Counting 1000 Blessings - March 2013

March

1        181 more little rosettes and bows for baby socks! 

          182 making birthday card for my sister
          183 awesome BK toy and 25cent coffee. Plus she upsized my coffee for free! Doesn't get much better than this

2        184 this is happening. 

          185 avocado!!!  http://twitpic.com/c84ycp
          186 #starbucks with my love. Snaps for giftcards & #vanillaspicelatte  

3        187 this boy growing up too fast, wearing my favorite lil jean jacket 

          188 felt very pulled together the day I wore this 

          189 baby booties!
4        190 a hard relationship I'm in
          191 my husband not being able to find a job that pays enough for him to quit his 2nd & 3rd jobs
          192 best friend living very far away

5        193  me & my buddy both found time in our schedules to do a long distance Bible study together

          194 found pomegranate and avocado on sale!

          195 ok. I really wanted to have something more profound for my 3rd "something found" but was *too excited* when I found these socks! They were folded and everything but got mixed up in a basket with husband-clothes. I knew I had more socks! (Clearly though, if there were this many missing, and more than that in my drawer, I have too many socks...)
6        196 my clever husband made me some bookends for the kitchen cookbooks. How cute of him to think of this all by himself-and they match the rest of the decor!

          197  the lock finally gave out. Sweet in-laws surprised us by fixing it for us. I really really love my in-laws!

          198 why hello, little bird.
7        199 stuff borrowed for my sister's baby shower 1: chairs
          200 2: red wagon for décor
          201 3: drink dispensers

8        202 vacuuming the whole house for my sisters shower. I’ve gotta have people over more often so the house gets cleaned.
          203 Fresh ground coffee!
          204 my hot pink shirt. Hot pink makes me happy!

9        205 last supper carving
          206 birds my sister woodburned
          207 and monkey spoon
10      208 Washed.
          209 Sanctified.
          210 Justified. In His precious name! I Cor 6:11

11      211 Beth Moore #Danielstudy
          212 Bible study with my bestie
          213 and super excited about my new #borntodeliver book I got today!

12      214 Breakfast
          215 my son sleeping so precious.

          216 God is so faithful. So faithful. He told me to paint again today, and this snow scene is what He came up with. Then He told me to open my Bible for His words to put on it. I had a verse in mind that would go pretty well, and figured He would lead me to it, but He led me to this one instead, and Lord Jesus, how You know your Word so intimately, and know Your creatures even more so. Ps 104:3 "He walks on the wings of the wind." Bless His name! I had no earthly idea what I was gonna do for my "wind" gift.

13      217 Binky handle

          218 my coffee cup. Can't put this book down! Born To Deliver
          219 quarters I found in my pocket 
14      220 study buddies this morning. #Danielstudy

          221 love how he sleeps. And that fuzzy hair!

          222 getting stuff done while baby sleeps

15      223 the cool print I got from a giveaway Rich In Blessings held! Finally motivated me to hang the shelf and red tile I've had for two or three years. Still need to add some greenery but the hard part is done!!

          224 flower that someone gave my honey after the play he directed last night.

          225 I guess we are those parents- the ones who give their child weird stuff to play with in the store.

16      226 1) tired most the time
          227 2) dishes stacked up after company
          228 3) laundry never ends... BUT! Thank God for the BUT. But this means my life is full of people I love.

17      229 pages turned in my new book #borntodeliver. I never ever read a book this fast. Its been less than a week and I'm already over half way through. I'm loving this honest story of Kathy Brace's journey to redemption
          230 this lovely quilt Ivan plays on
          231  I keep every flower my husband gives me. I'm such a sap I can't let go of a single one

18      232 Ivan's pandora station played his favorite This little light of mine and brought a smile amidst the teething woes.
          233 Incredibly thankful for these frozen teething keys right now!

          234 Ivan loves the Mr. Putter books!

19      235 hot chocolate
          236 grapes
          237 enchiladas
20      238 my friend's pictures and videos of her funny kids
          239 fun that he's getting big enough to do more. Rides up on mommy's shoulders are fun

          240 playing horsie with Ivan

21      241 Starbucks all around! I like it when we make the #Starbucks run for my husband's work... Starbucks rewards add up so much quicker :)

          242 microwave kale chips!

          243 I love the way he is so loving to his animals. This crazy hot pink monkey courtesy of my dad :)

22      244 Ps 133
          245 Rom 15:5
          246 Eph 4:3 unity in the body of Christ lord give me your heart toward other people particularly those who have hurt me. Cover me with your sweet oil. Let it heal, refresh, and unify.
23      247 my precious mother in law with Ivan at the Coleman theatre in Oklahoma.

          248 my precious grandmother in law at the Coleman theatre in Oklahoma.
          249 my precious sister in law with Ivan on stage at the Coleman theatre in Oklahoma.

24      250 Reading with Daddy before breakfast

          251 Naptime with Grandma

          252 Ivan with his great grandparents

25      253 God telling me to paint again. I love the sweet surrender.

