Preparing and organizing dinner seems to have become a chore. I love to cook, but coming up with a meal each night that everyone in my family enjoys can be a daunting task. I have been stuck in a rut making many of the same dishes over and over again.  I am on a quest to try new recipes and make dinner exciting again.

Last night I tried a Lemon Pot Roast recipe. I marinated the roast in a ziploc bag over 24 hrs. Gabriel loved it and declared it the best roast ever. It was very tender and flavorful.

Here is the recipe for Lemon Pot Roast

2 1/2 lb chuck roast
1 1/2 c water
1/2 c lemon juice
1 onion, chopped
1 t salt
1 t celery seed
1 t onion powder
1/4 t black pepper
1 ea garlic cloves, crushed
3 slices lemon

Marinate for 4 to 24 hrs. ( I would recommend the 24 hrs.) Cover and Bake 325 1 1/2 to 2 hrs. You could also cook it in a crockpot.

The last week has been a little overwhelming. Coming back to work and trying to take it slow. If you know me well slow is not a part of who I am, but I am having to learn.

Here is what I have learned during all of this:

• God has given me an amazing team of staff and volunteers
• I am almost dispensible (need some worship leaders)
• When you are sick enough,  you will be still and quiet
• My children are old enough to know what was going on
• Family and friends are precious treasures
• God is my healer
• I don’t like being a patient
• My husband is the best caregiver on the planet
• My friends can COOK! Even Helen!
• There is no place like home and my bed
• A semi-private room is not for a person with a complicated migraine
• I do sometimes miss being a nurse and it is ok to admit it
• I love what I do working with our kids

I am wearing my contacts, makeup, and earrings today. I cannot tell you how grateful I was to be able to fix my own hair! On Thursday, when I left the hospital I was unable to hold the blow dryer long enough in my right arm. So thankful that God is my healer.

Lisa, my awesome summer nanny, has gone above and beyond through all of this.  She has even become my chaffeur! What a blessing she is to me!

Today, I needed to go by the office to pick up a few things. There were errands and appointments that also needed to be taken care of and fortunately most were close together. Thank goodness gas prices are dropping!

Of course we made a stop at Starbucks!

Megan and the boat from the "Shipwrecked" set

Today, I am home still recovering. Each day I feel clearer and more like myself. It was a hard decision for me to not  be at The ROCK, but Bryan and I felt I wasn’t strong enough yet.

I have the priviledge of working with some great people as the children’s ministry director of Kid’s ROCK. My assistant, Megan, has done a great job. She has stepped up to the plate and handled my responsibilities well. Today, we go live with Fellowship One for check in and she has it covered. She has trained the volunteers, has the staff in place and is ready. I am so proud of her!

Last week, ROCKstars our 4& 5 yr old class started a new curriculum and they made it happen. Dot, Fran, and Felicia all rocked Spy Chase Jr from Elevate jr. This is the preschool curriculum for Elevate that we use in Club ROCK.

Norman, LaShawn, Heather, Jonathan, Dane, Tony and Hannah went all out in Club ROCK with the new Spy Chase theme and a newly structured team. Rodney volunteered and it wasn’t even his month to help out. He knew they would need help without me there.

Volunteers who are not currently serving this month have called to see how they can help out and what they can do. I have had phone messages just telling me to get better and not worry about anything they’ve got it covered. I cannot even begin to thank all of you and tell you how much your love, concern and help means. 

We know it’s all about making Kid’s ROCK the best place  all week for each child so they have fun falling in love with God and getting to know him.

The last 8 days have been quite interesting and not at all what I had planned. I had not been feeling right for the last few weeks, but attributed it it many things.

Yesterday, when Bryan went home to get some things I had him download
the song Healer for me. I played it over and over yesterday worshipping my Healer for my healing.

I expect to go home today. Thank you to those of you who have called and I
appreciate your understanding in my need to rest.

If you want to bless me or help me
you can call my assistant Megan and offer to help her. She has done an
awesome job in my absence, but I am
sure she would love some reinforcements.

You can contact her by calling the church office today 910.602.5300 or
leave a comment here.

To check out the song healer and a more in depth picture of the last 7
days go to Bryanmcgee.com I don’t have the new wordpress app on my
phone and I am not quite there to figure anything out new. Shhh! My
digerati is sleeping.

My mother, Kaye Green, used to make Chicken Divan different than I have had anywhere else. This is what my family is having for dinner and is one of my favorite comfort recipes. It reminds me of so many great memories at home. Dinner every night with my family was quite entertaining! I have great parents and love them dearly. I can’t wait to see them and my sister at the end of August.

