Country Mom

INVASION

2011-11-14T21:54:00.001-05:00

"Invasion" written by Jon S. Lewis is a book that would be a good book for young teens and some pre-teens. I actually enjoyed reading this book. I like sci-fy stories. This book brings the fantasy stories of the comic books to life. I would recommend this book to those which have young teens or preteens. In the beginning of this book Colt McCallister's parents are killed in a suspicious accident. After the funeral Colt Finds out that there is much more to his family than he ever imagined. His grandfather, father, and brothersnhave all been part of an organization called C.H.A.O.S. They protect the earth from aliens. He moves in with his grandfather and that is when the action begins. Colt meets a boy in his new school named Oz. Oz is part of the same organization. Oz starts putting Colt through training. The heads of C.H.A.O.S. want Colt as the next head of the organization and because of that his life is in danger along with his friends Danielle and Oz. Like I said above this is a very good read for teens and preteens. I received this book free of charge from Thomas Nelson for reviewing the book.

OPENING DAY

2011-11-13T20:00:00.001-05:00

Well, yesterday was opening day of shotgun season for hunting deer here in Indiana. I was up at 4:00 in the morning. I was fixing deer steak, gravy and biscuits for the hunters. After breakfast was over I got ready to leave for a district. At the quiz, the team I was coaching, which is our B team came in second. Greg ended up in 7th place for the day. His overall average put him in eleventh place. Eleventh place was one place two low to make the district team for St. Louis. After returning home I went hunting with my daughter Emily. Her husband and mine were trying to run deer to us. I shot a four point buck and she got a button buck. It was exciting. My buck ended up being bad. It had a tumor or something above his right eye. The eye looked bad also. We are not going to feed our family with a deer that has something wrong with it. Overall it was a successful day. I was dead on my feet by the time I got in bed.

DEER SEASON

2011-11-11T18:55:00.001-05:00

Well, it's that time again. I will be up by 4:oo in the moning to fix breakfast for the hunters.I do this every year. It is tradition for me to fix deer steak, gravy and biscuits. I love doing this forthem. The first morning is a big deal around our house. Greg does not get to hunt in the morning. He, along with myself and rest of the quizzers willbe heading to a district quiz tomorrow. Tommorrow we find out who makes the district teamto go to St. Louis. Greg has been studying very hard this week. He really wants to make that team. We had six cheese tortelini for supper tonight. Now I have to get the kitchen cleaned up and ready for the morning. Goodnight all!

FALL DAYS

2011-11-10T22:17:00.001-05:00

I love the colorful days of fall. We have had a beautiful fall. I have enjoyed hanging in my hammock swing on a few of these beautiful days. Fall is when I try to get my soap made. Some of the soap will be used for Christmas gifts and the rest will be for us. I still have some dried beans to can. Next week I uwill probably be canning deer meat. Deer in the freezer means fewer trips to the grocery store for meat. Greg's Bible quizzing has started up and that means road trips. The quiz trips are a lot of fun. We took six teen quizzers to Kansas City last weekend. One of our quizzers took first place out of over 200 kids. Greg came in 12th. I was very proud of all the quizzers. Next weekend we will be off to Kalamazoo, MI. Greg is studying hard to be ready for the competition. I am busy through these fall days trying to get some of my handmade gifts ready for Christmas. I have several projects going right now. I have my iPad set up now so I can blog from it. Maybe I will blog more often now. We shall see. Goodbye until next time, God bless!

The Bone House

2011-09-30T10:23:00.000-04:00

Stephen R. Lawhead has done it again. I love this series. The Bone House is the second installment in the series "A Bright Empires Novel". The book is about Kit Livingstone who is on the run and travelling through time to find the Skin Map. The Skin Map is the key to Kit's travels. He has to find it so that he can figure out the meaning of this chaotic life he now leads. I love Wilhelmina's part in the story. My favorite part is when she proves to Dr. Young that their traveling through time is really happening. She arranges for Kit to deliver a package to Dr. Young containing items from the future. One of the items is pages from a book that is in the process of writing but had not published yet. The pages are the first few pages in the book that contain the publishing data. Dr. Young then becomes a vital help to Kit. I cannot wait to read the next book in this series. If you like sci fi suspense then you will love this book. I do suggest that you read the first book(The Skin Map) in the series before reading this book.

Fall days

2011-09-25T14:36:00.004-04:00

I absolutely love fall. I love God's beautiful artistry in the fall. I am a person that loves bright colors and the fall foliage is right down my alley.

I have been busy trying to finish up my summer canning. I only have applesauce and dried beans left to can for the summer. When I have them canned I can put my canners away until deer season. October is usually my soap making month. I love making soap. I am going to try my hand at laundry soap this year. I found a recipe for dish soap and laundry detergent. I will be making a basic soap and then grating it for the dish soap and detergent. i am anxious to see how it works.

We have started our school year which is going well. I do believe we will finish early this year. Greg is taking church history this year and we are both enjoying that course. We are learning a lot and we are also learning that we have a lot to be thankful for in the freedom we have to worship. We don't need to take that freedom for granted, for it could change overnight.

I know this is short, but I will be back on in a few days. I now have an ipad and I am using it to post for the first time. It will make it more convenient to keep up with my blogging. I hope everyone is enjoying our glorious fall days.

Life Everlasting

2011-08-09T10:15:00.002-04:00

This is the first Robert Whitlow book that I have ever read. It will not be my last. At first I thought it was going to be a hard read, but then it began to draw me into the story. I love the main character,Alexia. She is learning as a new Christian that God does really work in mysterious ways sometimes.

Baxter's story is miraculous. He has been in a coma and God is using the music of a young minister to bring him back. His wife and brother both wanted him to stay in the coma or die. They did not want him to wake up and reveal their secrets. His father wants him to live, but for his own selfish reasons.

I love a good mystery and I love the way everything comes together in this book. I was dissappointed at first because I thought the author was revealing who was responsible at the very beginning, but as you continue to read you are drawn into a much deeper mystery.

Life Everlasting was an awesome read!

Camping

2011-08-06T09:30:00.000-04:00

We are camping at Lake Rudolph this weekend. We come down here every summer right before school starts. It is a nice break from all my garden work.
Usually we go to Holiday World while we are here, but we really didn't want to stand in line all day so we are just camping. We rented a golf cart to run around the campground on. We will be decorating it today for the glo cart parade tonight. They have these golf cart parades every weekend. Everyone uses glo in the dark decorations to deck their carts out and then we parade around the entire campground.
We brought a portable gas grill with us. Troy grilled burgers last night and he is grilling pork steak tonight.
We have not seen the boys yet this morning. They were playing cards with some other campers last night.
Monday I will be back to work canning and garden work. I will be refreshed and ready after a relaxing weekend.

