LATE NIGHT RAMBLINGS

I was so very excited. ZC and I decided at about 8pm to lay down and work on her summer reading project together. The topic of the summer reading project for a 4th going into 5th grader is a whole other rant .... so we decided to read. She was given a choice and 1 of the 2 required readings she chose is this one --------------------------------------------->

It wasn't long before I started to feel the effects of laying down in my bed ... you know the uncontrollable yawning, eye lids sagging kind of affects and well, i was praying for the last page of chapter 1. Knowing the effects, signs and symptoms of taking on any task while laying in my bed my sweet ZC suggested we stop there. Yeah I am sure she was looking out for me ... no ulterior motives or anything. :) It was probably only minutes before I drifted off into a sweet sweet sleep and preparation for a full day tomorrow. Wellll, not exactly. I did indeed drift off to a sweet sleep before 10 pm and wouldn't you know wide awake by midnight! Yes, what I thought would be an all nighter was mearly a cat nap. Not only did I wake up but I awoke in a panic. Things are so crazy and as much as I hate to even admit it so much of it revolves around money. That is usually what my worries are about. As a parent we are responsible for caring for our children. responsible for meeting there needs and DESIRE to even provide some of there wants. I mentioned on my FB the other day it was "wedding Wednesday". I needed to sit down and do some planning for these incredible couple right here

I am really good at trying to escape the inevitable. Miss M and I have done some planning, decided on some decor and menu etc. We took all my grand ideas and whittled them down to something i believed to be manageable and the thing is that these two deserve my big grand ideas! Miss M decided at an early age not to get caught up in the roller coaster and senseless heartbreak of teenage dating. She committed to God that she would trust Him to bring her life mate and HE did exactly that. In an instant C showed up in the picture and I knew that I knew that I knew that God had not only hand picked him for Miss M .... God had created him for Miss M and there you have it. Apart from this little staged peck on the cheek the couple will not kiss until their wedding day.  So my heart hurts that I cannot create this one of a kind most incredibly special day that I have envisioned and Miss M being who she is has said over and over that it's ok, she understands and has totally surprised me by understanding the fact that as a single mom working 2 jobs she is ok with what we have planned ... PROBLEM BEING .... after planning on Wedding Wed. I am still not sure how this is going to happen and at this moment I would like to totally be all spiritually mature and say .... well I know God has this. I know He will come through etc .... but in honest heart to heart truth .... I don't even know! I don't even know. NOW SIDE NOTE HERE I AM NOT FOR A SECOND QUESTIONING MY FAITH IN A GREAT BIG GOD AS MY CREATOR, AS THE LOVER OF MY SOUL AS MY FATHER AND MY SALVATION. I KNOW GOD CREATED ME, HE SENT HIS SON JESUS TO DIE FOR ME TO PAY THE PRICE FOR MY SIN AND PROVIDE A WAY FOR ME TO ETERNITY! What I am in a panic over are the everyday things, not even the "have to's" but the "want to's" While to some a beautiful wedding may seem so insignificant and ultimately as I have watched so many "life and death" situations unfold before me  in the last couple of months in the big scheme of the world they may be but I know the significance to this couple, i know the significance to my girl who for 22 years has really had to sacrifice a great deal as the oldest daughter to a single parent with a very limited income.  This sweet girl who went with me to college and sat in the student breakroom while I finished clinic or helped with her younger brother while I studied for finals. My "panic" stems from the fact tht I know I suck at handling money .... it never seems to matter how much comes in, it's always less than what goes out. I have made budget after budget and well, it never pans out. I have given and not given and it never pans out .... I just don't know. I just don't know. I type all this as if it were the only issue and it's not. There is a birthday gift for a certain 16 year old I still have not delivered and well that is just a couple of the major things. I want so badly to give to my kids.  Please don't walk away from this thinking that the only worry is monetary ... it's not .... it's what the monetary represents to me. It's what the provision of the wedding or the birthday present represent to me. The material gifts are a representation of something far deeper a representation of my commitment to them. Oh and I am just feeling like a failure in that respect.  I am sure there will be lessons learned in this and a chance for growth .... it's just where I am tonight at now 4 am!

FACT OR FICTION FRIDAY!

There are so many myths surrounding the privilege of being a host or consultant with The Pampered Chef and I am here to dispel them all!

FACT OR FICTION?
ALL PAMPERED CHEF CONSULTANTS LOVE TO COOK! OR I COULDN'T POSSIBLE BE A PAMPERED CHEF CONSULTANT, I HATE TO COOK.


