Updated goals

Goal #3: Volunteer 4 times per year (1/11)

I am very behind on this goal but I am going to try my hardest to get 10 more volunteering opportunities in by June.

This past weekend our church did a mobile food pack for Feed My Starving Children. Essentially they hand pack rice, vitamins and vegetables into a meal package for malnourished children around the world. The volunteers packed for 2 days in several different shifts and packed enough food for 113 children to have 1 of these meals a day. 

My schedule didn't allow for me to be a part of the actual food pack but I came in at the end for cleanup and to set back up for Saturday night services. I saw the last group packing and heard the announcement of what had been accomplished. Everyone touched a packed box and prayed over it for all the children receiving food. You could feel God's presence.

We really take food for granted in this country. I have been blessed in that I have never hungered for food (beyond a few hours). There are so many children out there locally and internationally that miss meals simply because there is no food. 

Can you imagine?




Goal #6. Read 50 books (26/50) 

I just finished reading "Becoming A Woman of Excellence" by Cynthia Heald for the women's bible study at my church. I've really enjoyed digging into this book and the Bible verses it references. 

I discovered that having excellence by God's standards means being God fearing, becoming like Christ, dying to self, being obedient, being disciplined, having discretion, having a gentle and quiet spirit, being pure (in thoughts, speech, etc.), and  seeking wisdom. 

There were several eye opening chapters for me including the chapters about being discreet and having a gentle and quiet spirit. Do they know me? I have a lot of work to do...

Our next book is "Becoming a Woman of Contentment" and I cannot wait to see what that says. 

Goal Failures

Ok, let's be honest. There are a few goals that I know I'm NOT going to complete. I'm tired of looking at them (the ones I'm not doing). I'm going to cut them loose. I'll give the $5/goal not complete for all of these.

15. Play golf at least 1 time every 6 months (0/5)
I haven't played golf since before Ryan was born. I can't see myself playing 5 times before June when my time's up for this goal challenge.

27. Grow garlic (1/2 Done) (Failed - tornado ruined the crop)
I was going to try this again but I remembered you have to plant the garlic in the fall/winter. I can't go back. 

89. Stick with a daily devotional for a year
I read one for awhile then slacked and now I'm reading "Jesus Calling" and I've already missed about a week I need to catch up on. I don't think all that I've done will amount to a year, sadly. 

100. Hang dry all laundry for 2 weeks
HAHAHAH!!! Now that I have 2 kids there is NO WAY I can do this unless I get 3 LONG clotheslines in my yard and everyone has to wear the same outfit at least twice  before it gets washed. I'll pass.

Goal #49: Make homemade beef jerky

My friend lent me her food dehydrator so I could work on a few things. I made cinnamon apple chips but I didn't get any pictures. They were good!

Once those were done, on to beef jerky.  I used a chuck roast. I trimmed off most of the fat then put in in the freezer until it was firm to make it easier to slice. 

I used Alton Brown's recipe HERE but omitted the liquid smoke and red pepper flakes. 

The jerky turned out really well. It had the perfect amount of saltiness. I don't like a lot of salt and this was great!

Lemon-Ricotta Pancakes with warm Berry Maple Syrup

Photos Updated!!

This weekend I wanted to use up some leftover ricotta cheese and I remembered I saw a recipe for pancakes using ricotta. After searching Pinterest and not quite finding a recipe I was into, I decided to create my own.

If I can just say - these were super tasty. The lemon flavor really set them off and added a burst of flavor. I only wish I had put more! Some people may not care for a really strong lemon flavor. I'm sure these would still be amazing without the lemon.

Recipe adapted from the Williams Sonoma Lemon-Ricotta Pancakes

Lemon-Ricotta Pancakes with Warm Berry Maple Syrup

• 2 cups Bisquick
• 3/4 cup ricotta cheese
• 1 1/4 cup milk
• 1 egg white
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• Zest and juice of 1 lemon
• pinch of cream of tartar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup frozen mixed berries
• Maple Syrup

Directions:

Put Bisquick In a large bowl, set aside. 

In another bowl, stir together the ricotta, milk, sugar, lemon zest and juice, and vanilla. Pour into Bisquick and stir until just combined. DO NOT OVERMIX!! 

In (yet) another bowl, use an electric mixer or whisk to beat the eggs and cream of tartar until peaks form. 

Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the egg whites into the ricotta/Bisquick mixture.

Preheat a griddle or skillet over medium heat. Spray the griddle with nonstick cooking spray. Ladle 1/3 cup batter onto the griddle for each pancake. Cook until bubbles form on top and the pancakes are golden underneath, 1 to 2 minutes. Flip the pancakes and cook for 1 minute more. Transfer to a warmed plate. Repeat with the remaining batter. 

Pour berries into a glass measuring cup and pour in enough maple syrup to bring the level to 1 1/4 cups (or more if needed - my kids don't get much syrup so this worked well for us). Microwave for 1-3 minutes until berries are warm.

Top pancakes with Berry Maple Syrup. Makes 12 to 14 pancakes.

Devour!

Goal #68: Make bread from scratch 4 times (4/4)

I made 30 Minute Rolls last night. Unfortunately I only had 1 tablespoon of yeast so I divided the recipe in half. The rolls halfway turned out. The taste was good but they didn't rise exactly like they should. Surprise, surprise. They rose enough that I didn't throw them away as soon as they came out of the oven. I don't know  why I always go ahead and try to alter a recipe and expect it to turn out. I was going to make beer bread but it took 1.5 hours to bake and I had taken the kids to the library late in the day.

Here's the recipe. 

1 Hour Rolls

Goal #43: Leave an inspirational note in a book for someone to find

I finally decided to complete this goal. I put a little note in a book Ryan got at the library. Who knows when someone will find it. Could be next week, could be next year. I prayed for the person who finds the note. I think it would be so cool to find a note in a book. 

Goal #92: Get a list of all family & friend's birthdays & send cards for each one

I have no other birthday's on my calender before the end of the year so this goal is complete. I hope everyone enjoyed their birthday cards/gifts!

I hope to keep this up next year too!