Now, let’s take a quick peek back at last week…

The recipe with the most clicks was our very own Kim, from Sunflower Supper Club ~

Meat Lovers Pizza Dip by Sunflower Supper Club

We must be in the mood for some dips, because here are the recipes that caught our attention this week ~

Hot Chocolate Cheesecake Dip by Will Cook For Smiles

Coconut Cream Pie Dip by South Your Mouth

And, my personal favorite, not a dip but something YUMMY! My hubby LOOVES Sriracha sauce, so I know he will want me to make this soon! ~

Thai Dragon Noodles by The Home Heart

Your hostesses ~

• Sunflower Supper Club ~ Kim & Julie
• 4 Little Fergusons~ Tonya
• The Country Cook~ Brandie
• Mommy Time Party ~ Tabitha
• The Better Baker ~ Marsha

Remember that when you link up, it shows on all FIVE blogs. Plus…

We TWEET. We PIN. We LIKE.

Linky Guidelines:

If you wish to be a featured recipe or for us to promote your recipe either on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest, you MUST follow these instructions.

1. Please link up to your exact post and not the main page to your blog.
2. LINK BACK HERE from your post so that others can find the fun. (Need help linking back? Read this or watch this great instructional video.) You can use the button below or a direct link within your post.

When you are kind enough to follow our guidelines, we work hard to get you as much exposure as possible so that your time here is well invested. We want this to be a fun and rewarding experience for everyone!

  We have been talking a lot more about death and life, Heaven and Hell lately, since my Grandpa passed away.  It was no surprise then, that on my way to preschool from the backseat, Paxton was talking about Jesus and Grandpa up in Heaven.

  “Jesus up in Heaben…..”

Yes, buddy He sure is.

  “Jesus in my Heart?”

No, not yet, but someday you will ask Him in your heart.

“Jesus in the kids’ hearts?  And Mommy & Daddy’s hearts?”

Yes, your brother and sisters have asked Jesus in their hearts. And Mommy & Daddy too…

“I asked Jesus in my heart….”

No, not yet, someday when you are big.

“Paxton ask Jesus in his heart?!”

Yup, someday you will ask Jesus in your heart.

  After a few more minutes of talking, I realized he wasn’t going to drop it. 

Paxton, do you want to ask Jesus in your heart?

“Yeah, I DO!!!!”

  Ok, then repeat after me:

Dear Jesus,

Dear Jesus….

Please come into my heart to live, please forgive me for my sins and be my Savior. Amen.

He repeated after me beautifully, and with pounding heart and teary eyes, I caught his glance in the rear view mirror and told him how PROUD I was of him!  That he was a CHRISTIAN now!  And that Jesus and the angels were having a Born Again Birthday Party in Heaven.  That God wrote his name in the Book of Life, and that meant one day, he would get to go live with Jesus.

  We get to preschool to pick up Avery and he runs right up to her teacher Miss Melissa and tells her his big news….. 

“Miss Lissa! Jesus in mine heart!!!!!”

    Miss Melissa and Avery were so excited for him! We couldn’t wait to come home and call Daddy and tell him the good news. 

  Later that afternoon, Paxton woke up from naps and raced out to remind us all again that he had Jesus in his heart! He was so proud to tell Destiny when she got home from school, too.

  Here is a video of him telling us about it again over dinner…….

Please excuse the food in his mouth. Mommy has bad timing!  :)

   To commemorate this great event, we write the children’s Born Again Birthdays on the calendar, so we can honor and celebrate them again and again.  Sometimes we do a Born Again Birthday Cake for them all to share in the smack middle of all their special days {cause that’s a lot of sugar!}, other times if we are having a special dessert anyways, then we will do individual celebrations, complete with candle.  You can decide those family traditions as you go, we just want them to remember and honor that special LIFE changing day forever. 

Helping to lead your child to Christ is such a big moment, excited but kind of daunting too.  Is there a right or wrong way to do it?  What if we mess up, does it count?  All normal questions, with simple answers:

  Want a simple way to help your children understand Salvation?

Try the ABC’s…. {From our Bible School curriculum 2 years ago}

A Admit we are sinners.

B Believe God sent Jesus to die on the cross for our sins.

C  Claim Jesus as Lord of your life. This means you act different from the world, and show God’s love to those around you in all you say and do. 

