March Book Review

I have to admit this month I was all over the place with my reading.  Maybe that is because I had an entire week where I read nothing!!!! Zero, nada, goose egg!  Why?  Because I was roofing in San Antonio and if you missed that post,  you can catch it here at: https://worthyheart.com/blog/2018/3/17/what-is-in-your-kids-snowball

Even with that one week out, I managed to sneak in four books and I have to say they were all really good!  Take a look and if you see something that interests you I highly suggest you get it because I give all four books two thumbs up this month!

Who Do You Love: A Novel

By Jennifer Weiner

I started the month with a little love story about second chances and I fell in love immediately!  Who Do You Love by Jennifer Weiner was such a brilliantly written love story that I could not put it down. If I had to sum this book up in one word it would be FATE!  Who does not love a book about destiny?   As fate would have it, the two main characters in this book meet at the ripe young age of 8 and have no idea that the stars are lining up for them.   Rachel and Andy are from two different backgrounds and meet one night in the ER of a hospital.  Rachel has snuck out of her room and sees Andy in the waiting room.   Rachel is very intrigued as they are both kids,  eight to be exact, why would any parent let their child go to the ER with a broken arm alone?  The ER waiting room is the last time Rachel will see Andy, so she thinks.  The two will meet up again, but when?  When they do will they connect?  Do they remember each other?  Yes, but I don't want to ruin it for you!  You have to get this sweet book that has twists and turns, ups and downs, but is a wonderful story about love and fate and my favorite, happy endings!  This is a story that will touch your heart and bring you hope.  One I will never forget!

You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life

By Jen Sincero

I had several people tell me to read You are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living and Awesome Life.  Let me just tell you, this book is BADASS just like its title!  I should have picked this book up sooner, but I did not, so guess what, I am still a badass!  That is what this book is about!  Stop doubting and start doing!  It is not that this book is chalk full of advice and encouragement I have not already heard, but it is the way the writer delivers it!  It is humorous, real, and raw.  IF you are sitting at a point in your life where you are starting something new, ready to make a change, needing to get out of a self sabotaging rut,  or just needing to love yourself again, this book is for you!  By the end of this book, if you are as lucky as I am, you might learn there are things about yourself you just need to embrace and love.  Things you can't change and things you can.  How to relate to people and how to go about life feeling confident and secure in who you are and who you are evolving into.  Great book and one that you want a highlighter and pen with you while you read, because trust me, there is some serious sage advice!  Click on the link and get it today and start living the life you were intended to live and love yourself and watch the world love you!

23 Minutes In Hell: One Man's Story About What He Saw, Heard, and Felt in that Place of Torment

By Bill Wiese

When I started 23 Minutes in Hell: One Man's Story About What He Saw, Heard, and Felt in That Place of Torment, by Bill Wiese,  I was expecting one thing.  I was expecting to hear about a near death experience and how Mr. Wiese went to hell.  That did happen, but not through a near death experience.  I can honestly say the book scared me and left me unsettled.  I understand there is a hell and I understand Mr. Wiese's message and how it needs to be heard, but it is a scary one and yes one that all we can do is hope to plant the seed and hope like heck the seed plants enough fear about hell that our non believing friends will want to explore God and the Truth.  This book is not an easy, light read.  It is dark, heavy, and downright scary.  But isn't that what Hell is all about?  Will I use this as a tool to share the Gospel?  Probably not if I am being honest, but I am glad I read it and if anyone is questioning their faith and brings up the topic of hell, I will absolutely make this book one of my recommendations for those questioning the idea of Heaven and Hell.

First Comes Love: A Novel

By Emily Giffin

After reading 23 Minutes in Hell I desperately needed a light and fluffy read!  First Comes Love by Emily Griffin was just what the doctor ordered, however, it hit close to home on a number of levels.  It is about a pair of sisters who have to deal with some family situations and loss together.   Sometimes that is tricky and can drive a sword between relationships if you let it.  The beautiful thing about this story is that both sisters realize how much they need each other and love always comes first.  This really touched my heart as I have walked a similar path with my own sister and love always comes first. If you are looking for a sweet book about family, friendship, and following your heart where ever it might lead you, then this book is for you.  Great read all the way to the unexpected ending, which I always love!  

So there you have it!  Amy's March Book Review.  What is on your bookshelves as of late?  I would love a recommendation or two.

xo,

Amy

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Amy, Amy, quite the lady, how does your garden grow?  Bluebells, and seashells, and pretty pink tulips all in a row!

This child hood nursery rhyme is nothing short of truth to my marriage. Now I know comparing a garden to my relationship may seem weird but if you follow me there's no doubt you'll relate in the same way.

I just spent the most magnificent,relaxing, week away with my husband. On the plane ride back I started my third book of the trip and the whole basis was flowers and love.  Through this book, I realized our marriage, and all meaningful relationships, are the same in that relationships are like a garden.  If you don't tend to them, water them, and clean them out at times, what happens? They die.

Well, after the week we just spent in Mexico, my  garden (me and Trey) is lush and full of beautiful blooms, like we were first married.  However, I am smart enough to know that weeds will creep in, soil will go bad, bugs may or may not infest it, squirrels and rats may invade it, and children might stomp through it. What am I or you to do and protect our blooms.

TIME!

This is a tricky one as Trey is gone a lot, but it is also very important as I can honestly say we have had to fight to bring our garden back to life at times. What happens when you don't spend time in your garden?  I named a few above and they are all bad, so Trey and I decided we needed to really communicate in meaningful conversation a minimum of 15-30 minutes a day in order to keep our garden in the shape it is in now. Hate to break it to you, but what doesn’t seem hard, with three active boys, chores, groceries, schedules, a high energy dog that must be walked, might throw you for a whirlwind! It is much harder than you would expect.  I would like to think of the conversations we will have as water. Life. These conversations will help us to sustain the marriage just like water will help sustain the garden.

Date night does not have to be fancy like this either!  It could look like a run to home depot or the movies!

We also need to really focus on establishing a date night at least twice a month, preferably every week.  This part of the time equation is what will help keep the weeds out and when they start creeping in we can pull them immediately while we are out on our date.  Not a couples date either! A date with just Trey and I.

And lastly, we need to go away as a couple at least once a year, preferably, if one can afford the time and money, more than once a year. This will keep the insects and tiny animals like rats and squirrels at bay. If the children are stomping on the garden while playing ball ruining it we can  fix it because we will be away, alone, spending time together. Feeding, nourishing, and loving on our garden and our marriage, watching it come back to life.  If you are lucky enough to do this more than once a year think how beautiful your garden will be!

This is us on a date to Home depot then off to the movies!  Time well spent!

I don't know much and by no means am I a counselor, but I do listen to my friends who have been in tough situations and I have looked back on my own marriage during tough times and it all pretty much came back to we were not spending good quality time together. One on one time that does not revolve around the kids, work, friends, fundraisers, or simple management of day to day life.  Time, time, time. When Trey and I are in a rut and believe you me it has happened and I am sure it will again, it comes back to-WE HAVE STOPPED SPENDING MEANINGFUL TIME TOGETHER. Sure we were physically present, but not emotionally, spiritually, and relationally.

We were so young here!  How fun to remember these times!

Think about your relationship when you first met and compare it to a brand new garden.  That relationship took time to grow just like your garden. You were so excited to water it and see what would come up from the ground and you could not wait to get to know it more.  Just like your spouse, you could not wait to get to know him/her more and your relationship grew into a beautiful marriage, just a like a new garden that you spent time in. In order to keep the garden beautiful you must be intentional with your efforts to keep it alive and the same goes for our marriages. We have to be intentional on our effort to spend meaningful time together.

Life has too many twist, turns, ups and downs, and curves that if we are not intentional about this time, we too can find our garden bored,  dried up, and lifeless and in such bad shape we just want to quit and start over. A little secret my friend, quitting and starting over will still require you to invest intentional time in your new garden.  So why don't you just do the work in your current garden. I know Trey and I have worked hard at ours and we will continue to, won't you join us?

xo,

Amy

Hello, World!

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What Is In Your Kid's Snowball?

In December Trey and I sat down with our two big boys, Will and John Paul, and talked with the boys about our plan for Spring Break.  Trey flies for Southwest and as of recent they have started flying to Costa Rica.  We thought it would be so cool to take the boys surfing, but both boys immediately shot down the idea saying they had already planned on going on mission with the Church.  I honestly was taken back as they have been going on Mission for 5 years now.   I thought this might be a good break, but no, they insisted. So we agreed of course, and decided against their will to join them. Plot twist!  Just kidding!  But in all seriousness,  Trey had been before but I had not and really wanted to see why they were so adamant about going.  We had to see if the Church would allow Graeme to attend, which they did happily, and the rest is history!

So this past weekend we all loaded up with about 120 other people. Mostly loud, obnoxious, full of life and jokes, teenagers and headed to San Antonio to do God's work for the people of San Antonio.  BUT, what I was shocked and amazed by might surprise you. 