Sent from my iPhone

Spyder

2011-07-12T15:25:00.001-04:00

Spyder

2011-07-12T15:24:00.000-04:00

Roadtrip

2011-07-12T15:21:00.001-04:00

Well, we took a weekend road trip to the Ozarks. We took our son Greg out to spend some time with my parents. I will head back out there next weekend. My parents were excited a out getting him for a week.

We are on our way home now. We made a pitstop at St. Louis powersports. We wanted to check out a Can Am Spyder. We are now even more definite that we want to get one. The Spyder is a motorcycle that has two wheels in the front. We are going to be saving money so that we can purchase one in the future. I will post a couple pictures of it.

Sent from my iPhone

Busy Summer

2011-06-24T10:17:00.002-04:00

Well, this summer has been extremely busy. I find that I have no spare time for anything. Greg is in drivers ed and then he will be going to my parents for a couple weeks. I am trying to get his schoolwork finalized and reenroll him for next year. I like staying busy, but I am hoping it will slow down a little so that I can enjoy the summer. I feel like my summer is flying by and I am missing it.

Troy's parents celebrated their 50th anniversary the 14th of June. We had an open house for them and a lot of people turned out for that. It was a great day.

My garden is growing by leaps and bounds. I have greenbeans coming and I picked my first tomato. My strawberries did very well this year. My blue berry bushes are loaded with berries.

I started online classes with Weigh Down ministries. I am learning to turn my food focus into God focus. I am learning to follow my body's signal for when to eat. I love it! I get to eat real food and still lose weight. I have had homemade icecream every day for the last three weeks and still lost weight. I only eat if my stomach growls and I stop when full. I have lost 9 lbs so far. I love the fact that I am spending more time with my focus on God than on what my next meal is going to be.

Well, that is it for now. I will try to check in more often.

The Skin Map

2011-06-02T09:11:00.004-04:00

Just the name sends shivers. The Skin Map is a story about a young man, Kit, who finds himself shifting between worlds. He meets his great grandfather and begins a search for a skin map that has been lost in time. The skin map was once tattooed onto a mans skin so that he would not get lost between the worlds. Kit loses his girlfriend between worlds, so then he is also searching for her. Wilhelmina ends up in a totally different world than the London she is used to. She meets a baker and begins a new life with him in business. She finds her way back to Kit in the end.
I am looking forward to the next book in this series. I will definitely be reading more of this authors work.
I had a hard time putting this book down once I started reading. I just wanted to keep going to find out what was going to happen to Kit and Wilhelmina.

I'm Back

2011-05-03T13:25:00.010-04:00

I'm back and adjusting to my life back in normal land. I had a blast in Hawaii. We staying in a condo in the little town of Kona on the Big Island. I loved it. The people were friendly and laid back. I did not care for Oahu. Oahu was too busy and crowded. Waikiki beach was awesome though. I plan to go back in a few years.
The food was delicious and I am happy to report that I did not gain one single pound while there. I don't think I finished one plate. They give you such huge portions that there was no way I could eat it all. My favorite food was the fresh fruit we had each day. We would fall asleep lulled by the ocean waves and wake to fresh fruit and Kona coffee.
We ziplined while there. The zipline course had 8 lines. They worked us up from small to big. The biggest one we had to just run off the bluff. The picture below shows the last line. The dirt patch you see on the other side was our landing zone. He told me to just run until there was nothing under my feet. It was a major adrenaline rush. Some of us even braved it and hung upside down on our ziplines. That was sweet!
I am glad to be home and getting back to my normal life of wife, mom, grandma and taxi driver for my son. This was an experience I will never forget and I am so thankful for my husband who made this trip possible.

My New Beginning Journey

2011-03-25T10:55:00.002-04:00

Well, so far this year I have lost a total of 11 pounds. I hope I can continue this way and by the end of the year I will have met my goal. I am working out, drinking more water and eating more fruits and vegies. This alone is making me a healthier person.
My trip to Hawaii is drawing closer. I am getting really excited. It still does not seem real.
When I eat out I try to be really careful in my food choices. So far, it has not been too difficult. I am worried about Hawaii. I believe I will have a harder time while I am there. I am going to try to be careful, though I will have to try some of the Hawaiian dishes. I will eat them in moderation. My goal for Hawaii is to hold my weight steady and not gain while I am there. If I accomplish that I will be pleased.

BoogaBooga Land

2011-03-09T09:52:00.003-05:00

Just the name alone is enough to capture the interest of a young child. My three year old grandson loves to say the name of this movie. He loved it. My favorite character wasGerard the Giraffe. My grandson's favorite was Marty, the monkey.

Marty is always getting into scrapes. If something bad is going to happen it will be when Marty is around. Marty does not mean to get into mischief, but it happens just the same.

I love that these stories are teaching lessons from parables that Jesus told. There are three parables used for these stories,The Lost Pearl, The Soil and the Seeds, and The Wedding banquet.

We kept asking my grandson what he was watching just to hear him say BoogaBooga Land. It was hilarius to hear him talk about it.

I received this dvd free of charge from Book Sneeze for writing this review.

New Beginnings Week 8

2011-02-24T08:38:00.002-05:00

I have lost another 2 lbs. I made it through a weekend away with teenagers and still lost. I was excited to be able to stay on track even when I was around teenagers that eat anything and everything.
I have entered a 5K taking place in May. I am trying to run and walk 5K at least 4 times a week. This week I have been sick so that has not happened. I am getting back into the groove.

New Beginnings Week 6

2011-02-11T08:35:00.003-05:00

Well, I have made it to the 5lb. mark. Now for the next 5 lbs. These past couple weeks have been hard. I was snowed in one week and the other week I spent away from home. I tried to be careful. It is hard when there is a bounty of rich foods around you.

I am getting closer to my Hawaii trip.I would like to lose at least another 10 lbs. before my trip. I am going to shoot for 2 lbs. this next week. I have to say that I feel much better. I have been eating healthier and I am reaping the benefits. I have more energy and just feel better over all.

New Beginnings Continued

2011-01-29T15:39:00.003-05:00

Again I lost 1 pound. I am thrilled that the scale is finally moving again. I do wish it would go down quicker, but I am happy it is moving down. I did not get as much workout time in this past week. We had a very busy schedule. Somedays I am in the schoolroom almost all day due to Algebra. He is doing well, but it takes a while to get the daily work completed each day. We have about 75 days of Algebra left for the year. Greg is doing very well in his first year of high school. He does not like to write though. When I give him a writing assignment I almost laugh at the look that appears on his face. He seems to think that just because he is being educated at home that he should be able to skip the writing assignments. I tell him those assignments are very important and when he gets in college he will be glad that I made him do them.
I hope to get at least 4 hours of workout in this next week. I am going to shoot for 2 pounds and see if I can lose 2 instead of 1.
Putting on my favorite jeans after pulling them out of the dryer, I was thrilled to see that I needed a belt with them now. My Zumba abs must be working.
We have a new granddaughter in the family. Taylor arrived Friday morning and she reminds me of her mother. I am keeping her big brother this weekend until Taylor and her mother get to go home. Praise God from whom all blessings flow! We are so blessed!

