Loaded Potato & Lil Smokies Sheet Pan Dinner

Source: @cookingwithcaitlynskitchen on instagram

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DZgTonBhzSU/?igsh=NHVlZzhuYjNsdHp0 

Ingredients

4 yellow potatoes, sliced (and cut in half)

2 tbsp butter, melted

1 package Lil Smokies sausages

2 zucchini, sliced (and cut in half)

½ onion, sliced (optional)

1 Olive oil

BBQ sauce (about ¼ cup or to taste)

Shredded cheddar cheese

Salt, to taste

Black pepper, to taste

Paprika, to taste

Garlic & Herb seasoning, to taste

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 400°F.

2. Slice the potatoes and parboil them for 8–10 minutes, until just fork tender. Drain well.

3. Toss the potatoes with the melted butter and season generously with salt, pepper, paprika, and Garlic & Herb seasoning.

4. Add the potatoes to a large sheet pan. Top them with shredded cheese.

5. Add the sliced zucchini (and onion, if using) to the sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt, pepper, paprika, and Garlic & Herb seasoning.

6. Toss the Lil Smokies with BBQ sauce and place them on the sheet pan alongside the vegetables.

7. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the zucchini is tender and the potatoes are golden with melted cheese.

8. Serve and enjoy!

When God Takes You the Long Way

When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, “If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.” So God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea. Exodus 13:17-18

I love these verses. 

I don’t really like to drive. Never have. Probably never will. I don’t like driving too fast, too close to other cars, or in the dark or the rain. Sometimes I choose to take a longer, safer route because I don’t like the interstate at 5:00. This annoys Casey a bit because it takes me 25 minutes to get somewhere instead of 12. But I do it because the cars are crazy coming on and off the interstate and it scares me a little. I’d rather take the longer route and not have a mini heart attack.

Essentially, God sensed the danger on behalf of the Israelites. When he led them out of Egypt, into their freedom, he didn’t take them the short route. See, the shortest and most common route from Egypt to Canaan was the coastal route. It would make the most sense to go that way, especially with two million people in tow. But God wouldn’t let them take the shortcut. Why?

Because that’s where Egypt’s military outposts were located. And if the people of Israel had gone that way, they would have found themselves in a battle. A battle they weren’t ready for. God knew that if the Israelites were faced with that battle, they’d turn their tails around and go right back to Egypt, right back into slavery. So he took them the long route.

Here’s the thing: the Bible doesn’t tell us whether or not God informed Israel why He was taking them the long way. I’d like to think He didn’t tell them, because that totally seems like a thing He’d do. Why do I say that? Because I’ve been there. There have been times where I’ve wondered why God is taking His sweet time to do something in my life. And He’s shown me, several times, that it’s because I wasn’t ready for what He had for me.

God wants what’s best for me. He doesn’t want to give me a gift that I can’t handle, He doesn’t want me to be in a place I’m not prepared for. So sometimes He takes me on the long route so I can become what he needs me to be. So I can be ready for what He has for me. 

But all I can see in the moment is that I’m taking the long way. And I complain. And I get annoyed. Because this is all taking far too long. 

But God knows. He knows what He’s doing and He knows it’s what’s best for me, no matter how much I complain.

I’m so grateful for His protection when I didn’t even know I needed it. 

We know that the Israelites certainly wouldn’t have been able to handle it, because it’s only a few verses later that we see their lack of faith in God.

God let Moses in on His plan to ambush the Egyptians… but the two of them left everyone else in the dark. The plan was on a need-to-know basis and they didn’t need to know. 

So God’s plan is going according to… well, God’s plan. And the Egyptians come chasing after the Israelites in 600 fancy chariots–the most high-tech military technology at the time. And, understandably, the Israelites start freaking out because the bad guys were catching up to them!

You’d think they’d be like, “If it was God’s plan to get us out of Egypt, He’ll get us through this too.” But the Israelites aren’t exactly known for their great faith.

And you’d think they’d have high faith, because literally verses before God gave them a pillar of cloud to guide them in the day (and be their shade from the sun) and a pillar of fire to guide them at night (and give them light). They had this super obvious proof that God was with them. “And the Lord did not remove the pillar of cloud or pillar of fire from its place in front of the people.” (Exodus 13:22) But despite the fact that God’s pillar was literally RIGHT there, they doubted him. 

