Three Stooges

I may never get to keep grand children again.   Then again my DIL may never get to keep her younger brothers again.   Seems one of the twins thought he would shock me if he suggested going swimming.  LOL little did he know!   He wanted to know how much I would pay him to jump in the pool.  I laughed and assured him not one cent as it happens around here often.  If he wanted to go swimming, he knew where the pool was.   After much (3 minutes) consideration the twins borrowed my thermometer and checked water temp., 56, ( I think.)  Wind chill was 63 or so and outside temp was low 70s.  They decided to go for it.   Then they started seeking other like minded people.   Grandson was game, but didn't have shorts, we supplied some.  Grand daughter was considering it, but she has been sick so mean Granola said nope.   I had one dd who was more than happy to provide shorts and such, but she has issues with the pool being cold in July, she wasn't going near it.  The other one has had a cough and didn't feel it was in her best interest.  So off these three boys went to "swim".   Seems swimming was a lot more like jump in jump out warm up dare each other to do it again.   I think the twins jumped three times and grand son only twice.  I recorded it for them, after all three had gotten wet, then came back in and let them be boys, (cold boys.)

Peanut Butter Bars

Peanut Butter Bars

(Think Reeses Cups)

1 1/2 C Graham Cracker Crumbs

1 lb Confectioners' sugar (3 - 3 1/2 cups)

1 1/2 C Peanut Butter

1 C Butter, melted

1 (12 oz) bag Milk Chocolate Chips (I used semi-sweet - no artificial stuff)

Combine cracker crumbs, sugar and peanut butter. Mix well.

Blend in melted butter until completely combined.

Press mixture evenly into a 9 x 13 inch pan.

Melt Chocolate chips in microwave or in double boiler.
Spread over peanut butter mixture.

Chill until just set and cut into bars (these are VERY hard to cut if the chocolate gets "rock hard".

These came highly recomeded from a friends blog.  They are everything she said they were.  They are very rich!  Enjoy!  

Rambling for the week of Christmas

Life has been busy and not busy all at the same time.   I kept grandson a couple of days last week.  I snapped this picture as he was NOT climbing up on the stool.  I'm sure you can tell by his look he is doing nothing he shouldn't.  

I also have been DEEPLY involved in a great book.  It has enough action, starting near the end of WWII, that even MJ has ask to read it.  MN is next in line.  If she finishes it tonight she will sleep all day tomorrow.  It isn't a quick read, with just over 600 pages.   The title is:  Living a Life of Fire - Reinhard Bonnke - An Autobiography .  I finally finished it this afternoon.  It is one of those that leaves you wanting more.  Not sure if you want to start another book or just soak in thinking of what you just read and what this one man has done for Jesus. 

While I was finishing up reading, MN started baking.  We have been gifted with a local food bank willing to allow us to help.  They are handing out food on Thur.  Our church family is being allowed to help hand out food baskets.   We offered and were allowed to make goody bags to go with them.   MN is baking cookies. 

LOTS of cookies!   She is talking about baking some no-bake cookies to go with these cookies.  These are her favorite and really taste awesome.  They start with a basic oatmeal cookie recipe off the oatmeal box.  Then she adds several unmeasured large spoons of peanut butter.  Then she finishes it off with a generous supply of chocolate chips. 

T is talking about baking either carrot or banana bread for them tomorrow.  It is nice to see them baking while we don't get to eat all the goodies.  

Thursday we will meet with friends and decorate goodie bags and fill them for handing out.   Kids are so excited!   It will be a fun!  

Our Day... Tuesday....

Our day starts with feeding babies.  I now have three on this sweet cow.   She is doing really good with

them.  One of them has really mastered jumping up on the bucket and finding dinner.   The newest one is the slowest.  She is younger by about a week.  She will figure it out pretty soon. I know that they are getting full since they grunt when I go to pick them up to put them back in their pen. 

 Home school 101.   Today they worked on the septic system.  The boys learned a lot.  MJ assures me he doesn't know what he wants to be but he knows it isn't a plumber!  MJ and D11 both got to be plumbers assistant today.  That requires a lot of shovel work and yucky work.  

