Letters from mom...

Giving....

2012-01-15T22:04:00.000-08:00

   I'm reading Andrew Murray's book "Abide in Christ". It's not the first time I've read it but it feels like it. Why? Perhaps because I'm in a season of seeking to draw very close to the Lord. Perhaps because it is just what I need in my spiritual life right now. Perhaps because each January I struggle with my "dark visitor" coming in on me and Andrew Murray's writings feed the childlike side of my faith in Christ. Whatever the reason, this is the season when I need it; my response to it is showing how much I need the subject of that book.
   Years ago when the four older children were all five and under I read the book "Through Gates of Splendor" by Elizabeth Elliot. I had yielded many, many things in my life when I read that book. I had yielded my will in the area of my biblical womanhood, I had yielded what I did as recreation to the Lord, I had yielded my possessions, I had yielded my clothing, I had yielded my priorities and how I used my time--but I had not given the Lord my children.
   I had a deep fear of one of my children dying and for some reason I believed that if I gave my children to the Lord, He would take one to test my yieldedness. When I read the book "Through Gates of Splendor" God brought me under deep conviction that I needed to give Him my children. I was bothered by the mothers in that book that loved their children as much as me but were willing to go where the Lord wanted them to even when it was very dangerous. For several nights I was troubled to the point of not sleeping.
   Finally, late one night I went in to Nathan's bed. I laid my hands on him and gave him to the Lord first and then one by one the rest of my children. I cannot describe the joy and peace the Lord gave me. I felt so foolish that I could ever think that I had more wisdom than the Lord in keeping our children safe or that I was better equipped to do the job. I saw it from His viewpoint for the first time, and knew they were only safe when in His keeping
I went through my house for days looking at things and saying, "Lord, you can have that, and that, and that!" (naming them as I went) I gave him my Christian music, my beloved sewing machine, my furniture and my food.
This week the Lord has taken me through another new season of giving things to Him. Although I had a point in my life when I withheld nothing from Him he has shown me that it lies deeper than that.
I must give Him each thing and let Him have it. If He chooses to give it back then I must only use it as He tells me to, the way He tells me to and by His power--not mine.
I have several areas I must give Him:
1) My sin. Frances Ridley Havergal first mentioned this and it has changed my life. Jesus is my Saviour and that means right now--this moment. He is not just my Savior for eternity past and eternity future, He is my Savior right now--but I must give Him that sin and let Him at the very moment it tries to take possession of me give it to Him and let Him be my living, indwelling Saviour at that very moment. What a joy to not have to fight sin or try to quit it. It's dealt with--I just have to quit fighting and rest in Him, His blood and His power.

2) My self-righteousness. Not only do I have a very natural part of me that is very bad, I have areas where I am naturally a good person. But all my goodness is as filthy rags and I must give Him my good and confess that I need Him here too. My good doesn't please Him and so I must give it to Him to be healed of it and given back to me as His righteousness-not mine.

3) My natural abilities and talents. Each of us were born with gifts. Maybe the gift of music, or the gift of writing, maybe the gift of loving to cook, or being a natural speaker. Perhaps the gift of mercy, or love, or giving. Perhaps you are gifted with children, you're a gifted teacher, or you are gifted as an idea person. Perhaps the gift of leadership. The list could go on and on--but we each have them. These too, are only a frustration to the grace of God even if we offer them to serve Him.
He cannot use a work that is not His, and so we have to take each one of them and completely and totally give them to Him, trusting Him with them.  After giving them to Him I must wait on Him to give me the grace to use them at His bidding and His timing always remembering that they are no longer mine, but simply something that belongs to Him that He is allowing me to use.

4) All my lawful occupations and possessions. Martha of Bethany loved opening her home to the Lord and his disciples, but she had to give that wonderful lawful occupation she had to the Lord. She lacked one thing. Rather it's our occupation or our possessions we must give it to Him and entrust Him to open our eyes on the why/how/when of it. I must give him my keeping at home, my wifely duties, my motherly duties, my cooking and cleaning, my shopping, my home, furniture, my clothing, my schedule.
What a complexity is involved in these areas--only he can manage them, but they must be His.

5) Our true spiritual gifts. After salvation we receive gifts that are spiritual gifts. We receive our measure of faith, our spiritual hearing and sight. Even these must be given to God. If we glory in our spiritual experiences then we will stagnate. We should always realize they are from Him and we must hand them back, so we don't become proud or satisfied and not need more from Him.

Frances Ridley Havergal said that there can be no consecration without separation. How true. Nehemiah talked about men, their wives, their sons, their daughters, and all those that had knowledge and understanding seperating themselves from the people of the lands (the world system or culture) unto the law of God. (Nehemiah 10:28)
When we are led by the Spirit of God to forsake all of our life and take up His, to abide in Him, to give up our life and embrace the yoke and the cross and learn of Him it can be a calling that our sinful flesh draws back from. But through time those who have done it will testify that it is so sweet that they wouldn't have it any other way.
The more helpless, needy and willing we are to give up ourselves and take all He offers us, the more we receive from His hand. We give to Him and we receive of Him! It's worth it!
So as we are barely in this new year I urge you to join me in making this a year where your single eye and focus is coming to know Him more by giving Him more.

Love,

Mom

Goal Setting...Moment by Moment

2012-01-09T22:37:00.000-08:00

2012

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. (John 15:4)

Dear Daughters,
It's the new year. I love the new year with its fresh face and fresh ideas. I always smile as I see the ads change from decadence to health, from luxury and one-more-thing to organization, exercise equipment and diet plans.
I love Lamentations 3: 22 and 23 where the Lord tells us His mercies are new every morning. A new year gives us a new start, a new opportunity to begin again on our desires and goals.
When I stop and think about it seriously though, a year ahead of me is a big stretch. To think of keeping all those new goals for an entire year?--whew, that's a big chunk to think on! So maybe how about a month? That's a little easier to think about, but still a large goal. So I can pare it down to a week or a day? Still, some things, like not eating that piece of candy or speaking harshly when I'm under stress, those are deeds of a moment.
I have been reading Frances Ridley Havergal's "Kept for the Master" and she addresses this very issue. How refreshing to realize that I can give the Lord the moment that I am tempted and trust Him to keep my resolution for me. To just confess to Him that I cannot keep my goals and resolutions, but I'll put it into His care and surrender to His life, His power, His will for the moment and let Him keep my heart's desires that are right in safekeeping.
My theme for this year is "Abide in Christ". He already has confirmed this again and again in just the few days that I've had in 2012.
Moment by moment I desire to live His life--setting aside the one that I want and living that wonderful life that He has planned for me. I yearn to receive the faith He has for me, the wisdom He has for me, the redemption He has for me and the love He has for me. I yearn to be emptied of me and filled with Him.
Someone asked in a book I read today--"What is it that you live for? What is it that you desire to see accomplished more than anything else?" As I read that I thought that above all else I yearn for the spiritual health and welfare of my children and grandchildren and that more than anything else I desire to accomplish, it's that God would use me in some way to be a part of His carrying out a great work through them.
I have that same desire for my spiritual children. All the children I've had the privilege to teach, to spend time with, to be a part somehow of their lives. All the spiritual daughters He's placed in my life.
So, as I stand at the threshhold of this new year, dear daughters, I pray that God would have you for Himself this year. Consecrated. Dedicated. Set apart for Him.
As I pray for my physical children I pray for you that God would do a work in your hearts to be separated from this world and its culture and system unto the law of God and to Himself, (Neh. 10:28) and that you would yield your bodies that you might not serve any other god but God Himself. (Dan. 3:28, Rom. 12:1,2) And I pray that He would remind you to not look at the whole thing but simply yield yourself to Him and His word moment by moment.

Love,
Mom

2011-12-29T15:25:00.000-08:00

Christmas day is over...but the Christmas season is not over for me. I begin the days of Christmas as soon as Christmas is over. I think the technical term for it is ephiphany. Noah Webster's definition of ephiphany in 1829 was

EPIPH'ANY, n. [Gr. appearance; to appear.] A christian festival celebrated on the sixth day of January, the twelfth day after Christmas, in commemoration of the appearance of our Savior to the magians or philosophers of the East, who came to adore him with presents; or as others maintain, to commemorate the appearance of the star to the magians, or the manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles. Jerome and Chrysostom take the epiphany to be the day of our Savior's baptism, when a voice from heaven declared, "This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased." The Greek fathers use the word for the appearance of christ in the world, the sense in which Paul used the word. 2 Tim. 1.10.
The 1913 edition defined ephiphany as this:

[F. épiphanie, L. epiphania, Gr. 'epifa`nia (sc. (?)

An appearance, or a becoming manifest.

Whom but just before they beheld transfigured and in a glorious epiphany upon the mount. Jer. Taylor.
An epic poet, if ever such a difficult birth should make its epiphany in Paris. De Quincey.

A church festival celebrated on the 6th of January, the twelfth day after Christmas, in commemoration of the visit of the Magi of the East to Bethlehem, to see and worship the child Jesus; or, as others maintain, to commemorate the appearance of the star to the Magi, symbolizing the manifestation of Christ to the Gentles; Twelfthtide.

I like the mention of it symbolizing the manifestion of Christ to the Gentiles--that's me!
The celebration of ephiphany where the The 12 days of Christmas was taken from--a gift given on each day. At one time I celebrated the twelfth day of Christmas (January 6th) with a winter tea at my house. I still love the idea of having a winter tea in celebration of the culmination of the celebration of Jesus' birth.
I would make the tea Victorian and add a snow theme to it. I love stringing white Christmas lights on white fleece, hanging crystal snowflakes, serving white chocolate cocoa along with the tea, making beautiful white snowflake cookies with crystal sugar on them and having snowmen everywhere...oh, I'm getting in the mood just thinking about it!
There are some wonderful ideas out there that can get you enthused~ here's one I found:
http://www.tea-party-circle.com/snow-tea-party.html

You can even spin off of other party themes (this one is a wedding) and make it work for you.

We do make the wise men move across the living room to show up on January 6th. It's important they get to be a part of the living nativity.
This year I have a desire to give something to someone each day between now and the 6th of January. The last few days I wanted to give myself to my family that got together after Christmas to celebrate. I had a wonderful time making bread bowls with my grandchildren and decorating sugar cookies with them.
Today's gift was to give myself extra time with the Lord--a very refreshing gift to myself. Although I wanted it to be an act of worship toward Him, the gift ended up being for me--He always gives when we worship Him in spirit and in truth. I was in desperate need of a refill in my spiritual tank and I'm so thankful for today's gift.
I pray that each day between now and the end of ephiphany that I will listen very carefully to His voice and give to others exactly what He desires me to give. That each gift will be from Him to others using me as His instrument.
Winter is a wonderful time--let's use it to bring honor and glory to His wonderful name and keep on giving even though Christmas Day is now history!

2011-12-29T14:48:00.001-08:00

Christmas Day....It's here! The day we've all been working toward, waiting for and celebrating for 25 full days!
The Lord has SO blessed us this year and it's benefits were obvious with our table full of food, friends and family yesterday. This morning as my children and husband showered me with love and gifts.
We had two wonderful services at church and their was a special, special spirit t...here tonight as we gathered to honor the Lord on His day, the Lord's day with a bonus---it was Christmas day!
As I set in church listening to the message I thought of the difference between a Christian and a disciple. A Christian has received Christ as Saviour but many times has not made that full surrender of will to follow Him whatever He chooses. A disciple has laid his life at the Saviour's feet and said, "Not my will, but thine be done."
A Christian works Christ and His church into their schedule. A disciple has Christ as his life and all his life works around Christ and his life fits into Christ's plan and schedule for him.
I thought of the sweet, wonderful characters of the Christmas story and thanked the Lord that they were disciples.
Mary when she said, " Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word " and Joseph when he "being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife."
I thought of the young couple when they did as the government demanded and in doing so fulfilled prophecy!
I thought of the shepherds who huried to see the Saviour the angels told them had been born. I thought of the wise men who came to worship the Lord Jesus. I'm so thankful that each of them laid aside their own plans and desires to do what the Lord wanted them to do.
As I begin celebrating the 12 days of Christmas (through January 6th) I make plans on those things I desire to give to the Lord in the next year. I have already started my list and it involves being His disciple--more yielded I pray, Father!
On this day when we celebrate God's gift to us may each of us kneel before Him in worship and give Him the gift of ourselves and our lives.
MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

2011-12-29T14:47:00.002-08:00

Christmas Eve....Day # 24 of advent! Today was a wonderful day spent with family and friends. We decided to have our big Christmas dinner today so that we didn't try to squeeze too much into the Lord's Day tomorrow!
Such a wonderful time with a full table and all the blessings that the Lord has given us.
Today made me think of relationships. If our first and most important relationship ...is out or order than none of the rest of our relationships can be right.
Today, on the eve of the Lord Jesus Christ's (God in the flesh) birthday celebration I pray that each and every one of my friends and family have entered into a personal relationship with Him.
He will never leave, forsake or fail us--other relationships can and will, but even though we fail Him, He will never fail us.
If you don't know Him I pray that tonight on this very special night you will turn to Him, confess yourself a sinner and receive His forgiveness and healing of being a sinner and of all your sins. He can and will save you.
Once He has entered your life, nothing is the same--all things are new and it transforms every other relationship you have in your life to something new!
God bless each one of you! May your Christmas be blessed!See More

2011-12-29T14:47:00.000-08:00

Day # 23 of advent….
When my kids were little I’d be in the backyard hanging up diapers and clothes on the clothesline while one little one played in a wagon, another one was playing on the swingset, one of them might be hiding in the tall corn in the little garden we’d planted in the backyard and the baby was at my side in the stroller.
I don’t know how many times people would stop and commen...t on how sweet my life was, how well behaved my children were, how idyllic the scene was that they viewed each day as they walked by our house. I would think in my head when I thanked them, “Yes, it is, but let me tell you it takes a lot of work on my part!”
Today as I scrub bathrooms, make sure the tablecloth is pressed, have the kids get the luminaries ready, make up the gift boxes of goodies for my neighbors, make that last batch of cookies, pies, and mix together casseroles, I am having a wonderful, wonderful time! But tonight, when I collapse on the couch with my heat pad I’ll be reminding myself that this is a lot of work!
It’s worth every minute of it though to have someone pop in and say how good it smells, how pretty it looks, how lovely the candlelight and music is, how good the food is. In my heart I’ll be wishing that it puts a wonderful, wonderful memory of Christmas in their hearts. One they can’t forget it was so special. And that will make it worth all the work involved. If it makes my children’s future, my husband’s present, and draws our friends and family closer in our relationship--it is worth every minute of labor.
Someone has to be the dream-maker. Someone has to take it upon themselves to see to it that the children have stars in their eyes. Not from the abundance of gifts--from the abundance of love and time and heart poured into them. I pray that today you make someone’s dream of a perfect Christmas come true as a result of your labor. There is profit in all labor, you know! Merry two days before Christmas!

2011-12-29T14:46:00.001-08:00

Day # 22 of advent! It's getting closer and closer! Our Mary and Joseph are on the edge of Bethlehem...we went out and finished up our Christmas shopping tonight.
Today I'm thinking about people's kindness during this season. Because we only have one vehicle we shop as a family. I bought something for my husband in one store and then went into another store and asked them if I could have o...ne of their bags to cover his gift with. The girls said "Sure", and acted thrilled to help me.
Then I was at KMart and told the young man I'd like my gift double bagged so my husband couldn't see it. He said, "How about a black bag?"
I said, "Now, wouldn't that be great?"
"Yes, it would," he said, and started putting my items in a black bag! Wonderful!
Everyone I asked for a little help today was so kind. (I even spent about an hour on the phone with customer support and both young men deserve special praise for their kindness and helpfulness.)
I had fun running around the store with items hid under my coat, and just prowling through Big Lots, KMart, Cato's, Dollar Tree and Krogers. I walked through Krogers feeling a little sad that it would be my last trip through the grocery all decked out for Christmas!
So here I am--tomorrow I clean my house, make casseroles and pies and get ready for the holiday to begin! So thankful for Christmas...so excited about my kids presents and company and cooking and candles and tables loaded with food and....(the list goes on and on!)

2011-12-29T14:45:00.000-08:00

Day # 21 of advent....atmosphere! I love atmosphere and Christmas is full of it. This week I actually got out into some of the stores and it's as though they are dressed in their very best for Christmas.
When Gary worked in the Christian school at Bible Baptist Church in Parker City each year we would have a movie that we would watch together for the Christmas celebration. Gary and I got the ...wonderful job of going to Indianapolis and previewing it.
One year we got a babysitter so we could have a Christmas date. When we got to downtown Indianapolis where the office was for the Christian group that had the movies) it started snowing--huge snowflakes!
We were sitting in a little restaurant on the circle eating and looking out the window. There were white carriages pulled by horses taking people on rides in the snow. The windows decorated for Christmas had a special glow through the snow. It was like living a movie you had watched that made Christmas seem magical--but it was happening to me!
That's what I want to do for my family. Today I set up a special little scene for my husband when he came in from work. I'd been doing Christmas baking and set all my baked goods on the table, had John light the kerosene lamp, perked a fresh pot of coffee and had the good smells of supper cooking waiting for him.
His first remarks were about how nice it seemed in the house, how good it smelled and how wonderful the baked goods looked! Mission accomplished.
I'm thankful for all the people in my life, (and the places) that have set up a wonderful atmosphere for me to enjoy. I need to remember to pay that back as often as I can!See More

2011-12-20T22:21:00.000-08:00

Day #20 of advent... Today's thought...being a child. I love being with children--especially during the Christmas season. I love their honesty, their wonder in the smallest things, their laughter and joy, and their tender emotions. I love playing with children and talking to children. My husband says it's because I never have grown up myself, and who knows? If so, I'll keep that quality!
One of the things I've always enjoyed at Christmas is pretending with my children. They are so full of imagination and so fun to pretend with!
At our house this time of year any mouse that comes into our house is killed by the nutcrackers! We've found more than one dead mouse surrounded by the nutcrackers in front of the open cabinet doors!
If a mess is left in the kitchen with fresh cookies on the counter and it happened during the night we know that the dolls have once again been making cookies and since rag dolls don't like to get messy they've left me the dishes!
Why just the other night I could hear whispers coming out of a big bag in my bedroom. I crept out of bed as quiet as I could to listen....it was little squeaky voices coming out of the bag that holds the three rag dolls.
"How," said one little voice, "Did we get to be real?"
"I think," said another tiny voice, "it is because we have a heart! See? There's a heart right here on my front! And it has writing on it! Put your ear right here next to my chest and you can hear my heart thumping!"
"Do you think," said the third little voice, "we are going to live in this bag for the rest of our lives?"
"Oh, surely not," said the first squeaky voice. "Surely, because we have hearts and are real, there's a little girl somewhere that will want us and love us!"
But wait, what am I telling this story on here for? This is for the little girls that are getting the rag dolls!
Thanks for playing a little Christmas playtime with Grandma Tami!

2011-12-20T22:18:00.003-08:00

Day # 19 of the advent season....memories. What are the pleasant memories you have of Christmas' past? If you have them and you sit and think of them it might surprise you that it wasn't usually that great big gift that is your favorite memory.
It might be one of those "golden moments" in time when everyone got in a mood and totally enjoyed themselves. It might be when someone gave you their ...time and attention. It might be the wonderful mood or feeling it gave you when your family repeated a tradition each year.
I can be totally happy at Christmas just walking through a grocery store all decked out for the holiday. I love being with children at Christmas and talking with them. I love everyone getting in a happy holiday mood together, laughing, singing and talking together. I love trying to buy the gift that I think will possibly be the recipients favorite one!
Most of the things I love doing today are tied to a pleasant memory in my past. I think down deep I'm always hoping that in continuing the tradition of pleasant memories I'm making pleasant memories for future generations.
So, when I give art supplies to my grandson that likes to draw it's a memory of my Aunt Wanda keeping me in art supplies.
When I fill my Hoosier cabinet with retro decorations it is in memory of my Grandma's decorations.
When I tell the children stories about their dollies coming alive at night and making Christmas cookies in our kitchen it's in memory of a grandpa who kept us happy with stories.
Memories are a precious way to pass tradition of pleasant things on from one generation to the other. I want some day for my grandchildren to tell their children, "I remember when my grandma..." as an explanation of why they do something each Christmas!

2011-12-20T22:18:00.001-08:00

Day # 18 of the advent season! Lights....as we drove to church tonight I absolutely loved seeing all the houses that were lit up. Some elegant, some cheerful, some so neat, some not so neat. Some all one color, some icicles lights, some the new multicolor that are out this year, some large and some small--but all changed the whole look of the drive to church! Isn't it wonderful how the birth o...f Christ brings light into the world.
I'm a traditionalist and my entire world of Christmas lights outside is usually candlelight in luminarias on Christmas Eve and Christmas night. This year I've added some beautiful kerosene lamps to the porch and my husband and John added Christmas lights and greenery to the porch. (that's a first for us!) I must admit it looks wonderful.
When I think of the birth of Christ I think of how low and small the lighting must have been in a stable barn where he was born. Just a small light in a dark stable but the Light of the world was born there that night!
Then I think of the starry night sky that the shepherds were under that was suddenly flooded with the light of angels! I love sitting on the front porch steps in the winter and looking up at the night sky. I think shepherds must have done that a lot. I can't imagine the sky suddenly being filled with light and angels!
I think of the light of the star that led the wise men. It must have been a very special star with a very unique light.
In a few minutes I'll walk through my house and unplug and turn off the lights of Christmas. There are twinkling white lights mingled through the snow of the Christmas village and in the garland around my mirror. There are cheery multicolored lights in my Hoosier cabinet that is full of memories of all my Christmas pasts, there are the lights that cover my Christmas trees, there are the lights in our Bethlehem village and the campfire lights the shepherds have on their green hills, there are the Kerosene lanterns on the front porch and a candle on the mantle....lights out--but I'll go to bed and think on how each of the lights I've seen tonight are in celebration of the King of kings, the Lord of Lords and the Light of this world! And just as the wise men--because I've found Him I now should kneel down and worship Him!See More

2011-12-20T22:17:00.003-08:00

Day # 17 of the advent season! Being a servant...
Today was one of those days that I call a "chasing my tail" days. I never really decided what my problem was. At 10:00 o'clock I was still walking around feeling "muddled" in my bedroom asking myself why I was in my bedroom with a package of frozen pork chops!
The first few hours of my day I received many thoughts that were very full of self... pity. My list exceeded my day and I was running frantically from one thing on the list to the other and getting nothing accomplished! How could people expect so much from me? Who ever thought of all these things to do at Christmas anyway? Was I supposed to do everything around here?
I would like to blame the devil but really it was my flesh a lot more than the devil. Then I realized that I was ruining my day (and my family's) and turned to the Lord for help.
The first word that came to my mind was "servant", and I thought of Mary's sweet words, "Behold, the handmaid of the Lord..." I went over to my work schedule and wrote the word down. I asked the Lord to help me to serve Him, my husband and my family. I asked Him to give me a servant's heart toward all those around me.
I began thinking how it was my responsibility to serve others--from my salvation day till my "graduation day". Do you know it turned my whole day around?
We ended the day with a wonderful pork chop supper with Mike Shockley. Then after supper we ate strawberry cheesecake cookies and pecan pie and played a Christmas Trivia game that Ralph and Pixie left us in the pocket calendar.
We laughed and acted silly (I actually laughed harder than I have in years when I accidentally put the word French in my question to Cierra- What was the nationality of the three _________ (and I said French) hens in the Twelve Days of Christmas!) and had a wonderful evening.
I got everything done that was supposed to be done---there are deviled eggs, a snowman cheeseball, Ham and Roast Beef Wraps, and a Mississippi Mud Cake all sitting and waiting to go to our church dinner tomorrow. The kids all have clothing mended and ready to wear tomorrow. :) The laundry is washed, dried and folded. The house looks very nice (by candlelight) and I ended the day as happy as a lark (or a partridge in a pear) tree instead of being the Grinch like I started out. It all turned around when I switched from being a taker (what about me?) to a giver. Lesson learned (for today)! Thank you, Lord for teaching me about being a servant today-this 17th day of advent.See More

2011-12-20T22:17:00.001-08:00

Day # 16 of advent....Christmas defined! Noah Webster says in his 1928 that Christmas is "The festival of the Christian church observed annually on the 25th day of December, in memory of the birth of Christ, and celebrated by a particular church service."
I found it interesting that Noah Webster's definition associated Christmas Day with a church service! It made me think that possibly durin...g his period of time each and every Christmas day they had a church service.
Today we find people moaning and groaning if Christmas should happen to hit on a Wednesday or a Sunday because it will interrupt their celebration of Christ's birthday to go to church! I wonder how that makes Him feel since it's His birthday we're celebrating and the local church is a great love He has?
Although I will admit that Christmas on Sunday or Wednesday has always altered our family traditions and we knew that it was going to be a service with just a few attending it has always been something I looked forward to.
I also must admit that I always hope for that little something extra special when the Lord's birthday celebration day hits on a church day. I'm never quite sure what I'm hoping for, but I'm always hoping for it!
As for my personal definition of Christmas? Well, I've been thinking about that as I write this. I think of Christmas more as a season than a day and more of a spirit or mood than an event. It seems to me if I were going to write a definition of Christmas for a dictionary it would be--Christmas- n., a period of time set apart to celebrate the birth of the Saviour of the world manifested by people showing evidence of the Spirit of Christ being present in this world by their wilingness to give, forgive, open their hearts, share and lift the burdens of others.
As His birthday approaches I pray that I will bring honor to His name in how I choose to celebrate it!

2011-12-20T22:16:00.000-08:00

Day # 15 of advent....only 10 days till Christmas! I've been reading in the book of Daniel this week. One of my favorite verses is Daniel 3:28. "Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve ...nor worship any god, except their own God."
This is a verse I pray over my children and grandchildren. It is my prayer that they will yield their bodies to the Lord Jesus Christ alone and not do the opposite--worship or serve any god except their own God.
Tonight our little Mary and Joseph will start across the living room toward Bethlehem in our moving nativity here at the house. As I think about Mary I think first of her response to the news that she had been chosen to bear the Messiah--"Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word." It sounds to me like she had a body yielded to the Lord before He let her know she would be the mother of Christ.
She was chosen of God and His choice for her involved a lot of uncomfortable moments. People were going to say terrible things about her that were not true. There were going to be miserable physical times during the 70 mile trip to Bethlehem, the time of delivery was going to be much less than ideal, finances were going to be very slim (look at their offering in the temple!), a flight to Egypt was in her future to save her baby's life, and later she would watch her beloved son die a terrible death so that she, a sinner, too, could receive salvation through Christ Jesus, the Messiah.
There were going to be many times in Mary's life she would have to ponder in her heart and try to figure out how what was going on was going to fit in the big plan that the Lord had for her. But she had only one God she was serving--not the gods of wood and stone, gold and silver that others found so tantalizing.
During a busy season that has many little gods reaching out to us I think it's very important that I give the Lord my body anew each morning and yield it to Him as the only God I serve. That way He can do the work in me, for me and through me that He desires to do this Christmas season. What a gift!

