Trials lead to patience and patience become hope... Join the Journey: 2013

Tuesday, December 31, 2013

First Recipe from my meal list for me to share..

Black Bean Lasagna

12 lasagna noodles

3c spaghetti Sauce

1/2c water

2c black beans

2c cottage cheese

1 egg

1t parsley

1t oregano

4T sour cream

4c shredded mozzarella cheese

1/4/c fresh grated parmesan cheese

Steps 1-6

1 Combine spagetti sauce, water, black beans and simmer for 15 minutes

2 Place cottage cheese, 1 egg & seasonings in bowl and mix.. set aside till needed

3 In a 9x13 pan (If you double or triple this recipe you can use the metal pans with plastic tops and FREEZE THIS.. IT WORKS GREAT!)

4 ~Layer 4 noodles overlapping on a thin layer of spaghetti sauce

~spread 1/2 the cottage cheese mixture & 1/3 the beam mixture & top with 1/3 the mozzarella cheese

5 Repeat #4

6 If you have any additional ingredients.. throw them on top..:) No use wasting those yummy ingredients.

Cover with foil that you have sprayed cooking spray on(keeps your cheese from sticking to the foil..)

Pop in oven at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes then take off the foil for 10 minutes more.

Serve and ENJOY!

New Years Resolution "SAVE ON GROCERY MONEY!"

Here is how I plan to enforce my new resolution...
For weekly shoppers
For Monthly shoppers.. Which I am one of..

Or My personal Favorite
Below here.. Is my meal list..
The first 50 of them are categorized so you can see things you can do with leftovers from larger meals..

Tonia's Meal List

Spaghetti with Meat sauce
Spaghetti with Meatballs
Meatloaf and Baked Potato
Meatloaf & Homemade Macaroni and Cheese
Meatloaf with perogies and veggies
Sloppy Joe and FF
Sloppy Joe Pizza Homemade
Sloppy Joe sliders
Sloppy Joe's on Noodles
Turkey Dinner
Turkey Tetrazini
Turkey Sandwiches
Turkey Salad
Turkey Wraps
Turkey Soup
Turkey and Wild Rice Soup
Turkey Lasagna
Turkey Delight
Turkey Medley
Turkey Goulash
Cornbread Turkey Casserole
Cheddar Turkey Bake
Ham Dinner
Ham and Cheese Bake
Ham Sandwiches
Ham Soup
Scalloped potatoes and Ham
Potato soup with Ham
Chicken Cordon bleu
Ham and Egg Quiche
Taco's
Taco pizza home made
Taco Salad
Taco Casserole
Taco Lasagna
Rolled Chicken Taco's
Quesadilla's
Chili
Chili with corn bread
Chili dogs
Chili Cheese Fries
Chili Cheeseburger's
Hawaiian pizza
Breakfast pizza
Cheeseburger Pizza
Pepperoni Pizza
Chicken Wing Pizza
BBQ Chicken Pizza
Glumpkies(Cabbage rolls)
Lazy Glumpkies
Sheppard’s Pie
Goulash
Cheese Rare Bit-
Hamburger Pie
Tater Tot Casserole
Overnight chicken casserole
Potatoes with toppings
Pork steaks with veggies and orzo
Peas, Corn and Tuna fish
Pork Roast and baked potato and veggie
Shake and bake Chicken, mashed pot and Veg.
Chicken and tot bake
Spaghetti pie
Tuna Cheese Melts
Two tater Sheppard’s pie
Save a Penny Casserole
Onion Ring Casserole
Hobo Hamburger supper
Pizza Casserole*
Impossible Cheeseburger Pie
Impossible Mexicali Pie
Chicken noodle Soup
Mac N Cheese
Cream of Chicken over rice and peas*
Taco chicken bake*
Sausage rice Casserole
Grilled cheese sandwiches and Tomato Soup
Fish sandwiches and ff
New England boiled dinner*
Corned beef dinner*
Polish Sausage with rice and peas
Boxed mac n cheese and hot dogs
Southwestern Chicken over rice*
Crocpot Lasagna*
Beef Pot Roast*
Pork Pot Roast*
Mediterranean pork chops
BBQ Pork Sandwiches
Pulled Pork*
Shredded pork taco's*
Poppy-seed chicken*
Ground Beef Stroganoff
Chicken Delicious
BBQ'D burgers
Homemade Chicken Teriyaki
Homemade Lazy Lasagna
Taco Casserole
Frito Casserole
Doritos Casserole
Sandy's Special
Tuna Noodle Casserole
Beef Stir-fry
Chicken Stir-fry
Reubens
Sourdough Swiss burgers
BLT'S
Stuffed Peppers
Enchiladas
Stuffed Pork chops and Salad
Steaks
Beef Stew
Pancakes
French Toast
Eggs and Toast
Cereal
Oatmeal
Baked Oatmeal
Sausage Biscuits and gravy
Sub's
Beef on Weck's
Debbie's Italian Trio
Swedish Meatballs
White Chili
Country Fried Steaks and gravy
Fajita's
Fried Chicken
Philly Cheese Steaks
Chicken Salad Sandwiches
Egg Salad Sandwiches
Pb&j
Spinach Salad
Stuffed Shells
Manicotti
Chicken/Beef Pot Pie
Ranch Chicken
Meaty noodle casserole
Corney Beef Bruch
Cheesy Chicken n Shells
Creamy Chicken Spagetti Bake
Tasty Hamburger Casserole
Farmhouse Dinner
Chicken Stroganoff(Make extra Chicken fried steaks)
Potluck Casserole
Hamburger Vegetable Lentil soup
Mostaccioli Casserole
Pasta Meatball stew
Beef and Barley Stew
Lasagna Roll ups
Biscuit beef bake
Black Bean Lasagna

