Mothers Who Know
Our Little Country Church...
06:40, Sunday, November 30, 2008 .. Posted in Country Living .. 6 comments .. Link
At the end of a country gravel road sits a 110 yr old country church......it's a small, simple church..... just one room... no bathroom ( there's an outhouse!) I feel blessed that my family attends this little church...... where the Bible is still preached each and every Sunday and where the Hymns of our faith continue to be sung by the young, the middle aged and the elderly...... It's a humble little place...... no big praise bands here.... no fancy awanas programs or children's worship service.......
What you will see though is young families as well as elderly couples praising God and praying. You will see the young children sitting with their parents as there is no "children's church" here..... nope, this is a family integrated church..... that means church is held like it was 100 yrs ago before the Sunday School programs came into style.
I am blessed to have a pastor that believes children learn to worship best by worshipping with their parents.... that no child is too young to sit under the teaching of God's authoritive word.
We may be few in numbers, we may be humble farmers , carpenters and laymen..... but we love the Lord and seek to worship Him in Spirit & truth.......
These little country churches dot the midwest...... these churches were the backbone of America once a long time ago...... the farm families that lived in this area all attended this church... communities would gather in their local church for worship, and for fellowship........
I truly feel like I am a part of history ...... 4 years ago this church was ready to close it's doors.... there was just 3 elderly couples attending.... then my pastor felt called of God to come pastor this church..... and now 4 yrs later we have about 40 people attending... we are still small in numbers, but children are now raising their voices to sing Amazing Grace once again....
Another generation of Christian families are coming to hear God's infalliable word.......
Oh sure, we could be driving into the city to attend the new mega church with all the fancy programs for kids, teens and moms........we could be listening to the praise bands.....
But you know what? I really love our little church...... we know everyone, it's "home"..... but more than that I know that each Sunday I will hear God's word preached.... not a sermon, or a 10 minute talk, but our bibles are opened up and we dig into God's word......
I am so thankful for our little country church at the end of the gravel road......
Praising Him,
gloria
Travalogue, chicken pox, swimming, and pancakes
I have 5 turkey carcasses in a cooler on my deck. I need to go get my pots and fill them with water for boiling. I should have done ti the moment we walked in the house yesterday..... but I was too foggy to think properly. sigh. so now, that is one day of simmering I have not got done, extending the process out later this week. I guess I shouldn't complain, since it will probably be a 7-8 day process anyway.... but still....We got to my mom's on Thursday morning. My bro and his family showed up soon after. we ate veggies and cheese and then had dinner. I made my children have 2 bites of everything - even stuff I know they don't particularly like (squash, stuffing, sweet potatoes made even nasty-sweeter with brown sugar and maple.... it is so sweet and sugary it is gaggy! anyway....) And they ate it. Good little children.
Of course, I did that as well. Need to be a good example. But I let them eat as much of the other stuff that they wanted after that, so they filled up on mashed pots and turkey. And then we took a walk to the park where we walked (or ran or played) the food off. Then home for hot chocolate and pie. I managed to score 3 turkey carcasses from my mom's neighbors. My brother, who went to massage therapy school, but RARELY ever uses his talents to bless his family, was convinced to massage my back and shoulders while I sat on mom's massage chair in the kitchen. It felt good, but my back was so tight, he could only do so much. When he was done, I just sat there not moving, and my ds7 came over to do what he saw his uncle doing. he was very good. what a sweet boy I have.Saturday morning, we left the children at grandma's to make gingerbread houses. We went to IHOP for breakfast. We went to a specific one close to the movie theater at which we had tickets fro Twilight at 10:30. Unfortunately, it is smack dab in a shopping center, and had a 30 minute wait "at least" - at 7:30 am!!!! So we decided to head to my SIL's to pick-up/drop off some stuff in the meantime. She pointed out that there was an IHOP right across the highway from her, so we went there; twice as big, and EMPTY (well, not completely) and we sat down just as dh's 30 min alarm went off. I had their yummy yummy "coffee cake pancakes" - the lemon blueberry (except I had strawberry) - and I LOVED them!
