A CHF Day...

Today, the boys and I went with our friends the Killians, down to the CHF offices down in Sylmar. CHF stands for Children's Hunger Fund, and they are a Christian organization dedicated to serving our local communities and countries all over the world by providing boxes of food and other necessities to needy children. They have many volunteer opportunities, one of them being the packing of the actual food products for the individual boxes that get distributed. So for two hours this morning, we all filled individual bags with a mix of pastas. The large bags of pasta needed to be dumped into large trash cans. The boxes needed to be collapsed for recycling. The bags each needed to be filled with 2 1/2 scoops of pasta and sealed. The bags needed to be placed in large packing boxes to be used later to pack individual boxes of food for those in need. The individual boxes will then be distributed all over the community and the world!

The boys worked so hard, and I am so proud of them. They had so much fun working to help others in need. They realized that what they were doing was valuable eternally and not just physically. Each person that receives a box of food from CHF will not only be fed physically but spiritually. They will receive a message inside of the hope that is found in Christ alone. They will see their need for forgiveness and salvation-not just physical help for their bodies, but spiritual healing for their souls.

We plan to visit CHF every month from now on. I have been praying for an oppotunity like this for a long time. For an opportunity to demonstrate to my children the compassion and concern for others that Christ demonstrated in His own life and ministry on earth. And to live out the heart of the Christian faith, which is loving others. We serve the Lord himself when we show compassion to his creation.

Matthew 25:34-40

Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'

"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

Soup and 78....

It has been bee-yoo-tee-full weather here in Santa Clarita the last couple of days. Yesterday afternoon we took the boys over to the park and flew the new kite we bought them from Sam's Club. The wind was perfectly conducive to flying and the sun was shining. Ahhh....but still I am fixed in soup-weather mode. I'm not quite ready to give up my cold weather food just yet.


Yesterday I tried a copycat recipe for the Pasta e Fagioli Soup they serve at Olive Garden. It was SO good, so healthy, and so easy. You can find the recipe right here. Give it a try, you will not regret it! I used lean ground turkey in place of the beef.

Last weekend, Dave made a grind rail for Luke and also added a rock climbing wall onto the play structure he started for them. The boys have been outside every day enjoying it! Gotta love Cali weather!

Wonderfully stuffed....

Well it is the morning after fish tacos, and boy is my tummy happy. Especially since I just finished eating Karen's wonderful sour cream pancakes. YUM!!!!


The tacos were phenomenal! It was so easy, in fact, everything was done beforehand, and while we were waiting for them to arrive, I was just sitting around! That's my kind of entertaining. So if you want an easy, plan ahead meal to serve some guests that will wow them to no end (which I don't get, because it really is so simple to make), then try this. I had all the ingredients chopped and in bowls, and the fish was fried up and keeping warm in a low temp oven:


Baja Fish Tacos:

4-6 tilapia or other mild white fish fillets, cut into 4 pieces each

batter for fish:
1 large egg
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp black pepper
1 tsp coriander
1/8 tsp cayenne
1 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper

Mix together wet ingredients, then add dry ingredients to make a thin batter. Heat about an inch of olive oil in a pan (or use a deep fryer), and dip the fish into the batter. Fry pieces for about a minute on each side or until golden brown. Keep warm wrapped in foil in a low temp oven.

Taco ingredients:

-corn tortillas (warmed)
-fried fish fillets
-shredded cabbage (green, red, or a mixture of the two)
-queso fresco, crumbled
-chopped cilantro
-chipotle creme (1 1/2 cups sour cream mixed with 1 tbsp minced chipotle peppers in adobo sauce)
-some fresh homemade salsa (recipe to follow)
-lime wedges

YUM, YUM! I also served some homemade refried beans and fresh guacamole. It couldn't have been any better than that!

Here's the salsa recipe. I got it from my dad and it is superb. I am always asked for the recipe when I serve it.

Fresh Salsa with Chipotle Peppers:

1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
2 fresh tomatoes, chopped
1 red or white onion, chopped
1 fresh jalapeno, minced
3 tbsp vinegar
2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (more if you want it spicy)
1/2 cup water
2 limes, juiced
1 tbsp fresh garlic, minced
1 tsp each cumin, oregano, and thyme
salt to taste

Combine all ingredients except chipotle and salt in a large bowl, and chill for an hour. Add chipotles and salt, and chill for several more hours.

BUENO!!!

On with the entertaining!

