Living as a Victorious Christian Woman

Brown sugar. Bacon. Tender chicken. Yep, that'll work! With just four ingredients and a little seasoning, you can have a delicious, flavorful chicken dish in less than 45 minutes. The combination of brown sugar and bacon makes its own marinade, and the chicken soaks up all that yummy goodness. See if you can only eat one! Ingredients: 1 cup brown sugar, packed 3 Tbsp minced garlic salt and pepper 4 large chicken breasts 12 slices uncooked bacon 1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly spray the inside of a 13x9-inch baking dish with nonstick spray. 2. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, garlic, salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly. 3. Coat both sides of one piece of chicken with the sugar mixture.  4. Wrap the chicken with bacon, using 2-3 slices per breast, and place in 13x9-inch baking dish.  5. Repeat with the other three pieces. Sprinkle any remaining sugar mixture over the top of the chicken.  6. Bake chicken at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes, until chicken is cooked thro...

Even though we've had snow and dramatically cold days for more than a week, I'm loving the winter weather! My thrilled-ness spilled over to my crafting when I found these beautiful die cuts. Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow. On a card. For my card, I started with a 6.25x9-inch piece of card stock and folded it in half. I covered the front with dark blue card stock to coordinate with the blues in the die cuts. Then I cut a piece of textured decorator paper half an inch smaller than the card and centered it. I have a word document on my computer with tons of Scripture and phrases that I can resize and print out as I need them. The Happy Birthday is printed on white card stock and matted on the same blue card stock as the background. Inside is Psalm 139:14 printed and matted as well. Ready to make this card your own? Choose die cuts, patterned paper or a large stamp that will fit in two of the corners of your card. They'll extend past the edges of the card, so you'll ...

To appreciate the beauty of a snowflakes, it is necessary to stand out in the cold. - Aristotle  No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn. - Hal Borland The very fact of snow is such an amazement. - Roger Ebert When it snows, you have two choices: shovel or make snow angels. - Unknown In seed time learn, in harvest teach, in winter enjoy. - William Blake The first fall of snow is not only an event, it is a magical event. You go to bed in one kind of world and wake up in another quite different, and if this is not enchantment then where is this to be found? - J.B. Priestley Take me deep into the wintry woods where hope glitters freshly worn. - Angie Weiland-Crosby Silently, like thoughts that come and go, the snowflakes fall, each one a gem. - William Hamilton Gibson

We've all heard that love is a verb. Love is something that you do, not something that you create or feel. The same holds true for faith. We live by faith, step out in faith and let faith be your guide. Faith is a beautiful word that we can act on every single day because we serve a God who is worthy of all our faith. David wrote Psalm 37 as an encouragement to his people who saw evil people getting away with evil things. The Israelites were no different than we are today - they had a propensity for worrying and complaining. There must have been some issue or concern among the people because David starts his psalm with a reminder not to fret (be vexed, annoyed or troubled). He probably wouldn't have had to warn against it if it wasn't a problem. This definitely sounds like he was speaking to people of our day, doesn't it? But he takes it a step further and gives the people some solid, practical ways to avoid fretting. How great of him to just teach us what God had taugh...

 Our youth group is through the first two chapters of Genesis in our chronological study of the Bible. We started on January 1 in Sunday School, and it's only taken four weeks to get through two chapters - there was a lot to unpack there! In just a  few weeks (fingers crossed), we'll be ready to study Noah and dig deep into his faith in God, his perseverance to preach and his desire to be obedient no matter what. The kids' gifts for that day are these adorable erasers in a bag with a gift topper. There is a super simple way to make treat bag toppers of any size, and here's how I do it. I start with a plain piece of card stock and make a cut mark slightly wider than the top of the baggie. Then I make a second mark far enough above the top of the baggie to fold it over. Then off to the paper trimmer I go! Once the card stock is folded in half, I use the same marking technique to mat a second color inside. That's the basic start for any bag topper I need. For this topp...

One of my favorite things to do when I'm meal planning for the week is to ask Danny to send me a couple of recipes he would like. And that's how we end up with blueberry dessert recipes! This blueberry dump cake needs only a few ingredients, most of which you probably already have in your pantry. Add a pint of fresh blueberries, you'll probably find them on sale soon, and you have a warm dessert for these winter days. Ingredients: 1 pint fresh blueberries 2 Tbsp sugar 1 1/3 cups flour 2/3 cup powdered sugar 1 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 cup lemonade 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter 1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 9-inch square baking dish with nonstick spray. 2. In a small bowl, toss blueberries and sugar until coated. Pour into bottom of baking dish. 3. On top of blueberries, add flour, powdered sugar, baking powder, salt, lemonade and melted butter, in that order. Gently mix until all ingredients are combined. 4. Bake for 35-40 minutes at 375 degrees. The top will ...

For Danny's birthday in November, I surprised him with a glow-in-the-dark succulent. Now, I'm not a horticulturalist, so I did a little research. These succulents are able to glow in the dark due to a special non-toxic coating applied during cultivation at the nursery. Throughout the day, the succulent is able to store up energy so it can radiate its unusual glow once the sun goes down. If you ask me, this is the coolest thing ever! Soaking up the sunshine, the plant's new pigment gives off a beautiful glow in the darkest of rooms. Jesus said the same thing about you and me. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.  Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. Matthew 5:14-16 A light does no good when it's hidden under a bushel or taken...

