Upcoming weekend...

Mentally unstable...LOL! That is how I feel this week. :) We have a BIG weekend coming up here at Sierra View Baptist Church. It will begin on Friday. My husband will be picking up Bro. Chris Tefft and Bro. Scott Gray - our special guest preachers from First Baptist Church in Hammond, IN. He will be taking them paint balling and then we will be going to dinner with a couple in our church to discuss a new program which we are looking to begin - Reformer's Unanimous. Our special singing group and chaperones will also arrive Friday evening and will be hosted by Jake and Megan Allen.

Saturday is our 2nd annual teen rally - The Main Event (boxing theme). The rally will be from 11am-5pm...however, set-up will begin at 8am sharp. We will have a bounce house, a bouncy boxing ring, Mike Tyson Punch-Out on the Wii and games for fun. We will have a men's trio from West Coast Baptist College to sing for our rally. Our special preachers will be Bro. Chris Tefft and Bro. Scott Gray. We will end the rally with chili n cheese dogs, chips, cookies and drinks.

If you have a teen that would like to attend the rally, the cost is $10 which includes a Main Event t-shirt and food.

This is a special event that our youth staff have been planning for the past year. There has been much prayer and time put into all the preparations. We pray that it will be a blessing to our community and that many youth will be saved and encouraged through the rally.

On Sunday, we will have a very special Sunday morning service with special music from West Coast and a great sermon from Bro. Tefft. You will not want to miss this service! And please come back for our Sunday evening service!! Bro. Gray will be preaching for our evening service. If you do not normally come Sunday evenings, please make plans to come for this service. It would mean so much to my husband and you will receive a special blessing for sure!

Keep our church in your prayers during this special weekend for us! God is good!

Thoughts on Ladies Conference

Holy moly...it has been an insanely busy week. Thursday, Friday and Saturday...I was at the CA Baptist Ladies Conference in Napa, CA with 8 of our church ladies. :) I will share more later on our trip...but tonight, I wanted to write about something on my heart.

I was very excited to go to Ladies Conference this year. Last year, we had four of us attend. This year, we had nine ladies attend. For a church of 1 year and 8 months old, I was absolutely thrilled. We had 2 ladies that have never attended Ladies Conference before and I was so excited to have them both with us!

As the sessions began and I listened to the various speakers, I found my heart becoming a little tuned out. I thought, "I have had many of these ladies in my 4 years of Bible college...same stuff, I'm sure." My heart was not in the right place. I wanted to get something out of the lessons and teaching to take home and to change my life...but I went into with the wrong attitude. I had already let the devil into my mind. I wasn't critical of the teaching...but I wasn't being open though. And that is just as harmful.

It wasn't until really (Hey, I am being honest here) the third day that I decided to attend a class that I had not considered because "I had already had that lady as a teacher in college and I am sure I know what she will teach". In that class, God pricked my heart and convicted me about an area of teaching on rearing my daughters. It was something I knew to do but haven't put much effort into it with all the busyness of life. I was encouraged by the Holy Spirit through that dear lady's teaching to better my role as a mother to my four daughters.

I don't know if I can pin point why I went into the conference with a tuned out heart. I didn't mean to be. And I didn't want to be. I do think perhaps it was just because I was tired. A little worn out and worn down. I am very thankful that the Lord kept working on me and that He changed my heart towards the teaching.

I want to encourage you to do the same. Perhaps you may go to church and have already tuned out your heart towards whatever the pastor may preach that day. Perhaps a Sunday School teacher offended you and you have decided to tune out any teaching that may be done through that person. Perhaps your youth pastor or youth worker has tried to help you through correction and you are resisting. Perhaps because of circumstances in your past, you now automatically nit pick apart any teaching that you may receive.

I don't know if you do...or perhaps you may have been like me. It kind of creeps up on you without you realizing it. Examine your heart. Beg the Holy Spirit to show you if there is something in your heart that you need to change. And if there is, humble yourself and confess it. You better swallow that pride...or you will choke on it.

