Happy Labor Day!

I'll be away for a few days. I hope you all have a wonderful Labor Day weekend! Please be careful and if you don't mind, please keep my family in prayer as we travel. God Bless you all!

What The World Needs Now Is Love, Sweet Love....

I received this in an email today and wanted to share. How often are we frustrated by other's actions not realizing what may be going on in their life? *sigh*If we could only remember to at least whisper a prayer for them instead of being aggravated!


Heavenly Father, Help us remember that the" jerk" who cut us off in traffic last night is a single mother who worked nine hours that day and is rushing home to cook dinner, help with homework, do the laundry and spend a few precious moments with her children.

Help us to remember that the pierced, tattooed, disinterested young man who can't make change correctly is a worried 19-year-old college student, balancing his apprehension over final exams with his fear of not getting his student loans for next semester.

Remind us, Lord, that the scary looking bum, begging for money in the same spot every day (who really ought to get a job!) is a slave to addictions that we can only imagine in our worst nightmares.

Help us to remember that the old couple walking annoyingly slow through the store aisles and blocking our shopping progress are savoring this moment, knowing that, based on the biopsy report she got back last week, this will be the last year that they go shopping together.

Heavenly Father, remind us each day that, of all the gifts you give us, the greatest gift is love. It is not enough to share that love with those we hold dear. Open our hearts not to just those who are close to us, but to all humanity. Let us be slow to judge and quick to forgive, show patience, empathy and love.


(Author: Unknown to Me)

Schools In!

This is probably going to be one of those rambling post about much of nothing! Let me see....... where do I begin? School started back this week and this has made me a little bit sad. All of you know how much I like my children home with me. My son is an official 7th grader. I cannot believe my once arm-held bundle of joy is now trouncing the halls in the middle school! If we could just keep them smaller for just a little longer! *sigh* I know it's just as well that we can't. All of mine would still be toddlers and that would not be a good thing. *smile* Just think, we would then deprive ourselves of all those precious memories of their growing up years.

Speaking of school, what about all those forms we must fill out the first day of school? Not only that, I had to write a paragraph about my son this year. I'm serious. The teacher noted this was an actual homework assignment for the parents that the student would be graded for! Thankfully, it was an easy task to write about my son. After penning how wonderful and helpful he is, she should make him the star student. *smile* I realize her goal is to get a better understanding of the child she is entrusted to teach for the next few months. Hopefully, she will see the same child I do.

Along with the forms what do you think about the "Student Suppy List?" It gets longer every year doesn't it? When I was going to school...ahem....and it wasn't that long ago, we usually needed the basics, paper, pencils, composition books, notebook, and a bookbag was optional. Here is my son's list:

1. 1 dozen pencils
2. 1 pocket folder
3. 3 packs of index cards
4. 3 marble composition books
5. colored pencils/crayons
6. personal pencil sharpener
7. 1 pack pens (no gels)
8. multilple packs wide-ruled paper
9. 2 highlighters
10. Kleenex
11. 1 full size bottle of hand sanitizer/soap
12. paper towels
13. calculator
14. 1 can of tennis balls
15. protractor
16. compass
17. clipboard
18. 1" 3 ring binder
19. large 3 ring binder with dividers for each class
20. bag of candy (individually wrapped- no gum)
    

I am thankful I don't have to purchase the textbooks.............. at least not yet........................

Let's Go Antiquing!

As promised, here are some pictures of my trip antiquing.



This is a huge home turned into an Antique shop. Although some things were not antique it was still fun to look at and remember. I kept all the pictures clickable so you could get a closer look at the items.




These aprons look huge, don't they?


This room was an assortment of all types of things. *sigh* I wished I would have gotten a pic of the children's toys that were in the corner. Notice the window to the right. I am assuming those large wire looking sock shapes are sock dryers, maybe? Hmmmm....if anyone knows for sure please feel free to let me know.



Most of the rooms were set up as if someone had just left them, such as this one.


I thought these mother/daughter photos were lovely.



My next venture was on to but what else? These little darlings.


This was my favorite, but I would not pay the asking price and continued to look. this was getting difficult for me because we were upstairs and the floor was creaky. Ever so often when I would step on board that creaked loudly, my stomach would turn. I hate that feeling. I was hoping not to fall through the floor. Thank the good Lord He didn't let me!



This is the one I finally chose. Very pretty, don't you think? It was the least expensive of all.