   After our children have accepted Jesus in their hearts, we tell them that the Lord has washed their hearts clean from the ugly “weeds” of sins.  (this gives a good reference point later, when our children tell a lie, that a weed grew in their heart when they told that lie.)  The only way to get that weed out, is to say sorry for their sin to their Heavenly Father, and He’ll clean it out and make it beautiful again.

  The second thing we talk about, is that God has opened His BIG book, called the “Book of Life” and has written their name in it! That means someday, when Jesus comes back for us, or when they die, they are welcome into Heaven.  WOW, how exciting!

  Then we tell them that the Angels are dancing and having a Praise Party up in Heaven.

Why?

Well, they are celebrating a Born Again Birthday!  Because today you were Born Again, fresh and clean without sin.  Not in your Mommy’s tummy, but in your HEART, a new life in Christ this time!

  Once our children become Christians, they are also allowed to partake in Communion at Church.  After so many years of being passed by, this is a big deal at our house!  We make sure they understand, it’s NOT snack time, it represents the body and blood of Jesus, and the life He gave so they could have eternal life.

I am one proud Momma of 4 little born again believers, who put their trust in a really BIG God, that they now all serve as their Lord and Savior.

Praise His name!

~T

I didn’t have a blog back in the year of Destiny’s salvation story, but you can click on the other children’s names to read their Born Again Birthday stories…..

Destiny, almost 3: June 30th, 2006
Tylan, age 3: October 20, 2010
Avery, age 2: November 11, 2010
Paxton, age 2 1/2: May 15th, 2013

  These Pizzawiches come together easily and with a broil time of only 2 minutes, you’ll be having supper in no time FLAT!

Pizzawiches

{click title to print}

Ingredients

• 2 pounds Hamburger {or 1 Sausage/1 Hamburger}
• 1 whole Onion, Chopped
• 1 teaspoon Oregano
• 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• Fresh Cracked Pepper, To Taste
• 10 ounces, fluid Tomato Soup
• Dash Of Basil, Rosemary, And Italian Seasonings
• 1 pound Combo Of Mozzarella & Italian Blend Cheese
• 10 ounces, fluid Philadelphia Tomato & Basil Cooking Creme {I added this to the original recipe. Mmmm!}
• 9 whole Whole Wheat English Muffin

Preparation Instructions

Cook beef and onions with salt, pepper, oregano and garlic powder, drain. Stir in tomato soup and add Basil, Rosemary and Italian seasonings. Heat and stir.
Slice English Muffins in half, and spread each with Tomato & Basil Cooking Creme. {I used the whole tub}
Divide meat mixture evenly between 18 halves and top each with cheese.
Broil for 2 minutes until cheese is nice and melty.

Serve warm with a nice tossed salad on the side.

Enjoy!

~T

    I haven’t been to many funerals in my life.  I thought the viewing would be hushed and quiet, and that my kids may not be welcomed there for long.  It was amazing to me how LOUD and joyous it actually was!  Even the funeral director came up to me and said how they loved families like ours, that had hope and peace and even JOY in the midst of sorrow.  He said he could tell we all really loved and enjoyed each other.  From a man who deals in death? That is a real compliment!

  I only have pictures from the afternoon, when I went to set up the Memorial Table for Grandpa.  I wanted it to represent him down to the tiniest details, so we did everything from his Bible and magnifying glass, to the combs and hair clips he used to control his wavy hair….

  Of course we included his rocks and beautiful creations from them, his cologne truck & hammer that have been on his dresser all my 32 years, and his Lemonhead candies.  The clock was set to the exact time he left this world for Paradise.

  We had pictures of our Scooter Parade, which was displayed with his red suspenders, and we couldn’t forget his famous Golf Club-Turned-Walking Stick…..

Dale brought the kids right after school pick up. I wanted them to have a few private moments to see their Great Grandpa for the last time.  They were a teeny bit anxious to come in, wondering what they would see.

They all lined up in front of the casket….

  After a few moments of quiet, Paxton says:

Gwandpa in HEABEN wiff JESUS???????????  {Grandpa in Heaven with Jesus?}

He RAAAAN up to me to tell me again, Louder this time, where his beloved Grandpa was:

Gwanpa Up der, in Heaben! 

  You can’t tell me children cannot understand death, because I watched it happen in the most peaceful, beautiful way last week.

