What a Fish Reminds Me Of

Do you remember the story of my 93 yr. old client who I was able to lead to the Lord and eternal life? You can read that blog post HERE - You Were There.  

The other day, I received a text from work saying they had a small gift for me from this former client's family.  My husband picked it up and brought it home.

It was this fish.  Her husband had a hobby of painting and such and this was one of the many fish and decor that he had made and had hanging around their home.  They had lived in Hawaii for fifty years and was the love of their life.

The family gave me one as a thank you.

You see, this fish represents more to me than a simple token of thanks.  It is a reminder of salvation...new hope...and joy when someone comes to the Lord.

I now have this little fish in my secretary right in front of me as I blog.  I will treasure it and the reminder of God's love for everyone.

Recipe: Super Easy Chicken Pot Pie

Here is a recipe that my girls love!  It literally can be thrown together in a few minutes for an easy weeknight meal.  

Add your own touches to this recipe to make it your own or a touch more hearty.

Super Easy Chicken Pot Pie

1 box refrigerated pie crusts, softened
1 can (18.6) Progresso Rich and Hearty chicken pot pie style soup
2 cups frozen mixed vegetables , thawed and drained
2 tbsp. flour

Heat oven to 425 degrees.  Place crust in the bottom of the pie pan.
Heat soup, thawed veggies and flour until warm.  Spoon into crust-lined pie plate.  Top with second crust; seal edge and flute.  Cut slits in top crust.
Bake 30-35 minutes or until crust is golden brown.  Let stand 5 minutes.

*I always double this recipe and make two pies.

Book Recommendation: Unfaithful - Hope and Healing After Infidelity

Today, I would like to recommend highly the book - Unfaithful - Hope and Healing After Infidelity 

by Gary and Mona Shriver.

I love how the authors are willing to share their story with the reader.  You can truly grasp what they felt through their words.  They share great Biblical help on recovering from infidelity.  

I gained two points from reading a book such as this...

1.  I vowed to make my personal marriage stronger.  I have not gone through what this couple has.  I don't need to.  Just reading about it inspired me to not choose the same path - not make the same mistakes - and how to make right choices.  

2.  I feel it was a great help to me as a pastor's wife to be able to fully understand, comprehend and now better help those who may come to me with this same situation.  Many times, we not only feel inadequate in counseling those in infidelity - we are inadequate.  Resources such as this book can help us to better help those in our ministries.

If you are married, read this book.

If you have been involved in an affair, had a spouse in an affair, or know someone that has had an affair - read this book.  YOU need help.  You can find the source here.

If you are a ministry leader of any sorts or do any Christian counseling, read this book.

My Week

Last week was an extra nice week.  :)  Mainly because of the beautiful weather!  It is hard not to have a good week when it is sunshine and 70 degrees.

I added some green to my front door wreath for St. Patrick's Day and the month of March.  

I have always used the cheap nail polish remover and boy, is it sure frustrating to remove nail polish!  I picked this up and it works like a charm!  I highly recommend it.

Monday, after school, Summer wanted to be my dishes helper.  Boy, this girl can talk!

I took advantage of the weather and we worked in my garden area.  Turned over the beds, picked up garbage and weeds, and made some chalk art.

I took the girls to the park.  They really enjoyed that!

I also cleaned out my front flowers beds.  Here is my day lilies coming up.  One of my favorite flowers!  Watered the shrubs and lawn as well.

Flip flops for the first time this year. :)

I treated the girls to slurpees at Maverick.  I had earned some gift cards through my Trail Points so that was a fun treat!

Found these coats on clearance for $4 each at Wal-Mart for Sierra and Summer.  Great deal!

Replaced my flag for my deck.  I just love a flag on the porch!  So American.

Thursday evening, after cleaning up the backyard from the winter, we had a bonfire.  I think the cutest was when Sierra brought out her ukele and we sang campfire songs around the fire. :)

No fire is complete without s'mores. :)

Friday after school, we went to the library.  Then we used another Steak and Shake coupon during Happy Hour for milkshakes. :)

After the library, we finished up our weekly tests on the deck - soaking in the sun. :)

For dinner, boneless, skinless chicken thighs on the grill with sweet and spicy sauce.  Steak fries and baked beans.  Mmm!

Saturday, we took the girls to Roller Kingdom for family skate.  Josh, Jenny and Reagan joined us.  Everyone had a blast and worked out muscles.  Groan!

This was at the end...a couple were having food meltdowns.  LOL!

Cloudy and cool weather rolled in on Sunday.  Brr!

Good day on Sunday.  Yummy treats from my secret sister. :)

This week begins our standardized testing for the girls.  And just normal stuff as usual.  Have a great week!

Ways to Encourage your Pastor

Today is Sunday.  I encourage you to do one small thing to encourage your pastor today.

Pastors need encouragement.  Often, their job includes listening to what everyone thinks is wrong in the church.  What so and so is doing wrong in their ministry.  What he is doing wrong as a pastor.  

This wears on him.  It defeats him.  Discourages him.  

He needs and appreciates encouragement from you!

Write him a note of encouragement.  Leave his favorite drink and snack by his office door.  Send him a thank you e-mail.  Text him a note of love from you and your family.  Ask him what can you do today to help him in his duties.  Be in your place for classes and services.  Work extra hard in your ministry.  Smile and agree during the preaching.  Focus on his teaching when he is behind the pulpit.  

What can you do today to encourage YOUR pastor?

What an Overdue Book Teaches Me

Yesterday, I took the girls to the library.  We talked to the librarian asking about a movie that was recorded overdue on Addie's account.  The librarian was able to find the movie on the shelf and take the charge off our account.

