Thankful Thursday

" For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." (Jeremiah 29:11)

Last night I laid in bed and just had to Thank God over and over for the life HE has given me. Through my life I use to think that I was the one in control, the one who was making all these big decisions. When in fact HE was in total control at all times. When the things that were happening didn't make sense.
Im not saying the I didn't make some choices, some very poor choices, because I did. But even then God used those sins to change me, to lead me down his path further.

Who knew! God had a plan all along for a lonely little girl who was born from irresponsibility and rejected from the very beginning of life.

Through out my childhood I sought acceptance and unconditional love and never received it. From a very early age I realized that the love that was in my family was conditional. I felt it at such a young age, maybe around 4-5 years old. I thought that if I did something wrong or something that my Mother didn't approve of, I would be shunned. I wouldn't be worthy of love anymore. And even when I was walking on the thin straight line my family expected of me, I still felt unloved. I needed to do something special to be loved. So I started lying, telling stories. Anything that would shine a light on me. So I could be noticed and they would realize how special I was and that I deserved love.
Even as I grew older it didn't stop, even when I knew that there was nothing I could do to receive that unconditional love from them. I still seeked it out. But then it was from others. Men, friends, employers. I got married at a young age. I also got divorced at a young age. Life was so crazy back then. Little did I know God had a plan to get me out of that place and give me all the love that I so craved in life.

Once I met my husband I had been down in a pit so long that I didn't believe it was possible to be pulled out of it.
But I took a leap of faith and followed God's plan instead of my own. It took me to Texas. So far away from all I knew and thought I wanted. It took me to Motherhood, something I thought for sure I never wanted. God's plan gave me love like I never thought was possible.

When I had Cheyenne I finally realized that there was nothing she could do to earn my love and there was nothing she could do to make me stop loving her either.
I realized all that time I spend trying to please my Mother and family was pointless. It wasn't anything to do with me. It was all them. I was always worthy of love and acceptance. And the fact is I had always had it, I just was looking in the wrong places.
I tried my Mother's way for raising my child for a short while, but was left feeling so empty and torn from my actions. I finally asked God to use me, to use my brokenness to make me a better mother. And HE did!
I tried those same mistakes with my husband and again it didn't work out very well. And again I prayed asking the Lord to forgive me and heal me and my relationship. And HE did! My marriage has never been stronger! Of coarse these things took lots of work, but the Lord gave me the ability to change!

Through out all the hard times God always had a plan. A plan to pluck a lonely little girl out of her circumstances and put her in a place where she would have more love and acceptance then she knows what to do with!

GOD is Good!

"Circumstances aren’t the barometer of God’s love and goodness—the cross is."

Wordless Wednesdays

So sad about Patrick Swayze. Seems like so many have passed away recently. I feel especially sad about this one though. He was one of my favorite actors, really all my life. He was (is) a unique and caring soul. Im sure he is with the Lord now. I just feel so bad for his wife, my prayers and thoughts are with her. He died so young. I know he was 57 (I think), but he had such a youthful spirit about him. But the Lord calls his children home when he see fit.

The righteous perish, and no one ponders it in his heart; devout men are taken away, and no one understands that the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil. Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest as they lie in death.
Isaiah 57:1-2

Patrick and Lisa were married for 34 years! Long time by hollywood's standards.


The role that made his career, Johnny Castle in Dirty Dancing;-)


He gave it one heck of a fight!

Thankful Thursday

Although I am thankful everyday, today I wanted to share a picture of two of the ones Im most Thankful to God for giving me.
With chocolate on their faces or mud on their hands, man do I love these kids!

Yummy Recipe

Cranberry Nut Muffins


1 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 eggs, beaten
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries, chopped
1/2 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a muffin pan, or use paper liners.
In a small bowl, mix together applesauce, oil and egg. In a large bowl, combine flours, sugars, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Make a well in the center, and pour in egg mixture. Stir until just moistened. Fold in cranberries and nuts. Spoon into muffin cups, 2/3 full.
Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 2 minutes before removing.

Tuesday

I am taking a break from the social networks and blogs today. Life is so much more important then the internet is:-) It might be just for today or it might be for the rest of the week. We will be doing some more fulfilling things today, making bread, granola, sewing some and reading. And we also will be enjoying the beautiful September weather mother nature has given us today.
I leave you with some of Gods Word.

Ecclesiastes 3


Everything Has Its Time

Everything on earth

has its own time

and its own season.

There is a time

for birth and death,

planting and reaping,

for killing and healing,

destroying and building,

for crying and laughing,

weeping and dancing,

for throwing stones

and gathering stones,

embracing and parting.

There is a time

for finding and losing,

keeping and giving,

for tearing and sewing,

listening and speaking.

There is also a time

for love and hate,

for war and peace.

