What does iCarly and Hungry Girl have in common?

9/5/11: Welcome to my blog! I welcome you to join me on the homepage, and lets start to get to know each other from there! :) Lets connect on Twitter, and on Facebook, too!

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I just realized- JERRY / SPENCER!!! Check it out-



I thought I had seen "Spencer" on something else. I just recently really started to watch iCarly with the kids and actually really like that show, LOL "Sam" is my favorite ;o) The kids were amazed last night that their mom was "cool enough" to follow Miranda Cosgrove (Carly) on Twitter (@mirandabuzz). Really? I wanted to see as a parent what she tweeted about- to see if she truly is a suitable role model for my kids. (not much boy talk, etc ...) Jackson had a look of shock on his face when I told him even Miranda has a lot of math - 5 hours worth! The show is just darling and miles away from the HM show, I'm so glad there's an alternative such as iCarly!

Who is Hungry Girl? I gasp at the thought of someone not knowing! She's Lisa from the above video, and you can view her website here. She's on a quest to keep comanies accountable for the calorie, fat and fiber content of their foods by testing products out and including reviews in her daily emails. Each day, the newsletter emails have a different theme to them so it's not the same repetitive thing all the time. She also comes up with recipe swaps to make fattier foods more healthy, such as butternut squash fries vs potato fries, Starbucks food and drink swaps cutting the calories in half, and the like. Sign up for the newsletter and try it out! Jay just bought me her new book 200 Under 200: recipes under 200 calories. I'm not finished reading it yet but it's nothing less than awesome, which is what I've come to expect from Hungry Girl :O) The kids are definately going to enjoy these recipes, that I do not doubt.

Speaking of kids, how about a little "contest"?
The first five people to reply to this post, and share with me your thoughts on Hungry Girl and iCarly (ever heard of them? fans? etc ..) - will get a coupon for $1.50 Off Yoplait Kids four-pack of any flavor (available) emailed to them - sound good? Just remember to leave me your email addy in your comment!

Wordless Wednesday bumblebee

398: Cool Verses, Acts- a fav story

Acts 11
18When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.

Amen! Where would I be if He had not?

Below is one of my favorite NT stories, these Christians were so "busy" praying they were too busy to see God had answered their prayer:

Acts 12
12And when he had considered the thing, he came to the house of Mary the mother of John, whose surname was Mark; where many were gathered together praying.

13And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a damsel came to hearken, named Rhoda.

14And when she knew Peter's voice, she opened not the gate for gladness, but ran in, and told how Peter stood before the gate.

15And they said unto her, Thou art mad. But she constantly affirmed that it was even so. Then said they, It is his angel.

16But Peter continued knocking: and when they had opened the door, and saw him, they were astonished.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++

This sounds somewhat familiar, doesn't it? Someone gives a good speech and people say it's God?

21And upon a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat upon his throne, and made an oration unto them.

22And the people gave a shout, saying, It is the voice of a god, and not of a man.

23And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost.

24But the word of God grew and multiplied.

++++++++++++++++++++++

You know, I could put the verses I like from from Acts 13 here, but it would basically be the whole chapter- why not go read it for yourself? ;o)

Gratituesday 4-28

Click to visit more Gratituesday posts

Join me on Twitter @CalvaryGirl and share what you're
thankful for using the #gratituesday hashtag!!

God is good, ALL the time. We followed the Lord and put the kids in a charter school this school year to get caught up on some financial issues, etc .. the plan was always for them to be back in their private Christian school the following year. It's been a very, VERY rough school year for Jackson, overall. You just cannot beat "home". It wasn't that he as much didn't like the new school but it wasn't "the" school he wanted to be in. So we're been through the fire this year exalting him to do what's right in the middle of a situation none of us really cared to be in but knew it was what the Lord was having us to do.

Well, the opportunity presented itsself Sunday night for us to have the kids finish the year at thier old school (I didn't think you could do that!!). We went up to the old school yesterday and signed all the papers. I picked up the kids, took them home and went back to their current school to tell their teachers, fill out the withdrawel forms, and clean out their desks. I went to my parents to go through their supplies and compare it next to what they needed today, then went to Target to get supplies, and back home to get ready for church.

We never thought about their to-be teachers announcing to their classes (filled with allll their friends!) that they were coming back (today)! One of Hannah's friends immediately said something to her last night at church cause he was so happy to hear the news. Hannah and him flew up to the soundbooth with Hannah asking Jay what was going on. Jay convinced them there "had" to be "another Hannah W." the teacher was talking about ;o) poor kid! LOL! I was able to reach Jackson's friends in time so they were BOTH clueless overall.

We got up this morning and I felt Hannah, said she was warm and needed to stay home, and that was it! Jackson puts up NO fight to go to school. This morning was SOOO "as a matter of fact". I said "well, I have some stuff to do at church so since y'all are home you need to go with me.." "here, put these clothes on so you'll look nice and not like a bum if the (visiting) missionaries are up there" (we had International Sunday ... Sunday, and a bonus service last night.). Little did they know their backpacks were packed with empty folders, their pencil cases from their desks, lunch packed and ready to go :p

Jackson was whiney over his clothes, but the Lord gave grace as it was needed. The batteries in my camera were gone cause Jackson had been playing with it, that made me tense cause we needed to leave ASAP and Jackson was too busy with a brewing attitude (that we've dealt with all school year, well, since October). As soon as we wer ein the car he was ok, and I got him videoing his self talking about why he missed his old school etc ... I pulled into the school parking lot saying I needed to pick up something for the church- my kids were OBLIVIOUS!! No clue whatsoever!

This is them getting the news (I expected more reaction, but Jackson was actually SPEECHLESS!)

more reaction, moreso Hannah this time-



Them sharing why they were glad they were back-



Jackson reunting with his BFFs-

Praise the LORD!!

Layout: Virginia Vacation (2)

I got another layout done with our vacation pictures, what do you think?
The kit is by Bel Vidotti- she has the cutest work :o) The wordart is by Ellie Lash. The font for the top is Chowderhead, and the transparent effect is an action by atomic cupcake.


click to see a larger view for more detail.

Created a siggie for a friend

thought I'd share a siggie I done the other day for a friend of mine-



The kit I used was a freebie from Bel Vidotti, I love her cute and whimsical creations. Here's a link to the kit itsself, check it out!

395: Cool Verses

Acts 10
1There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian band,

2A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway.

Joshua 6
27So the LORD was with Joshua; and his fame was noised {spread} throughout all the country.

