How's About Cookin' Somethin' Up With Me?

Most people are convinced that they can't do cooking in bulk, because they don't own a separate, full-size freezer. Au contraire, mon frere! I've managed to store 30 meals at once in my side-by-side fridge/freezer for a few years now. You may have to sacrifice your ice cream and frozen waffles for a couple of weeks, but who needs that stuff, anyway? Okay, okay; those of you that believe ice cream is a food group can put down the bricks and stop yelling at me now! Recently, we acquired a shiny, new stainless steel fridge with the freezer drawers on the bottom (LOVE it!). Since the old fridge still (mostly) works, we decided to keep it and move it into the closet with our washer and dryer. I now use the freezer in the old unit to hold all of my frozen meals. Anywho, fitting all of your meals into your freezer depends upon how you package them. For the first year or so, I used gallon-sized freezer bags. Soups, stews, and sauces can be laid flat to freeze and then stacked on top of one another or stood on end like books on a shelf. The thing that takes up the most room is casseroles, as those have to be frozen in a dish and then taken out and wrapped in foil. A couple of years ago, I purchased a vacuum sealer. Sure, the bags are more expensive, BUT they can be washed and reused! It's been a great investment. If you still aren't convinced that you can store a month's worth of meals in your freezer, try starting with 2 weeks' worth. You'll figure out what works for you with a little practice. The recipe I have for you today is what us southerners call my "funeral dish". This is the one that you throw together at the last minute to take to a sick friend, new mom, or those that have lost a loved one. It's probably my favorite casserole, because it's one that my picky children will eat!

Nana's Chicken Casserole

1 lb. chicken 1 can cream of chicken soup

1 qt. chicken stock 1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 stick butter 1 16 oz. bag of Pepperidge Farms

cornbread dressing

Boil your chicken in the chicken stock, adding water to cover chicken if necessary. Save enough broth to fill your two soup cans; shred chicken and set aside. In a dutch oven, melt butter, then add cream of chicken soup. Fill the soup can with broth and add. Add the bag of dressing and mix until moistened. In a separate bowl, combine cream of mushroom soup with one soup can of chicken broth. Mix with a whisk to remove lumps. Spray a 9x13 dish with cooking spray. Make a layer with half of the dressing mixture. Top this with all of the shredded chicken. Pour half of the mushroom soup mixture over the top. Top with the remaining dressing and then soup. Bake at 375 degrees for 35-45 minutes. NOTE: This will give you about 10 servings, so when I fix this for my family, I'm able to get 2 meals out of it. Instead of using a 9x13 dish, I use 2 8x8 dishes. I line these with foil and coat with cooking spray. I assemble the casseroles then put them in the freezer. Once they are frozen, I can lift them out of the dishes with the foil. You can either wrap them in a couple of layers of foil or place them in gallon-sized freezer bags. I prefer to vacuum seal them with my Foodsaver. On the day you wish to serve this, thaw the casserole in the 8x8 dish and then cook for 30 minutes. It can be cooked frozen; I cover it with foil and cook for about 1 hour, removing the foil for the last 15 minutes. I usually serve it with a vegetable side.

I'm Still Standin'

Somehow, last week got away from me before I was able to make a new entry to the blog. For those of you waiting with breathless anticipation for the next installment of the church saga, I would ask for your patience. You see, the next stage of grief I need to talk about is Depression. I'm having a difficult time putting my thoughts into words. Also, I'm part of a Sweet Adelines chorus, and we're going to Chattanooga this weekend for our regional competition (my first time on the contest stage, BTW!). I'm afraid that revisiting all of the emotions from the past will crush the positive, winning attitude I'm trying to maintain right now. So, friends, stay tuned. I WILL keep writing the story, and it WILL have a happy ending! My next blog post will be a continuation of my series on cooking and freezing. For the month of April, in honor of Autism Awareness Month, I will be doing a series about our experiences raising an autistic son.

I have been touched by all of the encouragement I've received from so many of you. I'm honored that you would take a minute or two out of your day to read the out-pouring of my heart and soul. Thank you again for your support.

