Friday, June 29, 2012

Black Bean Corn Salad {Recipe}

Last week, I was craving a cold salad that I remember someone making before... but I couldn't find a recipe on my favorite family websites or in cookbooks. I turned to the Food Network and found a great recipe that Joshua and I really enjoyed! It was pretty quick and easy to make too. The color contrast was striking!



Prep time: 10 min
Set time: 15 min
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 can, 14 ounces, black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 2 cups frozen corn kernels
  • 1 small red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
  • 1/2 red onion, chopped
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin, half a palm full
  • 2 teaspoons hot sauce, just eyeball the amount (recommended: Tabasco)
  • 1 lime, juiced
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil, eyeball it
  • Salt and pepper

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Let stand at least 15 minutes for corn to fully defrost and flavors to combine, then toss and serve. The corn will also place a quick-chill on this easy side-salad as it defrosts -- no need to refrigerate!


I used a lemon instead of a lime, and it was a slightly different flavor, but still delicious! We had garlic bread on the side, and made this a main dish salad. 

Let me know if you try it, I'd love to hear your review!

2 Kings 4:8
One day Elisha went to Shunem. And a well-to-do woman was there, who urged him to stay for a meal. So whenever he came by, he stopped there to eat.






Psalm 128: 1-2

Blessed are all who fear the Lord
    who walk in obedience to him. 
 You will eat the fruit of your labor; 
    blessings and prosperity will be yours.

Ecclesiastes 3:13
That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God.

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Thankful Thursday #5

I am thankful that this summer has finally slowed down since our church's VBS is done, and I had a great yard sale last weekend. We are enjoying the simple joys of summer and being home together. (most of the time!) 
 I am thankful that my kitchen window is full of happy plants! The bottom left is a spearmint plant that is growing, growing! I'm trying to figure out what to put it in... so far it's just been iced tea...
 I am also thankful for sun tea. This is how I make it... toss some water and teabags into my glass jar and set it on the picnic table in the backyard. When finished steeping, I place the jar in the fridge. So refreshing!
 I'm also thankful when my kids keep themselves busy. One day last week, I was working at the school room table, I look over, and my 3-year-old set up the desk chair like this and was sitting on it so cute. I had to take her picture in the sideways chair!

I am thankful for the summertime heat, and for ways to keep cool! The swamp cooler is doing an awesome job in the house, but when the kids need another form of refreshment, we grab our summer ideas book and find things like this! We took a swiffer handle, stuck it in the ground, tied a piece of nylon cord on it, and then a balloon which had a little water and mostly air. The kids got spray bottles and tried to wind the cord and balloon around the pole, like a tetherball! We tossed a few water balloons when they were done. We got this idea from Family Fun magazine, but I can't find it on their website!

I will post more soon about our Summer fun ideas book, and other things that we are up to!

PLEASE pray for our state of Colorado, that the fires would be controlled soon, for safety of the firefighters and for rain! Thank you for praying with me!

Here are some verses that I love:

Psalm 9:1-2
"I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart;
I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.
I will be glad and rejoice in you;
I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High."


Psalm 92:1-2, 4
"It is good to praise the Lord
and make music to your name, O Most High,
proclaiming your love in the morning
and your faithfulness at night...

For you make me glad by your deeds, Lord;
I sing for joy at what your hands have done."


Luke 9: 16-17 (Feeding of the 5,000) 
"Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke them. Then he gave them to the disciples to distribute to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over."

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Wordless Wednesday: Father's Day

(Well, almost wordless!)

My hubby had a great Father's Day last weekend! My only regret was that I didn't get a picture of him and the 4 kids after church! The kids had fun spoiling him with cards, and we gave him a pizza peel since he is the pizza master of our home on (most) Saturday nights! He used it this past weekend and it worked really well!

Here are some pictures of our dessert time with Joshua's Dad (Grandpa) and my sister-in-law and brother-in-law and their kids. We had s'mores around the fire, and a neighbor dad joined us with his son  too!




Ephesians 6:4
"Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord."

Colossians 3:21
"Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged."

Hebrews 12:9
"Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live!"

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Speak Gently


This is a poem that I have read several times and love, and I wanted to share it with you... Enjoy!

