Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from my family to yours!

Thank you for being a part of my blog. 

See you soon!

Will Your Adult Children Want To Spend Time With You?

A while back in one of our couples classes at church I remember the leaders of our class asking this question and it really stuck with me. "Will your adult children want to spend time with you? Will they want to come home?" Seriously think about that for a moment. Will your adult children want to come home and spend time with you? When we are raising our children everything doesn't have to be perfect at home. They don't have to always be showered with gifts. Everything doesn't always have to go their way (in fact, it shouldn't).

It is our job as good parents to make sure they always feel loved, always feel wanted, and always feel important. The way we treat our children today is more than likely a direct result of the way we were raised ourselves. Many of us have had wonderful childhoods and were raised with a tremendous amount of love and family togetherness and that way of life seems to just oooze from us onto our own children.  To continue reading head on over to "A Heart For The Home" blog where I am contributing today. 

10 Money Saving Ideas to Help With Christmas Gifts

Last year I polled my Facebook friends to see what they spent on their children for Christmas.  Let's just say I was shocked with the answers. And honestly I was shocked on both the high end and the low end. Some people only spent $25 per child while others spent nearly $1000 or more on each child.  Many others claimed to spend an amount some where in between. That of course assuming all were being truthful with their responses.

Obviously each family is different due to size, income, preferences and so on but I wanted to share a few ideas that will hopefully help your Christmas gift planning and buying be a little easier and also help save you some money.
 

*  Teach your children what Christmas is really about. Remind them we are celebrating the birth of Jesus and while I am sure our Lord doesn't mind that we give and receive gifts it's truly not about us.

*  Give each child 3 gifts.  3 gifts because this is the number of gifts we read about in the Bible that were brought to Jesus. 

*  Draw names.  And set a limit.

* Something you want, something you need, something to wear and something to read.  I can't remember where I heard or read this a few years back but I loved it.  A total of 4 gifts.  Simple and covers all the bases.
   

*  One of the best things we ever did when our boys were very young was start a Christmas club.  A Christmas club is basically a savings account that you put money in to all through out the year and you can't withdraw that money until fall time, usually a couple of months before Christmas.  You can do these at your local bank or credit union and if you are disciplined enough to not touch it you could do it yourself by either adding extra money to your checking or savings account or even an envelope at your house. Admittedly it's a little late to do this for this year but its the perfect time to start one for next year.

*  Consider homemade gifts. I personally love homemade crafty gifts and with the Internet and Pinterest there are so many adorable options.

*  Make a list for your children including things they want, things they need and things you would like for them to have. Arrange the list by cost from least to greatest and when family members or friends that buy for your children ask for ideas of what to get them go to your list. You can pick out an item in the appropriate price range to share with them. As a matter of fact I usually keep a running list all year long that we use for not only Christmas but Easter and birthdays as well. I add to, delete and change the list as needed.

*  Shop clearance and mark downs.

*  Shop online.  There are tons of great deals out there.

*  Shop black Friday?!?!?  (at your own risk)  Also, remember most everything that is on sale in the store you can also find in the comfort of your own home by shopping those same sales online. Not to mention that most time Black Friday sales extend beyond the time advertised anyway.  BUT people who love to shop on this day claim huge savings!

Simply put:  Make a budget.  Set limits.  Be reasonable. 

What do you usually spend per child?  Do you have any great ideas to help save money on Christmas Gifts? 

What's A Mom To Do About Santa?

Christmas is my favorite holiday of the year. I love baking lots of yummy delicious goodies and filling the house with the smells of so many wonderful foods. I love getting together with family and friends, going to look at lights, decorating the house and just enjoying time spent celebrating the birth of our Savior. 

From the time our boys were very young my husband and I felt strongly that we should not lead them to believe in the Santa of today.  You know the one - he's the plump jolly man wearing a red suit with a long white beard.  The man that visits the houses of good little boys and good little girls all over the world in one single night all on his own.  The Santa that lives at the North Pole with all the Elves that work in his toy factory.  (That whole thing is a bit creepy if you think about it, lol). 

