What makes a Mother...

forget-me-not flower

I thought of you and closed my eyes
And prayed to God today,
I asked, "What makes a Mother?"
And I know I heard him say:
A Mother has a baby,
This we know is true
But, God, can you be a mother
When your baby's not with you?

Yes, you can, he replied
With confidence in his voice,
I give many women babies,
When they leave it is not their choice.
Some I send for a lifetime,
And others for the day,
And some I send to feel your womb,
But there's no need to stay.

I just don't understand this God,
I want my baby here.

He took a breath,
and cleared his throat,
And then I saw a tear.
I wish I could show you,
What your child is doing Here...

If you could see your child smile
With other children and say,
"We go to earth to learn our lessons
of love and life and fear,
but My mommy loved me so much
I got to come straight here!"
I feel so lucky to have a Mom who had so much love for me,
I learned my lessons very quickly,
My Mommy set me free.
I miss my Mommy oh so much
But I visit her each day.
When she goes to sleep,
On her pillow is where I lay.
I stroke her hair and kiss her cheek,
And whisper in her ear,
"Mommy, Please don't be sad today,
I'm your baby and I am here"

So you see my dear sweet one,
Your children are okay.
Your babies are here in My home,
And this is where they'll stay.
They'll wait for you with Me,
Until your lessons there are through,
And on the day that you come home,
they'll be at the gates waiting for you
So now you see
What makes a Mother,
It's the feeling in your heart,
It's the love you had so much of
Right from the very start!

Found this poem from a friend!

A Tea Party!

Not that I really care about the big Royal Wedding coming up on Friday, but I do love learning about new cultures and like to take any occasion to educate myself about them. In high school, I especially loved British monarchy. But to get to the point, I am going to utilize this occasion to have a Full English breakfast complete with tea and scones. I am quite excited about this because really it is no different from what most people in America would eat for breakfast, aside from the black pudding and baked beans, I think I will skip those! :-/~ I may be having a little too much fun with this but I LOVE breakfast and weddings! So I can't wait to enjoy both together, a delicious breakfast and a beautiful wedding!

I only wish that Sophia is older so she could participate with me! I would really do a lot more. Like play Princess dress up with her and teach her about England and their culture! I can't wait to still do those things with her when she is older!

My Version of Southern Living’s Island Chicken and Rice

I have been making the dish for a long time now. The first time I made it, Patrick and I were living in our first apartment, and he has loved it ever since! I like it too, because it is pretty easy and everything cooks in one large skillet, which makes clean-up easy!

Ingredients:

2 or 3 boneless skinless chicken breast
Salt
Pepper
Crushed red pepper (optional)
1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 small onion, chopped
1 cup uncooked long-grain rice
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1 (14 oz) can chicken broth
1 (13.5oz) can coconut milk
¾ cup pineapple juice from pineapple slices or chunks

Directions:

Sprinkle chicken evenly with salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper.
Brown chicken in hot oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat 1-2 minutes each side. You just want to brown chicken not cook it through, or it will be over done later.
Remove chicken from skillet and drain extra oil from pan .
Add butter to skillet and melt, stirring to loosen particles from bottom of skillet; add 1 chopped onion, and sauté approx 4mins or until soft. Add rice, sauté 4mins; add garlic, and sauté 1min. Stir in chicken broth and next 3 ingredients and additional salt pepper, and crushed red pepper if using; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 35mins or until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed.
Uncover and fluff rice and let stand 5mins before serving. Garnish with pineapple slices or chunks and chopped parsley.

***The original recipe used bone-in chicken, which needs to cook longer per side 8-10 minutes. And garnished with chopped macadamia nuts with the pineapple slices.

Chicken and rice burritos

I made these Chicken and rice burritos a couple times and they are so good. I should definitely make them more! I am posting the recipe if anyone wants to try them. They are easy to make and good reheated for lunch the next day. If you try them, tell me how you liked them!



Ingredients:

1/2 cup long grain rice
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 small onion chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 7oz can chopped or diced tomatoes in juice
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 1/4 cups grated Monterey Jack
4 tablespoons sour cream (optional)
6 grande-size flour tortillas

Directions:

1. Bring a saucepan of lightly salted 1 cup of water to a boil. Add the rice and cook for 8 minutes. Drain, rinse and then drain again.
2. Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion, with the ground cloves and oregano, and fry 2-3 minutes. Stir in the rice and tomatoes and cook over low heat until all the tomato juice has been absorbed. Set pan aside.
3. Put chicken breasts in a large saucepan, pour in enough water to cover and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. You can tell by cutting into chicken. Lift chicken out of the pan onto a plate and cool slightly.
4. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Shred chicken by pulling apart with two forks, then add the chicken to rice mixture, with the grated cheese. Stir in sour cream, if using.
5. Wrap the tortillas in aluminum foil and place them on a plate. Stand the plate over boiling water for about 5 minutes . OR, wrap in plastic wrap and heat in a microwave for 1 minute.
6. Spoon one-sixth of the filling into the center of a tortilla and fold in both sides. Fold the bottom up and the top down. You can secure with a toothpick, or lay it seam side down in shallow dish. Cover with foil and keep warm in oven while you make the rest.