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Proverbs 17:17

Today were going to talk about

Friendship:

Proverbs 17:17

A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.

So what is Friendship?

Friendship is when you LOVE that person.. Even when you dislike what they do.

I currently have a friend who has LOVED ME.. Through alot of different things she didn't like to see in me! She loved me when I lied about her as a teenager. I was so wanting attention that I lied often about other people who I saw as better than me.. BUT Instead of pretending she didn't know me.. or stopping our friendship she showed me that she loved me even though what I did hurt her.. It hurt her reputation many times to be my friend. She Loved me when I was angry and judgmental of her.. and of others to her.. Meaning I gossiped to her about others.. And through all these things she suffered.. Behaviors that weren't right.. Behaviors that were just plain bad charicter on my part.. But you see I grew up in a family like that.. Those things were done.. And I had never really known better. I knew you were supposed to pout on a show of being good in public etc.. but I didn't know how to keep those characteristics of good behavior up for long periods of time

I also am just beginning a relationship with a woman who is having many bad behaviors.. But she needs me to love her through the bad choices.. the ADVERSITIES that will come.. Do I know if I can be as good of a friend to her as my friend has been to me.. No I don't know that.. But I do know I have a good example in my other friend.

See this is one issue in our society.. If we don't totally agree with someone else's behaviors/actions we just cut them out of our lives.. AND THAT IS WRONG! But especially inside the CHRISTIAN Life.. What about all that Jesus Christ forgave us? Aren't we still supposed to be forgiving others of their transgressions?

Ephesians 4:32 - And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

Colossians 3:13 - Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also [do] ye.

As a Christian HOW CAN WE walk away from someone? Did their actions against us hurt us as much as our sin against GOD HURT JESUS? If those actions didn't make Jesus leave us in our sin.. How can we not follow his example and be a light to them?

To my dearest friend (You'd kill me to put your name here.. but you know who you are!)Thank you for being a Light into my life.. even when the light didn't seem to be making any difference! It did all sorts of good in my life!

Thursday, December 12, 2013

God IS RELEVANT!

"It's true if you believe it and that goes for anything."