Joshua 7
8 O LORD, what shall I say, when Israel turneth their backs before their enemies!

12Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you.

Joshua 10
42And all these kings and their land did Joshua take at one time, because the LORD God of Israel fought for Israel.

Job 23
10But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.

11My foot hath held his steps, his way have I kept, and not declined.

12Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.

388: Question of the Week

Something was brought up on another blog I read (she has the most gorgeous pictures). One of her children had lost a tooth and the discussion was how much the tooth fairy paid out, etc ... As a Christian, the whole imaginary type people / figures associated with holidays and events got very sticky when Jackson was little. Santa, Easter Bunny, so forth. I was almost disowned by my parents over Santa Claus! It was an actual raise-your-voice confrontation when we announced we were not going to encourage the Santa story with Jackson and focus on Christ instead.


When the first tooth was lost, we were in a great big gray area. Our reasons for not going with Santa and Peter (the Easter bunny, lol) was not going to hold. There were no spiritual applications to a child losing their teeth. They would not be spiritually hindered by an imaginary figure, when the day come that they find out the figure was not real (unlike the others...). So we went with the tooth fairy.

Ooooohhhhhh have we went with the tooth fairy ;o) we've really made up things as we go. The main "rules" of the tooth fairy is:

She will not visit unless your room is clean. Not "clean the path to your bed" clean, but CLEAN. Vaccume every inch clean. Fairies do not like messes, ya know. If she tripped over a toy in the middle of the night she might hurt herself and instead of visiting all the other kids who had lost their tooth, she'd have to go home and put her foot up and rest. That would be bad.

The tooth fairy walks inside instead of flys, because the ceilings are too low for her to gain speed to fly inside. The tooth fairy leaves boys $1 a tooth, and girls $5. Her rates went up after Jackson lost his teeth, but right when Hannah started losing hers. {Truth? all daddy had was a $5 for her first tooth and he had already forgot two nights before then ...}

Also, the tooth fairy sometimes does not come the first night you put your tooth under your pillow. She's a very busy fairy with a list a mile long of children to visit so some times it might take a few days for her to come by- just be patient! If she's over seven days late (this happened once)- she'll leave an extra special quarter that she loves dearly that has special powers sometimes for you. That beats a $5 bill any day! (the quarter? gone ...)

Oh, and her name is Elina.


So how about you? Does the tooth fairy come to your house? What's she like? Is there a big payoff at your house for teeth? Create a post on your blog and link me to it in the comments, or just leave a comment here sharing about what your family does with lost teeth. If you'd like feel free to grab the QOTW graphic for your on sidebars!

Family Update- April 24th

It's about time for an update, isn't it?
I'm doing ok. It seems if it's not one thing it's another going on (with me). If I'm not hit with a migraine I'm just overall feeling ... "uhg". I'm sure a lot of it has to do with my weight, so I am going to be focusing a lot of attention on that in coming weeks. I really do need a lot, a LOT of prayer regarding my motivation and will power as it pertains to eating habits and exercise. The problem with exercise is hip pain due to arthritis and now my right knee has been hurting significantly. I know it has much to do with the pressure my weight is putting on it. I'm still working on habits and routines, we're better than we were, but have a long way to go ;o) I did apply to Gymboree, but never heard anything back, so I'm going to assume it was not the Lord's will for us right now. Thing is, I have no peace about anything else, other than keeping children at home during the summer.

Jay's traveling a lot more with his job. We're so thankful we have not been affected job-wise because of the recession. The thing is, with his line of work, they are always hiring (not for what he does, but ...)- but you have to be physically fit to qualify. Oh~ and drug free :p Please do not apply for a job and waste yours and the company's time if there's a remote possibility you're not going to be able to pass a drug test! And do not think companys don't do random drug testing, because people are getting fired there for that, too! (Hence additional openings.) Very shocking news the other day was his boss as fired, which is bad because he really liked him and respected him. If you think about it please keep that situation in prayer- that his replacement won't be a royal jerk (it's true, right?) and that his new boss won't have a problem moving on to bigger and better things.
We got to take a mini vacation over Spring break in Virginia Beach and .... another town (lol) where a friend of Jay's lives. It was very nice. More pics to come, but you can see quite a few here.

We're looking forward to getting a garden planned soon (we're late!) and having a HUGE yard sale. We have SO much stuff we can get rid of, we're going to have to have a few yard sales just to get rid of it all. There's just too much to be able to get everything out at one time.

The kids are both playing soccer, and enjoying it a lot. Last week was their first game, they've been practicing about a month now. There are only three teams in Jackson's age group, so every other week he will be playing two games back to back. He has been deemed the primary goalie for the team though he's going to have opportunities to play in every position throughout the season. As active as he is I find it funny he'd choose goalie as a preferred position ;o) Hannah's just excited to be there, which makes me glad.

Some may have been wondering the stories behind my Wordless Wednesday post this week, I'm gonna share that separately. One hint- nothing to do with soccer ;o)
Hannah is still dealing with some degree of bullying (previous post), but what's being reported now is more regular mean-self-centered kid-type bullying. Jackson is determined he is going to make straight A's this quarter, after bringing home his best grades this year for 3rd quarter- two As and 3 Cs. That sounds good but for a child that has made all As his whole life ... not very hot- and he knows it.

I've always said that I would never pay or reward my kids for their grades, because they should get good grades anyway. Considering how rough this year has been, knowing he needs more motivation than fear of failing 4th grade (no danger at all, but apparently his teacher has brought it up enough generally speaking to the class it's been a fear of his...). We've told him he would get $20 for every A he makes for 4th quarter. He wants a new, "good" skateboard so he has a goal in sight. So we'll see how that goes. I know it's excessive, but I wanted to do something that would not only "get" his attention, but KEEP it for ten weeks. Please continue to pray about them getting back in their old school for next school year, that the Lord will give Jay wisdom to make the right decisions for our family concerning the many factors that plays into their return. We'd greatly appreciate it!

Jackson and I went to the local TEA party on tax day 4-15. We had a good time and enjoyed the experience. I was so proud to be an American that day. I had never attended a protest before, but it was so peaceful, and respectful. For us to be a group of extremists, we sure were nice! I thought it was hilarious when I saw on TV the next day some guy from Vanity Fair was saying "oh they weren't mad at all, they just seemed a little miffed more than anything" (paraphrase). Apparently, the liberal left thinks that you have to scream, holler, vandalize, interrupt speeches, and otherwise act like 5 year olds having a hissy fit for it to be a "real" valid protest. Apparently peaceful protesters just don't know what they're doing. Hmmm ... I'd be willing to disagree and call them to the floor on that!


