Summer Veggies are Here!

I am so excited about this week's lot of vegetables (and fruit)! There is nothing unusual, just good ole summer veggies (and fruit).

This week I got:
1 head of lettuce
1 pound of green beans
5 large carrots
3 beautiful large tomatoes
1 yellow onion
1 red onion
2 zucchini
1 yellow squash
1 bunch of arugula
AND
1 cup of blackberries

Yeah!! I'm so excited! Last night I made a Chicken and Rice Casserole, using the squash and zucchini. It was quite yummy. Everyone liked it. Princess even ate 2 servings! We also sliced up one of the tomatoes and ate it with a little salt and fresh ground pepper. I love a nice ripe tomato!

I'm also super excited about the blackberries.
Tomorrow night I'm making Chicken and Arugula Pita Pockets with Arugula Pesto, a Giada recipe. I don't typically like arugula that much because it's a little bitter. But hopefully the olive oil, Parmesan, and garlic in the pesto will tone it down a little bit. We'll see...

I AM: A New Creation

Last Sunday, our pastor spoke on Acts chapter 3. In the story, Peter and John go up to the temple to pray and they are stopped by a crippled man asking for money. Peter engages the man and then tells him to get up and walk, in the name of Jesus. The man is instantly healed and walks into the temple and praises God. The religious people who are also worshipping in the temple are surprised to see the man walk, and look to Peter and John wondering how they could heal the man.

This is where the story touched me...  Elaborating on the point of view of the religious people, our pastor said, "We know who you are, Peter. You are just a fisherman. How could you do this?" Then Peter goes on to explain that it was not he who healed the man, but the power of Jesus Christ in him.

As I listened to Pastor Chad speak, I heard him say, "We know who you are Peter", and I thought about my friends and co-workers in Houston and in Nashville. Do they know who I am? Do they even know? Most of them do not.

Ever since I started working as a Neonatal Nurse Practitioner in Nashville, I have felt like I was a fake. The nurses and doctors that I worked with always gave me great compliments. They trusted me and had great confidence in me. They acknowledged my leadership and approached me with challenges. They believed in me way more than I believed in myself. And I felt like I was fooling all of them. I felt very insecure and stupid inside, but they thought I was smart and a confident leader. Did they know who I was? 

Since moving to Houston, I have tried to be really real with people. I don't hold anything back. I invite people into my life, just as it is, thinking they can either take it or leave it! A couple of years ago, I started a bible study with other moms in my neighborhood, and it has continued to meet and grow each semester. I have such great friends! I am always telling them about whatever God is teaching me, and I am always looking for creative ways to encourage our children. Sometimes my friends will say things to me like, "You have such a heart for women and children" or "I think you have the spiritual gift of teaching" or "you are an inspiration to me."  And I wonder who they are talking about. Me? Do they even know me? Do they know who I am?

And here is the truth that I came to realize Sunday at church: Yes, they DO know me! Because of 2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." (ESV) They know who I am in Christ, and that IS who I am now. They don't know the old me, the girl who is afraid to speak in front of people, the girl who would never pray out loud, the girl who feels stupid and insecure, the girl who tries to be what people want her to be and keeps her truest self locked up inside. That girl has passed away. That's not who I am anymore. I am a new creation, and God continues to change me every day.

So when I wonder who my friends are talking about, or why my co-workers have such confidence in me, I can be certain that they are talking about and have confidence in me, with the power of Jesus Christ in me. This is who I am. I AM:  A New Creation.

Simple and Delicous Broccoli Cheese Soup

I love this soup! It is so easy and so yummy! I hope you enjoy it as well.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

1 T olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups chicken broth
1-2 heads of broccoli, chopped into florets and chunks
2 1/2 cups milk
1/3 cup flour
freshly ground black pepper to taste
12 ounces light Velveeta, cubed

1. Saute onion in olive oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and saute 1 minute more. Add broth and broccoli. Bring to a boil and cook 10 minutes.
2. Combine milk and flour with a whisk until well-blended. Add to broccoli mixture. Cook and stir 5 minutes or until thick. Stir in pepper. Remove from heat and add cheese, stirring until cheese melts.
3. With a hand stick blender, blend soup until desired consistency. You can leave some chunks or puree  it all.