So they were very afraid, and the children of Israel cried out to the LORD. Then they said to Moses, “Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt? Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, ‘Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians?’ For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness.”

Y’all. The Israelites were so afraid that they wished they were back in Egypt, being slaves. SLAVES. And the Egyptian slave drivers had not treated them nicely at all. It was real bad. But suddenly, their current situation seemed worse than slavery. Because they didn’t trust God’s promise. Sure, they couldn’t see that He was setting up a trap for the Egyptians. All they could see was the Egyptians quickly approaching, and no way out.  They hadn’t been free for a week and they already had a distorted approach of the bondage they’d come out of. They glamorized slavery because it seemed better than being chased by the enemy. Slavery was familiar. They knew what to expect every day. They knew it was gonna suck every day. 

But freedom was unknown. And it seemed scary. Taking chances are. Even when we know God is with us. We’re merely human, after all. 

And Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. The LORD will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.” Exodus 14:13-14

Moses tries to encourage the people, and man, those are encouraging words. I love that he still doesn’t let them in on God’s plan. Again, they didn’t need to know. In fact, Moses knew that God was setting an ambush, but God didn’t reveal to him how He was gonna get them out of there.

They needed to trust God and believe He’d protect them like He said He would.

And he did. 

Because right after that, He opened a door to freedom in a miraculous way. He parted a sea for them to walk through. 

God wants to provide your escape from the chains of sin. He’ll provide a miraculous way out too. But it may not feel like it. He has plans that are need-to-know and you don’t need to know. It may feel like you’re in a worse place than before as you try to flee the grip of Satan. Jesus provided a miraculous way out of sin. He went to the cross for you. The miracle is right in front of you, and to be free of sin, you’ve just got to ask. God wants to reveal His glory through you, just like he did with the Israelites.

“My great glory will be displayed through Pharaoh and his troops, his chariots, and his charioteers. When my glory is displayed through them, all Egypt will see my glory and know that I am the Lord!” Exodus 14: 17-18

2024 Home Projects List

The beginning of the year is my time to reflect on what I want to get done this year. We're finally realizing that we're renting long-term, so I'm making this house my home. We truly love our old little house, and I love making it ours. 

• Paint the living room pink
• Refresh the trim paint in the bathroom
• Get a clothesline (I've been wanting one for years!)
• Back the floral curtains with some white fabric so they don't fade anymore.
• Plant marigolds and/or sunflowers

Hello 2024

Here's my goals for 2024.

Continue the good habits I've created | Budgeting, meal and grocery planning, Bible reading, reading, bread making 

Declutter | Over the last few months, I've been decluttering. Slowly, but surely. This year, I need to focus on my craft room. It really overwhelms me. There's so much craft stuff and it also becomes a catch-all. (There's currently a ton of laundry from our mission trip, a Christmas tree I had to move in there because our wobbly cat kept knocking it over, and a pile of laundry I need to iron, not to mention TOO MUCH FABRIC.) I've wanted to sew today but don't want to dodge the things. This is a problem, which makes it a priority. I don't want to be overwhelmed by stuff anymore. 

Actually stick to a home cleaning program | This has been on my list for years. And maybe I don't actually need it. I feel like the house is usually in an okay-ish state and, honestly, that's enough for me. But I wouldn't mind it being in a more okay state. I created a document today that is a cleaning program I used years ago. Now I just gotta give it a shot!

Paint the living room | The living room paint is worse for wear. AND it's gray. It's a rental, but we're here longterm and we're allowed to paint. I want to go with a light pink/beige color. I'm honestly intimidated to get the wrong color, but I need to just go for it and refresh the living room. So this year... we paint the room pink! (And also probably repaint the trim because it NEEDS it.)

Add one more thing to my grocery list | I've got someone in my life who has fallen on rough times and has been relying on the food pantry. I'm so glad there are programs designed to help people in need. I want to help, but we live on a small budget. I wondered, "How can I help people when my budget is already stretched thin?" And I decided that I can buy one thing each week to put into a local blessing box. It's not much, but perhaps over the year it will add up to help others. It will also be my personal reminder that God has blessed me, and I will bless others. Even when I don't feel like I have a lot, I have more than enough, and I want to share that with others. 

Crafting | I'd like to finish the Works in Progress as a way to fulfill my "decluttering." And make 12 NICU quilts.

Reading | Let's start with a goal of 50 and see how things go.

