Through Her Eyes

This morning I was going through some of my digital photos and came across a few that really prick my heart when I see them.

In 2006, I took my daughter on a Mother-Daughter trip to Northern New Mexico and Colorado. She was nearing the teenage years and I wanted our time to be special as well as informative. We talked, sang our favorite worship songs, and listened to cds. We also listened to James Dobson's "Preparing for Adolescence" series.

My daughter had never been to the mountains before. Seeing the beauty that God created inspired her but also caused her to feel fearful. She is afraid of heights. I wanted her to face this fear and we would do it together.

I pointed out the ski lift and approached the topic of us riding it to the top together. She would have nothing to do with it. However, after dinner that evening, we were on the main street watching everyone stroll by and enjoying the cool mountain air. She kept staring up at the immobile ski lift and posed this question to me, "Mom, have you rode it before?" I told her that I had many times. She then asked if I had felt scared too. I told her, "many times". I related to her that when I ride on that particular ski lift in the summer at a certain level all you hear is the whispers of God. Truly the silence that rushes through ones ears is awesome and the beauty that He created is surrounding you. She decided that the next morning would be 'the day' to face her fear.

The first picture shows the look of awe on her face. I just love it!





The ride was not without a little scare factor thrown in but isn't that all about being refined in the fire? The ski lift stopped suddenly to let on a mountain biker. I knew this but my sweet girl did not. She immediately clung to me and started to cry. I admit that the chair was shaking a little more violently than I remembered and in my heart, I was very nervous, but I soothed her and once again the lift began moving again.





The second picture says it all. I love the sign that she was standing next to, 'The Easy Way Down'.














For those of you that have teenage daughters, you understand how important the PHONE is to them. This is right after we got off the lift and she wanted to call her Daddy. She borrowed my cell and believe it or not we had reception 10,500 feet up on top of a mountain!





















Finally on our way back down I snapped this picture.










This picture is what prompted my post. The look of excitement, joy, and delight. She had met her fear. The Lord met her on that ride and was at the top to welcome her with soft breezes. We rode that same lift two more times before we headed to Denver. It was a sweet time.

Ya'll Boomama is having a Soup-Tacular today! Could not have come at a more perfect time for those of us in Oklahoma since we are expecting a significant ice storm! Since our home sits on a lot that is full of tall, beautiful, towering Oak trees I am a little nervous, especially since one is over 40 feet tall! Okay, on with the soup but if you want to get in on the fun, head on over to Boomama's site and join in!

I have a couple of standbys and a new one that I posted earlier this week. These are large quantities for a large family.

Here you go:

Vickie's Secret Ingredient Award Winning Chili

2-4 pounds of Ground Turkey (we have given up beef for the most part)
Williams Chili Seasoning NO Salt Added - 1 packet
2 cans of Tomato Sauce
1 Can of Black Beans, drained
2-3 cans of Dark Red Kidney Beans, drained
1 can of Tomato Soup
1 onion, chopped
chopped or minced garlic to taste
around a 1/2 cup of Ketchup (I never meaure it I just squirt it in the pan until I like what I see but I imagine it is around a 1/2 cup or so.)

Saute the chopped onions. Brown the meat. Add onions to the meat as well as the garlic and chili seasoning packet.
Add all the canned goods and ketchup. At this point if it needs a little water I add a can or so to the pot. You have to judge by the thickness of the chili.
Turn down the heat and simmer for a while to blend the flavors.

If you want to really turn up the heat add a can of the infamous Rotel Tomatoes. Four in my household are born and bred Texans...from South Texas so the hotter the better for them...for me...not so much!

Serve with shredded cheese, tortilla chips or Fritos, and at our house they love Jalapenos. Sometimes we use crackers but usually we use crushed tortilla chips in the chili.

It would be remiss for me not to mention something that my family loves if I have chili left over, which is usually never, but if I do, four people in my household love to heat up the leftovers and add it to their eggs in the morning. Yuck! They do say it is mighty tasty with the Jalapenos. I am more of a Southern girl who prefers bisquits and gravy or grits instead of chili and eggs. But my 13 year old daughter that eats Habanero peppers is telling me to put this in my blog about the chili so there ya go.

The other recipe for a soup can be found at the link below. I am a little typed out at the moment. Forgive me!

Quick and Easy Potato Soup

Be sure and visit the Soup-Tacular!

