The Sweet Life: Beach Trip Pics 2012

Each year, my parents so graciously take us to Fort Morgan, Alabama for a week long vacation.

It is full of fun and crazy with all the family together.

Nothing says chaos quite like 6 kids 4 and under.

We are so thankful for all the memories and laughs this trip provides each year!

Pretty impressive for 6 kids with the oldest being 4.

Beach Beauties

They have no fun at all together!

My precious family!

This is what Mark thinks of having to take pictures.

Jake

My precious parents.

Mallory

Ella Grace

Mimi is like the Pied Piper...the children follow her everywhere.

What about you?

What are you doing for fun with your family and extended family this summer?

Ever have questions or want to request a recipe or tutorial, comment or email me at deepsouthsweets@gmail.com. You can also visit Deep South Sweets on Facebook or follow me on Pinterest!

The Sweet Life: What's on the Menu?

Last week was one for the books...

The house was in dire need of attention after being gone for two weeks.

There was more catching up to be done than hours in the day.

Followed by a series of mishaps...

Spilling half a strawberry milkshake in my lap and car while trying to do a nice thing for my husband.

Plugging my external hard drive with 3 years worth of family pictures in to my computer to find it was blank (we are hoping it is just a connection issue....but there may have been some tears).

Working 3 shifts this week and coming home after the last grueling shift to find the upstairs of the house a sweltering, 88 degrees. Thanks to Bardi Heating and Air for a quick and time efficient fix.

Now to the exciting things...

We have been needing to buy a new and larger refrigerator for quite some time. With the amount of cooking and hosting we do, we were busting at the hinges of our current refrigerator. There are some fantastic sales out there and we took advantage. Come Wednesday we will have an extra 10 cubic feet of cold food storage space! Unfortunately this does mean our meal menu is BORING as I clean out the fridge and freezer with creative meals.

We are heading out later this week to get an early start on Fourth of July in Saint Simon's Island. It is one of my very favorite weeks of the year!

I am teaching a friend of mine to sew, and we may or may not be making matching outfits for our daughters Wednesday. They may not have a sister yet but we can pretend they are sisters for the time being!

Monday: Breakfast for Dinner

Tuesday (Work Night): Spaghetti with Meat Sauce and Salad

Wednesday: "No Peek" Chicken and Rice Casserole, Roasted Carrots and Green Beans, and Fresh Fruit

Thursday: Leftovers or Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Friday: Steaks, Grilled Corn and Tossed Salad

Saturday: Carry out Barbecue from Southern Soul

Sunday: Hot Dogs, Baked Beans, Chips, and Watermelon Slices

Monday: Weekly Menu

Tuesday: Beach Trip Pictures

Wednesday: Broccoli Slaw with Candied Pecans

Thursday: You're Already Amazing (yep we are still reading it)

Friday: Quick and Easy Macaroni and Cheese

What are you guys up to this week?

I want to hear from YOU! What recipes, tutorials or projects would you like to see next week?

Ever have questions or want to request a recipe or tutorial, comment or email me at deepsouthsweets@gmail.com. You can also visit Deep South Sweets on Facebook or follow me on Pinterest!

Deep South Eats: Just Like Chipotle's Corn Salsa

If you missed yesterday's post about my Guatemala trip... take a minute to learn more about Health Talents.

I am not a huge fan of the build your own burrito. It is just way more food than I can eat and trying to keep it all neat and tidy inside the burrito is impossible. For the OCD, that is just frustrating and non-enjoyable. After bible study on Wednesdays, we always try to go out to lunch together. Our ultimate goal is somewhere that is kid-friendly and not too crowded with the business crowd lunch rush. We used to always end up at Panera or the Patio. One Wednesday, there were only three of us venturing out for lunch and so we picked Chipotle. I honestly don't think I had eaten at a Chipotle in years. I had no clue what to even order (ask my husband....I am the weird girl that likes to know exactly what I am going to order before we even sit down to eat).

I was so excited to discover the Burrito Bowls at Chipotle. The opportunity to eat all the yummy ingredients in a burrito without the struggle to maintain them within a flimsy tortilla. Topped with their delicious Corn Salsa and I was in heaven. Weeks passed by without return to Chipotle, but I could not get their Corn Salsa off my brain. It was divinely fresh, crisp, cool, and spicy all at once. I dreamed of all the variety of ways it could be served....as a dip, on top of fajitas, in a quesadilla, and on and on. Then as if she read my mind, one of my favorite food blogger's, How Sweet Eats, published her own recipe for the Corn Salsa at Chipotle. Months passed by and I finally found an opportunity to try it out...it was GLORIOUS!

Ingredients:

• 1 (12 ounce bag) frozen sweet yellow corn, thawed and drained
• 2 medium-sized jalapenos, seeded and chopped
• 1/2 red onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, torn and finely chopped
• Juice from 2 limes
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Directions:

• Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix thoroughly.
• Season with additional salt and pepper if desired.
• Keep chilled until serving.

