What's For Dinner Wednesday's??

I am so excited we just finished another OMAC swap and the food looks great!!!. I love doing this and having a freezer full of food. It is one less thing to think about now. I just go to the freezer in the morning and pull something out to thaw for dinner that night.

This month we will be having:

Breakfast Burritos, Parmesean Oven Fried Chicken Sticks, Presto Mac, Oriental Pork Chops, Shish Kabobs, red beans and rice, Sloppy Joe Buns, Quiche in a bag, lasagna roll ups, marinated chicken breast, best homemade chicken soup, chicken alfredo, cheesburger quiche, freezer chicken quesadillas YUM! YUM!

Today I am sharing a dessert. It is one of my favorites and has probably helped add the pounds to this pregnancy! LOL!! This is the closest I have found to my grandmother's peach cobbler. She never had a specific receipe it was just a little of this and a pinch of that.

Three Minute Cobbler 350*

1/2 c butter

1 c flour

1 c sugar

2 tsp baking powder

3/4 c milk

1/4 tsp salt

1 (16 oz) can fruit pie filling



Melt butter in casserole dish.

Stir in flour, sugar, baking powder, milk, and salt

until all lumps are gone.

Dump the fruit on top, but don't stir it in.

Bake for one hour at 350 degrees.

I have used cherry, peach and apple pie fillings my favorite are the peach and cherry.

Happy Cooking!

Praying For My Children

Mother's Day gave me time to reflect on the awesome responsibility that God has placed before me with my children. I feel so incompetent a lot of the time that I try spend time before the Lord praying for guidance, grace and mercy. It makes a huge difference when I seek the Lord than when I just try to do it on my own. Unfortunately I try to do it too much on my own. You would think I would learn more quickly. God has been so good in blessing us with 4 soon to be 5 great and wonderful children. Jay and I 's goal as parents is to raise them to be adults who love and serve The Lord.

In order to do this as I shared before I think praying over my children is so important and I love the book The Power of a Praying Parent by Stormie Omartian. Well I also came across this great article from a friend's blog. Bob Hostetler http://www.bobhostetler.com/writing/bestof001.html has come up with a list of character traits to pray for our children. There are 31 so you can pray one each day of the month. I thought this was really cool. Here is his list:

1 salvation "Lord, let salvation spring up within my children, that they may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory" (Isaiah 45:8, 2 Timothy 2:10).

2 growth in grace "I pray that they may 'grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ'" (2 Peter 3:18).

3 love "Grant, Lord, that my children may learn to 'live a life of love,' through the Spirit who dwells in them" (Ephesians 5:2, Galatians 5:22).

4 honesty and integrity " May integrity and honesty be their virtue and their protection" (Psalm 25:21, NLT).

5 self-control " Father, help my children not to be like many others around them, but let them be 'alert and self-controlled' in all they do" (1 Thessalonians 5:6)

6 a love for God's Word " May my children grow to find your Word 'more precious than gold, than much pure gold; [and] sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb'" (Psalm 19:10).

7 justice " God, help my children to love justice as you do and to 'act justly' in all they do" (Psalm 11:7, Micah 6:8).

8 mercy " May my children always 'be merciful, as [their] Father is merciful'" (Luke 6:36).

9 respect (for self, others, authority) " Father, grant that my children may 'show proper respect to everyone,' as your Word commands" (1 Peter 2:17a).

10 strong, Biblical self-esteem " Help my children develop a strong self-esteem that is rooted in the realization that they are 'God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus'" (Ephesians 2:10).

11 faithfulness "' Let love and faithfulness never leave [my children],' but bind these twin virtues around their necks and write them on the tablet of their hearts" (Proverbs 3:3).

12 courage "May my children always 'Be strong and courageous' in their character and in their actions" (Deuteronomy 31:6).

13 purity "'Create in [them] a pure heart, O God,' and let their purity of heart be shown in their actions" (Psalm 51:10).

14 kindness "Lord, may my children 'always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else'" (1 Thessalonians 5:15).

15 generosity "Grant that my children may 'be generous and willing to share [and so] lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age'" (1 Timothy 6:18-19).

16 peace, peaceability "Father, let my children 'make every effort to do what leads to peace'" (Romans 14:19).

17 joy " May my children be filled 'with the joy given by the Holy Spirit'" (1 Thessalonians 1:6).

18 perseverance " Lord, teach my children perseverance in all they do, and help them especially to 'run with perseverance the race marked out for [them]'" (Hebrews 12:1).

19 humility " God, please cultivate in my children the ability to 'show true humility toward all'" (Titus 3:2).

20 compassion " Lord, please clothe my children with the virtue of compassion" (Colossians 3:12).