We have taught them about the real St. Nicholas.  The real life man that lived long ago.  The man that even though he is gone, his story of love and selfless deeds live on.  Each year we read the same book a few days before Christmas telling of this man, this real life man that helped people in need. 

No, we have never encouraged the thought "Santa Clause ". Why, you may ask? It's simple.  He doesn't exist and he has nothing to do with my children getting or not getting gifts under the tree at Christmas.  Instead we have always taught our boys that every good gift we receive comes to us from God and Jesus.  That's the truth.  It's in the Bible.  James 1:17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

Now, let me explain our reasoning.  We are doing our best to fulfill Proverbs 22:6 that says to train our children in the way they should go and when they are old they will not depart from these teachings.  We are teaching them about Jesus and His Heavenly Father God (who we can not see with our physical eye).  We have to use our faith to believe what the Bible says and that they are real.  Hebrews 11:3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

At the same time if we were teaching them that Santa (who we can see with our physical eye) is real but then one day down the road, when they get a little older they find out that we were not being truthful with them and that Santa isn't really the one that brought them all those gifts through out the years (and they will find out Santa is not real) then wouldn't it stand to reason that they would then have a reason to also believe that Jesus isn't real as well. 

I mean if we teach our children from a young age that two different people are real and then one day we admit that no, mommy and daddy told you a lie and one of those people isn't real what do you imagine it does to them.  Allowing our children to believe in the Santa of today may be harmless but for my children I never wanted to give them a reason not to believe in God and His Son Jesus.  And I never wanted to lie (that's what it is after all) to my kids either.

This is the choice we have made for our family and I in no way judge you for how you may have chosen to go about the whole "Santa" thing.  I still have a few decorations or ornaments that have Santa on them but we have always made sure that the focus is on Jesus (He is the Reason for the Season) and that my children know where our blessings come from.

What about you?  How does your family handle the whole Santa part of Christmas?

Intentional Gratitude - Not Just Saying Thank You

At the beginning of this year I made a commitment to myself to be intentional with my gratitude. A commitment to not just tell people I appreciated them but to show them.

Some people, of course know they have been an influence to you or others but sometimes people make a huge impact in and on our lives and they may never even realize it.

The first person I was intentional with my gratitude about was my Aunt. An awesome Christian woman that loves The Lord first and then her family. It was because of this Aunt that I first came to know Jesus. I have mentioned before that I did not grow up in a Christian home. I grew up with parents who believed in God but we were not taken to church by them regularly. My parents never prayed with us in fact I have never seen or heard them pray to this day. They may do it but I have not been witness of it. They didn't do devotions with us and discuss the Word with us but you know what this particular Aunt of mine did.

To continue reading please hop on over to The Purposeful Mom where I am contributing today.

Compass Study Bible - A Review

Recently I was asked to review the new Compass Study Bible by Thomas Nelson publishers.  This Bible is due to be released in early February 2014.  I was given a copy of this Bible to keep in return for my review of the product.  I was not told that my review had to be positive, only that it should be honest. 

This Bible is advertised as The Study Bible For Navigating Your Life.  It has many features that most of us have come to love in other versions and translations of the Bible such as:

*  In-text notes that include cultural, historical, theological, and devotional
    thoughts.  Notes are easy to understand and help give a better look at what
    the scripture is talking about. 

*  Introductions at the beginning of each book

*  Yearly Bible reading plan

*  Topical Guides to Scripture and notes

*  In-text maps plus several maps in the back of the Bible

The Compass Study Bible is written in the voice translation.  The Voice is a new and according to the publisher "a different sort of translation".  The Voice combines the relative strengths of scholars who are experts in the original languages along with modern writers, musicians, and poets who are skilled in their use of English, the target language of this translation.  It was their goal to make this version both "beautiful" and "readable" to an English-speaking audience.  The Voice is a combination of a word for word and a thought for thought translation. 

Positive:

Overall I am satisfied with this Bible.

The Voice translation is easy to read and understand.  I would say they definitely have reached their goal of having a translation that is both beautiful and readable.   I am a mom of teenage boys and I believe this version will be great for teens and also new believers because of its easiness to read and understand.  This study Bible is not loaded down with study notes like some study Bibles but yet is has enough notes to help the reader understand what is going on without overwhelming them. 