Our local reps are planning more TEA parties in the future, and definitely one on Independence Day. It meant a lot for me as a parent to take part in it, and include Jackson in it. A long time ago our old Pastor said (paraphrase) "...one day when this country has went completely downhill, my grandkids are going to ask me what I done to stop it- and I want to be able to tell them I done everything I could...". I'll never forget that, and hold the same opinion. When Jackson is an adult, after conservatism reclaims this country through conservatives getting involved and finding their voices, and using them- he will be able to say "My mom and I were there when it all started ...". Some people think it's a moot point to talk politics with their children, but for me, that's HISTORY. I know nothing of the Regan years from first hand experience, and I was the same age then Jackson is now. Hannah is too young to appreciate what's going on, but Jackson is genuinely interested. Saturday we're going to the first meeting of our local 912 project. It's more of a meet and greet than anything I believe, but it's going to be fun. We're meeting at a local park and having potluck, etc ...

Hannah had her first field trip for the year. I know! They had one planned earlier in the year but it was cancelled. It was to this Health Center that was SO neat! I wish I could testify to how informational it was, but the models of internal organs freaked Hannah's little friend out, and we had to stay in the break room the WHOLE time we were there (2 1/2 hrs!). We had a nice time together though, it wasn't boring or anything. Time went by fast. Since her friend got NOTHING out of the field trip its self, I took the girls by the Krispy Kreme we passed on the way in (we were out of town). We had two of her buddies riding with us, and one her never been there before, so that was really exciting, especially since they were making the doughnuts when we got there!



Church is going great as always. I've been going out on Monday night visitation for a few weeks now, and it has been a great blessing. I've been wanting to start going for a good while now. I hope our family routine allows me to continue to do that :o) Jackson went out with some guys this week and he really enjoyed that. I learned Hannah has the option of staying at the church while I go out if needed, so that was a relief. Some weeks she's ok, others she's fickle about it. So we'll see.

Hope you all are doing well, and please link me to your own family updates by commenting! Don't forget about the giveaway!

391: Cool verses- Joshua

Joshua 1
5 There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

8This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

9Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.

Joshua 2
11And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: for the LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath.

Joshua 3
5And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves: for to morrow the LORD will do wonders among you.

Joshua 4
22Then ye shall let your children know, saying, Israel came over this Jordan on dry land.

23For the LORD your God dried up the waters of Jordan from before you, until ye were passed over, as the LORD your God did to the Red sea, which he dried up from before us, until we were gone over:

24That all the people of the earth might know the hand of the LORD, that it is mighty: that ye might fear the LORD your God for ever.

Joshua 5
13And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?

14And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my Lord unto his servant?

15And the captain of the LORD's host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so.

Wordless Wednesday: hurricane Hannah

Tim Hawkins comedy

I saw this guy on Jennifer's blog earlier, posted a couple videos on my FB page, then my FB friends went and found more. This had me in TEARS just now, hope you enjoy it just as much *g*

Giveaway: through April 30th: Love as a Way of Life

This will be my first giveaway, I'm very excited! I thought it would be appropriate for my first giveaway, to put up what I won in another giveaway :o) (the only time, btw, lol)

{Extra clarification: this giveaway is through APRIL 30th, not May 30th. I cannot fix my error for the title and URL of this post :o/ }

What's up for grabs is the book "Love as a Way of Life" by the popular Christian author, writer of The Five Love Languages, Gary Chapman.

from a review:
"This book is literally about the seven habits of people who are loving in their daily lives on a consistent basis. As Gary discusses each habit (kindness, patience, forgiveness, courtesy, humility, generosity and honesty) he provides heart-warming and inspirational stories of people who put love in action. There is so much sage advice in this book as well as a great deal of life-changing advice. " (read more reviews)

How to enter? There are a number of ways:

1) Leave a comment here telling me if you've read any of the Five Love Languages books and what you thought of them / it. (one entry)

2) Follow me on google (left sidebar)- comment back here letting me know (one entry)

3) Follow me on Twitter @CalvaryGirl (right sidebar)- comment back here letting me know (one entry)

4) Post about this on your blog- comment back here letting me know (and link me!) (one entry)

5) Add one of my buttons to your sidebar- comment back here letting me know (one entry)

6) Tweet and Retweet about the giveaway using this line-

Just entered the Love as a Way of Life #giveaway. You can win by following @CalvaryGirl & commenting on her blog here http://bit.ly/hZbwj

comment back here letting me know you've tweeted (one entry per tweet per day. this means you can earn a new entry each day by retweeting and commenting here that you did so!)

7) Finally, if you use RSS feeds in a reader, subscribe to my blog through your reader- comment back here letting me know which reader you use! (one entry)

So from April 22nd through April 30th, you could have 14+ entries! The winner will be picked by random.org. Please remember to leave a blog address or active email address so I can contact you when you win. If you do not contact me within 3 business days I will draw another number.

Good Luck!!

Gratituesday 4-20

Click to visit more Gratituesday posts

This week's Gratituesday post is going to be a little different than most. I saw something yesterday that just warmed my heart and encouraged me so much. I have not watched a "Miss USA" pagent in at least ten years. But this year- something made the news. Carrie Prejean, Miss California, did not deny her convictions for the sake of winning the crown. She was asked the very controversial "gay marriage" question by an apparent controversial celebrity gay figure. The backlash caused by Carrie's response shows the evident expectation that Perez expected her to be PC, and even pander to the gay community.

Click here to view the video coverage of Carrie on the Today Show interviewed by Matt Lauer. The end of the video with her is precious, and priceless. THAT, is what I am grateful for this Tuesday. That there are STILL young Americans out there that are not afraid to state what they believe, REGARDLESS of how it will effect them personally. Carrie is readily willing to accept it was not God's will for her to win that pagent, but her witness through this will go much farther than an entire year of being Miss USA. Click here to read an interview transcript with Fox News.

Perez on his own blog posted a video that showed his blatant expectation of what he desired to hear Carrie say, and his own blatant biases. Below the America's Newsroom clip concerning this. It's very obvious that this man is very accepting of Carrie saying something that would alienate millions of Americans who do NOT agree with gay marriage. That in and of itsself shows his obvious hypocrisy.