21 responsibility " Grant that my children may learn responsibility, 'for each one should carry his own load'" (Galatians 6:5).

22 contentment " Father, teach my children 'the secret of being content in any and every situation. . . . through him who gives [them] strength'" (Philippians 4:12-13).

23 faith " I pray that faith will find root and grow in my children's hearts, that by faith they may gain what has been promised to them" (Luke 17:5-6, Hebrews 11:1-40).

24 a servant heart " God, please help my children develop servant hearts, that they may serve wholeheartedly, 'as to the Lord, and not to men'" (Ephesians 6:7, KJV).

25 hope " May the God of hope grant that my children may overflow with hope and hopefulness by the power of the Holy Spirit" (Romans 15:13).

26 the willingness and ability to work hard " Teach my children, Lord, to value work and to work hard at everything they do, 'as working for the Lord, not for men'" (Colossians 3:23).

27 a passion for God " Lord, please instill in my children a soul that "followeth hard after thee," a heart that clings passionately to you (Psalm 63:8, KJV).

28 self-discipline " Father, I pray that my children may develop self-discipline, that they may acquire 'a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair'" (Proverbs 1:3).

29 prayerfulness " Grant, Lord, that my children's lives may be marked by prayerfulness, that they may learn to 'pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests" (Ephesians 6:18).

30 gratitude " Help my children to live lives that are always 'overflowing with thankfulness,' 'always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ'" (Colossians 2:7, Ephesians 5:20).

31 a heart for missions " Lord, please help my children to develop a heart for missions, a desire to see your glory declared among the nations, your marvelous deeds among all peoples" (Psalm 96:3).

Take the challenge with me and starting today (May 14th) pray these for your children for the next month. God is faithful all the time!!

The Simple Woman

FOR TODAY May 12, 2008

Outside My Window...

I can see our beautifully clean, weed free front yard!

I am thinking...

my kids are really quiet I need to see what they are up too!!!

I am thankful for...

my kids and my husband giving me a nice Mother's Day

From the kitchen...

It is going to be busy today in there I have to get ready for our next cooking swap on Wednesday!

I am wearing...

my pj's still. I need to go get in the shower.

I am creating...

or it should say putting together lapbooks

I am going...

to the doctor and grocery store today. Fun Fun

I am reading...

Three Billy Goat's Gruff over and over and over again!

I am hoping...

to feel better today and that this doesn't turn into anything worse.

I am hearing...

Curious George on the TV

Around the house...

Anastasia is laying on the couch she is not feeling well either, Joshua is getting ready to play webkins and the girls are playing doll house.

One of my favorite things...

The coolness in the air still in the morning

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week:

We have a busy week with pe, art, library, dr's appts, end of year author's chair, cooking swap, and swimming!

Here is picture thought I am sharing...

If you would like to participate in "The Simple Woman also please visit Peggy's blog: http://thesimplewoman.blogspot.com/

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day!!

I had a nice Mother's Day for the most part. My dear husband tries to do things for me but bless his heart Mother's Day has been a bitter sweet the last four year since his mom died (she was only 56 and died from cancer).

Saturday we had our babysitter come over and Jay and I went out together. We went by the cemetery first and took some roses out there. We both know though that his mom would “kick our tails” for spending money on flowers at the grave but it has been awhile since we have been out there. I think a hard part now is knowing that Joy always wanted a lot of grandkids and when she died there was only Anastasia and Joshua was only 5 months old. Now this year she would be getting grandchildren numbers 7 and 8 (Jay’s sister is due in December).

Jay as a baby and his mom

One of my favorite last pictures of Anastasia and "Mawma"

We stayed a little bit and then went to the mall for dinner and a movie.We saw “Expelled” the documentary by Ben Stein. It was a very good movie and I highly recommend it! Check out http://www.getexpelled.com/

We came home and I started feeling sick. My glands were swollen and my throat started hurting so I went to bed!

Mother’s Day I woke up still not feeling great and neither did Joshua. So we stayed home from church. I got to lay around in bed but didn’t enjoy it much not feeling well! I finally got up and Anastasia and Joshua gave me cards that they made. Anastasia gave me two certificates, one for a spa treatment (that she would do) and one for her cooking dinner and cleaning up afterwards!!

This is the card Joshua made for me in Sunday school last week. He said it is a picture of me. (Gotta love the nose LOL) Even so I think it is precious!

I called my mom and she had to work today so we were just going to be staying home and relaxing. Anastasia started giving me my spa treatment. She set up the bathroom with daddy's comfy office chair and my favorite quiet time CD and even had candles lit. Of course Savannah had to help! She is the lotion queen. She absolutely loves lotion and had a great time rubbing my arms and legs with it. (I don’t think I will need any lotion for a month)

The Royal treatment!