Something that is different about The Voice translation when comparing it with really any other translation I have read is that The Voice is written like a script to a play.  It is broken down into specific parts so there is no question as to who is speaking.

One of my favorite features is the road map to Gods promises section in the front of the Bible. There are several pages worth of topics concerning things that we face each and every day from being depressed, not satisfied, when you are experiencing fear to finding the will of God and many more.  While most people have access to the Internet to look up scriptures on any topic they can think of I like this being in the front of the Bible because the Internet is not always available. This list is handy and right with you when you are having your quiet time.

Negative:

As I stated above, I was not asked to give a positive review.  I was asked to give an honest review so here are a couple of things I have found about this Bible that I didn't particularly like:

The amount of study helps and notes written throughout the pages are very minimal compared to most study Bibles. 

And

All throughout this version of the Bible God is referred to as "The Eternal One" or "Eternal".  According to the publisher this is done to carry on the church's long-standing tradition of reverence for God and His name.  I understand what they are trying to convey to the reader and as a Christian I know the importance of holding the name of God and Jesus in high regard but for me reading "Eternal" or "The Eternal One" took away the personal side of my Heavenly Father God.  My Abba Father or daddy God.  It made Him seem untouchable and distant.

Since I already own a couple different study Bibles I plan on giving this one to my 15 year old because I think it will be a great help to him in understanding God's Word.  I personally enjoy a few more "notes" in my Study Bibles than this one has to offer but like I said earlier I believe the fact that this Bible is not loaded down with study notes like some tend to be it will make a perfect fit for teenagers and new believers. 

Tips to Help Keep Your Kitchen Clean

This is a funny post coming from me. I love for my kitchen to be clean (who doesn't?) and I know how to keep my kitchen clean but I shamefully admit that I am not the best at keeping my kitchen clean. My kitchen is never nasty and when I say clean I am referring to daily use messes like stove splatter, a cluttered table, dirty dishes and the like.

If you, like me have a little bit of - lets call it lack of motivation to keep this area of your house clean let me give you a few ideas of things to do that will result in a beautifully clean and well kept kitchen.

Whether or not you like to cook (I personally do and spend A LOT of time in my kitchen) the kitchen is a room in your house that is used daily and requires constant upkeep to ensure it doesn't get out of hand.

*  When cooking, wash your dishes and clean your little messes as you go.

*  Clean out your refrigerator weekly. For me this happens (or is supposed to
    happen) on Monday because my garbage pick up is early Tuesday morning. 
    Anything I am throwing away doesn't have to hang around my house for very
    long this way.

*  Do not go to bed without washing those dishes.  As Fly Lady says - "Shine
    Your Sink".  Wash them by hand or run your dishwasher if you have one.

*  Wipe off your counters daily or multiple times a day.  Maybe after each meal.

*  Wipe off the stove and wipe out microwave each evening.  If the splatters,
    spills and gunk have time to sit and harden and then harden some more it
    takes a whole lot of elbow grease to get them cleaned up and this my friend  
    is NO fun.  My oldest son recently cleaned our microwave and
    now has a new appreciation for me because he never realized just
    how hard it was to clean. 

*  When using the microwave, try covering up whatever it is you are warming
    with a paper towel to help eliminate those splatters.  This will make cleaning
    it much less of a hassle.

*  Sweep the floor daily.  Even if it's just spot sweeping.

*  Mop weekly.

*  Lay out a clean dish cloth and towel nightly.

*  Light a candle.  It helps set a mood.  Hopefully one that says, I want to keep
    this room clean. 

*  Keep your table clear of clutter, dirty dishes and stuff that doesn't belong.

*  Create a center piece on your table. This is fairly new to me.  I just don't
    normally have a "center piece" but I have come to find out it helps me want
    to keep the rest of the room neat and tidy to match my table.  It can be as
    simple as a candle in a jar to any extreme you can imagine.

Do you keep your kitchen neat and tidy?  Do you have any other tips to add that might help someone who struggles with keeping up with this area of the house?

Pumpkin Fudge

 

This recipe is one that I found online from Libby's and if you like pumpkin fudge I think you will be pleased with this recipe.  It is fairly easy to make and tastes great.  The pumpkin and spice flavors are mild and not overwhelming. 

