Happy Valentine's Day!

Here are some recent photos of our little valentines...

Graham watched his first Star Wars movie this weekend, complete with sub-woofers and surround sound, at Nana and Papa's house. It was Episode 4, the newer ones are just way too gory and gross, well, for a 5 year old anyway! :) The little monkey is the class pet, "Mango"...and Graham was so psyched up about having him for the week. Mango even had to sid at the table to eat with us!

And our little Reecie (know that commercial "how do you eat your Reese's?") decided to pull that trick with her boiled egg this morning...walked back into the room and there was the yolk-fully intact. She usually prefers to play and experiment with her food, rather than eat it!

Tomorrow, we're off to our week-a-month trip to Charlotte so that Dan can attend class at Gordon Conwell. He really looks forward to these weeks so that his focus can be on studies, and we get to play some in-between. The kids are becoming great little travelers...they're troopers at handling the 12 hour car-ride (with lots of breaks, of course). It sounds like the weather will be a little chilly, but I hope we'll just bundle up our warm-blooded, Flordia-weatherfied-selves to enjoy the outdoors. My mom "Nana" will be joining us...it'll be so nice to have her company, especially while Dan's at class and in the library.

Check back in about a week, I'll have some fun news to share................... until then, Happy Valentines Day, dear one!

Confessions of a Hair Changer

Hello. My name is Sarah, and I am a hair-changer. I love a new hair-do! Then I get sick of it...then I grow it a little, change the cut, change the color...I've even enlisted family members to support my habit in the past...you know who you are. :)

After years and years of being blonde-first naturally, and then (after puberty brought brown hair) with the assistance of a trusty stylist-I decided to grow out/cut out the blonde to reveal my "natural" color. Thought I should find out once and for all what color hair God had actually given me before it started to turn gray! Got it all grown out, liked the brown, but truth be told, I missed the blonde hair a little! Although, it was nice having "virgin" hair for once. :)

I gotta say that sweet hubby just rolls with all this nonsense...I think he used to dread my "changes", but now looks forward to, and even encourages! This little adventure to the salon was an early valentines day treat from him, and even included a mani and pedi.

My kids just keep staring at me, they say they like it, but I think they just don't know what to do with their momma all fixed-up more than usual. Poor kids, only used to seeing me with nappy hair and frumpies on.

Just for fun, I thought I'd post a before and after, plus the photo I took into the stylist as "inspiration" for the latest "change". I've dubbed this style "the crooked mullet"...business on the left, party on the right!

Well-said...

Here in "Blogland, USA" I do have a few regular-reads. One of my all-time favorites and daily reads is Elizabeth Esther, writer/blogger/mother of five and self-proclaimed "recovering evangelical" which just cracks me up... maybe because I can relate to some of her thoughts and experiences? Plus, her twin babies are just so daggum cute!

Anyway...today's post really got the wheels turning. I don't keep up much with the news media, unless there's a major catastrophy in the world, and even then I sometimes don't find out till my momma calls! I end up shaking my head, feeling like all hope is lost, as I hear about global warming, iffy government policies, the economic crisis, and even the news of the latest evangelical pastor, someone like Ted Haggard, leading a double life, as it were.

As I reflect on Elizabeth's post today, my resolve is renewed to try to spend less time shaking my head about these situations and more time praying about them. Praying that God would ready me to respond in love to anyone who might need it.

Also, what am I doing to cultivate the roots of faith in my heart so that I can be sure to obey God and seek his will and plan for my life?

In this busy season it's so easy, so natural to just fill every minute with "good things"cleaning, playing, organizing, bible studies, playdates, researching, talking to friends, blogging.......oh I could go on! Taking a few minutes each day to reflect, pray and listen to God through his Word, often seem like a "unique and rare opportunity" rather than a "a given". This becomes evident in my heart in how I respond to others.

And Lord forgive me when I look at another person with eyes of judgement or pride....this passage from the Bible just speaks to me and humbles me today...

"Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else. But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus. God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. " Ephesians 2:1-10

There is hope....in God alone.

A couple of new additions...

to Sarah's Simple Servings...and coming up next is the big winner of the week... Dan's delicious home-made Crab Rangoon! Just thinkin' about it makes my mouth water!

Chicken Risotto Soup

I have been CRAVING soup like crazy lately! This soup really hit the spot and provided leftovers for lunch for about 3 days...and I didn't even get tired of it! It tasted better each day as the flavors melded together. I did simmer it for about 10 minutes longer than the recipe calls for, the rice was still a little too hard after 15 min. I made these garlic cheese biscuits while the soup simmered, or add some oyster crackers (my kid's favorite!) and voila! Your dinner is DONE!

*You could make this corn-free by using a corn-free thickener instead of cornstarch, or no thickener at all and it'll taste great!

Grilled Salmon with Ginger Honey Glaze

(adapted from Woman's Day Eating Light Magazine)

This one was SO FAST, FRESH and FABULOUSLY delicious!

