Archives for May 2019

Kept

May 29, 2019 Leave a Comment

“He will not let your foot be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber.”

I came across this verse in my quiet time this morning. I have read this psalm many times over the years, but typically my mind is drawn to the verse before, one we hear all the time in Christian circles. “My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” (Psalm 121:2)

But God made this one jump off of the page this morning. See, I have been going through a bit of spiritual warfare lately. Trying to take on a new calling and path for my life has brought doubt and uncertainty from the Enemy. There are days that I wonder “Did I hear God right? Is this really what He wants for me? Is He going to show up and follow through? Does He care about the struggles that I am facing??”

I felt this way a lot during the time after my miscarriage and struggle to get pregnant, too. I would venture to say that we have all had seasons like this, even those of us who are the most grounded in our faith. Some of us, these seasons are brief. For others of us, we walk these hard seasons for years, and just when we feel like we are about to break and give up, He comes through.

This simple, short verse was exactly what I needed this morning, and it will be added to my life verses. Other translations say “He will not let you fall,” or “He will not let your foot slip.” This is a beautiful picture to me.

There are times in life when our path is hard and steep. We try to climb it on our own, but sometimes it is too much to handle. We may not see God in these moments, because we are focused on the struggle. But if you have accepted Christ, you have a promise. Your Heavenly Daddy is there, holding you. Keeping your feet from slipping and helping you climb out. He does not sleep. There is never a moment in this life where you are not being watched over and protected, even for a second. And that is a powerful and comforting truth.

Much like my precious baby girl. Her daddy and I are keeping her at all times. We guide her wobbly steps and protect her from dangers that she isn’t even aware exist. When she sleeps peacefully in her crib, we watch over and listen for her to keep her safe. There is never a time when her Mommy and Daddy are not protecting her. Parenthood is a mirror of our relationship to God; He designed it that way.

If you do not know Jesus, please know that THIS is the God of the Bible…not the angry tyrant that Hollywood portrays. God is not waiting to flick you off the cliff like an ant the minute that you mess up. Your sins, struggles, issues and failures are not sitting between He and you like an unmovable mountain. You don’t have to be perfect. Jesus came, lived, died and rose again to take the wrath that we deserve for our sins. It has already been paid and He is waiting for you to watch over you and keep you, like a new father lovingly watches over his baby. If you would like to talk more about this, please email me or leave a comment. I would love to chat!

Whatever you are facing today, sweet friends, embrace the reminder that your Father is ever-watching over you. He will not let you slip. He will not let you be moved. Rest in that truth!

Delicious (and Easy) Chicken Fajitas!

May 26, 2019 Leave a Comment

Mexican food is my absolute favorite thing to eat. (Okay, other than cake.) But really, I am a sucker for Mexican and could eat it 3-4 times a week with no problems. Lately, I’ve been on a fajita kick. I’ve been craving them for days and decided last night that I was going to just whip some up! I had pretty much everything on hand, so this came together really easily and I wanted to share it with my favorite peeps!

Easy Chicken Fajitas

Servings: 4
Time: 30 mins
Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients:

1-1.5 lbs chicken breast
2 TBSP oil of your choice
2 TBSP vinegar
1/3 cup water
1 tsp Oregano flakes
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Onion Powder
2 tsp Cumin
Dash of cayenne pepper (to taste…I hardly use any!)
A dash of salt and pepper
2-3 large Red Bell Peppers
2-3 Large Green Bell Peppers
2 Yellow Onions
Tortillas and toppings of your choice! Had I pre-planned this, I would have had Pico and Guac to go along with it!

Instructions:

Combine the oil, vinegar, water and spices in a medium sized bowl.
Cut your chicken into long, thin strips and place in the bowl with the marinade. Place in the fridge and let it rest for at least 30 mins (the longer the better if you are planning ahead!).
While your chicken is resting, remove the seeds from your peppers. Cut those as well as your onions into long, thin strips and set aside.
When the chicken is almost done marinating, bust out your Cast Iron Skillet (this makes a HUGE difference in getting that delicious, slightly charred taste! Don’t have one? Get my fav here!). Put a drizzle of oil in that bad boy and pre-heat in on medium high.
Once the pan is hot, add your chicken and cook it through, stirring frequently so that it doesn’t stick. I dumped the whole thing, marinade and all, into the pan so that the veggies could get some of that spice, too!
When your chicken is done, remove it to a plate with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add your veggies to the pan and add a little oil if needed to prevent sticking. Cook until your veggies are soft.
This is a good time to set out your tortillas and toppings. We love a good home made tortilla, but I had some store-bought on hand so thats what I used! Just make sure you remember to stir your veg every few mins so that they don’t burn!
Add the chicken back to the pan and turn the heat up to high. Cook everything a little more, stirring very frequently. You should start to see it get that yummy charred look! Be careful not to burn it!
Remove the pan and place on the table on a trivet. Be careful, the pan will be HOT and the food will still be sizzling!
Enjoy your authentic fajitas!

