I need to menu plan more often. I can do well for a couple weeks and then I fall shy of my goal to continue. Menu planning definitely makes it easier for when dinner time rolls around (I ciurrently only do dinner plans), so I should do it every week. My awesome-sauce Sissy plans a month out at a time. I am pretty sure I am going to make more of an effort once Turkey Baby comes in November.

After Hubby called at 530 to remind me that he would be working late, I started brainstorming on what I could make with the ingredients I had in my fridge. I had bacon and half a pound of sausage for available meat. I thought of BLTs, but decided to save those for later this week. Then I thought of sausage gravy on biscuits, but did not have enough butter thawed for biscuit dough and half a pound of sausage is not enough. And hubby is a fan of only one meatless meal (portabello mushroom burgers).

So I came up with an idea, and it turned out to be DELICIOUS. Thus, Sausage Cream Sauce & Taters was born.

Sausage Cream Sauce & Taters
1/2 pound of sausage
4 strips of bacon
1 T. butter
1 t. minced garlic
8 oz. brick cream cheese, sliced into chunks
1/2 C. milk
1-2 t. fresh chives, chopped (depending on your preference)
3 cups prepared mashed potatoes (I had leftovers from last night)
4 slices Texas toast, toasted

Cook the bacon, drain on paper towels and set aside. Brown the sausage in the same pan you used for the bacon. Drain when done.

Meanwhile, start on the cream sauce by melting the butter in a medium-sized sauce pot and then adding the minced garlic. Simmer for about 2 minutes. Then add the cream cheese and milk. Stir until cream cheese is melted and sauce has thickened. When sauce is thick and creamy, add in chives and then stir in the sausage.

Place toast on plate, top with taters, then pour sausage sauce over the taters. Crumble bacon over the top.

Hubby said this is filling and worth a repeat. High praise, indeed. And Little Miss said, “It’s too yummy!”

I served this with sliced tomatoes on the side. Looking forward to having fresh ones from the garden!

And I patted myself on the back for whipping up a meal on the fly. Thanks to my Momma for teaching to cook with what you have and to be creative.

Enjoy!

I doodled this idea in my sketchbook a few weeks ago. But one niece and one nephew were having birthdays and their gifts took precedence. Especially for the nephew, as his was supposed to be part of last year’s gift.

Now that gifts and birthdays are done, I felt it was okay to move onto my project(s). I wanted to create something new for our mantle and thought an embroidery project would be great.

Here are a couple of preview pictures:

Just starting out...

and one word finished!

Last week my sister and I and our Indiana friend had our monthly get-together. We decided to make yarn wreaths. Sissy already had hers made and was going to show us how to make different felt flowers to adorn them.

We were inspired by all the wreaths we had seen on Pinterest. Along with the array of felt flowers. And yarn wreaths are such an easy and simple decoration for around the house.

I chose a neutral color of yarn to make my wreath more versatile with the changing seasons. Or on my whims. I then chose shades of green felt scraps that spoke of spring for my flowers and leaves. Easy way to change out the flowers: hot glue them to hair clips! Genius, right?! That way I do not need to make multiple wreaths with any flowers/decorations permanently attached.

I hung mine inside because it is just not practical for outside on our front door. I have a winter wreath on the door now, and the red ribbon has faded (over a few winters) to a dark pinkish color. Morning sun shines right on our front door. So inside my wreath will stay!

Materials: Straw wreath ($3.99 at Hobby Lobby)
Yarn ($2.77 at Walmart and I did not use the entire skein)
Felt scraps (been collected over the years, most from sheets of craft felt purchased for $.25 each at Hobby Lobby)
Lace (Indiana friend purchased and shared)
Hair clips (pack of 25 from Hobby Lobby for $2.99 or so; shared with Indiana friend)
Straight pins
Hot glue
Ribbon for hanging (purchased at 2011 Country Living Fair)
Wreath hanger (purchased at Hobby Lobby after Christmas on sale a few years ago)
Total cost: around $8 with tax

Fun and easy to make! And with yummy treats and good conversation thrown in.

A while ago I was introduced to the wonderfulness that is Washi tape. Thank you, Pick Your Plum, for the introduction. It is a most agreeable relationship. I love the versatility of this craft product.

While I like to decorate for the changing seasons, I do not go all out except for Christmas. I like to keep it simple for other times of year. So I came up with a simple banner for our mantle.

And put out some lovey-dovey decorations.

Simple supplies: white cardstock, baker’s twine, Washi tape, scissors, and a hole punch (I used my Crop-A-Dile. *Note to self: Watch where you put your hand that is holding the paper; you do not want to pinch your palm on the eyesetter part of the C-A-D.!)

Valentine mantle

I think the pictures show how simple this is to make. And I was able to make it in about ten minutes, which was perfect for my girl to not go crazy without having 100% of my attention (and to not get into something!).

Another scrap put to good use as the center of my banner.