  Bright and early the next morning, was the burial.  It was SO freezing cold, like 32*!  Not Spring-like weather at all, we bundled up as best we could.  I was honored to be a pallbearer, along with 7 of the 8 cousins.

  See that photo of Paxton? Top right of the above collage.  That is “Grandpa” Glen, he is the husband of our beloved “Gramma” Esther, who went to be with Jesus just 8 hours after my Grandpa.  It was wonderful to have him here to pay tribute to Grandpa in spite of his own grief and loss.

   Inspite of the cold wind whipping around in the tent, it was a beautiful little mini service out there at the grave site.

  I loved when the Pastor laid his hand on the casket and said something about how,

“Our Heavenly Father knew when Maurice would come into this world and take his first breath, but he also knew the exact moment he would leave this world and take his last breath.”

  That is so comforting!  Our lives are carefully planned out, every moment from first breath to last. 

You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.  Psalm 139:16

The children were very curious about how the box with Grandpa’s body in it would go down into the ground, so sweet Grandma agreed to do it right then.  The emotions of that moment played out beautifully on her face….

Goodbye for now, my love, goodbye for now…..

   Then it was time to head across town to have the Memorial Service.
So many Godly men stood and spoke of the life of my Grandpa and the impact he left on them!

   The Grandkids had a chance to share…..there was much laughter, and many tears shed from that pulpit.

I said:

  When I think of Grandpa, my mind goes back to my memories of him when I was a child.  His rough hands gave the best back rubs, I remember the jingling sound of the ever-present keys on his belt, as he took his jaunty steps, hurriedly out of the room.  The way he hopped onto his black bike that he rode all over Glencroft.  The whistle that always slipped with ease from his mouth as he worked.

  But over the years, my fondest memories have changed, grown in ways I never imagined, as I watched my Grandpa become a Great Grandpa to my 4 children.

  I will never forget the way his eyes would light up when they’d come piling into the room, each one taking their turn to give him a hug.  I loved how he asked about school and their day.  How he begged them to come visit again soon.  How he’d get out his rocks and tell what each one was.  How he’d tell them story after story about when he was a little boy, never irritated when they begged for MORE.  And the songs, oh how we loved the songs he sang. “Up Up In The Sky,” “My Mommy Said” and “Mousy” are now passed down to the next generation of children.

  But my favorite memory of all was our Scooter Parade, we did it several different occasions.  He would bundle up so he could ride around and around the block with my kids. He and Pax on his electric scooter, the others on their bikes and trikes.  I don’t know whose grin was bigger, theirs…….or HIS. 

  Memories of my grandpa will live on, echoing through the walls of my home when laughter rings out, in the rock collections in the children’s treasure boxes, in the bedtime songs we sing, and always, always in our hearts as his life and legacy will live on in the memories of my children.

   I want to take a minute, and give them a chance to tell you about their Great Grandpa…..

My brave kiddos came up on stage, proud to tell everyone about this special man in their lives:

Destiny: He always told the best stories!

Tylan: I like that he is fun and he shares his rocks with us.

Avery: I like his smile!

Pax: Grandpa is in Heaven running with Jesus!

I finished with this:
We know that good-bye is never really good-bye, not when you have the hope of Jesus.  Goodbye is really just “So long for now.”
                         So we say So long for now, Grandpa, so long for now……

   Isn’t that the beauty of our faith and Salvation in Christ?  The knowledge that we WILL see our loved ones again, in a beautiful, perfect and joyous place!

  I know this is long, please remember this blog is the story of my children’s lives, one I want them to be able to reference and read and remember one day.  Before I go, I have one more thing I want to share on here.  I worked many, many nights on this video slide show. I stopped counting hours at 16, but the important thing is, it came from my heart.  It was how I dealt with my grief and the many, many tears I shed while making it and editing it.  This was my way of showing my love and respect to my Grandpa, and I’d be honored to have you watch.

Blessings to you today,

~T

   So, the day started with sleeping in.  I didn’t even know I knew HOW to sleep in anymore!  I photographed a wedding reception Saturday night and got home late, so it was almost 9:00 before I woke up. NINE!  Do you know how late that is around here?  Church started at 9:15, so there was noooo way we were going to make it.  

  They brought me breakfast in bed, as they have in years past. I am making it way easier on them, because this is my breakfast now: a nutrition drink! Mmmm.   

