My waffle iron has sat rejected in the back of a tall shelf for years. But, at my children’s request, I recently pulled it out and the family has been enjoying waffles for breakfast. These are tasty!
Mari and I put together a little video of the waffle-making this week. đ We probably need to brush up on not only our waffle-making skills, but video editing skills (hey, it’s a start!) đ
Preheat waffle iron. Beat eggs in large bowl with hand beater until fluffy. Beat in flour, milk, oil, sugar, baking powder, salt and vanilla, just until smooth.
Grease waffle iron with non-stick cooking spray or brushed on oil. Cook 4-5 minutes or until golden brown. Serve hot.
Store leftover batter in refrigerator for up to one week. Stir well before using.
Are you a woman who prefers audio books AND wants more truth in your life? This app is for you! AND IT’S FREE!!!
Hear Godâs Word read like never before with the Courage For Life Audio Bible App. This revolutionary project is the first female voice Audio Bible App of its kind. Let Godâs Word speak to you: https://courageforlife.org/app/
This includes the New Testament, and the Old Testament will be ready soon!
Courage For Lifeâs mission is to reach abused, at-risk, and women in prison with the story of Jesus. Most of these women come from backgrounds of abuse, largely from males, and they often have low educational background and may struggle to read. Many women’s prisons in the U.S. have already downloaded it onto video tablets.
Directed by Amick Byram, leading female voices and actresses in Hollywood spent months recording to bring this to us. Courage For Life along with Cooke Media Group just launched it June 3!
ďťżCapture your best fireworks pics ever tonight on your smartphone…
Use BURST MODE – On recent iPhones and Samsung Galaxy phones, hold down your finger on the shutter and dozens of photos will shoot in quick succession.Your phone will display what it deems is the best shot. To see all the images, click “select” under the one displayed image. You can then click on other images you would also like to save.
Note: Your camera will need a little breathing room between taking bursts to let the memory catch up.
Using a recent iPhone?
Shoot with Apple’s LIVE PHOTOS enabled. The camera will record a few seconds of video footage on top of your photo. The photos will look cool on the phone, but hard to share as regular .JPG photos on social media. Only friends with Facebook for iPhone or iPad will be able to see the photo as a Live photo.
To post on Instagram, you may post a LIVE PHOTO taken within the last 24 hours by converting it:
Select it.
Press firmly on the middle of the screen. You should see a white revolving circle appear, followed by the words “Boomerang”.
The Live Photo has now been converted to a Boomerang loop.
Options for posting to Instagram:
Post to Your Story: Tap “Your Story”.
Send it to a friend: Tap “Send To” and select your friends, then tap “Send” at the bottom.
Make an Instagram Post: Tap “Save”, then back out to the main Instagram menu and tap “ďź” to make a new post. Tap “Library” and look for the 6-second video you just saved.
ANOTHER COOL TRICK (but not the best for posting on social media):
Swipe up on your LIVE PHOTO image for these options: Loop, Bounce, or Long Exposure.
Loop runs the video over and over again.
Bounce runs it forward, then backward.
Long Exposure brings a slow shutter look, which can look really cool for fireworks photos.
You made it through May! Congrats! Now…how do you make the most of summer?
I collaborated with some friends to bring you 9 Tips for summer at home with kids:
1. Keep a routine (#1 answer) – Have you ever noticed how frustrating that first week out of school can be? (I brace myself for it every year!) I think it has a lot to do with family members not having clear expectations. Communicating with family members and making decisions on when certain things will happen help everyone to feel more settled. It also gives some focus so that days are not whittled away without purpose.
Your schedule might include routines for any or all of the following:
âTidy Timeâ – make bed, tidy room
Independent Time – grow creativity with reading, drawing, building with legos
Screen Time – I know this one can be hard, but, momma, set some boundaries. What is really reasonable?
Exercise – everyone needs this and is happier when they have it
Bible Time – memorize a scripture together or just read a verse or chapter and discuss applications. Just a few minutes each day of discussion can add up to big impact.
Activity time – work a puzzle together, play a game, do a craft, make a card or gift for an upcoming birthday
Meal Times – what meals can kids be in charge of?
