Every year I choose a bit of a theme verse. It's never the only special verse, but being a bit of a theme it's something we can fall back on when we need encouragement or cheer. It's something we see every day on our way out the door and something the kids remember and quote often. Under his wings...the thing about being there is that it's always comfortable. Whether you are sick, discouraged, rejoicing, weary, happy or any other state, there is contentment and refuge under his wings.
Kalli is busy with school and keeping us all in yummy food. She doesn't do all the cooking, but she sure helps out and does a beautiful job! One of our favorite new recipes is an easy version of Chicken Pot Pie in a soup style. It is sooo good! I'll share the recipe here.
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees
Lay your pie crust out on the counter and slice it into circles using a drinking glass (We use little heart-shaped cookie cutters for ours.)
Lay the circles out on a baking sheet. When the oven is preheated, bake the pie crust for 10 minutes or until the discs are golden brown.
Heat some olive oil in a large soup pan over medium high heat
When hot, add your veggies including onions
Saute until the onions are translucent
Add in your butter and let that melt
Stir in your flour
Let cook for about 30 seconds, stirring constantly
Pour in your chicken stock and milk
Add in your parsley, red pepper flakes, and nutmeg
Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer
Simmer until thickened
Add your chicken
Bring back to a simmer and cook until heated through
If your soup gets too thick, add a little bit of milk or broth and stir to combine
Top your bowls of soup with your pie crust creations and you are ready to go!
Rick has been working on the floors at my parents house. Out with the old! The new arrives Monday morning!
Kaderick recently had a tooth pulled. Long story, but he was originally scheduled to have oral surgery since because of his mast cell disease he can't have any kind of pain relieving/blocking agents. The dentist wouldn't touch him except at Children's Hospital under general anesthetics. This is a spendy proposition, but wanting the best for him, we agreed. Well, we went to his pediatrician for the pre-op and he suggested that we get a second opinion from another dentist. We did, and this dentist agreed to do the extraction in office with only laughing gas. He said his blood pressure might be sky high, but that he was willing to give it a try. The office is right across from the hospital and we pre-treated Kaderick with his medications and sat with epi pens in hand. He did amazing though!!! Yes, he cried, and yes we had to hold him down, but it was over in a flash and when it was over Kaderick said, "You know all that crying I did? It was fake. Loud and long fake." I think he was afraid he wouldn't get a prize if he cried. No buddy, it's okay to cry. I'm pretty sure mommy would have cried too!
Later that day, I asked him how his tooth was and he said, "Technically, it's fine...because it doesn't exist anymore."
I had to take a picture of Kayla's Phi Theta Kappa honor society certificate. We might be a wee bit proud. She's doing ever so well. She will be done with her nursing prerequisites this semester and then can officially apply for the 2 year nursing program resulting in her RN! She is just a few credits short of where you need to be in order to apply for the program beginning this fall, but her advisor told her to go ahead and apply anyway based on her grades as there is a chance she could get in early for that reason. She took the TEAS test and got an exceptionally high grade, so we're just leaving this in God's hands and will see what happens. I never dreamed that my daughter would get letters from Harvard asking her to apply there and telling her she qualifies. She must have her daddy's brains! She's a sweetheart too. She took her lunch break the other day to talk to mom and calm her down when she was stressed over an issue and then when back to work and lost a favorite resident. She's been at Kindred a year and is known as their "Rock Star."
And now this, speaking of Kayla's dad....
This month marks my husband's 18 year anniversary at Loomis Armored. After a short trial as Canyon County deputy when we first moved to Idaho, he started out as a messenger (guy who delivers money) on a truck. We were crushed when things didn't work out at Canyon County, but he needed a job and many at the department really loved him. One of those men highly recommended him to Loomis and the rest is history. He very quickly worked his way up and off a truck and has been promoted within the local branch several times and demoted once due to cutbacks. He is in pretty high demand and has been offered top jobs from New York to Hawaii and pretty much everywhere in between. His name is known and loved by many from his employees to the CEO. There have been times when the sky seemed the limit within the company, but somewhere along the line, God also called my husband to ministry where the sky is literally the limit, and he has always put God first in making these decisions. Sometimes this has meant turning down opportunities for more $$ but we are never afraid to obey God because he always knows best and always has a plan. Loomis is Rick's second job, but yet a necessary one and God has helped him to be successful there. There have been little perks along the way, too....like trips to Spain, DC and Hawaii. Little unexpected blessings sprinkled in to sweeten the deal.
This is NOT a debate on "working" vs. SAHM's but for me, I need to say how thankful I am for the privilege of raising my own children. While it may not be for everyone, being a 24/7 mom and homeschool educator is definitely right for us. If you want to argue that fact, you can visit with any of my daughter's employers, friends, college professors, neighbors, etc. Our children are highly educated, well balanced and adequately socialized. It makes me sick that some people use homeschooling to help hide perversion and that some children fail to receive a good education, but keep in mind that those things happen in all kinds of settings. Raising a family of seven on a single income is a real task these days and if you think we milk the church to make up for it, you'd be wrong, btw. Our kids have had to go without the now-days standard things like iphones and ipods, but they know how to use an iron and ithink they may be better off this way! We drive old cars and live in a simple older house--the additions have been DIY all the way. Our vacations (unless work related) are good old Idaho camping trips on the cheap. We are happy with things this way!
Anyway, back to the subject....my husband has always made provision a priority and supported and appreciated my "job" as well. Made it possible, in fact. The most recent development is a new little promotion, he will be going to work for Loomis Corporate soon! Traveling a little, working from home more, and will still have an office locally. Can I just be proud and thankful of/for this man?? Will that ruin your day?? 18 years....18 more and he will be eligible for full retirement. Half way there; it's kinda exciting.
PS....this is not to impress you, but rather to encourage you. We moved here 18+ years ago believing that we knew God's plan. For Rick to not make it through the trial period with the county was confusing, frustrating, and humiliating. It was a dark time in our young lives, but had he not been there briefly and met the sergeant who recommended him to Loomis, it's not somewhere he ever would have gone. God knew and had a plan! Sometimes I still struggle remembering to trust Him, but looking back at times like this increase my faith.
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