Forever Beloved - Faith, Love & Truth

May 18, 2017

Words He Needs To Hear

Next month, we will celebrate 21 years of marriage. I will have been officially married to him for over half my life. And I’m still trying to figure out how respect = love to a man and how I get that really mixed up with food = love. I can cook for him all the live long day but if I show him no respect then I am showing him no love.

But I do know as wives, we have incredible power in the lives of our husbands. We have the power to build them up, or tear them down.

As wives, we love to feel loved and be romanced. But for our husbands, they love to feel respected and to know we believe in them. And I can assure you that feeling doesn’t come from a loaf of hot homemade bread and potato soup. Believe me, I’ve tried.

God created men with a need to have respect from their wife. Our men need to know that they are enough just as they are, and they are exactly what we desire.

Each time you give your husband a loving word of praise, you are valuing him. He will feel treasured, adored, loved and he will thrive. But something even more amazing happens – when you verbally appreciate your spouse with sincerity, his value goes up in your eyes, too. You see him the way you are describing him and he becomes more and more valuable to you. It is a win-win situation. With more words of affirmation, love grows. Um, hello smokin’ hot marriage! When his woman is behind him, he will be able to take on the world. Side-note: I would bet when you shower him with praise, affirmation and kind words…you’ll get the same in return!

And ladies, I encourage you to praise him in front of your kids. First of all, remember your kids are learning what marriage looks like by watching you. They sure do need to see that their Mama appreciates and respects their Dad. It means backing him up when he’s made a decision (even if you don’t agree), it means not making a decision without talking to him first and it means speaking good about him even when he isn’t around. We need to teach our littles to appreciate how hard their Dads work to support and lead our households!

Each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

Ephesians 5:33

Let’s help him take on the world today girls…♥ Thank you for loving me.

♥ I’m am so glad to have you as my husband.

♥ I trust you.

♥ I am such a different woman because of you.

♥ Thank you for being such a great husband.

♥ I’m sorry, will you forgive me?

♥ Thank you for leading our home!

♥ I’m glad you’re my best friend.

♥ Hey, the kids are in bed early. 😉

♥ You are such a great Dad.

♥ Sooooo glad you are MY man.

♥ Thank you for helping me today, I couldn’t have done it without you.

♥ I absolutely adore your heart.

♥ I love spending time with you.

♥ Thanks so much for doing that for me.

♥ I am more in love with you than ever.

♥ I love holding your hand.

♥ Our kids sure are blessed to have a Dad like you.

♥ You still take my breath away.

♥ You are exactly what I asked God for.

♥ I love you sooooo much!

May 16, 2017

Canning Chicken

This week our local hometown grocery store had their bi-annual meat sale. This is my absolute favorite time to stock up! With the amazing sale on chicken, I knew it was time to get canning. Home canned chicken is so amazing. Every bite is tender and so full of flavor, not to mention quick and easy to use. I will never buy canned chicken from the store again!

First, I use a Presto 23-Quart Pressure Canner and Cooker. I love it, it’s easy to use and I’ve never had a single issue with it. It comes with an in depth instrucion booklet full of recipes. And the best part? Amazon has them on sale right now!

Start with clean, sterilized jars. I run my jars through a cycle in the dishwasher to sterilize them. Being that my chicken is cold when I pack it in, I don’t keep the jars hot. I don’t want to take the chance of having broken jars in the canner. We all know what happens when you mix hot and cold.

I used close to 10 lbs of chicken. That much chicken will fill 9 pint jars and that is how many jars my canner holds.

I cut the chicken into chunks for the ease of getting it out of the jar. As I’m cutting the chicken into chunks, I’m also cutting off any bits of grisle, bone or veins they have on them. I save these little bits and put them in my freezer to use the next time I make homemade chicken broth. The canned chicken will shred easily as you pull it out. I do like to cut it into chunks so it is already an edible size when it comes out of the jar. Then I don’t have to cut it later, just throw it into whatever I am cooking.

In the bottom of each jar, I put a 1/2 tsp of salt. I then pack the chicken chunks in on top. I fill the jars about half-way, then push it down and make sure all the nooks and crannies are filled in. Then packing more chicken chunks in on top.

