A Contagious Virus

Last week we were supposed to get together with another family and at the last minute my friend called to let us know that one of her kids had chicken pox. We opted not to go, even though my husband and myself have had it, and our kids have both had light cases... just because we felt it was prudent not to expose ourselves to it. In past years we have gotten flu shots because we have not wanted to catch or spread the flu virus. When one of our kids has come down with strep throat, my immediate thought has been, "Oh no! Who else have we exposed?" or "Where did we catch this??" We are careful to wash hands and use hand sanitizer (especially when we travel) so that we don't catch any "bugs."

But there's something more contagious that often we don't guard against: fear.

Amy Carmichael says, "Have you ever thought how infectious fear can be? It spreads from one person to another more quickly and certainly than any of the fevers we know so well.

You can refuse the spirit of fear, which never comes to us from God. (And if He does not send it to us, who does?) Instead, open your heart wide to the Spirit of "power and love and a calm and well-balanced mind, and discipline and self-control." (2 Timothy 1:7, Amplified). Because fear is so infectious, let us, for the sake of others and ourselves, refuse it."

I think we, as women, often don't "refuse it." We share it! We sit in groups having coffee while our kids play and discuss our fears, sharing what we're most afraid of, and... exposing each other to it. When someone shares a fear with me, I usually do one of two things: I think to myself, "Oh, I've never been afraid of that. That's not a struggle of mine." (Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall. 1 Cor. 10:12) Or I think, "Oh, you're right! That could happen. Wow, I never thought of that..." and fear takes root. At both points, I can refuse it... take that thought captive to Christ, resist the fear.

It's not that we shouldn't ever share, but that we should take care how we share and with whom, I think. When I have an illness I cancel appointments with my friends but I make one with the doctor. I limit exposing those who might be vulnerable to it, and go to someone like a doctor who is not only equipped for exposure, but able to help. Maybe instead of broadcasting my fears far and wide at gatherings of friends, I should share them with someone who I know is walking firmly with the Lord, who can commit to pray with me about it or offer advice from his or her own victory.

Carmichael says, "Thank God courage is as "infectious" as discouragement. Haven't you often felt the cheer and strength that seem to flow from a person whose mind is fixed and firm on God? I have." I have, too. Not only do I want to be around that type of person, I want to be that person. Sometimes I am. I have been in the past. But repeated exposure to the fears of others can weaken me, I've found, if I don't regularly inoculate myself with Truth and limit my exposure to the "fear virus."

She says, "When we are downhearted or fearful or weak, we are saying to everybody (by the way we look and by our timidity, if not by our words), 'After all, the Lord can't be absolutely trusted.' "

And that is more dangerous than any virus that's out there right now. We must, for the sake of ourselves and others, refuse fear and not spread it. Let's remind each other of our Savior Who has never, not once, failed us.

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment and the one who fears is not perfected in love. 1 John 4:18

"Be strong and let your heart take courage, all you who hope in the Lord." Psalm 31:24

Monday Menu

"But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that."
1 Timothy 6:8

Happy Monday! Another week to be grateful for the way God has provided for our families and to be good stewards of those provisions. He is so, so good!

Breakfast choices:

biscuits with apple butter or gravy

cinnamon rolls

scrambled eggs

cereal/oatmeal

fruit

combination of the above

Monday ~

Lunch: sliced BBQ brisket, macaroni and cheese

Dinner: Ritz chicken, peas, scalloped potatoes

Tuesday ~

Lunch: grilled chicken sandwiches

Dinner: beef enchiladas, corn, black beans

Wednesday ~

Lunch: homemade pizza

Dinner: dinner with friends

Thursday ~

Lunch: pita pocket sandwiches

Dinner: Leftovers

Friday ~

Lunch: leftover lunch buffet

Dinner: Crock Pot French Onion Soup

Here's a quick kitchen tip: My favorite way to bake potatoes is in the microwave inside paper lunch sacks! I wash and brush the potatoes, poke a few holes in them, then twist them up in either a brown or white sack (whatever I have on hand) For large baking potatoes you set the time for about 7 minutes per potato, for smaller ones it takes about 4-5 minutes per potato.

To read more menus or to share yours, visit Laura. Have a great week!

A Year of Living Biblically

Many Christians and those in the Christian blogosphere would say that we try our best to "live Biblically." I know I do. And I know that the longer I have walked with Christ, and the more I study Scripture, the more grateful I am for God's grace as I daily try to walk according to His Word. I was intrigued yesterday to catch an interview of an author who spent a year literally adhering to Biblical "rules." You can watch his "Today Show" interview here. It is fascinating.

The author, A. J. Jacobs, who describes himself as an agnostic, spent 52 weeks living as "Biblically" as he could. Right down to wearing robes, growing out his beard, playing the lyre, changing his eating habits, and of course, following the Ten Commandments. (He even stoned an adulterer! Seriously!) The whole thing is interesting to me on so many levels, and I'm sure there will be much discussion of his book in the blogosphere, but one thing I heard him say struck me yesterday:

Matt Lauer asked him "On your average day did you find that you were unable to fulfill this or were there days where you could absolutely fulfill it for 24 hours at a time?" His response was, "Never. You're always going to break rules. Especially the rules like coveting, gossiping, and lying. I was astounded by how much I sinned once you start to pay attention." "Really?" Matt replied, "So in other words you had a rude awakening that on a daily basis you covet and you lie?" A.J. responded, "Absolutely, and I never really followed all the rules, but you can try. You can try to become a better person... hopefully."

"I was astounded by how much I sinned..."

What a statement! This interview, and his book which details his "experiment," highlights the need for Christ, the need for a Savior. He looked into the law and it reflected back his own iniquity, and he saw it! He described himself at the end of the interview as still an agnostic (a "reverent agnostic," actually) and that he has incorporated certain Biblical principles into his life, like the Sabbath and thankfulness. He found that there are things that just... work. Things that bring peace. But what I think is the most amazing thing is that he showed that even those who don't acknowledge God realize they fall short. We can't keep the commandments on our own. We sin daily, all day. We are fallen.

At the end of the interview, Matt says, "Think fast, when's the last time you broke one of the Ten Commandments." A.J. replied, "Probably during this interview." Matt, laughing, asked, "Which one?" to which he said, chuckling "I don't know... it's hard to keep track..."

It sure is.

Oh, how I'm unspeakably grateful that it's not my ability to keep the commandments that has brought me into a relationship with God, but that it was Christ's sinlessness and payment on my behalf that make me righteous before a holy God. I am thankful every. single. day. that I'm not simply trying in my own power not to sin, or to prove myself worthy. Thank you God, for drawing me. Thank you, Jesus, for saving me!

Menu Monday and a GREAT Chocolate Sauce Recipe

I hope you had a wonderful weekend! We did, and now it's time to hit another week. I love how every Monday brings another chance for a fresh start... an effective week. God's mercies are new every morning, every minute, every week! What a wonderful thought to start our day.