I am sure glad I did. And I walked away sharing what and how the Lord changed MY life in those short three days. :) Let Him do the same for you.

Dishes...Part 2

Well, I wrote the previous post a touch too soon. :)

Here is "the rest of the story"...

Getting ready to go on our date night tonight. Wooooooohoooooo! I grabbed a frozen pizza out of the freezer to pop in the oven for the girls. Hmmm...couldn't find the round pizza pans anywhere. I remembered that my husband would have washed them and put them away when he DID THE DISHES yesterday.

So I called him..."Hey! Where did you put the pizza pans that you washed yesterday?"

"Pizza pans? I didn't wash any pizza pans."

"You had to have washed them... (question in my head - LOL)"

"I threw those pizza pans in the garbage. I thought they came with the frozen pizzas."

Oh my soul. Yep, he did. Thankfully, I found this out before garbage pick-up tomorrow morning. :)

The answer is:

Yes, he doesn't cook much. And I don't think he should be doing dishes either. ;)

Why, yes he did!

I think this deserved to be a post in itself...

MY HUSBAND DID THE DISHES TWO TIMES YESTERDAY...ON HIS DAY OFF.

End of post. :)

Recipe: Speedy Seafood Gumbo

• Tonight, I tried this new recipe and it is a keeper for our family. :) It is super easy and very tasty. It lives up to its name...speedy!
• Speedy Seafood Gumbo
• 
  
• 3 cups water, divided
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup uncooked instant rice
• 4 cans (10-3/4 ounces each) condensed chicken gumbo soup, undiluted
• 1 pound frozen cooked shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 package (10 ounces) frozen cut okra
• 1 package (8 ounces) imitation crabmeat, flaked
• 1 tablespoon dried minced onion
• 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions

• In a small saucepan, bring 1 cup of water, butter and salt to a boil. Stir in rice; cover and remove from the heat. Let stand for 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, combine the soup, shrimp, okra, crab, onion, Cajun seasoning, garlic power and remaining water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and cook over medium heat until heated through. Stir in cooked rice. Yield: 12 servings (3 quarts).

Adidas Deals and more...

A few tidbits from my week...

I blanched and flash froze cauliflower on Friday. I think it will work well for casseroles and soups. I also did more onions but this time - didn't dice them but did petals. For things like fajitas and sweet and sour chicken. :) I also did some oranges for smoothies. I enjoy seeing the "fruit" of my labor add up in my freezer.

I have a few ideas for more frozen stock up items that I would like to try. Homemade pizza. Mmm. I want to make a good, whole wheat crust to make the pizza more healthy. I found a blogger that posted on her frozen, homemade pizza and I can't wait to try.

I would also like to do frozen homemade waffles and freeze up for quick breakfast. I would like to try to find a healthier version for homemade waffles...oh yeah...and get a waffle maker for this project would be helpful. :) Ahhh...so many things to try...and just not enough hours in the day.

We also had two families over for dinner on Friday evening. We did steaks on the grill (my husband does all the work of marinating them and grilling them)...cottage mashed potatoes topped with bacon bits and cheese, grilled asparagus (another creation of my husband's)...and garlic bread. We enjoyed the time with these families. I especially enjoyed meeting their teen daughter. She is a real sweetheart. She loves to bake which I find refreshing in a teen girl her age. :) And I found myself thinking - I think this could be what my oldest daughter will be like when she is 14. I pray that God will bring along sweet and respectful young ladies like her into our youth group.