This room had clothing much like that of today, I thought. I didn't take a pic of the basket of patterns. Some of those were very interesting. Afterthoughts, huh?



This is one of those retro-rooms. Check out the canisters and dessert dishes. These kind of remind me of Brady Bunch days.



This is the only place I went on this particular day. I hope to visit some others in the near future. I have a few items on my mind that I want to search for. I will try to remember to take my camera.

Oh, I forgot to mention that I also purchased a picture from one of the rooms. Can you guess which one?

How Sweet!

I want you to look! Precious Melanie at Our Happy Happenings has awarded me the Nice Award. Isn't she sweet!?! She is definitely deserving of this. I enjoy her daily "happenings" as she adores her husband and her precious baby girl. If you haven't visited her already, stop by her place sometime!


This is what The Nice Matters Award is given for, "This award is for those bloggers who are nice people; good blog friends and those who inspire good feelings and inspiration. Also for those who are a positive influence on our blogging world. Once you've been awarded please pass it on to 7 others who you feel are deserving of this award."

These awards always present a dilemma for me and that is HOW to choose just the required number to pass it on to. ALL of my blogging friends are nice. *sigh* But in the process of keeping the rules here are my 7:

I will start alphabetically with Anita at Ask A Lutheran Definitely nice. Although she is from the northern part of the country, she is full of southern hospitality!
Sharon, from Days Of Gladness is from the opposite end of the country and another nice one. She is very active in her women's ministry and able to keep up with her home.
Marilee, Joy In Frog is not only nice, she is a great encourager. She is taking some family time right now and is missed. I have known and loved her since FaithPrint days.
Angel Mama from Pearls Of Wisdom is always eager to lend a helping hand. She hasn't been around lately which is unlike her. Please join me in prayer for her.
Lisa from Sound Proof Room is another nice one. She has been very busy over the summer, but pops in and out to check on everyone. We've *known* each other since Faithprint days, as well.
Iris from Sting My Heart is another most deserving. She gives of her time to encourage us ladies all over the blogosphere.
If you're not a regular reader of her blog, I suggest you go on over and check her out. I think you will agree with me.
Last and definitely not least is Sara from Toward The Mark She is such a sweet, sweet young lady with 2 precious babies and another Faithprints alumni. She knows how to present post that make you put on your thinking cap.

So, there you have it. The 7 I had to choose, but I think the remainder have already been chosen by someone else. Like I said before, ALL of my friends are nice!

This And That

Wow! I can't believe it's been over a week since I had anything significant to say. As hot as it has been around here you would think I would have stayed inside and written a novel. I have visited over at a few blogs and commented now and then. Forgive me if I haven't been to yours and left a comment. I have tried to do what time will allow so please don't take it personal. : )

I have been feeling a little sad lately thinking of the summer days that have passed so quickly. I think being a mother causes me to pause more often and wonder if I have met my children's expectations of summer events. I want our memories that we have made together to be special ones. We have spent more time together and that is a good thing.


My wonderful husband had a birthday yesterday. We celebrated after church with our pastor, his wife, and a few friends. We went to a popular Italian restaurant for our main meal and then had a lovely cake. It was nice. I know your aren't going to believe this, but I didn't take pictures! I guess I was too caught up with everything else to think about it. I am thankful for another birthday shared with my mate.

I wanted to share this pics of these watermelons. I am hoping you can actually see how huge they are. I took this at a produce stand on my way back from the beach. I wanted to put the average size one beside these for comparison, but I don't think the owner would have thought it was as great an idea as I. *smile*






I had a few other things I wanted to ramble on about, but changed my mind. I hope to post something more awe inspiring later. *smile* Much love to all!

Miracles Have Not Ceased!

This is a very special post about my friend, Angela. We went on a mini-vacation this week. Just she and I. I know that sounds incredulous, seeing as to how I am all about my family, but it was not an ordinary excursion. It was a mission. A mission I am honored to say that I was involved in. I will explain more later.


This is Angela on our starting journey. She looks a little apprehensive, but I think she is trying to contain her excitement, after all, it has been 8 long years.