Adoption | Raise enough funds to officially start the adoption progress (we were told we need to have $10,000 before we get started so we can do the first steps of the process). And, well, hopefully even more so we can really get the ball rolling. Once we get our home study done, I'd like to apply for grants to help with funding.

Marriage | Implement date night again. We used to be so good at this and I'm not sure when we fell off the bandwagon. Life's been so busy and, with a tight budget, we're not really able to go do "fun" stuff. I guess I lost my momentum. We need to get the ball rolling again, though.

Spiritual | Continue my study through the Bible and have grace with myself when it feels like I'm going slowly. Strengthen my prayer life. Write SALT lessons (I think about praying using The Lord's Prayer as a template). As for Sabbath, I do like not getting on social media once I'm home from church. 

Other things I'd like to do more of but will have to make a plan for implementing:

- spend more time outside 
- spend more time OFF phone (listen to that book)

Goodbye 2023

Well, obviously blogging was not a priority this year. But that's fine.

I've realized that I really like coming back to read my end and beginning of the year posts. The other day I was reading one and realized that I've actually made progress in several areas in my life over the past few years. In the day-to-day, I don't necessarily see the progress--it sometimes takes reflecting over the years. 

So I want to continue the tradition. Here's some of the areas I wanted to focus on in 2023 and how it's going.

Budgeting | I feel like I'm in a pretty good spot here. Once I got my systems in place, things run pretty smoothly. I made a few changes this year to make things run even more smoothly, and I know there's room for improvement, but I think that slow changes are just fine as long as it's working for me. 

Meal Planning/Grocery Shopping | I think this is inevitable because we live on a pretty tight budget. Again, I've got a system that works for me, so this has been pretty smooth as well. I'm really proud of that, because a few years ago, it was more difficult. I know we're in a season where it doesn't actually require much planning--I only cook a few times a week and we eat on leftovers a lot. I think it will become more important to meal plan and will require some adjustments once we have kids, but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it.

Reading my Bible | I started out the year strong with the plan to read my Bible AND a commentary in one year. About halfway through the year, I realized I felt burnt out on so much deep reading. Some days I'd spend three hours doing my Bible studying, and my brain felt like mush afterwards. I asked myself: What's more important? Reading my Bible in a year again? Or to enjoy my time studying the Word? It's more important to me to continue studying, so I took off the time limit. I now only read about a chapter a day, but I get more out of it and don't find myself dreading it. I have no idea how long it will take me to complete the entire Bible, and that's okay. I've learned SO MUCH this year and have a much better understanding of the Word of God (particularly the history of Israel). I'm excited about my Bible reading now! 

Reading | I'm SO PROUD of myself. I read 100 books. Again. It was a bucket list item for me when I did it in 2021 and I figured I'd never do it again, but I've been reading a ton. I realized I was reading a lot on my 10-year-old iPad that could bite the dust at any moment, so I decided to splurge on a Kindle. I love it so much. It travels so well and I love reading one-handed when I'm sleepy at night. I haven't yet thought about my 2024 reading goal, but I will probably start with a smaller one like I did last year.

Move More | lol. I've gone for a 30 minutes walk the last two days. Does that count? We did get bikes but don't use them as much as I was hoping we would.

Turn Sunday into Sabbath | Also lol. I honestly usually spend my Sunday afternoon taking a three-hour nap and I do love that habit. I was recently reminded about my "no social media once I'm home" idea and did implement that a little.

Home | Wow, my specific 2023 goals were a bust. That being said, I've been reworking a cleaning program I used many years ago and I'd like to start it up again.

Decluttering | This was not on my 2023 list (but will be on my 2024 list), but I started decluttering a few months ago. I did a massive kitchen reset by moving EVERYTHING in my kitchen into my guest room and only bringing things back in the kitchen when I needed to use it. Honestly, my guest room still has a lot of kitchen things, and I need to go in there and decide what I'm keeping and getting rid of. I've made a great start, but there's still a long way to go.

Bread Making | I think it was January or February when I decided I wanted to start making our sandwich bread. I found a recipe I like and it's been going really well! I bought a few loaves of bread but I think they were all for the kids at church. I'd like to eventually make all my own bread products, but I'm okay if it takes a while to get there. I gave a shot at flour tortillas (they were good) and took a croissant class this year! I always make my own biscuits but the thing I feel like is hardest to give up is crescent rolls, especially for quick and easy meals. Maybe one day I'll get there, but for now, I'm really happy with my breadmaking!

