The Power of Fried Chicken!

Did your family have that one thing that your momma or grandma made that was just everybody's favorite???

I love these tradition foods!

I love the anticipation and how people just want to flock to the house and gather round the table. It makes the hard work worth it!

My dad's mom made amazing cheeseburgers. My mom's mom made creamy banana pudding. My momma makes the best sugar cookies around. My husband's mom makes fabulous cakes. His Grandma Ina made scrumptious Christmas brunch.

These ladies all made lots of yummy things, but those are the things we all tend to associate with them, ya know?

So what about me? Well, "my food" is fried chicken!

I didn't set out for it to be. My husband just really liked his mom and grandma's fried chicken, so I just wanted to learn to make it and bless him because we lived away in the military.

The funny thing about the favorite foods seems to be how the recipes get tweaked a little here and a little there until that person knows how to do it and can't really give you exact measurements!

So I just watched and listened and then watched cooking shows and eventually kept tweaking my own recipe until I realized that this was my food.

Somehow fried chicken became the thing my family begs for...the thing friends ask me to make...the thing nieces and nephews whisper in my ear and ask when I'll be cooking it again.

Now, I will admit that I do really love how it tastes and my chicken is my favorite fried chicken, but what I truly relish is that it brings people together!

It's a labor of love, but it's worth every smile and every memory. And I will tell you that I do use it as leverage to get my boys to spend time with me :) "Oh, okay guys, I'll make it, but you have to help through the whole process."

This is the meal they all want for their birthdays. This is the thing they invite friends over for!

Here are some pics of the process. I'd give you the recipe, but then they would all come to your house! Tee hee!

Sorry, this is one we are keeping in the family. Here is a tip though: soaking your chicken for at least 24 hours prior to cooking is key!

Sneak Peek!

Here's a little peek at one of the schoolroom/office projects.

I am super blessed to have lots of littles running around here all the time, and they love making art for me as much as I love receiving it!

I thought we needed a display area so my sweet little neighbor and friend, Addi, helped with some painting. Later, Adalee (my niece) told me where to hang things.

Here are some pics of our work and one of Sethy and Addi creating! (Oh! And one of Tom and Addi having an ice cream break because well, you know, painting can wear a girl down!)

American Summer Porch

I wanted a new porch look for summer, so I opted for All American!

I try to be very practical and buy things I can store and use over and over again. I also new that after having surgery, I wouldn't be able to water flowers on my porch.

I gathered some pretty artificial flowers and containers at the Old Time Pottery store. I picked up a wire wreath, pre-cut quilting squares, and ribbon at a craft store to make a rag wreath. I used a Pinterest tip of tying bandanas at the corners to cover throw pillows we weren't really using. I grabbed some cheap flags at The Dollar Tree and the two red flower pots at Dollar General. I used a couple other things I already had and boom chocka locka, I had myself a new look!

I think this little makeover turned out pretty cute!

Projects Before Surgery

Hey all! It's been a while because I was recovery from surgery. I'll share more about what helped me through that in later posts, but today I wanted to take you back to some projects I did before surgery.

I had a list of things to get done this summer, and when I realized I would be having surgery instead, I kicked myself into high gear on any good-feeling day I had! I gathered up some sweet little helpers every chance I could too!

I painted most of our basement, organized my schoolroom/office, organized almost every room, closet, and the garage!

Here are some pics of basement painting with my adorable nieces, Hadassah and Adalee!

Impromptu Nachos Anyone?

Hey blog world! 

I  had a dear friend in town visiting and we did lots of fun running around and eating out. The other night though, we needed something quick and convenient with few ingredients because I need to grocery shop!

After a little thought, I decided on taco meat. I had some soft shells, some crunchy shells and some multigrain Tostitos (my personal fav!!!). My thought was everyone could just do what sounded good to them with what we had.

When I bring ground beef home from the store, I brown it all up at one time with a general seasoning mix, and then store it in one pound portions in the freezer. This makes mealtimes so convenient for busy families!

I grabbed a couple frozen portions, defrosted them, and plopped them in my large electric skillet. After a few minutes of warming, I added some taco seasoning and water. It thickened in about 5 minutes. Simple. Fast. Dinner!

I sadly didn't even have any veggies to use, but we made do and my sweet friend Andrea was digging my impromptu nachos. They even looked pretty on the plate, so she said they deserved a blog post.

