Grains of Sand

Did you know that the Union Pacific’s historic Big Boy steam locomotive No. 4014 is touring the Union Pacific rails throughout 2019 to commemorate the transcontinental railroad's 150th anniversary?! Photo by James Basa You can see if it will be near you by going to the Union Pacific link.  The kids and I took a road trip and were able to see it with a few hundred others. :)  I sure love when a common interest brings people together.  I was teary-eyed and thrilled.

Funny this word should be a prompt. I've been reading The Middle Matters: Why That (Extra)Ordinary Life Looks Really Good on You by Lisa-Jo Baker.  I've been reading it because I'm tired in the middle of my life.  Gone are the days I'm holding babies in my arms and being rewarded with cute little smiles.  Gone are the days I fall into bed exhausted after chasing toddlers and cleaning peanut butter fingers while giggling fills my ears.  All those easy field trips to the zoo or train museum or the playland at the fast food place are a thing of the past. I'm in the middle.  Raising teens and almost teens.  They rarely giggle.  They are too big to hold (but not too big to hug!).  Mention playland at the fast food restaurant and they roll their eyes.  To get them to the zoo I have to ask God to send the absolute perfect weather because if it's too hot or too cold, the complaining is louder than the baboons.  The train museum is...

We have been loosely sticking to our summer schedule !  Yay for us.  Today is Make it Monday.  Megan and Mason get the credit.  Today's medium is paint. Megan Mason

Once upon a time before Ann Voskamp wrote and published One Thousand Gifts , she hosted a blog meme (?) of the same name, I believe.  The idea was that you were to write down three things that you were thankful for each day and simple math would say you would have about one thousand things you were thankful for at the end of the year. I participated in that challenge and it was life changing!  That is no exaggeration.  My entire perspective shifted.  You see, being thankful for three things each day is quite simple at first.  I'm sure you can rattle off a dozen right now.  However, once you get through those top 12, it gets hard!  That is when I found myself going through the day looking for things I could be grateful for so that I could complete the challenge.  And that my friends, is when change begins. I find that I need an attitude adjustment again.  Things around here haven't been so peachy and I haven't responded well.  I have ...

This.  This book is one you will want to read! I am only through chapter 3 of my advanced copy of Lovestruck: Discovering God's Design for Romance, Marriage, and Sexual Intimacy from the Song of Solomon and I am loving it. I keep thinking, this is a book to read with my daughter in a few years. This is a book that I needed to read 23 years into marriage. Sharon writes in a recent blog post , "The infection of indifference toward intimacy is one of those little foxes that sneaks in and destroys a marriage before you even notice the pesky critter."  This is something that I have battled in my marriage and is just one of the things Sharon addresses in her book. I have pre-ordered Lovestruck so I will have two copies on my bookshelf. One for me, and one to share. It's that good!

day 13 // I grew up in How about you? There are so many creative people taking photos every day as part of the Photo A Day challenge. Are you one of them? If you'd like to join, get the details here .

Day 11 // my handwriting If you have the time, check out all the amazing photos taken by talented people from all over the world. Head over to Fat Mum Slim for the July 2019 photo a day challenge.

In the summer we like to go with the flow.  I like a bit of whimsy and fly by the seat of my pants schedules.  However, the kids do better with a bit of a routine.  So, I went over to Pinterest and searched 'summer schedule'.  One of the top three matches was this Summer Schedule by Paige.  It's perfect for us.  It gives just the right amount of structure so we don't while away our summer. Yesterday was Water Wednesday.  The kids got their swimsuits on and played in the sprinkler.  They also got creative with some water balloons. It's a pig family. Complete with names. I think they were playing some sort of Angry Birds game with water balloons.  Love that they 'play video games', while playing outside.  :)

It's Monday. After all the weekend fun, I really just need a simple no fuss dinner. Preferably one for the grill so I don't have to turn on the stovetop or oven in this summer heat. Bonus! Patrick loves to use the grill, so I might not have to cook tonight. Woot, woot! This chicken is tender and juicy and great leftover!  Now, while the kabobs are a fun novelty, I don't always want to fuss with the skewers.  Which, let me just say, is most of the time.  So, that is when I use the chicken tenderloins.  You could also cut the breast halves into strips. Photo by samer daboul from Pexels Rosemary Ranch Chicken Kabobs Ingredients: 1/2 cup olive oil 1/2 cup ranch dressing 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary 2 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon lemon juice 1 teaspoon white vinegar 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste 1 tablespoon white sugar, or to taste (optional, I don't ever add sugar) 5 skinless, bone...

Day Six // My Fave Colour My fav color is turquoise. I happen to have many books that lean turquoise. Speaking of books, they are another fav of mine. If you have the time, check out all the amazing photos taken by talented people from all over the world. Head over to Fat Mum Slim for the July 2019 photo a day challenge.

The grass withers, the flowers fade, but the word of our God remains forever. (Isaiah 40:8, CSB)

Happy first day of July!  Summer is in full swing and that means I need dinners that are easy and can be ready to grab as we all throw routine out the door in the summer.  This buffalo chicken sandwich recipe tops the charts for ease and it is also very tasty.  It pleases the taste buds for my 18 year old all the way down the ages to my 8 year old. Photo by Fernando Aguilar on Unsplash Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves 1 (17.5 fluid ounce) bottle buffalo wing sauce, divided 1/2 (1 ounce) package dry ranch salad dressing mix 1 cup or so of chicken stock/broth 6 hoagie rolls, split lengthwise Directions: Place the chicken breasts into a slow cooker, and pour in 3/4 of the wing sauce, ranch dressing mix and chicken stock. Cover, and cook on Low for 6 to 7 hours. Once the chicken has cooked, shred the meat finely with two forks (I use my hand mixer!  Works great). Pile the meat onto the hoagie rolls, a...