 

Ingredients:

• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter or margarine
• 2/3 cup (5 fl.-oz. can) evaporated milk (cream)
• 1/2 cup pure pumpkin
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) white chocolate chips
• 1 jar (7 oz.) marshmallow creme
• 1 cup chopped pecans (optional, I did not include these in mine)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

 

Directions:

 

Combine sugar, brown sugar, evaporated milk, pumpkin, butter and spice in medium, heavy-duty saucepan. Bring to a full rolling boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil, stirring constantly, for 10 to 12 minutes or until candy thermometer reaches 234° to 240º F (soft-ball stage).

Stir in chocolate chips, marshmallow creme, nuts and vanilla extract. Stir vigorously for 1 minute or until chocolate chips are melted and marshmallow creme is combined well. Immediately pour into buttered pan. Let stand on wire rack for 2 hours or until completely cooled. Refrigerate tightly covered. Makes about 3 pounds.  

It's The Little Things

When I first became a mom I started to envision what life would look like in the future. My husband and I had already decided I would stay home and knowing that I began to plan what I thought our days would look like. I would be dressed and have my hair and make up fixed daily. The house would be spotless (I stayed home all day, why would it not be?). Everything would be perfectly organized and in order. Dinner would be served promptly when daddy came home from work, dishes and kitchen put back together immediately following our meal. Kids would always be well behaved.  And once they started school I had the dream of them coming home and walking through the door just as I was pulling a freshly baked batch of chocolate chip cookies from the oven for them to have as an after school snack.

 

Then one day I realized that I am not super mom. I do not have special powers and try as hard as I might sometimes what I think is going to happen or should happen is the furthest thing from reality.  I can't do everything.  I can't get everything done and I rarely ever am pulling fresh cookies out of my oven upon the arrival of my kiddos coming home from school.

But there is something that I do each and every day for my children without fail.  I love them.  Not just in word but in deed.  It's the little things.  It's the waking them up by rubbing their backs and singing goofy wake up songs to them.  It's taking the time to help them with their homework.  It's sitting together as a family reading a book or playing a board game.  It's sitting at the table eating together.  It's praying together.  It's cheering them on while they play their favorite sport.  It's laughing with them and sometimes laughing at them.  It's the helping them up when they are down.  It's the hug.  It's tucking them in at night (even though they are teenagers).  And yes, it's saying I love you - a lot and often.  No, I'm not super mom but I have come to find out that my kids didn't ask for nor do they need or want a super mom.  They want a mom that loves them unconditionally and a mom that pays attention to the little things.

Do You Have A Vision For Your Home?

Over the summer while watching my teenage son do one of his weed eating jobs I noticed something that was very interesting to me. Instead of starting in one spot and working his way up the hill, down the hill or across the entire area so there was no mistaking where he had already been - he skipped around from one place to the next making it hard for me to even tell where he already mowed.  He mowed a patch here and a patch there. He was inconsistent. He had no real rhyme or reason for his mowing.  He had no plan for how he would accomplish this job.  No focus, no vision. 

 

Watching him got me to thinking and then The Lord spoke to my heart about the inconstancy in my own life. How I tend to start projects and not finish. How I get in a good routine of cleaning my house, or making menus, or having my quiet time with God only to allow something else to find its way in and move my attention elsewhere.  It is easy in today's world to quickly have our attention drawn from what we are supposed to be doing onto something else.

Habakkuk 2:2 says And the Lord answered me and said, Write the vision and engrave it so plainly upon tablets that everyone who passes may [be able to] read [it easily and quickly] as he hastens by.

Write your plan and run with it!

We can take this verse and apply it to our own lives.  Pray and ask God to speak to your heart about the direction He wants you and your family to go.  Then write your vision for your family.  What are your hopes, dreams and goals you want to accomplish?  What do you want your children to learn? 

We can take it in a different direction as well - write your vision or plan for keeping your house in order.  Do you have a daily and weekly plan for house work?  If not - stop flying by the seat of your pants, get out a piece of paper and jot down the things that you would like to accomplish each week.  Write out your vision.  If you are anything like me my daily and weekly plans for keeping my house change often but I think that's ok.  We have to adapt to each changing season as the needs and responsibilities of our family change.

