Catching Up

Hi, friends!  My, oh my!  I've been running around like a chicken with its head cut off--as my mom sometimes will say.  Ew!  Every now and then her Oklahoma farm colloquialisms (she spent her childhood there) sneak through and clash with our Southern California colloquialisms!  I guess it has made its way into my vocabulary too.  The farm lives on . . .

Anyway, last week I spent each and every morning being a camp counselor at our church's vacation Bible school.  I had a 1st grade group, and I remember now how tired teaching elementary school made me.  I napped every day!  It probably didn't help that I chose THAT week to get up at 6 every morning to start a rigid schedule of exercising.  That's how I roll, folks.  I don't make sense sometimes.

Every night I had a meeting for something, and, this week, I taught a prayer lesson three times at my church's women's Bible study.  I finished by giving the third lesson this morning, and I am tired.  I'm moving slower than molasses in January my mom might say. 

I've been making signs . . . I had a handful of orders all at once.  Here is the newest one:  Soft pink letters on a black background for our church's women's ministry director.  I have two more that I need to finish before we leave on vacation. . . .

Tonight I'm feeding my constant sushi/Japanese food craving and making this yummy seared tuna dish that I made a week or two ago.  I didn't take pictures or post anything the first time I made it because I didn't trust myself with a new recipe.  I loved it!  Even my hubby liked it, and he isn't normally head over heels in love with fish.  I'll take pictures and post the recipe for you tomorrow.  It is easy peasy and deeeelish!  I can't wait to share it with you.

Have a great day, everyone!

Mexican Rice

We had one of our church's pastors and his wife over for dinner last night, so I made a homemade Mexican dinner--chicken enchiladas (recipe here), Mexican rice, black beans, an avocado and green leaf salad and Pioneer Woman's Pots de Creme.  It was delicious. 

A bunch of you asked for the recipe for the rice, so here it is! 

Mexican Rice (tweaked from a mexican.food.com recipe)

12 ounces of tomatoes, ripe and cored
1 medium white onion
3 medium jalapenos
4 minced garlic cloves
(OR instead of top 4 ingredients if you don't have them on hand or want to make this faster, 1 jar of Pace medium chunky salsa and 1/4 cup of tomato puree)

2 cups of long grain, white rice
1/3 cup of canola oil
2 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 teaspoons salt (if using the fresh ingredients at the top)
1/2 cup fresh cilantro chopped
optional, lime wedges

Directions:
Have rack in oven set at medium center of oven.  Preheat to 350.

Fresh ingredient directions: (skip if using canned salsa)
Mince onion and tomatoes until you have 2 cups of them combined
mince 2 jalapenos with ribs and seed removed and mince 1 jalapeno with seeds and ribs still inside

Everyone:
Put 2 cups of rice in fine wire mesh strainer.  Run under cold water for at least 2 minutes.  This extracts starch and makes the rice have that dry, fluffy consistency in Mexican rice.  Don't skip this!

Heat oil in a 12-14 inch shallow/oven safe pan with a lid (will use later) until hot.  Put rice in oil and pan fry until the rice is a nice light, golden color.
IF USING fresh ingredients, then add garlic and jalapenos to rice and stir for about 1 and 1/2 minutes.

Everyone:  Pour in broth, salsa OR fresh ingredients, and salt if using into the rice mix.
Bring to a boil.

Stir and put lid on top.  Put pan in the oven and bake the rice mix for 30-35 minutes.  Stir half way through.

When done, stir in fresh cilantro and pass out lime wedges for people to squeeze in fresh lime juice.

It is even better made a day ahead of time!  Yes, it is some work, but it is the real deal.  Enjoy!

Children's Museum of the Desert (Palm Springs)

If you have young kids, and you are planning a trip to the Palm Springs, CA area, I recommend a stop at the Children's Museum of the Desert.  They have activities for toddlers to upper elementary aged kids.

We are currently weekend vacationing in Palm Desert, and there are only so many ways to beat the heat when it is in the 100's.  My older son and hubby spent the morning at Knott's Soak City Water Park, so I took my 3 year old to the children's museum.

It is 8 dollars for entry for anyone over 2.  In the back of the main building is a big area for toddlers--building blocks, books, a make believe grocery store and pizza parlour.  Upstairs is an area studying history hands on and a look at how things like type writers and sewing machines have changed over time.  Also, it holds a great dress up area, with firemen coats, dresses, boas, shoes, hats, and every dress up collection item your kiddo could want. 

They have a pretty courtyard with some outdoor play toys, and you can bring your own picnic lunch and enjoy it outside.  This is especially pleasant when the weather cools in the fall and spring. 

Across the courtyard is a new wing with displays for older elementary kids.  I found a lot of kids building their own "racecar" and trying it on the indoor track. 

It is a great spot for a couple of hours, and the air conditioning is plentiful!  Here are some pictures of our visit.

In front of the museum

Setting up a ball ramp

Going under and over the rope obstacle course

Hands on gears projects

Painting the museum's VW car

A look down at some of the displays

Grocery shopping in the pretend store

A line just like in the real store

Pizza Parlor

The race car track

Putting together our own race car

Chinese Chicken Salad

Summer is certainly here.  It posted high 90's today in our southern California home.  I wanted a summer meal, and I found a perfect one at Jamie Cooks it Up.  

