Pruning

As soon as someone says something like..."I am really a big fan of your blog" I am suddenly ridden with guilt because I haven't been keeping up lately. You see I had a wonderful vacation (still more to come on that) and then I got back and my world exploded.

So, I digress from the vacation blogging and talk about what God has been showing me. As I work so hard to get off the speeding train that I've been riding for the past three weeks, I found myself outside in my yard, inspired by God's beauty. Beauty inspires you know? It also speaks, nourishes, comforts, and draws you to God! (I'll be sharing about Beauty on Saturday at Bagels & Blessings). So, I was looking at my jasmine bushes the other day and realized that spring is here and it is time for some serious yard work. I darn my gloves & I begin the task of pruning my jasmine. I am not a big fan of pruning, only because I could prune so much that I feel like I would ruin the whole plant. So, I go the other way and I find that I am a conservative pruner (if indeed pruner is a real word). I'm not exactly sure of the ramifications of conservative pruning, but I do know the benefits of cutting back so the jasmine will grow even more beautifully and fuller the next time it blossoms. Wow, the word choice: cutting back! That speaks a whole other blog I think (hmmmm...see I just need to type and then all these blogs pop in my head).

So, as I stood and looked at my bush. I was a little timid to cut the branches. I snipped a little here and there, but I knew that if my husband was out there, he would have snipped that thing to nakedness.

That night, I found myself praying after pruning. Asking God, NOT to be conservative when it comes to pruning me. I long so desperately to please Him! I know that nakedness is painful sometimes, vulnerability is hard, pruning actually hurts, but the benefits far outweigh the momentary pain. I want to be all that God wants me to be. I don't want to get in my own way of growing in Christ. Prune me Lord, don't hold back! I want to blossom more beautifully, I want to be more like You Jesus! I want to make You smile!

Life Is An Education..

..So is vacation! Another perk of homeschooling, we can go on vacation WHENEVER! As stated in the blog below, this was our first family vacation in probably 5 years or so. Here are a few of our highlights. Today, I will take you on a tour of two of our highlights! The Hotel (my kids' favorite part of any getaway) and The Food!!

The Comfort Suites in Miami was very nice. It was clean and it had beds...that is all I cared about. My boys, however, were in Heaven. #1 We all slept together in one room! #2 We all went to sleep at the same time! #3 It had a hot tub! Nice!

This picture above was my humble attempt at setting my camera for automatic time delay! Really, here we are no long the Engels...we are the Bucketts. (You know, from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory!)

It cracks me up that we go on vacation to get away from the normal routine of life. Then we get to our hotel and unpack our bags in dressers, set up the kitchen like at home, and bring as much stuff as we can to remind us of what we just left! Hmmm? What is wrong with us!? Here is Kyle with his Webkinz.


The Hotel was one of our children's highlights. The food was one of ours. We miss the international food of New Jersey/New York. Where we live in Florida, we can get good seafood, but the we miss all the different cultural experiences we had living in the melting pot of the North East. So while in Miami we knew we could probably find good authentic Spanish, Cuban or even El Salvadorian food. Boy, were we right!

Above is a picture of where we got some delicious take out. Of course, the language barrier was an issue. So somehow we ended up purchasing WAY TOO much food.

When we lived in New Jersey we lived in a two family house. Our neighbors downstairs went to our church, they were close friends. The wife was from El Salvador and the husband from Costa Rica. OH MY GOODNESS...the smells coming from downstairs was a little too much for this "pregnant-with-twins" Mom and so Ana began to cook for me! Pupusas (homemade) and all kids of amazing food.

Here are some of our delicious delicacies.

OK, so I had to throw this picture in here. My husband worked for Starbucks for 10 years or so. Hence, we became what some might call...coffee snobs. I don't know why people would say such a thing. We just love good quality, bold coffee! So we are so grateful that these places are everywhere...we could not handle the hotel's "dirty water" coffee! So we must have visited this particular place (or one's just like it)...ummm...10 times in the four days we were in Miami and the nearby area!


Except when we visited here. Because here we could get authentic Cafe con leche! Be still my heart! Again, another friend of ours from college, Hendor, originally from Cuba introduced us to cafe con leche years ago. We can make it on our own, but seldom do we ever do that!


