Recipes

I'm attempting to gather all of my family's favorite recipes in one place so that not only are they easy to access when I want to make something delicious for my family but so that when the time comes, I can pass the well worn book of recipes on to my daughter. I've started by making a list of every dish that I could think of that my family enjoys and now I am in the process of putting each recipe on a 4x6 note card. When this step is complete, I'm going to put each recipe in a cute photo album...and somewhere down the road I would like to put a picture with each recipe (but we'll see how that goes)

I wanted to share one of my new favorite recipes...I just used this one for Mia's birthday party. Lasagna is one of my favorite foods, so I have eaten a lot of it. And over time I have become somewhat particular as to how I like it...firm noodles, not too much sauce, lots of cheese, not too garlicky. This recipe, in my opinion, is perfect

My Favorite Lasagna












1 1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 cup minced onion
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
2 (6.5 ounce) cans canned tomato sauce
3/4 cup water
3 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons basil
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
2 tablespoons parsley
12 lasagna noodles
16 ounces ricotta cheese
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 pound mozzarella cheese, shredded
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. In a large skillet cook ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until browned. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. Season with sugar, basil, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning and 1 tablespoon parsley.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, remaining parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
4. To assemble, spread 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Arrange 6 noodles over meat sauce. Spread with one half of the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with a third of mozzarella cheese. Spoon 1 1/2 cups meat sauce over mozzarella, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers, and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil: to prevent sticking, either spray foil with cooking spray, or make sure the foil does not touch the cheese.
5. Bake for an hour. Remove foil after 30 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.

John 14: Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled

As I have made my way through the study of the gospel of John these verses could not have come at a better time. The healing and peace that the Word of God brings is amazing! Chapter 14 of the book of John is filled with the words spoken by Jesus as he prepares his disciples for his death. The comfort he presents to his followers then, is filled with application for his followers now.

We have all experienced the trials that life holds...death of a loved one, loss of a job, strained relationships, the uncertainty of the future...they are just part of our existence on earth. But as Christians, we are not left without hope. We can experience these hardships in a unique way because we have the promises given to us by God himself. The first verse of chapter 14 gives us the most clear cut way to avoid letting the troubles of this world get to us. "Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me." When we believe in God, and in the work of Jesus Christ, we are then presented with blessings that make the world a lot less troubling.

We have hope in the future...in verses 2 and 3 of chapter 14 Jesus gives us the ultimate promise that he is preparing a place for us to be with him. There is a place already in heaven for us and Jesus will someday take us to be with him. With this is mind, we don't have to live in the shadows of this world because we know this life is so insignificant compared to what awaits us...life is so short and our wonderful home in heaven is eternal.

We have the Holy Spirit living in us...in verses 16 and following, Jesus describes to us the power and strength that the Holy Spirit gives to us. He calms the disciples fear of being left without their leader by explaining to them that he will ask the Father to send a helper...the Holy Spirit...to live in us to comfort and counsel us. As a comforter, the Holy Spirit calms our hearts when we feel we cannot take another trial. As a counselor, the Holy Spirit brings the word of God to our mind and applies its truths to our broken spirit. The Holy Spirit is God living in us. The Holy Spirit is Jesus living through us. R. Kent Hughes explains it best in his commentary on John, "The same power that through Jesus brought regeneration and life to many flows through us. The same wisdom that brought healing to most fragmented relationships is operable in us. The same miraculous love that brought life to impossible situations resides in us, through the Holy Spirit"

Through these promises, we can have a peace that the world cannot give us and that the world will never understand. "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid" John 14:27

Cute Things My Kids Do

My favorite things to post about are my kids...and I really love sharing all the cute things they are doing.

Maleigha:
1. I love how she can't quite remember simple words so she just says what comes to her mind or she tries to describe it. For example, she was outside the other day helping me dig up weeds and she said, "Mommy, I need a...a...shelf". I tried not to laugh because she is a little sensitive about it when she messes up her words and just replied, "Here ya go. Here's the shovel."

2. She has started to really take notice of sunsets and her response is always, "Look, Jesus made the sky pink just for me...he knows its my favorite."

3. I admire the way she doesn't care at all what people think about the way she dresses...if she wants to wear a yo gabba gabba party hat to church, she will and not think anything about it.

