May 8, 2026

Saturdays with Shandy: 6 Weeks to Make Your Home Shine for the Holidays! Week Six

November 10, 2012 by

Congratulations! You made it to week six, and by Friday your home will be clean, organized, and ready for the holidays! This week we are organizing the office/craft room, and cleaning the laundry room. You’ll also have two days to work on any additional spaces that need cleaning, and to catch up on anything you may have missed.

I’m so excited about getting started, we’re going to get right to it! But first, I just want to quickly thank you for following us these last six weeks, and let you know what we’ll be doing in the upcoming weeks… You are invited to join us for our next series starting next Saturday – “Saturdays with Shandy: Christmas Edition!” That’s right – on to the fun stuff! Decorating ideas and handmade gifts is what we’re focusing on for the four weeks before Christmas. I hope you will join us!

*Don’t forget to share your pictures with us in our Facebook group today! And if you have any questions, or need advice on how to handle a cleaning or organizational problem you have, today is the day! Just ask away in the comment section below!

Now, back to our regularly scheduled programming…

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Let’s pray:
Lord, I just want to thank You for this time we’ve had together the last several weeks. It’s been a blessing to me, and I pray it’s been a blessing to these awesome ladies and their families. We thank You for all that You’ve given us. Whether we have a little, or a lot, it’s all in thanks to You. Be with our families as we gather for Thanksgiving, Lord. Bless these wonderful women with safe travels and happy memories. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Your assignment:

***For some fantastic cleaning and organization ideas, go to our “Saturdays with Shandy” board on Pinterest! You’ll find all kinds of tips relevant to this week’s assignments. http://pinterest.com/gchministries/saturdays-with-shandy/

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Today & Monday – If Mt. Washmore has formed in your laundry room, today is the day to catch up. Wash, dry, fold or hang, put away, and repeat until Washmore is no more. Then, it’s time to clean, clean, clean! Laundry rooms can quickly become dusty, cluttered messes if you don’t take care of them. Toss old detergent and fabric softener containers, and clear away any clutter. I like everything to look pretty, so I use baskets to hide unpretty things and a glass container for my homemade detergent. I’m so blessed to have my grandma’s big wicker laundry basket, as well. It makes doing laundry more pleasant. Special even.

Let’s move on to the deep cleaning. By now, you are a pro at this! You know the drill… wiping down shelves, walls, light fixtures, etc. Just save the floor for last, because I have a couple projects for you to do first… cleaning your washer and dryer. And I’m willing to bet you know my next words. That’s right! Check out our Saturdays with Shandy Pinterest board for the how-to. You’re so smart!

All done? Ok, NOW you can clean the baseboard and floors. P.S. That homemade laundry detergent I mentioned… I will be blogging about it on my personal blog at the end of next week. Check it out! I will never go back to my old favorite. It’s that awesome.

Tuesday & Wednesday – We are deep cleaning the craft room and/or office today, just as we’ve done the last five weeks in the other rooms of our homes. And it’s time to get our paper and craft clutter supplies under control.

Paper is my downfall. I am a recovering paper hoarder, really. Fortunately, when I moved last month, I recycled mountains of papers and magazines that I told myself I would use someday. But it created more problems than it was worth. Organization became more important than the stacks of craft magazines, project and decorating ideas, and receipts from years ago. Learning to file things right away, in the right place, and knowing how to discern what to keep and what to throw away is the first step. Check our Pinterest board on Tuesday for some awesome solutions to your paper dilemma! I will have what I’ve found to be the best tips on there.

We also have some ideas for you now about how to organize your craft room. I’ve gone from having bags full of yarn in the closet, to having them organized by color on a shelf. Cute and functional! The key to any kind of organization is, “a place for everything, and everything in its place.” Use baskets and decorative boxes whenever you can, and your home will not only be organized, but beautiful, too.

Thursday & Friday – Catch up on anything else you haven’t completed, then do a happy dance! You did it! You made your home SHINE for the holidays! Enjoy your weekend!

Blessings,
Shandy

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You can visit Shandy’s personal blog at: http://aprons-n-pearls.blogspot.com

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Saturdays with Shauna: Photography! Week 4

November 10, 2012 by

Welcome to the final installment on Photography, and also my last “Saturday with Shauna” here on the Singles blog!  In the past three weeks we’ve covered why you should intentionally take more photos of your family and friends, tips on taking better photos, and making albums and wall photos from your digital images.  This week we will discuss archiving because let’s face it, computers crash.  You want to keep your images safe so when disaster strikes, you won’t lose your precious memories.

So after you’ve taken some photos, you download the photos from your camera or memory card to your computer, right?  That’s what most of us do, I believe.  That’s a great start!  You now have the images saved to your computer, but what next?  What if your computer crashes?  Here’s what I recommend:

Get yourself an external hard drive!  They connect to any computer via USB and you can get a lot of space for very little money.  For example, here’s a Seagate external hard drive on amazon.com that hold three terabytes for only $119.99.  Do you know how many photos you could store in three terabytes of space?  A LOT.  Totally worth spending a hundred bucks or so on.

So after you get yourself one of these, as soon as you download your photos to your computer you then want to copy your photos over to the external hard drive.  At this point, your photos are still on your camera, on your computer, and on your external hard drive.  Three places, but we’re still not safe.  You have to delete the photos from your camera/memory card at some point in order to take more photos, so you really only have them saved in two places.  But both your computer and your external hard drive could crash, so what else should we do?  Burn them onto a CD.