Here's our menu:

Breakfast choices:
Pumpkin bread (I made some yesterday... C'mon fall!)
scrambled eggs
toast & jam or jelly
oatmeal/cereal
grapefruit
various combinations of the above

Monday ~
Lunch: tuna salad and crackers
Dinner: New Jersey Chicken Casserole (EYWTUSA p. 70) (We didn't have this last week), green beans, red velvet cake

Tuesday ~
Lunch: french bread pizzas
Dinner: Baked Potato Soup, hot bread, salad

Wednesday ~
Lunch: turkey wraps, Flat Earth chips
Dinner: Spaghetti, caesar salad, grean beans, garlic bread

Thursday ~
Lunch: Frito pie
Dinner: Leftover Dinner Buffet

Friday ~
Lunch: Leftover Lunch Buffet
Dinner: Crock Pot pork chops (envelope of golden onion soup mix + can of cr. of celery soup + pork chops = yummy), pasta, mixed veggies

Last week we had so many yummy leftovers we had two leftover nights (yey!). One thing I like to do when we're having leftovers since I'm not cooking a whole meal, is to whip up a new dessert. (And I'm talking s-i-m-p-l-e, like a box cake or even slice and bake cookies if I'm pressed for time.) Last week I made a family favorite- a yellow (box) cake and my Nana's chocolate sauce. This chocolate sauce recipe is SO yummy and easy, I encourage you to try it!

Nana's Chocolate Sauce

3 cups sugar
2 tablespoons flour (generous)
3 tablespoons cocoa powder (generous)
pinch of salt

Stir dry ingredients well.

Add 2 cups milk. Use a whisk to stir while cooking in saucepan. After sauce cooks and thickens a bit, add:

1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon vanilla

Our family has always enjoyed this sauce over yellow cake, but I suppose you could serve it with any type of cake, ice cream or fruit. Enjoy!

To read more menus or to pick up some awesome organizing tips, stop by Laura's. Have a great week!

I think I need a nap...

I have watched this video at least 20 times, and I laugh hysterically everytime!



Somebody help me.

Friday Update

Well, if I'm going to go on posting this infrequently, I might need to change my blog name to "One Week More" or "One Month More" won't I?

Happy Friday!

It's been a fun, busy week at our house. Have you ever had that feeling that God is up to something big? Enough to make your "tummy tickle" and make you feel a rush of adrenaline? There have been three distinct times in my life when I've had that feeling, and all three of those times He has, in fact, been up to something big. (I'm finding out, of course, that He always is, and the degree to which I "feel it" is the degree to which I'm on board, LOL)

Well, I've got that feeling again. He is definitely at work in our family, bringing about some exciting changes, all of which are "post-worthy" but are still in the works so... not yet. ;) One change that we learned last week is that we will be welcoming a new niece or nephew next spring! Our extended family is just the most fun, and welcomes new little ones with such joy, this new little bundle is so blessed that God hand-picked this wonderful crew as his or her earthly family, and Amy and Randy as parents. S/he has NO idea how blessed s/he will be, but his or her Aunt Cyndi will gladly tell him/her. (Okay, these slash marks just have to go... Amy, please find out what s/he is at your earliest opportunity, 'kay?) :)

I sat down to post this morning with nothing- and everything- on my mind. As I type I have no idea what will make it onto the screen and get posted, but I felt like posting anyway. So, if you're blog-hopping in search of some well-written, cohesive, Deep and Meaningful posts... this ain't one. This is your opportunity to keep on hoppin' and come back on another day. Which I'm not sure when that will be. (Deep and Meaningful just seem to "come upon" me and can't necessarily be planned for!)
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For those of you still reading, bless your heart. You've hung on for my ramble! Thank you! Let's see, what we've been up to this week:

Monday I received a phone call that my dear aunt and uncle from South Carolina were in town visiting my parents. I had forgotten that this was when they were coming, so this was a nice surprise! (I wake up! In a new world! Every day! So lots of things! Come as a fun! Surprise to me!) We went over and had wonderful burgers that my dad cooked out and visited with them. Uncle Jerry and Aunt Lois are a HUGE part of who I am. They always lived in another state, so I didn't get to see them often, but when I did, they had such an impact. I even went and spent time with them in the summers during high school. Aunt Lois always put me to work in the kitchen, mowing the lawn, or picking peaches (good for her!) but then she always took time to take me to great sales and outlets (good for me!). There was never a time when I was growing up that I felt pretty, but after I would get ready each morning and come down the hall, Uncle Jerry would sing "There She Is... Miss America" to me. And for just that moment, I would believe him. Such a sweet memory! They love, love, love my kids too and that just blesses me so much. SO, it was a great visit Monday.

Wednesday evening we had just the most fun theme party ever, with our above-mentioned extended family. My daughter and her cousin have birthdays 5 days apart (they are a year apart in age) so for the past few years we have been combining parties for them into one BIG family party. It started a few years ago with a 50's party, then the 60's... Last year I posted pictures of our 70's party. Well, this year, it was back to the 80's! It was fun and scary at the same time! Fun because it was, well, fun. Scary because getting my hair back to its 80's height came all too naturally for me. Yep, scary! I didn't have any 80's -looking clothes (thank goodness, really) and didn't take the time to go to thrift stores and put together Desperately-Seeking-Susan -esque attire like my fun sisters-in-law did, so I did the only thing I knew to do... I sent my cute husband to the attic. He came down with our old suitcase full of our fraternity and sorority shirts. Oh, MY. The 80's came right down into our dining room when we opened that up! So, we sported our greek letters and I used a can of hairspray on my hair and we looked just exactly ::cough::: like we did in 1987.













Two decades and two kids later... here we are! I didn't get many good pictures of the rest of the family, but as soon as I can snag them off of one of my sil's Myspaces, I'll share some. What fun! It's hard to believe I can't remember all of the "Thriller" dance anymore. I was so disappointed in myself... But I'm convinced if I could purge my brain of some of those 80's lyrics I could memorize more scripture. Or at least remember where my car keys are.

Speaking of hard to believe, here are the birthday girls at age 13 and 14!

Time marches (or moonwalks) on, doesn't it? Well, it's been a great week here, and I hope you've had a good one as well. I guess I better get on with this day and see what it holds. Thanks so much for stopping by today and getting caught up with us!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Menu Plan Monday

Welcome to another week! And welcome to October!

I hope you had a fantastic weekend. We sure did! We enjoyed my daughter's wonderful birthday dinner last week with our fun friends from China and finished up our study of the New England states with a wonderful clam chowder. This week we are moving on the Mid-Atlantic states with New Jersey and New York. (I thought New York would involve cheesecake, but I was surprised! If you scroll down to Friday you'll see why...)

Here's what we're munching around here this week:

Breakfast choices:
Banana bread
sausage balls
oatmeal
cereal
fruit
any combination of the above

Monday ~
Lunch: pita pocket sandwiches
Dinner: Chicken tortilla soup

Tuesday ~
Lunch: Ramen noodles
Dinner: Bar-b-cups (my son's request, he LOVES these), mixed veggies

Wednesday ~
Lunch: tacquitos
Dinner: Pizza at our family's fun "80's party" (birthday party for my daughter and her cousin) We are picking up the pizza and I'm sending my husband in, because I'm not wearing my 80's hair into a public establishment...)

Thursday ~
Lunch: macaroni and cheese, fruit
Dinner: Leftovers

Friday ~
Lunch: Leftover Lunch Buffet
Dinner: New Jersey Chicken Casserole (EYWTUSA p. 70), green beans, Red Velvet Cake (Did you know that Red Velvet Cake was created at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City? I thought it was a Southern thing! Well, I'll be...