A Cup of Water in Jesus' Name

Last week I had the incredible opportunity to travel to Nicaragua with a team of friends from my church to drill a clean water well in a small village outside Granada. I have shared my thoughts about the trip through email and facebook, but since I use this blog as a journal as well as communication with friends, I wanted to share here as well. First the pictures...

The team: Jeff Sawyer, Brandi Koppelman, Kelly and Lain Grant, Greg Duncan, and me

The drill site in La Bolsa

Sisters Eveling and Rosa. They were so sweet. Rosa's face would light up each day when she saw me, and she would frequently hold my hand. Eveling is very smart and I was able to teach her a little bit of English. I will miss them!

The morning of our second day at the village, the pump engine wouldn't start. After several failed attempts, the guys decided to circle around it to pray. This is my favorite picture from the trip.

My sweet friend Fredi! He was very shy at first, but by the end of the first day he was bulldozing into me and smiling and laughing. 

Water is so precious to the people of this village because they have always had to work hard for it, hand-digging wells, pulling up a bucket of water at a time, and sometimes walking long distances to get to the well. They would never consider dumping the water out or playing in it. But that all changed on this day, due to the well that we drilled. Jorge started a water fight and the kids were timid at first, but it didn't take long for them to join right in!

My favorite part of every day...morning devotion on the porch.

These three siblings were absolutely precious. Ronaldo, Ana, and Dayana. 

The entire team with the completed well: Chico, Eric, Frank, Kelly, Lain, Jeff, Brandi, Jorge, me, Lisseth, Greg, Leo, and Scarleth.

"A cup of water in Jesus' name
 John 4:10-14
This well was donated by:
Cy-Fair Christian Church
and drilled by:
Living Water International"

Our last day we toured the Volcano Mombacho

The crater with a beautiful view of Lake Nicaragua

At the well dedication, the pastor led the children in a song. When they were done singing, they asked us to sing to them, so we sang "Jesus Loves Me"

This trip was amazing. Once again, God allowed me to take part in His work. He let me see how He loves people, all people, how He cares for them and provides for their needs, and how He is faithful to His promises. It was such a blessing to see the love and faith of the people of La Bolsa. 

I began the week with excitement and anticipation of a great experience. I came with expectations of how I would meet and connect with the women of the community and with the LWI staff. Then when my expectations were not being met, I became frustrated, disappointed, and then upset with myself for feeling that way. I had to accept that God had a different experience planned for me this time around and I asked God to keep my mind and heart open to what He wanted to show me. Then on Thursday at the well dedication and celebration, I saw it. I saw what a blessing the well will be to the people of La Bolsa. I saw their faith and heard their praises to God for bringing them water. We shared in their joy and celebration with fireworks and pinatas and their best dresses and food, and then I knew that is what God planned for me to experience this trip. God's perfect provision and His people coming together to rejoice in Him. It was incredible, and I'm so thankful that God cares about me enough to let me be a part of it.

Field Day

Last week, both of the girls had Field Day. They were so excited about the break from normal school activity. They had been practicing for the relay races in PE for the last couple of weeks, so they were ready to run!

During the first hour, the kids paired up with a buddy and visited all the fun stations and games. I was running the water cup races during Pumpkin's field day, and I did the water balloon toss during Princess's field day. There was also a hoola hoop station, body bumpers, water guns, tattoos, scooter races, and more. The kids just tried to do as many stations as they could in the first hour.