Today, we passed out postcards for visitation in the morning. We then had lunch at Red Robin and ran a few church errands. I was able to find a pair of Adidas gym shoes for only $15 and a new workout jacket for only $10 at the Adidas outlet store. :) I normally skip out on things for me...just goes along with the Mom thing, ya know? But I got them this time. I feel very strongly about looking well dressed and your best - for my husband, first. I want him to be proud of me and to be attracted to me even after 10 years of marriage. :) And because I want to be a good example of a Christian lady. I don't want to go to the gym with my husband and be immodest. I also believe it is equally important not to be frumpy and outdated. So...I got my new workout shoes and jacket. And I am very happy. :)

Then the rest of the evening was spent working on the Ladies Conference details and then our Teen Rally paperwork.

Have a blessed evening!

Recipe: Sausage and Pierogie Skillet

• 1 package (16.9 ounces) frozen potato and cheese pierogies
• 1 package (14 ounces) smoked turkey sausage, cut in half lengthwise and sliced into 1/2-inch pieces
• 4 tablespoons canola oil, divided
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 1 package (14 ounces) coleslaw mix
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon celery salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions

• Cook pierogies according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat,cook sausage in 2 tablespoons oil; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes longer or until coleslaw is wilted. Remove from the heat; keep warm.
• In another large skillet, heat remaining oil. Drain pierogies; add to skillet. Cook and stir until browned; add the sausage mixture and toss to coat. Yield: 5 servings.
• *A few of my changes that I did for this recipe:
• -I used a head of cabbage cut up instead of coleslaw mix.
• -I used beef smoked sausage - however, turkey would be a healthier alternative.
• -I doubled the recipe for our family of 6 - and we had one serving for leftovers. :)
• -Because I clean the church on Thursdays and then come home at dinner time - I pre-made part of this recipe. I boiled and then pan-fried the pierogies - and then set aside in a bowl in the fridge. I sauteed the onions, sausage and seasonings...removed from heat...cut up the cabbage...mixed in with the meat mixture but did not wilt or cook.
• When I got home, I simply heated the meat and cabbage mixture until hot...added in the pierogies until heated through...and dinner was served as if I had just made it all at that time. :)

My Children...

This is my Autumn - she asked if she could do her seat work on the step. I really am proud of her - she is in first grade this year. She loves to read and tonight, I found her lying on her bed reading one of her library books to herself. She also reads to her little sisters as well. She reminds me of myself - a big love for books. :)

Yes, there is a child sleeping under that blanket. Yes, that is the dog bed. No, that is not the dog's blanket. Ha ha! That is Sierra who fell asleep with her favorite ratty, tatty blanket. It is actually a hand me down from her big sister, Addie. Addie gave it to Sierra when Sierra was three and lost her baby blanket. So this blanket is 8 1/2 years old. :)

Valentine's Day Thoughts...

Happy Valentine's Day to all my friends and family!

This was Sierra last night...she came up to me, made a heart, and said, Happy Valentine's Day, Mommy! :)

Some of you may not celebrate this day...perhaps it is just another Hallmark holiday to you.

Two thoughts: This day may not mean much to you. Perhaps it does mean something to your significant other...so do something for them. :)

And if you don't have a significant other...do something for someone else you love or appreciate.

Showing love to others is just not for your spouse...it is for any person that needs love today.

My husband gave me my FAVORITE gifts today! The ones that don't cost money but are created with love. :) My husband had a friend say to him...I am running out of things to give to my wife...I have given her so many gifts up to diamonds. I can't think of anything to top her last gift.

Well, gifts like these never go out of style and are always the best gifts! They just keep getting better and better each year. :)

This is our 14th Valentine's Day together. I love you, Eric!!

Summer Lyn

This is Summer Lyn - my crazy 16 month old girl. :) Even though she has a screaming mechanism built in - that is when her big sisters do anything remotely to bother her in just a little bit - she screams... I still love her - craziness and all. :)

Daddy and Daughters

This is a note that my daughter wrote to my husband this week. All I have to say is...if this kind of stuff keeps up...with four daughters...my poor husband is going to be one broke dad. :) Cause those girls have their dad wrapped around their lil' fingers. ;)

Saturday and The Taco Bell Experience

Saturday...

