She's Back!

I know it's been forever. Later I'll post some of the things that have been occupying my time. In very new news...as if late last night...my sister is back for the summer!! I can't tell you how much this makes me smile. This will be the 3rd summer she has spent with us.  Today was her first day back to work with my in-laws and for dinner we're having my favorite venison marinade. Here's the recipe.

Favorite Venison Marinade

2 tbsp. brown sugar

1 tsp white vinegar

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 clove garlic (or more if you LOVE garlic like me!)

1 tbsp worcestershire sauce

3 tbsp oil (of any kind, I use olive)

+ 1 onion

+ venison (this will cover 1-2 lbs for me)



Happy Birthday to my wonderful husband!


Happy Birthday Matthew! Despite the horrible weather outside, we had a wonderful weekend for Matthew's birthday. He is one spoiled man - 2 cakes in 2 days. One with homemade whipped frosting and blackberry cream cheese filling. The other was lemon and blueberry cake with a lemon curd filling.

It has snowed or "flurried" pretty much every day for a couple weeks now. I've never experienced spring fever before but this year is pushing me over the edge! By Matthew's birthday we are normally cooking out and installing docks and lifts on the lake with his parent's business. This year I'm wondering if the ice will ever budge on the lake. Today it was rainy and misty most of the day. We'll take what we can get as long as it's not snow! It's supposed to snow 2-4 inches again tonight. My poor tulips!



Lighting the candles

Dinner with our bible study

Easy Oatmeal

Matthew and I love easy but yummy breakfasts. We generally leave the house within 30 minutes of waking so it has to be quick. Matt eats his breakfast at work because he doesn't like eating just after waking up. He used to skip breakfast altogether but I would always lecture him about it so we found an alternative. He really liked those packet oatmeals with apple cinnamon. Well those packets can get pretty expensive (especially when your husband eats 2 at a time!) and, those of you that know me, know I love living on a budget. I came up with a mixture of my own. We use:

2/3 cup quick oats

a little less than 1 tbls brown sugar

a dash of cinnamon

a few frozen chunks of frozen apples (added just before cooking)

I used to give Matthew the job of scooping the mixture into the same ziplocks each week but he tired of that job quickly. Instead, we bought air-tight containers and added cheap measuring spoons from Walmart so it's quick to scoop up in the morning. While this makes a great breakfast, we also really liked the apple, cranberry, almond that Quaker Oats makes. Because of our abundance of frozen strawberries we came up with this recipe instead of cranberries. I had walnuts on hand so we used those too. This verison is more filling since it has nuts too, plus I like the texture of the old fashioned oats vs. the quick oats.

Amazing Baked Oatmeal

4 cups old-fashion oatmeal

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 cup walnuts chopped

2 cups strawberries sliced

1/2 cup chocolate chips

4 cups whole or 2% milk

2 eggs

1/2 stick melted butter

2 teaspoons vanilla

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Mix 4 cups oatmeal, 1/3 cup brown sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder and 2 teaspoons cinnamon. Split walnuts and strawberries in half. Add half to the mixture, save the other half to arrange on the top. Spray a 9 X 13 glass pan and lay mixture evenly. Mix 4 cups milk, 2 eggs, 1/2 stick of melted butter and 2 tsp vanilla. The butter doesn't mix very well especially if the milk is cold but it still works out. Arrange the chocolate chips and remaining walnuts and strawberries over the top. Pour liquid mixture over the oatmeal slowly. Bake at 375 for 30-35 minutes. Enjoy! We usually make this at night since it takes a while to bake. We eat it all week long by scooping it into a bowl, heating and adding a little milk.  Use other fruits if you'd like! I've seen many other ideas on pinterest with cranberries, blueberries, bananas, etc.

Quick and Easy Fruit Dip

I was going to bring a grape fruit salad to Easter dinner with my husband's family. A while back I got a recipe with cream cheese, sour cream, sugars, walnuts, etc. When I remembered that Matt's brother-in-law was avoiding dairy, I decided not to make a mixed fruit salad. I made a dip instead. I also had left over heavy whipping cream so I skipped the sour cream. Here is the recipe:

Quick and Easy Fruit Dip
1     8 oz. pkg. cream cheese
1/2  pint heavy whipping cream
1/4  cup granulated sugar

Soften the package of cream cheese, beat well with whipping cream; I used my KitchenAid stand mixer. Slowly add the sugar until combined well.

Easter Eggs

Decorating Easter Eggs

My mom, sister, sister-in-law and I decorated Easter Eggs together.  I like to be crafty but the artsy I am not so good at. Good thing we had Alisha and Heidi there to make these cute little chicks!
Here is a link to the best way to boil eggs. It makes it so easy to peel them!
http://www.incredibleegg.org/recipes-and-more/cooking-school/hard-boil-eggs

Narrow is the way . . .

Lately my heart is heavy. It is hard to stay positive when you hear about the hurt and see all the sin in the world.  Logging on to Facebook has become a drag when constantly bombarded with the opinions of the world, especially concerning the current events.  After much praying, thinking and a conversation with my grandfather this afternoon these are my current thoughts:

Christians seem to fall into 2 categories: the first is "close-minded" to the rest of the world and looked down upon as people who hate those that do not share their beliefs.
The second has resorted to what I consider "relative" Christianity, those that change their beliefs based on the constantly changing beliefs of society.

I am far from perfect but I strive to be more like Jesus. He is the example God gave us: JESUS. He hates the sin (un-Godly lifestyle) but loves the sinner. That's right . . .  it is possible to do both at the same time . . .  after all HE IS GOD. That means He loves me and He loves you. Because of Jesus, He doesn't condemn those who are living against the Word but He wants us to live the life that was designed for us BY GOD. While I may be looked at and called close-minded and intolerant, this is the sacrifice I made when I told Jesus I'd follow Him. God never said it would be easy to follow Him. Being a Christian and truly following in God's way often means going against the grain, treading upstream, and even upsetting society with my opinions BUT Jesus told us in Matthew chapter 7 starting in verse thirteen:
13“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.14 For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it."
I want to be of the few that keeps on the narrow way and finds the gate that leads to an eternal life with God. No, I'm not saying I need to do things to please God, but one that loves God in his or her heart will do things that please God because it GLORIFIES Him. At the end of my journey on this Earth I want to hear, "Well done, good and faithful servant." Matthew 25:23
With Easter approaching it leads me to reflect on what Jesus did for us on the cross 2000 years ago. Thank you Jesus that when I make mistakes I can repent (turn from what I have done) and dance, knowing that Your death on the cross took care of my sins.
So who are you? Are you a sinner that has accepted the free gift of forgiveness and eternal life? or Are you someone who knows and believes in God but has never taken action to accept Him and ask Him to be a part of your life? Believing is not enough, it takes action from us!
HE IS RISEN! HALLELUJAH!
Happy Easter!

New Addition

My new Brother Laura Ashley Limited Edition Innov-is NX-2000

I got to bring this beautiful machine home yesterday. This thing is going to make my life so much easier when quilting! It threads the needle automatically, cuts the thread and lifts the foot with the push of a button. There is a whole lot more that I don't even know about but the most important part is that I don't fear its self distruction when I sew through more than 2 pieces of fabric. When comparing it to my $120 Singer it's like driving a Kia one day and a Cadillac the next. I can't wait for my upcoming 4 day weekend so I can get busy sewing!