Fighting the blues with red!

I don't know what's going on in my world, but lately, I've been so unmotivated and unproductive - which snowballs so quickly!  Being unmotivated leads to undone tasks which leads to more frustration which leads to me becoming a moody, temperamental, grumpy, and tearful (oh, so tearful) wife, mommy and friend.

So yesterday, tired of fighting the battle alone, I sought out my prayer warriors.  I opted to be vulnerable and ask for prayer, rather than staying alone, fearing I was the only one in the midst of fighting this particular battle.  Within minutes of hitting the send button on my prayer email, my sister Cambria called to tell me she's in the same place...and asked that I pray for her!  Throughout the coming minutes and hours, many of the people I'd asked to pray for me shared that they were dealing with the exact same feelings!  I'm not alone!  I love community and I love being a part of something bigger than myself.  I love that we can bear one another's burdens, in spite of our own...that we can love each other and hold each other up in prayer, even when it's difficult.  As I lay awake in bed last night, I was reminded of the Scripture verse that says, "Be still and KNOW that I am God."  I'm resting in that promise...that He is God...that He knows every intimate detail of my life...of who I am created to be...of the purposes He has for my days and for my life...and that I love Him...and that He works all things together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purposes.

Today, I got out of bed and started my day with my Abba Father!  Even just those few Psalms I read helped my day to be centered in and focused on Him.  I am resting in His hands today...knowing that He's got my back.

I began fighting back the unmotivation...I've stayed off of facebook (I'm toying with deleting my fb account, since I seem not to have the wherewithal to stay away from it and from that blasted Candy Crush game!). I've even done several loads of laundry...read lots of history and Bible to the girls and managed to finish the crochet heart garland I'd been working on for the past week.  I realized God was helping me to fight the blues...with love...with red hearts...and with the sweet melodies my girls are humming as they make their way through their day's chores and school work.

Pattern from make-handmade.com

Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin

I have a love/hate relationship with facebook recipes...they always look so temptingly, mouthwateringly delish.  But, I can't bookmark them!  So, then, I have to scroll through my fb wall...find the original recipe that I remember posting six weeks ago that I wanted to try...then decide if I want to add it to the week's menu...and it just takes too dang long!

Here's a peek into my over-organized brain:  I create my two-week menu complete with breakfast, lunch and dinner.  This Word document includes hyperlinks (if I'm using a recipe I found online).  Facebook makes it impossible to "link" to these "shared" recipes...so, I guess I'll post 'em here and give credit to the original post-er.  Note to my readers:  if you find a recipe here, you know it met with my family's sometimes picky palates!

shared by Charles Sims Weight Loss

• 2 lb. pork tenderloin
• 1/4 c. soy sauce
• 1 T. yellow mustard
• 2-3 T. maple syrup
• 2 T. olive oil
• 2 T. minced onions
• 1 1/2 tsp. garlic salt

Place tenderloin in crockpot.  Mix remaining ingredients and pour over meat.  Cook on low for 6 hours.

***Edit 2/12/14: Made this yesterday...used a 4 lb. tenderloin and doubled the remaining ingredients.  Great flavor...but 'twas the driest roast imaginable.  Not sure if it was the recipe or the particular cut of meat, as my tenderloin was not well marbled.  Does anyone have any tricks for cooking a really lean cut?  Is there an overnight marinade you'd suggest?  Would marinating it overnight in pineapple juice break down the meat fibers a bit and make it more moist and/or tender?

NOEL mantle idea

I love the look of this Christmas decoration and really wanted to "pin" it, but apparently, the link takes you to inappropriate content or spam, so I copied this photo from Pinterest so I can save it! Have no idea what diytrendy.com is, but I'll trust Pinterest and just save the photo and go from there.

i {heart} organizing

I ran across these photos on a website called "Beautifully BellaFaith" - but Google tells me it links to spam or other inappropriate content, so I can't pin my favorite pics. So...I thought I'd post them here on my own blog to keep track of them:

Credit: IHeart Organizing

These fun benches were created using two tall/narrow bookshelves and installing them on their sides - and then filling the spaces (shelves) with baskets!  What a splendid idea!  Benches and storage all in one. I wonder who I could get to make the cushions for these?  This idea was originally posted on the website, I Heart Organizing

Credit:  none found

How about saving counter space with a hanging fruit basket!  I've got the perfect spot for this...now I just need to find the basket!

