Hearts in Service

School was closed the other day because of snow. What better way to spend a snow day then sitting by the roaring fire... Drinking hot cocoa..... and playing Monopoly.

It's Foto Friday at Rebecca's blog . The theme this week was LEARNING. I was trying to figure out how to capture this without doing the traditional picture of children studying! Obviously, by participating in Foto Friday, I'm learning how to take and edit my pictures in new and interesting ways. Here is an example. Normally, I would of just taken a picture of my birthday flowers. However, I've learned how to use my editing program which allows me to more creative. However, I wanted to do something different. As I was thinking about it, I realized that as a wife, mother and pastor's wife that I'm always learning. This past year has been an especially difficult one as I learn in each of these areas. After all, isn't learning always a growing and stretching process? So, I thought I would capture that concept. After 21 years of marriage, I'm still learning new ways to keep the fires burning! Having two teenage boys is definitely a learning experience

The Lord does so much for us and so often, we forget to thank Him for His wonderful gifts. That's why I'm trying to devote one day each week to look back and thank Him for the things He is doing in my life. ♫ He worked out a situation for our church that will be a huge blessing in someone's life, but at the same time will bless our church. ♫ Praise Him for an unexpected snow day today which is giving us time to reconnect as a family. It's been hectic around here lately! ♫ Stephen is showing great wisdom and responsibility in some situations in his life. I'm thankful that he is learning how to deal with different situations in a Godly way. ♫ A wonderful birthday that showed me again, how much my family and friends love me. I know they do but sometimes it's nice to get that affirmation! :-) ♫ The Lord has continued to meet our financial needs. As we learn to keep our eyes on what the Lord is doing, it definitely makes for more joyful living. What are you tha

We had friends over the other night for dinner and I got this picture of Emily showing Laina how to draw a horse or something. I thought it was cute, but it also reminded me of how much she is growing up. There was a time when she would of been down on the floor playing with toys. Her interests are starting to change. She is going to be 11 years old and while I'm thrilled with the young lady she is turning into, it reminds me that the time is flying by. It reminds me to enjoy my children! I want to treasure every moment because all too soon they will be off to college and doing their own thing. I have always loved this poem by Ruth Hulburt Hamilton. Babies Don't Keep Mother, oh Mother, come shake out your cloth empty the dustpan, poison the moth, hang out the washing and butter the bread, sew on a button and make up a bed. Where is the mother whose house is so shocking? She's up in the nursery, blissfully rocking. Oh, I've grown shiftless as Little Boy Blue (lulla

Today is my 48th birthday and it's been a good one! I feel blessed because of my family and friends. They have been very sweet and showered me with love. They know what I like. Emily & Dan picked out a beautiful bouquet of flowers. A friend gave me some card making supplies. Another friend gave me a candle and my family got me a serving tray, coasters, picture frame and candle. The ladies from my Bible study brought a cake and cards last night to celebrate. I'm finding as I get older, that it's not so important to me to have a big deal made over my birthday, yet I appreciate the cards and well wishes so much better!

I heard a whole bunch of squawking and screeching the other day and looked out the window in time to see this little thief. This was the fattest squirrel I've ever seen. The pictures do not do him justice. He was sitting on top of the bird feeder and stealing the food. At one point he was hanging upside down! :-) Then he climbed up the tree and enjoyed his meal. The noise I heard was coming from this little bird down on the ground. He was very put out that his meal was being interrupted. Another jay was up in the tree, screeching away too. The squirrel eventually climbed down. Later on I caught him in the garden chowing down on a pumpkin I threw in there back in November. He obviously had been feasting on it for a few weeks. The pumpkin was huge when I threw it in the garden it is basically gone. He had a large chunk of it in his paws and was obviously enjoying it. I'm glad someone is enjoying the bird seed, even if it's not for whom it was intended. ;-)

No, this picture of Emily is not a clarification, but I just think she's cute! ;-) Actually, I wanted to clear up something I said in my previous post. I didn't mean it to sound like everyone should be up between 4:30-5:30 each morning. I don't even want to be up that early! I'm up because I have back issues and can't sleep much longer than that. I also am no longer homeschooling and my children are out the door by 7:00 a.m. That actually makes it easier for me to get up and about and started on my day. Anyway, I just wanted to make that clear in case someone walked away feeling defeated that there is no way they can be up that early. My main point was it's a lot easier to get your work out of the way first. So....for those of you who are night owls and like to sleep in, take a DEEP BREATH!!! I'll be thinking of you as I drift off to sleep at 9:00. :-)

Every now and then someone will ask me how I get so much accomplished in one day. I'm not always so productive but I do have a few reasons that I'm able to get a lot done. 1) I tend to work very quickly, 2) I'm fairly organized in that I make a daily list and try to accomplish everything on the list, and 3) I no longer have babies at home nor do I have any major health issues. However, I think the thing that has helped me the most the past few years is the fact that I try to get my housework out of the way before I do the things I enjoy such as crafting or reading. Believe me, the few times that I've tried to do it the other way around, absolutely NOTHING gets done around here. I seem to run out of steam the longer the day stretches on. So my motto work first and play later has worked well for me. Today I did the breakfast dishes and 3 loads of laundry. I got dinner started in the crockpot. I cleaned the bathroom and vacuumed the kitchen, living room, and hallway. S

