Menu Plan Monday, Nov. 29, 2010

MONDAY
Lunch- Chili over Rice
Dinner- TBA

TUESDAY
Lunch-  Chili Dogs, apples, chips
Dinner- White Lasagna in Crockpot

WEDNESDAY
Lunch- PB & J, canned peaches
Dinner- Mexican Skillet Dinner

THURSDAY
Lunch- Grilled Chicken Fingers, Hm made Fries
Dinner- Homemade Veggie Pizza

FRIDAY
Lunch- Empanadas, gr. peppers & carrots w/dip
Dinner- White Chili (a version of this)

SATURDAY
Lunch-Taco Roll-ups (a version of this), grapes
Dinner- Turkey Ham & Veggie Pasta

SUNDAY
Lunch- Crock Pot Chicken & Dumplings
Dinner- Do Overs

For more ideas check out www.orgjunkie.com

Just thinking about Christmas...

- We're supposed to be telling people about Jesus,
not just inviting them to church. Give them a reason to come.

- Talk ONE minute for every FIVE that you listen

- Since no one on my  "Christmas List" actually needs anything,
I'm going to give loving tokens of from my heart so that there's
more to give to those who are really in need.

- Jesus radiates God's glory & expresses the very
character of God (Heb.  1:3). And Jesus has asked me,
His follower, to imitate Him. Hmm, asking myself wha
kind of expression/impression of Jesus I give to others.

Not the Norm "Thankful For" List!

Besides my JESUS, my MAN, My CHILDREN,  FAMILY, 

Church Family, Friends, House, etc,

Here's a list of some of the "little" things that add up to 

 BIG things in my life... and I'm thankful for them, too!!!

In Random order...

- Giant WINDOWS in my house

- Beautiful views of cool buildings out my window

- Historical old houses all around us

- A giant pot to make a huge batch of chili for a crowd

- That my family IS a crowd

- Computers & wireless Internet

- Digital cameras

- Being able to print out postage 

   at home from the USPS

- Delivery trucks that bring 

   goodies from Amazon

- Huge, blue Ikea bags that serve us 

   in countless ways

- Skype... even thought I forget to use it most of the time

- Text Messaging- especially now that most of my closest friends

  FINALLY have it!

- The color RED... and of course PURPLE!

- Storm windows that allow me to continue to love my old 

historic windows

- Fabric Softener balls, cuz I could 

never add the softener at the

right time without it!

- Those bumpy dryer balls

that make the clothes dry sooner

- A basement that's not a complete

freezer

- An actual freezer in the corner of my basement that helps me

use our money & food wisely

- Toilet Paper! (Hey, my Dad use to tell stories of corn cobs &

old magazine pages.)  ick

- Christmas Music

- A loud laugh (well, most of the time I'm thankful for that,

except for the times that something is totally funny & I'm

NOT suppose to be laughing. opps!)

- The funny little "mouth piece" I wear to bed that keeps

my TMJ headaches in check

-  A working fireplace... and friends that delivered firewood!

(I'm so excited to use it!)

- Fuzzy slippers (that happen to match Mariah's Snuggie. 

She better now try to "adopt" them while she's home!)

- YOU!  For reading my blog, sharing in my life and being

a sounding board for the thoughts that room around in my

brain!  *

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

HUGS!

* (Feel free to comment at any time. If you read this in an

email you can click on the title of the post & then scroll

down bottom of a daily post & hit "comment." You do 

NOT have to sign up for anything to leave a comment.

Just type your remarks & name, then select "Anonymous"

under the "Choose your identity" & enter.)

Wordless Wednesday, Nov. 24, 2010

Talk-to-Myself-Tuesday, Nov. 23, 2010

(My family says I talk to myself, but actually I'm 

just thinking outloud! Here's what I've been thinking...)

-Hearing good news from far-away friends makes my heart so warm

- I wanna sew pillows... lotsa pillows to cover my couch & window
bench, and chairs and bed

- Football, it's nice... occasionally!!!