Then we went to the movie. I was very disappointed. First, let's start with all the garbage ads I had to sit through. Movie starts at 10:30. NOT. Ads start at 10:30.... movie at 11:00. As for Twilight itself, well, it was as true to the book as it could be, I like how they portrayed Charlie, the Blacks, Alice, Carlisle, and Jasper. It had a good Bella and Edward and I liked the kids at the high school. But I did not like the way it condensed the book. I guess there was only so many choices, but this reaffirms: NEVER WATCH MOVIES BASED ON BOOKS THAT YOU LIKE!!!!!!! I watched the first two HP's, but refused after that. I do not like the LotR books, so the movies were great for me. But I have not and will not watch the Narnia movies. The books are too much part of me, and my visions of them are the best, and I will NOT have those corrupted.
Then we went back to mom's for a few hours where I learned that my midwife's children have the chicken-pox. very exciting, and I was planning to head right over to expose my children.... but.... dh has never had them, and he is unsure about the wisdom of purposefully getting our healthy children sick. and, this is probably not the best time for getting the house sick with this. Especially since dh has not had it. We do not have time for THAT! Hopefully we will get another chance in the next few years. And we can decide what to do with dh in the meantime.
We went and did a bit of clothes shopping, and found our favorite pizza place closed - it was a small mom-n-pop shop with the BEST breadsticks you have ever had! They were immigrants from Bosnia, and they worked so hard to make it. Very sad. Then back to mom's where we got all the kids ready to go swimming. Oh dear, it has been too long. My little swimmer babies were afraid of the water! We used to go weekly, and my older two were swimming laps and playing in the deep (for them) without life jackets. They were 2 and 4 when we moved and quit. Friday night they would not let go of the edge. and dd2 was scared to death and would not let go of anyone. But by the end of the night, ds7 was swimming around easily (as long as he had on his life jacket) and dd2 loved the water and would "swim" (we push her away and tell her to "hum" when her face goes under) 3 feet to her other loved one. and dd4 - she refused to get out of the water until it was almost a threat of consequences. We need to find a pool here.
Saturday morning, I woke up, and took the olders on a date to breakfast (back to IHOP for more of those pancakes); g'ma came with us. we took some home to daddy and Lion (dd2) and then we played a game, cleaned up our room, packed our stuff and waved goodbye. Stopped at a friend's house for a moment, then on to home. And that was our Thanksgiving weekend.
The Old Fashioned Parlor
06:11, Saturday, November 29, 2008 .. Posted in This old house .. 7 comments .. Link
Long ago, "the parlor" was a place where the family would gather after a busy day of hard work..... a place where families would gather to sing a song around the piano as mother or sister played a tune.... a place where the family would sit and listen to the radio for hours of enjoyment......
Does your home have such a place?
In our old 110 yr old farmhouse we have such a room...... we have tried to recreate some of that "old fashioned" wholesomeness that just can't be found in the modern homes of today.... our parlor serves many purposes in our family. It is the place where I meet the Lord each morning.... as the sun streams in thru the windows in the morning... it is the place I gather my children together for prayer, for worship, and for our daily bible readings...... it is the place we play games, sing songs, and it is the place where I sit at the end of the day to read aloud to my children..........
There's the piano where my beautiful daughter hannah often sits for hours and plays, while we sing and lift our voices......we even have an old fashioned radio that we enjoy....... it plays CD's too...
Then there's the comfort of sitting and enjoying each other's company......I guess I could have gone with a more "modern" decor.... but I oh so wanted to "recreate" yesteryear.......lace curtains don the windows..... doiles on the couches....... a crocheted afghan to place on cold knees......we draped the walls with an old fashioned wallpaper similiar to the one the walls originally had......
It's wonderful to see the house a glow from a distance..... the lamps turned on to elude a shining warmth emanating from the front room that houses our "parlor"......
My 15 yr old son and I were in the city last week and he noticed that the houses all appeared so dark......so few were lit at dusk........ he mentioned to me how much he loved driving up to our old farmhouse to see the whole house lit up....... I reminded him that many families have both mom & dad working, so no one is home to "turn on the lights" sort of speak......
I hope that as home keepers we may never doubt the work we do in our homes to keep the "lights on" in our homes and hearts......... to make room in our busy lives for time to gather to share, to sing..... to pray, to worship........ to listen , to laugh and to "be" together as families, surrounded by our loved ones.
As my children grow & mature, they now share with me how very important this role is in their lives...... how much comfort they take that there is a place called "home" that they know will always have the lights on , waiting for them with open arms....
This is the essense of being a home keeper......
May God bless each of you as you keep your home fires bright & burning!
