Giveaway Winner!

And the winner  for the Emilie Barnes Devotional is...........Katie! Thank you Katie for participating. Her favorite blog story of mine was Exploration day, when I took the kids to Marietta.I'm so excited for you. I know that you'll enjoy the book as much as I did.

Show and Tell Friday: My Inspirational home

I've always loved the feel of a Christian bookstore. It's always peaceful, the artwork is beautiful and uplifting,the music is soft and soothing...... It's the type of place where you just know that you are welcome. I've always wanted my home to feel that way. A place where people are surrounded by beauty, and everywhere they looked they'll find inspiration in ordinary things. Well, with a house full of active men (a happy-go-lucky Husband and two energetic boys) the peace around here comes with a different kind of soundtrack, but hopefully the joyous atmosphere makes up for the noise.I'm excited to be able to partcipate in  Show and Tell Friday with Cindy from romantichome.blogspot.com Her home is Absolutely Beautiful and an inspiration to hundreds of women every week! Here's my collection of inspirational everyday items and artwork that I have around the house.Hope you'll be inspired to make a regular day......a Lovely one.

 A collection that's still growing...Happy Friday

Great Thought: Here's a few of my Favorite places to find inspirational Pieces and books

http://www.cbd.com/

http://www.familychristian.com/

http://www.lifewaystores.com/http://www.amazon.com/

http://www.hobbylobby.com/

Amazingly simple

You know those days that you  wake up just feeling Happy for no particular reason? Usually, we have days like this when we're children, but somehow, as we get older, we grow out of it. We tend to need more motivation for joy.Now it takes an up and coming vacation, or planned shopping trip to work up our happy glow. Today, I  woke up feeling Wonderful. Nothing new has happened, I just sense that God is good and life is too. All that I have is all that I need to feel blessed. It is amazing how our mood changes when we switch our perspective to a grateful frame of mind. It doesn't have to be Thanksgiving to feel thankful. It may be Thursday, but I'm in a Friday mood..........Just a Thought, but a Lovely one.

Meals and Morals

Today I decided to feed the Stomach as well as the Soul. What do you feed on? There has been a recent wave of going green, eating well, living longer,etc. I think that what we feed our soul is even more important than what we put in our mouths. We know that there are certain foods that we can eat to increase our energy and  to help us to retain a youthful appearance, but sometimes we forget that there are also conscience decisions that we can make for a more peaceful, and joyous life. I cannot emphasize enough the importance of daily prayer with God. It is just the Most positive thing that you can do for yourself and for those around you.  We all have lives filled with responsibilities and obligations that are not always of our choosing, that consume both our time and energy sometimes robbing us of the very things and people that we love the most. I don't know how much time that you have in your day, but even if you  only have one chance to sit down and to eat one meal, make a habit of communicating with God your gratitude for whatever you are eating. A brief whisper of thanks to God,your provider, can make a world of difference.Pray that your meal will not only fill your stomach with tasty goodness, but your heart with gladness. I promise that just like the meal pictured above, it's deliciously simple and ultimately satisfying. One of the most familiar sounds that I have of my childhood is that of my mother praying in the bathroom (or if occupied me or one of my three brothers, she would resort to the closet). I can remember hearing her singing hymns that softly transitioned into whispers of gratitude for our family, expressions of thanks for God's goodness, and requests for our continued safety, health, and overall well-being. The house always had an unusal stillness about it when mom would go off to her "secret place" to pray. Even as small children, a hush would come over us, as if we knew that the time that she was spending with God was special. Mom always returned with more peace than she had before. Sure, with our large family things would get busy again. Dad would come home from work, dinner would be made, homework checked,chores completed, baths taken, and there were other prayers at bed time, but the  moments that she took to herself are the ones I remember as being special. The softness of her voice afterwards, and the gentle expression on her face. She literally seemed to glow with beauty.I remember thinking that I wanted my children to know those same feeling that I had experienced daily. I wanted them to know the same peace and stillness, to hear the same joy in my voice and to see the outward expression on my face afterwards, and to know that it was all because I had spent "special" time with God.I confess that I am still striving to get there. I only have two children. How my mother managed an orderly life with four is beyond me, but I like to think that those secret moments is how she got there. So Today let's save a little time making dinner with this simple recipe so we can spend a little more time receiving Peace and Joy from the one who blessed us with it all...... Just a Thought, but a Lovely one.