Crafting Goals
- I completed finished my Fresh as a Daisy quilt and love it so much.
- I finished the blocks for Picnic in the Park and assembled the top.
- t-shirt quilt - I've had Casey pull my shirts out of storage several times only to put them back
- Started and finished the top for Summer Pop
- I quilted the Happy Quilt
- I made two quilts that I raffled off to raise funds for our mission trip (strawberry quilt and Harvest Days)
- I completed four quilts that I donated to the local NICU. (I just received a photo the other day of one of them on an iso unit.) I love making these and am so glad a lady in my church told me about it! They are quick, fun, and I can try new things. And it allows me to "give back" my gift to bless others, which is something I asked God to open doors for.
-I made several ties through the year and sold some to raise funds for our mission trip.

Adoption process | We spent this year researching adoption agencies and having online meetings to learn more about them. We've got an agency picked! So in 2024 we begin the fundraising so we can officially begin the process!

Foster Kittens | We've been fostering kittens for a local rescue since 2020 and this year we fostered 55 kittens and one dog (twice). We might have also adopted another cat. 

Wrap up | 2023 has been better than 2022 was, but I still find myself worrying more than I should about things. At the beginning of the year, I decided "joy" would be my word of the year. I think I still have more to learn in that category, so I'll be going forth with it in 2024 as well. 

Whatcha Got Cooking?

We are finally in a less-busy season and I'm enjoying the opportunity and time to try new dishes. Here are a few I've made lately and a few of my personal notes.

I try my best to remember to add things I've tried to my "Things I've Tried" Pinterest board. This is such a great way to remember what changes I made to a recipe, whether I liked it or not, ideas for what to serve with it, and what (if any) changes I might make next time.

(Sorry no photos. I don't agree with using other people's photos on my blog and this was not exactly a planned post.)

Broccoli Cheddar Chicken and Rice Casserole from Half Baked Harvest

I think maybe I heard of this from In Honor of Design (I enjoy getting her email with the weekly menu). We are in a season where weekends are very busy, so I've decided that Fridays are Casserole Fridays. I can prep during the day and we can eat on it Friday night and throughout the weekend. 

My notes: Used a 12 oz bag of broccoli florets and had a little left over that will go to the guinea pigs at the rescue I volunteer for. Chopped about 24ish baby carrots instead of buying whole. Couldn't find orzo at my grocery store so I omitted it and used a total of 1 3/4 cups basmati rice. I use Better Than Bullion for all my chicken broth needs because I can make exactly how much I need of it and none goes to waste. Couldn't find fresh thyme so I used 2 tsp dried. Added a little mushroom umami seasoning for... umami. Used half milk, half cream. (Not sure this made a difference.) This was my first time cooking with lemon zest and ohmygoodness. A game changer. I prepped this casserole during the day and popped it into the oven for dinner.

Creamy Ranch Chicken from The Cooking Jar

We were supposed to have pizza quesadillas* for dinner the other night but I didn't feel like it, so I turned to the internet for a quick recipe. This was fast and tasty. 

My notes: I only used about half the chicken and cut it into strips to cook faster. Even though I used half the chicken, I made the same amount of sauce. I like a thick sauce, so I made a "cornstarch slurry" to add to it to thicken. I make my own Ranch seasoning mix and keep it on hand in a jar, and when I measured out an ounce it seemed like way too much, so I just eyeballed the amount I used. Next time I'll serve with rice.

Crispy Cheddar Chicken from Hello Fresh

A few years ago Casey and I got Hello Fresh for a while and really enjoyed the recipes. Did you know you can access the recipes without purchasing anything? All of the recipes are on the website. I only made the cheddar chicken and we enjoyed it. I liked that it was quick to make and uses ingredients I usually have on hand.

My notes: The only change I made was to add a little dijon with the mayo.

*Pizza quesadilla: A quesadilla made with Italian or mozzarella cheese, pepperoni (we use turkey pepperoni), and a little bit of spaghetti sauce (or you can omit the sauce and dip the quesadilla into sauce instead). This is a fast dinner and a great way to finish up the ingredients I bought to make homemade pizza.

Reflecting on 2022 and Embracing 2023

In some ways 2022 felt awesome and in some it felt like a bust. So I've been trying to think on the things I'm proud about 2022.

