Friday's Challenge on Posted by Rebekah

Every Friday @ 12:30pm (CST), you can hear a weekly challenge from me on Faith Music Radio.  My podcast is called Posted by Rebekah. You can listen online HERE or download the free app for your smartphone.  I would love for you to join us, listen and take the challenge!

Tune in any time of the day to Faith Music Radio for uplifting Christian music and talk. 

Here is today's podcast in blog post form. :)

So this spring, I decided to try to plant two pumpkin plants.  One was regular size and was supposed to be the mini size pumpkins.  I was so excited…I got them home and went to plant them and realized one plant had a zucchini label on it!  I was like…oh well!  I guess we will have zucchini and pumpkin this year. 

As the weeks went along, the plants grew and started to bloom these orange flowers.  Then I was really confused!  Because the flowers and the leaves on these plants looked identical!  Oh my goodness.  So then I changed my mind and thought…ok, maybe I did get two pumpkin plants after all!  Geez, you would think for an Ohio girl that grew up in the country, you would think I could figure this out.  Ha!

So eventually, the flowers started turning into fruit – zucchini and pumpkins that is!  You see, it wasn’t until the actual fruit of the plant appeared that I could tell the true identity of the plant.  And walah!  A zucchini all along.

How is your fruit coming along?  As a Christian, we are supposed to show fruit in our lives.  My daughter asked me the other day…”Mommy, how do you know if someone is a Christian or not?”  I replied, “Well, we can’t know 100% sure.  Only God truly knows that and their heart.  But we can observe if their life demonstrates fruit.”  I asked her to name the fruit of the Spirit.  Love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance.  “These,” I said, “are a good way to see if God is in our life.”

So the question for you listening – do others look at you and wonder, “Hmm, I wonder if they are a Christian?”  Or can they observe your life and see the fruit of the Spirit growing all over you?

So today’s challenge is…Don’t just be a plant in this life that people have to guess what you are.  Be a plant that produces fruit for all those to see and say…what a productive servant of Christ!

Will you take the challenge?

Recipe: Parmesan Crusted Chicken

Parmesan Crusted Chicken

I tried this recipe for a dinner that I hosted.  Yummy!  An easy recipe for a group and will impress your guests. :)

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 1-1/4 lbs.)
4 tsp. Italian seasoned dry bread crumbs

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 425°.
Combine mayonnaise with cheese in medium bowl. Coat each piece with the mayo/cheese.  Coat in the bread crumbs.
Bake until chicken is thoroughly cooked, about 20 minutes.

Tips:

*I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs instead of the breast halves.  They are a perfect size for company - especially for children or small eaters.  Make sure to make at least two for adults.  Many of the adults at my meal at two thighs.  I had 13 people at our dinner, I made two packages which I believe were around 12-13 thighs in a package.  We had some leftover but that is good!  I never want to run out of anything I serve - that way I know guests feel comfortable to eat all they want and get their fill without feeling like they are eating the last of the food.  Always make more than you need! :)

*Plan on cooking time to be longer than the recipe.  I cooked mine at a lower temperature for at least an hour!  You want to make sure they are cooked through and crispy on the outside to serve.  Especially when you are having guests - start earlier than you think you need.

*I used cookie sheets covered with foil.  Use this tip for easy clean-up or you will regret it later! LOL!

*I served this chicken with crockpot mac and cheese (so creamy and yummy!!), corn on the cob (I used fresh corn and snapped them in half - this is better to serve - people can take two or three or just the one if they want!) and watermelon.

My Week: July 17 - 23

Hello!  Welcome to a new week!  Thank you for stopping by my blog today - I hope you enjoy reading about my week here in Reno, NV. 

Sunday was a beautiful day. :)  Church - nursery time.  

For lunch, I made berry turkey sandwiches. ranch pasta salad and watermelon.  Yummy new recipe!

I received a special gift from my secret sister. :)

Helpers that I have every Sunday night in the nursery. :)

After Sunday night church, I made watermelon-lime coolers.  Yum!  You can leave out the lime if you don't care for it.  

Watermelon-Lime Coolers

4 cups of frozen diced watermelon

2 cups of ginger ale

1 tsp lime zest

Blend in a blender and enjoy!

Then I headed to work for my 8pm-8am shift.  I just love my water sprinklers so much!

I was able to enjoy a little bit of the beautiful sunset from the porch of my client's apartment.  :)

Monday, the girls and I worked on organizing our school supplies...summer is quickly going away!  Sierra asked to take a bike ride just with Daddy - she was so excited.

Lots and lots of our books came in Monday!  It is always fun to get them and organize them for the year.

I was able to get the school supply deals from Walgreens that they had this week.  

The girls helped me make dinner - we tried a new recipe - Cheesy Summer Squash Flatbreads.

On a flatbread, you put roasted red pepper hummus, roasted summer squash, fresh spinach and fresh mozzarella.  Tasty!  