When we got to San Antonio I was excited to see how God was going to bless each family who we were there to help, to see the end result of each house, hear the stories of how each team touched each family, and hear the kids saying how much fun they had!  All that did happen but, something else did too. 

When you think of mission trip what comes to mind? The definition of mission is: the vocation or calling of a religious organization, especially a Christian one, to go out into the world and spread its faith. Does this match up with yours?

I did see all of that, but I saw more.  Every night after dinner we had worship and what happened each night in worship with our own was amazing.  It was like a tiny snowball at the top of a hill on Sunday night, but by Thursday night it was this ENORMOUS snowball at the bottom of the hill that had rolled a little farther down the hill each night.  Each night that ball collected more snow, more debris, and more momentum that by Thursday night it was so big and so full of stuff that had been picked up and taken to the bottom of the hill where it was safe.  

You might be thinking at this point, "What the heck are you talking about Amy?"  I am talking about our own kids.  I am talking about their pain, their fears, their frustration, their joys, their hurts, their confusion, their hopes, their dreams, their desires, their wishes, their disappointments, the pressures they feel, from themselves and from us, I am talking about their beautiful minds, their amazing yet oh so fragile hearts, talking about how bad they are hurting.  Our kids!   Mine included!   The ones who came to help are hurting too!  This broke my heart each night as I looked around the room and saw tears and clenched jaws with anger.

I also saw friends loving on them, leaders loving on them.  I saw the tears turn to tears of joy and the clenched jaws release and the shoulders relax. I saw the Holy Spirit and he was working overtime people!  And let me tell you, this is not only a teenage girl thing which is what really shocked me.  I saw teenage boys hurting like there was no tomorrow.  This pain does not discriminate.  This pain is not for the least popular.  This pain is not for the acne ridden kid only.  This confusion does not just say I am a female.  The fear is not just in our boys.  It is across the boards male and female. And I promise you the teenage hormones aren't the reason for these cries; Cries for love and a safe haven. 

That is just what our kids received this week!  Love!  They got love and help from volunteers with NO skin in the game.  What do I mean by this?  I mean volunteers whose kids are grown with their own kids, or volunteers that are new fathers, so they come to learn how to be a better parent.  Volunteers who are single with no kids and not on youth staff!   These volunteers were there loving on our own and letting them know they are loved, they are worthy, they are safe, and they are supremely good.  When they came to worship each night I saw the veil of pain, anger, and confusion slowly lift.  Each night the kids were given the option to leave after the message and have free time or stay and worship with the band.  Each night the group staying grew.  Each night there were more tears because kids finally felt safe enough to let it go!  They felt safe enough to find a leader or a pastor and they would release whatever it was and in return they would receive love.  I can honestly say, by Thursday night each kid who did let their guard down had changed.  A rejuvenation if you will.  If tears came they were tears of happiness and relief and tears of knowing full well they are supremely good because they are made in the image of God. 

Sure this did not happen with every kid there.  IF I am being honest, as I sit here and write this, my heart hurts more for those who could not let their guard down.  My prayer is someday they will, but I spent an entire week with our staff and I know first hand that until they do or do not this staff will love each and every kid right where they are. No matter how hard it is.  That is how AMAZING our children's ministry is at HPUMC.  Truly amazing!   They love our kids hard and love our kids big!  And for this I will be forever grateful!        

Spring Break 2018 I tried something different. I went out of my comfort zone in a huge way and I had a blast!  My dream is every parent in the metroplex who reads this will join me next year, whether it is at our church or yours!  It was that good.  I am smart enough to know that probably will not happen, but if I have one wish, it would be this post might stir something in a few of you to join me and let's partner with our churches and their youth staff and together we can encourage and love our youth.  After all they are the future.   Won't you join me and learn what is in your kiddo's snowball?

Until next time....

“You are loved beyond all measure. ”

— Ephesians 3:19

xo,

Amy 

Hello, World!

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Shrimp and Grits as Easy as 1-2-3!

Ok Yall!  I am pretty sure if Trey made this once a week nobody would complain!  Everyone loved this recipe and it is fairly simple, quick, and easy.  Trey actually got this recipe from our friend Luke, who is a Louisiana native so you know its got to be good!  You should try it sometime this weekend.  I promise everyone will enjoy it!  Especially you if you are as lucky as I am and your husband makes it! 

INGREDIENTS: 

Yellow Stone Ground Grits, but if you cannot find those, just good ole fashion grits will do.  Luke's recipe literally calls for enough grits for 6-8 people so I don't have actual measurements.  (men!)  The grits need to be cooked and that is a very important piece of the equation.  So make sure to cook your grits ahead of time.

2 pints of Heavy cream

2 lbs of shrimp shelled and deveined.  IF you use frozen shrimp make sure to get ALL the water out.  This is very important.

1/2 lb of tasso sausage

1 teaspoon chopped green onions (basically 1/2 a bunch chopped up)

1 Tablespoon crushed garlic

2 ounces white wine

1/2 cup roasted red pepper

1 Tablespoon creole seasoning

Kosher salt to taste

Directions:

Before we poured it on the grits.

Dice the tasso and put in the bottom of a pot with olive oil.  Sorry folks, not sure how much so let's assume a tablespoon!  Again it's a man's recipe!  Brown your sausage very well.  Once brown, add your garlic and red pepper.  Saute that and then add your shrimp.  Be very careful not to overcook.  Just cook it until pink.  Next add your white wine to deglaze it.  Let the wine swirl around with your help to clean the sides of the pan and keep the flavor full.  Add your creole seasoning and your heavy cream and stir until you reduce the cream by 1/2 of what it was.  Add Salt to taste, 1/2 teaspoon at a time.  You do not want to over salt.  Pour this mixture on top of your cooked grits and garnish with green onion.  Serve with delish buttered bread and salad.  

So easy!  I mean come on my husband made it!  Don't you want to try it?  Or better yet, let your husband take a gander at it and watch how easy and good it is!

What are you making for dinner these days?  I would love to know!

Bon Apetit!

xo, 

Amy

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Proverbs 31.....Superhero or TOTAL Beat Down?

It is  Sunday morning  and we are leaving for spring break and I am not going to lie to you;  I am SPENT!  Trey has been gone for 10 days and each kid had more than the norm AND I have to get the entire family ready for our mission trip, all the while still doing my daily routine of dance (thank God for this), get Grandpa, groceries, clean, laundry, walk the dog, cook dinner, etc. etc. etc. To say I am tired is an understatement. But by the ironic will of God when I got up this morning would you believe my quiet time included the Proverbs 31 woman.

If I am being honest, she is a total beat down for someone like me! She is a Domestic BADASS, who has her entire life put together! She gets up in the middle of the night, makes all meals for her family (and maids), and she gardens with bare hands on top of everything else. Verse 17 says she girds herself with strength and makes her arms strong.  To me that says she works out and keeps her body in check. She stays up late making clothes on an ancient spindle, feeds the poor, and reaches out to the needy.  OH and those clothes she makes, she sells them too and makes money! She is IMPOSSIBLE to live up to, however with a little study time I was surprised by what I found.  

1. Proverbs 31 is a poem meant to explain women of strength.  Not a lesson for women on how to land a man, get married to him, have kids and take up the loom.  The subject of this poem is a woman of noble character.  It is meant to be a tangible expression of what wisdom looks like: Bravery, faithfulness, guts, kindness, grace.  A woman of valor. The poet uses flowery words to basically describe the achievements of an upper class Jewish wife, keeping her household functioning daily, on top of managing and investing money, feeding her family, and preparing for each and every season of life.  It's purpose is to draw attention to the overlooked glory of the everyday.  I realized when I got deeper in to my study it is not meant to be interpreted as a job description, its purpose is to celebrate women. A strong, dignified, multi-talented, caring woman who is an individual in her own right.

2. The target audience for Proverbs 31 is a man, and not so he can go have his checklist of what to expect from his future wife.  I learned from Rachel Held Evans that in ancient times jewish men memorized this poem and sang it as a song of praise to the women in their lives; wives, daughters, sisters, aunts, cousins, friends, all women!  Memorized it and sang it to them! I can't imagine my husband doing this, but oh how I would relish in it if he did! And another fun fact is the only verse that has ANY kind of instruction in it is a verse directed at men!  It says: “Praise her for all her hands have done.”  All these years I have looked at this passage as a command to women and not as an ode to women!  What a difference those two words are. Command means: give an authoritative order, Ode means: a lyric poem in the form of an address to a particular subject.   What a refreshing difference.  Proverbs 31 is a song through which a man offers a woman praise it is NOT a task list through which a woman earns it.  

3. Proverbs 31 celebrates women of Valor.  I love that!  Valor: great courage in the face of danger, especially in battle. This poem is meant to celebrate who we are as women!  Not who we or anyone else thinks we should be or do.  It is meant to say here is how we praise and celebrate a woman- a woman of Valor.  It is meant for men to affirm the women in their lives.  It is meant for women to affirm the women in their lives. It is meant for us to know as a woman no matter how small and insignificant the task may be do it with valor.  If you are a stay at home mom, make breakfast with Valor!  If you are a barista at Starbucks, make the grande latte with Valor!  If you are a teacher, multiply with Valor!  If you are a doctor, save with valor or lawyer, argue with Valor!  Whatever it is, as a woman, this poem reminds us to do it with Valor!

