How Should A Christian Live? by Brenda Noel

How Should a Christian Live is the third in a series of devotionals in the Word of Promise: Next Generation series. In this youth devotional, the reader will come to understand how a Christian should live based upon characteristics found in scripture. There are twelve sessions which include sections of reading, word games and an audio portion of scripture .

I found this devotional to be a great tool in a young believers understanding of the characteristics each Christian should try to develop. Having been involved in youth ministry, this devotional tries to dig deep in defining big ideas and terms as well as how to understand scripture and how to apply it in our daily lives. The devotional makes it an interactive experience between listening to the MP3 scripture along with the word games . The stories that are told in each session are easy to relate to and easy to follow.

I wish the devotional had you interact with the Bible more and used a more literal translation rather than the children’s version used.

Overall, I thought this was a great devotional for youth and appropriate for older elementary and middle school students.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com <http://BookSneeze.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

.daily funnies.

Have you ever wondered what a mouth full of cookie dough looks like?

My Recipes: Granola Bars

I've been inspired to start trying to make some of our "staple" foods out of scratch for two reasons: 1) save money and 2) I can control what's in them and make sure we're eating wholesome, healthy and as preservative-free as possible. My kids really like granola bars as a snack, so for the past few days, I've been researching some recipes from different blogs and websites. I've made my own recipe based on taking things from here and there...

RECIPE:

This makes 20 granola bars...

2 cups quick cook oats
1/3 c brown sugar
1/2 c coconut **
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 c chopped apricots**
1/4 c mini all-natural choc chips**
1/2 c honey
1 egg beaten
1/2 c olive oil
2 tsp vanilla

**replaceable with any other dry ingredient, i.e., chopped nuts, raisins, cranberries, blueberries, etc.

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly spray 9 x 13 pan (I use glass but you could use metal, I would just keep an eye out for shorter cooking time).

In a large bowl, mix all dry ingredients together. Make a well and add honey, egg, olive oil and vanilla. Mix together and add to pan. Press in pan so it is in an even layer. Bake for 30 minutes. Let cool for a while, cut into desired sizes and remove from pan. Let cool. Enjoy and store in snack bags or air tight container for a few days. This is also freezable.

Inspiring recipes:
Yummy Fruit and Nutty Grain Bars
Granola Bar Recipe

My Recipes: Shrimp Scampi w/ Linguine

This is a variation of a recipe that I've used in the past. I wanted something a little less greasy and more fresh and healthy. This is a super quick meal to throw together (the longest part is waiting for the water to boil).

RECIPE:

DIFFICULTY: EASY ; TIME: 15 minutes; SERVINGS: 2-3 adults (or in our case 2 adults and 2 kids)

1-2 lbs raw shrimp (medium size...I think they're considered the 21-25 classification)
2 T olive oil
1 T butter
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2-3 green onions (sliced)
2T fresh Italian parsley (chopped)
2-3 minced garlic cloves
zest of 1/2 lemon
Parmesan cheese; grated to taste


Get large pot of salted water on the stove to boil. While water is heating, do all your prep (slicing, dicing, etc).

Once water is boiling, add linguine and cook according to package directions. Drain and toss with very small amount of olive oil.

In a skillet, on medium-high heat, heat olive oil and butter together. Once butter is melted, add the rest of the ingredients except for lemon zest. Cook for about 5 minutes or until shrimp is fully cooked (maybe shorter time).

Add pasta to a serving bowl or platter, top with shrimp and pour on juices from pan. Top with lemon zest and Parmesan cheese to taste. Serve immediately. This is great with a simple ceasar salad or salad of choice.

.daily funnies.

We went to the doctor the other day for the kids well-child check-ups. We had talked about going to the doctor a lot before we went because I wanted the kids to know what to expect when we got there and so they were ready and excited to go. When we got there, we checked in and quickly got called by by the nurse to start with all the measuring, weighing, etc.

Nurse: Hi Elijah. Are you ready to see how tall you've gotten?
Elijah: Um, Savannah swallows her gum, but I don't. She's supposed to spit it out in the trash when she's done, but she swallows it EVERY TIME.
Nurse: What? Oh, ok. (she looks at me, I just smile and shrug and keep filling out my paperwork)...


In the mornings or while in the car we occasionally listen to the radio. Well, you know that catchy Lady Gaga song that's on the radio right now? Well, I think the "La-La, La-La-La-La" part get stuck in his head...

Elijah: "La-La, Ma, ma, ma-ma." (giggling)
Me: Laughing but in a little disbelief that he's singing Lady Gaga, even if its a little off. Definitely not my first choice for a 4 year old, but it is catchy...
Elijah: "Who makes you laugh, mommy?: (in a very impressed, who's your daddy? kinda voice)
Me: Oh, bubba, you do. You make mommy laugh all the time.

Recipe Review/RE-DO: Chicken Pot Pie

This is a classic recipe from good ol' Betty Crocker's cookbook however, I've made a few changes to lighten it up and add some extra something to it. :) The traditional recipe uses peas/carrots mix only, more butter and more pie dough...

A few side notes: This is really easy to make...you can easily double/triple the recipe, assemble and freeze for baking later. I usually just take it out of the freezer, unwrap it, change the oven temp from 425 to 375-400 and bake as usual. It does take longer but turns out exactly the same as if you made it that day. I've also used left over rotisserie chicken and it turns out well too.