Here is how to make Chicken Divan:

2 cups of cooked chicken cut up
16 oz. sour cream
1 pkg of chicken rice a roni cooked according to package directions
2 boxes of chopped broccoli (this is sometimes hard to find- I use baby broccoli florets)
kraft parmesan cheese in the can

 In a 9×13 pan, put the cooked broccoli, sprinkle with parmesan cheese, next then the chicken and sprinkle with parmesan cheese, next spread the sour cream over the dish and then the chicken rice a roni and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Bake 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

The last few weeks have been very busy for the McGee family. With our “son” getting married and so much going on things that I normally do on the weekend were a now mountain staring me in the face.

Have you ever needed to buy groceries, but first had to straighten the pantry, clean out the refrigerator, and organize the freezer to figure out what you needed? Here I was this morning trying to figure out did we really have 3 boxes of granola bars or were they all empty and had just been placed back on the shelf.

Fortunately, I don’t need as many groceries as I thought, but there were just too many things in the way for me to see what I had. It feels so good to have a clean pantry, refrigerator and freezer. I can find everything and know where it all is. I am sure my Nanny will be happy on Monday too!

There have been times in my life when I have needed to clean up some areas in my spiritual life. Maybe I needed to be more disciplined in an area or get rid of some unforgiveness.  I am so thankful that God is more patient that even my family has been, and they have been really patient. He meets me right where I am and loves me through getting rid of whatever clutter I have in my life.

Who knew I would learn so many technical skills being a children’s ministry director?

• work a cordless drill (this is kinda scary)
• use a jigsaw (Only when I really have to)
• learn to convert DVD’s to MP4 video files to plug in Media Shout
• learn Media shout (the real basics)
• troubleshoot a wireless mic (figured out it is just plain broke, but now I know all the ins and outs)
• compress a DVD
• Figure out how to make props, out of weird cheap materials

Today, I did many of these things to prepare for this Sunday and our next series Spy Chase (Club Rock) and Spy Chase jr. (ROCK stars). However, I was able to do one of the things I enjoy the most today. I went to visit a new baby. I saw his nursery and there was a lot of planning that went into that nursery.  His parents planned for him for months. Each detail was perfect and when he came they were prepared for him.

Everything we do each week takes planning for children’s ministry. I keep learning these weird skills out of necessity. I want to be prepared for each person each weekend. I want each child to know I was ready for them this weekend.

My heart is for children to have fun falling in love with Jesus and learning about him.

What a week last week was! Bryan had a horrific stomach virus on Wednesday and was barely back in the office on Thursday. He worked too long and too hard, and he collapsed into the bed. The packing and laundry was up to me.

Friday morning, we packed the car and were ready to go. The car wouldn’t start. After an 1 1/2 hr. delay we were on the road. No big deal. I love my husband he doesn’t lose his cool. Off to the mountains!

We arrived just in time for me to make it to the Lingerie shower. Melanie, Millie, Megan, Carolyn, Karen, and me were not done having fun so we went to play pool. The first place we stopped was a Tire place that had pool, not for us. The next place had burned down. Finally, Melanie found a place and we were able to play a little pool. We laughed so hard our faces hurt. These ladies know how to have fun.

Saturday, Nana, Papa, Bryan, Gabriel, Noah, Adam, and me went to the Original Mast General Store. It was quite a place with old glass RC cola drink bottles and seasoned cast iron skillets. The boys loved it. We heard bluegrass on the porch and sampled some of their specialties in the sampling room. My favorite were the pralines.

It was time to get ready for the wedding and I realized I forgotten one very important part of my wardrobe, a slip. I did the stand in front of the door test and off to the store Nana and I went. She was driving like a nascar driver. We made it in time for the wedding.

The wedding was beautiful and Matthew made a handsome groom and Jen made a beautiful bride. It was emotional for Bryan and I. He is one of our spiritual sons, and lived with us for 14 months. We love them both dearly.

I can’t wait to see the pics from Millie Holloman Photography, but here is a pic taken with Bryan’s camera.

Sunday was an amazing day at The ROCK! I love Child and Parent Dedication Sunday. I put away my Kid’s ROCK staff shirt and wore a dress. I didn’t think parents would appreciate a lime green shirt in their pictures:)

In Club ROCK, we continued with Berry Blast Theme Park a study of the fruit of the spirit.  Peace: I trust God in difficult times. I cannot even begin to express how we connected with the kids. The small group activities made an impact on them.

Wee ROCK the 2 & 3 yr old class had 22 kids. WOW! The teachers rocked it in this class. I have been talking to other children’s pastors and directors about plans during growth.  I may be implemented the plans sooner than I thought!

Each week I hear of how children are having fun at church and remembering what they learned. My heart is for children to have fun learning about God and falling in love Him.