Virtual Cookie Exchange

I am joining my buddy, Deanna over at http://plainhonesteading.blogspot.com, for a Virtual Cookie Exchange.  That means everyone that joins in gets new recipes for Christmas (or everyday) treats.  I take no responsibility for you making the treats and possibly gaining any pounds...no one is twisting your arm to indulge!  

My first 2 treats are more candy than cookie...but you can handle a little diversity!  (just treat diversity!)

Quick Fudge

1 pound powdered sugar (sift, if its lumpy)

1/4 tsp. salt

1 stick butter

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1/4 cup milk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Blend powdered sugar and cocoa in a microwave bowl.  Then add salt, butter, & milk ~ do not mix.  Microwave on high for 2 minutes.  Remove from microwave and stir thoroughly (quickly, it starts to thicken).  Stir in vanilla.  Pour into a wax paper lined 8x8x2 inch pan.  Freeze for 20 minutes or put in fridge for 1 hour.  Cut into squares and enjoy!

You can also add nuts if you are in a nutty mood.

If you need more than one pan, its easier to make individual batches.  Its really tough to mix up more than one batch at a time.

The fudge makes great gifts!  You can buy cutesy inexpensive containers at the $1 store, fill with yummy fudge and deliver!  

Christmas Crunch

 16 ~ 2oz. squares vanilla candy coating

6 cups Rice Chex

3 cups regular Cheerios (yellow box)

2 cups pretzel sticks broken into small pieces

2 cups cashews

1 3/4 cups mini M & M's (located in the baking section)

Microwave vanilla candy coating in a microwave safe bowl on high for 3 minutes, or until melted, stirring mixture after 2 minutes.

Combine remaining ingredients in a large bowl.  Pour candy coating over cereal mixture, stirring to coat well. Add m & m's at the very end...or you will have rainbow colored candy crunch.  Spoon cereal mixture onto 2 wax paper lined jelly roll pans.  Refrigerate about 20 minutes or until firm.

Break candy into bite size pieces, and store in air-tight container.

 Yield: 4 pounds 

This is an easy, yummy mix.  I've used name brand cereals & store brand cereals...there is no noticeable difference in the finished product.  My family doesn't like nuts, so there are no cashews in ours.

Hope you enjoy!

 

Daybook Nov. 30

 For Today....Nov. 30

Outside my window...cloudy, drizzly, very cool

 I am thinking...about how much there is to do this week

I am thankful for...a great week last week celebrating our blessings with our family

 From the learning rooms...1 or 2 algebra problems a day, lots of crafting

From the kitchen...leftovers for dinner ~ turkey & dressing, adding squash casserole & peas...also baking cookies and muffins this week

I am wearing...red snowman t-shirt, denim skirt, slip on tennies

I am creating...goodies & surprises for the Christmas holiday also a new sweatshirt

I am reading...the Bible & some Grace Livingston Hill books

I am praying...that Mom has a safe drive to Miss. tomorrow

I am hearing...not a lot, the doors to the living room are shut to corral the puppies

Around the house...enjoying the decorations, cleaning and finishing laundry

A few plans for the rest of the week...dance class today, Mom comes tomorrow, bible study & choir, play at Miss. College, shopping with Mom, rehersals and performances for a church this weekend

Pictures to share...

Katie & Amy's first turkey!

beautiful!

Katie's Apple Crisp with Vanilla Ice Cream

Bell Peppers I picked on Friday before the freeze!

Decking the Halls ~ 2010

 The Yard all lit up

Santa Amy & Santa Licorice

 the Stockings were hung down the bannister with care (too many for the mantle)

The tree!

 Kitchen tree

 Bakers Rack in the front hall

Christmas China and 45 (?) year old Santa

 My "MaMa" tree with ornaments my grandmother crocheted many years ago

Snowman tree in dining room

Multitude Monday 676-700

676.  Turkey & Dressing

677.  Katie & Amy's 1st Turkey (their Dad carved)

678.  6 children for dinner

679.  fun times decorating

680.  No Drama

681.  unpacking Christmas decorations

682.  "decking the halls"

683.  Christmas Music

684.  black Friday shopping

685.  finding what we wanted

686.  at prices we were willing to pay

687.  online shopping

688.  secrets & surprises

689.  4 1/2 days for Greg's Thanksgiving break

690.  phone calls

691.  conversations

692.  blushes

693.  sweet smiles

694.  thank you's

695.  children growing up

696.  puppies learning to go up & down the stairs

697.  puppy snuggles

698.  getting rid of no longer needed stuff

699.  an organized closet

700.  home

Happy Thanksgiving 2010

Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me to “recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness. Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be.—George Washington