Bed Time – sticking with a somewhat normal schedule here pays off in lots of ways, especially when school starts again
2. Choose 1-2 life skills to teach your children – This might include learning to pack their own lunch, tie their shoes, make their own breakfast…even pump themselves on a swing! đ Older children might have the opportunity to create a digital album of the family vacation, open a bank account, or learn how to put gas in the car.
3. Go to the library – Itâs a fun outing, your kids keep reading skills sharp, and itâs FREE. [Tip: Keep a designated basket for library books so they are easy to keep track of and easily returned. Set a reminder on your phone to return books before their due date.]
4. Everyone in the family declutter a drawer.
Empty contents of drawer
Put back in only what goes in that drawer
Put giveaway items in a bag
Put leftover items back where they belong
Do this little exercise a few times a week and by the time school starts, everyone is ready to start their new schedule more organized.
5. Post an âIâm Boredâ list – Any time kids complain or are getting into mischief because of boredom, have them pick something off the list to do.
Ideas to get you started:
Watering plants
Sweeping the porch
Gathering trash
Matching âextraâ socks from the laundry
Cleaning the dog bowls
When I have a long list of things that need to be done, I give my kids fair warning that the slightest little hint of âboredomâ will earn them a job. đ
6. Movie nights – If you have or can borrow a projector, create a fun family night by hanging a sheet and using a computer/projector to watch a movie. If you have a pool, set it up so you can watch it while floating on rafts. Invite neighbor friends!
7. Set the timer for a half hour and work on home responsibilities – If kids balk at the idea, remind them that there are about 16 hours in the day. If they are not working outside the home, 30 minutes out of 16 hours is not much to ask. (Remind them you are feeding them, clothing them, and giving them a bed to sleep in!)
Depending on the age, here are some ideas:
Empty the dishwasher
Gather trash
Sweep
Mop
Assist in cleaning the kitchen
Wash windows
Food prep
Vacuum
It is especially helpful to do this before taking the kids to do that desireable activity â âAs soon as we all finish our 30 minutes, we can go swimming…â Rewards for good attitudes are fun to throw in every now and then. And it is rewarding for your kids to feel part of a team, learn responsibilities, and feel gratified with a job well done.
8. Backpack and lunch box shopping – This might be online or a trip to the store, but to me it has always seemed more fun to buy school supplies when we didnât wait til the last minute when the pressure was on.
Use it as a fun activity early in the summer. If your school has posted the school supply list for the fall, you can even go ahead and make the purchases and fill the backpacks and put them in the top of a closet. It feels so good to just pull down the readied backpack in August.
9. Fill out school registrations online – If you have multiple children, you know how stressful and time consuming it can be in August to get all the paperwork filled out while everything is starting up. There is something about getting things like this done ahead of time that just makes me soooo happy – itâs empowering!
I hope youâve found at least one or two new ideas to make your summer better. Iâm here for you â please email me any topics you would like to see discussed.
EEKS! Father’s day is almost here? (And you are gift-less at this point?) No worries, sister. You’ve got this. And it’s going to be great!
Take a moment to consider what most matters to him, then, with your kids, make a gift that will best communicate your love!
According to Dr. Gary Chapman, author of The 5 Love Languages, everyone experiences love differently, and most people feel it primarily in one of five ways.
2. Zero in on ideas from the list below for his #1 love language, and get into action!
“Word of Affirmation” DIY Gift
In a journal write specific character qualities you admire about him, and specifictimes that you were proud of him in different situations. (If children are able to participate in this, that’s even better!)
Frame a family picture. Write on the matte words that describe Dad’s most amazing qualities (Written in the children’s handwriting if they are able.)
Do around-the-table affirmations (again, the key is to share specific qualities and instances of awesomeness!)
“Acts of Service” DIY Gifts
What are tasks that Dad usually does that you could take care of for him? Ideas to get you going:
Detail and put gas in his car (I just did this for my husband’s birthday, and he loved it!)
Shine his shoes and put a little tag on them like “Shined with love, by Jacob”
Make his favorite meal and favorite dessert. Present him at his placemat some coupons for his typical jobs that family members will cover for him such as “I will mow the lawn” or “I will take out the trash this week”
“Receiving Gifts” DIY Gifts
Some easy and useful gifts with step-by-step instructions:
The key here is to identify something Dad loves, and do it with him. (Really, you needn’t spend a lot of money! It’s all about time together for this guy.) Even you just sitting with him and watching while he does something he needs to do can be meaningful (I know you non-quality time girls are doubting me right now, but it’s true!)