Make sure you have 1 1/4″ headspace between the chicken and the rim of your jar. I have learned not to fill the jars exactly 1 1/4″ from the top. I stop at maybe 1 1/2″ or so. I noticed that some of the juices come out of the jar during processing. If you under-pack the jar just a smidge it takes care of that problem. In canning, headspace is the amount of space you leave between the rim of the jar and whatever you’re filling it with. Each thing requires a different headspace. I have a funnel that also has markings on the side to measure headspace. Here is a little headspace chart to follow:

Leave 1-inch headspace for low-acid foods, vegetables and meats.
Leave 1/2-inch headspace for high-acid foods, fruits and tomatoes.
Leave 1/4-inch headspace for juicers, jams, jellies, pickles, and relishes.

You don’t need to add any liquid to the chicken. When it cooks, it makes it’s own liquid. Real, fresh, yummy chicken broth!

I topped off each jar with just a sprinkle of garlic powder, for extra flavor.

Wipe the rim of the jar off. Never forget this step! Even when you’re using a funnel, you are bound to get something on the rim. And if the rim isn’t clean, it won’t seal properly.

Put your lids and rings on the jars. Since we are doing a “cold pack” for the chicken, I don’t heat mine up before placing them on the jars.

Also since we are doing a “cold pack”, I didn’t prep my pressure canner ahead of time. Being that my jars were still cold from putting cold chicken in them, I wanted to prevent my jars from breaking once the canning process started. I put 3 quarts of hot tapwater in the pressure canner and sat my jars down in. I gave them enough time to warm up a bit from the water before I even turned the burner on. Make sure to read your directions for your specific canner to see how much water they advise. Also, a little tip, to keep your jars from being “spotty” you’ll want to add 2 tablespoons of white vinegar to the water.

The first thing you need to do is vent your canner. Venting means getting rid of the steam inside the canner so you can build up pressure. To vent, you put your lid on and make sure it’s sealed (follow the manufacturers instructions for this as well) and turn the heat up to medium or medium/high. You DO NOT want your weight on yet. When steam is steadily coming out of the vent, set your timer for 10 minutes. Once the timer goes off, you’re ready for the next step.

Put your weight on the canner, being careful of the steam that’s coming out, and wait for it to come to pressure. Once it’s up to pressure, set your timer for the appropriate time below. Remember to only start the timer once your canner is up to pressure. Waiting for the canner to get up to pressure sometimes takes several minutes, and it will feel like time stands still. Just be patient, it will get there.

75 minutes at 15 lbs for pint jars (if you are under 1,000 ft. altitude, use 10 lbs)
90 minutes at 15 lbs for quart jars (if you are under 1,000 ft. altitude, use 10 lbs)

You may need to adjust the heat up or down during this time. If you see your pressure rising above what it should be, reduce the heat. If you see it falling below what it should be, raise your heat. I normally don’t leave my kitchen while I’m pressure canning, just so I can keep a close watchful eye on the pressure.

When your timer goes off, turn the stove off. Actually, turn the stove off and walk away. Go take a much deserved seat for a while. You HAVE to leave the lid on and allow the pressure canner to return to normal pressure. I just let mine sit for quite a while. Once the pressure is down to normal you can remove the lid and take your jars out. I use the jar lifter to remove them. And I always set them on a kitchen towel then cover them with another towel. I don’t want them to cool down too quickly.

If you are new to pressure canning, I highly suggest purchasing a book on it. There are some variables to consider, like altitude, and a book would be a great resource to get you familiar with pressure canning.

And nothing is quite as satisfying after a long, exhausting day of canning than seeing all those jars full of food you prepared with love for your family. Give yourself a high-five!

The canned chicken is stored on the shelf in the pantry for up to 2-5 years. No fridge or freezer needed. You don’t have to heat it up to eat it either. You can open it and eat it out of the jar if you wanted to, like tuna. Perfect for a cold chicken salad, buffalo chicken dip, chicken and dumplings or throw it in a casserole.

May 15, 2017

Happy Birthday to My Love

This man. You guys. Oh….this one, he’s a gift. He’s a gift to me every single day. But I’m so glad that he has so much abundance in him, because it just extends to everyone around him – including all of you. It’s so beautiful to witness that first hand each day.

He turns 44 today!!! So I’m going to continue the tradition and list 44 reasons (in no particular order) WHY I am totally, utterly and completely head over heels in love with him.

1. Watching you grow in your walk with the Lord, I love that so very, very much. It makes this tenderhearted wife teary. I adore your willingness and heart to help walk alongside other Christian men. I can’t even put into words how proud I was to watch you get baptized alongside our sweet babies.

