Monday, June 25, 2012

Pasta soup


Here in the Pacific Northwest summer doesn't begin until July. The cooler temperatures and overcast skies can best be described as June gloom. I can't wait for warmer days with sunshine, swimming, county fairs and backyard barbeques. Until summer officially arrives, homemade soup remains a favorite comfort food in the Worden household. This hearty soup is easy to make and loaded with nutritious vitamins.

                                                      The Ingredients
                
                1 cup of noodles                                             1/2 16 oz bag of frozen peas   
                3/4 cup of chopped carrots                              1 TBSP of minced onion
                2 TBSP of Parmesan cheese                          3 1/2 TBSP of chicken base powder
                1/2 tsp of oregeno                                           dash of basil
                1/4 a cup of lentils                                          1/4 tsp of garlic
               1 32 ounce package of chicken broth              3 1/4 cup of water

I stick with the all natural, gluten and MSG free chicken broth. You can find them at your local Dollar Tree.

Simply combine all of the ingredients and bring the mix to a boil. Allow the soup to simmer for 40 minutes or until the noodles and veggies are tender.

Monday, June 18, 2012

A Fiesta Potluck

Family is not limited to those who share your blood. Julianna is blessed to be part of a loving church family that cares for her, including a friend lovingly known as grandma Gabriela. Tonight Jesse, Julianna and I headed over to Gabriela's house for a potluck dinner. I brought homemade chicken enchilada soup while Gabriela prepared a tasty enchilada casserole for us. Dinner at Gabriela's house means a feast fit for a king. You'll see a table resembling an all you can eat buffet with delicious authentic Mexican cuisine. Here are some of the highlights from this evening.

Preparations for the family feast.

Grandma Gabriela playing with the baby.

Gabriela loves to buy gifts for the baby. Tonight she surprised us with a doll cradle she can enjoy when she's older.

Our dog Skeeter is like a 2nd baby to us and we take her everywhere. Here is Skeeter befriending a mutual church friend that joined us for dinner.

It's fiesta time!

Sunday, June 10, 2012

Pure Joy

Here is Julianna dressed in her Sunday's best and on her way to church. Julianna and I look forward to church for many reasons. Walking inside the Word of Life Church means you're likely to be greeted with hugs and everyone eagerly asking how your week was. We listen to encouraging sermons and have the pleasure of listening to a talented worship team. Julianna is quick to greet our church family with smiles and move to the beats of Sunday's worship songs.

Sometimes after service we go out to lunch and today I thought I'd make a trip to the golden arch. I really wanted to use my coupon for a free berry chiller at McDonald's. I also decided to order chicken tenders and fries to go. Once we got home I decided to go get the Sunday paper from a nearby gas station and that's when the horrible discovery took place. MY WALLET WAS MISSING. I frantically double checked the diaper bag and truck only to remain empty handed. When we went to McDonald's we realized the wallet wasn't there either.

A missing wallet meant having to make multiple phone calls in order to deactivate my Capital One card, Jcpenny's charge card and my debit card. As of this upcoming week I'll have to make trips to the DMV and the Social Security office, call to request a new insurance card, and it's safe to say that I'll never see my Macy's gift cards ever again. Yet even in frustrating circumstances I have much to be thankful for.

Thank God I didn't have any cash inside my wallet. Thank God I deactivated everything in just enough time for no mystery charges to occur on any of my accounts. Thank God I have a missing wallet and not a missing child.

My heart is not only filled with gratitude but also a deep concern for the wallet thief. Many questions enter my mind regarding how my wallet disappeared. Does this thief know that he/she is worth so much more then criminal acts? Does the thief not have enough love in their hearts to understand how such an act can effect someone else? I felt led to pray for the person who stole my wallet, because it's safe to assume he/she does not know Christ. Before I knew Christ personally I would've referred to the unknown wallet thief with unkind names. My spiritual maturity proves that my walk with the Lord is becoming stronger, and that my friends is pure joy.

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” - James 1:2-4

Saturday, June 9, 2012

Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it.

Today Julianna and I took a stroll into a nearby thrift shop. This weeks treasure hunt left us with: a Care Bears DVD, a white pillow case and a brand new set of Bible stories for babies. I thought that the Care Bear DVD would be perfect for Julianna's upcoming Care Bear birthday party. As for the pillowcase, I figured it would be perfect for the backing of a counted cross-stitch bib I recently completed. For 49 cents you can't go wrong when the cost of fabric is costly. While I'm pleased with this week's bargains, I think the Bible stories remain the greatest treasure. For only $3.99 Julianna can learn about Jesus's mission, God's plan and the Bible heroes. It's never too early to start training a child about having Godly character, and I believe these books will serve as valuable learning tools.