Menu Monday: Nourishing Body and Soul

 

                This week is our denomination’s annual conference, and I’m knee deep in figuring out which sessions to attend and where I need to be when. Last night, as I had dinner with Jonathan and Julie, he asked me what today’s blog was going to be. I said I didn’t know yet. Ummmm BEKAH!!??!!? MENU MONDAY?? Ironic that he asked me during dinner and I forgot the meal-related answer to that questions. Whoopsie! Well, here it is. This week’s meal roundup!

Monday: Spicy Sausage and Brussels Sprouts Foil Packets

What We Changed: I elected to make this as a sheet pan dinner rather than messing with foil packets. I put parchment paper on a sheet pan with sides and then spread out the halved Brussels Sprouts, emptied a package of frozen butternut squash cubes over it, and topped it with chopped chicken sausage. (I used Italian seasoned, so it had a bit of a kick.) I kept the seasonings and baking times, and it turned out great!

Tuesday: Dill Chicken Salad and Steamed Green Beans

What We Changed: I followed the recipe but eliminated the nuts and added a little bit of chopped dill pickles. We had learned we liked dill pickle in chicken salad, so even though dill is in the recipe, I also added the pickles. We ate ours plain on the plate with steamed green beans on the side, but you could easily eat this on a bed of greens or on a sandwich.

Wednesday: Chicken Tacos

What We Changed: We actually ate these as salads and skipped the shell entirely. I used fresh lettuce from our garden, fresh cilantro from our garden, air fried the chicken, and used salsa instead of a tomato because my tomato went bad! Sadness! We really liked these.

Thursday: Breakfast for Dinner

What I Had: Ryan had to work late to cover an event – and he ate there – so I made an egg and a piece of chicken sausage for my dinner. Follow me for more exciting dinner tips!

Friday: Leftover Chicken Tacos

                                            

What We Loved: Friday was a busy day for me – traveling to speak at two different retirement chapel services. I was glad to come home to leftovers. I was so glad I had cooked extra chicken and prepped the rest of the ingredients on Wednesday, so I could just warm it up on Friday!

Saturday: DeconstructedEnchiladas

What We Changed: I love the flavor of enchiladas, but I don’t love the mess of making them. This felt like a perfect solution! I didn’t use the sliced olives on this one, but it was still so good! I just stuffed a tortilla shell with this mix and enjoyed the enchilada flavor without a soggy shell.

Sunday: Smash Burger/Ice Cream and Grilled Pork Chops with Steamed Broccoli and Homemade Bread

Why We Ate Separately: I was at the Burger Bar in downtown Fort Wayne when Jonathan asked me the blog question, and maybe I was so engrossed in my rare burger treat that I just forgot my Monday theme! I was beyond impressed with this place. I texted Ryan while I was there and said we needed to come back. I loved the burgers and whatever house sauce they add to it. Jonathan and Julie let me sample one of their fries with cheese. I don’t know what’s in that cheese sauce, but it was so deliciously intriguing. I also got soft serve for fun, and I don’t know that I would get that again. It was good – but not mind-blowing.

Meanwhile, back at home, Ryan grilled pork chops that he marinated himself! He said that he doesn’t love a sweet marinade, and this recipe called for a sweetener, so maybe this one won’t be a forever keeper. But it sure looked good in the picture. (I think I won with dinner…sorry, Ryan!)

Sunday Scrapbook: Moments from the Week

 

We are gearing up for a busy, busy week that I hope will be enjoyable. We are promised unrelenting heat, so you won’t find me outside too much, I’m afraid! I’ll tell you more about it all next Sunday, but for now, here are some highlights from this past week.

Last Sunday we took Jonathan and Julie’s daughter to IWU for an event, and after we dropped her off, we walked around campus for a while. Memmmmmrrrrieeeesssssss! We walked by all the places I used to live (obviously sans the one that was torn down) and through the familiar paths we walked daily when we lived in Marion. We stopped in our beloved prayer chapel…ahhhh. It was just a lovely, lovely day.

Monday evening there was a car show at Swiss Village, so we took Lexi. (First we took her to see Mom and Dad, and then we took her to the car show.) The residents loved seeing her, and of course she was only too happy to collect hugs wherever she could. It was a great night, and we ended it by walking on the trail around the building, which she thought was great fun!

Once a quarter, our church staff meets with one of the church boards to share about the work we’ve been doing. They are all so supportive of us, and I actually enjoy this meeting whenever it rolls around. (I’m not one for excessive meetings, but I do like this one.) I appreciated all their questions, encouragement, and kind words. I know not all workplaces offer that kind of investment in the employees, so I appreciate that the church does!