- Tomorrow my oldest daughter comes home for a couple of days!
YIPPEE!!! Wow, I miss that girl.

- Cooking in my  "New" kitchen is SO much fun!

and the island ROCKS! 

- Our House... I just LOVE it! Thank You, Jesus!

- Reading a good book is so good... I think... 

it's been months since I've done it.

-Traditional Thanksgiving food is really fun... once a year.

I do like tradition when it comes to stuff like this.

(although we have been known to make an all mexican meal for

a holiday, too... and I'm mostly German!)

- There were Chilton's on the Mayflower - James Chilton, his wife &

their daughter Mary.

- "Being the Strong One" doesn't mean you can't cry, it just means

that in the middle of emotion you keep the TRUTH in mind and

allow Jesus to guide your thoughts, words and decisions.

- Lotsa people at my house make a Happy Holiday for me!!!

- My family is LOUD! (I can't imagine why!)  When our friend,

Zach, is over for dinner, he occasionally just starts laughing cuz

we're so loud & talk continuously.  hee hee

- Despite the troubles in our country, I'm Proud to be an American!

- It's the Kindness of Jesus that leads us to repentance!

Praise You, Lord Jesus!  I love YOU!

Menu Plan Monday, Nov. 22, 2010 THANKSGIVING!

MONDAY
Lunch- Warm Ham Sandwiches, Carrots, Chips
Dinner- Pot Pie

TUESDAY
Lunch- Hot Dogs, Jello, Chips
Dinner- TBA

WEDNESDAY
Lunch- Frozen Pizza (I haven't served this in YEARS!)
Dinner- Chili in the crock pot

THURSDAY- THANKSGIVING!
Turkey
Sausage Stuffing
Sweet Potato Casserole*
Green Bean Casserole
Mashed Red Potatoes*
Rican Rice & Beans *
Veggie Tray
Cranberry Bread Pudding
Pecan Pie

* indicate the dishes that friends are bringing

FRIDAY
Lunch- fend for yourself Friday Dinner!
(my kids made up this name for the days we eat leftovers.)
Dinner- Homemade Rice-a-Roni


SATURDAY
Lunch- Veggie Wraps
Dinner- Mexican Skillet Dinner


SUNDAY
Lunch- Lazy Lasagna 
Dinner- Broccoli Soup


For more ideas check out this site 

Be Veeery Afraid! or NOT!

They were rebuilding the wall around their city.
Decades before it stood strong & proud.
They had to clear the rubble just to get to place where the wall
once stood.
They worked hard.
God had started this project & He'd finish it.
















The people around them were ticked.
They made fun of them.
They pointed out the hugeness of the job.
They threatened.
They weren't messin' around.
Their purpose was to intimidate God's people.

Still, the wall construction continued.
Their leader, Nehemiah, made appropriate preparations
and then kept on working.

Intimidation seems mild.
It's not.
It means FEAR!
To be AFRAID!
That's not mild. That's opposite of God.

Fear STEALS our purpose & destroys our ability to obey God.

We're God's people & we get intimidated - rather easily...

- By listening to lies
Sometimes people, media, situations lie to us.
Sometimes it's our own pathetic "self-talk" - nuf said

- Letting ourselves become Discouraged
It's seems noble & somehow OK, but it's really just selfishly
thinking about what WE want, how this is effecting US
and what WE think should be happening.
That'll keep us from God's purpose.

- Fake Friends
When a few people turn on us we can fall into fear mode
and begin to pull away from everyone we're serving.
"Don't be close, you'll get burned."
That is not the character of God.
This certainly keeps us from God's purpose... that's fear.


Obviously there's tons of things that can put fear in our
minds... but it's up to us whether we'll allow it to stay &
grow in our hearts.

Nehemiah
-refused to sin
- prayed for strength
- didn't let any of the list above keep Him
from accomplishing God's purpose.

Which... is good, cuz his purpose directly affected the
people around him.

So does your purpose.

What fears tend to make you stop or at the least pause
from your purpose for a moment?
How to you go on?