Look, the bible is not a blueprint or a list of bullet points of how to live, it is basically a collection of stories that look like real life.  I promise you, you DO NOT have to be a proverbs 31 women to be a woman of valor.  All you have to be is you and all you have to do is love!  Love is what it means to be biblical-love is our highest calling.  Love God and Love thy neighbor.  Love-that my friend is a woman of valor. It doesn't have to be some chic that makes her own clothes and kneads her own bread, although if you do that, make sure to do it with valor!  So as I sit here reflecting on my study, I sit here feeling like a BADASS!  That's right girls!  A BADASS! I know I love my family, I love my friends, I love my neighbor, and I love God and now reading the poem I realize that is all it takes to be a Proverbs 31 woman!

xo,

Amy

Hello, World!

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F.E.A.R.

Fear!  What does this word mean to you? For me Fear is a nasty word.  It is what keeps me up at night.  It it was makes me freeze on decisions or getting things done.  It is what causes me anxiety, panic, or feelings of guilt and loneliness.  It is one ugly word and emotion if you ask me.

 The true definition of fear is:

An unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain or a threat.

The feeling of anxiety concerning the outcome of something or the safety and well-being of someone.

The likelihood of something unwelcome happening.

And last but not least a mixed feeling of dread and reverence.

Fear is ugly.  Fear is unforgiving and fear is daunting.  What is it we fear?  For me it was:

F.   Future:  The what if's.

E.  Evil:  It is everywhere.  

A.  Abuse:  Of substances.

R.  Rejection:  From people

Yep!  There you have it!  These are the things  that use to freeze me!  These things  use to keep me up!  And sometimes they still do.  True confession!  The future can give me so much anxiety and not for me, but for my kids.  

As a mom, I'm constantly living in fear for them!  Maybe you share the same fears and together we will see we are not alone.  Maybe you will think I am nuts and hey, that is ok!  And maybe you will question me since I talk about my faith so much, but there is a devil and he finds his way into my life and the battle is constant. 

Let's look at MY FEAR. 

F

Future.  Yall I am not kidding you when I tell you God and I have an ongoing conversation about the future.  I find myself talking to him daily, begging him to allow Trey and I the opportunity to grow old together, watching each boy grow up doing what they love; to marry a person of God that he is preparing for them; having children all the while Trey and I getting to be a part of their lives.  Already having one baby in heaven has created consistent fear of loss forcing a fight to put my boys future in God's hands.       

E

Evil! It is a raging monster, lurking in the media, schools, homes, places you expect to be safe, but are really the safe haven for the beast... Evil scares me. Evil that could happen to my kids.  Evil that could happen to me.  Evil that could happen to my marriage. Evil that could happen to you.  It is real, it is present, and it is everywhere just waiting to pounce.

A

Abuse. Substance abuse is something common in most if not all families.  Often times it is not as profound, but I bet it is there.  As my boys have become teenagers this is a constant fear of mine.  At this day and age they could take the bait and think they are just going to "try" something.  Something that leads to the big monster of addiction.  I have seen it in our family and it scares me that it could happen to one of our own.  It is a concern that keeps me up at night and on my knees praying, "Please God do not let this happen to our kids." 

R

Rejection.  Rejection from Trey because my youthful appearance and figure is slowly fading.  Rejection from my kids due to misunderstandings on both sides.  Rejection from my friends because I am not pretty enough, cool enough, funny enough, or whatever enough!    Rejection, a sucky word with all kinds of angst. 

When I sit here and  evaluate my fears of the future,  I realize some have relentless thoughts rattling through their heads of regret.  At this moment in my life I can honestly say I am ok with the past, but that can change at anytime.    For now most of my real fears are for the future, and maybe that is in part because I am a mom...I don't know. 

In my journey in understanding my fear I have started a ritual.  First thing in the morning I get up, push start on the coffee maker, and sit down in our recliner and spend a minimum of 15 minutes with the Lord.  I have a beautiful daily devotional that I dig into and really read and listen to what God is saying to me.  Before I open it though, I ask God to fill me with the Holy Spirit, and open my ears to what God has for me to hear.  What I have found by doing this is I am actually wanting to dig into the stories of the bible more. I am not about to sit here and say I can recite bible verses, but I can share stories now which is very exciting for this ex-Catholic! I am here to tell you, the Bible is a fascinating book.  Filled with all kinds of nuggets of wisdom and hope. 

The One Year Book of Hope (One Year Books)

By Nancy Guthrie

I have to also confess that this little ritual of mine did not happen that long ago. It came to me in the throws of my depression and grief from the loss of my mom. This past summer I decided I needed something.  I did not know what it was, but I needed something. I tried to dance away the pain, binge watch mindless tv, eat away the pain, drink away the pain, whatever away the pain, but the pain was not leaving and something was tugging at my soul.  My boys were becoming teenagers and all those fears above  started rearing their ugly thoughts and I needed something. It was the perfect storm of fear, loss, and grief.

Hearing Jesus Speak into Your Sorrow

By Nancy Guthrie

What changed?  Well, one day while I was losing myself in the abyss of facebook.  I saw a post from a friend who lost her son,  my biggest fear.  This friend of mine was handling it with a grace that was UNBELIEVABLE!  Reading about her walk in her faith amongst my biggest fear and amongst her loss, well something in me came alive.  She spoke of a particular author and book she was reading to help her through her time of loss and I ordered it right then and there.  It  was then that I started my routine and then my fears started to lose their grip.  The hold they had on me started to fade and my faith started to grow.  It was then that I felt God for the first time in a long time and it was then that I started seeing my anxiety go down and my peace go up.  Want to know what else happened.  My definition of FEAR changed:

F

Fierce.  God's love is more fierce than my worst fear and more fierce than your worst fear.

E

Eager.  God is eager to have a relationship with me and with you!

A

Amazing:  God's grace is so amazing and bigger than my greatest regret and bigger than your greatest regret!

R

Reckless:  God's love is overwhelming reckless for you and for me!

Bottom line, what happened, God happened! 

What is your FEAR?  Is it what mine use to be and can still be at times?  Is your fear regret?   Whatever it is, might I suggest you taking some time daily to be in quiet and listen and see if you start to feel God's love.  Make your own effort to sit down in the quiet and watch the miracles happen.  

Until next time! 

xo,

Amy

Hello, World!

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Light and Easy

As a mom of three VERY active boys, I try to sit down Sunday mornings and map out my week.  I have to think about Trey's flight schedule, soccer, dance, choir, acting, orchestra, the little guy's activities at the time, my dad, my dance classes, and the list goes on and on.  So I try to decide on Sunday what we will be eating so we are not stuck ordering pizza daily or running to In and Out. 

I must confess, sometimes that does happen, but I try to the best of my ability to not let it.  I figure if all else fails, they get a hot meal at school.  Yes, I am one of those moms!  I do not pack lunches because I HATE eating sandwiches that have sat in a locker or somewhere before it is time to eat. I have horrible memories of nasty, smushed gunky things in my lunch box as a kid!  So unless the boys ask or it is field trip day they buy.  It's a problem I know, but it's a memory and we all know what those memories can do to you!  They can ruin you sometimes and the lunchbox memory is still with me.  The scent, the gunk.....all of it!

Last week, as I was planning meals, I came across a recipe for Shrimp Scampi Pasta on Epicurious:

https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/shrimp-scampi-pasta-234258

I was really wanting something light, but that could fill up these boys.  I gave this recipe a whirl and it was a home run!  It has lots of butter and garlic which in the Berry household makes almost anything taste good! I think in the future I might add chopped up tomatoes, but you guys!  Yum!  My family ate it up like hot cakes and bonus it was so easy!  I will be making this again!  If you are looking for a light, easy, pasta, this is it.  Give it a whirl and tell me what you think!

Shrimp Scampi Pasta

Ingredients:

1/4 cup olive oil

1 lb large peeled and deveined large shrimp raw: 20 to 25 per pound (I did a 1.5 lb just because of all the men in my family)

4 large garlic cloves, left unpeeled and forced through a garlic press (or you can cheat like me and buy the chopped fresh garlic in the produce isle!)

1/2 teaspoon dried hot pepper flakes (I left this out and let each man do his own spice for the sake of my man/child and his tastebuds)

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

5 tablespoons unsalted butter

3/4 lb capellini (angel hair pasta)

1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Prep:

Bring a pot of salted water to boil for your pasta.

While that is heating up, heat oil in a large heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot, but not smoking, then saute your shrimp, turning over once, until just cooked through.  I would say about 2-3 minutes and transfer with slotted spoon to a large bowl.  Add garlic to the remaining oil in the skillet, along with the wine and red pepper flakes if you are cooking them in, your salt and pepper, and here is where in the future I will add some diced or chopped tomatoes.  You don't have to and the original recipe does not call for them, but Trey and I both agree it might add some color and texture.  Plus we are a tomato loving family!  Cook all of this over high heat, stirring occasionally for about 1-2 minutes.  Add butter to skillet, stirring until nice and melted, and stir in your shrimp.  Remove skillet from heat.