Need some ideas?
Grill out – Family time, enjoying food
Go fishing together
Play a favorite game
“Physical Touch” DIY Gifts
Cuddle while watching his favorite movie
Make coupons for things like “Good for one 30 minute foot massage” or “Good for one 10 minute back scratch”and let him redeem them immediately.
Gift him with a professional therapeutic massage
Better yet, go for a combo of some of the above ideas. I mean, who doesn’t feel loved by these? The main thing to remember is to be sure and hit the #1 love language.
As a mom, Iâve always called May the âsecond Decemberâ, as
it seems to fly by each year packed with a hundred extra activities â end-of-year
concerts, teacher appreciation, banquets, recitals, team and class parties, and
the last tournaments of the season.
By the time Memorial Day hits, Iâve often found myself just wanting to take a deep breath and be thankful for a free day! But it warrants our celebration.
4 simple things to do to make Memorial Day more meaningful
Let your kids help put a flag out. Teach them proper care and etiquette of the U.S. Flag, such asâŚ-Never let the flag touch the ground or anything beneath it. – Display the flag only between sunrise and sunset on buildings and stationary staffs, or for 24-hours if illuminated. – Do not display the flag in inclement weather. – Whether displaying the flag vertically or horizontally, make sure the canton of stars is visible on the upper left-hand side. – The flag should be raised briskly and lowered ceremonially. – An unusable flag that is damaged and worn and can no longer be displayed should be destroyed in a dignified way by burning.
Participate in a Memorial Day Parade. Check local listings for parades in your area, or help the neighbor kids create their own parade with bikes, scooters and strollers decorated in small flags and streamers. (Pictured is a 1999 throw-back photo of the oldest Stull boys!)
Host a âHome of the Braveâ Cookout. Invite some friends over â potluck style if you want to make it super easy. Gather everyone together after sharing in the meal, and share stories of military heroes.  Let everyone have a chance to share of relatives or friends who served. Have hero stories printed from here and ask 3-5 people to read them aloud to the group.
Write handwritten notes to active military servicemen and women. Thank them for their service and take a moment to pray for them and their families before mailing. You may choose to  write a letter to a soldier or send a soldier a package.
I pray you and your family have a blessed Memorial Day, with gratitude in our hearts for the ones who have given their lives for us to have the freedoms we enjoy every day.
The cool finally reached Phoenix and we are in soup season again! I love it! Just had to share this soup that has become one of our favorites — truly velvety! We like to have a baguette or sour dough toast on the side. I found the recipe @pinchofyum and, though the green color could scare some, it has not disappointed anyone who has tried it. To make it in an instant pot, just start with the saute’ setting, pressure cook potatoes and broth for a few minutes, then add kale and let it simmer on the saute’ setting another 5-10 minutes and add milk after that.
Ingredients:
5 T. butter
1 large yellow onion, roughly chopped
3 large potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
8 c. chicken or vegetable broth
2-3 C. chopped kale, stems removed
2 C. milk
salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
1. Heat the butter in a large pot over medium high heat. Add the onions and potatoes and saute’ until golden brown, 5-8 minutes, sprinkling with salt and pepper. Add 6 cups of the broth and the kale; simmer for 5-10 minutes until the kale softens and becomes a darker green.
2. Transfer the soup to a heavy-duty blender. Puree for 2-3 minutes or until the soup is completely smooth. Transfer the pureed soup back into the pan and stir in the milk and the remaining 2 cups of broth depending on how thick you want the soup to be.
3. Season with salt and pepper and serve with paninis, toasted bread, baguette, or crackers.
Notes:
This recipe is very adaptable — add more herbs, use more potatoes, more kale, more broth, etc. Know that the more kale you add, the more bright green your soup will be. Also, the longer you cook the onions and potatoes the more it “dulls” the flavor. You want them to be sauteed and golden, but not mushy.
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 25 mins
Total time: 40 mins
Yield: 8
Gutsy is defined by Websterâs Dictionary as âshowing courage, determination, and spirit.â Related words are brave, courageous, bold, daring, fearless, heroic, lionhearted, undaunted, unflinching, unshrinking, and unafraid. Those describe Chris Stull!