More Kitchen Pics

A few weeks ago I posted pics of our "old kitchen"
and only one pic of the new kitchen. Some of you
asked for more pictures. I REALLY Love this room!

The floor:
No longer has 2 layers of horrid cheap tile,
thanks to our friends!

Next project: paint the floor RED!

Wordless Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2010

The view while I'm making a cuppa tea on Monday Morning

Old & New- Walls, Dressers & Floor

Pictured above is how the room looked when we

bought the house. Ugh

But then...

HUGE, MASSIVE THANK YOUs
 for our many friends who
helped out in various ways as we redid
this room:
- rip out old carpet & 4 million staples
- strip horrid wallpaper
- rip off strange tile that was under carpet
- sand furniture
- tape the room for painting
- lay NEW flooring! (Friends did 100% of this job)
- Drill holes for new drawer pulls

( I learned alot from these projects and
still have a fascination for power tools,
though my knowledge has only
grown slightly!)

THANK YOU, FRIENDS, for sharing
your time & giftings with us.
We LOVE this little room!
We LOVE YOU MORE!

Menu Plan Monday, Nov. 15, 2010

MONDAY
Lunch- Homemade Pizza (we never had it last week)
Dinner- TBA

TUESDAY
Lunch- Quesadillas
Dinner- Crockpot BBQ Chicken on Avalon Bread
carrots & celery

WEDNESDAY
Lunch- Grilled Cheese, Fruit
Dinner- Little Mamas, Rice

THURSDAY
Lunch- Homemade Mac & Cheese
Dinner- Beef & Veggie Stew (crockpot)

FRIDAY
Lunch- Scrambled Eggs, Toast
Dinner- Homemade Pizza

SATURDAY
Lunch- Sandwiches, chips, carrots
Dinner- Little Italy Chicken & Spinach (a new fam fav)
This is also a crock pot dish. We ALL like it! That's rare!

SUNDAY
Lunch- Chicken Gumbo (in the Crockpot) over rice
Dinner- Smothered Baked Potatoes



For more ideas check out Orgjunkie

Seriously!

When you're sharing God's Truth, from a pulpit or public place,
or in casual conversation...
Take The Word Seriously!

Know it. Study it. Digest it into your own heart!

When you're sharing God's Truth, from a pulpit or public place,

or in casual conversation...

Don't take yourself too Seriously!

People won't be changed by your words, but by the
Power of the Holy Spirit & HIS Word.

Relax. Laugh at yourself. Let the Spirit speak do the talkin'!


"For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, 
there is freedom."  2 Corinthians 3:17

My family says I 
talk to myself,
but I prefer to think
of it as simply
"Thinking Out loud."


Here's what I've been
saying lately...






If we allow frustration & insecurity and/or fear
to guide our decisions we're headed for heartache.


Homeschooling has its moments ... the ones that make
me wanna poke my eyes out, scream & say, "NEVER MIND!"
But, God has called me to do this, and ultimately He's made
it the desire of my heart (something ONLY He could've done).
I won't quit, even when I'm frustrated.


Frustration is my motivation to...
-Listen more carefully to God's directions
-Work more creatively
-Laugh more hardily... hee hee


It was good to take a break from the "Home Improvement"
stuff... and I'm much slower to think about it this week.
(See Monday's blog for more details on this one)


How in the world do we always manage to "lose" things
when we move?  How does that work?


I really like RED nail polish. Haven't worn it since
last winter & I sorta forgot how awesome it is.


Our house is a tool... and I'm so excited to use it again
this week to host friends & bless a wonderful lady
that I often refer to simply as "31" cuz she's Proverbs 31
all they way.


All the unpacked boxes sitting quietly in the corners of my
house, almost unnoticed cuz I've grown used to seeing them...
they're going down!  To the basement that is.  At least
I'll have the feeling of being completely moved in.
(But I won't be deceived... I know better than to live by feelings!)


What have you been thinking/talking about recently?

