I'm a WINNER!!!!!!

A huge thank you to my dear blogging pal Carrie over at Carrie's Crafty Cottage

She held a giveaway draw for two of her homecrafted dishcloths ( I LOVE them)... and I won!!! Heeeheeee!!

What a great way to start my Sunday morning!

Thanks Carrie!!!

To participate in Freezer Food Friday, click on the above button. Thanks to Rachel of A Juggling Mom's Food blog for sponsoring this!

Hawaiian Chicken

6 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

2 16 oz cans pineapple slices, drained

2 15 oz cans Mandarin oranges, drained

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 t. salt

1 t. ground ginger

1/2 t. ground red pepper

Steamed rice

Toasted almonds

Green pepper chunks (optional)

Cooking Day Instructions

Place chicken in freezer bag. Mix together fruit, cornstarch, sugar, soy sauce, lemon juice, salt, ginger, and ground red pepper. Pour over chicken in bag. Freeze.

Serving day instructions

Thaw chicken mixture. Place in crock pot, cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours or on high for 2-3 hours. Add green pepper to crock pot one hour before serving, if desired. To serve, spoon over steamed rice and top with toasted almonds. (note: I have put partially frozen food into the crock pot before and cooked it and it was just fine...just takes a little while longer to cook)

*Recipe from Don't Panic, Dinner's in the Freezer

Slow Cooking Thursday!

I'm excited to be taking part in Sandra's (Diary of a SAHM) Slow Cooking Thursday for the first time ever!! I LOVE, LOVE my slowcooker... and use it year round! Here's a recipe that we enjoy regularly. It's yummy served with an Avocado and Tomato Salad on the side.

TexMex Turkey Loaf

½ cup refrigerated fresh salsa (I love the FRESH salsa’s you can find in the produce section at the grocer)
2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
1 green onion, chopped
1 egg, slightly beaten
½ tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 zucchini, shredded
1 ¼ pound ground turkey or chicken

In a medium bowl, combine salsa, cilantro, green onion, egg, cumin, salt, pepper, zucchini and turkey. Form into a 6-inch-round loaf. Place loaf on a trivet in a 3 ½ quart (or larger) slow cooker. (note –you don’t have to use a trivet – this just helps to drain off even more fat.) Cover and cook on LOW for 4 ½ - 5 hours.

Remove loaf from slow cooker. Cut into wedges and serve with extra salsa. Serves 4 - 6

A New Blog for a New Era

I'm not a stranger to blogs. I've had a "Spaces" blog for the past two years. However I've been feeling for quite some time that I've kinda outgrown that space. I've made so many friends and aquaintances through that blog; many whom I'll invite to my new place.

But I've undergone so many changes over the past two years, and especially in the past 8 months - that I felt a new, fresh space to chronicle my adventures would only be appropriate.

A little bit about me then...the biggest thing you should know about me is that I'm a Christian mom. I'm a new mom to a sweet baby boy Luke. 8 months old. I'm a wife to a wonderful man named John. John is a non-believer, but fully supports me raising Luke as a Christian.

John and I have been married for 14 years (I was VERY young!!)... and for the first 13 years, my career had been one of my main priorities. Now since Luke has arrived, I'm finding that my career really just doesn't enter into the picture anymore. Well, except for the paycheque part!! We still very much rely on a second income. I'm currently on a year long maternity leave from my career. Scheduled to return in September.

However the more time I spend with Luke, the more I realize that I don't want to leave him with a caregiver. The more I realize that I want and need to be the one to raise him and care for him. Becoming a mommy has totally changed my life for the better. It is easily the BEST thing career I've ever had, or ever will have.

Not only that, but I'm discovering that I absolutely ADORE being at home. I love puttering around my home! I love organizing! I love cooking! I LOVE home-making.

Most important of all, I'm trying hard to live out the life that the Lord has in store for me. I've been feeling lately that he has a LOT in store for me as I raise my son to serve Him.

This blog will chronicle my adventures in caring for my family and my home, as I continue to make the transition from "career woman" to a "Work at Home Mom" and then eventually a "Stay at Home Mom".

As a first generation Christian, I will also be writing about my challenges as I learn how to raise Luke to know Christ, and maybe even influence John in his walk with the Lord as well.

Please join me as I enter this brand new era of my life!

Hugs, Hugs
Trace