Casting Your Care Upon Him

I got some news yesterday that is going to lead to some tough decisions. I find that I have an easier time Casting My Cares on Him AFTER the decisions have been made than during the decision making time. I pray for wisdom, but still find myself thinking through things over and over again!

I'm trying to sing this song (to myself) when I catch myself becoming obsessive about the situation.

I cast all my cares upon You, I lay all of my burdens down at your feet and anytime that I don't know what to do, I will cast all my care upon you.

Kitchen Tip Tuesday

When you put a "prepared meal" or even the main part of a meal, like taco meat or meatballs and sauce in the freezer, write it on a 3x5 card and keep it in the front of your recipe box.

Cross off things as you use them and add to the card as you add to the freezer.

Since I don't seem to have as good of a memory as I used to this, this has helped me a lot and helped me not to waste food because I forgot it was in the freezer until it was covered by two inches of ice crystals.

I can also look at the 3x5 card when I am planning my menu for the week and decide if want to use anything from the freezer. This also helps if you need to take a meal to someone on short notice.

For more great kitchen tips, visit: http://www.tammysrecipes.com/node/3591

Recipe Request

Lasagna

Meat Sauce:
1.5 lbs. hamburger
1 tbsp. minced garlic 0r 1.5 tsp. garlic powder
1 tbsp. basil
1.5 tsp. salt
16 oz. tomato sauce
12 oz. tomato paste

Cheese Filling:
2 eggs
24 oz. cottage cheese
1/2c. parmesan cheese
2 tbsp. parsley flakes
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

10 Lasagna Noodles
16 oz. Mozarella Cheese

Directions:

1. Brown hamburger and drain. Add rest of sauce ingredients, simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring occassionally.


2. Beat eggs, add rest of cheese filling ingredients, mix well.


3. Cook lasagna noodles per package directions, drain.


4. Grease 13x9 pan.


5. Spread a thin layer of meat sauce over bottom of pan, then 1/2 of noodle, 1/2 of cheese filling, 1/2 of mozarella, 1/2 of meat sauce, then remaining noodle, then cheese filling, meat sauce.


6. Cook at 350 for 35-45 minutes.


7. Add rest of mozarella during last 15 minutes of cook time.

*Can prepare ahead of time and refrigerate. Plan to add 15 minutes to cook time.

*I will sometimes use two cans of diced tomatoes in place of the hamburger to make a meatless lasagna.

Think On These Things Thursday

Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Nothing too deep, just thankful that I can put my faith in a loving God and know He will take care of me, no matter what may come my way--health problems, work difficulties, even a government that would turn the country I love into country I barely recognize. God is still in control and He has promised never to leave us or forsake us! What peace is it to know that the all knowing, all powerful God is on MY side. :o)

Psalm 94:14 For the LORD will not cast off his people, neither will he forsake his inheritance.

Isaiah 41:10 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Update

My friend who had surgery is doing better. Still in pain, but better than yesterday. Please keep her in your prayers!

Adventures at the Hospital

Today I went to the hospital with a friend who was having surgery. I was a little nervous because I don't know my way around the hospitals here, even though I have lived here for about 11yrs. (I really hate it when I don't know where I am going. I have this irrational fear that I will end up wandering around and then someday someone will find my skeleton in some deserted hallway and solve the great mystery of what happened to me!) I've decided that it is a good thing to not know my way around the hospitals because that means I don't work there and haven't had anyone close to me sick enough that I've become familiar with the hospitals. My method of navigating the hospitals is to read signs and ask the little information desk people or pretty much anyone wearing what appears to be a badge where I am supposed to be going!

When we got to the hospital, I was sent to a waiting room to wait until they had my friend ready for surgery, then I could go sit with her until the surgical people came to take her away. I was told to check in at the waiting room desk so they could find me when they needed me. I dutifully filled out the little piece of paper, had my parking ticket stamped, chatted with the little volunteer lady, who said she needed new glasses. I then went and sat to wait. About half an hour later, another volunteer lady who was at the desk when I checked in came and with a somewhat school teacher like tone asked me to please come register because I hadn't. I went to the desk, explained I had--she looked at me and said, "Well we don't have you down anywhere." I felt like a naught elementary student! I filled out the paper again. The lady who NEEDED new glasses asked if she could stamp my parking ticket. I explained that she already had. She said, "Well I've never seen you before!" I said, "actually we talked about how you needed new glasses." "Oh, did we?" she said. They found my previous slip and apologized. I told them to give me some free coffee and I'd call it even. :o) (They always offer free coffee.)