Apparently this place is a chain, because we another one driving home from Miami!

This is Kyle (our most picky eater) eating a Yucca Stick! (It wasn't yucka...it was yummo!) We were so proud!

Churrasco Carretero with chimi-churri sauce, plantains and moros rice.

This is a very sleepy me on our first night in Miami adding the cafe to my leche!

So this was the first highlight of our journey...stay tuned for the Miami Metro Zoo and South Beach!

Living For The Moment

I am going to write about our vacation in the next few posts. We haven't been on a family vacation in close to 6 years. So this was a big deal for us! We really, really needed this. I probably, more than anyone else really needed this. I have been feeling like I've been sinking, my mind is like a whirlwind or a cyclone and I haven't been able to sleep a full night's sleep in a couple of months. My husband and I care for his grandfather, who is 92 years old. I love him dearly and am so glad to be able to do this for this journey of his life. He has advanced dementia and it has begun to really take a toll on me. Pop has his nights and days confused, so when we are sound asleep at 2:00am...he comes into our room and wants to know the plan for the day. He wants to talk. We take him back to bed, but he is doing the same thing about an hour later. He has been eating 6 breakfasts a day because he is convinced that every time he wakes up from a nap, it is the morning of the next day. The days are full of questions, confusion and conspiracy. My heart breaks for him. This plus the daily concern of him burning down the house because he places clothing and towels on his heater and the his personal hygiene factor plays a part in my exhaustion. (Not to mention all of those other "balls" I juggle...homeschooling 3 boys, one with a learning disability, starting a new ministry and speaking every month, regular duties of a wife, mother and friend.) I have been crying a lot lately. Both Mike and I felt like it was time to get away. After setting up "Pop Care" with some of my friends from church, we were off for 3 nights and 4 days away.

I learned something very valuable during my vacation. We left Friday morning and arrived in Miami by Friday afternoon. We had a nice afternoon getting a hold of where we were and just driving around. I actually slept 8 straight hours on Friday night. I haven't done that (not even close to that) in several months. Saturday arrives and we have a great day, but back at the hotel that night I laid in bed and cried. I just cried...like I have been doing too often! I was distraught. I had gotten a full night's sleep and yet I still felt like my world was crumbling. My husband just held me and prayed for me and I cried myself to sleep that night.

Another full night's rest! I woke up Sunday morning and felt pretty good. We went to the Everglades and then to the Florida Keys and I had the most wonderful, refreshing day I have had in such a long long time!

Here is what I learned:

I learned how important sleep really is for the body and the mind. I needed to catch up a little bit. One full night's of sleep is not going to catch me up after not sleeping but 3-4 hours a night for months.

I learned that we need to live in the moment every once in awhile.

Take in the beauty that God has given us!

I learned that sometimes, we need to stop talking about the future, the past, and just live in the moment. That Sunday we did just that. We didn't talk about Pop, the house, school, ministry...we just took in the sights and sounds of the day.

We held hands, used our binoculars (we love our binocs) went for walks and laughed. We haven't laughed like that in months. We ALL needed this getaway.

Yesterday it hit me when I was in the car with my three boys and we were coming home from soccer evaluations. We were laughing and my one son looks over at me and says..."Mom, you are so funny, that is not like you!" Wow! That was painful! But it is true. I let the pressures of this world take a part of me and change me. I don't want to do that again. I know we need to plan, organize and think of the future. I know I am responsible for our grandfather's well being. I know also, that I need a full nights sleep every so often and I need to spend time having fun with my family. I need to make some priority changes.

So stay tuned as I log our amazing vacation in South Florida!

How Wide, How Long, How High and How Deep?

My Beloved Lisa!

Your mind has been at unrest, your body weary, your soul so thirsty. Your thoughts bring you to a place of resignation that this is what is suppose to take place. Naturally, you think this is the natural course of human life. Oh but it is not my dear one, no! You are constantly aware of limitations, yours and others, but I do not have limitations. My love for you has no boundaries, no limits. OH how I have longed for you to call on me. I have been waiting right next to you to reach out to me and to call my name. My embrace is like no other. It is I you long for so desperately. My arm is not too short my love, I have been longing to wrap you in my arms of love and to release you from the cares and burdens of this world. I have whispered tenderly a few times, did you hear Me? I said "Love, come and rest your head on my lap, just for a moment and let Me give you Shalom - "Peace Peace"." Now you are beyond that place of just needing a moment with,me now, you need me to fill you, and that my sweet takes more than a moment. That takes your most precious commodity...time.