• Budgeting | After getting ourselves into a major financial pickle, I decided to change how we handle finances. Now I do weekly budgeting and bills. I cried a lot at first, but it's gotten easier. (But no more enjoyable, let me tell you what.) We're finally out of the red and in the process of rebuilding our emergency fund. We also worked really hard to fund our mission trip to Singapore and Malaysia, and God truly provided. I will continue weekly budgeting, building our emergency fund, and working on some new financial goals, along with raising funds for another Singapore/Malaysia trip in December.
• Meal Planning and Grocery Shopping | This is still a work in progress, but I feel like I've come a long way this year. Due to having a grocery budget, I have to be more mindful in my grocery purchases, which means I have to plan more. I'm not a natural planner, so this isn't the easiest thing for me, but it's getting easier. I'm realizing I need to handle things the way they work for me... not how someone else does it. This has given me freedom. I don't meal plan or shop perfectly, but it works for me, and that's good enough. 
• Reading my Bible | I found a plan that works for me, so that's what I do every year. (The one year I tried to do something different was awful! ha!) I was very happy to read my Bible through in 2022.
• Crafting | This year I started and completed four quilts for friends and family: Julianne and Sarah got wedding quilts and my grandparents got quilts for Christmas. I know I made some dresses, too, but the only one on the top of my head is the yellow one I made before we went to North Carolina. I did a lot of sewing and I really enjoyed it.
• Reading | I read 43 books this year. In 2021 I read 100 (a bucket list item for me). While it was doable, it was difficult and cut into time for other things. I averaged my books read per year for the last 10 years (I've been on Goodreads keeping up with my books read for that long) and the average was 40, so that was my 2022 goal. Super doable without having to try too hard.

This year I want to focus more on habits and less on goals. 

Habits I want to continue in 2023:

• Budgeting
• Grocery planning
• Daily Bible reading, devotion, and Jesus time - I purchased a new Bible! It's the same daily reading Bible I've used for 15 years (my copy is a little worse for wear) but it has room for journaling! It should come in today!
• Reading - This year's goal is 45 books. I also got some new earbuds so I'd like to listen to more audiobooks while I sew (if this bodes well, I'll raise my goal to 50)

Habits I want to create in 2023:

• Move more: Be it walking or yoga, I want to incorporate moving 3x per week. I've realized it's less about an end goal and more about reminding myself today why I should move today. I always feel better after stretching or walking. 
• Turn Sunday into Sabbath by incorporating these things:
• Weekly devotion and prayer time with Casey
• review Wednesday night kids' lesson
• choose a Christian book for Sunday reading
• Gather verses for a "take what you need" instagram story to encourage others
• No social media once I return home from church
• Home: I'd like to work on some house cleaning habits, but I don't know what that looks like yet, so I'm still thinking on it.

I know I've been talking habits, but I do have some crafting goals for the year. This year, I plan to make some quilts for others, but also finish some I'm making for myself. I only have one quilt I've made and I often wish I had a few more. I plan to finish and/or start:

• Fresh as a Daisy (I think I'm about halfway through the blocks)
• Picnic in the park (also probably about halfway)
• t-shirt quilt (haven't started, but want to finish in time to take to SALT in June)
• Summer Pop by Lo and Behold (I purchased the kit when it went on sale--would also love to have this one for summer)
• The tops for the following are done so they just need to be quilted:
• Eye Spy
• Scrappy Summer Quilt Along
• Vintage top I thrifted
• the Happy quilt (pink and yellow patchwork)
• bed quilt (which I accidentally made too big so some of it needs to be removed)

Another exciting thing for 2023: We are starting the adoption process! We've always known we wanted to adopt children, and it feels like the right time to start the process. I'll be looking into enrolling us into an orientation class for foster to adopt soon. I know this process will likely be a long one, but we are excited to start this journey.

Joy - My Word for 2023

It's already 2023. Goodness. We are living in the future.

I've been reflecting on the past year, as one does come new year.

Honestly, 2022 had a lot of suckiness. I dealt with a lot of personal stuff that felt crippling at times. And honestly... a lot of it is still there. Which kind of sucks going into a new year. Sometimes it's hard to see the bright side of things. But the word God has been impressing upon my heart again and again since June is "joy." The irony. Joy is my name.

The other day I was reflecting on this word. Why joy? I also realized that the last six months have been some of my hardest. Maybe God was reminding me that having joy isn't reliant upon my situation.