I am thankful for the Godly home I was raised in

I am thankful for the loving parents the Lord blessed me with

I am thankful for the sister I was blessed with

I am thankful for my grandparents ~ all of whom are in heaven now

I am so thankful for the Godly, caring man the Lord blessed me with 5 1/2 years ago ~ I love you Greg

I am thankful for my 7 wonderful children

James

Andy

Rob

Allen

Katie

Will

Amy

I am thankful for my beautiful home

I am very thankful for the opportunity to be a stay at home Mom and to homeschool my 3 youngest children

I am thankful for our 4 chickens, which bless me with 3-4 eggs everyday

I am thankful for our 5 dogs ~ their a handful, but we love them

I am thankful for our pigs ~ and James that cares for them

I am thankful for my wonderful garden spots and all the goodies we ate this year

I am so thankful that for the last 39 years, the Lord has been my Savior, Guide, Comforter, Provider, and Confidant.  My life is much richer and more blessed because of my faith in Jesus Christ.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today's Doings...

Peel, cut, cube white potatoes for potato salad for dinner tonight ~ Done

 Boil eggs for salad...Mix up and refrigerate salad ~ Done

Cook, scoop out, & mix up sweet potatoes for feast tomorrow ~ Cooked, finish rest in the morning

Bake cornbread, let cool, then mix up dressing for feast tomorrow, store in fridge till baking time ~ Cooked, finish rest in the morning

Clean living room, vacuum ~ dust ~ polish floors ~ Done, plus added Dining Room, entry and bedroom

 Iron pile of clothes and put away ~ Done

Last day of homeschool till January!!!!!~ Done...can I hear an AMEN!

Take Amy & Katie to Park Place for dance rehersal for presentation of Living Tree next week. ~ Done - 2 hour rehersal

Spend time with Greg...cause he is getting off work at noon today! ~ Done..lunch date with him, Will, Rob and Sarah while girls at dance.

Help Greg prepare and grill the whole pork loin for barbeque dinner tonight with 6 of our 7 blessings. ~ Done, about to eat

Mix up and cook baked beans for dinner tonight. ~ Done, they smell great

Make Apple Crisp for dinner. ~ not done

Get Amy to make Chocolate Pie for dessert tomorrow. ~ not done

Added to the done list are the lights and decorations for the outside of the house.  It was a gorgeous day and I had willing helpers.  Plus they got all of my decorations out of the attic.  Decking the halls starts on Friday!

I am very Thankful for good food to eat, good helpers in the preparation, good company with our children, special times spent with Greg & our Heavenly Father who has blessed us way beyond anything we deserve or merit.

He is the giver of all good and perfect things.

Happy Thanksgiving Y'all!!!!!

Kroger

Dear Kroger Shoppers....

Thanksgiving is the 4th Thursday of every, single November!  It shouldn't come as a surprise, but evidentally it does, every single year.

I had about 15 things on my list...they took 1 hour and 45 minutes to buy.  None were essential for Thursday, just some stuff we needed.

So here goes my rant....

2 seperate couples thought it would be easier and faster to divide and conquer the store.  Sounds like a sound plan except for the fact they both stood on each end of whatever aisle they were on, yelling to each other to see who got what item.  (neither couple evidentally thought to divide the list, just scream at each other)

Dear Lady buying a cart load of junk food....I don't think you really needed to block the aisle looking for sugar free pudding.

To the lady trying to decide what rolls to buy for Thanksgiving dinner...it only comes once a year (remember the 4th Thurs. of Nov.) buy your family the Sister Shubert's rolls and forget about the no name parkerhouse rolls.  And don't block the freezer section as you call 5 people to ask their opinion.

Dear Dad shopping with your wife and "precious" son...jr. doesn't need to be weaving in and out of shopping carts while you laugh at him.  No one else thought it was cute.

Now my favorite....Dear Check out Teenager...YES, I will use my coupons for each item, I will want credit for bringing my own shopping bags, I will use each "credit" check I got for having a Kroger card,  I will make sure I got buy one get one free credit for each item that qualified.  