This is most definitely NOT true! FICTION! Cooking is far from my favorite thing to be doing! In fact like many other Pampered Chef consultants what made me passionate about the products is how they make the necessary task of feeding your family easier and faster! Prior to ordering my Pampered Chef consultant kit I thought PC tools were nothing more than overpriced luxury items for your kitchen. I have never been further from the truth. In fact when my director taught me how to cook a full meal for my family from fresh ingredients in one pot (the Deep Covered Baker) in LESS than 30 minutes a passion was ignited. A passion to help other mom's. I wanted to remove any reason to ever feel guilty again because they didn't have time to cook and fed their family from the drive thru, or processed frozen convenience food and a box pasta.  So there you have it. I don't love to cook and neither do many of my fellow PC consultants. In fact it is quite the opposite and more often than not the driving force that got us started in this business was about teaching mom's that cooking doesn't have to take hours out of their day!

CELEBRATE IT SATURDAY!!!!

NSV = Non Scale Victory! Sand, Sun, Water and Tons of fun! I recently earned a trip to my Pampered Chef team retreat. I was so excited we were headed to Destin, Florida. THE BEACH?! I have avoided the beach for years well rather I enjoyed the beach from afar for a few reason's .... #1. Finding a swim suit for someone who weighs 365 lbs is not an easy task ... well it is downright nearly an impossible task and if I would have found one well lets just say you pay for the amount of fabric it takes to create it. #2. Walking on/in the sand was laborious. It was horrible and caused me to sound like I was going to keel over any second. At this point I should stop and tell you how very much I love the ocean. I love to hear it, I love to see it and I love to feel it. Growing up I spent a great deal of time around the ocean. Early on we enjoyed Galveston Beach in TX and my visits with my dad in California were some of my favorite memories. We rode our bikes to the beach daily and stayed for hours and hours until it was dark! My dad lived on a boat and so my summers were spent running around the marina barefoot on the hot docks. We lived on and in the ocean. So for about the last 16 years it was miserable to be miserable at the beach. Fast forward to June 9-11, 2014! Yes, I got in a bathing suit. Yes, I brought my beach towel, beach chair, sunscreen, magazines and with out so much as a "pant" we found our way to a spot by the ocean and for several hours soaked up the rays and I really really really enjoyed myself. Since then I have great plans to return with kids in tow. I am so excited by my new realized love! So very exicted! I am seeing the worth wile results of loosing 120lbs! I am living life. I mean really living life! Nothings gonna stop me now!

POTENTIAL IN A BASKET OF BUILDING BLOCKS

Recently I had the privilege of being in our church nursery, as I do each month during service. For the last couple of months ZC my 10 year old has come along to help. She loves to play with the babies and I feel like it gives her a sense of being a servant and an opportunity to be a blessing to the little ones and their mamas. She was exceptionally helpful this time and really really enjoyed playing with the babies. I had the joy of watching her and as she emptied the basket of building blocks the Lord reminded me that the basket of blocks held great potential in her hands. She could choose to take each block and build a tower tall in strength and stature or a strip mall long and stretched out across the floor. The builder has the power to create what he/she can use each block to create. Everyone of those blocks represents a life experience. 1 block may represent a family member leaving while another may represent graduation another may represent the birth of a child and still another the death of a parent. Each block separate and yet when they are placed together they offer one another strong support, a foundation on which the next one is built and supported. So much like our own lives, we don't choose the experiences. God gives us those. He builds, shapes and creates each block and it's up to each one of us to build the structure. We use the foundation, the strength of each previous block to build on to create the life we are meant to have. We can choose to build it tall, overlooking the many structures around us or we can choose to build it wide.

As ZC built her tower one of the younger children came by and with the swipe of a hand the tower tumbled to the ground and the blocks went everywhere and she rebuilt it over and over again. Quite honestly there are just going to be days when our tower gets knocked down, days when our blocks get scattered and again we are afforded an opportunity to rebuild or let them lay where they fell. There are times when we let them lay for a bit, catch our breath and begin to rebuild and more often than not we never rebuild quite the same. Many times our towers will never  look quite the same after its been knocked down but it is always OUR tower.

There are times in my life I have sat and thought how did I get here? When did my life take this turn or that turn and that is it. My life took that turn when someone knocked down my tower and I got here and there by how I chose to rebuild it. So often we take on a victim stance pouting because our tower has tumbled to the ground. We get caught up in the moment of what someone has done to us but knocking it down and neglect to see the opportunity that is before us. It is an opportunity to make things different. Rebuilding our tower is the chance to do something new, make a different turn, use a different set up in our life. The knocking down of our tower is really more of a gift than a set back. Rebuilding is a time to reevaluate how we have built the structure in the past and how we can make it better for the future. Rebuilding is a time to take that "safe" strip mall with a side foundational base and build a dangerously high tower or to add a shaded area or bridge. It is the opportunity to reshape what we once thought was permanent just by rearranging a few blocks here and there. So the next time your tower gets knocked down take a breath, take a minute to reevaluate and start rebuilding. You probably be pleasantly surprised by the next structure you erect!

