Song for Sunday and Miracle for Monday... even though it's Tuesday

This last Sunday we sang a song I've always liked, but it has gained more meaning to me recently.

The song is "A Shield about Me".
It comes from Psalm 3:3, and I'm sure many people can personally apply it to their lives in different ways.
"Thou, O Lord, are a shield about me; you're my glory and the lifter of my head."

Now when I hear this song, I think of my beautiful friend Rachel who survived a serious car accident a couple months ago.

photo by jenmphotography.com

She was riding in a Jeep with some friends and was not wearing her seat belt, and they were rear ended on the interstate. She flew out of the back window and was thrown down the road about 25 yards. She landed by the interstate median and could hear her friends screaming for her. She didn't really realize she was hurt until she tried to stand up. She had bruises and road rash on her arms, head, and back and 3 pelvic fractures, but it's AMAZING she lived through it.

The car was totaled and her seat was crushed. Rachel is very tall and can't explain how she fit through the window. She felt as if an angel was watching over her and pulled her out. Also, a man was riding a bike down the side of the interstate at the same time as the wreck. He happened to be a doctor, and he stayed with her until the ambulance came. The doctors and nurses who cared for her after the wreck called her a "living miracle" and couldn't explain how she was doing so well. She did have a couple of difficult weeks after the wreck and had to use a walker for a while. Now she is walking well, and you would never suspect she had just survived a serious wreck. Most of her scars are hidden under her hair and clothes, but she does have one scar that is visible to anyone - a red heart shaped scar on her right hand.

I'm very thankful my friend and those who were with her in the car are alive and well!
God is so good!

Here is a picture of the car.

Here is a picture of Rachel still smiling after the wreck!

"But you, O Lord, are a shield about me; you're my glory and the lifter of my head. To the Lord I cry aloud, and he answers me from his holy hill. I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me." Psalm 3:3-5

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6_omT2JA4E&feature=related

Pillowcase Dress with a Ruffle

I had been wanting to make a pillowcase dress for a long time and finally tried it out a couple months ago. This dress is so easy and only took about an hour! I also made a matching doll dress.
Here are the instructions I followed:
http://alittleloveliness.blogspot.com/2009/05/make-pillowcase-dress.html
And here are the dresses I made!

I also made a pair for our friend, Contessa, but forgot to take a picture. :(
I planned on making several more, but since it is almost September... I'll revisit this project next Spring.

Song for Sunday

Today in church we sang Days of Elijah. At times, we sing a song that wakes us all up, and you can feel the energy in the room. Days of Elijah is one of those songs. It reminds us of the hope and joy we have through Christ. In the middle of the song, our spirit-filled song leader raised his hands and let out a "Whew!". He may not have planned doing that, but I thought it was the highlight of the whole worship service. (Though we have an excellent preacher, and the sermon was informative and thought-provoking as well.)

Here are the 1st few verses:

These are the days of Elijah,
Declaring the word of the Lord:
And these are the days of Your servant Moses,
Righteousness being restored.
And though these are days of great trial,
Of famine and darkness and sword,
Still, we are the voice in the desert crying
'Prepare ye the way of the Lord!'

Behold He comes riding on the clouds,
Shining like the sun at the trumpet call;
Lift your voice, it's the year of jubilee,
And out of Zion's hill salvation comes.

In a world full off pain, it's so good to be reminded that we are not forsaken.

"Behold, He is coming with the clouds..." Revelation 1:7

"Listen, I will tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed- in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: 'Death has been swallowed up in victory.' 'Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?' The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." I Corinthians 15:51-57

"Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not proceed those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words." I Thessalonians 4:13-18

"Whew!"

Sock Puppets and Cardboard Box Theater

What child doesn't love sock puppets? And what mom doesn't love a craft you can make with stuff you probably already have? All I did was stick on the googly eyes and tack on the sparkle nose and yarn hair with a needle and thread. It took 5 minutes and my daughter has played with them for hours!
We made two, Mary and Jo Jo.
We didn't want our puppets to be homeless, so we built a puppet theater out of a cardboard box.
I had some left over fabric from making my daughter's curtains a few years ago that I wrapped around the box and secured with a staple gun. The whole point of a puppet theater is the curtains... and they turned out to be my nemesis. I tried to hang them with the staple gun - they fell down. I tried duct tape - they fell down. I tried staples and duct tape - they fell down. I was defeated. There was only one option left; call my sister. She gave me the genius idea of hanging them on wire hangers and duct taping the hangers to the box! It worked beautifully!