Dear Mom thats standing in the parking lot with her teenage daughter and daughter's boyfriend..its not appropriate for them to have excessive public displays of attention while you watch.  Shame, shame, shame...on them and you.  Is there no decency left? (I guess that answer is no with this family)

That concludes my Kroger rant.  Its not Krogers fault (well the smarty checkout guy could have been their fault), it was probably worse at Walmart.

And just so everyone has a month's notice...

CHRISTMAS IS DECEMBER 25TH...IT HAPPENS EVERY YEAR ON THAT DAY!

Daybook

For Today.....Tuesday, Nov. 23

Outside my window...its drizzly and wet looking but warm ~ it was 78 degrees yesterday

I am thinking...how uncomplicated the world would be if everyone lived by the 10 Commandments ~ just think about it, boggles the mind

I am thankful for...my life, my family, my home, my friends, my dear husband who works hard everyday to provide for us and enables me to be a Keeper at Home, Jesus Christ: my Lord & Savior

From the learning rooms...finishing our last 2 days of school before our December break (I love not homeschooling in Dec., we start the beginning of Aug, take off December, and finish the middle to end of May ~ everything gets done and we get to enjoy Dec. without the pressures of school)

From the kitchen... Sliders and tater tots for supper.  Cookout tomorrow night with all the kids (except Allen, he has to work in GA) and then Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday ~ yummy!

I am wearing.. skirt, top, tennies, ponytail

I am creating... cross stitch picture, lots of crocheted dishcloths, surprises for Christmas

I am reading...my Mary Englebreit Craft Books and my Bible

I am praying...for a situation involving one of my children to straighten itself out and continue along Biblical paths 

I am hearing...my ceiling fan, cars driving, puppies yipping, children talking, fingers typing

Around the house...training puppies, organizing piles, cooking & baking yummy treats, being Greg's moral support while he programs tree lights for a large presentation next week

A few plans for the rest of the week...Bible study tonight, cookout tomorrow night, Thanksgiving dinner, putting our outside lights up,  a little shopping on Friday (Greg & I go for a little bit, to specific stores & we don't get up at 5 (the retail establishments may see us by 9), decorating the house,  and next week Mama comes to visit.

I pray everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving full of good food, family fun & fellowship, and Thanks to God.!

Multitude Monday 654-675

654. links to free projects/directions on the internet

 

655. church potluck dinners (last night was wonderful)

 

656.  spray water bottles (Amy is teaching the puppies not to growl ~ they just see the bottle right now and stop)

 

657.  funtime with friends (Keepers meeting today)

 

658.  time spent with family

 

659. freedom to go to church

 

660. freedom to worship the one, true Lord of all creation

 

661.   beautiful songs to worship the Lord with

 

662.  worshiping the Lord with a committed group of fellow believers 

 

663.  a renewed commitment to the Lord 

 

664.  knowing that I can pray anytime, anywhere, for anyone

 

665.  a pantry full of good food to eat

 

666.  a full freezer

 

667.  2 daughters that are becoming good cooks

 

668.  an appreciative husband & son who eat all the "experiments" 

 

669.  a 2nd job for Al in GA, what a blessing for him to earn extra money to catch up bills

 

670.  watching 2 little puppies try their hardest to jump up onto the sofa (they haven't made it, yet)

 

671.  a 4 day weekend coming up for Greg

 

672.  family cookout on Wed. night

 

673.  Turkey dinner on Thursday

 

674.  a partially clean garage

 

675.  driving around with Greg, looking for land to buy

 

 

JoAnn's

I learned the super fantastic news yesterday that there is a JoAnn's in Mississippi!!!!!  (Thanks Trixi)  Its located in Meridian, a little over an hour away from here (field trip time girls).

5 1/2 years ago, when Greg proposed, after I said YES, I checked to see where the closest JoAnn's store was to his home ~ true story.  Not only was there not one close ~ there wasn't one in the state!  AND there wasn't one in Louisiana or Alabama ~ could I survive living in such primitive conditions?  The answer was yes!  And it did make me appreciate the times I got to go in GA and VA, visiting family.  

I know probably not many folks go to JoAnn's and take their camera, but I have several times.  My MS friends just didn't know what they were missing.  That is my shopping cart pictured above.  And I did buy all that fabric on that trip.  I usually go to the store 3-4 times when I am in GA.  They've got wonderful sales and great coupons (kinda like going to Hobby Lobby ~ you don't pay full price, you wait for the 40% off coupon).  Their sales and prices and employees put Hancock Fabrics to shame.  