4. I love to watch her sing at church. She closes her eyes and sings so passionately. She lifts her hands to the sky and dances like nobody is watching her. Oddly enough it makes me want to laugh and cry all at the same time....if only we could all worship like that

5. Although it has become somewhat of a problem...it is still so cute that she can't control her affection for her brother. She squeezes his chubby little arms and legs and kisses all over him.

Zane:
1. He started rolling over while we are on vacation last month and he mostly practices during the night. I put him to bed at one end and I find him turned on his side at the other end when I go to get him.

2. He already loves to sing. When we sing to him, he sings along with his gurggles and coos and a huge smile on his face. I am almost certain that he asked me to sing to him last week...he looked me straight in the eyes and started softly and melodically cooing.

3. He loves his sister...if she is in the room, his eyes are on her. She makes him laugh and he loves cuddling with her before they both go to bed.

4. When he gets really tired he gets a little out of control...he talks and laughs and wiggles. It is a little sad because I know he is extremely tired but it is so cute at the same time.

5. I think it is so adorable that he snuggles with a blankie to sleep.

The Last 4 Months

It's been awhile since I posted...I've needed about 4 months to adjust to the arrival of our newest addition. Zane David Russell Dunham joined our family on February 27th and although he is one of the happiest babies I have ever encountered...it took us some time to get used to having a baby around again. After many Sundays of rushing in to church sweating, with arm loads of bags and blankets, feeling frustrated and exhausted, I have now mastered the art of getting two children ready and am now even able to arrive early. I think the secret is to gladly accept help from anyone who happens to be arriving at the same time as me.

And although it is somewhat more difficult than I thought it was going to be to have two little ones to take care of every day I have actually been able to accomplish more than I thought I would. I have read a few books, taken up a new hobby, continued to serve at the church and I've still been able to have somewhat of a social life.

David graduated in May from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary with a Masters of Divinity. We are excited to see what the Lord has in store for us while serving in our current location. God has given David many opportunities to learn and serve since he felt the call to be a pastor and I am confident that each step along the way has been to prepare us for what lies ahead. Please pray for us as we try our best to love like Jesus and to seek God's will for our lives.

Maleigha will be turning 3 on July 25th. I can't believe my baby girl is going to be 3!! Her current obsession is a sparkly pink tiara that she got for Christmas. She wore it every day last week. It started as an accessory to wear to our growth group picnic on Tuesday...she insisted that because it was a party she had to get fancy. So, when we also had a picnic on Wednesday, she had to wear it again. I had to talk her out of wearing it to bed on Thursday and by Saturday her ensemble for the Roe family 4th of July picnic included the tiara (of course), with the addition of a valentine's necklace, a "happy new year" necklace and a blinking, bright pink jack-o-lantern necklace. I'm pretty sure she is convinced that you can never be too fancy.

Choosing Forgiveness

It has been way too long since I posted...things have been a little crazy around here getting ready for Zane. But I thought that since my due date is tomorrow I should at least attempt a thoughtful post before my blog becomes ransacked with new baby pictures or, yet again, becomes dormant for months.

After finishing the book "Same Kind of Different As Me", (which I would highly recommend and would gladly tell you about at another time) I was at a loss to know which, in the massive pile of unread books, to choose to read next. I have for the past few years received books for my birthday and Christmas that I deliberately asked for with the intention of diving right into them...but with a two-year-old around who has lately decided she doesn't like to nap, it has become more difficult to reach my goal of finishing each book before I request another pile. For the last week I have moved a stack of 10 books from the coffee table, to the shelf, to the bedroom and all around again, trying to decide which one would best suit my needs at this time. After a week of such nonsense and a few meaningful conversations with friends, I decided on "Choosing Forgiveness: Your Journey to Freedom" by Nancy Leigh DeMoss.

This book is so practical and engaging...though it repeatedly steps on my toes, I keep coming back for more. After only two days I have nearly finished it and I would have to say it will probably be one of the most influential books I have ever read in my life (and that is saying something, because I have read a lot of books). DeMoss recounts many stories of people who have been through horrible circumstances and have found the grace and strength from God to move on through the power of forgiveness. Though I don't have a testimony racked with horrible sins dealt against me, I have benefitted so much from reading about the forgiveness of God poured out on me. I offend God greater than anyone could ever offend me and yet he wipes my slate clean and gives me an intimate relationship with Him....but I still find it hard to forgive some people for the simple act of neglecting my feelings or for being selfish.