Lets go a step further:
(Disclaimer: I'm playing devil's advocate...)
Nay sayers are trying to spin Carrie's answer as a "dumb blonde" moment reiterating that no, gay people do not have a choice for marriage in this country. Actually, they do. They can move to a state that does recognize gay marriages.

Oh? That doesn't sound fair? That kind of thought process goes right along with Obama's energy policies, does it not? They are currently working on legislation that would cause you to pay more money for electricity used during peak times, but are saying we will still have control over whether we pay the excessive electricity charges. We can choose not to turn up our air conditioning during peak times, to not pay the money. Either way- they get what they want - a "greener" energy policy.

I say let Carrie critics think about that the next time they say they don't have the "choice".

What are YOUR thoughts?

What should Carrie Prejean have said when asked about gay marriage? Should she have said something else? Did she give the right answer? Was she diplomatic enough to become Miss USA?

I Heart Faces: Self Portrait

This week the theme is self portait. I thought this was a cute shot from the tea party last week. I didn't realize I had the camera still zoomed in, lol Click on the banner above to see more pics.

Touching tea party speech

I just run across this speech from a Dallas mom who spoke at a tea party last week, it's a must see for sure!

Is your heart right with God?

Acts 8
21Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God.

22Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee.

23For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity.

Of course most of us are not practicing witchcraft asking an apostle for the power of God upon us, we do, as Christians, want the power of God upon us and in our lives and ministries.

How often do we truly examine ourselves to make sure we are right with God? How much do we shuffle things under the carpet to be dealt with "later", only to be letting the root of bitterness take hold in our hearts, and we not even realize it because we are so "busy" with other things? Why do we spend months looking forward to our home church's "revivals", when we can have revival- daily?

Are we fooling ourselves when we act as if everything is well with our soul, when in all actuality, we have problems in our own lives that we are trying to bear the burden for alone, when we should be confessing our faults and weaknesses to our sisters (or brothers, if you're a man) so they may lift us up to the Lord and intercede for us? Is that prideful to not ask for help / prayer? Is it prideful to not ask for prayer / help?

James 5:16
Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Hebrews 3:13
But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

Thoughts?

Do you Tweet?

I wish I had this video when I first heard about Twitter!



Are you in Twitter? I am @CalvaryGirl. You can see my updates and go to my page from my sidebar. Follow me!

Tax Day Tea Party pics

Here are but a few of the pictures I took at the tea party on Wednesday. I'll post some more later. What do you think of the signs? ;o)





I wish I would have thought up this one-



Did anyone else go to a tea party this week? Are you an uneducated racist extremist unable to think for yourself?

379: Raising Foodies: Recipe Reviews

We haven't done a lot of cooking together in recent weeks, but I have been feeling out some new recipes. I must say, my crockpot is going to be very busy from now on. The biggest cooking feat I have accomplished is:

I made my own yogurt!
YES! You heard right! I done it the other day. You can find the instructions here. I started out with whole milk, but so intend on trying lowfat next time. Also, next time, I believe I'm going to get a vanilla bean to cook it with and see if that makes a difference with the taste. Yesterday I added a tbsp of sugar to a scant cup of strawberry puree, and blended that with 3 C of the yogurt. It become smoothie type consistency, and Jackson and I had it after church last night. Hannah turned her nose up to it, of course. Jackson drank her smoothie. He loves it. I agreed with Jay it had a tart tang to it, but I was ok with it, he was not.

I done a black beans and rice crockpot dish, and it was yummy. Hannah picked at it and overall refused it, and ate her accompanying orange for dinner with it. The second day, I shredded some Monterey Jack cheese, sprinkled it over a flour tortilla, melted it and rolled the beans and rice in it, and BINGO! It was a hit! Hannah loved it and Jackson had it on two different occasions. There was no waste with this very frugal recipe.

For breakfast one morning I done a black beans and eggs breakfast scramble, and it was YUMMY! I'll be fixing that again for sure. Again, frugal, and fast!

"Wendy why are you using so many black beans?"

I fixed half a pound in the crockpot ;o) I spoke a bit about that last week. It's so easy to do, and so much more cost effective than buying canned beans. You just wash them off, throw them in the crockpot, cover with water (3x the amount of beans), and go to bed! You just let it cook 8-10 hours and you're good to go!

I used the premise of this recipe for salmon and spinach. I filled the crock with spinach, laid the salmon fillets on top, added 1/4 C chicken broth around the sides and cooked for two- 1/2 hours on low. It was DELICIOUS. This was my own dinner Tuesday night after soccer practice for after the kids went to bed. They had super secret chicken nuggets. I read Jessica Seinfield's book Deceptively Delicious and I HIGHLY recommend it to anyone who has a child that is (especially psychologically) picky with food. I picked up my copy at Target for $9.08 to check your local store and request it if they're out of stock.

The chicken nuggets I made was real, cut up chicken breasts. I took 1 C spinach puree, mixed 1 egg in; in another bowl I mixed 1C panko breadcrumbs with 1/2 C flax meal, and some parmesean cheese. I submerged the chicken in the puree, and pulled the pieces out with a fork dropping them in the bread mixture (I used a small rectangle baking dish). I would roll around the pieces in the bread mixture til covered, and cooked it in a fry pan in batches. I just sprayed the pan with cooking spray, no oil, etc ...

Jackson walked in and said "whatcha fixing?", I said "chicken nuggets, here, have one" .. he pops it in his mouth, says "mmm, this is good", and walks out of the kitchen.

Hannah walks in, asks "whatcha fixing?" I say "chicken nuggets, go on" (I didn't want her to see the puree ... oh well ..) she sees the puree, and starts fanning her face saying "eewww I don't like it can I have a grilled cheese?" to which I say "No."

Granted, the recipe also calls for garlic and onion powder in the bread mixture and I didn't have any, so that would had made them much more flavorful. I was due at church soon, so I left as Jay was fixing their plates. (Jay was oblivious to my antics). I got back that night, and on the way back from checking out the explosion, I said "you left me some of those chicken nuggets didn't you?" and Jay said "they wiped it out". Hannah said "Momma I ate two plates of it!" Jackson said "Mom you knew I liked them". Jay said "the only thing I'd change is to cook them in bigger pieces more like chicken fingers instead of nuggets. They were good".

Ding Ding Ding! We have a winner! WOOOO-HOOOOO!!

Next on the list is using navy beans in a ranch dressing recipe, butternut squash snuck in some grilled cheese sammies, black bean burgers (for me), crock pot mahi mahi, crock pot Garlic chicken, and I think I'm gonna try this recipe with navy beans instead of black beans. The mind is running.

