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| Maybe it just wasn't my night.  Maybe the stars weren't aligned for me.  Yeah right. It's just my life. I guess I'll live it and try to enjoy it. :)
We had our annual HEAT Sports Banquet last night for my two beautiful basketball player daughters. Because the menu consisted of Lasagna, Caesar Salad and Rolls I had to come up with an alternative for 3/7 of my family. So, my Monday morning consisted of making 3 pans of GF Lasagna (2 are nestled in the freezer right now awaiting a busy day!) and then trying to keep it hot until 6 pm. Which would have been so easy had we been home...
I took the Lasagna out of the oven and put it directly into a cooler packed with towels. Then we went to Wal-Mart where we picked up an 8x10 of the Boys' Basketball team as I'd just realized I was supposed to include them on the table I was decorating for the banquet. Wal-Mart had no silver or red confetti stars so we headed to iParty to find those. I found silver and red stars and little basketballs--how cute! and we were on our way to the Dollar Tree for frames and vases.
****Can I just note here that my dear, dear children were driving me absolutely batty!!!!  It was excruciating. I will not take them shopping for years, or at least a few day! Who raised these kids? Oh. me. I should work on that.*******
So we got the frames and vases (with my sanity barely intact!)and proceeded to Super Target (I know, I'm nuts--I should have gone home for a nap.) and got the salad-fixin's and clothing we needed.
Then we went to Bible Study--Beth Moore's "Breaking Free". This has been an incredible time of teaching and soaking in God's Word for me. Every lesson is timely and extremely applicable to my life. What a blessing! But...true to the nature of this Monday, I forgot all my Bible study stuff. My workbook, my Bible, my dvd player--everything. Luckily we didn't need the dvd player this week and my good friend Linda made a copy of the video notes so I made it, but still...It was a rough day.
So, we finally get to the Banquet venue (after all of us changing our clothes in the church bathroom--you don't want to know what I forgot to bring for that! ) and I scoped out a back corner table where I could hide all my gluten-free food and no-one would be the wiser. I was suddenly embarrassed to whip out my own food for this event. I put together my beautiful table for the Girls' *and* Boys' Basketball and passed out the little (teensy) photo books I'd made in iPhoto for the team girls.
There was a little worship and a blessing over the food and everyone got in the long line for food....except my 2 GF children and me. We got out our still-warm lasagna and still-cool salad. People in line (the ones who noticed--not too many did) looked envious and hungry. I got out the onion dressing I'd bought at Wal-Mart and undid all the plastic encasing the top. I shook and...
THE STUPID, VERY *YELLOW* DRESSING WENT EVERYWEHRE!!!!!! Oh, my goodness. It was not my day. My red and black top was now puddled with thick yellow. It was on my chest and arms. I was dying. My good friend Linda was laughing. (Thanks, Linda :)) I was stunned and she finally suggested I turn around and clean it off. By the grace of God, I had the towel that had cradled the Lasagna and was able to get the surface yellow ooze off. I was left with a big grease stain that screamed I was a very sloppy eater.
For a moment I was humiliated. Then I decided to just go on. I ate my fabulous, safe-for-me Lasagna . I watched my 2 beautiful Basketball Players commended for their hard work. I wasn't sick when I got home. The embarrassment was worth it. 
 
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| What's for dinner? I have no idea. I have a freezor full of meat and veggies and a fridge full of cheese and veggies. What to make? I think I'm down to this:
Lime Grilled Chicken
1 cup lime juice
2/3 cup Italian dressing
2 tsp garlic, minced
2 tsp basil
1 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3-4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken
Heat grill. Mix all ingredients except chicken in a mixing bowl. Place chicken in a large ziploc bag; pour half of the marinade over the chicken. Seal the bag and toss to coat. Marinade for at least 15 minutes. Save the remaining marinade for basting.