Cook pasta in boiling water per the instructions on your box.  We like ours al dente so it is about 3 minutes.  Reserve 1 cup of pasta-cooking water, then drain pasta in a colander.  Toss your pasta well with the shrimp mixture and some parsley in a large bowl, adding some of your reserved cooking water if necessary to keep moist.

Plate and serve with some nice garlic bread and salad!  

So good, but see what I mean about colorless? I will add diced tomatoes next time to jazz it up just a bit. Still really good though!

So easy and so good!  What are you cooking this month that is light and airy, yet satisfying?  I would love to know and share with my readers!

Until next time!  Bon appeitt!

xo, 

Amy

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February Book Review!

I have to start off with a confession.  I really meant for this months books to be all about love.  The mushy, gushy, easy read kind of love and chick lit.  We were in February!  Well folks, that did not happen.  My first book I have to say was really dark and there was definitely no love story.  But it was written so well, that I said, "To hell with love, I have got to finish this!"  Now that I have that confession off my chest, let's get down to business!

Holy Moly!  Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands, by Chris Bohjalian.  I just don't know where or how to start!  This is my first time to read a book by this guy, so I am not sure if all of his books are this dark, but this book was dark.  With that being said, it was so well written I could not put it down.  His writing is amazing, but this book will break your heart.  It is a story about a teen in crisis and it is a story about the sheer will of human survival.  I found myself so emotionally attached to the main character, Emily, that I did not want to put the book down.  I actually felt like I was abandoning her if I did!  I mean literally you guys!  This book was written that well!  So if you are looking for a page turner that is deep and really will tug at your heart strings, then this book is for you.  If you are looking for light and airy chic lit, do not be fooled by the title.  This book is not for you.  But my next book is!

Hello, World!

Close Your Eyes Hold Hands[CLOSE YOUR EYES HOLD HANDS -LP][LARGE PRINT] [Paperback]

By ChrisBohjalian

I See London, I See France by Sarah Mlynowski was such a fun book!  And boy did I need this after my last choice!  I loved it so much I ordered another book by the same author!  It was light, airy, and fun!  I actually felt as if I was backpacking through Europe!  It was written so well I breezed through it in no time and I fell in love with every character in this book!   The premise of the book is basically nineteen year old Sydney is backpacking through Europe with her best friend.  Things change a little when her best friends ex shows up on the same trip!  But that does not stop Sydney and the next four weeks as she makes her way through Europe with one adventure after another!  If you are looking for a fun, quick, light read....this is the book for you!  I promise you will not want to put it down!  You may even find yourself booking a trip to Europe when you are done!  Trust me, I tried to, but Trey shot that down!  So grab your copy here and sit back and enjoy the ride!

Hello, World!

I See London, I See France

By Sarah Mlynowski

Speaking of February and the month of love, my last book this month is all about love! One True Loves, by Taylor Jenkins Reid is a true love story and not just your ordinary love story!  It is all about love with some twists and turns! Basically the main character's husband dies in a helicopter crash on their one year anniversary.  You walk through her grief with her and learn how to love again and would you believe, boom!  Her husband re emerges ALIVE in the story!  Talk about a twist!  Now she is engaged to one man and married to another!  What will she do?  Well, my friends, you have to get the book to see.   I promise you will be so glad you do and you might agree that there is no such thing as one true love.  Every person you fall in love with brings you along in life and you grow and sometimes you grow together, but sometimes you grow apart.  But you grow!  Beautiful story!  One I highly suggest!

Hello, World!

One True Loves: A Novel

By Taylor Jenkins Reid

That pretty much wraps up February.  Not a lot of reading, but what I did read I think you will enjoy!  Let me know what you are reading these days!  I would love to know!

xo,

Amy

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Scandalous Brownies.....So good, they will make your toes curl!

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Did you know you could get free shipping on orders over $35!  Click above for details!

Easy and so so so so good!

As we are winding down the month of love and chocolate I wanted to share with you all a recipe I concocted last night.   I was given a recipe for brownies by my pastor in Mississippi's wife.  It was delish!  And last night I decided to go a little crazy and boy did they turn out AMAZEBALLS!  I mean they are off the rails good!  And they are so easy it is just plain ridiculous!  So order the secret I am about to share with you, heck you can even order your brownie mix too, and make these babies!  You and your friends and family will be so glad you did!

Amy's Scandalous Brownies

Ingredients and Prep:

One box of Brownie mix of your choice.  We like milk chocolate.  Mix the brownies exactly how your box tells you to.

Next:  Pour a little under half the batter in the bottom of your greased pan.  Layer across the top with Sanders Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Caramels.  This here is the secret!  Yall.....I can't even help myself it is so good!  After you have done this pour the rest of your batter on top and bake exactly how your box says too!

Substitution:  If you don't like caramel you can make them like my friend Julie does.  Get yourself Hershey Symphony Bars with toffee and layer these instead of the caramel.

You guys, these brownies are amazing!  I can't wait to hear what you think! 

Here is a link for each ingredient:

General Mills Betty Crocker Milk Chocolate Brownie, 18.4 oz

General Mills

Sanders Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Caramels - 36 ounces (2.25 pounds)

Sanders

HERSHEY'S Symphony Milk Chocolate Bar, Almonds & Toffee Chips, (6.8-Ounce Bar, Pack of 12)

Hershey's

Bon Appetit!

Amy

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This is a Mistake....Just Roll With It!

Wow!  Last week was a whirlwind for my family!  We had two birthday's, Trey and my middle son JP, we had our typical soccer games, soccer practices, dance and acting lessons, and the list goes on and on as I am sure many of your list do too!  However, I personally had a solid win last week! One I would love to share with you!  Do you guys remember me talking to you about no resolutions this year? Only Wins! If you do not or you did not see it, you can read all about at this link https://worthyheart.com/blog/2018/1/3/hows-that-working-for-ya

This past week, I did something that really pushed me out of my comfort zone.  Like really pushed me.  I was asked to lead a small group for a women's retreat at our church.  First thing you got to know is I am not in any small groups at our church and when Hannah sent an email a month ago asking I seriously thought to myself, "This is a mistake.  There are like 5 Amy Berry's in this zip code alone!  All of which go to this church! One of which works at the church!  This is a mistake!  I was raised Catholic!  This is a mistake!  I don't know Scripture!  This is a mistake!"  Of course I panicked and of coursed I asked Trey, "What do I do? Do I say, Hannah, are you sure you got the right Amy Berry?"  Of course Trey said a resounding, "NO! This will be an amazing opportunity for you."  So I just shrugged my shoulders and thought ok.  Probably is a mistake, but I will roll with this.  I am trying to get closer to the Lord, I am trying to grow in my faith, I will do this!  So I said yes and I said yes with enthusiasm and wrote it about it on my blog!  You can catch that here: https://worthyheart.com/blog/2018/1/21/sister-up

The honest truth behind writing that post was to get at least one friend to come with me.  Which did not happen! Ha, but, I knew it would be a stretch, because it is almost an entire weekend, but, I did that because I was scared.  I did not want to go into a women's retreat alone!  Especially with 200 plus strangers and all of them women.  Yall that honestly sounded SCARY to me!  I don't know why, but it did.  Women scare me in groups.  That is the truth.  Sometimes, they can be so fun and so empowering and other times they can be so mean and degrading so I was scared and I wrote the post thinking if I have one friend, I can do this.  Well, that did not work out for me.  The good news is, in writing that post I realized that women need each other and I needed this retreat, so I did not chicken out. 

I had to read my post a few times to remind myself how empowering we women can be, but I did it and I did it with enthusiasm and fear and  I walked away from this weekend so full and so nourished and so loved.  I learned so much about me, about others, about the bible, about Jesus's love for me, about coping, about empathy, about raw honesty, about women in numbers, about sisters in christ, about what hatred can do to tear sisters apart, about how communion is just a tiny taste of a crumb of what the banquet will be like, about forgiveness of yourself, about boundaries if you are in bad relationships, yall even about how women of the 70's could not even get a credit card in their own name!  Say what!!!!!!  I mean I learned and I learned some more and some more and some more and I grew!  Boy did I grow!

Me and my AMAZING small group!

I had the most amazing small group!  They were so kind and loving and patient!  We had 9 women, each of us from a different backgrounds, different generations, and most importantly different stories! I learned as women we all have a story and most of our stories have pain.  I watched as we slowly opened up about our story and who we were and an amazing beautiful thing happen with my group.  Jesus filled our room and we all became connected.  We all looked at each other and felt love, we saw the face of God in each of us.  We all were sitting there with either fresh open wounds or wounds from the past and Jesus held our group in his arms and the love that surrounded us was something I cannot even begin to describe.  I am in tears writing about it now.    