Part Three of Our Story

During my singleness I had been very active in singles leadership and had the chance to attend many conferences. I also read whatever book I could on Christian single parenting, healing, and various other Christian books that really ministered to me during this time of my life. One conference that really impacted my life was the Song of Solomon conference with Denton Bible Church pastor, Tom Nelson. I first attended the conference in 1999. It was a cold February day as I sat in the back of the church and listened to this awesome pastor/teacher. I wept numerous times. The conferences are based on the book of the same name in the Bible. It is God’s view of love, sex, and marriage. I had only wished that I had known some of the information and what to ‘look’ for the first time around. I had grown up very sheltered and naïve. I later found out that there is more than the man going to church, being raised in a Christian home…so much more. Anyway, this conference changed my life in how I viewed my situation. I wanted to have what Tommy shared about his relationship with his wife Teresa. I was willing to wait on the Lord for that. I had NO idea how much this conference would impact my life! One thing that really stuck in my mind that day was Tom telling a story about a young man with three small children. He choked back tears as he spoke. He told a story of marrying this young couple and how several years and three children later the Mom had died of cancer. He asked that we pray for this young man. It had been a year since her death and they were having a hard time. I remember sitting in the pew sobbing for this little family that had lost so much.

The night of the Christmas party it was time for Mike to drive me home. We had not really had much of a chance to talk to one another. It had been uncomfortable because everyone was assuming a great deal and giving us a hard time. I had no idea, however, that Mike had already been talking about me when he left my office that day over a week ago! There had been a conspiracy to introduce us but the Lord had the final say. We had even been at the same football game but never crossed paths. I am so thankful for the way we met because it is just another reminder of how the Lord orchestrates our lives.

As we were driving home that snowy evening I began to get more comfortable. He was easy to talk to and the conversation flowed. Imagine my surprise when he was sharing about his past and told me about the man that had been his mentor and spiritual father. I will never forget him asking me, “This great man pastors a church in Denton, Texas, maybe you have heard of him, Tommy Nelson?” I about jumped through the roof of the car! Have I heard of him? Oh my goodness his tapes are playing in my car. I have read his books, attended his conference, and been to Metro Bible study in Dallas to hear him!!! We went on to talk forever that evening. I had a great time and he walked me up to the door and that was it...no hug, no kiss, just a great big smile. I was reeling from excitement and could not wait to call all my friends. My son commented when I came in that he liked him and so did Sparky. Sparky is our little dog. He hates strangers. Well, for that matter he can’t stand most of my extended family. When Mike came to pick me up earlier in the evening he reached down to pet him and my son and I both said, “NO” but too late…he was already petting him. Sparky never even barked at Mike! It was so strange because he barked at everyone.

I had a huge list of people to call that night. They all had to hear about my big evening. I was on the phone most of the night and then when I went to bed I could not sleep. I got onto my computer and typed my heart out. That is what I usually did when my heart and head had so much going on.

Earlier in my singleness my parents and siblings had made me vow that if the Lord brought someone into my life again that I would agree to not go out or marry them if anyone in my family had felt it was not right. I had agreed because we all had been so hurt by what I had endured. I wanted their wise and Godly counsel. The very next morning after our date my youngest sister headed to my parents home and told them that ‘He has arrived, the man for my sister is here!’ "God has brought him to her!" Ironically, Mike's late wife Jennifer was from my hometown but had moved to Texas after graduating high school. In an even more interesting twist my youngest sister had known her through her high school boyfriend, who happened to be Jennifer’s best friend. I just could not believe that there was a connection between my family and this Texan. I was wondering if he would call me or see me at church the next day and then the phone rang, with anticipation I picked up the receiver and heard, “Hi, Vickie, this is Mike”….to be continued

WFMW

Today, Shannon over at Rocks in My Dryer is having a themed WFMW edition. What do you do when you are worn out, busy, haven’t been to the grocery store and the kids are all hungry? Pull a quick meal together. That happens more often that I like to admit in our home. Most of my best meals are the ones that I fly by the seat of my pants after a long, hard day. That is why I keep a kitchen diary nearby to write down what I use so that I can re-create it again if it is a winner with the family. I am a pinch of this and pinch of that kind of cook. You may have to play around with the amounts since I did not measure out the potato flakes but poured them from the box. I have tried to be very accurate on the other measurements. I am a huge proponent of having a well stocked pantry so that great, easy meals can be created in a flash. When you have a husband who works a law enforcement schedule, two high school athletes, a college student, and an active middle school student you learn really quick how to get a meal on the table in a flash. KEEP A STOCKED PANTRY!

