by sherricrandall | Feb 21, 2025 | General
I recently spent 10 days in Africa, Kenya to be precise. It truly was an amazing experience. As I have reflected on my time there , I keep returning to the unbelievable thought of how joyful the people are. I witnessed real hardship. Families living without electricity and running water. A shortage of food and medical care. Lack of schooling opportunities and unsafe living conditions due to crime and shelter inadequacy. So how can people be so joyful when I just told you all they have to overcome to survive each day?
I believe one of our MomCo leaders gave me insight to answer that question. Her name is Favour and she is an incredible woman. She lives in Zambia and her heart for Jesus and young moms is truly inspiring to me. I have had the pleasure of spending time with Favour several times now over the last few years and each time I leave her presence inspired. On our first day together I asked her how she was doing and she answered, “ I am doing well, by the grace of God.” When asked if she had a good night sleep or if she was learning a lot at the leadership summit she would answer, “Yes, by the grace of God.” Favour has a deep faith in God and truly lives out her faith even in her genuine responses to ordinary questions. She lives every day by the grace of God. Reality is if you are reading this, you are alive, by the grace of God.
I also learned a lot from the African culture which I think helped me to understand their joy despite their circumstances. Here are a few things I observed…
- Strong Community – Many African cultures emphasize communal living and close-knit relationships. This helps provide emotional support and a sense of belonging.
- Resilience and Optimism – Despite the many challenges, I watched the African women show up and work hard to provide for their families each and every day.
- Deep Rooted Culture – Music, dance, storytelling and festivals are central to many of the countries in Africa. These activities create shared moments of happiness.
- Connection to Nature – Many Africans live in close harmony with nature. I think this creates a sense of peace and appreciation for life.
- Faith is Important – Faith plays a significant role in many African societies. Having faith in Jesus and the promise of eternal life provides comfort, purpose and a positive outlook.
I am even more convinced that happiness comes from our circumstances and JOY comes from the Lord!
by sherricrandall | Nov 18, 2024 | Recipes
Sloppy Joes
- 1 pound lean ground beef or ground turkey
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
- 3/4 cup ketchup
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
- salt and ground black pepper to taste
Brown the ground meat in a large pan until well cooked and drain any fat. Add all ingredients and mix well.
I then place this in a crock pot and let simmer on low for about an hour. This allows all the ingredients to blend well.
Serve on your choice of bun, we love brioche buns.
This is an easy go to for when you have a crowd over the holidays. I typically double even triple this recipe for a crowd.
Enjoy!
by sherricrandall | Oct 19, 2024 | Recipes
White Chocolate Cranberry and Walnut Cookies
Ingredients
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter – softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup light brown sugar – packed
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 ½ cups white chocolate chips
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Directions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees and lightly grease your cookie sheets
- In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, Set aside
- In a large bowl, with a mixer, cream together butter and sugars
- Mix in eggs and vanilla
- Add dry ingredients and mix until just combined
- Fold in chocolate chips, cranberries, and walnuts
- Scoop cookie dough onto baking sheets
- Bake for 9-11 minutes until cookies begin to brown just around the edges. Allow to cool on the pan for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Enjoy!
by sherricrandall | Oct 10, 2024 | General
This past week is one of my favorite weeks of every year… MOMCON! The organization that I work for ( The MomCo ) hosts a huge conference every year for moms. Yes, you read that correctly. It is a unique setting that caters to placing high value on motherhood and Jesus. It is amazing and thousands of women attend every year. Everyday is jammed packed with inspiration from gifted main stage speakers, worship music, workshops, networking and just plain fun.
After one of the workshops that I taught, a sweet lady came up to me and said, “ I wish I could be the same woman I am at home as I am here at MOMCON.” I asked her to clarify for me what she meant by that statement. She went on to tell me that at the conference she was open to learning new things. She was actually slowing down and enjoying her food, she was listening intently to what others were saying and she was relaxed and found herself laughing, singing and dancing. She said she was so uptight at home, always worried she wasn’t doing everything right, that she was robbing herself and her kids from having fun, from learning, from laughing, from experiencing joy. She cried when she thanked me and told me she wasn’t going to waste this mountain top experience.
I have thought a lot about this mom since I got back home. I wonder how she is doing. Is she making those changes she so desperately wants to make or has she slid back into the daily worries and grind of her mothering routine?
Many of us who are Christians, have experienced that mountain top moment when we attend a conference, a camp. or a special Sunday morning. It is a time when we really encounter God in a deep way. These moments are amazing and provide us with spiritual growth. I would caution us to not just seek the spiritual high or think we only can encounter God in those types of moments or settings. We experience God in the valleys or difficult times in our lives too. But, if we are being really honest, most of our days are not the highest of highs or thankfully the lowest of lows. Most days fall into the category of mundane, a wake up and do it all over again type of day. Guess what, God is in those days too. Sometimes we just need to make the effort to look for him.
So now what? We are home, back to our daily lives. Normalcy is about to kick in. The best mountain top experiences will be the ones that can propel us forward and help us find renewal. I think MOMCON can be a catalyst for this type of transformation. Here are a few ways to process your experience…
- If you took notes, review them. What really spoke to you?
- Revisit how you felt. What was it that made this experience so meaningful for you?
- Ask yourself this question… What from this experience could you incorporate in your everyday life so that you can more frequently encounter God?
I pray for those of you who attended MOMCON. I pray that because of your time spent there you are freed to live with a deeper love for God and a stronger connection for the loved ones in your life and those you will encounter in random places. All is orchestrated by God, let’s be open to receiving all he has in store for us!
by sherricrandall | Sep 15, 2024 | Recipes
This delicious recipe is an original from Chef Giuseppina from Certaldo Italy. My family and I were so blessed to attend one of her cooking classes while we were in Italy this summer and this was the delicious dessert she taught us how to make.
Pannacotta
Ingredients
250 ml fresh cream
250 ml whole milk
5 Tablespoons of sugar
1 envelope of unflavored gelatin
1/2 vanilla pod
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
3 c. fresh seasonal fruit
fresh mint leaves
Directions
In a medium sauce pan, mix 3 tablespoons of sugar with the gelatin, vanilla seeds and also the pod. Add a little milk and mix well to obtain a smooth mixture without lumps. Add all the milk and the cream and continuously stir, bring to a boil.
As soon as it starts to curdle, turn off the heat and pour the panna cotta into small containers (glass jars) up to half. Let it to cool at room temperature and store in the refrigerator.
Prepare a fruit salad with strawberries raspberries, blackberries and blueberries. Add the zest and juice of 1 lemon, add sugar. Stir gently and refrigerate.
Before serving, season the panna cotta with fresh fruit on top and if you like, garnish with a fresh mint leaf.
Enjoy!