Your computer should have a CD drive that is capable of burning discs but if not, you can find USB CD drives fairly cheap.  You’ll want to keep blank CD’s on hand so that you can quickly burn a CD of your new photos.  Label it and file it away somewhere, preferably in a fire-proof safe.  Or if you already have a security deposit box at your bank, your CD’s would be a great addition to that.  If you have neither, you can pick up a small fire-proof safe at your local Wal-Mart or Target for around $30.  It’s worth the investment because not only can you store your photo CD’s in it, but you can also store important documents like birth certificates, marriage certificates, titles, deeds, etc.

At this point, we have our photos on our computer, an external hard drive, and a CD.  I’m assuming by now you’ve deleted them from your camera/memory card so you can take more photos 🙂  In my opinion, this is still not enough.  What if you lose your CD or it gets scratched or broken?  The last thing I’d recommend is storing your photos in a cloud drive online.

Why store your photos online?  Because if your computer crashes, your external hard drive is damaged or lost, and your CD is scratched and can’t be read, you will still have your photos online.  Most online storage websites back up your data also, so chances are pretty good that your photos will always be there when you need them.  Some websites charge a fee, so you may need to shop around to find one in your price range.  Here are some examples:

Flickr – you will need to pay for a Pro account in order to save uncompressed photos.

Photobucket – free unlimited photo storage (with file size limits).

Mozy – paid online data backup, not only for photos, but for all your files.

These are just a few, I’m sure if you do a Google search you can find more to choose from.  There are lots of pros to having cloud storage, but a major con is that websites can be hacked and your photos could be viewed or even stolen.  So even though I recommend it in addition to your computer, external hard drive, and CD storage, you will have to decide for yourself if the risks and costs are worth it to you.

So there you have it.  I hope you have found this series helpful in your photographic journey!  Please be sure to share some of your photos with us on the Facebook community group page and also leave a comment below!

<3 Shauna

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You can find Shauna blogging about her other hobbies such as knitting, crochet, and cooking on her personal website, www.workhomeplay.net.  She also blogs on GCH: What’s on Your Plate? on Tuesdays.

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A Daughter’s Worth: Week 6 / Day 5: A Good Friend Holds You Accountable

November 9, 2012 by

How many of us want a good friend? I remember once, when I was 14 or 15 years old a friend who was not doing what is right. I told her that I did not think what she was doing was appropriate. It upset her and her brother, who was older, got on the phone, and told me to mind my own business that not everyone believes as I do. I became upset. My dad happened to come by when I was upset and after relaying the story he told me that I should not to try to tell someone else how to behave, that it was not my responsibility. Oh how I wish I knew now, what I needed to know then. I was discouraged from sharing and calling out anyone else until I became older.

Proverbs 15:31 states, “The ear that listens to life-giving reproof will dwell among the wise.” (ESV) If you or I were to speak with someone about what is going on in their life, would they turn from the path he or she is going towards? We would not know unless we speak out. Ms. Sturgeon asks us to pray first about the confrontation before you give advice and your example to lead them back to Him. 2 Timothy 4:2 gives us great advice on what to do: “Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage –with great patience and careful instruction.”

When confronting your friend you may be rejected, but they will come back to you. I know my friend came back to me and we were great friends for a very long time. Have you ever been on the receiving end of reproving? I have, and it is hard to receive. Pride gets in the way and I had to move it aside and ask God to reveal to me what my friend saw that I was doing. After much thought I realized my friend was right and how I have sinned in that situation.

We all fall short of our goal when we are not held to a higher standard. We will not meet our full potential unless we are purified in the fire and come out on the other side, new and shiny. When we reprove someone or we are on the receiving end of reproving, then we need to thank God that someone loved us enough to take the time to speak with us. That is showing gratitude to our Father!

Let’s pray:

Father, give me the courage I need to speak up when my friend is not living according to your word. Help me to know that your love for them is as great as your love is for me. Help me show my friend that I want to see my friend succeed in every aspect of her life through making the godly choices she needs to make. Use me Father as you see fit, give me the words to speak, not mine, by your words. Thank you for all that you do in our lives and we thank you most of all for your son Jesus.

In Jesus’ precious name we pray, Amen!

Blessings, 

Tina

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For the A Daughter’s Worth Bible Study, you will need the book, your Bible, pen or pencil, a highlighter and a quiet place. You can order the book right through our website from clicking the sign-up form button at the top of our webpage.

If you are interested in joining us in our GCH:decaf Teen Girls Ministry, please click the sign-up form button at the top of our webpage. Just follow the instructions on the form and hit submit. We’ll be happy to add you to one of our Online Bible Study Groups! Our new study is A Daughter’s Worth! Please email megan@girlfriendscoffeehour.com for more information.

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GCH:POTs (Parents of Teens)- Glorifying God by Fulfilling Your “This I Must Do” Dream!

November 9, 2012 by

 

Greetings again, POTs!

Over the past few days, we have been exploring the first 2 of 3 purposes God has for your teen’s life… Do you remember what they are?

  1. To love God by belonging to Christ
  2. To love God by loving others

So… that leads us to what we will be unpacking together today, the third purpose:

To glorify God by fulfilling your “This I must do” dream

We are all here on this earth to glorify God by doing the one big thing that God has so divinely commissioned you, and you alone, to do to help fulfill His purposes here on earth to build His kingdom. This specific, unique, and significant purpose directs you to pursue your God-designed life mission with pure joy and to deliver God-inspired life message to those you are eager to serve.