Oh, I hope you have a wonderful week in your kitchen, whatever you've got cookin'!

Visit Laura for more menus or to share yours with the rest of us.

Wise Words

I'm working on our school lesson plans for the week, and since I have some time to myself to do so (!!) I'm listening to some wonderful messages from some spiritual giants like John MacArthur, Jerry Bridges, John Piper, Helen Roseveare and Randy Alcorn speak at the 2007 Desiring God Conference. All I can say is "wow."

Oh, if you get time (or want to multitask!) please take the opportunity to watch or listen to all of the sessions here. Powerful, powerful stuff!

Where Am I?

Happy Friday!

In case you're looking for me, today I'm at the cafe where I have shared a story that I originally posted a few months ago here, about entering His courts with praise. Grab a water bottle, put on your sandals and join me in Ghana for this wonderful memory and a lesson I learned from a dear Ghanaian sister!



I've also posted some pictures from our school week and birthday fun and a post about making maple candy over on my homeschool blog.

Have a terrific Friday and a wonderful weekend!

The Dust of Rejection

"But whatever city you enter and they do not receive you, go out into the streets and say, 'Even the dust of your city which clings to our feet we wipe off in protest against you; yet be sure of this, that the Kingdom of God has come near." Luke 10:10-11

"The One who listens to you listens to Me, and the one who rejects you rejects Me; and he who rejects Me rejects the One who sent Me." Luke 10:16

These words made me stop in my tracks this morning after I read them. I realized how often I don't speak out for Christ, for truth, because of my fear of rejection. Oh, I hear others be bold, not just on a computer screen where I think we all feel a certain cyber-courage, but in real life situations, in social situations and sometimes even on mission trips. While I've had my nervy moments, I certainly wouldn't count myself among those who boldy, consistently speak out. And that frustrates me about myself. Today I asked God why. Why, at age 40, when I know where my security lies and I don't really think I've got anything to prove... why don't I just say what needs to be said more often? When too much O*prah-theology creeps into conversations in groups of women, when someone is obviously buying a lie of the enemy couched in the latest Christian fad, when some trite saying is spoken as truth, to which everyone else nods but inside I'm thinking "Chapter and verse... where is that?? Does that line up with Scripture?? I don't think so!" But, so often I sip my Diet Whatever and decide not to cause a stir. I don't want to hurt her feelings. I don't want to draw attention to myself. Besides, maybe I'm wrong... Yes, perhaps I'm mistaken... I'll go home later and look that verse up with my Greek lexicon or see what John Piper says, maybe I shouldn't speak too soon...

And then the moment's gone.

Yep. That's bold alright!

Why am I like that? I think I've still got the dust of rejection clinging to my sandals. I never shook it off. Over the years I've put myself "out there" (though the times are pretty few and far between, if I'm honest) but the rejections have happened. I can even go back to childhood and think of times I was subtly and not-so-subtly rejected- as all kids are at one time or another. There was dust to shake off and I didn't do it. I let it cling to me into my adolescent years, and apparently right into my forties. This morning I read Christ's words, "...the one who rejects you rejects Me..." Even as a child, if anyone rejected me, they were rejecting Him for He also said, "Whoever receives one child in My Name receives Me" Mark 9:37

I didn't really think much about it until today, but as I read those verses by God's grace I was convicted that I've been dragging rejection and its resulting insecurity around with me for years. It's not noticeable to everyone, because after all, it's just dust particles clinging to my spiritual sandals, but it's there.

And I think it's time to shake it off.

Works-for-me Wednesday: Ironing

Ironing. Yes, the very word conjures up images of either the 50's housewife in black and white, ironing her husband's crisp, white shirts. OR, it makes me think of a big basket of wrinkled clothes, and me chained to the ironing board all afternoon... For years and year I didn't iron. Oh, we pressed things just before we put them on, but I didn't "do the ironing" in a big batch like other women I know. And for the most part, I still don't, except that I figured out what a true blessing it is for my husband to have his clothes hanging in the closet ready for work. I can't always get to it every week, but when I can it really blesses him.

The main reason I've never really "done the ironing" is that our closets are relatively small, and by the time you press something and then "mush" it in there with everything else, it's going to need a going over before you wear it anyway. But during the week, my husband's pressed for time (oh look! I'm being punny!) and the press-and-go maneuver takes too much time. What I've begun doing for my husband's work clothes is ironing them ahead of time and hanging them on a different kind of hanger in the closet.

Everything else we hang is on wire hangers because it all fits better. But when I press a week's worth (or more) of his work clothes, I hang them on these plastic, colored hangers and push the other clothes away from them, so they stay fresh, and he can quickly tell which clothes are pressed and ready to go.

He's got a double row of bars in his side of he closet, shirts on top and pants/jeans on the bottom. I'll spare you a picture of the inside of our closet, but if you walk in there right now, you can tell at a glance which shirts and pants have been ironed because they are set apart by these hangers. (Of course, if what I've ironed is not what he wants to wear, he's free to choose another shirt and iron it himself, but I'm noticing that week in, week out the shirts I've ironed and hung on the plastic hangers are the ones to be worn!)

I don't iron all of our clothes, and the rest of us "press and go" most days, but for my husband's clothes this "hanger system" works for me!

To read more of what works for others, or to share what works for you visit Shannon. Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you have a wrinkle-free Wednesday!

Happy Birthday, My Sweet Girl!

Fourteen years ago today, your eyes opened on this earth...

First, you looked into the eyes of your precious earthly father, who would point your heart to your Beloved Heavenly Father. We couldn't have imagined on that day the things God had ordained for your eyes to see.

That just ten years later those eyes would go across the world to look into the eyes of those He came to save, and those eyes would close in prayer as you prayed with those who would receive Him.

That you would look out into the South China Sea and stand on those shores while new sisters and brothers "went swimming."



And on the shores of the Mediterranean, where a dear new sister in Christ would be baptized, in part because of your heart to share the love of Jesus with her...



Yes, your beautiful eyes have seen great things already. And I know there's more to come!

I pray most of all, no matter what your fifteenth year brings, that you will fix your eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of your faith... (Hebrews 12:2) And I pray that "the eyes of your heart will be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe." (Ephesians 1:18-19)

Because of you, my own eyes are getting a first-hand glimpse at something God Himself is doing, and it is my privilege to be your mother. Happy Birthday, my sweet girl.

I Just Love It...

...when we're doing my daughter's school work and we come across a great quote like this:

"When God calls a man He does not repent of it. God does not, as many friends do, love one day and hate another; or as princes, who make their subjects favourites and afterwards throw them into prison. This is the blessedness of a saint; his condition admits no alteration. God's call is founded on His decree. His decree is immutable. Acts of grace cannot be reversed. God blots out His people's sins, but not their names." Thomas Watson

Oh, the irreversible grace of our sovereign God! I just had to share this with you today.

Menu Plan Monday

Well, there's our smiley friend again with his knife and fork, reminding us that it's Monday! Time for a look at the week ahead in the kitchen! Our kitchen will be a place of celebration this week, because my daughter's birthday is tomorrow. We will be enjoying a birthday dinner and the best treat of all- our friends from China who are stateside (the precious family my daughter lived with in China for part of the summer of '06) will be joining us for chicken enchiladas. We are so excited! We are having a fun week of food, with birthday cake and Tex-Mex, as well as continuing our "food tour" of the United States for our geography study. This is our last week in the New England states. Last week we loved corn chowder and making maple candy. Very fun!

