Five Good Things In My Week...How About You?

What good things is God bringing into your week?  

1.  We get to be treated to dinner and fellowship with a dear couple from our church tonight.

2.  The weather is warming up to the 80's by the end of the week.

3.  We are completing our school year this Wednesday!  

4.  We are having an awesome home school field trip for our church this Friday to Virginia City.  All museums are free admission.  

5.  We are rejoicing over a teen young man accepting Christ last night after church in my husband's office!

I hope you have a very special week too!

Three Things To Help You To Continue This Week

There is a blessing from just continuing.  How can we continue if we are overwhelmed?

Some days, some weeks..."If I have to try to fit one more thing into this week...".  Are you there?

My motto currently is..."One day at a time".  That's all I need to handle.

Three things to help you to continue:

1.  Write out your day on paper.  

I like to make three plans in my notebook:  

1.  Softball schedule for the week of practices and games.  (We have three girls on three different teams so this is very crucial to being the right place at the right time with the right girl!)  

2.  My weekly menu.  There is nothing worse than coming to dinner time without a plan.

*I use a simple wide ruled notebook for these lists and I carry this everywhere I go.

*These two lists also go on my dry erase homemade in my kitchen where everyone can see what the day holds.

3.  My personal weekly schedule.  For my weekly schedule, I write each day and what appointments or specific tasks/errands that I have for that day.  

For example:  Chiropractor appointment, photo inspection job, lunch with a friend, piano lessons for the girls, etc.

2.  For those things you can't "control", give it to God in prayer.

A situation at work...a relationship with a friend...a heavy workload that is creating stress...a child that you don't have their heart...

When I have a crazy work schedule or a crazy client (ha ha!), I always pray over this.  God is the one who can give me the right schedule and client.

3.  Realize you don't need to earn a little "me" time.  

Sometimes, I just can't bear the screams, cries, bickering, etc. of the children in the house anymore.  I just want a house where I can hear myself think.  I need "me" time.

What is your "me" time?  Shopping alone, reading, exercising, napping...whatever it is...give it to yourself.  A little every day.  (Yes, I am preaching to myself on this one. :)

A new week is here!  Let's continue for that blessing is there!

Organizing Your TV Area

Guest post from Mrs. Jenny Musser

The above picture literally makes me cringe!  Is this what it looks like under your TV?  We have a TV console with no storage so I had to find a way to hide all the cords.  

All I did was use a basket with a lid and cut out handles.  This was the perfect thing to use. Now the cords and power strip are hidden away and can not be seen!!    

We have a few remotes as well as a keyboard and mouse that go to a laptop hooked up to our TV. I don't like to have them out so I just keep them in a basket under the coffee table.  Also, I am not one for displaying all our DVD's on a shelf and Reagan was just collecting way too many.  So I threw all the cases away.  Gasp!!  I know!  I put the DVD's in a CD case.  It is so much easier and takes up less space!  I have one for Reagan's and one for Josh's.   

I hope one of these tips will help you get organized!! 

*Organizing DVD's in a CD case is wonderful when going on road trips.  We have a built in DVD player in our van and all our DVD's are in one small container.*

*You can also organize other important CD's in those cases.  It keeps your office CD's in one place and handy to find when needed.*

*The basket idea is perfect for an office desk in your home.  No more jumbled cords around your work area! :)*

Time To Bloom

Today, I noticed a most amazing thing...to me anyways!  These plants I received five years ago.  They are so wonderful in our Nevada desert because they can thrive with very little water and in the sandy dirt.  For these last five years, I just thought they were a foliage plant...just something to add greenery to your flower beds.  I was so surprised to come out this morning and find these beautiful purple flowers!

Sometimes, it just takes time for things to bloom into what God designed for them to be.  Our spouses, our children, the folks in our ministry...and us.

Ideas for Decorating Your Church Building for Easter

Easter is right around the corner!  I thought I would share a few ideas decoration-wise for your church for Easter services.

My husband is big on banners.  This is our Easter banner.

The following is the decor that Jenny did for our Easter services.  This is the table in the main front lobby.

My husband wanted a lighter, brighter curtain for the auditorium.

The platform.  We will be adding a cross as well.

The fellowship hall for the Easter brunch.

The following is from Jenny Musser.  She is the "Master Decorator" for SVBC. :)

I have been busy these past two weeks getting stuff together to decorate the church for Easter Sunday.  Pastor Eric wanted new curtains for the auditorium and flowers for the platform. I made two wreaths to hang on each side of the platform and I had to find the perfect purple fabric to hang on the cross and centerpieces for the brunch. Did I forget anything? I hope not!  

