No Fail Turkey Soup!

Ever wonder how to use the whole turkey leftovers to go from this:

To this:

I am here to show you! We had a wonderful turkey for Christmas....and after all the meat had been picked off, and sandwiches made, the carcass remained in the frig. I wanted to use it to make an amazing turkey soup....and that can be a daunting and scary task!

BUT, do not be afraid! This is the most WONDERFUL turkey soup you will ever eat and you will use the whole remaining turkey to make it!

This is the soup that my mom taught me to make....and after every major holiday we ate it. Now I will share the wealth!

1. First you take a HUGE soup pot and fill it about half-way with water. Then you STUFF the turkey, whatever remains of it, bones and all, into the pot. It might require some special pushing, shoving and perhaps even some cutting. Just get it in there. Then fill up the rest of the pot with water. Put the burner on high and then walk away....for a LONG time. Let the water boil over the turkey for HOURS. Your house will soon be smelling like roasted turkey. It is lovely! I would say it takes at least 4 hours, but you just let that thing go!

2. Every hour or so, just check on the turkey and make sure there is still enough water in the pot. It will begin to boil down. If the turkey bones are not covered with water, feel free to add more. There are not many measurements to this recipe!

3. When you check on the turkey and the remaining meat simply falls off the bone, you are ready for the next step! Take the soup off the burner for a few moments as you work with this next step, so it is not boiling. With some kitchen tongs, remove the turkey bones and put them all on a cookie sheet or large tray. Remove all the large bones. Allow these bones to cool for about 20 minutes so you can handle them without burning your hands.

4. While waiting on the bones to cool, add about a teaspoon or 2 of chicken broth granules. This just gives it another layer of flavor. Likely salt will not be needed, but taste the broth and see if it needs some salt and pepper. Now chop some fresh veggies....whatever you have on hand, and add it to the soup. I add carrots, celery, potatoes and parsley if I have that on hand. Also add about 1/2 cup of rice or barley.

5. Now that the bones are cooled off enough to handle, use your hands to pick the remaining meat off the bones and add to the soup pot. This is the hardest part but it is worth it!

6. Bring the soup to boil and at this point you will want to cook it for about 15-20 minutes until the veggies are tender and the rice cooked. If you choose to do noodles instead of rice, make those separately. If you cook them in the soup itself they can become very soggy.

I hope you enjoy this turkey soup. It is the best I have ever eaten....and so healthy! It uses every part of the turkey so you get your money's worth out of it. Enjoy! I certainly have!

God's Journey of Friendship

We had some wonderful speakers, who had been friends for many many years, come to speak to us on the topic of friendship. What a beautiful talk that it was....full of laughs and tears and hugs......just like real and true friendships should be!

First of all, they brought up the fact that God is very creative in how he brings friends together, in our busy, busy lives of raising young kids. We have some friends from college, some friends who are in the same station of life, some friends who are a few steps ahead of us in life, some friends God brought us together with through old flames, ex-boyfriends, husbands, coworkers, kids who were playing together in the mall play area then had tantrums when it was time to leave (Ok that was me :) However, however God brings friends into our lives, they are a real and true GIFT!

What makes friendships work anyway? Some things we came up with:
same interests
mutual investment of time and energy
time
sacrificial giving
transparency
forgiveness
trust
having FUN together!

Now, as mothers of young children who are trying our VERY best to raise loving, obedient, God-fearing children, it is sometimes hard to be a good friend....to invest in friendships when we are plain exhausted. But, it is important and we have to be creative with our time!

I Sam. 20:17b- "...And Jonathan had David reaffirm his oath out of love for him, because he loved him as he loved himself."

Another picture of friendship actually occurs when Jesus is in the garden, before He is about to be betrayed then led to the cross. He took his three disciples who were in His inner circle with Him to support Him during this difficult time: Peter, James and John.