The important thing is to pray and ask God to give you vision and purpose for your life and then do it. 

What about you? 

Do you have a Vision For Your Home?

Practical Homemaking Skills I Wish I Had Known...

I am not blaming my lack of knowledge on my child hood or on my parents but it would have helped greatly to have been taught few things before I set out on my own. I got married when I was 18 years old. At the time I felt as if I were ready to tackle the world but looking back now I see that I was nothing more than a young, immature child that had no idea of how to really make it in this world. I am sure there were times when my mother may have attempted to teach me some sort of homemaking skill but it wasn't enough for me to catch on to. It is quite possible that she was met with a teenager who thought she already knew it all and didn't need to be taught but either way I was ill prepared to be a wife, mother and homemaker. Homemaking has to be taught. It is not a job that just comes naturally. Would you like to know about the skills I Wish I had known?  Head on over to the other Jennifer's blog A Heart For THE Home where I am contributing today to find out what they are.   

This is Who I Am. Servant, Wife, Mom.

Recently I have been doing much thinking about who I am.  What is my role in the world.  We all know that as seasons of life change so do many of the roles we play.  As wives, mothers and homemakers sometimes we feel that our jobs are not as important as those of others.  We need to always be quick to recognize this as an attack from the devil to try and make us down play the importance of our role in our family.  We are important.  Our jobs are important.  Whether you are a stay at home Mom or you work outside of your home - it doesn't matter, you are important.  This is Who I Am.

I'm a child of God. Not just any god but a child of the Most High God. Without Him I am nothing, without Him I can do nothing. I love Him because He first loved me. He is the giver of life and of all things good. I am blessed to be a recipient of His grace, of His mercy and of His gifts.  I am His servant, placed here to share His love with others. 

I am a submitted wife in training. God placed with me my man. He's not perfect. I'm not perfect. Our marriage is not perfect. BUT with God as our Spiritual Leader we have tackled many hard situations together and always end up stronger at the end of the thing. Our love for each other grows stronger each day because of the love of God that is at work in each of our own hearts. I say in training because I'm not there yet. I strive to be the godly submitted Proverbs 31, Titus 2 woman of the Bible but I am human and I fail at it miserably a lot of days.

I am a Mom. I am not super mom but I love my boys and I am doing my very best to be a good steward over these amazing lives God has placed in my care. I am following Proverbs 22:6 and training them in the way they should go and I am praying that when they are old they will not depart from this teaching and training. I am trusting God to help me mold and shape their hearts for His Glory. This job is tough and its definitely not for the faint at heart but I wouldn't trade it. It's challenging most of the time but it's rewarding ALL of the time.

Who are you?  How do you see yourself?  Do you recognize your importance?

Why We Choose Not to Celebrate Halloween

Last year I did a 4 part series on why our family chooses not to celebrate Halloween.  I have combined the 4 part series here in this one post in case you didn't get a chance to read it before.  If you would like to read the original posts and the comments from last year, just click here.  I would love to hear your thoughts but please be nice even if you disagree with me.

This post is about why we don't celebrate Halloween.

I want to begin by saying I realize that this can tend to be a bit of a touchy subject to some and this is not a post putting you down if you do choose to celebrate. I am not judging or condemning anyone, this is what is good for our family and the decision we have made for us.

When I was a child Halloween was one of the two days a year that we got a large amount of candy in our house (Easter being the other). We would usually at last minute dress up in some cheap or homemade costume (believe me none of them were fancy or store bought) and my dad would load my brothers and me and sometimes a few cousins in the back of his truck and he would drive up the road only stopping at the houses of people we knew (we lived out in the country and knew most of our neighbors so there were a lot of stops) and we would get our bags filled with candy. We would always take time to stop at an older couples house that my family was friends with where they would not only give us candy but would serve us hot chocolate as well to help warm us up from the cold. Yes, I went trick or treating as a child and yes, I turned out alright. However, our world around us has changed drastically since I was a child where we knew most all of our neighbors and our family knew their family before them for generations back. It was a time of fun in the community. Growing up in a primarily non-Christian home we thought nothing more of Halloween than a day to dress up and get candy.

