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Wednesday, December 7, 2011

A post from this time last year....

**I'm trying to get back into blogging, which has been put on the back burner lately. It's late, and I'm pretty tired, so I wanted to bring this post back from last year to help everyone remember what the true reason for the season is all about.**

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Hot chocolate and the Christmas crunch.
With Christmas being a mere 3 days away, a lot of us often lose focus of what it's supposed to be about. We're too busy trying to run around and get those last minute gifts to please someone, that we often lose our way.
Whether we realize it or not, this time of year is when Satan works his powers. He thrives on the fact that we get stressed, exhausted, and fall away from God. He revels in the fact that we get caught up in the materialistic aspect of Christmas and don't remember to slow down and read our Bible and talk with God. Do not be fooled- he is waiting for youBe self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour- Peter 5:8
This brings me to the next part of my "Peace on Earth December Challenge" from Courtney at Women Living Well, and this an excerpt from her challenge:
Here's this week's challenge: Christmas is just 5 days away and so much of our time is often spent helping the children to remember the "Reason for the Season". Now it's our turn. Once the kids are in bed get yourself a HOT drink (again we are warming the body as we warm the soul.) Get ALONE and turn out the lights by your Christmas tree, a lit fire, or a candle and just be alone with God. Pray, talk to him, I encourage you to sing Christmas carols or songs praising him, and just rest with Jesus.
This challenge led me to my pantry for some of this delicious stuff
And I brought it to the solace of my living room to look at this:

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Oh sweet blog, I have missed you.

After living in the camper for a week while we gutted our kitchen, stripped wallpaper, painted, and installed new carpet, we moved into our new house on August 20th. It took a little while for it to feel like home to us, but now it seems as if this house was made for us, and that we never lived anywhere else. The land is absolutely beautiful, and the one neighbor that we have is and older couple. Very sweet people.

Shayna has settled into her new preschool effortlessly, like the resilient child she is, and I am planning Christmas in my new home.

Well, that is where I have been for the past month, and I will leave you with some pictures of the new humble abode.






This was our kitchen the day we made the offer:


And this our kitchen now:


I will add more pics of the interior in a different post when I get everything done. This is the outside of my house, and the reason why we bought it.



Saturday, August 13, 2011

Good things come to those who wait..

After putting in the initial offer on June 14, and waiting what seemed to be a lifetime, the buyers on our house finally got everything worked out with their lender and we closed on it yesterday. We were then able to close on our new 15 acre farm this morning! Now, we have to cram and get a lot of work done, due to having to extend the closing date by two weeks.

The sellers are planning on leaving this Monday for a long journey to Montana. Over the course of all this buying and selling house business, we have came to know them pretty well, and I pray they have a safe trip out west and hope they will send us a postcard of that beautiful state.

We plan on just pulling our camper out there on Monday and staying in it for a week so we don't have the commute to this house everyday. It won't be the best situation, but it's only for a week, and I will be able to help David with some of the work that needs done on the house as well. Although, I'm not sure how much work I will accomplish with a 4-year-old running around, but something is better than nothing I suppose.

After we had all the monies exchanged and everything was handled, we stopped for some lunch and then headed out to Lowe's to do some shopping. We had to get the hood microwave that goes over the range and the paint for the house. A lot more will be need to be spent to get it the way we want it, but it will all come in due time.

I just can't believe we are finally doing this after waiting so long for it to all happen, and will have so much room for cattle and maybe crops next year. This will be my last entry until we get our internet set up over there, so here are pics of the new place.



Thursday, August 11, 2011

It's getting close!

It happens every year; the insane heat and humidity starts to diminish, and makes way for cooler weather. One sure sign that fall is approaching is pre-season football. Football baby!! I can not wait for fall, and winter that follows it.



I love everything about fall. The leaves changing colors, the cooler temps, football, the warm candle scents of apple and cinnamon, and all the decorations. I also celebrate my birthday and wedding anniversary in October which is another reason why I love the season.

We also love to go camping at least once during the autumn season. One place we are planning on going to this year is "Little Nashville." Nashville, Indiana is a quaint little town with lots of pretty scenery, antiques, and little shops. It's like a mini Gatlinburg. We camped there in October 2009, and that's when we're planning on going back this year. They have an annual event the first weekend of October called Farm Fest where you can pick out pumpkins, feed animals at the petting zoo, and other fun things that are family and kid friendly. This is Shayna there in 2009.
I can't believe how little she looks right there! I am so ready to see her there again. Hoodies, fall decor, and campfires, here we come!


Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Parenting an only child





I'd like to introduce you to my pride and joy. She is the child that God blessed David and me with, and will be our only child. Over the past 4 1/2 years, we have watched her grow from an infant who relied on us for her every need, to an independent preschooler with her own emotions, thoughts, and vocabulary, and her vocabulary is something else. I have spent a lot of time around children her age, and she speaks exceptionally well for someone of that age. However, along with her new found sense of independence, has also came an attitude when she doesn't get her way. Imagine that- a 4-year-old with an attitude.
I remember the day I gave birth to her. She was 7 pounds 11oz and 20 1/4 inches long. Absolutely perfect in every way.
So, it's no surprise that we get the age old question of when we are going to have more children, and while it seems like an innocent enough question, some people don't know when to leave well enough alone. The simple answer is never. We have accepted the fact that she is the only one God will give to us, and we have made our peace with that.



Please do not tell me that she will be lonely, spoiled, or selfish because she is an only. She is far from any of the three, and it's our job as parents to teach children to not be any of those things regardless if we have one child or ten children. We are teaching her to be selfless and to appreciate the things she has, just the same as anyone with 2+ children would do. She is going to start her second year of preschool in 2 weeks, and she is a social butterfly. She has absolutely no lack of social interaction with her peers, and she tells me about her friends on a daily basis.

The bottom line is that I am trying to dispel the only child myth. It is not wise to bring another child into this world based solely on the fact that they "need a playmate." I have heard this an insane amount of times, and the thought is asinine. For one, there is no guarantee the children will get along or have that ideal image of closeness when they enter adulthood. Not to mention, it's also not a wise thing to bring another child into the world if you are struggling to provide for just one financially. Babies cost a lot of money, kids cost even more, and teenagers cost a small fortune.
I am almost 29-years-old, the oldest of 3 children. I can count on one hand how many times I have seen my half brother and half sister in the past six years. We just are not close. The same goes for my husband. He is the baby. He has 5 (I think) half siblings and one full brother. The only one he is close to is his half sister, and she is thousands of miles away in Texas.

Multiple children are great- if you can afford them, but with our economy being in the state that it's in, people should not be having children just for the sake of having children. I can assure you, with the proper guidance and parenting, an only child can grow up to be a well rounded individual just the same as a child with siblings can.

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Chicken gumbo

As part of a "Teach me Tuesdays" link up from http://www.richandsarahchristensen.blogspot.com/, I will be sharing my chicken gumbo recipe that my husband and I absolutely love. Thanks Sarah, for giving me something else to link-up to.





The wonderful thing about this recipe is that you can alter the spiciness simply by using less or more hot sauce than what it calls for. I use just the recommended amount for a little kick that is not too overpowering.

For this recipe you will need:

1/4 cup oil for frying
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 cups cooked, chopped chicken breast meat
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chile peppers, with liquid
1 (4.5 ounce) can sliced mushrooms, drained
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 dashes hot sauce

I omit the parsley and mushrooms every time I make it, and it's still fabulous. My hubby doesn't even know it calls for mushrooms, or I would have to put them in there, lol.

Note: If you are a family of more than 3, I recommend doubling this recipe. Our daughter will not eat this, so it's just David and I who do, but I still double it for leftovers.

Directions are as follows:

1.Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Stir in flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes or until mixture is the color of a copper penny. Reduce heat to low and stir in bell pepper and onion. Cook 10 to 15 minutes, or until tender, stirring occasionally.
2.Add chicken, tomatoes with green chile peppers, mushrooms, parsley, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, soy sauce, sugar, salt, pepper and hot sauce. Stir together, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.


Monday, August 8, 2011

Satan and his enticing ways

How often have you been pressured to do something when you knew there could potentially be bad consequences that came from it? What ENTICED you to do these things?

This has been on my mind since a hearing a sermon that my pastor gave last night. The word "entice" is normally not used in a good context when you think about it. Take the adulteress who entices the married man with her clever words and seductive ways. She tell him what he wants to hear, and she is working for Satan.

With persuasive words she led him astray; she seduced him with her smooth talk- Proverbs 7:21

I absolutely love my pastor. He has a God given gift of speaking that is interesting and makes you want to hear more. I 100% believe that God led me to being a Christian again so I could meet my church family, and hear him speak. In this context, ENTICE was a good word.




The sermon also was about how God doesn't compromise. We as Christians need to strive to live by His word. We can't say "Okay God, I'm going to get drunk tonight and have sex with random people, but I'll go to church to Sunday morning." God does NOT work like that.

I am by no means the "perfect" Christian, and do you know why? Because there is no such thing as the perfect Christian. We all fall short, but we can all strive to better children of God. I have found one of the best ways to do this is by reading the Bible. I feel such peace when I read it, a peace that I could never find at the bottom of a bottle, strip club, or bar.

I am still following an outline from Olivia at www.hernoblecharacter.com to read the Bible in its entirety in 6 months. I read a few chapters each night from different books, and it's my quiet time to reflect and give thanks to God.

