P-R-I-O-R-I-T-I-E-S
10 Apr 2012 Leave a Comment
What are your PRIORITIES?
Micca Campbell gives us a great acrostic to use in Chapter 4 of An Untroubled Heart.
P – Pray. Ask God for wisdom. Ask Him to show you His priorities for this season of your life.
R – Review God’s priorities for your life. Study God’s Word to determine His priorities for you as His child and as a woman.
I – Take Inventory. Examine the activities that consume your time. Keep a time log for a week. Then ask hard questions. What are my true priorities? Are they the right ones?
O – Order your schedule. Ask, “What is important?” Make the hard choices based on God’s priorities for your life.
R – Resist the “tyranny of the urgent.” Don’t let the urgent keep you from focusing on the truly important.
I – Input from others. Seek input, counsel, and accountability from authorities, godly friends, mentors, and your husband (if applicable).
T – Take advantage of the time God gives you. Don’t waste time. Do all to the glory of God. (I really like this one!)
I – Identify time robbers. What saps your energy and robs your time? Activities, attitudes, distractions, interruptions? (One thing I need to remind myself is that children are not interruptions. They ARE my priority.) 
E – Experience this season fully. Be all there is this season of life. Weep, rejoice, work hard, and celebrate with all your heart. Don’t waste your time living in the past or future.
S – Sabbaths. Take regular time-outs to refresh, regain perspective, reflect and evaluate, and re-prioritize. Make adjustments accordingly.
I think I need to print this & have it with me at all times.
If you can, take some time right now & think through each point or plan a specific time today to do this. Then let me know if you did it.
Have a fulfilling day,
Antoinette
An Untroubled Heart
02 Apr 2012 3 Comments
in Inspiration
It’s been a long time since I’ve blogged anything. In fact, it was last summer. With the start of school I’ve had no time at all! However, I think it’s time to start again. Why now?
Someone shared an online Bible Study with me a couple of months ago. We went through the book, “Made to Crave” by Lysa Terkeurst. If you haven’t had the chance to read that one yet, I highly recommend it. It’s about satisfying your deepest desire with God, not food. There’s so much to learn there that I’m considering doing a Bible study about it this summer. I could easily go through it again (and again) just to soak up the truths Lysa shares in the book. What do you locals think? Anyone vote for doing that this summer? Shoot, we could even do it online like the study I participated in.
But before I let myself get completely distracted, let me share the book that I’m going through now. It’s called, An Untroubled Heart by Micca Campbell… tag line, Finding a Faith that is stronger than all my Fears.
Stop. Did you hear what you just read? “Finding a Faith that is stronger than all my Fears.” Yeah, says a lot doesn’t it? By the way, we just started the Bible Study at Melissa Taylor’s Online Bible Studies if you care to join us. If you have a Kindle [or the Kindle app] you can get started right away. We’re just starting Chapter 3 today. 
Often times I like to share the things that inspire me on facebook. Or it might be something that causes me to stop and think. With this book, I’ve come across a couple of passages that are just too long for me to post on facebook. So for now, I’ll be sharing them on my blog. Hopefully that will be frequently, but I can’t guarantee anything. (And hopefully they won’t all be as long as this one.)
Last week I was reading through Chapter 2. According to the Kindle version I’m on page 29 of 238. She starts the last paragraph by saying, “I get confused at times and think I’m supposed to accomplish this task alone, but then it becomes about me. The truth is, my biggest obligation is to maintain my relationship with God. When I lean on Him, my anxieties give way to peace.”
“It would be easy to give in to my fear and allow Satan to stop me. I could throw my manuscript up in the air and eat some gooey chocolate something. But I wouldn’t feel better. I’d feel defeated. God didn’t intend for you and me to live defeated. We were created to live by faith, not fear. We were made for greener pastures, where God’s mercy and goodness dwell with us, provide for us, shelter us, and enable us to do whatever God is calling us to do-be a parent, a schoolteacher, a musician, a writer, or maybe even someone who walks on water.”
How many times has that been you? OH forget it! Give me some chocolate! We laugh about it, but so many women are being defeated. I’m tired of it. Satan is not being given enough credit for his deceptions. People, the very first sin on earth was about food!
Oops… I’m getting off on my own tangent. Back to feeling defeated… ever felt that way? Ever felt like just throwing your hands up and walking away. Yeah, that’s Satan. That’s how he rolls. In those times, remember 2 Timothy 1:7 – “for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” In that moment, we have a decision to make. In that moment do we give in to fear or do we bury our face in Jeses’ chest and let him carry the burden?
Alcoholics wake up each morning and have to say, “I will not drink today.” Similar with smokers or any other type of addict. I think I need to wake up each morning and say, “I will not give in to fear today. I will put my faith in the One who carried the cross… who carried the burden of my sin to the grave and back.” What are your fears? Will you trust Him with them?
Antoinette
Recipe review – peaches!