We had packed our suitcases with a week's worth of wear even though we were only staying one night. I try not to take all those clothes, but you ladies know how it is. Whatever we leave at home is going to be THE outfit we want to wear. So, in living life with as few regrets as possible, I take as much as I can. *smile*

We left early in the morning and decided to stop at Cracker Barrel for breakfast. Didn't see that coming, did ya? We were so caught up in conversation that we stayed there until almost lunch. Isn't it wonderful to be able to converse with someone about the goodness of the Lord? He is always worthy to be praised!

We finally paid our check and got back into the car to proceed. As we pulled out of the Cracker Barrel parking lot I saw a Wal-Mart with the fuel station. Imagine my surprise to find gas for $2.69. Now that is the cheapest I have seen for awhile so I did what any other American stressing over gasoline prices would do. I pulled right in and filled up the tank to the maximum. Ugh.....If only I would have had a spare tank...... Oh well, praise God for what I did get!

After arriving at our reserved motel, we discovered the room had only one bed. This was not going to work for us. To make matters worse this was the Only available room. Disappointed we were, but not depressed. We decided to call a few other places in the area and hope for a vacancy. I called several places, but things were not looking too good. We decided to not let this deter us and journeyed on.

I felt peace about the situation and knew that we would get another room.....someplace. So after leaving this particular town we went into the next one and practiced a little therapy.


Feeling much better after some hands on shopping we were ready to ride again! We still had to accomplish the #1 reason we were here. Angela's anticipation had been building for sometime and I didn't want to prolong her long awaited moment.



Then, finally she was here.....our appointed destination. Can you guess where it is?




Beautiful scenery, just beautiful.
Now, you are probably wondering what's so special about this beach scene since I have posted so many previously. Well, I am getting to that............



You see, my friend Angela use to be in one of these.........









Through God's wonderful grace and mercy she is now out of it! Praise God! She has been out of the chair for a few months. One of her greatest desires was to be able to
do this........
















walk on the beach again.....something I take for granted......everyday!



So she walked.........


and walked........




and walked........




in silence........




to every one's ears.......




but not to God's!





Others may say that God doesn't do miracles today or healing isn't for everyone. Don't believe them. He is not dead! He is alive!

Call upon Him and He will answer you!

Sweet Awards

My sweet, sweet, friend Sharon from Keeper Of The Home has given these awards to me. I have been meaning to post this sooner and I hope she will forgive me. The following is what the awards are about:

For those who answer blog comments, emails and make their visitors feel at home on their blog. For the people who take other people's feelings into consideration before speaking out, and who are kind and courteous. Also for all those bloggers who spend so much of their time helping other bloggers design, improve and fix their sites. This award is for those generous bloggers who think of others.

Since I have taken so long to get this post up I feel undeserving.*smile* Anyway, this is what Sharon had to say about me:

Debbie at My Spot of Blog ~ Debbie is another sweet person that makes you feel welcome and also makes you feel as if you've known her forever. She sounds like a busy gal, but always catches up with you.

I feel the same about her. I enjoy *meeting* sincere sisters in the Lord.

I am suppose to give the award to 5 more bloggers, but I believe that all of you already have these. *smile*

I am grateful for the blessing. Thank-you, again, Sharon.

Calling All Thinkers

I plan to leave this post at the top so I can get as many ideas as possible. You may scroll down for my latest post. Thanks!




Ladies, I need some help. Seems I have been appointed to schedule activities for church functions. Now of course I have some ideas, but they are limited. Since all of you are from various churches and backgrounds, I thought you would be my best source for variety. I realize we don't have the same forms of entertainment available, but if you could give just a general idea of something you have participated in at your church it would be greatly appreciated. It may have been a theme Sunday or a fun function you had on a Saturday evening. Maybe it was a church trip for a day or even a weekend. I am open for all of your suggestions whether it be for Ladies only (you know I will be slipping a tea party in here with half a chance) *grin* children, or for everyone. So give me plenty of ideas, no matter how small or how large! Thanks for all your help!

Sharon's And Judy's Peaches And Cream Dessert

I decided to make this dessert today. I got the recipe from Lady Of Value. I had thought about trying it for a few days, but just didn't get around to it. We were to have company over for dinner Saturday night and I wanted to try it then, but time would not allow. So anyway, I pulled out the ingredients. I had most of them on hand, but the vanilla instant pudding. I had my DD stop by the local grocery store on her way home and get a box of that.

These are the peaches I used.



Notice what the lid says. I decided to try them and see!





Here I have a "gathering" on some of the ingredients to get started.


I am now mixing the crust.

