and don’t look back.” Hearing those words can be encouragingbut difficult to live out!
-Are you trying to be a better YOU but you can’t stop dwelling on all of the bad things you’ve done recently?
-Are you trying to forgive someone but you keep allowing yourself to think of all the reasons you can’t?
-Is your weight loss or financial goals in a rut because you won’t LET GO of all the times you failed?
-Are you spending most of your days with the ‘Poor Me’ attitude?
When I allow my mind go off in a dark place of thought the result is always the same: I FEEL EVEN WORSE! We can usually tell when we are headed down the road of negativity or depression. The gOoD nEwS is we have a choice on whether or not we are going to detour those thoughts!
As my mind slips in that direction I immediately say to myself “I am NOT going there!” I have to repeat this numerous times throughout the day as my mind tries to fall back into bad habits, but most of the time it works.
Life is a constant pep-talk. We have to push ourselves to think right, make good choices and act appropriately. Those areas in life don’t always come easy. If your mind begins wondering in the wrong direction, do yourself a favor and remind those negative thoughts that YOU are NOT going there!
With a tough EcoNoMy like the one we’re in, many people find themselves in a challenging financial position. Many are looking to take on second jobs to make ends meet. It reminds me of a talk I heard back in college. My alma mater, Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Ok required us students to attend chapel twice a week. These were a HiGhLiGhT for me as they were so uplifting. From time to time special speakers would be invited to address the students. One of the chapel services I remember the best was one in which ToMmY BaRnEtT, pastor of Phoenix First Church spoke about a widow who found herself in financial dire straits. He told the story about this woman in the Bible who came to the prophet Elisha, desperate for help. {II Kings 4} She was a widow, had debtors demanding payment, and on brink of starvation. If she could not pay her debt, by law she would be required to give her sons to the debtors. She had no money, no means to make money, and was at the end of her supply of food. When Elisha heard her story, he asked her, “What’s in your HoUsE?” Her answer was, “Just a little bit of oil.” Elisha then instructed her to collect jars from all her neighbors and pour her oil into the jars. As she poured, the oil continued to flow, until she had enough to pay off her debtors.
The point of this story is that the answer to her problem was in her house. She just didn’t think that what she had was sufficient. If you are finding yourself with great need, ask yourself “what’s in my “house”?” Maybe you have a gift/talent/skill that you could turn into PrOfiT. Maybe there’s some things you could sell. Maybe it’s time to downside. Whatever you do, if you find yourself feeling overwhelmed with your situation ask yourself, “What’s In My House?” You may be sitting on your answer and not even know it!
On Thursday I talked about ways to hold yourself accountable when wanting to change an area of your life in my post Back to Reality. This applies to any area or time in our life. We all have things we want to improve, but don’t know how to get there. Where can you reach out for HELP?
One area of my life that I wanted to improve was my daily enthusiasm for deepening my faith. I had been in a rut and didn’t know where to start. MY HELP this week has been listening to Christian music. Let me tell ya, it is working!
I had originally tried diving into the bible, and to be honest, all I kept doing was staring at the words on the page. At that point in time, IT WASN’T WORKING! So if you can’t get momentum, keep trying until something clicks! Maybe your new HELP will be a friend you aren’t thinking of, a new book, getting involved in a group/organization, researching the internet….explore ALL options! Don’t give up!
And in case you are where I am, below are some of my new FAVS! Check them out, and SINGand DANCEwith me!! (If you can’t see the video’s below, copy and paste the titles into youtube)
If you like dates, nuts, and coconut, this recipe is yummy-licious!!
Ingredients:
2 sticks butter
2 c. sugar
2 c. dates
2 eggs
2 c. Rice Krispies
1 c. pecans
1 tsp. vanilla
1 bag coconut
In a large pan heat butter, sugar, & dates. Once mixture begins to bubble allow to cook for a few minutes. Mixture will be a caramelized color. Remove from heat. In a small bowl whisk eggs. Temper eggs by adding 1 cup of hot mixture 1 tbsp at a time. Add egg mixture to the butter, sugar, & date mixture. Stir. Add vanilla, Rice Krispies & nuts. Stir.
Place coconut in a small bowl. Drop 1 heaping tbsp of mixture into coconut. Mixture will be gooey. Roll into ball. Place on cookie sheet. Cool in the freezer or refrigerate.
Last week I tagged along with Doug as he had a conference on the Big Island of Hawaii! We had a really great time! The hardest thing about coming back from a trip like that (or a spiritual weekend retreat) is that you immediately are faced with REALITY. It is so easy to have all of these wonderful plans, thoughts and ideas of how you want things to be when you return and the BAM you are faced with sick kids, bills, work, etc.
Doug and I discussed this dilemma. During our vacation we read a couple of books that imPacTedour lives greatly. We knew that coming back would be hard because it is much easier to have your priorities in order when relaxing on vacation. Living a week without a time schedule and work makes life so siMple….but unfortunately that is not reality!
So what do I do? My best advice is to suRroUndyourself with people who support your new way of thinking. If you can’t find support right away then jot down your ideas on paper to serve as reminders. Place those thoughts on a bulletin board or in areas of the house that you will stumble across during the day to help hold you aCcouNtable. Realistically, even those ideas will only last temporarily and the realness of your day-to-day routine will try to take over. This will be an ongoing process, but no reason to give up entirely. Continue to search for ways to keep you on track and, if all else fails, schedule another getaway (like a day without kids or distractions) in the next 6 months that will allow you to regroup your thoughts!
I tried these spinach balls at a Christmas party and just had to get the recipe. They were DeLicIoUs and I was thrilled to find out how EaSy they were to make! They are now my “go to” recipe when I need to bring an appetizer anywhere and am short on time!