Easy Pumpkin Spice No Bake Cookies

It's officially Fall time now and for me it's the time to start baking all things apple and pumpkin. This year I got the idea from a friend to make pumpkin flavored no bake cookies. So I thought I would attempt to use my traditional Chocolate No Bake Cookie recipe and just make a few slight changes. These cookies are fairly cheap, super easy, and take only a few short minutes to make. In fact much like the original version of this cookie I usually have all the ingredients needed on hand.  If you would like to have the recipe and see how I make mine step by step head on over to The Purposeful Mom's blog where I am posting today. 

Is The Bible Just Another Book?

Recently I won an amazing give away from my friend Jessica's blog "Our Family For His Glory".   The give away was done at the end of a Summer long Bible study I did with her going through the book of Ephesians.  It was her desire to give away some things that would be a blessing to the recipient and would encourage and help you in your walk with The Lord. Everything in the give away was amazing but my favorite thing of all was a new Study Bible.

And I got to thinking about my Bible;  this new one and the older ones that I have.  Some of them are plain while others are just so pretty to look at like the new one I just received.  There is just something about a new Bible. The smell that I can't describe other than to say "new Bible" smell, the way the pages stick together, the shiny page ends whether silver or gold. We are so blessed to live in a country where we can own as many bibles as our hearts desire and checkbook can afford. Bibles can be bought for as cheap as $1.00 at your local Dollar Tree all the way up to pretty much any amount you are willing to spend.

But the Bible, any Bible from the cheapest to the most expensive, from the most beautiful to the most plain is just a book. Yes, you heard me right.  It is just a book like any other.  It has a front and back cover, it has pages with words on them in between these covers just like your favorite novel or magazine. It's just a book and left sitting on your shelf or coffee table it holds no special meaning or value at all. It's just a book mass produced in factories like any other regular book.


Psalm 119:11, one of my favorite verses says I have hidden your word in my heart so that I might not sin against you.

When does the Bible, Gods written word to us become something special? When we read it, when we meditate on it, when we memorize it and when we hide it in our heart. Then it becomes alive and active according to Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

We need to have Gods word hidden in our hearts so that we are always ready with an answer when asked the question of why we have this hope inside us.  I Peter 3:15  But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect...

You can't have the promises of the Bible operating in your life if you never spend time reading and getting to know what those promises are.

Your children will only want to know this Jesus you speak of when they see you reading your Bible and getting to know the God of the Bible.  You will be a great witness when others can see the promises of God at work in your life.  Jesus said that every tree is known by it's fruit, if you do not spend time in the Word each day your fruit isn't going to be very good. 

Don't allow your Bible to be just another book.  Pick it up, dust it off and dig in!  Not sure how?  Here are a few ideas to help get you started.

Pray. 

Determine a time in your day that would be best for you. Personally I like early.  It's nice to start your day with God.  Now I will admit early doesn't always happen but it is my favorite time of the day. 

Decide where you want to read.  Find a cozy spot (not too cozy, you don't want to fall asleep) but a nice spot to sit with your coffee or favorite drink of choice.

Start small. Remember something is better than nothing. Read one verse a day.  Feeling like you want to do more than just one verse?   Read a chapter in the book of Proverbs each day.

Feeling really adventurous?  Pull out a notebook and take notes or journal.

Once you get your routine started for reading your Bible each day - add in a Bible study.  There are many free online Bible studies out there. 

Everyone Has A Purpose

My boys have played soccer since they were very small.  Through the years they have both played probably every position possible on a variety of different teams.  One thing that was always important to them was getting to be up front so they could score a goal.  Of course everyone wants to make a goal, that is the person on the team that is up front and gets much praise but we often forget that it takes the whole team to achieve the actual goal. 

It's much the same way in the body of Christ.  Everyone has a part to play.  And that part is very important.  I Corinthians 12 says that God places each one us in the body of Christ where it is pleasing to him.

I Corinthians 12:27-31
²⁷ Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. ²⁸ And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues. ²⁹ Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? ³⁰ Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues^[d]? Do all interpret? ³¹ Now eagerly desire the greater gifts.