This purpose is God’s personalized gift to you… specifically YOU! It is a dream that reflects your passionate ache and divine urge…. You’re heart’s desire. This fascination was planted in your soul by God before you were even born… how awesome is THAT!?!? It is what drives your life… what you feel you MUST do. It is what you are called to do… what you feel you can’t NOT do! What is YOUR “must do” dream?

What you must understand is that it is up to each and every one of us to decide if we will actually take on this huge commitment to make this eternal contribution that is obviously impossible without God’s help. It is our choice.

THIS is the exact focus of the time we are going to spend together here for the next few weeks. I understand that you probably know inside YOU, as an adult, what this dream is in your life. Maybe you are fulfilling it or maybe you have gotten side tracked. Maybe it’s too big for you to even fit into your head right now. THAT is not my concern at the moment. Whatever you have done with your dream isn’t my focus…. I am concerned with making sure that you do everything you can to help this be realized for your teenager! In the process, you will probably find that your dream comes to surface and could even take off as well. Wouldn’t that be amazing for God’s kingdom?

Throughout the Bible, God gives us example after example of planting such “must-do” assignments in the hearts of people. Remember Noah? He HAD to build an ark before the great flood (Genesis 6:13-21). Moses HAD to go to Pharaoh and demand the release of God’s people (Exodus 3:10,20). Paul HAD to proclaim the good news to the Gentiles (Galatians 1:13-16) and Samuel HAD to anoint David king in spite of ensuing turmoil (1 Samuel 16:12-13). There are countless more of these moments in the Bible where God commissioned ordinary people to do extraordinary things that took a lifetime to see final completion or where God called ordinary people to complete impossible tasks that defined and shaped the rest of their lives.

Why would you or your teen be an exception to that pattern of the ordinary person being used by God to do the extraordinary? God is glorified when we’re stretched beyond our personal ability to complete an impossible task! God needs His people to live their dreams out loud and I am here to guide you through this so that you can in turn help your teenager SOAR!

Over the weekend, spend some time in prayer asking God to reignite the passion for your dream He so divinely placed in your heart. Seek God and on this and ask Him to begin to show you how He needs you to begin to plant these seeds in your child. Be ready to dive right in on Monday with me here on this blog!

Let’s pray:

Thank you Lord for creating us each so uniquely to fulfill Your purposes here on earth, Every situation and circumstance of our life is divinely orchestrated by You for Your purposes to be fulfilled and we are so thankful to be able to live this out loud for Your kingdom. Help us to be passionate for our dreams once again, Lord, so that we can bring this to life for our teenagers. Help us live BOLDLY for You and your kingdom. Amen <3

Blessings to you and yours,

Megan

megan@girlfriendscoffeehour.com

https://www.facebook.com/megan.smidt

Sign up for one of our Online Bible Study or Fellowship Groups for Women and Teen Girls here:

http://girlfriendscoffeehour.com/sign-up-for-girlfriends-coffee-hour-online-bible-studies/

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Lady In Waiting: What If It’s Too Late?

November 9, 2012 by

I am not going to lie to you ladies; this will be the hardest thing I probably ever have to write about.  Furthermore, when I saw that I had this part of the chapter to write about I instantly felt sick to my stomach.  Then I prayed, and I know that God gave me this topic for a very special reason.  This is His way of telling me, you are ready to share such an ugly part of your life with others because of the beauty you have let Me make of it.  It is my prayer that as you read this you can get past the ugly my life once was and focus on the beautiful things that God has made from my messes in life.

I can tell you this topic alone has brought so many tears to my eyes; probably enough to make an ocean-no joke.  The past week I have been thinking to myself this part of the chapter is so personal, how can I possibly begin to share what God wants me to share with these women when I don’t want to even share it with myself?  Then I am reminded of Revelation 12:11 They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.  There is power in our testimony ladies.  There is hope from our hopeless situations, purity can come from our impurity, and the only reasoning for these miracles is because of the victory we have over Satan and the only reason for THAT is BECAUSE of the beautiful sacrifice of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  And that my friends, is how I can share what God so desperately wants you to hear today.

When I read the words on page 89, my heart sank.  “If you are reading this after the fact and are dealing with the guilt of the lost gift, do not be discouraged”.  The first time I read that it was about two years ago and I was very uncertain of how to not be discouraged.  Second time around, and two years later when I read that sentence I was overwhelmed with thankfulness to God that I am no longer dealing with the guilt of the lost gift.  What changed in two years you might be wondering?  Honestly, I changed.  Not because of anything I did, it was all because of what God did for me, on a cross.  He died and shed HIS innocent blood and took my guilt and shame away with Him.  Ladies, GOD DID THE SAME THING FOR YOU!  In those two years, I accepted personally what HIS gift meant for me; the new life I have freely been given!  My past did not change, but I chose to change the way I was living.  I chose to start embracing God and when I did I was no longer discouraged.  Have you done the same?

If you are reading this after the fact, please listen closely.  I understand the guilt, I understand waking up and feeling covered in shame.  I understand the pain behind every single tear that falls from your eyes.  I understand the pain of a broken heart.  My heart was broken … correction, shattered when someone who I loved took my innocence from me without asking my permission.  My natural response to this was not “this is all his fault for doing this to me”, instead it was “this is all my fault for letting this happen”.  I suffered with extreme guilt and it led me to turn completely away from God.  It was too late for me; I could no longer be a virgin when I got married like I had always dreamed of so I gave up.  I believed and lived out this lie for two years, living in sin.