2011-12-20T22:15:00.001-08:00

Day # 14 of advent...I'm beginning to think about Christmas food...at our house there are some things you can't have Christmas without and there are some things that show up some Christmases but not every Christmas!
We went to my Grandma Nelle's on Christmas Eve. I always looked forward to my Grandma Nelle's Date Nut Roll, Divinity, (pink and white), my Aunt Wanda's Cherry Cheesecake dessert an...d my Great Aunt Agnes' Date Nut pudding. These items don't make it to our table every year, but they do show up at times. If I knew my dad was going to be with us I had to make Date Nut Roll and Date Nut pudding!
On Christmas Day we went to my Grandpa andGrandma Mettler's house. At her house I looked forward to her Apple Salad, her homemade caramels (wrapped in waxed paper) and my Aunt Norma's Pistachio Torte. The Pistachio Torte always makes it to one of our Christmas celebration tables!
I make lots of candies and cookies for Christmas. We always have chocolate fudge and peanut butter fudge. Some years we have Buckeyes and some years we don't. This year will be a "don't" year due to the cost of peanut butter! Last year we tried Cake Ball Truffles. We liked them, but not as well as real truffles!
I also love making cheesecakes and our Christmas classic is Chocolate Truffle cheesecake! It's something that has to be on the table for Asher, who is my cheesecake ally! He and I have to have a cheesecake at special occasions.
We usually have cheeseball and crackers. I use a recipe that a dear friend gave me years and years ago. It's still my all time favorite. I usually make my husband some pineapple cream pies, we have a pecan pie, a peanut butter pie and sometimes a chess pie of some sort at the table for Christmas.
Pink salad and Christmas punch are two of my favorite extras I like to make. I especially like having a Christmas punch if we're going to have children at the table.
For our family , Christmas dinner is ham, baked beans, Swiss medley, Sweet Potato Casserole, deviled eggs, cheeseball and crackers, and lots of desserts, candies and cookies. We have other sides usually but that's our classics for the Neal family.
Food is one of the wonderful things that make us family! I love the memories of Christmas past with its tables loaded with food! I am sure that just as I have sweet memories of childhood that I cling to and still try to keep alive my children and grandchildren will too. I think that's a wonderful Christmas tradition!

2011-12-20T22:14:00.000-08:00

Day # 13 of advent...just got home from a wonderful day with the children celebrating Christmastide...ice skating, Hot Krispie Kreme donuts, a little shopping and a lot of listening to Christmas music!
As were out shopping today I looked at all the varieties and styles of Christmas decorations and I noticed that many of them had people's heritage in them. (I especially like the Scandinavian ones...!)
I began to think about some of the things my grandmother made (Christmas and otherwise) and would tell me that was the German in her coming out.
My step-mom and step-sister enjoy making latkes at Christmas to celebrate their heritage.
I love reading about how other countries celebrate Christmas and intertwining it into our Christmas celebration. It's fun every once in a while to try one or two of them as a family.
We've had the breakfast breads in the morning on St. Lucia's Day (that's today, by the way) the gingerbread house for a German celebration, and I've considered filling your children's shoes beneath the advent calendar with a special treat on December 6th as they do in the Netherlands!
What's your family history? It's fun to give our children a taste of it during the Christmas season!

2011-12-20T22:09:00.001-08:00

Day # 12 of this wonderful advent season! Joy! What brings you joy during this season?
List them--write them down....you'll enjoy just reading your list next year!
For me here's just a few!
* Walking down the beautiful parkway in Gatlinburg or Pigeon Forge and stopping in a shop to get a hot cup of cocoa, then walking outside and holding it to warm my hands and enjoy watching the steam go into the cold!
* A table set with china, Christmas glasses, a real tablecloth and cloth napkins, loaded with food and surrounded with friends and family.
*Going outside in the cold and looking in at all the lights and my family.
*Going outside and coming up that steps as though I am my husband and having the atmosphere all ready for him! (smells, sounds and decorations)
*Going into the other room when I have my family here, shutting my eyes and just listening to them. (laughter, music, games, children's voices)
*Watching children's faces during a movie, when they open a favorite gift, when they see lights they love, while we're baking together.
*Watching the Bishop's Wife, It's A Wonderful Life, the Polar Express, the Nativity, the Nutcracker cartoon...(and I'm sure there are more)
*Going into the Christmas store at Pigeon Forge just to see the lifesize nativity
*Our moving nativity here at the house!
*Seeing anyone show Christmas cheer to someone else
*Taking goodies to my neighbors
*Baking, baking, making candy and baked goods (did I say baking?)
*Answered prayers during the Christmas season!
*Reading the Christmas story and imagining I am there.
*Christmas music--and lots of it.
*Going to the pageant in Knoxville--driving through Knoxville's downtown at night on the way and looking at the lights. I even love walking from the van to the building because of the cold! (It makes you appreciate the warmth of the coliseum!)
*Ralph and Pixie's antics during the holiday!
*Hearing the bells on Polar Express when no one else can!

Oh, that's just a few! Isn't Christmas wonderful?

2011-12-11T22:44:00.001-08:00

Day # 11 of advent...the not-so-perfect Christmas. We all love the Christmas movies where everything ends up perfectly, the beautiful Christmas cards that have everything perfectly in place, the perfect meal, the perfect decorations....we want a perfect Christmas.
Actually, there is no such thing. Our carefully planned night of making cookies with the kids might have a major spill or a missing ingredient, our dinner might get totally out of sync, the money is short, the kids are not being perfect, and the list goes on and on and on.
One year my husband was working long hours, the children were 5 and under, we had no money, everyone around me seemed to be gloomy and I was catching the mood. However, I had little ones and I wanted them to have a wonderful Christmas in spite of things being not-so-perfect!
So that year I did a lot of late night sewing--little aprons that held their art supplies, (and I remember my machine giving me fits!), we did a lot of cookie baking and decorating, their Christmas dollies had homemade diaper bags with homemade diapers and although they only received one store bought gift they were incredibly happy!
That year I tried to put the tree up alone and it fell on me! I remember the kids standing on the couch watching the whole thing and screaming when it fell! They thought I was dead! (Well, you know, a tree fell on me!)
That is the year we began our birthday party for Jesus with chocolate cake and hot Tang. That is the year we would sit by the Christmas tree with all the lights off and I would tell them stories.
They still talk about those times, so I don't think my not-so-perfect Christmas was that to my children. It was a choice I had to make, rather to let it be ruined by everything not being post card perfect or to make the most of what we had at the time.
When I think of that first Christmas night I realize that nothing was going right for Mary and Joseph right then. They had to go to a strange town when it was her time to be delivered. When they got there they couldn't find a room. When they finally got settled in a barn they had no place to lay the baby and she had to wrap him in swaddling clothes! They were surrounded by Roman soldiers, a wicked king, and on the whole people who had no mercy on them and their situation. But in the midst of it all--a miracle was taking place!
When things aren't just like we imagine they ought to be we always have a choice--and the best choice is to look for the joy and the miracle of Christ in the midst of it.
Look for the opportunity to turn something that appears to be a problem into a blessing!
Electricity goes off? Pretend you're living during the Little House on the Prairie days and light the candles and oil lamps, build a fire in the fireplace (we have one right now) and teach them to cook over a fire! (Nothing like a good burnt grilled cheese sandwich!)
Sick child? Turn your couch into a hospital bed. Put a chair with a tea towel covered tray beside the couch and wait on them hand and foot. Teach them to slurp chicken noodle soup. Give them a bell to ring and you'll come running. Put a stack of books beside them and read one to them each hour. Pretend you're their private nurse. (You can even make yourself a paper nurse's hat.)
No money? Revamp toys. One year every gift Asher got was from Goodwill. He had no idea!
Most of all take your problem to the Problem Solver--so many, many times He has had a miracle at my door when my prayer was barely prayed. If nothing else He can give us the right attitude and perspective on the whole thing.
Will this year be the perfect Christmas? Not for me...I am not going to have a single grandchild at my Christmas dinner table, our family is still hanging in limbo as far as where the Lord wants us next, my husband is working those hours again where there is little time for us as a family unit--but we're having a wonderful, wonderful Christmas this year! The mood is festive, the house is decorated, the kids and I are having a wonderful time with home projects (John and I got the remodeling done on Mary and Joseph's home last night) and I'm discovering resources I had forgotten I owned! Thank You Lord that thanks to You every year is the perfect Christmas!

2011-12-11T22:42:00.001-08:00

Day # 10 of the advent season ...Christmas trees. I love seeing everyone's Christmas tree. I think it tells you so much about their personality.
I would call ours a memory tree or "the children's tree". In our early matrimonial days when there wasn't a penny to spare about three weeks before Christmas I would make a corn starch/baking soda mixture up, roll it out and cut it out with cookie ...cutters--Raggedy Ann's and Andy's, bear, angels, church's and Christmas trees. Then I would paint them. (later the kids helped) I have some of them dated and one of the Raggedy Ann's painted to match Alicia's Christmas dress is dated 1979!
Later Gary would let me buy an ornament in remembrance of each outing we made at Christmas. We have Herr Drosselmeier we purchased after going to see the Nutcracker in 3D, we have a Polar Express watch, we have caroling children, Delft Dutch, ornaments that Asher, Cierra and John painted while we watched Christmas movies, and many more, each with a wonderful memory attached.
As we decorate out tree the kids will say "Remember when..." or they'll ask when we got the ornament. It makes the evening a wonderful Christmas memory ride.
This year John picked out two snowflakes at an evening when we got to use a gift certificate at Cracker Barrel we were given. The snowflakes remind us of our time on the plateau--where we've had more snow than we've seen in years!
Our tree is topped by a paper mache angel that I made a few years back-in search of a male angel! He's not perfect but he is "biblically correct"! :)
At the end of our decorating we put candy canes all over our tree and no one is allowed to touch them till after Christmas. With the older children we always had a candy cane race after we opened packages on Christmas morning.
Our tree is not the prettiest tree in the neighborhood, but to me it's the loveliest tree around because it is a tree that brings my children joy each year as we decorate it. And giving joy is what Christmas is all about!

2011-12-11T22:40:00.001-08:00

Day #9 of the advent season....soaking up and creating atmosphere. When we were at Brian and Niki's for Thanksgiving she and I did the unimaginable and went out on Black Friday to pick up a few things. I stood back and watched quite a bit since I wasn't shopping that day. I can't say I was enjoying the atmosphere of people who appeared as if they had everything trying to get one more thing!
After we got what we needed (we were JoAnn's shoppers in need of sewing supplies and then to one department store) we went to Caribou Joe's and got a nice large cup of coffee. When we walked in the door the wonderful aroma of cocoa, coffee, chocolate and bread greeted us. Mmmmmm....Christmas atmosphere! I could feel my jangling nerves calming just by the right scent greeting me at the door!
I often ask myself what I want people to remember me for? I want them to step in my house and smell fresh bread, cookies, a meal cooking, coffee. I want them to see the fruits of my life....a sewing machine surrounded by projects, children sitting at their desks studying, to hear my Christian radio station playing and the clock ticking--good atmosphere!
On Saturday at Brian and Niki's my husband insisted we go to a nearby town and just go through shops. As we looked through local shops and admired their individuality, the beautiful Christmas decorations, the Christmas music and the smell of Christmas candles and potpourri I felt myself getting into the holiday mood.
The grand finale was taking the kids in a quaint local bakery and letting them pick out whatever Christmas cookie or donut they wanted and then taking them next door to a wonderful toy store and letting them just look to their heart's desire! The mood was complete--I went home ready to start Christmas!
My husband is so good during Christmas at just popping into a local candy store or bakery and letting us order a hot drink that we'd never order on our normal budget! It's a Christmas splurge. He usually takes us to a restaurant in Gatlinburg for breakfast or lunch that I love just for it's Old World atmosphere.
Men cooking in the back in white pants, shirts, apron and hats. Waitresses with black aprons wearing dresses, paneled walls, copper and brick, and a menu that looks like it came from my childhood. On top of that they have good food and hot coffee in wonderful shallow coffee cups! It's called the Pancake Pantry and it's one of my Christmas atmospheres that I will always cherish.

At home it's my job to keep the atmosphere going. The wonderful smell of Christmas candles and potpourri, the Christmas music pouring through the house,
wonderful surprises popping up everywhere, (Like my wearing antlers when I come to kiss them goodnight or announcing we'll be painting ornaments or playing a game when we would normally be working.) It's my job to keep the sweet smell of Christmas baked goods coming and to see that fudge shows up when they least expect it and that every Christmas goodie they can't imagine doing without marches through this house during the Christmas season! Atmosphere--it melts me, I always end up singing with anyone that start singing out in public during this season and love, love, love it when anyone catches the mood with me and makes the most of it!

2011-12-11T22:36:00.001-08:00

Day #8 of the advent season--I like to take the time to read all the prophetic passages that told of Christ's coming as the Messiah:
Gen. 3:14,15, Gen. 22:18, II Sam. 7:12-17, Psalms 89:3,4, Job 19:25, Isa. 7:13,14, Isa. 9:7, Isa. 11:1-9, Isa. 42:1-7, Isa. 52:13-53:12 and that's not all of them!
Something that I did with my Sunday School class that was so enjoyable was to make a Jesse tree. Y...ou can actually use a small Christmas tree or paint a branch white and put it down in a coffee can full of sand. You could cut a tree out and put it on the fridge or the wall--whatever works for you and your kids.
Make a list of all the things you can think of that helped us to look forward to Christ's coming:
Noah and the ark
The forbidden fruit that was part of man's fall and need for redemption
A scarlet ribbon for Rahab
A tent for Abraham
A scroll to represent Isaiah
Wheat for Ruth's redemption
A coat for Joseph
A lamb for David the shepherd king
A whale for Jonah
A ladder for Jacob
A little basket for Moses
A crown for Solomon
The manger for Mary and Joseph
Then make little ornaments for each out of paper, nutshells, felt, ribbon, cotton balls, etc. and hang them on your tree. Make sure you and the children discuss how these people were part of the promise or were told of the promise of the Saviour coming. Each one of them played a part in being in the line of Christ, prophesying of His coming or pointing to our need for Him as our Saviour.
I like to think of how each one of these people saw just a glimpse of what we see as the whole picture. It's a wonderful thing to dwell on this time of the year!

2011-12-11T22:34:00.001-08:00

Day # 7 of advent...some of my favorite resources for Christmas...my all time favorite book I have that I use for ideas is my Pennywhistle Christmas book by Meredith Brokaw. She has some of the most wonderful, simple ideas that you've ever seen. We have a heavenly host of angels that the kids and I made years and years ago that hang in my Hoosier cabinet at Christmas.
I also love the Advent... book that Niki and I purchased together a few years back.
It's called the "the Advent Book" by Jack and Kathy Stockman. Each day you read a part of the story and your child opens a new door. I do this with my kids even now and they aren't allowed to open any doors past the day we're on. They take turns reading the book to me now--it's a Christmas tradition. If we miss a day we just make up the next night.
I have a small book called "Waiting for Christmas" that I have used ideas from for our Christmas celebrations.
My all time favorite Christmas storybook to read to the children is "That First Christmas Day" by Alice Huffaker. The heavenly host is male angels and the storyline is absolutely beautiful. Your children will end up saying the words of the book with you.
I actually used the pictures life size on my Sunday School walls one year and using them as a story line for the nativity each week. It was wondeful! (all done with an overhead projector)
There are so many wonderful things to do with our children at this time of the year. Try something and remember some things won't fly! Some of your traditions will happen accidentally.
One year we had no money at all and Gary was working a long shift so the children and I were alone through much of the Christmas season. I decided to make use of our time alone and do lots of hands on things with the little ones. (They were ages 1-6 at the time.)
One night I planned a Christmas party for Jesus by the lights of the Christmas tree. I made a chocolate cake for Jesus and wanted a hot drink to go with it. All I had was some Tang people had given us, so I heated it and seasoned it a little and we had chocolate cake with hot orange drink. The kids loved it and the next year they wanted the very same thing--hot Tang and chocolate cake! It became a tradition with the older children that couldn't be broken! :)
Get some ideas and then make them fit your budget, your children's ages, your time in life and have a wonderful, wonderful Christmas with them!

2011-12-11T22:33:00.001-08:00

Day # 6 of advent....Christmas fasts....During this season of remember His birth it's good to take several fast periods right in the midst of a season of luxury and indulgence. I love my special moments with a rich chocolate or cup of hot drink that I'd never drink during a normal day, but right in the middle of it all it's good to take a day when you choose to say no to yourself and yes to those... making demands around you. It's good to withhold yourself from a luxury you want to give yourself, to stop and make that phone call you've been putting off, to have a day made up of giving others what they want completely and fully, forgetting about yourself and your wishes.
It's hard to hear His voice when we're in the middle of a bustling shopping center so it's good to take a fast from the hubbub for a day or even a few hours and enjoy the quiet of your own yard or porch taking in the beauty of nature at this time. Sometimes just stepping aside for a short time in the middle of such a busy, bustling time can get everything back into perspective.
I know this, you always give a gift to yourself and others when you "lay down your life" and embrace the other persons life and needs.

2011-12-09T22:11:00.001-08:00

Day # 5 of advent...Make the most of "magic moments". One of our magic moments that has turned into a tradition was one night when we stopped at Krispy Kreme because the light was on and hot donuts sounded good. We had the most wonderful time as a family eating hot donuts in the vehicle as we looked at the Christmas lights in Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg and listened to Christmas music.
The la...st time we all got together as a family a bunch of us piled into the van and headed out to see the lights at the park at Pigeon Forge. On the way back my hubby noticed the hot light was on and we did a u-turn and headed back to Krispy Kreme.
The girl at the window wanted to know how many we had "in there" and when we told her she handed Krispy Kreme hats through the window. Everyone put on their hat, Grandpa Charles said he didn't know how safe that many hot donuts were on his lap and we sang Christmas songs as we drove down the parkway looking at the twelve days of Christmas lights.
When we got back to the cabin the junior age girls handed out the warm donuts to everyone. Another "magic moment" with the Krispy Kreme tradition.
This year when I was asking the children what they would like to do during the holiday season one of them said that they would like to go to Pigeon Forge and make a run through the Krispy Kreme while the hot light was on and then look at lights. A wonderful moment that just happened and then turned into Christmas magic for our family.
Those moments happen every year...I hope I never lose the child in me that remembers how to make the most of them when they happen! So if you hear me singing out loud with the Christmas music while I'm out shopping during the Christmas season you know I'm having a magic moment! :)

2011-12-09T22:00:00.001-08:00

Day # 4 of advent...
Keeping the Christmas story central in Christmas...believe me, we have a lot of wonderful things going on during Christmas! Today, John and his dad got the porch at our house decorated. This is a first for us--decorating the outside of the house with anything more than luminaries. Grandpa Charles would approve of the job they did! (lots of lights)
Inside, we have my favorite Christmas decoration--our moving nativity. Mary and Joseph have their residence on one side of the living room while Bethlehem is on the other side of our living room complete with shepherds on a hillside.
About 10 days before Christmas Mary and Joseph have a soldier standing outside of their house and a tiny note attached to their door telling them they must go to Bethlehem to be taxed.
They have a donkey and a bedroll ready to go and they begin their journey across the living room to Bethlehem.
We have wise men on the other side of the living room that begin their journey too and arrive after Christmas.
On Christmas morning baby Jesus is in his place and all is well. A star burns over the stable and the shepherds are hovering around the baby and his parents. I love the whole thing.
During the ten days Mary and Joseph move during the night and are in a new place each morning. Each year a new person or thing shows up as a gift for the pocket calendar and makes our nativity scene just a little better for next year. It might be a palm tree, flickering campfires for the shepherds, or a new tradesperson for the city of Bethlehem. The whole nativity is a hodgepodge of homemade, Fontanini, my grandmother's sheep from her nativity set or Dollar Tree goodies but that's what makes it uniquely ours. Each part of it has a special memory and place in our lives.
John begins fretting if they don't move fast enough or don't get going as soon as they get their notice. I stay content knowing that the Christmas story is being carried out right in our living room and we're keeping it in front of the children each day. In front of mom too, when it's busy it's good to go into the living room and look at the whole scene and remember what all the celebrating is really about!

2011-12-09T21:48:00.001-08:00

Day # 3 of advent....Grandma AllDean's porch looks so pretty with Christmas wreaths and lights...she turned me loose!
One of the ways I love to celebrate this season and keep my perspective is to have my very own silent night. Put on the Christmas music after the kids go to bed, light some candles, get some hot cocoa or eggnog and sit in a darkened room with the fireplace and Christmas lights and just relax and think about all that you love about this season. It can be a time or prayer, a time to remember, a time to go over your grateful list, but it's a good time to just give yourself the gift of a quiet time during a very busy season!
Tonight I'm thankful for the joy of children at this time of the year, the joy of my being a child of God, a wife, a mother, a homemaker. I'm thankful that the Lord has given me a love for every role He has given me. I'm thankful for the beauty of Christmas, for the "mood" that makes people more open at this time of year, for watching my children's excitement build, for the wonderful aroma of Christmas.....I could go on and on...thank You Lord for your coming to us bringing so very much joy into our lives!

2011-12-09T21:38:00.001-08:00

Day # 2 of the wonderful "advent" (anticipation of the Lord's coming!)....keeping a diary of sorts of your advent season. I have diaries, journals, scrapbooks of all sorts and types. I am not religious in keeping them, but my children and grandchildren will be able to piece together (or maybe I can give it some continuity before I die) of my life. You might include what really spoke to your hea...rt during this season, a special picture on a Christmas card you loved, a prayer list of your Christmas requests from the Lord, an illustration of something engraved in your memory. Whatever suits your personality this is a wonderful activity to help keep your mind on what really is important at Christmas!

Day # 1 of Advent!

2011-12-09T21:35:00.001-08:00

December 1st....lots of excitement begins at the Neal household....Ralph and Pixie are sitting on a big box of Top of the Stove cookies with Christmas chocolate chips in them (red and green) delivering their first pocket calendar gift...most importantly, this is the first day of advent-time to 1) prepare 2) expect 3) anticipate & 4) wait--by Christmas Day I have a goal of preparing my heart to be closer to Him as His second coming approaches, to expect great things from Him as I draw closer, to anticipate all He has for me during this time, the things He desires to teach me and tell me, and to wait in His presence for His voice and direction during this season!

Turkey talk...

2011-11-20T20:47:00.001-08:00

We had our Thanksgiving/Homecoming dinner at church last Sunday and I was blessed with the leftover turkey--a blessing that I love to have given to me! I came home and made a small list of the meals we could have with leftover turkey. Our menu was delicious and varied all week in spite of the fact we had turkey every night.
Here's the meals I thought of just off the top of my hat to make with leftover turkey:

Quick Turkey Divan

(also can use with chicken)
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen broccoli spears, cooked and drained
9-12 oz. of turkey (I just guessed and made sure that their was plenty for my oval 2 qt. casserole dish)
1 can condensed cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup milk
1/2- 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese

Layer broccoli in the bottom of a greased shallow 2 qt. casserole dish. (or 10x6x2 or 9 x 13 or...just adjust baking times based on size of dish) Top with turkey. Blend soup and milk; pour over all. Bake at 450 about 15 minutes or until heated completely through. (I baked mine at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.) Put cheese on top as soon as it comes out of the oven. Serve nice and warm!

Turkey (Chicken) A La King
(Alicia's favorite when she was at home)
Chopped pepper (as much as you like-about 2 Tbsp. or so)
Chopped onion (1/4 cup or so)
2 Tbsp. butter or margarin
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
1/3 to 1/2 cup milk
1 to 1 1/2 cups cubed cooked chicken or turkey
2 Tbsp. diced pimiento
1 can green peas (drained well)

*This is the quick version which I don't do at home, but thought I'd put it in for those who are wanting something quick. I'll tell about my version at the end of this recipe.

In skillet, cook green pepper and onion in butter until tender. Blend in soup and milk; add chicken and pimiento. Heat; stir now and then. Serve with biscuits. 3-4 servings.

Now for my homemade version:
I fry the pepper and onion in the butter until tender. Then I add flour till I make a fairly thick paste. I add milk and make a nice creamy white sauce. Then I add my chicken, about one half can of peas, pimiento and sometimes (like the other night) a couple boiled eggs.
We had biscuits under ours the other night but usually I butter bread and push it down in muffin cups. It kind of looks like a crown because the four points of the bread stick up. I put it in the oven and toast it till nice and brown and then serve the gravy over the "kings cups"! The kids love them because they form their own little bowl of sorts for their gravy.

Chicken (Turkey) Casserole
*This is an old family favorite here at the Neal household!

Have your turkey that has been leftover and removed from the bone. Cut or chop it into bitesize pieces.
1 stick margarine
1 pkg. cornbread stuffing (Stovetop stuffing)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can crean of chicken soup
(or two cans of cream of mushroom soup and two cans of cream of chicken soup...or one can of cream of celery soup and one can of cream of mushroom soup...well, you get it--two cans of some kind of creamed soup!)
1 can chicken broth (the original recipe said this and I have no idea what size can that is. I just take leftover broth from my turkey and freeze it for when I need chicken broth, or I make up a cup of broth with chicken bouillon or I use 8 oz. of a can of chicken broth and it works perfect!

Put your stick of butter on top of the dry stovetop stuffing in a mixing bowl and melt the margarine in your microwave. Spray a 9x 13 pan or a nice oval casserole dish. Put 1/2 of the stuffing mixture in the bottom of your pan. Then put your chicken (turkey today) on top of the stuffing mix. Mix up your soups and broth and pour them over the chicken and stuffing in your pan. Put the second half of the stuffing mixture on top and bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. So good!

Chicken Pot Pie
Have plenty of that leftover turkey ready and chopped into bitesize pieces
16 oz. bag of frozen mixed vegetables, thawed and drained
1 can cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup
9 oz. chicken broth

Mix all the above together and put in a greased 9x13 pan or long oval casserole dish.

Topping:
1 cup self-rising flour (I don't buy the stuff so I just add 2 tsp. baking powder and 1/4 tsp. salt to my regular flour)
1 stick margarine, melted
1 cup milk
Mix this up really well and pour over the mixture in your dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
*This recipe came from Mrs. Judy Gearis, (the wife ofBrother Ron Gearis with Rock of Ages Ministry) years and years ago!

My personal favorite of pot pie is more work but I love it. Make my pie crust recipe and roll out enough pie crust to fill the bottom of your 9x13 pan. Make a white sauce and season to taste adding all kinds of good veggies or the frozen veggies that have been thawed and drained. Add the turkey or chicken too. Pour into the pie crust and then top with more pie crust and poke the crust to let it breathe as it bakes. Bake till golden brown. Makes store bought pot pies taste sick...