Speak Gently
Written by David Bates  
Speak gently! -- It is better far
To rule by love, than fear --
Speak gently -- let not harsh words mar
The good we might do here!
Speak gently! -- Love doth whisper low
The vows that true hearts bind;
And gently Friendship's accents flow;
Affection's voice is kind.
Speak gently to the little child!
Its love be sure to gain;
Teach it in accents soft and mild: --
It may not long remain.
Speak gently to the young, for they
Will have enough to bear --
Pass through this life as best they may,
'T is full of anxious care!
Speak gently to the aged one,
Grieve not the care-worn heart;
The sands of life are nearly run,
Let such in peace depart!
Speak gently, kindly, to the poor;
Let no harsh tone be heard;
They have enough they must endure,
Without an unkind word!
Speak gently to the erring -- know,
They may have toiled in vain;
Perchance unkindness made them so;
Oh, win them back again!
Speak gently! -- He who gave his life
To bend man's stubborn will,
When elements were in fierce strife,
Said to them, 'Peace, be still.'
Speak gently! -- 'tis a little thing
Dropped in the heart's deep well;
The good, the joy, which it may bring,
Eternity shall tell. 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ruth 2:13
“May I continue to find favor in your eyes, my lord,” she said. “You have put me at ease by speaking kindly to your servant—though I do not have the standing of one of your servants.”

Proverbs 12:25
Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up.


1 Corinthians 13:4
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.

Monday, June 25, 2012

Summer game day!

To beat the summer heat, we recently had a outdoor water game day with my sun-screened kids and their cousins at my sister-in-law's house. 

We had a great time, and really enjoyed the water-bonding time with cousins. To see a better explanation of the games, check out my sister-in-law's blog post here.
Filler up! 
The kids got a buddy, a spray bottle and a ping pong ball in a red cup. They had to work together to fill the cup and have the ping pong ball overflow out the top of the cup! It took a few minutes...

Our little three-year-olds worked together well until they dumped the water out of the cup onto the grass! :-D

The no-hands balloon race, where the pair of kids got a water balloon and had to get it across the yard without using their hands, but were back-to-back! It was funny to see the matched up pairs!
Rebekah and little Bethany did a backwards piggy-back ride with a balloon in-between them! 

 This was the soggy-jog relay, where the kids had to put on a wet pair of baggy pants and run across the yard, come back, remove the wet pants and give them to another family member! It was silly and funny! The pants were COLD!
 The Rainy Relay with holey cups atop their heads, trying to fill a bucket of water on the opposite side of the yard! Bethany didn't like getting all drippy-wet in this race!
 We also had a water balloon towel toss, but I only took videos of that!
 This was the water balloon toss, with milk jugs cut off. The kids had fun playing catch with their cousin-partner! Idea found here.
The last one was a Sprinkler freeze dance, where the kids danced around the sprinkler, and when we stopped the water flow, they had to freeze. Here is my son and his cousin getting sprayed by the cool water while frozen!

What a fun day in the summer sun! Thanks to Morgan for planning and inviting us!

Here are some wonderful verses about summer!

Genesis 8:22
“As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat,summer and winter, day and night will never cease.”


Psalm 32:4
"For day and night your hand was heavy on me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer."


Psalm 74:17
"It was you who set all the boundaries of the earth; you made both summer and winter."


Proverbs 6:8
"...yet it (the ant) stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest.

Friday, June 22, 2012

French Bread Pizza

This is a recipe that I used to make years ago, when I was working and needed a quick, easy meal. 


The ingredients are relatively flexible, and the recipe is kinda loose. But it is easy and delicious! 
French Bread Pizza
Take a loaf of french bread, and cut it in half lengthwise. I like to buy the day-old breads in the sale section of our grocery store, and we use them for meals like this and french bread. Dry bread-- perfect!
Place bread onto a cookie sheet, and add tomato sauce-- leftover spaghetti sauce works great, and I even had some with Italian sausage in it!
 Add toppings such as pepperoni, peppers, onions, olives, green chiles, pineapple, cooked chicken, or whatever pizza topping you like. You could even add bacon! I made this the night before I went to the grocery store, so we were a little lean on toppings.
 Add grated mozzarella cheese and pop it into a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes. (I added roasted garlic at the last minute... yum!)
 Remove from oven and cut into pieces with a knife.
 Allow your family to devour!
This was a great meal on a busy Saturday night when we didn't have a lot of time, energy or food to cook with! It was nice in the summer since the oven was only on for 20 minutes at the most!

Let me know if you try it, I'd love to hear your review!


