Lasagna casserole

I made this for supper tonight and it was a huge success!!!! 5 out of 6 of us liked it which is what makes a HUGE success in my book. So I thought I'd share the recipe with my "mommy readers". Let me know if you try it and what the outcome is for your family.

1 pound ground beef
1/4 cup chopped onion
****I used 12 oz of mild Italian sausage instead of the ground beef/onion****
salt (I omitted)
pepper, to taste
1 pound medium shell pasta, cooked and drained
****any pasta can be used...next time I'll use whole grain pasta****
1 pound (4 cups) shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
****I used 2% skim shredded mozzarella cheese****
1 carton (24 oz) small-curd cottage cheese
****I used 1% cottage cheese****
2 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons dried parsley flakes
1 jar (26 oz) spaghetti sauce
****I used Barilla Tomato and Basil pasta sauce****

In a skillet, cook beef and onion until meat is no longer pink, drain. Sprinkle with salt and 1/4 tsp pepper, set aside. In a large bowl, combine cooked pasta, 3 cups mozzarella cheese, cottage cheese, eggs, Parmesan cheese, parsley and remaining pepper; stir gently. Pour into a greased 13 in x 9 in baking dish. Top with the beef mixture and spaghetti sauce (dish will be FULL). Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella. Bake, uncovered, 15 minutes longer or until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

I served this with a salad, fresh veggies, and garlic rolls. Yummmmm!!!!! Enjoy!

Life

"Only one life, so soon it will pass. Only what's done for Christ will last."

These are a couple lines from a song my cousins, aunt, and uncle used to sing years ago when they traveled during the summer singing at different churches. I heard them do this song many times but, I hate to say, it didn't really mean much to me at the time. But this week this song has gone through my mind over and over.

Early Sunday morning a tragedy struck the home of a young couple (Heidi and Nick) from our church. I had her in youth group for a short time when I worked with youth. I knew her older brother better since I worked with him for a longer time. Heidi heard an intruder in her house and told Nick. He armed himself with his shotgun and they headed downstairs. Nick was confronted by the intruder and a struggle over the gun started. The gun went off during the struggle hitting and killing Heidi. The gun went off a 2nd time hitting Nick in the leg. Heidi was only 25 and her husband is 27. To say that this has rocked our church is an understatement. Both Heidi and Nick's parents are dearly loved at our church and have attended for years.

This has made me think about how I'm living my own life. None of us are guaranteed a long life. If something were to happen to me tomorrow, would people say that they saw Jesus in me? Would my children remember the fun times we spent together or the times I got upset with them? Would they know how I pray for them and how my heart breaks when they are sad or hurt? Would my family know how dearly I love them? When I see my Savior face-to-face will He say "Well done, my good and faithful servant"? What am I doing daily to live for Jesus?

These are just some of the questions I wake up in the middle of the night thinking about. And these are the quesions that are causing an ongoing change in the way I live my life. No more mediocrity. I want to do all things to the glory of God.

my attempt at photography

I only have a "point and shoot" camera....although I'm drooling over a sweet, awesome Canon Rebel or 40D camera. Someday......but until then, I'm trying to master photography with my "little white camera" as it is affectionately known. Let me know what you think!

the hunt is on!

This morning after church, the kids had an Easter egg hunt in our own yard. There was a bit of a twist though......Eli just had to search for his Easter eggs and little Easter present that were hidden in the yard.

Of course, he found the present first!

Then the "carrot" filled with jelly beans.

Then the eggs.

Some he had to work for a bit more than others.

Everytime he saw one, he was point and say "THERE IT IS!" So adorable!

For the 3 older ones, Jeff had set up a scavenger hunt for them. They started out with a clue....

which led them inside AND outside the house...........

across the street to the mailbox.....

inside the remote opener for the garage......

inside the trees...........

and finally............

finding........

the prize!

coloring eggs...and Easter tradition

Coloring eggs is something my kids look forward to every year before Easter...and every year I am amazed at how creative they get with combining colors for their eggs. They take such ownership over them. Gone are the days of just dunking the eggs in 1 color and calling it good. This year I picked up some dye that came with little "paint rollers" which was a huge hit. Enjoy these pictures of their masterpieces....which we can start eating tomorrow according to Abby.

You can just feel Noah's concentration in this picture....tongue out and all.