 Then I opened presents; a card from Destiny, a key chain from Ty {not pictured} and a sun catcher from Avery.  Oh, and Tulips from Dale! They are in a giant Ball Jar and just gorgeous! {use your imagination, it’s too dark to go take a picture now}

  We just hung out and had a leisurely morning together.  Dale spent an hour and a half in the kitchen making lunch.  LOOK at it, oh my goodness, he did amazing….

Steak, Rosemary New Potatoes, with sautéed Asparagus & Morel Mushrooms.  For dessert he and the boys made a PIE!  Mmmmmmmm!

{Psst, I will be blogging the pie this summer! It is delicious!}

  Nap time was spent editing photos and making Destiny some ribbon flip-flops, and then we headed to the Zoo.  So fun!

New Dino Dig exhibit, super cool!

Oh NO, a T-Rex is eating my children!

  Do you see the spider web in the next collage?  I have a picture on this exact Spider Web {middle left} with my cousins when I was a kid!  I told the kids to “Be a spider,” and they did the SAME hand actions I was doing in my old picture too. Crazy cool!

Too bad I can’t find it, or I’d share it with you.  :)

Destiny and Pax were NOT feelin’ the tarantula exhibit.

My little Prairie Dogs….

Check out this amazing tree! The blooms grow right out of the trunk and branches.  Our Creator is SO creative!!!!!

  After the zoo, we headed to THE fountain.  I say THE, because this is where Dale and I came after our first “group date” to the movies as friends.  We sat on a bench in front of this very fountain and he put his arm around me.  I leaned forward, out of his reach, and said, “Do you put your arm around ALL your friends?”  Haha, sassy girl! 

Needless to say, I feel in love that summer, and the rest is HIStory.

  Papa John’s had a BOGO pizza deal, so we grabbed a couple Larges and headed to the park for a picnic.  I had already packed waters and carrot sticks because I was hoping this would be our supper plans.

Check out that Mom on her husband’s Smart Phone in the center picture above.  WHAT is she thinking?  Shouldn’t she watch her childrens EVERY MOVE at the park!?  {haha!}

   Dale and I were cracking up when he took that photo. I really was messaging a family member, but then quickly put it away to run and play with the kids.  See? It’s all about finding a balance.  RIGHT!? :)  I even had on the same hat as in the Dear Mom On the iPhone post, too!  Oh the irony.

Last, but not least, the older kids had FIVE free Ice Cream certificates from Braum’s that expired in June, so who were we to let such a good deal go to waste?  Ice cream treats for everyone!

  The kids were beginning to think this Mom’s Day stuff was pretty good for kids too!

Being a Mom is messy, its hard, and sometimes I want to pull my hair out.  But most days, I walk around my home with a song in my heart, because THIS is what I have dreamed of my whole life…….  The good days are great, the bad days are exhausting, and the rest just fades away in the sticky fingered glory of it all…….

Hope you had a Happy Momma’s Day!

~T

Now, let’s take a quick peek back at last week…

The recipe with the most clicks was ~

My Mom’s Favorite – Granny Cake by The Better Baker

Recipes that caught our attention ~

Crunchy Beef & Bean Taco Cups by Sumptuous Spoonfuls

Road Trip Chocolate Chip Cookies by Recipes from a Pantry

Sadly, no personal pick for me today. I had 4-5 I was going to choose between, but alas, none of them linked back.  It’s linky rules, you know, a “You scratch our backs, we’ll scratch yours” kind of thing! Maybe next time…..  :)  Anyhow, instead I want to show you a pic I took of some YUMMY treats Dale brought home Tuesday night. He went fishing and came home with no fish.  However, he did find some Morel mushrooms and Asparagus growing wild, he promptly sauteed them in butter for us to try.

Best. Snack. EVER.

Your hostesses ~

• Mommy Time Party ~ Tabitha
• The Better Baker ~ Marsha
• Sunflower Supper Club ~ Kim & Julie
• 4 Little Fergusons~ Tonya
• The Country Cook~ Brandie

Remember that when you link up, it shows on all FIVEblogs. Plus…

We TWEET. We PIN. We LIKE.

Linky Guidelines:

If you wish to be a featured recipe or for us to promote your recipe either on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest, you MUST follow these instructions.

1. Please link up to your exact post and not the main page to your blog.
2. LINK BACK HERE from your post so that others can find the fun. (Need help linking back? Read this or watch this great instructional video.) You can use the button below or a direct link within your post.