Yall! Every woman has a story!  And it is amazing when you really stop to listen to someone's story, I mean really stop to listen, what miracles come from it.  Every Woman has a story and that story is important.  Your story is important!  Who are your sisters?  Who can you turn to?  Who can you get down and dirty with and show your ugliest side?  Your fears, your hurts, your disappointments?  Who?  If you have no one, again I would love to softly and quietly whisper, find a church you are comfortable in.  This can take time and work, but the joys and love that come from this will be amazing.  Trust me.  Get out of your comfort zone and do like I did.  Just roll with it.

One last funny:  Remember at the begininng of this post when I said I really thought Hannah made a mistake....well, I am 100 percent convinced she did because my name tag was on the floor by me and one of my group members, who is VERY involved at the church, picked it up and said, "OH Amy lost her name tag, I have to get this to her."  Yall she was looking at me saying it not knowing my last name was Berry!  I chuckled and said that was me and there are like 5 other Amy Berry's and we went on.....you know what that was.....that was a wink from God saying "Well done Amy, you did it and you got this and watch the miracles happen this weekend!"  And boy did they!

xo,

Amy

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15 Years Ago Today, Our World Was Forever Changed and Forever Blessed!

I can't believe that 15 years ago today, I woke up at 5:00 am to realize I was in labor.  Again, 6 weeks early to the day like his brother and literally 14 months after having his brother!  John Paul decided today was his day to make his appearance!  And boy did he!  He was maybe the most beautiful new born I have ever seen! Truly!  But, he was by far the most difficult baby in the womb.  I mean yall, I was sick EVERY day!  I weighed maybe 125 lbs the day he was born and to put that into perspective for you I weigh about 150 to 152 lbs depending on the day!  So as you can see I was SERIOUSLY sick.  Thank God I had the most amazing doctor and home care nurse known to man. They truly were an incredible team and they truly were amazing!  I will forever be grateful to them.  But, the point is, 15 years ago today our world was forever changed and forever blessed.

My amazing nurse Teresa and my beautiful mom and I.

I remember when I found out I was pregnant with JP.  I had just returned from a trip to Colorado to spread the ashes of a very dear friend of mine and I was already emotionally wrought.  When I took the test and it showed up positive I crumbled.  I remember looking at Will who was only 7 months old at the time and thinking, "How can I ever love another child?"  I am sure other mothers can testify that this is a real fear.  One that is healthy, but I promise you the minute the second baby is born it is a fear that fades away into the world like it never even happened.   I can tell you that I love my JP every bit as much as I love his brother Will.  Heck if we are being honest somedays he is my favorite, other days Will is my favorite, and still other days Graeme is my favorite!  It all depends on who is behaving!  Just kidding!  Kind of!  I love them all so much and I love my JP so much!  I digressed again!

Back to the morning of February 21.  I remember I woke up and I had a horrible dream.  It was actually a dream about me having a baby.  Only in my dream JP was a little girl and she was born still born and my childhood neighbor was helping deliver her.  She kept saying to me she was with God she did not want to be in this world.  I remember waking up crying and seeing that it was 5:03 am and pop!  My water broke!  I leaned over and told Trey it was go time.  We of course were not ready as it was 6 weeks too early, but  I remember he was so great with me though and reassured me all would be ok. 

My mom was with us as I had been so sick that our parents took turns coming to stay with us and help to take care of Will.  That was a bonus being I was so scared and I really loved having my mom there.  On the way to the hospital I remember crying and Trey kept telling me everything was going to be great.  I did not have the heart to tell him about my dream.  I was TERRIFIED and this baby was coming and there was no time to really think about it.  We did not know the sex of JP so it really was scary because I had no idea if he was a boy or a girl.   I kept praying to myself, "God please no....don't let this be a still born little girl....please God.  Please let this baby be healthy.  Please God Please!"  That is all I kept praying. 

My mom and John Paul the day we brought him home from the hospital.  Look at the love in her eyes.

I will spare you all the details of the delivery because honestly it was pretty non eventful, which is a great thing!  I do remember my sweet mom having a hard time watching me in pain and watching me push, but our neighbor Kerry, who happened to be a nurse, and my nurse Teresa did a great job of shielding her and tending to her.  I am so glad she had them because they talked her through everything so she was able to stay in the room and she was with us the moment our beautiful son JP was born.  What a miracle and what a blessing!  And to have my mom there made it even more special!  Sure she had birthed four kids of her own, but watching her grandson come into the world she said was a day that she would never forget and she would always cherish.  

I remember the moment the doctor said, "We have a baby!"  And my husband literally yelled, "Is it a hang down or a split tail doc?!"  For real yall!  I have it on video somewhere!  She looked at me with a beautiful smile (chuckling) and said, "It's a boy!  A beautiful little boy!"  And he was so beautiful!  Will had to be sucked out so he had a little cone head, but somehow my sweet JP's tiny little head was perfect and round and he was stunning!  And would you believe that he was born at 2:10 PM, weighed 5 lbs, 10 ounces and was 19 inches long and Will Berry was born at 2:10 AM, weighed 5 lbs, 10 ounces and was 19 inches long.  And they BOTH were born 6 weeks early to the day!   I think that is so cool!  

15 years ago today I was blessed with our second son and blessed with the gift of JP and what a gift he is.   He has grown into such an amazingly talented young man with such a bright future ahead of him!  Ever since the day he was born I have tried to be the best parent I can be.  Having a baby changes EVERYTHING and having TWO babies REALLY changes everything!  Priorities shift... and the day JP was born my priorities changed to not only Will, but Will and JP and our precious family.

Priorities of helping them feel important, empowering them,  teaching them about Jesus, finding time for the things that matter to each of them.  Laughing with them, crying with them, growing with them, listening to them, and all the moments in between.  Sure we disagree and my biggest fear when this happens is do they know that even in disappointments I love them?  Do they know that I will make mistakes or they will make mistakes, but,  I WILL ALWAYS LOVE THEM.  No matter what, I love them!   Do they know this?  That is the priority!  Love!  Unconditional love.  

So, as I reflect back on the last 15 years, I sit here in awe.  I am in awe of the young man JP has become and I can't wait to see what the future has in store for him.  I know my boy is a star and he has such a beautiful future ahead of him.  The world is his and I pray every day he realizes how loved he is, how amazing he is, and how he can be and do anything he wants to!

Happy Birthday my JP Bear!  Believe in yourself JP and you WILL be unstoppable!  I believe in you! 

All my Love,

Mom

Hello, World!

Don't Give Up on Joy

When I started my planning for this month on the blog, I started with the idea of writing about what I love.  We are in the month of February after all.  One thing I have really enjoyed on my blogging journey  and truly fallen in love with is highlighting people in my life that I am so blessed to know.  People who have blessed me and others in various ways.  It brings  so much joy to my soul to share with you all stories from my AMAZING friends and today is no different.  I am just giddy writing about this person! 

So far you have learned about my friend who has taken on a holistic lifestyle.  You have learned about my friend who lost his wife and befriended a homeless man who gave him life.  You have learned about an amazing little girl with the heart the size of heaven.  You have learned about my social media guru, and lastly about my dear friend who lost four children and still finds joy in life.  For the most part there is a common thread.  The thread of suffering, but still finding joy.  Not giving up.  Living through the suffering and even being thankful in it at times. 

Today is no different.  Today I want to introduce you to yet another amazing individual who has endured some really tough times, but has emerged with joy.  She is raw, she is vulnerable, she is wise beyond her years, and she is joyful!  Today I want to introduce you to Dresha!  

Dresha and I met this past summer at dance and we immediately connected.  One day I shared with her my dream of writing and she said, "Do it!  I blog, you should too! And I will help you!"  Yall, she came over that day and the rest was history.  I will forever be grateful to her for helping me take the first steps.    

Dresha's blog, which is titled Joy Speaks, is a bit different in that her mission is:

Joy Speaks aims to penetrate the world with the sweet, raw truths of the gospel. Through testimonial videos (Coming in 2018), building community relationships and service, we aim to place the gospel in places untouched while striving to create disciples and leaders of the current and next generation. 

In January, Dresha wrote a post that really spoke to me, like really spoke to me.  When you read it below and watch her video I know you will understand why, but I asked her that day if I could share it.  Of course she said yes and I feel like this month is the perfect month!  I hope you will take a moment and read her post below and watch her video.  I promise you will not be disappointed!

 

Don't Give Up...

Is what I had to tell myself every single day after a string of unfortunate events ending out the year of 2017. Grief would strike during an already weak season of my life, and I found it so incredibly hard to wake up to a purpose every morning. Mentally I was starting to tap out, seeing all that I had accomplished to a certain degree, deeming it acceptable - enough. I had graduated college, went to graduate school, loved hard, reconciled some relationships and led others to Christ. According to the detached version of myself, I had done just enough to get by and lived through many varying degrees of sadness and mourning. 

I was aimlessly driving around one night when the song 'The Greatest" came on my shuffled playlist. I've heard the song a million times, but this particular night the words were striking against my soul hard. "I'm free... Don't give up... I've got stamina..." the words kept playing over in my head as I slowly traced them next to my circumstances. I was down, but I wasn't out. Recognizing the attack on my mental health, I saw myself slipping down a path I had abandoned years ago.

