Thursday Scripture Thoughts

I wanted to post this is from Joel Osteen. It is really good and something to think about!

Take the High Road

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE
“The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace and remain at rest.”(Exodus 14:14, AMP)

In life, we’re always going to have critics. We’ll always have difficult people who try to upset us and steal our peace and joy. But, you don’t have to respond to every critic. You can decide to take the high road and let God fight your battles for you. Sometimes, no matter what you say or do, there are people who aren’t going to accept you. They just don’t want to be at peace with you. In fact, when Jesus sent out His disciples to certain homes, He told them to always speak peace over those homes. And then He said in effect, “If they don’t receive the peace that you’re offering, then it will come back to you.” That tells me, if you will do your best to be at peace with people, even if they won’t take your peace, the good news is that peace will just come back to you. You’ll not only get your peace, but you’ll get their share as well! That’s double for your trouble! When you do the right thing no matter what is happening, God sees it and He rewards it.

A PRAYER FOR TODAY
Father in heaven, I choose to hold my peace. I choose to do the right thing even when the wrong thing is happening. I trust that You are fighting my battles for me. I give You all the honor and praise. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Crystal Light Way Water Challenge

Today Kelly posted about the Water Challenge Crystal Light is doing. I am not a huge fan of Crystal Light because it gives me headaches and makes my stomach feel queasy, so I have started drinking Sugar Free Kool-Aid and Sugar Free Hawaiian Punch singles. The singles still give me headaches every once in awhile, but nothing like Crystal Light. I have lost 5lbs so far in a few weeks and hopefully will continue to lose more. I also drink decaf coffee with a lot of creamer at work for something different. I don't really care for coffee, especially the after taste but the decaf is not as bitter and strong and I get some water from it. I was drinking about 3 canned sodas a day for caffeine after I started back to work from maternity leave. Ever since I had my baby I have not been able to drink much plain water. I used to drink it all the time, especially at work. I hope I will be able to start drinking plain water again since it is summer time. I usually drink more water during the summer.

Chicken and Pasta in Sun Dried Tomato Cream Sauce

This pasta is really good! I made it for a couple who just had a baby in my Sunday School Class. It tastes like an authentic Italian dish! I did not use the red pepper flakes and next time I will only use 3/4 of the box of penne pasta, because I like my pasta to have a lot of sauce.

Chicken and Pasta in Sun Dried Tomato Cream Sauce

2 tablespoon butter
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
2 tablespoon flour
1 1/2 cups chicken broth, divided
1 cup heavy cream
4 tablespoons sun-dried tomato slivers in oil
2 tablespoons oil from dried tomatoes
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
2 - 3 boneless chicken breasts - cut into bite-sized pieces
16 oz. penne pasta - cooked and drained (Or use less)

In a large skillet, melt butter over medium high heat. Add flour and cook 1 minute. Stir in 1 cup of broth, cream, tomatoes, thyme, salt, and pepper flakes. Bring to a boil and cook 1 minute. Pour into a bowl and set aside. Wipe skillet with a paper towel. Heat sun-dried tomato oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Saute chicken in oil until browned and cooked through. Transfer to plate.Add remaining 1/2 cup broth to pan; bring to boil and scrape up browned bits with a spoon. Mix in cream sauce, pasta, and chicken; heat through.


I also made this Eclair Cake for dessert for the couple. It is really simple to make and very good!

Eclair Cake
Makes 12 servings

1 (14.4-ounce) box honey graham crackers
2 (3.4-ounce) packages Vanilla or French Vanilla instant pudding mix
3 cups milk
1 (12-ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 (16-ounce) container ready-to-spread chocolate frosting

Line bottom of an ungreased 13- x 9-inch baking dish with one-third of honey graham crackers. Whisk together pudding mix and milk. Let set for 5 mins. Fold in whipped topping. Spread half of pudding mixture over graham crackers. Repeat layers with one-third of graham crackers and remaining pudding mixture. Top with remaining graham crackers. Heat frosting in microwave for 35-45 seconds. Pour chocolate frosting over graham crackers. Cover and chill 8 hours.

Show Us Where You Live Friday - Nursery

Here is my baby girl's nursery before she was born. I love the canvas above her bed. I had it painted to match her bedding. I added a few more things to her wall after these pictures were taken.

Our Family's Blessings

We have been so blessed. Last year God blessed us with a beautiful baby girl who we love very much! I can't wait to see what he has in store for us in the years to come!