When you are kind enough to follow our guidelines, we work hard to get you as much exposure as possible so that your time here is well invested. We want this to be a fun and rewarding experience for everyone!

  Guess where this recipe comes from?

  From my mom’s recipe box!  Tucked between sections, is a 1980’s Miracle Whip Label featuring this very recipe!  It MUST be good, because our family has been making it ever since.  :)

Beef Nacho Bake

{click title for easy printable}

Ingredients

• 1 pound Hamburger, Seasoned With Salt And Pepper
• 1 cup Chunky Picante Sauce, You Decide The Heat
• 15 ounces, weight Can Of Sweet Corn, Drained
• ½ cups Miracle Whip
• ¼ cups Sour Cream
• ½ teaspoon Chili Powder, this was too hot for my kids, I will do less next time.
• 2 cups Shredded Taco Cheese
• 2 cups Crushed Tortilla Chips

Preparation Instructions

Brown beef and drain. Stir in picante sauce, drained corn, miracle whip, sour cream and chili powder to taste.
In a 2 Qt casserole dish, layer one half beef mixture, then 1 cup cheese and 1 cup chips. Repeat layers.
Bake at 350* for 20 minutes.
Serve with guacamole, taco sauce, sour cream, lettuce, tomato, whatever you like!

Enjoy!

~T

No prep time? No problem!

  Taco Chicken uses frozen chicken breasts thrown in the Crockpot with water and taco seasoning.  That is IT!

  After being preggo 8 times in 8 years, I needed an easy “go to” supper that didn’t make me gag, and this one was perfect! 

  You can use this chicken in burritos, tacos, oven nachos or King Ranch Casserole. 

Taco Chicken

{click title to print}

Ingredients

• 6 whole Frozen Chicken Breasts
• 1 cup Water
• 1 ounce, weight Packet Of Taco Seasoning

Preparation Instructions

In your slow cooker, place 6 frozen chicken breasts. Empty taco seasoning packet over all and pour in 1 cup water.
Turn crock pot on low for 4-6 hours. Shred with a fork and leave the lid off the last 45 minutes of your cook time, to allow juices to be absorbed.
Use for burritos, oven nachos, tacos or King Ranch Casserole. {coming up next}

———————————————————————————————————

My BFF, Kasey made this delicious Mexican Casserole for me way back in the day, when I drove across the state to visit her.  Thank the Lord she has since moved back to our hometown, and now lives literally 6 minutes from me.  :)  

  Anyhow, the King Ranch is her recipe and we just love it.

King Ranch Casserole

{click title to print}

Ingredients

• 1 batch of Taco Chicken
• 1 can {10 Oz} Each Cream Of Mushroom And Cream Of Chicken
• 1 can {10 Oz} Rotell, Original
• 7 ounces, fluid Chicken Broth
• 1 whole Onion, finely chopped
• ¾ cups Sour Cream
• 2 cups Mexican Blend Cheese
• 12 whole Tortillas, White Or Wheat

Preparation Instructions

Begin this recipe by making a batch of Taco Chicken in your crock pot. {see recipe box}
Mix together in a LARGE bowl: chicken, broth, cream of soups, rotell, chopped onion, sour cream and 1 cup cheese. Stir well, set aside.
In a skillet, brown both sides of each tortilla. Cut into 4ths and add into your mixture, stir carefully to mix well and coat each tortilla.
Scrape into an over-sized 9×13 Casserole dish {I used Pampered Chefs}and bake uncovered at 350* for one hour. The last 20 minutes of cook time, add your final cup of cheese.
Serve with taco sauce, lettuce and tomato.

Enjoy!

~T

HOWEVER, 99 times out of 100, we do it…..  

ALLLLL of us.

  Do you know how hard it is, to find jobs for 4 really great helpers?

It’s all I can do sometimes to keep everyone going, but we do it faithfully.  Know why?

  Because as the mom, it is my job to bring up my children to know how to work.  To feel the sense of accomplishment for a job well done.  To create a daily habit of bed making, room tiding, to make a habit of weekly cleaning.
To teach them how to vacuum correctly, wash windows, dust and mop.  Even scrub toilets.

If I don’t take the time to train them, who will?

  I like Big Picture Parenting. Or Intentional Parenting.  I spend a lot of my time thinking ahead of how such and such will affect my children in the future. That is why I stand by my conviction, that my children age 2-9, can absolutely carry part of the load of household chores. 

