Reflections~Palm Sunday

As I think about so many dear friends who are grieving the loss of a loved one right now, and the countless others who are battling cancer, I am thankful that we have a gracious, loving and compassionate God to see us through these difficult times.

And, while the loss of a loved one is painful, knowing they are rejoicing on this beautiful Palm Sunday with Him, waving palm branches and singing Hosanna, no longer in pain, no longer broken, suffering no more, is a blessing indeed.

Have a blessed week my friends!!

Gluten Free Chicken Pesto Pizza, It's What's for Dinner~

Last night I decided to experiment with a twist on the traditional store bought French Bread Pizza. We used to love Stouffer's French Bread pizzas, however now that we are a gluten free family, they just won't do.  Oh, and then there is my tomato allergy too!  Worse thing EVER!!

Anywho, we had some chicken breasts we needed to use up so I decided to try and make our own version.  Chicken Pesto it was...and boy were they DELICIOUS!!

Ingredients:

1 Udi's French Bread Loaf, sliced in half, then sliced longways.  Like a sub sandwich ;-)

1 Double Chicken Breast

1 Tub of Pesto Sauce-we used Whole Foods own brand (you will not need it all unless you are making for more than 2 people, in that case you will have plenty)

Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Seasonings:  Italian, Oregano, Crushed Red Pepper, minced garlic, salt and crushed black pepper

Directions:

Cut your chicken breasts into bite size pieces.

Heat a saute pan with a bit of olive oil, minced garlic, salt and black pepper.  Add chicken and cook until juices run clear, and a bit browned.

Remove from stove and set aside.

Place your french bread slices on a baking sheet.  Spread each piece with Pesto, then add chicken to each slice, followed by Mozzarella cheese.  Sprinkle each slice with Italian seasoning, Oregano, and Crushed Red Pepper.  Bake at 350 until cheese is melted and a bit browned and pizzas are heated through.

I cannot tell you how good these were!  This pizza loving girl did not miss the tomato sauce at all.

Perfect for a quick night time meal.

Enjoy!!

Reflections~Spring Time

Happy Spring!

Reflections~St. Patrick's Day Addition

Have a Blessed Sunday!

What's On Your Front Door~wreath inspiration

Good Monday morning my friends.  How is everyone after losing an hour of sleep this weekend?  My #2 lost 2 hours, bless her heart.  One hour on the plane ride home on Friday, and then another Saturday night.  Needless to say, she is sleeping in today and I don't blame her one bit.

I was recently contacted by the delightful people over at Patience Brewster, and asked if I would be willing to share some of the wreaths that I have created.

Patience Brewster is a creative artist.  She is most known for her whimsical ornaments.  You cannot help but smile when you see them.  Several local shops here sell them at Christmas, and they truly are beautiful.   

Patience shares about her life growing up, how she got into the business, her family, and heartbreakingly the loss of her son Holland here.  Holland lost his life to Hodgkins lymphoma in 2005.  

As you know, that is a disease near and dear to my heart.  Many of you have continued to pray for my dear friend Jennifer's (Beaufortbelle) daughter, Brooke.  Brooke recently had an overnight stay in the hospital where they discovered several blood clots in her lungs.  Brooke is now home, but still struggling.  The coughing at times is uncontrollable, making it difficult to keep her meds and food down. So, please continue to pray for her.  And also Jennifer, for strength as she cares for Brooke.

This first one is not a wreath, but sometimes a nice door bucket or basket filled with flowers adds just the perfect touch to a front door.

Fall Door Bucket

She Sells Seashells, easy to create with a grapevine wreath and shells collected at the beach.  Hot glue the shells on, add a bit of jute rope and finish with a burlap bow.

Fall Wreath-again my stand by grapevine wreath with fall colored silk flowers attached and a fluffy burlap bow.

This wreath I created for spring one year with a touch of greenery I had on hand.  

This wreath has been on display many Christmas seasons.  While the bow may change from year to year the rest remains the same.  The skates were my daughters first pair.  And, I love the pom poms we added a couple years ago as it reminds me of the ones I had on my skates as a young child.

Even just adding a festive bow to a simple boxwood wreath can make a statement.

And, while these adorned our office doors they could easily be hung on the front door as well.  I love the use of letters and monograms.

And, what southern gal doesn't love a beautiful Magnolia wreath.  I purchase ours fresh from Whole Foods during the holiday season and adorn with a bow. These dry beautifully.  My friend Ron at The Uptown Acorn suggested spray painting the dried wreath gold.  I cannot wait to try it next holiday season!

Lastly, a summer wreath I created last year using another grapevine wreath, some moss and oyster shells.  This is one of my favorites, especially against our new door color.

I hope I have inspired you to create a new wreath for your front door.  There is no right or wrong way to do it.  Just be creative!

***while this post does contain links, I was in no way compensated.  All opinions and photographs are that of SimplyLKJ.

Reflections~Daylight Savings Time

Have you ever set your clock ahead for Daylight Savings time only to find out your clock resets itself?

Amen to this one for sure!

That is my story and I am sticking to it!

See above...

And, for all my snowed in friends...

Here's to a Monday morning with lots of COFFEE!  I can only imagine how much more money Starbucks will make tomorrow.

What's for Dinner Wednesday & Life Lately~

I am still here. Thanks to those who sent me sweet notes checking up on me.

How can it be March already?  However, today's temps made it seem like we had jumped from winter right into late spring.  I will take this gorgeous 70 degree weather any day.

This past weekend we made our last trip to Baylor prior to #2 graduating in May.  Man that was hard to type...my baby will be a college grad in just a couple months.  Didn't we just drop her off for her first semester?????

I know it is said all the time, but mommas, they really DO grow up fast!! Enjoy every minute of time you have with them. And, take it from me...the dishes and laundry can wait.  All too soon, there are no dishes to pick up and wash, no uniforms that need to be laundered ASAP, and their rooms will be all too clean!!

We went to Baylor to attend SING.  I am always amazed by the talent of these young people.  Think GLEE and Broadway.  They put on some spectacular performances. And, the amount of hours they put into practicing on top of their already heavy course loads and work schedules, is unbelievable.

We were thrilled that #1 got to join us for the weekend, and spend some time with her sister as well.

Made up for the performance.  Their theme was "Beneath the Floorboards", down in the basement where nobody goes, notes from an eerie music box beckon you to a land of discarded and forgotten toys who are desperately wanting company. She was one of the ballerinas.

With her big sis.

With hubby and I. Here you get a better look at her entire costume.

We also attended the Baylor Men's Basketball game against West Virginia.  Sic 'em Bears!!

The girls also found our family brick that #2 gifted her dad for Christmas this year.  It is on the pedestrian walkway going toward the fabulous new McLane stadium.  

The warmer temps lately have prompted us to fire up the grill for our dinners.  Nothing fancy, but for me personally everything tastes better grilled!

Herbed Chicken with Veggies (squash, zucchini, red pepper and onion)

And, marinated Flank Steak with Roasted Baby Potatoes.

We plan to grill out again tonight as we are expecting the temps to fall again tomorrow.  Enjoy it while it lasts!!