My Week: January 22-28

Thank you for stopping by my blog today!  I hope you enjoy reading about my week here in Reno, NV.

What a start to the week!  Saturday night through Sunday was the third storm of the week for our area.  We were anticipating the third storm to be the worst and that was not a good thing when you are a church.  LOL!

Woke up Sunday morning to this...we had already changed the service times ahead of time to only the 10:30am service.  We knew some people would not come in the snow so we wanted to be able to have a bigger service - together.

We had a guest speaker - Pastor Dave Abberger, from Memphis, TN, visiting to speak for us that day.

Thankfully, it did not begin to snow again until around 4:30-5pm.  Roads were cleared and many people were able to make it.

For lunch, beef alfredo penne pasta, cheddar biscuits, corn, and salad.  Then it was back for the evening service - where Autumn and I did the nursery.

However, it snowed during the evening service and boy was it coming down!  It accumulated fast - making it a slow go to make it to work after church.  You couldn't see the lanes and lines of the road plus it was crazy snowing.  I drove about 30 MPH on the freeway the entire way.  Crazy stuff!

It made for a pretty morning!  Reno had over 7 inches on the valley floor which is big for the valley.  As for the ski resorts....holy cow.  They have been dumped on.  Some have received over 300 inches already.  They are literally running out of places to put it.  They are talking off trucking it out.

Got home from work and shoveled the driveway and deck and out to the garden.  I'm one of those people who hates to walk on packed snow.  Clear it out when it is fresh and let it melt and dry up as soon as possible!  Or it will melt and freeze and just be horrible.  Plus I just like doing it!

We had a bit of sun peek out Monday.  I made a beef roast with carrots and potatoes for dinner.

I had some extra so I dropped it off at my FIL's.

I also made rolls - oh my!  They were so good!  Now, I do make rolls with my breadmaker but I haven't done that in awhile.  I just don't have enough time in my day right now.  So I did the frozen ones that thaw and rise and they turned out perfect!  I am such a carb person.  LOL!

Since we had planned on company for dinner, I also made dessert - peach cobbler with vanilla bean ice cream.  One of my favorites!

Then it was off to work for my Monday shift.

Tuesday is one of my longer days.  I got off at 8am and then off to do plasma.  It was fairly busy so this donation took about 1 hour and 45 minutes.  Then home and a nice talk with my sister.  With our busy schedules, we don't get many long talks so this was nice.  Laundry and school.  Then off to swimming lessons. Third and last week of this session. :)

It is a nice break to sit and watch them.  I enjoy seeing them progress each lesson.

Then off to the gym.  Hubby is in Vegas for Idea Day at a church there.  Work out and then off to my shift.  My client is in the hospital so I will be there tonight.

On my shift...(Not much to do for 12 hours in a hospital room - LOL!) I worked on my chapters from Chris Hogan's book - Retire Inspired.  I am loving this book as I have all of Dave Ramsey's materials!  I am gaining so much great information.

Nice to see the beautiful sunrise after a long night at the hospital!  Isn't it beautiful?

Off to my plasma donation...yikes, it was a long one.  Then home for school and swimming lessons.  Swimming lessons...I just love walking into the pool and soaking in the smell and heat.  LOL!  Ahh!

Then a quiet evening at home.

So very nice to have some sunshine after a lot of snow and clouds.
Friday was an interesting day.  I had an appointment scheduled at 10am for getting a quote for new windows.  It went quite long...like 3 1/2 hours.  Then I rushed off to the gym for my Friday workout and to Winco to get groceries.  
Pizza for dinner and then some Bible reading and time with the family and hubby.

Saturday was a nice morning of my devotions and coffee.  Then worked on housework and laundry.  Also catching up on tests and grading for the week.  We had some beautiful sunshine so it was so nice to work around the house.
I made lemon chicken for dinner.

With mashed garlic red potatoes.  Yum!

Trying some new ideas for lunches.  Sandwiches get so boring.  Try these!

slice of turkey
slice of cheese
two cucumber slices
Make into little sandwiches. :)

My husband taught the Foundations 101 class at the church from 9-1pm and then we were off to a wedding at Squaw Valley.

What a gorgeous view from this resort!  And so much snow up there!

Check out the walkway and how tall the snow is.