18 Aug 2011 1 Comment
A friend of mine emailed me & asked me if I’d like to purchase a case of peaches from a local farmer. There was no hesitation… YES please! So yesterday we had peaches for breakfast, snacks, & dinner. There were no complaints.
I ended up making Sauteed Chicken in Spicy Peach Sauce that the family raved about, so I thought I would share my revisions with you. I also cooked some peaches in my crock pot…
… & served with homemade vanilla ice cream for our afternoon snack. Big thumbs up there. I would like to revise that one first though before posting. I thought it came out a bit gloppy.
One thing about me is that I roast 2 chickens every week. Why? Well, buying a whole chicken is a lot cheaper than buying the pieces separately (especially chicken breast). We will eat part of one roast the night I make them & then I’ll take the rest of the chicken off the bones for use throughout the week. Then I can throw together something like this recipe without having to cook the chicken first. And I have chicken on hand for a quick salad or sandwich. Throw together a taco bar by chopping some chicken & heating in the pan with some taco seasoning. It’s a huge time saver & money saver.
Sauteed Chicken in Spicy Peach Sauce
2 TB coconut oil
2-3 cups leftover cooked chicken
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 c cold water
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons sugar/sucanat
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, to taste (optional)
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder, to taste
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons garlic, minced or pressed (or 1/2 tsp garlic granules)
2 cups peeled diced peaches (fresh or frozen)
1/3 cup toasted walnut halves
1. Place 1/3 cup of walnut halves in toaster at a low setting.
2. While walnuts are toasting heat a pan to medium. Add oil & saute onion until limp.
3. Mix together cornstarch & water, add in vinegar, sugar, pepper, chili powder, salt, & garlic. Add to pan along with peaches.
4. Cook sauce until thickened (this barely took a minute).
5. Add chicken & walnuts. Cook until heated through.
6. Serve over hot, cooked rice.
Enjoy!
Antoinette
Recipe Review – Rachel Ray’s Meatloaf Muffins
29 Jul 2011 Leave a Comment
Well the kids really enjoyed dinner tonight so I thought I would post a review of this recipe with my substitutions.
Meatloaf Muffins with BBQ Sauce
Vegetable oil or extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), for pan
1 1/2 pounds ground sirloin (Used 2 pounds & made 12 muffins)
1 small yellow onion, cut into quarters by a grown-up helper (GH)
1 small green bell pepper
A splash of milk
1 large egg, beaten (used 2 eggs)
1 cup plain bread crumbs (used ground oats)
2 tablespoons grill seasoning, such as McCormick brand Montreal Steak Seasoning
(used 1 TB Wildtree’s Rancher Steak Rub)
1 cup smoky barbecue sauce*
1/2 cup tomato salsa*
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
PREPARATION
Preheat oven to 450°F. Brush a 6-muffin tin with vegetable oil or EVOO.
Put ground beef into a big bowl.
Put onions into a food processor.
Cut the bell pepper in half and rip out the seeds and the white stuff and throw it away.
Cut the pepper into a few pieces (ask your GH for help if you need it) and add to the food processor.
Pulse the food processor to finely chop the onion and bell pepper. Add to the meat bowl.
Whisk the milk into the beaten egg and add to meat. Add breadcrumbs and grill seasoning.
In a small bowl, mix together the barbecue sauce, salsa and Worcestershire sauce. *Didn’t have BBQ sauce & my kids are no crazy about salsa. I subbed 3/4 cup ketchup, 1/4 cup grape jelly, & 1/2 cup of tomato sauce + the Worcestershire sauce. It was gobbled up.
Pour half the sauce mixture into the bowl with the meatloaf mix. Mix the meatloaf together with your hands. (Totally didn’t see this step & they turned out great.)
Wash your hands well after handling the raw meat.
Use a large ice cream scoop to put the meat into the muffin tin.
Top each “muffin” with a spoonful of reserved sauce. Bake about 15 minutes. Ask your grown-up helper (GH) to cut open one muffin to test if it’s cooked through.
Let me know if you try them.
Antoinette
FlyLady Challenge – Day 16
28 Jul 2011 Leave a Comment
Hello everyone!
It’s been increasingly hard for me to find a regular time to write up a blog post. With kiddos off to Vacation Bible School this week & trying to keep with the regular household duties (plus the new catalog coming out) I’m not finding a lot of spare time. So, I’m going to keep it simple for the rest of the Challenge. I’ll just post the link for the Day on my Facebook page & on Twitter (craftyantoinett). That way I can keep the Challenge going & still encourage you too! Feel free to add my as a friend on FB or follow me on Twitter and we can learn how to FLY together.
Here’s today’s Challenge… Day 16 – Read an email from FlyLady. Click on the link & it should take you there.
Thanks for stopping by today,
Antoinette
FlyLady Challenge – Day 15
25 Jul 2011 Leave a Comment
Hello everyone!
