Hearts in Service

50,000 Visits, 2 Years Blogging and a Giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (Terri) — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 02:56:00 +0000

I've been keeping an eye on my page hit counter and realized that at some point this evening, it got to 50,000 hits. Amazing. This December 24th will make exactly two years that I've been blogging.

I love doing this because it gives me an opportunity to keep in touch with family and friends, as well as journal what is going on in my life and write some of my thoughts down. I appreciate each one of you who visits here and comments.

So I thought it was time for me to do a giveaway! If you leave me a comment on this post between now and Tuesday at 8:00 a.m. EST, you can win an apron like the one above. It may be a different fabric, but the style will be the same. I'll throw in some other goodies as well to make it interesting.

So, just leave a comment and I'll put the names in a basket and draw one out on Tuesday.

Thank you for reading my blog. I appreciate you all!

Thank God for Fridays!

noreply@blogger.com (Terri) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 12:32:00 +0000

I thought these verses were fitting at the end of this advent week focusing on joy.

1 Chronicles 16:32-34 says,

32 Let the sea resound, and all that is in it;
let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them!

33 Then the trees of the forest will sing,
they will sing for joy before the LORD,
for he comes to judge the earth.

34 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
his love endures forever.

I want to spend some time thanking the Lord with joy for what He has done in our lives this past week.

♫ Praise Him for restoration and healing of relationships! He has worked tremendously over the past week to restore some broken relationships in our lives.

♫ Praise Him for my wonderful husband who loves his family and wants to spend time with us. He has been bugging me to go with him to Emily's basketball practice on Thursday nights for the past few weeks and I finally did it tonight. I'm so glad, because he really wanted to spend time talking with me and catching up.

♫ I praise Him for the ministry He has given me with the children and women at church. I love every aspect of what I do there! I am preparing for the Christmas program on Sunday and putting together Christmas baskets, as well as putting together a Christmas eve service. It makes my life hectic, but I wouldn't change a thing.

♫ Praise Him for allowing us to work with Nathan through a rough patch at school this week and continuing to help him as he learns to relate to his peers in a positive way. I'm learning to deal with these issues without getting so anxious or at least staying anxious!

What do you have to sing about this week?

Wednesday Words of Encouragement

noreply@blogger.com (Terri) — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 10:54:00 +0000

I want to continue to focus on the different concepts in Advent during this season. This week at church we lit the candle of joy. I found a song by Twila Paris that I really liked. It's called, The Joy of the Lord.

The joy of the Lord will be my strength
I will not falter, I will not faint
He is my shepherd; I am not afraid
The joy of the Lord is my strength

Chorus:
The joy of the Lord
The joy of the Lord
The joy of the Lord is my strength

The joy of the Lord will be my strength
He will uphold me all of my days
I am surrounded by mercy and grace
The joy of the Lord is my strength

The joy of the Lord will be my strength
I will not waiver, walking by faith
He will be strong to deliver me safe
The joy of the Lord is my strength

There are so many times that we go through situations and tragedies and hard times that would be devastating for people who do not know the Lord. I can't even imagine how I would have gotten through the past 6 months without the joy of the Lord in my life.

It is when we focus on Him we have strength to go through the tough times. I think the thing that makes walking with the Lord so wonderful is that as you see His hand on your circumstances, it strengthens the joy you have. Then the more of His joy you have, the more capable you will be to get through tough times.

The joy comes in knowing that He is there and walking with us through dark times. The joy is in understanding that even though we may not see the purpose to our trials, that God has a purpose and works things out for our good. Joy is the settled knowledge that God is in control of all things. He sees the big picture.

So let's continue to focus on developing His joy in our lives. Don't look at the problem. Look to the Lord who can solve the problem in His time and in His way!

Ups and Downs

noreply@blogger.com (Terri) — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 22:15:00 +0000

I usually try to keep this blog upbeat and about positive things. There are days though when I get pretty down. Today has been one of those days.

