weekend recap/last official weekend of Summer

Happy Tuesday morning to you!  This long weekend was full of glorious moments.  We got ours started off with a bang, and on Friday morning, we went to my mom-in-love's house to swim one last time this year.  We had lunch, then went and swam in the neighborhood pool, which we had all to ourselves.  The boys got tired of swimming after about an hour and a half, and they all left us.  We proceeded to swim until almost 4:00!  This was my excited face.  Seriously, I love swimming, and could do so every single day of my life.

It was nice getting caught up with one another.  We hadn't seen them in a couple weeks, so we had lots to talk about.

That afternoon we came home and I showered while Graham and Drew went and got pizza.  Todd worked all weekend, at our state fair, and on Friday night after dinner, all the boys went to the local high school's football game.  I stayed home and painted all my nails, drank half a pot of coffee and binge watched Gilmore Girls.

The quiet was nice.  Because the next night was so not quiet.  After a day spent at home doing laundry and doing Bible study homework on Saturday, I made dinner for all these lovelies, and my friend Missy.

I made lasagna, Caesar salad, we had garlic bread and the girls brought dessert.  When I found out Todd was working all weekend, I thought it would be fun to have a girls night with our junior girls.  This is only about half of our class, but it was a fun night.  After dinner we watched Enchanted, pretty much the greatest movie ever, and we even watched the good scene twice.  (When he and she dance at the Kings and Queens ball.)

In fact, here are two of them watching that scene for the second time.

These two crack me up.  Notice them clenching hands.  So sweet!

Sunday was an awesome morning at church, and then there was nothing that night because of Labor Day.  Graham's community group went to dinner and a movie, but the rest of us stayed home.  I don't even remember what we did.  I know that Drew didn't feel that great.

Yesterday was spent doing more laundry, reading, watching television and seeing family.  I started a new book, and have high hopes for this one.  I've been stuck in a rut with reading lately.

Drew spent all day yesterday with his friend girl, Emma, and after an early dinner at my mom's, we left and came and picked them up, then went to see my dad.  We came here for a little bit after getting home from my dad's, then they made a Kroger run and took her home.

They came home because Graham needed to put some flowers in a vase, and he made a poster to ask his friend Nicole to her homecoming.  They have been friends since their kindergarten year, and they remain friends today.  He was waiting on her to get finished with babysitting, then he and Drew went over to her house so he could ask her.

The poster says, "If I promise not to drive my (picture of his Bronco), can I take you to Homecoming?"  She hates his Bronco, so he will be borrowing his Mimi's Avalon the night of homecoming.  :)  She said yes.

I am so proud of my boys!  They each live a life full of integrity, they love Jesus and honor Him by the way they live, and they are who they appear to be~meaning that they're the same whether they're at church, at home, or in public.  They are not girl crazy, though they do think girls are pretty, but their main priority is to be friends with them all.  Like with Graham and Nicole.  He asked her to homecoming as friends.  I always hesitate to brag on them, because I don't want to seem boastful, but every once in a while doesn't hurt.  I realize that my kids are the way they are because of God's hand upon their lives.  God is good.  He is faithful, and He hears our prayers for our kids.  I cannot brag on my kids without first bragging on my Jesus.

In reading His word this morning, I was reminded of some words that He keeps highlighting in my life right now.

Proverbs 3:5 and 6.  "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make straight your paths."

It seems so simple, but often, I get sidetracked.  Or off course, however you want to word it.  The enemy is crafty that way~he causes distractions or busyness or something else to divert our attention and before we know it, our eyes are off of Him.  Beware of the enemy!  He is smart and God's word calls him the prince of this world.  He is prowling the earth like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.  So many things in life that we view as problems or stress are his schemes.  Spiritual warfare.  One way to fight back with him is by praying on your spiritual armor~the helmet of salvation, the shield of faith, the sword of the Spirit, the breastplate of righteousness, the belt of truth and our feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.  (All that is found in Ephesians 6.)  I try to pray on that every single day so that I am protected from the evil one.

Might sound crazy, I know, but if you don't believe me, try it for yourself.  I know that it works.

Well, now that this has gone completely off course, I must get off here and get my second cup of coffee and get started on the laundry.  Thanks for reading.  Love to all.

Friday Favorites

I am linking up with Momfessionals for this post.

Happy, happy Friday!  And, happy three day weekend!  Two of my favorite things.  This has been a great week.  A busy week, but a great week.  It's been good, as far as school work goes, and the boys have all been productive.  I love it when this happens.  