So, now, here you are. In my arms, resting. My heart elates with the thought that even though right now you see through a glass dimly, I know that you will some day see me Face-to-Face! I can barely contain my joy! Can you feel my presence? Can you see how I am romancing you even now? A few days ago, I woke you up to see the sunrise. The other day, did you see that look in your son's eyes when you looked at him with love? How about just yesterday when I orchestrated the conversation with a sweet friend so that you can have your mind in order. Or the beautiful crisp mornings and the flowers in the midst of brown grass. You noticed didn't you? OH HOW I LOVE YOU!!! My love completely fills you! How wide, how long, how high and how deep you ask? Oh as you rest here you can get a glimpse of how extravagant the dimensions of my love are for you. Go ahead and dream my sweet. Reach out and experience the breadth, test its length, plumb the depths, rise to the heights! Come away with Me my love!

The Lover of your soul

The Cute Things Kids Say

This is the conversation that my boys and I had in the car this week:

Shane: Mom, I am going to get you a blue teapot for your birthday! I wanted to get it for you for Christmas, but I just can't drive yet.

Kyle: I am going to get you jewelry...earrings and a necklace maybe...something gold.

Me: Well, I just love that you are thinking about me, but I really just love gifts from the heart, you know a nice picture, a precious note from you...homemade gifts --no need to spend a lot of money!

Kyle: Well, I know, I can make it cheap and just make you jewelry.

Brendan: I'm not going to tell you what I want to get, but it is $19.99 plus $12.00 shipping and handling and I'm pretty sure that Dad won't go for that!

My boys make me smile!

Pushmi-Pullyu & Pizza!!

We are all about learning here in the Engel home!! I have been reading "The Story of Dr. Doolittle", by Hugh Lofting, to Kyle and Shane and they just learned about the Pushmi-Pullyu today. Hence the picture above. Of course, you all know that it is the now extinct, rare two headed-horned animal, which are in the same family as the Abyssinian gazelles and the Asiatic chamois and a decedent of the unicorns. ::wink--wink:: It is a really fun book, especially for animal lovers!

Well, as I mentioned, my children aren't the only one's learning. Mom is learning too! I recently took a cooking class at my church and I have been practicing what I've learned. (The kitchen really isn't my favorite place...I'd much prefer reading a book or playing a game on the floor)!! I have made three meal suggestions from my teacher, Pat Howard...her smothered pork chops, chicken in the crock pot and lastly...my boys made their very own pizza!

Shane spread the sauce...

Brendan sprinkled the cheese....Kyle was appalled that there was cheese on pizza....hmmm...he thought when he said "PLAIN" he meant "NOTHING" on it!

Even my neighbor joined us in the fun. That would be Kyle blowing a kiss to the pizza, because it was going to take a miracle for him to eat pizza with cheese...what???

Seriously, doesn't that make your mouth water?! The whole family ate dinner! Yes even Kyle! He gave us the thumbs up! It was fun, CHEAP, and so yummy. I wouldn't personally know, because I must confess, I didn't eat this....way too many points for me! But it made me happy nonetheless, because I didn't hear this: "Umm..this is not my favorite" or "You are kidding me about having to eat that right?" or my personal favorite..."OH, if I have to try that I must have the bucket in case I get sick!" Yes, even Pop and Mike liked it! Next time the only thing I might change is...I'll have to have my children make 2! Not bad for under $3.00 huh?

If I Could Have Three Wishes...

That is how we started breakfast today. Each one had to finish the sentence and explain what our three wishes were. It started off pretty much like one would imagine any typical 6-8 year old boy eating frosted cheerios would say:

Kyle: I wish I had a Darth Vader lego man..really Mom I wish! I wish my friend Logan would come over to play with me. I wish I could get some orange juice.

Shane: I wish I knew everything there is to know about school. I wish I knew everything about basketball. I wish I would be obedient at my homeschool today. (Awe...he was trying to bless me)!