That actually happens quite often.  I could charge into the library and tell them off.  "Why can't you get it right?"  What would that accomplish?  Nothing.  I know they will find the item and make it right.  With a sweet spirit. What does making my point with them help?

My husband and I had a situation like that this week.  It was not pleasant.  We were yelled at, cursed at and called names...because of a situation that simply had a misunderstanding in the communication between each other.

I think about relationships in churches.  It can be easy to assume...judge...miscommunicate...and misunderstand.

 I urge you to take the time to communicate...understand the other side...don't jump to conclusions...and most of all, be kind.  

So many situations can be worked out between the two people involved.  Without any drama...hard feelings...anger...and broken relationships.

Next time you encounter a situation, communicate in love.  It makes all the difference in the world.

SVBC Couples Retreat 2015

Last weekend, we held a mini couples retreat for our church.  This was our second one; however, we switched up it this year.  Here are some of the details...

Friday from 6-8:30pm in our church fellowship hall

Saturday from 10am-4pm at the Hampton Inn and Suites Conference Room

The cost was $20 per couple which covered the cost of the book for the teaching they received and the food provided on Friday evening.

The food I put together was an Italian pinwheel tray, meat, cheese and cracker tray, fresh fruit tray, and veggie tray.  I also had individual bags of chips and an assortment of three kinds of cookies.  For drinks, we had peach tea, water bottles and coffee.

We set up the fellowship hall in semi-circles with tables.  We used a series called House or Home by Chip Ingram - God's Blueprint for a Great Marriage.  It is video sessions along with discussion time led by my husband.  Each couple received a book to fill in as we went along.  We REALLY enjoyed the lessons and series!  I highly recommend checking it out at Living on the Edge online.

Saturday, we held our sessions at the Hampton Inn.  For our lunch hour, everyone chose where they wanted to go for lunch and had 1 1/2 hours of alone couple time.  Lunch cost was the couples' responsibility.  Free coffee, hot tea, chocolate and water was provided during the sessions.

Chuck and Jeanne Benninger

Russ and LeAne Bouydston

Scott and Jodi Crockett

Casey and Lisa Maxwell

Michael and Melanie Moore

Larry and Tracey Blair

Josh and Jenny Musser

*Missing is Shaun and Shannon Traynor.

The format we chose was fabulous!  We had a wonderful time and came away refreshed and renewed in our marriages.  

Recipe: Pickled Eggs

This may be an odd recipe for some but for me...it reminds me of Ohio, my grandma and springtime.  :)  

I love pickled eggs and so do my kids. 

Pickled Eggs

32 oz. can red beets, undrained
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup vinegar
1/8 tsp. salt
12 hard boiled eggs, peeled

In a saucepan, mix red beets and juice, sugar, vinegar and salt.  Bring to a boil.

Pour over whole eggs.  Allow to cool to room temperature; place in fridge for at least 24 hours.  (The longer, the better. But sometimes it is hard for the kids to wait.)

Book Recommendation: Personalities in Love

February is typically centered on the holiday - Valentine's Day.  Love, marriage, relationships, couples.  Today, I wanted to share a wonderful book with you on that subject.  It is called Personalities in Love by Donna Partow.

Pastor Eric and I encouraged our church folks last Sunday at the end of our Relationship Conversation to read books on marriage.  If you are not a reader or struggle through books, this would be a great marriage book for you.  It is an easy read - fun, funny, engaging, enjoyable.  

I think sometimes we struggle in marriage and our relationships because we don't understand each other.  We think that person is doing things on purpose to simply push our buttons or perhaps we think they are purposely not changing.  This book will help you understand the personality of the person who you said I do to and also helps you figure out your personality!  Sometimes, we need to understand ourselves first before we figure out the other person. :)

Have a great Wednesday!

My Week

Last week was a busy week but oh, so good!  

Monday, it couldn't decide what to do!  Rain, be cloudy, be sunny...but, oh the rainbows!  What a nice start to the week. :)

Summer got an earache around 11pm Sunday night so it was off to Urgent Care Monday morning.

Belle had her appointment to be groomed as well on Monday.  I told you she was pretty mangy!  LOL!

I have a goal of going couponing once a week.  This was last week's deals.  I wanted to stock up my favorite toilet paper - which is the middle one - Scott's 1,000 sheet rolls in the blue package.  I went to two CVS's and I only found three.  So I settled for the extra soft TP and a package of paper towels.  They come out to $4.79 each.  (Normally, the blues are $9.99 at Wal-Mart/$11.99 at CVS.)  

Why do I love the blue Scott brand?  It is the ONLY toilet paper I have found that we don't go through like crazy!  Six people - five who are girls - you use a lot of TP.  It lasts and lasts and I am not running to the store every two days for more TP. :)

I received this sweet gift from my friend, Megan - a rose, card and a Starbucks card. :)

Friday was Day 120 of school.  That means turning in the second set of DVD's and starting on our last set for the school year!

We also got our free personal pan pizzas for the reading program from Pizza Hut.  Yum!  So good!  Also, we went to Steak and Shake during Happy Hour (half off milkshakes!!) and using a coupon I had, we got four milkshakes for $2.13!  Double yum!

The girls got to take their food home and enjoy it while we went to the Couples Retreat.

I love mornings and Saturday was such a beautiful sunrise!

A gift from my Secret Sister at church. :)

For this week, I already went couponing yesterday. :)  The cereals, toothbrushes, dish soap were all $.99 each.  The Revlon mascara and liquid eyeliner was $1.04 each!  (Regularly $9.49 each!)

Looks like a wonderful week weather-wise!  I hope you have a great week!