Not everyone is called to be a pastor. Not everyone is called to be a miracle worker or prophet but we all have a purpose and a calling.  We can't all have the spot light on us. In fact many of us are very far from the spot light among the sticky floors, dirty faced little ones, sinks full of dishes and piles of laundry we have. We all can make a difference though. I have prayed before, Lord what is my purpose? How am I supposed to share Jesus with anyone when I am home all day long alone with just my babies?  Then, one day I got my answer. I am making a difference in the life of a child, my child and prayerfully in the lives of all the other children they come in contact with.  Also, I pray that this blog will make a difference in some small way in your life. 

Jesus said in Mark 16:15  He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.  No, we can't all have the spot light on us but we are all called to take the gospel to lost and hurting.  We are all called to share Jesus.

Do you ever feel like you are not making a difference?  Remember we all have a part, we all have a purpose. I encourage you to pray and ask God to show you what your part is for this season of life you are in.

Is Social Media Taking Over Family Time?

Modern technology is amazing. I mean think about it for a minute. At no other time in history have people been so connected with one another. Information travels from one person to the next at record breaking speed. 

 

When I was first married cell phones were the coolest thing. Not the kind we have now, the kind that were mounted on the inside of your vehicle. When my oldest son was born, cell phones had evolved somewhat and were something that you could carry with you. They were HUGE but you could carry them with you. Email was a neat way to contact friends and family to stay updated on the latest family news.

Today, just a few short years later we live in the age of self portraits, likes and status updates. Many of us live out our lives day by day to our readers, followers, family and friends.

To continue reading the rest of this post head on over to A Heart For The Home where I am contirbuting today. 

36 Random Things About Me

In honor of my birthday which was yesterday I thought I would do a fun post about me. 

Today I am listing 36 (that's my age) random things about me in an effort for you to get to know me just a little bit better.. 

I can not play any musical instruments. 

I love the seasons of Fall and Spring the best.

I cry over cartoons.

I am the baby of my family.

I am not only the baby but the only girl.

I am a country girl.

I used to teach preschool.

I love crafts.  I have fun with them but don't really consider myself very good.   

I love the color red.

I love doing my family genealogy.

I love animals.

I grew up on a farm.

I love black coffee.

And diet Pepsi.

Never had a manicure or pedicure.

Not a fan of traveling. I like staying home.

Love to cook and bake.

I don't like playing or watching sports. Unless my boys are playing.

I first gave my heart to Jesus when I was 8 years old.

Re-dedicated my life at 19 after doing my own thing during my teen years.

I learn as I go on the computer. Technology is not a strong area for me.

My husband and I originally planned to have 6 kids. 

I am a stay at home wife and mom and I LOVE IT!

I don't like to exercise.

I don't want to make you self conscious but the first thing I notice about people is their teeth. Not sure why I have just always been that way.

I'm a decent shot with a gun.

I grew up hunting and fishing and riding horses.

I love my family. Even the extended family.

I do not like lines on my carpet after I vacuum. They really annoy me.

I love watching and feeding birds. You'd think I was 80.

I'm more "girly" now than I have ever been. Growing up I was quite the Tom-boy.

I like to scrap book.

I love learning new things.

I love to hear roosters crow.

Not a fan of amusement parks.

My favorite meal is Beef roast with potatoes and carrots.

Chime in, do we have anything in common?  I would love to know.

 

I FOUND MY NOTES - Blogging Blunder Fixed!

If you read my posts frequently you may have read about my blogging blunder a couple weeks ago and how I lost all of my notes from my iPod. Many of these notes contained blog post ideas and even blog posts completely written out. I was upset. No, I was furious that they just up and disappeared. I googled the problem and found that I was not alone.

Many of you commented and let me know I was not alone. I was overwhelmed at the love and support and encouragement offered by you, my friends. You lifted me up when I was down, encouraged me to keep going when all I wanted to do was quit and you prayed for me. I asked for prayer and you prayed for me. What an honor to know that fellow bloggy friends had my back and were whispering sweet prayers to Jesus - for me. I stand humbled and amazed.