Brendan: I wish my friend (so/and/so) was my brother, wouldn't it be great to have 4 brothers? (Mom says...ummmmm?...) I wish we could go on a vacation that was longer than a day. I wish I got to know my grandparents I never got to meet.

Shane interrupts and has now had more time to think....and says this:

"I wish there was no sin in the world. I wish that Jesus never even had to die on the cross because of sin. I wish when we pray I could see Him and He could see me and I can see His eyes smile like when you talk Mom! I wish!"

Me: I got my wish!

It's A New Day

I am forever going to be learning. Actually, I do believe that we will indeed continue to learn even when we enter into our eternal life in Heaven. I just love that thought!

Homeschooling has been amazing! I didn't say easy, I said, amazing! I love having all three of my boys home with me. The memories we are making, the strides that those boys are making and the friendships that they share are indeed a treasure! You could never put a price tag on those things!

I started a new ministry called Bagels & Blessings. Yes, it is a new ministry at Edgewater Alliance Church, even though some reading my blog will know it was a ministry that was birthed originally at Wyckoff Assembly of God! I am grateful for the influences and mentors in my life that have walked alongside of me and directed my path in the way of Jesus.

Last month was the kick off for our first gathering...117 women signed up to come! It actually snowed in Florida that day and still 99 women showed up for this event! Praise God. I had an overwhelming response after B&B that I anticipate even more coming in February. God has been moving in my spirit and I finally feel like I am walking in the gifts that God has given me. I told my close friends that I felt like I have been pregnant for 6 years and last month I finally gave birth. (Now that feels great!)

I have to say, I have an amazing group of ladies on my B&B team. WOW! The hearts of every woman on my team...I am humbled to be working alongside of each of them!

My husband is still not working. He was laid off about 3 months ago and has applied for numerous positions and to no avail. However, I can say without a shadow of a doubt, we finally passed this particular test. TRUST & OBEY! It may look like insanity to the world, but to us, it is exactly what God has called us to do...trust Him and continue to obey! I can say, living on unemployment is not easy, but we have food on our table in and joy in our home!! Thank you Lord!

Big news, I hope that you are sitting down...for as long as I can remember, I have been on medication. Blood pressure medication, 2 pills for high cholesterol, 2 pills for diabetes and a thyroid medication. Seriously, I had almost as many pills as our Grandfather and he will be 92 in a few weeks. Well, now after being on Weight Watchers for a year....I am officially off of all medications. I will however, always be on a medication for my thyroid, because I don't have one. But, hey this is huge! NO MEDS! I am praying that this will continue, as some of my issues can totally be genetic, I'm hoping that most were due to being overweight! I continue to run/walk about 4 miles a day at least 4 days a week. I'm 40 something and I'm getting younger every day!

Finally, one more victory in my life. Remember that blog I wrote on spiritual warfare in the summer. I continue to see the Hand of God move on my behalf! Praise God! He has fought the battle for me, just like He said He would! HE IS!!

So, it is a new year and indeed a new day!

Those Balls Again!

It appears that I'm juggling several balls again.

I seem to be unable to, write a book, start a new ministry, read for pleasure, read for homeschooling, read to study for my new ministry, read through the Bible chronologically, homeschool 3 children, take care of a elderly man with dementia, be a Mom, Wife, friend and blog as well. Hmmm....how do I juggle. Well, the fact is I don't.

Funny, I had to pause a moment because I'm baking cookies and the timer just went off.

I'm doing the best I can, but I have to say out of all of those things, I'm letting the blogging go. I don't want to, I don't mean to, I just have to. My words are being split. By the time I finish my book, no one will ever want to read it because they will have read it already in one form of media or another. Which is really okay. I'm really just writing the book to have it bound and in the hands of my children. It is everyone else in my life, who has had a glimpse of the book, that is encouraging me to get it published. (Fear and trembling).

So be patient, I will return with my catching up on family life, words of wisdom (haha), and nuggets of truth learned by those in my life, so easily shared on the canvas of a blog screen! I will return. So much is going on it really helps to write it out! But alas, my kitchen timers beeps again.