Run over to Grace's Kitchen and see what the younger set is up to!

Proverbs 16: Wise words, Anger

Proverbs 16
2All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the LORD weigheth the spirits.

3Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.

6By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil.

7When a man's ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.

9A man's heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps.

13Righteous lips are the delight of kings; and they love him that speaketh right.

16How much better is it to get wisdom than gold! and to get understanding rather to be chosen than silver!

20He that handleth a matter wisely shall find good: and whoso trusteth in the LORD, happy is he.

21The wise in heart shall be called prudent: and the sweetness of the lips increaseth learning.

32He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.

"Cursed be he ..."

This would fall under "cool verses" but I thought it deserved a separate post because, well, how interesting are these verses? All of this basically covered plain, good ol' morality, ya know?

Deuteronomy 27
15Cursed be the man that maketh any graven or molten image, an abomination unto the LORD, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and putteth it in a secret place. And all the people shall answer and say, Amen.

16Cursed be he that setteth light by his father or his mother. And all the people shall say, Amen.

17Cursed be he that removeth his neighbour's landmark. And all the people shall say, Amen.

18Cursed be he that maketh the blind to wander out of the way. And all the people shall say, Amen.

19Cursed be he that perverteth the judgment of the stranger, fatherless, and widow. And all the people shall say, Amen.

20Cursed be he that lieth with his father's wife; because he uncovereth his father's skirt. And all the people shall say, Amen.

21Cursed be he that lieth with any manner of beast. And all the people shall say, Amen.

22Cursed be he that lieth with his sister, the daughter of his father, or the daughter of his mother. And all the people shall say, Amen.

23Cursed be he that lieth with his mother in law. And all the people shall say, Amen.

24Cursed be he that smiteth his neighbour secretly. And all the people shall say, Amen.

25Cursed be he that taketh reward to slay an innocent person. And all the people shall say, Amen.

26Cursed be he that confirmeth not all the words of this law to do them. And all the people shall say, Amen.

(I also have to say I'm relieved to find a verse that addresses brothers and sisters not marrying. For some reason Hannah is wanting "proof" the bible says she cannot marry Jackson, LOL not that I think she actually wants to, but she's found something to question I guess!)

Cool verses 4-15

Acts 5
3But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?

4 ... why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.

9Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? ...

16There came also a multitude out of the cities round about unto Jerusalem, bringing sick folks, and them which were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed every one.

28Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us.

29Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.

32And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.

38And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought:

39But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God.

42And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.

Deuteronomy 23:
21When thou shalt vow a vow unto the LORD thy God, thou shalt not slack to pay it: for the LORD thy God will surely require it of thee; and it would be sin in thee.

22But if thou shalt forbear to vow, it shall be no sin in thee.

23That which is gone out of thy lips thou shalt keep and perform; even a freewill offering, according as thou hast vowed unto the LORD thy God, which thou hast promised with thy mouth.

I Heart Faces: Easter

This week's theme is "Easter".
I got a kick out of this shot of Jackson when they were hunting eggs:
(they were using grocery bags for their eggs, lol)

Gratituesday 4-14

Linked at Heavenly Homemakers

Today I'm thankful for our Pastor. Our church had the same Pastor for some 32 years. That was who led Jay and I to the Lord. It was his ministry that brought us to Christ. So when he announced a few years ago the time was coming that he would be retiring, I knew it made sense, but went through an array of emotions. It was as if, my mind understood the logic of it all, but my heart was saying he was not supposed to age, he was never to retire and he was supposed to be "Pastor" forever, LOL

Fortunately he took the choosing of his successor very seriously. In comes our current Pastor probably four years ago. The story went that he would come in and preach 2-3 services or so, so we could get a chance to hear him, then we would vote him in as Associate Pastor with the intentions of becoming head Pastor when the time come. Pastor and the deacons had already spent a good amount of time and energy praying the Lord's will over who He would have become head Pastor when the time come and they were confident this was the guy.

I remember the first time I head him preach, I was blown away. It was very good, and Jay and I both agreed on the way home that night it seemed like he was a younger version of our then-current Pastor. I remember the apprehension I felt, knowing it was the Lord's will for him to be voted in, but the reality of it all- HE would be our children's Pastor. HE would be the one who shepherded their hearts growing up, and would be their Pastor when they started their own families. I truly did not know this man "from Adam", yet the Lord was expecting me to trust him and his abilities to lead our church forward, and my children's spiritual growth forward as they grew up in our church. Cause lets remember, we were supposed to have our first Pastor forever, he was supposed to do all that ;o)

It was a year ago this past March when our current Pastor "took the reigns" of the church. He had already been working hard on staff for three years (was it three? or two?) prior. It was such a peaceful time for us all (we avg around 800 on Sunday mornings, couldn't tell you what membership is though, peace among 800 people can only come from God!). Our former Pastor still attends church with us, which was a relief. I have heard the horror stories of when new Pastors come in, church splits and such- that was the polar opposite of our experience. We've gotten to know our new Pastor and his family over the past year and we just love them all. They are a real blessing to our family. They are great friends.

Something in specific I'm thankful for though this Tuesday, is how our Pastor leads us, praying "with an umbrella". Last Wednesday night he took a few moments to challenge husbands to drop off their families at the door, and park in the second (further away) parking lot starting this Sunday. Apparently Sunday morning attendance is getting tight (I teach 3 yo's so I'm never in there), and for the sake of our new visitors, he thought ahead about the idea of them not having to walk half a mile to the front door, especially on Easter Sunday.
He also announced that the "visitor" parking spaces are going to be repainted to "Guest", so "visitors" who have been attending over two - three months, need to park in the 2nd or 3rd rows and/or join the church (LOL!!). I thought that was good- thinking so far in advance, in detail, to consider how to make our guests feel as comfortable as possible.

THAT, is praying with an umbrella! That just warmed my heart.
I think it shows a great amount of character to think along those lines.
God bless him!

I thought it was Jesus

Last night coming home from church I had an unexpected suprise. I was coming down the highway, having just went under a bridge / exit, looking forward to see the sky literally LIGHT UP- orange. It was a dark, rainy, cloudy night, and the sky just BOOM! light up "just like that". My first thought was it was Jesus coming back for the rapture, seriously! It happened, I gasped, and when I went to exhale I knew it wasn't Jesus cause if it was, I would have been in the air by then ('in the twinkling of an eye"), and I looked over my right shoulder to see this HUGE wave of flames over the treetops. I just knew the restaurant there had blown up. I immediately started praying no one was around the explosion, and couldn't help but look up at the orange glaring sky.

