Prayer Request

My oldest daughter asked to play during the time I usually post, so we played :-)

We worked on our costumes for the costume contest at church next Wednesday night.  I got the worse glue gun burn on my thumb that I have ever had :-(

But it was worth it.  The burn. The no writing.  It was all worth it!  Yeah, I had an idea for my post running through my brain, but I will try to remember it for later (which is usually impossible).

I will not reveal our costumes, but we are going to be a family with a theme!  We have never done that, so I am excited!  I will only say silver spray paint was involved!

Take the time to hug your family today!  Play a game together, pick up the phone, send a card, or even a text.  Make sure you take those moments to show how much you mean to each other.

Life is fragile.  Life is precious.  Life is a gift.

We have a new gift in our extended family.  His name is Brantley David.  He is tiny and precious.  I have a pic, but I do not want to post it without the parent's permission.  If you can please be in prayer for baby Brantley.  He was born shortly after 5:00 am yesterday morning.  He came through his first surgery this afternoon.  He has several health issues.  Please pray for healing for this new little bundle of joy and strength for his parents!  We thank our Heavenly Father for this precious little one and the fact that He holds Brantley in His loving hands!  Jesus was a healer of many while on the earth, but we know He still has the power to heal from heaven!

Today's Verse
Matthew 9:35 “And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.” 

What's Cookin' Wednesday

When I think fall, I think comfort food.  Comfort food is different delicacies for different people.  Casseroles, chili, soups, anything cheesey and pumpkin desserts come to my mind.  But I have known several people who think Italian when they think comfort food.  So I decided to make homemade meatballs for a delicious spaghetti and meatball supper.  I have never made homemade meatballs, but I have to say they were super tasty and super easy.  Daddy didn't make it home in time from the airport to enjoy this meal, so we made him a to-go lunch for the next day to take to work.  I had to include his text pics because it was so sweet and funny!

Meatballs

1 lb. lean ground beef
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup plain panko or bread crumbs
1/4 cup egg product or 1 egg
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning

Mix well with fork and roll into 1 in balls.  Place on parchment lined pan and bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes.  Shake the pan frequently to roll the meatballs around for even cooking.  Serve with favorite pasta and sauce.

Just a note...you can adjust the seasonings to your liking.  The reason I had two pans is I added fresh chopped chili pepper from my cousin's garden to half the batch.  If no fresh peppers are available but you want some heat, a pinch of red pepper flakes would be good too!  Hope your family enjoys!

Today's Verse
"For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect (loyal) toward him."  2 Chronicles 16:9a

For any tired mommy's out there...rather you are parenting a toddler or a teenager...today's Proverbs 31 devo is so good!  Check it out if you have a chance...

http://www.proverbs31.org/devotions/surviving-mommy-stress-2012-10/

Falling

We are trying to back to normal (if you can call any life "normal") today after a wonderful fall break.  My Kindergartner got out of school early on Thursday and then was out Friday and yesterday.  It was so nice to have a break.  No homework, no alarm clocks, no packing lunches...yay for fall break.  We took a short trip to Virginia, went to homecoming at my parent's church and even went to the State Fair yesterday.  It was a fun filled long weekend!  

But with all this fun filled fall break...I am realizing today how I am falling behind on all my duties.  I woke up knowing I was behind on my house work, my upcoming projects and I didn't even take time to plan our week out.  So overwhelmed is how I am feeling.  This led to a little anxiety which led me to realize how I have been falling behind on a lot of things lately.  It seems this year is almost over and I am behind on most of my goals...my article goal, my book list, my organization list and several other goals I set for myself at the beginning of the year.  

Falling 
Falling 
Falling 

Further and further BEHIND!!!

I don't like this feeling of not being able to get caught up.  

I love the fall season, the pumpkins and hay bales, the comfort food in the crock pot, the festivals and hay rides, but I don't like the falling feeling that comes with fall.  I realize how I have fell short of most of my goals.  I am not living up to my expectations of myself.