The hubby went skiing with two of his buddies - Jake and David - up to Lake Tahoe. We haven't received much snow at all this year so skiing hasn't been as good as the last two years. He still had a good time.

The girls and I went to the church in the morning. We passed out postcards with Megan (Jake's wife). I appreciate Megan - her husband works on Saturdays but many Saturdays - she takes her day off to come with our family. She is a hard worker and we love her. She also brought me a caramel mocha coffee from Starbucks...yum. :)

After passing out postcards, we did a few errands and then had lunch together at Taco Bell. We had a great time of talking. Near the end, we had a terrible mishap with a squishy poopy diaper. Summer was sitting on my lap...pooped...and it squished out the sides - all over her legs, shoes and clothes...then all over my lap and skirt and jacket! Yep, it was pretty much a fiasco! Here I am sitting in Taco Bell with a baby that I can set down anywhere...and I can't stand up...and the smell is starting to permeate the room. Lord, help us! We discreetly tried to clean up but it was past that point. I carried Summer in a hanging sort of way in front of my poop smeared skirt - not making eye contact with the people coming in the door. :/ Then we ran out of diaper wipes. Well, there was nothing to do then but wrap her in a blanket and wait it out until home. I won't tell you what happened with my soiled skirt....I will leave that to your imagination. :)

Nevertheless, it was a good day. :) We came home and I made cheddar turkey brats with fried potatoes for dinner with a side of fresh kiwi. Have a great evening. :)

Canning Salsa - Fun in February :)

Look at these cheesy children! :) This was Friday, February 10 and I can hardly believe I was canning in my kitchen with the door open enjoying the beautiful 64 degree weather. Summer and Sierra were sitting on the front step while I canned.

This is the inside of my freezer in my garage. I am watching the meat sales and picked up some good ones this week. My favorite was ground beef for $1.99/lb. I don't know if that sounds like a good deal to you but here in Reno - it is. It seems like it has jumped to over $3 a lb. on average. :/ I bought 15 lbs. of ground beef on sale this week at Food Source. I then individually bagged it into quart freezer bags of 1 lb each. I flattened then and froze them. A little work goes a long way - I now can pull out one bag of meat whenever I need a lb. of ground beef! And it stacks neatly and doesn't take much space as you can see on the third shelf. :)

Friday afternoon, it was salsa canning time! I had gotten tomatoes on sale for $.37 a lb. I had also gotten cilantro, jalapenos and onions all on sale as well. So I wanted to put it all to good use.

Since I had never done this before, I don't know if I did it all exactly right but I tried my best. :) My sister gave me some tips from when she makes homemade red sauce and that helped me think through the process and to make some changes in my procedure next time around.

Here is my salsa cooking before the canning process. I tasted it and it was very yummy. :) Tomatoes, fresh garlic, onions, cilantro, lime juice, vinegar, jalapenos, salt and a couple spoonfuls of my homemade Cajun seasoning.

And the final result - 8 pints of homemade canned traditional salsa. :) I can see more cans of homemade goods in store for the future! It is a nice end to the day...and to the week to look at the result of your hard work sitting all wrapped up in a glass jar.

Grilling, Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Gym Time

What a busy and fulfilling day. :) Perhaps because I was on my feet for most of the day...those are the times you feel you really accomplish so much.

In the morning, I baked three meat loaves that I had mixed up the night before. Then I washed, buttered and wrapped 10 lbs. of potatoes and baked those as well. I am planning on using those for fried potatoes (with lots of ketchup!) for a side dish with cheddar turkey brats. I will use the rest for a couple of batches of baked potato soup. One for a dinner meal and one to freeze. The temps are supposed to drop into the 40's starting Monday so soup sounds pretty good!

