Finding My God-Given Talents

Jan 31, 2022 | Books, Faith, Family & Home

Finding My God-Given Talents

The best-selling author, Erma Bombeck, once said, “When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and I could say ‘I used everything you gave me.’” Like many things in life, this is easier said than done. I strive to embrace my talents, to trust in God to clarify what all my gifts are, to seek His counsel in how to use them. But I am learning that sometimes falling short of our talents is part of the journey to discover them.

How Do We Know Our Talents?

I feel it is often in my nature to resist (girl’s gotta love her control!), even when I don’t mean to. As a conduit for God’s word, I pride myself on hearing Him. But when He requires of me anything that sacrifices my comfort, I find myself attempting to evade the very thing God is ushering me into. So to truly seek the Lord’s wisdom and guidance, I’ve had to start by listening and learning from His desires. I must trust his direction, trust that He knows how to enhance every ounce of my talent to display Holy boldness and a life of purpose. So here are a few things I am practicing listening to and learning from him to embrace my God-given talents.

Bloom Where You Are Planted

Ugh… Well, Lord, if you had just planted me in one location for 30 years this would be so much easier! This is a thought that has crossed my mind on and off for 10 years. Excuses and reasons why it is too difficult to embrace the purpose of my journey. But after fighting against it for so long, I have finally surrendered to His will. By understanding that it is not an accident that God has moved our family, I am finally able to walk with freedom through these uprootings. It is time for me to embrace blooming, in EVERY place He plants me. To live a life of purpose, mission, and community, I have had to embrace His plan of dislocation and abort mine of stability.

Trust God’s Plan

No, duh! I know this one seems like a no brainer, but in order to trust God’s plan, we must have an intimate relationship with Him. I must release the desire to know how He thinks and instead wait and trust that His plan is greater than mine. I often have to remind myself that his vision is not centered around me and my experience, but instead is a great picture of which I am a mere brushstroke to be used to enhance and encourage.

Stop Hiding in Fear and Doubt

Fear and doubt only lead to procrastination. A fact of which I am painfully aware. I want to live without the bondage of these restraints, and to do so I must remember that some of my God-glorifying talents can’t be put on display until I deal with the root of my fear. It is my prayer to shed these so that every talent I’ve buried can be raised up. By embracing instead of doubting, His desires will show me how to multiply and bloom the talents that he has bestowed upon me, to glorify not myself, but my Heavenly Father.

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My Crowd-Pleasing Turkey Bacon Cheeseburger

Jan 28, 2022 | Family & Home, Food, Lunch

My Crowd-Pleasing Turkey Bacon Cheeseburger

If you know me, you know I love hosting events and bringing everyone together. My Turkey Bacon Cheeseburger recipe will turn heads and spark conversation. It’s a crowd favorite at cookouts and comes with so many options for dressing. There’s nothing like gathering family and friends together and celebrating community. My recipe is quick and easy and makes for a unique bonding experience with the kids.

Let’s get into my Turkey Bacon Cheeseburger recipe!

Ingredients:

1 family pack of ground turkey (3/4lbs)
Bacon
1 pack of Lipton soup mix
1 pack of ranch mix
1 tablespoon of Emeril’s Burger Bam
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon cumin
Trinity mix
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
Ice cubes

Instructions:

In a large bowl, mix ground turkey, trinity mix, soup mix, ranch mix, burger bam, garlic powder, and cumin. Work seasoning through but don’t overwork it.
Pat the burgers out to the size of your liking. (For large or small buns, patty melt, or sliders.) You can also use a burger silicon press to achieve more uniformed patties.
Preheat the skillet or grill. For the skillet, I like to use a dash of avocado oil to coat. Place the burgers on the skillet, and while it’s cooking, place an ice cube in the middle of each patty. This helps maintain moisture.
Pour your tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce over burgers while they’re cooking.
Once side 1 has browned and the ice cube has melted, use a thin spatula to flip the burgers. Let side 2 cook until done (no pink).
Now, place the burgers in the oven on super low heat to keep warm while you toast the buns/bread, cook the bacon, and slice your veggies.

Everyone in my house has different taste buds, so here are a few options for dressing your burgers.

Options for Dressing Your Burgers:

Brioche buns
Sourdough bread
Hawiian king rolls
Lettuce
Tomato
Cheese
Guacamole/avocado
Fried egg
Grilled onion
Onion rings
Mayo
Mustard
Ketchup
BBQ Sauce
Hidden Valley Secret Sauce

What to Pair with Your Turkey Bacon Cheeseburger?