I sewed the curtain fabric to the hangers. (I promise I wasn't sewing in the dark, even though it looks that way.)

So it looked like this...


Then duct taped them to the top of the box...
I tied the curtains back with yarn, added a support piece of cardboard across the bottom of the box (to make sure it wouldn't collapse) and covered it with a blanket.... and we were ready for the show!

They usually end up kissing...

Applique and Tile Menu

I love giving and receiving handmade gifts. These are two projects that I think make great gifts!

I used applique instructions from my friend, Erin's, blog. Her post is about an initial shirt, which I also plan on making someday. Here is the link to her blog:
http://toteallyposh.blogspot.com/2010/02/appliqued-t-shirt-tutorial.html
I wanted to do a teapot, so I drew a teapot on card stock and traced it onto the pink fabric and Heat n' Bond. Then just cut them out, ironed it on and did a zig zag around it. It's an easy project except that I'm not a great sewer, so the curvy lines were tricky for me. I did sew the shirt together once, but at least I didn't sew my finger.

Here is the shirt I made.


I made two - one for a gift and one for my daughter.

Since making these, I've read that a few straight forward and back stitches at the beginning and end of the zig zag will help hold it in place.
This is a fun project and makes me want to copy the entire Mini Boden catalog!

I also made this tea towel and menu board for my mother in law's birthday (Nonni is what the kids call her).

The menu board is another easy project, and I use mine to plan our meals every week! Nothing frustrates me more (well, ok maybe a few things frustrate me more) than to cook salmon for dinner, only for my husband to come home and say he had salmon for lunch. Now, I don't feel sorry for him, because what we are having for dinner has been written there all week.
I found the idea for it here:
http://www.somewhatsimple.com/2009/07/tile-menu-board.html
I have also seen plain white plates used, which is also really cute. The white tile was ridiculously cheap at Lowe's (under 50 cents), and the easel is from JoAnn's. I used paint pens to write/draw what I wanted to stay permanently and keep the dry erase marker velcroed to the back.
Here is mine.

I love you a latte

You may have noticed this little guy on the cook top in some of my pictures.

It's a Bialetti espresso maker, and I love it.

I've heard almost every house in Italy has one, just like almost every house in the USA has a coffee maker. It also comes with a milk warmer/frother.

For around $30 it makes expresso for lattes and cappuccinos that I think are just as good as Starbucks! Someone gave it to us as a wedding present, and it is definitely one of our most used gifts. I recommend giving one to any coffee loving friend!

Here is the latte I made this afternoon.

...with whip cream and chocolate syrup.

Perfect to drink on this rainy afternoon while the kids nap.

So nap on, kids. But if you don't - after drinking this I'm ready for running around the couch, building a bear cave, or just handling post-nap crankiness.

Song for Sunday

This summer has been hot! We've been inside a lot, and it has been challenging to keep the kids entertained without watching too much tv. If we are playing in a room with a tv, I have a hard time keeping it turned off. But.... I've found a great solution! Praise Baby dvds! My sister gave us one, and we love it! The video part is a lot like Baby Einstein, and we don't really watch it. We just listen to it while we play. It's definitely something I can occasionally let the kids watch or listen to without feeling guilty. Something about it is very calming and puts us all in a better mood.

http://praisebaby.com/

Frist Inspired Chicken Salad

This delicious chicken salad was inspired by the cafe at the Frist Museum. They served an apricot chicken salad similar to this on a croissant. My mother and I ordered it the last time we were there and thought it was so good!

You will need:
2-3 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 cup chopped dried apricots
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
2 diced celery stalks
2 diced green onions
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 1/2 cups champagne vinaigrette
1 cup Mayo (optional)

Stir all ingredients together and chill for a couple hours. Serve on a bed of mixed green or on a croissant. I left out the mayo, because my husband doesn't like it, and it was still very good.

I would love to have a picture of the chicken salad on a pretty plate with mixed greens and a croissant, but I made this for a church potluck - and we were running late!

