Whatcha Got Cookin'

We are getting ready to head out to set up for Trunk R Treat and then off to a post-trunk-r-treating party tonight! Thought I'd post our menu before I get our little white fairy and our Superman decked out for the festivities! Pics on them later this week!

MONDAY
Lunch: Leftover Buffet
Dinner: Chicken Fajita Casserole on Toritillas (bumped from last week), chips/salsa, fruit

TUESDAY
Lunch: Bean & Cheese Tostadas, Carrots/Hummus
Dinner: Smothered Steak & Peppers, Mashed Potatoes, Fruit

WEDNESDAY
Lunch: Pizza Sandwiches
Dinner: Marinated Grilled Chicken, Green Beans, Fruit

THURSDAY
Lunch: PBJ on tortillas and applesauce
Dinner: Chicken Burrito Soup with sour cream and cheese, Fruit

FRIDAY
Lunch; Popcorn, Cheese, Apples
Dinner: Garlicky Meatballs with noodles, Corn on the Cob, Fruit

SATURDAY
Lunch: Quesadilla Burgers, Tator Tots, Fruit
Dinner: Leftovers

SUNDAY
Lunch: Out to eat
Dinner: Baked Potato Bar or Pizza Night - I haven't decided yet.

I hope you all have had a wonderfully relaxing weekend and ready for the great things a new week will bring! Happy Halloween!

A word from one of my favs....

"Dear one: You have not gotten this far in your journey with God without his footprints planted all over your path and without his fingerprints all over all the doorknobs to every season. You have not arrived accidentally in your present place on the map of your holy land. You have an amazing ride with God, whether or not you realize it."

-Beth Moore, Believing God

Yummylicious

We made some Pumpkin Muffins this last weekend that were oh-so-good. Even picky little Cole likes to eat them... as long as you refer to them as cupcakes. :) Thought I'd pass along the recipe for you baking types!


Pumpkin Muffins
Whisk Together:
1 can (mine was 15 oz) pumpkin
1/3 cup oil (I subbed applesauce)
2 eggs
1 t. pumpkin pie spice
1 cup sugar
1./2 t. baking soda
1/2 salt

Stir in:
1 1/2 cups flour
1 t. baking powder

Fill 12 muffin cups half full with mixture. In a separate bowl make a topping of 1 t. cinnamon and 1 T sugar. Sprinkle over muffins Bake at 350* for 25-30 minutes and ENJOY!

Quote worth the repeat

"Waiting on anything in a world that constantly urges us to hurry is one of the hardest disciplines of going deep with God. First, it's hard because it requires patience. Second, it's hard because there are so many noises and pseudo-urgencies that seem to drown out God's voice in our lives. And third, it's hard because, if we're honest, we're probably waiting on something or someone else to bring us the "desires" of our hearts."
-Maggie & Duffy Robbins, Enjoy the Silence

CrossPoint Salina in the News!

This article was featured on the Front Page of The Salina Journal last week! Very exciting!

Roll a Pumpkin

I really enjoy holidays. Like, really, enjoy them. I love decorating, I love cooking to match the season, and as my kids get older, I love the holiday games, activities and conversations we get to have.

This week, I was trying to think of something to do with Sadie. Sadie's favorite things to do are play board games, do crafts and bake... but I was looking for something that wouldn't require a huge mess or 111 board game cards strewn all over the living room floor. I remembered a game I used to play with my 1st graders... "Roll a Pumpkin." Actually, we played it every season, just switched it up a bit.... you know, "Roll a Turkey," "Roll a Snowman" etc.

You will need a dice, some paper and crayons. As you roll, look at the chart to see what part of your pumpkin you get to draw. If you roll a number you've already drawn, skip your turn. First person to make a complete pumpkin wins!

Happy Pumpkining! :)

Jumping on the Menu Plan Post Bandwagon

I've been menu planning since I've been a SAHM, but it seems to be the trend lately to post what you are eating on your blog. For some reason, I get big kicks out of hearing about what people fix... that's also where I get a lot of my ideas. In case you are like me and you like to hear what people are eating... this is what we'll be munching on for the next few days...

You should know that I can barely stand to eat breakfast (I know it's the most important meal of the day). Most breakfast foods make me gag and want to throw up. Instead, I usually find myself a snack late morning. Eric and the kids will be choosing from these breakfast items this week - oatmeal, eggs, toast with peanut butter, cereal, and banana muffins.

MONDAY
Lunch - Leftover Buffet & Tomato Slices
Dinner - Eric & I - Date Night; Kids - Grilled Cheese

TUESDAY
Lunch - Mini Pizzas on English Muffins
Dinner - Small Group Soup Night - Bring Minestrone Soup and Mac & Cheese Soup

WEDNESDAY
Lunch - PB&Banana Sandwiches or PB&J on tortillas (it's yummy, try it!)
Dinner - Ranch Tilapia, Sauteed Zucchini, Fresh Fruit

THURSDAY
Lunch - Turkey Pitas, Sliced Peppers & Hummus
Dinner - Steak, Steamed Snap Peas, Baked Potatoes and Fresh Fruit

FRIDAY
Lunch - Popcorn, Cheese Slices, Fruit Smoothies
Dinner - Tostadas and Fresh Fruit

SATURDAY
Lunch - Chicken Noodle Casserole with Mixed Veggies, Fresh Fruit
Dinner - Leftover Buffet

SUNDAY
Lunch - Meal Out
Dinner - Chicken Fajita Casserole, Chips/Salsa, Fruit

30 B4 30 Update

Last June I made a list of some simple things (and not so simple things) I wanted to accomplish before my 30th Birthday. In case you're wondering... what I have done so far is in grayscale!!!