On Monday, three of my boys went to Todd's shop to help him out for a bit, so Noah and I ended up alone.  I was watching The Pioneer Woman and was inspired to make cookies from scratch.  And Noah has been asking forever, and I thought I was out of flour, but I found some!  So he and I got busy and whipped up a batch of homemade chocolate chip cookies.  On the first pan that came out of the oven, I sprinkled sea salt on top of them.  Later that night when all the kids were somewhere else in the house, I enjoyed a plate of them while watching Gilmore Girls.

Don't they look yummy?  

Also on the list of favorites for this week is the show Gilmore Girls.  Where have I been, that I always seem to miss out on all these amazing shows?!  Oh, wait.  I've been raising a house full of boys.  Nevermind.  

Thank you, creators of Netflix.  And thank you, Todd, for the subscription to Netflix that we pretty much made you buy for us.  :)

This might be the reason I can't sleep at night.  

On Tuesday and Wednesday mornings, I sat and caught up on Bible study homework.  I am in two different Bible studies right now, and they're really different, but equally as wonderful.  My favorite way to study the Bible is Precept Upon Precept, that I do at Renewed Moms every Thursday.  We are currently studying First Peter.  

There are a lot of favorites in this picture.  The coffee mug, the Stabilo pens that I am about to need more of, the Bible study.  This picture is a lot of happy for me.  I love being a student of the word of God.  I am never done with learning, and verses that I have read so many times seem to jump out at me when I study His word intently.  If you ever get the chance to do a Precept Bible study, do it!  It is hard, and there are no fill in the blank answers, but I have never learned more.  I am blown away by God, and I love studying His word.

It's my favorite thing to do.

Last night, our Tuesday night Bible study group went out for dinner and a movie.  We are missing a few people in this photo, but this was us after we went and saw a movie.  These women are some of my favorites!

I thank God for them.  

Also on the list of favorites is this movie!

Last night was the second time I saw it.  It is amazing!  I am not a movie goer, but any time a Christian movie like this comes out, I try to go and support it.  If you have the opportunity and haven't seen this yet, go see it this weekend.  It's worth it!  Just don't forget your tissue.  I cried every bit as hard in this the second time, as I did the first time.  This movie will challenge you in your prayer life.  I promise.  GO!

While I was out with my girlfriends last night, this happened.

He asked to take her to her homecoming!  Since he's homeschooled, the plan was that she was going to ask him, but this girl has had a horrible week.  I told Drew that it's really always the guy's place to do the asking out, and when I reminded him of her horrible week, he was really excited to do this and to surprise her.  He came up with the poster and the saying all on his own.  In case you can't read it, it says, "I know I was a Dum Dum for asking you out over text, but I won't be a Dum Dum this time!  Can I take you to Homecoming?!"  

So, yes.  He asked her to be his girlfriend on text.  He is shy and he didn't know better, and he wasn't at home when it happened.  But can I just say that I am OVER kids being mean to him about this?  Several of his "friends" have been mean to him and she has had "friends" be mean to her about it, as well, talking badly about my Drew.  I am sick and tired of meanness and bullying.  Because that is all that they're doing.  I put the word friends in quotations, because friends are not mean to one another.  Friends are supposed to love and support and encourage and strengthen one another.  Unfortunately, these two are learning a really hard lesson at a really young age.  It will make them better people in the end, but I am just done.  So not only are these two going to homecoming together, but their friendship is growing more.  

It's no surprise that these two kiddos are a couple of my very favorites.  I am thankful for the fact that they each have a great family life.  Not only with their own families, but both of our families are friends as well.  

God has been faithful in answering my prayers for my kids to have good and Godly friends in their lives.  Not only have I prayed for that, I have also been praying for their future spouses since they were born.  I still am praying that, and my prayers for Godly friends is never ending.  They've gone through some rough patches with the friends in their lives, but they all know what it means to be a good friend, and they all know what a good friend looks like.  He is good to always give them at least ONE good friend, which is what I pray.  And sometimes, that one good friend is a guy and sometimes it's a girl.  

So that's my list of Friday Favorites.  I kinda went off subject for a bit, but I hope it encourages you and how you pray for your kids.  

I hope your weekend is wonderful!  Love to all.  

recipes

In talking about some of my favorite recipes with some friends a few weeks ago, a couple of them asked me to share some of my favorites with them.  I forgot about that conversation until tonight.

So, this post is for them.  Or you, if you need a little dinner inspiration.

I made oven fried chicken tonight (baked in the oven with a panko bread crust on the outside, with some spices added in for more flavor), and these were my sides.