With my head spinning in space, I remember just 'seeing' people dancing. Not necessarily me, but people, moving to the song and it brought me so much joy. I wanted to escape and join them to experience the freedom that they had. I was about three plays in when I realized I had an entire routine choreographed in my head. So naturally, I kept replaying it over and over making sure it stuck. 

I called up a few friends of mine to help bring it to life, just like I saw in my head that night. Thank you, Corinne, Kali, Carlos, Jay & Aneth for sharing your passion for dance with me! <3

I hope you enjoyed today's blog as much as I enjoyed writing it.  You can follow Dresha  at Facebook.com/joyspeaks1 and on instagram at @audresha.joyspeaks

Until next time!

xo, 

Amy

Hello, World!

Hello, World!

Toffee Bars With Some History

When I asked my friends and readers for some chocolate recipes, my dear friend Cathy gave me one that has some really cool history behind it.  It is a bar recipe and wouldn't you know I am terrible at making bars.  Full disclosure, for whatever reason mine NEVER look pretty, but when she told me the story behind the recipe and how she came about it, I was like, "Amy you are going to have to figure this out because this is just too cool!"  More full disclosure, you kind of have to live in our neighborhood to get it, but think small town, think roots, think history and everyone kind of knows everyone....especially if you are from here.  I am not, but I am from an AMAZING small town and this recipe makes me want to find one from home so I can share from my own roots. 

So the story is short and simple, but I found it cool.  Cathy, my friend, came across a garage sale in our hood.  This particular sale was at a woman's house by the name of Mimi McKnight who had passed away.   Cathy loves history and knew there would be some in this house so she went in and checked it out.  She ended up buying a ton of cookbooks, which really is ironic yall because she does not even cook, but she did and they ended up being chalk full of recipes from back in the day.   And the even cooler part of the story is that it  appears Ms. McKnight was an amazing cook and a caterer.  This particular recipe comes from a book that was put together for tastings for the Junior League Garden Club Committee's Creative Arts Show, on Saturday, March 19, 1966.  How stinking cool is that!  So of course I had to make this!  And yall it is so good.....mine are not pretty by any means, but oh my they are soooooooo good!  You can do all kinds of variations, like add sea salt, sprinkles, or m & m's, do whatever your family likes, but for today's post I made sure that half my pan was just like Ms. McKnight's recipe.  One thing I would suggest, make sure to spread the chocolate when it starts to melt before adding whatever toppings you are adding.  This was the mistake I made because I did the recipe just as it was written, but I think Ms. McKnight assumed people are smarter than I am! :) So spread your chocolate!  And place them in the refrigerator to harden....other than that.....these babies are awesome!  Hope you enjoy them as much as my family and I did!

TOFFEE BARS.......LORA SPITLER

MIX TOGETHER: 1 CUP MELTED BUTTER

1 CUP BROWN SUGAR

1 EGG YOLK

2 CUPS FLOUR

1 TEASPOON VANILLA

Spread on cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 18 minutes.  While hot sprinkle on 1 pkg of chocolate chips.  Let set for moment before spreading ground nuts on top.

They got the thumbs up from this cutie pie!

Easy Peasy and oh so good!  Hope you like them!

Bon Appetit!

xo,

Amy

Hello, World!

A Love Letter to Trey

When I started my blog and my writing I made a pact with my husband I would not air any of our dirty laundry.  I am very open as most of you know by now and Trey's one request is that I would respect our "stuff."  I agreed with him, but with the knowledge of knowing at some time I would have to make it very clear that our marriage is not a story book marriage. 

No marriage that I know of is and we are no different.  We have our ups and downs.  Our good times and our bad times.  We have our scary moments and our moments of sheer joy.  What I think sets us apart from some marriages is that A. we never forget who is at the center of our marriage,  God, and B.  We never quit on each other.  I mean seriously people, if we did not have God at the center of our marriage, our marriage would of been over so long ago.  Promise.  It is just too hard in this broken world and without God we would be so lost and it would be so easy to just quit.  But we don't.  So today I want to thank my husband for not quitting ever.

Dear Trey, 

It's Valentines Day!  A day for love and romance.  After 17 years of marriage and really almost 26 years together since we met, I realize how lucky I am and that it is not just about the love and romance.  The romance comes and goes in a fleeting moment, but what you and I have....well, that has stood some test that would shake any relationship to it's core and we have managed to somehow come out of it stronger.  Why?  I firmly believe it starts with our faith in God and I know I have you to thank for that.  Sure my parents did a great job while I was growing up to get me to church and Sunday school.  They prayed over meals with me and at bedtime and I do think that set my foundation, but being married to you has been what has really challenged me in my faith and I mean this in a good way.  I will never forget when I got really sick in college and you wrote me a get well card that said, "I will be praying for you."  I thought that was weird!  A junior in college is going to pray for me?  Little did I know that was a glimpse into your passion for Christ.  As we got to know each other more and I got to witness first hand your love for God and I too began to grow in my faith.  Watching you made me want to be better.  Watching you made me want to know God more.  Watching you made me want to really have a faith and really trust in God.  You pushed me in my faith in times when I was frozen or had my back to it.  You never gave up on me in my walk and if I fall short again I still don't think you will give up on me.  Through you I have learned so much about grace, about forgiveness, about true love, and about faith.  For this I will forever be grateful. I grow to love you more everyday and I did not think this was possible, but it is true.  Naturally we have difficult moments where I wonder, "how are we going to make it through this time?" And I know unfortunately there will be more of those moments in the future, but I would not trade any of it for the world because I do think it is part of our love story and part of our journey.  There is no one else in the world who I would want to travel this path with but you, because Trey Berry, I love you and I am proud of the husband you are and so very proud of the father you are.  I love you more today than I did yesterday and less than I will tomorrow!  I love you big!  

LYMSIL,

Amy   

Hello, World!

Hello, World!

What Do You Radiate?

It's Valentines Day in a few days!  Have you even wondered where on earth or who on earth came up with this day?  I know I have, so I took a few minutes and researched it a bit and I found it very interesting and ironic really.   Did you know it started as a Roman tradition many many many many years ago?!  And it was said to have been in mid February to signify the coming of spring.  Unfortunately for us this year, our dear friend the ground hog saw his shadow.....so we are out of luck, but with that being said that is one of the reasons Valentines Day was first started.  

However,  did you know Valentine's Day has a dark side to it as well?  It is said that way back when, Emperor Claudius II executed two men-both named Valentine on February 14 of different years in the 3rd century A.D.  The Catholic Church, believe it or not, deemed February 14 the day of romance named for their Christian Martyr's.  I find this so odd and ironic seeing that priest cannot even get married, but hey that is beside the point. The point is, these poor guys were beheaded for helping Christian couples wed. So Valentines day was not made up by some genius who is making a ton a money, which is what I originally thought.  No, February has been celebrated for many a years as the month of romance, and Valentines day as we know it today contains traces of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition. 

After learning the roots of Valentines,  I do understand now why we celebrate it the way we do.  I also understand however, that it still leaves some people feeling empty.   That makes me sad.  I remember many a Valentine where I was left feeling empty thinking I had no one to love me romantically.  I was very blessed in I knew my parents, family, and friends loved me, but think of those who feel alone all the way around?  It is my guess in this broken world and in this world that feeds us so many lies, there will be a lot of people hurting Wednesday February 14.  Maybe even those who have someone to love them.  You never know what is going on behind that smile or in someone's heart. 

It's the law of radiation and attraction my dear.....

So I want to challenge myself and all my readers to really embrace something I was raised on.  My dad always said to me, "Amy, it is the law of radiation and attraction, you get what you give in life.....you give love, you get love, you give hate, you get hate."

I want to challenge us all, on this Valentines, to do a few things.  Dress the part if you can.  Wear something pink or red.  This is the easiest way to spread Valentine's cheer, but I want us all to pay it forward somehow.  Whether it is a smile to a stranger, letting that aggressive driver in, paying for the car behind you's coffee, or just giving a hug to your bagger at the supermarket.   Do something kind for someone outside of your circle today.  You will be surprised at the feeling that wells up inside of you.  That feeling is called love.  

If you are alone on this day, treat yourself to the spa, or that piece of cake you would never eat.  Take a long walk or drive and look at the beauty of the world.  Love yourself and be kind to yourself.  After all you too are worthy of love.  We all are and we are all in this day together so let's spread love.  Remember....whatever is going on in your mind is what you are attracting....Let's all love.....love hard....love pure....because people are worthy of love.  

xo,

Amy

Hello, World!

 

   

Grandpa's Favorite Dessert!

For whatever reason, and let's face it... we all know the reason, I associate February with chocolate.  Which really is not all that bad if you think about it.  We are talking about chocolate.  It could be worse we could be talking about Spinach or Kale!  Anyways, point is, I associate February with chocolate and this month my plan is to share one chocolate recipe with you a week.  I have a ton, because I do love me some chocolate!  So if you like chocolate as much as I do, tune in every Wednesday and see if you like what I am cooking!  I bet you will. 

