our week in meals and a birthday!

Most of you know how much I love birthdays!  I am not thrilled about turning another year older, but I love birthdays!  I love people and celebrations and spending time with my favorites.  And this year, I am feeling even more blessed because of my Engineer!  This time last year, we had started talking but had not yet met or even been on a date!  It is amazing to see what the Lord does in just a year.  When we are submitted to Him and His leading, He takes us on wild adventures and we are so blessed!

This past week was a rough one, starting with a massive toothache on Valentine's Day!  It was my first Valentine's day to ever have a valentine, and we couldn't even celebrate because of the pain I was experiencing.  So, that turned into the next 3 days in the bed and the scheduling of my root canal--which is this Wednesday (prayers appreciated).  Thankfully, I am not in the pain I was in....but still not 100%.

This week is a little crazy with the root canal and my birthday and everything, but I wanted to post our menu for this week!  I am excited about it!

We are using emeals.com now and really enjoy the savings and helpful menu planning tips and guides it offers.  It helps me shop according to the sales for that week, and makes it so much easier to plan our week in meals!  The Engineer and I love to eat, and we love to cook together.  It is one of the things that brought us together early on in our relationship.  For our 3rd date, Kevin cooked dinner for me and I was totally impressed!  Our 3rd date!  So, yeah, we like to eat!

This week's meals:

Monday: Sausage and Rigatoni with salad and garlic bread
Tuesday: My Birthday!!  **not-so-secretly hoping The Engineer takes me out to eat...we will see what happens!
Wednesday: Is Root Canal day!  Hoping that a crock pot recipe will do the trick!  Making Honey Chicken and rice (hoping I can at least eat the rice)
Thursday: Chicken Fajitas--also using my handy crock pot for this recipe!
Friday: Pork Fried Rice (recipe included for all of you to enjoy!)  I love Kelly at Faithful Provisions...she is so helpful when it comes to meal planning and her blog is fantastic!
Saturday: Picking up our Bountiful Basket co-op vegetables and fruit, and we also have a wedding to go to, so Saturday is a bit "up in the air" for meals!
Sunday: Traditional Chicken Curry using my new cookbook:

Other than the root canal, I am looking forward to this week!  What does your week look like?  How different is your life than it was just a year ago?

Happy February to All!

As many of you know, February is my favorite month.  Of all the 12 months, this month is special.  Not only does it serve as my birthday month (and many of you know, I love birthdays!!), but it is THE month I have seen God do more in my life and in the lives of those around me....more than any other month.  Seriously.

Let's look back at a few things:
2011: I asked God to change my mind, change my heart, and in there somewhere I asked him to change my circumstances...but I knew I needed a change of attitude before any of that could change.  And He did it.  Last year, actually on  my birthday, February 21st, I was offered the job at Classic City Community Church.  I was soo encouraged!!!  I also started reading One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp and wrote about it here.  This book has been such a huge blessing in my life.  And Ann's blog....amazingly encouraging.  And I started talking to the Engineer in February of last year...but we didn't go on our first date until March 3rd!

2010: God changed my circumstances after praying for a long time to quit the job I had (because it was soo difficult and hard and school-systemy and yucky), and He provided a wonderful job working with 7th graders.  I was able to do what I love!  Looking back at my journal of prayers from 2010 was pretty awesome.  I went from crying out to God for my circumstances to change, to then, one fine day it all worked out.  I am truly thankful.

2009: Also one of the hardest years of my life...but also really good for my character.  Real good.  But hard.  Isn't that funny how life is like that?  But I remember it well.  Even though my circumstances were difficult, God did not let me fall prey to the enemy's schemes and lies.  He protected me immensely, and taught me forgiveness like I have never known.  I also lived with some pretty amazing girls, and that made life a lot easier.

So...that's the past 3 years...what have YOU seen God do in your life?  What has He showed you in the month of February?  Sometimes people see this month as dreary and cold and not worth much.  We can't really say that this February, yet!  It is sunny and 70 today!  I have the windows open and I made these brownies (I figure they're more appropriate now that I am married!!  Don't judge me!).  I love Ree Drummond...she is awesome.

I pray that this February would be a blessing to you.  That you would write down your gifts of thanks.  And that you would experience God like you never have before during this month.  God is so good.  I am overwhelmed with thanks.

From last February: "I really long to not let things like lies, harsh words, and empty promises from people stick with me...seeping in and somehow becoming truth.  I long to cling to the promises from the Promise Giver.  My soul longs for that.  Thirsts.  Hungers.  For more."
And I still long for these things.  I hope I never stop longing for these things.

Giveaway WINNER and Happy Friday to all!

** WINNER has been chosen!!!  My friend De (she runs this shop on etsy) won the lovely prize this week!!! (I used random.com to choose the winner!)

More posts and more recipes and tips to come next week!  I am looking forward to sharing things with all of you!

Check out DaySpring's website for more wonderful goodies and also check out the (in)courage website, too.  Seriouly, y'all, (in)courage is incredible and most days I am either in tears, in awe, or on my knees because of the posts there.  Be blessed!  And Happy Friday!!!!

I am off on our church's women's retreat this weekend....first time away from the Engineer, so prayers would be appreciated!  I realize it's just for one night...but I really like him...and miss him when he is not around.  God is so good, and I am praying that this weekend is a blessing to the women coming to the retreat and that I would find a little rest!!

Happy Friday to you all!