MONDAY
Lunch- Out
Dinner- Chicken & Dumplings (loaded w/spinach & carrots) shhh

TUESDAY
Lunch-  Canned Soup over Rice
Dinner- Cajun Chicken Pasta (a version of this)

WEDNESDAY
Lunch- Chili over Mashed Potatoes (in crock pot)
Dinner-  Grilled Cheese, Carrots

THURSDAY
Lunch- Scrambled Eggs & Bacon
Dinner- Brown Rice Casserole (version of this)

FRIDAY
Lunch- Little Italy Chicken & Spinach
Dinner- TBA

SATURDAY
Lunch- Eggs
Dinner- Homemade Pizza (yes, it's NOT on Friday, I know)

SUNDAY
Lunch- Broccoli & Potato Soup
Dinner- Mac & Cheese (homemade)

For lots more idea check out Orgjunkie.com

A Strange Fast

The first week of every month our church has fasting & extra prayer.

Sometimes God asks me to fast:
- sweets
- carbs
- Diet Coke (Oh, that's a tough one)
- a particular meal every day
- etc...

This month was different!
One evening BEFORE the Week of fasting our family was sitting
in the dining room & I asked my husband, "What color in that
 'inspiration painting' over there do you think I should choose to
paint the walls of this room?"

His reply:  "Please, can we stop painting & redo-ing things &
just live for a while."

Ouch!

It was at that point that God asked me to fast...

ALL things associated with home decorating & improvements...
which included-
- HGTV (tough, cuz that's really the only TV I enjoy)
- Home magazines of any kind
- All decorating blog sites & websites
- All e-newsletters regarding improvements or projects
- conversation & thoughts about "what project to do next, etc"

The result...
I had NO idea how much of my time & energy has been spent
on this.  All week long I was catching myself starting to think
about all this... numerous times a day. Numerous.
Now, we just moved, and it's OK to improve your
home... but I was thinking about it ALL the time!

My brain was constantly pondering, deciding, planning,
calculating, etc... it was ridiculous!

So now...
well, I still have lotsa things I want/need to do with our home,
but I'm gunna put "obsession" on a self, lower the number
of things I read, keep my thoughts in check... focus on what
is lasting!

My home is TOOL in God's hand.
I work for God!
I don't work for my house.

In the OT, when God blessed people they'd sometimes
turn that blessing into a shrine & worship it instead of the
Lord who gave them the blessing. When I read that I think,
"Wow, how dumb is that?"
Then I started doing it.

I will not do that.
Thank you, Jesus (and Chilly) for pointing it out to me!
I serve JESUS!

First Time Moms

Over the past few months I've collected some thoughts
about parenting that may encourage you,

perhaps enlightening you
or maybe even slightly tick you off.
Hopefully they'll cause you to think, pray about some things
and become an even better parent to the precious child God's
entrusted to you.




Smile

Keeping Smiling. You WILL sleep again, it'll just take
time... and you WILL survive until that time comes.

You are NOT the only one who has felt overwhelmed,
so don't feel guilty & do NOT have a pity party. Keep
doing what you can.

Letting baby cry from time to time (when you know his
basic needs are met) won't hurt him.

Doctors don't know your baby like you do. Trust your gut.
(Our pediatrician reinforced this!)

Don't push your child to do things. We all know you're a great parent
already! (Don't make baby "prove it" to us.)

Yes, people love your child, but stay attentive to those people.
Their non-verbal communication may be saying, "OK,
I've enjoyed them, please take them back now."
or "Grr, will you please deal with your whinny child?"

Sometimes friends enjoy time with you... just YOU.
Getting a sitter from time-to-time will keep strong friendships
strong... we Moms need solid friendships. It's worth the
effort to nurture them.

                                  
                                    When you're on the phone,
                                    please be on the phone.

If you must stop to speak to your child, 

keep it short. 

No one wants to listen to a 

three minute explanation

of "why mommy is one the phone & 

can't play with you right now."

Discovering that your child is extremely gifted in an
area doesn't mean you're an extremely gifted parent,
it just reminds everyone that God is an extremely
creative & generous creator!