Another picture in the Bible of how to DO friendship? Also from Jesus in John 13- Jesus takes his towel and washes the dirt from his disciples feet. He is serving them even in the lowest possible way....and He was the King of all Kings! We need to learn to come alongside our friends and be willing to serve.

Always rely on the Holy Spirit for guidance in friendships. He will direct. He will lead you. He will whisper in your ear when your friend truly needs you. You need to be attentive to His still, small voice.

So, what do we (and should we) look for in our closest confidants? 

Investment- it is costly, to be true, but what we reap is a true gift.
Integrity- have friends in different ages and stages in life- friends who are willing to encourage you...those who weep with you then rejoice in your most wonderful moments....and being willing to do the same for them!
Intentional Priorities- Do NOT be exclusive in your friendships. Encourage friendships with other women as well. Jealousy will breed discontentment and will kill friendships.

What will make friendships go sour and even die?

gossip
comparison
unequally yoked (you can be invested in many people's lives, but only go very deeply with those who share your same devotion to Christ)
jealousy (ie. girl drama)
unmet expectations

Making friends and keeping friends sometimes can be a hard business....but it is so very important to our lives. This continues to be a challenge to me to make time and priorities for some real deep and meaningful friendships!

MOPS recap. and Mod-Podge plate craft!

Sorry I am a bit late with the recap, but better late than never, huh?

Our last meeting sported a smaller group.....unfortunately there is a lot of sickness going around. BOO! Take those vitamins!

We did a great craft , that will be wonderful this Christmas season! We made plates like this using just 3 things: Clear glass plates (bought from the dollar store), mod-podge, and festive fabric!

We can use to plates for a number of things. Here are some ideas:

1. Use this plate for gifts for neighbors or teachers etc. at Christmas! Add some baked goodies and you have a BEAUTIFUL display!

2. Make a whole set of them for your table for Christmas or Thanksgiving, to coordinate with your decor.

3. Make mis-matched plates to change up the decor some!

4. Make a set of plates and give the entire set as a gift

5. Use just one plate as the "special person" plate. Any night where a person in your family need to be celebrated (ie. birthdays, promotion at work, potty training success, a down day where they need encouragement, you caught them in the act of being nice etc.) just put the plate at their dinner seat!

6. Smaller plates would make EXCELLENT candle plates! 

*Please be aware that although these plates are beautiful, they can not be submerged in water or in the dishwasher. In order to clean them, simply wipe down the front.

Directions:

1. Clean your clear, glass plate with windex and wipe free of all smudges and finger prints.

2.Cut a piece of fabric in a large square LARGER than the plate (you can also  use scrapbook paper for other looks!)

3. Using a sponge brush, brush a healthy amount of mod-podge over the entire plate. 

Before it starts to dry, put your fabric, print side DOWN (so the print will show through the front of the plate) over the plate. Beginning in the center of the plate, use your fingers to push out all the air bubbles. Every once in a while, turn it over and see how it looks from the other side. Once the air bubbles are free, use your sponge brush and paint another healthy layer of mod-podge over the fabric.

4. *Mod-Podge paints on white. As it dries, it will turn clear. When the mod-podge begins to turn clear it is time for another coat. It takes approximately 10 minutes for each coat to dry and the plate needs 3-4 coats to be complete.

5. After the 1st coat, it is time to trim the edges off the material so it fits on your plate. Use SHARP scissors or fabric scissors and cut along the edge, angling the scissors toward the plate. If you have any fabric hanging over the edge, it will run the risk of pulling off when it is dry. Cut it just a bit smaller than the plate itself. 

6. After 3-4 coats of mod-podge, your plate is done with the messy process. 

7. Give your plate at least 12 hours to dry fully before beginning the next step.
8. This step is OPTIONAL but gives the plate a real finished look. Taking paint markers, you can then paint around the edges with gold or silver. Allow to dry and now you are officially done!

I can not wait to do more of this craft for gifts this Christmas and Thanksgiving!

Guess what? I have another tip on how to use HOME-MADE mod-podge! If you are doing a lot of mod-podge crafts, it can be a bit pricey! BUT, when I discovered this, a whole new world opened up for me!