One day the Lord placed A More Beautiful You by Johnny Diaz into my life.  I was driving along; crying because of what I had just done, that I knew was so wrong, but I just did not know how to stop going back to that sin.  Out of nowhere, seriously nowhere, my preprogrammed country station became a Christian radio station, K-love in my car.  This is what I heard:

So turn around you’re not too far
To back away be who you are
To change your path go another way
It’s not too late, you can be saved
If you feel depressed with past regrets
The shameful nights hope to forget
Can disappear, they can all be washed away

By the one who’s strong, can right your wrongs
Can rid your fears dry, all your tears
And change the way you look at this big world
He will take your dark distorted view
And with His light, He will show you truth
And again you’ll see through the eyes of a little girl

My heart ached to hear those lyrics over and over again, but my tears got in the way.  I searched for that song for hours after hearing it and could not find it anywhere on the Internet.  Those lyrics God used to start to mend my broken heart.  But that was just the beginning of the mending.

I could not get over the fact that even though I did not choose to lose my virginity, I CHOSE TO KEEP GIVING MYSELF AWAY TO A MAN AND THEN MEN WHO WERE NOT CONCERNED WITH MY HEART, JUST MY BODY.  I fed into the lie that I needed this sin to be a part of my life.  I fed into the lie that I was indeed damaged goods.  These lies were so hard to get rid of.  What lies do you believe about your past?  What is tangling you up inside, making it seem impossible to get past the sins of your past?

PLEASE TAKE A MINUTE TO LET THIS TRUTH RUN THROUGH YOUR SOUL: No matter what your past may look like, all God sees is beauty.  Truly, if you are a child of God, if you have asked for his forgiveness for your mistakes, then you are living a beautiful new life!  God does not see the shame or guilt that weighs so heavy on your heart-He just sees your heart for what he created it to be.  His love is never out of reach no matter how far you have gotten yourself from accepting it.  God has the luxury of forgetting our sins, and we have the luxury of being forgiven and able to live our life filled with God’s love. 

Here is one of many examples of the beautiful things got has brought out of my ugly!  My heart was almost healed.  There were still some things I had to confess to God.  I walked into therapy with my pink journal in hand.  Each page was filled with sentence after sentence of pain, hurt, shame, guilt, sin, and ugliness.  I read aloud each page.  I ripped out each page and put it in God’s hands (literally my therapist drew God’s hands on a piece of paper and sat it against the wall).  As I was done with each page I prayed aloud to God.  I wanted to see His hands so I looked up, at that very instant His hands (the paper) fell over everything I had written.  That was the sign I needed that God loved me so much and that He took all of my shame and pain and guilt with Him where it belongs and left me with a brand new heart!  I am pure, I am a virgin, and I am not damaged, thank you Jesus!

Let’s Pray:  Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for your love.  Thank you for forgiving us and transforming our ugly past into such a beautiful life with you!  I pray that every single person reading this takes away the thing that you had planned for them to hear!  I praise you for the opportunity I have been given to share my heart with others.  I pray your many blessings upon each woman who has felt, it was too late for her.  I cannot put in words how thankful I am for healing our broken hearts!  We love you so incredibly much!  Amen.

Your Assignment:  If you are holding anything in from you past, get rid of it.  Please write it down and put it in God’s hands.  Let’s replace that space with God’s love!  Let’s be each other’s support system when temptations come or when we are starting to go backwards.  Please post below what God tells you when you are feeling bad for you past, I believe these words have the power to encourage and help each and every one of us!

Love you all so much!

Diane

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For the “Lady In Waiting” Bible Study, you will need the book, your Bible, pen or pencil, a highlighter and a quiet place. You can order the book right through our website by clicking the “sign-up here” button at the top of our webpage; which is also where you can sign up to participate in this awesome bible study!

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Winning Him Without Words: Weekly Review w/ Martha Bush

November 9, 2012 by

 

He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”  Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.  [2 Corinthians 12:9]

Trade perfection for authenticity is what Dineen asks us to do in Chapter 6.

Not to sound “holier than thou,” but I aced this chapter.  A perfectionist, I am not!  In fact, that is the character trait that divides by husband and me the most.

Oh yes, he is the perfectionist in the family.  He cleans up most of the things I start because, as he puts it: “You made a mess of this!”  It drives me nuts.  Perfection just isn’t a word in my vocabulary.

I believe there is no room for perfection in our spiritual lives either.  So, I ask you ladies:  “Do you really think you can live this Christian life before your husband perfectly?” “Do you really think those old fleshly flaws within you aren’t going to occasionally pop up?”

“Come on, ladies, you need to get real!”

Authenticity says:  “Yes, I goofed, that is why I need a Savior!”

Authenticity says:  “I need to stop putting up a front before my husband, and ask his forgiveness when I mess up.”

Authenticity says:  “I’m not intimidated to speak about the passion I have within me for my Savior in front of my unsaved husband.

Oops!  I guess I didn’t ace the chapter after all.

Oh, God, forgive me.  I now see that the passion I have within me for Jesus needs to spill out of my mouth “naturally.”  I know not to preach and nag at my husband, nor run my mouth off like a “religious freak.”  But, I now see that I have become unbalanced in my efforts to say “not a word,” and have quenched my passion for you.

I hear you saying, “Come on Martha, you need to get real!”

“Let your passion for me flow out of you like a soft stream of water flowing along the river bands – -sweetly and soothing.”

And now, let’s review what Beverly, Jennifer, Donna, and Sarah had to say about Trading Perfection for Authenticity.

