Fiesta Crockpot Chicken

Over the years, "Taco Tuesday" has meant an easy meal with taco meat, soft tortillas, handfuls of cheese, and mounds of sour cream.

But to break the monotony of ground meat and packaged Mexican seasoning, I came up with a tasty chicken version. It's one of my favorite recipes that can be used in so many different meals. Fiesta Chicken can fill a taco, top a salad, create a casserole, or just be eaten with some melted cheese and a dollop of sour cheese. Yum!

Plus, it's made in the crockpot. One more reason to love "Taco Tuesday"!

Fiesta Crockpot Chicken

4 boneless chicken breasts (cooked in the crockpot and shredded)
1 can black beans (drained)
1 can corn (drained)
1 jar salsa
1 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin

Cook the chicken breasts for 4 hours on high. Then shred with a fork. Add rest of ingredients and cook on low for 4 hours.

Then, as mentioned above, serve Fiesta Chicken in any Mexican dish you like. Enjoy!

Neutral Home Design

As my children have gotten older, I've started thinking about decorating in neutral colors - even white! Here are a few of my favorite styles for inspiration.

Ballard Designs

Ballard Designs

Wayne Windham, Architect

The Enchanted Home

Many of these neutral looks can easily be added with duck cloth slipcovers. Acquiring neutral covers can be done through a seamstress, bought online or handmade (which is way beyond my sewing skills!) While my girls' muddy hands and sticky fingers are part of the past, I'll still have a problem keeping my Jack Russell and Yorkie off the bed!

I really love decorating, but I need to remember the many blessings I already have. Living in a well-decorated home makes me happy, but living with Christ needs to be my ultimate goal.

Orange & White Summer Style

Great summer look...orange high-low top, white jeans and fun accessories!

Ruffled Orange Top by lgb321 featuring patent leather flats

Closet Confidence

Creating a new fashion look can be a real challenge. Recently, I've tried to update my wardrobe with some new accessories. And I've learned new "trends" (fun but not always age appropriate) on the Polyvore website. It's allowed me to be creative and think of new ways to use the clothes I already own.

But sometimes I feel like I'm in a "fashion rut" and have been looking for ideas to improve my wardrobe.

Here are a few tips I recently saw on Redbook online:

1. Look in the mirror. Think about how you want to present yourself and how you can update your look. Maybe add some new colors or accessories.

2. Clean out your closet. Clearing clutter lets you assess what you need - and appreciate what you own!

3. Find a fashion mentor. Ask friends about their fashion ideas. Go shopping with friends or family, but if you're alone ask for ideas and advice from a store clerk.

4. Experiment. Step outside your wardrobe "safety zone." Some new things might work and others might fail miserably. But you will find new elements to make your own style.

5. Don't give up. And if you don't love it, leave it! Take back that new shirt if it doesn't look totally right when you get home. As your new look develops, you'll gradually see the clothes and makeup that are better for you. Develop your look and build your confidence!

In future Delight in the Sunlight posts, I'll be adding a few new "outfits" from my "Polyvore closet." It's become a fun hobby that challenges my design skills and fashion ideas. Plus, I get to see outfits created by other women (and some men) from around the world.

Of course, fashion can make you feel good about yourself, but true beauty comes from the inside out. I need to remind myself that fashion and makeup can take me only so far!

"Charm can lie, beauty can vanish, but a woman who fears the Lord should be praised." - Proverbs 31:30

"The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." - 1 Samuel 16:76

Pennies from Heaven

Ann Landers, the advice columnist, first introduced me to the concept of "pennies from heaven." About 10 years ago, right before the funeral of my husband's aunt, I read in Lander's column that the departed often leave pennies in our path to show that they're watching over us.

After the funeral service, we stopped at a convenience store. My car was filled with my three girls and two of their cousins. As I went into the store, I looked down and there were five pennies forming an arrow toward the door. When I came back to the car, I handed a coin to each of the children, knowing that "Aunt Tootsie" was sending me a sign.

This fascinating concept has touched my life many times over the years. My most amazing experience happened after my mother died. About a week after her funeral, I went on a trip with one of my daughters. Feeling blue about my mother's death, I decided to take a walk.