You have no idea how great I felt when my pastor was talking about a specific incident in Genesis last night, and I actually knew what he was referring to. I felt a sense of accomplishment, and that's not something I feel very often.


I encourage anyone who is a fellow Christian to do this as well. Set aside a time where it will be quiet, and dig into God's word. It's the only way to learn, and it makes Satan cringe.


Sunday, August 7, 2011

Media and our friendships

Along with most of the people in this world, my main form of communicating is via Facebook, Twitter, and e-mail. Very few of my friends live close enough to get together, and we all have such busy lives that it's hard to plan around them.

Long gone are the days where we had to rely solely on a land line phone to communicate, and a rotary phone at that. Yes, laugh all you want, but I am THAT old to remember having to turn those things to each number to dial an entire phone number. Forget trying to win any radio contests on one of those.How often though do you realize that one of your friends is not exactly who you thought they were after reading some of their statuses? I can guarantee it's at least one. I have cleaned out my friend's list due to excessive cussing, negativity, and inappropriate pictures. I do not miss those "friends" either. Now, I'm not trying to sound judgemental, but as a Chrsitian woman, I do not want to see pictures of adult women scantily clad, legs wrapped around a pole, and licking some other female. It's classless and just kind of gross.

Having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people- 2 Timothy 3:5

I also do not feel like it's in my best interest to see constant negativity out of people's mouths. When something is going wrong, I try to make the most out of it, and I realize that life isn't always fair. I don't post about every little setback on Facebook because negativity has a way of breeding. I don't want to be the cause of someone's perfectly happy mood being dampened due to my thoughts.

Thirdly, and probably one of the least favorite things I enjoying seeing is constant and excessive cursing. I have touched on this before, but I do not expect anyone to have a vocabulary that consists of the "f" word being a verb, adjective, noun, and a pronoun all in one sentence. It makes one sound completely uneducated, and it's just unnecessary.

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear- Ephesians- 4:29

I no longer add people that I do not know personally, or ones who have questionable morals or character. It benefits me in knowing that I won't have to see things I do not wish to see, and I don't feel like I can't delete them due to hurt feelings.

Saturday, August 6, 2011

The weekend events




Yesterday we went to the annual Pioneer Days and tractor show in Rushville, IN. The hubs absolutely loves seeing the antique tractors that are powered by steam, and I enjoy seeing the newer ones. Shayna loves going as well. Even though she's a girl, she would rather have tractors than Barbie dolls. Here are some pics from the day.




That took up our entire Friday, and we came back home to put the munchkin in bed, and have some alone time. We watched a movie and went to bed pretty early. Walking around all day looking at tractors will wear you out fast.


Today consisted of a lazy day sitting around the house, and then we went out to eat at Roxano's (best pizza and bread sticks EVER). We then drove by our new house (the anticipation is killing us) and then came back home. Tomorrow's agenda is church and grocery shopping- one of my most favorite things, and the other is one I dread. I'm sure you can guess which one is which.


Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Slow cooked country ribs


It's no secret that we all love ribs in this house, including Miss Picky aka Shayna. It takes a lot of time to cook these, but they are melt-in-your-mouth-scrumptious-deliciousness when they are done. First, you need to make sure you are going to be home for a good portion of the day. I'm talking about 5-6 hours. In order to cook these, remember "low and slow." Country ribs are different than baby back ribs. They have a lot more meat on them, but also more fat. They must be cooked slowly to cook out the fat, and to become tender.

You will need:

Barbecue sauce of your choice

Seasonings.

To start, line a pan with foil, and preheat your oven to 225 degrees. Put the ribs on the foil lined pan, and bake for one hour untouched once your oven is heated. These are from last Saturday. Now, the country ribs in the store will NOT be this big. These ribs were fresh from a hog that we killed ourselves, and were probably about a pound a piece before they were cooked.

After that first hour, you will need to season them according taste. I used garlic, onion powder, salt and pepper. Then you need to baste them with bbq sauce (I use Jack Daniels because it has the best flavor to me) every 1/2 an hour for for another 4 hours. After the 5 hours is complete, baste them one more time, and stick them under the broiler for 5 minutes. That's it. Simple as pie, and a delicious dinner. I served it with shells and cheese and asparagus sauteed in garlic and light butter.

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

August-December Bible reading plan.

Olivia at http://www.hernoblecharacter.com/ has came up with a Bible reading plan from July-December. I am behind by a month because I just discovered her blog not too long ago. However, I am going to start the reading now. I intend to start from the beginning of July and just catch up. If I commit to it, I can catch up to the August part in no time. So, tonight I will start by reading Proverbs 1, Romans 1, and Genesis 1-4.