The story of a Lifetime

So for Christmas, my wonderful husband gave me a beautiful and thoughtful gift of a book titled "The Story of a Lifetime" and its pages are empty. I have the great task and duty of telling my and my family's story to my children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren! I am excited to learn things that I never thought to ask my grandparents and parents. I wish I had my great grandparents here to ask questions about their lives, but now it is too late. I don't want my great grandchildren to feel the same way. So now by filling the blank lines of this book they will know all about the time in which I lived. And if you think about, we have had many technological advances, some that we could not possibly picture our lives without but just a few years ago were unheard of. I can't wait to see Sophia's expression when she learns of a time before cell phones or better yet cordless phones and computers!

The only down fall to this book is it includes the good and... the bad! As with every family we all have good and bad memories, but do I really what to dig back into the place in my mind where I have buried them? There are many things that I feel I may not be able to write about from my childhood not because I don't want anyone to know but because after suppressing those memories for so many years you forget because you want to forget! But if I write what I remember I guess the bright side is that they can learn what not to do, and ultimately isn't that the point?

Forgiveness

A little less than a year ago, my church held their annual revival. But before the revival began the Lord gave my Pastor a message about having your heart prepared for revival and if there is bitterness in your heart you can not be properly prepared! I felt that this message was just for me and it was! God always knows what we need and when we need it... we just need to listen to that still small voice, although in my case it wasn't a small voice; it was loud and clear voice. "Jessica I forgave you, You can forgive her!" I heard that over and over!
It began 3 years prior when I was deeply hurt and wounded by someone I loved very much! Someone that I thought could never ever hurt me, but she did! I let bitterness build and build inside me for 3 years too long and it was time to do the right thing! As soon as I left that service I called her and asked her to forgive me for being mad for so long. And the following poem was something that was from my heart, because at the time I did not know how to express what I was going through or feeling. So I am not a writer nor a poet but I had to somehow find the words to express this trial in my life because it had such a great impact on me!

I am ashamed to say
That I have been harboring bitterness deep inside me,
And it just would not let my conscience be.
Because I know that it’s not the Christian way!

I felt wronged and betrayed
By someone I held so near and dear,
But losing her would be my biggest fear.
So knowing what I must do, let not my conscience be swayed.

I must follow Christ’s example.
He was wronged and betrayed more than I, but He still forgave.
He that had no sin, died for us to save.
I must forgive her as well, so that I can be found faithful.

I can not see the future as God can.
Because when this trial first came into my life
All I could see was heart ache and strife,
But now I realize I must follow God’s plan!

God is the Author of my story.
And although I long for the bond we once had,
If I follow Christ’s example it can not be bad,
And to God be the Glory!

Let all bitterness , and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
Ephesians 4:31,32

As a child I recited this verse probably a thousand times, but as an adult I fully understand its importance in fullness and appreciate it so much more!

Newlywed Game

Newlywed Game
My sister-in-law posted this on her blog and I thought it would be fun to try with Patrick! He did good I was impressed but some answers were pretty funny!

1. She’s sitting in front of the TV, what is on the screen?
Patrick: Sex and the City
Me: Sex and the City since E! is showing all the old ones that I never saw.

2. You’re out to eat, what kind of dressing does she get on her salad?
Patrick: Balsalmic Vinegarette
Me: Balsalmic Vinegarette

3. What’s one food she doesn’t like?
Patrick: Mushrooms
Me: Mushrooms! Gross!

4. You go out to eat, what drink does she order?
Patrick: Water with lemon
Me: Even even answered with lemon, exactly how I order it, word for word! HAHA!

5. What shoe size does she have?
Patrick: 7.5
Me: 7.5, He has bought me shoes, so I know he knew this!

6. What’s her favorite type of sandwich?
Patrick: Honey Ham with Mircle Whip on a Hawaiin sweet roll
Me: I love this sandwich and eat it a lot! Obviously! But I would also say Philly cheesesteak!

7. What would she eat everyday if she could?
Patrick: Same as answer above, See #6
Me: Yes I could eat this everyday and not get tired of it!

8. What is her favorite cereal?
Patrick: Cinnamon Toast Crunch
Me: Sorry babe, I love those but my favorite is Me Lucky Charms!

9. What would she never wear?
Patrick: Thong Bikini
Me: Bikini, but if I wouldn't wear a bikini there is no way I would wear a THONG bikini! Yikes! HAHAHA I give it to him I would NEVER!

10. What is her favorite sports team?
Patrick: Jacksonville Jaguars
Me: I love my Jaguars! One day they will be in the Super Bowl!

11. What is something she does that you wish she wouldn’t do?
Patrick: Not doing dishes
Me: He is right I hate that I get behind some days but he really had a hard time even thinking of that so I have been doing better!

12. What is her heritage?
Patrick: English/ Irish
Me: True, I have been doing more research on this a lot lately!

13. You bake her a cake, what kind of cake?
Patrick: Red Velvet
Me: Vanilla with Vanilla icing! Yum! This was his second choice.

14. Did she play sports in high school?
Patrick: Basketball
Me: Haha! He said this because he remembered I got pushed on my butt by Melissa, but that was just PE. I only actually played softball, because he doesn't consider cheerleading a sport!

15. What could she spend hours doing?
Patrick: Shoe Shopping
Me: He knows me so well!

16. What is the unique talent that she has?
Patrick: No gag reflex
Me: Umm I dunno...

17. What is her type of coffee?
Patrick: The kind without coffee
Me: I love his answer... so funny and he is right that is the best kind! HAHA

Copy & paste this & fill in your own answers with your hubby!