Nathan has come home from school the past few days, pretty down and depressed. He is in a special education class that includes 9-12th graders. There are 8 teens altogether in his class. Their disabilities range from autistic spectrum disorder to some fairly serious emotional and behavioral problems.

Apparently, a girl who is the ringleader and a few other teens are telling him he is ugly, obnoxious, weird and no one likes him. Of course, with Nathan's autistic disorder he views everything in extremes. So we try to talk him through it and get to the bottom of who it is. We have to ask him questions like, "Is it all of the kids or just one or two?" "Does this happen in every single class or certain ones?" "What are you saying or doing that may trigger this?"

I did email both teachers to make them aware of it and asked if Dan & I could meet with them. I try to stay matter of fact and positive with Nathan, but I do have to say it makes me sad. He is really such a pleasant boy who tries so hard to please. He wants friends and he just wants to fit in, yet even in a class of other children who have problems, he is at the bottom of the pack.

So, if you think of it, would you please pray for him? Pray for me as well! My mother's heart can only take so much of this because I just want to see him happy.

Okay, I promise I won't dwell on the negative in every blog post. Just like I have down days, I know I'll have up days coming too.

What's Cooking? Week of 12/14

noreply@blogger.com (Terri) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 10:57:00 +0000

I need to think through my week because it's going to be a busy one. I don't generally post lunch because the children aren't home and they buy lunch at school. Here is the menu plan for this week:

Monday
B - Waffles, sausage, juice
D - Fresh tomato & basil sauce over linguini, homemade Italian bread, tossed salad

Tuesday
B - Scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, juice
D - Pot Roast, mashed potatoes & gravy, homemade biscuits, corn

Wednesday
B - Garlic bagels, cream cheese, juice
D - Baked salmon, cornbread, brown rice, steamed broccoli

Thursday
B - Cereal, juice
D - Homemade pizza - choice of veggie or sausage & mushroom, tossed salad

Friday
B - Bagels, cream cheese, juice
D - Leftovers

Saturday
B - Cereal, juice
D - Crockpot meatloaf, baked potatoes, biscuits, peas

Sunday
B - Cereal, juice
L/D - Spaghetti with meatballs, homemade Italian bread, tossed salad

Crafty Things

noreply@blogger.com (Terri) — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 23:40:00 +0000

I made a Christmas apron today from some fabric that I bought last year on sale. It was very easy to make and turned out really cute.

Today was definitely a Christmasy day - went Christmas shopping, did Christmas bulletins, worked on children's Christmas program, made Christmas cookies, and did some Christmas sewing.

Thank God for Friday!

noreply@blogger.com (Terri) — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 10:54:00 +0000

I love this passage in Isaiah, that talks about the names of Jesus.

Isaiah 9:6-7 ~

6 For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, [a] Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

7 Of the increase of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David's throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the LORD Almighty
will accomplish this.

As I was reading this passage and all the different names of Jesus, I thought it would be nice to do something different today and list some of the names of Jesus, based on what His characteristics and what He means to me.

He is.....

♥ Savior
♥ Merciful
♥ Light
♥ Loving Father
♥ My deliverer
♥ Friend
♥ Compassionate
♥ Righteous
♥ Revealer of the Truth

How about you? What does Jesus mean to you? Please feel free to share!
What is He to you?

Minty Chocolate Cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Terri) — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 00:25:00 +0000

I made these cookies today and they were outstanding. Dan & the kids ate a plateful! I thought I'd share the recipe.

Minty Chocolate Cookies

1 (12-oz.) package semisweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup butter
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. baking powder
2 (8-ounce) packages miniature peppermint patties

In a medium bowl, combine chocolate morsels and butter. Microwave on high in 30 second intervals, stirring between each, until chocolate is melted and smooth. Let cool for 5 minutes.

