Some Food for Thought...

This was my devotional reading this morning....

"It came to pass . . . that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” Genesis 22:1"

I can hardly imagine inviting special friends over for dinner and then throwing a few leftovers into the microwave to serve up to them. But if I were to do that, it would speak volumes about how I really feel about them.

Giving God the leftovers of our lives speaks volumes about His true worth to us. When God asked Abraham to give Isaac back to Him as an act of worship, Genesis 22:1 calls it a test. A test to see if there was anything in his life that he treasured more than God.

It’s no different for us. There are times when God requires something really important to get His work done. He’ll ask us to give up our natural instincts to seek revenge so that we can communicate His forgiving love by forgiving our enemies. He may call us to sacrifice portions of our time or money or comforts to advance His cause. Or He may require us to allow our sons and daughters to go to a far-off land to tell others about His saving love. The way we respond to what He requires says volumes about how we really feel about Him.

Anyone can offer the leftovers. Only those who love God more than anything else will serve up the very best for Him.

“Take up thy cross and follow Me,”
I hear the blessed Savior call;
How can I make a lesser sacrifice
When Jesus gave His all? —Ackley

No sacrifice we make is too great for the One who sacrificed His all.

Happy Birthday Jack and Chloe!

Six and four years ago today, I was given Jackson Cole and Chloe Madeline. I am so very thankful for them! They keep me on my toes and , though there are days I could easily pinch their heads off, I really must admit they're good kids.

Jackson is growing up so fast, it seems. His physical size one day is going to be something to behold. He loves to wear a suit and tie and carry his Bible and "preach" before church. Loves to draw and to sing. Loves his BB gun to the point of idol worship and is scary smart. He's my miracle boy (one of them).

Chloe is the funniest kid I've got, hands down. Her mouth gets her into more trouble , but it often gets her out of it just as quick. She has a gift for saying something really cute in the thick of me being angry and just ruins my bad mood. She eats Ranch dressing all the time...dips almost everything in it. Her hair is hopeless most days but she's got the best smile.
I'm such a sucker for old pictures so I am forcing my obsession onto you...my apologies up front for the barrage of cuteness about to hit you... and yes, they are out of order but you'll hardly notice.

I LOVE this picture of Jack...he looks like he's plotting the takeover of the world.

Chloe eating chalk...without Ranch dressing...My Favorite Ultrasound picture out of all I've ever had...Chloe's little hand. Go on...AWWWWW, you know you want to.

So happy 6th birthday to Jack and 4th birthday to Chlo-Chlo! Momma loves ya'll!

Have a blessed day!

Happy Mother's Day , Momma!

I just wanted to take the time to wish my Mom a Happy Mother's Day! I am so blessed with a great momma! She's invested the last 30 years sacrficing for me and loving me and being someone I could come to no matter what! She loves her family fiercely and never was a Mimi so devoted to her 9 grandkids. As a mother, I can truly understand the hardships and sacrifice and times of heartache she's endured, yet I believe she could look back and say it's been worth it. I love you mom, thanks for the mackarel cakes as a kid (best ever), the weekend movie marathons, the tons of costume jewlery you used to buy me at Claire's, the support and help you've given me and the advice and laughter. Have a Happy Mother's Day!

Easter...

My Quest to Be Convience (Food) Free...

When my husband lost his job, I began delving into ways to cut our grocery budget, that was already slim. When we had two children, we made it on $50 to $70 weekly including household goods and diapers. Now we have added two children to that mix, one in diapers and groceries have gone through the roof.
Since convience , packaged items wre mainly where our money went, I began searching for recipes on how to make some of those items from scratch. Which has since snowballed into almost complete scratch cooking. It started with homemade cream soup mixes, homemade baby wipe spray (though I still use disposable diapers)buying a bread machine and a yogurt maker and many others. I plan on sitting down and making a list of all the condiments, breads, convience items, cake mixes, pudding mixes, etc and finding a good recipe for all those items. The grocery budget has increased a bit, but the quest is still alive. I made my own hamburger buns the other night and they turned out great tasting even though they didn't "look" all that great...that's gonna take some work.
I'm on the prowl today for some good beverage recipes. My kiddos love cokes, and since I buy them for my husband to take to work with him, the kids sneak plenty. They aren't huge water drinkers and Kool Aid doesn't do it for them most days, but I want them to consume more juice and water. So that's my mission this week.
If you're at all interested in making stuff you use often from scratch,this morning I stumbled upon the motherload! This link takes you to a page full of Make it Yourself recipes.


Have a blessed day!

A River Runs Through It...

Little Mr. Sure Shot...

How do you know your little boy is growing up WAY too fast?

Give him a gun (and the proper instruction)Jack got a BB gun last month and Papa and Jody have been teaching him how to shoot...How to load it, how to carry it, how to sight it in...All the stuff that keeps you from putting your eye (and the eye of others) out...It's a Red Rider and every mother that's ever watched "A Christmas Story" can relate...So how did he do? Pretty good...hit a small coffee can from 25 ft ...11 times. I am so proud of how mature and responsible Jack was.

What a good boy God gave me...Have a blessed day!