As the wedding party started coming down the walkway, everyone around stopped and started watching.  You can see all the skiers who just skied down the mountain to the right and were stopped watching the wedding.  As the bride and her dad came down, the entire crowd of skiers and people eating at the snack bar cheered!  It was so cool!  Of course, that made all the people at the wedding cheer and clap...and then the bride started crying...and then her dad started crying...and then I started crying!  LOL!  I didn't even know these people.  Ha!  It was super cool.

It was freezing cold but a lot of fun...and free Starbucks cocoa to enjoy.  LOL!

Just a little bit of snow.  LOL!

Not a super great picture  but can you see the Olympic torch in this picture?  It is the little yellow speck on top of the snow.  Olympic Valley hosted the Olympics back in the 60's.  

I hope you had an enjoyable week and a great new week start!

What I Gained From Reading Through the Bible in One Month

In December, I read a thought in an article that someone wrote that said...a person could read through the Bible in one month in the time that they spent on TV...or whatever leisure activity you do.  That struck me and challenged me.

I wanted to take that challenge.  I wanted to see what would happen if I spent that much time reading my Bible.  What would be the result?

I started on December 31 and ended today.  I read through the entire Bible in one month.  What did I take away from this challenge?  I thought I would share with you.

1.  It is good to do BIG challenges.  

I have read through my Bible in a year many times.  I remember the first time I read through the Bible - I was a teenager.  It was a big thing for me.  Take on a big challenge!  Push yourself to do something big - something you have never done.  It will stretch you...it will cause you to grow.

2.  When you challenge yourself big time, it creates an atmosphere of consistency and character.  

If you challenge yourself to read one Psalm a day, it is easy to say...I don't have time today to read.  I'll just catch up tomorrow.  When you are reading up to 75 chapters a day, you don't dare skip a day.  I was reading on all my spare moments.  In the early morning before my day started, while I blow dried my hair, while I sat at swimming lessons, while I donated plasma, while the family was watching Wheel of Fortune or the evening news.  It made me to be very consistent.  It strengthened the character in me.

3.  I gained a lot of insight into the Bible by reading so much at one time in such a short time.  

It really changed my perspective.  It provoked a lot of questions and things I wanted to learn more about!

4.  One of the most important take-aways for me was...it replaced much of the wasted time in my day. 

I didn't have time to scroll Facebook much.  I didn't blog a lot.  I didn't do any extra fun reading.  I didn't watch a lot of TV and Netflix.  I just spent a lot of time reading His Word.  

This was huge for me. 

Time is one of my most valuable things I have - I don't want to waste what minutes and days the Lord gives me.  How much time have I wasted on things that don't matter?

5.  I learned that you can have time for anything you want to have time for.  

The question is - What do you want to have time for?  

My husband preached a sermon today on Moses and the Lord.  

He said, The people came to Moses...Moses!  What is God like?  Tell us what happened on the mountain!  Did you get a selfie with God?  (OK, that last one was obviously not true but funny!)

You see, Moses was the only one of all the children of Israel who cared to know God face to face.  

He was the only one who cared to climb the mountain.

The only one.

WOW.

With reading that last chapter of the Bible just this morning, I begged God at the altar - God, don't let me forget to meet with You.  Please -I want to climb that mountain EVERY day to talk with You.  This challenge may be over but I want this to become my life and just not a month of my life.

No, I won't be reading 75 chapters every day.  :)  I'm not going to stop blogging or delete my Facebook account or throw away my TV.  

But I definitely want to seek Him more and more.  I want to strive to put on my hiking boots every morning to meet God at the top.  

As a friend, I want my story to challenge you to do the same.  It may not be reading through the Bible in a month.  What is it for you?  Seek Him with all your heart and soul.  He is there on the mountain top.  Start that climb today!

God bless and much love to you!

Recipe: Beef Alfredo Pasta

This is a great pasta dish - even for company or a meal for a new mom!  Long noodles such as spaghetti or fettuccine tend to stick together and just look like a gloppy mess.  I love penne pasta because it holds its shape and stays pretty!  This one is great for a company meal or just for your family.  It can be put together in a flash!

Beef Alfredo Pasta

A box of penne pasta

Two jars of roasted garlic alfredo sauce

1 package frozen beef strips

1 can tomatoes with green chilies (do not drain)

Cook pasta according to directions.  Drain.

Cook beef strips in a small amount of olive oil in a skillet until cooked through and browned slightly.

Add alfredo sauce, beef and tomatoes to pasta.  Heat through.