Step Into The Time Machine

Set the dial for September 1989. (and don't laugh at our hair!) There I was walking around Montclair State University. A transfer student from MCCC, 20 years old and feeling a great sense of freedom. I must have joined every club on campus. That is how I get to know people. I was on the College Life Union Board, Photography Club, Conservation Club, Ski Club (that is a riot, because I only ever skied once and it was a horrible experience)! On this particular September morning I was walking in the student center and there was this little table in the corner with a few guys sitting at it. It was Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship. I was already involved in so much...then one of the guys came up to me and handed me a tract. Oh the tract. "I am already saved...thank you...save it for someone who needs Jesus" is what I said to him. He then proceeded to invite me to their Thursday night meeting. (Ok...I mean since I was from an Assemblies of God church down home...might as well).

Here is where I wish my husband would blog because his blog would go something like this: "I was sitting in the student center when what doth my eyes behold...the girl of my dreams." HA!! Well, maybe not exactly like that, but I did find out that the other guy at that table (my Mike Engel) did tell the guy that gave me the tract that he was going to "marry that girl someday." Yes he did say that!! (shhh..I didn't even notice him that day..well I knew he was at the table..but that was it)!

This is Mike & I at the Chi Alpha S.A.L.T. Retreat in Indiana Jan. 1990

I will fast forward now. I went to that Thursday meeting. I met Mike Engel (we called him Mike Engel because our campus pastor was Mike Durning..it was just easier) he was the President of Chi Alpha..he was a skinny klutzy guy with a heart of pure gold. I ended up going to his church (it was the closest AG church near my apartment in Montclair). He was a leader in the church. He lead worship, taught Wednesday night Bible Study and preached occasionally on Sunday morning. Seriously, he was awesome. Come that January we went on a Chi Alpha Retreat to Indianapolis. It was here that I started to fall in love with this man. I fell in love with his precious heart. He told me about his call to ministry, his love for people and his love for God. He was one of the most respectful men I had ever met. He loved deeply and cared deeply. I remember going for a walk and it was snowing, he sat down on the curb and just cried when he talked about his love for God. It moved me beyond words. When I got home I told my father that I wanted to marry someone just like Mike Engel. I would never have dreamed that Mike Engel would have picked me.

One of our 500 attempts (before digital cameras) at an engagement picture! June 1990!

February came and it was Somebody Loves You Night at Chi Alpha. Mike picked me up for the meeting and gave me a rose and a card (Valentine's Day). We started dating that night. The rest as they say is history. We were engaged by June and married by December all in the same year!

December 15, 1990

Nineteen years later, he is still the most amazing man I know. We have had our growing pains like every couple, but one thing is constant...our love for each other continues to grow. People ask me what makes my marriage work. I tell them our secret (well not all of them), but this one is what we have always lived by: the Bible says "don't let the sun go down on your anger." We have never gone to bed angry. Not in 19 years. We have stayed up to see the sun rise...but we always resolve our differences before going to bed. How do we resolve our differences? We pray! I remember our first big argument. I was clearly right and he was clearly right! Hmmmm? I was mad as the mob, he was angry too! (Can't remember what was so important 18 years ago). It was a long night, finally my husband says to me, "We have to pray!" What? Pray? UGH!! He got down on his knees right there in the living room and uttered the most humble beautiful prayer! I just melted. He asked for forgiveness, and asked the Lord to bless me. He told the Lord how much he loved me! OH I was so moved I could barely get words out of my mouth. When it was my turn to pray...I already felt so much love for this man (the same man I think I was so mad at I could spit nails)...I remember crying and asking God to forgive me, then I started praying blessing over this man that I loved. Well, praying for someone, who you don't like at the moment, is the best way to resolve conflicts. It melts your heart and makes you love all over again! It is our solution....it has worked for 19 years! Now we teach our children the same thing!

Mike & Lisa Engel - 19th Wedding Anniversary!

Do My Eyes Deceive Me?...

Yes and no! We are still trying to hold to our keeping one day a week sacred to our family. One day where we just do something fun...just the 5 of us. Yesterday, after church, we had one of the most memorable fun family days yet. We headed straight for Downtown Disney and walked around. The boys created their own Lego men and we saw so many beautiful Christmas decorations. The music was playing and we just had a wonderful festive time walking around.