New Friend

Our daughter was recently given a stuffed dog that looks a lot like our real dog, Oliver.
I think Oliver thought he'd had a puppy.
Or maybe he thought he was being replaced?

Scrap Art

I LOVE scrapbook paper. I could spend an hour on the scrapbooking aisle entranced by the thousands of colorful papers and stickers and gadgets and die cuts. The only problem is I don't "scrap". It's a whole other world I am amazed by, and I know I'll never live there. But... it seemed like a nice place to visit. So, I bought some papers that matched the colors in my bedroom and an antiquing stamp and made these:



I tore the background paper into large pieces and went around the edges with the antiquing stamp. Then I cut the other pieces into shapes, antiqued the edges, and glued them on with paper glue. I added some minor details with an ink pen. So easy! And it temporarily pacified my need for pretty paper.

Party Peas!

Here is one of my own recipes for party peas!

It sounds fancy because of the champagne vinaigrette. You never have to tell anyone that it's $2 at Publix (well... I guess I just did).

Heat a 16 oz bag of frozen peas and 1 cup of champagne vinaigrette in a large pot over medium heat for 5 minutes or until peas are warm. Add 9 oz fresh spinach and cover until spinach wilts. Salt to taste. Serve immediately.


We ate them for dinner tonight with Balsamic Chicken and roasted mustard potatoes.
Mmmm... spinach. In nursing school, we had a lot of questions about where can you get such and such vitamin - the answer was pretty much always leafy green vegetables. Don't you feel healthier just looking at the picture?

Song for Sunday

Today we sang one of my favorite songs in church.

It Is Well With My Soul

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8_EfDqF7YI&feature=related

It was so encouraging to hear everyone singing this song, especially knowing so many have recently faced illness, loss of loved ones, and other challenges.

I pray for stronger faith and to have His peace even in times of trial and sorrow.

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let you hearts be troubled, and do not be afraid." - John 14:27

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." - Romans 15:13

Oven Chicken Risotto

This is one of my favorite easy meals from Southern Living!

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1966721


Tip: If you cook this in a aluminum pan - bake covered for an extra 5-10 minutes.

There are many way to change this up... Such as add frozen peas 10 minutes before the risotto is done baking, or stirring in cooked broccoli, green peppers, asparagus, or leeks before serving.

Veggie and Meat Lasagna

(modified from the Classic Lasagna in the Bride and Groom First and Forever Cookbook, 2004)

Once I learned my kids would eat lasagna, I changed the recipe to sneak in some vegetables. This is one of my favorite things to take to someone who needs a meal!

8 oz ground beef
8 oz Italian sausage (removed from casings and crumbled)
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3 jars of marinara sauce
8 oz ricotta cheese
8 oz cream cheese at room temperature
1 cup parmesan cheese
12 sheets "no boil" lasagna noodles
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
2 squashes
1 zucchini
1 cup fresh spinach

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Cook the beef and sausage in a large saute pan over medium high heat about 10 minutes until lightly browned. Season with salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Set aside in a large bowl.

Dice squash and zucchini and saute over medium high heat in the same pan until tender. Add to the same bowl as the meat.

Add the marinara sauce to the meat and veggies and stir.

Mix the ricotta , cream cheese, and Parmesan in a medium bowl. Season with 1/2 tsp pepper.

Cove the bottom of the baking dish (an aluminum lasagna pan works great) with 1 cup meat sauce. Arrange a layer of noodles over the sauce (this is my 3 yr old daughter's job). Spread 2 cups of the meat and veggie sauce over the noodles. Add half of the cheese mixture by spoonfuls evenly over the meat sauce. It will look something like this:

Scatter 1/2 spinach leaves over the cheese. Top with noodles, 2 cups meat and veggie sauce, the remaining cheese mixture, and the remaining spinach leaves. Top with another layer of noodles, 2 cups meat and veggie sauce, and a final layer of noodles. Spread the remaining meat and veggie sauce over the top, and sprinkle with the mozzarella cheese.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 15 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Serve with garlic bread!

Tip: Make sure lasagna noodles are completely covered with sauce, because they require the moisture from the sauce to cook properly.

I meant to take a picture of the finished lasagna... and forgot. This one went to my friend from church, Amy, who just had her 3rd baby! I will be making another one in about a month when my sister, Alyssa, has her baby, and hopefully I will remember to take a picture.