Serve with garlic bread or Red Lobster cheddar biscuits, corn, side salad and top with a little parmesan cheese. :)

My Week: January 6-14

Thank you for stopping by my blog today!  I hope you enjoy reading about my week here in Reno, NV.

Sunday was interesting!  It got wet inside - with a father and son getting baptized along with it leaking from all the rain.  Ha!  

We had our normal two morning services at 8:30 and 10:30am - my husband preached a great sermon and then it was off for home.

What a storm it was!  It POURED rain ALL day long.  Now, for the desert, this is not our normal.  This was an incredibly epic storm.  Along with the massive amount of rain was the melting of snow - it caused flooding all over the region.  It was a crazy mess.

We had white chicken chili, grilled cheese and side salads for Sunday lunch.

I was sure glad I didn't have to go anywhere in the afternoon.  I did Bible reading in the afternoon and couldn't keep my eyes off of outside.

 We cancelled the evening service with the heavy rains and flooding - best not to be on the roads.

I was called into work two hours early - so that made a 14 hour shift for me.  It was slow going in - still raining very heavily even at 5:30 at night.

Monday - off at 8am - glad to be out after 14 hours!  The rain had stopped and it was trying to clear a little.  I drove to the plasma center only to find it was not open due to weather conditions.  So no donation for me that day.  I then stopped at the river downtown to get some photos of the Truckee River.  The river goes right through downtown Reno and it was very full.

If you knew what our river usually looks like, you would know how full this is for us.  LOL!  Just to give you a hint - we call it the Trickle River. :)

I then stopped at Wal-Mart for a few things.  I checked the Christmas clearance and found these nice centerpieces for $2.97 each.  I really like them!

We then worked on school.

After school, we took the girls on a fun outing with a gift card - black light mini golf at Wild Island.  It was a lot of fun!

It was a pirate theme so Sierra loved it!

Then Happy Hour with a gift card we had - these slurpees are only $1!

When we got home from our outing, Addie had the house cleaned, laundry done and dinner made ready for us.  Moms out there...believe me, I remember those days with little kids.  You had to do everything yourself and you never could keep up, it seemed.  Teach them - give them a lot of responsibilities.  And one day, when they reach that age, they will be able to manage the house for you.  They will!  And what a blessing it will be!  My kids are able to run our house - and they pretty much do.  Cleaning, cooking, laundry - you name it - they do it.  The main things I do in our house is the cooking (they help me) and my laundry.  They do the rest.  

So my encouragement to you-is teach them and make them have responsibilities.  Instill the character in their lives while they are young. It is so worth it!

Along at the dinner table, Daddy teaches more life lessons on money management.  How investing now impacts their future.  He was using the illustration of spending money on buying that jar of banana peppers compared to investing that same dollar and how investing is making your money work for you - without you having to work for that money.

Then it was off to work again Monday night.  Well, it started snowing again.  Snow, rain, snow, rain...what a winter so far!

Tuesday, off at 8am.  I went to the plasma center again to try to do my donation.  They were open.  And busy.  I guess it was the fact they weren't open the day before.  It was a long day and I didn't get home until 11am from just that.  

School, shower and then off to swimming lessons!

Autumn and Sierra are both taking lessons.  Autumn took lessons two years ago with Addie but she is still timid so I am paying for lessons to help with her ability and confidence.  They both did great and the instructor even had them jump in the deep end and swim to her.  I am glad I decided to get them in now before the summer hits.

That is Sierra with their teacher and Autumn in the purple.

Then it was back home to finish up housework and laundry and make dinner - chicken stir fry!

You can find the recipe HERE.

Then it was off to the gym for our workout and then to my Tuesday shift at work.

Then this!  So after the epic rain storm, they are forecasting more snow...

Wednesday morning - wow!  Check out these totals of snowfall - this was just one part of the storm.

Happy to see some sun coming out from where I work.  It was deceiving because once you went out - it was a layer of ice!  Yikes!

Nothing more uplifting on a cold, snowy January day than beautiful, gorgeous sunshine!  It didn't last long - maybe two hours - LOL!  But I loved it for that short time anyway!

Busy day, Wednesdays!  Working on school takes quite the amount of the day.  I threw together a tuna noodle casserole for dinner - I only make this when I am putting off grocery shopping!  LOL!  I added french fried onions and crushed up garlic and cheese croutons for a crunchy topping.

Pick up the Bialys for youth group, drop the teens off at the church, off to the gym!