New Beginnings Week 3

2011-01-21T11:05:00.002-05:00

Well, I did it again. One more pound gone. I am glad to finally see the scale moving. I logged in 4 1/2 hours of working out this past week. Putting on my dress pants I realized that the waist was loose. I know I have not lost enough weight to affect that yet, but my workouts are.
We had a lot of snow this week and now it is frigid. It was 1 degree this morning with a wind chill of -17. I told my husband earlier this week that snow reminds me of what God's salvation does for us. Snow takes a dirty world and turns it pure white, but if you aren't careful you will end up in a ditch very quickly. We as Christians have the same problem. We get saved and our scarlet sins are turned white as snow. If we aren't diligent in seeking God's way for our lives we end up in a ditch. We need to be careful, a little sin here and there can really dirty the pure white snow. We need to be diligent in seeking God's forgiveness when we do sin and seek His way, not ours.

New Beginnings

2011-01-14T10:11:00.002-05:00

Well, today was weigh in day and I was down 1 more pound. That makes the total loss 2 pounds. This week has been a little bit harder. We had a quiz this past week and that means eating out. I ordered from the children's menu and stayed within my points. The others in my family have been eating chocolate this week. I managed to refrain. I have my chocolate stash and I have an occasional piece to satisfy my craving. This week I had Schwan's fudge bars and I satisfied my chocolate craving with one of those every other day. The meal that turned out to be hard for me was the night I fixed chili. I love chili and I had to limit myself to only one cup. I ate a banana right before supper and that filled me up part way, then when I ate my chili I was full after only one cup.

I bought some light ice cream from Schwan's this week. It is called vanilla caramel brownie ice cream. It was scrumptious. Since it is light I can have some and stay in my points.

I have logged in a little over 3 hours of working out this week. I have done a combination of yoga, zumba, jogging and walking. I am shooting for 4 hours this next week.

I can do all things through Christ who strengtheneth me!

New Beginnings

2011-01-10T09:23:00.002-05:00

Well, the first week is over and I am 1 lb. less than the week before. I am learning the new point system. It is different. I have been eating more vegies and fruits than before. I have to say I did not go hungry this week. My meals were fully satisfying.
The app on my phone is wonderful. I keep track of everything I eat on there. I also keep track of my workouts. I worked out three days last week. This morning I started my day with yoga and will later jog on the treadmill. I am hoping to get 3 miles in today.
For every 5 lbs. I lose I am going to reward myself. I believe my first reward will be a new belt to keep my pants up as they loosen in the waist.
I even survived a birthday party this past week without going over the limit of my points. I hope to lose more this week. I will keep you posted as the week progresses.

I can do all things through Christ, who strengtheneth me!

Day 4

2011-01-04T23:18:00.004-05:00

Well, it is now day 4 of my new beginning. I am doing very well. I have stayed withing my points. I even managed to have a chocolate turtle today. I have not been hungry at all. Since fruit is 0 points I have been eating plenty. Saturday is my weigh in day. We shall see if this new program starts the scale moving again.

I have worked out almost every day. Today I started my day off with the Zumba abs routine. My abs are feeling that workout this evening.

This afternoon I sat at my computer searching for the perfect Hawaiian getaway. Sheryl and I finally chose one. We contacted the owner and are in the process of reserving the condo. This rental property came with the use of a car included in the price. I have been pinching myself ever since. I can't believe it, I am actually going to Hawaii. We are going for 10 days. It is going to be a blast. They said you can sit on the lanai of our condo and watch the dolphins swimming in the bay. We have 3 months to get ready for this trip.

I have been thinking here lately about how God came looking for us. That is why we have Calvary. He could have left us in our sins, but he chose to come down to earth and became a man so that he could draw us to Him. It is the most beautiful love story in the world. There is nothing more awsome than that.

The American Patriot's Almanac

2011-01-03T20:04:00.006-05:00

The American Patriot's Almanac is a definite buy for history and American trivia buffs. I love history, especially American history. This almanac is a daily dose of history. There is a reading for every day of the year which tells you what happened in our nation on that day. For instance on today's date in 1959 Alaska became the first state to join our great nation since Arizona in 1912. In 1177 an army under the command of General Washington defeated the British in the Battle of Princeton, New Jersey.
There is a world of history and trivia bits in this book. I would definitely recommend this book to the home educating families out there. My son and I read each days reading to find out what happened on that day in the history of our nation.
If you are a history lover or a trivia buff, you will not regret the purchase of this book. I recieved this book free of charge from the Book Sneeze book review program. It is fast becoming a favorite book of mine.

A New Year and a New Beginning

2011-01-01T06:23:00.003-05:00

I seen that my sister had posted a similar blog today, but I am going ahead with mine. I am starting a weight loss journey again. This time I hope to be successful with God's help. I have my workout routine in place and love it. I am beginning the Weight Watcher's new Points Plus program. I think I will get along fine with it. They have made fruit to have 0 points. The main thing I have to work on is unhealthy snacking and eating more vegies. I usually eat lots of fruit, but not many vegies. I intend to improve my vegie eating habits this year.
I will not give my weight on here, but I will post the amount of pounds that I drop. I am a size 14 right now and I will keep posting as I drop sizes. I am hoping to drop a size or two by the time my Hawaii trip comes around.
Yes, I am going to Hawaii! I can't wait. My son-n-law's mother asked if I wanted to go with her to Hawaii. We are taking a few others with us. We will have so much fun.
Now back to weight loss. Weight Watchers has made is easy to follow. I even have an app for my Iphone. No matter where I am I can check the points value with my phone. I can also keep track of what I eat, drink and my workouts on my phone.
I am looking forward to a great year. I hope to start blogging more often and even start some giveaways.
Happy New Year Everyone! God Bless!

The King's Christmas List

2010-11-01T09:51:00.003-04:00

This is a delightful story that uses a child's imagination to tell a wonderful story about the true meaning of Christmas.
Emma is a little girl who's father has built her a playhouse which turns into a kingdom with her imagination. Little Emma is trying to take a gift to the King, but she ends up giving to others before she gets to the King. By the time she reaches the King she has given away anything she could have given the King. Emma then learns that the King had sent angels to find the true spirit of Christmas and they had found it in her. She learned that by giving to others as she had she had given the King the gift he desired.
I would totally recommend this book for others to read to their children this Christmas season. Christmas needs to be about others and not about what's in it for us. This story shares a very much needed lesson for us about the true meaning of Christmas.
I recieved this book free of charge from the Booksneeze program by Thomas Nelson publishers for doing this review.

