thinking before i speak

I just wrote up an entire blog post and decided to stop myself before I published it. For if I published it now, it would be out of a heated moment and about a topic that really gets me going. So instead of ranting and raving like a crazy lunatic with no self control, I’m going to BREATHE. Then, I’m going to edit my blog post a little bit and post it here once I’m not so worked up.

But for now, I leave you with this. For THIS is what I’d REALLY like to say to a few peeps today. But would regret it if I said it any other way:

Tags: motherhood, blogging, mind your own business, self control

hangar cafe

Have you ever been to The Hangar Cafe? HAVE YOU? Oh my sweet goodness you HAVE to go.

It’s at the Chandler airport not TOO far from where we used to live. When we lived out in the East Valley, we never went to it, although I always heard good things about it. So one day a week or so ago, I decided to take the boys. So we picked up my sister and headed out there for the morning. And it sure was AMAZING. Right when you walk in, they have planes just parked only feet away from where the cafe is located. Cruz was ELATED to see these big planes up close. Well, they actually were SMALL planes, but big to him. You know, those kinds of planes that you couldn’t BRIBE me to fly in. But they were very cool to see up close. The cafe sits right along the runway, so we got to eat, talk and watch the planes come and go right from the patio of the cafe. The food was super good, service was fantastic. After lunch, we were allowed to go INSIDE the hangar and see some of the planes they were working on up close! I cant wait to take them back to the Hangar Cafe. If you’re in the area and looking for a fun lunch spot, look no further! Especially if you have little boys, this is better than a museum!

 

homemade bread

Holy moly, I actually did it. If you haven’t read my previous post, then let me fill you in quick. Or you can also scroll down and just read it. But basically I’m setting out to make some different decisions for my family. This is a NEVER ENDING battle for me and something I think I’m always going to struggle with. FOOD. I’ve struggled with food since I was in high school, really. I mean, really, really, really struggled with it through college. BUT, that’s for another blog post. I don’t struggle with it in those ways anymore, but my health, finding a balance and making good decisions is a constant battle for me.

For all of us, right? I know I’m not alone.

So I’m setting out to try to set myself up for success. So I took a few hours on Sunday and set it aside to COOK. And man alive, I DID IT. I cooked FOUR loaves of bread. Yes, FOUR. I made two loaves of white sandwich bread (the recipe will be below) and I made two loaves of Amish Friendship bread. If you’ve never had Amish Friendship bread, hit me up and I’ll pass some to you in ten days. OMG YUM. I cooked about three pounds of shredded chicken to have on hand, I cut up ALL my fruits and veggies for the week, I made breakfast cookies, no-bake energy bites, quinoa and rice to have on hand. I stocked and prepared my fridge for this week and I am SO proud of myself. Carving out three to four hours to do all of that was a huge discipline for me. But it was super energizing because now I can confidently make quick breakfasts and lunches for us. And this week has been SO MUCH EASIER in that regard. Usually I run through Chickfila because I don’t have time to cook during the lunch hour. It’s just easier to grab stuff out. But this time I’m prepared. So I’m going to work hard to make this a new habit for myself. It’s a constant discipline in my life. And it makes it harder that cooking isn’t my most favorite thing to do. But I do feel more confident as meal time approaches because I’ve prepared my meals and I can know with full certainty that my kiddos aren’t eating checmicals and preservatives.

Praise God.

I’ve had a few people ask me for the homemade bread recipe that I used. I never realized how EASY making homemade bread was!! Time consuming, but easy. This recipe made one loaf for now and one to freeze for later. So I’m hoping to do a huge bread making day soon and so I can stock my freezer of bread. Then I won’t have to make it every week. But there’s something very satisfying to me about making your own bread, and I really found it fun! I actually JUMPED up and down (kind of high in the air, actually haha) when my bread came out looking and tasting perfect. I usually ruin stuff in the kitchen. So the fact that this bread is amazing is PROOF that anyone CAN do it. It just takes time, discipline and a DESIRE to actually do it.

Check it out. And leave me any links to recipes you love too! I love to share ideas!