When my notes disappeared I googled the problem and found several ideas for recovering them but to be honest many seemed like more trouble than they would be worth (assuming they might work) and most seemed questionable at best. My sister in law left me a comment on Instagram and said she had this happen with her notes a while back as well.  One day when she was looking around on her email account she found a folder titled "notes" and upon opening it there she found all of her missing notes. So I looked (from my iPod) and I had no folder titled notes at all. I checked all folders and boxes anyway just to be sure but found nothing. I thanked her for the idea and that was that.

Last night I finished yet another blog post on my iPod and emailed it to myself for safe keeping.  I immediatley went back to my notes to email another and they were gone AGAIN. All of them, just like the first time. Panic struck and quietly I vowed to myself that I hated Apple products and that I would never ever again use the notes on my iPod, EVER.

Back to google I went and a forum popped from my search  so I began reading. Someone experiencing the same thing as me but with their iPhone, not iPod was asking how to find their notes.  Someone suggested that they look in their email account for a folder titled, yep you guessed it, NOTES. So this time I logged into my account on my computer instead of my iPod and opened my folder file and there right before my eyes was the folder titled NOTES.  I opened the folder and found ALL of my notes from both this time and the last. All my lost lists, notes, ideas for my blog and yes even those fully typed blog posts.  Let me just tell ya that last night I was doing a happy dance!  I have no idea why this happened TWICE, but it did.  

 

God is so good to me! He gets all the Glory here. He is so much better to me than I deserve in all things.  Anyway I wanted to give an update and thank you for prayers.  I also wanted to let you know if you have ever found yourself in this position to look in your email account (logged in from a computer) and look for a folder titled "NOTES". 

 

Let me know, has this ever happened to you?

Chocolate No Bake Cookies

This cookie is delicious, super easy and takes only a few minutes to make.  No Bake Cookies - as we call them are pretty much a staple around our house and in our family.  It's the "old stand-by" treat when you don't know what else to make.  I assumed this was the case everywhere.  I figured everyone knew about the great tasting chocolate oatmeal no bake cookies, but I was wrong. 

A few weeks ago my youngest son had one of his friends up for a sleepover and as a treat I had made No-Bakes.  Late in the evening I offered them to the boys as a snack with a glass of milk and to my surprise his friend had no idea what kind of cookie I was talking about.  He told me that he had not only never tasted a No-Bake Cookie but he had never even heard of them.  I was stunned.  So I decided right then and there that this was a recipe I needed to share with others.  I hope you like them as much as we do. 

Ingredients:

1 stick of vegetable oil spread (butter will make your cookies dry and crumbly)
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups sugar
3 Tbsp. baking cocoa
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter (I use a heaping 1/2 cup)
3 cups of quick oats

I must point out that you need to follow the cooking instructions very carefully.  Your cookies will do one of 2 things if you do not (both of which I have done, more than once).  You will either end up with a cookie that is soft and doesn't hold it's shape - it will still taste great but you probably wouldn't want to take it to a get together or your cookies will look washed out and be very dry and crumbly.

Here is how I make mine, step by step. 

In a large thick pot (I use a pressure cooker pot) put your stick of vegetable oil spread, vanilla and milk.  Turn the heat on low and allow the butter to melt. 

While the vegetable oil spread is melting I measure out my sugar and cocoa in a bowl and using a fork I mix them together well.

Then I add the sugar mixture to the pot with the vegetable oil spread/milk mixture, stir and turn up the heat to high.

If you are not using a thick pot you will probably want to keep the heat turned down slightly because you don't want to scorch your ingredients.

While stirring bring the mixture to a boil.  Very Important:  When your mixture begins to boil to the point that you can't stir it down start your timer and cook while stirring for 2 minutes EXACTLY.

When the timer goes off remove from the heat and add in the peanut butter then the oats and stir until all is mixed well.

Next, I simply use a tablespoon to scoop out the cookie mixture and place it on aluminum foil or waxed paper and allow it to cool.  As they cool they will firm up into a delicious chocolate cookie.

Finally, my favorite part is getting to eat whats left in the pot and on the spoon while waiting on the others to be ready.  Yummy.

What about you, have you ever heard of these cookies before?  Do you like them?