Summer

2010-09-18T08:16:00.008-04:00

I have always heard the phrase, "The Lazy days of summer." Who ever came up with that quote must not garden. My lazy days are in the winter. My summer is full of gardening and preserving food. I love the look of my pantry at the end of summer.
I am still canning some. I am making applesauce. I will do the last of my canning during deer season. I always can our deer stew meat.
My garden is not as large as it once was, but it still keeps me hopping. This year I planted tomatoes, cucumbers, potatoes, onions, garlic, green beans, corn, and peppers. I also have a strawberry bed. At the end of the summer canning I feel like I have accomplished something great. My family will not go hungry this winter for I have prepared for them.
The green beans which I plant are an unusual kind. They are called Dragon's Tongue. They are a pale yellow green with purple streaks through the bean. The first time my husband seen them on the plant he thought they had gone bad. Now he won't let me plant any other bean because he loves the taste of these. Once they are canned they lose their purple streaks.

Canning can be addicting. The more I can, the more I want to can. Once I start canning, I just want to keep on canning and filling my shelves. I try to out do myself each summer. I try to can more than I did the summer before.
After Emily fell and spent the summer in the hospital, I put my canning aside for a few years. I just did not have the time for it. Now I do and I am back in at full swing.
When I work in my garden and can the produce that comes from it I always think of a certain passage in Proverbs.
Proverbs 6:6-8 Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:
Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler,
Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.

Anne Bradstreet

2010-09-18T07:45:00.003-04:00

I just completed a book about the life of Anne Bradstreet. I usually have some trouble keeping interested in biographies, but I really enjoyed this book.
She was quite a woman. Anne came to the American colonies when she was only 18. She really did not want to leave home, but she knew if she stayed behind she would probably never see her parents or siblings ever again. She was not a strong and healthy person. She tended to be weak healthwise. Through all her trials and tribulations she never turned away from God.
Anne was a poet. She wrote many poems in a day when women were looked down on for things like that. One person had said that she was better suited with needles in her hand instead of a pen. I believe God gave her the poetry and she had to write it.
When I had finished this book, our son and I started readed her poems in his American literature book. There were a few in the biography, but I got to read many more because of my sons literature book. Her poems will touch your heart.
I totally recommend this book to others to read. It will make you appreciate our forefathers greatly. They sacrificed so much to get this country started.
I received this book free of charge from Thomas Nelson's Book Sneeze program.

The Boy Who Changed the World

2010-08-31T22:43:00.003-04:00

Everything we do really does matter. The book, The Boy Who changed the World, teaches a lesson that we all need to learn. What we do can change the world. This book tells the story of 4 boys and how the lives they lived had a chain effect and changed the world. Can you imaging a farm boy from the cornfields of Iowa saving two billion people? Well, it happened and not by chance. This chain of events all started back with Moses Carver, George Washington Carver's father. People today live as if nothing matters and they are teaching that very way of life to their children. This book will teach children a very important and needed lesson. They will learn that every thing that they do does matter and is important. Who would have thought that a little boy kidnapped by Quantrill's Raiders and saved by Moses Carver would lead to Norman Borlaug one day saving two billion people by developing special seeds that would grow into super plants to feed more hungry people. One person can change the world. We need to live as if every moment matters. I recieved this book from Thomas Nelson in exchange for reviewing the book.

TOTALLY REFRESHING VIEW ON BECOMING A MAN

2010-06-25T19:43:00.005-04:00

This is a book which was written for men, but I believe both men and women should read it. My husband and I read it together. John Eldridge does such a great job with this book. My husband says, "This guy knows what he is talking about!" The book is about the journey each man needs to take to find his heart ( becoming the man God meant him to be). I read the first half of the book to my husband as we drove to southern Missouri and then I read the second half on the return trip home. When we headed home our 14 year old son asked, "Mom aren't you going to read the rest of that book?" He wanted to hear the rest of the story. My husband and I have always said that mainstream Christianity is missing something. Wild At Heart gives the answer to what is missing. Our men and women need to find their way back to the way God created them to be. We have been messed up every since the fall of Adam and Eve. We need to take that soul searching journey to our true hearts. My husband has already passed the book on to our daughter and son-n-law. He demanded that they read it together. Look around you, Christian men in general are bored, just as John Eldridge points out in the book. This is a book that will stick with you. You cannot just read it and put it on a shelf and go on unchanged. Reading this book will be a life changing experience for those that are willing to face the truth and take the journey.

TEARS FROM A MOTHER'S HEART

2010-05-05T09:52:00.013-04:00

We as mothers go through many trials with out children. Our hearts are tender and easy to break when it comes to our children. Our children are precious and dear to our hearts. When something terrible happens to our children we are crushed. I gave this the title "Tears From a Mother's Heart" because I believe as mothers our tears do come from our hearts. There are many precious tears shed over our children; tears of joy, tears of pride, tears of shame, tears of sadness, and tears of pain. I know I have shed my fair share of tears over my children. I have even had the gall to argue with God and to yell at him over my children.
One of the worst times I have ever been through as a mother was in the year 2003. Our beautiful 14 year old daughter Emily fell from a tree and shattered her T12 vertebrae. She has not walked since. She spent two weeks at the hospital in Bloomington, IN, before being transferred to Methodist hospital in Indianapolis. While she was at the hospital in Bloomington I would drive home each day for a shower and change of clothes. I was just devastated. I refused to cry in front of her. I did not want her to see me break down. I saved that for my trips home. I could not stand the fact that my daughter who loved to run barefoot through the grass would never again feel the grass beneath her feet. While on the road I would yell at God and accuse Him of allowing this to happen to my daughter. One day while in the middle of my tirade I heard that still small voice. That voice though not spoken vocally was very clear to me. God let me know that he did not allow this to happen to her, but for her. I asked God how this could be for her. I did not find out the answer to my question until much later.
Someone had given me a copy of one of Elizabeth George's books. I read about how we need to praise God even when terrible things are happening to us and our loved ones. I decide for each day I spent with my daughter in the hospital I would find something to praise God for. Don't think that things got easy just because I was praising God. Some days it was the hardest thing I did. My biggest praise was that I still had Emily. We could have lost her when she fell or when she had pneumonia after her surgery. After her surgery the doctor told us that Emily could not get pneumonia. If she did get pneumonia we would probably lose her. Well guess what, Emily got pneumonia. Troy and I would take turns at her side waking her up to make her breathe. Her breathing would get very shallow and she was not getting enough oxygen. If we fell asleep we would wake up to the alarms going off and the nurses working over her. I do believe it was the scariest moments of my life. When she came through I decided then and there I was going to thank God for every moment I had with her. When I turned that corner in my life I could feel the comfort that God had been sending my way all along.
By this time Emily's name had been put on a prayer chain online. Well, that prayer chain exploded into something greater than I could ever imagine. We started receiving letters of encouragement from people all over the United States. We knew hardly any of these people. They were complete strangers to us. I remember one letter from a lady in Alaska. This lady just wanted to let us know that she was praying for Emily and the rest of our family. The doctors would walk into Emily's room and just shake their heads in bewilderment at the number of cards that were on her wall. They did not understand how something like this could be, but I did. I knew it was God. He is the only one that could have made it possible.
The first day of therapy at Methodist Hospital was so hard for me. I don't think I ever felt so alone as when I stood there watching my daughter struggle to just stay sitting up. It was so very hard to keep my composure. I had to stand behind her so that she would not see my face. I remember standing there feeling so helpless. I just wanted someone to hold me and tell me it was going to be allright and that we would make it through this. That same evening we received a shoe box full of emails, cards and letters letting us know that people cared and were praying for us.
I know that what I went through as the mother of Emily is nothing compared to some mothers. A lot of mothers out there face death and disease in their children every day. I believe the tears we shed are precious to God. David tells us in Psalm 56:8 "You tell my wanderings: put You my tears into Your bottle: are they not in your book?" One day God will wipe away all our tears.
Amy Grant has a new song out which I love. The song is "Better Than a Hallelujah". Here are just a few of the words to this song.