Enjoy the love!

Last year our church went through the book Radical. It changed many lives at our church. One thing I took away from it, that God was impressing on my heart, was

“Go outside your comfort zone. Become uncomfortable FOR ME.”

I have been working on that over the last year. And also to give more of my time. I am taking small steps towards that goal. God has given me opportunities to bless others by my uncomfortableness (On a side note: God never told us our Christian walk would be comfortable! So I should not be surprised at the nudging.) One of those was this past weekend.

Our women’s ministry was having a retreat (wonderful idea!) at the home of a dear, sweet, big-hearted church member.The retreat was titled “You’ve Lost that Healing Feeling.”

Our women’s ministry coordinator had sent me this message:

“if you plan to come, I was going to ask you to prepare a short devotional about “healing.” Wherever that takes you. Maybe about your short time of rebellion and how God restored your fellowship with him…Like I said, a 2-page piece on “healing” in your life. To read out loud to the women on Friday night or Saturday morning.

If you are able/willing to go… I am so forward.”

Well, yes, she is forward. But God was using her to further nudge me. I have only shared my testimony with people I am close to and feel quite comfortable with (like sharing a brief part with my Bible study–those ladies are wonderful and awesome and mentors to me, as well as beautiful sisters in Christ), yet I have not always shared all of it. So standing in front of a group of ladies from my church seemed a bit nerve-wracking. Yet, as soon as I read that message, I knew I was going to do it. I did not have any hesitation. I knew right then that God was going to give me the words to speak and work on me over the next couple weeks to enable me to be so vulnerable and exposed. And Hubby also had no hesitation on my going (I was staying overnight, so he was having the Girl all to himself), which was obviously a God thing as well.

I do not do public speaking well. My speech class in college did not do anything to help with nerves. At least this was a smaller group than when I spoke at our church’s Christmas Eve service. But the emotion of what I would be sharing is what got to me. After writing it out and doing some editing, I read it over a couple times, tearing up at the same parts. Therefore, I made sure to pack some tissues in my pockets.

God is still pushing me to be uncomfortable. That is why I am going to share what I read on Friday night. Here goes:

I was born and raised in a Christian home, accepting Christ at the age of five. I always attended church and thought it weird that not everyone did. As a teen I came to realize what it meant to be “on fire for Christ” and live a life sold out for him. I was plugged into an amazing youth group and formed friendships that still exist. I considered myself to be a strong Christian and my sister called me a prayer warrior.

I knew right from wrong.

And yet I wandered away.

I think of the lyrics to Casting Crowns’ song Slow Fade:

It’s a slow fade when you give yourself away…

People never crumble in a day…it’s a slow fade

I did not wake up one day and decide that God’s way was no longer for me. It was small steps: I let friends pull me away. I let the world pull me away. I let the devil pull me away. I bought into his many lies: “God doesn’t love you. God doesn’t care what you do. God has turned his back on you.”

For a year and a half, I lived for me and for what I thought I wanted and needed. Church was no longer important. It was hard to get up early on Sunday when I had been out late on Saturday. My prayer life ceased. I figured God was no longer listening, so why do it. I made dumb decisions, decisions that could have had more serious consequences than they did. I did not see it then, but God’s hand was still on me. Though I had made choices I could not undo, and I thought I was all alone, I never was.

One night I was at a bar/dance club with friends. It struck me how I saw the same people each weekend. And I realized this life I was “living” was NOT what I wanted–spending weekends at bars, drinking too much, and living for only what I wanted, being so selfish. So I told my friends good-bye and left.

It was a horribly foggy Saturday night. I could barely see a few feet in front of my headlights. As I was driving, I started praying–to make it home safe and in one piece, for the other drivers. I could not remember the last time I had prayed, especially for others. God used an encounter on my drive to further impress upon me how wrong I had been and where I could end up if I did not change my life.

That night after I got home to my parents’ house, my eyes were opened to the truth: God had not turned his back on me–not once, but I had turned my back on him. He had continued to be there, though I thought I was alone.

The next day I went to church because I desperately needed to be there, needed to be in God’s house. My healing began that day. God forgave me of all I had done when I humbled myself and prayed for my relationship with him to be restored. He healed the spiritual and emotional wounds I had inflicted on myself. He healed the relationships with my family. I had believed another of the devil’s lies: “You are not hurting anyone else.” I did not know the hurt, pain, and grief I had caused my parents and siblings. I also did not know how hard they and my true friends had been praying for me.

God healed all my wounds and made me whole again. I still have scars, but they are a reminder of where I was and a testament to where I am.

Coming back to Christ, my prayer life is stronger than before. Prayer works–never stop praying.

I always liked these verses, but they have new meaning now:

My soul finds rest in God alone;

my salvation comes from him.

He alone is my rock and my salvation;

he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.

Psalm 62:1-2

*God bless your day and week. Thank you for taking the time to read this.*