Pumpkin and her Buddy doing the Water Cup Races

Pumpkin's Tattoo

Princess and her Buddy

After that, all the classes huddled up and we started the relay races. This is where the competitive nature really came out (in some of us more than others)! Pumpkin and her friends were alot more concerned with catching love bugs than the races. But Princess was engaged in the races the whole time, either running her fastest or cheering her classmates on to do their best!

Such determination on her face!

Princess's class came in second place and Pumpkin's class finished fourth, but I think they would both tell you that the best part of field day wasn't winning or losing, it was Popsicles!!

Blueberry Pickers

Last weekend, Pumpkin's Daisy troop had a Blueberry Picking Outing. We went to Matt's Family Orchard, which is a 40-acre orchard with pick-your-own figs, blueberries, blackberries, persimmons, asian pears, and pumpkins, located just northwest of Houston. The girls had so much fun searching for the bluest blueberries. They collected about 2 cups each.

After the picking, the Daisies piled up on the trailer and went for a hayride around the orchard. Mr. Matt was alot of fun, driving the tractor in a zig-zag pattern to give the girls a little thrill!

While the girls were on the hayride, most of the moms were cooking hotdogs over a campfire. So when the Daisies returned, we all ate lunch and then roasted marshmallows and ate s'mores. I'd never roasted a marshmallow in the middle of the day before. The girls loved them!

German-inspired Cabbage Dish

This cabbage dish was received much better than the last, mainly because it was cooked. We all thought it was pretty tasty, and since my mom's heritage is German, it was a perfect meal to commemorate the beginning of my parents' "Five Year Adventure".

Mustard-Spiced Cabbage and Cannellini Beans with Sausage

1 1/4 lbs. smoked sausage (I used pork and vennison sausage by Chappel Hill, a local sausage company)

1 1/2 cups chopped onion

1 tsp fennel seeds, lightly crushed

1 tsp ground coriander

2 garlic cloves, minced

5 cups thinly sliced green cabbage

1/2 cup chicken broth

1/4 cup whole grain mustard

1/4 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp salt

1 (15 ounce) can cannellini beans, drained

1. Cook sausage on grill

2. In large non-stick skillet, saute onion in a bit of olive oil about 5 minutes. Add fennel seeds, coriander, and garlic and saute about 2 minutes. Add cabbage; cook 6 minutes. Add broth and mustard; cover and cook 10 minutes or until cabbage is tender. Stir in thyme, salt, and beans; cook 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Serve with sausage.

The sausage was delicious! And the mustard gave the cabbage a nice flavor. Drummer Boy had some leftovers today for lunch and said the cabbage was even better today, a little sweeter. I'll be having the rest of it for lunch tomorrow. :)

I AM: Sad

I'm not a writer, so it's hard to put into words what I feel today. But I can say one thing... I AM: Sad.

When Drummer Boy and I moved to Texas 5 years ago, we wanted to live close to our parents, so that they would be a part of our everyday lives. And that is exactly what we did. Our house is within walking distance of my parents' home, and within 3 miles of his parents' home. We have so enjoyed having them be a part of our everyday. But today, all that changed...

For the last 10 years or more, my parents have talked about retiring in North Carolina. It has been their dream, and their dream is finally being realized. We've known this day was coming for a really long time, but it didn't make waving goodbye to them this morning any easier. I've spent much of today thinking about my parents and reflecting on the past several years. The truth is that I will miss them more than I realize, but I've also been thinking about how thankful I am that we've been so close the last 5 years, and also so thankful that we have such a close relationship. In the last few months, we have shared many meals together, gone on many morning walks together, shopped together, celebrated together, spent a weekend of mom-and-daughter girl-time in Wimberly, and garage-saled together. It's been so good, and I will miss them terribly. I hope they love it in North Carolina. I hope they have a great adventure!

We took some pictures this morning before the girls got on the school bus.

Before my mom left, she gave me this bracelet. It was hers, and I have told her several times how much I like it. So she decided to give it to me so that everytime I wear it I will think of her. Of course I wore it today, and I will think of her everytime I put it on. Thanks mom!