Here they are! I spread out the chips, spooned on the beef, drizzled some mild enchilada sauce and queso, tossed a little shredded cheddar, and shook on some dried chives.

Yuuuuummmmy indeed!

Cut Yourself Some Slack Jack!

Getting very practical about daily life is a must when you deal with chronic illness.  

There is so much that I would like to do differently that, right now, my body just will not allow.  Ideas and visions run through my head (or before my eyes on my Pinterest app!), and I quickly get disillusioned because I can barely keep my eyes open from the fatigue of sleepless nights!

It seems that no matter how intentional I try to be, I'm inevitably thwarted by some part of my body doing something that I can't stop. So, my thoughts for practical living for today are this:  cut yourself some slack!

I know.  I really do know how hard it is.  You have a standard you like to keep your house at!  You can't stand the messes you see lying around.  You try to ignore it all as you walk from one room to another and get lost in a sea of total disarray!  Where are those children you so diligently trained in chores??? Oh no!  They're being too quiet downstairs and you should see just what they are up to, but the mere thought of climbing those stairs...are you kidding me?

Or, wait, that's not you?  Perhaps you beat yourself up because the messes remind you of what a failure you have always been.  Maybe you never even knew how to train your children or you never got around to training them. Maybe you even feel guilty that you ask them to do things at all.  After all, people tell you that children should just get to be children and play.  They will have to work enough when they grow up.

The battering thoughts and voices seem to never cease no matter what part of the parenting spectrum you come from.  That's because the enemy is the father of lies.  The best the enemy can do is get you to doubt who you are and whose you are.

So...cut yourself some slack kid and get back to the truth!

For me, the truth is that I have diligently trained my children, but many times it seems you would never know it!  I can't make my body do things it's too tired or sick to do.  It's not sinful to ask my children to help.  I would do more if I could.  God still loves me just as much.  This will all be okay.  That's pretty much how I run it through my mind most days.

But, I get it.  It doesn't often feel like it will all be okay, does it?  God knows too.  Just try to offer yourself the same understanding and compassion that you would offer others if they were going through what you are.  You can't do it all.  You can't do more than what you are capable of.  Pushing yourself when God has not told you to only results in wearing yourself down even more, becoming sicker, and probably grumpier.  (Don't ask me how I know that okay!)  

Just do what you can do when you can do it.  Quit beating yourself up and stop caring about what everybody else thinks of you.  It only matters what the Lord thinks.  

Do everything as if you are doing it for the Lord.  That's all He asks. He knows your best and you know your best.  The rest of the people will just have to deal!  (Yeah, I know it's easier said than done.)

Do What You Can!

A few months ago I was thinking about how many changes have taken place in my body: my arms have a double wave now; my forehead and neck have huge lines; it's much harder to lose weight; bruises and scrapes don't heal as quickly; my normally "skinny" part (my legs) are not as effortlessly skinny anymore.

Sigh.

Aging. It's quite something.

It's unavoidable.

It's kinda discouraging.

But...it's also just part of life.

I have no desire to spend my money on potions or pills or surgeries. I will deal with what comes, but I did start wondering what I should be doing differently, so I researched to see what I could do.

I was amazed at how much muscle mass we can lose as we age! That's where I chose to start...with strength training to build muscle back.

I don't usually have a huge span of time in my day for a straight workout, but I read some great encouraging words about grabbing minutes where I can.

I started doing simple leg raises, small-weight arm routines and crunches while I listen or watch some kind of teaching or audio book. I hate wasted time and love to find ways to multi-task! One goal I made a long time ago was to read a chapter of something each day so that I continue to learn. With so much information available on technology now, I'm able to grow in knowledge AND do other things :-)

I also continued with my stretch routine I try to do first thing in the morning before I get out of bed because it helps me stay flexible and not hurt so much.

I am currently learning about the MELT Method, in which you use a foam cylinder to do different exercises that rehydrate the body's connective tissue. This is helping tremendously with back, neck, and head pain!

If I have time, I try to get in at least 15 minutes per day on my Urban Rebounder (a terrific mini trampoline). This is one of the best exercises one can do! It is low-impact and flushes the lymph system, removing toxins from the body.

All of these things can be done in just minutes a day and yield great results! Don't fall into thinking you don't have time. You make time for what is important to you!

Make time for YOU. You have one body so do what you can with it. Aging may be inevitable, but we can have some input on how we age! Do what you can!