My dear husband stated last night at bedtime ~ after he volunteered to take me when I want to go ~ that JoAnn's stock probably went up 3% yesterday just because I found out they were in the state!  

I hope they keep heading West on 1-20, in Brandon or at Dogwood would be excellent locations for new stores!

I am doing the Happy Dance in Miss.

Thanks for the info Trixi!

Its Official!

After weeks of back and forth on our decisions...we have made it official!

Chip & Licorice are NOT for sale! 

We are keeping them!  Amy is ready to train them, her animal knowledge will come in very handy.

They love to scrap with each other & with Hershey, Skittles and Mack.  They are quite talented at untieing shoelaces.  They love to crawl under furniture and then whine till someone finds them (puppy hide and seek).  They play tug of war with some of Amy's old hairbands.  They trip over toys as they try to walk and hold a toy in their mouths.  There can be 5 toys on the floor and they want the same one (sounds like toddlers!)

Hershey will jump up in a chair to get away from the ruckus and they will try their hardest to jump up there...haven't made it yet but its not from lack of trying.  

They will be visiting Mr. Vet and getting fixed, when its time.  

Daybook

Today.....

Outside my window... its sunny and cool, high should be 60 degrees today

I am thinking... about how blessed I am

I am thankful for... all my blessings from my Heavenly Father

From the learning rooms... We've got 3 days of school left for this week and 3 days next week before our December break (the advantage of starting the beginning of August)

From the kitchen... Chicken & Dumplings for dinner (we didn't do this last week, too much work to do for church dinner ~ we got pizza slices at Sam's)

I am wearing... denim skirt, t shirt, slip on tennies

I am creating... Christmas gifts!

I am reading... Joshua in the Bible, "What he must be if he wants to Marry my Daughter" by Voddie Bauchum

I am hoping... for a fun family time tonight when we go see "Oklahoma"

I am hearing...cars driving, fingers typing, children talking, puppies playing

Around the house... cleaning up puppy puddles, crafting, reading, spending time together

A few plans for the rest of the week... Oklahoma tonight, sewing, bible study, helping at Operation Christmas Child relay center, weekend with family

Pictures to share...

for all their sweetness and love, they certainly like to scrap with each other

"Chocolate Chip" or "Chip"

Our little princess "Licorice"

Quick tip for telling the puppies apart (other than the boy/girl things) Chip has brown front paws, Licorice has white front paws.


You can visit other daybooks at...

http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/

Multitude Monday 631-653

631. internet that works!

632. .37 a pound turkey sales

633. 4 eggs a day from our chickens

634. cooler daytime & nighttime temperatures

635. free daily downloads from BlueBohemoth.com

636. long, cozy weekdays at home

637. projects in the works

638. ideas for new projects

639. anticipation of Thanksgiving

640. visiting with friends online

641. the blessings of obeying the Lord

642. acknowledgment of how much more we have to learn

643. peace

644. love

645. joy

646. patience

647. kindness

648. goodness

649. self control

650. the 10 Commandments

651. relevance of the scriptures yesterday, today & tomorrow

652. Christian fellowship

653. mashed potatoes (Greg's always thankful for these! ~ he was reading this as I typed.)

Thursday

My, how time flies...2 weeks from today is Thanksgiving. We are looking forward to yummy turkey, dressing, gravy, sweet potatoes topped with marshmallows, green beans & rolls. It will just be Greg & I, James, Katie, Will and Amy. I am seriously thinking about just doing a turkey breast. We all prefer the white meat anyway. I'll see what the next 2 weeks Kroger ads hold for the sales.

Last night was our time to cook for the church dinner. We did a Steak, Potato, & Salad dinner for $4 a person. Then we had a hot dog/chip option for the children. This was a fundraiser for our youth group for summer activities. We had many compliments on the dinner, which are always nice to hear.

The holiday rush has already started. In 3 weeks is the Living christmas tree presentation for our former church. Greg is programming all the lights and the girls are dancing in one of the songs. The dining room table is covered with computer equipment for the programming. The girls are doing an extra rehearsal every week to get ready. Then the following weekend is the Christmas Choir & Drama at Grace Baptist Church. K, W. &A are singing in the choir and Greg is the Innkeeper in the drama.

Next week, the kids and I are volunteering at a Relay Center for Operation Christmas Child. This church is the collection point for the area and we are helping. Great ministry and wonderful opportunities for the children to give of their time and energy.