Breakfast choices this week:
Croissants with jam/spreadable fruit
Apple turnovers
Cereal/oatmeal
Eggs
Fruit and toast
(or some combination of the above)

Monday~
Lunch: grilled chicken wraps, corn chowder <-- SO good. Left from last week's New Hampshire dinner. You've got to try this recipe!
Dinner: The guys are baching it with BBQ and Monday Night Football, my daughter and I are meeting another mother and daughter for dinner before Bible Study.

Tuesday~ Happy 14 th Birthday Bethany!
Lunch: Out for Chinese food after we enjoy the Palace of Wax and Ripley's Museum (Birthdays are a field trip day at our school!)
Dinner: Chicken Enchiladas, corn casserole, black beans, Coca Cola cake (the b-day girl's request)

Wednesday~
Lunch: Bagel Bites, salad
Dinner: New England Pot Roast (EYWTUSA p. 22), mashed potatoes, green beans

Thursday~
Lunch: hamburgers on the George Foreman grill, sweet potato fries
Dinner: Leftovers

Friday~
Lunch: Leftover Lunch Buffet
Dinner: Rhode Island Red Clam Chowder (EYWTUSA p. 88) and cornbread Later we're going to a dessert fellowship and I think I'm taking Fruit Pizza because that goes with whatever everyone else brings. :)

Weekend~
Leftovers, YOYO ("You're on you're own") lunches, out-to-eat after church/Awana.

I hope you're cooking up some fun with your family this week, whether it's sandwiches for two or take-out for ten... just being together is what's important! Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you have a wonderful Monday and a blessed week!



Be sure to stop by Laura's for some great menu ideas, or to share yours. :)

Thankful Thursday

How? How can it already be Thursday? It was just Monday! I really think the days are out of order this week or something, LOL. But, okay! If it's Thursday, then it's a great day to be thankful, so I'll just jump right in!

*I'm thankful that "the name of the LORD is a strong tower and that the righteous runs into it and is safe." Prov. 18:7

*I'm very thankful that God is teaching me that "the fear of the LORD leads to life so that one may sleep satisfied, untouched by evil." Pr. 19:23

*I'm thankful I can lean on, fully trust in, place the weight of my confidence on God. And as I lean on Him He faithfully teaches and counsels me. I'm thankful for scriptures like John 13:23, Prov. 16:20, Ps. 143:8, Ps. 56:3, Isaiah 12:2, and Is. 26:3,4 reminding me to lean fully on Him.

*I'm thankful for time in His Word each day where He has been teaching me all of the above. It's my most precious time of the day, whenever I can get it. And He makes it happen by His grace!

*I'm thankful for a very productive week of school with my kids. We've really cranked out the schoolwork this week and have done some fun projects as well. I'm thankful that today there is a nice, beautiful gym that is letting homeschoolers have it for 2 hours for "open gym" time. And I'm thankful that mine are old enough to leave. there. And I'm thankful for the pedicure place nearby. :)

*I'm thankful for two really great phone conversations with godly women this week. I try to limit my phone time and not spend much time "chatting" but God opened up two really great chunks of time for me this week to talk to two friends and really have some edifying conversations. SO refreshing!

*I'm thankful that you stopped by my blog today! I hope you are thankful, too!

Be sure to stop over at Iris' and read more thankful posts or link your own. Have a terrific Thursday!

Menu Monday

Now, isn't this just a cheery picture? Happy Monday!

I hope you had a great week last week and enjoyed time around your table with your family. We started "eating our way through the USA" beginning with the New England states. We enjoyed a lobster casserole and a Boston cream pie. (I couldn't believe how much lobster cost! I got ONE lobster tail and had them steam it for me. The recipe I used called for 1-2 cups cooked lobster meat, so one $10 lobster tail had to do it for us. It was a great recipe, though!) This week we continue in New England enjoying recipes from New Hampshire and Vermont.

I'm also still loving my crock pot. In the summer I love it because it doesn't heat up the kitchen. During the school year I love it because it cooks dinner while I'm teaching. It's great for any season! Last week I made a lasagne recipe from the Fix It and Forget It cookbook, and it was the best. lasagne. ever. (I cook so much from that book that I've affectionately given it the nickname "Fifi" - the initials that I put in my menu plan notebook. "Fifi" and I cook together just about every week!)

Here's our menu for the week:

Breakfast choices:
Applesauce Oatmeal Muffins
breakfast burritos
cinnamon toast/ toast with jelly
cereal/oatmeal

Monday~
Lunch: Baked potatoes with all the fixin's
Dinner: Baked fish, Broccoli Cheese Casserole, spinach salad, bread

Tuesday~
Lunch: turkey hot dogs, pita chips, fruit
Dinner: Chicken Chimichangas ( from a recipe my fun friend Sandy left in the comments of this post), corn, Mexican salad

Wednesday~
Lunch: Lean Pockets
Dinner: New Hampshire dinner- Slow-Cooked Corn Chowder, wheat rolls, salad, orange cake

Thursday~
Lunch: grilled chicken wraps
Dinner: Left-over buffet

Friday~
Lunch: Leftover lunch buffet (from this week's lunches)
Dinner: French Dip Sandwiches (FIFI p. 103), spinach/parmesan pasta, caesar salad, Vermont maple candy

Weekend~
Leftovers and out-to-eat after church

Oh, won't you hop on over to Laura's and check out everyone else's menus or, even better, add your own if you've never done it before. There are some great ideas over there and I know some of yours would bless the rest of us!

Have a yummy week!

Are You Doing It?

A seminary professor feels that every one the students at his seminary should be required to do this in order to graduate.

Another highly-regarded professor and author characterizes it as the one spiritual discipline that is "absolutely fundamental to spiritual formation."

Chuck Swindoll says that there is "no other single practice in the Christian life more rewarding, practically speaking" than this.

We should all be doing it. Are we? What is it? Join me at the Internet Cafe today and find out!

Brownie Recipe

I'm making brownies with my son this afternoon, and it reminded me of this recipe, similar to the one I used to use years ago when my kids were younger. I thought I'd share it with you today.

If you don't have a small child you may not be able to follow the recipe exactly. Pass this along to a mom with toddlers.

Mom's Brownies Recipe

Remove teddy bear from oven and preheat oven to 375. Melt 1 cup margarine in saucepan.

Remove teddy bear from oven and tell Jr "no, no."

Add margarine to 2 cups sugar.

Take shortening can away from Jr. and clean cupboards.

Measure 1/3 cup cocoa.

Take shortening can away from Jr. again and bathe cat. Apply antiseptic and bandages to scratches sustained while removing shortening from cat's tail.

Assemble 4 eggs, 2 tsp. vanilla, and 1-1/2 cups sifted flour. Take smoldering teddy bear from oven and open all doors and windows for ventilation.

Take telephone away from Billy and assure party on the line the call was a mistake. Call operator and attempt to have direct dialed call removed from bill.

Measure 1 tsp. salt, 1/2 cup nuts and beat all ingredients well. Let cat out of refrigerator. Pour mixture into well-greased 9x13-inch pan. Bake 25 minutes.

