Flag Fruit Pizza

By: Melissa Baker

Since it is the week of Independence Day, I thought I would share a patriotic recipe that I really love! I have made it several times and it is always a hit! It is a great dessert to take to family gatherings, and you can change up the theme for each holiday by using different fruit. This particular recipe is for the Flag Fruit Pizza. Enjoy!

Flag Fruit Pizza

Ingredients:

1 20-ounce pkg. sugar cookie dough

1 1/2 cups cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Strawberries

Blueberries

Enjoy The Now

By: Jenifer Metzger

Some times we rush through life. We think things will ease up when our husband gets new work hours, when the baby is finally potty trained or when the teenagers are able to drive themselves. We are tired, exhausted really. We want life to settle down and things to be easier. We heavily sigh as we wish for the future to come, and be more simple.

Instead:

Enjoy the now.

Today is not going to happen again. One day your children will grow up and you will miss today. I promise.

Gently Lead

Gently Lead
By Angie Ketcham

This week has been a week of patience for me.  I have been teaching my 12 year old daughter to sew. Although one of my most favorite things to do in life is sew, teaching someone to sew is not easy.  I remember as a young girl, begging my mom, "PLEASE! JUST LET ME USE YOUR MACHINE."  All the memories of what my mom must have felt as she dreaded pulling that machine out, became my realization this week.  I thought she just didn't want to sew.  I didn't know she was trying to avoid teaching me to sew!

Of course, it's not that I don't want my children to learn how to sew.  I want my children to have the special memories I did of creating something from scratch.  I want them to know the satisfaction of finishing a project and knowing I made it.  But, someone has to take time and patience to get them there.  And I'm the one that has been chosen for the job.   Did you get that moms?  He, the God of the infinite universe, has plucked me out of infinite eternity to have patience with this 12 year old girl.  Right here.  Right now.  He knew, once I found my place in maturity (haha), that I would have exactly what I needed to take care of THIS child.  He showed me that, just like her, I need to grow into what God has called me to do.

God is faithful...

by Debi Baker

"⁹ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."

1 John 1:9 NIV

No matter what we must know that God is always faithful and just.  He cannot lie.  This verse reminds me that God knows my sins but I must confess them [with my mouth] to Him.  Once I acknowledge my sins, God is a good God who s faithful.  He won't cringe when we confess our sins to Him.  He won't shake His head in disbelief.  He is faithful.  He is just.  He doesn't rule over us with an iron fist.  He will receive our confession and then He will forgive us.  Once forgiven, we will be cleansed from our sins.

What to do When Fear Grips Your Heart

By: Shari A. Miller

They call my name back to the lab.

It's time. Time for that dreaded monthly blood test.

My heart beats fast and I wish that I could be anywhere but here. As I sit in the chair they prepare everything to draw my blood. While they draw my blood, I pray hard, "Dear God, please, please, let that blood be good, please let the tumor markers be low."

Once their finally done, I sigh and walk out of the room trying to push out of my mind what will happen if the blood tests come back with a high tumor marker count.

It will equal a PET scan with the possibility of the metastatic breast cancer spreading to other areas of my body, with a new treatment soon to follow.

Fear grips my heart and I silently cry out to God, "Why Lord, 10 years later, I still don't understand."

"Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken." - Psalm 62:2 (NIV)

Crockpot Chicken and Vegetables (Mississippi Mud Style)

By: Melissa Baker

Ingredients:

• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 3 cups fresh green beans
• 3 red potatoes, cut in quarters
• 1 package Hidden Valley Dry Ranch Mix
• 1/2 stick butter plus 2 tablespoons
• 1/2 cup water plus 2 tablespoons

Summer Blessing Giveaway

Summer is in full swing! For some of us, it may mean park days and lazy days at the pool. For some of us it may be work as normal. Whatever your situation is, we want to bless you this summer!

Woman to Woman Ministries has teamed up with some fabulous bloggers to bring you the Summer Blessing Giveaway!

Take A Break!

By Angie Ketcham

I have to admit, these last few weeks have been super busy in my life!  I keep thinking that there's a light at the end of the tunnel, yet there always seems to be a pile up of activity already waiting for me ahead.  It's true, I do it to myself.  Life has so many exciting things to offer that I want to do it all.  Be it all.  Have it all....I'm exhausted just thinking about it.  (is where I smile and laugh at myself for being so silly.)

A few weeks ago my daughter came to me complaining about a sore throat and exhaustion.  I put it off as dramatics, too busy to really hear what she was saying (I know, Mother of the Year here.)  After about a week of complaints and insisting, I took her to the doctor to find out what was going on.  Lo and behold, if she didn't have mononucleosis!  She really was sick!  She was so disappointed to learn that the only thing was going to make her feel better was to rest.  The thought of slowing down to listen to her body was such a foreign thought to her that she was sure life was over forever!

The Trial...

by Debi Baker

"There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, 
who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit."

Romans 8:1 NKJV

I love this verse.  Why?  Because it reminds me that the enemy can try but won't succeed when he tries to 'bad mouth' me in front of my Father in Heaven!!!