~ gloria ~
my misery
I am sick. ughheadache (I have an ice mask on right now.... but it warms so fast, and soon it will have to go back to the freezer)
earache (I put in some GOOT and that took care of the pain, but the ringing is still there anytime my children sing or hum repetatively - which is ALL the time, and normally, I love the songs they sing...)
sore throat (I am making some lemon herb tea with Eucalyptus honey - that is always good)
tired body (I am headed upstairs to sleep)
floaty head - do you know what I mean? My head and body feels like it is floating around, not really connected to anything. That probably has something to do with my ears, eh?
slight nausea - is this a symptom of whatever I have right now, or is it a side effect of all the mucus hanging out in my throat aggrevating my all-too-sensative-because-of-pregnancy-gag-reflex?
and other side effect - I cannot spell today. so I apologize for my worse-than-usual spelling. ow - I need more goot in my ears. good night.
First Snow of the Season...
05:01, Saturday, November 29, 2008 .. Posted in Family Life .. 3 comments .. Link
The children are all excited.... they are busily putting on hats, gloves and boots to head outside to enjoy the first soft snow of the season.....it's really a "wet" snow right now, but it's supposed to get colder as the evening comes and we should have some snow on the ground by morning. What a wonderful way to begin the CHRISTmas season!
I hope you are all enjoying a lovely Thanksgiving weekend!
Praising Him!
gloria
ps. I have changed my blog template to reflect the changing of the season.......
I have been cooking and baking up a storm!!
Wish you all could have seen the whirl wind of mixing and baking and such that has been going on in my kitchen in the last few hours!!! LOL My friends Marcia and Caina came by today to help me get ready for the big dinner party tomorrow, and we got more done in a couple of hours than I might haven gotten done all day long. Marcia is a slave driver and fast with her hands, so she stepped in to mix everything as I chopped some onions, grabbed utensils and ingredients for her and kept Noah occupied playing in the sink with some soapy water and a few mixing spoons and cups. (He had a blast and by the time we were done, he was drenched from head to toe and my socks were drenched with water he had flung on the floor too! LMSO Now, before you say Why would you let him do this??? Listen people, it is just soapy water, and I changed his clothes before his nap, and well, the floor was going to be mopped after all the baking anyway. LMSO Now I have one spot of the floor that doesn't need that uch scrubbing. LMSO)
The girls needed to go to the store for a few items, and they are bringing back 2 missing ingredients that hubby forgot to get me last night while my Noah (he was getting tired after all the water play! *giggles* naps and I keep my eye on the things in the oven.
So far today we have:
1. Made a double batch of hot rolls (they are baked and cooling now. I will warm them up for the dinner tomorrow)
2. Made a double batch of pecan pie muffins (which fell apart when we were taking them from the muffin pan, but man do they taste good. we may make another batch in muffin papers if we still have time)
3. Mixed up a batch of sweet and sour meatballs (they are in the fridge with sauce awaiting to be cooked tomorrow)
4. Made a double batch of wrapped little smokies( they are in the oven now and making me sooooo hungry!! You take little smokies, wrap them in a small piece of bacon, secure with a toothpick, and then pour a mixture of brown sugar and water over the top..........YUMMO)
5. Put a large pork loin in the crockpot (with broth and onion soup mix on LOW)
When the girls get back:
1. Mix up spinach dip and cheeseball
2. Make cornbread dressing (will bake today and heat up tomorrow)
3. Mix up green bean casserole (bake tomorrow???)
4. Make up a seven layer lettuce salad
5. Mix up and pour cheesecakse into a crust
Matthew bought 2 pumpkin pies last night at the store because I told him I had a new recipe I wanted to try on pumpkin dessert in the crockpot. He wrinkled his nose and said he would buy 2 pies. LMSO Isn't he funny?? Oh well, maybe I will try the recipe for Christmas instead.
Well, the smokies in the oven are calling my name. I think I should go and taste test them before the girls get back. LMSO
See ya later!