Rescue cat and take razor away from Billy. Explain to kids that you have no idea if shaved cats will sunburn. Throw cat outside while there's still time and he's still able to run away.

Frosting

Mix the following in saucepan: 1 cup sugar, 1 oz unsweetened chocolate, and 1/4 cup margarine .

Take the teddy bear out of the broiler and throw it away -- far away. Answer the door and meekly explain to nice policeman that you didn't know Jr had slipped out of the house and was heading for the street. Put Jr in playpen.

Add 1/3 cup milk, a dash of salt and boil, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes.

Answer door and apologize to neighbor for Billy having stuck a garden hose in man's front door mail slot. Promise to pay for ruined carpet.

Remove burned brownies from oven.

Enjoy!

Works-for-me Wednesday: Safely Killing Ants

(Safe for your kids and pets, not safe for the ants of course!)

With the recent heavy rains we've had, I've noticed the ants marching two-by-two in their little trails twice in my house in the past couple of days. With children and pets around, I don't want to go just grab a can of Raid and start spraying, but I want the ants to, well, die.

SO, what works for me is a spray bottle of dish soap (Dawn or whatever I have on hand) and water that I keep under my kitchen sink. Yesterday we had quite a few ants right outside our back door who had found an unfortunate worm that had been washed up from the rain. Ants were everywhere. I sprayed them with my trusty dishsoap water, including the threshold to our backdoor where they were beginning to come in the house, and they were gone in seconds. I didn't have to worry about my dogs tracking through ant spray on their way in or out. For an ant trail across the carpet, a light mist of the spray kills them, then I just dab it with a paper towel and it's dry.

There's no formula, I just squirt some dish soap into the spray bottle and fill it about halfway with water, swish it all together and voila. I also love this because it's safe, doesn't stink, and it's made with two things I always have on hand- dish soap and water!

Works for me! Head on over to Shannon's to read what works for other moms, and have a wonderful Wednesday!

Menu Plan Monday

Happy Monday! Isn't this a fun, new MPM banner? It adds sunshine to an otherwise dreary, rainy Monday here. We are beginning our second week (first full week) of school today. I know many of you are several weeks into your school routine. I hope things are humming along smoothly for you by now, that your kids are enjoying their school and activities, and that you are getting to enjoy time together around the table as a family.

I'm late getting my menu up today because I had to put the finishing touches on my kids' school assignments for today, then I whipped up some Banana-Chocolate Chip Muffins. That's the way to start the week! Something for breakfast that tastes like a cookie! Yum! If they were attending school outside of our home, I probably wouldn't give them something so sweet first thing in the morning. In a little while I'll give them a snack of crackers and cheese or some carrot sticks to help balance it out.

Speaking of yum, last week I made this Coca Cola Cake recipe. Oh my word! It was impossibly good, and so easy! Well, I guess you can tell I have a sweet tooth. ;)

This week we are starting something fun. To go along with our United States geography study this year in school, we will be making recipes weekly that go along with the states we are studying. With my son's love of cooking, I thought this would be a fun way to enjoy geography! I found the book Eat Your Way Through the USA by Loree Pettit. This week we begin in the New England states with Maine and Massachusetts, so we will be making a lobster recipe (for Maine) and a Boston Cream Pie from that book. Doesn't that sound fun?

Here's our menu for the week:

Daily Breakfast choices~

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Eggs and Toast

Sausage biscuits

Cereal or oatmeal

Grapefruit

Monday~

Lunch: Tomato Basil soup and grilled cheese sandwiches (we didn't have this last week), salad

Dinner: Chili and mashed potatoes (My husband loves this combination, a favorite memory from his childhood!)

Tuesday~

Lunch: corny dogs, macaroni and cheese, carrot sticks

Dinner: Chicken Pesto Panini's, caesar salad, stir fry veggies

Wednesday~

Lunch: chicken nuggets with orange sauce (easy to whip up from this recipe), mixed veggies

Dinner: Lobster Casserole with Water Chestnuts and Bacon, Roasted Asparagus, and Boston Cream Pie (EYWTUSA p. 46,52)

Thursday~

Lunch: tuna salad pita pocket sandwiches, Flat Earth chips

Dinner: Leftovers

Friday~

Lunch: leftover lunch buffet

Dinner: Lasagne, green beans, salad, garlic bread

Stop on by Laura's for more menus and recipes or to add our own. Have a wonderful week!

"Week-In-Review" and My Son's Top 40

Happy Saturday! I hope you are having a wonderful weekend doing whatever energizes you and brings joy to you. I love having time like this to catch up on what needs to be done, get "recharged," and be with my family. It is a hot, Texas early-September afternoon and I am sitting downstairs, in my kitchen. Why is this notable? Because over a week ago our downstairs air conditioning unit died and we've been without a/c. Yesterday evening a guy came and put a new compressor in our existing unit and fixed it for less than a fourth of what we thought we were going to spend on a new unit. (Luke called him a "good guy." He doesn't use that term lightly!) I have been so thankful that God brought a "good guy" to us for this repair, and that we were able to do it affordably. It made it worth the wait! I've been cooking dinner in the mornings so that I'm not cooking in the heat of the day in the kitchen. Now I can cook in the evenings! (Oh, the little things we learn to be thankful for!)

We had a wonderful week. We started the week at my Grandmother's, where we celebrated my birthday and enjoyed a relaxing Labor Day. After we returned home on Tuesday, I worked to get ready for our first day of school, which was Wednesday. The latter part of our week was swallowed up in getting back into our school routine and by my working on our Awana preparations for our first club night tomorrow night. SO, it felt like a short but busy week! I took one of the best naps ever at my Grandmother's house early in the week. Yesterday I was wishing I could've bottled it up and transferred it to Friday!

Earlier in the week I shared my daughter's list of "40 Reasons Why I Love My Mom" and I said I'd share my son's later in the week. Well, here it is! It blesses me so to read what they think, and to get their "take" on me. They mentioned things I didn't think they noticed! Very interesting... (Note: Never to be one overly encumbered by the "shift" key, I am leaving his lower case letters and typos because I love it. It helps me read it in his "voice." ;) I added [some notes] in brackets where I felt explanation was necessary!

40 reasons why I love my mom
(by Kyle, age 11)

1. She is the GREATEST mother any child could want.
2. She agapes me and fileos the things I make. [We recently discussed the different Greek words/meanings for "love."]
3. She home schools us.
4. She talks to the dogs.
5. She makes the best chicken enchiladas.
6. She is a faithful Christian, mom and wife
7. she knows exactly how to painlessly remove splinters with the "magic needle"
8. she never says "I told you so"
9. She takes us on field trips.
10. She never gets mad when we spill something.
11. She knows just what to do to make cuts disappear.
12. talking stops and attitudes change when she makes her "teacher face"
13. She tells the cheesiest jokes.
14. She speaks "franish" [french + spanish. I am tres bueno at it...]
15. she will accept any challenge to a card game
16. she always laughs at the mention of "Big Tex". [Private joke. I'll spare you. ]
17. she has been driving the same van for ten years.
18. She picked the best husband.
19. She has a deep love for missions.
20. She reads us the bible every morning.
21. She is committed to awana and church.
22. She is never a slave to the phone.
23. She loves a good comedy show.
24. she is extremely "techno savvy"
25. She has many good Christian friends.
26. A simple hug can brighten her whole day.
27. She's very supportive.
28. You can't help laughing when you are around her.
29. She is patient with us.
30. She explains things better than the "math guy" [A video guy in the math curriculum we use.]
31. She'll answer questions faster than you can ask them.
32. she makes math fun (or at least bearable)
33. Sometimes it seems like she knows everything.
34. The first thing she reads in the morning is gods word.
35. She always has time for us.
36. She can comprehend long words like supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.
37. She has taught me almost everything I know.
38. She can plan an entire year in one month.
39. She always understands exactly how we feel.
40. Whatever we go thru she's been there before.