What do we gain by all of our hard work? I have seen what difficult things God demands of us. God makes everything happen at the right time. Yet none of us can ever fully understand all he has done, and he puts questions in our minds about the past and the future. I know the best thing we can do is to always enjoy life, because God's gift to us is the happiness we get from our food and drink and from the work we do. Everything God has done will last forever; nothing he does can ever be changed. God has done all this, so that we will worship him.

Everything that happens

has happened before,

and all that will be

has already been--

God does everything

over and over again.

Today's Memory Verse

Reading from Ecclesiastes 2

Memory Verse is-
"If we please God, he will make us wise, understanding, and happy. But if we sin, God will make us struggle for a living, then he will give all we own to someone who pleases him."
Ecclesiastes 2:26

And a bonus that spoke to my heart this morning-

Romans 13:11-14
You know what sort of times we live in, and so you should live properly. It is time to wake up. You know that the day when we will be saved is nearer now than when we first put our faith in the Lord. Night is almost over, and day will soon appear. We must stop behaving as people do in the dark and be ready to live in the light. So behave properly, as people do in the day. Don't go to wild parties or get drunk or be vulgar or indecent. Don't quarrel or be jealous. 14Let the Lord Jesus Christ be as near to you as the clothes you wear. Then you won't try to satisfy your selfish desires.

Today's Memory Verse

Reading from Psalm 146:3-9

Don’t put your confidence in powerful people;
there is no help for you there.
When they breathe their last, they return to the earth,
and all their plans die with them.
But joyful are those who have the God of Israel as their helper,
whose hope is in the Lord their God.
He made heaven and earth,
the sea, and everything in them.
He keeps every promise forever.
He gives justice to the oppressed
and food to the hungry.
The Lord frees the prisoners.
The Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are weighed down.
The Lord loves the godly.
The Lord protects the foreigners among us.
He cares for the orphans and widows,
but he frustrates the plans of the wicked.

Memory Verse- "But joyful are those who have the God of Israel as their helper,
whose hope is in the Lord their God."

Breakfast Recipes

I get so frustrated when I see the Eggo and Poptart commercials. I know lots of parents feel like they don't have time to make their kids a good breakfast, so they turn to those quick and unhealthy fixes.
But really there are lots of things you can make and save time doing it.



Breakfast #1

Crock pot Oatmeal

•2 cups steel cut oats (not instant or rolled oats)
•6-8 cups water, depending on how long the oatmeal will cook
•1 tsp. cinnamon
•1/2 cup brown sugar
•1 tsp. vanilla
•2 apples, peeled and diced
•1 cup raisins
•1 cup sliced bananas
•1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Spray crock pot with nonstick cooking spray. If you're planning to cook the oatmeal 8 hours or longer, use 8 cups of water. If you want to cook it less than 8 hours, use 6 cups of water. Put first seven ingredients in slow cooker and cook on low. Just before serving, Stir in bananas and walnuts. Sprinkle with additional brown sugar if desired.

Serves 8, Iv cut this recipe in half and it serves my family of 4 perfect.

Breakfast #2

Buttermilk Pancakes

2 cups all-purpose flour (for a healthy alternative use whole wheat flour 1 1/12 cups and 1/2 cups wheat germ)
2 tablespoons white sugar (healthy alternative- honey)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups buttermilk
1/3 cup milk
2 eggs
3 tablespoons butter, melted


In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, beat together buttermilk, milk, eggs and melted butter. Keep the two mixtures separate until you are ready to cook.
Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. You can flick water across the surface and if it beads up and sizzles, it's ready!
Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture, using a wooden spoon or fork to blend. Stir until it's just blended together. Do not over stir! Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake (for smaller pancakes) and 1/2 cup for large pancakes. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

This batter is also great for waffles if you have a waffle maker.

Now make these ahead of time and freeze between sheets of wax paper inside a ziplock bag. Then when its time for breakfast just pop these in the toaster and they are ready in minutes! Also serve with real Maple syrup instead of the "pancake" syrup.

Breakfast #3

Granola!
I loved this one here.



And the great thing about granola is that you can add or take away lots of things. Don't like nuts, don't add em! You like cranberries? Add em!
My kids love granola, Iv made many variations, but this one is always a hit. They eat it with milk,like a cereal. Or they love to eat it over plain yogurt with a side of fruit.

Breakfast #4

Strawberry Banana Peanut Butter Smoothie-

1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt
1 tablespoons peanut butter
1 banana
6 fresh strawberries, hulled
10 ice cubes (or no icecubes if you use frozen fruit)

Blend all ingredients well and enjoy!
Note- this is obviously only for one serving, so double or triple if necessary. This is great on the go breakfast.

Today's Memory Verse

Ephesians 4:32
Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.