Amy is starting a "cottage industry" crocheting dishcloths. So today, we went to Michaels and Hobby Lobby and she bought yarn. Since I sent out an email 3 days ago announcing her business, she has gotten 4 orders! The girl is excited. She bought her yarn and is crocheting away. She's gotten 3 done this afternoon. I will post pictures and yarn colors, soon. She would love to get more orders.

Greg was off work today for Veterans Day, so we got to spend the day together. Sleeping late, then school and chores, then he took us out to eat Mexican for lunch. He and Will warmed a bench at Michaels while us girls shopped and then they dropped us off at Hobby Lobby while they went to have guytime at Lowe's. Once home, they got Greg's trailer finished and took a load of donations down to Goodwill.

Quiet night at home with grilled cheese sandwiches and soup for dinner.

Night everyone!

Operation Christmas Child

Operation Christmas Child is a wonderful ministry by Samaritan's Purse. This ministry delivers these filled shoeboxes worldwide to children who may never have received a gift before in their lives! This is a ministry our family supports and we all love.

Filling a shoebox with school supplies, toys, toothbrushes, soap and toothpaste is fun. My goal is to pack the box with as much stuff as I can get in it...so I have learned the fine art of "cramming a box full". AND it really doesn't cost alot of money to participate.

The best time to buy crayons, pencils, & spiral notebooks is during the back to school sales and the sales after school is back when the store slash prices to make room for the holiday goodies. Boxes of Crayola crayons for .20 make me smile!

We are teaching our own children about tithing on their earnings. This year, they took 10% + of their earnings from entering crafts in the State Fair and bought their own shoebox fillers. I will keep this tradition up every year. They had a great time at the Dollar Tree picking out their goodies. Much thought went into each item and it was much more meaningful than me buying the stuff and handing it to them.

You can go to the Samaritan's Purse site or to the Operation Christmas Child site for ideas, drop off places for the boxes, and videos of precious children worldwide opening their goodies (warning to tender hearted folks...watching these videos will make you cry, I do!).

We ALL have so many material possessions, why not share. If its too late for you to share this year, why not plan on next year? Look for sales throughout the year on little goodies that can be tucked into boxes. If you want to be super organized about it...have a specific box or shelf in your home these items can be put into as soon as they are purchased (I need to do this!). The websites have guides of what to put in a box AND what not to put in a box.

Sometimes, I get brilliant ideas in the middle of the night...it happened last night. If your children are like mine, they have an over abundance of possessions. Instead of throwing a birthday party and children bringing the birthday child gifts, what about them bringing gifts for shoeboxes? They could be put in a large box for everyone to ooh and ahhh over and then stashed away for shoebox packing time.

Our homeschool group had a shoebox packing party on Friday night. We all shared a meal of hot dogs, chili, chips and cookies. Then the boxes were packed...lots of fun and chaos! After the boxes all the kids...ages 3-21 watched a Veggie Tales movie about the boxes and munched on popcorn. It was a fun night and really focused our childrens attention on GIVING.

Operation Christmas Child has a new box tracker this year. You can pay for the box shipping online, $7 per box then print out your labels at home. Each label will have a bar code that will be scanned in the processing center and then when they are put on a plane bound for a specific location. We will then get emails saying where are boxes are headed AND some information and specific prayer requests from missionaries in the region. This will be a wonderful geography tool and prayer request tool.

After the boxes were packed and the children were still gathered together, we prayed for the children who will receive these gifts.

Daybook

Outside my window.... sunny, cool, breezy...I am lovin' the fall weather and the long, cool nights! I do not mind the time change, to me, it makes nighttimes cozier ~ especially when everyone is home, safe & sound, before it gets dark!

I am thinking... how much easier our childrens lives would be IF they would just listen.

I am thankful for... A heavenly Father who loves me even when I don't listen.
AND our 4 chickens who bless us with 3-4 eggs every day.

From the learning rooms... re-do a math lesson today for more practice, language, work on cross stitch sampler for History project, reading

From the kitchen... Started my menu planning (again) last week, its making the days so much easier. We are having one of Amy's favorites for dinner ~ chicken & dumplings.

I am wearing... denim skirt, blouse, slip on tennies

I am creating... lots of crocheted dishcloths. Finished a rag quilt yesterday for a Christmas gift. Got one more to get done and then some other goodies!