I love you mom!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

:::sniff:::

Have a great weekend!

First Day of School

I hope everyone had a wonderful Labor Day holiday, and that this finds you smack in the middle of a productive, joyous week! We returned home from my Grandmother's yesterday evening. (Here's a picture of my sweet cake that the kids decorated for me.) While my cute husband retrieved my cute weenie dog from the place where we board him, I unpacked here and began putting the final touches on my lesson plans for today. Today is our first day of school. Fun! I put together the ingredients for our special first-day-of-school breakfast (cinnamon streusel muffins and sausage balls.) I made the sausage balls last night so Luke could take some with him at dark:30 when he leaves for work.

We woke up in the middle of the night (on the futon upstairs where we are still sleeping until we get a new a/c unit downstairs. Such an adventure...) when we heard our power go off. We like to sleep with a fan going, so we heard that stop and something beep downstairs. Once the fans were off we could hear the hamster in Kyle's room running on her wheel for the rest of the night. Not as peaceful as a fan, ha ha! It has been storming off and on since about 2:30 am, and our power was out for about 2 and a half hours. I used our French press to make coffee by candlelight, thankful that we have a gas stove so I could heat the water. The power came on just in time to heat a few sausage balls up for Luke and send him off with some strong, boiling hot coffee, out into the sideways-blowing rain to leave for work. Oh, how I prayed for his safety as I watched him get into his truck.

The power has been flickering a bit since, but not going out completely. I realized how dependent I am on electricity and technology! I had to hop on my laptop while the power was on and print off our lesson plans for today! (Well, now that I think of it, my battery would last long enough for them to copy their assignments into their agendas... I can stop panicking now.) And of course, blog. (I'm posting first-day-of-school pics and "stuff" on my homeschool blog, if you're interested.)

Since we have electricity for the moment, I quickly just put our muffins in the oven. The kids will wake up soon and we will start our day enjoying breakfast and Bible reading before they start their assignments. My mom-the-best-music-teacher-in-the-world is stopping by later to give them a music lesson, too. Fun! Music class is always one of the most fun classes! And if it's your fun "Gram" teaching it, all the better!

I'm so glad you stopped by today! I'm taking a blog-reading break later during my "conference period." I can't wait to see what you've been up to while I was gone! I just love my bloggy friends!

My Daughter's Top 40

Oh, it's been a wonderful birthday! We've had a refreshing visit with my sweet Grandmother, enjoyed some card games, relaxing, and going through my Grandad's workshop. When I get back I'll have to share some pictures with you!

My kids each did the sweetest thing! They each wrote "40 Reasons Why I Love My Mom." (They had to know they would go straight on my blog!) I got some sweet gifts, but none as precious as their words:

Forty Reasons Why I Love My Mom

by Bethany

(age 13)

1. She has raised me in a godly home.

2. She sets a wonderful Proverbs 31 example to me by being an amazing and spiritual mom, wife, teacher and friend.

3. She will stay up past midnight talking to me about everything on my mind, even when she knows she won't be able to sleep the rest of the night.

4. She always sends her "famous" ;-) cookies with me when we go to friends' houses or to events.

5. She homeschools me, and takes the time to strategically plan out everything so that it's not just something I'm forced to learn, but also so that it's something I will enjoy.

6. She cooks fun, delicious, heaping full meals for us each week. YUM!! She is an awesome cook.

7. She talks to her dog, and he talks back. He has a very distinctive voice, surprisingly similar to hers. =)

8. She faithfully drives me everywhere I need to go each week with minimum complaints.

9. She has a love for missions and ministry throughout our church and around the world.

10. She shows love, joy, peace, *patience, kindness, goodness and faithfulness to each of us continuously everyday, even when we don't make it very easy to do. *Especially during school!!

11. She has a heart for music and singing which she has graciously passed down to me.

12. She let me go away to China for 6 weeks without her, an opportunity I will always be thankful I got to take part in. (Not the w/o her part, the China part!)

13. She's a "hip" mom, and all of my friends tell me how cute, young, cool, and fun she is. They're not lying either!

14. She knows ALL of the chat slang nearly every teen uses. Probably more than I do! LOL.

;-)

15. She supports me in everything I do.

16. She's a testimony to the fact that you can never have too many shoes!

17. She starts her day with God's word. (And coffee. :-p)

18. She'll make a spreadsheet for anything and can figure out whatever you ask her to on the computer. She's very computer savvy!

19. She knows the need for cuteness on everything.

20. She lets me help pick out my school books and doesn't just shove things at me that I won't like.

21. She has nearly everything imagineable in her iPod. From Van Halen to Sandi Patti, she's got it. Even *gasp* my music!

22. She picked an awesome husband, who is my awesome Dad.

23. She has different voices she doesn't even know about. She has her teacher voice, her prayer voice, and many more. (And I love all of them; none of them are a bad thing!)

24. She loves anybody and everybody even when they don't love her back.

25. She is a GREAT writer.

26. She suffered through months upon months of getting no sleep because of my crying when I was a baby. (Not to mention diaper changes!)

27. She sees the "big picture" when I can't.

28. She gets a pedicure right before mission trips to go right along with the "Beautiful Feet" verse.

29. She buys cute clothes, accidentally shrinks them in the dryer, and then passes them down to me. =)

30. She would do anything for anybody in her family.

31. She planned the best 13th birthday party for me, and it was a blast!

32. She completely re-did my room while I was in Africa on my first trip. I mean, completely!! I LOVE IT to this day.

33. She has brought tons of fun and exciting ideas to our Awana club, and I know that it would not be the same without everything she has come up with. The things she comes up with make it so fun for all of the kids.

34. She is a great nurse when need be.

35. She has so many creative ways to do things for school, and to organize things. She is very creative!!

36. She doesn't freak out if I fall off of something at gymnastics. Freak outs only come when necessary!

37. She gave me the idea for making this because she has done it for two other people turning 50 and 66. She is a very loyal friend to everyone.

38. She has a great way of explaining things that don't always make it to the part of my head which can actually comprehend things.

39. She's not afraid to preach at us if needed.

40. She makes the best iced tea in the world. Everybody loves her iced tea!

41. And one to grow on--- She will always be whoever I need her to be. My mom, my teacher, my best friend, my preacher ;-), my nurse, my shopping bud. She is the best, most godly woman I know!

I LOVE YOU MOM!!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well. Reading this had me in a heap! So, so precious. (I especially loved that she realizes I chauffer her around with "minimum" complaints, and that I only have "freak outs" when necessary. Oh, and I'm "hip." ::ahem:: :) Later in the week I'll share my son's list!

Thank you so much for my birthday wishes. It's truly been a wonderful day!

Menu Plan Monday

Happy Monday!