One more and I'm going to bed, I promise! I just love turkey, I love Thanksgiving and I love being in my kitchen when it's cold outside. (Well, I love being in my kitchen.)

Breaded Chicken (Turkey) Patties
(You can freeze these little fellows for up to 3 months. They're very nice to have on hand on a busy evening and you need something quick and good!)

1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup finely chopped celery (save one little lonely piece of celery from the dressing so you have it in the crisper drawer after Thanksgiving)
6 Tbsp. butter or margarine, divided
3 Tbsp. all purpose flour
1 and 1/3 cups milk, divided
2 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley (I cheat and use the dried)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. onion salt
1/2 tsp. celery salt
(if I don't want to go buy the flavored salts I might use garlic salt that I have or I might just use all regular salt and add some extra pepper)
2 cups finely chopped turkey or chicken
1 cup dry bread crumbs

In a medium saucepan, saute onion and celery in 3 Tbsp. margarine until tender. Stir in flour until smooth. Add 1 cup milk, mix well. Bring to a boil, cook and stir for 2 minjutes. Add parsley, seasonings and chicken. Remove from the heat; chill until completelhy cooled. Shape into six patties, using about 1/3 cup mixture for each. Roll in crumbs, then dip into remaining milk; roll in crumbs again. In a skillet, cook patties in remaining butter for 3 minutes on each side. Serve on hamburger buns with lettuce and tomato, if desired. Uncooked patties may be frozen for up to 3 months.
To prepare frozen patties:
Cook in butter for 5-6 minutes on each side or until golden and heated through.
6 servings.

We can't forget what else you can do with leftover turkey--make a mean lunch salad. Cierra has been cutting it up into cubes with kitchen shears, adding light mayo, cranberries, some almonds at times, a little diced onion and any other seasoning she gets in the mood to put in there and serving it on hot toasted whole grain bread. It is delicious!

There's also the carcass of the turkey that you can boil and take the last of the meat off. You can make turkey vegetable soup, turkey and dumplings, turkey and noodles and the list goes on and on.
During this season that we are to remember to show our thankfulness let's be sure and be good stewards of the blessings the Lord sends our way. Don't waste the tiniest part of that turkey--gobble it all up! :)

Happy Thanksgiving to one and all!

Love,

Mom

Fall Musings....

2011-09-30T16:52:00.000-07:00

Here it is and September is almost behind us! I can't believe that the month has gone by as quickly as it has!
I began on September 1st getting my fall decorations out. I love my wreath for the door and I love my mantel decorations. I still don't have my dining room area where I'd like it to be, but that gives me something to look forward to!

Fall makes me feel cozy and always gets me pulling out the cookbooks to see what I can fix that's comforting and makes my family feel/smell the change of the season. I've been busy making pumpkin rolls which is one of our family fall favorites.
Here's the recipe for anyone that wants to try this delicious dessert! It's pretty, you can wrap it in plastic wrap and then in foil and freeze it. Just a little before serving take it out of the freezer and it always slices so much prettier if it's frozen!

Pumpkin Roll

Beat 3 eggs on high speed with mixer for 5 minutes. (This is when you're glad you have a stand mixer!) Gradually stir in 1 cup granulated sugar. (That's underlined because I forgot it more than once!) Stir in 2/3 cup pumpkin and 1 tsp. lemon juice.

Stir together:

3/4 cup flour

1 tsp. baking powder

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. ginger

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

*For those of you on a tight enough budget you can't go buy ginger and nutmeg, you can up the cinnamon by a tsp. and it is still wonderful!

Fold into pumpkin. Spread in grease and floured 15x10x1-inch pan. (This is a smaller cookie sheet. Be sure and really give it the greasing and flouring or lots of Pam. You don't want it to stick!)

At this point you can top it with 1 cup of chopped nuts. You need to press them down into the batter a little or they'll tend to fall out after you roll it up. I don't put nuts in mine.

Bake at 375 degrees for 13-15 minutes. Turn onto a towel that has been generously sprinkled with powdered sugar. Starting at the narrow end, roll the towel and cake together; cool. Unroll and spread with the filling below.

Filling-

Combine:

1 cup powdered sugar

6 oz. cream cheese (I use a full 8 oz. package)

4 Tbsp. butter or margarin

1/2 tsp. vanilla (I use 1 tsp.)

Beat smooth, spread over cake. (Stay about 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch away from the edges as it will spread when you roll it.) Roll cake back up. Chill.

I have added a section to the back of my cookbook called Fall Recipes I have so many that we love to eat in the fall! One of our favorites is German Apple Cake. We love it with Cream Cheese Frosting but it's also good with Penuche Frosting, Caramel Frosting or even the Browned Butter Frosting.

It's this time of year that I usually make UT Fudge. Since our UT game days are over (the fans have all moved away!) I don't have as much fun making this for an event like I used to, but my family is still so in love with it. It tastes like a Dreamsicle.

I usually make a Maple Nut Twist this time of year. It is a large breakfast sweet bread that you make on a round pizza pan. You twist the outside edges of it and it's full of yummy cinnamon sugar and maple flavoring inside with a maple glaze. My bunch usually all try to get the center out of it because it is so delicious.

Also this time of year finds me making Pumpkin Doughnut Drops and sometimes even my Grandma Mettler's Long Johns. Mmmmmmm.....

Breadbaking is a given in this house but this time of year it gets better. When you walk in a house on a fall day and the bread has just come out of the oven you can't resist going and cutting off the end of that warm bread, slathering it with butter and homemade strawberry jam or honey and slowly eating it!

My mother's caramel corn seems to always show up this time of year too! Can't do without an ice cream bucket full of that sitting around in the fall!

We love soups and stews this time of year too. Potato soup (in homemade bread bowls with lots of cheese on top) , Corn chowder, Chili, Beef Stew are just some of our favorites.

I also make goulash with cornbread for my husband each fall. He loves it any time of year but says it tastes better in the fall.

John loves projects and activities and last year we wanted to do this but my health didn't allow me much but the basics. This year we're going to have a backyard campfire and try to learn to cook over the campfire. I've already found the neatest afterdark craft we're going to have ready for our evening campfires.

It's found on this link and it is #9 of the projects. I can't wait to see how pretty this is going to be in the dark. We'll probably do several of them and make a perimeter around our campfire area.

http://toolsfortheimagination.com/2011/05/18/may-i-give-you-some-inspiration/

I'm sure my older married children can remember how many times we took the rack out of my oven and put it over rocks on a campfire outside. We even learned to cook breakfast in an iron skillet out there. So much fun with kids. Teach them some of the fun cowboy songs there are to sing or teach them the "Moose Song" that my grandkids like to sing with me!

http://www.campingdude.com/content/song/crazy_moose-1336.asp

Well, that's my autumn musings for now...sure wish I could have everyone over for some of this fall food and atmosphere. My husband just walked in and it's time for some vegetable soup with corn bread!

Love,

Mom

The first priority....just one thing!

2011-09-01T15:59:00.000-07:00

We all have priorities rather we acknowledge it or not. In our heads we have to decide what we're going to do first in our day, where our time and money will go first, who will get our attention first....and that list could go on and on!
In Matthew 6 the Lord is preaching and He talks about those things that want our attention first. I guess we could also say that they are what our "old man" or our flesh desires to put first, so He gives us a warning and a command.

He talks about "treasures" and tell us not to become consumed with the earthly treasures that want our attention and love first. That word "treasures" He used is talking about a storehouse or a place that we keep the things that matter most to us. It is talking about the literal treasures we might lay up or the treasures that we store up in our heart and soul.   We are told that wherever our treasures are we will find our heart. Things consume our time and our attention. As a wife and mother we should always remember that our things are to be there to serve us and not the other way around! A good way to test where your treasure is would be to pay attention to what uses up your time and your money. If we really want something bad enough we'll find the time and the money for it. It's good to review on a regular basis and see if something is consuming us!
   Another good checkpoint that I use is to ask myself if I am neglecting any God-given duties. If I am then I know that I have something in my life I am "treasuring" more than Him. If I can't find time to spend time with the Lord then I have another god in my life that is consuming the time that should be His. It's time to see what "other love" has kept me from the Lord. If I can't seem to find time to care for the needs of my husband and children then I need to see what is more important to me than those I'm given to care for by the word of God. Why can't I find time to cook their meals, wash their clothes, teach and train them like I should? If I don't have any time for that I need to be removing another earthly treasure from my life.
I read a and I find in books and articles on taking care of yourself physically they always are death on the excuse "I can't find time." They give statistics on how much time is spent in front of the tv or the computer and they explain that you do have the time, you're just not using it for the right thing!
It is true that if we truly love something we don't find time we make time!
   In verses 22 and 23 the Lord talks about the single eye versus the evil eye. The best definition I ever read for the word single was "to look away from all else". That is the way to get your priorities in order. We have to look away from all else but the Lord Jesus Christ.
(Hebrews 12:2) As much as I desire to keep first things first it won't happen without the indwelling Holy Spirit. He's the One that gave me the desire in the first place and He's the One that enables me to keep my priorities in an order that glorifies and magnifies Him. "For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure." (Phil. 2:13)
  There are so many things that are wanting my attention and begging me to look at them instead of what the Word of God (Christ) says. If for even a short time I turn my head and begin to give them my attention things will fall apart in the spiritual world for me.
The evil eye is defined as "being full of labours, annoyances, hardships, being harrassed by annoyances and hardships, perils to my Christian faith and stedfastness." That is exactly the opposite of the single eye where we are steadfastly looking to Christ for the truth and the ability to live the truth. It goes right along with the different hearts the Lord talks about and what is used by Satan to destroy them. It is so important to keep what He says as most important and to not listen to all the questions and doubt that our flesh and Satan hurls at us.
You know the questions, "What about....?" and "What if....?"   Sometimes he uses people we don't know and sometimes he uses very real people that we love to make us question what we know the word of God teaches us.
   If you want a real good thumping just listen to the media. All the Lord teaches us is questioned, critiqued and mocked. After you've spent any amount of time watching tv, reading the news, reading their books and their self-help material you can really question the Lord and lose your stedfast faith!
He ends the discussion of the single eye and the evil eye with the warning that we cannot have two masters. One will always have our loyalty over the other. If He is not our Master and doesn't have our loyalty then "mammon" has our love and loyalty. And we're told in I John 2:15-17 that if we're friends with the world we're not friends with Him and His love is not in us.
The last point the Lord makes before telling us to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness is telling us not to make food, drink and clothing a matter of focus in our lives. He tells us that He can take care of all that and when we focus on fretting over where it is going to come from then we're not making Him first in our lives.
He says the Gentiles seek these things and as His children we're not to do that. The word seek there means to "crave, demand, clamor for, seek diligently for, enquire for". Sounds like it was important, doesn't it?
   Then we have the verse that our first priority is in. Matthew 6:33, "But seek ye first the kingdom of God , and his righteousness ; and all these things shall be added unto you ."
This verse promises us that if we keep first things first then He'll take care of all that the flesh, the world and Satan would have us fret about.
I can be the queen of fretters. Worry seems to be second nature to me. But the Lord has faithfully taught me in the last few years that if I'll keep my walk and fellowship where it ought to be with Him I won't have to even fret about fretting! Walking with Him makes the life He offers to live in me, through me and for me so simple.
It's hard to believe it's as simple as having a daily time with the Lord to keep your priorities where they ought to be, but it works. I'm not talking about just grabbing your Bible, your Bible reading chart and your prayer journal and rushing through it so the conscience is soothed. I've done that many a time!
I'm talking about recognizing that you're in His presence and talking to Him like you would the best friend you have on earth. Reading the Bible and asking Him to impress on you what you need today. The word seek in Matthew 6:33 has a different meaning then the one in verse 32. It means "to seek for, to seek (in order to find out) by thinking, meditating, and reasoning; to strive after, to inquire into".
I've not found one thing that I had a question about that when I turned to the Lord and seriously asked Him about that He didn't give me the answer and I never questioned it again. That was true of my role as a woman, my place and purpose in life, my full surrender, my dress, my lifestyle as a Christian and I could name more that I've brought to Him. The will has to be yielded though, you have to say, "Thy will be done." and then do it when He answers. It's always brought me joy--not a feeling of being deprived.
   During my "wilderness years" when I struggled with depression I read my Bible but my prayer life suffered terribly. Over and over I asked Him to please show me the path out of my darkness and confusion. (This is a story in itself that I won't try to tell here.) It wasn't like a single lightbulb moment but the only verse He ever gave me that I knew was concerning my illness was "He sent his word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions." (Psalms 107:20)
I began to realize that when my husband took his pastorate that I went from being a Mary who set faithfully at the feet of the Lord each day soaking in all He had for me into being a Martha--busy serving tables and meeting the needs of others but neglecting my sweet fellowship that I'd once had because I was just too busy!
Did I read my Bible and pray? Yes, but it wasn't what I'd had with Him before and as I gave and gave and never took from Him as I should all the joy was drained from me.
I know now that I had to go back to where I left my first love (and we don't lose it we leave it) and once again sit with Him and find sweet fellowship in our relationship. I now have on the first page of my prayer journal "But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her."   (Luke 10:42) I have it there to remind myself that if I'll keep that one thing -the first thing in its proper place then I'll be just fine no matter what comes my way.
What about you? Does the word "overwhelmed" fit your life? Does there seem to be so many tasks and responsibilities that you don't know where to start? Are you questioning that maybe, just maybe you need to adapt to today's culture and fit in and then possibly things will go better? Does it seem that more money would solve your problems? Maybe you're tempted to think that life would be better if you could get out of your marriage?  Maybe you should give the children away to someone else to teach and train you're so overwhelmed with the task? Are you feeling weary of not looking the way the world dictates you should look? Are you embarassed of being different in what you have, where you go, what you wear?  Are you to the point you'd rather fit in with the world than be classified with the Christians of today?   Are you envious of what "they" have that you seem to be doing without?
When I was in my early Mary years I was totally unaware that I didn't fit in I was so full of joy in my relationship with the Lord. People would often comment on the sweet spirit in our home or the peace and there were four little bodies running around the house and we were living on an income that didn't begin to pay our bills!
Now He has me there again. And it all came from keeping that first priority in order, from making that one thing have its proper place in my life. If you're overwhelmed I beg of you to make the time in your day to sit at His feet and commune with Him in the Word of God and prayer. Don't fret about rather you're doing it all right--just do it. Find a closet (like I had to do during my children's naptime when they were all toddler) or a place on your porch or even the kitchen table but find a time and a place and get that first priority in its place. The Lord will work the miracle in the rest of your life for you then!

What Is Your Occupation?

2011-08-10T11:23:00.000-07:00

As a young mother I had my times when I had to sit before a receptionist at the hospital with a sick baby on my lap and answer questions before they treated him. In the early years I remember them saying, "Do you work?"
"Well, yes at least 16 hours per day and sometimes more--like tonight."
I would get two responses usually, the head would go down with a slight smile of amusement or the cold glare of "come one now, let's answer this the way you should" and then it would be rephrased, "I mean, do you have a job?"

"Yes, I'm a full time homemaker."
That was carefully worded so they couldn't say, "Then you don't work." That point had been established in the first question.
Now the question is, "Do you work outside the home?" Much better put. But they still don't use the answer that I wish they would use--"What is your occupation?"

That would be in interesting question to use if for one day people had to be completely honest. It really got me to asking myself that question. I would answer "I'm a keeper at home, or I'm a homemaker." but then I have to think about if I'm am truly occupying myself during the working day as a homemaker or keeper at home.
I first looked up the words "occupation" and "vocation" in the word of God and found their definitions. I also looked up the word where Paul told us to "occupy till he came". I think the context there is "keep on doing what you're supposed to be doing faithfully till the Lord returns."
In Genesis 46 and 47 the occupation of Joseph's family was being discussed. Joseph had instructions for them on how to answer Pharoah in what their "occupation" was. That word meant:
1. deed, work

a) deed, thing done, act

b) work, labour

c) business, pursuit

d) undertaking, enterprise

e) achievement

f) deeds, works (of deliverance and judgment)

g) work, thing made

h) work (of God)

i) product

You can see there that this was a work, business that had something made out of it or a product. It was a deed with a purpose.

When Jonah was asked what his occupation was the definition was slightly different. His was a question involving more of a product itself or who had commissioned the work to him. They were more interested with why he was one their boat and what he was headed to do that might be bringing on them what they were experiencing the terrors they were going through.

1) occupation, work, business

a) occupation, business

b ) property

c) work (something done or made)

d) workmanship

e) service, use

f) public business

1) political

2) religious

Aquilla and Priscilla were involved in a certain trade. When Paul lived with them he was able to earn some money because they were of the same trade or occupation. That was the trade of the tentmaker. That word occupation simply means "of the plastic art, or trade". (Acts 18:3)

Later, in Acts 19:25 men are having losses to their occupation because of people becoming Christians. That word simply means "such as this". It could be used by gamblers, people who sell Satanic items, liquor dealers, etc. People who would be in an occupation "such as this" would take a loss if we had revival. This happened to be silversmith who was losing business in making false gods.

Now that takes me back to my occupation, or may I say in a broader sense what should the occupation of a godly woman be. Webster's1828 dictionary lists occupation as "That which engages the time and attention; employment; business." or "The principal business of one's life; vocation; calling; trade; the business which a man follows to procure a living or obtain wealth."

This causes me to think about what occupies my time and attention and what is the product I desire to produce at the end of my life, what is the calling I have from God to spend the time He's given me? They are sobering questions.

"What a terrible thing to have to answer, (If we had to tell the complete truth to the Lord.) "The thing that consumes most of my time is books, the tv, the internet, games, shuttling my kids to the babysitters so we can make money and have everything our neighbors have, working for another master who has a different goal for me than You have."

This thought is for me the "keeper at home" just as much as the "working mother" or the "aged woman". Am I carrying out the occupation and vocation that God wants me doing that I will produce the product He wants to see at the end of my life?

Proverbs 31:10-31 is the role model the Lord gave me for how He wants me to "occupy my time". It's beena 37 year pursuit for me and I still have much to develop.

Let's look at what consumed my role model's time.

*She spent time making sure her husband didn't need being spoiled (shamed) by what she did with her time. I can think of a man walking into a home that has obviously been neglected-it spoils him and shames him. I can think of a man finding out his wife has used up too much money out of the checkbook. It spoils him. He wants everyone to think good of him because of how his wife cares for his home, his money, his clothes, his children and him! (The word spoil means to plunder or to make money by dubious means.) He is the breadwinner but he wants (and needs) our assistance in seeing that what he's worked hard for isn't spoiled by us.

*She spent time gathering supplies in to make things with her hands. It said she went afar to get just the right merchandise to run their home smoothly.

*Every day of her life she did good to her husband and not evil. (That takes time and a controlled tongue.)

*She gets up before the sun to feed her household and her maiden.

*She takes time to go find and purchase a field that she intends to plant a vineyard in.

*She spent time keeping her physical body strong.

*She has merchandise she's making to sell and that requires working after the sun goes down. Today we call that a cottage industry. There is nothing wrong with it but do you see where it is in her day. Everyone else is down and she's staying up to work on it.

*Nor only is she making merchandise to sell, she is covering the needy and she has her own household clothed with scarlet and herself with tapestry. (This is fine clothing that had hours of needlework involved)

*Her work obviously helps to make her husband be a man of reknown.

*She takes her fine linen that she's made and sells it and delivers it to the merchants. (No, she didn't set up shop with the merchants.)

*Because she opened her mouth with wisdom we know she had to have an active relationship with the Lord. That takes time, it doesn't just happend.

*She doesn't sit around eating the bread of idleness--this is a busy woman!

* Her children rise up and call her blessed, her husband also and then God praise her- I CALL THAT A PRODUCT WORTH SPENDING THE TIME OF YOUR LIFE IN!

Another lady whose priorities and time management has always captured my interest is "the widow indeed". I hope I never have to turn to the church to take care of me, but I see here that this woman had lived a life that was so pleasing to God that He commands she's cared for. What had she spent her time on?

*She had one husband. (Being a godly, biblical wife involves time seeking God's commandments for you and it takes time to live them.)

*The widow indeed spends time in prayers and supplications day and night. (it says she's trusting in the Lord alone--that requires a lot of prayer)

*It says she was well reported of for her good works. That got my curiosity up- what did good works mean?

1) business, employment, that which any one is occupied

a) that which one undertakes to do, enterprise, undertaking

2) any product whatever, any thing accomplished by hand, art, industry, or mind

3) an act, deed, thing done: the idea of working is emphasised in opp. to that which is less than work

     Here we are again with the things that we spend our time on and let ourselves become occupied with that produces the right product. It also is called "work".
   *She was to have brought up children.
   *She was to have lodged strangers in her home.
   *She was to have washed the saints feet.
   *Relieved the afflicted.
   Sounds like a busy woman doing the right thing before God.

   The Titus 2 woman is my last role model that I seriously look to as a pattern God has given me for how He wants me to occupy my time.
   *I am to be discreet
   *I am to be chaste
   *I am to be a keeper at home (That little word 'at' has a position involved with it. Some position words would be under, over, in, above, beside, by, etc.) You can't be "at Walmart" and be "at home" at the same time. You can't be "at work" and "at home" at the same time. The word keeper involves the care of the home and the watchman of the home. If we properly prioritize our days we can make our WalMart trips, our phone calls, our time on the internet, but we must never, never let them keep us from being the keeper at our home. If we don't keep it someone else will. Be on your guard!
   * I am to be good. That word means to be useful, to be pleasant, to be agreeable, joyful and happy.
    If I'm fighting God's design for my life but yet I decide I have to or get in trouble with God and I grit my teeth and do it, I have skipped this one. When we yield to the Designer and decide to live life the way He planned it to work best for us, we find great joy and happiness.
   *We ar to be obedient to our own husbands. That word obedient means:

1) to arrange under, to subordinate

2) to subject, put in subjection

3) to subject one's self, obey

4) to submit to one's control

5) to yield to one's admonition or advice

6) to obey, be subject

He is to be the one who is in charge, and I'm the subordinate. I am to be subject to his wishes, I am to subject myself to his control, yield to his admonition and advice and obey and be subject to his wishes.

I have found that whenever I agree with God and embrace what He has commanded me to do He gives me wings and I find great freedom and joy in it. Tr

Try it--it's much better than being an angry woman with a sign getting your picture in the paper!

When we refuse to take the occupation that God has given us as women in the Bible we are told in Titus 2:5 that the Word of God is blasphemed. That is a serious thing. It makes people take the word of God lightly because they see professing Christians taking their "occupation" lightly. In Titus 2 He directs that at young women who will not take on their God-given occupation and are trying to get the fruit and blessings of a godly woman (I want my children to go to heaven! I don't want my children to get involved in sin. I want my marriage to last.) without carrying out the commands to women.

The word "blasphemed" means :

1) to speak reproachfully, rail at, revile, calumniate, blaspheme

2) to be evil spoken of, reviled, railed at

We're there. So many people have no use for God's word. They are confused at all the multiple messages coming from professed Christians. But God is not confused and He's never wrong. We have a map to follow and it is His word.

He has much, much more to say to young and older woman but today I want to impress on you how you spend you time. What your real occupation is.

I tell the story of when I first learned to do heirloom sewing. I loved it! I was consumed with it. I couldn't wait to get breakfast done so I could pull out my work for the day. I got irritable with the kids while they were doing school because I wanted them to get done so I could do what I wanted to do. I dreaded cooking supper, or doing laundry--anything that kept me from what I wanted to do--heirloom sewing.

One day, (after another frustrating day at home for everyone) it was just like the Lord said, "You're no longer a keeper at home, a home maker, you're an heirloom seamstress now." Oh, my how that convicted, but I knew it was true. That's why my duties as a keeper at home had become frustrating. I realized I had become an heirloom seamstress that did homemaking on the side and I had to go back to being a homemaker that did heirloom sewing on the side. When I obeyed the Lord our home became the sweet haven it had always been before that.

What occupies your time? What fruit is watching the tv going to give you in eternity? What fruit is reading novels (and I'm not against either in their proper priority) going to give you in eternity? But what about a very happy huband who praises you in the gates, or children who rise up and call you blessed? Pour your heart and life into the occupation that God has given we women! I'm old enough now that I see much fruit from my labor. Prov. 31:30,31 says "Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain; but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands: and let her own works praise her in the gates." Make that your goal! Let that pull you through the days you think you can't keep doing it.

On my headstone when I die I have instructed my children to put, "I HAVE NO GREATER JOY THAN TO HEAR THAT MY CHILDREN WALK IN TRUTH.' III JOHN 4

I hope that is able to sum up the occupation of my life and the product I desired to see. That the children (physical and spiritual) that the Lord allowed Gary and I to raise for Him are all walking in truth. That's worth it all!

******************

Today you will influence someone---that's another word for leadership. How are you going to influence them? I ask the Lord daily to bring good influences into my children's lives and to protect them from evil influences. Today-why don't we each make a choice to influence someone that there is joy and freedom in carrying out our lives as women by God's authority and God's design. You never know who you may influence--it might be your own son or daughter, it might be the neighbor, it might be your mate. But let's each one be an influence to do what is pleasing before the Lord!

Love,

Mom

Laundry Day!

2011-07-12T22:35:00.000-07:00

I remember my mother talking about Monday being her mother's laundry day, rain or shine! She said her mother always cooked a pot of beans on Monday. (We were from the North and she made Northern beans!:) If it was sunny the laundry was hung outside, and if it was rainy she said their clothes were hung on the line that criss-crossed their small kitchen! She said it was one of the sweetest memories of her childhood--something that they knew was going to be the same each week. I remember the copper boiler in my grandparents garage that laundry was heated in. We certainly have progressed when it comes to laundry!

Their was a little quote that you sometimes see embroidered onto tea towels:
   Wash on Monday,
   Iron on Tuesday,
   Mend on Wednesday,
   Churn on Thursday, (some say Market on Thursday)
   Clean on Friday,
   Bake on Saturday,
   Worship on Sunday...
*Want to embroider some little tea towels to show this? Go to http://tipnut.com/household-chores-towels/ and you'll find some beautiful ones. Just download them in a file and save them for printing when you're ready to embroider!