I also diced up a couple more trays of onions - still have quite a bit more to get done but little by little. Then I went outside and realized how very mild it was - 63 degrees and sunny. I could not help but take my work outside to enjoy it. I cleaned my husband's griddle and also our grill which had quite a layer of dust as well as cleaned the inside where all the burnt food and ashes fall. They are both stored neatly in the garage awaiting another beautiful day...and perhaps some grilled asparagus and steaks. :)

I also watered our trees in the front, swept out the garage and restored a few out of place things. With the garage in much better shape, I finished my housework - dishes, dusting, sweeping, mopping and vacuuming. Then remembered...yikes! I didn't peel the potatoes for tonight's dinner - so I did that, cooked and mashed some yummy garlic mashed potatoes to go along with supper's meat loaf and corn on the cob. :)

Then it was off to do grocery shopping at Winco and lastly, hit the gym with my husband. 2.3 miles on the elliptical and then weights.

Yep, a very, very nice day.

Midway and Still Going Strong :)

I know...it is Wednesday night. I can hardly believe this week is coming to its second half already.

As I think back to Monday, I can't even think of a single thing I did that day! Ha ha! I am getting senile. Well, I know laundry but other than that. Who knows. Probably wasn't that exciting anyway. :)

Tuesday was my ladies Bible study group. We had 14 ladies last night and had such a great time! We had two of our ladies - Jenni and Mary who came for the first time. Thank you to Shannon who babysat Jenni's son so she was able to attend. I was so pleased for having Mary come! I have never personally asked her because I know she lives in Carson City and it is a ways to come. So she really surprised me by coming! And we were pleased to have Grandma Underwood back with us after her fall and stay in rehab. She is a great lady!

Our theme was "Taking Time for Friends". Everyone brought homemade muffins - so many choices! Chocolate mocha, orange zest with chocolate chips, blueberry, craisins with white chocolate, strawberry, cinnamon streusal...I love when our ladies take the requests and run with it! We tease Megan because she doesn't care to cook or bake...but it means a lot to me that she takes the time to make something homemade for our meetings. :) I feel that it shows that you care about what is going on and it is important to you. We also had a coffee mug gift exchange and that was fun. I got a beautiful flowered mug that matches exactly my kitchen colors. :)

The lesson was on friendship. We also had the opportunity to hear Shannon's testimony for our meeting which was a blessing to all.

Every month, I get home later and later. I can't get the ladies to stop fellowshipping and leave. LOL! And I LOVE it. If you haven't attended our ladies Bible studies, you are missing out on a great circle of Christian ladies for sure! Join our group and I promise you will love it!

And now, today. I can remember a little more from today than Monday. ;)

School, menu planning, grocery list making. The girls and I ran a few errands. I got my husband his Valentine gift (using my Old Navy Super Cash) and got a few produce deals.

When I got home, there was sitting several bags of groceries from my angel friend. :) She told me under no circumstances am I allowed to use her name...so she shall be dubbed my nameless angel. :)

Fruits and veggies galore! Kiwi, fresh pineapple, apples, oranges, pears, cauliflower, tomatoes, potatoes, green onions, red and yellow onions, grapes, cucumbers (which my daughters love for snacks), spaghetti sauce, olive and corn oil...

I am sure God has a very abundant garden in Heaven because my angel keeps supplying me with these wonderful foods. :) Love ya!

So tonight, I got a start on a few food projects - I cleaned a huge Tupperware bowl of green and red grapes for lunches and snacks. I then flash froze 3 quarts of more grapes for future snacks. I cleaned the ears of corn and made 3 loaves of meat loaf - both for tomorrow's dinner.

Tomorrow, I am going to finish dicing and flash freezing all the onions I have. I will make mashed potatoes for dinner and bake some potatoes to make fried potatoes for another side - perhaps with omelets for Saturday breakfast. :) My tomatoes aren't quite ripe enough but in a few days - I should be able to make and can my first batch of salsa! (Did I mention that another friend brought me another box of canning jars! Woo hoo!)

Hope you have a great day tomorrow too! :)

Blessed...

