Please Pray for Tornado Recovery Efforts

Yesterday Alabama and several other states were hit with deadly tornadoes. I was glued to the TV trying to see familiar neighborhoods and the extent of the damage. People on the scene relayed how destructive these storms were.

But by the light of day, the damage was so much more unbelievable. We traveled north to take food and bottled water to our dear friends who have been without power since yesterday morning. The closer we got to their house, the more damage we saw. Trees were down everywhere, some snapped in half, some completely uprooted. Downed power lines crisscrossed the road.

We arrived to see trees just feet away from their home. Siding had been ripped off and shingles were missing. You can see their trampoline wrapped around the bottom of power pole.



There were literally dozens of trees down all around their property. It truly was a miracle that they were not injured and their house was spared severe damage.

On our way home, we were directed to go another way due to work crews trying to remove debris from the roadway. Our GPS took us through an area hit even harder than the one we had just left. Houses were simply gone, leaving only the concrete foundations. Trees were strewn about like discarded toothpicks. Clothes were scattered throughout fields. I can't imagine that anyone in those houses could have survived. I took no pictures of any of it. I was just too horrified.

The death toll continues to rise as more debris is removed. Right now it stands at 207 in Alabama. Other states have also reported multiple fatalities. And it's likely to go even higher. There are dozens of people still unaccounted for.

We need your prayers.

Prayers for Alabama

We woke up this morning to the sound of tree limbs falling on our house. Straight line winds in excess of 50mph took out trees and power lines throughout our area. Statewide there were 5 fatalities this morning.

That was nothing compared to what happened this afternoon and this evening, and I certainly don't mean to minimize the loss of life this morning. One very dangerous tornado crossed the entire state, leaving destruction and death in its wake.

Click here to see a video of the massive tornado as it struck Birmingham.

Entire neighborhoods have been leveled. The death toll officially stands at 25 but when daylight comes, that number is expected to rise. Significantly.

We are counting our blessings. We didn't even lose power, though nearly half a million of our fellow Alabamians have. We know it could have been much, much worse.

Please pray for the people of Alabama as they seek to recover from this devastation. Pray for churches that seek to minister to the hurting. Pray for comfort and healing.

Thank you.

Fudgy Oatmeal Bars

Want a nice chocolatey accompaniment for your coffee? I've got a great treat for you! Fudgy Oatmeal Bars! What's not to like about chocolate fudge?

Here's what you'll need:

3/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 teas salt
1 1/2 cup flour
1 1/4 cup quick oats
12 oz bag chocolate chips
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk

With a mixer, cream the butter and brown sugar together until smooth.

In another bowl, combine the salt, flour and oatmeal. Add to the butter mixture and mix until crumbs form.


Reserve about 1/3 cup of the crumbs for later. Press the remaining crumbs into a greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes, until golden brown.

Meanwhile, melt all but 1/2 cup of the chocolate chips with the sweetened condensed milk. I put mine in a microwave-safe bowl and heat for 45 seconds.


Stir the chocolate mixture until smooth. Pour evenly over the crust.


Sprinkle the reserved crumb mixture and remaining chocolate chips over the top.


Bake for 15-18 minutes. Be careful not to overbake or the fudge layer will harden too much. Not a good thing.

Cut into small squares - these are delightfully rich!

Indian Butter Chicken

When my husband travels for work, he gets to eat out on the company dime. Nice, huh? He's all about trying new restaurants, too. So when he came home and told me how much he enjoyed having Indian Butter Chicken, I knew I wanted to find a recipe that was similar.

I found one here, at Mel's Kitchen Cafe. Of course, I tweaked it a bit, leaving out the jalapenos because my family isn't fond of them. I also played around with the spices until I found a combination we liked.

When all was said and done, Charles declared this version of Indian Butter Chicken to be a winner!

Here's what you need:

2-3 chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
salt and pepper
1 TBSP olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 TBSP ginger, chopped
2 teas minced garlic
2 teas garam masala
1 teas curry powder
1 teas chili powder
1/2 teas ground coriander
1 can (6oz) tomato paste
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup half and half or cream
3 TBSP butter, cut into chunks
cilantro for sprinkling over each serving

Sprinkle the cut-up chicken with salt and pepper; set aside. In a skillet or pot, heat the olive oil. Add the onion, ginger, and garlic. Cook and stir until the onion is translucent.


Stir in the spices. Here's a helpful tip if you have to add a few spices at once. Measure all of them out and place them in a small bowl together. This will save you some time and hassle, especially if you're trying to stir what's in the pot!


Keep stirring for about a minute. You want everything in the pot coated with the spices. And let me tell you, this smells wonderful as the spices heat up.


Remove from the heat and scrape the mixture into a blender. Add the tomato paste and chicken broth.

Blend until the mixture is smooth.


Pour back into the pot and add the half and half or cream. Bring to a gentle simmer.


Add the chicken pieces and cook for about 15 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. You probably want to fish out a piece and cut through it to be sure. When it's cooked, add the butter and stir until it's completely melted.

Serve over rice and garnish with some chopped cilantro.


Charles loves this version more than the one he had at the authentic Indian restaurant. He says the sauce is so smooth and rich! And leftovers the next day are even better. The spices have had a chance to meld together and deepen. It's lovely!

For a printable recipe, click here.

Menu Plan April 24-30

The last week of April?!? Can you believe it? The first four months of 2011 have flown by!

Is anyone planning to get up super early on Friday morning to watch the wedding of Prince William to Kate Middleton? The Princess and I are!

Since I fixed a big ham for Easter dinner, we'll be eating some leftovers this week. In addition to the cheesy veggie soup with ham, I'll fix grilled ham and cheese sandwiches for lunch or maybe ham and cheese biscuits. Yum!

We're going to grill out toward the end of the week. I usually try to have several items to grill at one time. Plus, next week the kids and I are heading to South Carolina to welcome our new nephew to the family. Charles is staying behind, so he'll need some things to heat up easily.

Now on to this week's menu plan:

Sunday
Honey Glazed Ham in the slow cooker, mashed potatoes, green beans

Monday
Indian Butter Chicken (recipe to come later this week), rice

Tuesday
Cheesy Veggie Soup with ham, sweet buttermilk cornbread

Wednesday
Homemade pizza

Thursday
Penne with ham and broccoli

Friday
Grilled chicken, veggie skewers

Saturday
Grilled hamburgers, crispy potato wedges

For more meal planning inspiration, visit Organizing Junkie's Menu Plan Monday.

Because He Lives

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.
Because He lives, all fear is gone.
Because I know He holds the future.
And life is worth the living just because He lives.

If I Only Had a Brain....Hat

We've been studying human anatomy in school and recently started talking about our amazing brains. The kids have really enjoyed learning more about the command center of our bodies. To illustrate how different parts of our brains are responsible for different activities, we made brain hats.

I downloaded the patterns here.

First we colored our brains. Doesn't that sound funny? We colored our brains!


Then, we cut out our brains. That sounds even worse!


After they were assembled, we showed our brains off! Imagine me saying, "Hey kids, let's show off your brains!" Can you tell we giggled a lot during this part of school?


This was a fantastic way for them to understand how their brains work.