Summer Pizza

In the heat of the summer,

I have to revamp the eating schedule.

Hubby comes home hot and has much less of an appetite.

He wants something lighter.

So I have been searching.

We tried a new pizza recipe on Saturday,

and it was a hit.

Not only did we both like it,

but it is meatless so it is a money saver.

Wins all around!

I began with my flatbread recipe for the crust,

but you can use whatever you like best.
I made 7 flatbread rounds and the topping amounts worked perfectly.

Santa Fe Summer BBQ Pizza

Ingredients:

1/3 cup BBQ sauce

1 cup black beans, drained & rinsed

1 cup corn kernels (I used canned)

1 cup halved cherry tomatoes

1 cup mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup chopped cilantro (I omitted because it is not one of hubby's favorite herbs)

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.
Spread BBQ sauce evenly on top of crust, then add black beans, corn, tomatoes, and cheese.
Bake for 10 minutes or until cheese is golden brown.
Let cool five minutes then slice.
Sprinkle chopped cilantro on top before serving. 

His Way is Perfect

Tuesday Transformation:

a change in perspective,

because God's way is perfect.

When hubby suggested the "staycation" in the month of July,

my heart sank.

Hot, miserable hot ...

no long walks, sitting inside ...

miserable.

But God knew what we needed.

He provided our cool, shady front yard and morning breezes.

It was not an unbearble heat,

so we did get to walk and run together at least twice.

He knew we needed a refreshing,

because He knows all.

He knew that at the end of the break we would face hard news.

He knew that that news would be easier to deal with when we were rested.

In His perfect timing, He has provided in clear ways and met needs.

The Glen

This "Thankful Thursday,"  I am thankful for the lot that we rent.

We are spending much of our STAYCATION in the front yard under the trees.

The trees provide a shade that keeps the area far cooler than the rest of the area

and a pleasant breeze often flows right through.

We have moved our deck furniture into our "secluded glen"

and we do our Bible reading,

write and study,

share meals,

and enjoy the sunset.

 

We love our home,

but we are also blessed with a pleasant lot ...

a place to enjoy God's creation.

Writing with Hubby

Yes, it has been 3 months since the last post.

3 months where I just needed to step back.

An extra hour of sleep each morning.

A change in workout plans.

Increased stress at hubby's work and other responsibilities that sapped of energy and creativity.

And so,  I had to step away from writing for a bit.

But this week ...

we are on STAYCATION.

We began yesterday,

though it was far from a normal vacation.

We had the church family over for a picnic.

It ended as our picnics typically do ...

a mad dash to "clean up" outside before the storm hit.

BUT ... we made it about 4 hours ...

and the incoming storm brought a pleasant breeze MOST of the time :)

Then last evening, we finished a quick turnover of the prophet's chamber

for some guests coming in on Thursday.

The rest of the week is slow mornings,

long Bible studies,

time to talk, think, and pray together,

and, because it is vacation, one meal free of cooking.

We will even sneak in some home projects (shed repair)

and some work to repair a trellis for an upcoming wedding.

You know that I have long sought to develop a home that we hate to leave,

a home that invites us to enjoy it ...

it is our favorite hotel and our favorite getaway.

The bed is comfy, no forgotten essentials,

no demands on time,

no fear of being "glutened."

I return to the blog on Woman's Work Wednesday.

During my hiatus from writing,

I have been thinking much about "heart."

When hubby preaches,

he always draws out principles,

not just rules and laws (though they have their place),

but heart.  

Why did God give the law?

What is the heart behind it?

Am I seeking to fulfill the heart of the law and not just the letter of the law?

I seek to practice being a "keeper at home."

It seems easy to keep the "letter" of the law.

It is easy to stay home.

It is easy to not work outside of the home.

...but what about the principle, the heart?

Am I a guard of my home?

Am I guarding health?

Am I planning healthful meals or surviving on meals out and convenience food?

Do I provide oppotunities for movement and strength-building?

Do I stress healthy habits and activities? 

Am I guarding entertainment?

Do I provide activites that encourage godly behavior and principles?

Do I default to mindless amusements?

Am I guarding minds?

What am I teaching and sharing in my home?

What do I value and emphasize?  the eternal?  the temporal?

Do I take the "bad guy" stance and take disapproval of others if it means protecting my family?
Are we all learning valuable things together?

Am I guarding temperments?

Do I create peace or drama?

Do I feed anger or diffuse it?

Am I guarding the time of my hubby?

Do I do all I can while at home, so he has more time?

Do I create time for each other?

Do I value the work he does each day and his responsibilities above my own?

It has been a challenge for me and I hope it will be for you today.

Don't seek victory in merely the letter of the law ...

seek to get to the heart of the matter.