Good news is it is all done correctly now and not done less than correct, which is the story of everything we replace.   The sewer hasn't been touched in over 15 years.  We have been blessed.   I pray since it is done right that it is many many more years than 15 before anything else needs doing. 

Boys did do lots of helping.  They toted and dug and leaned on shovels and threw dirt clods at each other.  

Tomorrow we get to do fence building 101.  Two fences had to be taken down to work on the sewer.  Tomorrow we will need to get them fixed back.  The question is will I put them back where they were or will I move them?  

I will have grandson tomorrow so not sure how much we will get done.  I know if it is warm he will have a blast playing in the dirt where the skid steerer powdered it.    Mommy may not like me.  Oh well he does wash well!   :)  I know he must, he is always clean and fresh when I get him.  He is seldom clean and fresh when she gets him back. 

Beautiful Sunset....

Sunday Edited...

God blessed us with a beautiful sunrise this morning.  I wonder if my DIL had to stop driving and take some pictures as she was heading toward the rising sun.   I just snapped 2 photos,  for me pretty good.

We have been having toilet problems.  This afternoon dh brought in the big guns to dig.  I am not sure what is going on.  He is hunting the septic tank.  We have never had a problem with it so in almost 15 years never knew where it was.   I sorta know where the field lines are... sorta.  

He is following the line, but the line was heading downward and getting deeper so he decided to use a bigger shovel.   For now using the downstairs bathroom is not recommended. Update on that issue it is "usable" but not much so until Tue. 

Oh one more shining thing today.  I had a ewe get horned yesterday by a cow.  We tried to save her, but :( she did make it.  So we had two bottle baby lambs to add to the "to do" list twice a day.   MN feed them off the milk goat she has a bottle baby goat on this morning.  I told her to separate Buckets from the calf in the back this morning.  This evening we brought her in and tossed a bucket under her for a stand.  It took maybe 10 seconds for lambs to figure out where the milk comes from.   Beyond that it was just keeping them balanced on the bucket. 

Life is never dull!!!  Life is never "normal"!

Heart of Motherhood Encounter

Welcome

H.O.M.E.

Heart of Motherhood Enrichment Retreat

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest Walk with me and work with me, watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” Matthew 11:28-30 (The Message Bible)

If you occasionally need a “pick-me-up and “fill-my-cup Lord” weekend, then join us as we look to God to give us a clearer, burden free path of raising and disciplining our families. God desires for us to have peace, joy, and even rest on our motherhood journey! The Heart of Motherhood Enrichment retreat is a retreat for moms that need to be encouraged, inspired and uplifted by the Word of God. Join us this year as we welcome a group of Godly women as our speakers: Elaine Russo, Vanessa Simon, Molly Criner, Cindy McCloy, and Nola Jones, and Julie Zesch.

Where: Heart of Texas Bible Camp, Brownwood Texas

Cost: $110.00 This cost includes: your lodging, 6 meals (Dinner Fri. evening through Lunch Sun. ) many blessings and a retreat packet. Registration deadline is January 23nd . Early bird registration $100.00 – due December 31st.


Unable to attend all weekend, consider coming for the day on Saturday. The cost for one day will be $50.00

As a part of our ministry we believe in feeding your body with God given healthful foods. Our meals will be served with whole grains, fresh fruit and vegetables, preservative free, home-baked, nutritious and delicious!!!


Hello ladies;

Retreat is 9 weeks away. The team is very excited about what the Lord has put on our hearts to share with you this year. We're all looking forward to seeing you again. We're planning a fun, exciting,relaxing,and enriching weekend!!!  Please forward to anyone you think may be interested. Remember to take advantage of the early bird registration – Dec. 31st.

Blessings to you all,



The H.O.M.E. team



I have regestration forms I can email out to anyone who wants one.  Please let me know!  
 
Nola

Thinking and Sharing my Thoughts

I just finished a book that had lots of food for thought. The title is "Satan's Dirty Little Secret", by Steve Foss. This is the second time I have read it. It really is a book that you could read every few months as a reminder of where your focus needs to be.