          254 The children cried “Hosanna" (which means save us!)... God has prepared praise from the mouths of children and infants MT 21:15-16
          255 finished #borntodeliver today. I did not want it to end. "Thank You that your mercy never fails. In Your matchless grace, You have given none a life full of rich, though undeserved, blessings." -Kathy Brace
26      256 the palm Sunday snow is almost melted

          257 my coffee accompanying my Skype Bible study

          258 this bread. And I can't help but think of the Last Supper this #holyweek

27      259 me!! 1 Peter 1:18-19 knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.
          260 these shelves made by wood saved from the garbage got their 1st coat of paint today. Soon they will be front-facing bookshelves for my baby's growing collection of books!
          261 coupon for free 8x10 at Walgreens! Love me some free pictures!

28      262 he's comfy wrapped around my leg and making funny words
          263 the oregano is back! I don't know why with any perennial plants I never believe it till I see it
          264 this blanket from my grandma. Not too many more days we'll get to snuggle under a blanket to read. The weather is getting warmer!

29      265 2Pet1:3 He has given us all we need for life and to become like Him
          266 Heb10:14 He sanctified us
          267 Jn19 Pain He suffered that Scripture would be fulfilled the right way. He didn't cut corners and did it all because He loves us.
30      268 city-wide egg hunt at my in-laws!

          269  these tulips I planted two months late with my beautiful sister are coming up!
          270 cute little diaper baby
31      271 wouldn't be a proper Easter if my #agifthopedfor wasn't new life in Heaven! #heisrisen

          272 listening to the Passover recitations we celebrated as a family today

          273 Ivan spending time with Grandma during our egg-scavenger hunt

Crispy Kale Chips in the Microwave

This is another great one for snackers who want to be healthy.
Kale chips.

I'm going to tell you two different methods of baking them, and then which one is my favorite.

I first found the recipe over at Big Flavors From a Tiny Kitchen, I have used it several times, and love it.

I did tweak it just a tiny bit- only in method, not really in ingredients.

Wash kale. You want to be kindof rough with it, to release the bitterness that kale can tend to have. When I first heard that, I was a bit confused at what that meant exactly. Finally figured out that it just means to kindof "crush" it when you wash it.

Open up the leaves. 

Press the fluffy part firmly between your hand and thumb.

 It will feel a lot softer when you're done doing this, and the leaves will look more open.

Dry kale. This step is very important. I thought the easiest way to do this was just to shake off what water I could, and then just lay it out on a couple cookie sheets to dry, and come back to it after a few hours, or the next day. I don't have a salad spinner, but I imagine that would work too. If it's not completely dry it will tend to get mushy, so I'm told. I haven't tried it because I just make sure it's dry.

EDIT: 7/26/2013 I got a salad spinner for my birthday (yay me!), and so have been using that. It works well to dry the kale most the way. Still leaves a bit of moisture, so I used this trick I've recently learned:

After cutting the kale into chip sizes, put in an airtight bowl and lay a napkin/paper towel on top the leaves before you put the lid on. Put it in the fridge and go about your day. When you are ready to make the chips, the napkin will be damp and the leaves will be perfectly dry. Perfect. This works great for storing salads, baby spinach, etc. too!

Cut the rib out of the center, and cut into pieces. Just do whatever size seems like a good size for a chip.

Spread in a single layer on your baking pan or microwave chip maker.


Yes, I said microwave! My new favorite way to cook them is in the microwave! I have the microwave chip maker, which is silicone, raised, and with holes in it to allow for air flow. I used it for the first time on kale. (the instructions that came with it said to only use it on potatoes, apples or yucca. But I tried it with kale and it worked beautifully!) This is one tool I'm pretty sure you wouldn't be able to substitute, so it's worth the small investment. I love that you can make baked chips on it- it pays for itself very very quickly when you consider how expensive baked chips can get.... especially bag after bag of them over the years.

Best of all, I found that they stay green! When you put them in the oven, they usually turn brown, no matter how careful you're being. When they're brown, they taste burnt. Burnt is yucky.

The best cook time for my microwave was 3 minutes for one tray- you'll have to add a minute or two for stacked trays. Since it was a short cook-time, I preferred to do one tray, because it was nice having one cooking while I was spreading out a layer of kale and salting it on the other tray.
Buy microwave chip tray here Microwave Potato Chip Maker - Oven Healthy Crispy Flavorful Fat-Free Set

Oven cooking pros/cons:

Pro: Cook more at once
Con: Burns more easily
Con: Longer cooking time
Con: Have to run the oven 

Microwave cooking pros/cons: 

Pro: Cooks faster
Pro: Doesn't burn as easily
Pro: Doesn't heat up the kitchen on a hot day
Con: Smaller tray means less can cook at once

Sprinkle with salt and bake.

Cook and enjoy.

Don't eat them all at once.

Recipe:

1 bunch kale
1 Tbsp olive oil
Season salt

Wash kale and let it completely dry.

Cut out stem. This is easy to do if you make one long slice along both sides of the stem.

Tear or cut the leaves into pieces.

Put into a bowl with a tight cover and drizzle the olive oil over it. Cover and shake around until its distributed on all the leaves.

Spread into a single layer on a non insulated cookie sheet, preferably one with holes in it like a pizza crisper pan.

Sprinkle with salt.
Bake 10-12 min at 350 or microwave 1 tray 3 min, 2 trays 4-5 min. (Microwave ovens vary, so start with the lesser time- you can always add more if they're not cripsy yet.)

Tip: Don't let it burn. If it's brown, it's a bit burnt, and will taste bitter.

A couple chips that did get burnt

Now you see why it's my favorite to use the microwave?
Trust me on the "don't eat them all at once" part.

Try them and let me know what you think!

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