Chicken Taco Hobos

As I prepared for our camping trip this past weekend, I wanted to find a quick easy recipe for dinner since I knew we would be arriving late and needing to throw something on the fire immediately. My best friend introduced me to the concept of camping hobos many years and 4 kids ago when we went on a white water rafting camping trip with our husbands. Our camping trips are not quite as adventurous anymore, but the hobo tradition has stuck.

Jessie & I in 2010

 Now what we didn't have on our white water rafting trip back in 2007 was Pinterest! This time around, I was able to quickly find this recipe for Sweet Potato Foil Pocket Tacos. I rarely follow a recipe exactly, and it was no different this time as I changed a few things to make it my own.

Ingredients (serves 4-6)
- 3 chicken breasts, cut into small chunks
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp Goya Adobo seasoning with cumin
- About 1/2 cup tomato sauce
- 1 can black beans, drained
- 3 medium sized sweet potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- 3 Tbsp butter
- 1 cup mustard greens (or spinach), shredded
- 1 - 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar

Toppings
- Sour cream
- Diced tomatoes
- Avocado slices
- Fresh chopped cilantro

1. Cook the chicken breasts in the olive oil and then add the Goya seasoning, black beans and tomato sauce.
2. Lay three 12" sections of foil on the counter. Spray with a heavy dose of non-stick spray then evenly distribute the sweet potatoes between the three foil packets.
3. Top with the greens, butter and chicken mixture (evenly distributed). Finally, top with the cheddar cheese.
4. Fold up the sides of the foil, carefully folding over 1/2 inch at a time. Fold up the edges. I like to then add a second layer of foil to make sure it doesn't break or get poked during cooking.
5. You have three options for cooking:
     - Place foil packets on a camping grate over a fire for about 20-30 minutes or until potatoes are soft.
     - Place foil packets directly on top of coals (Not directly on fire...coals or wood that has already burned but still retains a lot of heat) for 20-30 minutes or until potatoes are soft.
     - Bake in a conventional oven at 425 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until potatoes are soft.
6. Remove from heat, CAREFULLY open the foil packets and top with whatever toppings you like. 

Anyway you cook it, these taste absolutely amazing! 

Camping Trip & Finding Focus

This past weekend, we loaded up the car with an unbelievable amount of gear and took off for the mountains. It was perfect timing to unplug, get away from the responsibilities at home, and enjoy some family time camping.

The girls were ecstatic to play in the tent and explore the campground. They particularly loved the chance to pee in the woods. :) Austin and I were equally ecstatic to escape projects and chores for a couple of days. Camping can be a lot of work to prepare for and clean up after, but it's awesome quality time. And it helps if you do some cooking ahead of time like I did with our Chicken Taco Hobos. 

We were right in the middle of our Leaf Unit in Cora's curriculum and she got to make some leaf impressions and came home with a huge variety of leaves for the projects in the rest of our unit. 

Austin loves all things outdoors, and although he prefers wilderness camping, he loved getting all his girls outside and in the dirt. 

For me, it was a time of spiritual rest. I have to admit, it was hard for me to put down and ignore my phone the whole weekend. It's pathetic how addicted we become to being "connected". But I realized that as I took my focus away from the distance between my nose and my phone, the more I was able to see myself, my family and everything around me. I was able to finish Heidi Baker's Birthing the Miraculous, which is an incredible book. It was so inspirational to hear of the ways that God is moving through her life and ministry. I think so many times we put God in a box, and all He is waiting for is for us to let go of our preconceived notions of how He should move and minister, and loosen our grip on our lives so He can work through us in amazing and miraculous ways. The following passage really spoke to me and brought great perspective to where I'm at. When we are waiting for God to reveal His plans for our lives and for Him to bring dreams and promises to fruition, we can become so hyper focused on what we DON'T see, that we lose our focus on the ONE who holds our future. It matters how I choose to see my circumstances. It matters what I choose to focus on. It matters whether or not I wait in an attitude of trust, patience and confidence that He will fulfill each and every promise.

