End of the Year Reflections

Today’s blog will be a little different then the usual recipe.

Today I just want to chat with you about life. As this year comes to an end and we are all thinking back over our year it is easy to dwell on the bad things that have happened.
When I think back over my year I am struck by all that has happened, not much went to my plans. I would have never expected to have an arm injury that would change my life forever. Those three months changed my life, though not in the way one would think. Yes my life did change in that I could no longer do simple things such as holding a drinking glass or cutting my own food. It changed the way I looked at my life. I had planned for life to go a certain way, I expected to blog, make food, and continue on with life. I learned that no matter how much you plan your life it is still in Gods hands.

It is such a hard lesson for me to learn, which I still am. I love to plan, I hate being spontaneous but slowly I am trying to let go and let God. When I was in the midst of the battle with my arms I had to face that everything I had planned for my life might not happen, blogging, driving, cooking food, leading children’s theatre, being able to have a social life. You might think that I would wish none of that ever happened but I don’t. I am thankful for God’s plan and provision. I am so thankful for my year, even if it didn’t go to plan. If you would have asked me when I was 16 what my life would look like when I was 20 I would have said  I would be a school teacher  or owned a successful home business. Instead I am blogging as well as figuring out what I want to do with my life. I would have never guessed cooking would become so important to me.  

I would love for you to check out this blog post that has gone viral Click Here. After you read it hop back over to my blog and let me know what you think.

I still have dirt under my nails, I held on and persevered. I am still here, I am smarter, stronger and thankful for my experience. As we come into the new year don’t dwell on the bad, dwell on the fact that you still have dirt under your nails! You survived, you are here and God is with you! My personality type is to set everything to high expectations and try to hit those expectations. When life does not go the way I planned it’s easy to feel like I have failed, but I am here to say that I haven’t failed. Gods plan is so superior to mine, my plans will never be able to measure up to His! I hope and pray that your lives this coming year are filled with Blessings! I look forward to continuing to blog in 2015 and seeing what God has planned for my life!

Non- Alcoholic Christmas Sangria

Traditionally we have Punch every Christmas but this year we all decided to try something completely different, Non- Alcoholic Christmas Sangria. I halved the recipe and made a few adjustments to the recipe by The Kitchn . The drink was a big hit in my opinion, I would most definitely make it again! The Sangria was very refreshing, I think it would be great for a hot Summer day! Below I will post the recipe I used, be sure to check out The Kitchn blog and tell her I sent you 🙂

Serves 4

1 cups boiling water
1 black tea bag (or 1 teaspoon loose-leaf tea in an infuser)
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups pomegranate juice
1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 orange, sliced into thin rounds
1 lemon, sliced into thin rounds
1 lime, sliced into thin rounds
1 half apple, cored and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
1 1/2 cups carbonated water

Directions

Pour boiling water over tea bag and steep for 5 minutes. Discard tea bag and stir in sugar to dissolve.In a large jar or pitcher, combine tea, pomegranate juice, orange juice, orange, lemon, lime, and apple. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour and preferably overnight. Just before serving, stir in carbonated water. Serve in glasses over ice.

End of the Year in Retroview

As 2013 comes to a end I thought I would tell you about a new tradition we started this year. At the beginning of 2013 we started the Thank You Jesus Bowl, in this bowl we have wrote down on pieces of paper the good things that have happened whether they were small or large. Some of the things we wrote down were: Vacations/Work Trips, How we spent School Breaks, and things we were thankful for.
Before we read the things out of the Thank You Jesus Bowl we wrote down the things that disappointed us through out the year, once the three of us had each wrote down the “Bad Things” we threw the lists into the fire and let all of the troubles go. We told each other what was on the list but if it was personal you didn’t have to share. It really gives a great perspective on the year, first letting go of the bad and reminding yourself of all of the good things that have happened and what God has done in your life, awesome way to start a New Year!

Burning the Bad

Thank You Jesus Bowl

Everything may have not gone to our plans this year but it did go to Gods plan for our lives! So thankful for this year and looking forward to what 2014 will bring! Happy New Years to You and Yours!

Crab Muffins for New Years Eve

If you are looking for a simple yummy Appetizer for New Years Eve I have the one for you it’s Crab Muffins! We have made this in our family for years and it is one of our favorites! The Muffins are just the right amount of seafood, not to fishy but you still know you are eating seafood. The Crab Muffins are also super easy to make, with only four ingredients. I used a muffin tin to bake them on but feel free to use a cookie sheet, all of my cookie sheets at the time I made this were baking Nut Rolls (Recipe to Come). Sorry for the rush job on the pictures, I was very excited to make these not to mention very hungry!

Ingredients

1 jar Kraft Old English Cheese Spread

1 small can Bumble Bee Fancy Lump Crab Meat 

1 package Thomas English Muffins

2 TBS melted butter

Take lid off of Cheese Spread microwave for 10-15. Open can of Crab meat, drain. Place crab meat in a bowl, using fingers go through the meat to get out any leftover shell. Once you have gone through to meat, mix together the cheese spread and crab meat in a bowl. Separate the English Muffins in half. Place the English Muffins on your baking dish, spread the melted butter over the top of the muffins. Scoop the Crab mixture onto the English Muffin. Broil until the Crab mixture is bubbly. Enjoy Hot 🙂