Defined By Your Profession?

 

 

 

Some consider it an ice-breaker.  Some see it as a mere glimpse into the life of another.  Others view it as a label stickered to their legacy.  It's a pet peeve that drives my husband crazy and unfortunately is all-too-common in circles of men.  Actually, it seems to be a common occurrence amongst women in this day as well.  The big question... "and, what do you do for a living?" or "and, where do you work?".  A simplistic question in and of itself, if that was the case.  However, most often that seemingly innocent question lays the foundation for judgement. 

In all honesty, I used to think an offense to that question was just mere oversensitivity.  I mean, prejudgement is nothing foreign to me.  Perhaps I have just become immune to the questions... tired of feeling that I should apologize for not wanting to fit into someone else's box.  My choice to quit college, work full-time and get married was an unpopular venture in the 90's.  I was still "accepted" by some friends and family; others were not so fond of my choices.  (As if they were paying my student loan bills.)  I also experienced resistance when I chose to be a stay-at-home mom with our daughters and once again when we pulled our children out of public school to homeschool them.  The greatest resistance in all cases came from women who had polar opposite beliefs/viewpoints from myself or from women who just really wanted the same options in their own lives. 

I used to explain to my husband that perhaps guys initially ask that because that is "guy talk".  I mean, God made men to be workers, right? And work is work, correct? After all, it all results in the end means of earning an income.  At least, that is what I thought until a recent conversation.  I was in conversation with another gentleman who happens to be in one of the "trendy" careers of our time & he proceeded to ask what my husband "did for a living".  Upon my reply, the smile vanished from his face as though a wave of disapproval washed it away.  His response - "oh".  From that moment, I realized and felt what my husband experiences.  (I was also very disgusted as to how someone could act such a "cut above the rest".)

So, I pose this question... should it matter if someone is an employee at McDonalds, a trash collector, a construction worker, or a CEO? Back in the day, men used to carry a sense of pride and accomplishment merely for putting food on the table - for providing for their family.  Now it seems men need to be 28 years old with no children; carry three college degrees and have a six-figure income to feel worthy of God's calling on their lives.  Self-worth equates to status in society.  Where on earth did we receive these ideals? This definitely is not something the Lord promotes - it is something of the world.  How sad it is when we choose not to look into a person because we can't get past their profession. 

Are Your Gifts Collecting Dust?

 

 

We have all received them... gifts that just sit on the shelf.  At first glance of the gift, we excitingly tear open the item with anticipation of the contents.  We awe in sheer delight of our new item and feel on top of the world - for one week.  The high passes.  A new adventure ushers in.  What once was treasured collects dust. 

Are you there? Are the "adventures" and distractions of life causing you to set your gifts aside? Do you find yourself thinking "one day" I will get back to that? To be completely transparent with you, I am currently finding myself at this place.  I have gifts that God has given me and while I used them years ago, I put them in storage for awhile.  I convinced myself that it was perfectly ok and almost godly to do so because other priorities needed to be taken care of first.  Bills need to be paid, meals need to be cooked, our (teenage) girls need to be educated & transported, quality time needs to be invested in relationships, groceries need to be purchased, hair needs to be colored :)... need I say more? Now, there priorities definitely need to be taken care of ~ but I usually tend to neglect myself along the way.  Exercise, proper diet, quality time with God, fun time, and my giftings ~ all collect dust on this destructive road.  Eventually I throw my own pity party & inform everyone what I "do" for them.  Desperate and tired? YES.  Godly and mature? NO.  Like I said, I am offering transparency here.  I believe I am not the only mother that has traveled this road. 

So you may wonder why I write this.  Well, I am at a crossroads you could say.  I turned 40 this year and am finding myself at a place of discovering myself again ~ blowing dust off discarded gifts to unveil diamonds in the rough.  Now, that is not to say the number "40" caused this revelation... it has been a series of happenings in my life.  But, as I was in my unhappy place whining to the Lord a few nights ago, He convicted me that I am not being a good steward with what He has given me.  Often times, I have chosen to sulk and crawl into a hole instead of using that time to proactively use what He has given me.  I have given the enemy a foothold to withhold what God may have in store.  What about you? Can you relate? God has uniquely wired you with gifts and talents to be used in furthering His kingdom... to draw people to Him.  It is our worship unto Him and our "Pay It Forward" in gratefulness for all that He is! If you find yourself at this place, I challenge you to dig for those gifts in the clutter of life and use them to bless someone on your path.  You just never know what God intends for them!

Easy Alfredo Sauce

I was in need of a quick meal tonight as I didn't have anything planned.  I have lofty goals of doing some crock pot meal freezer kits one of these days so as to avoid the scurry of planning a meal - but I'm just not there yet.  However, I have been trying to use some of my Pinterest recipes.  I don't know about you, but I have a tendency to Pin away and barely look back at the Pins at times.  So, I am trying to get better in that area & hope to feature my favorites and fails on this blog along with anything else that I may throw in here and there! Anyway, here is a great Alfredo sauce recipe via Pinterest that I made tonight & my family loved it! See below for my instructions and a link to the blog with the original Alfredo recipe.  Enjoy!

