choosing to trust

As a mom of a precious kindergartner my heart was so heavy as I saw my daughter off to school this morning. I had all weekend to snuggle her, laugh with her, and cherish all the smart and witty things she says. But the moment she jumped out of the car and ran into school this morning, I felt sad. Specifically-- I felt fear and doubt. Fearful that that will be the last time I'll see her. Fearful that the same evil, horrific thing will happen at her small school. And doubting our decision to send her to public school this year. What were we thinking?!

My heart is still grieving for those who lost loved ones on Friday. And I haven't been able to figure out how to mourn without it taking over my thoughts.

I wonder if other moms might be going through the same feelings this morning.

I can already tell it's going to be a long road of trusting The Lord and resting in Him as we finish out the school year. I need to take my thoughts captive. I will not be at the mercy of every passing fearful thought that drifts in my mind. I have the ability to take a hold of each thought and control it. (2 Cor. 10:4-5)

Psalm 46 and this message by Mark Mullery has been much comfort to my heart as I seek to replace my fears with the truth of God's word.

"Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling." (Ps. 46:2-3)

-->He is here with me, never to leave me, never to forsake me. That is the message of Psalm 46. GOD IS my refuge and strength and security and assurance. 

God's agenda isn't always to remove me from whatever difficult situation I am in. But his agenda always, always, always  is to be with me. 

So I will take hold of this truth. We will finish out this year strong and fight for peace along the way. I will put off every thought that is filled with fear and doubt this morning. I will trust The Lord. 

Stuffed Peppers Recipe

Hi. :-D Guess what. I have a new look to my blog. Thanks bubs!! You da best!

So but I wanted to share this recipe, only because it's freaking amazing + hearty anddd my kids gobbled it up, which was pretty fantastic. I made it 3 nights ago but am still thinking about it.

This is an adapted recipe from  a link I found through Pinterest. It looked so cheesy + scrumptious but as always I didn't have the same ingredients on hand. So here's my adapted version.

Ingredients::

• 1 large carrot, minced
• a couple slices pepper, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• about 1/4 onion, minced
• dried basil, minced
• 1 lb. lean ground beef or turkey, cooked
• 1 hand full low-fat shredded cheese
• 2 c. 5 grain blend or quinoa, cooked
• 1/4 c. tomato sauce
• 1 c. chicken broth

What I did::

-preheat oven to 400 degrees.

-cut your peppers lengthwise, + spoon out all the seeds. lay flat on a pan and set aside.

- cook whatever grain you choose to use.

- meanwhile, saute' your first 5 minced ingredients with a little bit of EVOO. set aside in a bowl, and use that pan to cook your ground meat. 

-when meat is almost cooked through, add your sauteed veggies to the meat. add tomato sauce and 1/2 c. of your chicken broth. let simmer. add grains and your hand full of cheese. :) YUM. (This mixture smells and tastes so. good.)

-loaddd the mixture into your pepper shells. Pour remaining chicken broth to the bottom of the pan. 

-bake COVERED for about 30 minutes. 

There are SO many stuffed pepper recipes out there. This was actually the first one I had ever made, which I guess is why I was so excited about the delicious results. ;) 

Let me know if you try it?