THEY ARE JUST APPLES

One of my dad's FAVORITE things to say when we start lamenting the antics of our kids is " Well, the apple doesn't fall to far from the tree".

My sister has turned it around on him. When ever he starts to get on her about something her response is " I am just an apple".

Here are HH's apples...

Duck hunting

Deer hunting

Mastering the fine art of posing

and here is the tree...

Not a far fall at all. The men children built the blind by themselves and they love it. I should have built one a long time ago. Would have saved me and MC 2 some stressful times.

Have a great Friday!

BACK TO EGYPT

With the school year coming to an end (as a former teacher the end of the 5th 6 weeks is cause for rejoicing), thoughts and questions about me returning back to work are abounding. I don't have an answer for you as to which way I (& we) will go with this, but I do have some anxiety to share. One of things that I am concerned with is going back to how I was before. Staying home has forced me to become more conscious of the discipline in my life. I wanted to type "more disciplined" but we are still working on mastering that. An area where I have really had to be more disciplined is in our meals. Like actually planning out breakfasts and not just running to the donut store if we leave early enough. Like planing our dinners around ingredients we already have and not running to Wal-Mart after school. You know, thinking ahead. All the while trying to be creative and not have tacos every night, while accommodating HH's "meat and potatoes at every meal" mentality.
So night before last I made this Caesar salad. From SCRATCH. Except for the lettuce and the cheese because I have neither a garden nor a Parmesan cow. The dressing and croutons where made by these hands though buddy! It was delicious. Light and fresh tasting. The croutons were exceptional. Best of all it was EASY! Thank you once again PW for sharing wonderful recipes. If you are in need of impressing your friends, this salad will do it. I might go a little lighter on the lemon juice, but to each his own.
So yeah, a successful cooking post in the midst of some spiritual issues ramblings. A two for one peeps...that is a good deal!
Much love

ALPHA GK

I am the alpha grandkid on my dad's side. The alpha of a grand total of (I'm thinking, I'm thinking...) 26 grandkids. Many of those grandkids have gone on to have multiple-children family themselves.

This past weekend MC 2 and I went with my parents to visit my grandparents for papa's 85th birthday. Many of the GK's and the great GK's were there. Now when you are the first of 27, ranging in age from 36 to 14, well, the ones toward the bottom you don't know so well. And throw in their kids? Please... I haven't asked "Who's your daddy?" so much since Jerry McGuire first came out. I asked my Granny if we could have name tags, she laughed in my face. Much like I did her's when she said to let MC 2 just go outside and play by himself. "He'll be fine!" says the woman who won't be the one chasing him. MC 2 had a blast. He spent most of the morning chasing chickens and shoveling some old hay. He rode the four-wheeler and gator with grandpa and was eventually comfortable enough to go ride with some of the kids. They took off towards the woods and I waved and prayed. But he LOVED IT! It was nostalgic for me, because we did the same thing when we were growing up. We lived closer until I was about 15 and we got to visit often. Thanksgiving was always the holiday up there. Then men would hunt and/or work cows. The women manned the kitchen and kept us out of it. Us cousins, we went and did whatever. Horseback riding, fishing, playing in the hay bars or silo, we pretty much ran free ( and survived).

Sadly, in years of late, the only reason we have all gotten together is for a funeral. My grandparents have buried 3 sons and a grandson (most of those in the last 20 years). It was nice to get together this weekend with out that being the cause. We told stories, we laughed, we ate. It was a good day to be the alpha GK.

NOT SUCH A STRONG CHOICE

If you read here, you know that I had an enemy attack and some choices to make. I wish I could tell you I chose the best and walked away immediately victorious.
I really wish I could.
I mean REALLY!
Sadly I can't. Sadly I was bold for about 24 hours and then the worry began. It lasted about 5 days. 5 long and anxiety ridden days. 5 OCD days about every ache and pain.
Today was headed that direction as well.
However, I have great news.
By God's grace, today I chose to put on a worship DVD when the anxiety tried to take over. Today I sang
"Because of you I'm FREE!"
Today I danced around my living room with MC 2 and worshipped deep down in my soul.
It was a much stronger choice.

HITCHING A RIDE ON "THE GREAT ADVENTURE"

Sometimes I find myself in a funk about my "ordinary" life.
I start asking questions such as,
Am I being used by God?
Can He use me?
What about what I know He has spoken over my life?
Just get a little bummed because I don't see what I believe.
Because I do the same thing everyday.
Then I read this.
All 7 parts.
And my soul and spirit were encouraged.
Not in the "Oh....how sweet...that just blessed me..."blah blah stuff we say when we think it is just a good story.
I mean ENCOURAGED me.
I felt it deep down in my being. How God uses what we deem ordinary to set us up for His extraordinary will. How He can do it in a matter of days. DAYS people DAYS!
So I encourage you to go read Travis' account of his life the past couple of months. Read the entire thing, starting at the beginning. Then sit back in awe of our awesome God, who has plans for us we could not even imagine.

But as it is is written: " Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him."
1 Corinthians 2:9 (NKJV)

* On a side note, I am helping start a Mom's In Touch group today. We would appreciate your prayers.

LOOK MOM

To show my mama what I made...

Homemade biscuits

Pecan Pie #2

I couldn't find the pics of pecan pie #1.

Visualize a pecan bread pudding and you have it!

From those that live here

and those that like to pretend they do,

have a great day.

UP TO HIS OLD TRICKS AGAIN

I know I have told you somewhere before that one of the enemy's favorite place to attack me is in my health. Mainly in my mind about my health, not my health itself. I have issues there too but most of them are my own doing (Oreos a no-no). It seems to never fail when I am digging deeper or feeling a fresh fire for the Lord, here comes the health. Last night was no different. I have bad cholesterol, all the way around. Bad "bad cholesterol"; bad "good cholesterol", it's just bad. It's also genetic. Doc did some high-fluten test to find that out. Anyway, one of the things we can fix is my niacin, so bring on another prescription. I chickened out of taking it until this past weekend because I knew what the side effects could be. I also know how my mind tends to spew "vain imaginations" in this area. I held out as long as my conscience would let me and then began the regime. It was not going badly at all, until last night. Last night I awoke at 2 in the morning literally thinking I was on fire and a million needles were prodding me. Well, that lovely adrenaline rush sent the blood pressure (meds for that as well ) and the heart rate sky high, or at least what felt like sky high. The fire/needles went away. The anxiety and fear hung around. I was literally saying, "okay Lord if this is it, make sure my men know I love them, and I can't believe yesterday was my last post." A tad dramatic, but you wake up at 2 thinking you are on fire and see how peaceful you are.
It is no coincidence that last night coincided with some personal choices I had made about pressing into the Lord. Or about a couple of ministry opportunities I had come up throughout the day. Same old tricks. The question is will I have the same old response, which would be to be frozen with fear, worrying and obsessing about it all day. I hope no. I choose no. I choose to believe the words of my Father, that He knows the number of my days, and that worrying can't add to them. I choose to call my doctor for wisdom and not let fear keep me ignorant. I choose to go about my day and not curl up in a ball and lament the attack once again. I choose to recognize it before it gets out of hand and to strengthen my mind with the Word of God.
I have feeling I am going to be choosing these things every minute today.
But in those choices, which I can dread, I can find strength. Because each minute I make that choice, I choose Jesus Christ. With Him comes peace, joy and abundant life. I can give my minutes to the enemy dreading those choices or I can give them to Christ celebrating Who He is and His love for me.