Original recipe from How Sweet Eats.

P.S. This is not an advertisement for Chipotle....the people there have absolutely no clue who I am despite the fact that I am crazy obsessed with their corn salsa.

Ever have cooking questions or want to request a recipe, comment or email me at deepsouthsweets@gmail.com. You can also visit Deep South Sweets on Facebook or follow me on Pinterest!  

The Sweet Life: Health Talents Trip 2012

Where to begin....and where to end. 

A week's worth of memories and experiences that can never be fully conveyed. 

My Father-in-law has been on the board of Health Talents International for several years now. He has always provided an opportunity for his employees at The Coker Group to participate in surgical and mobile medical clinic trips once a year. With my background in nursing, they have always offered to send me but it has never worked out timing-wise. Last year, they asked again and this time I honestly had no reason to say "no"...Belle was at a good age for me to leave for a week, I am no longer working full-time, and I couldn't use pregnancy as an excuse. In all honesty, I signed up thinking..."I'll never actually go because I will be pregnant by then". Totally wrong attitude I know.

In retrospect, I can see God's timing in not being able to go on the past trips. The last two years of infertility have changed me in a way that nothing else could have. I have become a stronger and tougher person while being more in touch with God's overall plan for my life and others' lives. While I am sure that I would have been able to serve two years ago on these trips, I don't know if I would have seen the tangible hand of God in the work. I don't know if I would have witnessed the healing taking place for what it was...a gentle reminder that God is capable of healing my hurts and disappointments. So I know that when I signed up thinking I would never actually go, God let out a loving laugh and paved the way for a week I will never forget and plan to repeat every year!

Health Talents International is a non-profit Christian organization that promotes medical evangelism throughout developing countries. This means that the surgical trip that I got to be a part of was one small piece of the puzzle of proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ through teaching and healing ministries. At the end of the day, I experienced one of the most well run and organized mission groups I have ever worked with.

Our trip was a Saturday to Saturday and involved around 43 health care professionals and support members (caregivers, translators, chaplain, etc.). We flew into Guatemala city and traveled by bus to the Clinica Ezell. Clinica Ezell is located in Western Guatemala and is the point of operation for the surgical teams. Located on the property is a dormitory and apartments as well as a dining hall for the visiting surgical teams. In my opinion, the accommodations were outstanding based on my past mission trip experiences. We slept well and were well fed every day we were there. The clinic on the property includes three surgical suites, a 50-bed ward, exam rooms for the clinic, a pharmacy, lab and x-ray room.

 Courtyard of the dormitory.

 Dining Hall

 One half of the recovery unit included the immediate post anesthesia recovery beds.

Other half of the recovery unit.

OR #3 that I worked in primarily.

 One of the clinic exam rooms.

Saturday evening included dinner and inventory of the supplies we had brought with us. We were up the next morning and ready to start the day with breakfast and orientation to the different teams we would be working with. I was assigned to work with the surgical team (more specifically the GYN surgeries) and worked with some of the finest nurses, techs, surgeons and anesthesiologists. We spent a little time getting to know our OR's and the supply rooms. We left there and headed straight to the local church across the street. It was a phenomenal experience to worship in primarily Spanish with bits of English mixed in for us! No rest for the weary....as soon as lunch was finished we began operating that afternoon. 

Sunday afternoon through Thursday we continued operating. My team performed vaginal and abdominal hysterectomies, cyst removals, and anterior and posterior repairs. Our patients waited for hours in preop with the biggest smiles on their faces. Their nerves rarely showed as they were so thankful that someone wanted to treat them and take care of them. You see these people are primarily of Mayan descent and have very little access to health care. Each patient I walked back to the operating room could not stop thanking us for taking care of them. It was so rewarding to take care of patients who were not skeptical of the care they were receiving, but rejoiced with thankfulness.

Look there... on the far left... proof that I actually got to scrub in on a case.

One of the most life changing experiences is witnessing healing firsthand. So many of our female patients had ailments that would be embarrassing (to our society) or even miserable to live with. They were rolled out of our OR a changed person. I felt a little bit of what it must have been like to witness Jesus' healing in Bible times.

In total I think that all three surgical teams performed 74 surgeries between Sunday and Thursday. We passed these patients on to an outstanding team of nurses that recovered these patients on the ward and gave them quality and compassionate care. Thursday afternoon we made a day trip to Lake Atitlan which was breathtakingly gorgeous. It was nice for once to be outside of the four, white tile walls of the OR and see the beautiful scenery of Guatemala. 

We packed our belongings up and headed out Friday morning to spend the day exploring Antigua, a designated World Heritage Site. We spent the day venturing through the market and enjoyed a relaxing team dinner that evening at the Hotel Antigua.

