Friday, June 5, 2015

A Peek Into My Week . . .


Today . . . June 5, 2015

Mother Nature . . .We are finally getting some dry days and even a few warm days!  At the beginning of the week, we had terrible winds, and bad thunder storms, the wind was very damaging in some areas, up-rooting trees, and knocking down outbuildings.  Eastern Idaho is famous for it's wind, and these 60 mph winds helped us live up to our name!  Everything is beautiful and green, because of all the recent moisture, and it looks like we are expecting . . . more rain this week!  Hopefully the wind will behave it's self.

 The view from my back window last week - it was just pouring down!

On My Mind . . . The youth in our church are going on a pioneer trek next week, so I have been thinking a lot about the trials that my pioneer ancestors went through as they trudged across the plains with their families.  I love these words from Isaiah 43:2, and often wonder if any of those early pioneer relatives happened upon them, and used them to get through their trials. 

When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. 

Can you imagine wading through the water, wearing a skirt!  Can you imagine the weight of all those wet clothes, not to mention wet shoes, if they were lucky enough to have them.  I'm sure that if they crossed the plains in the summer, that they were hot, sweaty and miserable.  But they kept walking, despite being hot, tired, hungry and afraid.  I'm sure that the dusty trail ahead of them looked endless as they put one foot in front of the other, day after day.  When they finally reached the valley, they were thin and gaunt, ill and worn, but they arrived!  So . . . today, I am thankful for trials that I don't have! 


In My Yard . . . We finally got the garden in!  Because of the weather, it was hard to find a day that the ground wasn't saturated and muddy.  This year, I'm putting in more tomato plants than normal, and also more cucumbers.  It's wonderful to look out my window now, and know that we are done with the planting.  Although, I know that the hard part comes in a few months when the harvest comes and everything needs to be canned or put in the freezer!



Comfort from the Kitchen . . .

This is dinner tonight with a green salad . . . yum!  It also makes wonderful left-overs to just heat up  or eat in a warm tortilla.




Chicken Fajita Rice

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (you can also use a rotisserie chicken to make things easier!)
1/4 t. cumin, 1/8 t. salt, 1/8 t. pepper, 1/4 t. chili powder for seasoning the chicken breasts
1 cup diced green peppers
1 cup diced red peppers
1 large onion, diced
3 large cloves of garlic, minced
4 cups cooked white or brown rice
1/2 t. cumin
1/2 t. chili powder
1/2 t. salt
black pepper
1 lime, zested, then juiced
1 t. hot sauce
1/4 cup salsa
1/2 cup tomato sauce
3 T. olive oil
1 ripe avocado
  1. Season the chicken with cumin, chili powder salt and pepper on both sides. add 1/2 T of olive oil to each piece of chicken and rub in with the seasonings.
  2. Bake in a pre-heated 400 degree oven for 15 minutes. Dice the chicken into large bite-sized pieces and set aside. If using a rotisserie chicken, shred the meat and toss with the 1/4 t. cumin, chili powder and the 1/8 t. salt and pepper.
  3. Add the peppers, onions and garlic to a large skillet with 2 T. of olive oil. Season with 1/2 t. of salt and a few grinds of fresh black pepper. Let cook until slightly charred over medium-high heat, 15-20 minutes, stirring often.
  4. Add the 4 cups of cooked rice, the diced chicken, tomato sauce, salsa, 1/2 t. cumin, 1/2 t. chili powder, 1/2 t. salt, more fresh ground pepper, the hot sauce and the juice of the lime to the pan with the sauteed vegetables.
  5. Stir, while gently breaking up the rice and let cook for 5 minutes more to let the flavors combine.
  6. Taste and adjust the seasonings if needed.
  7. Dish out into bowls and top with the lime zest and the avocado.

A little Sweetness . . . 

A week ago, my beautiful little granddaughter, Averi, who is visually impaired, and several other special needs kids, were given bicycles, by a local bike shop in our area.  They had a special awards ceremony for them . . . it was so cute and such a special occasion for these kids!!

 She was very nervous!  I love the reassuring hands of her mom and her school principle.
 Mom and dad assisting, she was so happy!



 Averi has a tiny bit of vision, so she's looking really close to see what color the handle bars are.

 Dad helping, but her aide standing nearby to help if needed - she's the most awesome lady, she's like her second mother!

