Posts by Kerry Weisser
Disappointment and Discouragement Become Hope and Desire
“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life” Proverbs 13:12
“But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31
“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” Romans 12:12
Disappointment and discouragement can come at any time and from almost any situation. Often disappointment comes when you least expect it and before you know it you have slipped into discouragement, frustration, confusion and temporary irrational thinking. If you are a person who loves the anticipation of an upcoming event, like I do, then the progression from disappointment to irrational thinking can occur quickly and turn your life into emotional chaos.
I was the unlucky recipient of a bit of news this past week that quickly set me on a roller coaster of emotions and took me on the challenging ride from disappointment to discouragement before I could catch my breath. Compared to many of the VERY difficult things I have faced in my life, I am surprised that I was so thrown off by this seemingly insignificant curveball that was thrown my way. Sitting here this morning, 4 days after the disappointing news, with a better perspective on the whole situation, it is a bit hard to understand how and why my disappointment moved so quickly to discouragement. And with discouragement come the inability to think creatively and problem solve effectively.
My husband and I have saved and dreamed and planned for a VERY long time to go on a Pilgrimage to Israel. We were in the planning stages 3 years ago to celebrate both of our 40th spiritual birthdays, but the trip had to be postponed …
Read MoreCarne or Pollo Asada Marinade
We had some precious friends over for a barbeque last week and I had planned to have Mexican food. My favorite summer Mexican meal is a buffet style build your own burrito or taco or Mexican salad. With the fresh corn already roasted on the BBQ the day before, the fajita style vegetables sliced and ready to be stir fried, the homemade salsa chilling in the refrigerator and the guacamole ingredients on the counter, I ran to our local Trader Joes to pick up my favorite Carne and Pollo Asada meat. Well to my surprise, they were out! So I bought some thinly sliced sirloin and some chicken and went home with ingredients to create my own marinade and this is what I came up with. Hope you enjoy this fresh and healthy rendition of Carne and Pollo Asada.
Ingredients
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
½ cup fresh lime juice
6 cloves garlic smashed
½ cup olive oil
½ cup apple cider vinegar
½ cup rice wine vinegar
2 T cumin
2 T chili powder
½ tsp cloves
2 T fresh oregano chopped fine (dry is OK)
1-2 T frozen orange juice concentrate
2 tsp salt
Pour over 3-5 lbs chicken (breasts sliced in half or thighs) or sirloin thin sliced beef.
Marinade for 2-3 hours and BBQ. Slice thin and serve with tortillas, rice, beans, shredded lettuce, grated cheese, salsa, guacamole and sour cream. This is my husbands Carne Asada burrito ready to be rolled up and eaten. Yummy!
What is your favorite Mexican marinade for your barbecued meat?
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Splash of Summer Creamy Chicken Salad with Blueberries
We have had a stretch of long hot days. Preparing dinner can be a challenge when you do not want to heat up your house anymore than necessary. I created this salad a few days ago and it was delicious. If you are not a curry fan, just use another seasoning like tarragon or basil on your chicken as you sauté it and follow the rest of the recipe as is. I love curry and it is so good for you (full of Tumeric) so give this salad a try. It is healthy and light and a wonderful summer salad.
Ingredients
½ cup thinly sliced red onion
1/3 cup diced celery
¼ cup torn fresh basil
4 cups washed and torn spinach leaves
2 cups fresh blueberries
1 cup fresh small tomatoes
½ cup diced cucumber
1 avocado diced
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic smashed
2 chicken breasts
1-2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
Dressing
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
½ cup plain greek yogurt
1-2 Tablespoon honey
1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Wash and cut up all vegetables and blueberries and place into a salad bowl.
Heat oil in small pan and add garlic, curry powder, salt and pepper and stir until garlic is soft. Cut chicken breasts in half length-wise, add to oil and sauté in the garlic curry oil until cooked through. Shred chicken or cut into bite-sized pieces.
While chicken cools a bit, mix yogurt, lemon juice balsamic vinegar and honey. Stir and adjust to taste. Toss chicken into salad and pour dressing over all. Toss to coat vegetables, blueberries and chicken. Serve with crusty French bread or crispy crackers.
Have you tried a new yummy salad this summer?
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Read MoreHow to make a “Bored” Board
How to beat summer boredom in kids is a common theme in many homes. It is not that the children are ready for summer to be over but the reality of school starting is just a bit too far away and the novelty of the freedom from structure has worn off.