I am reading... 'What He Must Be To Marry My Daughter" by Voddie Bauchum & the book of Joshua in the Bible

I am praying... for the Lord's guidance in specific situations and his intervention in other situations. I am praying the Lord shows himself to one of my Son's in a mighty, authoritative way so there is no question in this childs mind that he is hearing from God.

I am hearing... Amy cough (she has a bad cold), puppy dog paws, kitchen sounds

Around the house... life

A few plans for the rest of the week... dance classes, cooking for church dinner/youth fundraiser tomorrow night, Greg is off work on Thursday for Veterans Day, getting more household chores taken care of

Multitude Monday 611-630

611. coupons for Christmas shopping

612. finding specific gifts asked for

613. warm, filling breakfast at Cracker Barrel (it was crowded)

614. filling shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child with our homeschool group

615. sales on yarn for needlepoint or crochet

616. $1 drinks at McDonalds

617. church involvement

618. central heating

619. cozy bed covers

620. checking items off the to-do list

621. anticipating holidays

622. phone calls from Allen "just because"

623. hot chocolate mix

624. spice tea mix

625. abundance of fresh eggs

626. growing pigs

627. inspirational DVD's

628. Praise music

629. daily Proverbs emails

630. closer walk with the Lord

Being Busy at Home

Titus 2:3-5 is shown on the header of my blog.
I am happy being "busy at home". I like to be Greg's helper. The Bible states we are to be our husbands helpmeet, I try very hard to live up to that mandate. I love being a mom and homeschooling. I love ALL my children and pray for them daily (sometimes they do "un-likeable" things & then I pray even harder).

I love having a clean house ~ sometimes joy in the actual process of cleaning is unattainable. I love cooking and baking. I have an appreciative family who thanks me every night for the dinner that is prepared ~ even if its not their favorite. I like stacks of clean laundry to hang up and put away, I don't even mind ironing. I heard long ago from another Mom that she prays for each family member as she irons their clothes, that changed my outlook on ironing. Housework is a great time to listen to a sermon, motivational speaker or praise music.

Its hard to get all of the above done, if I am never at home. The Lord instructs older women to teach the younger women to love their husbands & children. And to be busy at home. You can't do everything for everyone and then get your housework, child training, etc. done. The Lord didn't call the local church, school, etc to train your children ~ thats a job for your husband and you together as a team.

I see my 1st priority as taking care of my husband, home, and children first. Then, I will see if I can work anything else in. I know there are cases when Mom's have to work to supplement the family income to pay bills ~ I've been there, its a hard job. But thats all the more reason not to have lots of outside commitments also. The church or school shouldn't be pulling you away from your family with the precious little time you have for them. Let someone else head up that committee, lead that church group, teach Sunday School, be leader of Pta or whatever. And if you are a single Mom, for whatever reasons, I understand that too. I was one for 9 long years. Lots happened during that time and I am thankful for my Mom and my extended family & church friends. They were a huge help and great blessing.

I have people tell me that they get tired just reading my blog and facebook updates. They couldn't do all that. But here is the big difference...I AM HOME. I am blessed to not have to work outside the home. Somedays, we have things to do, places to go and people to see and those are sometimes difficult days. Those are nights to plan a simple dinner or have dinner cooking all day in the crockpot.

Also, while you are at home...start training your children in "house keeping". There is absolutely no need for me to do it all by myself, I sure didn't make all the messes. Yes, it takes alot longer for a kid to do it than Mom, but they get better and faster as time goes on. I would rather spend time with them during the day, than do all the cleaning myself while they sit on their buns and do nothing. Its funny to watch the "maids" pull up at different houses in my neighborhood to clean. Some of these Moms don't work outside the home and have teenage daughters at home, what are they gonna do when they get married and hubby can't afford a maid. Its gonna be tough to learn all those skills later.

Be ready for your husband to come home after a long day at work. Have dinner cooking, the house in reasonable order, etc. As the Boy Scout Motto says "Be Prepared".

Love It

I love it when I can finally get the template and colors to change on the blog. This has been several months in the making. I really need a "Blogs Templates Changer for Dummies" book, but I don't if anyone has come up with one yet.

Anyway, I love the new look! Quilts are nice and cozy, especially in the fall and wintertime!

Blessings on Obedience

I "found" this while reading Deuteronomy the other morning. This is one of those passages that I have read many times and this time it JUMPED off the page, calling my name. The Lord spells it out so clearly, how can we not understand?

