A Short Sabbatical

Our family is packing up for Family Bible Camp. We leave tomorrow and will return on Friday. So I'll be taking a short sabbatical from blogging.

My hubby will be teaching the 8 - 12 yr. olds all week, and I will be his "assistant".  :)     Prayers are appreciated....


...for a spiritually profitable week : that the Lord will be honored in all the meetings, that souls will be saved, and the Lord's people will be challenged and edified.

...for good weather: the cabins and dining hall are not air conditioned, and hot weather makes it a hard week for the little ones and the elderly campers.

...for a safe and healthy week for all the campers.

Thanks ahead of time for all the prayer support!

Have a blessed week, everyone!

Easy No-bake Cookies

This recipe is from my mom, and it's a favorite of all my children and grandchildren.


Mix together in a large saucepan:    2 c. sugar
                                                           1/2 c.milk
                                                           1/2 stick butter
                                                           3 T. cocoa
Stir well, and bring to a boil. Boil gently for 1 minute.  Remove from heat.
Add 2  3/4 c. quick oats and 1/2 c. creamy peanut butter. Stir well to combine everything.
Drop by tablespoon onto waxed paper to cool. Cover with waxed paper while cooling to prevent drying out.  Store in airtight container.

                                          

Have a blessed day,








linked up http://www.time-warp-wife.blogspot.com

29 Years And Counting.......

29 years ago today, I married my high school sweetheart.

We were only 16 years old (no, that's not a typo!)....very young, but also very determined - with the Lord's help - to make a wonderful life together. And by His grace, we have.

Many of our former classmates can't believe we're still married. They never thought it would last. One of our family members even speculated that we would be divorced by our first anniversary.

Has it all been a bed of roses? Nope.

Have we hit some speed bumps along the way? Yep.

But the vows we took on our wedding day were - and still are - important to us : we made those vows in front of witnesses, but most importantly, we made a covenant with Almighty God to stay together 'til "death do us part". 

 Through all the tough times, our love has grown stronger and we are even more committed to each other now than ever before.  And there's no way we could have gotten through the tough times without the Lord's help.  Soli Deo Gloria!

My hubby is my lover, best friend, and confidante. We cry together..and laugh together..sorrow together..rejoice together.  I can't even imagine my life without him.

So I eagerly look forward to the next 29 years...and more after that, if the Lord tarries.

I can truly say, "I am my beloved's,
                          And my beloved is mine.."  Song of Solomon 6:3

Have a blessed day,

Linked up at http://www.homemaker-by-choice.com
                      http://raisingmightyarrows.blogspot.com
                      http://jasmine-aboverubies.blogspot.com
                      http://time-warp-wife.blogspot.com

What Happened??

Recently, my children and I were running errands. We had many stops to make - it was an all-day ordeal.

Here are some of things we saw........

In a restaurant, a young mom was more interested in her iPhone than her little girl (who looked to be about 3 years old). They were sitting right beside us and the only  words I heard the mom say to her daughter were, "Sit down!" and "Eat!" She was so mesmerized by the little black box, she didn't even eat her lunch.

In the doctor's office, a mom came in with her little boy, who was obviously anxious about seeing the doctor, but she also had a love affair with her iPhone. She hardly said 2 words to him the entire time while in the waiting area, and while following him and the nurse to the examining room, she still had the contraption right in front of her face. I don't know what kept her from bumping into a wall.

In a store, there was a little girl (about 5 years old) dressed in a string bikini top and the shortest shorts I've seen in a while. Apparently, she was following her mom's example, because she was dressed the same way.  We also saw a person in the store...not sure about the gender. There was no way to tell by looking at them. After walking by, one of my children asked, "Mom, was that a man or a woman?"
And some of the younger crowd were wearing t-shirts with profanity plastered across the front.

In the mall, we made a quick u-turn and headed for the nearest exit when I spotted the huge, trashy photos around the entrance to a certain undergarment store.