 Averi and her best friend . . . her sister!

Her favorite thing to do know is, ride her bike to school!  I know, kind of scary, but mom, and her entourage of friends are always close by!

Just Sayin' . . .



Something from my Playlist . . .

I love this song!  It was the theme to one of my high school dances.  Do they still have theme songs at school dances? 




Have a wonderful Friday!

Hugs,
 

10 comments:

RoeH said...

Actually, I'm not sure they even have dances anymore. Some kid told me they just show up for the photograph and then go out and get drunk. Ahhhhh...... What a fun night.

Vee said...

I still miss Karen Carpenter...a kiss for luck and we're on our way...

Averi must be thrilled with her bike! It looks perfect for her and very stable. Freedom and wind blowing in her hair...gotta be pure joy. Thank you for sharing her joy with us. You must be very proud of her!

Billie Jo said...

How wonderful... Your granddaughter and her new bike!!!!
Such happy pictures, my friend. : )
Your garden is lovely...I never had one.
Have a wonderful weekend!!!

Deb J. in Utah said...

I also love the Carpenters - hey we must be from the same era ;-) Averi is a sweet young lady - so glad she has a new bike! I don't know how those pioneers did it - crossing the plains. I don't think I would have survived in that time - I think God sends us down during the time when we would do best - our time does have trials, but at least I have an indoor potty! Have a great weekend!

Marsha said...

Oh, the pioneers.....I don't think I would have made a good pioneer. I was talking with a couple of friends today, and we were discussing that very thing as we were driving along a road, looking at all the sagebrush and commenting on how hard their trials were.

Your story of beautiful, Averi is a heart toucher. I think special needs children are here for us, not the other way around.

I love the Carpenters. I actually slept out overnight, on the ground at BYU, to get tickets to one of their concerts. The concert was absolutely fabulous!

Anonymous said...

I am peeking into your week!

Oh that song brings back such memories! How wonderful that the bikes were given to the children. Averi is brave!

We had one rain storm last week and it was a doozy! Poor little Bear hid underneath my bed the entire time! I am hoping for a few smaller ones this week.

That recipe looks easy and delicious. I am going to try it soon. :-)

And love that verse in Isaiah. Thank you for sharing it with us.

Kerin said...

What a great week you've had. Avery is pretty special, and her joy just shines through... what a beautiful countenance she has.
Yes... I have to agree.. the winds have been ferocious!! We've had those terrible winds here in Utah as well. Happy for the rain, but I am happier for some sunny weather and gardening time.
Thanks for sharing the recipe with us. I think I have all the ingredients, and I'll have to give it a try soon. We are very into making burritos lately **smile**.
Hope that this week is a splendid one for you.

~Smiles :)
~K.

Kimmie said...

Sweet, sweet Averi. Such a gorgeous girl. Your rice dish looks very tasty indeed and is now on my menu plan for later this week. Oh how I wish we lived closer and could exchange real life hugs from time to time.


Squishy hugs


Kimmie
xxx

Sue said...

Your granddaughter, Averi is precious, may she have many days of enjoyment with her new bike, oh how I loved bike riding when I was a young girl and still do. ~smile!
I so enjoyed the Carpenters, Karen Carpenter had one of the most mellowest voices, a favorite of mine.
So glad the rain has subsided for you, it has been wet around here too, your garden looks wonderful!.
I love your thoughts about your ancestors coming to Idaho, I also wonder about mine and the hardships they endured! We do have it so much easier, thanks to them!Loved the scripture you shared too!
As always enjoyed my visit.
Blessings,
Sue

LeAnn said...

Oh my this was such a fun post. I loved it all. I too have reflected many times on the trials of our pioneer ancestors and wonder how they did it all. I pray we won't have to experience the kind of things they did. I don't think I could tolerate being hot and sweaty without a place to bathe.
I also wonder how they handles some of the more delicate things. I do think they youth lean a lot of these treks.
Your garden looks awesome. I think we are just doing a little one this year. That will be better than no garden last year. It may be more of a patio garden.
Of course, I love your thoughts and pictures on our sweet Averi. I hope you don't mind if I copy the pictures; I might use them in a blog post sometime. How I love our children and grandchildren. I am so amazed at how long sweet Taylor Jo's hair is. She is the sweetest of sisters to our Averi. So loved this one! Blessings and hugs for you~

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