Happy Labor Day!

Happy Birthday to me!

We're at my grandmother's house today, where I have spent most of the birthdays in my life. Growing up in my bird hunting family (I typed it small, in case it offends anyone!) if your birthday was anywhere near September 1st (opening day), you pretty much found yourself somewhere in west Texas. Well, since that's where my sweet grandparents lived, I couldn't imagine a better place to spend my birthdays as a child. I've turned some pretty important ages here, including double digits, teenager, and now..... the big 4-0! My sweet grandmother used to always decorate a beautiful cake for me. When I got bigger I thought it was fun to decorate it myself, so she would always have the cake and all of the icings ready for me. What a treat! Now, my kids do it for me. I guess I've come full circle!

I hope you're enjoying a wonderful Labor Day holiday, wherever you are. :)

Here's our menu the rest of the week (once we get back). With school starting for us, I have included our breakfast choices and lunch menus as well. I'm not sure if I'll do that every week, but I thought I'd give it a go this time. I'm listing breakfast as "choices" because I just make certain things available for them each week and they like to get up and see what they "feel like." We've done lunches this way in the past, but for awhile I'm going to try having a certain thing each day and see if that helps streamline our lunch break during the school year.

Breakfast choices this week:
Cinnamon streusel muffins
Bagels with either blueberry or strawberry cream cheese
Oatmeal/cereal
Sausage balls
(or some combination of the above)

Wednesday:
Lunch:Make-your-own pizza (English muffins + pizza sauce +mozzarella + pepperoni = fun and yummy)
Dinner: Taco Soup, Mexican salad, and Slow-Cooked Praline Apple Crisp for dessert

Thursday:
Lunch:Chicken Stir Fry
Dinner: Crock Pot Ham, baked beans, salad, yeast rolls

Friday:
Lunch: Tomato Basil Soup (La Madeline- yum!), grilled cheese sandwiches
Dinner: fried chicken (my family LOVES this and I don't make it very often!), mashed potatoes, gravy, peas

Weekend: LOTS of good leftovers, out to eat after church (and Taco Bell after our first night of Awana!)

Be sure and stop by Laura's for more menus or to add your own.

Have a blessed week!

Sunday Brunch

... at the cafe! Please join me today. I've got a seat (and hopefully some "apt" words) just for you!

We're on our way out of town, heading to west Texas to visit my Grandmother. I've spent most of the Labor Day weekends of my life there. And I usually come back a year older! (Funny how that works... ;)

One of our "maidservants" quit for good two days ago. Our beloved air conditioner. She was just not cool anymore! (And neither are we as long as we are downstairs... ) She started out a couple of weeks ago by blowing breakers and causing some of our other maidservants not to work. (Those attitudes are often contagious, you know...) After a good talking to and a bit of "attitude adjustment" done by a repairman, she worked for another couple of weeks. But two days ago she let us know she just couldn't handle the work load anymore. She quit. Yesterday after the repairman came and gave us the news, I knew what I would be getting for my birthday. And I was seeing dollar $ign$! Well, hmph. Then my husband and kids went out to his sister's new house for the afternoon where they have a unit just sitting there that someone had given them but was too big for their house, and could we use it? We'll be contacting our air conditioner man to see if this new "maidservant" will be a good fit. If so, what an amazing answer to a prayer that wasn't even all the way out of my mouth! If not, and we still have to buy a new one, it's a reminder that God does provide. I still count us beyond blessed to live in the small percentage of homes in the world that have the capability to control the inside temperature. That's something not to be taken for granted! I know that now better than ever!

While my husband and kids were out at his sister's yesterday, I stayed home and worked on our school plans as we will start this week. I love, love, LOVE the beginning of school. I did as a public school teacher and I do as a homeschool mom. I hope we settle quickly into a productive routine. I'm looking forward to it! I've been posting some of my homeschool preparations on my homeschool blog, if you're interested.

Oh, how I hope you'll stop by the cafe! And
I'll be back here tomorrow with my "Monday Menu" post to start out our week.

Love y'all!

Thankful Thursday

Is it really Thursday??? How did this happen? Where did the week go?

As I write, I'm sitting in our study, our "school room." The sun is just peaking out over the houses, and outside the french doors of our study I can see school children with their backpacks in tow, making their way to the corner where the school bus stops. Oh, how I pray they've had a good week! Each morning this week I have been working in our school room and three times each morning the bus rumbles by. Back to school! What an exciting time! For us, that will be next week, after Labor Day. (That was my birthday present to myself: T-I-M-E. I needed more time to get our school all together!)

As I'm sitting here planning school, sipping my La Madeleine coffee (SO good!) and listening to the neighbor kids chat on the way to the bus stop, my heart is naturally very thankful. Not just for a beautiful morning and great coffee, but for so much more! And it's Thursday! Time to write it down. Thank you Iris!

Today I'm thankful for....

• God's lovingkindness. That word has been recurring over and over in my quiet times for the past couple of weeks. It seems as though God is trying to impress that on my heart. "The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness." Psalm 103:8 Abounding in lovingkindness. Oh, how I don't want to forget that. How I need that!
  


• God-honoring curriculum for my kids. As I've been planning our school, I have been gripped with gratitude for textbooks and materials, such as my daughter's Geography book which says: "Bible verses such as the one above (Prov. 3:19) remind us that God created our world. Every mountain and valley is exactly where He wanted it to be. This planet did not "just happen." As we behold the earth's amazing design and provisions for life, our hearts should praise the Creator." Wow! I just do not think we can hear or read statements like that enough, even as adults. That awareness should permeate every aspect of our lives, but especially our kids' as they are learning. There is no neutral ground in any area, school subjects included.
  
  
• My sweet sister-in-law Mary, and what God is doing in her life. Many of you stopped by to offer her prayer support back in December. She has gone through an unspeakable time of grief in the months following the death of her boyfriend, and she has allowed it to lead her straight into the arms of her Heavenly Father who loves her. She is a set-apart young woman, and I've known it since I met her. God is doing a mighty work in her life, and it is a privilege to see it and be a small part of it. She, along with my sweet mother-in-law, myself, and my daughter all started attending Beth Moore's "Jesus the One and Only" study this week, and Mary is going to volunteer in our Awana Club this year with our jr. high girls. It's so awesome to see her responding to God's love for her by wanting to go deeper in His Word and to serve in a ministry. God is good. All the time.
  


• A new mission opportunity. We are looking at a trip as a family in November. I'll post more about it (including the location!) soon. God is so faithful to bring about these opportunities to serve Him as a family.

There is oh-so-much more I could write about. (For instance, I'm still thankful for my "maidservants" who will be hard at work for me today and tomorrow as we end our week and head into the weekend!) I've been giving them their portions this morning already. :)


I hope this day finds you experiencing God's lovingkindness like never before. Have a terrific Thursday, and thank you so much for stopping by!


To read more Thankful Thursday posts or to add your own, please head on over to Sting My Heart.

Monday Menu and Maidservants

"She also rises while it is yet night,

And provides food for her household,

And a portion for her maidservants."

Proverbs 31:15

Happy Monday! I hope you had a fun, productive, restful-- whatever-you-needed-it-to-be- weekend! I know we did. August is coming to a close this week, and it's hard to believe! Where did summer go? I don't know, but as it leaves, I hope it takes the 100+ degree heat indexes with it. Whew!

