Hearts in Service

"Mrs. Groh?" "This is Mr. Philips and I have Nathan here in my office and he is pretty upset." This is the phone call I received from Nathan's guidance counselor yesterday. He had walked into his first period class and tolerated about 5 minutes of the student's whispers, "You see that kid?" "He's so weird." "I can't stand him." My stomach tightens and a lump rises in my throat. I listen to the guidance counselor ask, "Can you come in on Monday morning and meet with me, Nathan, the special education teacher and school psychologist?" "We want to come up with a better plan for him." 20 years old. Far too old to be in a class with 16 year olds. Too old to still be in high school. Yet, this is his reality. Nathan has big dreams for his life. He told me the other day, "Mom, I'm going to work for the New York City Fire Department for 2 or 3 days a week and then I'll be a chef the othe

I got a few projects done this week. I think I'm going to just make this a weekly thing on Fridays since it keeps me motivated. My cousin-in-law is having a baby and I put together some baby washcloths for her. I made two different sets. I packaged them in this cute little hippo basket I bought for such occasions a few years ago. I also made some cards. What have you been crafting this week?

We are definitely nature lovers around here and there is plenty of it to keep us entertained. The kids are constantly running in the house and yelling, "Bring your camera!" Birds chirping overhead. This guy found his way into the chicken pen to eat the feed and I was able to get within 5 feet of him. He showed no fear at all. Unfortunately, with a gun club surrounding us on all sides that will probably change. Ducks swimming on the pond. These silly guys following me everywhere I go, all day long. Sunshine, highlighting and making beautiful the plain. Woods to explore. We've also had a bear visit us a few times in the past week though he always comes at night when the camera can't pick him up. A fox was hanging around the other day too. For people who love nature, we certainly have a great place to live!

It's always amazing to me that just about the time Dan & I feel discouraged and down, that the Lord sends us something to encourage us. It may be a word from someone or a gift or just an uplifting week at church. It's those little bits of encouragement that keep us going. They help to keep pushing us forward. I'm reminded of Hebrews 12:1-3 ~ "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up." I can imagine us running on a track with the

Today is the community market at the local park and I've been busy making bread. I did put together another table runner this week to take with me. This one is my favorite so far. I love the different colors in it. I also finished the top of another one but had absolutely nothing for the binding that would pull it all together. So it looks like I'm going to be making a trip to the fabric store soon. Have you been crafting anything this week?

We had 3D Girls again last night and I have to admit that at times I wish we had a bigger group. In the past we have had upwards of 15 girls for this program. However, because they have all aged out and into youth group, 3D Girls is much smaller this year. We currently have 6 girls. Yet, I have to remember that it is not always the quantity that matters. I have to ask myself the following questions: ► Are they learning about the Lord? ► Are they having fun? ► Are they coming back each time? ► Are they being stretched to try new things? ► Are they growing in their relationships with each other? ► Do they come away from each meeting with some new concept? I can answer yes to all of the above. So I guess the quality of the program is there. ♥ One girl told me that 3D Girls was the best thing in her life. ♥ Another girl told me that she thinks about it all week long. ♥ One girl had stayed home from school yesterday because she was sick. Of course, I found th

Impatience, irritation, frowning disposition, and a hard edge to my voice. Things that I hate about myself and yet, struggle with almost every day. In my mind and heart I long to be gentle, kind, patient, and loving. However, harshness and severity seem to pour out of my mouth quite often. I'm struggling with this. Struggling with it with my husband. With my children. With my church family. Lord, help me. How can the desire of my heart lose every time to the bad habits and sin that rises quickly to the surface? How can my countenance and words and emotions, betray the want of my heart? Philippians 4:5 ~ "Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near." I'm afraid that gentleness is not evident to anyone in my life, especially those closest to me. It hurts me that I hurt those I love with my irritability and impatience. Lord, change me. My prayer every day is that the Lord would take the old habits. The impulsive words. The sinful attitude. That He

I made chocolate pudding for dessert the other night and it was delicious. It is so simple to make and no, you don't need a box mix. 1/2 cup sugar 1/3 cup cocoa 3 Tbsp. corn starch 1/4 tsp. salt 2 1/2 cups milk 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla Combine sugar, cocoa, corn starch, and salt in a sauce pan and then gradually blend in milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, till the mixture thickens. Cook 2 to 3 minutes more. Add vanilla. Pour into 5 or 6 serving dishes; chill. I served mine with homemade whipped cream or you can serve it plain. Enjoy!

This week I was able to finish a table runner. Unfortunately, the picture quality wasn't the best on this so the color seems a bit off to me. I have really been trying not to spend money on fabric and haven't bought anything new in about 7 months. I wanted to finish this runner but didn't have one piece of material that even came close to the right color for the back. I was so tempted to go out and buy some but decided that I was going to fight the urge. A friend stopped by the other day and she brought me a stack of fabric. In the pile was a beautiful piece of fabric that was just the right color. I thought it was so cool how God provided something that was just a desire and not really a need. Here is the back. I also made 30 invitations to a ladies brunch in November. Of course, I forgot to take any pictures until after all the envelopes were sealed! What have you been working on?