Then we sat down for a pretzel and got to see an amazing show of the famous Yoyo People from Boston. This guy was on the Discovery Channel show "Time Warp". He is amazing. He holds a record in the Guinness Book of Records and was the World Champion in 2007. (I didn't know that there was such a thing as a World Champion Yoyo guy!) Needless to say, he was so much fun to watch!

Then we made our way to Celebration Florida...not far from Orlando. It was beautiful. On Market Street, every hour, it snows. My children had a blast. Again, the carols were playing, there were horse drawn carriages, yummy food, Christmas lights! (Real snow???? Well...let just say us northerners need to use our imagination.)
The best part about our whole entire day was that it was FREE!!! Yup...FREE fun!
Oh this was one of my favorites. I felt like I was in the middle of a Charles Dickens "A Christmas Carol")...This group was amazing. We finished our night with a Starbucks coffee (shouldn't every night end that way)!
So once again fun was had by all! We went home and got a good nights sleep.

While Some Were Shoveling Snow....

We were shoveling sand. That is right, after school yesterday, my boys and I headed straight for the beach. I try to do this as much as I can in the winter...just because one of the things I disliked the most was scraping my car windows when they were icy and I really didn't enjoy shoveling tons of snow just so the snow plow guy could come and block me in again.

So we went to the beach for a couple of hours. We walked and walked and my children got wet (of course) because how could you possible find the perfect shells if you didn't get close to the water.

The boys dug holes 'till the hearts content and I sat in the sand in the warm sun. Ahhh...it was peaceful. Then we went for a walk and collected a nice amount of shells which we put in a jar to remind us of our winter sand adventures! We will be adding all winter! OH...I love Florida in the winter!

Don't worry, I haven't gone off the deep end. I know that snow is beautiful and fun too. In fact I really want to drive my boys up to Georgia or South Carolina if I hear that there is going to be a good amount of snow. I figure we could do it in a day. One of the sad sights at the beach is when my boys get this wet sand and pack it, and then the roll it in the dry sand, like a snow ball. They throw them like snow balls (only not at each other, because that would make a mess). So they would love to see snow...my Shane has never seen snow and my other boys were too little really to remember it. So we will hopefully see snow at some point this winter, but for now, I'm enjoying the fact that we have beautiful sand!

Oops What Happened To October & November?

Let's start on Kyle's last day of public school....October 31st. Above you can see them in their costumes for our Harvest Party at church. Shane is a cowboy (he wants to be a Cowboy Math Teacher when he grows up), Brendan is Albert Einstein (he as markers in his pocket with E=MC2 on his jacket - of course he wants to be a scientist when he grows up) and then there is Kyle the Lenni Lenapi Indian (he wants to be a zoo keeper when he grows up, but that doesn't require paint of his face so he opted for the Indian!)

November brought lots of field trips and park days and nature walks with friends! (shhh... I think that is going to be my Christmas card picture...yes even with that pesky straw hanging in front of Kyle's face.)

The birds cracked me up! We were covered in them. Shane did not like it at all....Kyle loved it...Brendan liked it too, but he was sure to cover his head!

Our great homeschool buddies. We do a lot of our homeschooling with them. We live a few streets away and I just love their Mommy!! I am so grateful to have such a wonderful friend in Aleatha...God place us in each other's lives on purpose!! We see each other at least twice a week and I love it!!

Here is my boy...he just had to read ahead!! In that book Kyle was reading...these two boys shot a BB gun and missed their target...so we went to our friend's property and learned to shoot a BB gun! Kyle, Brendan and Shane all hit the target...do you see that L there...that would be me! So proud!

It's Mario and Mario....a little too much Nintendo influence! HA!

Ahhh...Dinner with our small group! Don't look too closely at our food...this was so not WW friendly. Mike and Elinor made an amazing dinner of lasagna and homemade meatballs!!

So, this is why I am homeschooling him now! This is my Kyle...the one that we missed so much! The happy Kyle!

This past month we did a lot of hiking and bird watching! Oh this trip was the first time I ever used a portable potty too. Not an experience I ever want to repeat! UGH!

Lots of park hopping! We have to get that energy out!!!

Oh yea...and we finally did a 550 piece puzzle together in just 4 days! I was so impressed...my boys absolutely loved doing this. Believe it or not...not one piece was missing! We can't wait to do our next! We've been studying birds in our Science curriculum and there are at least 4 species in this puzzle!