Then we made strawberry shortcake.  So, I make it the Ohio/Midwest way.  Bisquik biscuits, strawberries and milk.  My husband says, "This doesn't taste the same with fake milk."  That is what the family calls the skim milk.  Ha!  I do have to say - he is right!  Ha!

Then it was back to work - 8pm-8am.

Off work - morning routine of watering garden, housework, laundry and ironing.

More watermelon coolers!

Each girl is helping one of their sisters with specific school needs.  Autumn is helping Summer with reading, Addie with Sierra for her arithmetic and Sierra with Autumn for spelling.  They earn a small amount each week that is designated to their Disneyland spending fund.  They must spend 45 minutes each day Monday-Friday.  I got this idea from a friend and I really liked it.

Got lunches at the park for the girls.  Dropped girls off at piano lessons.  Summer and I went to my husband's office to go over our Q&A for our parenting session this Sunday.  I thought this photo was cute of my daughter sitting on daddy's lap while we worked.

School station for me.

After piano lessons, we have our weekly library trip.  Then we get a treat.  Mine was an iced coffee and ice cream sundaes for the girls.

Pizza for dinner.  Then I took Addie to Youth Group which was held at Shaun and Shannon's home.

Shannon surprised me with a sweet gift - an owl box with homemade cards for me to give to others.  Very thoughtful!  Notice the gardening one on the right - love that!

Thursday was a busy morning!  I went at 7am to do my plasma donation.  Their computers at first weren't working so it took a little longer than usual.  I got a lot of reading done for sure!  Ha!

Then off to do a photo inspection job of 13 homes.  

Stop at Smith's for blueberries on sale with some other items.  Wal-Mart stop as well.  Long morning!

Home to upload all the photos for that job.  In the middle of that, my husband calls to say his car died coming off the ramp off the freeway.  Not good.  We called our insurance company who arranged a tow truck.  I had to go and pick him up and then to the repair shop.  Timing belt and cracked head.  Well, that's life sometimes.

Home to finish uploading the photos, blog and make dinner.  Ten-minute beef and broccoli.

Then off to work for an 8pm-8am shift.

At work, I worked on some podcasts for my radio spot - Posted by Rebekah.  You can read them every Friday - it is also fun to tune in on your phone and listen in Fridays at 10:30am PST!

 Off work at 8am!  Then off to do another photo inspection job.  This was a remodel I have been doing - one house - and I was done.  Home to shower, water the garden.  I went to my husband's office at the church to record three more podcasts for my radio spot.  Sent those off.  
Back home to take the girls to lunches and then to the pool.  When we got to the pool, I realized it was closed for swimming meets - I had totally forgotten.  So sad!  So we settled for the splash pad and the park.

Good thing I brought along my cookbook and notebook to make my menu and shopping list for the week while the girls played.

After the park, we stopped at Dollar Tree and I let them pick out two items of their choice to take to Family Movie Night at the church.  I don't ever do this so they just loved this!  And it doesn't break the bank.  LOL!  Yes, hot chips are kind of a thing in our family.  Ha!

At 6pm, we went to Family Movie Night at our church and watched Miracles from Heaven.  I cried and cried.  Such a neat story.

You never lack for buddies when you have kids and dogs.  After the movie, it was such a nice night, we went on a walk.  Boy, does my Max love walks.  I let him off his leash and he tries to find the bunnies.  He's so loyal to me though every couple minutes, he runs back to me to be petted.  

Little Summer doing "tricks" for me closing her eyes and using one hand riding the bike.  LOL!

Hot, hot, hot.  Whew!

Saturday morning, I went to do my plasma at 9:00am.  Then grocery shopping at Winco for the week.

Home, change and then leave for some errands and a wedding.

Such a pretty drive...sunflowers, horses, cows, ranches...

A very pretty wedding in a beautiful setting...

This was very neat - each guest signed their name on a leaf on this canvas photo for them to keep.

Then it was home to get ready for church and bed.

Little Summer about ready to lose her first two teeth. :)

Cream cheese blueberry dessert - first time to try this recipe.  Could have used some cinnamon or something.
Not bad. :)

Garden Sunday morning...

Yes, my plants are gigantic!  As tall as me and so thick!

Zucchini!!

Peeking through these gorgeous green leaves...yummy red tomatoes!

For the morning service, my husband and I did a parenting Q&A session.  I always enjoy doing these with my husband.  It was one of the neat things we get to do together as a couple in the ministry.

For lunch - meatball subs!  Meatball subs are one of our favorite super easy dinners.  I just put the meatballs and spaghetti sauce in a crock before church - about 2 1/2 hours.  When we get home, put them on buns, sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and broil on high until melted and toasty.  Mmm!

A snack from my secret sister to enjoy at work Sunday night. :)

Did some office type work Sunday afternoon.  Organizing my week.  Back to church for nursery duty for the evening service then off to work for 8pm-8am shift.

I hope you had a great week too!