Here is the thing I am telling myself today...As long as I am honestly doing my best, staying in God's Word, completing to the best of my abilities the tasks of being a wife, mom, and servant of God, God is not disappointed in me.  He knows I will fall short, that is why He sent His Son to die for me. (Romans 3:23).  I may let myself down by falling behind, but if my focus is still on God I will not let Him down no matter what.

I have the blessing of  starting anew everyday.  I love the verse found in 2 Corinthians 4:16, "For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day."    I am renewed day by day to be a follower of Christ, to be a help meet to my husband, to love on my girls, and to tackle my goals.  Yes I will fall because I am not perfect, but everyday it is a chance to try my best again!  

Today's Verse
"And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me."  Luke 9:23

This was the key verse from the sermon I heard on Sunday.  And although I loved the points the pastor brought from the verse, today one word is standing out to me..."daily".  It is a daily thing to pick up our cross and follow God.  It is a daily thing to live our lives for the Lord.  It is a daily thing to deny ourselves...daily.  Everyday.  We may have fallen the day before.  We may have even failed the day before.  But we can be renewed the next day.  We can pick up our cross again and follow the One who sustains us and gives us life more abundantly. 

 If you are feeling like you are falling today grab hold of the One who loves you no matter how much you fall.   

What's Cookin' Wednesday

I have a love-hate relationship for cube steak.  I love it because it is cheap!  I hate it because of multiple reasons...

- It can be super tough!
- I was not a fan of it as a child.  I ate it, but it definitely wasn't my favorite!
- I have one of my most horrible cooking stories with a  cube steak recipe.

I will tell my story, but first, a tender and tasty cube steak recipe!

I like to take the the cube steak and dredge in a mixture of all-purpose flour, pinch of salt, pinch of pepper, and garlic powder.  Then in a frying pan with a couple of Tbsp of olive oil and melted butter brown the meat, but do not cook all the way through.  Just 2-3 minutes on each side.  You may also add in chopped onions and/or bell peppers if you like.  In a small bowl whisk together one can of cream of chicken soup with 1/3 cup water.  If not using onions you may want to whisk in some onion powder for flavor.  Pour this mixture over the meat.  Place the frying pan in a 275 degree oven.  Important note, if the frying pan handle is not oven proof or if you are not sure, just cover in aluminum foil and it will be fine.  Cooking low and slow will help tenderize the meat, but browning before adds lots of flavor and a little texture.  Cook for an hour to an hour and a half.  It is good served with rice or mashed potatoes.  Easy supper!  I love preparing during afternoon snack time and then it is ready when supper time rolls around.  You can adjust the cooking temp and time if need to, but just remember the lower and slower the more tender!

Now for my horrible cube steak story...

My husband and I had only been married a few weeks.  I had never had my own slow cooker and I was excited about using the one we had received as a wedding present.  I tried recipe after recipe and they all were pretty good.  One day I tried a new cube steak recipe.  When I opened the door after returning home from work I was met with the worst smell.  I don't know what was wrong, and I am not sure what made it smell so bad, but even my husband who always told me my cooking was good said we couldn't eat it.  The smell stayed in our little apartment for two days!  We had to throw it out (which as you know I hate to waste food) and head to the fast food restaurant.  I didn't cook cube steak for years until I read a recipe similar to this one and decided to try again.  Now this is the only way I make it...hope your family enjoys!

Faithful Fans

My hubby and I had a date night this weekend.  After a looooong week of sickness, the girls were finally feeling better on Saturday.  We had tickets to our university's football game (Go Pack!!!!), so the girls were able to stay with the grandparents and we were able to make it to our game.  It was his department's alumni bar-b-q.  We planned to eat and then settle in our seats for a late kick-off.  We were expecting a great game!  

The first time we upset this nationally ranked team was my freshman year in college.  We hadn't played this team since the 1960s.  It was predicted to be a blow-out.  But the Pack shocked everyone when we pulled out the win.  It was one of the most exciting games I had ever seen...until Saturday.  That game started a string of some of the best games ever against these two teams!