In a large bowl, beat sugar and eggs at medium-high speed with an electric mixer until thick and pale. Gradually beat in cooled chocolate mixture until combined.

In a small bowl, combine flour and baking powder. Gradually add to sugar mixture, beating just until combined. Cut the peppermint patties into small pieces and stir into the dough. Wrap dough in heavy-duty plastic wrap. Chill for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Roll dough into 1-inch balls, and place 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until edges of cookies are dry. Let cool on pans for 2 minutes. Remove from pans and cool completely on wire racks. Store in airtight containers.

Enjoy!

Snow!

noreply@blogger.com (Terri) — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 23:51:00 +0000

We had our first major snowstorm of the season today and it was beautiful.

The children didn't have school but unfortunately, Emily didn't get to go outdoors to enjoy it because it turned to freezing rain by late morning.

However, we enjoyed a roaring fire, watched Christmas movies, and made Christmas cards.

Tomorrow we will go back to our regularly scheduled program. :-)

Wednesday Words of Encouragement

noreply@blogger.com (Terri) — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 10:49:00 +0000

I want to continue focusing on the different concepts in Advent and this week we are focusing on peace. I love the following verse in Isaiah.

Isaiah 52:7 ~

How beautiful on the mountains
are the feet of those who bring good news,
who proclaim peace,
who bring good tidings,
who proclaim salvation,
who say to Zion,
"Your God reigns!"

As believers we are to bring the good news to others; the news of God's peace and His salvation. It is so easy to forget this. We have a purpose here on earth as followers of Christ. We are to proclaim what the Lord has done for us to those who do not know Him. It's not something we are supposed to keep to ourselves and hide away. We have to give it away.

I love the picture of our feet carrying the news to all we meet. Some day we will stand before the Lord and I want to hear Him say, "Well done good and faithful servant."

Let's remember to pass the peace of Christ to those we meet and who do not know Him: our neighbors, family, friends, and all we come across this week and in the weeks to come.

Other Christmas Traditions

noreply@blogger.com (Terri) — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 12:50:00 +0000

A number of years ago, Dan and I started a Christmas tradition of celebrating Advent by having a Jesse Tree. Basically, from December 1st to the 25th we read a passage of scripture and then have the kids hang an ornament on a little table top tree.

The purpose of the Jesse Tree is to look at Jewish history from creation up until the birth of Christ. There is a corresponding ornament for each passage. For example, today's passage was on Abraham offering Isaac as a sacrifice and God providing a ram in his place. The picture is ram.

I keep telling myself that I'm going to make ornaments to go with the readings, but for now I've laminated the pictures which the children hang on the tree.

It's been a wonderful way to look at history and to celebrate Christ's birth.

Lasagna

noreply@blogger.com (Terri) — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 10:42:00 +0000

We had about 14 people here yesterday after church and I made pans of lasagna. I tried out a new recipe for the sauce and it was delicious. Lasagna can be a lot of work, but it's worth it!

Lasagna

Ingredients

* 1 pound sweet Italian sausage
* 3/4 pound lean mix of pork, veal, and ground beef
* 1/2 cup minced onion
* 2 cloves garlic, crushed
* 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
* 2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
* 2 (6.5 ounce) cans canned tomato sauce
* 1/2 cup water
* 2 tablespoons white sugar
* 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil leaves
* 1/2 tsp. marjarom
* 1/2 tsp. oregano
* 1 tablespoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
* 4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
* 12 lasagna noodles
* 16 ounces ricotta cheese
* 1 egg
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 3/4 pound mozzarella cheese, sliced
* 3/4 cup grated Reggiano Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. In a Dutch oven, cook sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until well browned. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. Season with sugar, basil, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons parsley. Simmer, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.

2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain noodles, and rinse with cold water. In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, remaining parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

4. To assemble, spread 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Arrange 3 noodles lengthwise over meat sauce. Spread with one third of the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with a third of mozzarella cheese slices. Spoon 1 1/2 cups meat sauce over mozzarella, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers, and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil: to prevent sticking, either spray foil with cooking spray, or make sure the foil does not touch the cheese.

5. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.

(This picture was before I baked it.)

Enjoy!

Thank God for Fridays

noreply@blogger.com (Terri) — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 11:16:00 +0000

Psalm 43

1 Vindicate me, O God,
and plead my cause against an ungodly nation;
rescue me from deceitful and wicked men.

2 You are God my stronghold.
Why have you rejected me?
Why must I go about mourning,
oppressed by the enemy?

3 Send forth your light and your truth,
let them guide me;
let them bring me to your holy mountain,
to the place where you dwell.

4 Then will I go to the altar of God,
to God, my joy and my delight.
I will praise you with the harp,
O God, my God.

5 Why are you downcast, O my soul?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.

So many people begin to get the blues at this time of the year. Even though most Christians don't like to admit that they get down, they too can fall into this. We set ourselves up for false expectations. We want our Christmas to be picture perfect and everyone to have warm fuzzy feelings. When reality doesn't meet our expectations, we feel down.

Even David had times of discouragement and despair. In Psalm 43 he talks about feeling like God has rejected him and left him at the mercy of his enemies. However, he then goes on to talk about praising the Lord and in the last verse, it sounds like he is giving himself a little lecture. "David, why are you so depressed?" "Put your hope in God and it will turn out okay!"

Have you ever done that? I know that in my life the solution to feeling down and depressed is to focus on what God is doing in my life. To remember the hope that I have. To offer praise to Him. When I do that, my whole outlook changes.

So if you struggle with feeling overwhelmed, discouraged and ready to give up at times, remember the hope that you have. Remember what the Lord has done for you!

This morning let's list some things that you want to give God praise for. He truly is the reason for our hope!

My praises:

♫ Nathan is so excited about the fire department. I mean he is not fighting any fires or anything like that, but for a boy who has always loved anything to do with firetrucks, he is in heaven! He has gotten to wash the trucks and ride on one to pick up some equipment. He is loving it!

♫ Praise God for His provision for us. He is always faithful to provide us what we need when we need it.

♫ For a wonderful church congregation that loves us and supports us.

♫ For the modern technology that allows us to visit with one another and be encouraged from the comfort of our homes. It really is wonderful to be able to have information at the touch of your hand via the internet. I appreciate each of you who read my blog!

Okay, it's your turn!

Crafty Things

noreply@blogger.com (Terri) — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 23:31:00 +0000

I decided to make my own Christmas cards this year. I've been having fun the past few days mixing and matching papers to come up with these creations.

These were a few of my favorites.

I always find it relaxing to make cards. I've been playing Christmas music and creating. My two favorite things!

Wednesday Words of Encouragement

noreply@blogger.com (Terri) — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 08:57:00 +0000

I love this season. I love all the symbolism involved in it and I find that it enhances my understanding of Christ’s coming as a human to save mankind.

One of the things that I especially love is the lighting of the advent candles. This week at church, we had one of our elders do a monologue as Isaiah and then light the candle of hope.

Hope is something that sets us apart as believers. We truly have the one thing to put our hope in that will not let us down. So many people in this world can say they have hope that things will go their way and will work out for the best, yet we know if we follow the Lord, that He truly is the reason for hope.

As I was looking at this subject for this week, so many verses in Psalm 119 jumped out at me.

• Psalm 119:49
Remember your word to your servant, for you have given me hope.

• Psalm 119:74
May those who fear you rejoice when they see me, for I have put my hope in your word.

• Psalm 119:81
My soul faints with longing for your salvation, but I have put my hope in your word.

• Psalm 119:114
You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in your word.

• Psalm 119:147
I rise before dawn and cry for help; I have put my hope in your word.

• Psalm 119:43
Do not snatch the word of truth from my mouth, for I have put my hope in your laws.