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Weekly Review

Monday:  Perfection for Authenticity / A Fine Linen Belt – Beverly had tried to be the “perfect” wife to her husband for years.  But, this week, she learned a lesson through Jeremiah’s linen belt. God had instructed Jeremiah to take his belt off and hide it in rocks near a river.  When Jeremiah retrieved the belt, the elements had ruined it and it was completely useless.

Beverly compared this to allowing certain “elements” to damage our relationship with our husbands to the point that we are no longer being the living representation of Christ in our homes.

Beverly challenges us in the following ways to reflect and show our husbands God:

Our heart – -what is in there

Our minds – -what she is thinking

Our soul – -what are our desires

May we accept the challenge.

Tuesday:  A Confession – Jennifer asks us some thought provoking questions concerning how we live our lives in front of our unsaved husbands.

How often do you let your husband see the not-so-Christian parts of you?

Do you fear that you might “look bad” or “un-Christian” if you are authentic?

Do you think you might give Jesus a “bad name?

Jennifer suggests reasons why we might be having problems in this area, such as:

My husband might laugh at me

My husband might mock me

My husband might say I’m not really a Christian

My husband thinks I should be perfect if I’m a Christian

My husband’s words might hurt my feelings

Jennifer challenges us to:  Lay down the idol of perfection.  We cannot be an authentic warrior for Christ if we pretend to have it all together.  It is through our authenticity that Christ uses us to reach other people with the Good News of His saving grace.

May we accept this challenge.

Wednesday:  Heart Tablets – Donna points to the scripture Dineen brought out in 2 Cor. 2:3 as humbling her.  In this verse, God says we are a letter from Christ to our spouse.

From this verse, Donna saw that the Spirit of God has reached down and written on her heart.  These reflections from her heart can now be reflected to her un-saved loved ones who does not listen to fleshly efforts of nagging, crying, begging, and anger when she witnesses to them.

Donna makes a very valid point to think about:  Would you listen to someone who is hassling you?  Would you see a loving, caring God in that kind of tone?

She challenges us to:

Take a step back in our marriage.

Don’t worry about planning what to say or do next.

Let yourself be God’s love letter to them.

May we accept this challenge.

Thursday:  Sacrificial Giving – Sarah, uses Dineen’s idea of the perfect gift to give our husbands for Valentine gift, instead of chocolates.  It comes in the form making a listing of the things that she would not do to her husband anymore.  Just plain and simple:

No Nagging

No Expectations

No False Assumptions

No Resentment

Sarah leaves it with each of us to determine where in stand on these matters.  It is definitely food for thought as a means of Sacrificial Giving.

May we expect the challenge and do likewise.

Friday: Discovery/Prayer – Father, God, I thank you for what you have taught us about being real this week.  Help us to get rid of any hang-ups in our lives that are preventing us from representing Jesus before our husband, be he saved or unsaved.  Help us to live our lives before him according to 1 Peter 3.  In Jesus name, I pray, Amen.

 

Your Assignment:

Think back over the week and name one thing you definitely know you should start immediately doing to be authentic with your husband.

 

Have a blessed day,

Martha

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For those who are reading this blog and would like to join the Bible study, we would love to invite you to join us!  Click here and follow the instructions, (you can also click the SIGN-UP link in the menu bar above to be taken to the form). It’s that simple!  We hope to see you soon!

Above all, if you have not accepted Christ as your Lord and Savior, and would like to have someone pray with you, please email us at Prayer@GirlfriendsCoffeeHour.com. and one of our prayer team members will contact you.

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GCH: What’s on Your Plate? — Grass-Fed Burger on Marinated Portobello’s

November 9, 2012 by

 

This version of the All-American Burger satisfies our craving for participation in the Sunday Barbecue while honoring our desire to abstain from ingesting gluten.  Just put the Portobello in a Zip-Lock bag or some other container to marinate while the festivities are proceeding.  They will be ready to throw on the grill with the burgers when everyone else is warming their traditional buns.

One note of caution; if you don’t know what condiments are being served by your host be sure to take your own.  Common condiments like Barbecue sauces, mayonnaise, thousand island dressing ketchup and even prepared mustard’s can contain gluten.  Unless you want to be the “Label Police” at your friend’s house, just choose to take your gluten-free condiments with you.

Gracious Guest/ Party Suggestion: I like to make a gift basket with the Gluten Free Condiments as a hostess gift.  This way, you are saying thank you to your host as well as making sure you have the gluten-free dining experience you desire.

It is important that you do your homework on what products truly are gluten-free.  There are some great Apps that help with this as well as the Gluten Free Society website www.glutenfreesociety.com, which is loaded with information on maintaining a gluten-free lifestyle.  This site is my go-to site, as different people have different needs when it comes to gluten.  There are many great choices for information available.  These are just some suggestions.

I am a proponent of complete gluten avoidance, but others may choose to simply remove the main sources such as wheat, barley, and rye.  This is a great place to start, but if you are truly gluten sensitive, a complete elimination is required to protect your health.  If you aren’t sure where you are on this spectrum, get tested.  I will have more information on testing in upcoming posts.  For now, I believe we can all benefit from the elimination of gluten from our diet in order to heal our bodies and our digestive systems.  Our body has been suffering the consequences of the gluten assault we have been perpetrating on ourselves over our entire lifetimes.  I guarantee you will feel so much better in such a short time, you won’t want to go back.