I would also LOVE for you to send me any chocolate recipe you have that you love. I would love to try them all and  I will highlight you and your recipe sometime this year!  It's a win-win!  I get to add more recipes to my collection and you can share your recipe with my readers!  I love that!  I hope you do too!

See how it floats in the syrup....trust me, when you are putting the batter into the syrup it is even weirder!

So for today's chocolate recipe, you should know this recipe is very near and dear to my heart.  It is my dads absolute FAVORITE dessert in the entire world.  My mother use to make it for him for every birthday and anniversary.  Full disclosure, it looks odd (and that is being kind with my words) while cooking, but I promise it is delish!  It is just not real pretty!  As a matter of fact, my baby brother Paul made fun of me in December when I made it for our father.  He was placing bets that it was a flop because yall it looks that bad! BUT!  It was not!  EVERYONE loved it, but most importantly my Dad loved it and loved that I took the time to bring a little bit of mom to him on his first birthday without her.  This recipe is perfect for any special occasion or if you are having a special valentines dinner with your kiddos or someone you love.  Remember....keep going even if it looks weird or just not right.....it is.....I promise!  

Me rubbing it in my baby brother Paul's face that I had actually nailed the dessert!

Irene's Devil's Float

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 cups water

2 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup of flour

3 tablespoons coco

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup whole milk

PREP:

Preheat oven to 350 and grease a square baking pan 8 x 8

combine 1 cup of sugar and water in a pan and boil for 10 minutes

cream the butter and remaining sugar together, add the vanilla

sift the dry ingredients together

slowly add dry ingredients with creamed butter, sugar, and vanilla as well as milk

pour your syrup mixture of water and sugar in a square pan and pour your baking mixture on top of this.  (This is wear the looks go downhill.....keep going....you are doing great!)

Keep Calm and know everyone will love this!  

Trust me!!!!!

Bake on 350 for 40-45 minutes

You can serve this with homemade whip cream, or cool whip or ice cream.  Our family prefers homemade whip cream which I will share with you how I make this below.  If your family likes nuts you can fold in  1/2 cup chopped nuts to baking mixture before you pour onto the syrup.   My dad does not like the nuts so we leave those out.

Homemade whip cream:

1 Cup cold heavy whipping cream

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Put glass bowl in a freezer for 10-20 minutes to chill.  Pour heavy whipping cream into bowl and add vanilla and whisk or beat on high speed....slowly fold in sugar and keep whisking or beat until medium to stiff peaks form

Simple and oh so good!

Even the little ones loved it!

I am telling you EVERYONE loved it!  And my dad was so proud of me..I like that!

Can't wait to hear how this turns out for you and hope you love it as much as our family does!  Enjoy and Bon Appetit!

xo,

Amy

Who was I?

Do you remember who you were before the world got a hold of you?  Think about it for a minute.  Meditate on it.....Now think about who you have become.  Do you like what you see, what you feel?  I know I do now, BUT it has been a long time coming that is for sure.  

Life is hard and the world is hard on us,  which makes us become hard on ourselves.  For some reason we stop opening our hearts and we stop being who we are meant to be and we become frozen in who the world tells us to be.  Why?  I believe there a lot of reasons and I am old enough that I cannot fall on the blaming the "technology train. "  There was T.V. back when I was growing up and magazine stands and somewhere along the line, the beautiful Marliyn Monroe faded into the sunset and our idea of beauty and power became the cover of every magazine. 

We have lost touch of what beauty on the inside is because we are so focused on what beauty on the outside is and how maybe that could bring us power.   I know I was terrified of life and being who I am really am on the inside.  Which honestly is so much more beautiful than what is on the outside. Think about it.  How many people have ever said to you, "Your outside beauty brought me so much courage and strength, that I know I can get through this situation!"  SAID NO ONE EVER!  Well maybe someone has, but I can assure no one has ever said that to me. 

I know I use to think if I was just pretty enough someone would love me, but guess what, how could they if I did not love myself?  Loving myself had nothing to do with the size of my jeans or the tight tummy I had and could show off in bikinis.  Believe it or not, I am more confident now in my bikini and I have little jiggle in each every step!  You know why that jiggle makes me happy?  Because I have three miracles to show for it and one in heaven.  I could lose that jiggle if I really wanted to.  That would require some extra work and honestly I am ok not being a size 2-4 anymore, as long as I am healthy, fit and happy. I truly am, but it is because I am going back to my roots

What was I like?  I can tell you I was creative, I was spontaneous, and I had a sense of adventure in me.  When I look back over the years and try to discern how I lost it, it always seems to come back to outwardness.  If I was this size, if I wore this, if I had this skin care, if I have this friend, if I do this volunteer job or committee, if I get invited to this event.....if....if....if.....when I look at all those if's I see sadness, fear, loneliness, and doubt written all over my face, even when I was smiling.  I see a little girl trying to live up to the world's expectations and not to who she was brought to this earth to be.  Sure I thought I was a badass and beautiful, but I was honestly terrified and frozen and probably did not even know it a lot of the time.

Then mom got sick and my world went upside down, but a beautiful thing happened....she and I would talk about the past and remember things I did and loved.   I started remembering my roots. 

I started to realize how much I miss that girl, the one I tried to hide because the world might think she is strange, different, or no fun.   I realized I needed her.  I needed her confidence, her free spirit, her passion, her fire, her creativity and sense of adventure.  I needed her to show me that I did not need the next drink to be fun and people to like me.  I needed her to show me that yes going to bible study actually was a fun thing and very healthy for my mind.  I needed her to say, yes go to a dance class.  Have fun, you can do it, and you will love it!  I needed her to remind me of what and who my priorities are and that my friends will love me regardless.  I needed her to remind me, when my priorities are in tact, I can say no because I don't need affirmation from others just because my name was on some committee or because I got invited to some event.  I needed her to remind me that while I do have many responsibilities in life, I need to make space for myself....whether that is through, dance, writing, spending time alone, or with others, I need to remember to love me.  Then and only then can others love me.  I want to bring back the good parts of my old self!

I want to mold my old self with the wisdom  I have gained in my new self over the years through good times and bad, sad and happy times, healthy and not so healthy times.  I want to be more open and passionate about my life.  I want love and respect who I have become.  I have decided to bring back the best of the old me and blend it with the best of my new self and even though I am no longer a size 2-4 I am happy and confident and I am ready to love me. 

So my challenge for you my dear reader is, during this beautiful month of February. let's all remember who we were before the world told us who we should be.  Let's bring back the good parts of us and mold them with the beautiful parts of who we are now and let's watch the miracles unfold when you really do become our true selves.

For as Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, "To be true to yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment."  

xo,

Amy

Valentines Day? Who Came Up With This?

I use to hate the month of February!  When I was single that is and at the beginning of our marriage due to ridiculous expectations!  I mean who made up Valentine's Day anyway?  Whoever did, they were really smart and I am jealous because the idea of Love is one everyone understands.  Right? 

Let's face it, we all want to be loved and if we are really being honest we all want to be loved in a magical, romantic way.  I know I do, but full disclosure here, I married a man whose love language is not romance and definitely not gift giving.  Mine is, maybe that is why I get caught and wrapped up in it.  However, I married a man whose love language is time.  It took a lot of years for me to embrace this and not get my feelings hurt.  That is why I use to hate this month. The month of February puts so much pressure on anyone and everyone who wants to be loved romantically.  So I decided to take this month at a different angle and embrace the word love, but take out the word romance in my head.  This is hard when hallmark like commercials are on TV, but I can do it and so can you if you are anything like me.

I have decided this month, I will focus on love, but what I love and why I love it.  I mean everything from my family to food and anything in between.  This month, you guys will learn what really makes me tick and why.  Some of it might be funny while some of it might be serious, but maybe you will get to know me a little more and maybe through it we will get passed the notion of Valentines has to be for lovers only and make Valentines fun for all!

I want to start off with talking to you about my new found love for writing.  I LOVE writing.  I love pouring my heart into what I write and sharing my stories, thoughts, pains, passions, and dreams, as well as others dreams and desires.  There are so many good people in this world doing good that I really get a kick out of highlighting them and their passion.  It feels good to help someone else pursue their dreams even if it only touches one person. And let's face it....it is so much better to hear feel good stories or stories about people doing good than what the daily news provides us!  Right?

I love talking openly to you about my hurts and my disappointments.  Why?  Honestly, it is cathartic in a weird way, but inevitably someone usually, not always, ends up touched by what I am struggling with or they offer me some good advice or my pain might help that person if they are walking in my shoes to know they are not alone.  It is really a magical thing when you feel like you are all alone in your hurt and you open it up to the world and someone says, "hey you are not alone."  Something happens on the inside that makes you say, "I can do this and everything will be ok."  After all, isn't that what we all want.  To know we are ok? 