He feels there are two root "spirits" that cause most of our emotional issues and also our addictions. Those two spirits are insecurity and inferiority. If you look at Eve in the Garden of Eden the devil tempted her. He made her feel insecure. Then the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. ⁵ For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." Gen 3:4 He caused her to doubt the Word of God. God said she would die, satan lied, and planted a seed of doubt/insecurity. Then he said something that made her feel inferior. He told her IF she ate the fruit she would be like God. Right there she should have called Satan for what he is, a liar! She forgot the part where she was created in the image of God. She forgot the part where God gave her and Adam dominion over all the earth and every critter there. That would have included satan since he was on the earth. Instead she watered the seeds of insecurity and inferiority that satan had planted. She took a bite, and in doing so gave the earth to satan. He couldn't steal it; he had to trick Adam and Eve into giving it away.

How often does satan come along and sow seeds in your life of insecurity and inferiority? How often are you told you don't measure up by that little voice in your head? What would have happened if Eve had known her place with God and turned on the devil and told him he was lying, she already was like God! What would happen if we started doing that? Satan wants us to compare. God wants us to keep our eyes focused on Him, not your neighbor. Paul said it this way, Oh, don't worry; we wouldn't dare say that we are as wonderful as these other men who tell you how important they are! But they are only comparing themselves with each other, using themselves as the standard of measurement. How ignorant 2 Corinthians 10:12 (New Living Translation) How often do we do just that?

As we go into the shopping season, look at the advertising all around you. How much is sowing the seeds of insecurity and inferiority? What is the number one message of advertising? Buy this and look better, feel better, have more friends, basically either fit in or be superior! They feed those nasty seeds of insecurity and inferiority, with that underlying message if you don't do this then you won't "fit in".

How many people are in debt today trying to fit the mold of what their life should look like? How many young people starve themselves trying to fit the model of being "skinny enough" which once that takes hold they can never obtain skinny enough they obtain death by starvation. How many people drink, do drugs and look at porn because they feel inferior to those around them and want to drown that feeling in any way they can. Science now understands that doing these things releases 'feel good' emotions in the brain. The high doesn't last and takes more and more to reach it, but still it is an attempt to short cut feeling good, instead of depending on God and trusting in Him. Once the cycle starts breaking it without divine help is extremely hard.

Inferiority and insecurity do seem to be at the root of a lot of our issues. If we become aware and seek God to show us how our actions relate to the inferiority and insecurity we will start taking authority over those spirits and refusing to participate. If we dig up a lot of scriptures to quote back to those spirits as they taunt us we will defeat them. We will come to really understand and believe we are Sons and Daughters of the most High God. We will know we can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. We will start exercising our God given power and authority over our situations instead of feeding the negative.

Feeding the negative, how much easier is it to sort out inferiority and insecurity if we just stop feeding negative thoughts? When we start to judge or compare, if we remind ourselves that isn't our job, that's God's. Judging and comparing are very much inferiority and insecurity. If we take every thought captive and don't go down the road of judging and comparing ourselves to others we will stop them in their tracks! How much fuller will your day be if you don't allow yourself to judge and compare. How much richer will you be in the things of God, joy, peace and love if we keep judgment and comparison out of our day?

Join me today as I battle this battle. I am guilty! I do judge and compare. I am more secure in who I am in Christ than I was a few years ago, but I still judge and compare. I don't judge and compare as much, but it does raise its ugly head more than it should. OK it shouldn't at all! If you want to post a verse that helps you stay focused on who you are in Christ or join in praying for me as I pray for you in this area please leave a commit.

 

 

A peak at our day...

This first picture was the other night.  Granddaughter was loving Pepper.  She really loves him as you can see.  She was saying "Sweet Pepper" as she rubbed her head all over him. 

 This morning T decided to check out a book of "Breads of the World".  She loved the braided breads.  She ask if she could make some.  She had LOTS of help.  It is hard to see here there are two boy heads, not one.

 They are busy shaking down the flour as it grinds. 

 Once it was made she started braiding.  I was impressed. 

 She worked hard at rolling strings to braid. 

 Finished products!  She got tired of braiding and did some dinner rolls.  Aren't they pretty?