Masterpieces!

crazy love

Last fall I went through a book study with a group of women on Tuesday mornings at church. The book was entitled "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan. It was a life-changing book for me.....it made me re-think the way I "did life" and the way I viewed people.....but didn't really result in any tangible changes. That is, until today.

I have driven by homeless people with signs that say "will work for food" or "homeless" or something along those lines. I am embarrassed to say that after seeing them so many times, my heart had been hardened toward them. I would think things like "well, if they would just work they wouldn't be in this mess" or "perhaps they should stop drinking" or even "I certainly can't give them any money because they'll just spend it on alcohol". To me, those reasons justified my not doing anything to help them.....not even say a prayer for them......that is, until today!

Today I was running a few errands by myself and saw a man and woman standing in the median by a mall holding a sign that said "HOMELESS". I began driving by like I always have but this time I felt my heart say "help them". No, I didn't hear a voice or anything like that......the only way I can describe it is an overwhelming feeling to turn the van around and go back. I did. I pulled into the parking lot and began walking toward them. When I approached them they gave me big smiles. I handed them the $3.00 I had in my wallet, explained that this was honestly all I had right now, and you would have thought I had handed them $3000.00. They were so appreciative, thanked me profusely, and wished God's blessings on me.

I got back to my van, prayed for them and asked God to keep my heart soft toward people in need. I thought that's where my day would end. I went on to pick up a few things at Target and while I was there, I could not get this couple, Lenny and Malynn out of my mind. They had told me their names so I could pray specifically for them. I, again, felt my heart saying "buy some food for them". So, I did. I bought some small containers of applesauce, pears, peaches, mandarin oranges, crackers, etc. I picked up an Easter card and took out a bit more money from the ATM.

I went back to the mall, praying the whole time that they would still be there. They were. I parked in the same spot and motioned for them to come to me. When they got to me I said that I hoped this gift would be a blessing to them and to remember that they are cared for and will be prayed for. We all cried together when I handed them the bag of groceries and envelope. Lenny wanted to give me something and said all he had was an NIV Bible. I told him that I was just a girl who loves Jesus and is trying to be obedient to His will in my life. I told him to keep the Bible and pray for an opportunity to give it to someone who doesn't have one.....and I would be praying the same for him. They showed me their "house" which was their car. They told me a bit about their story.....lost their jobs on the west coast, then their house, headed this way since they have family here but they can't help out since they have their own financial difficulties.....the same story as many people these days.

I will probably never see Lenny and Malynn again but I am so thankful to have met them. They touched my life as much as they said I touched theirs. Thank you, Francis Chan, for writing such a challenging book and helping to change my life.

journey to health

I am on a quest to lose weight and get healthy! Isn't that every woman's quest at one time or another??? I'm glad you asked. The "losing weight" part has certainly been my quest many times in my life. In fact, even when I didn't need to lose weight, I tried.

People who have known me for a long time know that I've struggled for years with almost every eating disorder out there. I starved, I purged (with laxatives), I starved and purged, I overate, I abused ephedrine (meaning I took over the recommended amount per day).....but that was never about being healthy. Eating disorders are never about losing weight....most everyone knows that.....it's about what's going on in your head. I have dealt with the "issues in my head" and I have no desire to go back down that road. My quest now is about being strong and healthy and a good rolemodel for my children....especially my daughter.

That being said, I want to share my "journey to health" with you. Every Friday I'll share my results from the scale (not the actual number but the number of pounds I'm down...or up) and some tips that have worked for me during the week. Also during the week, I will share healthy recipes or meal ideas that have worked well.

I actually started this quest 2 weeks ago. Last Friday (March 19) I was down 4 pounds that week. Today I was down 7 more pounds last week! I have never lost that much weight in 1 week and I lost it in a healthy way!!!! I have honestly never eaten so much food in my life.

Here are my tips from this week:

• Never ever ever skip meals! Eat something every 3 hours --- protein protein protein!
• Breakfast is very important!
• Give up soda -- even diet soda. It isn't good for you and just makes you want more and more. Use Crystal Lite to help make the switch to water. Also squeeze fresh lemon juice in your water for some extra flavor.
• Make time to exercise! Start out by taking a walk. Any amount of time is better than nothing but work up to 45 minutes.

That's it for now. Thanks for taking this journey with me.