lay on a flat pillow. I was convinced that it was my blood pressure medicine. I went to doctor after doctor to no avail. I had two cat scans and lots of blood work. I have no medical insurance, so I was dependent upon whatever help I could get.

Anyway, my church intervened and paid for me to go see a neurologist. She picked it up right away. My body was producing too much estrogen and causing the covering around my brain to not let brain fluid out. Therefore, I had too much brain fluid in my head which was causing the headaches.

It is a condition that never really goes away. After the initial 4 months of terrible headaches, they slowly got better. I still had some pressure, but nothing like the first headaches. Since October, I've not even had the pressure. I was convinced I was cured.

Last week they returned. I've had a headache, on and off, for 8 days. They're not as bad as they were, but they are annoying and make me want to lay down at all times. They make me crabby and grumpy (I don't need much help here!!) and I don't want to be bothered with anything, including my children.

So, that's where I am. I would appreciate your prayers that this pressure will go away. The one "cure" is to lose weight, which I have been diligently trying to do since October. However, I found out I have a fatty liver, which makes losing weight all but impossible and very s-l-o-w. It's a catch 22 situation, one I'm trying to make the best of.

Beth

Time for another WFMW! I am kind of at a loss at what to tell you all about. But one Valentines Day sticks out in my memory. We had been married about 5 years and had 2 little boys and an even littler amount of money. It was Val. Day, and I had nothing for my sweetheart. I scrounged around and found a card that would work, but nothing for a gift. In my scrounging around, I came across a poem Paul had written. It was on the back of a piece of paper, like most of his poems were. I had a lightbulb moment! I flew around that house while my boys were napping, and came up with most of the poems that I knew he had written. I typed them up on the computer, printed them up and bound them in a folder.

He was shocked when he saw what I had done and touched that I would put that much work into a gift for him. He loved seeing his poetry all typed and printed and looking so nice. And, a few weeks later, I copied all the poems and sent them to his mom for her birthday. A double whammy!

That's my big idea! It worked for me and maybe it will spur your imagination to a homemade gift for your sweetheart. Read more ideas at http://rocksinmydryer.typepad.com.

Sunday

Our church was full this morning. We had a send off service for one of our fine young men. John is 19 and has landed a job in the political field, his dream for years, but it entails him moving 13 hours away. He also had a dream about a certain young lady and God brought that all to fruition this past week. It is amazing to watch a true courtship and betrothal take place. No dating, no kissing, no touching, no baggage when married! This young couple is starting out further ahead than most today. It thrills me to watch how God brought them together in a non cultural way. It gives me great hope for my children!

My oldest son turns 17 this week. I am in shock. How do the days, which tend to pass so slow, add up to 17 years? I was so excited when I found out I was expecting him. I had always loved babies and to think that I was going to have one of my own was beyond exciting. He has always been a good boy and always looks out for his mom. I am praying God will send him a very special young lady.

Paul, my oldest and Samuel, my youngest.

Free Jewelry!

http://www.5minutesformom.com is having a contest for free jewelry! The piece they are giving away is very cute and worth the small effort to enter to win. Go on over ant take a look.

Beth