The year I was pregnant with my oldest daughter we went to this rivalry game.  We were losing in the final quarter so we left early.  We had lost faith in our team.  It was another late game, and I was tired and pregnant.  A lot of fans left that night.  As we neared our car we heard loud cheers and then more a minute later.  What was going on; what were we missing?  We rushed to turn on our radio only to find out our team had done the unthinkable.  They had won.  We should have known to stay from past experiences.  We had walked out on our team and we regretted it!

We knew going in that this would be a crazy game.  It never fails that this team and our team seems to go down to the wire when we play them at home.  Last year they beat the smithereens out of us when we played them on their turf - 34 to a big fat 0.  But our last home game (which my husband went to but I had stayed home) had come down to the final minutes with us getting the big Victory.

At half time this game seemed to be over.  We were down 16 to nothing.  The fans were getting frustrated, and we were just hoping to score and not have a repeat of last year.  We had promised going into the game that we would stay no matter what.  If there was any chance at us winning, we were not going to miss it this time!  I cannot even tell you all the excitement that came in the second half.  There were quarterback sacks, a blocked punt, and several 4th downs that our team went for and got.  We scored to tie in the last minute.  It was amazing.  We were so happy.  We were screaming and jumping  up and down.  It was so exciting!!!!!   With 16 seconds left we were tied 16 to 16.  Our kicker came through with the extra point and our defense held them and kept the opponent from scoring in the last few seconds.  We won and we were proud Pack fans!  We were fans that had not lost faith!

It is so easy to be faithful fans of God when everything is going great.  Life is running smoothly and we are so thankful He is our heavenly Father.  But what about when we are down and out.  There looks like there is no chance of winning.  Do we walk out on God and think there is no way He is going to pull through for us?  Do we think we can just do better by ourselves?  We have faith and excitement in the easy wins of life, but when it looks like we might lose we just walk away from Him.

Today's Verses
Isaiah 26:3-4  "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the Lord for ever: for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength:"

God might allow us to lose the game.  He might grant us a win in the final seconds.  But no matter what the outcome of any given game or situation, we have to continue to follow Him.  His plan is best; His ways are right.  We must trust in Him...no trust equals no faith.  He is our everlasting strength, but we have to stay with Him and not walk away from Him in order to obtain that strength.

I am thankful we stayed for the game, even if it was 1:00 am before we got home.  It was worth the sleepy eyes the next day.  I am also thankful I am still walking with God.  There were times I wanted to walk away.  There are times I thought I could just figure the game out on my own.  But He has always pulled through; He always called me back to Him and He remained by my side no matter what.  God always provided me the strength I needed in the last seconds of the game.  I haven't always won every game, but my faith in my Coach kept me in the game.  I know His play by play is best.  I have to keep the faith and never walk out of Him.  He certainly has never walked out on me!!!!

Looking on the bright side

We hear about counting our blessings even from people who are not Christ's followers.  It is uplifting and smile inducing to look at the positives rather than the negatives.  We read about thanking God for our blessings; we sing about thanking God for our blessings, and we teach our children to thank God for our blessings.  I have even posted several times about counting our blessings.  Yet still, I don't think we can ever get enough of this prescription for a more joyful life.  Counting our blessings, looking at the brighter side, and focusing on the positives need to be done daily.  It all depends on perspective...the way we view trials...the way we roll with the punches...with a cheerful attitude, the good can outweigh the bad!

With my girls still suffering from the longest illness they have ever had, I was down for the count this morning.  They have both been pretty sick over the last few days.  And although we have weathered many illnesses, this has been the longest they have ever had fevers and been this puny.  It is hard to watch our children suffer.  It hurts me as a mom to not to be able to fix this problem and take away their pain.

Today has thankfully been better as it has progressed, and I am praying that my oldest daughter will be returning to school tomorrow.  But it is still hard to comprehend that she had to be out for so long.  She missed a lot of fun things.  She missed a lot of important lessons.  I struggled with a quiet "Why?" this morning.  Why was she having to miss for so long?  But, I quietly heard "Count your blessings!"