This is what I will be doing for the tables at our Easter Brunch this Sunday.  We have ten tables set up, so I needed something that was cheap, but I didn't want it to look cheap.  I saw this great idea to fill a glass vase, candle holders, mason jars or really any container that you already have.  All you need is your container, Easter grass and some plastic Easter eggs! 

 

Happy Easter!!

 

Simple Stuffed Peppers in the Slow Cooker

One way to save money on meals for your family is to buy meat on sale.  Chicken and ground beef are a meat staple for young families.  I was able to buy 20 lbs. of ground beef for only $1.67 a pound.  If you buy full price, $3 - $4 a pound.  That is a significant savings.

I then fry it and separate it into freezer ziploc baggies.  During these really busy days, this is a lifesaver.  I simply defrost the meat in the microwave in the Ziploc bag and it is ready to be put in my recipe.  This also saves on clean-up because I have no frying pans to wash.

A simple recipe I like to make is Stuffed Green Peppers.  You can cut your prep time in HALF by simply having the meat fried ahead of time and using the slow cooker.

Here is a sooo simple basic recipe I use.  I do throw in spices to this mixture.  Garlic, onion, crushed red pepper, Cajun seasoning, etc. :)

1 jar of spaghetti sauce

3 cups of cooked rice 

(I use instant and it will be done in 5 minutes)

1 can of diced tomatoes with green chilies-drained

1 lb. of ground beef, fried and drained

shredded cheddar or mozz cheese

8 green peppers

*You can add most anything to stuffed peppers!  Change it up and add away.

 - Corn, beans, sausage, chicken, green onions, various cheeses, vegetables such as spinach and mushrooms.  Southwestern, Mediterranean, Vegan.  This list is endless!*

Mix the first four ingredients (and spices/seasonings). Place the peppers in the crockpot.  Fill with mixture.  Add an inch of water to the bottom of the crockpot.  Cook on high until peppers are tender.  Add cheese and cook 15 minutes more.

Alternative Method:

You can cook the green peppers in boiling water for 4-5 minutes and drain.  Place in baking dish.  Fill with mixture, top with cheese, cover with foil and bake in the oven at 350 degrees until heated through.

Family Photo Album - Opening Ceremonies for Softball

Saturday was Opening Ceremonies for our community softball league that our girls are in.  Here are a few pictures from the day. :)

From left to right:  Emily, Erica and Erin Snow - Addie, Autumn and Sierra Tastet.  The Snow girls are dear friends.  Pastor Snow was the pastor of Liberty Baptist Church here in Reno.  He passed away on Thanksgiving day from cancer.  Please continue to pray for his wife, Tamara and her four children.

Sierra is six.  She plays on t-ball Team Jazz.

Addie is 10 yrs old and plays in the 10U Division of fast pitch softball.  She is on Team Eclipse.

Autumn is 8 yrs old and plays in the 8U Division of fast pitch softball.  She is on Team Blaze.

Autumn was chosen to throw out the opening pitch for the season.  Yay!

She was given the ball to keep.

Every year, the team picks out their socks for the team.  They are quite colorful! :)

Autumn pitched the first game for her team.  Here is a video of that.

In Quiet Resting Places...

One of the hardest things for a person in ministry to do is to take the time to slow down to and receive the Word of God on a Sunday.  Here are a few verses that encourage me to purposely slow down on my busy Sundays.

"For thus saith the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not."

"And therefore will the Lord wait...blessed are all they that wait for him."

"...Their strength is to sit still."

"And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever.

"And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places;"

What can you do...where can you go...how will you find..."your quiet resting place" today?

Three Ways To Get Organized Using Simple Household Items

Guest Post:  Mrs. Jenny Musser

Today, I am going to share three easy ways you can "Keep Calm and Get Organized!".

The first one is an ice tray. I think all refrigerators come with one lonely ice tray that never gets used! This is a great way to organize all the little things in your office.  I have also seen this used for earrings which is a great idea too!

 I do realize that this next one maybe a little OCD for some but I love it!  Use a craft organizer box for batteries.  I mean do you really need to organize batteries?  Probably not. But I love that I can see what batteries I am out of right through the box.

Last one, use a paper towel holder as an organizer! I saw this idea used to store ribbons, so I thought it would be great for tape.  I love this one because it keeps the tape out where you can see it and not stuck in a box in the garage. 

Recipe: Sausage and White Bean Slow Cooker Soup

Spring is here and that means baseball season is in full swing in Reno. :)  I am using LOTS of slow cooker meals for these busy weeks of t-ball and softball.  This one is in my slow cooker right now and it smells yummy!  I am serving it with biscuits.