As a Christian, as someone who strives to be 'Christ-like,' the world has nothing on me that will keep me from my eternal home.  Jesus is my Defense Attorney, Satan is the prosecutor, God is the Judge.  The job of a prosecutor is to put away the 'criminal.'  The job of the defense attorney is to convince the judge that the defendant is not guilty.

Wait a minute!  How can we, human beings, be 'not guilty?'  The Bible tells us that ALL have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).  Therefore, we are guilty!  Oh...but the blood of Jesus covers a multitude of sin!  Once we receive Christ in our heart & life, He washes our black heart, full of sin, with His red blood and makes us white as snow!  That means when God looks down from Heaven, He doesn't see all of our sin, He sees the blood of His Son, Jesus.  We ARE no longer guilty and therefore, our Defense Attorney can defend us with a clear heart!

Stop and Smell the Flowers - Kissing Negative Self Talk Good-Bye

By: Shari A. Miller

It can be so easy to get bogged down with all that's wrong in our lives.

There is not enough money for the bills, health issues, car issues, family issues and more.

When this is all we focus on we end up going now where fast.

Friends, it's time to stop.

It's time to kiss the negative self-talk good-bye.

The Lord created us with the ability to think of only one thing at a time. It is not possible for us to think of what's wrong with our lives, as well as our blessings at the same time.

So, here's the deal...

Strawberry Lemonade Bars

Recipe courtesy of 365DaysOfBakingAndMore.com

By: Melissa Baker

Yield: Makes one 9 X 13-inch pan

Ingredients

Crust
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar, plus extra for topping
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 3/4 tablespoon salt
• 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing pan
Filling
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
• 2/3 cup fresh, strained lemon juice
• 1 ¼ cups fresh chopped strawberries
• 1/3 cup whole milk
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Remember Your Why

By: Jenifer Metzger

Right this moment, close your eyes, take a deep breath and think of your why.

Why did you marry your husband? Why were you attracted to him in the beginning? Why did you give him that first look? Why did you look again?

Mentally tick off all the answers. Write them down even.

Your why is important.

When conflict arises, when your husband leaves his shoes out, when he forgets to run the errand you asked him to run, when he fails to put a transaction in the checkbook, when he hurts your feelings, remember your why.

Kicking Your Kids Out the Door This Summer

By Angie Ketcham

Every child can hardly wait for the that last school bell to ring so they can be footloose and fancy free for the summer.  But, it doesn't take long till every parent hears that familiar chime, "I'm Bored!"  from the masses.  This summer make an extra point to get your kids out the door and making memories that will last a lifetime.

Take a day early on in the summer to sit down and brainstorm about ideas that your kids may want to do during the summer.  Make a list or a calendar to write these activities down.  Budget and balance free activities with those that might need to be saved up for.  There are many activities that are available with a little bit of research and a whole lot of creativity.

Where does our help come from...

by:  Debi Baker

"² My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth."

Psalm 121:2 NIV

This world has nothing to offer us in the way of comfort.  The world would tell us to find comfort in this or that...probably none of which would be a comfort at all.  The only TRUE comfort that can be found is that which comes from above.  

I remember when my children were little and if one of them would fall and skin their knee, no amount of comfort could be found in the arms of anyone but me.  Mama was the only one that could kiss it and make the hurt go away.  Well, guess what?  Our Father in Heaven is only one that can kiss our hurts and make them go away.  We fall...a lot...with the world constantly at us pulling us this way or that.  We will fall, because we are not perfect.  We will fall, because we are fallible human beings.  And when we do fall, we must run to God.  He will pull us into His chest and comfort us.  He will dry our tears.  He will 'kiss our boo-boos' and make them all better!  

Aligning Our Hearts with God

By: Shari A. Miller

The world is quickly changing.

What's right is wrong, and what's wrong is right.

Oh how my heart grieves.

I often find myself wishing for the days when my mom grew up. The 1930's and 40's were a different time. Oh sure, they were not without their troubles, but it seemed like things were simpler, family mattered and Christian values were prevalent.

That's almost the exact opposite of what we see pictured in society today.

So, with these new images of moral and political correctness unfolding before our eyes, we can often be left with the question of.....what do we do?

Taco Ring Supreme

By: Melissa Baker


Ingredients:

• 1 lb lean ground beef (85%-90% lean)
• 1 tbs mild chili powder
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 8-oz cans refrigerated crescent rolls
• 1-1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 2-3 cups shredded lettuce
• 1 cup sour cream mixed with 1 tsp mild chili powder
• 3/4 cup jarred salsa, pico de gallo or homemade salsa 
• sliced black olives, chopped tomatoes, diced red onion (optional)

Juggling Life & Still Making Time For Him

By: Jenifer Metzger

Do you ever feel like you are juggling too many tasks and you might just drop it all? Please tell me that I'm not the only one!

Daily I hear more than one person say, "I'm so busy!" I use to get upset when I heard someone say they were busy. I felt that if I could just show them my schedule they would sigh with relief that they weren't near as busy as I am. But the truth is, with so much going on in life, we are all busy. We all have endless tasks.

Through this busyness, we still must be intentional about making time for our husband.