Spinach Balls Recipe:
2 10 oz. packages of frozen chopped spinach
2 cups of dry stuffing mix
1 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
6 eggs beaten
1/2 cup soft butter
salt and pepper to taste
Cook spinach and drain well. Combine all ingredients. Chill in refrigerator at least two hours. Roll into one inch balls. Place on cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until slightly browned.
The one thing I associate with VaLenTine’s DAy is German Chocolate Cake with a homemade frosting. For as long as I can remember, my Mom made my Dad this double layered heart shaped cake for Valentine’s Day. It is his favorite cake and we only had it once a year! What fond memories I have of my Mom smiling as she put the last bit of frosting on the cake. We were always so excited for Dad to walk in the door, as if every year it was an unexpected surprise to him :)
Oddly enough, when I met Doug I found out that his FAVORITEcake is German Chocolate Cake! So the tradition continues within my own family. Outside of the fact that this cake is made with LOVE, it is also extra special because the frosting is one that never disappoints! Check out my recipe below. It isn’t too late to whip one up for tonight and surprise your loved one with this cake too!! Enjoy!!
Valentine German Chocolate Cake w/ Homemade Frosting
1 Box German Chocolate Cake Mix
Follow the directions like normal. I just pour the batter into 2-heart shaped pans and bake for the same time as 2-9” round pans. Don’t overcook!
Allow the cake to cool before removing from the pans. You may need to cut off the top of each cake so they are flat all the way across. If you don’t, after you apply the frosting your cake may become a broken heart :(
Homemade Frosting
3 Egg Yolks—beaten
1 C. Evaporated Milk
½ C. butter—melted
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 C. Sugar
1 ½ C. Coconut
1 C. Chopped Pecans
Beat together your 3 egg yolks, evaporated milk, melted butter and vanilla in a saucepan. Add sugar. Once all is combined, then heat on stove for 12 minutes until it becomes thicker. Cook on medium to high heat, allowing it to boil. Stir often.
Make sure you beat the egg mixture BEFORE you begin heating or the eggs will separate. After 12 minutes, remove from heat and add the coconut and pecans. Add to your cake!
* I suggest making 1 ½ batches of the above frosting so you have plenty to work with. If you don’t, you will barely have enough to cover the entire cake and the extra allows your kiddos to sample as you frost the cake :) Enjoy!!
A few months back, my fellow blogger, Robyn (Jersey Girl) shared a list of her plans in her youth that she was able to say, “Check, check, and check” to. {Click here for her story} Well…
My life didn’t go exactly like pLaNnEd. My check off list in high school/college included:
Get married right out of college.
Have four or five children before age 30 (3 boys and 1 or 2 girls and in that order).
Hey, I’m a planner and that’s what planners do! Well, man’s mind plans his way, but it’s the Lord’s purpose that will PrEvAiL! And my plans were obviously not God’s purpose.
So there I found myself single and 30-SoMeThInG. (I didn’t get married until I was 35.) What’s a girl to do? I can actually say that I was very content being single. Did I want to get married, absolutely, but I really did enjoy all the luxuries of single-hood. It wasn’t always easy and at times it was lonely, but I was content.
If you find yourself in the single stage of life and wish you had a significant other, here’s some input that may help:
Enjoy the FrEeDoM of single-hood. You get to call all the shots!
Develop yourself as a person. Become a person of MoRaL ChArAcTeR that a future spouse would find attractive.
PrAy for God’s direction regarding finding the right person and the grace to help you through!
Do all those things that you’ve been wanting to do, but that may be difficult to do once you’re married. (I was able to visit family in Asia, which may not have been possible as a married person.)
Cultivate close relationships with family and friends. Develop close friendships with other singles.
Get yourself in a position of FiNaNciaL freedom.
Focus on your career and/or professional life. Maybe it is time to venture out and take a risk in starting the business/career you’ve been dreaming about.
Fortunately, after the long wait, I was blessed with a WoNderFuL husband. He’s funny, caring, generous, laid back, and fun to be around. I loved my life as a single person and I love my life now. I’m sure to many, my life now may look boring. My idea of a great evening is hanging out, At HoMe, with my family and friends! It may not seem exciting to some, but I’m very CoNtEnT and happy. And I’m not going to MeSs WiTh “HaPpY”!
So, if you’re single and wishing you were not, hang in there. This song is dedicated to you and anyone, for that matter, married or single, looking for love that never fails.
Happy Valentine’s Day.
;) Robynn
Your Love Never Fails Lyrics
Nothing can separate
Even if I ran away
Your love never fails
I know I still make mistakes
But You have new mercies for me everyday
Your love never fails
Chorus: You stay the same through the ages
Your love never changes
There maybe pain in the night but joy comes in the morning
And when the oceans rage
I don’t have to be afraid
Because I know that You love me
Your love never fails
Verse 2: The wind is strong and the water’s deep
But I’m not alone in these open seas
Cause Your love never fails
The chasm is far too wide
I never thought I’d reach the other side
But Your love never fails
Bridge: You make all things work together for my good
That describes God and His love for us. As Valentine’s Day quickly approaches, I am excited to introduce a video series that I am going to be sharing called, “Crazy In Love”. This series contains 22 daily videos ranging from 30 seconds to 2 minutes. Each day will focus on an aspect of GoD’s love for us. You can watch the 1st video at the end of this post. The remaining videos can be seen on our “Suede Sofa Unplugged” blog. www.suedesofaunplugged.com
Switching gears…
Here’s an idea for Valentine’s Day sweets. Serve up heart-shaped, frosted sugar cookies, by placing them in a square {like the 1st picture}, but add the letters “L”, “O”, “V”, “E” to the hearts. Pile the cookies on top of each other for a plate full of cookies!
The Suede Sofa Blog 