I got home and was going to grab Jay and the kids and go back to see what really happened. Usually when I go out, the kids are still up and kicking when I get home even though they have a 9pm bedtime ;) Would you believe the kids were in bed at 9:10? I told Jay what happened and we decided to get them up (they weren't asleep by any stretch of the imagination) and ride back up there. Apparently the firefighters were doing some sort of test of something, because there were a BUNCH of firetrucks around tha area, and the parking lot was roped off. There was no fire, but a lot of firefighters standing around the area. WHEW! That was something else, what a sight.

Exodus 24
16And the glory of the LORD abode upon mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days: and the seventh day he called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud.

17And the sight of the glory of the LORD was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel.

18And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and gat him up into the mount: and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights.

Do you have "Moses Moments"?

I've mentioned in times past how the Lord seems to be reflecting back to me through my kids my own sin. The big thing we're seeing now, is how to deal with anger. Now, long ago, I started working on the "no yelling" thing, and overall, the Lord's allowed me quick perspective in problematic moments, but I still have "moments". You know how it can be- you've told them to do something a hundred times, yet, anything shiny that crosses their paths distracts them and it doesn't get done. When you're getting ready in the morning, sometimes on a deadline (getting ready for school) and the clock is ticking ... "we need to leave in ten minutes!" "five minutes and you're shoes and socks aren't on!" so forth. Those are the moments that lends for my voice to rise. (How about you?)

Then there are the times when you see them do or say something that takes your breath away (at times) ... in a stressed mood already and you find a big bowl of popcorn under Hann .. er, your daughter's bed along with an old cup of Coke, and a TON of candy wrappers. You just want to scream "YOU HEATHENS!!" sometimes, right? C'mon, you know you've thought it before. After reading Numbers in my bible reading recently, I've come to think of those moments as "Moses" moments. God has given us the responsibility of raising our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. We're to lead by example. By leading through example, they will be able to see God through us, therefore strengthening their faith as they grow as well.

That sounds good theoretically speaking, but it's a LOT harder than it looks because lets face it- we're sinners, too- right?

The bible says:

Numbers 20:
7And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

8Take the rod,
and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye
unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink.

9And Moses took the rod from before the LORD, as he commanded him.

10And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock?

11And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also.

12And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this
congregation into the land which I have given them.

13This is the water of Meribah {contention}; because the children of Israel strove with the LORD, and he was sanctified in them.

WOW~ I wonder what kind of blessings we as parents have blown because of how we have acted in front of our kids? Is it unbelief that we can have the strength to control our mouths when our pressure cooker of a temper gets ready to blow? How do you balance the tone of your voice in terms of volume, with terms of meaning? You want them to know you are serious, so a soft "now now little Susie you need to clean your room right now" might not work for every family, as each child and parent processes things differently. I was recently informed that my level of calm was TOO calm, because when I disciplined one of my children they were not fearful of the fact they had crossed that line with me, where they would had been with their father. All this work I had put in with taming my "passion" (translate- anger) with this child, for it to slap me in the face! Where if I dealt with the other child with the "passion" this child was actually asking for, it would be too emotional for the other one.

That, my friends, has been my "head shaking parental moment" of late. I was told by a child I was too calm when disciplining them :p I wonder though, if that's truly the case, why don't they respond when I start raising the volume? Kids! So I'm searching for different ways now in how to work with my children, when I go to have a "Moses" moment. Moments when I do not glorify God in how I deal with my child. Apparently, dealing in an overly calm manner has not glorified God with one of my children (yes, I'm giggling still, at this thought.)

I giggle because I have tried so hard in recent years to get away from a "brawling" attitude that is spoken of in Proverbs. I've strove to get away from nagging, to get away from being contentious with the kids- because when you nag a child, you are banging your head against a wall. It is so easy for our emotions to get away from us, and I have strived to really reel in my reactions.

Proverbs says:

Proverbs 25
27It is not good to eat much honey: so for men to search their own glory is not glory.

28He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls.

14Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:

15Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;

I have tried to deal with my children in ways that does not allow for them to become bitter towards me and subsequently God. By that I mean, in all things, I ask them what they think God would think about what they were doing. The older going through more emotional ups and downs in recent months, his heart is much more tender spiritually speaking. I don't want him to do right for fear of me, I want him to do right because he knows he would be pleasing God through his actions. Because he is saved, that, for me, is more important. Him being the one with the temper, I want to be the example for him that indeed, one that has no rule over their own spirit is a city just waiting to be attacked from any angle.

I talk with parents who are not Christian parents and that is a big difference in parenting perspective, I've noticed. One in particular a while back, the mother spoke of catching her kids smoking her cigarettes. She talked about the "butt busting" they got for doing so. It sounded like she really put them through the ringer in that situation verbally and physically. Did it do any good? I don't know. Her kids will likely smoke when they're old enough, if not before. My point in mentioning this though, is, she was very confident in the way she handled that situation, making sure I knew the amount of control she had in her kid's life. I don't want sole control in my kids lives. Both of them have accepted Christ as their Savior- I want GOD to have control. Don't take me wrong, I realize my responsibility in needing to teach them how to follow God, they're not on their own, trust me ;o) I want them to know, though, that when I discipline them, I am doing do because God has instructed me to as their mother.

I'm so thankful I do not have to do this alone, and God is here with me helping me, guiding me, and giving me wisdom along the way. Aren't you?

Hebrews 13:
5Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
8Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.

"Moses moments":
Acting in a manner towards our children that does not bring God the glory in your life through your interactions with them.

Cool verses 4-13

Acts 3:
26Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.

Acts 4:
12Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

13Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.

31And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.

33And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.

Deuteronomy 18
10There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch.

11Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.

12For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee.

Deuteronomy 20 ("the company you keep ..." )
16But of the cities of these people, which the LORD thy God doth give thee for an inheritance, thou shalt save alive nothing that breatheth:

17But thou shalt utterly destroy them; namely, the Hittites, and the Amorites, the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee:

18That they teach you not to do after all their abominations, which they have done unto their gods; so should ye sin against the LORD your God.

Proverbs 14
1Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands.

14The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways: and a good man shall be satisfied from {above} himself.

15The simple {naive} believeth every word: but the prudent man looketh well {considers carefully} to his going.