Just a few months ago, a friend told me, "Joy is knowing you're secure in His hands when everything is going haywire."

Maybe this is the message God was trying to get across to me. Things may be haywire. I may cry more than I wish I did. But I can still find joy in Christ because He's still with me and He will never forsake me. 

This year I want to focus more on God and less on my problems. To remember I can still find joy in the trials. To remember my situation doesn't determine how big my God is.

Cabin Nights Quilt Along

I recently joined a quilt along to make a quilt for my Gramma for Christmas. I made a quilt for my Grampa too--an Irish chain quilt in LSU colors--that came together very quickly. This one is more time consuming but I'm SOOO excited about making it! My mom helped me put together a bundle of fabric and I love it so much. Here are some photos of the last few weeks. I still need to finish this week's assignment, so I'm gonna remove a kitten from my dining table (kitten foster parent probs), put away my lunch dishes, and go sew! 

Thrift Haul #2

I've only done one of these "thrift haul" posts but honestly I don't thrift a lot anymore. Or shop much anymore. There's not really anything I need, and I'd rather put my money towards sewing supplies. But I do still get a thrill from thrifting, and the other day I hit up a church garage sale that a friend told me about and I got two incredible pieces.

This ceramic Christmas tree was the first amazing piece I saw. I have a vintage ceramic Christmas tree that was made my my great aunt many years ago, and I pull it out every Christmas. A few years ago, I noticed that these were making a comeback, and now you can buy them new at Walmart for about $60. Although a vintage one can run you a pretty penny. I found one on Etsy for over $300.

This one is a vintage one AND it's handmade--it has the maker's name and date etched into the base. And... AND... it was only $5. FIVE DOLLARS. Since I already have one and had no need for another, I send a text to the besties group chat and asked if anyone wanted it. Sarah did so I picked it up for her. This is a stunning piece and I know she will cherish it. 

Next up I found this adorable picnic basket. Now I have a picnic basket that was my mom's and it's older than me, but it's a very different style and I thought this one was so quaint. It came complete with cutlery, two crystal champagne glasses (which we used for sparking grape juice), a cutting board, and a beautiful vintage tablecloth and napkins (not pictured--I hadn't washed them yet when we went on our picnic). And how much was it? Three dollars.

Life Lately (Kitten Version)

The life of kitten foster parents. So many of my photos are kittens. Those photos should not just remain on my phone. 

Fall Feels

It is supposedly fall but Louisiana did not get the memo. The weather app says it is 82 and feels like 85 but I think that's a lie. It feels way hotter outside. The cats are mad at me because I refuse to open the window--they LOVE sitting in the windowsill--but it's just too hot. 

I thought it would be cute and fun to do a post where I share my photos that feel like fall. But... I only have like 5. Because it does not feel like fall. 

Still, I've had a soup on the menu every week for the past month. Tonight I'm making homemade chicken noodle soup. Next week is chili. Casey says that it's supposed to get down to 40 next week. We shall see.

Anyways, here's my fall photos. Maybe it will finally feel like fall in December. Except we'll be in Singapore in December and its summer year-round there. Guess I won't pack away my sandals.

We love to make a seasonal bucket list! We had a date night at a local coffee shop and made our fall list.

First day of fall tradition: build a scarecrow! We were sweating.

These things can be found at Walmart and I'm obsessed.

The reality of the scarecrow. The cats decapitate Christian Bale daily. 

Just finished some Pumpkin Spice Cookies today!

I started making this pinafore two years ago and was soooo excited about it. But I wasn't feeling it as I worked on it. Pulled it back out again this year, decided I like it, and hemmed it. 

A varieTEA of photos

 Nope, I'm not done making tea puns, apparently. But here are some photos of tea being enjoyed.

I'm a Little Tea Cup

My favorite restaurant is The English Tea Room. It feels fancy, but comfortable. Every reservation is for two hours, and it’s delightful to sit and enjoy the experience without feeling rushed. They have over 260 varieties of teas (varieTEAS?) and, though I’ve been many times, I’ve only sampled a portion of their menu.

At your table you will find a tea cup and teaspoon at each seat and a bowl of white and brown sugar cubes in the center of the table with a tiny, delicate pair of tongs. Your server will ask which tea you want and offer suggestions (which is a relief, because 260 teas is a lot to choose from). Once you’ve decided, they will make your tea and bring it to you piping hot in a small teapot that holds about three tea cups-worth of your selection of tea, along with your choice of milk or cream (I always choose cream).