My Turkey Bacon Cheeseburger recipe pairs well with onion rings or fries for a taste of comfort. If you’re looking to add health-conscious sides, I got you covered! I love pairing this juicy turkey burger with roasted broccoli and/or roasted kale chips. These sides add smokiness and a bit of crunch to your plate.

Once your guests take a bite out of this Turkey Bacon Cheeseburger, it will surely become your party staple!

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Homeschool Favorite New Products

Nov 12, 2021 | Homeschool, Reviews, Shopping

Growing Our

Teaching Toolbox

Nothing makes me more of a proud Mama than watching each of my children’s minds blossom in the classroom. Homeschooling bright minds of all ages is a challenge, so I take advantage of our unique environment by going beyond the textbooks and introducing my children to games, movies, and brain teasers. Expanding our teaching tools means that I can take a personal approach to their education that is engaging and fresh.

Join me in growing our toolbox with these Davis-kid-tested products that can take homeschooling to a new level!

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Counting Bears

This unique toy uses weight, size, and color to showcase math concepts, such as counting, estimating, addition, and subtraction. The bears give your child a physical connection to numbers that encourages the understanding of math concepts.

“My 3 year old plays with these for hours at a time. They are quite versatile, and there are a ton of activities for them posted online. We use them for math games, pre-reading preparedness, patterns, grouping, pretend play, and more. The bears are durable and well made; I know they will last through all of my children (and longer!). I would buy these again, and have already recommended them to several other parents.” – Tray Achorn, Amazon

Giggle Wiggle

This dancing caterpillar challenges up to four kids to place marbles on its wobbling hands without getting knocked off! This game fires up competitive kids and works to enhance motor skills.

“Not only is it challenging, but it’s silly and fun! It plays cute, upbeat music that the caterpillar dances to while you try to put the colored balls into his hands. It is super easy to assemble as all you do is pop the pieces together, and pick which color you want his bow tie to be.”

– Semperfimommy2014, Walmart

Crazy Cereal Game

This colorful game requires your little one to scoop out the cereal pieces that match the color of the spoon. While they race to get to the bottom of the bowl, kids are learning color recognition, fine motor skills, and hand-eye coordination.

“We love this game! It’s colorful, easy to play (or make up your own rules) and perfect when we need a little pre-meal distraction. Who doesn’t love bright colors, flashing lights and well, CEREAL? It’s great for counting, sorting, hand-eye coordination, manual dexterity and family fun. BEWARE, it will make you want to eat sugary cereal!”

– Educational Insights

Pancake Pile Up

Inspire your children to cook with this super fun relay game! Once kids get a hold of the spatula, they must match their pancake stack to a card and race to complete the pancake pile without knocking it over or losing an ingredient. The balancing action and sequencing make this game ideal for developing motor skills and coordination.

“Easy to explain and get the game going. Fun and active. Easy to change up the rules to accommodate different ages. Even my 2 year old granddaughter grasped the concept! Not an excessive amount of pieces to keep track of, the box is sturdy for storage after play, and kiddos use the pancakes for making me ‘breakfast’. Great game. Great price.”

– CookswithLove51, Target

Zingo

This bingo game tests your child’s ability to recognize words and pictures quickly, building early-reading vocabulary and recognition skills. The fast-paced game keeps the kids entertained and engaged. They don’t even notice they’re learning!

“This is really a great game for everyone. We played it for hours with out 3 year old granddaughter. It’s a twist on bingo that has a little extra feature with the way the plastic disks come out of the dispenser.” – Berniculous, Walmart

Picasso Tiles

Nothing sparks creativity like this completely customizable set of magnetic tiles. The square and triangular tiles can be used to build simple structures or full on castles! At its core, this is a STEM toy that both parents and children can enjoy.

“My kids love these Picasso tiles! Watching their creative minds at work is amazing. These tiles allow them to think outside the box. I get to watch their ideas come to life. They are great quality, easy to use, stay together very well and simply amazing.”

– Shelby, Walmart

Adventures in Odyssey CD Collection

When your usual kid’s TV shows aren’t doing the trick, Adventures in Odyssey saves the day with its wholesome stories about the adventurous people of Odyssey. With over 72 CD collections to choose from, your kids will never run out of exciting stories.