I believe in and love a life of order and so I like following the footsteps of homemakers before me. My life is reasonably close to the little ditty above. I do a large amount of our laundry on Monday. I like to get as much done that day beginning with the towels used by everyone on Saturday.
Since our financial belt has been tightened in the last year I am making our own laundry soap. I have found that whenever a change is required in my life if I embrace it I fall in love with it! The other day I went by my laundry room and it brought back a sweet memory. The smell of my laundry room was just like the smell of a laundrymat when I was a girl. I would go there with my Grandma Nelle if she had a really large load and I loved the clean smell there. Grandma said it was the Oxydol detergent. Well, that's what my laundry soap smells like when the clothes are drying. Other people might hate it but the Lord has given me a love for it! You can wash 64 loads of clothing with one batch and it costs about .01 cents per load!
So, here's the recipe:
1/3 bar Fels Naptha or other type of soap (bars of soap like Zote or Ivory found in the laundry aisle of our Krogers)
1/2 cup washing soda (NOT baking soda) This is also at our Krogers and it is Arm and Hammer but it's in a large box and is a white powder. It will be on the laundry aisle, usually near your oxygen cleaners or other soaking powders. This is a degreaser and removes dirt and other odors. (I also use it on our bathtub drains when they get slow and it does a wonderful job!)
1/2 cup Borax (also found on the laundry aisle and it is a powder) Our Kroger sells the 20 Multe Team box. Borax us a whitener and a deodorizer. (It also will kill roaches!)

Here's what to do:
Grate the bar soap. Make sure you grate it really fine. Put it in a sauce pan and add 6 cups of water. Heat it till the soap melts. Then add the washing soda and the borax and stir it till it is dissolved. Remove from heat.
Now pour 4 cups of water into a large bucket or a large pot. Add your soap mixture to the bucket and stir. Now add 1 gallon plus 6 cups of water and stir. Let the soap sit for 24 hours. It will become a soupy gel. Pour into containers. (I use ice cream buckets.)
Someone said that you shouldn't use your old detergent containers because you need to stir it before using and they will spill over and make a mess. I just stir mine at the beginning of the day and then measure it out.
This soap is not meant to make a lot of suds but it will clean!
Use 1/2 cup per load of laundry. Enjoy the savings!!

I have always enjoyed hanging clothes on the line and for Mother's Day my children bought me a clothesline for our back yard. Our sheets always hang on the line because I love the smell of a bed that is made up of line-dried sheets. Even Martha Stewart encourages using a clothesline! I have always said that hanging out clothes and kneading bread are as good as a visit to a therapist for me. They both are very calming.

Tuesday is my baking day. I make three loaves of bread almost every week and we share some and eat the rest! I love baking and I thoroughly enjoy baking the bread and baking goodies for my family and friends. I love being outside with the kids and stepping into the house right after the bread has baked....what a wonderful welcoming aroma!

Wednesday is my ironing day. I focus almost entirely on the basic chores on Wednesday so we have a stress free preparation for church. Since we're getting everyone's clothing ready for church it's a good time to press two or three shirts for other days.

Thursday is my sewing day. I sew on other days too but it seems I sew clear through to the evening on Thursday. Many times I'll use the evenings to do my fun handsewing. I love smocking and I love shadow embroidery so Thursday evening I treat myself after sewing on the "have to" projects! Right now I'm sewing five little nurse's costumes for my cousin's grandhchildren. I hope they enjoy them as much as I've enjoyed sewing them. I've also been sewing several teddy bears lately. That's fun, too because it seems no two turn out the same.

Friday is my "beginning to clean" day. I used to do all my cleaning on Saturday. My husband would fuss at me because I also cooked Sunday dinner, did all the handwork for my Sunday School lesson and other pastor's wife projects on Saturday. I kept telling him that I didn't have time on the week days to do my heavy cleaning. Then I realized I was really being obstinate and decided to pick one major cleaning project for Friday. I have since learned that I can actually get two and sometimes three projects done on Friday and we now do our (the kids do their rooms) vacuuming on Thursday! I save dusting and cleaning bathrooms for Saturday so they are polished and pretty on Sunday. Works like a dream!
Saturday is my "get ready for Sunday" day. I like a big Sunday dinner but I cook it on Saturday. Everything is oven ready when we walk out the door and all I have to do is heat vegetables and dinner is ready. At the end of the week I like looking at my chore chart that I made on Monday with each thing crossed off! It is a very satisfying feeling.

How I love, love, love being what God designed me to be. Woman, wife, mother, keeper at home, laundress, cook, teacher, seamstress, and the spirit of my home. When we yield ourselves to God's authority and God's design a great peace and satisfaction dwells within us. It spreads to our family too!
Whenever I read Proverbs 31 I am painfully aware that after over 37 years of using her as my role model I still need improvement! Early in my married years I decided that she would be my guide and I would do my very best to become skilled at each area the Lord held her up like a beautiful ruby gem to be admired. It's been a wonderful adventure and if I died today I am a deepy fulfilled woman.
It is my prayer that each woman reading this will kneel before the Lord and ask Him to teach them their biblical role and to give them great joy in it. That is what I pray over the women on my prayer list because I desire them to find the joy the Lord has given me. May God grant each reader that joy!

Love,

Mom

Hit the Reset Button!

2011-06-26T22:09:00.000-07:00

Today is the Lord's Day, the first day of my week! It has been a day that has cooled some because of the rain and this afternoon my precious husband and I sat and enjoyed a cup of coffee on the front porch and talked and listened to the steady patter of rain on the oak leaves. So comforting.
Each Monday I sit with my notebook and plan my week. I give each day to the Lord in the mornings, but I am a firm believer in the old adage "Fail to plan-plan to fail." I have found that even with fun things like reading to the children, taking a walk, playing a game together if I don't give it a specific time in the week it just won't get done!

   Tonight I sit and look at last week's plan. At the top I have my list of my "streaks". I got this wonderful idea from Sparkpeople.com. You set a goal that you would like to have as a habit and then see how many days you can go without missing! So I have there:
* 8 glasses of water (then I put abbreviations for each day so I can circle them as I accomplish them)
*1200-1500 calories daily
*5 fruits/vegetables
*Walk-5 days/week
*Strength Train-5 to 6 days/week
You could even include spiritual goals like memorize scripture, read Bible daily, go through prayer list daily, etc. The idea is to get a good thing going and you won't want to miss! It works for me.
I look at last week's list and I thought it was workable when I made it. However, I didn't plan on several "unplanned" events. (A doctor's visit I didn't plan on having in Nashville and then a sick day!) In the past that would have thrown me for a loop and I would have stewed and fretted and been completely overwhelmed.
I also worked very hard at keeping up my month long staying on my diet and doing my strength training and cardio workout 5 times per week. Much to my surprise after losing weight for about two weeks (and I know how to hang on to the fat!) I had gained 2.3 pounds this morning. In the past I would have beat myself up and then out of frustration and anger had me a little binge party tonight.
However, because I've gone through several experiences with depression I have learned that those responses only make me "feel" worse about the whole situation after the fact. So what's the answer?
Well, I call it hitting the reset button! I love Lamentations 3:22 and 23. "It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness."
If the Lord gives me a new chance every morning then I can do the same thing when I look at my very human failures. Just hit the reset button and go after the goal again and again and again until I meet it!
Every week of my life I look back and say, "I wish I had spent more time with the kids, I wish I had been more gentle in my reaction, I wish I had got more windows cleaned, I wish I had spent more time with the Lord, and the list could go on and on and on...." If I focus on what I didn't get done I lose sight of what needs done for the Lord today!
It truly makes a difference when you get on the scale and see the number go up when you thought it would go down to become introspective and angry and decide who cares anyway? (at least for an hour or two) However, it has changed everything for me to say "Well, how about that? Maybe all that strength training is making muscle and it weighs more than fat! Maybe I should add a few more minutes to my cardio, shuffle when I eat my snacks and see if I need to try some different foods to shake up my metabolism!" Then I feel hopeful instead of condemned!
It also made a difference when I looked at my list on Thursday morning (Tuesday and Wednesday being shot.) and said to myself, "Ok, let's put these down by priority. What has to be done or we're not going to function as a family?"
I had planned on reading a large portion of a book to the kids and I did that as we drove home from Nashville. I had planned on doing a lot of sewing and so I put the most important on the top and worked my way down. I had planned on cleaning the living room windows, preparing a table for painting and getting the kids final grades ready to send to the school we're enrolled in.
I was completely shocked when on Saturday not only had I completed almost everything on my list I also had Sunday dinner planned and ready! My attitude definitely made a difference (Along with giving my family a pleasant wife and mother instead of a fretful one!)
Here's some tips to help you be a happy homemaker instead of a fretful one:
1) Be a Mary first--choose to spend time with the Lord if nothing else gets done! "But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her." (Luke 10:42)
2) Break down your week's work into a plan. I put what I want to get done for the week in one list and then break it down into each day.   I only write down one day at a time what I hope to get done and then what doesn't get done goes to the next day.
3) Divide big jobs into workable pieces. For example, I'm working on trying to get rid of excess out of our garage (half our life is still packed away!) and also am trying to get all the windows washed. I have on my list a goal of 1 window per day and 3 boxes per day.
4) Give each day to the Lord.   Think of placing it on an altar and giving it to Him and telling Him you want His will for your day and not yours. That way if unexpected company shows up or your neighbor comes over and has an emergency where they need you, etc. your not going to fall apart because your planned day got changed.
5) Plan time with your husband and children. Ask the Lord to show you how to minister to them. Keeping clean laundry in your husband's drawer and closet at all times is ministering to him. A good hot meal on the table is ministering to your family. Sitting on the porch and reading to your children is ministering to them. Taking a walk with them is ministering to them. Plan to do work together with your children. I learned from my toddlers that they don't mind a job at all if mommy is right there with them making it fun.
6) Learn to be a Pollyanna. See the best in everything. Don't just talk nice to your husband and children, talk nice to yourself! Have little mantras you say to yourself like, "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again!" "Don't put it down, put it away!" "Make every trip count!" "Let's give that the 5 minute clean-up!" "No, I won't let you in, devil!" (I say that when I'm tempted to get frustrated with my husband and say something I'll regret!)
7) Remember that anything worth having has a price tag on it. Ask yourself, "Am I willing to pay the price to..." For example, "Am I willing to pay the price it takes to see my children trained for the Lord?" "Am I willing to pay the price to make my husband pleased with me?" "Am I willing to pay the price to keep my health?"
8) At the end of your work week enjoy the Lord's Day. It is the first day of the new week. Make it a very special day for your family. I love Sunday dinner. I love my family looking forward to what's going to be on the table and what dessert I'll be serving. I love the quietness of our Sunday afternoons and I love being with the Lord's people. Start your week right by obeying Isaiah 58 and not doing what please you on His day but what ministers to others in a very real way. At the end of the Lord's Day prepare to plan your new week and when looking back at last week put it behind you and
HIT THE RESET BUTTON!
I pray the Lord blesses you greatly in this new week!
Love,
Mom

A letter to my dad...

2011-06-17T18:29:00.000-07:00

Dearest Dad,

Yesterday I saw the picture of you and I that was taken last year on Father's Day. It brings tears to my eyes. It brings back memories of your mother when she developed the illness that you now have. I can honestly say I hate the disease of Alzheimer's and all its symptoms.   The dad I knew and loved is gone. The dad who was boisterous, full of zeal, social, and so alive to life and people.
I just want you to know, dad, the disease doesn't make me love you any less. It only makes me look forward to the day we can visit again in heaven and you'll be free of illness forever.
Today, as we're headed to Father's Day you've been on my mind. I find myself walking back over the days of my youth and cherishing each moment that I had with you. I never realized when I was in my carefree youth how much I'd hold on to those moments in the future and go back over them again and again--like looking at precious snapshots that captured that moment in time.
   I remember my birthday party in Lake St. Clair, Michigan. We lived above a garage very close to the lake. It must have been my 4th birthday. There was a little porch on the roof with fencing around it and we had my birthday out on that porch. I remember your acting silly and blowing on the noisemakers. It was a sweet memory of being the center of attention with my daddy being the one that was giving me all the attention that a second born could crave!
I remember the time you were laying in a windowseat reading your newspaper when I asked you to pray with me that I wouldn't go to hell. You laid your paper down, knelt down and prayed with me. I don't remember what you prayed--I do remember how much I loved my dad for calming my fears.   While living in that same house I stood in the church you pastored and after hearing a guest speaker preach on Calvary I reached up and took your hand, prayed and asked the Lord to come into my heart and save me.
I remember prayer being a major part of our lives. You led us in prayer about almost everything--or so it seemed. One night you had us down by the couch praying for milk because we didn't have any. Our prayers were short and to the point. I thought yours wasn't ever going to end. While you were praying there was a knock on the door and to my amazement there stood our school principal with a gallon of milk under each arm.
"My parents cows gave too much milk today. Could you use some?"
"God heard my dad's prayers, He heard my dad!" Prayer has always been a major part of my spiritual health and I think it's no mistake that your prayers being answered probably laid the foundation to that part of my life.
I remember a night you gave me a good hard spanking and I was thinking in my head, "I hate him. I hate him!" Then after it was over you said, "Now come here, honey." and you wanted to hug me and tell me you loved me. Those hateful thoughts instantly changed to, "I don't hate him. I don't hate him."
   I remember your taking me on a "date" with you. Isn't it strange how every detail of something like that sticks in our mind? I know the exact spot where the little corner cafe sat where we stopped to have a soft drink together. It was a greasy spoon cafe on Highway 67between Albany and Muncie, Indiana.   I felt so big sitting at that counter with my dad. After that you took me to a store and bought me a Bible story book. I kept it for years and years and somehow it got lost in one of our moves. But if it ever shows up I remember writing on the front flap the date. It was a memorable night for a little girl to be with her dad.
I remember the hikes we took when we lived out north of Parker. As we marched down the road you would make us do cadence marching to the words:
"You had a good home but you left-right, left-right...
    you had a good home but you left-right, left-right, left-right, left!"
We would end up under the bridge sitting on the cement shelving cooling off, swinging our legs, and seeing who could spit the farthest. (Why do I remember that Kristi always won?" :)
   I remember you taking the time to talk to us about dating lost boys. You gave me a magazine from Back to the Bible that followed the life of a young woman and her letters to one of the preachers. First, she was going to change him, next he promised he would come to church with her after they got married, and then the sorrow of their married life when he became a drunkard and a wife-beater. I was thoroughly convinced and that was one sin that held no temptation for me. Your spending time to show me the Bible and give me someone's testimony had a lasting impact on me.
   I remember my tumultous teen years when I felt I could not get you to understand me. I read a book by Richard DeHaan about teens that greatly affected me. However, I couldn't seem to get you to discuss my teen troubles. I wrote you a long letter and left it on your car seat. When I came out of work that night you were waiting in the car and we had our talk.
   I remember calling you from my home after I was married and had four kids to tell you how sorry I was I didn't honor you more and obey you more. I was sorry for hurting your ministry by being a rebellious teen so many times.   I was heart broken and you told me I'd been forgiven long ago for anything that had hurt you. I was so distressed over it that I kept calling you and you finally said, "Now Tami, the cat's dead. Go bury it and don't leave the tail out so you can keep checking it to make sure if it's dead." Those words often echo in my memory and I often have to repeat them to myself when I need your wise advice once again.
   I remember calling your house to talk about spiritual things and you always had the time. You always stopped what you were doing to talk to me. When I went through the deep, deep valley of depression you kept telling me to "Look up--not in.". You would quote scripture and remind me that if I looked in it would get dirtier and darker but if I looked up it would pull me out of the darkness.
   When I had a terrible week you and mother packed your things and came over to stay with me. I remember you laying your hands on me and praying for me over and over. Each time you did that the depression would ease. What love a sacrifice.
I remember asking the Lord to please not take you and mother from me because I knew you wouldn't fail to pray for me when others did. Shortly after that she went to heaven and not too long after that Alzheimer's began claiming you. I have made it without you on the other end of the phone but I haven't made it without hearing so many things you've said and taught going through my mind and being so thankful for the dad I was given.
   Dearest dad, what a wonderful legacy and heritage you bestowed on me. You weren't perfect, you actually were impulsive, quick to move, slow to listen and you didn't fit the manuals that have been written on how to be the perfect dad.   I remember during one of my rebellious times (and after focusing on your imperfections) I decided I was going to show you by going into total rebellion. I took a walk and as I walked around and around the block fussing and fuming at you I knew beyond any doubt you had David's perfect heart. With all your heart you desired to please and obey the Lord and to the best of your ability you were fathering us in obedience to the Lord. I couldn't follow through on my threat once I admitted that.
   If I had listened to you and obeyed you I wouldn't have many of the scars I do have. I can't think of any advice you gave me that wasn't absolutely true. I just didn't like your delivery and used that as an excuse to sin. Any place you didn't "measure up" Christ would have filled in the empty spots. It wasn't your failure--it was my failure to fully depend on the Lord to meet my needs.
   I wish you could read this and comprehend how very, very much I love you and how grateful I am for you. You truly are a modern-day spiritual hero, one of the giants we should try to emulate and follow their footsteps. I have often asked the Lord for your fearlessness in witnessing and your total unawareness of what negative things people thought or said about your love for the Lord and your Christian life. I also covet the zeal you always had toward the Lord's people and the Lord's work. Thank you so much for being my dad.
   Since you can't read this I want to honor you before others and let the whole world know what a wonderful dad I have. I love you, daddy!
Happy Father's Day!

Love,

Tamara

Our Cierra Nichole...

2011-06-09T22:28:00.000-07:00

We got Cierra and John in February when she was three years old and he was 10 months old. John, being a baby just snuggled right up and made himself at home. Cierra wasn't so quick to adjust. She was a beautiful brown haired little girl with dark brown eyes and she was also scared out of her wits! I tried my best to put myself in her shoes as she stood in our living room looking around.
She was very articulate and a quick learner, but she didn't feel like she belonged to us yet. Whenever I would go somewhere and my husband wasn't with us she would ask me, "Why are you driving? Why isn't he driving?" Then when we got in the van she would lay over in her seat as if she was very distressed.
I tried trips together to Wal Mart to buy Dora the Explorer as rewards for being a good girl, I tried taking her on a "date" to Cracker Barrel, I tried letting her shop with me and push the little girl's cart in Kroger but each time it was just her and me she would end up talking very mean to me and we would repeatedly have to make trips to the bathroom. (meaning she was very nervous)
   The day came we were to go before the judge and I stood in the bathroom brushing her hair and explaining to her what was happening.   I told her that "today we're going before a judge and we're going to tell him we want you forever." I looked down as she asked, "You DO?" and saw hives on her little neck.
"Yes," I said, "forever and ever and I'll tell the judge that." .
   "And I won't have to be on the street or in the ditch any more?" she asked.
  "No, honey, right here with your daddy and me forever and ever." She heaved a long sigh of relief.
   When we got to court I held her in my arms and told the judge we wanted them forever. When we got home she bounced around the house like a little bunny rabbit full of joy.
   She never asked why my husband wasn't driving again. I can only guess that when I took her somewhere without baby John she thought I didn't want her and was taking her to another home. She never laid down in the seat again. She learned to love shopping with mommy! (and still does!)
I call Cierra my rose in bloom. She's turned into the most wonderful daughter a mother could wish for. We have so much in common. My mother told me more than once that Cierra looked more like my biological daughter than my biological daughters do! We also have so many similar loves and interest--cooking, baking, sewing, designing, and yes, this year we even laughed and cried and enjoyed doing Algebra together!
When we had her first birthday party she didn't seem to know what to do. I had to coach her through the whole thing. Let me tell you, by the next one she had it all figured out and knew exactly who and what she wanted! "I want a tea party, I want little sandwiches, I want Rachel and Haley and....."

This year our daughter turned 15. Her birthday is the day before mine so I always tell her that she was my birthday gift the year we got her and continues to be every year of my life!
She is one of the most generous people I've ever met and so very easy to please. I truly believe that if
I told her we couldn't get her a thing she would say that was fine. I also believe if she thought someone needed something she was just given more than herself she would give it to them cheerfully!

This year she decided she'd like to have some friends over, that she wanted a Peanut Butter Pie and a Butter Brickle Pie in lieu of the usual birthday cake and she wanted a big Mexican dinner--enchiladas, corn, salad, Spanish rice, Mexican corn bread and the desserts. Then she wanted us to get guest passes for Tansi so they could go miniature golf, play volleyball. tennis, tetherball or ping pong. Sounded good to us, the day was supposed to be a sunny day.
Well, just as we got the dishes done the sky began to turn gray! Then the rain began to sprinkle down. Then we began to get heavy rain with hail. I was at the sink thinking, "Well, I guess they'll have to do board games or the Wii."
I stepped on the porch after finishing the kitchen to see what was going on! (I could hear laughing.)
Well, the rain was pouring off the gutters it was raining so hard and a water fight had started.

I stepped outside and we all were laughing and talking and watching the rain. I heard Sarah whisper something to Cierra and Cierra laughed and said, "I don't think so!"
I said, "What?" Cierra told me that Sarah wondered if I she could get me wet!

"Not and live!" was my reply.

Well, the water fight got so wild I decided the house was safer, so Sarah and I decided to go in the house and play some Wii. Just as I was learning how to do it I got a phone call. (I am Wii dysfunctional.) So I was trying to learn from Sarah and talk on the phone when there was a loud crack, the house went black and the phone went dead!

I ended up putting the cordless up and going to my room to talk on the phone in there. Next thing I can hear is Cierra screaming. She was going down the hall and Sarah had jumped out of her room and scared her. Well, that started hide and go seek in the dark house. Cierra, Naomi, Sarah and John!
I had to shut the door they were all laughing so hard. I decided that I would only open the door if I heard a crash or breaking glass. I only had to open the door twice! :)

Now these are kids who are dripping wet and there is no electricity! They all had their dry clothes for Sunday night but no way to dry there hair! They had such a good time that as we were heading out to church (with very we heads) I realized Cierra hadn't even opened her gifts yet!
"I don't care," she said, "I've been having too much fun to open gifts!"

So the gifts, more pie and other goodies all had to wait till we got home from church but that was fun because we had another party! And, this week the Snodderly girls are coming back so they can use those Tansi passes! Sounds fun to me!

I am reminded of a scene in Anne of Green Gables when Matthew and Marilla are seeing Anne off to teach at Queens. Matthew states that it was their luck when they were accidentally given a boy and Marilla answers, "It wasn't luck, Matthew--it was Providence. He knew we needed her!"
That's how I feel about our Cierra Nichole. She needed us, but we needed her more. With her cheerful spirit, her generous heart, her willingness to help, and her wonderful creative nature she is such a blessing to this home.
I love you Cierra! I'm so thankful you're ours!

Love,

Mom

Now how many kids do you know who would ask for a jar of olives and a bag of Skittle as part of their birthday gift? :) (picture at left)

Summer Is Almost Here!

2011-05-25T22:48:00.000-07:00

As much as I love teaching when we get into the month of May I go back in my mind to being a little 5th grade girl sitting in my classroom. In May our teacher would raise the windows to cool the room and although my body was sitting at the wooden desk lined neatly behind someone else's, my mind was outside under the big trees that lined our school. I wanted so much to be out enjoying the warm breeze, the newly leafed trees and playing--not doing school. I'm sure I wasn't a very productive student in the springtime because my heart and mind were already on summer break!
Well, not a whole lot has changed. I truly feel for my children when they have a hard time concentrating this time of the year. I give them the standard lectures on how the end of the year grades are SO important so they need to focus on those last few tests, but inside I'm with them--dying to close the books and get outside!
My husband says that the reason I love children so much is because I've never quit being one myself. I don't argue that point because the last week as I go to sleep at night I try to think of what the children and I will do this summer.
Sometimes I'll try to think of a theme. I love the camp theme for kids in the summer. You can have "cabin clean-up" each day and have a winner at the end of the week--boys against girls. You can have a canteen and when they do good on chores and projects they earn reward money that can be spent at the canteen. It can be chips, candy bars, granola bars, cheese crackers or coupons "good for a McDonald's ice cream cone" (each one having a value put on it in your fake money) but kids love spending money at the canteen. By the way, the canteen is only open at certain hours of the day!
You can have craft projects you do together. These can be carefully disguised jobs that you're wanting to get done. I'm trying to figure out how to slip in my "sand and paint" the little table for the front porch into a craft project for the kids this summer!

You can have badges that the kids earn by carrying out their craft projects or doing a nature project. You can teach them how to make lanyards, how to sew a simple skirt, baking 101, make and paint your own birdhouse, backyard garden, etc. All this keeps the kids busy and happy and teaches them something new at the same time. I don't know about anyone else but I enjoy these projects just as much as my kids do. I've been a mama long enough now that you can do just about anything with a kid and if you're into it with them wholeheartedly they're going to have a wonderful time!
One year when I was at Alicia's helping after a baby (I believe it was Macey Joy) I brought "camp in a suitcase" with me when I came to watch the children while Alicia recovered. I had scarves (like the boys scout and girl scouts wear) that we sewed badges (special buttons and beads) on when they earned them. We had canteen, morning devotions, game time, craft time and rest time. (that last one was Grandma inspired and needed!) We had cabin cleanup contest, special treats to make and eat and we even designed and made our own camp flag. On each Friday evening we had "awards night" where the kids earned their choice of $1 gifts from Dollar Tree for being the one with the most initiative on their chores or the most cheerful or that learned all of Psalms 100. The camp was called Camp Tamarak. (My name is Tamara Kaye and I was really pleased with the name of the camp. :)

Something else kids love is being out at night in the summer. My kids and I have always loved building campfires and sitting by it after dark. You can chase fireflies, play flashlight tag, find the summer constellations and tell them stories by a campfire. You can teach them to make S'mores, try making some hamburger packets or other campfire food, and if you're really brave you can even camp out with them in the backyard. I have actually built tents with sheets and clothespins over a swing set and had a wonderful time camping out with my kids.

Children love games and adults seem to draw back from games with children because, well, because kids can sure complicate games with their playfulness and their argumentiveness with one another, BUT they love games and they need games. So I plan a game night and make myself do it. I've found once I get into it I have a wonderful time and it if you make rules and stick to them everyone learns about cooperation and taking turns and you learn all kinds of new things about your kids!

When I think of summer and kids I think of several things that you cannot fail with. Eating outside is one. Set up a table outside and roast some hot dogs, throw the chips on the table and have popsicles or ice cream cones ready for the end of the meal and you've got happy kids! Summer is such a fun time for outdoor meals and snacks. I've made my kids sack lunches or bought the little plastic trays at WalMart and let them carry their lunch outdoors to eat in the treehouse or fort. Makes it so special!

Another sure winner is water to play in! Rather it's just a large tub of water they're allowed to play in with toys and cups or a small pool you keep carefully maintained ,(and I know what a job this is as we had a wading pool almost every year we lived at the Swan Pond parsonage that I cleaned manuall.) kids and water love each other on a hot summer day. One of the funnest $1 investments I ever made was a bunch of water balloons with the little gizmo that goes on your outdoor water faucet to fill them with. So fun! Get a big trash barrel and let them spend an hour so filling them and then let them go at it. (with you in the middle) Makes for a good half day of fun!