HOMEMADE BREAD

Ingredients

- 2 Cups Warm Water
- 2 Packets Yeast
- 2/3 Cup Sugar
- 1 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
- 1/4 Cup Vegetable Oil
- 5 1/2 (or a little more) Cups Flour

Directions

1. In large glass bowl dissolve the sugar in the warm water and stir in yeast. Allow to proof about 5-10 minutes until it looks foamy.

2. Mix in salt and oil to the yeast. Mix in flour 1 cup at a time.

3. When dough has formed a ball, knead on a lightly floured surface until smooth (not sticky) about 5 minutes.

4. Wipe down your previously-used glass bowl and oil it well. Place the dough in bowl and turn to coat surface of dough with the oil. Cover with plastic wrap that has been sprayed with non-stick spray (trust me on this one).  Cover with a towel and put it in a warm area. Allow to rise until it has doubled in bulk.

5. Knead the dough lightly and cut it in half. Shape it into loaves and place into two well oiled loaf pans.  Cover both with sprayed plastic wrap.  Put one loaf in the freezer (more on this loaf later).  Cover the other loaf with a towel and allow to rise for 30 minutes.

6. Bake your bread in a preheated over at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

7. Let your bread sit for at least 15-30 minutes in the pan after it comes out of oven to finish setting up…then dig in!

8. For the Freezer Loaf:  After about 8 hours, take it out of the freezer, remove it from the pan, wrap it in plastic wrap & then put it in a labeled freezer bag.  It will keep in the freezer for up to 6 months.  When you’re ready to use it, unwrap it and put it in an oiled loaf pan directly from the freezer.  Cover with oiled plastic wrap and a towel and put in a warm place for about 3-4 hours.  The dough will thaw and rise at this time.  After that, follow the instructions for baking!

Here’s my picture of my bread just out of the oven!

So fun. I found this recipe on Pinterest, but it was actually from this blog. In her blog post, she details out the cost of the bread versus store bought bread. Check it out. It averages to about $1.00 a loaf. Bread doesn’t need to be complicated, people. And it feels SO much better knowing that you’ve made and eaten something that is actually only five ingredients or so. AND that you can pronounce them. I can’t wait to make more!

So, have at it and HAPPY BAKING!

Tags: baking, bread, cooking, family, meals, preparation, recipes

new approach

I have REALLY been beating myself up lately over some habits I’ve formed that I’m not SUPER proud of. Meaning, we eat out too much, I’m eating too much processed food, and not cooking or preparing for me week the way I’d like.

Well my friends. THAT IS ALL ABOUT TO CHANGE.

Tomorrow I’m starting a NEW weekly habit. And I’m nervous about it because I’m NOTORIOUS for starting something of this nature and not following through. It takes a lot of discipline. And while I have quite a bit of discipline in my life, the area of anything domestic or if it involves working out is super hard for me. I’m not ashamed to admit it, BUT it is slightly embarrassing. It IS embarrassing to say that I’d rather get take out than cook. It’s not my favorite thing to do.

But alas. It IS better for my family. And it will save us a ton of money. And while I’m not one to clip coupons or only shop at the grocery stores that have the bargains this week, I DO think I need to be a better steward of what God’s given me in this area. Plus, it will be healthier for us. The food industry is pretty gross these days and I constantly feel convicted about not taking the time to prepare my week in such a way, so that I don’t need to eat out. But I’m exhausted and don’t take time to do it. Well, tomorrow starts a new day for me.

I have already done ALL the grocery shopping for next week. I have cleaned/organized our pantry. And I have a plan for tomorrow. Tomorrow, I am basically going to get most of what I need ready and in the fridge so we can quickly grab snacks and prepare meals within our busy schedules. Sundays is usually a down day for me anyways. My family usually comes over. I should be able to stand in the kitchen and prepare for the week while I’m visiting with all of them. And my sister even offered to help! Now I really have ZERO excuses.