What you need:

White school glue (I like to stick with Elmer's!)
A jar with twice the volume of your glue
THAT'S IT!

Squeeze the glue into the jar. Fill the glue bottle with water. Seal and shake. Now squeeze the watery stuff into the jar. Seal and shake. It is now completely blended and works JUST as well as the stuff that you spend $8 for at the craft store. ENJOY ladies :)

How to Organize Coupons

A few ladies and I were talking this morning about couponing, so I thought I would share some of my coupon ideas here as it has been SO helpful to me! I thought every once in a while we could share ways that we save money. As moms of young children, we can ALWAYS learn how to save money more effectively to minister to our growing families!

After a few years of trying different ways, I finally came up with what has been a VERY good system for me and couponing! One of the keys to couponing is to keep the coupons organized and easily accessible so you can grab coupons quickly, plus be able to compare competitors coupons along with the store brands and thus get the best price.

This is not the ONLY way to organize coupons, but it is a great way and one that works best for me, so I thought I would share. Some people organize with boxes or folders, which is fine, but I like this particular method because you can take the entire file to the store, and access any coupon you need quickly and easily with a quick glance!

I spent the morning re-doing my book because the one I have been previously using was too small and is a few years old so was pretty beat up!

For this project you will need:

A medium sized picture album

Permanent black marker

scissors

clear tape (I used packing tape)

pen

paper

1. Clearly label your album (ie. "Grocery Coupons") so you know what it is.

2. Make up a list of large categories to put in your book according to how you shop. Feel free to use my list, add or delete as you feel the need. Alphabetize them so you know what order to put them in your book. *Please note that you will be sub-dividing these categories later on.

Center Aisles

Cleaning

Dairy

Fresh and Meats (I combined this because you do not get many coupons in either of these categories)

Frozen

Medicine

Misc. (this includes things like restaurants, pizza, gift cards and mall deals)

Non-Groceries

Pets

Receipts (and EXCELLENT section to keep receipts of things you may need to return etc.)

3. You can either use store-bought labels to label each section, or if you are cheap like me, make your own! To make your own labels, cut small strips of paper in the shape of rectangles and write the name of the large categories to the right of the label.

Lay a piece of packing tape approximately 7 inches long, sticky side up, and put the label on it so the tape can be folded over to encase it, and stick it to an inner page.

Fold the packing tape over so part of it is on the front and the other part on the back, encasing the label so it can be read from the outside.

*The tricky part will be to figure out how many pages you need for each section. This will come with trial and error. I have been doing this method for a few years now, so I know approximately how much space I will need. I know that my "Center Aisles" section is very large, while my "Pets" section is fairly small. Just use your best guess. Also remember to attach each label a little bit further down the page so they can all be clearly read when the book is closed.

4. Now you will sub-divide each section to further organize the coupons within. Use a separate piece of paper to figure out each sub-division, then alphabetize the list. Once again, I will provide you with my sub-divisions and you can use them if you would like!

Center Aisles:

Baking

Breads

Cereal

Coffee

Drinks

Fruit/jello

Mexican

Oils

Pasta

Pasta Sauce

Salad

Sauces

Sides

Snacks

Soups

Spreads

(Misc). (in each large category I end with the "Misc." category in case I have a coupon that does not fit into any of the sub-categories)

Cleaning:

Aromas

Bathroom

Carpet

Dishwasher

Furniture

Laundry

Kitchen

(Misc.)

Dairy:

Butter

Creamer

Eggs

Spreads

Yogurt

(Misc.)

Fresh or Meats:

No sub-categories

Frozen:

Meals

Snacks

Vegetables

Medicine:

Band-aids

Cold Medicine

Creams

Kids

Pain Medicine

Stomach Medicine

Vitamins

Misc.

Cotton swabs

Batteries

Diapers

Hair Color

Hair Products

Makeup

Kids Soap

Soap

Razors

Toothpaste

Toilet Paper

Wipes

(Misc.)