Another fun toy that kids love to play with is sheets and/or refrigerator boxes. Have your hubby stop by an appliance store and get a couple refrigerator boxes and then you and the kids can cut, paint and play. I've made a Noah's ark out of one for Asher's third birthday, made nice big long tunnels for the kids to play in, made a castle, a fort, a pirate ship and a playhouse out of refrigerator boxes. You can even let the kids cut up scrap fabric and make curtains for it. You can attach it to the side of a swing set for a huge fort or hideout. My kids have been detectives, spies, Civil War soldiers, pirates, and the list goes on and on and a refrigerator box has been part of the props many times. As far as the sheets, you can make a wonderful tent over a clothesline, you can create instant shade on their swing set, and you can drape them over tables to make hideouts! I remember having the kids completely convinced that we were hiding from Indians that were attacking when we were under a draped table!
I know there's more but the last one I can think of is taking a walk. Where we live now it is beautiful and it is so enjoyable to walk the neighborhood. My kids and I take penny walks sometimes. You take a penny along and when you come to a corner you toss the penny to determine if you're going straight or turning! We've forgotten the penny at times and so we'll throw the water bottle or something else we find to decide is is left, right or straight! I also turn walks into scavenger hunts. The kids get a certain amount of points if they see wildlife, a certain color of flower, an insect, children in a yard, a clothesline and the list can go on and on. Last year I threw in that they would get 500 points if they saw a bear! Much to my surprise a house had a wooden bear on the porch and one of the kids got the points! Another time it was a frog and some people had a yard full of fake frogs! You can reward the one with the most points however you wish. You know, the losers have to wait on him all evening or something like that!

This summer gas prices are high, my husband is working off hours where we will be home almost every day but I am looking forward to summer. Years ago a lady wrote in a book I read how blessed you would be if you learned to find joy in those things that were God-given and were free. Watching children play wiffle ball in the twilight, telling stories as you sit on the porch swing and watch fireflies blink. Bathing a baby and teaching them to play with bubbles. Being thrilled with watching your coffee perking on a counter with dappled sunlight mixing with the steam. There is so much to do with children that is free or almost free. If you're struggling financially right now it isn't the time to mope because you can't run to the amusement park with your kids this year--make your own amusement park in your own back yard and have fun! If you ask the Lord to help you see this summer through the eyes of a child you can make it the most memorable summer your kids ever have and years later they'll say, "Mom, do you remember the summer when....." and that will make it worth it all!

With love,

Mom

Post-Mother's Day Thoughts...

2011-05-10T22:26:00.000-07:00

I had a wonderful Mother's Day this year. The celebration began on Saturday morning when at 8:15 a.m. a florist delivered me a beautiful hanging basket of bright peach geraniums! I was curious as I opened the card, and to be truthful, Nevin has always been the one that has sent a rose to plant or flowers as a gift so I half-expected them to be from him. I was already chiding whichever child did it in my head for "spending extra money they didn't have" but yet thrilled that I was that important! When I opened the card it said, "I love you. Alicia" I had had a rough night physically but it was all forgotten in a second as that warm feeling of being special and loved went through me. She couldn't have picked a better gift at a better time. Thank you, my dear Alicia. (and family)
Then the mail arrived and John knocked on the bedroom door with it behind his back. He said, "You got this" and handed me an envelope, "and you got this!" and handed me a package!   They were both from Niki. The envelope held new pictures of our precious grandbabies and the package was a coffee mug with pictures from the last year of the Lott family! The pictures are on my dresser and the cup has the perfect place in my Hoosier cabinet!
  My next blessing was a visit from my mother-in-law which I thoroughly enjoyed. We had asked her to spend the weekend with us as this was her first Mother's Day without Charles. I love her as if she were my own mother and am so thankful for her. We all went "flower shopping" for a while and found beautiful hostas at K Mart. She and I both benefited from that trip because Gary went back later than evening and got us each two of them for Mother's Day.
We bought the food for a simple Mother's Day lunch of hoagies, oven fries and fruit and cheese. Cierra made brownie bites and Gary bought chocolate ice cream and low calorie/low fat chocolate syrup so we could have sundaes I was thrilled that we found the exact things on sale at UGO for my Mother's Day lunch I had asked for. (They even had chicken and turkey submarine [a.k.a. long strips of deli meat] for $1.59 a lb.! All we had to do was load the sandwiches!)
   John bought me the clothesline I had requested so I could freshen my drapes this summer and hang out my sheets weekly. Cierra bought me the can opener that was on my "wish list" and Gary bought me two hanging baskets of ferns and two hostas. I'm a blessed mother, with or without gifts--but it sure is nice to have them express their love by showering you with gifts!
I talked to all my children on Mother's Day and the crowning glory of a present was a personal letter written to me from my son Nathan. It arrived by e-mail and when Gary came to see why I hadn't come to bed at 11:37 p.m. I was sitting there crying for joy at the sweet letter of gratitude from my son. It was the perfect gift.
His letter made me think about the choices I'd made as a mother. Most of my choices were made from watching the example of my own precious mother and from believing the Bible is true and if we do what it says we will reap good fruit in our lives. My choices were also a conscious decision on the part of my husband and myself being very serious about raising our children for the Lord. I remember both of us being very nervous about the huge responsibility we had taken on when we had our first little baby girl!
I remember our discussions about the seriousness of being responsible for living souls and us making a definite choice for me to be a stay-at-home mother even if we had to "sell the furniture out from under us" for me to do so. I also remember when Niki became school age many conversations about her education and once again we made the decision to see to it she got a Christian education and together "counting the cost" of this and deciding that whatever the cost our children would have a godly Christian education not a Christless one that challenged all we believed to be true.
   The Lord always sent the right sermon, the right book, the right person into our lives when we were "paying the price". I remember reading the book Growing Up God's Way by John Stormer and reading about Susanna Wesley saying that the reason she hesitated to give advice to other mother's about child-rearing was that "so few mothers would take the center of their life and dedicate it to rearing godly children". (not a direct quote but how I remember it!) I decided then that I would take the best part of my life and dedicate it to raising children for the Lord.
I remember another friend handing me the book, What the Bible Says About Child Training by Richard Fugate. After reading it I had an even deeper sense of responsibility to obey the word of God above all else in rearing children because God Himself held me responsible for it. It changed my thinking and my life as a mother in a positive way.
   The last few days I've pondered all of this in my heart and yearned for the Lord to continue to use me as a godly woman, wife and mother till the day I die. Today I was checking e-mails and a blog entitled "What's Been Easy About Losing 25 Pounds" caught my eye. http://www.dailyspark.com/blog.asp?post=how_to_pay_the_price_for_weight_loss_and_win. In this article he talked about "paying the price" to lose weight and get fit. I had been thinking about "paying the price" but in the spiritual realm for two days now! Every thing he said fit hand-and-glove with what I'd been thinking about concerning my role as a godly woman. He talked about making a daily decision to "pay the price" and the long-term benefits you would reap. He asked you to join his Spark group and list as a comment how you paid the price that day. It inspired me and made me want to become a part of "paying the price" in the area of health, nutrition and fitness. But it also inspired me to renew my commitments to "pay the price" in my spiritual life, and to think about it on a daily basis.
An hour or so later it was time to exercise. I don't hate exercise, I hate the time it takes out of my busy day. Each day the man that wrote the book 8 Minutes in the Morning (by Jorge Cruise) has a little self-talk he wants you to do before you exercise. Today's was about "Loser Zones". In his book he had the quote, "You will never find time for anything. If you want time, you must make it." -Charles Buxton, American writer. That went right along with my philosophy that you will find the time and the money for anything you truly love and want. He asked the question, "What are your Loser Zones, and how many hours per day do you spend Loser Zone activity?" The number one loser zone he listed was television viewing--up to 30 hours a week for the average American! He also mentioned aimless phone conversations, surfing the internet, etc.
Once again my mind ran to the spiritual realm. Where were my Loser Zones that kept me from spending more time with the Lord in His word and in prayer? I could name a couple right off the bat. Was I willing to "pay the price" so I could reap the benefits? Who might I see saved this year or rescued spiritually if I was willing to "pay the price"? What might happen in my own life and that of my family if I was willing to "pay the price" and move forward with the Lord to a higher plane than I've been on?
Today I was motivated in the spiritual area and in the physical realm to be a better mother this year than I was last year. To yield what I wanted to see stronger bonds, sweeter relationships and spiritual fruit in my life and the life of my family.
Because I'm a mother of older children and younger children I am already reaping some precious fruit from my children that lets me know it was worth every ounce of "paying the price". My son's heartfelt thank you letter left me knowing it was worth every sacrifice I'd ever made as a mother. Knowing your children are safely in His flock and fold givs you a good night's rest.
I thank the Lord for giving us a guide book and for His faithfulness in sending instructions when we are yearning for them. I thank Him for letting me have the privilege and responsibility of being a mother, and I thank Him for entrusting those precious little souls into my care for a few years.
I pray that you too will count the cost and decide that it's worth every precious sacrifice you make to see your children "spiritually" healthy and satisfied. May the Lord use this to encourage you to not be "weary in well doing" but to keep on keeping on as a wife and mother separated "from the world unto the Lord".   May God strengthen and encourage each one of you as you raise your family for Him.

Love,

Mom

Memory Lane- #1

2011-05-01T22:08:00.000-07:00

   I don't know why but my heart has been going down memory lane in a big way for over a week now. I have thought so much about people and places that have influenced my life in a major way. Maybe it's because I'm in the autumn of life and maybe it's because the Lord has been giving me a grateful heart lately.
   My first memories are of a little house on Jay Street in the town of Dunkirk, IN. Dunkirk was a small town with a train track dividing it. My maternal grandparents lived on Railroad Street and my paternal grandmother lived on the other side of town on Pleasant Street. What sweet memories the town of Dunkirk has for me.
   The house we lived in was a dark green shingled house and I was a very little girl. My only memory there is of a Christmas tree and my dad throwing his shoe at a mouse that ran by the tree and killing it. I remember my parents thinking that was very funny and all of us laughing. End of memories in that house. I have lots of memories of how the house looked by looking at pictures and hearing my parents talk abou it.
I also have the memory of my dad telling that while we lived there my sister Kristi would ask to go to church when the church bells rang on Sunday. He said that bothered him--but not enough to get him to go to church.
Then he began working with a bricklayer named Paul Vice who was also an evangelist. Paul Vice was going to be preaching a meeting at my dad's mother's church. It was Sugar Grove Methodist Church, a little country church that I remember us going to some when I was very small. He asked my dad to come hear him preach there and got my dad to agree. During that meeting on January 25th (I think I have the date right) my dad and mom went forward and got saved. Life changed for our entire family after that--my parents salvation saved their marriage and allowed my dad to see household salvation. I can't imagine how happy his mother must have been.
   My only other memory of that period of my life was that my Grandpa Ike left and I didn't see him again until I was in about 4th or 5th grade. I am not sure if what I remember really is in my memory or it was told to me by my parents till I think I remember it, but I have a memory of my Grandpa Ike holding me, playing with me, riding me on his foot like I was on a horse and then he was gone. My dad told me he left right after that evening of spending time with us. He was a womanizer and had left more than once but this was the last time. I only saw him twice after that. Years later when reading my grandmother's journals I read where he would come home and run up bills, leave after getting indebted, ask for forgiveness and come back only to put them in debt again. Finally when he asked to come back she told him no.
These were the days when to get a divorce the person who was wronged had to file for the divorce and my grandmother would never do that. She told me that although he had broken his vows she was not going to break hers. He never did get his divorce but lived in Florida with another woman till his death when I was a senior in high school. My grandmother's willingness to be true to her vows in spite of what had been done against her made a huge impression on me as a young person. I knew when I married it was truly "for better or for worse" and planned to see it through because of my grandmother's advice and example.
My Grandma Nelle's house had a beige living room, a flamingo bedroom and a turquoise kitchen when my grandpa left her. I have never liked those colors on the walls of a house. It gives my heart a little downward tug to think of her kitchen back then and I didn't like it till my dad remodeled it for her. Who would think that even the colors affected the sadness I felt at losing my Grandpa Ike as a very little girl.
I still remember the smell of the Dove bar soap in my grandma's bathroom, my fascination with her razor laying on the side of her tub, how I loved her collection of cameos and her hair reticule and bakelite set of brushes and beauty items on her dresser.  I think of my love of her teacups and the little China doll on her curio shelf with glass lace on her skirt tail..
At my other grandparents I spent many a rainy afternoon on a butter yellow glider in their screened in porch and today a glider like it sits on my porch. I loved my grandmother's book shelves with their glass fronts and the wonderful smell of stationery when I opened them. I loved the Big-Little books on those shelves and the little box of games my grandpa kept in there to entertain us. I loved my grandpa's Popular Mechanics books and find myself looking for reprints of them in bookstores. I loved my grandmother's orange teakettle, her African Violets that lined her sunny kitchen window and the grape arbor in the back yard with the porch swing under it. Oh, sweet memories. Thank you Lord for bringing them back to me to relive those lovely days.
  With that I will conclude my first trip down memory lane. I'm writing this mostly for my children, but also for my spiritual children. We don't realize how much one person can affect the rest of our lives. It is so important to surround ourselves with the right influences and to see our children are surrounded with the right influences. Childhood influences affect us for the rest of our days. As a young woman I felt my Grandmother Mettler was my best friend. As a little girl my Grandpa Mettler gave me many pieces of advice and I've not forgot a one of them. I'd say at the time he didn't know if I was listening or not--but I still remember our talks.
How does that affect me today? I am now a grandmother and I know that every conversation might mean the difference in my grandchildren's lives. I try to have time with them that they will look back to with the sweetest of memories and not to take them for granted.
   I also try to remember that every spiritual decision I make will affect my entire family--for good or for bad. I pray that I will make decisions that will bring more of the Lord into my family's heart and life. And I pray that the Lord will teach us all that today is tomorrow's memory. May all of us live in such a way that when we are gone "we being dead still speak" to our family.

Love,
Mom

Salisbury Steak and Carrot Cake....

2011-04-17T21:55:00.000-07:00

I know I'm feeling better when I want to get into my kitchen and cook. Last week the "bug" bit me and I had to have some home baked wheat bread. I love the smell of the house when it's baking and Cierra and I can't resist eating the heel while it's warm and putting butter and honey on it. Mmmmm..... This week's bread rose so beautifully and was especially good. Three loaves are already gone! (I did share some of it.)
Then we were going to have company Thursday and I was trying to decide what to fix. I hadn't made Salisbury Steak with Onion Gravy in a while and we had eaten chicken the first two nights of the week, so everyone was in the mood for something different. I got this recipe from a Campbells Soup recipe book my mom gave me years ago and we love it. I double it and have tripled it. It always turns out wonderful. When company is coming I make it ahead of time and put it in the crock pot on low and it finishes cooking while I can work on something else!
So here is the recipe:

Salisbury Steak with Onion Gravy
1 can (10 1/2) oz. condensed onion soup *(I buy the dry onion soup and make it up for this because it's cheaper and makes plenty if you need to double the recipe.)
1 1/2 lbs. ground beef (or ground venison, which is what I used this week)
1/2 cup fine dry bread crumbs
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/4 tsp. salt
dash pepper
1 T. flour
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup water
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. prepared mustard

Read the recipe carefully you don't use all the ingredients at once! In bowl, combine 1/3 cup soup with beef, crumbs, egg, salt, pepper. Shape into 6 oval patties. In skillet, brown patties; pour off fat. Gradually blend remaining soup into flour until smooth. Add to skillet with remaining ingredients; stir to loosen browned bits. Cover; cook over low heat 20 min. or until done. Stir now and then.

I meant to take a picture of both of these but forgot! Maybe next time. It is delicious!

Our church had a dinner this Sunday and for my dessert I made Carrot Cake. I usually make it on Easter Sunday but we're going to be gone this year so I decided to make it for the dinner. My mom gave me this recipe and it is the best I've tasted.

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
1 1/4 cups salad oil
2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. soda
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
4 eggs
1 cup grated raw carrots
1 cup chopped pecans (optional)
Bake at 300 degrees for one hour. (That's all my mom had on the card. I like to make this into layers and found out the hard way to use three round pans if you do that! Adjust the time to what kind of cake you are making. I will not take as long in the layers as a 9x13 pan.)

Frosting:
8 oz. cream cheese
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 stick butter
1 box powdered sugar (4 cups)

I use 5-6 cups of powdered sugar and mix the above and then add a tiny little bit of milk at a time until it is spreading consistency. If you use this much powdered sugar you will have plenty for a 3 layer cake. If it's a 9x13 you probably could get by with 4 cups of the sugar.
I always associate this cake with the spring for some reason and especially with Easter Sunday. I also make a torte with a crunchy layer on the bottom, then a cream cheese layer, then a pudding layer and then cool whip on top. I make butterscotch in the fall, chocolate in the winter, pistachio at Christmas (with maraschino cherries decorating the top), and lemon in the spring and summer. I think it's wonderful how we come to associate certain foods we eat with seasons.
That's all the recipes for now. We got cake mixes at our local UGO for 50 cents each and I don't like cake mix cakes, so I've been playing with recipes that doctor them up. I made a torte with one that was very, very good--I'll post that recipe later.
I hope everyone is enjoying the beauty of the spring like we are. Dogwoods, redbuds, birds singing, and life popping up everywhere on trees and in our yards. Our Designer knows how to make us rejoice in the spring season with all His color and life. Enjoy!

Our John Robert...

2011-04-03T22:46:00.000-07:00

I always wanted and prayed for a large family. At least seven children and I actually prayed for eight children. I often tease my husband that one more will be coming along sooner or later since I prayed for eight! "Turn you to the strong hold, ye prisoners of hope: even to day do I declare that I will render double unto thee;" Zech. 9:12 was the verse I used to ask the Lord to give my husband and I double of the four biological children we had.
Each Mother's Day I would pray and tell the Lord I was available to mother more children for Him if He would give them to us. On July 17, 1991 God gave us our first extra blessing--Asher Obadiah. His name means "how blessed" and he has been just that to us. A wonderful bonus blessing!
Then in 1999 God granted us two more bonus blessings! We were given Cierra Nichole (who was 3) and John Robert (who was 10 months) straight from the Lord to our arms and love.
Tomorrow is John's 12th birthday so I'm going to tell his story. When we got him he hadn't been held much and he still was basically just on a bottle. Each night I would put a blanket in the dryer and get it warm and then sit and hold him and rock him. He hadn't had much physical love and he ate it up! He would snuggle up to me and just let me hold him and rock him and sing to him.
When John turned a year old he became very sick. His health wasn't good when we got him and he seemed to pick up everything that went around. He ended up in the hospital with rotavirus and e-coli on his very first birthday! His aunt came to the hospital and offered to watch him so I could go home and take a shower and get a nap. I snatched the opportunity and headed home. I had showered and was just settling in for a nap when the phone rang. The hospital wanted me to come back because he wouldn't quit crying and was very upset. So I headed back to the hospital. The minute I picked him up he snuggled into my arms and quit crying. I can remember calling my husband and saying, "I'm his mama now. He knows I'm his mama."
   John hadn't had much opportunity to move about and so we got him a walker. He didn't walk in a walker, he ran in a walker! I had to block doorways so he wouldn't hit the divider and send himself flying!   Once he got the idea of moving around he wasn't happy with holding still!
   After we'd had the children for about a year Gary and I decided to try a getaway for our anniversary with Brian and Niki watching John and Cierra. On the last day of our getaway Niki called and said she didn't think John was going to make it another day he was so unhappy and fussy. So we headed back home early. When we walked in the door he latched on to Gary's leg and when Gary picked him up he kept loving on him.
That night we decided to let him lay in the bed with us for a while. As he laid between Gary and I he would take turns kissing Gary's face and then kissing my face. I don't know who was enjoying it the most--John or us.
Early on John had a sense of adventure and a love for learning. He has a mechanical mind and he's a problem solver. If I can't figure out how something works I hand it to John. He talked early and would ask the most unusual questions like "Why do refrigerators have wheels under them?" I mean, what two year old studies on that?
  He loved Batman so we bought him the mask and a little cape. One day I looked out the kitchen window and he was on the top of the fort (Gary had built it for Asher when he was little) and I could see he was planning on jumping off of it. I raced out the back door but it was too late. He had dived off of the fort and was on the ground crying. I picked him up and checked him out. He was scratched up but nothing broken. I said, "John, honey, why did you do that?" His reply was, "Because I thought I would fly like Batman!" That's just one of the many scares he's given me with his love for adventure!
When he was about five he asked the Lord to be His Savior. What a joy to put a checkmark by his name in my Bible where I have my children and grandchildren's names claiming their salvation ahead of time. It is my heart's desire that he will always yield to the Lord in his life and bring glory to God. It is also my prayer.
  Each year I've watched him grow and seen his personality develop. He is a natural leader. He has a sense of humor that I absolutely love. He is better than tv comedy when he gets in a certain mood! He loves the Three Stooges and I like to stand back in my room and listen to him belly laugh as he watches them. He loves Dick Van Dyke and since I love that too we watch it together. He loves games. He would play games every night if I would agree. His favorite is Monopoly. He loves to fish. He loves to hunt. He loves he and I planning something together and then doing it together. He has always loved planning a little garden and so I gave him a little plot of his own. This year he's planning on growing vegetables in containers!
   I often think how empty my life would be without Asher, Cierra and John. What a wonderful blessing they have been to us.
Twelve years ago his aunt and I sit in a nursery together and it was Easter Sunday. She told me that her little sister had had a baby that day-a little boy. I never dreamed that he was going to be my little boy.
Tomorrow he has requested a lemon cake with filling between the layers that is like the filling in a lemon filled donut. Then he wants lemon buttercream icing and lemon ice cream. He made me a list of all his "wishes" for his birthday. It was typical for a boy his age and some were reasonable and some weren't. (like rent the skating rink for the entire evening so just our family could skate all evening!)
He'll be happy with what he's getting. He's chosen spaghetti with lettuce salad, corn and garlic bread for supper. That surprised me--I expected homemade chicken nuggets or Chicken Parmagiana.
So tonight I'm sittting here looking forward to tomorrow when my "baby" is turning twelve and feeling a little sad too. Wondering how much longer I'll get 55 kisses like I did tonight, or we'll have to pack "Moosie and Rex" in his backpack to travel anywhere in the world, or he'll want to hold my hand in church, or...
Yet I'm enjoying seeing the adolescent John who insists on helping me with heavy things or getting something down for me that requires a ladder.  The John who takes off with his dad on a deer hunt (and he got one!), or goes to work with his dad like he did last Saturday and earns himself $28 because he worked like a little man.
  My mother once gave me a vinegar cruet with silk roses in it. She said, "Tami, this is like life---some bitter and some sweet, but we need to take is all and find joy in it." So that's how I'm feeling tonight as my son turns twelve--like this is a little bittersweet. However, I'm finding joy in all of it and am so thankful for my precious son that God hand-picked for us and gave to us. Happy birthday, to my John!

Love,
Mom

p.s. I would have pictures on here of our John but had a computer crash last week and am still replacing files that were lost!

Spring...

2011-03-09T17:31:00.000-08:00

I love the springtime. I love the budding trees, the new color showing up everywhere, the way the Lord combines those colors and that everything is coming alive. I have always loved spring in Tennessee because of the warmth in the air and the sweet smell of the honeysuckle during late April and May.
I also love spring because my mind begins running with ideas. I order seed catalogs (which I usually can't afford to order from) and I pull out my patterns and begin to design clothing for the children on paper and in my head. I dream of what project I might want to take on to make the house look more cheerful. I sat the other night and clipped magazines with beautiful spring bouqets and birds on the nest and beautiful downy little chicks.
This year I am hoping for a clothesline so I can hang my sheets out to dry like I did when we lived at Swan Pond. Hanging things on a clothesline is some kind of therapy for me. I love the smell of the sheets after they've been out in the warm sun and summer wind.
In the spring I begin pulling out my favorite recipes for desserts with strawberries and lemon and other fruit flavors. I go through my cookbooks looking for lighter fare for our meals and I make a "wish list" of meals to try on my family for spring and summer. Cierra is now old enough that she and I enjoy sitting together and going through cookbooks and planning what we think would be fun to try.
As part of my "therapy" for my last real battle physically my husband wanted me to do a sewing project that wasn't because it had to be done but just for fun. My favorite sewing is for children so I took a 1953 pattern that had never been cut out and made it up. Because I couldn't physically get out of the house Esther chose the fabric for me by sending photos back and forth via the computer and then buying the one I liked the best. (Thank you, dear Esther!)
I'm all done except the buttons. It truly was good for me to have to plan, design, cut and sew as it kept my mind busy. Here's the pattern (and the link to where you can buy it on E-bay).

http://cgi.ebay.com/Simplicity-4407-Childs-Jumper-Blouse-Sz-2-UNcut-Patt-/390282736051
And although I'm not finished with putting the button's on (since I have yet to get back to town!) I'm going to include a picture of how it looks so far. It has a tied bow in the back that is darling too.

Didn't that turn out so precious? This would have been the type of dress my mother would have made me when I was little. I have a passion for sewing vintage patterns for children but not much time to indulge in it so this was fun!
I have a spring sewing list (longer than I can possibly get done.) but just going through my patterns with the little short sleeves or little matching linen coats over the dresses, the little boys rompers, all the beautiful new tote and purse patterns I'm seeing, the twirly skirts for the little girls and the list could go on and on.
I have to remind myself that they will not all get done and that I need to decide which of my many ideas really matter to me, which are beyond my reach, which would take so much time I would end up neglecting my family, etc. but yet it is still so much fun sitting with pen and paper and planning it all--even if I have to put little astericks beside some of them showing that they are very likely not going to happen and are on the bottom of the list! That doesn't change the fact that I pray about them and ask the Lord to supply all that I need for that project if it is His will! (including strength right now!)
Isn't it wonderful the way the Lord made us to love the changes of the seasons? When I feel the changes coming for the new season I am so ready for that season. I pray that you are enjoying that new warmth in the air, the rainy days, the little buds coming out and the tulips pushing their way through the garden soil.
I trust that you too have a case of "spring fever" and are enjoying it!

Love,
Mom

Sustaining Grace...