16A wise man feareth, and departeth from evil: but the fool rageth, and is {self} confident.

17He that is soon angry {quick tempered} dealeth foolishly: and a man of wicked devices is hated.

Prayer Request for my uncle

First, he needs salvation, he needs to realize he needs it, too. He's in his 60's and is in very bad health. He's been on dialysis 3x a week for a number of months now because of kidney failure. He has congestive heart failure. Yesterday while at his dialysis appointment he had an "episode" with chest pains. They rushed him to the "big" hospital. They've admitted him for the time being (he was just in there a few weeks ago), and he had another episode last night. It come out yesterday he also has cancer, but it will be two weeks before they know they extent of it.

His burdens are very heavy, I could tell that last time we went to visit him. He also has DNR papers, too. Thanks to anyone who thinks about him in the upcoming days and prays for him. Mainly, please pray for his salvation.

Thanks again.

5 Minutes for Photography

This week's article at 5 Minutes for Mom is about taking pics in an outside environment where the kids are not thinking about getting their pictures taken. It made me think of all the pics I took out at the beach last week while we were there. We got locked out of our hotel room before Jay got back from work, so the kids and I went out to the beach while we waited for him to get back (it was about 40 minutes before he was due ...)

Needless to say they weren't dressed for a typical outing to the beach, then again, we've never been to the beach when it was colder weather, either! So I told them to take their shoes and socks off, roll up their jeans and go run in the sand. When I said "run", I really just meant "Go DO something" LOL what did my kids do? They went down in the sand and started running in big circles, Hannah chasing Jackson. Then Jackson decided to do some kind of jig type dance being silly. I was snapping away with the pics.

If I posted the original pics, you wouldn't be able to appreciate them because of the resizing I'd have to do and I was a bit of distance away from them standing on the boardwalk, but, I cropped them so you could see what I caught:

This one was a bit blurrier (is that how you spell that?), but I liked how the shot caught the sand kicked up in the air as she was running:



This was more clear and caught his silly expression (and more sand movement)

Cool verses 4-10

I thought this was an interesting cross reference for the passage in Galations about the ones who creep in unawares-

Deuteronomy 13
3Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

4Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him.

5And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death; because he hath spoken to turn you away from the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, to thrust thee out of the way which the LORD thy God commanded thee to walk in. So shalt thou put the evil away from the midst of thee.

6If thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter, or the wife of thy bosom, or thy friend, which is as thine own soul, entice thee secretly, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which thou hast not known, thou, nor thy fathers;

7Namely, of the gods of the people which are round about you, nigh unto thee, or far off from thee, from the one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth;

8Thou shalt not consent unto him, nor hearken unto him; neither shall thine eye pity him, neither shalt thou spare, neither shalt thou conceal him:

I also like the emphasis of friends in this passage, as well. It shows even in the OT the Lord was cautioning us on who we should be allowing ourselves to be around, and even more important in who we allow our children to be influenced by. Do you agree?


Job 13
15Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.
16He also shall be my salvation: for an hypocrite shall not come before him.

17Hear diligently my speech, and my declaration with your ears.

18Behold now, I have ordered my cause; I know that I shall be justified.

23How many are mine iniquities and sins? make me to know my transgression and my sin.

(Amen!!) I should have read this last year ...


Proverbs 10
4He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich.

17He is in the way of life that keepeth instruction: but he that refuseth reproof erreth.

29The way of the LORD is strength to the upright: but destruction shall be to the workers of iniquity.

32The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable: but the mouth of the wicked speaketh frowardness.

Frugal Friday 4-10

I found a post of Stephanie's about the cooking-with-dried vs. cooking-with-canned-beans debate. I personally have found the dried beans in the crockpot thing to be great. It saves you money and gives you more options for meals since beans covers a wide variety of dishes, am I not right? Last night we had Stephanie's (black) beans and rice, it was great!

Wouldn't you know, Stephanie from Keeper of the Home posted about this very thing, and mentioned a BROWNIE made with black beans?! Seriously! It's the neatest looking blog to, and it says "... most recipes here are gluten-free, many are dairy-free, and almost all are suitable for hypoglycemics and diabetics.", which is great!!

Summer "school"?

One of Jackson's favorite subjects is Science ... that and History. I have been pondering the idea of getting some supplementary material in those subjects for him to work with over the summer to keep him busy. Maybe like the 4th grade homeschooling materials, ya know? Something that is from a Christian perspective, something he did not have this school year.
Christy done a review on Apologia, and they have some Zoology science books. That is right up his alley.

What do you think?

Easter Bread Basket

Click out this idea from 'Besomom', very, very cool!

House of Hodgepodge: Easter Bread Basket

Easter Story aka Ressurection Cookies

To be made the evening before Easter

1cup whole pecans

1tsp vinegar

3 egg whites

pinch salt

1 cup sugar

zipper baggie

wooden spoon

tape

Bible

Preheat oven to 300 degrees (this is important, don't wait till you're half done with the recipe!)

Place pecans in zipper baggie and let children beat them with the wooden spoon to break into small pieces. Explain that after Jesus was arrested, He was Beaten by the Roman soldiers. Read John 19:1-3.

Let each child smell the vinegar. Put 1tsp vinegar into mixing bowl. Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross, He was given vinegar to drink. Read John 19:28-30.

Add egg whites to vinegar. Eggs represent life. Explain that Jesus gave His life to give us life. Read John 10:10-11.

Sprinkle a little salt into each child's hand. Let them taste it and brush the rest into the bowl. Explain that this represents the salty tears shed by Jesus' followers, and the bitterness of our own sin. Read Luke 23:27.

So far, the ingredients are not very appetizing. Add 1 cup sugar.

Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because He loves us. He wants us to know and belong to Him. Read Psalm 34:8 and John 3:16.

Beat with a mixer on high speed for 12 to 15 minutes until stiff peaks are formed. Explain that the color white represents the purity in God's eyes of those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus. Read Isaiah 1:18 and John 3:1-3.

Fold in broken nuts. Drop by teaspoons onto wax paper covered cookie sheet. Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus' body was laid. Read Matthew 27:57-60.

Put the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and turn the oven OFF. Give each child a piece of tape and seal the oven door. Explain that Jesus' tomb was sealed. Read Matthew 27:65-66.

GO TO BED! Explain that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight. Jesus' followers were in despair when the tomb was sealed. Read John 16:20 and 22.