Homemade Ideas for a 15 year old: for tcrossland and others
I am having a blast making homemade gifts for my friends and family members this year!!! How about you guys??? Well recently I posted a blog about homemade Christmas and how our family is cutting WAY back on gift giving. Some of the reason of course is a tight budget and the seemingly always rise of cost of living expenses. The other reason??? Because some (not all, don't think I am preaching, because I am not) store bought gifts are thoughtless, and think about it. Is that person going to use it, or stuff it in a drawer and sell it at their next yard or garage sale? LMSO
I wanted our Christmas this year to be filled with joy and not fretting over what to give. I want all the presents we give to be from the heart and for us this year, alot of that means homemade. I am putting alot of thought into each person's gift and I hope they appreciate all the time and effort I am going into making them as well!!
I had a commenter ask ifI had any homemade ideas for a 15 year old boy, and I thought, sure, I will just right a blog about it!!
I have a few upper teen and lower twenties guys I am going to be making for, so here are a few of my ideas for them:
1. A "special pillowcase" with lots of zippered and other pockets in it to carry stuff in. An ipod shaped pocket of course is a must!
2. An ipod cozy!!! You can crochet these, sew them, make them from felt. Google ipod cozy and you should find many ideas on this one.
3. A T-shirt quilt! This is one I am using for my hubby this year. He has a collecton of old (and very well worn, little pinholes in them, etc.) Christian T-shirts that he will not let go of. I have bouught him new ones and he loves the new ones, but he still wears the ratty ones. To get them out of circulation, I am going to cut the designs out, sew them together with fabric strips and make them into a blanket. This one will be a 9 t-shirt quilt, but if your boy has many many t's....then make them into a twin sized cover or larger. (This is an excellent idea for a boy going off to college to display his quilt on his bed at college!!)
4. A fleece scarf or fleece blanket. You can buy all kinds of fleece now, some with college team logos on them even. Find out his favorite team and buy some fleece and sew up a scarf or blanket, or if you don't sew, cut you can blanket stitch or just cut and fringe the ends! Let him show off his team spirit with a wonderful homemade gift.
5. A blue jean blanket. I am making one of these for my 22 year old nephew. He recently married my neice and he is a farm boy through and through. I think he will love the blanket and of course I am making it big enough so he and his new wife can cuddle under it together. I have been collecting jeans from friends and family as they clean out their closets, and buying bags full at the thrift shop for only 10 cents a piece, so this is a cheap present.
As I said before, some of these presents I have intentions in making before Christmas for presents, so when I get them done, I will post pics of them on my craft blog: www.homesteadblogger.com/craftypudding
Feel free to visit my posts there anytime to get ideas or inspiration for your own craftiness!!!
Blessings Everyone!! *U*
What a wonderful time of year. Our home is full of Christmas Joy. We had a simple Thanksgiving. Didn't over eat. Had left overs for today.
I made turkey noddle soup. Yummy.
Hubby has been doing a project outside while I have been busy inside creating.
Been listening to Christmas music for weeks now and so inspired that I decorated our home early. Was warm yesterday so I worked outside decorating some.
I have been enjoying the cooler weather.
We had a few snow flakes a couple of days last week. That made my heart sing too.
Just wanted to share from The lives of the Peel's.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I have been saying The Lord's prayer lately.
It is a burning desire for me to do that several times a day.
I am hearing God say " Rest in me my child, I will provide."
I have no concerns or fears just because I know He is always near.
Only Father God loves us enough to do the best for us.
Never letting us down even though at times it may seem like it.
Our family is blessed, blessed...continually blessed.
It seems the more I Thank Him for the more He gives me to be thankful for.
What a wonderful life it truly is.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Will share pictures of Our Christmas Joy later.
Love and blessings to one and ALL.
Lovingly, rilda
The Day After Dinner: Not What You Would Expect
We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with my family yesterday. It was hosted by my brother and SIL, so she did alot of cooking and everyone brought a dish. Needless to say, I was thrilled I didn't have to cook for all the people that were there, approximately 35! The house was crowded, and when our Noah walked in and saw everyone, he turned around and walked right back out. LMSO He was a little overwhelemed with everyone wanting to say hello to him, and was very clingy at first. But after dinner, everyone cleaned up and the gang spreads out in the basement (the men who watch the football game on the big screen, which usually turns into the men who fall asleep in the recliners. LOL), the kids on the main floor playing Wii and the women in the dining and kitchen area talking and laughibng, some of the littlier kids playing outside on toys or in the sand, or at the table in the sunroom playing with playdough, and a few upstairs playing computer games. By then Noah found some toys and was making himself at home and visiting with everyone!!