Green beans are my favorite veggie.  These are out of a can, with a little butter and salt added.  The thing that makes these so delicious is the fact that I cook them on medium high heat for almost an hour.  They're super tender and flavorful by the time they're done.  If you have a chicken boullion cube, they're really good with one of those thrown in.

My other favorite veggie that everyone loves are these oven roasted potatoes.

I dice potatoes and in a large bowl, I toss them with olive oil and any spice I happen to be in the mood for.  Tonight's spices were salt and Cavender's Greek spice mix.  After they're evenly coated, I bake them at four hundred degrees for at least one hour.  Sometimes, it takes an hour and fifteen minutes or so.  I think it depends on the pan I use.  You want them all sizzly and shrunken up like this, because that makes them crispy.

Another couple of things I love to make for my family are Italian roast beef and beer cheddar joes.  For the roast, I use my crock pot.  I put the roast in and cover it in beer.  I add a packet or two of Italian dressing spice mix and two jars of pepperoncini peppers with the juice.  I let it cook all day long, then serve it with bread and the above potatoes.  It would be amazing on a hoagie roll, too.

For beer cheddar joes, you brown a couple of pounds of ground beef.  When it's brown, stir in a couple tablespoons of flour and stir for two minutes to get the flour taste out.  Add a bottle of beer and a couple of huge handfuls of shredded cheese, and a few shakes of salt.  We eat it as an open faced sandwich, with no other sides.  It's that good.  I got the recipe from Mix and Match Mama.  Google her and then be further amazed and inspired.

(And if you ever come over and find beer in my fridge and are concerned, don't be.  I use the beer to cook.  Jonah's little friend was worried that we were closet drinkers.)

Happy cooking to you!  Love to all.

the weekend

This weekend flew by.  On Friday night, my mom, stepdad, sister and I went to dinner and then to see War Room.  If you haven't seen it yet, go see it while it's in the theater!  It was really, really good.  By the end of it, I was doing the ugly cry, but it doesn't take much to make me blubber.  I managed to snap a picture of Mom and Bill, while at dinner. 

 

While Todd worked on his truck Saturday, I went out with my mom.  We had lunch and did a bit of shopping and running around, and we had fun, like always.  When we were heading back home, my mom noticed this little church, and asked me to take a picture.  I have driven by this building no less than a few hundred times, and I have never noticed it before.

It turns out that it's the original Germantown Baptist Church, and the Methodist Hospital is in the process of renovating the historical building.  I love old churches.  My mom has plans for this picture, but I'll share about that later.  

For dinner we went to their house for the first time in a few weeks.  We had catfish.  Yum.  

Yesterday was church as usual, lunch afterward with friends and community groups and C.A.M.O. last night.  It was a great weekend, and so far, we've gotten our week off to a good start.  

Love to all.  

Friday Favorites

Happy Friday!  It's my favorite weekday.  I'm linking up with Momfessionals for this blog post.

This week has been great, and it has gone by really fast.  I've had some favorite moments sprinkled throughout the week that I thought I would share.

First is that for Drew's grade and ninth grade, we are now having community group at my house every Sunday night.  Because of that, last Sunday, my boys cleaned off the back deck.  Thanks be to God for the gloriously cooler weather this week, and because of that and the clean deck, we have enjoyed some moments outside.

On Monday night, we enjoyed dinner outside, thanks to Jonah.  (It was all his idea.)  I have enjoyed quiet time out there a few mornings this week, and on one of those days, Jonah and Noah did their math work out there.  The cooler weather is short lived, because it's supposed to get hotter again starting today.

Insert my sad face here.  I am so ready for fall!

I picked a fall color out of my giant box of nail polish and gave myself a manicure and pedicure this week.

This color is Skating on Thin Ice-Land.  My sister Trish bought me this back at the beginning of the year because I loved the color and because I've been to Iceland.  :)  Definitely one of my most favorite colors.

Today is my mom's birthday!  She sent me this picture in a text on Tuesday night.  Her friend had flowers sent to her while she was at work that day, and I thought this was the best picture.

 
I always tell her she's my favorite.  :)  Tonight, I am going to dinner and a movie with her and my sister.  I'm excited about both!

I hope you've had a great week.  Love to all.

What's Up Wednesday

Well, the theme around my house this week has been routine.  Last week I botched our attempt at getting back into a routine, so this week I started over.  (I accept defeat pretty well when I recognize it.)  I've been waking up earlier, and I've been waking the kids a little earlier as well.  My quiet time has been lacking lately, so I've been more intentional with it this week.

When I woke up today and let Crash out in the backyard while I got his food ready, I noticed how wonderful it felt outside.  So I poured my first cup of coffee, grabbed my Bible, journal and pen and headed to my back porch.  (The boys cleaned it on Sunday.)