The next morning it was off to the airport for everyone to return home. It was bittersweet...happy to be returning to my family, but sad to be leaving such amazing people I had the opportunity to meet. I enjoyed having a week to just be Rachel, the nurse. I didn't have to worry about a house to keep clean, errands to run, etc but was just able to focus on using my God given talents to serve God's people. I look forward to returning next year and hope that if any of you have interest in the work Health Talents is doing, you will contact me.

Just a few of the phenomenal people I had the opportunity to get to know on this trip!

Want to know more about Health Talents? Visit their website or give me an email at deepsouthsweets@gmail.com.

Ever have questions or want to request a recipe or tutorial, comment or email me at deepsouthsweets@gmail.com. You can also visit Deep South Sweets on Facebook or follow me on Pinterest!

Deep South Eats: Crock Pot Beef Fajitas

I grew up a good bit of my childhood in the Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas. I have fond memories of trips to a restaurant called the Alamo for fajitas. I might remember their word search puzzles a little more than the food, but eating there established a love for fajitas. I don't know if the restaurant even exists still, but we always carried on the tradition of fajita nights growing up.

Pan frying the fajitas is time consuming and not the healthiest option, so I was intrigued when I came across a recipe for crock pot beef fajitas. While you do not get the same crispiness to the meat as in pan frying, the flavor is outstanding. One of the best things about this recipe is all the options. You can serve them the traditional way loaded up with lettuce, pico de gallo, and sour cream, or you can even serve them on salads and nachos. Either way, you will have a quick and easy weeknight fajita meal.


Ingredients:

• 2 pounds, boneless beef sirloin steaks, sliced into thin strips
• 1 each, medium green, red and yellow bell pepper, sliced into 1/2-inch strips
• 1 sweet onion, sliced into 1/2-inch strips
• 3/4 cup water
• 2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon lime juice
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (feel free to half this if worried about the spiciness)
• Flour tortillas
• Choice Toppings: salsa, sour cream, lettuce, cheese, pico de gallo, guacamole, cilantro, etc)

Directions:

• Place sliced peppers and onion into slow cooker and top with sliced beef.
• Combine water, vinegar, lime juice and seasonings. Pour over beef and vegetables. 
• Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours or until tender.
• Serve using a slotted spoon on tortillas with toppings of choice.

Makes approximately 8 servings.

Original recipe from Real Mom Kitchen.

Ever have cooking questions or want to request a recipe, comment or email me at deepsouthsweets@gmail.com. You can also visit Deep South Sweets on Facebook or follow me on Pinterest!  

The Sweet Life: What's on the Menu?

Wow...

It has been a long and wonderful two weeks of travel.

My trip to Guatemala with Health Talents was unbelievable and life-changing.

I returned "home" aka the Atlanta airport for a whopping three hours before I was off to the Gulf for a beach vacation with my family.

6 children....4 and under....loads of fun but exhausting!

This is how we felt about having to come home to real life...

The good news is coming home meant getting to celebrate Father's Day with this amazing daddy.

Monday: Poppy Seed Chicken, Unbundled Green Beans, and Raspberries

Tuesday: Crock Pot Chuck Roast Barbecue Sandwiches, Potato Chips, and Broccoli Slaw with Candied Pecans

Wednesday: Gender Reveal Party for some friends

Thursday: Asian Pork Tenderloin, Onion Rice, and Steamed Broccoli

Friday (Work Night): Revolutionary Mac-and-Cheese and Tossed Salad

Saturday (Work Night): Leftovers

Sunday: Small Group Meal

Monday: Weekly Menu

Tuesday: Crock Pot Beef Fajitas

Wednesday: Guatemala Trip Update

Thursday: Corn Salsa

Friday: Beach Trip Pictures

If you missed the posts for Green Bean and Shoepeg Corn Casserole, Three Ingredient Cobbler, and the June Monthly Memorization, be sure to check them out.

What are you guys up to this week?

I want to hear from YOU! What recipes, tutorials or projects would you like to see next week?

Ever have questions or want to request a recipe or tutorial, comment or email me at deepsouthsweets@gmail.com. You can also visit Deep South Sweets on Facebook or follow me on Pinterest!

Summer Bucket List 2012: Mani-Pedis

With packing for Guatemala and the beach

There was no time for a salon treatment

But this girl loves a little TLC from her momma.

So at home mani-pedi it was!

Choices Choices

 Original choices were purple glitter for hands and blue for toes... of course that changed by the end!

 Before

 After

It is SO hard to wait for nails to dry but so fun!

Sweetest crossed toes I know!

What fun we are having checking off our Summer Bucket List 2012.

They may be things that we do often and some things are not.

At the end of the day we are having fun and spending purposeful time together!

What are you putting on your Summer Bucket List?

Ever have questions or want to request a recipe or tutorial, comment or email me at deepsouthsweets@gmail.com. You can also visit Deep South Sweets on Facebook or follow me on Pinterest!