So tomorrow I am going to be cutting fruits and vegetables and getting them organized into tupperware. If they’re all ready to go, it’ll make snacking and cooking with them much faster. I’m going to be baking two loaves of bread (yes, homemade bread!), banana bread, Amish friendship bread, homemade coffee creamer, no bake energy bites, breakfast cookies, quinoa, brown and white rice, and cooking enough shredded chicken to have on hand in my fridge to last me for the week. Are you tired? I AM TOO. But I really think this new approach to my kitchen is going to help me. I’m not trying to be super mom. I just DON’T have time every single day to cook. We are super, super busy people. But I DO have time on Sundays to prep for the meals we’ll need during the week. And I’m really convicted about what we put into our bodies and trying to avoid all the chemicals that are on the shelves these days. If you can’t pronounce it, you shouldn’t be eating it. It’s SO hard. So I’m going to try it. I’ll definitely post my success and/or failures that may ensue tomorrow. HA. Hopefully I have more successes than not. And I’m really praying and asking God to bless my time doing it so that it will make for a fruitful week. I’ll post my favorite recipes once I figure out what I’d like to share.

Wish me luck!

 

Tags: cooking, farmers market, food, meal planning, planning, recipes

don’t worry

* Image found on Pinterest.

he’s already there

Recently, I’ve had something pointed out to me that I’m not super proud of. It’s a deep rooted fear in my life, that was planted when I was just a little girl. Something that has shaped me into who I am today. And that while it CAN be a good thing, sometimes it brings fear into my life. You’d have to know a little bit more about my testimony and about my past to get the ENTIRE scope and understanding on my heart on what I believe the Bible is trying to tell me through these next two verses.  But today I’ll do the best I can to summarize it all here in today’s post. And if you want to know more of my story, let’s just go to coffee. HA.

Today’s two verses I’m talking about here today are:

‘She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes. She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.’ Proverbs 31:24-25

Of all the studying and researching I’ve done on these two verses, I’ve come to conclude this. That MANY people think that these verses are talking about her work, her income, what she wears, what she doesn’t wear, and her overall attitude. I’ve seen a pretty huge variety on how this verse can be interpreted. I think, that these verses DO talk about all of these things. But I’m going to touch on what I got out of it and how I’m applying it to MY life. These two verses spoke very directly and personally to me. And touched a nerve over a part of my life that I’ve really been struggling with lately.

I think these two verses are specifically speaking about this woman’s work life. Her home business that she is balancing in the middle of her home life. I think this woman is helping to provide for her family financially, using her God given gifts, talents and skills. I think that when it says she’s clothed with strength and dignity, that it’s specifically speaking to her overall attitude to WHY she’s working. And to the fact that she takes a lot of pride in her work. She CLOTHES herself with strength and dignity. Which in my interpretation, means that she is very aware of her limits. She is aware of her strength and what it takes to maintain that strength. She has dignity, which means she composes herself in a way that is worthy of respect. She is very present in her work, but knows her boundaries. She’s not looking to the future with worry, financially or otherwise. She laughs at it. Worrying ONLY about today. NONE of these attributes are rooted out of fear.

I’m going to share a few things about my life, that I hardly ever blog about. When I was a little girl, I watched my father essentially walk out on us. He walked away from my mom and his three little girls. I watched, as a twelve year old, my amazing mother, scramble to find some sort of job that would help provide a future for her children. I watched her pray. I watched her cry. And I watched her RISE to the challenge and she made it work for us. To say that my mother is my hero, would be a HUGE understatement. But I also, in those very moments of my mothers own personal fear, worry and uncertainty, made a decision. I decided that I would be a working mom. I KNEW I would work to help provide for my family.

The past is what it is. My parents divorce went through when I was entering high school. My dad moved to California. And my mom worked her butt off to keep us all in Scottsdale and in the neighborhoods we’d grown up in. I watched God provide for us in ways I couldn’t even comprehend as a child. And I learned more about a Savior who loves me, even through some really hard, difficult years where I dealt with a lot of anger, hurt and let down. I watched my own mom laugh at the future. Even though there were scary moments financially, by the grace of God we always made it by. We never went without.