My job, as you know, is never the same two days in a row. One of my favorite ways to spend part – or all! – of a day is writing, and I had a whole afternoon for that this week. I needed to finish preparing for two speaking engagements, so I hunkered down at my rolltop desk with commentaries and Bibles and coffee and…sigh of joy. It was a delight.

Ryan and I both had a fun day on Thursday. I spent the morning in the salon chair, receiving a long-overdue hair glow-up. I feel so much better now! (Plus, I love getting to chat with my hair lady. She is THE BEST.) That evening I went to see Ryan working the KinderHaus open house at work! He was part of the welcoming committee and had a great time dancing to fun music in the entry!

Friday was my speaking day! I presented a chapel message at TWO retirement communities in the same day! I started at one that was about an hour and a half away from home, so I was thankful for a nice day to drive. And then I ended at Swiss Village. Mom and Dad were up for a trip to the chapel, so they came to hear me, and I appreciated that. It was a good day and a privilege to get to share my heart.

Yesterday we traveled back to Howard County for our great-nephew’s first birthday party. He’s such a little sweetie, and we love it that he’s thriving and so happy. We spent most of the time talking to Ryan’s brother and sister-in-law and that was fun, too!

Saturday Suggestions: Inspirations for Your Weekend

 

                Good morning! As we wrap up the month of June (and prepare for a heat wave here in Indiana) I’m looking forward to my annual thankfulness-fest for the inventor of the air conditioner. And a perfect thing to do whilst soaking up the cold air? READ!! Here are some pages to get you started…

Independence Day is coming soon, so it felt appropriate to share an apple pie recipe. After all, they say nothing is more American than apple pie! To be fair, I haven’t made this recipe, but the star topping is ADORABLE. If you need a new recipe to try for a cookout (or just for you), this one is (per KariAnne) a winner!

Even though I’m not a runner, I love a good story about perseverance in a race, and this is one of the best I’ve read. Tyler is hospitalized for leukemia treatments and had to miss running the Indy Mini. So he walked laps in the hospital hallway to equal the distance of the Mini! So inspiring! (I also love it that the race organization gave him a medal and swag since he had to miss the actual race.)

Summer may have just begun in an official capacity on the calendar, we are deep into summer in all the ways that tend to make up summer. If you are like me and summer tends to be a theme-less décor season in your home, check out Laura’s suggestions for a summer spruce-up. Her suggestions are not overly theme-y, but they might bring some fresh, pretty life to the rooms where you live!

I’m about 100 days away from finishing up a year with The Bible Recap by Tara-Leigh Cobble (studying with a friend from church) but I also saw that Darlene Schacht just released a 52 week Bible reading plan book. I have not read it yet (her book, not the Bible) but I have done many of her Bible studies and have loved them. Even taught two of them this past year!

I do love a good maxi dress. I can’t bring myself to wear midi dresses because they remind me far too much of my childhood, so it has to be ankle or knee length for me. I love so many dresses right now that are just the wrong length for me, but this one is adorable. I confess I would be unlikely to pay this much for a dress, because I’m too cheap, but it sure is pretty.

I’ve posted a link before (sometime, somewhere…) about naming your home. But this post explains how to take that a step further and create a logo for your home! Boy, if that doesn’t make you feel fancy about where you live, I’m not sure what would. Perhaps we need to logo our own home… 😉

Friday Fun: June Randoms

 

At the end of 2025, Callie wrote this post as a structured roundup to the year. I loved it so much that I earmarked it to revisit at the end of THIS year, but I actually decided to use it as a springboard for a monthly recap. I have written posts with this theme each month so far this year, and I’m back again for June!

Best Personal Adventure: I didn’t actually feel like I had many personal adventures this month. (Are napping and taking walks not adventuresome enough??) But toward the end of the month, I did get to spend some time preparing for upcoming teaching and speaking events, and that is always an adventure – a welcomed one. I had a lot of fun dreaming up ideas and starting to craft outlines. Ryan may not consider that an adventure, since it doesn’t require a waiver, but I count it for sure!

Best Adventure Together: I don’t know that we had any grand adventures together this month either, but we did have a blast going to Ryan’s nephew’s t-ball game. It was absolutely hilarious from start to finish. If you’ve never watched t-ball, you are missing out. Kids are the BEST.

Best Milestone: I finished reading the Old Testament this month, and while it’s not the first time I’ve done that, it felt like a beautiful milestone. I truly believe the completion of any intentional study of God’s Word is a milestone!

Best Faith Grower: I issued a summer Bible reading challenge to our church, and for my part of the challenge, I’ve been studying Job! Beth Moore has been releasing video teachings about Job throughout this month, and I have learned so much from those. I’m also enjoying studying it on my own – with commentaries! I’ll be continuing this through July and August as well, so I have much learning yet to come!