Our last night, we were able to watch this incredible sunset. I couldn't help but remember the lyrics of Bethel's song, Wonder, as I watched the sun slip over the horizon. I am so grateful for a couple days to spend with my greatest blessings, and that the Lord shifted my focus back where it belonged.

"May we never lose our wonder, Wide eyed and mystified, May we be just like a child, Staring at the beauty of our King"

Kale Chips with a Kick

Hello, my name is Andrea and I have an salty snack addiction. Ice cream....eh. Cookies.....yawn. Chocolate.....moving on. But put a bag of chips in front of me and I can barely restrain myself. Obviously that's not the best choice if I care anything about my arteries or my hips. Enter the best snacking discovery EVER: Kale chips. There are so many different variations, but here's my favorite lately.

- 1 bunch of kale
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp Penzey's Sandwich Sprinkle (or you can substitute Sea Salt and a little bit of garlic powder)
- Hot sauce of your choice to taste (I love Cholula, but regular Frank's was the kick of the day today.)

1. Preheat oven to 270 degrees.
2. Rinse your bunch of kale and tear off small pieces of the leaf, discarding the stem and vine.
3. Place kale on a cookie sheet (it's fine if it's overtaking your sheet; it will cook down)
4. Toss with olive oil, spices and hot sauce
5. Bake for 20 minutes. Take it out and turn/rotate kale leaves then bake for another 20 minutes.
6. Enjoy and don't forget to thank your lucky stars that you saw this blog post. You're welcome.

The Moon Might Be Milk

We are working through our unit based curriculum, My Father's World for Kindergarten. For the past week, we have been on the Moon unit and have learned all about the moon as well as focusing on the letter M. The Moon Might Be Milk by Lisa Schulman was a great addition to our week. It tells the tale of a little girl named Rosie who inquires of all her animal friends what the milk could be made of. They all have a different theory, speculating that it is anything from a saucer of milk to sweet, sparkling sugar. They all end up at Rosie's grandmother's house looking for her to satisfy their curiosity of what the moon could be made of. As they offer up each of their theories, the grandmother adds a little bit of each of their suggestions to a bowl. In the end, they were all right as they end up making moon cookies with the ingredients. It was a fun story, and of course we had to try the Moon Cookie Recipe in the back of the book.

We don't keep a lot of sweets in the house, so it's no surprise that my girls jumped at the chance to make sugar cookies for school.







The activity was quick and easy (well, as easy as baking with a 3 and 5 year old can be), and was a perfect afternoon project once we had completed our work for the day.

Our "moons" turned out a little on the tan side as I used whole wheat flour and sucanat instead of all purpose flour and granulated sugar, but the kids definitely didn't care. I forgot to do it when they had their first cookie, but next time I will have Cora bite her cookie down to each of the moon phases and identify them as she goes. Overall, it was a great addition to our Moon Unit!

 

Deep Roots

Life is complicated. Every time I get settled in and comfortable, something always changes. I spent a long time (and sometimes still do!) trying to hold onto control in my life. I have this subconscious belief that if I just plan enough, anticipate enough, prepare enough, and make all the right choices, that I can "control" the path and the outcome. This idol of control (and that's what it is, an idol) couldn't be further from God's plan for me.

Notice that the tree isn't doing anything. It's not making a long list of everything it has to do to be prepared for the drought. It isn't worrying about how it is going to get water or what's going to happen when it's leaves start turning brown. It's not anxious about the coming heat, trying to figure out how to survive the upcoming challenges. Why? Because it is rooted near a life sustaining source. It sends it's roots deep into the stream where it knows it will receive exactly the nourishment and provision it needs to survive any hardship. But it not only survives, it thrives! The end of the passage says that it never fails to bear fruit, even through difficulties that should have killed it. 

