All posts by KME

Budget & Money, Marriage, Parenting, Project 365

Marriage, Finances and Other Serious Topics

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Husbands – love your wives.

Wives – respect your husbands.

How can this teaching be so simple and yet so profound?

Your spouse isn’t wrong, just different. Can you accept that he or she has needs that you don’t share?

These were some of the questions which challenged us this weekend at a Love and Respect video conference hosted by our church. We went as a family. Joshua and Rachel served in the children’s department, the rest of the kids were, um, children IN the children’s department. We brought treats, welcomed people as best we could in our (always late) manner, and helped put away chairs and tables at the end.

it's a little sunny

We did walk away with 3 leftover pizzas so the time obviously wasn’t wasted.

Oh, yes and we also left with a renewed commitment to practice love and respect in our marriage. A reminder that we have have tools available to us in a conflict.

In the afternoon we had a family meeting. Time to talk about finances, budgets, and other exciting topics. Nothing like hitting some of the big issues!

sarah and david

We watched some sermon clips from Pastor Mark at Mars Hill Church in Seattle, listened to several discussions on stewardship with Randy Alcorn, and were challenged by some words from John Piper on the prosperity gospel.

Just your typical afternoon viewing.

We ended the day with the rest of our Pollyanna movie.

How about you? If you have children, do you wrestle over the big issues with them? Do you talk about tithing and stewardship? Do you discuss the problems facing the poverty stricken people in other countries? Do you let them see that marriage takes WORK? Do you let them see you struggle?

purple puppy and pink pal

Tim and I are both spenders, not a saver between us. As our children have gotten older, they participate in our conversations over money, debt and stewardship. They see our weaknesses and faults.

It’s humbling to know they are aware of your flaws.

I hope amidst it all they also see we are striving to grow and follow Jesus.

But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold. My feet have closely followed his steps; I have kept to his way without turning aside. Job 22:10-11

Kathy

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Daily Life, Musings

What is this picture?

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We had co-op this week. No matter how we plan or schedule our time, the kids are constantly working on projects at the last minute.

I can’t imagine where they get that from!

Perhaps from their father’s side of the family.

Please don’t check the time stamp on this post.

As I was saying, each week there is something that needs IMMEDIATE attention, at the last minute. Is this true for public school as well or is it because we only have classes one day a week? Do all parents face this, “Oh no, my assignment is due tomorrow and I haven’t started!” phenomena?

Daniel and Rachel hurry to memorize their spelling words. Joshua is usually on the computer finalizing his presentation homework. Daniel often has a paper to finish for our writing class. The only reason Joshua and Rachel aren’t also furiously writing is that they aren’t taking the course this semester.

doing his math

Sorry kids, just being real.

This was Daniel creation for co-op. Can you identify if from my poorly taken picture?

what is this?

So not only am I homeschooling the children, teaching them during the day, molding and shaping their little brains, I’m also monitoring homework someone ELSE has assigned them.

We started watching Pollyanna this evening.

I can see I need to practice playing The Glad Game.

that's my girl

I’m awfully glad God blessed me with this sweet daughter.

Kathy

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Photography

Photoshop Elements – Black and White w/Color

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I love Photoshop! It’s truly an amazing program and I find myself using it often – cropping pictures, removing red-eye, touching up photos, enhancing colors, etc. It can be a bit overwhelming at times, however, especially when I begin to dabble in some of the greater complexities of the software. I’m currently using Photoshop Elements 5. I have a wonderful PSE book by Scott Kelby in my Amazon Wish List.

Maybe it will find its way here in time for Mother’s Day!! Hint, hint. :)

Until then, I find tips online, read blogs, and google with the best of them in order to answer my Photoshop questions. One fun thing I’ve discovered is a SUPER easy way to convert a photo to black and white and then add back in a portion of it in color.

david's new Bible

Sweet boy.
Awesome new Bible.
Boring picture.

Here are the steps to converting a picture to black and white and then painting back in a color.

1. Open picture file
2. Duplicate background layer
3. Go to Adjust color>Hue-saturation
4. Drag saturation slider all the way to the left
5. Use eraser tool where you wish to retain color.

there you go

Much more interesting picture in black and white, cropped a bit.
Doesn’t the Bible just pop!