We all create our own reality. God tends to be ignored. Should he (she, it?) exist, he certainly has nothing to say about what we should believe or how we should behave.

This is the mentality of Humanism aka POSTMODERNISM...

And it is alarming at the rate that christian churches are falling into this mentality!

Let me give an example:

Churches trying to be "Relevant.."

Don't you know that JESUS CHRIST DIED FOR YOU? You ask..

The answer is.. NO.. THEY DON'T KNOW THAT.. AND WHAT'S WORSE?

They aren't even sure Jesus Christ is an actual Historical Figure!

In today's society, Postmodernism has led to ultimate relativism. For those who aren't theology scholars.. that means everything is relative.. If you believe in something then it is true.. but only for you. If someone else believes exactly the opposite.. then it is true for them.

Example: Sexual Morality. Christianity teaches that SEXUALITY IS GOOD.. When it is used inside the marriage bed. However postmodernism says you believe that.. and that's fine for you.. but you can't tell me it is the same truth for me..

In addition if taken to extremes it teaches that just because something is ILLEGAL. Doesn't make it wrong. Example: Drug use.. Just because it is a law in our nation that it is not lawful to use drugs.. in a postmodernistic mind.. they will say "That's your truth.. not mine." and will have no compunction against using those drugs just as if there was no real problem.

At this point I am hoping you see a very real problem.. Not just inside the christian church but across many areas of life. It creates problems within religious circles.. but in courts of law it creates confusion. In Jails it creates rebellion and in Schools it creates complete chaos.

Now consider this.. Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. John 14:6

God is relevant!

Jesus shows us how to get our lives back after we have committed all the worldly sins..

Or better yet.. HOW TO NOT FALL INTO THEM!

Postmodernism.. Isn't about truth.. It's about allowing little lies to destroy everyone else so you can selfishly/sinfully do what you want!

"Tolerance of other views is one of the pillars of postmodernism. However, there is one group of people to whom this tolerance is not extended, those who believe truth to be important!"

Postmodernism is the term used by sociologists and others to describe a way of thinking that has become very pervasive in the Western world over the last generation.

It is an approach to reality that is having a significant effect on literature, theater art, education, psychotherapy, law, science, architecture, the study of history and people's view of religion.

Its origins are found in the philosophies of Nietzsche, Heidegger, Marx and Freud. On some points, particularly its attitude to truth, it is similar to New Age thinking.

Basically.. "TRUTH" IS RELEVANT

What does that mean?

It effectively means that people will begin thinking that whatever they do is ok.

**These symbols surround arguments of those inside the postmodernism culture who are claiming that their personal rights are different than others due to their views and beliefs are not the same as modern views**

**Drugs: There should be no "war on drugs" as in the person who wants to consume them should be able .. as it is their "right"**

~~But what about the rights of the other citizens who don't want to be robbed by crack addicts? Or the citizens who don't wish to pay for health coverage to those who destroyed themselves or others by consuming those drugs? ~~

Which "RIGHTS" are the ones that will win out?

You see you can't have absolute autonomy to all.. without someone losing out..

Ex: I can't go rob you of all your posessions so I can pay for my drug addiction.. as it isn't your "right" to be stolen from? see what I mean?

**Alcohol: Why should there be any limitation. Why shouldn't I be able to drive home after I have consumed as much as I desire?!**

~~What about the rights of those who are driving home sober and don't want to be killed in an alcohol related car accident?Or the parents who don't wish to bury their children who were to naive to think it would ever happen to them?~~

Ex: I don't have the right to put my own desires for Alcohol induced stupors.. when I am going to be driving.. If I feel the need to become so intoxicated that I am a hazard to others (Not sure why anyone thinks that's a need.. but apparently some do..) Why can't I do it at home?

**Sexual pleasures of all kinds: Whatever gratification anyone wants should be available to them.. on their own terms..**

~~What about pedophiles who think that it is their desire and "right" to gratify their desires with children.. There are even some who go so far as to have formed the group NAMBLA(National American Man Boy Love Association) And these people truly think that Little boys desire to be taught how to have sexual association with grown men... ~~

Ex:My child isn't someone else's sexual object. My son's or daughters have the right to not be treated like someone's sexual toy..

