Little Italy: Each day is a new adventure

August 28, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Peppers

Do you love Italian food?  I do, too!  Today our daughter Heather and I went to “Little Italy,” or Cinzetti’s in Overland Park, KS, for her church’s ladies’ brunch. This restaurant is an all-you-can-eat Italian feast, with 60 authentic dishes for a very reasonable price. It was heavenly. I felt like Julie in the movie Julie and Julia, eating the delicious bruschetta on the toast (this was the best part of the meal for me today!)

Some of the tasty foods on their menu that I tried are:

  • Bruschetta and bread – yes, I went back for more and more!
  • Fresh-cut fruit (melon, cantelope, grapes)
  • Insalata Mediterraneo
  • House Italian Salad
  • Chicken Marsala Rotini
  • Warm bread pudding (Did I mention that this is NOT the place to diet?!)

Other dishes you may enjoy there are:

  • Eggplant Parmesan
  • Lasagne Bolognese
  • Italian Sausage and Peppers
  • Mixed Grilled Vegetables
  • Fried Calamari with Arrabiata Sauce
  • Marinated Mushrooms
  • Homemade Minestrone Soup
  • Hawaiian Pizza
  • Home-made meatballs
  • Spaghetti Marinara
  • Farfalle Carbonara
  • Fresh Fruit Tartlets
  • Hand-dipped Gelato
  • Chocolate-dipped Strawberries
  • Tiramisu

I can’t pronounce all these words correctly and don’t know what some of them are, but I assure you that you will not leave this place hungry! 

What I really loved about the restaurant, other than the great food and service, was the way it was decorated. Mounds of fresh fruit, green and red peppers, purple eggplants, cans and glass jars of red tomatoes, olives, and capers, and beautiful glass bottles filled with oil and peppers were stacked openly in view on counters, displayed in front of the open kitchens, where chefs in white aprons and chef hats cooked the meals.

Friendly waiters and waitresses served you glasses of water with lemon, pink lemonade, sweet tea, or cups of hot coffee or creamy cappucino.  A wall rack  contained a variety of white and red wines.  The atmosphere was warm, inviting, and vibrant with color – an artist’s dream!

What I enjoyed the most about the afternoon, though, was spending time with Heather. I am so very thankful to God that Heather is not only my cherished daughter, but also my very dear friend. :)  

I am also grateful that while at the brunch, I was able to spend time with my long-time friend Debbie Nagel, and her two daughters Christen and Amber, who are like daughters to Ray and me. (I can’t believe “little” Amber is getting married soon!  Ray is giving her away at the wedding, as her dad passed away several years ago. I remember when Amber used to come to our house and play with our kids!)

From the book, 7 Ways to Be a Smarter Mom by Kasey Johnson that Heather loaned me to read today (no, it wasn’t a major hint from Heather, lol – she was reading it and I wanted to borrow it!), here’s an excerpt from the preface chapter on page 8 that I wanted to encourage you with today:

“When I seek God’s voice, I discover more about what it is He wants me to be. My challenges and temptations will be different than yours, but we share one very important element: we’ve never been at this exact place in our lives before. Each day is a new adventure. Each season of life brings new discoveries…”.

Whether it is trying a new restaurant like Cinzetti’s, going to a ladies’ brunch and meeting new faces, signing up for a college course, going horseback riding or skydiving for the first time, traveling to Africa or Italy or the next town you’ve never visited, inviting your neighbor over for coffee, making a decision to lose weight this year, writing that book, trying something new for your business, or spending more time with family and friends, let each day bring something fresh, inspiring, and adventurous into your life.  LIVE, dear friend, really LIVE!  Buon appetite!  Enjoy this gift of life God has given you – and thank Him!

Here are some videos of my great time there today. (I hope to go back soon, to take Ray and Leah to try it!)  Enjoy!

Vlog of me and Heather at Cinzetti’s

 

Vlog of Christen, Amber, and Debbie at Cinzetti’s

Vlog of Bruschetta and Salads buffet

Vlog of chefs at salad buffet

Vlog of bruschetta and toast

Vlog of pizza, egg, and dessert buffets

Vlog of cappucino and plate

Vlog of Heather by waterfall

Filed Under: Blog, Faith

The precious women of God in our lives

August 25, 2010 By 2 Comments

Patty Bartlett, Beth Jones, Diane Bishop

Today was a long but good day.  This morning, my friends Patty Bartlett and Diane Bishop, the speakers for our Wash Over Me ladies’ retreat here in Butler, stopped by so we could pray about the retreat.

I laid out Ray’s grandmother’s antique china teacups on the dining table, lit a scented candle, put on some water to boil, and set out the honey and a variety of herbal teas for us to enjoy sipping as we chatted and prayed.  Here is a pic of the three of us, sitting in my dining room today.  Don’t ya just love the bathroom toilet as the right elegant touch for the photo’s background, LOL! 