  Most of the time, they love to help!  And, sometimes we even FIGHT over whose turn it is to vacuum. 

And if we aren’t careful, someone gets his toe pinched when he tries to release the vacuum tab all by himself.  Hmm, guess that’s why Mommy said WAIT?

Other chores we do together:

Laundry

Sorting and starting loads. Folding and Putting away.

Sometimes its just the little 2, sometimes they are all home.  Whoever is home, is the helper.

  When the laundry is sorted, they can go play.  Once I have finished all the loads, folded and placed the items neatly in each persons basket, the children then come to help sort and fold socks.  Then EVERYONE helps put their own basket of clothes away.  Eventually, I will make them help fold clothes too, but for now, this works.

Daily Chores include:

Unloading the Dishwasher

{this is for whomever is home that morning}

  We start our dishwasher helpers a little before they turn two.  They can easily help with silverware sorting. 

  Destiny came up with a great job rotation: bottom rack person goes to top, top rack person goes to silverware, silverware person goes to bottom.  They all have a job that way!  Paxton always does what we call “easy silverware”.  That means when the utensil rack is empty except for basic dinnerware, it’s HIS turn to help. He does such a good job sorting 2 sizes of forks, 2 sizes of spoons, butter knives and kids silverware, that I no longer even have to stand around and help him.

You will find this to be true with a lot of jobs, train now, and suddenly in the future, they can do it on their own while you help another child.

Gathering Eggs

  Everyone takes turns with this chore.  It’s easy and fun!  While they are outside getting eggs, they must check the chickens water bowl.  Then, when they come back in the garage, they are to sort the eggs and put them in cartons. 

Setting & Clearing the Table

Everyone has to take a turn setting the table and filling ice waters with me. This is a great opportunity to teach them to set a tidy table, with silverware where they belong etc.  They also must clear their own plate when lunch or dinner is done, and wipe down their area of the table, catching the crumbs in their hands and throwing them away. NOT on mom’s clean floor!

  The bigger kids can rinse their own plates and load the dishwasher.  As long as the little two bring over their dinner plates, I don’t mind doing the rinsing and loading.  Again, this can all be changed as they get older, I am happy with the level of help they can complete easily for now.

   Here are some keys to this process:

We remind them to work as if working for the Lord in whatever task they have to do!

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord….” Colossians 3:23

  Once the chores are done, it’s Play TIME! I want them to go have fun and be kids.  To know how good it feels to have worked together to complete our tasks.

Here are some age appropriate chores from a previous blog post on Chores, we start ours earlier than this age bracket, but I think it will give you a general idea:

Ages 2 to 5
Work alongside your children to help them perform simple chores like putting dirty clothes in the hamper, sorting laundry into color-coded piles, making their beds and feeding pets.

Ages 6 to 8
Children can dust and vacuum, put away their clothes, empty wastebaskets, set and clear the table, care for pets and help with some yard work.

Ages 9 to 12
Kids can unpack groceries, load and unload the dishwasher, mop the floor, fold laundry, wash the car, and help prepare simple meals.

  Most child-development experts agree that children shouldn’t be paid for household chores, which are part of contributing to family life.

Here are some tips for a positive chore experience at your house from Dr. Dobson:

Give kids ownership:  Have a family meeting and enlist the help of your children in selecting the chores they want to do.  Also have them participate in selecting the consequences for chores not performed in a timely manner.  Let kids know expectations ahead of time.

Use “shaping” to teach tasks:  First, let children watch you perform a chore as you talk through it step by step.  The next time, let children perform one part of the chore.  Each time, give kids a little more responsibility until they’re ready to tackle the chores alone.

Use language cues to spur self-reflection and responsible behavior:  Say “I see books on the floor” rather than giving a direct command.  That helps kids make decisions and reduces any defiance.

Offers encouragement:  Always thank children for their contributions and offer genuine praise for their efforts.  Instead of saying, “Your room looks good,” say, “Thank you for working so hard to put your clothes and toys in their proper place.”

  The key here is not to expect perfection! When Destiny was a little girl, I had to learn not to go tidy her bed after she made it.  Wrinkled or not, she had done her best and worked SO hard on it!  By fixing it in front of her, I was showing her that her best wasn’t good enough.