Total time-start to finish-2o minutes.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 lb. fresh salmon fillet with skin (keeps the fish in tact during grilling, but flakes away easily from skin when serving)

salt and black pepper to taste

2 T. light teriyaki sauce

1 T. honey

2 T. minced fresh ginger OR 1 t. ground ginger

2 med. zucchini sliced fairly thick (about 1/2 in.)

2 med. yellow summer squash (also sliced about 1/2 in.)

2 T. olive oil in a small bowl (for veggies)

coarse salt/sea salt (for veggies)


How to make it:

1. Sprinkle salmon with salt and pepper.
Combine teriyaki sauce and honey and pour evenly over the salmon.
Spread ginger over the top.
Let stand about 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, heat grill. (I used our George Foreman table grill)

3. Wash and cut veggies (I used zucchini and yellow squash, but you could use others like, portobello mushrooms, eggplant, or even asparagus)

4. Lightly spray George Foreman with non-stick cooking spray, and place salmon on grill. Close cover and grill 3-4 minutes- should flake easily with a fork when finished cooking. Remove skin before serving.

5. Either dip, or brush veggies with olive oil and sprinkle with coarse/sea salt and place on grill. Cook veggies between 3-5 minutes (depending on how firm you like your veggies).

Reviews: The whole family enjoyed this one, pumpkin about polished off the entire filet of salmon (he'd put an alaskan grizzly bear to shame!) and even sweet pea was willing to try a bite of everything. Next time, I plan to set aside a little bit of marinade for sweetpea, she will try about anything with a side of "dip".

This recipe will provide 3-4 adult portions, and is FULL of protein and Omega-3 fats that are so good for growing brains...and big ones who are forgetful :).

Having a major lack of creativity...

with my blog posts lately! Lots going on in the last month, and soon I'll post a re-cap, but until then, another meme. This one's full of random stuff about me...and I promise, the next post will be a little bit more interesting...at least I hope it will be!

25 random things about me…

1. When I was in Junior High, I wanted to be one of the “fly girls” on In Living Color…I‘m showing my age now!


2. Would love to dance again… for now Zumba classes at the YMCA will have to do!


3. At Falls Creek youth camp, summer of my sophomore year, I sensed God’s call that one day I would be a minister‘s wife…put it out of my head over the years, read about it in my journal years later…God led Dan to pursue ordained ministry some time after we were married….confirmation.


4. For some reason, I always thought I would have a brood of boys…and was SO surprised when we found out we would have a daughter.


5. A rockin’ bootie jam will almost always resolve a headache or ease my tension…a little weird, isn’t it?


6. I love to travel and can thank my parents for that one…I think we visited about 70% of the U.S. by car (Hawaii by plane) before I was 18 years old…


7. It relaxes me to purge and organize our home…when our space is cluttered, my brain just will not function properly!


8. My daughter is God’s best medicine for my need to have a clean, organized house…unfortunately I’m still not cured and sometimes get frustrated by my futile attempts to keep things tidy.


9. I think that the Spartan Cheerleaders on old school Saturday Night Live are about the funniest thing ever!!!!


10. We’re considering home school for Graham’s Kindergarten year.


11. I’ve gone to physical therapy weekly for back and neck injury from a head-on collision with a drunk driver almost 5 years ago.


12. After said accident…I had the opportunity to share our story with thousands of people at a local event…related to child advocacy/car seat safety…that was very therapeutic…I still hope that something good will come out of that very difficult time.


13. I hope and pray that our children will know, REALLY know and live in light of God’s love for them.


14. I’ve been a teacher of children with profound mental and physical handicaps (my favorite), also taught Kindergarten, and second grade…prior to becoming a mom.


15. Teaching in Memphis City Schools was by far the hardest and most frustrating job I’ve ever had.


16. I think I really should have gotten into risk management as a profession…because I’m neurotic about thinking of the dangers in most situations. I pray that I won’t scar my kids for life with this neurosis!


17. Speaking of that! If I could change one thing about myself, I would be braver, more of a risk-taker…


18. Among so many things that make him God’s best for me…Dan helps me to put my fears aside and go for it (whatever “it” may be) -so thankful for him.


19. Last year, I trained and ran the Susan G. Komen 5K in honor of a dear friend. For me, this was a big accomplishment because I’ve never been a runner, and tend to be undisciplined when it comes to regular exercise.


20. Haven’t run for exercise since the race…case in point!


21. I’m so entertained and inspired by facebook and blogs…thinking I need to set a timer to limit my time so that I’ll be more productive!


22. My tongue gets itchy when I’m nervous.


23. As a child I could not eat fresh fruits and veggies, because I was allergic to a fungus that grows on them?? SO glad I’ve outgrown that!


24. I love Oedy family dance party. It makes me very happy.


25. Born and raised in Texas for my first 22 years…and still think it’s the greatest place to live….which is saying a lot since I only live 5 minutes from gorgeous gulf beaches!