Proverbs 30:8
"Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread."


John 6:35
"Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty."


John 6:48
"I am the bread of life." -Jesus

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Thankful Thursday #4: "Madame Blueberry"

On our recent trip out-of-state, our kids watched one of my favorite VeggieTales movies, called "Madame Blueberry". In this fun little tale, Madame learns not to be blue about the things that she wants and has, but to be happy and thankful for what she has.

This movie is a loose parody on the novel Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert, in which that Madame also experiences dissatisfaction with her life and emptiness which is not cured by more stuff. (or living beyond her means.) Madame Blueberry goes shopping with Bob and Larry to the new "Stuff-Mart" down the street, where she finds every thing she *thinks* she needs. She sees a little girl being happy with a single slice of apple pie and no presents for her birthday. Later we see Junior Asparagus being happy with a ball instead of the super-cool train set that he wanted. You can listen to Junior's song on Youtube here.

This story is a great message for kids, in that things do not make us happy! We are happy when we are thankful for what we have, we God has given us. So that is my message for you today.

Here are the lyrics to the song, which you just might get stuck in your head!

The Thankfulness Song from Veggie Tales: 

Annie: I thank God for this day, For the sun in the sky, For my mom and my dad, For my piece of apple pie! For our home on the ground For His love that's all around That's why I say thanks everyday! Because a thankful heart is a happy heart! I'm glad for what I have, That's an easy way to start! For the love that He shares, 'Cuz He listens to my prayers, That's why I say thanks everyday! 

Junior: Thank you Dad for our day, For our trip to the mall, For the time just with me, For my big red bouncy ball! For the fun that we had, I'm so happy you're my dad, That's why I say thanks everyday! Junior's Dad: Because a thankful heart is a happy heart! Junior: I'm glad for what I have, That's an easy way to start! Junior's Dad: For a God who really cares Junior: And He listens to our prayers, That's why I say thanks everyday! Both: That's why we say thanks everyday! 


Psalm 118:28 

You are my God, and I will give thanks to you; you are my God; I will extol you.















Psalm 95:2“Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.” 

1 Timothy 2:1-4

"I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority,that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth."

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Wordless Wednesday: VBS highlights

(Well, almost wordless!)

Here are some photos of our Amazing Wonders Aviation VBS this past week... carefully selected to include my children, so handy since I know the AV guy, the guy who pulled our video together with pics and vids...

We began each day in our "hangar" with singing and signing...

My friend Beth and I dressed as stewardesses from different airlines... it was fun that I had kiddos who asked if I really flew on a plane... no, I got my clothes from Goodwill and made my hat from felt & ribbon!
 My kids had fun with their cousins and friends, and made some new friends too!


 My older daughter was a helper, and had a great time tracking her age group kids, listening to verses and fielding funny questions... "Are you married?" She says, "No, I'm only 13!" :-D
 My 5 year old, had a great time each day too, enjoying neat crafts, playing games in the "Grand Canyon", and eating nutritious, creative snacks.
My younger daughter was cared for by a brave crew of ladies in the nursery, and was able to make her own passel of crafts too! She loves showing us her "BBS" crafts!

One last shot of our VBS "Aviators" band... such a great crew of teenagers and a few adults!
It was a fantastic week, thank you to all of the volunteers which made it so incredible for our kids!


Romans 8:31
"What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?"



Daniel 2:20

"...and said:
“Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; 
    wisdom and power are His."



This is our theme verse for the week:

Psalm 147:5

"Great is our Lord and mighty in power; His understanding has no limit."

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Fear/ Worry

Last week, during our VBS we sang a song (post found here) which included the words, "If God is for me, who can be against me? Why should I fear/ Why should I worry?"

I've been thinking about what an amazing truth this is for kids to learn and sing about. I was a worrier as a kid, and a little as an adult, but have grown a lot in that area... at least until my daughter begins driving and dating! My son is also a worrier. He will frequently call us into his bedroom after he has been in his bed for a little while at night. He's inevitably worrying about something that he has no control over, like the weather. Just this past weekend, he was worrying about the man Nik Wallenda  who walked on a tightrope across Niagara Falls. Of course, Mr. Wallenda made the journey safely, praising God and Jesus afterward. I told my son that he had trained to do this, and may have been scared, but we do not need to worry about him, since he was safe.