You can tell I wasn't feeling well but I did enjoy it!

I could sit here all day!

Just as Anastasia started painting my toe nails my dad called, he passed out on a job so he needed Jay to come help and drive the truck back to his house. (My dad does sign and lighting maintenance for certain restaurants and stores and he was using a bucket truck) So we all loaded up in the car to go over there (they live just about an hour away) We dropped Jay off over at the job site and then we went to my dad and mom’s to wait for them to get back. I just pretty much laid around the kids were excited to go to Papa and Grandma’s.

The kids and Grandma. They got her a gift certificate to Chick-fil-A her favorite place to go lately!

We finally got back home around 7:30pm and got everyone into bed including myself.

The Duggars are Expecting Again

Have you heard of the Duggar family? They are a family that homeschools, loves the Lord and they live in Arkansas. The most famous news about them is that they just announced they are expecting child number 18 in January of next year!!!! I can't imagine as I can hardly believe we are getting ready for number 5. I must say though I enjoy reading about and watching this family. They have done some specials on the Discovery Channel.

Some people get so emotional and upset when hearing about this family but I don't understand it. They are not telling everyone else to go and have 18 children. They took 3 years and built their 7000sq ft. house themselves and it is debt free. So they are supporting themselves and trying live godly lives. I think it is fasinating because there are days that by God's grace alone I make it through with my 4 blessings!!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080509/ap_on_re_us/18_kids

You can check out their website at:

http://www.duggarfamily.com

Invisible Mother

Invisible mother



It all began to make sense, the blank stares, and the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you see I'm on the phone?'

Obviously not; no one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all. I'm invisible. The invisible Mom.



Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this??



Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, 'What time is it?' I'm a satellite guide to answer, 'What number is the Disney Channel?' I'm a car to order, 'Right around 5:30, please.'



I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude - but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going, she's going ... she's gone!?



One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a

friend from England. Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip and

she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in.



I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well.

It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself. I was feeling pretty

pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, 'I brought you this.'



It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. I wasn't exactly sure why

she'd given it to me until I read her inscription:



'To Charlotte, with admiration for the greatness of what you are building

when no one sees.'



In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work:



No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their

names. These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never

see finished. They made great sacrifices and expected no credit.



The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God

saw everything.



A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the

cathedral while it was being b uilt, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof, No one will ever see it. And the workman replied, 'because God sees.'



I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost

as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you, Charlotte. I see the

sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great

cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become.



At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease

that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own

self-centeredness. It is the anti dote to my strong, stubborn pride.



I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one

of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to

work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book

went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime

because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.



When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's

bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, 'My Mom gets up at 4 in the

morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table.' That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, 'you're gonna love it there.'



As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're

doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel,

not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.



Great Job, MOM!



Share this with all the Invisible Moms you know... I just did.



The Will of God will never take you where the Grace of God will not protect

you.



This is beautiful and makes a ton of sense. To all the wonderful mothers out there!

Hall of Flame Museum

I think one of the things I like most about homeschooling is the hands on learning and the opportunity for a lot of field trips!!  I head up a homeschool group of about 25 families and I plan trips throughout the year.  Today we went to the Hall of Flame Museum.  It has the largest display of fire engines in the US.  This museum has been around for quite awhile and it was our first time ever going.  They offer all different workshops for kids ranging from preschool-high school.  Our tour guide was great!!!  The kids started with a story and then got to climb all over one of the trucks and try on gear.  Then they watched a video about fire safety.  Next he showed us some “old time” equipment and call boxes and we looked at a lot of the fire trucks.  They have over 100 on display.  I think the kid’s favorite thing was the bucket brigade and the spraying of the water hose!!!  I would highly recommend visiting this museum.   http://www.hallofflame.org/  After the tour we all went over to Papgo park picnic area to eat our lunches.  The kids loved this they got to run around by a shallow creek and find some shells.  It was a beautiful morning and the weather is still holding out.

Starting the tour with a story.  He was a great story teller.

This was Joshua's favorite seat on the fire truck.  He was content with just sitting here.

 

Everyone climbing around

This was a memorial to all the firefighters that lost their lives in 9/11.  There was even a picture of each person on the wall.

The Bucket Brigade.  It took them 5 minutes and 43 seconds to fill the bucket.

It was funny to watch the littler kids trying to keep straight which direction to pass the empty buckets and the full buckets.

 Spraying the water hose was the highlight of the trip.

Fireman Joshua

Firewoman Savannah 

Savannah called this the "Princess Fire Truck"