Funny thing, anyone will eat your gluten-free options.  No need to make a fuss over it.  In my opinion, this is a great example of how taking care of ourselves and our own health brings the gift of health and happiness to others in previously unimagined ways.

Make your gift Organic and Gluten-free and you have doubled the value.  Enjoy.

 

Ingredients:

This recipe serves 2 but you can multiply as needed.

1 pound Grass-Fed Organic Ground Beef, Turkey, Lamb, Venison, Bison, Buffalo, Elk etc…you get the idea (Vegetarian Option: Veggie Burger that is confirmed Gluten Free)***

4 – 4-6″ diameter Portobello mushrooms Pull out the stem of the mushrooms, then gently scrape out the gills with a spoon leaving just the firm flesh of the caps to be marinated.

 

Basic Marinade:

2-3 Tbsp Organic Expeller Pressed Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1-2 Tbsp Organic Balsamic Vinegar (Modello, Italy)

1-2 Cloves Organic Garlic Crushed and allowed to sit for 5 minutes

1-2 Tsp Organic Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice (from a real lemon)

1/2 Tsp Real Salt or Himalayan Pink Salt (to taste)

Ground Black Pepper to taste

Other spices can be added to this basic marinade to accommodate your tastes.  You can make it Italian, Mexican, Indian or any flavor at all.  The options are endless.  Spices add to the ORAC value of this burger “bun”.  Especially good is Turmeric.  But, be creative and make it your own.  Just NO MSG please!

Mix all the marinade ingredients together or just add them to the Zip-Lock bag as you go.  I never measure my marinade ingredients.  Just dump it all in the bag.  After you have added all the ingredients for the marinade, zip the bag shut and squish it around to mix.

You can make the marinade ahead of time and keep it on the counter or in the refrigerator.  It will just get better as it sits.

When you are about an hour from cooking, add the mushrooms to the bag to marinate.  The mushrooms will soak up the liquid so be sure they are thoroughly coated with the mixture right away.  You may even want to agitate the bag periodically to make sure the marinade is evenly distributed.

Note: I do not recommend soaking the mushrooms more than an hour as they will tend to get soggy and no one likes a soggy “bun”.

 

Burgers:

I like to mix spices into my burger.  You can be creative on this, as well.  Maybe some garlic and diced onion, Cajun seasoning, Italian Seasoning, anything you like will be fine.  Even leaving them plain works.  You can always add salt and pepper or other flavors later.

I make my burgers about 8 oz. raw.  They will be about 6 oz. cooked that way.  This depends, of course, on the variety of burger you use.  Grass-Fed beef tends to be more lean than regular hamburger.  Other meats will behave differently of course.

Cooking:

You can barbecue the mushrooms on the indirect heat portion of the grill right along with the burgers.  Make sure you turn them with tongs so that you don’t poke holes in them.  Same goes for the burgers.  Poking holes with a fork allows the juices to drip out.  Not my idea of a juicy burger.

Burgers and mushrooms should be cooked to medium rare status in about 4-5 minutes per side.  Over cooking the mushrooms will result in floppy “buns”.  Over cooking the burger will result in destruction of vitamins and beneficial enzymes, not to mention taste.  But, burger done-ness is a personal choice.

It is also fine to broil the burgers and the mushrooms if the weather is not of the barbecue variety.

 

Condiments as desired:

Romaine Lettuce Leaves

Sliced Tomato

Bubbie’s or Homemade Dill Pickle Slices

Organic Avocado

Sliced Red Onion

Organic Pastures Raw Milk Cheddar Cheese

These are my favorites burger additions.  But, feel free to experiment.

 

Some ideas:

You could toss some sliced Anaheim Chilies, Red Bell Peppers or even Sliced Summer Squash, egg-plant, or other grill-able vegetables into the bag of marinade with the mushrooms and throw those on the grill along with the “Buns” and burgers.  Then add to the burger stack.  The possibilities are endless.


***Note on the Veggie Burger option:

ALL GRAINS CONTAIN GLUTEN!!! If you want to eliminate gluten from your diet completely, and want to have a Veggie Burger you must make absolutely certain you choose an option that is made from beans and legumes.  I am not familiar with all the brands available currently.  Read the label and do your homework.  I do not eat Soy, Beans or legumes myself so I am not a good resource for these options.  The website I have listed for Gluten Free Society is a great resource for this type of information.

Enjoy!

Renee Porter Sullivan, CHt

Filed Under: At Home w/ GCH Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

GCH: What’s on Your Plate? – Moroccan Vegetable Stew

November 8, 2012 by

Let me start off by saying, I have NO idea if this stew actually has anything to do with Morocco. That’s what my Mom called it, and since I never saw the recipe written down, I took her word on it and the name stuck. Apologies if you are of Moroccan descent and you don’t recognize this as something you would ever eat!

Whatever you end up calling this, the fact remains that a simple vegetable stew is always a welcome dinner at our house, especially in the fall. The combination of lentils and butternut squash gets all soft and earthy-sweet, while the green beans add texture. The only things besides veggies are chicken broth (or vegetable broth, if you are vegan) and Madras curry paste.

A quick note about curry (and next week I’ll get into more depth): curry comes from the Indian word “kari”, which simply means “sauce”. There is no one kind of curry – rather, there are hundreds of variations, and you can buy prepared curry in powder, paste, or sauce form. In this recipe, I use Madras curry paste, which is pretty mellow and has a good balance of tangy, spicy, and a little sour. Feel free to use any curry powder or paste you like, but not Thai curry, since most of that is coconut-based.