Every time, it’s a beautiful moment when you pour your tea from your own little teapot into your dainty tea cup, add a sugar cube (or two… or three… I won’t judge) and a spot of cream, then take your first sip. Ah. This is what tea is supposed to be like.

Now I’ll be the first to admit, I can be a bit clumsy. But, oh, when I’m holding that tea cup I try to use gentle, yet strong hands so I won’t spill. I’m holding precious contents, after all. I do love my tea, and I sure don’t want to break the beautiful tea cup. I want to make sure it’s well taken care of and safe.

I, too, am a tea cup. I’m beautifully made. I’m fragile and can be broken. I need to be washed clean, especially on the inside when I get nasty. (nasTEA? Okay, I'll stop now.)

Thankfully, I’m in very capable hands. The Lord’s hands are far more sturdy and stable and dependable than my own. He loves me and He cares for me and He holds me in gentle, loving hands. It is for this reason I can trust Him. Should I fall (away from him) and be broken (by sin), my Maker picks me back up and glues me back together. Sure, you can still see the spots where I was broken, but that is just proof of my testimony. I once was in pieces, but my Savior came to my rescue and restored me.

And now I rest, in His sure hands, a dainty little teacup, with quite a few cracks He’s repaired, overflowing with His joy and Spirit.

Cats

 

My cats are really cute. That's all.

Head to Toe in Gramma's Clothes

 

Here's one thing I'm notorious for: forgetting my hanging clothes. 

I'm genuinely embarrassed by how many times I've gone somewhere only to realize I forgot to grab my hanging clothes. Pretty sure it's happened at least three times since Casey and I have been married and for sure a few times before that too. It's a joke among my friends, "Did you remember your clothes?"

One time I got to Bossier (to visit my family) and was staying for a week and had no clothes. My mom took me shopping and Julianne ran to her mom's house and pulled some clothes from the clothing collection she keeps there and brought them to me so I could be dressed for the week. It was actually kind of fun wearing new/new-to-me clothes all week! 

But here is another fact: my gramma is the most stylish person I know.

I stay with her when I'm in Bossier and often raid her closet. She gives me the clothes she no longer wants. Those are inevitably the clothes I get the most compliments on.

This dress is one of those dresses that she no longer wanted, so she gave it to me. She also gave me the tank top underneath. She let me borrow the shoes (because the ones I brought didn't match), and I found the shades in the bag of stuff she was donating to Goodwill. (I also pulled a dress out of the bag.)

Anyways, this time I was not dressed in her clothes because I forgot mine. Just because she gave me the dress and I liked it and wanted to wear it immediately. 

But if I had forgotten my hanging clothes again, Gramma's closet would have taken care of me.

31

 

Somehow I'm 31 now, which means I'm actually "in my thirties." That's such a weird feeling. People often tell me that I don't look like I'm 30, and I am happy to take that as a compliment. 

The other day I looked in the mirror and noticed forehead wrinkles. I now understand why people get botox. It just needs to be puffed up a little and that wrinkle would be gone! The wrinkles have weirded me out much more than the gray hairs, but I've been finding the occasional gray hair since high school, so maybe that's why. I really hope when I go gray that I get a streak of gray first instead of random white everywhere.

Ultimately, I'm grateful for the opportunity to grow old. There was a time in my life where I couldn't imagine being 35. When I looked at my future, it was so bleak that I didn't even want to be 35. I hoped I could die a tragic, quick (but painless) young death because that seemed better than continuing life as it was and living to be old. 

Thankfully, God stepped in. He did some very unexpected things in my life and got me turned around. I'm not saying life is perfect, but man am I blessed. He got me out of a bad situation and now I can rejoice because I'm not where I once was. 

I'm learning to celebrate more, because, even if I'm blessed enough to grow old, life is still short. So I called my favorite bakery and ordered my favorite cake (strawberry with cream cheese icing) and text some friends and family to come over to my Gramma's to celebrate with me. 

I only had 12 candles on my cake (even though I wanted 31) because I couldn't make myself buy three packages of candles just so I would have enough. Although in hindsight, maybe it would have been worth the $10. (Probably not--it took two tries just to blow out 12.)