Quick and Easy Potato Soup
Three cans of Chicken Broth (I had the store brand on hand)
6 cups Water (I used a large stock pot and filled it halfway with hot water. I measured it out tonight and it equaled about six – seven cups of water)
¾ stick of unsalted butter
A heavy sprinkling of Garlic powder. I guess it would be around a ½ to 1 tsp.
Mrs. Dash Southwest Chipotle Seasoning (season to your families taste) This is the best seasoning!
1 tsp. Rosemary
1 jar of Hormel Real Bacon Bits
1 ½ - 2 cups of cheese ( I had fine shredded Mexican blend on hand)
2 – 3 cups of Instant Potatoes. I stirred in the flakes until it started getting a little thick and then stopped. (I had Wal-Mart brand on hand in the pantry)

Bring water, chicken broth, and butter to a boil. Add seasonings and bacon bits. Turn stove down so that soup will not boil over.
Add instant potato flakes, which I am guessing was around 2 cups or so, until the mixture begins to get opaque and thickens. Add the cheese. Turn down the heat and serve.

I served this with garlic/cheddar croutons on top which I had in my pantry.
It made the house smell so good! My 16 year old son said it was better than my baked potato soup that takes several hours to simmer.

We are a family of six with three teenage boys that eat a lot. We not only had this for the meal Sunday but had enough for my husband and I to take to work for lunch.

One more quick meal:
2 boxes of Whole Wheat Rotini
2 Steam and Fresh broccoli in a bag
Canned chicken (2 cans shredded) or Rotisserie Chicken (I happened to have two cans of great white chicken meat that I used – they had been 99 cents each)
2 Ragu Alfredo Sauce in a jar or Wal-Mart brand works too
Kraft Parmesan cheese to taste
Italian Seasoning and Rosemary: around a tsp each

Cook the Rotini as directed on box. Cook the broccoli in the microwave as directed. Open up the chicken, drain, and shred with fork. Add seasonings. Mix with broccoli. Drain pasta, add back to hot pot and add chicken mixture as well as the Alfredo sauce. Stir and sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top. Add a big salad along with some fruit for dessert and you have a great, satisfying meal.

For more quick and easy meals head over to Shannon’s Rocks in My Dryer and Works for Me Wednesday.

Menu Plan Monday

Monday Rigatoni with Red Pepper, Almonds, and Bread Crumbs (I use whole wheat spaghetti instead of the rigatoni. My teenagers love it! This is requested at least once every single week. I have used packaged Italian bread crumbs that I had on hand in the recipe instead of the croutons. My grocery store regularly has awesome garlic croutons on sale for under $1 as well as the Italian blend bread crumbs. I have used both.)

Tuesday Turkey Chili with cornbread
Wednesday Rotisserie chicken, roasted potatoes and green beans, salad
Thursday Tostadas, Salad, black bean, corn, and tomato relish with avocado, fruit
Black Bean Relish
Drained black beans, drained whole kernel corn, Can of Chili Tomatoes with Onions, about a teaspoon of Cumin ( I use the palm of my hand to measure), slice and chop one Avocado, splash of Lime or Lemon juice, liberal amount of Mrs. Dash Southwest Chipolte seasoning (depending on your families taste. I have four Texans in my family and they love things spicy)
I usually double this and use two cans beans, corn, tomatoes since my family loves it so much.
Friday Pizza Night
Saturday Black beans and brown rice w/cilantro, pineapple salsa, salad
Sunday Potato Soup with fresh whole grain bread
For more dinner ideas and Menu Plan Monday participants, please visit Laura of I’m an Organizing Junkie.

The Date

I went about my busy life and never really gave the man with the disconcerting smile another thought. About a week later, I instant messaged a friend from church and she asked me if I was attending the party I had been invited to earlier. I told her I did not think I was going to go. I, then for some reason, asked her about the man I had met since I knew she was friends with the couple he was sitting with at church. I asked her what ‘his story’ was all about. This is when she told me he was the brother in law of my son’s football coach. She went on to say that he was widowed with three young children. I really could not believe I was even asking about him. She went on to say he was really nice and had only recently moved to Oklahoma.

She abruptly said she needed to go but would call me later. Only a few minutes had past when she called me back at work. She said she had talked to Mike and had told him I was going to the party and that he needed to go too! He wanted to attend and next thing I know they had worked it out so that he would pick me up….it was going to be a date…well sort of a date. I had not dated in the nearly ten years I had been single again. I did not want to date. I only wanted the Lord to bring to me the one that He had for me. If that ‘one’ never came, then I was content with being single the rest of my life. It was a LONG process to get to that place of contentment. Only after many years of struggle, denial, and finally sweet surrender had I come to the place I knew as long as the Lord was guiding me I could handle anything that came my way.