Super Easy!! A simple google search will yield other methods (even video tutorials) as well as quite a bit of discussion on the best way to achieve beautiful looking black and white photos. This one was simple, quick and produced the results I was seeking.

If you have a Photoshop technique, website or book to share, please leave me a comment!! I’m eager to learn more. After all, I have to do something while I avoid cleaning the garage.

Kathy

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Daily Life, Kathy

Moms Don’t Get Sick

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I thought moms weren’t allowed to get sick. Isn’t that some sort of Code among mothers?

Kids can go from one illness to the next, dads fall by the wayside when the sniffles hit, but moms (stalwart and strong) walk confidently through the colds, flus, and plagues of the winter months.

one pathetic mama

Isn’t that a flattering picture!

Would someone please explain to my immune system that I do NOT have time to be sick. I have to teach school and take care of my family. I can’t read books with a scratchy throat and runny nose. Our church is hosting a marriage conference this weekend and I have responsibilities. There’s no time in my schedule for napping!

get me some meds

Stop taking my picture, I’m sick!

Usually I sail through these times with nary a sniffle or cough. I’m available to hand out tissues, dispense medicine and offer helpful suggestions like: “Drink plenty of liquids. Have some tea. Get back in bed and rest a bit.”

Not this time. Someone put on the water and get me some tea!

Sarah's got my tea!

Thank goodness I bought some delicious new teas this weekend.

Now to find the perfect spot for a nice nap.

Kathy

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Project 366, Recipes/Food

Recipes without Pictures

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Sorry no gorgeous food shots to include with this post; just a few basic recipe ideas, per your requests. :)

Roasted Asparagus with Onion

Chop two sweet onions and spread on baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil. Add some garlic and sprinkle with Kosher salt.

Roast in oven 20 minutes.

I was baking chicken at the time so the temp was lower than I would normally favor for roasted veggies. 400 or 425 works best.

After the onions have softened a bit (turn over with fork), add fresh asparagus (woody ends snapped off). Drizzle (or spritz) with olive oil, sprinkle salt and fresh Rosemary. Bake for another 10 minutes. When asparagus is done to desired softness (I like mine crisp), take out and garnish with fresh Parmesan cheese.

I love roasted onions so I took the opportunity to cook them along with the asparagus. You’ll have to experiment with the baking time. I was working on pulling everything together for dinner and didn’t time the veggies very precisely. Okay, I barely timed them at all so I am not responsible for your under or over cooked veggies.

Roast at your own risk.

let's play in the sand

I lied. I couldn’t really post a blog without a few pictures. Sarah and David spent hours in the sand box this afternoon.

Tuscan Chicken Breasts

This is a super easy recipe, I can hardly take any credit for it. I buy the frozen chicken breasts at Costco. I find they consistently give me tender results. I marinated the chicken in Trader Joe’s Tuscan Italian salad dressing over night. I only had a little bit of dressing left so I added some balsamic vinegar and olive oil to the jar and poured it over the chicken.

Bake chicken in oven at 375. Normally this would take 30 to 40 minutes. I HATE dry, overcooked chicken breasts, so I tend to check my chicken as it is cooking. I took the pan out, cut the chicken into smaller pieces (best way to see how it is cooking) and then returned it to the oven. I’ve found that the secret to tender, juicy chicken breasts is in the length of cooking time. You can NOT let it cook too long.

This dinner had several dishes that needed the oven so I ended up pulling the chicken out and finishing it (only 2 or 3 minutes) in the microwave. After it is finished baking, sprinkle with fresh Parmesan.

Yum!

Trader Joe’s Tuscan Italian Dressing with Balsamic Vinegar – try it! It’s one of Tim’s favorites.

Let's have dinner!

Of course, my lovely Mesa Manna recipe has already been fully documented (complete with lots of pictures) here on this post.

Next time I feature a recipe, I simply must share our very favorite blender oatmeal pancakes. They are delicious AND healthy.

Kathy
Project 366 – Day 54

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