So what about the beautiful tree that's planted in the middle of a field somewhere with no stream in sight? It's well being is entirely dependent on its circumstances. It does well when the blessing of rain is consistent and the climate is moderate. One day, the same heat and drought come, but it is an entirely different outcome. The tree appears as if it's doing well for a little while, but once it uses up it's own reserves, it begins to die little by little. The outermost leaves start turning brown and falling. The branches start drying out. Some bark begins falling off of the trunk. The exterior of the tree appears to be suffering but it still stands strong until one day it suddenly falls. Hard. When you approach it and look at the center of the trunk, you see that the core is dry, crumbled and empty. The tree that was once stood strong and beautiful and seemed to have it all together has fallen. The tree's own reserves and energy were not enough to sustain it during the drought. 

I don't know about you, but I know exactly which tree I want to be. I want to be planted by the source, Christ. I want my roots to go deep into His word and for my faith and trust in Him to be what sustains me through each coming difficulty in life. I don't want to be dependent on my own abilities, but live so deeply rooted in His grace that when the droughts and trials in my life come, I not only survive, but thrive, bearing external fruit that can only be a reflection of where my roots are buried. 

Homemade Laundry Detergent

I've been making all of our laundry detergent for almost two years now. It's easy, cheap, and it has far less chemicals in it than what you can find on the shelves. It takes me about 30 minutes every 3-5 months and costs only $7 per batch. How do you say no to that? Here's what you need:

Supplies
- large stockpot
- 5 gallon bucket with a lid
- grater
- wooden spoon or spatula
- clean and empty milk jug or similar container
- funnel (or I use an old creamer box cut in half as a funnel)

Ingredients
- 1 cup baking soda
- 1 cup Borax natural laundry soap (found in laundry aisle)
- 2 cups Arm & Hammer's washing soda (found in laundry aisle)
- 1 bar soap - you can find Naptha Falls Laundry Bar in most laundry aisles. I prefer Dr. Bronner's Castile Soap Bars but any soap that is paraben and sulfate free will work (Unless you want a full on bubble party rave in your kitchen. In that case, go with something full of sulfates.)
- essential oils (optional)

1. Grate your bar of soap into small shavings. Place the soap shavings in your stockpot with 4 cups of water on medium heat. Stir and heat until soap is dissolved.

2. Add baking soda, washing soda and Borax. Stir frequently and heat on medium until it is completely dissolved. Add water if needed.

3. Add your favorite scent with about 30 drops of essential oils and stir. My favorite is lavender, and it can be found in most natural health stores or online here.



4. Carefully pour your stockpot mixture into the 5 gallon bucket. Fill the rest of the bucket with HOT water from the tap.

5. Place the lid on the bucket and let sit for 24 hours, and it will turn into a gel. Skim any film off the top then transfer into your milk jug for every day use.




Shake the milk jug prior to use as the contents can separate without the extra chemicals to bind them. I use about 1/2 cup in each load; more if it's heavily soiled. You may need to adjust the amount according to your washing machine. I also still use a stain remover for tough stains. Overall, the savings in money and chemicals is totally worth the 30 minutes it takes to make it.

Strawberry Almond Smoothie

Just wanted to share one of my favorite smoothie recipes. This has been my go to breakfast lately. It's great for long lasting energy and packs a lot of nutrition into one glass.

 - 1 cup of greens
- 1 cup of frozen strawberries
- 2 cups of almond milk
- 2 tbsp almond butter
- 2 tbsp protein powder 
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 5-10 drops of liquid Stevia to taste 
- 1 tsp vanilla (optional)

I'm currently using a Ninja blender/processing system but dreaming of a Vitamix one day. Blend well and enjoy!

Tooth Fairy Tears

A few weeks ago when my daughter Cora yelled into the other room that she could "bend her tooth", I gave an absentminded "Yeah, ok." in response. A few seconds later, I stopped in my tracks and realized what was going on. Sure enough, she had her first loose tooth a couple months past her 5th birthday and a couple of weeks shy of starting Kindergarten.

