Recipes

I have been asked to post some of my recipes. I debated how to do that and then I decided to just go through my sections I talked about in my previous post and pick 1 recipe from each section.


Homemade Laundry Detergent
*makes 10 gallons

You will need:
-5 gallon bucket with lid
-Fels-Naptha Soap
-Super Washing Soda
-Borax Powder

1) Grate the soap (I use my cheese grater)
2) Add 4 cups water to soap and cook over medium heat until dissolved (stirring).
3) Fill your 5 gallon bucket 1/2 with hot water and add liquid soap. Stir.
4) Add 1 cup washing soda, 1/2 cup borax. Stir.
5) After mixed together, add more water as high as you want (remember, you will have to mush it up the next day, so I don't go too full.) and snap on the lid. Let sit overnight.
6) The next day, it will be gelled up.
7) Stir it well (I used my hands to get all the balls of gel throughout smashed nicely).
8) Find container to put soap in (I used an empty big vinegar bottle-- the one from Costco) and use a funnel to pour it in.
9) Fill container 1/2 way with soap and add water the rest of the way.
10) Give a good shake to your detergent before each use.

*Use 1/2  cup per load-- I do full cup for extra soiled loads.
*I also add about 1/4 cup- 1/2 cup of vinegar to each load to help with sweat stains and to help deodorize.

Cheesy Baked Artichoke Dip
1/2 cup plus 2 Tablespoons (packed) grated parmesan cheese (about 2 ounces)
1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons mayonnaise
1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons sour cream
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon onion salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
pinch of salt
2, 14-ounce can artichoke hearts packed in water, well drained, chopped into 1/4 inch pieces.
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1 cup Italian cheese blend

1) Whisk 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream, pepper, onion salt, and garlic powder in a medium bowl to blend. Stir in chopped artichoke hearts. Transfer mixture to 3 cup ramekin.
2) Sprinkle dip with remaining 2 Tablespoons grated parmesan cheese, Italian cheese, and paprika.
3) Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake dip until heated through, about 25 minutes (35 minutes if chilled)
4) Preheat broiler. Broil until cheese melts, about 2-3 minutes.
5) Serve warm with toasted baguette slices.


Rainbow Veggie Chili
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 zucchini, sliced
1 yellow squash, sliced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 orange bell pepper, diced
1 fresh jalapeno pepper, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
1 (28 oz) can tomatoes, with liquid
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15 oz) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (15 oz) can chili beans, drained and rinsed
1 Tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste

1) Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Stir in zucchini, yellow squash, bell peppers, jalapeno, garlic, and onion. Cook 5 minutes, just until tender.
2) Mix tomatoes with liquid, tomato paste, black beans, corn, and chili beans into the pot. Season with chili powder, oregano, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Whole Wheat and Honey Pizza Dough
1 (.25 oz) package active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
2 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup wheat germ
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 Tablespoon honey

1) Preheat oven to 350.
2) In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
3) In a large bowl, combine flour, wheat germ, and salt. Make a well in the middle and add honey and yeast mixture. Stir well to combine. Cover and set in a warm place to rise for a few minutes.
4) Roll dough on a floured pizza pan and poke a few holes in it with a fork.
5) Bake in a preheated oven for 5-10 minutes, or until desired crispiness is achieved.

Homemade Chewy Granola Bars
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup coconut oil (or another oil of choice)
1 cup old fashioned oats
1 cup total of any combination of: sesame seeds, coconut flakes, dried fruit, dark chocolate chips, etc.

1) In a medium sized saucepan, melt together peanut butter, honey, and coconut oil.
2) Remove from heat and add one cup of oats. Choose your favorite combination of coconut flakes, dried fruit, and mini dark chocolate chips, to equal a total of ONE CUP (I sit my 1 cup on the counter and fill it with various things until full). Pour in and stir well.
3) Make sure it is stirred well, then spread mixture into an 8x8 or 9x4 pan.
4) Chill for 2 hours. Then cut into bars.

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 Large whole tomato, crushed (28 oz-- I think)
1 Large crushed tomatoes
oregano
thyme
bay leaf

1) Saute the minced garlic, chopped onion, and olive oil.
2) Add the whole tomatoes (I crush them up with my hands before adding them to the pot-- makes a mess)
3) Simmer for 20 minutes.
4) Add large crushed tomatoes.
5) Add oregano, thyme, and 1 bay leaf (I never measure, I just dump and taste each time.)
6) Cook 45 minutes.