This week I decided to join in the fun at Rebecca's blog, Renaissance . I've been kind of intimidated which is why I haven't done this before. Each Friday she hosts a photo challenge with a theme for the week. So, I took the plunge this week and had a great time doing it. I finally figured out that you can do more than just store your pictures on Photobucket. Good grief! Two years to finally figure that out. Boy, am I a slow learner. The theme this week was........ A trip to a State Park overlooking the Hudson River helped me to do this challenge. Stephen, my middle son, struggles just to maintain a passing grade in school. Yet, he has worked so hard this year and has pulled his grades up to As and Bs this quarter. So I thought he was a fitting subject for this theme. Miss Emily decided she wanted her picture next to Walt Whitman. This little or not so little guy was so cute. He kept reaching through the bars of the cage and who could blame him with the wonderful

I decided to move my weekly praise and thanksgiving so I can participate in something else this Friday. I figure it doesn't matter what day I do it! This week there weren't big things happening but I'm thankful for the following blessings: ♫ We have a roof over our head and heat to keep us warm. ♫ Stephen just finished a project that is a quarter of his English grade and got a very good grade. ♫ I have a freezer full of meat that was given to us. ♫ The Lord allowed me time this week to wrestle through a problem and come up with His solution to it. ♫ We had time as a family this weekend to enjoy an outing and each other's company. Let's remember to look back through our week and give God the thanks for all that He is doing in our lives!

Dan & I have been ministering here for almost 7 years now. These girls were all around the age of 3-5 when we first got here. Look at them now! They are turning into beautiful young ladies. Our church seems to have a boatload of young girls. I can count on one hand the number of boys, but we have almost 20 girls all from the age of 5-12. All of them go to public school and the majority of them are in or are moving into middle school and starting to get exposed to all kinds of things. I did not have 3D Girl's Club this year because of the crisis we ran into this summer. However, I'm realizing that these girls do need intentional discipleship. We don't have Sunday School at church and some of them are getting too old for Children's Church. Since I'm in charge of the children's ministries at church I've decided to start a junior church a half hour before church starts for ages 10-12. I'm hoping this will allow me to have some intentional teachi

Psalm 8~ 1 O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. 2 From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise [b] because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger. 3 When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, 4 what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? 5 You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings [c] and crowned him with glory and honor. 6 You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet: 7 all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field, 8 the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas. 9 O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Well, I've had a productive week in the craft department. I do have to say that I always have visions of these perfect looking projects being churned out, but I don't think I have the patience for perfection. I made a quilt for Stephen's bed and the top for Nathan's bed. I just need to piece together the back and put on binding for Nathan. I'm pleased with how it turned out but I really wanted to throw it out the window this afternoon! Rather than being patient and pinning the binding all the way around, I tried to just sew and hold it in place at the same time. I can get away with that on table runners because they are smaller and usually the batting is not so fluffy. This ended up puckering and I had to tear the whole thing out and start again. GRRRR! That's what I get for trying to cut corners. I turned up the corner so you can see the back. I also made some cards this week. Well, I'm pleased because I got a bit accomplished this week. I also had

Psalm 138 1 I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart; before the "gods" I will sing your praise. 2 I will bow down toward your holy temple and will praise your name for your love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word. 3 When I called, you answered me; you made me bold and stouthearted. 4 May all the kings of the earth praise you, O LORD, when they hear the words of your mouth. 5 May they sing of the ways of the LORD, for the glory of the LORD is great. 6 Though the LORD is on high, he looks upon the lowly, but the proud he knows from afar. 7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes, with your right hand you save me. 8 The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your love, O LORD, endures forever— do not abandon the works of your hands. I didn't e

I made turkey stock yesterday. I assumed that most people make their own, but thought perhaps not. So I decided to share. It's so easy! I took the leftover bones from our Thanksgiving turkey, as well as the legs and wings and put them in the freezer. Just throw them in a freezer bag and keep them there until you are ready for them. I pulled them out, and didn't even defrost them. I just put them in a pot, along with celery, carrots, onions, garlic, a bay leaf, about 5 peppercorn and salt. Cover with water and simmer for an hour or two. Pour through a strainer and viola! turkey stock. You can do this with beef as well as chicken. I actually cut the meat off the legs and used it in a recipe last night. You can freeze the stock and use it as needed.

Job 37:10 ~ "The breath of God produces ice, and the broad waters become frozen". Psalm 147:16-17 ~ "He spreads the snow like wool and scatters the frost like ashes. He hurls down his hail like pebbles. Who can withstand his icy blast?" "Isaiah 55:10-11 ~ "As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth:It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it." Job 37:5-7 ~ "God's voice thunders in marvelous ways; he does great things beyond our understanding. He says to the snow, 'Fall on the earth,' and to the rain shower, 'Be a mighty downpour.' So that all men he has made may know his work, he stops every man from his labor." Psalm 90:1-2 ~ "

Isaiah 61:10-11~ 10 I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. 11 For as the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow, so the Sovereign LORD will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations. I wanted to get back into my habit of looking back over my week and offering up some praises and thanksgiving for what the Lord has done during the week. I find that it helps to lift my spirits and to keep me positive by seeing God's hand in even the small things. So this week I'm praising God for: ♥ The wonderful time of rest and relaxation and fun that we had last weekend. Dan & I never get away and it was just nice to be somewhere together with friends without being the ones in charge! ♥ T

I spent yesterday puttering around and trying to get back into a normal routine. I put away all the Christmas decorations. I made an apron. I think this one was my favorite. By the way, Karen A., the package is on it's way. Sorry it took so long. Christmas, our New Year's Eve party and wedding took more of my time than anticipated. I even took some time to enjoy the beautiful sunshine. I tried out a new recipe today - ham and potato chowder. Yummy! I'm off to substitute teach for a 4th grade class today. After a wonderful Christmas season, it is nice to be back to normal!