She said it would be "gooey" and she was right. It wasn't too bad, though.

I spread the dough into my glass baking dish.


I put the peaches on top. Let me tell you, they were delicious!

I mixed together the cream cheese, sugar, and reserved peach juice and poured over the peaches. I think I should have mixed the cream cheese just a little more.

Next, I sprinkled the cinnamon and sugar over the top.

I then placed it in the preheated oven to bake. Yes, I know the oven could stand a cleaning, but it's SUMMER!


Here is the finished product.



Ummmmmm.....delicious!



There is no way I am going to lose any weight trying out all of these recipes! I have my eye on a few more that I want to try. These aren't the only ones I've tried, but they are the only ones I have taken pictures of. I had thought about having a specific day that I tested recipes from your blogs and post pics from each one, but then I decided Nah....that would make me HAVE to do it therefore taking the fun out of it. I prefer to do it random and spontaneously.


I prefer to bake in the winter as the oven heats the house up so, but since I was broiling our main dish tonight I decided a few more minutes wouldn't hurt anything.
We had broiled Talapia with creole seasoning. We also had flat beans and cornbread. Now is that southern, or what? Oh, and I made mashed potatoes for the boys. This was not my original plan for supper. For some reason I have been craving homemade mac and cheese. I realized I didn't have everything I needed to make that so.....Fish it was. Praise God for the fish!

Doctor's Orders!

I don't think I will ever get use to having to remove my clothes for those dreaded doctor's visits. You would think after all my children, this would change. NOT. I still feel the boiling hot, rush of blood to my cheeks as I lie on the examining table. The objects hanging overhead do nothing to distract me. In fact, I think they are more of a reminder of where you are and why, as was the situation with me the last time.


I am just as nervous each and every visit no matter how confident I appear as I stroll through those giant doors. This time was no exception. I signed in and sat down only moments before they called me into the back. The nurse showed me the paper gown I had been chosen to don, whereupon I nervously asked the wisest question of the moment "Do I have to take off all my clothes?" Before she could answer I acknowledged that I knew I did *blush* *blush* and didn't know why I asked that. She just smiled and said that everyone always ask that same question. At least this made me feel a little better knowing I wasn't the only one.

She walked out of the room and I turned around to remove my clothes and vanity. I put on the little paper gown and smiled to myself upon remembering my last visit where I had made an already embarrassing situation worse. How? You may ask. Well, I, being the creature of habit that I am, remembered that "the split always goes in the back" right? Wrong! Seems the split goes in the front and no one had thought to tell me.

Now that I had totally went against manufacturer's intentions *gasp* I was even more uncomfortable when the dr. had to tear it open at the neck. You know,....for the other part of the exam. Even though he was very understanding about it I was feeling....well.......I'm going to go ahead and say it......a little "blonde." There. I said it. *smile*


Thankful for no major problems, I followed up with the mammogram as he suggested. Ladies, I must say that I have heard "horror stories" about these. I went in expecting to have nothing left on my chest, but pancakes! Now, I am no expert since I have had only one before this one, but mine were not as painful as I had prepared for. I don't know if it's the fact that I have such a wonderful technician (thanks Renata) or that I have experienced far worse pain associated with previous surgeries that this just paled in comparison. I was a little sore afterwards, but nothing major.

I mentioned to Renata some of the stories others had expressed to me about mammograms. Some of you may even have gotten the satirical emails about them. I have and found them to be quite funny. She laughed at first, but then she said something very wise. "YOU CAN HANDLE A MAMMOGRAM MUCH BETTER THAN YOU CAN HANDLE BRE*ST CANCER."



Although I shared my embarrassing moments on the lighter side, I hope all my friends will take the message seriously and GET THOSE EXAMS!!

~Wordless Wednesday~

Life In A Pot

I know the Lord uses different things and different ways to speak to people. And I know some would disagree and say that the Lord doesn't "speak" to anyone anymore. These are some of the same people that are deceived. I do not say this with malice or self-righteousness. Only with love.

God's thoughts and ways are higher than ours and we cannot......NO, we MUST NOT confine Him to our finite minds of understanding. If we would let Him be God, He would show Himself mightier than we have ever seen. This is His desire for us.

I thank God for the moments He will nudge my heart and use everyday things to teach me or to show me how great He is. Sometimes He takes me by surprise and before I know it He has given me something to apply to my life or something to help someone else. He is totally dependable like that. Always meeting our needs.