2011-02-10T22:18:00.000-08:00

This is not the next post I had planned. I had planned on a post about sweethearts, Valentine's Day, etc. I always get very tender toward my sweetheart in February because we got married in March and the memories begin to run through my heart of the wonderful years the Lord has given me with my husband of almost 37 years!
  The post I am going to write is difficult because it is one where I am going to be open about my weaknesses and that isn't easy for me. However, I promised myself that when it comes to being someone in leadership (a pastor's wife) I want to be honest about the fact that I have every battle that every other woman has and that I want to wear no masks. I am simply an older woman who has been down the road a little further which only has taught me how much I desperately need the Lord--not made me better than anyone else. I do want to take my experience and help others so that perhaps they have less pain and learn to lean on Him a little sooner in life than I did.
  The post I had planned is not going to be written because life has taken me down another path than I had in my planned for about a week now. I battle major health issues since I had C. diff and pancreatitis three years ago. In the last week or so I've been in what I'd call a major flare-up. I have decided that until the Lord takes me another direction this is His will for my life and I try my best to make my illness one of the details of my life--not my life. Every once in a while in takes control however, and we're there.
I also am a victim of chronic depression. It is not easy to say that, but God's grace has been so sweet to me in this area of my life. He has taught me year by year how to manage this illness and I praise His name that He has used my life to help others at times.
I always have my lowest point in late January and early February. I know it's going to come and have to remind myself to keep track of the triggers (and avoid as many as possible), to get my sunlight and make myself take walks when it starts. If you suffer depression you know that's the very last thing you want to do and I remind my husband to not ask me but tell me what to do during this time of the year. Because of the things I've learned I go through many winters with only mild symptoms instead of being in the bed in despair as I have in previous years.
   This year something caused the depression to go into a major downswing. I could list about five possible causes so who's to know which one or if it was a combination of all. Number one on my list is the downswing in my health. I fight intense pain and when it gets to the point I want to pace I begin to feel hopeless that it will ever end. The thought of living the rest of my life like this is not a pleasant one and I have to send that thought away and live one day at a time.
   But that's not what this post is about. This post is about God's goodness and His sustaining grace. This week I had a day when my body decided it had to have rest and I literally "crashed" into a deep sleep. (No medication involved in case you're wondering.) When I did rouse my unwelcome "friend" was always there with the despair and hopelessness. And that's when the Lord had my daughter Alicia call to check on me. I was half awake/half asleep and we were talking.
   In the midst of a conversation I can't remember fully she asked "Who created emotions?"
   My reply was, "God."
Then she said something like this, "Mom, God created sadness, and fear and other emotions that are negative simply to be used as a springboard to make us see our need for Him."
My heart gripped that. That was exactly what the Lord has been faithfully teaching me and He used my precious daughter to remind me of it when I was literally too ill to even think straight enough to turn my heart and mind toward the truths I knew. I have no faith, no light, no courage of my own and at a time when my heart is trembling, my flesh is failing me, and my mind and emotions are in turmoil and confusion I only have to look to Him to sustain me and minister Himself to me.
Then today-- I ended up with four firetrucks at my house because of a problem with our fireplace insert. We came very close to having a house fire. The Lord spared us by allowing it to happen during the day and allowing help to come quickly. We didn't even have serious smoke damage. However, my already fragile nerves felt like they were literally shot and I could feel the panic trying to rise in me over all the "little foxes" in our lives right now.
My oldest daughter Niki called this evening and began to talk to me about the Lord not saying He wouldn't put more on us than we could bear when it came to burdens--that text had to do with temptations. She talked about how He allows the unbearable burdens in our lives so we will turn to Him and let Him be our Burden-bearer and sustain us. He simply uses the burdens to remind us we need Him and can't go through lives without Him. The same message again--and just when I needed it.
As we talked once again I could feel the Holy Spirit ministering the truth to me when my mind and emotions were too weary to even think properly. Once again the Living Water bubbled up inside of me as I thought of Him right there to sustain me with His grace, to bear me up on His wings, to hold underneath me with His everlasting arms and when I can only look He's there for me.
How thankful I am He has given me two daughters who can minister to their mother. There is no greater blessing or greater dividend in life than having children that bring you joy in their spiritual walk being healthy.
So tonight, I want to remind you of His wonderful grace. If you are too weak, too weary, perhaps you sicken yourself with your inability to trust or be courageous, just fall upon Him and look up at Him and let Him minister His life and righteousness and grace to you. "My flesh and my heart faileth : but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever." Ps. 73:26 He will not fail you, He promises!

p.s. If you are Niki's friend on Facebook you can read her wonderful essay on this--http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/notes/niki-neal-lott/more-than-we-can-bear/10150133658690159

The Wonderful World of Home-Keeping...

2011-01-13T18:25:00.000-08:00

I just returned from a wonderful visit to Idaho. Three glorious weeks with grandchildren, a son and precious daughter-in-law, cooking, baking, playing games, talking and being a family together. We spent Christmas together for the first time in years and our bonus gift was a brand new granddaughter born on December 15th. Better than any gift you could wrap up and put under the tree. Shaelyn Brianne welcome to the Neal family!

(Look closely at the little dress--her Grandma Tami had a wonderful time designing and sewing it! ;)

When I came home I was almost overwhelmed with all there was to do! As nice as it was to get all the Christmas things out for the kids before we left it wasn't fun to come home to all those things to put away. It gave me the strangest feeling that they had all sat here unused during the Christmas holiday. I know they're inanimate but I felt sorry for them sitting all alone in Tennessee while we celebrated Christmas in Idaho.

Along with that I had lots and lots of luggage to unload, (Thank you dear Jennibeth for letting me get all the laundry done before I left so I had clean clothes to unpack!) a house that needed dusted, decluttered (Christmas goodies), and I was battling a setback with my health. Our computer wouldn't boot up and so we were unable to get Cierra back to school. My camera wouldn't download pictures when it had worked just fine before we left on our trip. I needed to buy groceries--the cabinets and fridge were depleted. I felt overwhelmed to say the least.

First, I had to run to the Lord and get some spiritual shoring. That took about three days. Just reminding myself of His faithfulness and looking at my problems through Him instead of looking at Him through my problems. (Thank you, Mr. F.B. Meyer.)

Then I had to get my handy-dandy notebook out and begin prioritizing and making a daily plan to tackle all that needed done. I also had to spend two days on the couch and in the bed.(Unplanned --longggg story and a funny one looking back at it!)

I had to quote my own little mantra--"Break all large tasks into managable small ones." With a piece of paper I divided my week up and took those things that needed done and gave them a day. Today I'm looking at a house that is back to normal. Not perfect--just back to normal.

I had to give my days to the Lord and laugh when an unexpected visit on a day when I was trying to get a lot done got a prayer answered concerning the computer problem!

I had to remember to look to Him to meet my every need on a daily basis. Another wonderful laugh when the Lord sent the neighbor lady with a ham that she said she wasn't begin to eat by herself so she'd taken off what she wanted and brought us the rest. We are finishing it off in a big kettle of pinto beans tonight. It fed us a total of five meals!! Thank You Lord for the ravens! Pretty much all we had to buy at the store this week was bread,some vegetables, margarine and milk.

After seeing the Lord take all my worries and reduce them from mountains to molehills I was able to relax. So I got out a book that my daughter Niki gave me on Mother's Day of 2006. I love to read it at the beginning of each year. It is called "Mrs. Dunwoody's Excellent Instrustions for Homekeeping". It is written as though a mother of the Civil War period is writing her children with instructions on keeping a home.

   Her first chapter is about the art of homekeeping. She discusses the importance of order and talks about keeping a "homekeeping notebook". As I've surfed blogland I'm seeing all the talk about organizing. This book is taken from excerpts from women's notes from the late 1800's and it looks like the talk hasn't changed much! The sweet thing about this book is that she sees homekeeping as a woman's main duty.
She says "Order is the mainspring in housework." Then she gives a domestic calendar to follow. She was the "Flylady" of her day! :)
   Her suggestions for "Planning a Superior Day" consist of
1) "Make a plan for your day."  This doesn't require much explanation. Fail to plan and you've planned to fail.
2) "Concentrate." Basically, keep your mind on the chore at hand and you'll get it done.
3) "Learn to rest and catch your breath." Taking a break makes you ready to hit the work again. Rather it's 15 minutes or taking a day away from it all if you've learned to do this you know it is true.
4) "Don't Procrastinate ." Sometimes the chore we've put off is a chore than only takes a few minutes. To hit it and get it done takes an emotional load off of us along with the load of the chore. If you're dreading it move it to the top of the list and get it behind you.
5) "Sift and sort."  Prioritize your day! If it needs immediate attention than do it. If it can wait till the evening in your chair in the living room put it at the bottom of the list.
6)Strive for excellence, not perfection.
7. "Never lose sight of the big picture." People are more important than projects. And as I once heard someone wisely say--"The castle is no more important than the king who lives therein."

I've just begun making my own laundry detergent and dishwasher detergent but Mrs. Dunwoody has all the cleaning solutions you might want to find in her second chapter along with wonderful advice. I remember using mostly vinegar and ammonia when Gary first went into full-time service. I also remember my mother telling me if all I had was warm water to mop my floors anyway because I would know I was using what I had. Thank you, sweet mother!
   Some of the wonderful advice in her second chapter includes cleaning suggestions, how to miter a sheet corner, getting rid of those unwanted guests (she knew cockroaches didn't like Borax!), and even the advice that mice don't like peppermint extract!
Her next chapter is on laundry, mending, etc....lots of good advice!   As a lover of linens I enjoy reading this because you can tell the women of her day loved a table spread with lovely linens.  I love reading a book that makes having them and caring for them seem a wonderful blessing and joy! These types of books are my friends, my "aged woman" reminding me that homekeeping is a gift-a wonderful, varied career choice that has God's stamp of approval on it for me.
   The next chapter is recipes and kitchen ideas.  One of my favorite things in this chapter is her advice on how to season a cast iron skillet. Everyone should own one and use one. It will keep you and your family from being anemic!
   Chapter 5 is on the art of entertaining.  I love the whole chapter. Diagrams for setting tables for different types of suppers, holiday entertaining, and sage advice on how to "Dine--not to Eat".
  The following chapters are on health and beauty, marriage and family, the garden and final remarks. The pages have some pithy little statements by Aunt Mary Middle that make you laugh (like "My idea of house cleaning is to sweep the room with a glance.") and excerpts from Godey's Lady's Book from the 1860's that make you wish we still had magazines like that being published for the general public, and other wonderful things that make you glad you're a keeper at home.
Although I love reading the blogs at this time of year and gleaning new ideas for our home I love my dear friends the books more. They have sustained me during my marriage years and lifted me up by my bootstraps when I was on a pity party more than once!
I pray as we enter this new year that you are drawing all your strength from the Lord and looking at 2011 as the year that you are a better child of God, wife, mother, daughter, and woman than you've ever been in your life. God bless each one of you!

Christmastide...

2010-12-09T22:13:00.000-08:00

I truly believe the song line that says "It's the most wonderful time of the year..". I love the season of Christmas. I begin celebrating before Thanksgiving but I keep it a secret because my husband doesn't want to hear a peep about Christmas till after Thanksgiving!
This year I told the children that between the fact that I wasn't even sure where our Christmas decorations were and that we were going to be gone part of the Christmas season we were only going to get out the tree and decorate it and nothing else.
Well, Gary and the kids brought down the boxes from the attic and as we went through them it was, "Oh, we've got got get out the nativity set, Mom." and "Aren't you going to put the snow village out." and "You know every year you decorate the cabinet." and "Whose going to kill any mice we might get during Christmas if the nutcrackers aren't out?" Being the very-sentimental woman that I am the next thing you know I had everything out except one box of snowmen I couldn't find! So much for not getting anything out but the Christmas tree items. I have to admit when I sit at night and look at it all I'm very glad I didn't listen to myself!
And what is my personal favorite? Well, I love the nutcrackers. Asher loved them when he was little and one at a time they showed up as gifts for him from his grandparents. The only one that doesn't belong to him is the mouse king. He showed up on the last day of the pocket calendar as a grand finale a couple years ago.
We love the story of the nutcracker and our cartoon version is just about my favorite Christmas movie. Every year if we get a mouse in the house during the Christmas season it shows up dead at the feet of our nutcrackers--but the nutcrackers are not my favorite Christmas decoration.
I love the pocket calendar. It began when the older children were little. I made a homely little pocket calendar with 25 pockets and each day a little surprise or promise note showed up in the pocket. It was put there by Ralph our resident Christmas elf. He has been known to fix toys, hide treats and generally be a true fun friend to have in the house for the month of December. Alicia was certain when she was little that she saw him moving through the branches of our Christmas tree. I really think she still is a firm believer in Ralph! :) But the pocket calendar isn't my favorite Christmas decoration!
I also love my Hoosier cabinet decorations. It started with just a few and grew till the whole cabinet top was filled with Christmas each year. One year I thought it was a little too much and decided I wasn't going to do the cabinet any more. Alicia was already married but let me know that it wouldn't be Christmas without the cabinet being decorated-so it still is. However, the cabinet is not my personal favorite.

I love the snow village. It is made up of little houses that are mostly from thrift stores and Big Lots and Dollar General stores. We have more than one church with little carolers in front of them. (The ones at the nicer church look a little uppity to me in their choir robes!) We have a banker stepping out of the bank looking at his watch. (We call him Jimmy. :) We have a barn and it front of it are men working on cutting wood and blacksmithing. We have a toy store, a post office, and a fire house. We love them all and call it Nealville. However, the snow village is not my favorite decoration.

I love all my cozy kitchen decorations. I have a swag with antique ornaments attached with homespun, lots of cute little snowmen, little children that sit in my kitchen window decorated in red and green, and lots of snowmen but these aren't my favorite Christmas decorations.

My very, very favorite decoration is our nativity set. It is composed of cheap, not-so-cheap and Fontanini. Mary and Joseph have a home made from foam core and Bethlehem's barn is a book given to me when our older children were very little. However, I love it because it is the theme of the month for me.
It begins with Nazareth which is in my living room right now behind my chair. During the move the floor disappeared so this year their home is extremely shabby, but they don't care. One day a Roman soldier shows up to their little home and leaves a notice from Caesar on their door--they must go to be taxed. So they put a bedroll on their donkey and begin the long trek across the living room to Bethlehem. (Which is in the kitchen this year.)

Bethlehem is on the dry sink in the kitchen and is made up of a stable, a large star (that doesn't light up till Christmas Eve), a shop keeper, soldiers, some residents, a palm tree and animals. The manger is empty and stays that way till Christmas Eve. Nearby is a hilly area with shepherds watching their sheep by their campfires.

I love it when they all end up gathered around the newborn Jesus and the star is shining above it all. How perfect. The wise men even show up to worship even though I am fully aware their timing is off when compared to the Bible. But we can't keep the nativity set out long enough to let them do it accurately!

So far this Christmas season we've had all our hearts could desire and more. It has snowed and given us a picture postcard yard for one day, I've been able to bake and play in the kitchen, I've been enjoying creating little gifts for my loved ones, have been able to smock a beautiful new dress for my latest grandchild who is coming to join us December 15th and have even stayed on track in working ahead in school so we're not behind when we come home from our trip! Thank You Lord for all Your blessings and help!

And just to think--this is just the beginning of this wonderful season! I am looking forward to the many things we still have to do. We're taking my mother-in-law to see the lights in Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg and visit Hammers Dept. Store, we're going to be making a trip as a family to see my Idaho grandbabies and our newest little granddaughter, I still have lots of ideas floating around in my head that I hope I have time to carry out, cookies and candies to make, wonderful once-a-year food to cook and Christmas books to read and movies to view.

Above all, it's a time to thank the Lord for coming to earth in human form that He might save us from our sins! Thank You, thank You, thank You!

I pray that you're having a wonderful holiday season and savoring every sight, smell, future memory, and every moment with your loved ones. May God bless each one of you and grant you a Christ-filled, joyous holiday season.

With love,

Mom

Thanksgiving is almost here...

2010-11-20T21:52:00.000-08:00

I love the entire holiday season and my husband loves the holiday that is coming up next week-Thanksgiving.   Because he loves it so I love to make Thanksgiving extra special for him. This Thanksgiving we're going to have our oldest daughter Niki, her husband Brian and their two little ones with us, my dad and Lela and her daughter Esther and Uncle Mike (Shockley) with us. I'll love every moment of it. (Though I wish I could blink and have every child and grandchild gathered into my kitchen.)
   We have the old faithful recipes that we cannot imagine a holiday dinner without---Turkey and dressing, Swiss Medley, Sweet Potato Casserole, Baked Macaroni and Cheese, Cheeseball and crackers, hot rolls, pecan pie and some kind of cheesecake for dessert. (This year is a toss up trying to decide between Pumpkin Praline and Reese Cup Cheesecake.)
I also like to try something new each year. This year I'm trying two new recipes. My pecan pie is going to be a chocolate pecan pie. Esther brought me some really, really nice Ghiradelli dark chocolate chips and I decided to use one bag for Thanksgiving and one for Christmas. So they're going to find their way into a chocolate pecan pie. Then I found a recipe for some Cranberry Crumb Bars that sounds wonderful and very Thanksgiving-ish so I'm trying them. Have to make lots of desserts so I can share!
So how about an old recipe and a new recipe? For the old I'm going to give you the Sweet Potato Casserole. I'm sure many of you have had it since it's a Southern recipe, but till I moved south I had only had the sweet potato casserole with marshmallows on top and I took just enough to be polite. But when I tasted this one I was hooked, begged for the recipe shamelessly and made everyone that came to my house try it if it was on the table. I've had more than one person that swore they hated sweet potatoes decide they hated sweet potatoes and loved this casserole and had one person tell me that if it wasn't bad manners they'd lick the pan when it was gone! So here's my sweet potato casserole recipe given to me back in 1987!

SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE
3 cups mashed sweet potatoes
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup margarine
Mix well. Pour into shallow buttered casserole. (I use a 9x13 pan.)
Topping:
1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1/3 cup margarine
Blend flour and sugar well and sprinkle on top. Mix nuts and butter and sprinkle on top.
(I mix all of the ingredients into one bowl instead of doing it separately like the recipe says.) Bake at 350
degrees for 30 minutes.
I usually make this the day ahead and store it in the fridge so all I have to do is pop it in the oven. I usually set it out in the morning and let it get to room temperature. If not you have to give it a little extra baking time!

Now for my new recipe this year:

CRANBERRY CRUMB BARS
1 1/2 cups flour
1/3 cup powdered sugar
3/4 cup cold margarine
Filling:
1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1 can (14 oz. sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 T. corn starch
1 T. brown sugar
1 can (16 oz.) whole berry cranberry sauce
Topping:
1/3 cup flour
2 T. brown sugar
1/4 cup cold butter or margarine
3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts (I'm going to use pecans.)
In bowl, combine flour and powdered sugar, cut in the butter until crumbly.. Press in a 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until light brown. Reduce oven heat to 325 degrees.
   In bowl, beat cream cheese till smooth. Add milk and lemon juice; mix well. Pour over crust.
   In bowl, combine corn starch and brown sugar. Stir in cranberry sauce till combined. Spoon over cream cheese layer.
   For topping, combine flour and brown sugar. Cut in butter. Fold in nuts. Sprinkle over filling.
Bake at 325 degrees for 40-45 minutes till topping is golden brown. Cool on wire rack. Cover and chill for 3 hours before cutting. Yield: 12-15 servings.
I think they sound (and they looked) yummy! If my 55 year old brain can retain this thought, I'll try to post pictures of both of these after Thanksgiving!
I am so thankful for the Lord's tender care of me all these years, I'm thankful for the wonderful, wonderful marriage He's given me, the children He gave us and then the bonus children He gave us, for giving me faith to believe Him and to trust His word, for the new truths He gives me every day in His word.
I've been thinking of other things this last couple weeks...I've thought so much of my children and all they've taught me, for the blessing of seeing my grown children in church and serving the Lord with all their hearts, for the blessing of seeing my grandchildren receive Christ as their Saviour, I've thought of my brother and sisters and how precious they are to me and what wonderful memories I have of my life with them, of my nieces and nephews and just little snippets of memories have come floating back, (like MaryBeth staying with me after my foot surgery to help me), I've thought of so many people that have been used of the Lord to refresh Gary and I spiritually at just the right time, of my parents and my in-laws, of friends who have remained faithful to us through the years and the list could go on and on and on....
I read aloud to our children at breakfast this week Abraham Lincoln's proclamation http://www.classicallibrary.org/lincoln/thanksgiving.htm   concerning Thanksgiving. In it he makes sure the people know it is God who they had to thank for their blessings and God who they should fear for His judgment on our nation (the Civil War) for their unfaithfulness to Him. He recommended thanksgiving and repentance as a nation. My, can you imagine what would happen today if a president made a proclamation like that?
It made me want to search my own heart for any idols or any lack of fear and reverence for a very real Almighty God.
As we enter Thanksgiving week, I pray that we all will recount our blessings before God and give Him thanks and that we all will search our hearts and ask Him to grant us repentance where we lack giving Him credit and thanks where they are due. May each and every one of you have a wonderful Christ-honoring Thankgiving Day!
With love,
Mom

The Fall Season in the Interim of Our Lives...

2010-11-13T20:08:00.000-08:00

Well, here we are living in a "between" home during the holidays. My husband is between pastorates and so we're living in a rented home. It's absolutely perfect for us and I thank the Lord every day for giving us such a wonderful home to live in during this interim of our lives.
We have always lived in a parsonage and so we've never owned a home. In our early days of ministry that bothered me a little but as I grew in years and in my spiritual life I began to see it as a blessing in our lives. Then the Lord gave me a wonderful verse about being a "parsonage dweller".
" And they lodged round about the house of God, because the charge was upon them, and the opening thereof every morning pertained to them. " (I Chron. 9:27)
Since the Lord gave me that verse I have been very content with my home wherever the Lord might put me. At this point He has us in a holding pattern in our lives until He gives us new and clear direction. Needless to say this has altered our life and that includes the holiday period of our lives.
I'm a true traditionalist. I love things to be the same so my children and family look back and can say, "Do you remember how mom (Grandma, Aunt Tami, or whatever name fits) always made this or did this during the holidays?
I also know that flexibility is good too. This year I couldn't have found all my fall decorations if I tried so I decided to use nature and whatever else the Lord sent my way. I won a little engraved pumpkin and a candle as prizes at the Wings Conference and the kids and I gathered acorns and pinecones from our yard. I have a beautiful fireplace mantel and I wanted to decorate it for fall and little by little it was filled with beautiful fall decor.

Since I took this picture the Lord even added a beautiful fall vine with berries and leaves and a sign that says "Give Thanks".  My husband and children have all mentioned how pretty the mantel looks. Thank You Lord!
   This time of year I feel an excitement building up in me. It's time for the holidays. I can't resist getting the cookbooks out and while we sit in the living room watching a movie I'm marking the ones I want to try to make. This year for Thanksgiving I decided we'd have to have the pumpkin cake I made at Jennibeth's house when we spent Thanksgiving with them.
It was after Thanksgiving and she and I were wanting to make a dessert but we'd about emptied the pantry out for Thanksgiving. We went scavengering and found a can of pumpkin. I'd gone through some of her cookbooks and found a recipe that called for just flour, sugar, eggs, pumpkin and spices so that was the choice. It called for cream cheese frosting and we didn't have cream cheese so I made cooked caramel (I call it penuche but nobody knows what that is) frosting on it. Oh, my goodness! It was SO good and became a Thanksgiving keeper at the Neals!
    Here's the recipe:
PUMPKIN CAKE
2 cups sugar
1 cup oil
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups pumpkin
2 cups flour, sifted
2 tsp. soda
1 tsp. salt
4 tsp. cinnamon
   Combine sugar and oil. Add eggs separately, beating well to combine. Add flour, soda, salt and cinnamon to sugar mixture. Blend thoroughly. Bake at 325 degrees for 25 minutes in pans which have been greased and floured. Makes three (3) 9" round layers.

Now for the frosting.
COOKED CARAMEL FROSTING (EASY PENUCHE FROSTING)
(For this cake I use a double recipe. You can double it if you want, but you'll need a strong arm or a helper in the beating stage! :)

1/2 cup margarine or butter
1 cup brown sugar (packed)
1/4 cup milk
2 cups powdered sugar

Melt butter or margarine in saucepan. Stir in brown sugar. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir over low heat for 2 minutes. Stir in milk; heat to boiling. Remove from heat and cool to lukewarm.
Gradually stir in powdered sugar. Place pan of frosting in bowl of ice and water; beat until its of spreading consistency. If frosting becomes too stiff just heat slightly stirring constantly.

This is a wonderful three layer cake! The one in the picture has an extra batch of icing on it. (I do one batch for the layers and 1 1/2 batches for the outside because our family likes lots of the icing! )
I have a little recipe holder with all my very favorite holiday recipes in it. Our Christmas punch recipe, cheeseball recipes, spinach dip, sausage bites, baked macaroni and cheese, Swiss medley (a wonderful full-of-cheese side dish with broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, mushroom soup, sour cream and Durkees onions), sweet potato casserole that a died-in-the-wool sweet potato hater will love, all my specialty cheesecake recipes, peanut butter pie, every truffle and fudge recipe you can imagine and the list goes on and on and on in it. My head is already dancing with new ideas to try this year. Can't wait to see what the Lord has in store. I have a new cake ball truffle recipe I wanted to try and someone already brought me some dark chocolate chips they found on clearance. They're tucked back to become truffles!
Because of my love of cooking I like to use fall/holiday baking as an excuse to stop by the neighbors with a pie pan full of goodies and a chance to talk to them. We have a couple near us with failing health and I so want the Lord to use us in their lives. I love it when you knock on a neighbor's door and you can see genuine happiness in their eyes when they open the door and see you standing there. It's also an opportunity to teach our children to help others around us.
John asked me the other day when I was going to be taking the neighbors some goodies and I told him probably this week. He said, "Can we take some to the neighbors with the new kittens, because maybe they'll let me see them when we go!" That struck my funny bone!
We're going to have Brian and Niki with Halle and Evan for Thanksgiving this year and I'm so excited about that. I like a FULL dining room table. The more I have at the table the happier I am! Niki and I are already talking about what we want to have. She's planning on bringing a new pie recipe she found and I'm planning on--well, I can't make up my mind! Too many good things to choose from!
I also am working on Christmas projects this year. The main one that I'm working on is making little nurse's costumes for the little girls in my life. When Niki and Alicia were little my mom made them a nurse's apron and then I made them little hats out of paper. Every time someone got sick at our house we made the couch up into a hospital bed, stuck the humidifier next to the couch (sometimes complete with tent) and the girls became nurses.
Mike Shockley says his first memory of my girls was coming into the house to visit us and one of the boys was sick. He said he remember Niki and Alicia running around in their little nurses costumes and bringing them their needs on a cookie sheet with a tea towel over it. (All meals were served in the hospital bed when you were sick.) They loved being nurses!
So maybe it's memory lane for me but I wanted to make the granddaughters their own nurses costume. My pattern is a really old one but it's so cute. On the cover the little girl has a white turtleneck on and white tights so she looks like the old-fashioned nurse of my childhood that's dressed in all white. I have Halle's all done but getting the waist and hat fit to her perfect size. They're quick to sew and take very little fabric. That's good for the budget!

So tonight I'm listening to Old Fashioned Christian Radio, and thinking about the wonderful blessings of a sweet Christian home, good food, the wonder of fall sunsets, leaves crunching under your feet, having the blessing of grown children, grandchildren and children still around me to fellowship with each and every day, the joy of being a woman, wife, mother and grandmother and so many, many other blessings. How can we begin to thank the Lord for his daily benefits!

I pray you're having a wonderful fall season and that your walk with the Lord is real and personal. May God bless you all!