Last week we really enjoyed this Cheesy Beef Potato Bake. I'd made it before, but I'd forgotten how much everyone loved it. It's super easy and makes great leftovers. (Two of my favorite qualities in a recipe!)

Here's what I'm stirrin' up this week:

Monday: Baked Potato Soup, garlic bread, Caesar salad

Tuesday: Mini Meat Loaves, Broccoli Cheese casserole (Fix It and Forget It p. 224)

Wednesday: Chicken Enchilada Casserole (Fix It and Forget It p. 190) <--- told you I love this book!, black beans, corn

Thursday: Leftover buffet

Friday: Order Pizza

Weekend: Leftovers, out-to-eat after church, and going to my Grandmother's house for my b-day weekend (I know there'll be some good eating there!)

Visit Laura's for more menus, or to add your own. Thanks Laura!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

SO... what about that Proverbs 31 woman? Have you ever read the above verse and come to the part about "her maidservants" and thought, "Well, good for her! No wonder she can do all that. She has a staff! I could be a Proverbs 31 woman, too, if I just had maidservants. But, mine didn't show up today!"

I thought about this over the weekend as I was catching up on household chores and caring for my maidservants. Oh, yes, I have them. I bet you do, too! They're called "household appliances." Most of our homes are staffed with them to some degree!

My "laundry woman" (aka: washing machine and dryer) worked for at least one other family before she came to us. She is old and weathered-looking but she shows up faithfully to work just about every day. She doesn't have a large capacity, and due to her age isn't really "high tech," but I love her just the same for faithfully washing the dirt and grime out of my husband's work clothes each week, cleaning and freshening our linens, and keeping our clothing ship-shape for our activities. I just couldn't do without her! I hope she stays around awhile longer, as she would be expensive to replace!

My Head Dish Washer (aka: dishwasher) is just a few years old, having joined us when this house was built. She is a noisy one, though. She definitely makes her presence known! If she's washing dishes, she wants the whole house to know it! Often I have to "shush" her when the phone rings or if the kids and I want to read a book in the family room. But, oh how I'm glad she's washing the dishes instead of me, as I hear those dishes clank-clanking,the water loudly swishing, and her cycles loudly switching from washing to rinsing. While she's doing that, my hands are free to pursue other tasks that she's not made for. I'm really glad I have her!

My Floor Cleaner (aka: vacuum cleaner) is really cute. Her name's Eureka, and she's blue and perky. She's one of the newest additions to the staff, having just come from Target a couple of years ago. She has some "attachment" issues that we had to figure out initially, but now we work together just fine. She needs a push to get going, but when she knows one of us is behind her she really does her job, often multiple times per day. With two dogs in the house, she's really got her work cut out for her, especially in the family room! She always stands at the ready in the closet under the stairs, and leaves the room looking great after she's done her work. I love seeing her "tracks," around the house! She works well with both of the kids, who get to take turns with her each day. She really lights up a room while she's working! Couldn't do without her.

I've got many other maidservants I could go on about. They bless me everyday by heating my water, cooling my house, drying my hair, cooling our perishable food, cooking our dinner and keeping things frozen. One of them even has my coffee ready for me "while it is yet night." Isn't that great? They each require a "portion" of something to do their jobs- portions of water, electricity, detergent, filters,coffee, vacuum cleaner bags, and even portions of human energy. But with those small "portions" my "maidservants" accomplish great tasks and serve us everyday.

SO, have a great Monday, and don't forget to love on those "maidservants" as you go about your household work this week. We are blessed to have them, aren't we?

Pleasant Boundaries

As I sit at my breakfast table typing this post, the smell of cinnamon rolls is wafting from the oven. Also in the oven is a quick cake I whipped up for dessert tonight. The kids are still lazily snoozing upstairs, enjoying one of their last mornings of summer. I have long-since kissed my sweet husband goodbye for work, handing him his lunch and sending him off with a prayer in my heart for his safety. I have had a wonderful quiet time this morning, enjoying hymns from my iPod and soaking up God's promises to me from the Psalms and reflecting on Hebrews 4:16, how we can approach the throne of grace with confidence! A busy day awaits me, as I mentioned in my post on Monday, as this is my final big work day at the church in our Awana office, preparing for our new Awana year. I look back on a week full of "to-do's " I've gotten done, lists I've checked off, all part of a busy week as a wife and a mother. "How do you do it all?" I've often been asked, and just as often, wondered about others.

A wise woman would answer, "I don't."

The truth is, as long as the list of "to-do's" was for this week, my list of things I didn't do is even longer. And that's as it should be! It's wasn't all for me to do this week!

For everything I did this week, there is another thing I chose not to do. A phone call I didn't make. A blog post I didn't write. Blogs I didn't read. TV shows I didn't watch. A lunch date I didn't schedule. A sale I didn't shop. A room I didn't decorate. A scrapbook I didn't scrap. A meeting I didn't go to. The list of things the Lord had for me was just long enough for the strength He's given me to complete it. I have found such rest and simplicity in simply tackling what I know I'm supposed to be doing, nothing more. How do I know? I see if it fits into the categories, in order of importance, that I know are in my life. First, is it part of my ministry to my husband? Is it part of my ministry to my kids? My home? Does it take away time from them, or most importantly, my time with the Lord? Is it fulfilling my role as a home schooler? As the Awana secretary? As a daughter? A friend? Does this need to be done right now, by me? Am I sure God asked me to do this, or is it somehow feeding my own selfish ambition?

Throughout my life as a wife and mother, I have read and reread the Proverb that says, "The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands, the foolish one tears hers down." (Pr. 14:1) There have been times in my life when, with my own hands I have torn down my house piece by piece with an overscheduled, frantic, undisciplined pace of life. Ministries, meetings, Bible studies, classes, play groups, homeschool association meetings, supper clubs, sales, errands, etc... all "tools" to build a godly home, but when wielded by my undisciplined hands and for lack of a blueprint (or plan), I was unknowingly, for a season, doing more damage than good. As I've gotten older (and I guess, more tired!) I've realized that it's not all for me to do. It's certainly not all for me to do right now. I don't agree with the popular statement that I hear a lot of women say, "You can have it all, just not all at once." I can't have it all. Furthermore, I don't need it all! Not even spread out across my lifetime! And, that's not a bad thing. What I can have is all that God has apportioned me. And that is always enough. Abundant, even!

Yesterday my daughter received two phone messages asking for babysitting tonight. I decided to let her decide what to do with her schedule, so I left it up to her. What she did was go to our family calendar and see that the next few evenings (including our church night) she (or our family) already had somewhere to be. Friday night would be our family time at home, and she didn't want to miss it. So, she declined the babysitting jobs. She prioritized her roles and scheduled her time accordingly. I think she acted wisely in this situation, and I pray that is evidence that she's learning what I've been learning. (Oh, how I wish I'd learned it as a teen!)

I know there are time management books galore, and how-to-be-a-highly-effective-purpose-driven-Christian books and websites by the hundreds, so this post isn't meant to offer any advice that isn't readily available in many other places. I'm just reflecting on how good it feels, at the end of a busy week, to know and rest in the fact that...

"the boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places."(Ps. 16:6)

I hope you have had a wonderful week!

Happy Friday!