God loves a lullaby in a mother's

tears in the dead of night better

than a hallelujah sometimes.

We pour out our miseries,

God just hears a melody,

beautiful the mess we are,

the honest cries , the breaking heart

are better than a hallelujah.

If he numbers the hairs of our heads, then don't you think our tears are just as precious to him. When we are going through trying times one of the hardest things to do is to let go and let God have control. We may not understand why bad things happen to our families, but we do have a God who can give us comfort if we will let Him.

Letting go of Emily and handing her over to God was one of the hardest things I ever did. Once I did though, I started to feel the comfort and encouragement God had for me.

I want to go back to something I mentioned earlier. I mentioned my conversatin with God about allowing this to happen to her an He let me know it was not done to her, but allowed for her own sake. About 3 years after her terrible accident Emily informed me that she did not know where she would be if the accident had not happened. She told me she had been headed the wrong way in her life at a very fast pace and if not for the accident she would not be the Christian she is today. I praise God for bringing Emily back to the way she needed to go. Today Emily is the mother of our first grandson,Daniel and she is carrying her second child, due July 20th. I know that one day she will walk again. She will be made perfect and whole in the resurrection. I know my redeemer lives! I praise God for I have 4 beautiful children whom I love dearly. I feel blessed to be called their mother.

Fresh Baked Bread

2010-04-15T11:40:00.004-04:00

I baked my favorite bread this morning and so I thought I would share my recipe. It is a sourdough bread, but not the traditional sourdough bread. It is a favorite with my family. I always add whole grain flour to the recipe. I usually grind some winter white wheat for the bread. Sometime I use oat floar. Oat groats make the best oat flour.

Sourdough Starter

1 pkg. of yeast

1 cup of warm water

3/4 cup of sugar

3 Tbsp. Instant potato flakes

Dissolve yeast in water, add sugar and potatoes. Stir until dissolved. Let the mixture stand at room temperature all day or overnight before refrigerating. Starter should be made 3-5 days before beginning bread. The starter must be fed every 3-5 days. Keep the starter in the refrigerater except when feeding.

Feed for Starter

3/4 cup sugar

1 cup warm water

3 Tbsp. Instant potatoes

Stir the above items into the starter and let set at room temperature for at least 8 hours before refrigeration.

Sourdough Bread

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup oil

1 1/2 cup warm water

1 Tbsp. salt

1 cup starter

6 cups of flour

Mix the above ingredients in the order they are listed. Let dough rise in greased bowl or pan for 8 hours. Turn dough out on to floured surface and divide in half. Knead the dough just a bit. It does not take much kneading. Put dough into two loaf pans and let rise for 8 hours. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 20 minutes. Butter the top of bread when it comes out of the oven. Enjoy!

If I am using whole wheat or oat flour I will use 1 1/2 cup of starter instead of 1 cup. It will rise better. I am going to go slice a loaf of mine and fix my lunch. I hope everyone who tries this recipe enjoys it as much as my family does.

It Has Been A While

2010-04-13T12:13:00.003-04:00

Hello fello bloggers, it has been a while since my last blog. Since I last checked in Greg made one of the district quiz teams and will now go on to regionals and then to the national quiz in June at Mount Vernon Nazarene University in Ohio.

Greg now has his first job. He is working at an apple orchard not far from us. My days consist of running him to work in the morning and then back home to get my housework complete. I pick Greg up in the afternoon and head home to get his schoolwork completed.

I have part of my garden planted. Troy and my brother built me two raised beds in which I planted strawberry plants, potatoes, carrots, onions and garlic. I have lettuce planted in a bed beside our house and chives in a half-barrel planter in the yard. I am looking forward to a summer of garden fresh vegies. I love to work outside in my gardens.

Greg decided he wanted to get chickens again and ordered 25 chicks. They arrived yesterday and are safely adjusting to life in our chicken house. I will be butchering any roosters that we have later this summer.

I am going to start my mushroom hunting this week. I really don't care if I eat them or not, but I love to hunt them.

I will try to check in more often and until next time, God Bless!

Love Your Heart

2010-04-13T11:05:00.006-04:00

Do you have young daughters or granddaughters? If so then this book is for you. Tim McGraw and Tom Douglas have written an awesome book for little girls. Love Your Heart tells the story of a little girl trying to find her talent and in doing so wants to make her daddy proud. Katie is a picture of all little girls trying to find their way in this world. Katie tries several different talents out to see if she has one that is good enough for the talent show. She has a lot of trouble finding a talent and finally settles on one to use for the show. Katie's father just keeps encouraging her through the whole story. On the night of the talent show Katie and her dog Palio were ready for their act when Katie saw her friend Sophie crying. Katie ends up giving up her act in order to help Sophie. Katie thinks that her dad might be disappointed with her for giving up her talent act, but is surprised by what he has to say. Her dad is so proud of her and tells her that she has a beautiful heart. He loves her heart. This book is what our little girls need in todays world. They need to love their hearts and not try to be what the rest of the world dictates. Little girl's have such beautiful hearts and they need to hang on to that.
Faith Hill and daughters wrote the forward. I totally recomment this book to anyone who has young daughters or granddaughters. I am saving mine for any future granddaughters that I may be blessed with.