“Great product. Didn’t think my kids would like audio drama when they have DVD player, phone, iPods, iPads, etc. But they put those other things down to listen to this. Used this on a recent 6 hour drive and time flew by, even with 3 kids with ages from 7-13. All 3 really liked it.”

– Cjbias, Christianbooks.com

Sight Words Swat

Kids from the preschool level to third grade can grow their vocabulary with this fly swatting game. With fly swatters in hand, children are challenged to match the word they hear to the text on one of the bugs.

“This game is great! My kindergarten class LOVES it! It’s a fun fast paced way to build sight word fluency. The materials seem to be well made and are holding up to daily use after a few months.”

– Amazon

These items have truly elevated my homeschooling strategies by introducing math and reading skills as well as developing motor skills, coordination, and recognition – all without a textbook. It’s so important to put play into your child’s learning to cultivate their curiosity in a way that encourages them to explore the world around them. Education looks different for every child, so let them journey outside of the classroom!

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New Baby, New Night Routine

Nov 8, 2021 | Family & Home, Parenting

Hands Full, Hearts Fuller!

I can officially say… we are now a family of SEVEN! I am thrilled to announce the birth of our newest Davis Family addition, but adding another baby girl to our organized chaos is definitely shaking things up a bit. With five little people in the house, it’s all about adopting new tasks and adapting old routines.

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Get the Whole Family on Board

For all the mamas out there, you are not alone! Remember to use the help of those around you. Adding a new baby can be challenging for the entire family, but establishing a plan and getting the older kids involved can help make the transition smoother. In our case, Daddy is a little tied up with football season (talk about late nights and early mornings!), but he always makes sure to jump in when he can and I rely on my other kiddos to help in the meantime.

Strengthening the Sibling Unit

Empower your older kids to be more independent with their chores, bedtime routines, and extracurricular activities. If they can, ask them to help with the younger ones, like reading them a bedtime story or helping them to brush their teeth. We use a color-coded calendar board in the kitchen so that everyone can check up on their schedules and activities and to help remind me of upcoming events.

Don’t Forget to Help Yourself

Giving yourself a little grace and extra support during this time is crucial. A few small tips can help ensure I am taking care of myself, too:

Get sleep whenever possible, a few extra minutes can make all the difference (Mama Night Owl + Baby Night Owl = Sleepy Mommy), so don’t be afraid to press the “Snooze” button every once in a while.
Meal prep and menu plan when you can and use grocery delivery to shorten your to-do list.
Lay out your kids’ clothing/backpacks/school assignments the night before, it will make your mornings much quicker!
Set aside time to communicate both as parents and as a family. Creating a safe space to share feelings is integral to a smoother transition when adding a new family member.
Coffee, coffee, more coffee. And oh, did I mention coffee?

I am often reminding myself how important it is to embrace your changing emotions, ask for help or space when you need it. We may not have figured out everything just yet, but we are hustling to make magic.

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Building Our Forever Home

Nov 8, 2021 | Family & Home, Home Organization

Our Eternal Home

I will be the first to admit that the idea of building my “forever” home has been a bit of a distraction. I am obsessed with all things home-related.

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Looking to procrastinate? Just whittle away countless hours on Pinterest, saving interior decorating inspiration! Need a good lunch spot? Trade food for a trip to Restoration Hardware and fill up on furniture! I am an expert at scrolling social media for architecture, home decor, and everything in between.

But lately, I’ve slowed down on the idea of my “forever” home — realizing that it’s my eternal home that needs my focus.

A More Lasting Forever

I am reminded of Matthew 6:19-21 NIV, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on Earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in Heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

A scripture so powerful yet so easy to overlook. Although my prayer is that my earthly home always be a place filled with God’s presence and love, I must remember that it will never come close to experiencing our Creator and Savior in Heaven.

Construct Your Eternal Foundations

We must, first and foremost, remind ourselves that we will not live forever on Earth. It is merely a starting place for us to use scripture to build our eternal home’s floor plan. How do we do this? I may not have all of the answers, but I’d like to share what I am working on:

Making it my priority and prayer to spend eternity in Heaven rather than plan for it on Earth.
Keeping myself from seeing my home and the people in it as idols.
Using a firm belief in Him as a foundation upon which to build.
Establishing a plan that will guarantee I will receive keys to my eternal home when life ends here.

As we have excitement for things as trivial as our “forever” homes, we must surpass that excitement with a dedication to building our future in Heaven. Lay down your spiritual foundations with pride and exchange the material for the immeasurable. Only then can we rest assured our eternal home is waiting for us.