I saw my friend off to surgery, then went back to wait.

After she was out of surgery, a little gentleman gave me a slip and told me to go back upstairs to post op. He told me the bed number and I was on my way. I was rather proud that I managed to find my way, only having to ask one person! When I got to the bed, though the person occupying the bed was about eighty years old and a MAN!!! My friend is in HER thirties! I went to the desk and the first lady told me, well it says bed 13, so you need to go over there. I explained that if they had done that to my friend in surgery she was NOT going to be very happy!!! I finally found someone helpful and they just giggled and said the voluteer guy was a little confused, she called and found out where my friend really was for me. :o)

Did I mention I brought chlorox wipes with me (in a baggy) to wipe down the table before I set up my computer. I know this is probably a sign of OCD. Actually I prefer CDO--it's like Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, but the letters are in alphabetical order--the way the SHOULD be! Hospitals really gross me out, especially during flu season! The older I get the more they disgust me--probably due to the wisdom that comes with getting older, right! I can't count how many times I used the hand sanitizer today. When I walked in the door tonight, my husband asked me "Did you catch anything"? Only time will tell--still taking my Vitamin C and Zinc, though!

For those of you who know my friend, the surgery went well, but the recovery is never easy and is unfortunately pretty painful, so please pray for her. She's looking for volunteers to trade places with her!

Prayer Request

Please pray for my friend Terri who is having surgery today. For a safe surgery and QUICK recovery.

Kitchen Tip Tuesday

Apple Bread

This recipe is posted by request. :o) It was originally a Pear Bread recipe, but I decided to make it with apples since I had an abundance of them and it turned out pretty well. :o)
*makes two loaves

3 eggs

1 1/4 c. sugar

2/3 c. vegetable oil

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp. Almond extract

3 c. flour--I used whole wheat pastry flour

1/4 c. ground flax seed

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tbsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

4 c. finely chopped apples (I don't peel mine)

1c. chopped walnuts

1. Combine eggs, sugar, oil, and extracts. Mix well.

2. Combine flour, bkg. powder, cinnamon, bkg. soda, and salt. Mix well.

3. Stir flour mixture into egg mixture til moist.

4. Add apples and walnuts, mix well.

5. Pour into loaf pans.

6. Bake at 350 for 55-60 minutes.

7. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans.

Overheard:

In regards to some friends who go South for the winter:

T--They're people hibernating! :o)

'Nuff Said!

Think on These Things Thursday

Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

John 9:1-5

1 ¶ And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.

2 And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?

3 Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.

4 I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.

5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.

As I read this passage it struck me that so often when difficulties come our way, it is easy to get focused on the "whys" of our difficulties. However, this passage shows us that there are times that difficulties are put in someone's life so that God can be glorified. Here this gentleman had been blind for his whole life and he is an adult in the story (later in the passage the parents say he is of age). That is a long time to live with being blind. His trial wasn't for a few days or months or even years!

Instead of focusing our energy on the "why me", we need to focus our energy in finding ways to give God the glory for getting us through the trials. He has promised over and over to never leave us or forsake us, commanded us not to fear for He is with us, promised to give us the strength we need and promised to never give us more than we can handle--because He is there to help us! I think that God sometimes gives us trials so that when others ask how we are making it, we can say that God is getting us through because we certainly couldn't manage on our own!!!

Another point about this passage I wanted to make it that the disciples thought that this man or his parents had sinned. (It is a little funny that they thought it may have been the man, even though he had been blind FROM BIRTH!) Sometimes people will decided that someone may have sinned and that is the "why" of their difficulties. I don't think that anyone should decide that sin is the reason for a person's difficulties, that is between God and them. Sure there are consequences for sin and sometimes they are apparent, however, our job is to be an encouragement and help them with a loving spirit, not a judgmental one.

If you are going through a difficult time, remember that God is just a prayer away. Enlist others to pray for you too!

Saving you...

Time:
I needed to finish getting my apples in the freezer/ready to cook with. I had nearly half a bushel left. I was using my apple wedger, but it doesn't cut all the way through, so I had to then pull all the apple wedges through the wedger. I finally got smart (unfortunately when I was over 1/2 done) and used the handle of a wooden spoon to push the core the rest of the way out, then you basically had a "bloomin apple" which was easy to break into pieces for the food processor. The kids helped a lot and cut the time in half!!!! I LOVE helpers.