Original Recipe & Photo via My Crazy Blessed Life

Easy Alfredo Sauce
1 tsp. minced garlic
4 oz. light cream cheese
3 Tbs. butter
2 tsp. garlic powder
3/4 cup 2% milk
1/3 cup grated or shredded Parmesan cheese
Dash of salt
Dash of fresh ground pepper

*In a medium saucepan, saute minced garlic in a bit of olive oil until golden.  Next throw in your butter and cream cheese - heat at low to medium heat until both start to melt.  Gradually whisk in your milk - make sure you are whisking on a regular basis and that heat is not too high as you do not want your mixture to scorch.  Stir in seasonings and cheese.  If sauce seems too thick for your liking, just whisk in a bit more milk.  Sauce will thicken upon cooling, so keep this in mind.*

I did make a few changes from the original recipe to suit my families' taste.  I added minced garlic and used light cream cheese while also decreasing the amount of butter and cheese a bit (as my family tends to put cheese on the finished product as well).  I did not stray from the the original recipe too much and I am sure the original is wonderful just as it is!

While the Alfredo sauce was cooking, I boiled some Linguine.  I tossed in frozen broccoli during the last few minutes of boiling then drained all of it together.  Leftover grilled chicken was a perfect fit for this meal, so I heated that up.  My hubby & kids dished up their own plates... pasta w/broccoli topped with chicken and lastly the Alfredo sauce.  I received rave reviews & requests to make it once again. 


Sweet Southern Cornbread

Have you ever tried dry, scratchy cornbread? Or how about cornbread where there is a little bit of everything thrown into the mix? (Almost makes you wonder if the baker was cleaning out their fridge at the time...)  Well, if you vowed never to taste cornbread again, or are just looking for a downhome recipe, give this a try! Here is a loved recipe in our home.  I made this a few nights ago and my husband & 2 daughters polished off a 9 x 13 dish of this in one day! Click the picture or the title below & link to a printable version along with a printable grocery list if you so desire! Enjoy!

Sweet Southern Cornbread

  

Ingredients:

4 Tbs. honey

2 eggs

4 Tbs. butter (melted)

1 cup half-and-half

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

2 cups yellow corn meal

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 Tbs. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Whisk together all of the wet ingredients in a bowl - honey, egg, butter, half & half, and water. In separate bowl, combine dry ingredients - sugar, corn meal, flour, baking powder and salt. Gently combine both mixtures - batter may be slightly lumpy. Pour into prepared baking dish and cook approx. 25-30 minutes, or until set in the middle and a toothpick comes out clean.

My New Etsy Shop!

Please check out my new Etsy shop, TheBluebirdNest! Currently I just have some fabric flower clips up for sale, but I have grand plans to keep adding items to the shop! Featured items will be posted in my Etsy link on the sidebar of this site at all times, so it will be easy for you to link up and see new items that will eventually be added.  I am still learning the ins & outs of Etsy, so please bear with me if everything doesn't look fantabulous! Thank you so much & have a great day!

Easy DIY Shredded Chicken

I don't know about you, but we use boneless skinless chicken breast in many of our meals. However, shredding the meat for various dishes was time-consuming and hair-pulling - in my opinion, anyway. Until I found these wonderful tips. Now I buy meat in bulk, shred it & pop it into the freezer for another day.

*Place chicken on baking sheets & pop into a preheated 375 degree oven.
*Bake 45 minutes to an hour - or until juices run clear.
*After the chicken cools, chop up the chicken a bit & throw it into your mixer w/regular paddle attachment (KitchenAid was recommended, but I used my regular old mixer).
*Turn the mixer on low & watch in amazement as your chicken is shredded before your eyes. By the way, you may also need to "watch" to make sure that your mixer doesn't bounce off of your counter! Hence probably why the KitchenAid was recommended. But hey, I am using what I have.

Easy Crock Pot Teriyaki Chicken

I recently found this delicious recipe on Pinterest & thought I would give it a try on my family.  It was super easy & was a hit.... great news since they love Teriyaki Chicken & past recipes have failed.  So... here's what I did.  I only had chicken thighs with bone & skin on them... so I just tossed all in the crockpot and let them cook down until I could easily remove the skin & bone.  This is much cheaper than buying them already skinned & boned, by the way.  After this step was done, then I proceeded as the recipe stated.  Another option would be to skin the thighs beforehand... I have done this before, but I prefer this method. 

Below is the recipe and the link from which it originated from.  Enjoy!


CROCK POT TERIYAKI CHICKEN
12 boneless skinless chicken thighs (about 3 pounds)
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup soy sauce
6 tablespoons cider vinegar
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
4 1/2 teaspoons cold water
Hot cooked long grain rice

Place chicken in a 4 qt. slow cooker. In a large bowl, combine the sugar, soy sauce, cider vinegar, ginger, garlic and pepper. Pour over chicken. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours or until chicken is tender. Remove chicken to a serving platter; keep warm. Skim fat from cooking liquid. Place liquid in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Combine cornstarch and water until smooth. Gradually stir into liquid and stir until sauce is thickend. Serve with chicken and rice.