Homemade Sloppy Joes
1 lb. ground turkey (or other preference)
1/4 cup chopped onion (I always use the entire onion)
1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper (I always use the entire pepper)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon yellow mustard
3/4 cup ketchup
3 teaspoons brown sugar
salt and pepper to taste.

1) In a skillet over medium heat, brown your turkey meat, onion, and bell peppers; drain off liquid.
2) Stir in garlic powder, mustard, ketchup, and brown sugar. Mix. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Lime and Chili Rubbed Chicken Breasts
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons grated lime peel
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 teaspoons olive oil

1) Heat grill. In small bowl, mix chili powder, brown sugar, lime peel, salt, garlic powder, and ground red pepper. Rub both sides of chicken with oil, then spice mixture.
2) Place chicken on the grill over medium heat. Cover grill and cook 10-15 minutes turning once or twice, until juice of chicken is clear.
** Could be baked in over- 350 degrees for 35 minutes as well.

Broiled Tilapia Parmesan
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1/4 cup butter, softened
3 Tablespoons mayonnaise
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon celery salt
2 pounds tilapia fillets

1) Preheat oven's broiler. Grease a broiling pan or line a pan with aluminum foil.
2) In a small bowl, mix together the parmesan cheese, butter, mayo, and lemon juice. Season with dried basil, pepper, onion powder, and celery salt. Mix well and set aside.
3) Arrange fillets in a single layer on the prepared pan. Broil a few inches from the heat for 2-3 minutes. Flip the fillets over and broil for a couple more minutes. Remove the fillets from the oven and cover them with the parmesan cheese mixture on the side. Broil for 2 more minutes. Remove, flip fillets over, and cover the other side with the parmesan mixture. Broil for 2 minutes or until browned and fish flakes easily with a fork. Be careful to not over cook the fish.

Homemade Tacos
1 lb ground turkey (or meat of preference)
1 can refried beans
3 Tablespoons of homemade taco seasoning (from post 2 days ago)

1) Brown the turkey meat over medium heat. Drain the excess juice. Add 1 can refried beans, 3 Tablespoons of homemade taco seasonings, and 3/4 cup of water. Stir well and simmer until heated thoroughly.
2) Add to taco shells, lettuce, or tortilla chips and create tacos of choice.

Broccoli with Garlic Butter and Cashews
1-1/2 pounds fresh broccoli, cut into bite size pieces
1/3 cup butter
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
3 Tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup chopped salted cashews

1) Place the broccoli into a large pot with about 1 inch of water in the bottom. Bring to a boil, and cook for 7 minutes or until tender, but still crisp. Drain and arrange broccoli on a serving platter.
2) While the broccoli is cooking, melt the butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Mix in the brown sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, pepper, and garlic. Bring to a boil, then remove from the heat. Mix in the cashews and pour the sauce over the broccoli. Serve immediately.

Homemade Pizza Sauce
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 (29 oz) can tomato puree
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 Tablespoon Italian seasonings
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1) In a large saucepan, saute garlic until tender. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until sauce reaches desired thickness. Can be refrigerated for us to 1 week and frozen for up to 6 months.

Healthier Rice Crispy Treats
1 cup peanut butter (creamy or crunchy)- we use peanut butter where the only ingredients are peanuts- no added sugar, HFCS, etc.
1/2 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups crispy rice cereal

This is what the front looks like. I buy this at Ingles for  less than $2 (I think).

See, the only ingredient is puffed whole grain brown rice. No HFCS or added sugar.

1) In a saucepan, melt and stir the peanut butter and honey together. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Stir in cereal. Spread in a 9x9 pan and allow to cool.

For fun, I sometimes add 1/4 cup of dark chocolate chips as I am stirring in the cereal :D


So, there you go. I chose some of our favorites (as in weekely or bi-weekly dishes) along with what I get the most compliments on. Hope you guys enjoy.

What are some of your favorite recipes? Take a second to share! I'd love to try something new one night this week.

Again, if you have something you want me to post on, give me a shout!

Have a beautiful day.

My Recipe Book

I love recipes. I love searching for recipes. I love trying new recipes. I love sharing recipes. I love to cook. I love to eat. That about sums it up :D

My world revolves around FOOD. My cooking revolves around my recipe book.