I need something to keep me in focus right now because my patience is wearing thin waiting on these houses to close. Our realtor is even getting frustrated due to the fact that the appraiser is dragging his feet. If we have to extend this again, I am going to be one very unhappy lady.

Monday, August 1, 2011

Some movies I love

A little over a year ago, my hubby and I watched "Fireproof" for the first time. It still speaks to me. It is such a great movie with a great message behind it. It touches on a post I made yesterday about porn breaking apart a marriage. The movie is based on the book "The Love Dare" which gives couples a chance to compliment and do things for each other on a daily basis. It's a movie that I never get tired of, and since my husband likes it too, that is an added bonus.



I then discovered another movie that is also a Christian movie called "Facing the Giants." It is a great family movie that teaches us to not be fair weather Christians. We must praise God in the good times and bad, and not just go to Him when we are in need. We watched this again last night, and it always touches my heart.



Those two movies are from the creator of this next movie that comes out on September 30th. I am already planning a date night with the hubster to go see it. It has been over a year since we have been out alone, and it is long overdue. This movie is called "Courageous." It's about police officers and their lives. There are familiar faces from the two aforementioned movies in this movie. If it's anything like the other two, it will be great.






Sunday, July 31, 2011

The bad kind of media


As part of the series "Media Mondays" that I link up to, I am touching on how media affects our lives by distracting us from more important things we should be doing, and sometimes, it's a form of media that is sinful that God does not want us to partake in. Yes, folks, this will be me speaking about pornography. If it's something you think is okay, then I will advise you to stop reading this now.

Porn can affect marriages and destroy families in a relatively short amount of time. Men going to strip clubs, adult stores, and the like are taking away money that could be used for his family, and is also supporting something that is not Christ-like. Now, some of you may use the argument that it can be accessed for free via the internet. While that it true, it doesn't dispel the fact that it could still destroy a marriage just because it's free.


I have seen it way too many times where a man is more interested in the porn than his own wife, and that is not okay. It's degrading and hurtful to his wife, and it causes unnecessary tension in the relationship. That is Satan working his power. He thrives off of people not following God, and he lurks in the shadows waiting to lay claim to another victim.

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour- Peter 5:8

Do not be deceived, porn can be very devastating to a marriage. It may not appear that way because it's packaged in a pretty box to appeal to us. We are human- it's our nature to be curious about it, and it's that curiosity that gets many people addicted, and I am not talking about just men either. A lot of women have an issue with it as well.

I choose not to have that kind of stuff in my marriage or in my household, and my husband has no desire for it either. He thinks of every woman being in that industry as someone's daughter, and it's just not acceptable to him. We also believe that it's a form of cheating, seeing as how the Bible tells us that we should not lust or see unclean things.

"But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart"- Matthew 5:28

"I will set no unclean thing before my eyes." Psalms 101:3

We need to pray to our Father for this stuff to not hurt marriages, and pray that the people addicted can find a way to God so they can overcome their addiction.

I myself was not always a Christian. It pains me a great deal to say that, but I wasn't. I was engaged to a man before my husband, and his porn addiction made me feel like I had to watch it with him, and spend times in strip clubs as well. He hurt me deeply, but that hurt made me a hundred times stronger to know that I was better than that, and from the moment that relationship ended, I made a vow to never date another man that wasn't great in every way. I refused to settle, and that is when I met my husband.

I am so very blessed to have a strong, faithful, husband not only provides for us, but is also a man of God, and I couldn't ask for anything more.



Saturday, July 30, 2011

Fluff post (pet peeves)

I saw something like this on a friend's blog a while back, and since I have nothing else to post, I figured I would carry on about my top pet peeves. Grab a drink y'all, this could get long.

1) Vulgarity- If every word out of your mouth is an obscenity, I am going to think you need a vocabulary lesson. It does not sound cool, and it does not sound cute at all. On the contrary, it's classless and immature, and makes me want to buy one of these for you:





2) The city- sorry folks, but if I'm going to be in a traffic jam, it be a tractor, man.

3) Rude cashiers- Every single time I go into the gas station in my town, one of the employees is on the phone. They are always distracted by that stupid thing, and more than once, I have had to correct them for a mistake they made due to not paying attention to me- their PAYING customer. Customer service has seriously went down the toilet.

4) Parents that would rather drop their children off every single weekend to go and get drunk. There are far more important things in life than getting wasted. It shouldn't even be a priority to get drunk. I have nothing against a drink or 2, but that is my limit.

5) Non-tippers- listen y'all, if you use a service that keeps you from doing something yourself (waiter, valet, hairdresser, etc) you should tip them. My husband doesn't stand outside and run to get your vehicle (in the 100+ degree humid summers, and the freezing cold winters) for his health. If you can't afford to tip for a COMPLIMENTARY service at a casino, then park in the other lot.