On Easter morning, open the oven and give everyone a cookie. Notice the cracked surface and take a bite. The cookies are hollow! On the first Easter, Jesus' followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty. Read Matthew 28:1-9.

Ressurection Biscuits (kid activity)

Hannah loves making these. Past couple of years we've had family over for Easter, and Hannah has LOVED showing everyone how to make "Jesus biscuits"- giving her a chance to share the Easter story with our lost family members :o)

typed previously-

You take canned biscuits, mush them out flat, then put one large (or 4 small in my case lol) marshmallow in the middle, then wrap the biscuit around the marshmallow, dip in cinnamon-sugar-then bake. Theory being that when you open the biscuit after it comes out of the oven, the marshmallow will be gone-representing Jesus disappearing from the tomb/rising on the 3rd day.

Yes, the mashmallows will be gone. There might be a white residue depending on how many you use, how wide you roll out the dough, etc ... but they are SO good! Definitely a "dessert biscuit" *g*

It's not for you to know

We've been dealing with some disobedience in the house lately. Not neccessarily outright defiance at their ages but, not "instant" obedience. The "delayed obedience" kind. Isn't it amazing how, when you pray for someone else, you are blessed? You are praying for someone else to be a blessing to them, to intercede for them, yet, you seem to be blessed in being a part of it or the fellowship is so sweet between you and the Lord. The common theme right now is- "it doesn't matter WHY I want you to do it, JUST DO IT". It's nerve racking to try to teach your children to just trust that when you tell them to do it, that you actually know what you're talking about! Isn't that the same way with us and God?

As parents, isn't it amazing how much we see aspects of ourselves in our kids- in the current state? Sometimes I think God gave me my kids to give me a peep into my own relationship with the Lord. Jackson so desperately wants to get back to his old school. We want them there, too, but Jackson's passion on the subject is coming from his perspective, not ours. So it makes it different. however we keep encouraging him, that while he is still at his current school, he needs to do what is expected of him and "bloom where you're planted". As few months ago I started getting a deep burden about us adopting. Jay is not ready for that kind of chapter in our life, so the answer from the Lord, through Jay, was to wait. So I've waited. and waited. and waited. and I've prayed. and prayed. and prayed.

Thousands of thoughts have went through my mind. How long will the process take, after we start? It can take up to a year. The child I have my eye on (that sounds horrible, but there's a story behind that) is nine. If we start NOW, he would be ten by the time we got him. What kind of life does he have now? is it good? oh no what if it's bad?! What if he's in one of "those" foster homes where the parents are doing it "for the checks"? (I can't imagine...) The "mama bear" in me wants to fly out and get him TODAY. But obviously, that's not God's plan. We keep telling Jackson the answer to his prayers is "wait", and God's answer to my own prayers concerning adoption is to "wait".

But WHY? I told a family member the other night I'd love nothing more than to tear the kids out of their current school, eight weeks left, and put them in their old school. Only eight weeks left- but if given the opportunity, you wouldn't see me blink before I said yes. I don't know why we have to wait, but we do. and because God said we do, we must learn to be content where we are, learn what God is wanting us to learn and do what He is wanting us to do in the herenow.

I read this morning:

Acts 1
7And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.

8But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

See? There it is in the bible. It is not up to me to know when we will be able to adopt, that's God's timing. Jackson doesn't know if they'll get to go back to their old school next school year or not. He is starting to understand, that that news will come in God's good timing.

At least Jackson has a timeline to go by ;o)

But for now, we will serve the Lord, and be His witnesses and carry out the great commission.

Cool verses 4-8, 4-9

Matthew 28
20 "... lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen."

Proverbs 8
11For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it.

13The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.

17I love them that love me; and those that seek me early {dilligently} shall find me.

21That I may cause those that love me to inherit substance; and I will fill their treasures.

32Now therefore hearken unto me, O ye children: for blessed are they that keep my ways.

33Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not.

35For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the LORD.

36But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul:

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Wordless Wednesday 4-8

Virginia Vacation













Click here for one more :o)

iheartfaces: "My friend and I"

This week's theme is "My friend and I".

We spent Friday and Saturday with a friend of Jay's from work. His wife and he so graciously invited us into their home having never met the kids and I. We had such a good time there this weekend. Saturday he took us out on a nearby river on his boat fishing. I caught the first one then Jackson caught a very good sized catfish for a ten year old. The kids just loved "Mr. C" and he went from "Mr. C" to "Uncle C" by the time we left ;)

I got this picture when we were out on the boat and thought it turned out so well, so this is my entry for this week:

New layout: Virginia Vacation (1)

One of my desires has been to get more active in creating digital scraps with our pictures. I have TONS of materials to use, but just do not sit down and actually use them, go figure! Jay in his brilliance thought ahead and suprised me with ths converter thing for our trip last week. It was so when the battery in my laptop run out, I could plug the battery pack into this box that was hooked to the truck and drew the power from the truck. Sorry I can't explain it better, LOL

Have you ever spent time on your laptop going down Virginia roads? In a truck? Those b-u-m-p-y roads? WHEW! On the way up I caught up on unzipping all my files. On the way back I photoshopped after I knew which files I had. Have you ever photoshopped in the dark? ;o)
This is how far behind I was- I had a summertime blog train from last July I had never opened! :-O Bunch of cute stuff you will be seeing ... I plan on doing some blog layouts with them *g*

So, keep in mind I'm no brilliant scrapper right now, that's the goal!


Click here to see a larger view of the page. I thought the kit was cute, and has a neat texture to the paper. Below you can see the paper plus the text, I used the atomic cupcake "puffy felt" action for it to look like that. It's the same font as the below text (AKApprique Black).



The stickers in the kit was darling and I thought they looked cute over the "real" sand, don't you think?



Credits:
Kit by "Dana", http://berrydelightz.com
Template by Shanty / Nicole- http://www.sugarplumpaperie.com
Word art by Norma- http://swheatcreations.blogspot.com

Cheap, fun family entertainment

(Guess where we went this week ;)

Digital camera help needed

Lately my camera has been showing this purple hue, sometimes to the point you cannot see in the display. I can turn it off, and turn it back on and the display is ok (and pics). Yesterday as I was taking pics, the display was ok, but when the pics showed up after I took them, the purple hue was either in the middle of the pic or around the edges. I thought my camera was about to die (Canon Powershot A95), BUT~ I took video yesterday, and the video is perfectly fine. Thinking back, I've never had issues with the purple hue showing up in video mode, just picture mode.

Any thoughts?