Dane wanted his car on top for the picture :D

This holds my recipes. My favorite ones. This is the only recipe book I use. If I find a recipe in another book I like or on the internet, I either photo copy the page and print it or I type up the recipe and print it out.

Then I stick in in this big huge binder behind a page protector (that way, food doesn't mess up the papers as I'm cooking and making a mess--- because as hard as it may be to believe, I'm a messy cooker ;) )

Here are a few of my recipes tucked safely into a page protector.

Yes, I even keep all my homemade soaps, laundry detergents, oxy clean, cleaners, etc. in this binder.

"My" famous healthy rice krispy treat recipe that I found online.

What I did when this sucker started getting bigger and bigger was buy some handy tabs that are sticky on the back and create sections.

Then, I just stick one of these on top of a page protector and make a section of choice. I have added sections along the way or even renamed some of the sections.

The top that I am holding consists of food the bottom is only desserts. Isn't it sad that my dessert section is as big as the all the food combined!!! LOL.

So, here ya go! A handy way to keep up with your recipes and organize them all at the same time :D

Seasonings

It's a late night for me :D I am wide awake after a very fun evening. We had 2 couples over and their boys.... and Gibson. LOL. They got here around 5pm and us girls talked while the kids played and the men hung out in the basement and shot guns. Then we enjoyed dinner and dessert. The ladies helped me get everything cleaned up/did all the cleaning up while I held a nursing Webb (he had just passed out and I wasn't much use). Thanks again Ashley and Nicole! Then we moved to the living room and sat and talked for a couple hours. I know you guys hear me say this ALLLLLLL the time, but seriously, we have the GREATEST group of friends. This is the 4th weekend in a row we have had couples (usually 2 couples at a time..... and Gibson. LOL) over for dinner and we still have so many friends we need to invite over. What a blessing! I am continually amazed at the close friendships I have within our church (and outside too, but I am really amazed at how many I have in the church!). Tonight was a fun, relaxed, and entertaining evening.

We got to talking about food tonight and recipes. I make quite a few seasonings from scratch. For one, it is cheaper and for two, it is healthier. A friend told me she was interested in the recipes and asked me to post them on my blog.

So, without further adieu here are 3 seasonings I keep on hand always.


Homemade Taco Seasoning Mix
1/2 cup chili powder
1/4 cup onion powder
1/8 cup ground cumin
1 Tablespoon garlic powder
1 Tablespoon paprika
1 Tablespoon sea salt.

Put all ingredients into a jar and shake!!! 3 Tablespoons of this is equal to one 4-ounce package of taco seasonings mix. I recommend adding 3 Tbsp of mix to 1 pound of browned turkey meat (or deer or beef) for tacos. Remember to shake the jar before each use.


Homemade Ranch Dressing Mix
5 Tablespoons dried minced onions
7 teaspoons parsley flakes
4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder

Mix together and store in an air tight container.

FOR DRESSING: Mix 2 Tablespoons of dry mix with equal parts mayonnaise and buttermilk (or sour cream. I use buttermilk).

FOR DIP: Mix 2 Tablespoons dry mix with 2 cups sour cream.


Onion Soup Mix
2/3 cup dried, minced onion
3 teaspoons parsley flakes
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons tumeric
1 teaspoon celery salt
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

Mix all ingredients in a jar, then give the jar a good shake. I recommend shaking the jar each time before using it.

Use 4 Tablespoons Onion Soup Mix in a recipe in place of 1 packet of onion soup mix.


By the way, if you have anything you would like me to post about, always feel free to comment below or send me a private message. I am open to any and all suggestions.

Have a great night!

Disturbing Discoveries

Tonight I made some disturbing discoveries about myself. Allow me to share.

#1  I enjoy talking waaaaaay too much.
#2  I am willing to talk to myself if no one is around.
#3 I am easily entertained.