Just a quick post here to see how everyone’s doing. I got knocked out of commission this weekend & didn’t get a whole lot of cleaning done. But I’m ok with that. Got a lot of rest in & I think I needed that.
I need to go get my shoes on then take a look at Day 15 – Make Your Bed.
Oh Goodie! This is one of those Baby Steps that I have half ways down. We use our bed as a diaper changing station so I usually make the bed right away (unless my husband beats me to it) & put all the diaper stuff on there before I go get the baby boy.
How’s everyone doing? Are we getting bored with the FlyLady Challenge? Or would you just rather go at your own pace? I would love it if y’all could leave some comments so I know whether I should keep going with this or not. AND, let me know what kind of challenges you are interested in. 
Thanks for stopping by,
Antoinette
“Our greatest fear should not be of failure but of succeeding at things in life that don’t really matter.” – Francis Chan
FlayLady Challenge – Day 14 (& another challenge -ABS Diet?)
20 Jul 2011 Leave a Comment
in Cleaning/House Keeping, Food/Recipes/Menus, Uncategorized
Hello again! How are your morning routines going? And your before bed routines? When I remember to do my before bed routine the next day goes so much smoother in the morning! If you haven’t had a chance to get into a routine I’d like to challenge you tonight. Just pick out your clothes for tomorrow. Shine your sink. Those little things can make a huge difference in how your start your day.
Day 14 beholds an essay for us to read. It’s about using a calendar if you don’t already do that. Nowadays there are some really great calendars out there. You can even sync your calendars with other family members through gmail and other sites! There are some really great apps for your phone. Don’t underestimate the old school wall calendar either. FlyLady has great calendar in her shop & this is the calendar that I use.
To go off on a bit of a tangent, I’ve been thinking about starting another challenge since we’re getting our lives organized. Some of you know that I’ve lost a lot of weight this past year. I get a lot of questions about how I’ve done it. I did it all through a group that met at our church called PRISM. I learned a lot about nutrition, but I also learned a lot about why I ate the way that I did. I’m an emotional eater/stress eater & not everyone is the same. Unfortunately the group isn’t meeting any more. However, a friend mentioned a book that I was shocked to find was very similar in its eating plan. The writer is spot on with his approach to weight loss & has such good information to read. It’s called The ABS DIET. I have to admit that when I first heard the title I didn’t like it at all. My goal is not to have well defined abs, a six pack or anything of the sort. The more I read though, the more I realized that his approach is to get rid of the fat in that area of your body, surrounding your organs.
I won’t go on & on about it right now. If you get a chance, go over to this site to read a review of the book. I liked the review because it was very realistic. I was able to check this book out from the library to preview it first before purchasing. However, I found a link to the diet information through Women’s Health Magazine. The goal is not so much to go on a diet, but to work on changing bad eating habits. There’s so much I want to share it that area.
What I need to know is, who’s interested? And if you’re interested when do you want to get started? Monday? That would give you a chance to read through the info & go grocery shopping this weekend. I can’t wait to hear what you think.
Antoinette
FlyLady Challenge – Day 13
19 Jul 2011 Leave a Comment
Here we are… trucking right along to Day 13: Pick One of Kelly’s Missions & do it. I took a peek at her missions for this week & they are in the master bedroom. I know that I’m not ready for that because I’m still working on my desk & the family room. In fact, I haven’t gotten down there in a couple of days. (That may have something to do with the new catalog coming out on Monday!) Or maybe it has something to do with the heat wave. Either way, I know I need to get down there. 15 minutes, right? OK, I can do that.
What are you doing today?
Antoinette
FlyLady Challenge – Day 12
18 Jul 2011 Leave a Comment
in Cleaning/House Keeping, Uncategorized
OK, I literally laughed out loud when I read Day 12 – Delete all emails from FlyLady. Didn’t I just say that? LOL! So it’s not just me, even she knows they can get overwhelming. Go ahead, delete them if you haven’t already. They’ll be back the next day.
How are you doing? I still struggle keeping the sink shined, but I’ve been doing a whole lot better at keeping it empty & cleaning off the counter. Believe me, that’s a BIG improvement. I picked out my clothes last night & dressed to shoes in the morning. When I don’t wear my shoes my back is usually hurting pretty bad by about 2:00 & I need to sit down to rest it. But when I get my shoes on I can get a lot more done. Enough motivation for me!
Anyone have a favorite Baby Step so far? Anyone still doing the challenge?
Antoinette
FlyLady Callenge – Day 11
17 Jul 2011 Leave a Comment
Hello Fly Babies! Short & sweet today… we are trucking along to Day 11. Let’s add an Inspirational Page to our Control Journal. One of my favorite inspirational sayings comes from the Bible in the book of Phillippians, Chapter 4 verses 8-9 “8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. 9 Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.”
What are some of your favorite inspirational sayings?
Antoinette