2. You amazingly lead this household. You’ve encouraged Christ entering our marriage, you’ve lead our home and gently guided me. You’ve shown me such grace, which I am so thankful for.

3. You are an amazing father. Watching you love our babies has been a complete joy.

4. You are always, always 100% devoted to your family.

5. You will let a little girl do your hair, makeup and paint your nails…just to make her smile.

6. It doesn’t matter what size I am, you always tell me how beautiful I am. Not only do I totally believe you see me like that, you make me see myself like that too. You have no idea how much that means to me and how much I appreciate it.

7. That big plow truck you drive.

8. How you get totally excited about the same simple country pleasures I do. Whether it’s a hot loaf of homemade bread, a new recipe to can or a late night 4 wheeler ride.

9. I love that you hold my hand while you drive.

10. When I see someone broken down along the road, I automatically know you’re going to stop. I love that you’re so willing to help a stranger.

11. I love your spontaneity and that I can ask you to go anywhere on a complete whim, and you will! And that you’re willing to drive every single time.

12. You always know the absolute perfect time to give me a hug accompanied by “It will all work out babe”. P.S. you give the best hugs ever!

13. Your voice still melts my heart after all these years. It instantly takes me back to that day 21 years ago…when you sing that song, I get tears in my eyes still.

14. Long summer 4-wheeler rides on those warm days. Which also means me sneaking in some snuggle time.

15. Your willingness to send me to a women’s faith retreat just because you know how much I want to go and how much I need it. And you staying home all weekend with the kids. That meant so much to me.

16. I’m fairly sure you’re just as chicken obsessed as I am!

17. Your passion for all types of music and how you’ve made it such a big part of our lives (and now our children’s lives).

18. Your selfless heart.

19. The silly, crazy songs you can make up on a moment’s notice. Even though they are about me sometimes (it’s ok…I act mad but secretly laugh inside).

20. Your love for Big Brother.

21. Those shoulders, yeah, I still love them super huge amounts.

22. I’m thankful for how good you are at geography. You know if it was up to me, we wouldn’t make it too far out of town.

23. You willingness to humor me and let me take pics of you even though you hate having your picture taken. Although I don’t think you hate it quite as much as you say.

24. You explain football calls to me {and basically every other aspect of the game}. Even though you know perfectly well that I will interrupt the next game asking the same annoying questions.

25. Your constant, never-ending support of me.

26. Still having a smokin’ hot marriage after nearly 21 years.

27. You’re always so quick to apologize to me even though you know I’m not so quick (or good) at it.

28. Your love of trucks equals mine.

29. Your obsession with the news, politics and gun rights. You always know what is going on, which is good because I never do.

30. How easy it is for you to make me or others around us laugh.

31. You love self expression just as much as I do. I kinda love our long conversations about tattoo ideas.

32. You thinks it’s hilarious to chase me around the house or up the stairs, with me screaming, after we watch a scary movie. You laugh every single time. And, without fail, I will scream even though I know it’s you. And if I pee my pants you laugh even harder.

33. Even when your skin is melting off you still let me cuddle all night long. I don’t know what I would do without my “furnace”.

34. How you always know the right words to make me feel better instantly.

35. Our weekends away together. I sure do love reconnecting with you.

36. All the little funny memories we’ve made together.

37. Peaking around the corner and seeing you doing a crazy dance with the kids. Yeah, I saw it, many times. And every time it makes me smile.

38. After I had Jade, you told me “Thank you for giving me a perfect little girl” and kissed me on the forehead. I will never forget that moment.

39. You’re a little bit rock-n-roll to my little bit country.

40. Your daily “uniform”…T shirt, jeans and work boots.

41. I love that if I say “Let’s pay for their dinner”, even though they’re a stranger you will pay for it without even questioning me.

42. With all my sicknesses, operations and hospital stays over the last few years you’ve never once hesitated to jump in and take over everything yourself. Never once complaining of the extra workload on you, on top of your full-time job. You were such an amazing blessing!

43. Your love and compassion for animals. And the fact that you don’t get mad when I tell you I may be hatching us out a few more chicks.

44. Simply because you are just you. The man I feel in love with 21 years ago. The man I still love madly, more and more everyday.

Happy Birthday sweet boy! I love you! Sharing my life with you is one of the greatest gifts of my life.