I served dinner tonight for the couple I clean for and their dinner guests. A very enjoyable experience. That is exactly what I like doing (especially if I am getting paid to do it!). The couple is like family to me. I have been cleaning for them for years and I have known them since I was 10 or 11 (maybe younger!). I got there at 5pm and the guests were supposed to get there at 5:30. They were running late and didn't get there until 6pm. While we waited for them, we sat and chatted and laughed. It was very nice (and adult like!!). After the guests arrived, I watched the cooking food, prepared the drinks, and put the salads on the table. From that point on, I kept drinks refilled and took away empty plates and refilled with the next course. Super easy and super fun!!! I love serving. However, in between taking care of them, there was nothing to do (I did the dishes, swept the floor, put up the left over food, etc.). I was really bored and really lonely. I decided to video myself and send them to Brent (WHICH, btw, he would NOT watch any of these. How rude!!!). For your entertainment tonight, I am going to post them and let you see what I'm really like. Don't hold it against me.

And no. I am not drunk (nor did I have any drink any alcoholic beverages of any kind).

Jobs and Children

Today is a cloudy and lazy day in our house. I didn't set an alarm this morning which is rare. I woke up at 7:30am with no obligations. What a treat :D

We've stayed busy continuing to invite friends over. YAY. We had friends over this past weekend who have been in my life for years. It was really fun. This coming Saturday, we are inviting 6 more people and their children. I'm excited. I have really enjoyed having our friends over each weekend.

This Friday night though, I am serving dinner for a couple I clean for. I am stoked about this. They called to see if I would be interested in making $100. Hello??? YES!!!! They told me what they were wanting and I was just shocked once again at how God is providing. They are having 2 couples over for supper and want me to come to their house from 5pm-10pm (that would be the latest) and serve the dinner they will have prepared. I will keep drinks full, remove empty plates, and replace with the next course. I will also load the dishwasher and wash the dishes that won't fit. This is exactly what I love to do. NO joke. I would love to see this turn into another part time job for me. Maybe serve at people's home every other weekend in the month and make a minimum of $100 each time. Heck yeah! God is good to provide for us yet again. The couple that hired me is hoping that the couples they invite to dinner might hire me to serve for dinner parties or to clean their house. I am praying :D

I am continuing to prepare for my doula certification. I am reading books and really enjoying all the information in there. I know this is what I am supposed to do with my life. I have wondered time to time, if I will get to do this right when I complete the certification. You know, like if we might end up pregnant before then and NO we are not trying right now. My hubby is unemployed. LOL. I just would not be willing to leave my newborn (that would be nursing every 2 hours or so--- and I consider newborn to about 1 yr. I don't like leaving my babies!!!) and be gone for an indefinite period of time. It would not be fair to the baby, my boobs (MASTITIS), or the person babysitting. So, this has been in the back of my mind. Even though we are not trying, we didn't try for Dane and Webb. Everyone becoming pregnant has caused Brent and I to seriously talk about when we want our next one. I originally had planned to have all my kids no further apart than 3 years. I love the age difference between Dane and Webb (27 months). They are close but not so close I don't get to enjoy the baby stage of the older one. However, Brent is unemployed. We would never choose to bring another baby into such a tight situation. Not to mention, I am REALLY sick when pregnant and with cleaning houses, I get no sick days, paid time off, maternity leave, etc. Brent will graduate from the EMT program in July of this year. He has a few classes to get in the Fall semester and then the paramedic program starts up in January 2013. He will complete the paramedic program in January of 2014. We will not attempt to have a baby while he is in school. Who knows when we will decide to get pregnant, but we will not want to have the baby while he is in school. That puts Webb and the next baby at least 3-1/2 years apart, but if we don't get pregnant until he graduates, they will be 4 years apart. I NEVER imagined it being that way. When we were discussing our next baby and all that, at first I was sort of upset because this was not how I planned it, but it made the most sense. We will be financially secure then. What a wonderful thing to be! We will be better than good. There should be no financial stress when that time comes. What a perfect time for another baby. I did talk Brent into 2 more (DON'T TELL HIM I SAID SO!!!! LOL. We only agreed on 3 when we got married even though my heart has always been to have 4 kids. With this age gap though, we both see why 2 kids 4 years later would be better than just 1.) because I can't stand the idea of Dane and Webb being so close and the next one being 4 years later and being "alone". So, hopefully our next 2 will be about 27 months apart like Dane and Webb. Now that we have agreed on this, I feel so good about our decision and excited. It seems like such a good idea-- we will be older (which has to mean wiser!), we will have some money, I will be able to have practiced being a doula for about 2 years or so, I will be able to take off work if I am sick, and Brent will no longer be in school! It should help financially too--- maybe private Christian school will work into our budget better, and it won't be cars, college, weddings, etc all back to back. Not to mention, all my children won't up and leave at the same time (which is seriously something I think about!), they will be spread out and maybe make it easier on this momma.