Life Lately: July 2022

 I did not mean to just... not post for over a month. I didn't even realize it had been so long, but we have been busy busy busy. Here's what we've been up to in the last few weeks.

July 11-17ish - Prep for EKWIP | EKWIP (Equipping Kids With Individual Purpose) is our church's version of VBS. We spent the week beforehand planning and prepping.

July 18-23 - EKWIP | EKWIP is all day every day for  a week. We have to stay a few hours later every day to prepare for our Kids Krusade, so we were putting in 13-hour days. Ethan was here! Ethan is my 6-year-old nephew. He came for the week of EKWIP, so we were doing 13 hour days with a 6-year-old. Whew! I'm so glad he could come.

Thursday, July 21 - Then we got invited to go on a mission trip. | On Thursday of EKWIP, we got a call inviting us to Chapel Hill, North Carolina do to children's ministry at a home mission church. If we were to accept the offer... we would be leaving one week and one day later.

Saturday, July 23 - We said YES. | On Saturday, we decided we would say yes if Casey could get off work. We had a mission fund, so why not? Turns out, God really wanted us to go and someone offered to pay for our flights and hotel! 

Sunday, July 24 - It's official! | On Sunday, he got the okay from his supervisor and we booked our flights!

Tuesday, July 26 - Bestie hang out | Juju came to town and we hung out and went to Hobby Lobby and, oops, I bought 5 yards of fabric that was on sale for $3 a yard.

Wednesday, July 27 - Bestie Hang out Part 2 | I helped Kaleigh get her classroom ready. It's her first year teaching!

Thursday, July 28 - Oops I made a dress | I used that fabric I bought and made a new dress to take on our trip. It turned out so cute! We ate pizza for dinner to support a good cause.

Friday, July 29 I crossed something off my bucket list! | We both woke up sick. Thanks, pizza. BUT we were feeling better in no time. Thank goodness, because we flew out to North Carolina! On my bucket list is: "Decide to go on a trip and book tickets and leave within a week." I got to cross it off! That night we joined Bro. Roca in a training session on how to connect with kids. And we taught action songs!

Saturday, July 30 We hiked for coffee and God is awesome | We literally hiked to a coffee shop (where we got tea, because if you've read the archives then you'll know I broke up with coffee last year) that morning then did a kids service that afternoon. God moved in a beautiful way and I made friends with another Kayley. That evening we went to an amazing Mediteranean restaurant.

Sunday, July 31 Jesus is still really awesome | We did a children's service and two kids and two grown ups were baptized in Jesus' Name! How cool! We took some friends to get weird Asian desserts and hung out with Bro. Roca's family.

Monday, August 1 It's a good thing we packed in backpacks | That's right. I packed in a backpack FOR A WHOLE WEEKEND because the carry on and baggage fees were insane. So we plopped on our backpacks and headed out to enjoy our last few hours in North Carolina. We walked downtown, went back to that Meditteranean restaurant, cried because the cat cafe was closed (I didn't actually cry, but I did add "go to a cat cafe" to my bucket list), played  a game of mini golf (Casey won), then hopped on our plane home. I finished a book and a novella on our trip.

We're now back to real life and I'm taking a few slow days! 

Meals I Want to Make This Summer

We've just emerged from a hectic season of life in preparation for SALT and I had lots of volunteer shifts and work projects so we kept relying on the same quick meals again and again. And now I'm tired of them and wanting something new. Also, with summer officially beginning tomorrow, I feel like it's time to embrace the season with some new recipes. Here are some things I want to try this summer!

• BBQ chicken legs | TBH, I'm not a big fan of chicken, but this feels appropriately summer and chicken legs are budget-friendly.
• That famous pasta sauce 
• Naan pizza (idea from The Lazy Genius)
• White Chicken Enchiladas | I actually made some of these recently but wasn't a fan of the recipe, so I want to try a different recipe.
• Taco salad | I'm honestly getting sick of having tacos on the rotation, but having it as a salad... yes please.
• Bruschetta with ricotta | I had bruschetta once in high school and that's the only time I've ever had it but I really liked it. So why not make it at home??
• Burgers and fries | We don't have a grill so this is not something that's ever been on my menu rotation. But there are other way to cook burgers. Also I used to be a person who only made things from scratch and that's just not the kind of person I currently am. So I've never bought frozen fries. But I think it's time. 
• Chili dogs | This is something we recently added to the menu rotation and it's gonna stay!