I did 100 flights of stairs on the stair master and weights.

Then off for my Wednesday night shift.

Well, guess what Thursday was like?  LOL!  Yep, more snow!  It was coming down pretty good.  Enough to make the public schools cancel and it seemed that many people stayed home as well because it was pretty empty on the roads.

And as I say every time it snows, I love my AWD!  It is so great to drive in snow - nothing beats it for sure!

Well, back to the plasma center for my second donation!  And unlike Tuesday which was a nightmare...Thursday was almost empty!!!  Woo hoo!!!  I can't tell you how happy that makes me!  LOL!  The whole procedure includes signing in, completing a ton of questions on a computer, getting your health checked in the kiosk (things like temp, protein, weight, iron, etc.) and then your actual donation.  I got through in one hour and seven minutes which was great!  I did some of my Bible reading while donating.

After my donation, I did several errands along the way that I had been putting off forever.

Pick up paper towels, soap and a dispenser at Inland Supply.

Pick up the dry-cleaning.

Deposit checks and get out cash at the ATM.

Office Depot for paper and envelopes for the church.

Fill up the van with gas.

Pick up books on hold at the library.  

Wal-Mart for a few items.

Starbucks for gift cards for the church.

The plasma and errands took quite a bit of time but I was glad to get them all accomplished!

Home and get ready for the day and then back out for swimming lessons!  Still snowing!!!

I thought this was a funny photo of the warm pool and the snow outside!

After lessons, it was grocery shopping time.  I know...I won't complain.  LOL!  By the time we got home with everything that day...I was wilting like a cabbage!  Ha!!  

I cooked up some venison steaks that were given to us, baked potatoes and steamed broccoli.  Yum!  I do love venison!

Scarfed down dinner and then off to worship practice at 6pm.

Then home for the rest of the evening at home.  Watched an episode with the hubby of a series we are watching and then we were off to bed.  I love being at home in my home!

Friday!  Up early to enjoy my coffee and Bible reading and then work on school for the morning.  It was a cloudy and cold January Friday.  I lit my candle to be able to "warm" up my view instead of the gray skies.  LOL!!

Yeah, Belle, I feel that way too.  Ha!!!  She cracks me up sitting at the table with the girls when we do tests.  

After working on school all morning, I had a photo job to do at 1pm.  It was up in Galena and boy, did they get some snow.

The hubby went skiing on Friday so I stopped at the gym on the way back from Galena and did a quick workout by myself.  Another 100 floors on the stairmaster.  

Made beef enchiladas for dinner with corn and tortilla chips.

Enchiladas are pretty easy - 2 lbs. of ground beef (cooked and drained), one can of black beans (rinsed and drained), one can of diced tomatoes with green chilies (drained) and red enchilada sauce.

Roll up that filling into flour tortillas.  Put in greased baking pans - top with the remaining enchilada sauce and shredded cheese.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or so - bake covered.

Friday night was game and movie family night.  We finally learned how to play Mexican train dominoes!  Yay!

Oreo cookies and chips for a treat.

The night ended with the original version of The Parent Trap.  Love that movie!  Then off to bed!

Saturday morning, up for my coffee and Bible reading.  I love the mornings when I am able to be home and have that quiet, uninterrupted time!
So many good verses today!  This is one of my favorites in the Bible...I love that phrase..."THOU ART MY GOD."  That just speaks to me.

My husband and I had a meeting at 10am which lasted a couple hours.  We then had a few things at the church to take care of.  Then home.
I had some time to sit down to catch up on my e-mail and this blog post.  LOL!  Upload the photos for the inspection I did.  Write the church e-mail and announcements.

Made this for dinner - broccoli cheese soup - one of my favorites and this batch turned out so good!  I added a little cornstarch/cold water mixture and it thickened it perfectly!  So good for another dreary January day.  I was so chilled and couldn't seem to warm up!

You can find the recipe HERE.

I also made chicken patty sandwiches.  I served them on warmed ciabatta buns topped with mozzarella cheese, mayo and tomato slices.  They were delicious!  I liked the change up.  I made my husband's with a fried egg on top!  He loves the burgers with an egg on them so I saw on a commercial where Jack in the Box was serving chicken sandwiches with fried eggs and thought that was a good idea.  And he liked it!

Good Saturday meal!

Off for a little reading and finishing up for Sunday.  I hope you had a good week too!