I love being outdoors when the weather is cool.  In a short six days, September one will be here, and with that month comes from my favorite season of all.  I could hear the birds chirping around me this morning, and I could hear a squirrel rustling in the tree above me.  I spent some time in prayer and I read John 14 through 16.

One of my favorite verses is in the portion I read this morning, one that I need to reminded of sometimes.

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.  I do not give to you as the world gives.  Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."  John 14:27

I just happened to turn to this part of the Bible this morning.  I don't have a formal reading plan right now when it comes to reading my Bible, but I always feel like God leads me where He wants me.  And the past few days, He has had me read about trust, or not being afraid.  I think that is something I have needed to hear.

I struggle with anxiety from time to time, and sometimes out of nowhere it seems, it will rear its ugly little head.  I try to pray through those times when it hits, but sometimes I feel like I just need to hear from God.  So when I need to hear Him, I read His word.

I am thankful that He cares for me to know where I need to read.  Sometimes He will recall a Scripture to my mind, and then I'll re-read the chapter or verse in context.  Other times, I will just turn somewhere in my Bible, and read right where I open.

He is so good to me, and He is faithful.   I often ask Him to guide my steps, to give me wisdom, and He always does.

The back porch has also been a theme at home this week.  On Monday when Todd got home from work, we took our dinner outside.  Jonah often wants to eat outside, or he will get the porch all ready for us and convince us to go along with his idea.  That is what happened on Monday night.

We had a yummy dinner (beer cheddar joes) and enjoyed the fellowship around our patio table.  The flies were a bit much for me, but I dealt with them and stayed put.  Sometimes a little of being uncomfortable goes a long way when it makes your kids happy.

And that's about what we've been up to so far this week.  I hope your week is going well!  Today is a great day~it's church day!  I love going to church, and I am already looking forward to tonight, when youth starts back after a couple of weeks off and then choir practice for me.  Love to all!

when God fights for you

This morning I was reading in Exodus, chapter fourteen.  I was reminded of a passage in Scripture as I was praying this morning, and what was written on the tissue like pages of my Bible jumped out at me.  I wondered if it might jump out at someone else, so I decided to share it on this blog.

Before I begin, for context purposes, let me explain what was going on at this time.

At the time when this passage was written, Pharoah had finally let the Israelites go.  They had been slaves in Egypt for a sweet forever, and after all the plagues that God used to get the attention of Pharoah, the final plague worked-the plague of the death of all the firstborn males.  (That's a whole other blog post.)  Pharoah let them go, and as they were leaving Egypt, God hardened Pharoah's heart again and changed his mind.  God knew that Pharoah and his army would pursue the Israelites, so He directed them out of Egypt toward the Red Sea.

As the army was closing in on their heels, I can imagine Moses crying out to God.  Moses tells the people not to be afraid, to stand firm and they would see the deliverance the LORD would bring them that day.  And in verse fourteen, these words are written: "The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still."  In verse fifteen, God asks Moses why he's crying out to Him.  He tells Moses to tell the Israelites to move on, and He gave Moses instructions to stretch out his hand over the sea to divide the water so they could cross.

All of that happened.  God sent a strong wind to divide the water in the sea, and the Israelites crossed over on dry ground (verse sixteen).  God was with the Israelites when all of this happened.  He was with them as a pillar of cloud by day, and by night He was a pillar of fire.  When Moses and the Israelites crossed the sea, in verse nineteen, we are told that the angel of God who had been traveling in front of Israel's army and the pillar of cloud which had also been in front of the army, withdrew and went behind them in the sea.  This divided the two armies, and while they were crossing throughout the night, to one side the pillar of cloud brought darkness (for the Egyptian army) and to the other side it brought light (for Israel's army).

And He brought deliverance to His people.

How many of us try to handle all of life's problems on our own?  I am not suggesting that all of our problems have the same magnitude as what the Israelites faced that day, but we all have our stuff.  Whether it's fretting or worrying, whether it's a sickness we are facing or if one of our loved one's is suffering, whatever it is, God is in control.

He is fighting for us, and He hems us in.  In Psalm 139, those words are written: "He hems me in."  When we surrender to Him and place our trust in Him, we can rest assured that He is fighting our battles, and He is always with us.  I know that not everything will turn out the way we think it will, but we can trust that He will work out His will for our lives.  I don't know what His will looks like, but I know that it's far better than anything I could ever imagine.  He will do what is best for us, and He will get the glory for doing just that.

I pray this encourages someone today.  Love to all.