Feelings, Nothing More Than Feelings

I've described for you the body of believers that I was once a part of. I've also given you an idea how difficult it is for me to tolerate change. I think now I can try to put into words just what I've been feeling since the summer of 2008. I don't know if I can accomplish this in one post, because I've experienced such a variety of emotions. I'm learning that my honesty is going to offend someone out there, and the only way I can prevent that from happening is to remain silent. Since I intend to continue blogging, I'll just have to apologize up front for any hurt feelings my blog may bring you. Please understand that I'm trying my hardest not to be critical of certain people or churches and that my thoughts are not complete. God is not finished with me and my journey towards acceptance.

I'm familiar with the stages of grief, as I have been through all of them since the day we learned that our beautiful, first-born child was autistic. I will most likely go through some of them again as Pierce makes his journey to adulthood. It is debatable just how many stages there actually are. I thought there were only five, but it has recently been discovered that there may be as many as seven. Since the summer of 2008, I feel like I've visited most of these stages of grief again as I've tried to process the changes in our church community. That summer, an announcement was made that change was coming to Antioch Church Of Christ. Some people were accepting of this change, but some were not. The stage of grief that I went through first was Denial. I thought that everyone's emotions would settle down eventually, and we could go on worshiping together as we always had. We loved each other and we loved the Lord, so surely nothing could come between us. I even thought that if we discussed our differences, we could find resolution and no one would feel compelled to leave. Alas, every Sunday our class got smaller and smaller as dear friends decided it was time to find another place to worship. I began to feel as if the life was being sucked out of our church, but I clung to the hope that we would see those "glory days" return. After all, we still had many friends that remained, and Antioch was the only church our children had ever known. Once so many of our friends were gone, it became blatantly clear to us that there were things that our family needed that could not be provided at Antioch anymore. We had chosen not to dwell on those things before, because we loved our church family so much and couldn't stand the thought of leaving them. Finally, we decided that the time to move on had arrived for us as well. Our last Sunday at Antioch Church Of Christ was Easter 2009.

I thought for a little while that I would move pretty easily to the Acceptance stage. The new church we were visiting was vastly different from our former home, and I appreciated some of the newness. The children's ministry was outstanding, the worship was joyful, and while the church was huge, the bible class we were attending was small and somewhat intimate. It helped that there were many familiar faces from Antioch to make us feel more at home. However, I soon discovered that the thing that stayed so constant here was how much they loved changing things up. Tim and the kids fell in love with this new church immediately, but I entered into the next stage of grief: Anger. I had left everything that was familiar and comforting to me. Now, bible classes were constantly changing so that I felt I'd never get to know anyone. We were always learning some new praise music instead of singing the old hymns that I so loved and had grown up with. Everyone I knew seemed to be happily moving on, while I felt betrayed. Betrayed by my friends and my church. Why did a few decisions have to destroy the church I loved so much? How could my closest, dearest friends just abandon me and start over some place new? I resented this new church we were attending with a passion. I refused to sing these new praise songs. One Sunday, I felt the tears coming, and I had to hurry out to the ladies room where I sobbed in one of the stalls. I didn't want to start over again. I didn't want to make new friends. I just wanted everyone to return to Antioch; I wanted to go back in time a couple of years.

Whew! I think I need to stop here for now. This is a pretty emotionally exhausting process. Maybe I should take a friend's advice and just write about sunshine, rainbows and unicorns.

And Now For Something Completely Different...

The last few days have been really hard and I've lost some of my momentum. I had planned to write this week about the feelings I've had concerning the community I lost, but I'm feeling a little gun-shy. So, I've decided instead to write about cooking today.