As far as the veggies you use, feel free to add, subtract, or substitute here. I think diced carrots or tiny cauliflower florets would be good, and you could double up on the tomatoes if you wanted to. If you don’t like lentils, try it with a can of chickpeas instead. Have fun with it!

.
Moroccan Vegetable Stew

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 small butternut squash, or 1 pound fresh butternut squash chunks, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 1 cup lentils, any kind (I used red, but brown or french green work well too)
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 1 large potato, any kind, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 1 14-oz. can tomatoes (I like fire-roasted, but any diced tomatoes work)
  • 1 32-oz. carton chicken broth
  • 1 heaping tablespoon Madras curry paste (if using curry powder, use 2 tablespoons)
  • 12 oz. fresh green beans (or frozen) cut into 1-inch pieces
  • salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Prepare the squash: cut off the peel, remove the seeds, and chop into bite-sized pieces. In a large pot with a lid, heat the vegetable oil, then sauté the squash, onion, and potato for 5 minutes.
  2. Add the lentils and stir to combine, then stir in the tomatoes. Cover with chicken broth – about 1 – 2 cups, just level with the top of the vegetables. Turn the heat to low and let simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  3. Stir in the curry paste and green beans. Make sure the curry gets broken up and doesn’t sink to the bottom of the pot! Add more broth if you need to. Cover and let cook until green beans are just done – you want them to be al dente – about 15 – 25 minutes. If you are using frozen green beans, stir them in frozen, but only cook for 5 or 10 minutes – they shouldn’t be mushy.
  4. Taste for salt and pepper. Add more curry if you like!

If you are a vegetarian, or are making this for Meatless Mondays, serve it with bread and some sliced fruit. You could also make it a side dish, with grilled chicken and a salad. And like most stews, this is even better the next day!

_______________

— Dana Kim (also blogs as the Maven of Make-Do at http://frugalgirlmet.blogspot.com)

Filed Under: At Home w/ GCH Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Winning Him Without Words: Sacrificial Giving

November 8, 2012 by

I will sacrifice a free-will offering to you;

I will praise your name, O Lord, for it is good.

Psalm 54:6

In this section Dineen shares with us a different kind of Valentine’s Day present she gave to her husband. Instead of chocolates and a card, she made a list of things that she would NOT do to her husband anymore. I did this for my husband as a Christmas gift last year. My list was pretty similar to Dineen’s and I bet as appreciated by her husband as it was mine! Let’s review Dineen’s list.

No Nagging!

Oh ya! This is a big one for a lot of us. It starts out as us asking for a favor from our husband and expecting them to do it for us. Then it turns into a constant “did you do so & so for me? I’ve asked you 20 times, can’t you remember? I don’t ask for much…” and so on. It sounds so ugly in print, imagine what it sounds like to our husbands. I am so guilty of this. And I’m good about playing that martyr card too! “I don’t ask for much, can’t you just do this one thing for me without me having to remind you over and over?” To fix this, Dineen started writing her husband reminder notes. This is a great idea and seemed to work really well for her and her husband! He didn’t have to hear her “nag” him about something over and over and she didn’t have to stress out about asking the same favor over and over. She just had to remind him of his list…gently! 😉 This turned her into his helper instead of his “nag”! Genius!

No Expectations

We’ve talked about this one quite a bit, and rightly so because it is so important. Sometimes we place such high expectations on our husbands that we are setting them up to fail. There is no way they can read our minds and know exactly what we want them to do or say. Speaking from my own experience, holidays were killer for us. I expected a pretty surprise every holiday, birthday and anniversary. I didn’t want to tell him what I wanted, I wanted to be surprised. That is the romantic in me! He would continually tell me that he’d rather I just tell him what I would like and he’d get it for me. I’d pout and say “that’s no fun!” but when it came time to open gifts and I was less than thrilled to open my vacuum cleaner, he proved his point. He saw a need of mine and thought he was doing good. I saw the most unromantic gift in the world. So now I make a list of 3 things for him to choose from. He has a guide to go by and I still have the element of surprise!

Okay, so I was using a funny example of not setting high expectations on your husband, but in seriousness, it really isn’t fair to him. When you are in a spiritually mismatched marriage, you can’t expect your husband to see the world as you do. Like Dineen says, you need to remember he doesn’t have the same belief system you do. You can’t expect him to think the same as you because his definition of right and wrong is measured more towards worldly things. He knows stealing is wrong, but not because it’s a sin, but because it is taking something that does not belong to him. You do need to respect his way of thinking if you expect him to respect your ways. Together you can talk and compare your ideas and I can guarantee both of you will learn something.

