Living as a Victorious Christian Woman

It was just sitting there in the deep-freeze. Waiting. I'd honestly forgotten that this lovely beef tri tip was there. So imagine my excitement to find it, sear it, and cover it in the most wonderful pan sauce ever. The treatment this beautiful cut of meat deserves. At the risk of sounding like a romance novel set in the kitchen, the best cuts of meat need special treatment. I think you'll agree that the sear-and-sauce method brings out all the meaty flavors of the tri tip and pairs perfectly with whatever sides you choose. Ingredients:  Olive oil 20oz tri tip roast Steak seasoning 1 orange 3 Tbsp honey 1 Tbsp minced garlic Chicken stock 1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat, then reduce the temperature slightly. Coat the tri tip with your favorite steak seasoning and deeply sear it on all its sides. Remove from the skillet. 2. Scrape the bits from the bottom of the skillet and add the orange juice, honey, garlic, and just enough chicken stock to cover ...

My November reading was a little slower than the previous month, but that's ok. I read some really great books - and one I ended up skimming - so it was a great stack to share with you. I'll start with the not-so-great one. My nonprofit is run by a Board of Directors, so Creating Caring and Capable Boards sounded great. It's full of great information about reminding your Board how important being a trustee with passion and purpose is, I just wish it hadn't been so dry. A lot of what nonprofits do is mundane though necessary, so a book that puts some life into would have been nice. My two history books this month were amazing. Washington and Hamilton by Stephen F. Knott and Tony Williams wove the two founding fathers' stories into one exciting narrative that shared more details than I'd ever known. Their working relationship, mentorship, eventual friendship, and the building and rebuilding necessary between them so they could build and rebuild a nation and govern...

Welcome to the first day of the Advent season! It's time to celebrate our coming King and enjoy a month of love, hope, peace, and joy in every way possible. Thank you, God, for Your unspeakable gift! The planner that I'm using this year has a monthly planner layout followed by four weekly spreads. For December, I did a random scatter of tiny images and phrases that coordinate across both pages. There's a few pieces of this gorgeous Christmas tree washi tape, too, with some pink and blue thrown in there for good measure. And that little row of holiday houses just makes me smile. The smaller stickers are perfect for these small boxes, and they leave plenty of room for me to keep track of my blog posts there. This is a great use for the little stickers left from larger sets, as they'll combine really well over a large space. We had our first snow of the year this weekend, so my planner layout is a tribute to how beautiful it is outside right now. And praise that it was onl...

My entire focus at work every day is local businesses. Our job at the convention and visitors bureau is to bring in people from outside the community to shop in our stores, eat in our restaurants, and visit our attractions. We're a huge part of the economic impact in our county, and it's our pleasure to do everything in our power to get people here.  And if it wasn't for our local businesses, we'd have nothing new and different to offer those visitors. Hopefully you're not going to the same chain restaurants when you travel that you go to when you're at home. Hopefully you're trying some local restaurants with menus and specials you can't get anywhere else. Hopefully the same goes for stores and shops you won't find at home, especially this time of year when you're shopping for the people on your Christmas list. Whether you're out and about at home or traveling  today, Small Business Saturday is the perfect opportunity to look local first. Be...

Do you ever have times when you just want peace and quiet and an opportunity to lift others up? As a beautiful fall day ended on our quiet property, I thought long and hard about the noise and chaos that is happening elsewhere.  The world is filled with pain and suffering and so much worry. There is fear and evil and many things to be concerned about. If you've experienced hard times and days full of trouble, it's guaranteed that everyone else you meet every day has (or is) too.  Jesus didn't promise a life without trouble for those who would follow Him, but He did promise salvation, eternity with Him, and peace and support while we're here on earth. Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another. Romans 14:19 When we're given the peace of God which passes all understanding, we're given the tools we need to edify each other. His peace calms us down and lifts us up at the same time - what an interesting j...

In 1789, Congress passed a resolution requesting President George Washington declare a formal Thanksgiving Day for America. Washington chose Thursday, November 26, 1789, as this national day of thanks. And how much the new country had to be thankful for in those days. In his proclamation, Washington began in the first sentence  of the first paragraph that this thanksgiving was to go one place: to the Lord God  Almighty. Gratitude for His blessings was the whole purpose of the day. His heart was in sharing his Lord with the people of his country. "By the President of the United States of America, a Proclamation. Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor-- and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by ac...