So fast forward to today and this season in my life where these verses are STILL a real struggle for me. It’s not that I don’t think that God’s NOT going to provide for us. I KNOW that He will. He DOES in ways unfathomable for us. It’s incredible. But it’s the last line of these verses that I struggle with the most. I have a hard time laughing at the future. And it IS rooted out of fear. Now, understand me. I am NOT fearful that Jason is going to leave me like my own father did. But I DO fear something happening to him. What if he dies and I’m left to care for two little boys by myself? What if he’s in an accident and is a vegetable for the rest of his life? What if he loses his arms and can’t play guitar? The enemy uses these thoughts in my life so that I will become a bonafide workaholic. Trusting only in myself, working out of fear of the future instead of relying on a heavenly Father who promises to take care of me. It’s hard to retrain feelings and emotions that run so deep and from a place of childhood. It’s hard for me to look to the future and to KNOW with full certainty that it’s going to be ok. And that God is ALREADY THERE. I know in my heart that I trust that FULLY. But getting my head to rest in that fully is the challenge.

So I have a group of amazing friends that I’ve made here in Scottsdale. Friends who, about a month ago, pointed out this fear to me. Friends who reminded me that I don’t NEED to be so afraid of the future. They are right. This Proverbs 31 woman LAUGHS at the future. She isn’t afraid of it. She is strong, dignified, and works hard. She is working her home business to help provide for her family. And trusting that God will guide her steps should a tragedy occur.

I know that my mom never expected my dad to walk out on us the day she married him. She never thought the future would end up like it did. But God already knew that. He was already there. And it’s in the gentleness of my friends AND through the studying of this passage that God reminds me over and over that HE’S in control. It’s my job to work hard, to trust Him, and to rest in His peace. For He is directing the steps of my family. And I don’t need to be afraid of what’s to come. For He’s already there, ahead of me. He knows my fears, my insecurities and where they stem from. Am I trusting Him? Am I working so hard out of fear? Because I don’t need to be afraid. I don’t need to worry about the future. I am only really promised today and right now.

Fear of the future is something I’m constantly working on. And it stems from places that are deep for me. Things I don’t talk about too often. But I hope that this encourages you today. If you too, are afraid of the future, know that you aren’t alone. Laughing at the future is a discipline, I believe. Something that doesn’t come easily for most of us. And when I find myself working hard and when it’s coming from a place of fear, I have to step back. Step back and remember that I serve a God that is bigger than this fear. A God that knows my heart. One who knew my heart as a little girl. He was right there when the fear started. And He can wash it away. He can rise up beauty from the ashes of my life and turn my fears, insecurities and struggles into STRENGTH. If I rely on Him, he can clothe me in strength and dignity and bring me out of a place of fear. And into a place of peace and laughing at the future…

Every single day.

fab find

Normally, I don’t really shop online. I love hunting for the one quirky find through thrift stores, Target, or even other popular stores. I don’t like to limit myself to where I shop or where I find my clothes. I like to wear something that is cute, comfortable and ME. And if I like it, then I’ll wear it, regardless.

But I found this fun little top from Fresh Produce the other week and had to have it! I love pairing it with my Savers shoes that I scored for $4 and other fun jewelry. I’m always leery about shirts not fitting right if I shop online, but this one fits me perfectly!! Their size charts are awesome and this shirt is super comfy and light. Fresh Produce has a lot of different summer tops, tunics and other women’s tops that are super fun! This one that I’m wearing here was my favorite. I’m a total sucker for stripes. But they have a lot of different things to choose from that are simply perfect for summer. And you can rest assured that your item will fit you, once it arrives. Which is always a bonus because if you’re super busy like me, then you don’t really have time to waste mailing things back and forth. OR spending a lot of time in the dressing room.

With my fun Savers shoes!

Go check ‘em out if you never have! I love this shirt and can’t wait to try it with new skirts, jeans and other fun shoes!

** Fresh Produce now ships to over 200 countries, so women outside the US can enjoy the colorful styles, too!