yellow week: day 5 {looking for rainbows}

"The way I see it, if you want the RAINbow, you gotta put up with the RAIN." ~ Dolly Parton

That's such a life truth, isn't it? So many times there's just junk you've got to deal with as you journey your way through life. Rain leaves puddles. Rain can be messy as well as interrupting, but without the rain there wouldn't be flowers and fruit and new growth. I'm so thankful that in the rain, God sends the rainbows. I've really enjoyed yellow week...it's amazing what you see when you're on the lookout for it.

Here's hoping your weekend finds you discovering rainbows! Happy Friday!

yellow week: day 4 {comfort}

I was talking to my girlfriend, Debbie, yesterday and we were bemoaning the gray season that this is....no snow, no sun....gray skies and slush. She said that this time of year always reminded her of used up chewing gum. You know, you've been chewing it for a while and you're tired of it, it's got no flavor and you're just ready to spit it out. I thought that pretty much nailed it for me...so in an effort to share a little flavor, I thought I'd pass on two great comfort foods. We had White Chicken Chilli and Cornbread for dinner last night! Thus, the yellow photo above. (Kenzie made the cornbread and it was a hit!) These are economical, healthy and filling! Enjoy!
White Chicken Chilli

1 medium onion, finely chopped (I use frozen chopped onions...saves time)
1 4oz. can green chiles, chopped and drained
2 tsp. ground cumin
2 cans Great Northern beans (you can soak your own overnight to make it even more economical)
1 1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken
3 TBSP olive oil
3 TBSP flour
3 cups chicken broth

In a large pot, cook onion in oil for 4 minutes or until transparent. (don't brown the onion) Add chiles, flour and cumin, cook and stir for 2 minutes. Add beans (rinsed) and chicken broth; bring to a boil and reduce heat. Simmer for 10 minutes or until thickened. Add chicken and cook until hot. Garnish with sour cream or salsa if desired. Serve with Kenzie's Cornbread.

Kenzie's Cornbread

1 1/4 cups flour
3/4 cup corn meal
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1/4 cup canola oil
1 egg

Heat oven to 400. Grease 8 or 9 inch pan. Combine dry ingredients. Stir in milk, oil and egg, mixing just until dry ingredients are combined. Pour batter into prepared pan...allow to rest 10 minutes before baking. Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm....enjoy!

yellow week: day 3 {sweetness}

So my yellow photo for today was the fresh pineapple we had with our lunch. Canned pineapple can't even compare...We have one of those nifty pineapple corers that make the whole thing even more fun! (thanks Mamaw!) Fresh pineapple is so sweet. I noticed some sweetness today between my girls as well...Mckenzie has had a yucky cold (sneezing, coughing, watery eyes...you get the picture) To say the least, she has been drooping. On top of that, this is also the week that the girls are dog sitting for our neighbor. They have to be up the street to feed and walk Khota at 7:30am. So, this morning (without my prompting) Maggie woke up early and did the job all on her own so Kenzie could sleep in a bit longer! Isn't that just golden?

Note to self: reread this post when the girls are squawking as a reminder that there are sweet moments sprinkled here and there.

Oh yea, another sweet thing happened today. I got this gorgeous yarn in the mail from Larissa of Stitches in Play! She sent them to me as a thank you for being the first commenter on her blog! How sweet is that?! You should check out her place...she is very talented and her blog is just lovely! Thanks Larissa!

yellow week: day 2 {just like her}

This is Molly's dog bowl...she just was switched to a new food (salmon and sweet potatoes)because of allergies. We should have named her Itchy! She hates her new food, she leaves it all over the house. I'm stepping on it all day. I think she's trying to tell me something. The food is for her good though, she just doesn't know it! As I clean up after Molly throughout the day, I'm reminded of how my heavenly Father follows behind me, forgiving me, tending to my messes and keeping me on track. He often feeds me stuff that I would rather not have, but it's for my own good. I can trust that what He puts in my bowl is what I need to become more like Him. "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13

If you want to follow the yellow week group's photos on flickr, you can check out this link. My yellow week photo link is here.

Yellow week: day 1 {Yella!}

It's Kristyn's fault. She encouraged me to join Erin's yellow week challenge. So I went over to House on Hill Road to check it out and then I joined the flickr group. I did all this at 10:00pm last night and then I went to bed with images of yellow in my head. WARNING!!! Don't look at flickr right before bed....I'm sure I slept, but I dreamed in gold and maize and yellow. So I'll be looking for splashes of yellow this week and I'll be capturing them with my camera. But I'm also going to be watching and 'looking' for glimpses of gold as well. The things that are "Son" kissed in my life, those things that are precious truths that I need to be reminded of during each day. Last week I was choosing pink (read the end of the post) and this week I'm watching for yellow. Lest you think it's a box of happy colors over here all the time, Sunday was a gray day for me...I was in a funk; grouchy and irritable. John asked if there was anything he could do to help change the color of my day. (so sweet) Some days are like that you know, you just seem to wake up with a black crayon in your hand. But, as the day went on, I lassoed my thoughts and made some changes in my focus and let go of that black crayon. I share that because I never want to perpetuate the lie that I've got it all together or that things are always sunshiny. Everyone has rough days, "sorrows come to stretch out places in the heart for joy." streams in the desert But I must remind myself during those times when everything looks gray, of His promises and of the treasures He's given me. So, that's my focus this week. Feel free to join in! "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." James 1:17