Quizzing weekend

2010-02-23T09:54:00.003-05:00

Well we had a fun quizzing weekend. Deanna and I took our teen quizzers to Sterling, IL for an invitational quiz. There were quiz teams from at least 7 different states. Our team ended up in 15th place out of 25 teams. Our team captain ended up in 6th place in individual stats. All in all it was a great weekend.
There was a lot of pranking going on amongst our quiz team. They were harmless pranks and I think the girls came out ahead of the boys in the pranking.
I really enjoy working with our teen quizzers. I reap so many blessings just watching God work in their lives. They are just ordinary teenagers, yet in so many ways they are extraordinary because of their walk with God.
I am trying to get caught up on my rest before another busy weekend. I am taking 6 teens to Indy this weekend who have volunteered to work with the children's program at the Indiana homeschool convention. We will be up there from Thursday through Saturday.
Then I will be back home gearing our quiz team up for the next invitational quiz and also our top 16 quizoff. We could end up with 2 of our quizzers on the district teams. The district teams will go to Celebrate Life in May and on to the nationwide quiz in June.

Alfred The Great

2010-02-11T09:33:00.004-05:00

I recently completed the book THE WHITE HORSE KING:THE LIFE OF ALFRED THE GREAT by Benjamin Merkle. I had a hard time getting into the book at first, but then I couldn't get enough of it. I love history and love to learn new things about people in history. I had never realized what a great king Alfred the Great was. He was a very wise king. He was the only king in the history of England to have the title The Great. I believe after reading this book that he was great because he put God first. He loved God above all. King Alfred started looking at the history of Enland and the Saxon people. He learned that at one time they were a Christian God fearing people who lived according to God's word. Then the Saxon people fell away from God and turned to a pagan way of life. That is when things started going downhill for England. God send a scourge upon the Saxon people in the form of Vikings. The Vikings were a cruel and vicious people. They believed their gods delighted in their cruelties.
Alfred The Great started to turn the tide for England. His desire was to bring back the Christian moral and beliefs to his people. He wanted see their hearts turn back to God. After years of turmoil, prayer and persistance Alfred rallied the worn down bedraggled people in resisting the Vikings. They found victory through God's grace.
King Alfred wanted to educate people. He wanted them to be able to read the writings of Solomon for themselves. With God's help he returned England to her glory days. England once again became a great Christian nation because of one man that took a stand for God.
If you enjoy history you will find this a great read. I was given an advance copy of THE WHITE HORSE KING: THE LIFE OF ALFRED THE GREAT by Thomas Nelson publishers Book Sneeze program for posting this review.

MY BUSY TIME

2010-01-29T00:10:00.009-05:00

This time of year is my absolute busiest. I am busy preparing all of our tax records. We also have an employee so that includes his tax records as well. Most of my annual and quarterly reports are all due in January. I am blessed with a very patient family during this time.

My son Greg and daughter Amy have been helping me out around the house. I spend my mornings in the school room with Greg. He is in 8th grade. Amy has graduated and is busy building up her own business. She is starting a cake decorating business.

Since my mornings are taken that just leaves my afternoons to get my housework and our business's tax work in order. I am eagerly waiting for my tax work to be completed and all records for the past year filed away. When that is accomplished I can take a breather from it for a little while.

I managed to make a batch of sourdough bread yesterday and I baked it this morning. I love the smell of fresh bread baking. I made my favorite oatmeal sourdough bread. My grilled cheese at lunch never tasted better.

It has been a while since I last posted. I praise God to still have a business when so many have had to shut down. The past year has been a rough one, but it seems like God had his hand on our lives. Just when I would begin to think I would not be able to pay the bills for our business a check would be in the mailbox. That is the way it has been all year.

The timber industry has went way down. Russia is flooding the world markets with their timber and pricing it way cheaper than we are able to here in America. In December our trucks hardly moved. This month we have been able to put our driver to work a little more than in December. We keep hoping for a hard freeze. When the ground freezes hard the equipment moves a lot easier through the woods and our trucks can get off the road to load.

Now back to my daughter Amy for a few lines. She made the most awsome cake last week for the Wild Game Dinner at our church. I am including a picture of it below. The hats are the actual cake. She covered the cake board with camo fondant which she created. She has a wedding cake coming up for Valentine's weekend. I cannot wait to see it. It will be a winter wonderland cake and the groom's cake will be a Nintendo game cube.

Well, I just heard the dryer beep and I need to get to bed.

I Love This Time of Year!

2009-12-17T07:25:00.005-05:00

I love this time of year! No matter how hectic it gets I still love it. My savior is proclaimed throughout the world. They may try to take Christ out of Christmas but the whole world knows why we celebrate Christmas.
I always enjoyed Christmas with our children, but now that I have grandchildren it is more fun than I could ever have imagined. Our grandson Daniel is at such a fun age right now. I am more excited over Christmas with him than I am with everyone else. Don't get me wrong I will be enjoying the time with the rest of my family as well. Daniel just makes things more exciting for everyone.
I am taking Daniel to help me at our church food pantry today. We are filling boxes for families that need help with food through the Christmas season. I want him to learn to appreciate all the blessings that God bestows on him. Our family may not be wealthy by the world's standards, but we are rich in God's blessings.
I hope everyone has a very blessed Christmas!

Unsung Heroes

2009-11-28T23:01:00.004-05:00

We all have our heroes. I want to blog for a few minutes about our unsung heroes. Those people that were maybe always in the background but were there for the ones who needed them.
Almost everyday we hear something about supporting our troops. Our troops are heroes and they deserve to know that we are behind them but what about the ones they leave behind. They are unsung heroes. You don't hear much about them. They send their loved ones off to war and pray that they come back to them.
My great grandmother was ones of these unsung heroes. She had two sons who were both drafted and sent off to fight the Germans in World War II. She and her daughter were left behind. My grandmother used to tell me how hard it was while they were gone. They prayed and hoped that the war would end quickly. Great grandmother saved every news article she could about he war. The letters from Uncle Ben and Uncle Quinon were so precious. I have had the priveledge of reading a few of those letters. They never wanted to talk about the war, it was too terrible they said. I came across a letter that my Great Uncle Quinon's commanding officers sent my great grandmother. They were praising his heroic efforts. He risked his life carrying wounded soldiers across a river while under fire from mortar and guns. He was awarded the bronze star for his actions. Maybe her prayers were what kept him safe from harm.

In with some of the letters was found a story that I believe was precious to her. I believe she claimed the promise in this story for herself and her sons.

______________________________________

A Mother's Promise

by Ralph A. Herring

My mother was a missionary for nearly forty years in interior China. The time had come when the children must be left in this country for their education while the parents returned to their tasks. I had just turned fourteen. I was not to see Mother any more for seven years and I knew it.

I opened the trunk my mother had packed and saw the clothes as she had packed them in their places and the Bible she had given me. I picked it up and looked in it. In the Bible was and envelope with my name and the date on it. I sat down to read what Mother had written.