On this Valentineâs Day I want to do a quick shared reflection on the gutsy ways of this guy of mine…
⢠He got up at 1:00 a.m. to start a 5,000+â grueling hike to the top of 14,259â Longs Peak…13 hours…just because his sons wanted to do it. Gutsy.
⢠He took on a âleftover playersâ little league baseball team in which most of the boys were afraid of the ball. By the end of the season they were champions. Gutsy.
⢠He stepped in to lead a church with amazing wisdom, peace, purpose and clarity when the senior pastor felt called to another place. Gutsy.
⢠He walked away from a great job with a large staff at a big church in a wonderful city near extended family to move and plant a church in Phoenix, not knowing where that church would meet or what that church would be called. Gutsy.
⢠He chose to go from a place of full resource closets, pews and paid staff to âI guess we should order some chairs so people can sit,â and âWould anyone like to volunteer to help?â Gutsy.
⢠He has handled hundreds of difficult human resource incidents with truth and care. Gutsy.
⢠He has shared truth patiently, honestly and lovingly with irate people who were pouring their anger out on him because they were mad at God. Gutsy.
⢠He has preached Godâs Word truthfully when he knew he would not win any popularity contest. Gutsy.
⢠In the midst of taking almost a half cut pay in salary to plant a church, he adopted two children internationally from a country that was rampant with Ebola at the time of travel. Gutsy.
⢠He bravely navigates and provides for the needs of 7 children â car insurance, car payments, cell phone payments, FAFSA apps, etc. Gutsy.
⢠While suffering with malaria when on a Zambian mission, he preached a full sermon at a church that was a mile away from running water or any bathrooms. Gutsy.
⢠In South Africa, though no one would go near the village witch doctorâs home, he entered, laid hands on the womanâs sick son, and he was healed. (And the witch doctor surrendered her life to Christ!) Gutsy.
⢠He has given probably 100 off-the-cuff messages or impromptu prayers at unexpected times. Gutsy.
⢠He helped lead and guide people with wisdom in the horror of a Rockies mudslide. Gutsy.
⢠Although a âdetail guyâ with an MBA in finance, he bravely has led his family to follow the Lord when feeling the call to give to the Lord well above and beyond anything that worked on paper. Gutsy.
⢠His encounters with wildlife deserve a section all their own…
â He was once walking over a log and encountered a rattle snake zinging with feet on both sides of the log and snake in between.
â He sat down in a boat next to a rattlesnake – not a good fishing partner.
â He was walking through a creek and encountered a moose – both ran the fastest 40 yards that day.
â He was fishing and ended up in the stream with a mama bear and two cubs walking the bank.
â He was sitting on the ground with his back against a log when an elk climbed over the log.
â He was walking in the middle of an open meadow in the pitch black when he heard breathing and snorting all around him. The elk herd started running in that field as he stood in the middle of shaking ground, thinking he would surely be trampled.
⢠He has completed over a dozen triathlons â swimming, biking, and running â some in the heat and humidity, or close to freezing conditions. Gutsy.
⢠He sat with white knuckles in the passenger seat of a van on the Road to Hana with his nervous wife at the wheel maneuvering 500+ hairpin turns and 500+ one-lane bridges on the sides of cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Gutsy.
(He wonât forget his driverâs license next time we go to Maui.)
⢠He has often folded laundry for this family of 7+ (depending on who is home at the time), having done as much as 6-7 loads in the time of one ballgame or movie. Gutsy.
⢠He has done middle-of-the-night clean up on carpets and beds when little children got sick. Gutsy!
⢠He has gotten up almost every morning without fail to read the Bible and seek the Lord in prayer, even when he didnât feel like it. Gutsy.
If you are wondering how my guy got so gutsy, the answer lies in that last reflection. He surrendered his life to Christ and is filled with the Spirit of the living God. Every day for decades now he has been seeking the Lord as his source of strength and direction. Itâs not that he never feels fear. He just doesnât let fear stop him. His boldness comes from a deep confidence in God. I have often heard friends talk about Chrisâs âJoshuaâ spirit, and thatâs what Iâm writing about. Joshua 1:9 says, âBe strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.â Living with him is an adventure, and Iâm thankful to be by his side every step along the way. Happy Valentineâs Day, my love. You will always be my hero.
Pastor for the week at Wind River Ranch in Estes Park, CO
Pastor for the week at Wind River Ranch in Estes Park, CO