A Kate Spade Inspired Graduation Cake!

May 19, 2019 Leave a Comment

I was visiting my in-laws at their farm house in Indiana when my sweet friend Sara reached out to me about a last minute surprise cake for her sister-in-law that they needed the day after we got home. Once she sent me details of what they were thinking, I just couldn’t say no! I love when my customers give me a bit of “free reign” on the design of things, and decided to go a bit “Kate Spade” on this one!

The stripes on the top tier are edible sugar sheets (they come in all kinds of colors! Shop them here) cut to size for a nice, clean line.

They wanted her name to be on the cake to personalize it a bit. I wanted to add some sparkle! So I used my Cricut to make a custom topper with glitter cardstock.

The little plaque on the front is one of my custom sugar cookies to incorporate the quote that they wanted but keep it edible. The topper is the only non-edible part to this whole cake!

For the cap base, I molded rice Krispy treats and covered them in black modeling chocolate (I will have to share that recipe with you guys sometime!). The mortar board is just a square of white chocolate covered in modeling chocolate and topped with a piece of sugar sheet.

The one request Sara did make was that she wanted flowers on the cake! I perfected my buttercream frosting (Praise hands! I’ve been at it for years!) and piped a mixture of sizes and colors cascading down the side of the cake. (Pastry bags are your friend for these types of things!)

My initial vision was for the “confetti” to be a metallic gold, but Amazon lost my package, so black it was! I am actually really happy with the way that it turned out though. If I have learned one thing in my baking adventures, it is that sometimes things are out of our control and we just have to roll with the punches and work with what we have!

At the end of the day, the cake turned out to be one of my personal favorites! My customer loved it and it was the perfect addition to celebrate a beautiful lady as she accomplishes a huge milestone in her life! I am so blessed and honored to be a part of celebrating life’s special moments, and I hope that I can continue to do so for years to come!

Bee Cookies for Baby Banff

May 10, 2019 Leave a Comment

When my friend Kim asked me if I could do cookies for a bee themed shower for her grandson, I was absolutely giddy over it! I have been dying to tackle these forever, and this was my chance! These Ann Clark cookie cutters were the perfect set, so the came together pretty easily.

For some contrast, we mixed in the baby’s name, initial, hives and honey jars. I used my favorite food coloring pens (get them here) to add the detail work. I seriously LOVE these!

She also asked me to take on the cake! I don’t usually do much with fondant, but I am really happy with how it turned out! I opted for modeling chocolate because it tastes way better. The hive is a giant cake pop and the bee cookies were the perfect addition.

There ya have it! The cutest cookies for the cutest shower!

BBQ Chicken Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

May 9, 2019 Leave a Comment

I love super easy, low maintenance recipes! It seems like fixing a healthy meal can take hours sometimes, so these things that come together super quickly are my go-to. And you guys, this one is SO easy!

Simply throw chicken (we used one breast per person) in the crock pot with your favorite BBQ sauce and let it cook until easily shredded. For me, this was about 7 hours on low. You could also do about 40 mins on high pressure in the Instant Pot (LOVE this thing!)

When the chicken is close to done, cook your spaghetti squash (microwave method here), and dice up a red onion.

When the squash is cooked, scrape out most of the insides and mix it with the chicken and chopped onion.

Place mixture back In squash shells and top with cheese. Place under broiler until cheese is melted and then enjoy!

That really is it! So delicious, and its veggies-most if you are a 2B Mindset-er.

Waiting on the Promise

May 7, 2019 Leave a Comment

When you are in the thick of infertility struggles and miscarriage, it is so easy to feel forgotten. As women, we tend to bear the silent pain and struggle of waiting without the world knowing. We field the well-meaning questions. We meticulously track cycles. We get poked and prodded. We take the tests and then cry alone at the negatives, only to do it all again the very next month. We pick up the pieces of broken dreams when our pregnancy ends. We face Mother’s Day with empty arms, hoping and praying that maybe next year will be different.

But Psalm 115:12 promises us this: “The Lord has not forgotten us; He will bless us.” His promises are good. This scripture, as well as the one above, brought me so much comfort during my season of waiting. My journey to motherhood was definitely not one that I would have chosen for myself, but the Lord used it to teach me so much. To mold me and shape me. To give me an empathy and compassion that I would not have had otherwise. His plans are perfect.

I want to encourage you, sweet friend, if you are in that season of waiting to simply cling to His promises. Pour your heart out to Him and accept His perfect comforting peace. Sometimes He makes us wait to teach us. Sometimes it is to protect us. Sometimes it is because someone down the road will need us and our strength in their time of weakness and pain. Sometimes it is simply because our blessing is not ready yet. As you face Mother’s Day, simply know that you are not forgotten. You are loved beyond measure and your rainbow is coming.