I wake up by 5am every single day of the week, with the occasional Saturday I get to sleep until 7 or 8. I am working from the moment I wake up until the moment I go to bed. Caring for my 4 wonderful children, homeschool, church ministries (we are children's pastors, associate pastors and lead other ministries), my kids' sports practices, my kids' sports games, 2 of my kids take music lessons, orthodontist appointments, doctor appointments, taking my son to work, I babysit 3 precious babies, my online ministry here and at my own blog, taking care of my home, and then there's my family who thinks they need to eat 3 meals a day.

"I'm Hungry!"

By Angie Ketcham

These are the words that echo through our house the whole summer long.  There's something about playing outdoors or working hard at those video games (wink, wink) that make a kid extra hungry.  And, if it's anything like our house, the neighbors are always over to help make the munching more fun.  So, how do you satisfy the hungry crowd and keep the munchies to a minimum?  Here are some helpful ideas for the summer and the whole year long.

1.  Make sure your child is getting enough protein.

Protein helps stave off the hunger, maintain blood sugar levels, and provide healthy building blocks for your growing kids.  Protein can be found in many foods such as meats and fish, beans, lentils, nuts and seeds, milk and cheese, eggs, and even some vegetables.  My kids really like to eat beef jerky and sunflower seeds.  We will prepare a variety of meats at the beginning of the week to have available for snacking or easy meals.  With cooked chicken or beef, they can make burritos or tacos, quesidillas, or roll ups with cream cheese, lunch meats, and cheese.  Put some vegetables in the mix and you've got a nutrious, yummy meal that any age child can put together. We also prepare small bags of "trail mix" that kids love to make as they can choose what goes inside their snack.  Nuts and raisins, craisins, chocolate chips, pretzels, Goldfish crackers, m&m's, and marshmellows all make good choices to put in the mix.

If...then

by Debi Baker

"⁵ Trust in the Lord with all your heart
    and lean not on your own understanding;
⁶ in all your ways submit to him,
    and he will make your paths straight."

Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV

The instruction in this verse sounds easy enough...trust God with my whole heart and don't try to figure it out...submit to God and He will lead me...right!  Sounding easy and being easy...that's 2 totally different things.  It's not always easy to trust God with my WHOLE heart.  Why?  Because I am human.  And the world teaches us to trust ME and no one else.  Let me just tell you...because I am a flawed human being, I am not trustworthy!  What my mind says is so, may not be so.  I have to look to God!  I can't trust me...I can't lean on my understanding of things.  I have to trust God...I have to listen to His leading and do my best to follow after His instruction!  The last part of verse 6 is a promise!  God promises that He will make our way straight when we do what he instructs us to do.  Basically these verses are another of the many "if-then" instructions we find in the Word of God!  IF we will trust God with all we are and IF we will not lean on ME and IF we will submit fully to the direction of the Lord...THEN He will make our way straight!

So simple, and yet so complex!  I challenge you to make Proverbs 3:5-6 a way of life!  You will truly notice a difference in your life if you do!!

Have a great day!

I Am Not Alone

By: Shari A. Miller

Last week I was struggling with some personal things that were going on in my life.

The kind of things that steer you off course, away from God, away from your anchor during the storms of life. The enemy was trying to tell me that nothing would ever change and it was hopeless to even try.

I was feeling pretty defeated and downtrodden as I was driving down the road. It was then that the Lord told me to turn on the radio and I heard this song by Kari Jobe, called, "I Am Not Alone."

Friends, if you're going through struggles in this life I want to remind you that you're not alone. God is always right by your side.

Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad

Recipe courtesy of www.AllRecipes.com

By:Melissa Baker

1 (12 ounce) package uncooked tri-color rotini pasta
10 slices bacon
1 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons dry ranch salad dressing mix
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic pepper
1/2 cup milk, or as needed
1 large tomato, chopped1 (4.25 ounce) can sliced black olives
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

Directions:
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil; cook rotini at a boil until tender yet firm to the bite, about 8 minutes; drain.
Place bacon in a skillet over medium-high heat and cook until evenly brown. Drain and chop.
In a large bowl, mix mayonnaise, ranch dressing mix, garlic powder, and garlic pepper. Stir in milk until smooth.
Place rotini, bacon, tomato, black olives and cheese in bowl and toss to coat with dressing. Cover and chill at least 1 hour in the refrigerator.
Toss with additional milk if the salad seems a little dry.

3 Easy Ways to Show Love to Your Husband

By: Jenifer Metzger

Showing love to your husband every single day is important. But how can we show love every day? Here are 3 easy ways to show your love to your husband.

1. Respect him. Men need respect. That is the biggest way you can show love to your man. He needs to know that you respect and value him as a human being, as the father of your children, as your provider and as your husband. Respect his choices, his decisions, his opinions, and his views. This means listening very closely to him when he talks and making eye contact. Take his thoughts, dreams and desires into consideration. And never, ever talk bad about him to anyone, including your mom or best friend.
   
   Nevertheless, let each one of you in particular
   so love his own wife as himself.
   and let the wife see that she respects her husband.
   Ephesians 5:33