Drain and discard marinade from bag and grill chicken over medium-low heat for 35 - 45 minutes or until juices run clear, basting occasionally with the reserved marinade. Brush remaining marinade over chicken just before removing from grill.
Minus the garlic, of course--vampire issues.  Garlic hasn't tasted good to me since my first pregnancy.
Off to defrost chicken. I think I'll make a big salad to go along with it. I'll tell you how it turned out.
Here's my menu for the (rest of) the week:
SUN: Chicken & Wild Rice at home, fruit at church for dessert (meeting at church--they served pizza)
MON: Chicken at the Babin's--I took GF Pasta Salad and GF Chocolate cake (Pamela's Products Mix--Awesome!!!)
TUE: Coke-baked Ham & Orange Sweet Potatoes
WED: Lime Chicken and Salad Maybe some corn for Jerry
THU: Hamburger something in the crockpot--chili, tacos maybe?--Drama night
FRI: GF Pizza--almond flour crust
SAT: Roasted veggies and little smokies
SUN: Roast Beast of some sort
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| "Are you going to wallow in what could have been or are you going to rise up and walk in faith and all that God has in store for you?"
This was a phrase that struck me in Pastor Kenton Slabaugh's message this morning. www.restorationcornerstone.com His sermon title was "Why do Bad Things Happen to Good People?" Wow. Part of me is terrified that there's some trial waiting around the corner, part of me knows there probably is, and all of me is more purposed to fully rely on the One who's totally in control. Why does God allow us to suffer? To show that God is in control, to produce fruit in our lives, and to silence the enemy. It was interesting to see three places in the Word where the enemy asked to 'sift' God's servants: Job, Peter, and Joshua in Zechariah. I hadn't noticed that before. Something that came to mind during the sermon was a Beth Moore quote about "They who sow in tears will reap in joy..." She says the key is to keep sowing. Like Pastor Kenton says, Keep walking. | | |
| I'm going to try to post my weekly menus and/or my daily gluten-free meal accomplishments. Some days I just want to throw in the towel and eat a sandwich (or pizza!). It's taking everything I've got to keep on this journey...
Today:
Chicken breast in the crockpot seasoned with salt & herbs
Wild Rice Mix with onions and tri-colored peppers.
Peas (for dh who thinks they're the vegetables of the gods :) )
Applesauce for those who need it (those raised Mennonite, you know who you are) :D
Fruit
Tomorrow:
Ham (crockpot again--I've got 2, so while one is being cleaned I use the other)
Crustless Zuchinni Quiche (A surprising hit!)
Fruit (or Applesauce ;) )
Supper: I've got some leftover Italian sausage from Sat's GF Lasagna. I'll sautee it with some peppers and onions and a little tomato and maybe make some almond-crusted pizza. | | |
| At the foot of the cross
Where grace and suffering meet
You have shown me Your love
Through the judgement you received
And You've won my heart,
Yes, You've won my heart!
Now I can trade these ashes in for beauty
And wear forgiveness like a crown
Coming to kiss the feet of mercy,
I lay every burden down
At the foot of the cross
At the foot of the cross
Where I am made complete.
You have given me life
Through the death You bore for me.
And You've won my heart,
And You've won my heart!
Now I can trade these ashes in for beauty,
And wear forgiveness like a crown.
Coming to kiss the feet of mercy,
I lay every burden down
At the foot of the cross.
Kathryn Scott
In reading a thread about Orthodox worship on the Sonlight forum's Lifelong Learners, I was struck by a depiction of all the kissing that goes on in an Orthodox service. :) Especially kissing the feet of an icon of Jesus. I thought of the gratitude and adoration that would express, the tangible reminder of what has been done for us. It was one of those eye-opening, world-enlarging moments for me.
Imagine my delight when I went to worship team practice and the song above was on the list--chosen for worship next Sunday. I was still grieving another Sonlight family's loss of their son, Sam, and was trying to give that sacrifice of praise, despite my mourning. All I can say is, Blessed be His Name! | | |
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