While she was super excited about it (which still remains a mystery to me as she cries over every hangnail), I was so sad. This was the first tangible sign that my little girl was becoming a big girl. So, I did what any sane mom would do. I choked back my tears, congratulated her, and soon threw myself into a sewing project as therapy. I'm a fixer by nature and for whatever reason, it helps me process things by doing something. ANYTHING.

I jumped on Pinterest to get some general ideas, then got to work crafting the best Tooth Fairy pillow this emotional mom could whip up.

1.  I cut out two 6" squares from some scrap fabric I had.

2.  I sketched a model of a tooth on a piece of paper to use as a guide and cut it out, then traced around it on white fabric.

3. I cut out a small square (about 2") from white fabric

4. I drew a smiley face on the white tooth fabric as a guide and used an embroidery setting to stitch a face on the tooth. Then I drew a C on the white square and used an embroidery setting to stitch her initial onto the tooth pocket.

5. I attached the tooth to one of the 6" squares with an embroidery needle, and then after stitching the top edge of the white square by itself, I attached it by the two sides and bottom to the other 6" square.

6. I took an old handle from a kids purse that was already in desperate need of repair and cut it about 5" long. I placed it upside down in a curve between the two 6" squares with the tooth/pocket sides facing each other.

7. I stitched around the edge with a 1/2" seam, leaving a 2" gap in the bottom. Then I turned it inside out and stuffed it, hand stitching the gap closed when I was done.

After the project, I felt just a little better about my little girl growing up. A couple of weeks later, on a beautiful day at the park, we plucked the tooth right out. Her smile says it all. She was so proud to put her tooth in her Tooth Fairy Pillow that night, and thrilled with the puzzle that replaced it the next morning. I think we are both ready for the next loose tooth now.

Finding Flexibility & Honoring a Hero

I'm a planner. I am always thinking several days ahead. Sometimes this works out great, and everything goes smoothly and exactly according to my plans. However many times, this leaves me frustrated and robbed of the joy in living in the moment. My planning definitely comes in handy when it comes to homeschooling, but I almost missed an awesome opportunity this morning when I was completely stuck on what I had already planned for our day.

My husband's company, Lennox International, had donated HVAC equipment to Operation Coming Home who had just completed the construction of a mortgage-free home for Corporal Nathan Jakubisin who lost a leg and sustained other injuries in the war against terror. Austin invited us to come along to the Key Ceremony this morning. I immediately started thinking of how it would mess up my lesson plans for the day to leave the house for the entire morning. I spent about 10 minutes trying to strategize and figure out how we could possibly get everything done. I came so close to saying no, when I realized that this was EXACTLY what the girls needed to learn about today. They had an opportunity to make a real connection with the sacrifices that military families make and to be a part of honoring a special family. So, I placed my lesson plans on the back burner, and we joined Austin for the ceremony. I am so grateful that we did.

It was such a beautiful way to spend 9/11 and honor someone who had made such great sacrifices so that we can live in freedom. I was able to have some wonderful conversations with Cora about the military, war, government structure, and community. She was able to see the mayor of Fuquay-Varina, John Byrne; the governor of North Carolina, Pat McCrory; and Corporal Jakubisin had a private phone conversation with Vice President Joe Biden while we were there. She saw countless men and women in military uniform, and really connected with the work that that they do. She even has her own plan for addressing terrorists which includes our family heading overseas so that we can tie up, hit, spit and use squirt guns on the bad guys. She wanted to share her plan with Corporal Jakubisin, but I told her we would probably have to save that for another day. :)

I am so glad that our day was "interrupted", and I know that they learned just as much (or more!) on our outing than they would have if we stuck to my lesson plans. And I learned to keep a loose hold on my plans, and allow the Lord to lead each day. You never know what opportunities He will bring.

 "Many are the plans in a person's heart, but it's the Lord's purpose that prevails." Proverbs 19:21 

Our library selection for today

In Honor of Jingle Bells

Yesterday, our family got a little dose of reality to the cycle of life when it comes to raising farm animals. We had our first casualty after a year and a half, 19 chickens, 2 goats, 2 cats and 1 dog. I have to say, I'm pretty proud of that. If we can keep them alive, not to mention two kids (one of whom has back-ups for her back-up guardian angel), hopefully we can raise just about anything else that Austin comes up with. 