3/4 pkg of Trader Joe's organic foursome veggie mix (frozen)
1/4 cup butter or stick margarine
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup chopped onions
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
2/3 cup milk (1%)
2 1/2 to 3 cups cut-up cooked chicken or turkey
Pastry for 9-inch Two-Crust Pie (pre-bought if desired)...I usually only use enough dough for one pie crust to cut fat and calories...I don't miss it. I just add all ingredients in dish then top with dough...but either way its great.


1. Rinse frozen peas and carrots in cold water to separate; drain.

2. Melt butter in 2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour, onion, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is bubbly; remove from heat. Stir in broth and milk. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Stir in chicken and peas and carrots; remove from heat.

3. Heat oven to 425°.

4. Make pastry. Roll two-thirds of the pastry into 13-inch square. Ease into ungreased square pan, 9 ¥ 9 ¥ 2 inches. Pour chicken mixture into pastry-lined pan.

5. Roll remaining pastry into 11-inch square. Cut out designs with 1-inch cookie cutter. Place square over chicken mixture. Arrange cutouts on pastry. Turn edges of pastry under and flute.

6. Bake about 35 minutes or until golden brown.

Recipe Reviews: Homemade Bagels

This recipe and picture are from Baking Bites.


I've have long wanted to make my own bagels. I LOVE bagels and would eat them everyday if I could. When we moved one of the "treats" I missed the most was Noah's bagels. Now, there are a few bagel places near town, but nothing near the quality and experience of Noah's and they all seem to be quite the drive.

Recently I've been trying out my luck with baking with yeast and after successfully making pizza dough from scratch several times, I've figured I'd give myself permission to try something new in the yeast department. Enter bagels - can you think of anything more delightful than fresh homemade bagels and a cup of coffee or tea? Not me!! :)

So, I set out to find a recipe...here's the bagel recipe I chose: Homemade Bagels by Baking Bites.

MY THOUGHTS: I was a little nervous, but this recipe was really easy to follow and actually rather effortless. My bagels didn't look quite like her picture but close enough and I was pleased that they even resembled bagels. The smell was amazing. My house smelled like a bakery. My kids loved them and even my husband who doesn't really like bagels liked them!

An added bonus is that you can actually know what's going into your bagels and what you're serving your family. No preservatives, people, so I would suggest keeping them in the fridge or freezing them until you're able to eat them. This recipe makes a dozen bagels. I keep them in the fridge and then slice and toast when we're ready to eat...yummy.

My only complaint and thing that I would change is they are a bit salty for me. I think next time I will reduce the amount of salt to 1/2 T instead of 1T as suggested in the recipe. Phil didn't think they were salty, so maybe I'm just being sensitive...who knows.

DIFFICULTY: EASY-MEDIUM (a lot of steps and some of them unusual...like the boiling part)

MAKE AGAIN: Yes. Next time I will lower amount of salt, and even try adding something in them like blueberries or sub in some whole wheat flour. I even think that these would freeze well.

Fruited Water

Now that spring is here, I've gone back to an old favorite beverage of mine...fruited water. Phil always gives me a hard time because I'm horrible about drinking water. Somedays I'll go all day without drinking any. I just don't think about it...but I've found something that helps.

I keep a pitcher in the fridge with sliced fruit. This week I happened to only have citrus so I added sliced lemon, lime and orange and added water. This will last for up to two days in the refrigerator. If you run out of water, just fill up the pitcher or jar again.

I like to make this for guests too. It makes water look so fancy and its really delish. I've noticed lately at Trader Joe's by their sample booth, they always have fruited water that is lightly sweetened. I'm not sure what it is lightly sweetened with but its also yummy. My kids like my version and they feel like its a "special" drink and I can rest comfortably knowing its not full of added sugar and sweetener. Try it and I bet you'll drink a lot more water throughout the day.

Niah's Birthday

On Saturday, Niah's 2nd birthday party was at the park and even though it was a little chilly (hey, at least it wasn't raining) we had a great time celebrating such a sweet little girl.

Cortney made her cake...Bob and Larry from VeggieTales, a favorite for miss Niah these days.

Niah and Savannah

Elijah thought he was beyond cool with his rock star sunglasses.

Big Girl Bed

We recently moved Savannah into her big girl bed and it was a bittersweet moment for Phil and I. Its exciting because its another hurdle successfully passed but it just means that she's getting older and not a baby anymore. We had been talking it up for weeks and getting her excited about it and so when the day finally came, she was thrilled and has slept like a champ in it ever since. Her room is pretty tiny and actually felt really tiny with her crib in there but now that we moved the twin bed in and the crib out it feels so much bigger. We also changed her wide dresser that we used for a changing table out and replaced it with a taller chest of drawers. Here's a few pictures from the first day she slept in it. Isn't she still so tiny?!

Good Friday

^{Luke 23: 46-49 (NIV)}

⁴⁶Jesus called out with a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." When he had said this, he breathed his last.

⁴⁷The centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God and said, "Surely this was a righteous man." ⁴⁸When all the people who had gathered to witness this sight saw what took place, they beat their breasts and went away. ⁴⁹But all those who knew him, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.