Sausage and White Bean Slow Cooker Soup

1 lb. sausage
1 tsp. basil - dried
3 cloves garlic - minced
2 - 14 oz. cans of great northern beans - drained and rinsed
1 small onion - diced
1 tsp. oregano - dried
3/4 tsp. rosemary - dried
1 - 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 carton - 32 oz. of chicken broth

Fry the sausage.  Place all ingredients into slow cooker.  Stir and cook on low for 6 hours. 

*It is a low cost meal and uses basic pantry ingredients.

*It is a freezable meal.  Combine all ingredients except the chicken broth and place in a gallon size freezer bag.  Simply place in the fridge overnight to thaw.  Place the contents in your slow cooker the next morning, add the chicken broth and you have dinner ready to go!

A Kitchen Tool Worth Investing In

Many of you may know about these or even have one.  This is a dish drying mat and they are wonderful!

When my girls are still doing their school day and I have no one to wipe dishes for me, this is my help.  All of the clean dishes usually don't fit in my dish drainer.  So I set this on the counter and use for extra drying space as I wash dishes.

If you are still using dish towels for this purpose, you should really try this handy kitchen tool!  It is absorbent and fast drying.  No sopping wet towels drying all over your kitchen.  

I bought the smallest size they offer and it is still a good size.  $3.97!

Do you love tools that help your kitchen run smoothly?  I do!  And this is one of my favorite tools. :)

Jesus Wants Your Stolen Identity Back!

Being a person who works hard is good.  The Bible says in Proverbs 14:23 - "In all labour there is profit..."  

We are made to work.  I enjoy working.  I find pleasure in working.  I really do love to work!  I would label myself as a "workaholic".

The downfall of workaholics...you mean there is something wrong with working much?  

Yes, it is finding your identity in being a workaholic. My identity was found in MY success and MY performance. 

When you are finding your identity in an action you are performing, you are not finding it in Christ.  

What is something that you perform that you find your identity in?  A position in your church, a position at work, a hobby...what happens when you aren't performing that in which you find your identity in?  What is your feelings?  I would say it would be that you aren't doing anything of value.

Romans 8 is a great place to start to undo this thinking.

Our identity begins as a son or daughter of God.  As a child of God, there is NO ACTION that you can perform or do to change that relationship.  Your identity is not based on performance but on a relationship.

Take a step back today.  Evaluate your life.  Ask yourself..."What do I REALLY find my identity in?"  My job, my work, my family, the possessions I own, my position in my church, how much I give...the list is endless.  For me, it was my work.  Let us work together to really and truly find our identity in Christ.  For all those temporal things could fail tomorrow and our identity would be lost.  But our Christ will never fail!  Identity with Christ.

Revamping Your Front Porch With $50

 Guest Post:  Mrs. Jenny Musser

Porch Re-Do!

I have been neglecting my front porch for a while, well, a few years!  It needed to be re-decorated so badly.  I just kept putting it off, but it was so sad and boring and needed help right away!  So I gave myself a budget of $50 to re-decorate. I didn't want to have to repaint, so I had to work with the colors already there.

I found the pretty blue pillows at Target, wreath supplies and owl at Michael's.  

My total cost for this re-do: 

$25.68:  Pillows

$17.09:  Wreath supplies

$8.39:  Owl

$51.16: Total spent

Yes, I did go over by $1.16, but I had to get the owl!

With just a few changes and a little bit of money, you can update and brighten up any space!  

Recipe: Crock Pot Kung Pao Chicken

If you enjoy crock pot recipes...and dinner with a kick...this recipe is for you!  It seriously is amazing.  My family loved it...and you can't beat a crock pot recipe. :)

Crock Pot Kung Pao Chicken over Rice

5 medium boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thawed
1/4 cup of pineapple preserves
1 bottle of Panda Express Kung Pao Sauce {18.75 oz.}
1 red pepper
1 green pepper
green onions, chopped
cooked rice

Cook chicken in crock pot on high for 3 hours.  (I added water to the chicken.)
After 3 hours, drain juices from crock pot.
Remove chicken, cool, chop into cubes, then return to crock pot.
Chop red pepper and green pepper and set aside.
Mix together pineapple preserves and Kung Pao Sauce.  (I used pineapple/apricot because I couldn't find plain pineapple.)
Pour sauce mixture and chopped peppers over chicken, stir well, and cook on high for 30 more minutes until heated through.
Serve over rice and garnish with chopped green onions.