Non-Groceries:

No sub-categories

Pets:

Cat

Dog

Litter

Receipts:

No sub-categories

5. Now that you have made and alphabetized your lists, label each category in your book with a permanent black sharpie marker. (Make sure it is dry before you turn the page!)

6. FINALLY it is time to file away the coupons!

At another time, I will go into more detail about how I make my list and how I bring my coupons to the store. For now, have fun with your organization!!!

Raising G-Rated Kids in an X-rated Culture

My daughter is 8 years old and in the 3rd grade. This year, she has been given some internet/research assignments for school. This has made me very nervous.....type in the wrong thing (which is easy to do for a child who does not spell very well yet) and you never know what will pop up on the screen! Then you begin thinking about the online predators and you might just want to throw the computer out the window altogether.

Parents would be wise to spend time with their children on the computer and teach them how to research, give them a list of websites that they are allowed to browse etc. and also be WITH them as they begin learning to navigate the computer. However, they are going to eventually have time when you are not going to be there 100% of the time. So, how do we protect these innocent eyes and hearts?

One of our MOPS members gave this article to me about this very subject and I would like to share with you the good resources that it contains. These are several excerpts from Pastor Keith Missel on his series "Winning the Battle for Purity."

Here are a list of Internet Resources:

Covenant Eyes: www.covenanteyes.com - This is primarily an internet accountability service (where history is emailed to someone), but they have recently added filtering.

Safe Eyes: www.internetsafety.com - Protects your family from harmful online content and keeps you informed of all web activities

Be Secure: www.bsecure.com - The recipient of PC Magazine's Editor's Choice Award for parental controls software

My Kids:  www.mykids.com - Provides both an internet filtering and numerous other internet tools for parents

Plugged In:  www.pluggedin.com - Focus on the Family- Sharing a light on the world of popular entertainment (music, video games, movie reviews and more)

Clear Play:  www.clearplay.com - A new type of parental control where you can personalize the playback of your movies by simply selecting content types you want edited from your movies (ie. violence, sensual, vulgarity, blaspheme, bloodshed, etc.)

**

I believe that with this filtering process, we must turn over our children, once again, to the Lord in prayer. He will give us wisdom when we need it most. He PROMISES that in His Word. As our kids get older, things like this can really make a parent fear....however, God has not given us a spirit of fear, but one of PEACE!

Amazing Spinach Artichoke Dip

This goes on record as my FAVORITE hot dip I think I may have ever eaten....and looks so easy! 

Ingredients:

16 oz. Sour cream

16 oz. Mayo (can use light of each)

4 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

4 c. shredded parmesan cheese

1 tsp. minced garlic

1 can chopped spinach, drained

1 can artichoke hearts, loosely chopped

Directions:

Mix all together and bake for 30 minutes at 400.

ENJOY!

The Giving Keeps on Going!

At our last Moms Night Out, we had the opportunity to do something SO wonderfully fun. We all brought items that we did not need or want anymore. We then laid out our items in categories and everyone then got to "shop" for free! When we were all done "shopping" we then had many items still left over. One of our MOPS leaders was able to take them to several different charities in the area that minister to the homeless and to people in need. Upon reflection of the evening, she did this guest post. What a beautiful night it turned out to be....for many reasons!

***

Oh the joys of bringing the Gospel to life in our own lives and the lives of others.  I wanted to send out a special thank you for all the ladies that came out Monday for the MOP Swap.  So what's this talk about living the Gospel message?  Throughout the planning and setting up for the evening I couldn't help but think about what the Bible says about earthly possessions.  We have so many material possessions in our life that we hold on to that we don't really need but keep around nonetheless.  What happens to that stuff?  It just becomes clutter around the house.  I'm talking about that stuff that you “love” but more than likely wouldn't even remember it if it just happened to disappear one day.  In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus meets a rich man who has, for the most part, lived a very virtuous life, however Jesus asks him to sell all his earthly possessions and give the money to the poor so that he may inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. Sadly the man turns away.  Many of the moms at the MOP Swap expressed the freedom they felt when they were able to give away THINGS that they really wanted to keep, but truly had no use for.