Here the psalmist is saying that the reason he has hope is because he trusts the Word of God. It’s only as we read God’s word and understand what it says, can we have hope. We can seek out His promises and have the Lord speak to us through His word.

That is why it is so important to spend time in His word each day. Do you find yourself feeling hopeless; like things will never change? Read His word. Do you feel depressed and down? Read His word. Do you feel overwhelmed and stressed. Read His word. The solution is right before us, yet so often that is the last thing that we do.

I know that we are all busy between the holidays and keeping our homes and schooling our children, but in order to keep it together, we must spend time with the Lord each day. That is the way that you will truly have hope this holiday season and all year long!

What's Cooking - 11/30-12/6/09

noreply@blogger.com (Terri) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 11:10:00 +0000

The last of the Thanksgiving leftovers are used up and to be honest, we are sick of poultry right now! I'm planning on substitute teaching as much as possible the next few weeks to help out with Christmas, so it's helpful to have a meal plan.

I'm only posting breakfast and dinner since the children buy lunch at school and half the time Dan & I don't eat lunch.

Monday
B - Scrambled eggs, bacon, biscuits, juice
D - Turkey soup, biscuits

Tuesday
B - Cereal, juice
D - Pot roast, mashed potatoes & gravy, corn

Wednesday
B - Waffles, sausage, juice
D - Marinara sauce with spaghetti squash, homemade Italian bread, tossed salad

Thursday
B - Garlic bagels, cream cheese, juice
D - Homemade pizza - choice of sausage & mushroom or veggie, tossed salad

Friday
B - Cereal, juice
D - Leftovers

Saturday
B - Dan & the boys at men's breakfast
D - American chop suey, biscuits, tossed salad

Sunday
B - Cereal, juice
D - Spaghetti & meat sauce, Italian bread, tossed salad

Christmas Tradition

noreply@blogger.com (Terri) — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:54:00 +0000

While growing up, our family did not have many traditions when it came to holidays. Dan didn't come have many either so we were able to start some of our own without a lot of the conflict that many couples have.

One of the traditions that we started was decorating for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving. Because we have an artificial tree, this became something that we look forward to each year.

Now that the children are older, it's even more enjoyable because they love to do the bulk of the decorating. One of the jobs I've always detested is putting together the tree. That's not an issue any more because the three of them work together to put it up.

I put on the lights and then they hang the ornaments. One of the reasons they love doing this is because each year I purchase an ornament for them with their name and date on it. When they leave home, they will get to take their ornaments with them. They love looking at each trinket and talking about when they received it.

I usually will put out all the other knick-knacks and decorations. I don't have a lot of things so this doesn't take too long.

I love having a fireplace and this one is wonderful because it has two sides with a mantle on each side.

I make Christmas cookies and when we are finished we have cookies and hot cocoa and enjoy the fruits of our labor.

Actually, the best part according to Stephen is the homemade hot cocoa and cookies. It doesn't take much to keep him happy! :-)

Church Humor

noreply@blogger.com (Terri) — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 12:53:00 +0000

LOT'S WIFE:

The Sunday School teacher was describing how Lot's wife looked back and turned into a pillar of salt, when little Jason interrupted, 'My Mommy looked back once while she was driving,' he announced triumphantly, 'and she turned into a telephone pole!'

GOOD SAMARITAN:

Sunday school teacher was telling her class the story of the Good Samaritan.

She asked the class, 'If you saw a person lying on the roadside, all wounded and bleeding, what would you do?' A thoughtful little girl broke the hushed silence, 'I think I'd throw up.'

DID NOAH FISH?

A Sunday school teacher asked, 'Johnny, do you think Noah did a lot of fishing when he was on the Ark ?'

'No,' replied Johnny. 'How could he, with just two worms.'

MOSES AND THE RED SEA:

Nine-year-old Joey was asked by his mother what he had learned in Sunday school.