"Son," she said, "my darling son, I cannot sleep tonight. I am writing these words by moonlight. I have just come from the room where you and Gordon are sleeping. I stood for a long time by your bedside and I prayed to God for you and there God gave me a promise from Isaiah: 'I the Lord do keep it; I will water it every moment; lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day.' That's God's promise to me for you, Son, and I know he'll keep it."

I want to say in the memory of a Christian mother that that promise has come again and again to keep me in the way that Christ would lead. The reason I share that sacred experience with you is to bear testimony that there is a tie of nature that God has put about our hearts. He gave those blood ties to us, and if we will give them back to him to be cleansed by the blood of his redemption, prayers that are made will be herd as long as the journey of life lies before us.

___________________________________

As you enjoy the Christmas season with your family, remember those who are separated from their loved ones. The families of our soldiers and yes, our missionaries, are unsung heroes. They have sacrificed much for the cause of freedom and so that others can be won for Christ.

Thanksgiving

2009-11-12T09:08:00.004-05:00

I am so thankful for the God who's mercy endures forever. We as Americans have much to be thankful for. Can you imagine the first thanksgiving. Those people, our forefathers, had left everything behind in search of freedom to worship the Lord God. There are those today that are trying to destroy that freedom and the very foundations that created this freedom for us. If you study our country's true history ( not the watered down version that our government wants you to think is true) you will discover that God's hand was at work in the lives of our founding fathers. He was with the pilgrims when they landed in this country. We need to remember how and why this country was founded. Our nation needs to return to God. 2Chronicles 7:14 says "If my people , which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." We as Christians need to do our part by humbling ourselves and falling on our knees. In order for our nation to return to God there needs to be a great revival among the children of God.

Our Busy Days of Fall

2009-10-13T07:28:00.008-04:00

I know it has been a while since I posted anything about us. We have been extremely busy. I am blessed to be helping with Greg's quiz team. I am learning so much from ICorinthians. We are headed up to Olivet Nazarene University this weekend for Quizfest. There will be quizzers from at least 4 states competing. Greg is in the top 15 quizzers from our district.
Amy entered a cake in the Fall Foliage Festival cake decorating contest. We both worked on the cake and it ended up being the only entry. The assistant manager at Kroger offered her a job on the spot when he seen the cake. They liked it so much that they took it to the Mayor's breakfast Sunday morning. I am excited for her. I was told that everyone on the Fall Foliage board took one of Amy's business cards. This may be the kickstart her business needed. She has named her business Amy's Sweet Designs. We head back to Chicago the 25th for one more cake class. We are taking the topsy turvy cake class this time.
On top of everything else going on in our lives I have been battling asthma and walking pneumonia. I am starting to feel a lot better. Praise God!!

Fast & Frugal Cookbook

2009-10-13T06:59:00.003-04:00

I have been trying out a new cookbook. It is called Busy People's fast & frugal cookbook. I love this cookbook. Every recipe takes 30 minutes or less. I am a very busy person and I don't like to spend a lot of time in my kitchen. This was the perfect cookbook for me. There is a supply list off to the side of each recipe. The recipes are divided up by the time it takes to fix them. The book starts with the 10 minute recipe, 15 minute recipes, 20 minute recipes and then 30 minute recipes with the beverage recipes last. When I opened this cookbook I knew that it was my kind of cookbook. The recipes in this book also call for healthier ingredients. It does call for Splenda blends and I am not a fan of that type of sweetner. I just use my natural unbleached sugar when it calls for the sweetner. The recipes I have tried so far are delicious. If you are a busy person like me you will probably appreciate a cookbook that cuts down the time you have to spend preparing meals. Dawn Hall seen a need for just such a cookbook and has fulfilled that need. I see this cookbook becoming one of my most used cookbooks.

Live a Life Without Fear

2009-09-08T09:22:00.003-04:00

Fear, we all have our own personal fears. It is how we manage our fear that matters. We can cower down and hide from life because of our fear or we can hand it over to God and live life with gusto. I have been reading a book written by Max Lucado . The title of the book is Fearless. This book is a book we all need to read. While the economy is crumbling down around us we can still live fearlessly if we will let God have control. God tells us that over and over in His word. He knew we would go through troubling times and reassures us in his word that he is still on the throne and in control.
Max Lucado started writing this book two years ago. He had no idea our economy was going to take the turn that it did. God knew. This book is finished and ready to be read at just the right time. Are you ready to live fearlessly? Are you ready to let God have control? The relief that you experience once you hand it all to God is just awesome. This book is available now. Pick up a copy and change your life today.

Summer's End

2009-09-07T15:58:00.002-04:00

As our summer comes to and end I always start to think about the winter that is coming. I always look forward to winter. When the snow starts to fly I get to slow down my life and it gives me time to reflect on other things.
We are still busy now with the end of our garden and getting every thing ready for winter. We closed our pool yesterday. We have not been able to use it much this summer. Our summer here has been on the cool side.
Troy and Greg have our winter's supply of wood cut and stacked. They are now working on Troy's parents' winter wood supply.
This last week we lost the best dog we ever had. Daisy was quite a dog. When the kids were little she would follow them everywhere. Greg was only a year old when we got Daisy. By the time he was two she was his constant companion and protector. If he was playing in the branch behind our house she would grab onto his clothes and not let go until he moved away fromt he water. One day I was walking back to the house and she started barking at me and running in circles around me. I knew something was up because she did not act like that. I started searching the grass around me and spied a snake to the left of me. She did not let me move until the snake had moved on. Every morning when Troy would leave for work she would come and lay down in front of the front door. She was half Corgie and half Bassett hound. The last few days before she died she was acting like a puppy again. She would follow me around outside just bouncing beside me like she did as a puppy. We will miss her.
Greg's schoolwork is progressing very well. He is taking pre-algebra and pre-geometry this year. He is doing well with all his schoolwork, even the subjects he finds most boring.
As summer ends and we move into autumn our lives are very busy, but we are accomplishing much. We will be ready for winter and I will be able to slow down and enjoy what God has created for us.

Quiz Season

2009-08-30T19:49:00.003-04:00

Yesterday was the big kickoff for Bible Quizzing. Friday night I could tell Greg was getting on that quizzing high. He did an awsome job as did all the teens. If you have never had the privilege of watching teen Bible quizzers, you have missed out. It is awsome the way they are putting so much scripture in their minds. They are studying I and II Corinthians this year. Several of them are very good at pre-jumping. They will jump before the question is complete and finish the question, then answer it. The questions come straight from scripture.
The quizzers did not get to quiz with their own teams yesterday. They were split up to quiz with teens from other churches. This was great. They met new teens and made new friends. Yesterday was more for the first timers so that they could see how the quizes will be. We had a first time quizzer who had never quizzed before end up tied for first by the end of the day. The first official quiz will be September 19th. Greg is working really hard. He wants to make the teams that will get to go to St. Louis in Dec. He is off to a great start.

