by sherricrandall | Mar 8, 2024 | General
Last night as I was getting ready for bed, I was reflecting on my day and mid way through brushing my teeth, I ended up in tears. Why?
I am so grateful for my relationships with our four adult kids. It just so happened that I had talked to each of them yesterday and those conversations were filled with details of their everyday lives and their hopes and dreams for the future. Each call ended in an exchange of I love yous.
Mamas – read the story book ( for the 1,000th) time, make time for snuggles, stay up late and talk to those teenagers and cheer them on in their activities. I am convinced those hours spent long ago were the building blocks to where we are today! Have there been bumps along the way, of course! Parenting isn’t easy but it is easily the best gig on the planet!
You are most likely tired and often feel overwhelmed, honestly – at times I still do because you will always be their mama – but I can tell you your investment today is your reward in the future! God chose you to be the mom to your kiddos and He does not make mistakes. You got this mama!
by sherricrandall | Mar 5, 2024 | General
I spend a lot of time in airports and on planes. These last few months of travel have been filled with weather delays, cancelled flights, mechanical and medical emergencies. Oh the glamorous life of travel – haha!
All of these delays and cancellations has really required me to stretch myself in the area of being patient. I will be honest, it’s not easy and I struggle with being a patient person. Can any of you relate?
My observations have led me to believe there are two camps when dealing with situations that require us to be patient…
Camp 1 These are people who are calm, understanding, compassionate, and persevering.
Camp 2 These are people who are frantic, judgmental, complain and are impulsive
We have all heard the sayings, “Patience is a virtue,” “Good things come to those who wait,” or just the simple phrase of “be patient”. Easier said than done, right? It doesn’t help that we live in a frenetic world that keeps timing to a hectic pace fueled by modern conveniences, quick fixes and expectations to change over night.
I found some research by Sara Schnitker that said, we need to practice patients in three areas of our lives.
- Patience with others
- Patience with life’s hardships
- Patience with ourselves and our daily routines
I have asked myself some tough questions and I am encouraging you do the same. When confronted with a challenging situation do you live in Camp 1 or Camp 2? If you answered Camp 2, you are being super honest and that is a great place to start. It is our awareness that ultimately can bring about change. So much of life is out of our control but we can control how we react to it.
I am reminded of a passage from the Bible – Ephesians 4:2
God asks us to “conduct yourselves with humility, gentleness and patience. Accept each other with love.” Accepting and loving are always great guidelines.
Here are a few things I always keep on hand when traveling so that I have what I need to remain calm, understanding, compassionate and ultimately persevere through the situation.
- a full water bottle
- several high protein snacks
- a book ( I am a huge fan of my kindle )
- a great play list
- charged headphones
- a portable phone charger
I then incorporate prayer, kindness and understanding to those relaying the messaging, and a light hearted approach to those sitting around me. Always wanting to be part of the solution, not the problem. Do I always hit the mark, no, However; I do feel a sense of improvement as I navigate challenging travel and I believe this is spilling over into the personal areas of my life too.
I hope this helps just knowing that many of us want to be more patient and there are things we can do and practice to make our responses to life’s quirks and mishaps a bit more doable. Life is always about the journey.
by sherricrandall | Feb 20, 2024 | Recipes
Hummingbird Cake
Cake Layers:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 (8-oz.) can crushed pineapple in juice, undrained
- 2 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 4 medium bananas)
- 1 cup chopped pecans, toasted
- Crisco for greasing the cake pans
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 2 (8-oz.) packages cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2 (16-oz.) packages powdered sugar
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
Additional Ingredients:
- 1 cup pecan halves, toasted
- 1 c. shredded coconut
Directions
- Make cake batter:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Whisk together flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon in a large bowl; add eggs and oil, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in vanilla, pineapple, bananas, and toasted pecans.
- Add batter to cake pans:
Divide batter evenly among 3 well-greased (with shortening) and floured 9-inch round cake pans.
- Bake cake layers:
Bake in preheated oven until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks, and cool completely, about 1 hour.
- Prepare the Cream Cheese Frosting:
Beat cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer on medium-low speed until smooth. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating at low speed until blended after each addition. Stir in vanilla. Increase speed to medium-high, and beat until fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes
- Assemble Cake:
Place first cake layer on a serving platter; spread top with 1 cup of the frosting.
Top with second layer, and spread with 1 cup frosting. Top with third layer, and spread remaining frosting over top and sides of cake.
Sprinkle shredded coconut over the top and arrange pecan halves on top of cake in a circular pattern.
Enjoy !
by sherricrandall | Jan 15, 2024 | Recipes
Lemon and Dill Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 tsp. onion powder
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- ¾ pound fusilli pasta
- 1 bunch of asparagus tips
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest, plus juice of one lemon
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 ¼ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into small bite size pieces
- 1/2 c. half and half
- 1/2 c. Asiago shaved cheese
- ⅓ cup chopped fresh dill
Directions
- Season chicken generously with salt, pepper, garlic powder, oregano, and onion powder
- In large skillet, cook chicken in olive oil and spices until cooked thoroughly.
- Add chicken broth,1/2 tsp lemon zest, lemon juice and pasta, cook uncovered until pasta is tender
- Add asparagus and place lid on pan to steam the asparagus.
- Once asparagus is cooked, add half and half and Asiago cheese. Stir until pasta is covered and cheese is melted
- Add the remainder of lemon zest, additional salt and pepper to taste and top with fresh dill.
Enjoy!
by sherricrandall | Dec 4, 2023 | Recipes
Ginger Cookies
Ingredients
3/4 c. butter
1 c. sugar
1 egg beaten
1/4 c. molasses
extra sugar for rolling the dough
Sift together –
2 1/2 c. all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon ginger
Blend the butter, sugar , egg and molasses until smooth. Add the sifted ingredients.
Roll dough into small balls, then roll in sugar but DO NOT flatten.
Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.
Enjoy!!