With love,

Mom

Stretching the Budget Dollars....

2010-11-03T22:17:00.000-07:00

   It seems everyone is feeling the crunch financially these days. We have always lived on a reasonably tight budget simply because we have made a choice to live debt-free. However, right now my husband is between pastorates and only working a part time job and so we've had to tighten up the belt several notches.
Let me say right here how thankful I am for parents who raised me with a different set of values than most people live by. We learned early in life that eternal values were those that were the most important. We also learned that relationships (beginning with our relationship to the Lord Jesus Christ as our Saviour) were far more important than anything tangible in our lives.   The older I get the more grateful I am for these important truths that were ingrained into my heart and life.  It allows me to see that those things with eternal values are what really, really matters.
   I also am thankful for learning that some of the most enjoyable things in life are free! I love watching children play, I love sitting and watching the rain come down while I sit on my porch and drink coffee. My mom taught me to enjoy watching people. I can have a wonderful time sitting in a vehicle waiting on my husband and mentally sketching people or guessing their names, occupations or guessing their personality type. I love bathing babies, telling stories, listening to stories or simply reading a book. I love nature. I love....and the list could go on and on with things that cost nothing!
So with all that said, life still goes on. We have to wash clothes, buy groceries, clothe our families, and pay the bills! When the belt does needed tightened what are some ways we can help our families to make it with the least amount of pain?
   One of the major expenses is food so I want to talk about that first. Years ago I heard a radio program where they talked about how much food is wasted in America. I was astounded by the statistics. The current amount of food that is wasted in America is estimated to be 100 billion pounds of food per year. Is is estimated that 14% of the food Americans purchase is wasted. The average American family throws out $590 worth of food each year. This is just food in the homes and doesn't include grocery store waste or restaurant waste. I stood in my living room after hearing that program and prayed to the Lord telling Him that if He would send us food that was going to be wasted we would use it. He has never failed to answer that prayer to this day. Much of our food is from what others planned on throwing away or from a grocery store like UGO that deals with what is about to go out of date or is the overflow of other stores.
So, first make it a matter of prayer.
  Second, cook from scratch. When you buy anything precooked or premade you are wasting money. It only takes minutes to put together food from scratch. I read a book once and she gave price comparisons of pre-made food and food from scratch in price and time. I assure you people who don't cook from scratch are spending a lot of money and not gaining much in time.
Third, make more casseroles, soups and foods that have meat in them but the entree isn't made entirely of meat. When we have been the tightest financially I have doubled the non-meat part of a casserole and reduced the meat part. My family didn't notice.
This includes soups, etc. You can even make one non-meat meal per week and save. Meat is one of the major expenses in the food budget and we in the Western world eat too much meat. You can make baked beans with hot dogs in them along with corn bread and a green veggie and voila!-- a meal. You can make chicken and noodles, au gratin potatoes with ham pieces in them, pinto beans, green beans with potatoes and sliced link sausage, pot pies, stir fry and Chicken A La King,  and make a little meat go a long, long way. Need recipes?   Find your basic recipe and then learn to stretch it!
  I have even made some really good dinners just scavengering my fridge and mixing them together and ending up with a good meal from leftovers in the fridge. I call them "Desperation Dinners". Twice I've been asked for my recipe and told the person "I couldn't give it to you if I tried".
Fourth, reduce waste in your own kitchen. If you have a few vegetables left and don't think they'll get eaten throw them into a quart jar and freeze them. Later you can put them in your homemade vegetable soup. Learn to eat up your leftovers. Take bread heels and leftover rolls and put them in a freezer bag. Use them later for overnight breakfast casserole or the stuffing for Thanksgiving Day. I even have a really good crockpot recipe for chicken and stuffing where those old bread scraps come in mighty handy. Some of the recipes that have been glorified today by Food Network are really recipes that came from our grandmothers depression days. My mother said Bread Pudding and Rice Pudding were both recipes to use up the leftover day old bread and leftover rice.
If you haven't canned or frozen food before you might want to learn in case someone gives you their extra bumper crop of zucchini or even corn. I've actually canned an entire freezer of food someone gave me. Their freezer had broken down and the food had thawed. They planned to throw it away. I canned fish and beef both from that freezer load of food!
Reuse your storage bags (unless meat was stored in them) by giving them a scrub in hot dish water and drying them over glasses on your counter. Give up paper plates and paper towels for a while. I promise it won't kill you. You can memorize scripture or pray while you wash the extra dishes. No one will bother you as you do it!
Fifth, learn who has the best prices. I keep a small notebook in my purse where I keep the prices of things we commonly buy. WalMart used to have a corner on the market in many areas. I now buy more things at Kroger as they have become cheaper than WalMart on many, many items. We buy much of our milk at Save-A-Lot because the first gallon is much cheaper there. We make a weekly trip to UGO and find prices on canned goods that can't be beat. I check the ads each week. We buy only Scott toilet paper when it's on sale at KMart or Dollar General Store. (Try it one time and compare how long it lasts next to any other brand and you'll be sold.) I now make my own laundry detergent at such a savings that I couldn't begin to compare it with the cheapest laundry detergent out there!
If I have to I can feed our family for a week on a very, very small amount of money. I'm thankful for the help the Lord has given me in doing this.
Next, ask yourself where the leak is in your budget. How many times do you go to town each week? How much are you spending on eating out or entertainment? Have a family night at home and get out those old-fashioned board games and make homemade pizza versus expensive delivered or freezer section pizza. Just making the pizza can be half of the fun!
We have never owned more than one vehicle as a family. (unless my children owned one--I'm talking about one for hubby and one for me.) This has saved us an enormous amount of money. Just the license, insurance, maintenance, gas cost, etc. is a large chunk of change. Some people can't even imagine this but I've asked my husband to make sure there isn't an extra car out there to tempt me to run around when I'm supposed to be at home! I've never felt cheated--I've got too much to do here anyway!
   Now to clothing. Years ago I was very embarrassed by my clothing and my shoes. My husband was in the early years of ministry and we had four children under the age of five. Most of our budget paid the bills and when I had clothing money it went on the children's needs. Then I learned to give my wardrobe to the Lord and let Him supply it. Didn't He say to seek Him and His righteousness first and all these things would be added to us? (Matt. 6) Well, it works!
I can't begin to tell all the wonderful treats He has given me. If He can clothe the grass of the field and make beautiful flowers He can take care of me! The other day I was looking at my wardrobe and realizing that much of it had been given to me in what others would call rag bags. I also had found wonderful deals on some of my favorite clothes.
Now I'm not what you'd call "into" clothes. My husband actually picks out more of my clothes than I do or insists I buy them when I want to go to JoAnn's fabric and buy another piece of fabric to make a grandchild something new however, I'm not ashamed of what the Lord has given me.
I am a seamstress but in the last few years I've found you can get as much into sewing adult clothing as buying it on sale or finding a gently used piece at a thrift store. With that said, I believe you should learn to sew. Basics if nothing else so you can "refashion" something you found at Goodwill.
Learn to shop thrift stores, learn to look at an article of clothing and ask if just a small alteration would make it something you'd love. Learn to shop at the end of the season in the store--you usually have plenty of season left when they're trying to get rid of them. Learn to shop in stores like Ross where you can get brand name clothing for a fraction of the full price. Learn what to invest in financially and what to only buy the cheap line.
   I love having lined skirts (pencil skirts) for dress up. I have paid more for them because a good lined skirt will last years and years. If something is more of a fad and is going to be out of style shortly I would be looking at a cheap department store for what I'm wanting.
We live in a town with probably six to seven thrift stores. I recently found Cierra three camisole tops to wear under her long sleeved tops for 50 cents each! They look brand new but they were considered summer.
There are many wonderful blogs on refashioning clothes and I know from experience some of the best pieces of fabric I got to use on children's clothings were from larger ready made outfits given to us. Cierra's first dress I made her was darling. It was from a piece of leftover fabric with a built in slip made from an old bedsheet!
   One of my favorite tips I've used for years was to take my old hose that had one leg with a runner and save it. I tie a knot in the leg that has the runner and put it in my underclothing drawer. Then when the next pair gets a runner in just one leg I take out both pair and cut off the bad leg leaving the panty part on both pair of hose. I put them together (it has two pair of panties to it) and I have a new pair of hose. Make your hose last twice as long!
   These are just a few of the things I've learned through the years but they've sure come in handy when times were tough. Something interesting is that our children never have really known when we were having a tough time. Now we've had a few times they knew because of what was on the table.
On the whole, however, they didn't know that when we were pretending we were living in the Great Depression and I was hanging all my clothes on clothes lines in the basement and we used oil lamps I really was pinching my household pennies till they cried with the pain! We made the most wonderful memories and saved money all at the same time.
    My grandma wasted nothing. She washed her plastic wrap and reused it. She saved every tiny piece of thread from sewing and put it on a spool for mending. She counted how many times the toilet was flushed and knew how much water was being used. She used a timer with every long distance phone call. I asked her why she was so careful with all she had and she said, "I lived through the depression with small children to care for."
I remember my Grandmother Mettler talking to Niki about the Great Depression when Niki had to write a report about it.  She made the comment that the entire time she never saw money exchange hands. She said you learned to trade your goods and services for what you needed. She also said that people became very creative during hard times. She would talk of the beautiful little toys her mother-in-law made for the children from cardboard, pieces of scrap wood and even corn cobs! She said that going through tough times together would make your relationship stronger when you got through them and that you would look back to those times as some of the best times in your life. A-men Grandma.   With the right attitude and some Yankee ingenuity (even if your a Southerner:)
it can be a time when you learn to appreciate what you have and make some sweet memories.
Have any tips? I'd love to hear them! Tough times don't have to be sad times! I pray you'll turn to your Heavenly Father and ask for wisdom and help and then use what He's given you as a wise steward. Let's all bring Him glory in whatever state we are in!

Let's Talk About Stress...

2010-10-11T21:55:00.000-07:00

"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30)

Dear Daughters,
Stress is a very real part of all of our lives. For some reason it seems that more and more people are breaking beneath the load---Christians included. My heart goes out for the many young women I talk to that are overwhelmed and burdened with their load.
You see, I know first-hand what it means to "break" under the load. I was a happy, fulfilled wife and mother. I was a pastor's wife with a church that was growing, people getting saved and many wonderful things happening in our lives when I broke under the load I was carrying. It took about 12 years of leaning on my Beloved in the darkness before my healing was complete. My post-depression verse is "Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness, leaning upon her beloved?" (Song of Solomon 8:5a)
So, what is my advice to young wives and mothers busy trying to serve the Lord and be active for the Lord when they think they're about to snap? Listen closely dears, and I pray that you'll either not become as wounded as I did or that if you are already broken the Lord will use me as an instrument for His healing in your life.

1.) Don't confuse work with worship.
   Before my husband took his first pastorate he was an assistant pastor. We were very active in our local church, we had four small children (ages 5-10) and we were living on a meager salary of $125 per week. I was absolutely full of joy and delighted in the Lord and my Christian life and walk each day. This was at a time when if you had looked at our life you would have wondered how! We literally had to pray in our gas money, food money and bill money every week.
My walk with the Lord was so very, very sweet. He was my Best Friend, my Confidante, and had my utter dependence. I spent time in the word of God daily just enjoying it and letting it feed me.
When my husband took the pastorate everything was much better for us financially. We actually had plenty of money to pay bills and buy the children clothing. I can remember being brought to tears because I had enough of the "essential" clothing for myself for the first time in years.
With the pastorate came all kinds of new duties for me. It seemed everything I asked about that wasn't being done my answer was "the pastor's wife does that".   I was the church secretary, Jr. Church teacher, did all the bulletin boards, coordinated all church activities, did the missions board along with many other duties I hadn't had before. Looking back it would have been better left undone that my trying to do it all but I didn't.  I was afraid it would look bad.
   I had been homeschooling our youngest but now I was schooling all four.   My husband's duties had grown so I had more to do for him. I had lots of company on a regular basis and bunked them and fed them!
   Although I didn't realize it at the time I became a Martha instead of a Mary. I had lots of busy "church activities" in my life that were visible to all but it took something precious from me to be so busy at work for the Lord--my Mary life.
Did I read my Bible and pray? Yes, but it wasn't the same. It wasn't that sitting at His feet and soaking up His presence, praying as I laundered, praying as I did dishes, memorizing His word as I did dishes, spending time just talking to Him. Instead it was hurried and became almost a rote listing of my prayer requests. More and more I was apologizing to Him for not spending as much time with Him as I should be spending and found myself just counting the chapters that I'd read to make sure I was on track with my "daily Bible reading".
At the same time I was fighting some major spiritual battles and seeing some wonderful victories. However, fighting spiritual battles draws from you and I found myself becoming more and more frustrated with things that were stressful that never had been that traumatic to me.
Then there came the day that I crashed emotionally. No one around me but my husband knew about it at first but as time went on and I became worse and worse my children found out and then my family. I withdrew more and more as my emotional state worsened. My illness did some major damage to our home, our children and my husband's pastorate. I no longer was even able to carefully "watch" over the spiritual welfare of my family. My only prayer was "Help me."
   We still live with some of the aftereffects today as a family. I ask the Lord to use it for His glory however He chooses and that is one of the reasons I'm writing this. WHATEVER you do, don't trade being busy serving the Lord as your worship of the Lord. Should we be busy for the Lord? --yes, yes, yes! but that takes us to the next point.
Spending time with the Lord is something we choose--Jesus Himself said to Martha, "Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her." Give the Lord His time--worship Him daily.

2. Live by design and by priority.
Do you know why I write this blog? I have become (not that I always like this) an older woman. Titus calls it an aged woman. (See Titus 2:1-5) I am told to teach the younger women certain things in the word of God. That's why I take the time to do it. I see young women with different levels of frustration and my heart yearns to get them to the point where they can find joy in what they're doing. Life doesn't give us a second round and if many of our frustrations are easily resolved then I want to see them resolved for young women.
   Do you know why God made you as a woman? Do you know your Biblical role? Do you know what God wants you to give your attention to and what He designed for you not to give your attention to?
Let's just look at Titus 2:4. First young women are to be sober. That's being serious about what we need to be serious about. Your spiritual well-being is serious. Second to love their husbands, then to love their children, then to be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good obedient to their own husbands. Why? That the word of God be not blasphemed.
Now out of that list can you find things that require your personal attention that would consume time? Husbands? Children? A home?
Could we make a priority list here?
   First, give the Lord the proper attention. Talk to Him, spend time with Him, confide in Him first, pour every trial, tear and trouble into His ear and then TRUST Him to supply your every need. Your spiritual needs, your emotional needs and your physical needs. Don't tell another soul till you've confided in Him and asked Him to help you stand perfect and complete in all His will in the situation. Then trust Him to do it in you and for you.
Second, give your husband the attention he needs. Now much of this overlaps. Husbands need their clothes laundered and their meals cooked and a nice clean home to live in but most of all your husband needs you to give him your love, loyalty and to run his home and raise his children in a way that honors his wishes for a home. We know what our husband wants (spoken and unspoken) and we should yield our will to his will. Each and every desire he has that is not a sin we should be doing our best to give him.
   There were several activities my husband felt were unnecessary but I was afraid what people would think if I didn't do them and I ignored what he wanted. Although I've asked him to forgive me I still live with the fruit of not honoring his wishes.
Also, let your husband carry out his God-given role and you carry out yours. You are not loving your husband when you take on the role of bread-winner. If we're to trust the Lord with all and all then we must trust the Lord to lead our lives and meet our needs through our  mate. God says that the man is to provide for his family and if he doesn't he is worse than an infidel. Don't think you're loving him by going out and getting a job in the world so you can pay the bills. You're not his mother--you're his sweetheart. You're not the other man in the house--you're the one he is to cherish and care for. Let him.
Today's young woman seems to be getting her role model from the world and the media. They are a facade. They put the woman in the man's world carrying out the man's role and make her look very successful at it. That is not true. Sit at a counseling table for any time at all and you'll find women are miserable trying to be men. God has a design and when we don't carry out things according to His design they break! Love your husband enough to let him be the man and you concentrate on being the woman--according to the Bible not the world. Make the Proverbs 31 women your number one role model.   I've worked at it for 36 years and I still am falling short! It's a big order but a beautiful one!
   Third, your children need your attention. You only have one time to raise them. Children need much care and that means they consume much of our time. A child "left to himself" (to send away, let loose, cast away, dismiss, give over) bringeth his mother to shame. Who have I sent my child to instead of taking personal responsibility for my child's rearing, teaching and training? The public school, tv, computer, cell phone, friends, a babysitter or daycare? They don't just need food and clothing and some "quality" time. They need us. They need Deuteronomy 6 rearing. We need to bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord as we sit, walk and stand.
    Fourth, our homes. The home is the domain of the woman. Study your Bible carefully about the woman. Her ministry is through the home--not outside of the home. That's where she cares for her husband so he can go out and pastor, evangelize, or teach. That's where she raises his children carefully so they are an honor to him. That's where she cooks for preachers, puts people up as they serve the Lord, sews little clothing to give to others, and the list (from the Bible) goes on and on. The home is the wonderful little piece of heaven God has given us to serve Him in as a woman.
When a woman goes outside of the home she is no longer following God's design for her and she'll get in trouble. I remember two different women that joined our church when I was a teen and they were always at church doing something. One lady wanted to run a van route, she went on visitation all the time, she went to every meeting at every church in the area. The other one was at the Christian school or at the church volunteering to do every extra piece of secretarial work or other work that she could find.
My mother was unimpressed. She said they were doing it to avoid their work God had given them at home. She would say, "Tami, always remember your mission field is at your feet. They're neglecting their husbands, children and homes in the name of serving God and God isn't honored with that." Before I was married both women were divorced and out of church.
Don't take my word for it. Do a Bible study and see where God has women ministering. If women are out of the home see what God says about them. If they are out of the home and in a spiritual position see what condition the nation was in spiritually at the time and see if God liked it. God made the man for the position of going out into the world and holding positions of leadership and authority and we're his helpmeet. We are to see to it that he can do his job efficiently and with our encouragement and help!
Count phone calls, internet time, and other "gates" out of your home as time out of the home. Remember God's warning about younger widows who have married and cast off their first faith? "And withal they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not." (I tim. 5:13) The word learn means "to learn by use and practice, to be in the habit of" and the word idle means lazy, shunning from the labour which one ought to perform". If you're doing all the Bible tells you to do as a woman you won't have time for wandering from house to house (even by phone or internet) speaking things which you shouldn't be speaking.
What a beautiful place the Lord has given us to work. What a wonderful and varied life's work He has given us. Domestic skills (and the word "keepers" in Titus 2 means "working at home, caring for the home, the watch or keeper of the house, keeping at home and taking care of household affairs, a domestic") are some of the most wonderful skills to learn. Entire websites and blogs are dedicated to our lives--crafting, cooking, sewing, interior design, childcare, cleaning, and the list goes on and on and on. God put the love for the domestic things in a woman--feed that instinctive love He has given you.  I love my chosen career. I love being able to use the home the Lord has given us to minister to those He has given me to care for and attend to.
So dear ones, if you are careful (to be anxious, to be troubled with cares, to seek to promote one's interest, to be annoyed in spirit), or troubled (disturbed, to be troubled in mind, disquieted) then I pray that you will come to the Lord and yield yourself completely to Him. If you've never yielded yourself to Him for salvation then that is the first and most important step of your life. He alone can wash away every sin, put His precious blood on you, enter your life and heart and save you from the destruction of being a sinner against God by saving your soul.
If you are saved then yield your all to Him and let Him have full control of your life. Agree to give up your plans, dreams, ideas, hopes, and possessions and put them in His care. Start a walk of sweet fellowship and friendship and choose to sit at His feet daily.
Remember there is no grace for anything you're doing that He hasn't chosen. You're on your own and let me assure you that the arm of flesh will fail you. Whatever God orders/prescribes for you He enables you to do and gives you grace and strength when your flesh fails you. "My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever." Psalms 73:26)
I pray that this has given you new hope and new strength and perhaps for someone very stressed and worn out emotionally it will get you back to a pathway of joy and healing.
With love,
Mom

Fall Cookin"...

2010-09-12T19:57:00.000-07:00

The air has a different feel to it. When I step on the porch in the morning the air is cooler and it is stirring differently in the trees. The light through the trees that comes into my bedroom is a different shade of green--it's signalling the change of a season. I'm so ready for the brisk days and nights and for opening the windows again and letting the cool air come through our home.
   At breakfast about two weeks ago I asked the kids what they thought of when they thought of fall meals. They mentioned Cheesy Potato Soup, Chili, Corn Chowder (the potato soup or the chowder are served in bread bowls sometimes), Beef Stew,Taco Soup, Pot pie, Goulash with piping hot corn bread on the side, deer tenderloin fried and then baked with warm brown gravy around it, Rotel, and other hearty comfort foods.
I start wanting to make my favorite desserts made with apples, pumpkins and oatmeal. I think of desserts with caramel flavor and lots of cinnamon. Mmmmm....out come the cookbooks and I pull out my Maple Nut Twist breakfast bread, Pumpkin Roll, Little Debbie Oatmeal Cakes (homebaked), German Apple Cake, Apple Crisp, Apple Dumplings, Monster Cookies, Pumpkin Praline Cheesecake, Pecan Pie, Spice Cake with Cooked Caramel Frosting and Pumpkin Doughnut Drops.
Last year I made a delicious pumpkin cake out of Jennibeth's cookbook "Dining with Pioneers Volume II".
We had celebrated Thanksgiving together and had just about emptied out the pantry and we were looking for something to make with what was left. She said she had a can of pumpkin left so I dug through the cookbooks and found this recipe. It mentioned cream cheese frosting but we didn't have cream cheese so I made the cooked caramel frosting and we put it on it. (I did a double batch since it was a three layer cake.)
It was SOOOO good!
So in celebration of the beginning of fall I'm going to put the recipe on here for Pumpkin Cake with Cooked Caramel Frosting. Enjoy! I'm planning on making it in the next couple weeks and will try to add a picture here then.

2 cups sugar
1 cup oil
4 eggs
2 cups flour
2 tsp. soda
1 tsp. salt
4 tsp. cinnamon
Combine sugar and oil. Add eggs separately, beating well to combine. Add flour, soda, salt and cinnnamon to sugar mixture. Blend thoroughly. Bake at 325 degrees for 25 minutes in pans that have been greased and floured.   Makes three (3) 9" round layers.

Cooked Caramel Frosting (or Easy Penuche Frosting)
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 cup brown sugar (packed)
1/4 cup milk
2 cups powdered sugar
Melt butter or margarine. Stir in brown sugar. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir over low heat for two minutes. Stir in milk, heat to boiling. Remove from heat and cool to lukewarm.
Gradually, stir in powdered sugar. Place pan of frosting in bowl of ice and water; beat until it's of spreading consistency. If frosting becomes too stiff, heat slightly, stirring constantly.
*Remember-I double this for this cake.
   What's your favorite fall recipe? Is there something you just have to have before the season is over? We love food traditions at our house and these are some that we cannot imagine not having at the table this time of the year. I hope you're enjoying the beautiful weather, the changes and the plans of the season! Isn't God good to give us wonderful changes and such a beautiful creation? Enjoy, enjoy!

Just Had To Try This...

2010-08-26T21:36:00.000-07:00

The original shirt!

Last week when I went to get some clothes out of my closet and one of my husband's shirts was hanging there in front of my clothes. I couldn't figure out what he wanted me to do with it so I left it there to ask him about it when he got home from work.
When I asked him he said that he was going to throw it away because the collar was worn out. He just forgot to do it! Instantly I had visions of a little dress tutorial I'd seen on http://www.dana-made-it.com/2008/07/tutorial-shirt-dress.html. She had made several little dresses that were out of men's shirts and even had a tutorial on how to do it! It was my opportunity to make something for Halle! (Since the other girls had got twirly skirts and culottes this summer.)
So I copied off what I thought was essential (since my memory isn't what it used to be!) and began my journey on Monday. Now Monday was also the first day of school for us so not a lot got done on the dress. Basically, I got the collar and sleeves cut off!

My next step was to find a basic a-line dress to use as a rough pattern to cut the dress out. I called Niki and got Halle's size, found a pattern and spent the evening getting everything ready for day # 2--cut the dress out and do some sewing...
I am not a decisive person so it took me a while to get my courage up to cut it out. I "measured twice and cut once", thought it looked really good, so I made myself a pattern to use in the future with my little special instructions written all over it.

I had looked all over the internet for different people's attempts at "refashioning" or "repurposing" a man's shirt into a little girl's dress and had seen one with these beautiful little Euro ruffles down the front. That took care of the rest of Tuesday's spare minutes. I was playing with ruffles for the front of the dress. After all, if we're going to go on a "design and create" tangent let's go all the way with it and have some fun!

Then I decided we needed another fabric in with the shirt fabric--enter new ruffles to go between the ones out of the shirt fabric. And then I decided it should probably go on the edge of the sleeves and the tail of the hem. Somewhere years ago I read a second color of design should always be added by odd numbers. (put it in one,three or five places but not in two or four.)

On to the next stage...

Since Niki had sent me Halle's measurements I was now ready to add elastic to the neckline and to the sleeves. That was Wednesday. My husband made the comment that he didn't know how a quick little thing like making a man's shirt into a dress could be taking all week. Of course it can--when half the time you're designing and playing and then you sew for 10 minutes between helping with school work! And we had to have our exercise time, game night (Pictionary), and just plain being silly together!

Today I was determined to bring my fun to an end--after all, someone has got to stop and do some cleaning around here this week! So here's the grand finale. I'm very pleased with it and look forward to having a picture of Halle modeling her Grandpa Gary's shirt turned into the cutest little shirt dress! So here it is!

A big thank you to Dana for putting such a wonderful and easily understood tutorial on her blog. It was a slightly bigger project than I excpected (due to my wanting to stick little ideas of my own here and there) but I loved the cost-$0.00! Now that makes me want to go to the nearest thrift store and find my next project!

If anyone else does something like this I'd sure like to hear about it and find out where you learned about it and what you did!