Birthdays

2009-08-18T09:08:00.003-04:00

Today is my birthday. I am celebrating the years God has given me to live. I am 44 today. Birthdays bother a lot of people, but they have never bothered me. Birthdays are for celebrating the life you have lived up to that day. I feel blessed to be able to say that I have lived another year with my wonderful husband and children. Our days are numbered and we need to make the most of them. I like the saying, " Dance like no one is watching, love like you'll never get hurt, sing like there's no one listening, and live like it's heaven on earth." I absolutely love that saying. I have a sign that has that saying hanging in our living room. If you have ever seen the inside of our house, you will notice that I have signs like that everwhere. I love my life. I intend to live life to the fullest. Life may be stormy at times, but we can learn to dance in the rain. I have had my share of storms, but I know who holds tomorrow and the Son will shine.

Today I celebrate 44 years of life. I celebrate each and every day that God has blessed me with. I thank God for the privilege of living this long. He is the giver of life and without him I am nothing. I have a sign on my front door that says, " Just another day in paradise". I believe when we let God have control, we get just a taste of paradise. He has given me life and I intend to enjoy and celebrate the days that he has given me.

Back to School

2009-08-10T13:40:00.007-04:00

I know have have not posted very often this summer. It has been a very busy summer. Amy and I were in Chicago for 3 weeks of our summer taking classes at the Wilton cake school. We had a blast and are now officially in the business of cake decorating. We have one more week of class in October that covers cake sculpting.
Greg and I will begin our school year next week. I have our calender planned and his assignments are also planned out. He is in 8th grade this year and getting taller everyday.
I am excited about this school year. It will be just Greg and I now, which will be different. The girls have all graduated. I am not sure if I will know how to act with just one in the schoolroom.
We are still cleaning up from the storm last week. I missed it all. I was in Chicago when it hit. Troy and Greg were without electricity from Tues. to Friday of last week. The storm took out the dog kennels and our back field has treetops laying everywhere. I am very thankful that our house was spared.

Book Review Time

2009-07-01T19:45:00.001-04:00

Tasmanian Devil
Originally uploaded by Dave Walsh Photography

The Wackiest Wildest Weirdest Animals in the World is a must have book for young children. I picked it to review because of my grandson. I thought he would like it. He loves it. He will sit on the floor and turn the pages over and over. He loved looking at the animals.
I even found my 13 and 18 year old children reading the book. Later they were telling their dad about some of the crazy facts they had read in the book. For instance, did you know that a binturong smells like popcorn and it is the only animal known to digest the strangler fig tree seed. That animal is very important in the replanting of the rain forest. The flamingo will sometimes eat mud to aid its digestion.
The book comes with a DVD of bloopers from the show Jack Hanna's Into the Wild. The DVD is alright, but the book is much better. I thought the DVD was kind of generic and not all that funny. There were a few funny episodes on it.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone with children. It is an interesting, fun and educational book. The book tells about a wide variety of animals. You will learn not only the wild and wacky traits of these animals, but you will learn what they eat, where they live and how big they get. You will not regret the choice to purchase this book.

Fun Summer Days

2009-06-19T20:52:00.009-04:00

Well today was our first really hot day. If you were doing anything outside today, you were hot. I had a fun day of watching the kids in our pool. Our grandson was here today and I have a small pool just for him. He had an absolute blast in the water today. I put his lifejacket on a couple of times and took him out in the pool. Last year the minute his legs hit the water they were kicking. He had no fear of the water last year. Well this year was different. He is a little older and he decided he did not like the big pool. He clung to me like a vine clings to a tree. He had no fear in his little pool.

His fear made me think about Christians. When we are newborne babes we have no fear and we are gungho. We are full of excitement and want to share it with everyone around us. When we start to experiment fear, criticism, and persecution we start looking for a way out. We start backing up. We have to work out way out of our comfort zone slow and steady. Just as Daniel will have to be coaxed and put in the water a little at a time. As we grow we get stronger and learn to sometimes even love the very thing we feared. That is why it is important to have older Christians around us to encourage us to tred the waters. One day we will become the one that is coaxing and encouraging younger Christians.
I will get back to the fun we had today. My niece and nephew are staying with us and we have been having a lot of fun. We had some friends over today and the kids were having a blast in the water. I love days like today.

For some reason the sound did not upload.

My daughter is a blackbelt.

2009-05-29T23:54:00.009-04:00

She did it! This was an exciting evening. Amy has worked hard for 4 years and earned her black belt in Hapkido. She tested almost a month ago and passed everything except her breaks. She had to break 6 boards in two breaks. She broke two with her elbow and tried to break 4 with a kick. She rebroke tonight and broke the 4 boards with a kick. It was awsome. Then I got to experience a black belt ceremony. They lit candles and turned out the lights for the ceremony. The students then took the black belt oath and signed their names in the book of all students who have reached blackbelt level. She then had to drink green tea with the masters. They handed her her belt and then she backed out of the candle area and waited for her instructor to come and put her belt on her. Amy has came a long way since she first put on the hapkido uniform. She is planning to continue and work her way up through the blackbelt levels. There are nine levels of black belt in hapkido. I am very proud of her. She did not give up, but kept at it and attained her goal.

Strawberry Time

2009-05-28T09:03:00.000-04:00

It's strawberry time again. I don't know about your family, but ours loves fresh strawberries. I always put up a lot of strawberries. Strawberry freezer jam is my husband's favorite and the kids love to be able to eat strawberries in the winter because we have frozen them. Here is a recipe for one of our favorite strawberry desserts.

Strawberry Delight

Crust

2 cups flour

1/3 cup sugar

2 sticks butter

1 cup nuts (optional)

Heat oven to 375. Melt butter in a 9 x 13 pan and then mix the dry ingredients into the melted butter. Press the crust down ont he bottom of the pan and bake until it begins to turn a golden brown. Don't let it get to brown though. When crust is cool take a fork to it and break it into small pieces and press them back down on the bottom of pan.

Filling

2 80z. packages of cream cheese

1 box of powdered sugar

1 12oz. container of Cool Whip

Mix the above ingredients thoroughly and then spread over the crust.

Topping

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

2 1/2 to 3 tbsp cornstarch

4 tbsp strawber gelatin

1 pt. strawberries sliced

Mix sugar and cornstarch; add water and cook until clear. Add gelatin. Cool until warm; stir in berries. Pour over filling. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Strawberries are the first harvest we get to enjoy in the spring. We are planning to build raised beds this fall so that we can plant our own strawberries next spring. God blessed us with seasons. Spring and Summer are a time of planting, watering, cultivating and harvesting. Just as we do all this for our gardens, we need to be planting, watering, and cultivating our souls so that we can reap the bountiful harvests that God has in store for us.