'Well, Mom, our teacher told us how God sent Moses behind enemy lines on a rescue mission to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. When he got to the Red Sea , he had his army build a pontoon bridge and all the people walked across safely. Then he radioed headquarters for reinforcements. They sent bombers to blow up the bridge and all the Israelites were saved.'

'Now, Joey, is that really what your teacher taught you?' his mother asked.

'Well, no, Mom. But, if I told it the way the teacher did, you'd never believe it!

THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD:

A Sunday School teacher decided to have her young class memorize one of the most quoted passages in the Bible - Psalm 23.

She gave the youngsters a month to learn the chapter. Little Rick was excited about the task - but he just couldn't remember the Psalm. After much practice, he could barely get past the first line.

On the day that the kids were scheduled to recite Psalm 23 in front of the congregation, Ricky was so nervous. When it was his turn, he stepped up to the microphone and said proudly, 'The Lord is my Shepherd, and that's all I need to know!!!

UNANSWERED PRAYER:

The preacher's 5 year-old daughter noticed that her father always paused and bowed his head for a moment before starting his sermon. One day, she asked him why.

'Well, Honey,' he began, proud that his daughter was so observant of his messages.'I'm asking the Lord to help me preach a good sermon.'

'How come He doesn't answer it?' she asked.

SAY A PRAYER:

Little Johnny and his family were having Sunday dinner at his Grandmother's house.

Everyone was seated around the table as the food was being served. When Little Johnny received his plate, he started eating right away.

'Johnny! Please wait until we say our prayer.' said his mother.

'I don't need to,' the boy replied. 'Of course, you do,' his mother insisted. 'We always say a prayer before eating at our house.'

'That's at our house,' Johnny explained. 'But this is Grandma's house and she knows how to cook!'

Thank God for Friday

noreply@blogger.com (Terri) — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 15:34:00 +0000

Psalm 145

1 I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name for ever and ever.

2 Every day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever.

3 Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.

4 One generation will commend your works to another; they will tell of your mighty acts.

5 They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty, and I will meditate on your wonderful works.

6 They will tell of the power of your awesome works, and I will proclaim your great deeds.

7 They will celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness.

8 The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.

9 The LORD is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.

10 All you have made will praise you, O LORD; your saints will extol you.

11 They will tell of the glory of your kingdom and speak of your might,

12 so that all men may know of your mighty acts and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.

13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. The LORD is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made.

14 The LORD upholds all those who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down.

15 The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time.

16 You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.

17 The LORD is righteous in all his ways and loving toward all he has made.

18 The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.

19 He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them.

20 The LORD watches over all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy.

21 My mouth will speak in praise of the LORD. Let every creature praise his holy name
for ever and ever.

I love this habit of looking at our blessings each Friday. It's so easy to look at all the negatives in our lives and forget about what God is doing.

Here are my blessings:

♫ Praise God for modern medicine. Other than a cough at night, Emily is back to normal.

♫ I'm thankful that she got sick before we left because it would of been horrible trying to travel with a sick child. I would of felt bad having a bunch of sick children to my inlaws and making everyone sick.

♫ God always, always gives me encouragement right when I need it. I praise God for a friend who sent me a Facebook message telling me she was praying for me just when I was feeling down.

♫ Because we stayed home, we get to do our traditional set-up the Christmas tree day today. Otherwise, it would of been crammed into Sunday afternoon before my ladies Bible study. Now, we can have a relaxing day!

♫ I thank God for the turkey I had in my freezer and most of the food for yesterday's meal. I didn't have to buy everything as I already had it on hand. In fact, the only thing I picked up was sparkling cider, squash and apples for the pie.

What are you thankful for?

Happy Thanksgiving

noreply@blogger.com (Terri) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 22:09:00 +0000

Happy Thanksgiving to you all! Thank you so much for your prayers for Emily. She started Tamiflu last night and by tonight her temperature is back to normal, though she is still coughing a lot. Stephen woke up with a sore throat so obviously, the sickies are going around here.