So now here I am on the phone with my friend, being told that I am going to the party with this man, and all I could think about was, “How did this all happen?”

The rest they say is history. This story that I am sharing impacts me each time I remember it. The intricacies of this story and how it all fits together is testament to God's faithfulness and redemptive love. There is still so much more to share and I will another time. One thing I know the Lord truly restores what the locusts have eaten. His promises are fulfilled. It is almost certainly never in our time frame but His ways and timing are perfect. I have come to realize that His weaving the tapestry of our lives is so beautiful. It may not always be so to our own eyes but when the piece is finished it reflects the glory of what Christ can do when one is completely and totally sold out to Him.

We did go out that night. I met the whole crew. It was a little uncomfortable at the party since all these people, his brother and sister in law included, were watching our every move and were all SO excited for what was taking place. Some were people that I had known for a long time. We had shared in our singleness the sorrows and pains we endured. I had seen each one of these couples come together and marry over the years. Now here I was in front of them all on this date with someone that I did not know. It was all very surreal. It was not until we left the party and he began to drive me home that I was able to see more of his heart. to be continued

More of 'our' story

My work day ended and I drove to pick up my little boy at school. Our usual habit on Wednesday evenings was to eat at church before worship and children’s activities.

I am a creature of habit. I sit in the same pew, park the same place, walk in the same entrance, etc. That is how I feel most comfortable. This particular evening I pulled in the lot a little concerned about my son since he appeared to be wheezing and I was worried we would be making yet another emergency room visit. I almost turned around to go home when he reached over and touched my hand and said, “Mom, I am okay don’t worry.” Upon that statement, and feeling immense relief that he was not in distress, I did not notice that I parked in a completely different area of the parking lot.

Next, we walked into the building from a completely different set of doors. I would now have to walk all the way across the gym and around the bend in order to pay and get our meal. If I had not done so I would not have seen him. As we walked in the gym I looked across the room to see who was already eating and then I saw him...the man from my office earlier in the day! He was sitting with a couple that I knew. The man he was sitting with was my son’s football coach. I would later find out this was the football coach's brother in law.

I started telling my son that the man from my office is here tonight. He did not understand why I was acting so weird. He told me to take a chill pill and went off to be with his friends. Great! I did not know where to sit and now my son has decided to exert some pre-teen attitude! I found one of my formerly single friends and sat down with her. I was very nervous and told her I had to go say something to someone. I jumped up and went over to the table where this gentleman was sitting. I walked up and asked him if he had been in my office that day. This was highly unusual for me to do this, especially with it being a man. I am very friendly but this was a risk that I normally did not take. He replied that it was indeed him. He also had this very disconcerting smile on his face. Normally, I would have extended my hand in order to shake their own and welcome them to the church. I had grown up in this church and was very active. I knew I had not seen him there before. This time I did not extend my hand but kept them firmly behind my back. I walked back over to sit down and then I realized I had not told him what I had intended to say when I went over there in the first place! My friend Debbie could tell I was very flustered. I really could not understand why I was so frazzled. I went back over and told him that the Athletic Director is a member of the church and that I had known him for over 30 years. I then went back to my seat. I felt like a goober!

As I returned to my seat, I was asked to attend the blended families Christmas party which was being held in one week. I had known all these couples in the singles department so it was not too odd of an invitation. I said that I would try to attend.

Later I watched this man leave and asked my singles pastor who he was. I had not understood him when he said his last name and I wanted to know more. This request was not too strange since I was in singles leadership. I was not interested in him in a relationship sort of way, but he seemed to be a visitor and if I needed to send a welcome card by golly I was going to do so. The first response from my singles pastor was "His name is Mike XXXX and he is a single dad with three or four kids". He then put his arm around me and smiled really big. I told him that I was not interested in him that way but was wondering what his name was because I could not remember it. He told me that he had custody of his children. Well if I was interested at all that sealed it for me…..I had prayed that if I was to remarry it would be someone who had either never had children or who had been widowed with children. I had seen too many marriages fail because of both parties being divorced and how the back and forth with former spouses and pulls on the children caused constant conflict. I knew that I could love someone elses children but hearing those words from my dear friend and pastor, I never gave it another thought, at least until…to be continued