After tea and prayer,  I met sweet friends Lois Graham and Kimberly Ehlers in my Prayer, Purpose, Passion webinar room at CWA to give them a “tour” of the room before our exciting Step Up! webinar on August 31. 

Oh, you should have joined us girls today – we had so much fun and laughs!  But the webinar will be even better.  If you have not already signed up for this event, be sure to sign up today as room is limited! It is going to be a blast!

This afternoon as I reflected on the day, I felt so thankful to Jesus for the wonderful women of God He has brought into my life. I had a poor relationship with my mother growing up as a child, and God has seen to it to bring many spiritual mothers and sisters across my path through the years to pray for me, encourage me, and impart His truth and wisdom into my life. I don’t know what I would do without these beautiful women of God who are such precious gifts to me.

What about you?  Who are the women in your life who are important and who help you to walk along in this journey of life?  Be sure to let them know how thankful you are for their presence in your life and how much you love and appreciate them!

PS:  Want to connect with women of God and make new friends?  Sign up for our Step Up! webinar here.

Filed Under: Blog, Faith, Marriage, prayer, Speaking, Spiritual Gifts, Writing

Holding on to those we love: Making our husbands and families priority

August 21, 2010 By 3 Comments

Family picnic

I haven’t been ignoring you lately with not blogging as much!  I’ve just been busy getting ready for three major events coming up:

To help me stay on track, I use a task management system that I love, Manymoon. It will help you to  keep focused on your priority to-do’s, breaking down your tasks each day. You receive an emailed copy of your daily tasks as a reminder after you have entered them on the site.  This helps if you’re really busy the night before, and when you open your email in the morning and see the list, it’s an “Oh, yeah!” moment – and then you don’t forget your important to-do’s!    

I also use a Franklin Covey Dayplanner to stay organized, and am the queen of sticky notes. :)   (I LOVE sticky notes!)  What tools do you use to help you with your busy schedule? Many people use their palm pilot, laptop, cell phone, or Ipad.

No matter how much I have to do each day, though, I don’t ever want to be so busy that my family comes last place. One of the reasons wahm’s have an at-home business is to be able to spend more time with our families. Yet how often does the business take over our lives and things get out of balance – and we’re putting our husbands, kids, and friends on hold so we can get just one more thing done for the day? 

It’s important for us as wives to connect with our husbands each day to build that relationship. This is especially true if you are a woman who is struggling in her marriage and feels very alone – and needs to draw closer to her man.

This morning at work, Ray had to respond to a call  that was a house fire. His patient was a man in his 70′s, whose arms had been burned. The reason they were burned is that he was trying to pull his wife out of the fire. She was allegedly stuck in a window, and he would not let her go. Unfortunately, the wife did not live.

I thought this was an incredibly sad, but potent story.  A man who loved his wife so much, he would not let her go to save her, at the risk of his own life.  It is what Christ did for us the Church. He died so that we could have an intimate relationship and live forever with God.

I encourage you, take some time today to spend with those important people in your life, making your husband, children, family, and friends a top priority.  Hold onto those you love, making each moment count.

Filed Under: Blog, Faith, prayer, Speaking, Spiritual Gifts, Website news, Writing

Step UP Webinar! Be an overcomer and fulfill your great purpose!

August 19, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Woman stepping up

Are you fulfilling your great purpose right now, today?  Or are you struggling to just  get through the day?

Are you an overcomer – or are you overcome by the stress in your life?  Do you need an afternoon to relax and to be encouraged that God has a wonderful plan for your life and a great purpose? Then this webinar is just for you!

Join Lois Graham and Kimberly Ehlers at my third webinar, Step UP! You will LOVE these precious friends of mine. They are anointed women of God!

 There is no charge for this webinar, and you will receive bonus goodies just for coming.

To learn more, click here!

Filed Under: Blog, Faith, Homeschooling, Marriage, prayer, Speaking, Spiritual Gifts, Travel, Website news, Writing

Videos of trip: Get away someplace new

August 15, 2010 By 2 Comments

Do you need to just get away someplace new for some relaxation?  This week Ray and I went to Osage Beach, MO, for his work conference.  We both really needed the time away from the daily routine. 

Maybe you can’t physically get away, but you can take a few minutes each day to just pull away and be with God for rest and refreshment.  Learn more here.

 Below are videos of our trip on the way there, at the Mexican restaurant, and of the lake with the cute ducks. Enjoy!

Vlog of cliffs on way to Ozarks

 

Vlog of unique church in Weaubleau, MO

Vlog of pretty lake on drive to Osage Beach

Vlog of jacuzzi and swimming pool

Vlog of Mexican restaurant – Ray ordered grouper (fish!) with chipotle!