My personal opinion..

And all current laws stand by this opinion ...

YOUR RIGHTS END WHEN IT INFRINGES UPON MY LIFE IN A WAY THAT IS HARMFUL TO ME AND MY RIGHTS!

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Getting HEALTHY... And losing the FAT!

As a woman who is obviously OVER WEIGHT...

I have decided it is time... I need to be improving my health..

What made me decide to make changes...?

I will be honest.. I was planning to make a "NEW YEARS RESOLUTION" And start this diet/lifestyle change... on the new year.. But after reading this woman's blog.. I had to change my plan..

I am a diabetic, I have blood pressure and I have heart issues.. and I DON'T WANT MY SONS CRYING OVER MY HOSPITAL BED!

So beginning today.. I will be going on a diet..

Except this isn't gonna be a fad diet..

I am gonna change how I eat.. I am gonna be searching pintrest and Gonna be changing how I live..

Which is gonna be difficult as I am Morbidly Obese and my body is already hurting from the weight.. So HERE I GO..
Today I weigh -297.2 pounds Which is still amazing to me.. because I have managed to keep off the 30 pounds I lost a year ago.. But my GOAL I'D LOVE to lose 100.2 pounds and be 197.0

Thursday, August 8, 2013

Fix it and Forget it.. FOR REAL!

Cooking Freezer Meals in a Day Process

Step #1 – Go through what you already have. Time to use up some of the food you have on hand to save yourself money. Then you can go through all the sales ads for the week and find things that are on sale or seasonal. After taking those things into consideration make your list of meals you want to make. List them all out! On another sheet of paper list each ingredient you need for each of those meals x how many items.

Step #2 – Go shopping, get all your supplies.Don’t forget to get freezer bags and containers for big dishes you might want.

Step #3 – Clean your kitchen, prepare your freezer (make room), make sure you have enough dishes & pots. I like having a couple sets of measuring spoons and cups on hand.

Step #4 – Decide on paper the order in which you will cook your meals.This will help you stay focused when you are doing a ton of things at the same time.

Step #5 – Clear your schedule for a day – then cook all day long!

Step #6 – Clean your kitchen – it will be a huge mess, so be prepared…

http://pinterest.com/toniaspencer/down-to-earth-budget-recipies/

I have "followed" many freezer meals in this pintrest file..

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

What is Technology doing to our brains!

Live streaming audio program about THE EFFECTS OF TECHNOLOGY ON THE HUMAN BRAIN!
Live streaming audio program about how Technology effects the human brain2

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

PARENTAL RIGHTS.. IN DANGER!

The right of parents to direct the upbringing and education of their children has been recognized and upheld for centuries. But there are dark clouds on the horizon.

Today parental rights are coming under assault from federal judges who deny or refuse to recognize these rights. Adding further danger to the child-parent relationship, international law seeking to undermine the parental role is advancing on the horizon. Together, these threats are converging to create a "perfect storm" that looms over the child-parent relationship.

In the early 1980s, a landmark parental rights case reached the Washington State Supreme Court. The case involved 13-year-old Sheila Marie Sumey, whose parents were alarmed when they found evidence of their daughter's participation in illegal drug activity and escalating sexual involvement. Their response was to act immediately to cut off the negative influences in their daughter's life by grounding her.

But Washington law at the time allowed the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) to take a child out of her parents' care if there was "conflict between parent and child." When police and DSHS became involved in an effort to prevent Sheila from running away, she was subsequently removed from her home and placed in foster care.

Her parents, desperate to get their daughter back, challenged the actions of the social workers in court. They lost. Even though the judge found that Sheila's parents had enforced reasonable rules in a proper manner, the state law nevertheless gave CPS the authority to split apart the Sumey family and take Sheila away.¹

DANGEROUS PRECEDENT

Parental rights are under attack in our nation, with the first threat originating from within the federal court system. As this story illustrates, a growing disregard for parental rights has been spreading within the courts of our nation.