So, now that you probably got more information than you cared for, what helps you determine the age gap between your children? How do you decide on what that perfect number of kids is for you? I'd love to know!

Hosting

We have been so busy lately (what's new???!!). This past weekend, we were busy entertaining. I have been dying to start having people over to eat (other than Gibson-- my hubby's single best friend-- who eats over here 3-4x a week). I have a long list of people. Brent invited one of his fire fighting buddies and his finance over to eat Friday night. Of course, Gibson was invited too. LOL. It was such a fun time of fellowship. I asked if we could please schedule more people over for Saturday too. Since we have such a long list of people I want to have over, I talked him into letting me invite 6 adults and 5 kids. LOL. Our house was crazy insane and loud. I LOVED every minute of it. I love having friends over and sitting around enjoying fellowship. It was a late but wonderful night. This weekend (Yeah, Brent already told me this could not become a habit. LOL. He likes to socialize, but not like me. I keep saying, "but it's so much fun and we have so many people we need to have over. LOL.) we are having over 2 of my closest friends from years back and their husbands. One girl I have known and been friends with since we were 2yrs old. The other one has been my closest friend since 6th grade. It will be a fun night.

All this entertaining has got me to thinking though how important fellowship is and nurturing the friendships that God has placed in your life. It is so nice to sit around with your friends and talk, laugh, share, and get to know one another better. The intimate setting of someone's home allows for much better conversation. We have been so blessed in the friends department!!! I cannot believe how good God has been to us. We talk about it all the time. Sometimes we even try to narrow down who our closest friends are and we never can. We always end up naming everyone. I think that is AWESOME to have so many wonderful friends with unique characteristics.

If you are our friend and have not been invited over yet, don't worry! It will be soon!! Ok, as soon as I can talk my hubby into more. LOL.

Have a blessed Wednesday everyone!!!

Happy New Year!

So, I have slacked a bit with the blogging. What can I say??? Each evening, I have come to the computer to blog, but my mind feels blank. Blogging takes work and thought and lately, by the end of the day... I have the ability for neither. Instead, I find myself clicking "x" out of my blog and instead, sitting with my husband and enjoying a movie. That has been super nice. I NEVER watch movies or TV (except Good Morning America as I'm getting ready in the am). We have been on a movie kick. I think it started after Christmas. We each got new movies and then Dane did too. Each evening we watched one and then after that, we decided each evening to go to Red Box and get a movie. I can now recommend Bridemaids (it was the 2nd seeing for me and I still found it just as funny), Super 8, and Warrior (such a GREAT movie!!!). We have put a stop to the movies though. LOL. You get NOTHING accomplished when you are perched in front of the TV. Now that I am signed up for my doula certification (YIPPEE!!!!) I have 5 rather thick books to read. Not that I am complaining... I love having a goal to reach towards and I am captivated by my material, I just have to make time for doing that.

We had a great Christmas. We spent Christmas Eve at my in-laws and then traveled North to Tennessee to be with my dad's family that evening. Christmas morning, we celebrated with just me, Brent, and the boys and then my parents came over. It was a smaller group than we are used to, but we had a wonderful Christmas. It intimate and it will be a Christmas I never forget.

We have been busy since Christmas. I have to tell all of you about how BIG my God is. You all know about Brent losing his job. It was a complete shock (he had been with the company 10 years) and the news sort of took my breath away when he told me. After all, I was sitting in the ICU waiting room with my mother-in-law and 2 screaming boys. My FIL had been involved in a horrific accident just 2 days before. His truck was hit by a train. Life was in chaos and the future was unknown. There is no way to explain the peace that accompanied the news though. I wanted to be scared. I wanted to cry. I wanted to ask God, "WHY????" But none of that came. Instead, I felt complete peace and assurance of the road we were headed down. There have been days since then that I have felt fear or anxiousness, but I know it is the devil bring that doubt to me. It only lasts a little while and with prayer, the Lord gives me that peace back again. I have known since the moment Brent told me the news that the Lord would provide and take care of us. I'll be honest, I did not know how he would, but I knew he would. You probably all remember me telling you about how he provided 4 more houses for me to clean out of thin air and how He provided all of them just weeks before Brent got laid off. I did not (ONE TIME) look for another house or advertise that I needed more houses to clean (Back in the summer though I had tried to get more to clean and no one was looking to have their houses cleaned. BUMMER, or so I thought). People started messaging on FB and calling me. They had heard I cleaned and were hopeful I might want some more. What a blessing. I did not understand at the time why the Lord was providing all of these houses. I questioned if we could afford where we moved. I now know the Lord provided those so close to Brent losing his job to give us peace and assurance that He was going to take care of us and that we had no reason to be fearful. I may be about to get another one as well. Between my cleaning (only 2 days a week every other week and one day a week other than that) and Brent's unemployment checks (and cutting out a few expenses we did have) we can pay what we need to with nothing left over. Literally. That part is scary. We've always saved and now we will no longer be able to. We literally live paycheck to paycheck. Thank the Lord, we still have a savings albeit small, it's there. We are not wanting to touch that at all and have that for an emergency because with our new budget, there is no room for an emergency. Not even a $20 one. LOL.