Today was no different. While cleaning my kitchen this afternoon I thought about a small plant I had purchased over 6 years ago. The pot it came in was no larger than 3 inches and the plant itself was about the same. I bought it to sit on my windowsill of my kitchen window to enjoy the sunlight. This has been a great plan up until about a year ago when we started some home improvement projects. Since we have been remodeling I no longer have a view from my kitchen. I have the windowsill and curtain there, but behind that is a wall. I no longer have the wondrous sunshine streaming in. Just a piece of flat board.

My little plant has remained faithful to it's post though and has never demanded attention. In fact, I have been very neglectful of it these past few months failing to water it or watering just enough to get by. Since I don't open the curtains anymore it is easy to forget. In the 6 years that I have had this plant it has remained the same size. It hasn't grown any at all that I can tell. There is nothing wrong with it. Being the type plant it is, it has the potential to grow 6 to 8 feet given the proper care, but yet it still the same size.

I could have a 6 to 8 foot plant if I wanted to by recognizing the growth potential which is a very important first step. Preparation. I would also have to prepare another container....one much larger than the one it is in now, with the proper soil and room for the roots to grow and get established. And I would have to give it the proper water and sunlight needed........DAILY. But I don't want that. I like it just the way it is. Small and alive enough to sit on my windowsill.

Isn't this how some of us are Spiritually? Satisfied. right. where. we. are. We don't want to move closer to God or be moved. We read just enough of the word to get by, if at all. How about time spent in prayer alone with God?

God is aware of our potential. He has all confidence in us to grow into the spiritual vessels He can use for His glory. Are we meeting His expectations? Are we letting ourselves down? I don't know about you, but I want to grow in the Lord. I want to "water" myself in the word. I want the soil of my heart prepared for "root" growth that I may have a deeper understanding of Him and fulfil His purpose and plan for my life. I don't want to stay the same size.

It's entirely up to us how much we grow. We can stay in our comfortable little pots or we can thrive and bring life to those around us. I want to thrive, don't you?

Grandma's Corn

I have heard the older you get the more you appreciate the things you took for granted when you were younger. : ) I have found this to be true in my life. Lately I have had a particular craving for a vegetable dish my grandmother use to make. I remember those muggy summer days she would harvest corn from her garden. After shucking and cleaning it, she would cut the fresh kernels off the cob. She could move the knife blade back and forth so loving and skillful, you would think she was playing a violin. She also used fresh tomatoes and okra all from her bounty. She would make huge pots of this and freeze it in individual bags. The smell of fresh corn would fill every room in the house. So yummy. It was delicious in the summer, but a great comfort dish in the winter.

After preparing this dish for myself...the first time in my adult life, I now appreciate all the hard work she put into preparing those "country" meals. Oh the memories that came back to me while cooking this meal. Some I had forgotten. Grandma passed away in '99 after living a very full life. She is so missed.
I took a few pictures of my endeavor. Some are not that great, but at least you get a glimpse.


These are some of the fresh tomatoes I used.


This is the okra. It is also fresh from the garden.


I didn't think to take pictures of my corn before I shucked it.



I now realize there is a lot of corn on one cob. Notice how closely shaven it is. I went over it at least two times.

This of course is a stack of the cobs.


I transferred my corn into this pot. After parboiling the tomatoes to remove the skin, I added them. I also washed the okra and cut off the stems and added it.



This is what it looked like while it was cooking. I let it cook on very low heat and kept it stirred to prevent scorching. It doesn't look too appetizing in the picture, but I assure you, it was delicious! We had homemade biscuits and a small roast to go with our veggies.



Now, on to dessert. I decided to try a cake recipe I over at Sharon's under her recipes. It is the Sour Cream Pound Cake.
I took my new mixer out that I told you about awhile back. I got it at Ross for $9.99!! I was blessed to get this.




I decided to use this Nordic cake pan. I didn't take a pic of the batter and pan before I started, but took it of the pan after I put the cake on a plate I hope this explains the crumbs in pan. : )


Out of the oven.........

And onto the plate. Beautiful, isn't it?


This is the finished product. I could have drizzled the glaze a little better and hopefully I will next time. My family has almost eaten all of it! It is so delicious. Thanks for sharing this recipe, Sharon!



Have a Blessed day!