As I was coming down one hill, I began to wish for a penny in my path, a sign from my mother. Within a minute, I looked down in disbelief. There was a penny. And as I continued down the hill I began to find one penny after another until -- I was following a trail of pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters. With tears in my eyes, I knew that my mother's spirit was with me. 

Since that day, I've kept an envelope of "pennies from heaven" in my car. Every coin that I've found makes me smile and always makes my day a little brighter!

"For He will give his angels charge of you to guard you in all your ways."  Psalm 91:11



Angel's Pennies

I found a penny today
Just laying on the ground.
But it's not just a penny
This little coin I've found.

Found pennies come from heaven
that's what my Grandpa told me.
He said Angels tossed them down
Oh, how I loved that story!

He said when an Angel misses you
They toss a penny down.
Sometimes just to cheer you up
To make a smile out of your frown.

So don't pass by that penny
When you're feeling blue.
It may be a penny from heaven
That an Angel's tossed to you.

Blackberry Cobbler for the 4th!

Fresh blackberries have always been a favorite fruit in our house. So last year, when my husband added an orchard and a garden to his hunting camp, he made sure to plant lots of blackberry vines.

Starting in early June, my daughters and I began joining him to "pick the crop" off the trellises. (Although at times, there was more eating than picking!) The vines, thick with our crop, reminded me of the verse from John 15: "I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing". This was Jesus' acknowledgement that his living energy as well as his spiritual reality, would continue to nourish and sustain us. What an incredible gift from God! Read more at: http://www.gotquestions.org/true-vine.html#ixzz36S49okX4

We also gathered peppers, okra, kale, cabbage, tomatoes...enough produce to fill our fridge and to give to family and friends. Although we shared some of the blackberries, the majority have made their way into our "can't-believe-this-stuff-is-kinda-good-for-me" blackberry cobbler.

My oldest daughter found a great recipe that she altered to make it even healthier. We'll definitely add it to our 4th of July menu!

Blackberry Cobbler

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons cold butter
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1/4 cup boiling water
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup cold water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
4 cups fresh blackberries, rinsed & drained

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Then line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
2. In a large bowl, mix flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in butter and coconut oil until mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Stir in 1/4 cup boiling water until mixture is evenly moist.
3. In another bowl, dissolve cornstarch in cold water. Mix in remaining 1/2 cup sugar, lemon juice and blackberries. Transfer to a cast iron skillet and bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Drop spoonfuls of dough into the skillet over the blackberry mixture. Place skillet on foil lined baking sheet.
Bake 25 minutes, until dough is golden brown. (Optional: top with a scoop of ice cream.)

Enjoy a fresh dessert for the Fourth of July - or anytime!

Hot Yoga

After developing "runner's knee" from two decades of running way too many miles, I decided to try "Hot Yoga" with a friend. Having grown up in the South, I didn't mind sweating for an hour and a half. And despite some knee pain in certain poses, I really loved the stretching and peace found in learning the yoga positions.
Also I learned the meaning of "namaste" which is thrown around a lot these days. Done at the beginning and the end of class, it means "the divine in me honors the divine in you". To perform it, you say "namaste" as you place your hands together at the heart, close your eyes and bow your head.

So for a few weeks, it was all happy namaste, until I received the email about "the contest." A sweat flinging contest! The winner flings his or her sweat the farthest to the mirror. Gag. I couldn't stomach going back with the vision of beads of sweat flying all over the room. (Someone hand me the Lysol.)

So, I began doing yoga routines early in the morning.  For a beginner, like me, there are several good sites and uTube videos available. The best one I've found so far is at http://www.wholeliving.com

Among their tips for beginners:
1. Don't worry about being perfect.
2. Don't force it. Feel comfortable in every pose.
3. Connect to the pose. Don't think too much about it. Just feel it and breathe it.
4. Be open. Keep an open mind and tune into the possibilities within you.
5. Drink lots of water.

For me, with a lot of self-induced stress and anxiety, I've enjoyed a morning of "Six Mood-Boosting Yoga Poses". Created by consultant Kelly Larson, this 20-30 minute routine is based on postures shown to help stabilize mood. Larson points to a UCLA study that shows three types of yoga poses - standing, forward bends and back bends - positively affect moods.



http://www.wholeliving.com/135924/six-mood-boosting-yoga-poses/@center/179721/yoga

So rather than be a "hot mess" every day, try this routine to make yourself fitter as well as more relaxed. Namaste!