Vlog of lake with cute ducks

Vlog of Bahama Bistro  – Ray ordered lobster bisque and delicious lemon cake, I ordered warm rolls and spinach-avocado dip spread

Vlog of decorative flowers in shop – for Heather

Filed Under: Blog, Faith, Marriage, prayer, Travel

Face your fears: I went parasailing!

August 15, 2010 By 4 Comments

Tan-Tar-A resort

This week Ray and I went away alone for four days to Osage Beach, MO (Lake of the Ozarks) for his work conference. We had a great time in the air conditioned hotel room, relaxing, eating out Mexican or ordering room service, and spending some much needed time together. 

The Tan-Tar-A resort offers a variety of activities to do while there:  swimming in the pools or lake, having a nice soak in the jacuzzi, riding a wave runner on the lake, horseback riding on a trail, being pampered with a massage or facial in the salon, playing putt putt golf, and much more. The best part of all was that Ray’s work covered the expense of the hotel, gas,and his meals!  :)

I was able to pray for more direction from God while there, read, sleep in, shop, and just get away from the routine of dishes, laundry, and my work. I wanted to ride a wave runner but Ray thought I should go parasailing, something I did NOT want to do.

Ray has gone parasailing before and loved it.  Of course, working in the emergency field as a paramedic, firefighter, and policeman for over 25 years, he thrives off excitement – emergency workers are what some call “adrenaline junkies.”  People who work in the emergency fields often don’t feel “normal” without that adrenaline rush. 

He encouraged me to face my fears and said I would have fun, so I went for the first time in my life.  I should have known by the grin on his face as I was walking out the hotel room door NOT to believe him!   (This rule also applies to him telling you to “Try this” – candy, food, etc.  It will either be incredibly sour and make you want to spit it immediately out, or be so Cajun hot that you are running for water. Ask any number of family or friends, who he loves to see choking with watered eyes, while he is laughing hard!)

But he’s my husband, so I thought I should listen to him!  When I told the clerk at the marine desk that I was nervous and it was my first time, the captain who was nearby joked, “Oh, that’s ok.  It’s our first time doing this, too.”  :)  There was a boatful of first-timers, all of them teenagers.  They went before me and they all loved it!  This was reassuring as I was hooked on by the co-captain.

Have you ever been in a situation that you couldn’t get out of and it was a little too late?

As soon as the co-captain had me lifted high up in the air, I began to literally PANIC.  It was not the height that scared me, but that I was unable to physically hold onto the little black straps with my hands (see black straps in beginning of video below).  I didn’t have the physical strength in my hands and forearms to keep holding on.  Ok, ok, I need to start seriously PUMPING IRON!  If I let go of the straps, I could fall backward and fall OUT from an incredible height!

I was screaming, LET ME DOWN, LET ME DOWN, but nobody on the boat heard me. Instead, everyone in the boat was looking up at me, smiling and waving. People riding by in waverunners and other boats also would look up at me, wave, and smile.  Ray and our oldest daughter Heather thought this part was hilarious, and laughed and laughed. I’m glad I provide comic relief for our family!

I knew there was NOTHING I could do by now, so I just began to pray for peace (and for God to get me back on the boat ALIVE!) and told myself to JUST CALM DOWN! 

I improvised by wrapping my elbows and forearms around the black hand straps to hold on, and was finally able to look around and SEE the gorgeous view. Don’t let your fears keep you from seeing the beauty all around you!  Anyway, what else was there to do up there? (besides panic and wonder how I could get Ray back, lol!)

I’d told the captain that I wanted to be dipped “just a little” coming back down, so I got my feet wet. The “dip” is supposed to be the funnest part of the ride.  (I thought it was fun, probably because I knew it’d be over soon!)

Below are videos of me parasailing – going up high into the air, then the dip in the lake and getting back onto the boat, sharing with everyone how I panicked initially.  Ray said he is very proud of me and that it is an accomplishment. I will probably never parasail again, but I did overcome my fear.  I went parasailing!  :)

What fears do you need to face today?  What risks do you need to take?  God will be your help and your peace, and you will be more than a conqueror in Christ Jesus. (Romans 8: 38)

Vlog of me just before parasailing

Vlog of me parasailing – apparently the co-captain got bored at times and would turn my Flip recorder sideways!

Vlog of me getting my feet dipped in water

Filed Under: Blog, Faith, Marriage, prayer, Travel

From Administration to Zumba: using your gifts for God

August 10, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Gift bag

What are your spiritual gifts, talents, and skills?  Are you using them for God – or are you holding back? Or is someone else trying to hold you back from using them?

Tonight I went to see our daughter Heather teach her last zumba aerobics class before they take a break until September 2010.  I was so blessed to watch her administrating with the purple zumba tshirts, listen to her share a short devotional and pray, and then see her teach the hour-long class.