We arrived home from two days out of town to discover that our young rooster (cockerel) Moe Jr., who has the raging hormones of a 13 year old boy, has not quite perfected the art of mating gently and had injured one of our original birds who my daughter had fondly named Jingle Bells.




Austin separated her from the rest of the chickens so we could bandage her up, thinking it was only a minor surface wound or puncture. We discovered a huge gash hidden under her wing and quickly realized that she had no chance of surviving without a several hundred dollar vet bill and intensive care from us as she recovered.









Once the decision was made, I ushered the girls inside to unpack and save them the mental image of Jingle Bells' last moments (and thousands of dollars in therapy) while Austin started preparing for his first time butchering a chicken. I responded to questions like, "What is it like in chicken heaven?" (I mean really, how do you answer that one?), while the girls prayed for God to heal their chicken and Austin got his tools together.



He had been outside for a quite awhile, and I had assumed he must be close to finishing when I heard a knock on the front door. There was Austin, searching for Jingle Bells who had apparently seen a chance for escape and took it! 20 minutes later, he tracked her down in the tobacco field next to our house. She apparently had one last thing to complete from her bucket list before she was ready to see the light.

 After Austin had completed the task, he brought her inside to finish cleaning her up. I totally wasn't anticipating eating her. She was a laying bird after all (meat birds are completely different breeds and are butchered at a much younger age), but Austin insisted that the best way to honor her life is to make her useful rather than discarding her. Apparently laying birds can be eaten, but must be prepared differently.







Austin finished cleaning the bird and placed the meat in the fridge. I originally put "Jingle Bells" on the menu for this week, but decided to transfer her to the freezer instead. It's just a little too soon....

So, in honor of Jingle Bells, one of our first birds and a great mama hen to our first round of baby chicks: we will salute you with some chicken stew this winter. And I will no longer be naming any more chickens. :) 

Homeschool Beginnings

Well, we just wrapped up our first two weeks of homeschool with Cora (5) starting Kindergarten and Eden (2) dabbling in a little bit of preschool. Overall, the transition has not been too bad. Our first day was wonderful - everyone was excited to start and enthusiastic for each new activity.

 

 Day two brought a little dose of reality....

 

Of course we had to take the classic First Day of School photos like all other families sending their children to Kindergarten.

But let's be real, people. We all know that it takes about 50 photos that look like THIS to get one that you can actually use....

 When we first started telling people that we were planning to homeschool, we got mixed responses. I had several friends say "Ohhhh, I could never do that." Some were concerned about socialization for the kids and free time for me. And then others were 100% supportive. We chose to homeschool for many reasons, but the first is definitely what drove our decision. Here are just a few of the reasons we started this journey.

1. We felt strongly that God was leading us to start our children's schooling at home. I resisted for awhile, because it's a huge responsibility. He confirmed it time and time again and gave me the peace to walk in this decision.

2. I have known deep in my heart since I was young that my greatest dream was to be a wife and mother and to raise a family. While I would do many other important things in my life, this was my primary calling. Homeschooling fits with this God given vision.

3. We want to inspire a love for learning in our children through hands on exploration, spontaneous learning and a flexible schedule rather than having them sit in a classroom for 8 hours a day.

4. We want to tailor our kids education to their individual learning styles, personalities and strengths.

5. We want to spend these important years pouring into our children and foster an environment where their relationship with Christ can flourish and the fruit of that relationship is displayed in their character.

The decision on where and how to educate your children is a very personal one, and there are so many factors that have to be considered. I have no judgement towards families who make a different choice than we have. I'm not sure how long we will homeschool...it may be for one year, or for their entire education. All I know is that we are following the Lord's leading, taking it one day at a time, and we have had a pretty great start so far.