A New Pie

Two weeks ago,

I received a Magnolia magazine in the mail.

I love the work of Chip and Joanna Gaines as they renovate houses.

I love their seeming emphasis on family and home.

In this free copy,

there was a new recipe.

One for PIE.

I had to try it.

With permission from the hubby (since it only had 1/2 c of sugar),

I attacked it.

It was a success - especially since it wasn't sticky sweet
and we did not have to feel bad enjoying it.

Pear-Cranberry Pie

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

6 ripe, yet still firm pears, cored and sliced (2 to 2 1/2 pounds total)

1 cup fresh or thawed frozen cranberries

Mix all ingredients.

Place in double pie crust.

Bake 375* for 65-70 min.

An Accountability Partner

On this Thankful Thursday,

I am thankful for my new accountability partner.

Last July,

I earned a free Fitbit Flex.

How excited I was to have the reminder to keep moving,

to have the accountability of a record of my successes and failures.

Then last week,

yes, the same day that I broke my mower handle,

fitbit died.

I contacted customer service.

They confirmed that fitbit was indeed dead while still under warranty.

I could get another Flex,

OR

I could have a discount on an upgrade.

Hubby gave me an upgrade.

Fitbit Alta HR arrived on Saturday.

I am excited because it not only tracks my steps,

but it is a watch,

and it gives a better judge of calories burned.

It is good to have my accountability partner again.

Renewal

Doesn't Spring give you a sense of renewal and new beginnings?

I was eager to finish the work inside the trailer so that I could get outdoors again.

Last week, I did get outdoors, gassed up the mower and ...

after a couple of spins around the house,

the mower handle sheered off!

How discouraging!

Usually I mow the first week of March and now I was going to be REALLY late.

So I ordered a new handle.

It arrived today and I stole some of hubby's lunch hour so he could install it.

AAAHH!

It was good to smell the grass, clover, and green onions

and see the neatly trimmed yard.

Then, since I had the truck,

I hauled off dead branches,

trimmed unruly branches and disposed of them.

I also swept the porches and weeded the walkway a bit.

The next 2 days are supposed to be rain-outs,

so it is nice to have the outside work under control.

Time to hole up and work on the next of hubby's books.

Society's Transformation

A member of our church lent me a book on Sunday.

She said it was an enjoyable, quick read.

I really haven't read a "pleasure" book in a long while.

She lent me "Finding Betty Crocker: The Secret Life of America's First Lady of Food."

The book was a history of Betty Crocker,

a character created by the Gold Medal Baking Company to sell products.

Boy, did it ever work.

While the history of this famous woman was fascinating,

I was more drawn to how things have changed.

Betty began as an older woman who encouraged women in their work in the home.

She encouraged women in homemaking calling it 

a "noble and challenging career ... an art requiring many different skills."

She encouraged women to make the home "a place of peace, joy and contentment."

So while I thought I was reading a history book,

I was encouraged as well as disheartened.

Encouraged to keep working hard in my home,

to "contribute to the cleanliness, the order, the health, the well being of the household."

Disheartened in how American society has been transformed.

These ideals are deemed old-fashioned and sexist.

Friday Forum: Things That Bring Joy

With Spring comes the joy of Spring cleaning.

Most of my "spring cleaning" was completed with all the fresh paint and other renovation items.

I do still need to work on windows :(

and some of the closets.

We have begun trying to look at things and hold on to things that we love and enjoy.

Hubby went through his closet the other day.

3 shirts gone, 2 ties ...

they fit wrong, they were shapeless, they didn't excite wifey.

Easy - Peasy!

I am going to try this in the coming weeks.

While there are some "necessary" items that don't bring joy,

I am sure that I can get rid of more than I have.

Do you try this when you "clean out?"

Has it worked for you?

Do you have a better plan?

Dirt and Free Movement

Monday was the first day of Spring AND ...

Yesterday found me in the garden.

While the garden has been very discouraging for the past few years - 

too little time to keep it healthy,

too dry,

too hot,

too many bugs,

...

Digging in the dirt is so much fun - even as an adult.

I turned over half of the garden yesterday,

incorporated the winter's worth of compost into the earth,

and planted leftover seeds to see what might happen ...

peas, carrots, beats, lettuce, spinach, and kale ...

Now to wait and see.

I am so thankful for nature,

for the beautiful earth that God allows us to enjoy.

I am also thankful this week for a repaired drawer.

When we moved in to this trailer,

the utensil drawer in the kitchen did not slide freely.

Most of the time we only took it half way in and out.

I didn't realize what a stressor it was ...

UNTIL 

hubby fixed it up.

The rails were not secure or straight.

Now the drawer moves freely and this is one happy girl.