Sundays are special days for our family. It the day that my husband is most happy - he gets to do all day what he loves - serving God and loving people - especially the folks of Sierra View. And that makes me happy. :)

It was a busy day - full Sunday School classes...listening to the children sing. I was in the nursery for Sunday School and church service but I enjoyed hearing the sweet reports of how the message encouraged many people.

After church, we came home to change and to finish my food dishes. We then headed to the clubhouse where we hold our church's Superbowl party. A lot of good food and fellowship. I held singing group practice with my ladies...and we had a great time.

The evening ended with a short challenge and prayer as our church family from my husband. My heart is full...I am thankful for the people that God has brought to us. I can't put it into adequate words...except one - BLESSED. God has been so good to us.

Preparations for Sunday...

Whew! A busy yet fulfilling day in the ministry.

This morning, we had a CPR Training Class for our church's children workers. We feel that it is important that our workers know CPR in case something were to ever happen. We are not able to afford to host a certification class at this time - so we purchased a video kit with practice dummies from the American Heart Association. This is a simple learning program that teaches you the basics of CPR for infants, children and adults. We had a great turnout and are very pleased. Thank you to all our workers for being dedicated to being a children's worker!

After the class, my husband took our three oldest daughters out shooting. Shooting bunnies to be exact. LOL! They had a good time until a policeman came and told them they were in a congested area and are not allowed to shoot there. He could have gave them an immediate fine but didn't. Praise the Lord - my husband did not know it was not allowed in that area. (In Nevada, much of our land is owned by the Bureau of Land Management - BLM. So the public has access to any of this land.)

I went grocery shopping with Summer. When I got home, I made stuffed green peppers for dinner. Mmm! David and Danyelle came over, fellowshipped and had dinner with us.

Then it was baths and showers, dishes and prep work for my Superbowl party dishes tomorrow. I am making veggie pizza, spinach dip with Hawaiian bread and fresh homemade salsa with tortilla chips. I did most of my cutting of the vegetables, baked the pizza crust, and whipped up the spinach dip. Tomorrow, I will just cut the tomatoes and mix up the ingredients for the salsa and put the toppings on the pizza.

I hope you had a pleasant Saturday and a wonderful day in the Lord's house tomorrow!

Restoring Your Energy and Zest

Here is a good article that I recently read and wanted to share with you. I hope it will be a help and encouragement to you today.

After the holidays have come and gone and the New Year’s resolve has worn thin, it’s easy to find yourself in a slump. You feel lethargic, unmotivated, and in a rut.

Here are seven tips to help you restore your energy and zest for life again:

1. Do Something

Sometimes, the best remedy for pulling out of a slump is just to get up and do something. Set the timer for 10 minutes and go organize a drawer, or fold a load of laundry, or clean the kitchen.

Just getting up and getting busy will usually help you shake off some of the feelings of sluggishness. And many times, when the timer goes off after 10 minutes, you’ve forgotten how unmotivated you were and have fresh inspiration to tackle other projects.

2. Serve Someone

I’ve found that going out of my way to bless someone else is one of the greatest antidotes to discouragement. Not only does it take my eyes off of myself and my own situation, but it gives me more purpose, fulfillment, and joy.

3. Get Your Heart Pumping

If regular cardio is not a part of your schedule, that may be why you’re feeling exhausted and despondent. Hearty exercise produces endorphins that will not only improve your health, but that will also improve your overall mood and outlook on life.

4. Make Sleep a Priority

Getting less than seven hours of sleep on a consistent basis can impair your memory, alertness, quality of life, and cognitive abilities. Making it a priority to go to bed early and get deep, uninterrupted sleep and you’ll find that you have much more creativity and energy.

5. Develop a Morning Routine

I’ve been amazed at how much smoother my days go when I create and follow a morning routine. Right now, my morning routine consists of getting up early, reading my Bible, exercising, taking a shower, getting dressed, starting a load of laundry, and then doing my morning blogging/computer work.