If you have yet to discover your child's "talents"
don't panic & don't push. God forms each child
according to His plan. Your prayer & patience
will allow Him to reveal those talents in His time.

When someone tells you, "Oh, of course you have time..
just do it while the baby is sleeping," is crazy & has no
idea what the life of Mom is like. So just smile & nod.
No response needed. (And go ahead & take a nap yourself
while the little one naps!)

Plan for tomorrow, but don't worry about it. You have
just enough strength for today, so don't waste it on
wondering about the future.

Just when you get into a groove your child will get into
another stage of life... it's the way it's supposed to be.
So be flexible. We can't expect our kids to grow if
we're not constantly growing, too.

Things that are "so-the-right-thing-to-do-now" may
be viewed as "just a fade" in a few years...
so be careful to choose what is best for you & your
family now matter what "all the other people are doing."

And... just about the time you're convinced that this
parenting job is making you completely loopy...
you're probably right.. so take a long look into the
eyes of that adorable little off-spring of your's and
you'll remember that they're worth every bit of it!

(A parent who has
briefly given-in to
the insanity around
her. She may or 
may not be me!)






Sometime parent-insanity is actually referred to
as "stopping-what-you're-doing-and-just-getting-
silly-for-a-few-minutes!" That's ok... it's FUN!

School, Boys & Starting Early

(NOTE: These are JUST my opinions based on 21 years of ministry
and 18 years of parenting... so far.)

Recently a young Mom  asked my thoughts about starting
her 4 yr. old son in home school Kindergarten soon.

Here's my response.

I'm sure he's more than able to learn the stuff that's 

taught  in kindergarten, but you may wanna think long-term.

Growth is more than head-knowledge, and boys tend to 

mature at a different rate than girls. That said, if a boy 

begins school early then he's always the youngest among 

his peers & possibly the smallest, too. (Which can be

very significant to a boy) He might always be the "little kid" 

or the "shorty" or whatever else kids may think up to say. 

Playing in sports with his grade level would put him at a 

disadvantage, which can be difficult for developing

self-confidence. 

Younger-starting children can also face disadvantages 

because their emotions and social development are not 

as advanced as their brains, and this can be frustrating for

the child as well as peers and other people in their lives. 

Also, Starting K as a 4 yr old means that a child 

would graduate as a 17 yr old... not always a plus. 

(Not to mention the parents saying, "Goodbye" a year early! SAD!)

When making parenting decisions involving the oldest child, 

parents need to be careful that their desires for advancement

 have nothing to do with proving to themselves and/or

others that they're a good parent.  

These are observations gather over the years in youth ministry 

(we've seen many students who were young for their grade level) 

and our own 18 years of parenting.

So these are just some things to consider & pray about.

You may have other thoughts & observations.

I'd love to hear them. (Your comments are ALWAYS welcome!!!)

Wordless Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2010

Fall at Dusk



























The Giraffe is bringing up the tail

Wordless Wednesday 

Wordless Wednesday

Menu Plan Monday, Nov. 1, 2010

I love the Fall!

MONDAY

Lunch- Eggs & Toast

Dinner- Chicken & Dumplings in Crockpot

TUESDAY

Lunch- Broccoli & Cheese covered Bkd Potatoes

Dinner- BBQ Ribs in Crockpot, Green Beans

WEDNESDAY

Lunch- Veggie Pasta Salad

Dinner- Messy Max's (Sloppy Joes), Apples

THURSDAY

Lunch- PB & J, Carrots

Dinner- Sausage & Bean Soup (crock pot, again)

FRIDAY

Lunch- Chicken &  Veggie Wraps

Dinner- Homemade W.Wheat Pizza

SATURDAY

Lunch- French Toast & Bacon

Dinner- Crispy Bean & Cheese Burritos (a version of this)

SUNDAY

Lunch- Meatballs (crockpot) over Spaghetti

Dinner- Quick Turkey Tetrazzini (a version of this)