The funny thing...as I pulled out the girls' devotion book it was another devotion about counting their blessings.  It always happens!  When I need it most, I am always reminded of looking at the good in some form.  The devotion posed the question, "How long would it take to count your blessings?"  My daughter's response, "Like 40 years, Mom!"  I laughed!  But the real answer, we can never count them all.  The blessings are endless.

I will never really know the whole reason for this sickness and why we have been confined to our house for so long (and yes we are all climbing the walls today!), but I know there are reasons.  So I started listing the positives...

1 - God allowed the girls to wait until exactly October 1st for their sickness to set in.  This also happened to be the date of when our new, and oh so much better, insurance kicked in.  So we were able to use the new plan to visit the doctor this week.
2 - I told you we had a busy weekend this past weekend.  At least the girls were not sick then.  We didn't have to miss our first field trip or our trip to the county fair with my parents.  We were able to see my husband's bother and his family before their big move across the country.  We were able to go to church on Sunday.
3 - Although my husband's new job is quite a drive, at least it is a drive.  He was able to go back and forth this week and help out.  If he would have still been in Florida, that would not have even been an option!
4 - Hanging out and watching movies can be fun and relaxing.  We made pudding and homemade Popsicles.  We watched TV and colored.  We snuggled and read books and magazines.  We even played a new games.   

I am sure I could find more positives, but this was a good start!

Today's Verse
"Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer."  Romans 12:12

I am rejoicing today in the hope of the positives and the fact that God has helped us through this week. I am praying for patience during this trial, and I am continuing in prayer that my girls will feel completely better by the weekend.  I am thankful for any chance I have to count my blessings and look at the bright side...we can always learn and be thankful when we look at the positives!

What's Cookin' Wednesday

My two best helpers are still down for the count.  We are on day three of fevers and no school.  It is sad and pitiful around our house.  My oldest helper is looking a little better today, but she still has fever.  My littlest helper is always a step behind big sis, so she is just now getting to the worst part of the fever.  PITIFUL!

Thankfully my helpers and I had made our cute fall treat a few days before the sickness set in.  I have seen these done many ways, but this is my take on it.  They are super cute and the girls and I had lots of fun making them.

For any moms out there that have their own little kitchen helpers, I do highly recommend the kitchen stand that my girls are standing on in the picture.  They both fit in there and there is no arguing or pushing.  I don't have to worry about them falling out of a chair while helping mix and stir.  They got it for me for mother's day from a website called onestepahead.com.  It has been put to great use!

This is candy acorns!  Super cute!  Super Yummy!  Lot's of fun!  I have seen these made with mini nutter butter cookies.  I also think mini vanilla wafers would work too.  But today we used mini fudge striped cookies.  Also, another tip, we used the new Air Delights Hersey Kisses.  They are lighter and stick better than the regular Hersey Kisses.

Simply unwrap the kisses (great for little ones), melt 1/2 cup of peanut butter chips (or you can use chocolate chips if you like), put about 1/4 tsp of melted chips on bottom of cookie and stick kiss immediately to it.  Then put another tiny dot of melted chips on top of cookie and place a milk chocolate chip on top for the stem.  A great fall treat!  Hope your family enjoys!

The best helpers in the world!

How Cute!!!

I will try to have a more substantial recipe next week.  This is two weeks of chocolate, which I am sure someone will point out to me :)   I guess my sweet tooth has really been acting up :)

Today's Verse

"If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men."  Romans 12:18

This has been our verse for Wednesday night study this week.  I love watching my little ones learn God's Word and hide it in their hearts.  Even my 2 1/2 year old tries her best to say the verses like Sissy!  With only one quick trip to the doctor this week, I am saying this verse a lot in my mind.  I am getting cabin fever and not feeling as "peaceably" as I should!  We are praying for healing, and for now rest and hugs are the best medicine!