With most of the home improvement projects behind us, I can now resume what I really enjoy doing, and that is entertaining folks in our home. When we first bought this home, I was so thankful to have a place where I could have people come for food, fun, and fellowship. And even though we only have 1200 or so square feet, I feel so amazingly blessed to have this beautiful and wonderful home that was given to us by a gracious God.

With all that said, we are having some dear old friends, the Killians, over for dinner tonight. James (the dad of the fam) is a TOTAL foodie, and does a lot of the cooking in their home, so picking a menu to make for them is, well, difficult! His dear wife, Elizabeth is quite the lucky lady! I love being in his kitchen with him when he cooks. He is one of those people who has the ability to just take some ingredients and make an amazing meal out of it. I, on the other hand, am not such. I must have a recipe, which I admittedly do well in following, but I cannot create in the kitchen like he can. So I like to glean in whatever way I can from him! So tonight we are having fish tacos. I know it sounds simple, but when you add shredded cabbage, cilantro cream, some homemade chipotle salsa, lime wedges, queso fresco, and a sprinkling of cilantro, things are looking quite delish.

I am excited to have this family over. They have two sweet dear girls in between Austin and Luke's ages, and they fit right in around here. The kiddos will have a great time playing, and us adults will enjoy some sweet fellowship over good food.

By the way, James is in a band called Godspeed, and their music is awesome. Check it out in the link above! On the main page, James is the one on the far left. The drummer, by the way. Maybe some day he can teach Luke how to play....hmmmm...let me think that one over.

Happy Valentines' Day!

Dave and I always joke about this holiday. It's one of those "commercial" holidays that gets completely blown out of proportion, and all to celebrate something we should be celebrating all year long anyways. How is it that people think they should express some greater form of love for others on this day alone? I love my husband every day of the year, and hopefully I show that to him regularly.

God tells us that the first two greatest commandments are to LOVE God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and the second is to LOVE our neighbor as ourself. What I don't understand is that a husband and wife can treat each other like dirt 364 days out of the year, but on Valentines' Day, well, all is forgiven. God commands me to love, and even though I fail at times to demonstrate perfect love towards others, it should be my ruling passion.

So today, it is my prayer to repent of any selfish pride that stands in the way of me loving each person in my life the way God desires me to. And to demonstrate God's perfect love to those who have no hope.

Today we are going to a Valentine Party at the park with our homeschool group, where the boys will exchange Valentines and enjoy some special treats. Tonight, I have planned a special dinner of pot roast, mashed potatoes, baked apples, and Angel food cake topped with berries and cream for dessert.

Happy Valentines day to my sweet family that I thank God for constantly. It is such an overwhelming blessing and joy for me to have my wonderful husband, constant companion, and friend by my side each day. I am so thankful to have children, and three of them to boot. They are my joy and my life, and my identity is found in being a wife to Dave and a mother to Austin, Luke, and Vance, my little Valentine sweeties!

Tommy Burgers

Last night I had a Lighthouse homeschool group meeting, so Dave had the idea to take the boys for their very first trip to Tommy's. For those of you not familiar with this joint, this is just about the most delicious, most decadent, most fattening, and most gut-wrenching chili cheese burger you will ever lay your hands on. Add some chili cheese fries, and you have cholesterol overload in a bucket. It's a meal that will make your car smell for days, so never, I repeat NEVER, do take out. You must eat there.

With all that said, my man and my three boys all went there last night for dinner, after I built up the place like it was another form of heaven here on earth. Let me begin by saying how utterly jealous I was of them that they all got to eat there with no consequences to the hip or thigh, while I have been consuming a mere 1200 calories a day. But anyways, I got over it. Austin dove in head first and had a chili cheese burger with extra pickles (now that's my child), along with some chili cheese fries. He thoroughly enjoyed every bit of it. My other two crazy children (whom I still love even though I considered disowning them for this), ordered plain hamburgers, no chili. What's the point of that, I ask?????? And they didn't even care for the chili cheese fries. Well, there's no accounting for taste. Hmmm....

When I returned home from the meeting, I could smell Tommy's in my house. I thought to myself, "Did those boys bring home the smell on their bodies"? Lo and behold, practically a whole order of chili cheese fries was in the fridge sitting there merely to tempt my utter lack of willpower. I had ONE fry and called it a day. Yippee! Victory! Austin ate the rest for lunch today. Lucky.

From our Bible study this morning.....

This is my prayer for my dear boys today:

Proverbs 4:20-27

My son, pay attention to what I say;
listen closely to my words.

Do not let them out of your sight,
keep them within your heart;

for they are life to those who find them
and health to a man's whole body.

Above all else, guard your heart,
for it is the wellspring of life.