A few years ago, I was listening to Focus On The Family. There were two ladies (Mimi Wilson and Mary Beth Lagerborg) on the program talking about the concept of Once-A-Month cooking. I was fascinated! I'm not going to mince words here: I HATE to cook. But the "planner" in me couldn't believe what I was hearing. I could make a month's worth of food in one day and not have to cook again for the next 30 days? I was sold instantly! Whenever the subject of cooking comes up in a crowd and I mention this method of meal preparation, people always have questions about how I do it and what kind of things I cook. I thought maybe I'd use this blog to give a short series. Maybe once a month or so, I'll give my tips and recipes. I will warn you now; Martha Stewart I am NOT. Have you ever tried to cook her stuff? I have twice: Once was a birthday cake for my dad that took about 10 hours to make, and the other was an ice cream dessert that also took many hours and the patience of Job. I'm sorry, but life is too short for me to waste in the kitchen making the perfect dinner! The simpler the recipe, the more appeal it has to me. My recipes may offend the gourmet cooks out there. I have a list of about 30 recipes that have been successfully frozen and then reheated for dinner, and I'm always on the look-out for more to add to my repertoire. So, if you have one to share with me, I'd be most appreciative! My tip for today is that there are several books out there about cooking and freezing that will help, but you should start with what you know. More of your recipes are freezer-friendly than you may think. Most times, you just have to learn by trial and error. Fix double the recipe so that you have plenty for dinner tonight, and then put the left-overs in the freezer. Pull them out after a week or two, then thaw them out for another dinner. If it's a casserole, prepare two but cook one and put the other in the freezer. Then all you have to do is thaw the casserole and cook. A lot of the meals I freeze have been prepared up until the cooking stage, so that all I have to do is thaw and toss it in the oven. It tastes more like it's been freshly prepared and the house smells all yummy.

Since we still have several more days of chilly weather, I thought I'd give you my super simple chili recipe:

1 pound ground beef, browned

2 cans chili beans, don't drain

3 cans of diced tomatoes

4 tablespoons of chili powder

I like to make one of those cans of diced tomatoes into crushed. Mix all of this together in a one-gallon freezer bag. All you have to do is thaw and cook it on the stove for a couple of hours. I let it simmer with a lid on for most of that time, and then let it thicken up with the lid off for the last 30 minutes or so. Or, just try your own personal recipe. I guarantee it will hold up just as well as mine does in the freezer. Good Luck!

How's That Workin' For Ya?

By now you are probably wondering how this schedule I put together is working out. Have you ever heard the quote, "If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans"? Well, He must think I'm a real stand-up comedienne. My kids have had only one five-day school week in 2010. I've seen more snow this winter than I think I have in my entire life. There have been too many sweets in the house with my daughter's birthday, Valentine's Day, and those evil Girl Scout cookies; you can probably imagine how well that "getting in shape" thing is going. I've had my mom and sister here for a week. Don't get me wrong; I LOVE my family!! It just stresses me a little to change the family routine to accommodate extra people in the house. Maybe most of you can roll with the punches and improvise when your day doesn't turn out how you planned. I desperately wish I were like you. I do NOT adapt well to change. This is probably not news to you, since I've already written about how difficult changing churches has been on me. This not knowing from day-to-day whether my kids will be home or in school has thrown me for a loop. Please excuse me for being crass, but in the words of the great Dolly Parton (Steel Magnolias), I'm so confused I don't know whether to scratch my watch or wind my butt! Instead of pressing on when my schedule is changed, I tend to just consider that day a lost cause and try again another day. Unfortunately, I can't seem to find any make-up days.

Sheesh; does this post sound as scatter-brained to you as it does to me? I hope very soon I can attain some sense of normalcy and sanity in my life. If any of you out there have that ability to adapt to life's little curve-balls, could you please give me some pointers? Help a sista out!

Home Sweet Home

In 1996, Tim and I moved from the upstate of South Carolina, the place where we grew up. Tim was offered a job in Nashville, Tennessee where his dad and other members of his family lived. We both welcomed the opportunity, but for me it meant leaving behind my family and, for both of us, our friends. We began our "church search" right away. Nashville TN is the place to be if you worship in a Church Of Christ. There's one on every street corner. We visited a number of different churches, but never found a reason to visit more than once. I was not working, so I had no way to make friends. I was feeling an increasing sense of loneliness. I was talking to the wife of one of Tim's coworkers at the office Christmas party about our efforts to find a church when she suggested we visit her church. We decided to visit Antioch Church of Christ the very next morning. Leisa told us where to find the Young Couples class. Right away we could tell that this place was different than any of the other churches we had visited. It felt like a family. Several couples talked to us and we were introduced to the whole class. They said that the saying in class was, after your 3rd visit, they considered you part of the family. One couple asked us out to lunch that very first Sunday. We never looked at another church and placed membership within a month. Antioch felt like home and I had finally found the family and friendship I had been craving.