Yesterday, Kerry wrote about boredom and gave you many ideas of things to do to break the “I’m Bored” mentality. Today, I am going to give you one more creative idea: how to make a Bored Board.
Here are the supplies you need:
One large frame-I bought a 16×24 inch frame (with a hard back and no glass) on the clearance shelf at Marshalls for $7.
1 bottle of chalkboard paint (any color but darker is better)
paint brush or sponge brush
chalkboard pens
I painted the hard purple back of my frame but if you buy a frame with glass you can either paint the glass or take the glass out and paint the back of the frame (or cover the back of the frame with poster board and paint the poster board).
Paint one coat and let it dry completely. Decide if you need to paint a second coat.
Once your board is dry, you can start writing your list and hang it in a place where the kids can see it and add to it as they come up with new ideas and erase the ones you have accomplished. Here are the chalkboard pens we use. They come is all colors and cost about $3.50.
This style of “Bored Board” is just one idea that might be fun for you to try. 
The possibilities are endless and you can use anything from a piece of blank paper that you laminate, scrapbooking paper that …
I’m Bored….
Summer is always one of my favorite times of year. Sunshine, long days, a house full of laughter and non-stop activities. Although we usually had a less structured schedule during the summer months, we did have a constant flurry of sports practices and other commitments with four busy daughters but the underlying feeling was one of excited contentment. When my kids were young, summer was a time for freedom, adventure and all kinds of new experiences. Being “bored” was not an option.
Boredom is defined as the condition of being bored-tired or wearied by dullness, tedium or unwelcome repetition. In our culture, instant gratification is an expectation. We have so many ways to satisfy that need for constant stimulation because most people have a smart phone, computer, tablet, radio, or television easily accessible. But these technologies, although wonderful in many ways are a cheap substitution for real life experiences. Summer is the perfect time to learn how to use other modalities for acquiring new skills, obtaining further knowledge and discovering your hidden talents.
This summer, when the kids say, “I’m BOOOOORED!” get out a piece of paper and spend time together brainstorming and writing down all the fun things you could possibly do together before school starts back up in the fall. Use those wonderful computers, smart phones and tablets to search the web for options. The sky is the limit.
Here is a list of ideas that might help you get started:
Call your local Parks and Recreation department to find out about all the classes they offer.
Join a community pool.
Sign up for tennis lessons.
Join a local sports team or a Community Recreation league.
Vacation bible school-attend or serve at your local church.
Do “Fix-it” projects around the house together.
Check out your local library for …
Satisfied
What does is mean to be truly satisfied? The definition of the word satisfy used as a verb is to fulfill the desires, expectations, needs or demands of a person or to put an end to a desire, want or need by sufficient provision. Some of the synonyms for the word satisfy are gratify, pacify, appease and please.
How are we satisfied? What brings satisfaction…..? For some people it might be when their relationships with family and friends are going well and they do not have conflict. For others it may be when their “To Do” list is completed. Still others to be “satisfied” may be when they feel they are making a contribution to society. Satisfaction comes when our hopes or our expectations are met by people, or circumstances that we can control or events that occur in our lives that we have no control over. Often times we think of satisfaction only in terms of the fulfillment of our material wants and needs. In our culture of consumerism and materialism we get off track easily. Every where we turn there is an opportunity to to be discontent because the goal of media marketing is to makes us believe there is “more and better” of everything we could possibly need or want.
A few months ago, my husband and I read a book with a few friends called “Satisfied-Discovering Contentment in a World of Consumption” written by Jeff Manion.
There was a workbook that went along with this book that had some challenging tasks for us to do, to help us begin a journey towards contentment and generosity. One week we had to count all the shirts and shoes in our closet. One week we were asked to write all the blessings we could think of that we …
Read MoreFamily MealtimeTable Manners
Summertime brings opportunities for extended leisurely dinners, outdoor barbecues, picnics at the park and more casual family supper time fun. Incorporating a time to practice mealtime manners can be a natural part of your family’s summer routine! My husband and I are spending the week helping our daughter, Jess, take care of her four children while their daddy is out of town. We had a barbecue the first night and the children were excited to tell us all they had been learning about mealtime manners. Their mommy had received a gift from a friend that is a cool placemat with a “roadmap to manners” design on it. 
We talked about chewing with your mouth closed and no elbows on the table, not talking with your mouthful and making sure to thank the cook for dinner. My favorite was taking turns asking about each other’s day. It was wonderful to watch the interaction of the 5 year old and his two almost 3 year old siblings having a fun competition trying to remember all their manners they were learning.