  I thank God that He allowed me to see her crest-fallen face and slumped shoulders once, early on, so He could open my eyes to what this was saying to her.

Doing chores is not always welcomed, but if you face it with a smile on your face and a cheerful heart, your children will soon learn to work hard, so they can play hard later.  They will learn the value of chores and responsibility!

On days they DO NOT want to help or have a bad attitude about it, we remind them of this verse taken from Philippians 2:14-15:

“Do everything without arguing or complaining, so that you might become a child of God…..”

Now those are some good words to chore by!

~T

We celebrated my Grandpa’s life, surrounded by family and friends.  Several of the funeral home directors and employees, stopped me to say that they love our kind of family. The ones that really enjoy each other, the ones that can laugh and hug, and have a great time in spite of the grief, celebrating a life well lived. From a man who deals with death all the time, I thought that was a real compliment.  Grandpa’s viewing was noisy, it was tearful at times as we said our good byes, yet it was full of laughter, as we recounted stories of Grandpa in the good ol’ days, and hugged necks of second cousins we hadn’t seen in years! 

  I am more tired than I have ever been in my life, both emotionally and physically.  Even my feet hurt!  I am hearing my Mom, Aunts and Uncles, and Grandma say the same!  Most nights I saw anywhere from 1-3 am before crawling to bed and sometimes we were having “second supper” around my Aunt’s table at 11 pm, laughing with the cousins.  There is lots to do when planning a funeral, memory table, photo slideshow, or what have you.  I just had no idea how much went into the planning of such an event, and am thankful to have gotten to have a small part in it.  

  I took nearly 400 photos of our time together, and I am just too tired to deal with it now.  My emotions are spent and I am not ready to dig into the pictures capturing that beautiful, yet emotional day.  But, if and when I do, I will surely consider sharing here.  

  Thank you all for your loving support as we went through this weekend!  I am so blessed to have you all in our lives.

  On to the food: 

  Sweet BBQ meets Savory, in an amazing fresh tasting cilantro-sesame slaw topped sandwich…

  This recipe is adapted from the April-May 2013 Taste of Home magazine.  What drew me to this recipe was the brine you soak the chicken in over night.  I decided to couple it with our FAVORITE Cilantro Sesame Slaw and buttered toasted buns. Amazing!

BBQ Chicken Sandwiches
with Cilantro Sesame Slaw

{click title for recipe}

Ingredients

• BRINE:
• 1-½ quart Water
• ¼ cups Brown Sugar
• 3 Tablespoons Coarse Kosher Salt
• 1 Tablespoon Liquid Smoke
• 2 cloves Garlic, Pressed
• ½ teaspoons Dried Thyme
• FOR BBQ CHICKEN:
• 3 pounds Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
• ⅓ cups Liquid Smoke
• 1-½ cup High Quality BBQ Sauce
• 2 Tablespoons Cornstarch With A Splash Of Cold Water, For Thickening
• CILANTRO-SESAME SLAW:
• 3 cups Coleslaw Cabbage Mix
• ½ cups Green Pepper, Finely Chopped
• ¼ cups Cilantro, Snipped
• 3 Tablespoons Sesame Oil
• 2 Tablespoons White Vinegar
• 2 cloves Garlic, Pressed
• ½ teaspoons Salt
• ¼ teaspoons Pepper

Preparation Instructions

In a large bowl, mix brine ingredients, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Reserve 1 cup of brine out for the next morning. Place chicken in a large zip lock bag or Tupperware and soak for 24 hours, turning often.
The next day, remove chicken from brine and place chicken in your crock pot on low with reserved 1 cup brine. Cook on low for 4-5 hours until chicken is tender.
Remove chicken to a bowl to shred and drain juices into a small pot. Whisk together 1 T. corn starch with a splash of cold water and add to pot, boil until nice and thick, pour back over shredded chicken, adding liquid smoke and 1 1/2 cups BBQ sauce. Keep warm until serving time.

Make Sesame Coleslaw earlier in the day, by combining in a medium bowl, coleslaw cabbage mix, finely chopped green pepper, snipped cilantro, sesame oil, white vinegar, pressed garlic and salt and pepper. Refrigerate until meat is ready to allow flavors to blend.

At serving time, butter toast buns under a broiler for a minute, then drizzle with BBQ sauce, a large scoop of meat and slaw.

Roll those sleeves up and dig in!

You can thank me later……

Hugs, T