This was a group of believers that was closer than any I'd ever been around. There was always some sort of social event going on and an annual marriage retreat. Over the years, we grew into the Young Families class as we all began having children together. We didn't have as much time for social events, but we remained as close as ever. We helped each other move into bigger houses for our growing families. When I was on bed rest with both of my pregnancies, they brought me food and helped us finish our nursery. Older couples came in to teach parenting classes and mentor us. They became parent figures, especially to me since my family was several hours away. One of the best things about this group of people was their passion for prayer. In fact, our lessons in class were frequently shortened because of the desire to share both our hurts and our praises. We were the body of Christ described in Romans 12:15--"Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn". We helped each other through the good and the bad. They cheered for us when we announced pregnancies. On many occasions, we surrounded one of our own, laying hands on them while lifting them in prayer. This was done for Tim and I twice. Once when my sister was diagnosed with numerous blood clots and doctors were giving us little hope that she would survive, and again when we discovered that Pierce was autistic. If they couldn't be there physically, they would pray with you over the phone. As a class, we experienced births, adoptions, promotions, divorce, job loss, military deployment, cancer and other life threatening illnesses, and death. From this group of people emerged the closest friends we had ever known. It's where "the hens" were born. I just knew this was the church that would baptize my children, give them their high school Senior Ceremonies, host their weddings and our 50th wedding anniversary. This was the church that would perform my memorial service one day.

There's a song about Nashville by the Indigo Girls with the line: "Your town is made for people passing through". Some of our friends were called away by jobs or mission work. The faces would sometimes change, but the sense of family was always there. A couple of times, there were issues with church politics. We lost a few families to other churches, but our group still thrived. Most of us thought that even if we didn't always see eye to eye, the family at Antioch was too precious to give up on. But in 2008, things changed for good. I don't want to point fingers or assign blame, but I think it's safe to say that the Antioch family was ripped apart. One by one, the families that I had loved for 12 years slowly began to leave.

I will address my feelings about this in another post. The purpose of today's post was to illustrate a picture of the community that I once belonged to and perhaps help you to see what I've been mourning over this past year. I'm sorry this post has been such a downer and I promise they won't all be this serious!

Get Movin'

I guess you're wondering what could put me in such a funk for over a year. It actually is a break-up. Not of a marriage but a community. I plan to elaborate more in future posts, but today I'd like to share with you my plan of action. My friends and family will tell you that I am a planner. I like schedules and lists. For example, when my first-born was an infant and not sleeping at night, I was introduced to a book that taught me how to put him on a strict sleep, eat and play schedule. It worked within days, I might add. When we went to Disney World a couple of years ago, I had a typed itinerary for every day of the trip. I have "to do" lists scattered all around the house. I don't know why, but seeing things on paper is motivating for me. I find the act of checking something off of my list highly satisfying. So, knowing this quality about me, I set about scheduling my days in order to be more proactive about life.

Exercise- Not that I was ever in fabulous shape, but a couple of years ago I was training for a half-marathon. Don't be too impressed; I was only walking it. I managed to lose 10 pounds and felt pretty good about myself. Last summer, I became alarmed at the pot-belly I had developed. I began to wonder if I was pregnant like those crazy ladies on TLC that claim they had no idea they were with child until the day they went to the bathroom and...Surprise! Out popped a baby! I even thought that maybe my doctor would tell me I had fibroids. Alas, it was just fat. The common weight gain of a woman in her mid-30's. So, I am taking up walking again. Until the weather warms up, I am walking on my treadmill every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I'm trying to walk three miles each day.

Mondays- This will become my grocery and cleaning days. I've never been Miss Susie Homemaker, but I've been extremely lax in my housework lately.

Tuesday- I haven't quite decided what to do on this day. I hope it will become my blogging day. I'll get back to you on this one.

Wednesday- This is to be my project day. We are a family of "starters", but we lack the follow-through to finish things. I have a list (imagine that!) of projects that need to be completed, and Wednesday will be my day to knock a few out.

Thursday- I have planned a day of rest; my Sabbath, if you will. At least for the six hours I am alone, I plan to read or nap with the ringer turned off of the phone. I'll try very hard to stay away from the computer during that time as well, but I'm not making any promises.

Friday- Scrapbooking Day! I know most of you see this as a hobby, but I consider myself to be the family historian. I am several precious years behind on this endeavor. It is my hope to get caught up this year.

So, there you have it. It's not life-changing, but this schedule is a start to getting my life back on track. Along the way, I hope to reconnect with God and my family, but I'll have to discuss those efforts in another post.