No False Assumptions

This is huge for me. Way to often I take a comment from my husband the wrong way, get offended and let it ruin my mood. He will try and tell me he did not intend his comment to be offensive, but I have a hard time getting over it. But I have been working on it! I learned something from our lesson this week that will help me to continue to improve in this area. From now on I’m going to not speak the minute I feel offended. Instead I’m going to exhale, think about what I’ve just heard and be sure of the facts, maybe let my husband explain further what he meant and then, most likely, realize his intent was not to offend me at all. So many arguments will be saved by just slowing down, really listening and understanding!
No Resentment
Past hurts are hard to get over. But let me tell you something, holding onto them and letting them eat away at you, or giving them new life each time you have an argument is never going to move you forward in your marriage. Sometimes I make things to simple, but this is one of those areas of marriage where I have always felt the past is in the past. You can’t go back and change it, so it really doesn’t make a lot of sense to dwell on it for the rest of your life knowing how miserable it makes you. I won’t lie and say I haven’t ever brought up a past argument to try and make a point in a current argument, because I have! But I was quick to learn that it only made the current situation worse than it needed to be and nothing really got solved. Especially the past argument! Forgiveness is a beautiful thing. It is a gift to YOU from God. When you allow yourself to forgive someone for hurting you, it frees you from that hurt. You cannot dwell on it anymore or think back to it from time to time. Let it go and move on so YOU can be happy again. When you hold a grudge, you aren’t hurting the person who hurt you. They’ve moved on long ago! When you hold a grudge the only person you are hurting is yourself.
Let’s Pray:
Lord Jesus, be with us today as we go over elements in our marriage that we need to work on. Bring our shortcomings to light for us so that we can know what we need to work on to make our marriages happier, more peaceful and more loving. Remind us of our vows to love, honor and cherish. We meant them when we took them in front of you, but all of us need a daily reminder to keep working hard to honor each vow.  We love you, Jesus. Please help us make our marriages a testimony to others!  Amen.
Your Assignment:
What is your list of things you will not do anymore in your marriage? Post them below so we can all pray with each other while we tackle them one by one! If you have a praise report on something you have conquered, share it below also!
Godspeed,
Sarah
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For the “Winning Him Without Words” Bible Study, you will need the book, your Bible, pen or pencil, a highlighter and a quiet place. You can order the book right through our website by clicking the “sign-up here” button at the top of our webpage; which is also where you can sign up to participate in this awesome bible study!

Filed Under: Women's Ministry Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Lady in Waiting: Guarding the Treasure

November 8, 2012 by

Over the past two years I have been honored to stand in four different weddings of women I prayed with, laughed with, grew with, and watched fall deeply in love with the man of their dreams. I have seen relationships grow from friendship to marriage. I have been blessed to watch newlyweds and long married couples invite their first or second child into the world. I have talked my friends through the process of deciding whether or not to pursue a relationship with a man they were interested in.

Let’s be honest, I have done my fair share of relationship watching. But the one thing that I have not done is gone on a date. That’s right, I have not been on one single date in the past two years, and let me tell you something…it is not easy watching friend after friend meet the person they will spend the rest of their lives with and begin that process, while I am left single, alone, and in the dust with out even a possibility.

Why do I start this post out with what seems to be a complaint about my relationship status? Not for sympathy or a pat on the back. Not so that you set me up with some suitor or encourage me to get my feet wet. But to share with you, that I have not been out with men because I am guarding my treasure. Don’t get me wrong; it is not easy. When everyone else is happily in love and oogling over their latest romance, I do most certainly get quite lonely at times. I would love to have a fling, lock lips with a handsome male friend, or even just go on a date for fun. But I have committed myself to guarding my heart, my body, and my love.

The author writes about some practical ways to avoid making decisions that will give away your treasure too soon. Ladies, this does not just mean your virginity or your body. This sometimes even means your words and your affection. Let’s be honest with ourselves, we all love the coos and sweet words of men who desire to share some sort of intimacy with us. It makes us feel cared about, important, wanted, and maybe even loved. But we ought not give our love to every man who speaks whispers those sweet nothings into our ears. The reality of the situation is, there is a great chance that you may not end up with the most recent sweet-talker to grace your paths.

Let me be clear here: this is not a man bash. There are many great intentioned males out there who mean what they say and have actions to back it up. But while you wait for Mr. Right, please do not throw yourself at every man who says you are beautiful, unique, or special. Even if you are in the midst of a relationship that you think could be the one, you may want to go as far as asking this man not to pour out words of adornment until you are in a more committed stage of your relationship. Explain what it does to your heart. A good man will be able to prove how much he cares for you without using words. He will make you feel beautiful, unique and special by the way that he treats you. If he is using words and not backing them up with actions, please, ladies, DO NOT stick around expecting him to change! There are good men out there who will treat you like the woman of God that you are, so don’t settle for a man who does not hold himself, and you to those standards!

Best of all if you are guarding your treasure, when you meet the right man, you will not hear yourself echoing words that you once said to a former lover. You will not find yourself repeating actions that were once special with another man, but rather you will find that all of the adorable phrases and enjoyable “you-isms” will be safe for just this one man. Trust me, I know that it is difficult to watch your sisters and friends sharing these intimate moments with men left and right. It is so hard not to get sucked into wanting it for yourself, right now! However, we will all find in the end that the moments of intimacy lost on men who mean nothing will take away from the man who will mean everything. And the moments that you save will be that much more special!

____________________________

Let’s Pray

Heavenly Father, thank you for creating us with the emotions and desires that we have! Thank you for knowing exactly how we can best use those emotions and desires. Give us the patience to save our energies for the man who you have in design for us. Let us invest our hearts in you for the comfort we lack during this time of singleness, so that we are better able to love our husbands when the time comes. Please bless us in this week as we enter into a deeper intimacy with you. Amen.

Your Assignment

 Talk with some of your sisters in Christ and/or an accountability partner about what your standards should be for a man. Write down a list of ways that you can protect your purity, and your heart when you do go out with a man you are interested in. Report back with one or two ways you have been doing that in your relationships with men.

___________________________

For the “Lady in Waiting” Online Bible Study, you will need the book, your Bible, pen or pencil, a highlighter and a quiet place. You can order the book right through our website by clicking the “sign-up here” button at the top of our webpage; which is also where you can sign up to participate in this awesome bible study!

Filed Under: Singles Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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