Money:
I went to the eye doctor on Saturday. I asked her about my eyes burning and if I could use cheaper solution to rinse/put them in my eye and the more expensive stuff to soak. (I've tried the store brand stuff and it doesn't work for me. I have to replace my contacts twice as much!!!) She said to use the contact solution to soak them and then buy NORMAL SALINE to rinse and put them in my eyes. It is A LOT cheaper!!! Also, she said that the contact solution has disinfectants that irritate some peoples eyes, so rinsing in Normal Saline actually helps to decrease eye irritation since it gets rid of the chemicals. I tried the Normal Saline today and my eyes felt much better. I love it--two problems solved with one "solution". :o)

Think On these Things Belated

Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Optimistic=Trusting God

Romans 8:28

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Through our health insurance, there is an application for "Living Well"--basically to address the emotional side of life. We get points for doing their suggestions. My next area to work on is optimism. It got me thinking. The first step is to write down the good things in your life.

Isn't it so true that when we make an effort to focus on the good in our life and the things to be thankful for, our outlook will be more "optimistic".

Really, it struck me that being "optimistic" is really trusting God and His wisdom to direct our paths.

Weekend Recap

My weekend started last Thursday. :o) Wish I could figure out a way this could happen all the time! It ended on Sunday, I just haven't had time to get this post done. It was back to work on Monday.

Thursday

We packed a picnic lunch and headed out to Bayfield.

1st Stop: Farm for pumpkins for the kids/Aunt Molly and mini pumpkins and gourds for me to decorate for fall. They had fun picking out their pumpkins.

2nd Stop: Iron Bridge Hike in Bayfield. This is a nice, relaxing hike under a beautiful old iron bridge and along a creek. It is beautiful and not strenuous. Perfect to stretch the legs after a 2 hour trip!

3rd Stop: LUNCH!!! We stopped at picnic table in Bayfield for lunch under some beautiful oak trees.

4th Stop: Hauser's Orchard. They have a mail order barn ordered from Sears and Roebuck back in the 1920's. It was shipped by train and put up by local carpenters. Cost: $896.00.We picked a bushel of apples in about 10 minutes. I actually wish it had lasted a little longer, it seemed a little anticlimactic to drive all that way to pick apples for such a short time. Alas, I don't have a very big freezer, though!

5th Stop: Blue Vista Orchard. They have a beautiful old red barn, but we couldn't pick our own apples, which was a little disappointing. They sold me some apples at pick your own prices, though. My sister also bought me a pottery apple baker--which works in the microwave or oven. :o)

6th Stop: Meyer's Beach for the Sea Cave hike--3.6 miles round trip. It is a relaxing and pretty hike. Some up and down hills. We also walked along the beach a bit.

Friday

Very rainy and basically miserable out, so we hung out at home. We played Wii some. Also, we carved pumpkins. The nice way they turned out is largely due to Aunt Molly's talents, certainly NOT mine!

Saturday

Went to a water park in the twin cities. We had a lot of fun! Got our exercise walking up and down the four flights of stairs to the slides. We were pretty well worn out. Then we went to an old friend's house for dinner with his family.

Sunday

We went to church at a church we really enjoy visiting in the twin cities. It is always nice to find a church away from home that you fell welcome in and that believes like you do. We went to the Como Zoo and then hiked around Fort Snelling. Then dropped my sister off at the airport.

Kitchen Tip Tuesday

Freezing Apples

We picked a bushel of apples on Thursday, so last night I had about 20 minutes free so I thought I'd start working on freezing some.

• I usually cut up the apples with a knife, but last night I remembered by apple wedger. I wedged the apples, which nicely decores them also.
• Then I put them in my food processor to slice or chop. I froze half in slices and half chopped.
• Using the apple wedger saved A LOT of time. I don't peel my apples. They end up sliced thin enough that no one complains and the peel has extra nutrients and fiber.
• I put them in freezer bags and marked the number of cups in the bags with a permanent marker.

I was able to get twenty cups of apples in the freezer in the twenty minutes. I couldn't believe how fast it went! With clean up--about 30 minutes.

For more great kitchen tips, visit: Tammy's Recipes at http://www.tammysrecipes.com/node/3545

So true and So sad...

Hollywood is a place where they'll pay you a thousand dollars for a kiss and fifty cents for your soul.--Marilyn Monrow

I think we could say today that they will pay you a million dollars for a kiss, but still only 50 cents for your soul if they'll pay for it at all.

This quote broke my heart!