I know it is what I needed when I was walking (I still am walking) through the grief of losing my mom.  It helped me to hear stories from others in my shoes.  It helped me to know that yes it does take a stupid long time to get through it.  It was my mom and she was my best friend.  I use to feel guilty for playing the dead mom card (terrible wording I know, but it is truth) months after she had passed.  Then one reader messaged me and said, "hey this a long process when you lose a mom.  Text books tell you give yourself 12-18 months, but I would tell you give yourself whatever you need."  That helped me.  That helped me see it is okay to still miss her EVERY day and once I gave myself that permission, I was able to live joyfully even in one of my greatest losses. 

I love writing to you about my three greatest joys!  Will, JP, and Graeme.  I love sharing what I am reading and what I am cooking!  I just love sharing!  Not that I am that interesting, but I will say, when I do share something, whether it is positive or a trying situation,  just the simple act of me writing about it and sharing it helps me grow! I realize every time I write a story how blessed I am.  Blessed in general, blessed with you as an audience who can lift me up or offer advice, and blessed to have the ability to even do just that, write! 

So this month I am choosing to write about love, not the romantic kind, but the kind that makes you happy like chocolate, or the kind that helps you heal, like writing, or the kind that makes you want to get up daily and see what the day shall bring, like my kids....This month I will share with you most of my loves!  So grab a box of chocolates and sit back and enjoy!

xo,

Amy  

Healthy Chicken Feta! Oh So Good!

I don't know about you guys, but being a mom of three growing boys who are VERY busy doing ALL kinds of activities I am always looking for two things when it comes to dinner...well, really three.  Is it healthy?  Is it easy?  Is it good? Ok I lied!  Four!  Is it quick!?  That is key in my household!  I need to be able to make something that is healthy, easy, good, and pretty quick to make.  I have to say I don't usually nail all four, but today I have one for you that I nailed it!  It incorporates all of those requirements and I am just giddy about it because it is so easy and so good!  Now I spun this recipe off of a recipe I got from primal mom and I promise if you take the time to check her out you will find some pretty tasty dishes.  All of which are good for you!  You can check her out here:  www.primalmom.com

CHICKEN FETA

INGREDIENTS:

4-6 Chicken Breast

8 Tablespoons grass fed butter divided

1 -2 garlic cloves minced

2 teaspoons dried oregano

2 teaspoons dried parsley

2 teaspoons dried basil

2 teaspoons garlic powder

2-4 avocados depending on your family's needs

1 bag of spinach

1 cup of cherry tomatoes

1/2 cup feta cheese

PREP and INSTRUCTIONS: 

Cut your chicken breast in half, length wise

Slice your avocado and tomoatoes

In a plastic baggie put all your dry seasonings and 4 tablespoons of butter melted and your minced garlic.  Place your chicken breast in the baggie and shake until coated nicely.

Place your chicken in a greased pan 

Preheat oven 400 degrees

Bake Chicken at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until cooked thoroughly

While Chicken is baking place the rest of your butter in skillet on medium heat.  When the butter is melted add your spinach and saute the spinach until it is wilted, approximately 2 minutes.

Once wilted divide spinach on each plate, place a chicken breast on top of spinach and sprinkle with tomatoes, avocados, and feta.

So easy and so good! 

Another option is making a sandwich and my kids love me to get the Hawaiian rolls and fill the roll with all the ingredients that you put on your plate.  Not quite as healthy, but oh so good!

What are you cooking these days that is easy, healthy, quick, and good?  I would love to know as I am always searching for new dinner ideas!

Bon Apetit!

xo,

Amy 

 

January Book Review

It's here!  My first book review of 2018!  Well kinda, seeing that I actually did an entire post on two of the books I read this month!  But that is because they were so good!  It also helped that I actually knew the authors and it was so cool to read my friends books!  I will recap both those books here as well, but if you did not get a chance to see those post you should check them out.  My friends are amazing and their stories are even more amazing! So grab a cup of joe and sit back and read.  I have read FIVE books this month and not one of them disappoints!

Crazy Rich Asians

By Kevin Kwan

Buy on Amazon

My first book to pick up this month was Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan and I loved, loved, loved, this book!  Now I will not lie, when I bought it, I was quite uncomfortable carrying it to the counter to check out.  I mean look at the title!  But then the nice lady checking me out told me not to worry that the man who wrote it is Asian and that solved that! This book will grab your attention immediately and have you rolling in your chair!  It is hysterical and just like the title the book is about crazy rich asians!  It opens with a cute little asian couple dating in New York City and they are going back to Singapore to meet the boyfriends family.  She has no clue what she is walking into and let's just say it is what I imagine The Housewives of Singapore on steroids would look like.  I kept asking my friend Shirley, who is asian, is this stuff for real over there?  Apparently it is which has me even more intrigued.  Now I kind of want to put Singapore on the bucket list!  I mean that good yall!  This book is light and funny, but I think anyone who picks it up will get a kick out of it!  I highly suggest this book to any and all readers!  

The Wedding Bees: A Novel of Honey, Love, and Manners

By Sarah-Kate Lynch

Buy on Amazon

For Christmas, my amazing friend Lyndsy got me the best gift you could ever give a friend who loves to read!  Four books and a candle!  Thank you Blizzard!  The first one I opened I could not put down!  It was so cute and charming and had my attention from the get go!  It is The Wedding Bees: A Novel of Honey, Love, and Manners by Sarah-Kate Lynch.  This is a sweet story of love, manners, a difficult mom,  and friendships that you cultivate over time.   It really teaches the idea of you really don't know someones story until you take time with them and just love them where they are.  I love that!  And I love the main character in this book, Sugar.  Sugar is a bee keeper who let's her bees dictate where she will live and low and behold because of her bees she finds love and beautiful quirky friends in an apartment in New York City.  She learns to forgive herself and her past and she teaches people how to truly love themselves all the while they are teaching her how to let others love her.  This book is a great book to pick up on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon, cuddled up on the couch, and just let yourself go!  I loved this book and I know you will too!

Let God Be God: Life-Changing Truths from the Book of Job

By Ray C. Stedman

Buy on Amazon

My next book to complete this month I actually started a while back and started as a study by myself.  It is Let God be God: Life-Changing Truths from the Book of Job by Ray C. Stedman.  Let me say this book was life changing for me.  I actually started it because I was struggling with the question of, "Why do bad things happen to good people?"  When I googled, (yes that is how I found this book) that particular question,  this book popped up and I thought what the heck!  And boy am I glad I listened to myself and ordered it.  Yall, I dove into this book every morning and I mean dove!  It was talking to me on so many levels!  Levels of pain and fear I did not even know were in there and then something else happened that was nothing short of miraculous, I began to change and I mean really change.  I could feel the Holy Spirit and I could feel myself being drawn to Him.  This is a wonderful feeling when you have been wallowing in your sorrow or whatever it is.  I was actually finding joy in my pain and I was actually thankful for it!  No this does not happen every time something goes wrong, but you can bet your bottom dollar this book stays by bed as a constant reminder to let God be God both in times of pain and in times of joy.  If you are looking to grow in your relationship with Christ  or if you are looking for answers to why is this happening to me or to my loved one, then this book is for you!  Let Job be your example like he is for me as to Why Bad Things Happen to Good People.  Get this book, dive into it daily, and I mean deep, and watch the Holy Spirit take over and the miracle of peace overcome you.  What do you have to lose?

My next two books I actually blogged about this past month so I will just do a quick recap and link you back to the original post.  I will not lie, both books are tough true stories, but both books have beautiful outcomes, and both books might inspire you to be more than you ever thought you could be. 

Same Kind of Different As Me

By Ron Hall, Denver Moore

Buy on Amazon

First one is Same Kind of Different as Me: a modern-day slave, an international art dealer, and the unlikely woman who bound them together written by Ron Hall, Denver Moore, and Lynn Vincent.  In a nutshell this story is about forgiveness and redemption and seeing and loving people for who they are.  No matter who that is.  Whether they are an adulterer, murder, poor, rich, you name it.  It is about love and it is about giving back.  It is a story that will move you to tears and teach you that even the unlovable is lovable.  It is a story that will change how you see the world.  I highly recommend reading the book and if you can seeing the movie.  It is truly amazing.  If you missed my post on it and would like to read it click here:  https://worthyheart.com/blog/2018/1/8/same-kind-of-different-as-me

www.tovasido.com

For my last book this month I read Borrowed Courage by Tova Sido.  Want to talk about a story that will move you.  My friend Tova is one of the most courageous, beautiful, kind, and loving individuals I know and boy does she have a story!   I have learned so much about faith, courage, and strength from her story and I know you will too.  If you missed my post on it this month you can read that here:  https://worthyheart.com/blog/2018/1/24/1xolteatcmaifb165qpkcdjzxft6q2

So as you can see I read a lot this month, but every book I read was amazing.  Not one disappointed me and all of them were page turners.  Some made me cry for sure, but they all made me laugh at times.  I think you guys will enjoy them all! 

Would love to know what is in your line up of books.  Thinking for the month of February I might do all LOVE stories, but the one I am reading now is pretty dark...did not mean for that to happen, just did, so give me some ideas please!  Always love to hear your suggestions!   Happy reading my friends!

xo,

Amy