Saturday, November 30, 2019

Welcome... again!

Hi friends!  I have to warn you.  You may want to grab a cup of coffee or an evening snack.  This may take a bit.  :)

If you were previously following this blog, you may have noticed a little shift.  Today, I'd like to share with you the back story.... and hopefully give you little bit of insight about what's to come!  I'm really excited, and I hope you'll be as well!

This blog originally started as a stepping stone toward one of my bigger blogs (CourtneyDimmitt.com).  Now, that blog doesn't exist anymore, but the true *first* blog goes back even further.  I started my very first blog way back in 2007, and it was called Polka Dotted Pre-K.  In my teacher life, that was one of my favorite seasons.  Fast forward 12 years, and you'll see that my blogging life has taken any number of twists, turns, jumps, and dips.  Over the years I have been a teacher blogger, mommy blogger, book blogger, cooking blogger (yikes), homemaking blogger, kidmin blogger, and faith blogger.  And yet here I go again.



You see, over the past two years, God has been taking me on a journey.  It's been a complete overhaul, really.  He has been slowly teaching me to see what it really means to live in obedience as a child of God.  He has taught me many, many lessons over these past few years.  Some of which were very painful.  Over time, I may share more about what that looked like.  But for today, I want to share with you where I am now, and what's to come.

I know for sure that I do not have all the answers.  I know that the full plan for my life has not yet been revealed.  What I do know, is that right now, in this season, God has called me to be a wife and mom.  My ministry is primarily within my home.  I have been in the process of launching some new ventures, but my role within the home will absolutely be the priority.  Will I be a "work-at-home mom" forever?  I can't say.  I can say that this is my current season, and I'm pretty thrilled.  

After my role as wife and mom, I wear a few other hats.
*online ESL teacher
*teacher author on Teachers Pay Teachers
*blogger
*face behind Self-Care Simply
*"Noomer"
*Walk-at-Home fanatic
*Avon representative
*advocate of raising readers
*church small group leader
*mommy group organizer

With this blog, I hope to share more about each of these!  I would love for you to join me in the process.  Stay tuned!

Monday, April 16, 2018

Menu Plan Monday ~ 4/16/18

Hey, hey friends!  So today I am bringing you one of my favorite ways to serve my family ... food!  I LOVE planning menus, grocery shopping, and preparing meals each night.  I firmly believe that family time spent around a dinner table is some of the most connecting time there is.  We all have busy schedules and sometimes it's hard to make time to spend as a whole family. 

Menu Plan Monday  ~ A real menu from a real mom for real families


For our family, my husband and I decided that dinner time is non-negotiable.  That's not to say that we don't have nights where one person is gone, but we make an intentional effort to keep those nights as few and far between as possible.  When we are all at home, dinner together is a thing.  We all eat dinner sitting at the table together and enjoying conversation.  

It should also be noted that I am NOT a food blogger.  You will not find posts with beautiful food photography and perfectly plated dinners.  I do not create these recipes on my own.  I am a big nerd and have a process for how we work through recipes... I am not a chef.  I simply love to serve my family through intentional preparation.  My process is another blog post in and of itself, but for now, I'll let you know that we cook through a cookbook each year, so many of my recipes come from that.  I also go back and try "in progress" recipes that we liked, but weren't quite perfect for our family.  I also have a few tried and true favorites that I don't remember where they came from!  

With all that said, here's what's on the menu this week!  I'll try to link to the cookbook or blog where the recipes can be found!  And just an FYI, some links may be affiliate links.

Sunday
Chili-Rubbed Steak
Barbecue Onions
Scalloped Potatoes

Monday
Tuna with Asian Flavors
(The original recipe is swordfish, but we switched it to grilled tuna steaks)
Fried Rice
Stir-Fry Veggies

Tuesday
Frozen Casserole
(Tuesday is my Bible Study night with my women's group.  The boys sometimes go grab something, but generally prefer something they can just pull from the freezer)

Wednesday
Tokyo Bowls

Thursday
Chick-Fil-A Night!

Friday
Chicken Alfredo Rollups
Green Salad

Saturday
Teriyaki Chicken
Asian Rainbow Salad
Brown Rice
(The chicken is just marinated in a teriyaki sauce, but the salad comes from Forks Over Knives Family)

So there you have it!  What's on your menu this week?

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Thursday, March 29, 2018

When God Calls You to Wait


Waiting.  It’s hard.  We live in a culture that is so completely full of instant gratification.  If we find that we have to wait for something, we can’t stand the thought of not having something to do while we wait.  While we’re waiting in line, we’re grabbing our phones to scroll through Facebook.  While we’re waiting for the doctor, we’re reading a magazine.  While we’re in a season of waiting, we’re busy trying to control the circumstances.  I’m stuck in this place right now.  Anyone else? 

Has God called you to a season of waiting?  Here are 10 verses to encourage you as you draw near to Christ during this uncomfortable season.