Sorry, I got off track a little bit. Ok, with Christmas things were tight (even though I had finished all my Christmas shopping except for a few things). We had lots of driving to do and gas is not cheap. We had food to fix and food isn't cheap. A few people I clean for told me they didn't need me until after the new year due to kid's home for the holidays or travels. It did scare me, but we just prayed and trusted the Lord to provide. It all started when I was cleaning for one of my clients. We had had the propane tank filled up the day before and we were short some money (quite a bit of money). I knew I needed to stop by the gas company on my way home from cleaning and pay and I was just praying that the Lord would provide the money we needed. I get to the house and they hand me a Christmas card. It has cash in it. The cash was the EXACT amount we needed to pay for the propane. Seriously! I stalled out on the tears because that would have been embarrassing, but later on when I was scrubbing the shower, I bawled. THANK YOU, LORD!!! He continued to provide though. We were in Cartersville on the 23rd. I have been trying to sell my massage table and supplies for quite awhile for quite a bit of money. I have not heard one thing since posting it. I get a message from someone wanting to buy it for a Christmas present. We make plans to meet on Christmas Eve on our way back into town before heading to TN. When we stop by the house to pick up the massage table, there is something taped to our door. It has our name on it and when we open it up, it is a check from our church with a note attached. They said they knew Brent was jobless and they wanted to be a blessing to us during the Christmas season. We both started crying. Talk about an amazing church family. They love us and we love them. Liberty Baptist Church truly is an amazing group of people. We thanked the Lord for providing gas money for all our travels. We then headed to meet the man wanting to buy the massage table. He bought it and Brent and I both thanked the Lord for providing the exact money I was losing from not cleaning (talk about a BIG God!!!). We go to my grandparent's and they surprise Brent and I with $$cash$$. We planned to put that straight into savings to help in the days and weeks to come. He still was not done though. The week after Christmas, we had someone (who shall remain nameless) give my us a blank check and tell us to pay our rent for January. We were literally speechless. Our rent? The whole thing? All of it? You are going to pay all of OUR rent????? WHY???? You have no idea what a blessing that was to us. I felt as if the Lord were sitting right there with us telling us, "You are mine and I am going to take care of you. Just trust Me." How could I not trust him after all of that in 2 weeks of time????

I am still in shock with his provisions.

As I look back over 2011, I can truly say it was a year of valleys. There were mountaintops within, but they were spread out among many valleys. The best thing about valleys??? You know a mountaintop is just around the corner. I am amazed at all we have been through this year. There are times that stand out in my mind and I thank the Lord for His presence in my life. I am thankful that I am His child. What a scary thing it must be to go through this harsh world without the Lord. If I didn't have Him and His promises I don't think I could have made it through some of the storms and valleys we experienced this year. I am so grateful the Lord found me worthy enough to face what we faced this year. I am thankful He took the time to teach me what He taught me and to lead me each way He chose. Where we are right this second, is right where I know God was taking us all along, it was just a hard path. I am so thankful we trusted Him even when we didn't understand why He was bringing us down all these roads. Looking back now, I would face each hardship again. I know we are in His will. I am looking forward to continuing to watch Him provide for us in the most amazing ways. I am looking forward to reaching the mountaintop we are headed to. I can see it. It's in the distance and it is going to be so worth this valley once we get there.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! May God bless you in 2012 as never before.