For more information about the placemat or other ideas for mealtime manners, go to www.mothersfriendSOS.com and have a fun summer practicing mealtime manners!
How has your family practiced mealtime manners?
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Olallieberry and Blueberry Cobbler
For a delicious and nutritious summer dessert try making an olalliebery/blueberry cobbler. We had a wonderful afternoon barbecue with friends to celebrate the 4th of July. I enjoyed the time of fellowship while reconnecting with friends, the beautiful weather and some competitive corn hole games. We ate delicious bbq turkey burgers, bison burgers, chicken, orzo salad, a green salad with watermelon and feta cheese and I made this cobbler recipe for our dessert. It was a hit. I combined two different recipes to come up with this tasty treat. I baked it in a 9 x 13 pan and when it was cool, I decorated it like an American flag with blueberries for the stars and sliced strawberries for the stripes. 
Here is the recipe:
Ingredients
Fruit filling
8 cups olallieberries fresh or frozen (mine were fresh picked out in Brentwood and then frozen)
2 cups Maine blueberries (I used frozen)
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup sugar
3 Tablespoons flour
2-3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 ½ teaspoon nutmeg
⅛ cup butter (¼ of a cube) cut into small pieces
Topping
2 cups oats
1 cup flour
½ cup wheat germ
¾ cups brown sugar
2 Tablespoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
½ cup (1 stick) cold butter
½ cup coconut oil
In a large bowl, combine the thawed berries with ¼ cup each brown sugar and white sugar. Add the 3 Tablespoons flour, fresh lemon juice and nutmeg. stir gently until combined. Pour into a 9 x 13 pan sprayed with coconut oil spray or Pam. 
Place into a preheated 350 degree oven and bake for 15 minutes. Meanwhile combine the first 6 topping ingredients. Cut the stick of cold butter into the dry mixture with a pastry blade and when the butter is pea …
“Swapping”….better than Shopping?
This Saturday, we had a MASSIVE GARAGE SALE. In the first 15 years of our marriage my husband and I lived in 13 different houses so accumulating extra unnecessary possessions was not an option. But over the past 20 years we have lived in the same house. During this time we have raised four daughters who are now all happily married. Although they have all moved into their own homes (except for Bekah and her husband, Ashkon, who are in transition after living overseas for 2 years), many boxes of their prized possessions have remained stored in our garage. So, Bekah and I have been cleaning, organizing, sorting and purging our house for the last month.
The day of the garage sale was a beautiful summer day and we had a constant stream of folks coming to find gently used treasures. In the middle of the afternoon, a car drove up that had a huge frame of some sort on the roof. Typically you have a few professional garage sale shoppers drop by throughout the day with a big trailer attached to the back of their car or truck full of random items they have collected all day, but this car brought something different. Three young people got out of the car and we asked what was on top of their car. They proceeded to tell us about their day and how they had been going from one garage sale to another, trading one gently used item from the previous garage sale with something at the next sale. When they arrived at our place they had a huge paining on top of their car to trade with anything we wanted to trade. We really did not want a huge painting but thinking that this was a great creative way for …
Favored
Did you know that you are favored? “Charis” is a Hebrew word that means blessed, favored, graced……I was challenged yesterday to remember when I first realized that I am blessed, loved and favored by God. God is desirous of drawing us into a relationship in which He can bless us with His everlasting love. Our faith opens up the blessings that flow into our lives from God. We are blessed to be a blessing. We have been blessed because we are loved by God and we have the privilege to share what God has given to us.
My favor is not earned, it is a free gift that is available to all through belief. In the Old Testament, faith in the one true God, Yahweh, deemed a man as righteous, and in the New Testament it is faith is Jesus Christ as the Son of God and Savior of all mankind. I must remember that my belief and faith is proven by my obedience.I show my trust in God by consistent obedience. Delayed obedience is actually disobedience. So my challenge is to show my true faith by trusting in God’s plan for my life in every situation, in every relationship, in every trial and especially when I am waiting. A life of faith is a process. We conquer one challenge only to find another opportunity to wait and trust right on the heals of the last one. My character is refined and strengthened as I wait on God and I must not panic when the process seems longer than I expect or harder than I feel equipped to handle.
Being favored does not exempt us from challenging times in our lives. Being favored equips us to be able to handle a time of drought or famine. Famine in the Old …
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