Tool Tip Tuesday

TODAYS FEATURED TOOL IS THE MIX N CHOP ! THE MIX N CHOP IS LIKE BEING ABLE TO UTILIZE 5 SILICONE KNIVES AT ONE TIME WITH JUST A TWIST OF THE WRIST. HOW DO I USE MY MIX N CHOP? I USE IT TO BREAK UP HAMBURGER MEAT, MASH POTATOES, SCRAMBLED EGGS, CHOP/SHREAD CHICKEN BUT MY FAVORITE USE FOR THE MIX N CHOP IS TO MAKE A HOMEMADE MARBLE SLAB ICE CREAM TREAT BY TAKING 2 SCOOPS OF ICE CREAM AND MY DESIRED TOPPINGS MIXNCHOP, MIXNCHOP, MIXNCHOP AND VIOLA! YUMMY YUMMY! 

I WOULD LOVE TO HELP YOU WITH PAMPERING YOUR KITCHEN. LET ME KNOW WHAT I CAN DO WWW.PAMPEREDCHEF.BIZ/SARASCHULTZ

Microwave Monday

It is time for one of my favorite days of the week .... Monday .... Microwave Monday to be precise. 

As a brief background before I met The Pampered Chef the only thing I used my microwave for was to heat leftovers, pop popcorn and heating the occasional hot chocolate. I thought a quick meal was a box of fishsticks in the oven and I called it good. Between processed freezer meals and drive through windows we managed to survive. In June of 2013 I had my RNY Gastric Bypass surgery and was constantly reminded that what I was feeding my children had little to no nutritional value and I needed to take charge and do something about it or risk them succumbing to the same fate as myself. I found The Pampered Chef as I researched Direct Sales Companies I might want to sign into and well TPC was tried and true. It had been around forever (PSA .... SORRY I REALLY DO HAVE A POINT THAT HAS TO DO WITH THE MICROWAVE IN ALL THIS! ) So I ordered my kit and held my open house. When my director came and we made a fresh healthy meal in less than 30 minutes using my Deep Covered Baker and the microwave I knew I was on to something life changing. Since that day it is rate that I even turn my oven on anymore but I cook a good dinner for my children 5/7 nights. 

Some of the things I make in my microwave using my Rock Crok or Deep Covered Baker. Spaghetti  - start to finish, pasta and all, Chicken Bruschetta Pasta, Chicken Fajitas, a whole chicken, ohhh and dare I mention the desserts like molten Chocolate lava cake ...just to name a few. So from now on for Microwave I will be including recipes cooked only in the microwave! My Microwave Monday tip for today is cooking pasta. So far I have made thin spaghetti, macaroni and Penni. I empty and entire package of pasta ... usually 1 lb in my RC or DCB and add 32 oz of chicken broth. I set the microwave for 9 minutes .... stir and cook 9 more minutes. DISCLAIMER .... every microwave is different. You may need to cook in 5 minute increments after the original 18.

The TRUTH about summer vacation ....

It is around this time of year that I start hearing things like "Oh I wish I got a summer break" "I bet you love that, lounging around all summer" As many of you know I am a speech pathologist in my local school district. I work a 187 day/year contract. I remember what I thought teachers do all summer long and those thoughts have not changed much over the years. Most people think educators spend all summer with their feet up and not a care in the world ... what you are about to read is what MOST educators I know do all summer long.

1. We worry about the kids who were in our class this year. you know little Johnny whose dad just lost his job and the family was already having a difficult time making it. or little Susie who mother's parental choice leave much to be desired and often put little Susie in situations no girl her age should be in.

2. We work out plans for next school year like room designs, themes, furniture arrangements, centers and color schemes

3.We spend a small amount of time getting our homes back in order after neglecting them due to the mountains of work we brought home the last nine weeks of school i.e. lesson plans, papers to grade etc...

4. Try to make up for the times we had to put off doing something with out children because we needed to spend extra time in the classroom preparing for our students.

5. We attend professional development days to deep our certifications current and avoid being ou of the classroom during instructional time.

6. We work on lesson plans - it helps to start the year with a few complete.

7. Some educators are involved in curriculum writing and reviewing

8 Many go to team/grade level meetings

9. We are busy overseeing our children's summer learning activities/assignments

10.  Anything we can do to make next school year better than the previous one!

So while you may read on facebook that we spent the day at the pool you can rest assured I usually have my "teacher bag" with me. MOST teacher's are extremely dedicated individuals who got into this profession because we love to be a part of helping children to grow and reach their full potential. We work many hours that are labeled "vacation" and not included in our contract. It's definitely summer ... Vacation? well we won't exactly call it that!