After the evening was over we gathered all of the leftover clothes, toys, and odds and ends to be donated to charity. One organization helps pregnant mothers that are contemplating abortion. The volunteers were so excited when I brought a van load of toys, baby clothing, and maternity clothing to share with their clients.  When I made the delivery, this is when another Gospel message started coming to mind, the Loaves and the Fishes.  The people that Jesus had been preaching to had become hungry.  There was not much food to go around, but Jesus told his disciples to hand out the small amount that they had.  This is when a small blessing became a huge one.  When everyone had their fill there was a multitude of leftovers!  Our small gift of a few clothes and toys could not only help a mother in need, but it could even save a life.  So many women seek abortion because they are pressured into thinking they can't provide for a child.  Some of these ministries include finding a home for expecting mothers, adoption referrals, Emergency assistance (rent, utilities, food, transpiration), limited ultrasounds, community resource information, infant and maternity clothing, diapers and formula, and post abortion healing and counseling.

The Loaves and Fishes Gospel continued to manifest when I took everything else (home items, tv, etc) that was left over to another charity that ministers to the needy and the homeless.  I was afraid they wouldn't be able to use any of the items that I was bringing to them, but boy, did I get a surprise!  One of the volunteers told me that their agency works together with another agency so that when things are donated to them that they cannot use, they in turn donate it to the other ministry that can use them!  WOW!  To me I felt like our small offering just kept multiplying.  Not only did we free ourselves of attachment, but God blessed those items so that it could multiply into a greater manifestation of ministry and charity.  So, I was moved by the Holy Spirit to share with everyone that what started out as fun Mom's Night Out turned into something much greater blessed by God.

Mark 10:17-31

17 He was setting out on a journey when a man ran up, knelt before him and put this question to him, 'Good master, what must I do to inherit eternal life?'
18 Jesus said to him, 'Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone.
19 You know the commandments: You shall not kill; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not give false witness; You shall not defraud; Honour your father and mother.'
20 And he said to him, 'Master, I have kept all these since my earliest days.'
21 Jesus looked steadily at him and he was filled with love for him, and he said, 'You need to do one thing more. Go and sell what you own and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.'
22 But his face fell at these words and he went away sad, for he was a man of great wealth.
23 Jesus looked round and said to his disciples, 'How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!'
24 The disciples were astounded by these words, but Jesus insisted, 'My children,' he said to them, 'how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God!
25 It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for someone rich to enter the kingdom of God.'
26 They were more astonished than ever, saying to one another, 'In that case, who can be saved?'
27 Jesus gazed at them and said, 'By human resources it is impossible, but not for God: because for God everything is possible.'
28 Peter took this up. 'Look,' he said to him, 'we have left everything and followed you.'
29 Jesus said, 'In truth I tell you, there is no one who has left house, brothers, sisters, mother, father, children or land for my sake and for the sake of the gospel
30 who will not receive a hundred times as much, houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and land -- and persecutions too -- now in this present time and, in the world to come, eternal life.
31 Many who are first will be last, and the last, first.'


Matthew 14:15-20

15 When evening came, the disciples went to him and said, 'This is a lonely place, and time has slipped by; so send the people away, and they can go to the villages to buy themselves some food.'
16 Jesus replied, 'There is no need for them to go: give them something to eat yourselves.'
17 But they answered, 'All we have with us is five loaves and two fish.'
18 So he said, 'Bring them here to me.'
19 He gave orders that the people were to sit down on the grass; then he took the five loaves and the two fish, raised his eyes to heaven and said the blessing. And breaking the loaves he handed them to his disciples, who gave them to the crowds.
20 They all ate as much as they wanted, and they collected the scraps left over, twelve baskets full.