I know I worry about things, and it just really doesn't make sense. I always feel better when I place the matter into God's hands and leave it there. It is not easy to do this, it may require some work and discipline on my/ our part, but it is an important lesson to learn... to trust God. I love that I can sing the song to myself and my son as a good reminder that God is for us and in control!

Here are a few of the many, many verses about not being afraid...

Genesis 15:1
The LORD’s Covenant With Abram ] After this, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward. ”



Deuteronomy 3:22
"Do not be afraid of them; the LORD your God himself will fight for you.”



Deuteronomy 31:8
"The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid;do not be discouraged.”



Hebrews 13:6
"So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?”



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





I pray today that YOU will place your trust and peace in HIM!

Monday, June 18, 2012

"We Are" by Kari Jobe

I posted once before about a Kari Jobe song that I found and love. I think she has such a beautiful voice and talent. I love the message of this song, such truth portrayed in the words. It inspires me to share my light with others that I may meet in my every day life of grocery shopping, walking in my neighborhood, in my own little world. I hope this wonderful song inspires you to share His light with others that you may meet too!




"We Are" 

Every secret, every shame
Every fear, every pain
Live inside the dark
But that’s not who we are
We are children of the day

So wake up sleeper, lift your head
We were meant for more than this
Fight the shadows conquer death
Make the most of the time we have left

We are the light of the world
We are the city on a hill
We are the light of the world
We gotta, we gotta, we gotta let the light shine

We are the light of the world
We are the city on a hill
We are the light of the world
We gotta, we gotta, we gotta let the light shine
Let the light shine, let the light shine

We are called to the spread the news
Tell the world the simple truth
Jesus came to save, there’s freedom in His Name
So let His love break through

We are the light of the world
We are the city on a hill
We are the light of the world
We gotta, we gotta, we gotta let the light shine

We are the light of the world
We are the city on a hill
We are the light of the world
We gotta, we gotta, we gotta let the light shine

We are the light
We are the light
We are the light
So let Your light shine brighter
We are the light
We are the light
We are the light
Jesus
You are the light
You are the light
You are the light
We will lift You higher
Shine shine shine

We are the light of the world
We are the city on a hill
We are the light of the world
We gotta, we gotta, we gotta let the light shine

We are the light of the world
We are the city on a hill
We are the light of the world
We gotta, we gotta, we gotta let the light shine

We gotta shine
We gotta shine (So let the light shine)
We gotta shine
We gotta shine (Let the light shine)
We gotta shine (Let the light shine)



[ From: http://www.elyrics.net/read/k/kari-jobe-lyrics/we-are-lyrics.html ]


You can listen to this beautiful song on YouTube here.

Matthew 5:14-15

 “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. 15 No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house.

John 8:12
Jesus, the Light of the World

Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”

John 11:9-10

Jesus replied, “There are twelve hours of daylight every day. During the day people can walk safely. They can see because they have the light of this world. 10 But at night there is danger of stumbling because they have no light.”


Friday, June 15, 2012

VBS Music: "In Your Power"

This song is partly a chant, very fast-moving, reminding us that God gives us the power to live and move and have our being. (Acts 17:28) We can rely on God's unending power and call to do great things for HIM! This is a great message for kids to learn and remember!

Enjoy Day 5's song and the last song of the week! We've enjoyed all of the music this week, and teaching it to the kids has been awesome!

Day 5 Song
In Your Power
Chorus:
I wanna walk
I wanna talk
I wanna live 
In Your power
I wanna pray 
I wanna stay
I wanna move
In Your power
Repeat Chorus Twice
Verse 1:
I rely on Your power
to do what You want me to
I rely on Your power
to do great things for You
Your power gives me everything
for life and godliness
You have called me
by Your glory and Your goodness
Repeat Chorus Twice
Repeat Verse 1

Repeat Chorus Twice
Bridge:
I wanna see miracles
I wanna see signs and wonders
I wanna see Your glory cover the earth 
Repeat Bridge
Repeat Chorus twice
Words and music by Jeff Slaughter.
Arranged by Preston and Spencer Dalton.
© Copyright 2011 Van Ness Press, Inc. (ASCAP) (admin. by LifeWay Worship). All rights reserved.

You can listen to this song on Lifeway's website here.


2 Peter 1:3

"His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness."


Hebrews 2:3-4

3 "how shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will."


Here is our theme verse of the week:

Psalm 147:5

"Great is our Lord and mighty in power; His understanding has no limit."
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