Credit: none found

I love the idea of taking circular nesting baskets and attaching them to the bathroom wall - what a great and decorative way to store washcloths, hand towels, and bath towels. I wonder how difficult it will be to teach the girls to fold this way?

Korean Beef Bowl

KOREAN BEEF BOWL

1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon crushed red-pepper flakes, or more to taste
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound ground beef
2 green onions, thinly sliced
Cooked rice, for serving

INSTRUCTIONS

In a small bowl, whisk together brown sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, red pepper flakes and ginger. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add ground beef and cook until browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the beef as it cooks; drain excess fat. Stir in soy sauce mixture and green onions until well combined, allowing to simmer until heated through, about 2 minutes.  Serve immediately with rice.

I copied this delicious recipe and photo from this website.  Covenant Eyes doesn't like the website (not sure why, and I'm not willing to go looking for the reason), so I moved it here to make it easier to retrieve!

Restart

I've been toying with restarting my blog (it's only been about 8 months since my last post).  Gotta admit, I'm quite hesitant to jump in, because I don't want it distract me from the more important things...like quiet times with God, actually doing life and school and having fun with my family and friends.  When I mentioned this to Darren today, he suggested that I allow the blog to serve a particular purpose:  to briefly review what we covered in school the day before...thus providing semi-built-in accountability, as he will use these daily reviews to keep up with what the girls & I are doing in school. He and I both feel this will give him additional ways to engage the girls without me having to rehash the days events over dinner!  As an added bonus, this will also give grandparents, aunties & uncles a snapshot of our schooldays.

To keep me focused and the posts short and to the point, my practical husband suggested that I set a timer for 10 minutes...that will keep me from searching the web for just the right photo...agonizing over just the right wording...you get the picture.  I'm a perfectionist and this is admittedly a big struggle.  My husband gets me...he understands the way I tick and what I struggle with.  Yep...I love that man...and I'm so very glad he's mine!

This school year, we're re-entering the world of boxed curriculum, by way of My Father's World.  For several years now, I've wanted to design my own curriculum - pulling together different resources for the 3 R's - reading, wRiting and aRithmetic (along with art, music, science, history, spelling, etc.), and creating my own boxes to check.  Welp, I've had enough of that and am really ready for someone else to create the check boxes for me!  So...we're heading into the era of ancient Rome through the Reformation.  I'm most excited about studying the medieval portion of history!  Knights, kings, queens, castles, ahhhh...the romance!  To add to the fun this year, we'll be joining a group of friends to study the human body - using Lyrical Life Science (volume 3 - Human Body)...and loads of ideas found on Pinterest and all around the web.  The girls will also begin piano lessons for the first time.  We're all very excited!

Our first day of school will be Tuesday, September 3rd (we typically school through the summer, but this year, I wanted a solid break - so we schooled through June and are waiting until after Labor Day to begin). Our first week back will include our science club with piano lessons beginning the 2nd week.

So...now, I'm off to enjoy this last week of summer vacation...and the freedom of sleeping in, reading comic books, riding bikes, and swimming while all the neighborhood kids are at school (our pool is really quite big when we have it all to ourselves).

Happy last week of summer to you!

BTW - I didn't set a timer for this first post...I'm certain it's been longer than 10 minutes since I started!  Don't tell Darren!  :o)

Contentment

My friend Maria (from Heritage - Model - Legacy) inspired this post. Something I heard on the radio the other day - likely on my favorite radio station, K-Love - caused me to think about what word I'd like to adopt for 2013. Instantly the word "contentment" came to mind.

CONTENTMENT...with my home...in our finances...with where God has our family...in the homeschool lifestyle...with our worldly possessions...in all things.

God reminded me of the verses in 1 Timothy 6:6-8, "But godliness with CONTENTMENT is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be CONTENT with that."

No matter where God takes me, I know that He will provide...He has proven Himself faithful to meet my needs and the needs of my family over and over again. Leaning on and trusting in His provision frees me up to live a life of joy. Ahh, CONTENTMENT...