Across the country, many judges are beginning to deny the vital role of parents in the lives of their children, instead inserting the government into a "parental" role in a child's life. This dangerous assertion is leading to the severance of the child-parent relationship in numerous instances across the nation—removals that cause unnecessary pain to both children and their parents.

A thirteen-year-old boy in Washington State was removed from his parents after he complained to school counselors that his parents took him to church too often. His school counselors had encouraged him to call Child Protective Services with his complaint, which led to his subsequent removal and placement in foster care. It was only after the parents agreed to a judge's requirement of less-frequent church attendance that they were able to recover their son.²

HANGING BY A THREAD

Not all judges hold a low view of parental rights. Some, like Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, believe that parental rights are among the "inalienable rights" of Americans enumerated in the Declaration of Independence but they are finding it increasingly difficult to rule in favor of parental rights when it is not explicitly included in the language of the Constitution.

In Troxel v. Granville, the last major parental rights case heard by the Supreme Court, Scalia himself voted to deny parental rights the status of an enforceable constitutional right. And other federal court judges are following in his footsteps, citing a mounting belief that no right can be protected by the federal courts unless explicitly stated in the Constitution.

The dwindling support for parental rights found on the federal level has opened the door to a growing, blatant disregard of parental rights within the lower courts of our nation. Parental rights violations are on the increase across the country, as courts exchange parental involvement for government control in the lives of America's children.

The right of parents to direct the upbringing and education of their children is hanging by a thread.

A West Virginia mother was shocked when a local circuit judge and a family court judge ordered her to share custody of her four-year-old daughter with two of the girl’s babysitters. Referring to the sitters as "psychological co-parents," the justices first awarded full custody to them, only permitting the mother to visit her daughter four times a week at McDonalds. Eventually she was granted primary custody, but forced to continue to share her daughter with the sitters.

When her case finally reached the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals in October 2007, the beleaguered mother was relieved to finally be granted full custody of her daughter.

In their October 25 opinion Supreme Court justices wrote that they were "deeply troubled by the utter disregard" for the mother's rights. One justice referred to the mother’s right as the “paramount right in the world."

Chief Justice Robin Davis summed up the case in one simple question."Why does a natural parent have to prove fitness when she has never been found unfit?" he asked.³

THE THREAT FROM INTERNATIONAL LAW

The precarious state of parental rights within our nation is reason enough for serious concern. With cases like these filling the courts, every parent should be concerned about the protection and preservation of their rights.

But another storm is rapidly forming on the horizon.

International law that seeks to empower the government to intrude upon the child-parent relationship is becoming an increasing threat. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), a seemingly harmless treaty with dangerous implications for American families, is approaching possible ratification by the United States.

If this treaty is made binding upon our country, the government would have the power to intervene in any child's life to advance its definition of "the best interests of the child." The scenarios that could occur—and are occurring—as a result of this dangerous notion are both manifold and frightening.

Under the UNCRC, instead of following due process, government agencies would have the power to override your parental choices at their whim because they determine what is in "the best interest of the child."

In essence, the UNCRC applies the legal status of abusive parents to all parents. This means that the burden of proof falls on the parent to prove to the State that they are good parents—when it should fall upon the State to prove that their investigation is not without cause.

A SHELTER IN THE STORM

There is only one solution to this approaching storm: a constitutional amendment that places current Supreme Court doctrine protecting parental rights into the explicit language of the U.S. Constitution. This amendment will shelter the child-parent relationship from the coming storm, ensuring that parents have the right to direct the upbringing and education of their children.

No government, regardless of how well-intentioned it might be, can replace the love and nurture of a parent in the life of a child. Parents care, not because their children are "wards" for whom they are responsible. Parents are willing to brave danger and sacrifice, hardship and heartache to ensure the best for their kids.