Usually many more attend the class, but I noticed tonight how everyone there was having a lot of fun.  (I tried to keep up with the zumba steps! LOL)  From Administration to Zumba (A to Z!),  Heather is using her gifts for God.

What about you? Do you know what your gifts are?  They can be found in Ephesians 4: 11, 1 Corinthians 12: 8-10, and 1 Corinthians 13: 27-30.   You also have natural talents and skills that God wants you to use and to bless others with.  Remember Jesus was a carpenter before He began his public ministry!

Study the gospels, and observe how Jesus used the spiritual gifts. He used them perfectly, and He is always our best example whom we should follow. 

The gifts are all rooted in God’s love. They are never earned or deserved, but are given to us by God’s grace to further His kingdom on earth.  They are never to be used to promote self, but are to be used to lift up and honor Jesus Christ.

 Women are not always encouraged to use their gifts, sometimes not even by their husbands and their pastors. But God wants you to use your gifts and talents for His glory. I encourage you to find out what they are, and then begin using them for His kingdom.  Below are videos of Heather doing a short devotional and teaching the zumba class.

Vlog of Heather using her gift of administration with the zumba tshirts:

Vlog of Heather doing short devotional and praying

Vlog of Heather and class doing grapevine in zumba class

Vlog of Heather teaching zumba class

Filed Under: Blog, Faith, prayer, Spiritual Gifts

Talkshoe interview with Heather today on missions

August 9, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Heather Denney

Today’s interview with our daughter Heather Denney at Talkshoe went well overall – although I did learn from a geek’s wife in the chat room that wireless mic headsets can cause an echo; thanks for the tip, Hattie!  The replay does NOT have the echo, thank God!   :)  

In this interview, Heather was able to share about her Nashville missions trip to help the flood victims, as well as her interesting missions trips to South America and India when she attended YWAM.

Eagle Creek Church’s website is http://www.eaglecreekchurch.com/.

The Ustream live video of the Nashville missions trip is found at http://eccfloodrelief.weebly.com/live-video.html.

If you missed the interview today, you can listen here with the widget below, or download it from Talkshoe here.  Heather and I would love to hear your feedback from the show.  Just comment below, filling out your name and email address.   Enjoy!

Filed Under: Blog, Faith, prayer, Spiritual Gifts, Travel

Interview with Heather on Nashville mission

August 8, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Heather Denney

Do you have a heart for missions work?  Our daughter Heather is back fom her mission to Nashville, TN, and it’s life-on-the-go as usual with Kyle’s and her two little girls getting ready for school next week, her part-time zumba class, time with friends, and church activities. 

Tomorrow I will be interviewing Heather here on TalkShoe about her recent mission trip to Nashville to help the flood victims.

You don’t want to miss this exciting call!  You can choose to talk, text chat, or just listen into the call with a land line, your cell phone, or via Skype. On TalkShoe, you can make new friends, network, and connect with people with common interests. It’s a lot of fun!

I hope to “see” you there!  :)    Again, the link to the Talkshoe interview with Heather is here.

Filed Under: Blog, Faith, Homeschooling, prayer, Spiritual Gifts, Travel

A getaway for just you two

August 7, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Lake of the Ozarks

Do you and your husband need a getaway for just the two of you? It’s not always easy to take a family vacation or go out of town somewhere fun if your husband works a lot, if you have kids at home, or if your budget is tight.  There’s still a little bit of summer left, so maybe it’s time for a romantic getaway for just the two of you alone.

Your getaway doesn’t need to be expensive, jam-packed with activities, located overseas or far away in another state.  Look in your own town, city, or state for affordable places where you can spend some quality time alone.

If your budget doesn’t allow an entire week or weekend, take some time to just spending a day together at the park, window shopping, antiquing, or having a nice lunch or dinner (like at the Cheesecake Factory or Olive Garden).  Use that time alone to get to know each other again and to talk (deeper than surface talk – not about the kids misbehaving or bills!). 

If you haven’t been connecting lately, this is a good time to do so.  Lay aside the painful yesterdays, and receive God’s fresh new mercies and forgiveness for today.  If he has walls with you, pray for him.  He may be facing stress and pressures at work that you’re not aware of right now.

Study your spouse. Make a mental list of his (or her) good qualities, the ones that originally attracted you to him. Then tell him what you admire about him. Hold hands, take a walk, and breathe a sigh of relief that you have someone to walk this journey of life with you.

Ray and I are going away together (NO KIDS!) for a few days this week to Osage Beach, MO (near the Ozarks), for his work conference. It will be good to go someplace new and be together.  Take advantage of your husband’s work conferences like this to have a fun getaway for just the two of you.

Need some ideas for romantic getaways?  Click here.

Filed Under: Blog, Marriage, prayer, Travel
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