I mustered up the energy to go grocery shopping today and made an apple and pumpkin pie. I hope that you all have a blessed Thanksgiving and remember to thank the Lord for all your many blessings!

Swine Flu

noreply@blogger.com (Terri) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 23:23:00 +0000

We took Emily to the doctor today and she tested positive for swine flu. Please pray for her. She has been running a 104 degree temperature all day and is pretty sick. Dan had to drive 30 miles away to find a pharmacy that carried the medicine.

Thanks for your prayers!

Thanksgiving Menu

noreply@blogger.com (Terri) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 17:00:00 +0000

We were planning on visiting Dan's parents for Thanksgiving, but I'm going on three weeks of being sick. Emily woke up ill yesterday and Nathan today. So unfortunately, we had to change our plans.

I scrambled, but came up with a menu for us on Thursday.

Here is the plan:

Pumpkin soup
Roast turkey with cornbread dressing
Dinner rolls
Mashed potatoes & gravy
Butternut squash
Green beans
Green salad with all the fixings
Cranberry sauce

Dessert: choice of pumpkin or blueberry pie with homemade whipped cream

Sparkling cider

Have a blessed Thanksgiving!

Gum Drop Cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Terri) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:41:00 +0000

I made these today and they were delicious. I'm pretty sure they will go over well with the children. They like cookies and they like candy. Put the two together and you can't go wrong.

I thought I'd share the recipe.

Gum Drop Cookies
1 cup butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 and 3/4 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. soda
1 1/2 cups gum drops (use scissors to cut into small pieces)
2 cups quick-cooking oats

Cream butter and sugars together. Add eggs one at a time and then add in vanilla. Mix together flour, baking powder, salt and soda. Add to the butter mixture until well blended. Fold in gum drops and quick oats.

Roll into 1" balls and bake at 350 degrees for 9-11 minutes. Let the cookies sit on the cookie sheet for two minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

Enjoy!

Thank God for Friday!

noreply@blogger.com (Terri) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:10:00 +0000

Psalm 147:1 ~ Praise the LORD. How good it is to sing praises to our God,how pleasant and fitting to praise Him!

I can't believe another Friday came around so quickly. Since Thanksgiving is next week, I thought it especially fitting to give praises to God and thank Him for the many wonderful things He has done for me.

♫ Nathan told me yesterday that he just loves school and said, "You should have put me in a long time ago!" That made me laugh out loud because the reason I pulled him out was because he was miserable at the time. But praise God, he is happy and doing well!

♫ We are seeing hope for Nathan. He is doing well at his art. He is joining the volunteer fire department as a junior firefighter and is so excited. It may never turn into a career for him, but we don't know and it gives him some purpose!

♫ I have three children who work very hard in school and love it. They aren't star students, but they get an A in attitude and determination.

♫ I have a wonderful husband who loves me and works hard to provide for our family.

♫ I get to work part-time at a job that I love and yet, still be home when the children are home and turn it down when I need to.

♫ Praise God for modern medicine that allows us to heal from things that normally would be life-long, or life-threatening illnesses. Stephen has started a thyroid medicine because his levels were low, giving him very little energy.

♫ A beautiful home and wonderful landlord!

♫ God's mercies, which are new every morning!

What are you thankful for today?

Budding Artist

noreply@blogger.com (Terri) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:21:00 +0000

Nathan brought home two paintings this week that he did in school and I was floored at how good he has gotten. I think he really just needed a little direction!

Both of these paintings were pictures that he found online and then drew them freehand and painted them. He did a wonderful job.

The first was a Mario Brother.

The second was Jesus with a lion and lamb. I'm amazed at this one!

I think he gets his talent from Dan's mom, because I can't draw anything.

Here are a couple of drawings she did for us.

See what I mean? Anyway, I'm so proud of him. Hopefully, he can keep it up!