So that should catch you up quickly. So much more happened...so many wonderful surprises! We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with our family in Jacksonville and now we are ushering in Christmas! Lord, please help it to slow down a bit!

Monday's Menu

The pressure is on. My Weight Watchers friends wrote down my blog address this past Saturday, so now I absolutely MUST get my menu on screen. It is always on my refrigerator, but since Thanksgiving, I have had very little time to type. (I also have to share a computer with my three superheros...so squeezing some quality screen time in..is not so easy these days!)

Remember if you add anything like butter to your veggies, you have to count that too. I typically do not, however when I do I always count it. We use the Smart Balance butter and it is 1 point for a whole tablespoon. I rarely use that much!

Monday:
Pork Chops & Potatoes in Creamy Gravy
6 WW points
Click Here for the Recipe (I did include a picture though!)
Tuesday:
5 Spice London Broil, Green Beans, Yam
3 oz. of lean beef for 4 points, 7 oz of yam for 3 points = 7 WW points
(I don't use butter on my veggies, just a little salt & pepper)

Recipe to follow (since Bev did request it!)

Wednesday:
Biscuit Topped Chicken Casserole with a Salad
1 1/2 Cup serving for 6 WW points

Thursday:
Grilled Pork Chops, garlic mashed potatoes and green beans
I rub some adobo seasoning and throw these on the grill. (BOGO at Winn-Dixie this week)
3 oz pork chop for 4 points, 3/4 cup of garlic mashed potatoes (WW recipe) for 3 points = 7 WW points

Friday - Crock Pot meal: (This is a GREAT winner in my house)
Meatloaf with Mushroom Tomato Sauce - from the Slow Good Cookbook
Garlic Mashed Potatoes (left over from Thursday)
Broccoli & salad
1 slice of meatloaf with 1/4 cup sauce is 3 points so this meal = 6 WW points

5-Spice London Broil
Weight Watchers TurnAround Cookbook

1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1 lb. lean London Broil

(I put mine on the grill...the recipe calls for the broiler)

Simply combine all the spices and rub it on the meat. I let it stand for about 15 minutes and then place it on the grill. It is really that simple. My family likes their meat a little pink...so just keep an eye on your time. Remember to let the meat stand after you take it off the grill so that the juices don't all run out on you. Slice it thinly on an angle against the grain.

Enjoy...let me know what you think...leave a comment if you would like me to post a recipe! Don't forget to check out my friend Michelle's blog for more menu ideas!

The Best Way To Celebrate...

is with friends! We had our annual anniversary date night with our dearest friends the Bradleys! We are so grateful to the Lord for placing them in our lives. We have been friends for a few years, and these past two years our friendships have just flourished! Mike and I count Don and Linda as family and seriously, when we talked about what to do for our anniversary we didn't have to think but a moment...we wanted to double date with the Bradleys!

So I wanted to show this year and last years pictures, (let's be honest...it is mainly because I'm proud of the fact that I am 57 lbs. lighter this year!) well, because you know, I love tradition!! ;0)

This is us last year!

I find it so funny that we sit in the same spots. Do we always sit that way? I guess so! Oh..and the scarf...that cracks me up! I have got to ditch the scarf next year. But, it was very cold (you know in the 60s) both times!
Then it is as if we don't ever get Starbucks! HA! I can't help it! That is what happens when your husband worked for the company for 8 years! This is Mike and I last year:


Ahhh...after 19 years we are still drinking coffee together!

Before we left for our night out...Pop (our almost 92 year old grandfather) says to me..."Wow, 19 years, you don't look old enough to have been married for 19 years!" That made me feel so good, doubled with the fact that since I homeschool all of my children, a night out with adults is SOOO special...you couldn't wipe that smile away if you tried!

So what do two middle aged couples who are not into drinking or "partying" do when they get a chance to go out (and they live in Volusia County Florida)? They go out to dinner, have coffee and sit in the driveway and talk for two hours. (Hey, the alternative would been to go to Walmart!) We had such a wonderful evening! Thank you Don and Linda for celebrating with us again this year! So, we are on for next year right? I can't wait to see the pictures!