Right now, God has called me to wait.  And goodness gracious I have fought Him on it.  Fought hard.  As women, we often feel a need to be in control over every situation and every detail.  My husband has lovingly told me that I can be “less than patient” at times.  Of course I told him that he was absolutely wrong and that I was excellent at being patient.  I have all the patience in the world because I know that God’s in control and that He’ll reveal everything when the time was right and I will be overflowing with joy at His perfect timing.  I’m obviously very patient and I can definitely wait on God because He knows details that I couldn’t even begin to plan for.  I know I’m patient because that’s what I pray for when I’m feeling stressed about my kids and the Spirit works in me to help me treat them with kindness when the moments get tense.  Of course I’m patient and excellent at waiting and my husband is 100% wrong…. right?

What about when I find myself having panic attacks for the first time in my life?  What about the fact that I can’t sleep because I’m so overcome with anxiety about not knowing what’s next?  What about my kids who see me crying every day because I’m so stressed that I can’t handle my emotions?  What about the number of times I say, “I’m fine” even though I know that I’m a wreck inside?  What about the physical pain because my body is so tense?  What about the fact that my thoughts are so completely consumed by the things I want that I’m missing what God wants? 

Friends, here’s my confession.  I have had no less than 20 tabs open on my computer at all times trying to plan every detail of this next season of life.  Of course, I easily justified it by saying that I was just trying to come up with a “back-up plan” in case God’s timing didn’t match mine.  It didn’t matter that I knew God was telling me to wait.  It didn’t matter that I knew He was telling me to relinquish control and trust Him.  It didn’t matter that I wasn’t honoring my husband when he was asking me to just wait a few more months.  It didn’t matter that none of my “plans” were working.  I was just trying to come up with a back-up plan... right?

Ladies, I was wrong.  God was asking me to wait.  Not… wait, but control made-up details in the waiting season.  Not… wait, but worry about the timing.  Not… wait, but stop functioning in the day-to-day.  He said wait and trust Him completely.  He said wait and stop worrying.  I have been so anxious about making a back-up plan to fit what I want, that I have missed the sweet intimacy with Christ that comes from complete obedience to what He wants.

I recently came across an Instagram post about viewing waiting as an act of obedience.  It was as if it had been written directly to me.  I have been doing the exact opposite of waiting in obedience.  I was acting along of the lines of a child who is trying their hardest to get away with something while pretending to be obedient… doing “just enough” to technically obey, but not really obeying in my heart. 

God has called to me to wait.  And while I’m waiting, I must trust Him.  If I shift my thinking and view waiting as obedience, I am turning away from the idea that I have to be in control.  This is a true season of refinement and learning what it means to completely surrender.  To actively wait in obedience, I have to recognize when my anxiety and worry about the situation is taking over.  I have to recognize when the enemy’s lies are creeping in.  I have to understand that my emotions don’t tell the truth.  To actively wait in obedience, I must trust that His best for me may not look like what I think it will.  I must listen to His command to not worry.  I must then actually stop worrying.  In those moments of worry, I must turn it over to Him… to draw near to Christ as I place my complete trust in Him as my Lord. 

I’ve been missing those moments of intimacy with Him because I was so consumed with my selfish wants.  And I have so needed those moments!  Isn’t it just like Him to know exactly what we need in every season?  Isn’t it just like Him to tell us exactly how to abide in Him while we wait?  And isn’t it just like us to become stubborn little children who fight every step of the way?  

To actively wait in obedience, I will draw near to Christ in this season.  I will stop worrying.  His plan may not match mine, but I know His will be better.  I know that He is preparing me for what He has already prepared for me.  These are the verses I’m praying during this season of waiting.  I pray they are an encouragement to you as well (all emphasis added).

Ruth 3:18 ~ Naomi said, “My daughter, wait until you find out how things go, for he won’t rest until he resolves this today” 

Habakkuk 2:3 ~ For the vision is yet for the appointed time; it testifies about the end and it will not lie.  Though it delays, wait for it, since it will certainly come and not be late.

Psalm 27:14 ~ Wait for the Lord; be strong and courageous. Wait for the Lord. ~ Psalm 27:14

Isaiah 60:22 ~ The least will become a thousand, the smallest a mighty nation. I am Yahweh; I will accomplish it quickly in its time.

Psalm 62:5 ~ Rest in God alone, my soul, for my hope comes from Him. ~ Psalm 62:5

Galatians 6:9 ~ So we must not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up.

Isaiah 40:31 ~ But those who trust in the Lord will renew their strength; they will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not faint.

Psalm 37:7 ~ Be silent before the Lord and wait expectantly for Him; do not be agitated by one who prospers in his way, by the man who carries out evil plans.

Philippians 4:6-7 ~ Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

1 Peter 5:6-7 ~ Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your care on Him, because he cares about you.

Has God called you to a season of waiting?  Here are 10 verses to encourage you as you draw near to Christ during this uncomfortable season.


I'm praying for you this week, my friend.  If you are in a season of waiting right now, I pray that you will find peace in the season, and that it may be full of sweet moments with Jesus as He refines you and prepares you for what He has in store!