Years ago, when our 2 older children (now 28 and 24) were little, we could take them out in public without the fear of exposing them to every form of vulgarity and profanity. Not anymore! Those days are long gone.

What happened??

What happened to the good ol' days when parents cared more about their children than a "toy"?

......when people knew how to dress appropriately?

.......when gender lines weren't blurred, and men were men and women were women?

.......when we didn't have to leave a place of business because of the trashy photos everywhere?

Our society is crumbling around us.

Michael Pearl says, "No doubt about it; effectively training up children in this current society is the toughest  job you'll ever have."

May God help us to raise godly children in a godless society.

"...Stand in the ways and see,
And ask for the old paths,
Where the good way is,
And walk in it;
Then you will find rest for your souls..."      Jeremiah 6:16

Have a blessed day,








This post is linked up http://time-warp-wife.blogspot.com

and at http://raisinghomemakers.com and at http://womenlivingwell.org 

and at http://findingheaventoday.blogspot.com 

and at http://theimperfecthousewife.com

and at http://www.aboverubies.net

Lavender Jelly

3  1/2 c. water
1/2 c. dried lavender flowers
1/4 c. lemon juice
1 box  (1 3/4 oz.) powdered pectin
4 c. sugar




In a large saucepan over high heat, bring water to a boil. Remove from heat.  Add flowers, cover and let steep for 20 minutes.  Strain mixture into a deep kettle, discarding flowers.  (Your house will smell wonderful after this!)

Stir in lemon juice and pectin, making sure that pectin is dissolved.  Over high heat, bring mixture to a boil; add sugar.  Stir well.  Return mixture to a rolling boil; let boil for 4 minutes.

After boiling, ladle hot jelly into clean jelly jars, leaving 1/4 in. headspace, wipe rims, adjust lids and rings. Process in hot water bath 10 minutes.

Makes about 5 1/2 pints.

                                                                            
"Ointment and perfume delight the heart..."   Proverbs 27:9

This post is linked up at Domestically Divine @ http://jasmine-aboverubies.blogspot.com

and @ http://joyfilledmama.blogspot.com 

Showers of Blessing

I woke up yesterday to the sound of thunder in the distance.  My first thought was, "Oh no! Not rain! I need to work in the garden!" There were weeds to pull and green beans to pick.

I sat on the sofa and looked at the window. It was almost daylight. The only sound to be heard was the steady falling of the rain. I decided to take advantage of the quiet time and have my devotions.

Then I began to rack my brain for "inside" things to do to keep the children busy for the day.  I had some dried lavender blossoms from herb garden, so we could make lavender jelly. We just got some new watercolor paints, so art time was another option. And I knew that the children love to have reading parties on rainy days.

So after the children woke up and did their chores, we began making the jelly. They love helping me in the kitchen. And even though it takes much longer for me to accomplish what I need to, they learn best by helping. So it's worth the extra time. We made 5  1/2 pints of jelly and of course, the children's favorite part is taste testing.  :)  The prep and clean-up takes a while, but we were finished by 11:00. 

During lunch, we had a discussion about modesty. (I'll save that for another post.  :-} ) It seems as if we have some of our biggest theological discussions around the lunch table. I love that!

After lunch,  Ian and Aaron did some reading while Asher, Natty, and Mimi painted pictures.

Then the sun came out. I waited to hear, "Mom, we're going outside!"  But instead I heard, "When can we have the reading party?" Wow! So we sprawled out on the floor, ate some goodies, and read a few chapters of the Boxcar Children.

We ended up having a blessed day after all...in spite of being "stuck inside". The showers were a two-fold blessing: I spent the day making memories with my children, and my thirsty garden got a drink of water.

And after supper, I did get the garden work done - with the help of my 5 "heritages".  :)

"There shall be showers of blessing..."   Ezekiel 34:26

Have a blessed day,

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