The first half of the book clearly lays out why we should forgive, giving floods of biblical references and examples. The second half of the book explains how to follow through with it. This book is truly for everyone. "Whether the offense is so large that you think you can't forgive, or so small that you think you don't have to forgive"...everyone has experienced a hurt brought on by someone else that effects the way their life is being lived right now. It actually took reading this book for me to realize how true this is for me.

I've begun to realize how destructive unforgiveness can be...over time you find yourself turning from the grace of God, thinking that revenge belongs to you. You choose to codle your hurt feelings which snowball into bitterness, becoming just like the person who has offended you. By not letting the person "off the hook" you are in turn keeping yourself in a prison. I have so many times convinced myself that the feelings I have felt toward people are justifiable because they were the ones that were wrong and they needed to know it and experience the same frustration and pain...but in chasing the need for retaliation, I have only made myself miserable while the offender (most of the time) remains unware and unaffected. DeMoss, suggests...and presents biblical evidence for it...that in forgiving others, even when they have not extended an apology or even any sign of remorse, we are showing them a glimpse of what Jesus did for us and we can call them to Christ through our actions. And isn't more important to see a person draw near to Christ and be reconciled with him than to receive the miniscule, brief relief of bringing our idea of justice upon them?

This book has deeply affected me and I know it will be life changing for those who have experienced great hurt if the principals are taken to heart and applied to their life.

Preparing a Place

I had a great conversation with my daughter over dinner this evening and I needed to write it down somewhere.

David had gone to help with the youth at church so it was just the girls for dinner. Mia sat eating, seemingly consentrating only on the mac and cheese in front of her when suddenly she said, "Mommy, God is making me a castle." I was a little surprised by her comment and simply asked, "Who told you that?" She replied, "Jesus".

I went on to tell her that the bible says that if we love Jesus and we follow him and trust him that God really is making a place for us in heaven that could be like a castle. I said that God was making one for Mommy and for Daddy and when she trusted Jesus and understood and believed that he died on the cross for her that God would make one for her too.

I realized later that she may actually be confusing God and Santa...she had asked Santa for a princess castle for Christmas, Santa makes toys--so Santa is making her a castle. But despite that, it provided a means for me to share the gospel with my two year old daughter and we'll work on clearning up the Santa/God confusion.

Contentment

This year my husband bought me a short devotional book that God has really been using to change my heart. Contentment: A Godly Woman's Adornment by Lydia Brownback has challenged me on a daily basis. This book has so much wisdom pack into 107 pages...I found myself many times wanting to highlight every word on the page, every sentence felt like something I never wanted to forget. I am currently half-way through it and wanted to share some of the wisdom God has poured upon me from this insightful book. (I will simply give the info to you in bullet points to avoid getting too wordy...I could go on forever about each point and how God is working and has worked in my life relating to each one, but I won't right now. I'll save it for another post)

• If we trust in God wherever we find ourselves, we will know contentment whether the season is easy or hard...He will lead us in, through and out of any situation
• If your circumstances feel frustrating it may be God's way of getting you to deal with sin...turn to God and examine your heart
• If we focus only on what we hope tomorrow will bring, we miss all the pleasure of today
• We may not be able to change out circumstances but we can change the way we think about them
• God is the only remedy for our unhappiness...anything else we cling to for comfort is only robbing us to blessing
• Real contentment comes when we willingly embrace the loss of our maximum benefits and let go of our entitlement to them
• Good things are not worth it if God is not the giver. If we let go and allow God to work in His time, we will be content with or without our hearts desire
• Lack facilitates closeness to God in a way that prosperity rarely does--the more we have, the more self-sufficient we deceive ourselves into thinking we are
• Our problem isn't that we need something we don't have, our problem is that we don't find God to be enough
• God comes in the place of our desires to give us something better...joy, peace, guidance, love, security and communion with Him
• We should enjoy the material things God gives us but hold them loosely
• Home cannot be our comfort and security because it is constantly shifting (especially when you are a pastor's family). Contentment comes when we discover that home is much more about where we are going (Heaven) that where we have come from. We have the contentment of home right now, wherever we are, because home is where God has us...home is Christ who unites us to God--this is the only home we will never have to leave
• God may choose to bless us with things we plead for or he may not...getting out of misery is guaranteed if only we will give our heart to God
• When we get the "if only" (if only I have more money, if only I were thinner, etc.) we want so badly, it fails to satisfy so we set our sight and energy on getting the next thing. Only God can ultimately satisfy. When we pour our desires into God and His purposes, we find deep satisfaction that nothing else can gives us.