1. Learn to make homemade lemonade.
2. Teach Sadie to tie her shoes.
3. Complete reading through the Bible. I am making progress!
4. Hike a new park we've discovered and Coronado Heights.
5. Take the kids fishing.
6. Take Eric on a surprise date.
7. Get photo albums updated - this could take an eternity.
8. Bake cinnamon rolls like Cooke.
9. Save for my 30th Birthday cruise getaway with Eric.
10. Get pictures secured in Cole's baby book.
11. Invite 30 people to CrossPoint. Making progress...
12. Take a trip to the Great Wolf Lodge.
13. Get 6 hours of college credit to renew my teaching certificate. 3 are complete!
14. Read 5 books every season. (Summer season DONE!)
15. Plant perennials at our new home - Lord let us be in our new home by the time I'm 30!
16. Get a good picture of a Kansas sunset.
17. Meditate/Memorize 5 segments of scripture:
Daniel 2:20-23
Psalm 131
Deuteronomy 10:12-13
2 Corinthians 1:21-22
Isaiah 30:18
18. Make plans to travel to CO to be with Brady, Janelle and Katelyn in December or January.
19. Take 20 minutes every month to just be still. (This is probably going to be the hardest thing on my list.) - I stink at this... I told you so!
20. Learn to make homemade bread without using the bread machine.
21. Take cookies to our neighbors.
22. Play a board game I've never played before.
23. Search Goodwill for a glass cake cover for my cake plate. My friend, Shauna, actually gifted me with one from a garage sale!!!
24. Find the address of where my grandpa grew up and then find the house.
25. Take treats to the fire station and police station.
26. Research photography and picture editing.
27. Build a snowman with the kids (normally I make Eric do this because I HATE the cold).
28. Have family pictures taken.
29. Get a good photo of a church I've been wanting to take pictures of off of the highway.
30. Send two packages to our World Vision child, Vilma, this year.

I better get crackin' huh!!! June will be here again before I know it!!!

What God can do in a year...

Since Eric and I have been married, we have found great significance in the timing of 12 months. In every big decision we have made, God has taken us through a year long journey to get where we are going... becoming parents (that one was a 12 month wait + 41 week pregnancy), finding a home in Augusta, waiting for an answer to the question "where next" when we knew God was calling us somewhere new, and the year long journey to this new city as we've waited for God to tie up all of our loose ends! By looking at this list, it would appear that we have spent 4/7 years of our marriage waiting on the Lord... kind of humorous, actually. It is with great joy that I announce today, that God has completely delivered us, yet again, to a new milestone on our journey called life!

Exactly a year ago today, we loaded up trucks and made a trip to a new city to start a satellite church off of a church in Hutchison, KS. Everything was getting ready to change... Eric's job, pay, home, friends... everything familiar would be completely different. Scary for a girl that loves consistency, routine, and predictability.

When we were called to this ministry, we were confident that this was were we were to be, but there were a lot of unknowns to this move... Would I need to work? Where would we live? How would we get insurance? What would our new roles look like??? God has been more than faithful to us. He's continued to allow me to stay home (apart for subbing some Monday's), He's provided us a way to receive insurance in January. AND just this month, He's provided us a home that is perfect for ministry. As far as our roles go... well, we are still learning what that looks like! ;)

As I look back on the fear and uncertainty that came with moving here, I'm so thankful that He pushed us to step into the unknown. That He didn't allow us to become comfortable and complacent with where we were or with what we were doing. That he stretched us to trust Him even more than we ever thought imaginable.

I must admit, 12 months seems SO long when your heart is already pointing you in a new direction... yet I am finding that our times of waiting have been vital in becoming who God has created us to be. If your are in a season of waiting, hold fast. The tedious days are worth the incredible blessing!

"My soul, waits in silence for God only,
For my hope is from Him.
He only is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold;
I shall not be shaken."
Psalm 62:5-6 (emphasis mine)

Celebrating our days in this great place! Looking forward to what God's up to next!

Fall Reading Plan

Some of you will remember that one of my goals before I am 30 is to read 5 books each season. I had a very successful summer reading experience and really enjoyed carving time out to do something I really enjoy... I'm slowly learning that Momma needs to make time for herself or Momma will get no time at all! :)

I so wish that I had a big stack of books to photo for you this fall... BUT as much as I love to purchase a stack of books, I'm taking the cheap route this season and either borrowing my books or checking them out from the library!

Here's what I'll be reading over the next few weeks! :)

For Women Only by Shaunti Feldhahn
Radical by David Platt
I Will Carry You by Angie Smith
Leaving November by Deborah Raney
Choosing to SEE: A Journey of Struggle and Hope by Mary Beth Chapman

I am taking suggestions as I prepare my winter reading list... let me know if you have any grand ideas!!!