When I get up and get all of this done before my children wake up, it has a tremendous positive effect on the rest of our day. As an added benefit, on the days that I follow my morning routine, I get so much more done.

6. Clear Your Calendar

Sometimes, a lack of energy stems from overloading your plate and trying to do too much. It’s high time we stop feeling obligated to be everything to everyone. Determine your priorities, set limits, and freely say “no” if the opportunity or commitment is going to send your home or health into a tailspin.

7. Remember that “His Grace is Sufficient.”

As the hymn writer so aptly said, we weren’t promised “flowery beds of ease.” Life is full of struggles and difficulties. There will be days when the pressures and stresses of being a mom or wife or friend or daughter will overwhelm you. But it is in our darkest hour, that God’s grace and empowering can shine the brightest.

Constantly be looking to the Lord for help. Ask Him for strength and grace when you know you have nothing in and of yourself. He will never fail you or forsake you!

Starting My Freezer Stash...

Do you remember the video I posted awhile back on flash freezing? Well, I finally started my freezer stash! The first project I did was fresh broccoli crowns. I had 11 broccoli crowns that were given to me and I wanted to freeze them.

1. Cut the stems off and cut in pieces.

2. Drop in boiling salted water for 4 minutes. This is called blanching.

3. Take out of boiling water and place in a bowl of ice water. This will immediately stop the cooking process.

4. Place on a clean towel and pat dry.

5. Place in a freezer bag (I used quart size which fit 2 broccoli crowns per bag.).

6. Seal and freeze. (I did not flash freeze the broccoli. I will just use one bag per recipe or meal when needed.)

7 bags of frozen broccoli - that is at least $7 I don't have to spend on broccoli. :)

I also wanted to freeze and store diced onions for the many recipes that will call for an onion.

1. Dice an onion.

2. Place in a single layer onto wax paper on cookie sheets.

3. Freeze. (Freezing each individual piece will make sure the onions don't freeze in a big clump. This way you can take out a scoop of diced onions whenever you need it. Then place the bag back in the freezer.)

4. Put in baggies and you are done!

Just from 4 onions...I got 2 quart freezer bags of diced onions ready to go! This is a great saver in many ways...

1. You can buy the onions on sale and get them much cheaper - not pay full price whenever you need one.

2. The prep work is already done! Saves times in your daily meal preparation.

3. Most of the time - I don't use an entire onion in my recipes. So I stick the remaining 1/3 onion back in the fridge. It never gets used and I end up throwing it out - wasting more money.

Today, I bought 6 lbs of onions for $1! I bet you can guess what I will be doing tomorrow... :)

Take one of these tips today and try it for yourself. You will see that it really isn't that hard! :)

Here's Your Sign :)

So, Tuesday...I post that I don't need a sign from God to prove anything to me.

I don't know if God has a sense of humor but I had "signs" falling from Heaven on Wednesday...signs of love my Heavenly Father. :)

I have a friend...who prefers to be nameless...bring me boatload of groceries! 30 lbs of potatoes, 2 dozen eggs, 1 can of OJ concentrate, 2 packages of sausage links, 1 box of frozen blueberry waffles, 1 beef chuck roast, 10 tomatillos, 7 onions, 9 oranges, 3 avocados, huge bag of cilantro, 1 whole chicken, 12 roma tomatoes and 11 fresh broccoli crowns. This was in addition to a dozen delicious muffins and a Starbucks coffee that she brought me on Tuesday. (We must look really skinny to her...she wants to fatten us up. LOL!) Not really...she is a giver. And she has found a friend that appreciates her giving more than she can know. I love her. :)

I then received a text from a childhood friend. She got me a Christian music CD and is going to mail it to me. :) Thank you Lisa!

Then my husband gets the mail and finds a sweet card from a pastor and his wife that visited a few months back. Enclosed was $50 for our family. Thank you Bro. and Mrs. Stonestreet!

Three blessings...bam, bam and bam! I love my God. And His sense of humor. :)