Deuteronomy 28:1-14

1. Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth.
2. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the Lord your God.
3. Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the country.
4. Bless shall be the fruit of your body, the produce of your ground and the increase of your herds, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks.
5. Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.
6. Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out.
7. The Lord will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before your face; they shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways.
8. The Lord will command the blessing on you in your storehouses and in all to which you set your hand, and he will bless you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you.
9. The Lord will establish you as a holy people to Himself, just as He has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of the Lord your God and walk in His ways.
10. Then all peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they shall be afraid of you.
11. The Lord will grant you plenty of goods, in the fruit of your body, in the increase of your livestock, and in the produce of your ground, in the land of which the Lord swore to your fathers to give you.
12. The Lord will open to you His good treasure, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season, and to bless all the work of your hand. You shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow.
13. The Lord will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not beneath, if you heed the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you today, and are careful to observe them.
14. So you shall not turn aside from any of the words which I command you this day, to the right or the left, to go after other gods to serve them.

Wow! This is what I want for my life and my childrens lives. Verse 2 says all these blessings will come upon you and overtake you, because you obey. Who wouldn't want these blessings to overtake them. The Lord can pour out so many blessings, above and beyond what we can even imagine. We just have to obey.

There is a flip side to all this goodness and its the Curses on Disobedience...they are verses 15-68. You can read them for yourselves.

I want the blessings. I want to obey the Lord and his commands. I am diligently praying that my children will also have this desire in their hearts.

Sound of Music

Last week my nephew Ben called to let me know the original movie cast of "The Sound of Music" would be on the Oprah show that day. (I guess he saw a commercial, this isn't a show any of us would normally watch.) This is hands down my all time favorite movie. Great story, wonderful music, and I still get nervous at the end when the Nazi's are searching the graveyard at the Abbey for the Captain.

Since we were not going to be home during the show, we recorded it and just watched it yesterday. It was really cool seeing everyone 45 years later. Watching their faces, as they talked, was fun. One of the movie "kids" made the comment, "we don't share any DNA, but we are a family". Which I thought was really neat coming from a group of people that made a movie together so long ago. They are coming out with a book next year about the movie.

But, Julie Andrews said a few "colorful" words that I could have done without. I also could have done without hearing that Christopher Plummer went on some drinking binges during the filming. I don't know why folks have to talk about everything that pops into their heads. And of course, Ophrah had a few choice comments & leading questions also. As much as I like some movies, I've decided I really don't want to know what goes on off screen or backstage.

The show ended on a really sweet note when the 4 great grandchildren of the real-life Captain & Maria Von Trapp came out and sang Edleweiss. Beautiful children and lovely voices.

Daybook

Outside my window...cloudy, rainy, cool, nasty

I am thinking...how thankful I am Greg bought us a new mattress for our RV bed

I am thankful for...this country's Founding Fathers & their vision for this country and for its people, we need to get back to the original, core values that were so important 200 + years ago. Many of us still hold these values and want our country to turn around.

From the learning rooms...school

From the kitchen...loaded baked potatoes tonight for dinner

I am wearing...black skirt, khaki top, barefeet

I am creating...a peaceful home

I am reading...still too many books, am almost through reading Deuteronomy in the Bible

I am praying...that our government gets back on track

I am hearing...puppy paws, children talking, dishes clinking, fingers typing

Around the house...getting laundry done from camping weekend, baking bread

A few plans for the rest of the week...VOTE, dance classes, bible study, sewing class, co-op, baking, loving my family

You can visit other ladies & read their daybooks at

www.thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com

Multitude Monday in Pictures! 591-610

591. Completed quilt squares

592. Beautiful Daughters

593. AWESOME Fried Shrimp Basket

594. 3 Beautiful children (LuLu's is owned by Lucy Buffett, Jimmy Buffett's sister)

595. an ocean loving daughter...even if the water is cold

596. a daughter chasing seabirds

597. a husband "practicing retirement"

598. Hershey who still loves us after the kids put her in the sand

600. brother & sister who love each other

601. meeting Voddie Bauchum at the Family Driven Faith Conference

602. This shirt says it all! (And he means it)

603. surprise visits from Allen

604. the birthday cake Rie's daughter Shelby baked for my birthday in Sept. YUMMY!

605. toe tingling, sweet kisses from my beloved

606. warm sand between my toes

607. collecting shells

608. long weekends

609. Greg taking us to the beach even though he hates the sand

610. Gods beautiful creation