I found the recipe for Chinese salad on Pinterest, and I just added some chicken to the mix and made it a meal.

Hubby liked it, and I wasn't sweating with the oven on all day.

I served fruit on the side and some bread.  I served cornbread, which isn't at all Chinese, but it is a family favorite. 

The recipe for the salad is at the link above.  Enjoy!

Fourth of July Projects

I love the Fourth of July.  My sister in law has started the tradition of hosting a party at her house where we can all enjoy the fireworks from her backyard.  This year I signed up for desserts, so I'll share with you the three treats I made.  I also made a hostess gift for her annual party decor.

First, I wanted to make marshmallow lollipops for all the kids.  I had left over straws from Micah's aqua and orange airplane party, so I used those to hold some marshmallows dipped in blue melting chocolate.  My red sugar and gel icing aren't the prettiest, but it will do for the kiddos.

I also made a monster-sized trifle using angel food cake drizzled in sweetened, condensed milk, vanilla pudding, raspberries, strawberries, blueberries and blackberries, and topped in whipped cream.

Finally, I BOUGHT (yes, not everything is made from scratch) a chocolate Costco cake and made it cute with bunting.  I'll display it on a white, ruffled cake stand at the party.

I thought it would be fun to add to my sister in law's Fourth of July decor, so I made her a canvas sign in red, whites and blues.  I sponge stamped some stars for the background and then cut out some paper for the writing since I was out of vinyl.  I just glued it onto the canvas.  Cute!

Have a fantastic, blessed Fourth of July!

Brave: My Personal Thoughts

I went to see Brave last night, but I didn't think the message was very brave at all.  This, of course, is my own personal opinion, but I was sad to see that in order to empower girls and give them encouragement, Disney had to present us with clueless, silly male characters. 

There is no hero in this movie, only a heroine.  However, Disney not only gives us a purposefully absent prince or love interest (long gone are the days when a princess needs saving by a man), but they draw the men as violent, rash, stupid, silly, pompous males.  The king, arguably the most normal man in the movie, is unable to publically speak without his queen prompting his words, and every clan leader and clan leader's son is a laughable joke until the main character princess comes in and rallies them all to enlightenment and proper decision making with her speech on unity, breaking tradition and forging your own path.

What I found particularly unbrave about Brave was the moral of the story.  I couldn't really find an admirable lesson.  Perhaps there was a pale innuendo that pride leads to misunderstanding and trouble, plus reconciliation is necessary when we fight.  Any trace of this was erased, though, by presenting us with a selfish princess (even admiting she is selfish) who decides her desires for her destiny are most important, even if she has to hurt others to get there.  Sure, she ultimately has remorse for what she does to others, but all is excused at the end, and she ultimately still gets her desires, as if it were all worth it in the end.

My favorite Disney movies have had solid moral stories--Cars teaches us about not being prideful and relying on others, not judging a book by its cover (Mater and Sally), and that oftentimes fame and fortune are disappointing, superficial paths.  Toy Story teaches us to be a loyal friend, to not let jealousy take hold, and to love each other for our own unique strengths--forgiving mistakes and working on weaknesses because we all have them.  Up teaches us about empathy and the strength of love.  Even in the recent Tangled, the characters may start out as flawed and self serving, but they realign their priorities for what is right and good. 

Brave didn't teach me much.  It is a miss to me.  I don't understand why we have to belittle men to build women up.  I don't know why bravery is equated with selfish drive and ambition to decide one's own fate.    It seems cowardly to me to hurt others in order to achieve your dreams.  Though Merida tries to correct her hurtful decisions, there is no compromise with others at any point in the movie, no hint of true, selfless sacrifice. 

I'd rather have my children watch a movie about real heroes and heroines who sacrificed for others and considered others better than themselves--even if they take a flawed journey to get there.  That is what I consider brave.

Have you seen Brave?  What were your thoughts?

Women in the Word Wednesday: Change

I hate change.  I don't know of very many people who love it.  We have had some change in our lives lately with jobs, friend relocations, kids' routines/needs, etc. 

Why do we hate change?  I think it is mostly selfish. . .

*We don't like to take the time to re-establish relationships or make new ones
*We dislike a new routine, which upsets our ongoing schedule and challenges our priorities
*We will miss the constant support and encouragement we have from relationships that change in location or situation
*We like being comfortable and knowing what to expect
*We fear trials or difficult situations that might arise with change
*We don't fully trust God with our plans

That last point is the main problem if we are Christians, and we all struggle with this.  The top five are issues, but the foundation of the problem is that we don't completely trust God and accept that He knows best.  We think what we want is best, and what our flesh wants is comfort and ease.

If we look at examples in the Bible, God often stretches His children with change and unknown circumstances or trials.  From Genesis to Revelation, we are called to trust as God sovereignly orchestrates change and direction.  Ask Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Elijah, Mary, Jesus, Peter, the disciples, or Paul, just to name a few. 

If you are facing change today, think about it with an eternal perspective.  Know, if you are a Christian, it comes directly from God's hand and has been lovingly and sovereignly assigned to you.  It is often not easy, but he gives us tools of peace, comfort and much grace in the stretching process.  Trust with joy and a firm grasp of God's faithfulness.

He is growing you in the likeness of your Savior, Christ Jesus.  What could be more beautiful and good?

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.