I have an embarrassing confession to make. For years, while Dan & the children sat at the table to eat dinner, I would sit in the other room and watch television. I was like the stereotypical husband. Talk about your role reversal. It was a form of escape from my day. It's a bit humbling to admit that I had this bad habit. In my heart I really wanted to change. I wanted to make new habits with my family so I've worked hard at changing this. I still have to fight down the temptation to do this, especially when I've had a rough day. But I've come a long way. Now, that I've thoroughly shocked you all and you'll never read my blog again :-), let me tell you some of the things I've done to make meal time special over the past few years. ♥ I set the table with my best china. I don't save it for special occasions. I try to make each dinner a celebration of our family. ♥ I use cloth napkins. I have a number of sets of them so I while we use pape

I sat down with Stephen on Saturday and we filled out his first college application. After hitting the submit button, I immediately felt my eyes well with tears. I'm so incredibly proud and excited for him. He is turning into a fine young man. He is growing in his walk with the Lord and starting to see what he wants to do with his life. He is moving forward with his life. And that is how it should be. However, at the same time, I felt incredible sadness that a chapter in my life is coming to a close. I have tried to enjoy each stage of my children's lives. I have really enjoyed having teenagers. It's difficult sometimes, but it's wonderful to see them growing up and seeing the fruits of my labor. I know some think I shouldn't share these emotions, but I do so in the hope that people will realize it's normal to feel this way. I know the Lord will be with me in the next stage of my life as it comes, but it's okay to mourn a bit. It's okay to expr

Hi everyone! When you get a moment, please go check out my friend, Robin's blog. She is having a give away and there are 3 days left. It is for My Memories Digital Scrapbook Software and is a $40 value.

I really was productive this week in the craft department. Here are a few of the things I was able to accomplish. I made three aprons. Actually, a fourth one is done except for the binding. Edited to say, I finished it this morning. This is my favorite frugal find. The Christmas Tree Shop (a store in the U.S. that's great for all kinds of cheap things) was selling dish towels at 2 for $1.00. I liked the fabric and it is 100% cotton. However, they would not be good for dish towels at all as they are not absorbent like terrycloth. However, I thought they would make great napkins so I picked up 16 of them. Out of the 16 dish towels, I was able to make 16 napkins and enough 5 1/2" squares for 2 table runners. Not bad for $8. Here are the napkins. I did finish the top of one of the table runners and hopefully, will finish that up this week. I was able to do a little bit each day and yet, see some quick results. My favorite kind of crafting week! ;-)

I decided to do this post in bullet form. There have been so many things happening and I haven't updated in a while so here goes.... ► Our duckies flew away the other day. Four of them took off, leaving one little pitiful girl behind. It was the saddest thing to hear her yesterday, quacking over and over again, calling to her friends. However, about mid-afternoon two and then later on, six male ducks flew into our pond. She swam right out to them and was happy as can be. She never came home last night so one can only assume that she flew off with them. ► The roosters continue to be an annoyance! All five of them crow from dawn til dusk and run all over the place. So far, though they haven't bothered anyone though they follow at a safe distance with an evil look in their eye. I just make sure they see the stick I'm carrying and I remind them quite often that the stew pot is waiting if they get out of line. That seems to calm them. :-) ► The kids have settled into t

I have a great recipe for potato dough and it makes the most delicious baked goods. I thought I'd share it here. The nice thing about this recipe is that you can make a number of items from the same dough. The only problem I had was that it was too much dough for my kitchen aid mixer so I had to divide it before I put in the final flour. Here is the recipe: 2 1/2 Tbsp. yeast 1 cup lukewarm water 1 quart scalded milk 2 cups mashed potatoes (no milk added) 1/2 cup margarine 1/2 cup butter 1 cup sugar 6 cups flour 2 eggs, beaten 1 Tbsp. salt 11-12 cups additional flour Dissolve the yeast in the water. Scald the milk and in a large mixing bowl add milk, potatoes, margarine, butter, and sugar. Cool to lukewarm and add yeast mixture and 6 cups of flour. Let stand until mixture foams up (about 20 minutes). Add eggs and salt. (This is where I had to divide the mixture because there was no way it was going to all fit in my mixer.) I have cut the recipe in half before and that worked w

Mondays are generally difficult days for me. After the busyness of the weekend and especially Sunday, I find myself down, depressed and just in an overall bad mood. I'm not sure why that is but this is the day that it seems like all the anxieties and worries come crashing in on me. However, this exercise in thankfulness is good for me. It keeps my focus where it needs to be. It helps me to realize that the Lord is so very good to me and my family. It allows me to renew my joy. Today I'm thankful for Blessings #656-670 ♥ Being able to craft again. ♥ Cooler temperatures. ♥ Autumn colors. ♥ Singing with our worship team. ♥ An impromptu football game after church. ♥ All of the sudden, a worship service full of teens. ♥ Wrestling with sin and then the sweetness of forgiveness. ♥ Delicate wildflowers. ♥ A van that waited to break down until after my 8 hour round trip and at a time when my husband happened to be with me. ♥ A friend who was willing to pick us up from the garage an