Today, I am making one of hubby's all time favorite meals. What he doesn't know is that I love making this meal because it is so darn easy!!! LMSO We call is Cheesy Potatoes and Ham. I put one bag of shredded potatoes in the crockpot with 2 cans of cheddar cheese soup and 1 can of milk and stir. I add chunks of thick sliced ham and let it cook. I some back every once in a while and stir it, but that is basically it! LMSO SOOOO easy! Tonight about supper time, I will pop some crescent rolls into the oven and some peas on the stovetop and we will be done!! TA-DA as Noah would say.
I am making a super easy dinner tonight because I am cleaning today and tomorrow and cooking in the evenings getting ready for hubby's family Thanksgiving celebration this Sunday. They will be coming to our house (thank goodness....if you have read my blogs any, you know I don't like their messy house and refuse to eat my MIL's cooking due to the uncleanliness and lack of cooking abilities the lady has) and I will be cooking everything. Matthew's sister asked last night if there was anything she could bring and I said sure, bring some pop and a small bag of ice! LOL We rarely ever have pop in the house, but his family drinks it constantly. It is simply something we don't buy and I won't spend money on, so this way she can pick out the flavors her family drinks and I figure before the day is over, we will definately need more ice for drinks.
Tonight (after hubby gets home with a few crucial ingredients from the store. He is working today, so the house is nice and quiet. LOL I can't seem to get my cleaning done when he is here! Are any of you like that?) I will make the spinach dip and cheeseball and refrigerate. And sometime today or this evening I plan on making pecan pie muffins (I chate pecan pie, but I adore these muffns!!! YUMMY! ), a bundt cake and a plain cheesecake (toppings will be available).
Tomorrow will be a day to clean the rooms I didn't get cleaned up today (LOL), and to prep things for Sunday morning to be popped in the oven. I will prep some little smokies (we wrap them in bacon, and put them in the crockpot with a little water in the bottom and sprinkle brown sugar over it all....they are delicious!!!!!!!! Addictive!!!), and sweet and sour meatballs (along with the dip and cheeseball and crackers will be appetizers). Then I will put a pork loin and vegetables in another crockpot. I also plan on making green been casserole, stuffing, seven layer salad, and hot rolls, several of which I can bake off and reheat or at least prep on Saturday.
For desserts we will have a chocolate cheesecake, a regular cheesecake, the bundt cake, a pumpkin dessert thingy (crockpot), and of course I will eat the pecan pie muffins as a dessert! LMSO
Sounds yummy doesn't it??? Of course I am making WAY too much food. But that's ok, because some can be eaten for leftovers on Monday and Tuesday. Other things will be frozen for a leftover night later on in the following week. None will go to waste!!! (Hope it doesn't go to waist either!!)
I was very careful yesterday not to overeat (becky helped by grabbing my fork and pushing the pumpkin roll away as I was practicially drooling on it wanting a second piece! LOL), and I will do my best to do the same on Sunday!!! So far, since the whole diet thing started, I have lost 22 pounds (took a month off to not push myself so much in October, and I am glad I did!!), and I don't plan on gaining any during the holidays!!!
More Crafty Goodness: A Small Fabric Dollhouse
Hello all. I have been at it again. Crafting and sewing up a storm. LOL These following things are for a swap in which we craft or sew things for each other's children. I was so excited to see the tutorial for the dollhouse on my partner's wish list that I decided to make her one as well as one for my neice for Christmas. The felt items were also on her wish list, one for each child.
So, here are the pics!!
These are the three felted notebook covers and pencil pouches she requested.
And here are some pics of the fabric doll house I made for her little girl!! This is the front of the house with a front door (and a bluebird above it), and window made from felt added on. The red on the top is the ribbon handles.
Here is the side of the house. As you can tell it closes with loops (made from small hair ties) and buttons.
Here is a picture of the house opened up to see the inside. The green portion is to resemble the garden outside. How cute huh???
And another pic of the whole house!!!
Interested in making a fabric dollhouse for a sweet little girl in your family??? Here is the online tutorial I used. http://blog.craftzine.com/archive/2008/08/fabric_dollhouse_tutorial.html?CMP=OTC-5JF307375954 In some areas it was a little hard to understand what she was talking about, but I can honestly say I muddled through. If anyone is interested in making it, and gets confused, please feel free to message me and I can see if I can help!!!
I seriously want to be a littl girl so I can make myself one to play with. LMSO
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