Love,

Mom

Oxford's Holy Club

2010-08-24T22:25:00.000-07:00

The past three weeks or so I've been going through boxes that we were keeping under our house in a storm room. We found out about six weeks ago that everything in that room was molding! Not good, since it held the Christmas tree, my fall decorations, all my wreaths and the list goes on.
The box that upset me the most was my keepsake box. It's been safely kept in the shed for 13 1/2 years but now it had some mold in it so I've been going through it a little each day. (It's a big box and mostly letters and papers.)
I have laughed, cried, and shook my head at much of what I've read. I've asked myself why I kept every little card given to me. I have laughed at Niki's early, early days of poetry, Alicia's nighttime notes she left her daddy and I and the boys birthday party decorations and special artwork and notes. I've been surprised to see how much Nathan wrote to people and talked about his schoolwork! I've enjoyed notes and letters talking about Nevin's love of costumes and playing Civil War, cowboy and frontiersman.
I've found letters from friends and church members from long ago that have made me happy and sad. I've read many letters from my mother and from friends and realized we really don't change much over time. Those that complained about everything early in their lives are still complaining when I talk to them, those that kept a good attitude and trust in the Lord are mostly still doing it. I can see my children's strengths and weaknesses. I've seen all my strengths and weaknesses and laughed ruefully that I'm still fighting many of my early besetting sins--however, I am walking in victory in most of them! Time (and learning to "put on" the Lord Jesus Christ are wonderful lessons to learn) is a helpful thing in our lives.
Today I want to quote a paper that I had copied that had been a great help to me when I was a young mother and had just surrendered all to the Lord. It is convicting but good! I quote:
The members of the Holy Club in Oxford in John Wesley's day examined themselves every Sunday on the love of God and the simplicity of their faith; on Monday, they examined themselves on their love toward their fellowmen and submitted themselves to twenty-seven quiestions; and so on throughout the week. Here are some of the questions:
1. Am I consciously or unconsciously creating the impression that I am a better woman than I really am. In other words, am I a hypocrite?
2. Am I honest in all my acts or words or do I exaggerate?
3. Do I confidentially pass on to another what was told me in confidence?
4. Can I be trusted?
5. Am I a slave to dress, friends, work or habits?
6. Am I self-conscious, self-pitying, or self-justifying?
7. Did the Bible live in me today?
8. Do I give it time to speak to me every day?
9. Am I enjoying prayer?
10. When did I last speak to someone else with the object of trying to win that person for Christ?
11. Am I making contacts with other people and using them for the Master's glory?
12. Do I pray about the money I spend?
13. Do I get to bed in time and get up in time?
14. Do I disobey God in anything?
15. Do I insist upon doing something about which my conscience is uneasy?
16. Am I defeated in any part of my life, jealous, impure, critical, irritable, touchy or distrustful?
17. How do I spend my spare time?
18. Am I proud?
19. Do I thank God that I am not as other people, especially as the Pharisee who despised the publican?
20. Is there anybody whom I fear, dislike, disown, criticize, hold a resentment toward or disregard? If so, what am I doing about this?
21. Do I grumble or complain constantly?
22. Is Christ real to me?

Whew...I don't know about you, but a few of those stung! I am adding them to my current event book of things that must be deal with. Thank You Lord for reminding me of those things that I need to change.
Applying these truths to our lives will definitely help bring revival in our lives.
Let's each pick the one we need to work on the most and begin to take steps immediately to remove or add to our life what the Holy Spirit desires to enable us to obey in!

Love,

Mom

Back to "Home" School!

2010-08-20T14:15:00.000-07:00

I'm 55 years old and have the pleasure of having grandchildren (17 to be exact with #18 coming right about Christmas time) and also still having "at home" children. Asher graduated last year which was sweet, wonderful and sad all at once!
However, I've still got Cierra (who is a 9th grader this year) and John (a 5th grader) so my days of homeschooling are still here for me. It has been a wonderful adventure that I wouldn't trade for the best private school available in town.
When we began homeschooling it was pretty much unheard of. Our local librarian introduced me to Raymond Moore's books telling me that she thought it fit my philosophy of mothering. I brought the children into the library at least twice a week on our daily walks and my children LOVED library books! (They loved books in general, but our personal library was rather small at the time!)
I soaked in what I read and took it to heart. Niki was already forcing me to teach with "What letter is that?" "What does it say?" She was reading well at four years of age, but in all truth I had to explain (when people exclaimed what a wonderful teacher I was to my four year old) that she pretty much taught herself by asking questions and applying my answers. It certainly wasn't any kind of planned schooling!
That's part of what turned the lightbulb on in my head. I taught my children almost every skill they had (good and bad:). I potty trained them, I taught them manners, hygiene and right from wrong. I had taught them how to talk and I had read to them so much that they had a huge library in their heads already! So, why did I think I couldn't teach them school?
(I've had more than one mother in my life tell me they couldn't possibly teach their children at home and then go to college and get an education and guess what they are now? Yes, you guessed it! They're a teacher! Teaching 20 or so of someone else's children.)
True to my personality I got on the bandwagon in a big way. I began researching, contacting others who had schooled their own children and finding out everything I could about this new thing called "homeschooling". My husband, who was a Christian school teacher and principal, wasn't quite so enthusiastic.
We had made the decision when the Lord gave us children that if we had to sell the furniture out from under us we would not do two things in our marriage. I would not go to work outside of the home and our children would get a Christian education--not one from "Caesar".
Although Gary thought it was a good idea he also felt it would appear like we had a double standard in our life if he worked in a Christian school and then homeschooled his own children. He also felt it would appear we were disloyal to our pastor's decision to have a Christian school at our church. (Because he was on staff.) I didn't agree but I knew the Bible taught me to obey my husband so I simply began to pray about it.
The year that Nathan was to go to Christian school I felt heartbroken. It would just be little Nevin and I at home and my husband and children were going to be at the Christian school.
Many people had suggested I come to work at the Christian school and I began playing with the idea that someone had planted in my mind that the church was simply an "extension" of the home.
The year Nathan was to go to first grade there wasn't a teacher available as our teacher's mother had developed cancer and she had made the decision to be with her mother. I cannot tell you how excited I was that anyone with a K-5 child needed to make other arrangements! Nathan had his first year of school at home! Nevin sat on the floor and listened and learned as he played with his matchbox cars.
The next year Nathan went to school with his sisters and his dad and I taught Nevin K-5 at home. So much fun!
But the new school year was coming and then I was going to be in an empty house--no hubby and no children. All of them at the church. I began dwelling again on just going to work at the Christian school and thinking of it as an extension to our home. I approached my husband and got an emphatic no! That decision had been made and it was not negotiable! Back to praying.
In my times when I am the very closest to the Lord my praying is simply talking to Him and pouring out my heart just like I was talking to a friend I could trust with my deepest secrets. So many times in our conversations He shows me where the problem I'm telling him about has me as part of the solution. (Or should I say that I am part of why there's a problem!) I had a lot of things to learn.
That year my husband accepted a pastorate in Tennessee and when we moved there we were free to homeschool all four of our children. Wow! The first year of homeschooling all four was a year of lessons! Although I loved every minute of it I quickly realized that if I had tried starting with all four I might have ended up being a homeschool dropout! I had no idea how much time was involved in four compared to one! The Lord gently worked me from one to two and then to four! Praise the Lord for a husband who operated by principles and obeyed them. Praise the Lord I truly believed in obeying my husband and trusting the Lord to work it out if it was truly His will.
When we first began homeschooling all four of our children I asked the Lord to give me a homeschool "core curriculum" passage from the Bible. He gave me II Peter 1:5-8. I realized that first we needed to diligently teach our children that the Bible was the final authority for our lives and they needed to place their faith in Christ and His Word. Then we needed to diligently work to develop godly character in their lives (virtue), and after those two things we needed to add the knowledge (facts) , temperance (self-control), patience, godliness, brotherly kindness and charity. It's the best curriculum plan I've seen out there and I lay it beside every curriculum I find and many of them fail on the first item! (faith)
Now we're to the year 2010 and I'm a homeschool veteran. I'll be 62 years old when John graduates from high school. I wouldn't have any other life. I always catch myself in August getting that little thrill back of the new school year about to start.
Do I have days I wish I could pack them in the van, drop them off at the nearest school and tell them I'll be back in two days or two weeks or maybe even two months? You better believe it! My motivation is to please and obey my Father and nothing else and that's what gets me through the days (and sometimes weeks!) that are overwhelming with their duties.
On the whole however the Lord has made our homeschool journey a wonderful trip. I still go through old papers and old photo albums and get tears in my eyes. I still love looking at the new year with its new books (or computer program) and feeling a little thrill of what the adventure of our new year will be.
I pray that you have seriously looked at your home, your family, your children and seen the priority that God gives to our giving our children an education that is Christ-centered and that in the end will give Him glory. We're spending our life on what we treasure and I can't think of anything better to invest in than sitting, walking, standing and teaching our children! (Deuteronomy 6)

Love,

Mom

P.S.- Dr. Raymond Moore recommended that you make a philosophy of education plan and put it into words to read and re-read on a regular basis to keep yourself focused and on course. Here's ours. We haven't changed our minds (or hearts) about it since it was written in 1982 or "83.
"As Bible-believing Christians we believe and accept for our life standards the perfect Word of God. God's Word is the final authority for our lives.
Based on this, we believe God's Word teaches us that we are responsible for the provision and care of our children. We believe that we are accountable to God for the spiritual, mental, emotional and physical care of our children. (I Tim. 5:8)
We also believe that God commands us to teach and to train our children. God's Word qualifies us to be their teachers and we believe what He calls upon us to do, He also equips us to do. (Deut. 4:9, Deut. 6:1,2,6,7, Deut. 11:18,19, Exra 8:21, Ps. 78:1-7, Prov. 4:3-5, Prov. 22:6, Eph. 6:1-4, I Thess. 2:11,12)
We believe the Bible offers a plan of education in II Peter 1:5-8. It is our personal goal to lead each child into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, (salvation by faith), and to build onto that godly character, (virtue), and then add to that pertinent facts, (knowledge). We believe knowledge without character or Christ will produce a child that is a detriment to society.
Our homeschool is set up with the father as the final word and the decision maker and with Christ as his authority. (Eph. 6:22-33) The mother carries out his wishes and has the role of teacher. (Prov. 6:20, Prov. 31:1) The children have the responsibility to listen to and obey instruction. (Eph. 6:1-3, Prov. 6:20, Prov. 4:1-4)
We carry out our teaching according to Christ's example in Acts 1:1--do and teach. What we require and instruct we also teach by example.
It is our goal to produce children who know Christ as their personal Saviour, who live their live by character and principle and who are well-trained in basic academic skills.
Psalms 127:1-5 and Psalms 144:12 express our heart's desire for our home and children. we desire children to go out as arrows into a dark world and to make a difference.

Mr. and Mrs. Gary Neal

In Memory of My Father-In-Law...

2010-08-18T21:46:00.000-07:00

My first real memory of Charles was at my husband's 16th birthday party. I only remember that he was very nice to me--I was too nervous about meeting Gary's parents to remember much else!
Little did I know that in the next 36 years I'd spend more time with this man than with my own father! (Because of my father being a missionary and living in another state.) He became a very real and wonderful part of my life.
I could divide our lives with Charles into "before salvation" and "after salvation". They were like night and day. Although he was a wonderful father-in-law and a fine man before his salvation, after he was saved he became so precious to me as my second dad.
I remember Gary inviting him over for me to cook him a "real southern meal" during the early years of our marriage. (Remember, I'm from the north originally!) I was a nervous wreck. He seemed very happy with my pinto beans, fried potatoes, and corn bread. He did let me know the beans could have cooked a little longer! :)
He was delighted with each grandchild's birth and always came to see me after they were born. He loved his grandchildren and was very, very proud of them.
When Charles was 50 years old he gave us the greatest gift a man can give his family--he trusted Christ as his Savior in July of that year. What a change!
After his salvation, he and AllaDean spent Sundays with us till he moved to Tennessee. He retired two weeks after his salvation and moved to his home state. What memories our children (and Gary and I too) have of visiting him at his cabin he was building! Niki has posted a picture (on Facebook) of the kids riding on the lawnmower with their grandpa on one of those visits.
We made a trip down there to make sure he found a good church so he would get grounded and grow. We watched with joy as he threw away the old life and grew by leaps and bounds in his new-found faith. Our children would spend at least a week or two each summer with Grandpa Charles and Grandma AllaDean. Each time we came to get them they had learned something new. He and AllaDean invested their lives into our children.
Then Gary took the pastorate at the church where Charles was attending! For 8 1/2 years their lives and our lives were intertwined almost daily. What a blessing they were in our church. What a blessing they were as grandparents to our growing brood! What sweet memories we have of our days together at that pastorate.
During that time God blessed our home with Asher Obadiah. Charles hadn't been able to spend the time with our older children like he had wanted and he saw Asher as God's little extra blessing from heaven.
From the day of Asher's birth he and Asher bonded. (Grandma AllaDean was just as close a bond!) We've never been quite sure if Asher was ours or if he was half ours and half theirs! :)
Asher was his Grandpa Charles' shadow. If Grandpa was cleaning the fellowship hall he had a toddler behind him "helping". Many a time Asher's grandpa rocked him to sleep while we finished our duties at the church.
Then came the sad day our pastorate ended and we had to say good-bye to the days of daily interaction. Grandpa Charles didn't let that end his wonderful relationship with our children.
He and AllaDean moved to Jamestown and built another cabin and our children have sweet memories of campovers at Grandpa's during their college days.

When the Lord gave us Cierra and John he welcomed them with open arms and was the same wonderful Grandpa he had been with the other five children. More children meant more joy to Charles--he loved having his home full of them!
He still kept an active involvement in our lives and continued living a consistent Christian life. I've only met one other person that I thought witnessed to each and every person the Lord gave them an opportunity. That other Christian is my own dad.
Grandpa was at each and every important event in our lives and the lives of our children. He was a faithful visitor when anyone was sick. When I was so sick two years ago one of the few memories I have of the first night was Charles standing at my bedside and patting my arm.
What a role model he has been for our children (and for me). What faithfulness and love he has always had for family. What a burden he has had for those who don't know the Lord or aren't where they should be with the Lord.
One of my favorite memories of Charles was pulling into their drive and seeing him sitting on the porch waiting for us. When we left he always followed us out and didn't leave the porch till we were out of sight. I'll never pull away from their house without seeing him in my mind's eye waving as we left. I wish I had a picture of it, but I've got a mental snapshop that will never leave.
Oh, dear "second" dad I'm going to miss you so. Thank you so much for loving me, being patient with me, teaching me, and being a part of my life. You'll be missed each day that we have left on this earth till we meet you in heaven.
I love his note he left in his Bible, "I'll be waiting in glory for those of you who love our Lord Jesus Christ." Till then Charles, I love you!

Your "first" daughter,
Tami

Where Has This Been All My Life?

2010-08-09T19:34:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I clicked on a link for a website called Just a Pinch Recipe Club at http://www.justapinch.com/. While looking through their recipes I found a recipe for Muffin Tin Eggs. It had the most wonderful idea for making eggs given by a lady named Jane Louise. She said she got the recipe from an Amish woman.
You simply take your muffin tins and spray them with cooking spray and then put a little butter (or margarine) in the bottom of each tin. You break an egg in them and pepper and then bake them in a 400 degree oven that has been preheated for 10 minutes.
This seemed absolutely wonderful! Her picture showed these perfectly rounded eggs on an English muffin with meat and cheese. She said you can bake them a little longer to use the eggs for egg salad and that she spices things up by adding goodies to them before baking them. (like bacon bits, salsa, or shredded cheese.
Well, I decided today was the day to give this idea a try. I could just see how convenient these would be on a day with a houseful of company to make them into egg sandwiches, etc. I mean--wow- you could do 24 eggs in 10 minutes!
So, my visiting grandchildren and my own children got to be my guinea pigs. I stuck them in the oven and while they were baking I warmed some deli ham lunchmeat and toasted the thins.
When the thins came out of the toaster I popped an egg on them, put three slices of deli ham on them and a piece of Velveeta cheese. They were an absolute success. Sorry to say I didn't take pictures of them but they looked as good as they were!
The kids liked their McMommy's sandwiches along with a pretty sherbert dish full of fruit for breakfast. I liked how simple it all was! I found myself asking "Where has this idea been all my life?" and caught myself dreaming about how it would work in cutting the time down and making a larger round of egg (for the thins since they're bigger than an English muffin) if I used my large muffin tins....hmmmm....that's for another breakfast!
Anyway, thought I'd pass this wonderful breakfast idea along. Enjoy!

Love,

Mom
p.s. She doesn't say anything about giving the eggs a stir to mix the white and the yolk but I thought the kids would like it better that way so I did. Here's the link to this wonderful website. You also can explore Jane Louise's recipes--she's my kind of cook!
www.justapinch.com/recipe/muffin-tin-eggs-by-jane-louise-lovinspoonful

A Tip (or two) for mommies...

2010-08-04T22:08:00.000-07:00

This morning as I was making my bed I was thinking about (and missing) the days of having a toddler on the other side of the bed "helping" me. Then I got to thinking about those early motherhood days and some of the comments or helps I got that really changed things for me as a young mother.
One of those "lightbulb" moments was on a day when I was tired of disciplining again and again over getting the kids to do what I told them.
You know, "Come here and pick this up." "Go get in the bathtub." "It's time to eat lunch." "Time for bed." and the list goes on. and on. and on....
One day I was listening to James Dobson and he was talking about taking some of the stress out of parenting and he talked about how so many times we give a command and we don't give our children time to "switch gears".
He asked how we would like it if we were deep into a project and someone came in and made us immediately stop and go do something. Well, I instantly could think of being in the middle of a sewing project and my husband making me stop that instant to go do something else. I wouldn't like it!
He then told how when it involves something that isn't an emegerncy. You know, like "Get out of the house, it's on fire!" that we should give them some time to switch gears. If they are having a wonderful time playing something you should start maybe 15 minutes before and say something like, "In 15 minutes it will be time for bed." Then in 5 minutes give them the 10 minute warning, then in 5 minutes give them the 5 minute warning and have them begin to pick things up and then it's time to go do what it wanted.
I implemented that and it helped so much! I wasn't fighting irritation and they were so much more compliant. To this day I use that. Just tonight I began letting John know his computer time was running out 20 minutes before it did. No hassle when his time was up!
I learned little by little as a young mother that several of my problems I was creating myself! I thank the Lord for sending the right person with the right message at the right time!
I hope that you're enjoying the precious short time that you have little ones. You look back on it and realize how wonderful a time it was. Children don't require fancy or expensive items to have a good time. They love having you at their side and can turn a tin can into a toy. (or a sink full of bubbles, or paper and scissors.)
With this said, let me give a couple links that I found that John, Cierra and I are going to try out! These are not "christian" links so I can't say rather everything on them is good, but I love, love, love it when I get one more idea for the "little-to-no-cost" craft file!
Enjoy!

With love,
Mom

1) The first is paper flowers. My how I remember making these with my grandmother. We had tissue paper flowers in every vase she owned! So many of the beautiful crafts I see made by Martha Stewart and other websites are things that I made with my grandmother or mother, they've just used things that cost more money on them. However, our kids don't care! Cierra and I are going to make the beautiful pink flower covered wreath to hang over her bed as a home ec project!
http://howaboutorange.blogspot.com/2010/06/06-things-to-make-with-crepe-paper.html

2.) The second is teaching little hands to use motor skills. My grandmother had a box of lace up cards for us to play with. She used cards but you can use even poster board that you glue a coloring book picture on or you can sketch a picture yourself (like my mother did). It was on a rectangle and then the picture was put on it and holes were punched evenly around it.
Next, you had a blunt needle and some yarn put in it. You simply went in and out of the holes. So fun! I remember my grandmother keeping me happy with a needle and thread and having me go through her button box sorting colors and then threading them together! No wonder I wanted her button collection when she died. Sweet memories!
This lady is awesome with her ideas! She shows here how to use Dollar Store shelf liner that you sketch a picture on and then let the kiddos sew on it. Take a look. While you're there take a look at her music wall--oh, how I would have loved it! and many other cute ideas for kids!
http://www.fifthwizardry.com/2010/02/sewing-and-embroidery-for-kids-with.html

3) And how about paper? My mother taught me how to make a doll house from an old catalog. We took a piece of typing paper and then I cut out my favorite couch, chair, lamps, etc. from the catalog. Then I layered them with my own design. That was my living room! We did it with each room of the house and then bound them (with a hole punch and yarn) into a book! I played with them by the hour.
She also took poster board and made me a house with upstairs and downstairs. She drew (my mother was a very good artist.) each room and my oven door opened (cut out with a piece of cardboard glued behind it.) my beds had slits and the cardboard people went to bed and got between the covers.) and my little people were made for me in their nightgowns (for bedtime), I had a dad with a suit (for going to work), I had a baby that slid into its high chair, and a mom in her dress and apron for stirring the little pot that sat on my stove! I was such a blessed child!
I remember sitting with the little store she made me in a closet and singing my heart out to the song, "Thank You Lord for saving my soul...." as I played with my little cardboard store and watched my mother working in our kitchen.
Here's a place where you can make beautiful colored necklaces out of paper. We've made them out of gift wrap, magazines and leftover church bulletins. Kids love making them!
http://hubpages.com/hub/How-To-Make-Your-Very-Own-Colored-Paper-Bead-Necklace
The How About Orange blog shows how to make beautiful bows for packages out of magazine pages, how to make paper medallions, how to make paper lanterns, and beautiful 3-D paper ornaments. Most of them even your 3 year old can manage!
4. Carboard boxes. My mother could turn a cereal box into a darling couch for an 11-inch doll. She made a cocoa box into a kitchen sink for my doll! She turned a wood block into a tiny radio!
Cardboard boxes are so, so fun! We've turned refrigerator boxes into boats, forts, and houses. The ideas are endless. You can make castles out of cardboard boxes, you can make huge blocks out of cardboard boxes. Little ones love stacking them! Go to fifthwizardy's blog and see some of the cute ideas she has for cardboard boxes!
John and I are working on turning a coffee can into a mailbox (complete with flag) for his treehouse. We're also trying to find crafts and experiments for this month. So, may I encourage you not just to look at these ideas--pick one and get the supplies and cover your table with newspapers and do it. Schedule a time and let nothing else take over that time-you've got a date with the kids!
Got any websites you love and use? Got other ideas or tips on crafts with kids? I'd love to hear about them!

Priorities...

2010-08-03T08:24:00.000-07:00

My God-given priorities are these: (in order of importance)
1) My relationship with the Lord
2) My relationship with my husband
3) My relationship with my children
4) My home
5) Other activities
After making sure the Lord has my day and my plans agree with Him, that He has the preeminince in my day and that I am spending time at His feet I should be giving my husband the attention he deserves.
Remember the old tv shows where you could see that the entire home was run to take care of dad? The chair, slippers, a hot meal almost ready, the clean, shiny home--all there for dad who was working to provide the needs of the family.
Today's media ridicules that notion and the woman who runs her home and honors her husband that way is mocked and ridiculed by the mainstream media. That's all right. Heaven has always wanted the woman to minister to her husband and family and if God is pleased we shouldn't care what the world thinks. To be friends with them is to be at enmity with God. (I Jn. 2:15-17)
Every so often I have to do a rethinking (renewing my mind) on where my priorities are and how I'm doing on meeting my husband's needs. My flesh is not concerned about this so it takes the Holy Spirit reminding me. (and sometimes my husband's irritation!)
OK, so it's check-up time. It's not the big things, it's the little things. The first question I ask myself is--"If my husband could change anything about me right now what would it be?
I usually immediately can think of a few things that need adjusting in their importance for me.
They aren't big, they're usually small things. You know, how much time I'm spending with other people instead of him (and yes, that includes the telephone, computer and tv).
Or making sure that he doesn't have to ask questions like "Are we having a meal around here tonight?" or "Do I have any __________ clean in this house?" Those are questions that the seasoned wife should see to it her husband never, never asks.
Every man has his little frustrations. Am I making sure that they're removed? My husband's is having to pick his way through anything on the floor. He doesn't care if the dish drainer is loaded but he does care if he can't get through the living room because John has his matchbox racetrack from one end to the other!
I have found that the more I've been consistent with running this household as the "KING of the House" wants it, he is more concerned with making sure the queen has the equipment she wants (not needs) and the more often he is standing at the sink with me helping with the dishes so he has me to himself in the living room or on the front porch sooner! It pays you back!
If you asked your husband this morning, "What can I do to help you today?" What would he say? Are you scared to ask him?
The Proverbs 31 woman is my ultimate role model. I've worked at emulating her for 36 years now and I still don't have all her skills down--but I'm sure working on it! She had won her husband's heart! "the heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.". Can your husband honestly say that he can safely trust that you won't do one thing today to spoil (make him a prey, a victim, ruined)him? Is he proud of you or embarassed? Is he proud of your housekeeping? Does he feel like he's first in your life or is he running against your friends, your children or even your church?
I am commanded as an "aged woman" to instruct the young women to love your husbands. (Titus 2) I am watching young women making their husbands worse than an infidel (by trying to be the breadwinner of the home), of competing with their husbands in ministry (by thinking they are to have a ministry outside of being his wife, the mother of their children and the keeper at their home), ruling their husbands, (by always knowing better what should be done concerning everything!) and spoiling their husbands (by talking about him, correcting him, neglecting their duties while doing his).
I heard Eleanor Page say one day something to this effect. "Why don't you young ladies learn from the strange woman in Proverbs? She had everything prepared for the man she was going to seduce, she ran out to meet him and told him she had good things waiting on him inside, she was excited to see him, she made him feel good about himself.
Now Mrs. Page made it clear she was up to no good, but she knew how to get him! So today--why not take some time with the Lord and prayerfully ask Him what you need to "lay aside "that's weighing down your being the wife God designed you to be!
I can tell you this--every time I do this the fruit I reap from it makes me know that it's "a good thing".
"teachers of good things"
Titus 2:3b

Love,

Mom

Strawberries From Heaven....

2010-08-02T21:39:00.000-07:00

In May I love buying strawberries and making strawberry jam. This year we had just made a move and didn't have any income at the Neal household. Strawberries are definitely a luxury especially when I had a freezer with raspberry and blackberry juice in it that could be made into jam if we were totally out.

But I decided to pray. I asked the Lord to please supply me with some strawberries. Well, strawberry season came and went and we had no strawberries given to us and no extra money to spend on them! I decided that it must not be the Lord's will for me to have strawberries this year and began making jellies and jam out of my juice and berries in the freezer.

So June passes and July is passing and I've forgotten about strawberries! Then lo and behold, our beloved UGO begins to have strawberries for $1.00! We bought some so the children could have fresh fruit and everyone was enjoying them.

One day my hubby came home and he had bought $10 worth of strawberries! He remembered that "yours truly" had really wanted to make strawberry jam. So I chopped them up and made strawberry jam. I put the extra strawberries (chopped up) into bags in my freezer.

Every so often he would bring home $2 or $3 worth of strawberries and my freezer began filling up. I now have made several batches of strawberry jam and have enough in the freezer for about 3 more batches. (Some which I plan to make up this week!)

I was standing at the sink after cleaning up the last batch thinking of how wonderful it was that the Lord gave me a "love pat" from heaven by sending me something that I didn't need but I did want. I also thought how far above He is from our small thinking. I thought the answer was "no" and really it was "yes"--just not the way I envisioned it.

Isaiah 55:8 came to mind--"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord." Oh, how true that is! How thankful I am that my God is so much greater than I am and that I can trust Him to plan my life perfectly.

Thank You Lord for my strawberries and thank You for your perfect thoughts and perfect ways!