Earlier this week I moved my card-making supplies from the craft room to the dining room. I'm having some sparks of creativity that I've got to get down on paper, and having everything handy is a huge convenience. For my first new sketch of the year, I put together a beautiful spring floral bouquet with several layers of frames. I'm a huge fan of layers, and alternating shapes like this makes me happy. The frames alternate between square corners and rounded corners, which adds more depth and interest. All of the edges are ink-distressed to add some texture. My corners are tiny yellow acrylic dots, which coordinate with the colors of the flowers. There are also a few dots randomly placed around the bouquet because there's no such thing as too much color. If you're ready to make this sketch your own, start with a folded piece of card stock and cover it with a solid color. Cut a smaller rectangle of the paper of your choice and round the edges with scissors or a punch....

The manufacturer says the interior space of a 2009 Ford Focus is 93 feet cubed. This seems like a substantial amount, until you but three black labs and a Great Dane in there. Then it is surprisingly tight and supremely cozy.   When I called to make vet appointments for all four dogs, I told them they were large and we could take them in two trips. But they were convinced they could handle them all, so the five of us piled into the car and headed that way. Luckily their office is only a few minutes away, because we were a little too close for comfort in the car. It's a good thing we love each other. They will usually sit down and relax if I crack the windows and let them smell all the smells. It's the one way to keep them from jumping back and forth over the seat, stepping on each other's feet and crying incessantly. No...those things would never happen, right? I took Callie and Diesel in first, mainly because they have no serious problems that I'm concerned about. They...

There are approximately 20,000 pens and pencils in my house right now. I've inherited a large collection that spans many decades, and I am absolutely in love with every single one of them. I'm a pencil and paper girl, for sure, so this is a dream come true. They're divided between some wood boxes and a plethora of shoeboxes. I opened the very first box, a tiny pink shoebox, and I couldn't believe what was in it. A collection of pens and pencils that share the Gospel! The plan of salvation with bands of color. Black - For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23 Red - The blood of Jesus Christ ... cleanseth from all sin. 1 John 1:7 White - Wash me ... I shall be whiter than snow. Psalm 51:7 Green - Grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 3:18 Gold - In my Father's house are many mansions. John 14:2 Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God hath pr...

What does your craft space look like right now? Is it fairly well organized, does it need a little help or is it a natural disaster waiting to happen. It's ok, you can tell me. As you can see in these pictures, I do not have one of those perfect, Instagram-ready craft spaces right now. You know the ones, where everything color-coordinates, they have hundreds of matching containers and the workspace is cleared off and sparkling clean at the end of the day. It's a great goal, but for me anyway, it's not incredibly practical. Right now, convenience and somewhat-organized piles work for me. Instead of closeting myself away in the sunroom, my usual epicenter, I've moved a few things up to the dining room table. Then I'm close to Danny, to the kitchen and to the phone. This location works well for me at the moment, and that's really all that matters. So what are the only things you honestly need in your craft space? 1. A tool caddy. Keep the tools of your trade handy ...

Cold hands, warm heart, right? If the winter days are chilly where you are, I've got just the thing. January is a great time to warm things up with a slow-cooker soup. This meatball soup is the perfect recipe for being gone all day - come home and it's ready to serve. I don't have much experience making my own soup, but this one was so quick and easy that I'm ready to try some other flavor combinations. I served mine with a side of conbread - how would you serve yours? Ingredients: 2 16oz bags of frozen Italian meatballs 2 16oz cans beef broth 1 cup water 1 14.5oz can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano 1 18oz can cannellini beans 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese 1. Mix meatballs, broth, water, tomatoes and beans in a large slow cooker. 2. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours. 3. Serve topped with Parmesan cheese.

Several weeks ago I knew that my word for 2023 was going to be grace. The word grace was popping up everywhere - in my devotions, on my keychain, on a new t-shirt, on a card Danny got for me, in our Sunday sermons and many other unexpected places. This repetition touched my heart and made me want to learn more about God's grace in the coming year. What exactly do I want to know? * What God's definition of grace is. Our most popular question in the teen room at church is "But what does that MEAN?" We can use words and phrases all the time but never really understand them. In my daily Scripture study, I'm looking for any hints, examples and clues - and outright definitions - of what God says His grace looks like. And I've got my highlighter ready! * How His grace affects me personally. I'm an incredibly practical person, and I want to learn from His word what He plans to use His grace to accomplish in my life. As I surrender myself to Him every day, I want t...

If anyone tells you that donuts shouldn't be their own food group, don't associate with them anymore. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life.  So on the next cold morning - and before eggnog is difficult to find in the stores - mix up a batch of these decadent donuts. This recipe will make a dozen, so share them if you'd like and then make a few more to spoil yourself. Ingredients for donuts: 10 Tbsp eggnog 1 tsp rum extract 1 egg 3 Tbsp vegetable oil 1 cup flour 3 Tbsp sugar 1 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp salt Ingredients for glaze: 1 cup powdered sugar 3 Tbsp eggnog 1/4 tsp rum extract Sanding sugar 1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray two 6-hole donut pans with nonstick spray. 2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine eggnog, rum extract, egg and vegetable oil until completely mixed. 3. Add flour, baking powder and salt and mix until combined. 4. Divide batter evenly between the two donut pans, spooning in until about 3/4 full. 5. Bake at 325 degrees for 9-...