Put away perversity from your mouth;
keep corrupt talk far from your lips.

Let your eyes look straight ahead,
fix your gaze directly before you.

Make level paths for your feet
and take only ways that are firm.

Do not swerve to the right or the left;
keep your foot from evil.

Newport Beach

This past weekend was what I affectionately call a "Dave has to work, and we get the perks" kinda weekend. We sometimes get the privilege to travel along with him on an installation when the chance arises. He has been working on some effects for a new restaurant opening up in an exclusive area of Newport Beach called "Javier's Cantina," so we travelled out to spend some time having fun. We went in on Friday afternoon, and since he wasn't finished working yet, we stopped at the Newport Pier. We checked out an interesting shell shop, where Austin found the very appropriate frog shell.



Luke found this cute little jar full of miniscule shells hardly conceivable to the human eye. We all marvelled at the fact that God had made creatures small enough to fit inside those tiny shells!


The boys ran down the pier and perused the boardwalk a bit. They jumped off the lifeguard station and chased some poor unfortunate seagulls.

That night, once Dave was off work, we headed to the Best Western Newport to change and get ready for dinner. We headed over to the famous Crab Cooker restaurant, where we enjoyed an awesome seafood dinner. The calamari (this place just plain called it "squid") was perfectly tender and delicious. Dave had the lobster special and the boys and I shared a combination plate with shrimp, scallops and some sort of other mild white fish. I love this place! It is one of those quirky one of a kind places that obviously is a city icon that's been there forever. We went by Dave's jobsite and checked it out, then headed back to the hotel.

The next morning, poor Dave (the cat) had to head out to work, and while the cat was away, the mice went to play! We drove down to the Balboa Pier and peninsula, where we stopped into the charming little arcade area. The boys enjoyed playing a few games and winning some cheesy little prizes (you know, the kind that break before you leave the building).

Austin and Vance braved the ferris wheel! They had a blast, and were the only ones riding!

We went into town for lunch, then came back to take the auto ferry onto Balboa Island.

The idea of it quite frankly freaked Luke out a bit, but once we were on the boat, he loosened up. So much so that he hung himself out the sunroof of the car! Vance got out, sat on the bench, and soaked up the experience. It is, after all, quite a unique thing to do that you don't find it very many places.

It was finally time to enjoy the original, the one and only Balboa Bar and head to the beach for some fun in the sand. All of them wanted their hand-dipped ice cream bars rolled in chocolate sprinkles. YUM! Luke said it was the best ice cream he had ever tasted. I took a few bites and thought to myself that Haagen Dazs far exceeded that. But it doesn't take much to please a kid!

We walked down to the beach, where the boys enjoyed playing on a rope climbing structure in the sand, collected dozen and dozens of beautiful shells, rolled down a sand hill, and dipped their feet in. Austin was digging for sand crabs, when suddenly a wave crashed onto him, soaking him from the shoulders down. He decided to put the icing on the cake, so to speak, and rolled himself in the sand. Such a boy! I just laughed! After all, we had a change of clothes in the car, and how fun! Luke spent a long time looking through the hundreds of shells that had washed up on the sand. He commented that it was as if Jesus just said "Shells, be there" and there they were. It seemed to him a miracle to see them all there, their beauty to behold. Vance played in the sand, ran around, and fully enjoyed the time.

We just really enjoyed our time together. I just sat and watched them, wondering how they got to be so big, so fast. Before long, they will be leaving our home to start their own lives in the world. I am enjoying every minute with these precious boys God has given me. It is such a blessing to be their Mom.

This has always made me chuckle....

This is Vance's favorite stuffed animal. His name is Husky. He is a stuffed Chihuahua. Get it?? A Chihuahua named Husky???? Come one, it's like calling a Great Dane "Tiny." OK, I have always thought it was funny. But I must be easily amused.

Here he is in his "bed" with his "blankets" and his "pillow." Vance does take extremely good care of his "pet." He hugs him, and kisses him, and calls him his own. He even took this picture of him. Not bad!

OK, they actually do wash their hands...

.....occasionally, and only if it's fun.....Like at the sink at Daddy's Office, complete with that powdered soap dispenser you remember using in elementary school, and a foot pedal to turn on the water. Admit it, you once tasted that soap out of sheer curiosity.

Seriously, first I have to tell my boys to wash their hands EVERY time they come out of the bathroom. Then after they emerge from the bathroom a nano- second later, I have to tell them to use soap. After another nano-second passes, I have to tell them to actually spread the soap around on their hands for it to be effective. SOME DAY........