Best Lesson Learned: I wouldn’t say this was a new lesson, but perhaps relearning is as important as learning the first time. I had a pretty delightful opportunity presented to me this month, and I spent hours in prayer and conversation, wrestling with it and searching my own heart. In the end I knew the answer needed to be no, and I felt such peace about it, but I was reminded that even when the answer is no, the sheer journey of wrestling in prayer with God can be beautiful and encouraging to the soul! And it was for me.

Best Purchase: I’ve had a Fitbit for over 10 years, but the company required moving to a Google account to continue using it, and I didn’t wish to do that. So I bought a pedometer watch and love it. It looks better on my wrist than the Fitbit, doesn’t track all the extra things that I don’t want or need tracked, and I love it that my wrist doesn’t feel a notification every time I get a text. Stepping “back in time” away from constant connection has been a real gift.

Best Habit Created: I told you a while ago that I purchased a rebounder (mini trampoline) at our church’s garage sale. I started experimenting with it right away, found some YouTube videos to follow, and I knew I would enjoy it. But this month I made a commitment to rebound for at least ten minutes every single day – in addition to the other exercise I do. (Workout videos, walks, push ups…) This was a great habit to start, and I really look forward to continuing it and seeing how I strengthen over time.

Best New Recipe: This month felt filled with eating out (vacation) and tried-and-true recipes more than new recipes, but I do remember that we particularly loved these two recipes together:  Air Fryer Shrimp and Greek Orzo Salad. We’ll be making them again!

Best Tradition: As I shared with you a few days ago, we had a couple of busloads of Swiss Village residents come over for pontoon rides one afternoon. Ryan pitched this idea to the Activities director the first summer we had the pontoon, and it’s become quite the beloved outing for the residents. We’ll probably do it again before the summer ends, and it is just a blessing to see the joy on their faces when they come for the rides. They love the cruises, but they also love hanging out on the patio and talking!

Best Little Luxury:  This is such a first world thing, but I’m picking water that does not have to boiled for my answer to this question. For the second time this year, we were on the water line near a water main break and had to boil our water for several days. I’m so glad to be back to just…using water.

Best Date:  We didn’t have any extraordinary dates this month, but we did go to a wedding, and I loved that. I love weddings (because I love love!) and I enjoy reminiscing about our own wedding day as I experience the traditional wedding elements in the ceremonies. Ryan and I had fun being together and supporting our friends, so it was a good day.

Best Answer to Prayer: Ryan has been doing the job of 2-3 people for the last year and a half, and he has rocked it, but he’s also tired. I am so thankful that this month they brought in a new employee to take over part of what he had been doing so he can focus more completely on other parts of his job. She is so much fun, a go-getter, a great personality, and she has brought relief to his days. I am thankful for her!

Thankful Thursday: A Proper Lake Weekend

 

Back in my single days, I spent many weekends “up at the lake” with my sweet friend, Ronda, and her family. That was where I learned about lake time. You wake up when you want. You sleep when you want. You eat when you want. You take boat rides and go swimming and read and go for walks…or you do nothing at all. Rules don’t exist at the lake.

                Then I married Ryan, and his family had a cottage on the same lake, so my treks continued. Then Allen and Nita died and we didn’t go to the lake anymore…until we ended up with a lake house of our own. The beauty of living on the lake? Every day is lake day. The hardship of living at the lake? You’re always surrounded by the things that need done, so actually pausing to rest and enjoy is a bit of a challenge. (Especially for us.)

                But this past weekend felt like a proper lake weekend for us. Once we were off work Friday afternoon, we enjoyed the beauty of lake life.

                We started with carry-out pizza. We don’t often get a pizza, and like I told you Monday, this one was from a new local place that bakes in a wood oven. It was so much fun to try something new, eat at home, and not have to worry about cooking!

                It was a gorgeous evening, so we went for a long walk with Lexi.

                We still had time and daylight left for a boat ride, so we enjoyed a sunset cruise. We arrived home just as the sun was fully setting, so we made some coffee and sat outside to enjoy that, too.

                We slept in Saturday morning and went for a golf cart ride around town.

                Leftover pizza for lunch out on the picnic table…

                We did have some errands to run that afternoon, but we weren’t in a hurry. We did a little thrifting while we were out, and we even found some bunting to make our house 4^th-of-July ready!

                That evening we celebrated Father’s Day a little early with my parents. We took McDonald’s to them and ate together at Swiss Village. (We had chicken from the church fundraiser, and Ryan fully embraced the experience.) We took homemade ice cream for them, and that ended up being Dad’s favorite part of the night.

                It really was the sweetest proper weekend at the lake. I am so grateful for it. There probably won’t be many of them, but I will gladly welcome any we can get!