I got the chicken recipe from one of the cookbooks that I received as a newlywed 8 years ago :Taste of Home 2001 Annual Recipes. The Anti-pasta is something that I cooked up by combining a wonderful recipe for marinated cucumbers(also found in this cook book) and a rotini that I have been making for my husband for years. The combination is SO Good! Both recipes feed 4-8 people depending on the amount of chicken breasts that you use.

Breaded Ranch Chicken

3/4 cup of crushed cornflakes

3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 envelope ranch salad dressing mix

4-8 skinless,boneless chicken breasts(2lb)

1/2 cup butter or margarine(1 stick) Melted

Directions

In a shallow bowl, combine the cornflakes,Parmesan, and salad dressing mix. Dip the chicken in the melted butter, then roll in the cornflake mixture. Place in a greased 13-in x 9-in baking dish. Bake, uncovered at 350 for 35-45min or until chicken juices run clear.

Marinated cucmbers

2-4 medium cucumbers, thinly sliced(depending on personal taste)

1 medium onion, sliced

1 cup vinegar

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram

1/2 teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning

1/2 teaspoon ground mustard

combine all ingredients in a tupperware bowl with a tight lid. I like to marinate it overnight, but it still tastes good if you add it to the pasta a couple of hours before

Anti Pasta

1 box tri-colored rotini

4oz of Mozzarella,cut into cubes

1 bag(16oz) frozen Brocolli, thawed

1 Red Bell pepper, thinly sliced

1/2 medium, Red Onion (thinly sliced)

1/2 cup of Zesty Italian dressing

6oz Pepperoni, sliced in halves(optional)

Directions

Cook the pasta according to the directions on the box. Run cold water on noodles(while in a colander or strainer) after cooking to cool off(or just set them in the fridge) add all of the ingredients (including the cucumbers with juices) stir  and serve cold. Refrigerate leftovers.

The Drink is a well iced Green tea Peach Mango from Crystal Light

Moms For Morality: My First Giveaway!#links#links#links#links

Moms For Morality: My First Giveaway!#links#links#links#links
I'm extend my First Giveaway for 1 more week since many people have contacted me about the difficulty of leaving a post. The contest will now end on Saturday, December 12th. Remember, to enter, all you have to do is leave a comment telling me which blog entry you enjoyed the most and why, and what's Your favorite book to read. The prize is my favorite Devotional by Emilie Barnes: 15 Minutes Alone with God. The upcoming New Year is a Great time to start scheduling a little quiet time with God.  For me personally, a few small moments daily in prayer have paid off in BIG dividends.......I am Truly Blessed, and I would love to share this little book as a blessing to you.......Just a Thought, but a Lovely one.

My Talented Sister-in-Love

My youngest Brother, Josiah, met and married shortly after my husband and I moved to Atlanta. Unfortunately I was unable to make the wedding, so I had to befriend my dear sister-in-law through pleasant phone call, facebook contacts and all of the other modern conviences. Finally this Thanksgiving, My Husband, children and I made the long drive home to Michigan to celebrate spend the Holidays with Family and Friends. I had the pleasure of hugging my new sister-in-law, or as I like to say, Sister-in-Love. She was so excited at the prospect of seeing her nephews in person that she used her enormous amount of talent in knitting to make them the most INCREDIBLE homemade gifts. I was not only deeply touched by her thougthfulness, but throughly impressed at her amazing creativity. Here's a few pictures of what she made for the boys. It includes everything from a spaceship for Micah(aliens and astronauts included) to a Lion for my son Zion (which is cute wordplay for our nickname for him"Zion the Lion")

I was blown away by everything, including the personalized choo-choo train banks she lovingly made for them. These gifts are to me what presents are really suppose to mean"that someone thought of us". Not only one day, but everyday it took her to plan, prepare, and of course knit. I'm not sure how long it took her to make, but I am sure that I'll never forget that she did........Just a thought, but a Lovely one. Thanks Katie!

Show and Tell Friday! Angels

Happy Friday Everyone!
I've been following Cindy's romantichome.blogspot.com for a little over a month now (I'm still new to the blog world) and I've been inspired by her Beautiful home. I've finally built up enough courage to participate in her Show and Tell fridays, a great opportunity for people to show something from sentimental, has a great finder story, or that's just pretty from your home. I LOVE Angel figurines and pictures, but this by far is my favorite. I love this picture. The colors are beautiful and I love the angels facial expression, tender and innocent.