Life's Discoveries

As I make my journey into "blogging," I continue to discover like-minded sisters in Christ. This morning, I clicked on the blog, "Windows to My Soul," and read Vicki's posting for Tuesday, November 18 entitled, "Truth: Revealed or Recycled?" 

Please take the time to read the whole entry. I know that you will be equally encouraged as I was. Thank you Vicki for sharing your thoughts, heart and journey with each of us.  Click here to read the whole article.

Thanksgiving Day's Reflections

    

Happy Thanksgiving 2008

"O give thanks to the Lord, call on His name; 

make know His doings among the peoples!

1 Chronicles 16:8

What a wonderful day we have had. We started off being able to bless another family with a Thanksgiving flag. Perhaps next year, we will have a new one with more of a sacred theme.

At breakfast, we had pumpkin quick bread which was delicious. I found this recipe off the web along with a variety of ways to make pumpkin bread. This particular recipe caught my attention because the sugar quantity was reasonable.

Here's what we had today for our Thanksgiving Meal.  Both Rob and I prepared it together.

Thanksgiving Meal  

*  Baked whole chicken (stuffed w/celery, onion, garlic and a 1/4 cup of frozen peppers); used the Reynold's cooking bags which always do such a wonderful job and easy clean up.

*  Stuffing - modified the recipe off the back of Martin's Potato Bread Soft Cubed Stuffing; able to utilize the following fresh herbs ~ thyme, sage, rosemary, parsley (off our back porch); added a 12 oz package of cranberries in our double boiler. The cranberries added extra flavoring and coloring to our stuffing.

*  Gravy - Heinz chicken gravy in a jar; quick and easy; very tasty

*  Rolls - bag of 8 from Shoppers; we opted for easy and these do not have a lot of sodium in them. Smart balance butter, the kind with less sodium.

*  Vegetables - fresh mashed sweet potatoes (prepared by Rob; a fantastic job); steamed butternut squash, steam snap peas (in our double steamer); raw zucchini and carrots for Christine; 

*  Fruit - fresh cranberry relish that Rob had prepared; follow the recipe on the bag except we added less sugar; 100% Cranberry juice with Canada Dry Ginger ale mixed together for our beverage

We snacked a little while waiting but not a lot.  After Rob prepared what he needed to prepare, he and Christine watched the movie, "Pocahontas, Her True Story. I continue to put the finishing touches on our meal and added more of our Thanksgiving decorations to our table and around the house.  I had earlier lit some candles which made the whole house seem extra festive.

Then it was time for me to clean up and prepare myself for our meal. On my way upstairs, I shared with Rob and Christine that after our meal, that we would be making our Thanksgiving cards for each other.  At first, both Rob and Christine balked at the idea but quickly changed their minds as I sat out the stamps, ink pads, card stock, construction paper, markers, and special scissors. Rob did confess that it was quite therapeutic. What had inspired me was a card that I found earlier today that I had made for Rob and Christine 4 Thanksgiving ago. We each made 2 cards and now they are scattered throughout our house as a tangible reminder of our love for each other.

So many times, we think of ideas to do at Thanksgiving and perhaps we don't accomplish them or we even say, "I'll wait until next year."  It's also easy to be tempted to allow the snare of perfection to enslave us and detour in celebrating the NOW.  I can say with great certainty that we had an awesome Thanksgiving Day all day long.  We made a lot of wonderful memories all day along.

Late afternoon, my younger brother, John called to wish us a Happy Thanksgiving.  My older brother and his family were in Tulsa to celebrate with John's family.  I so appreciate their calls at Thanksgiving especially since both of our parents are in Heaven, it's very important that we connect at the holidays.  Keith shared that Mary, his wife wants to try to come to Virginia next year for Thanksgiving.  Wow, that would be totally cool!  John also shared that he has a business meeting in Philadelphia on December 11 and wants to try to connect with us around that time.  I'm personally praying that he would stay over and come to his niece's piano recital on the 12th of December. If we just get to see him on the 11th, that would bless this sister's heart immensely. 

You know how it is whenever you have a heart's desire and no one knows about it but when God answers it, you know He did it!  That is how I felt about my brother's extra attention earlier today. At times, the distance between Texas/Oklahoma and Virginia seems great but today such was not the case.  Praise God His answered prayer!

Later on, we called Rob's Mom. She was at Auntie Jackie's house along with other family members from Rob's side of the family. Mom was in good spirits. Our niece from California was in so Mom was able to see both Britta and her brother Stefan. Thanksgiving at Auntie Jackie is always a lot fun plus she an awesome cook.

We also were able to connect with Rob's Dad and Elaine. They had just arrived home. Rob was able to have a good visit with his Dad.

As we concluded our day, Christine watched the DVD, "The Miracle of Jonathan Toomey, a movie we had checked out from the library. We also checked out the book as well. We would highly recommend both the book and the DVD. We will be reading it to Christine this weekend.

God is good all the time and He is faithful period. Even when we don't understand or see what He has in mind, His ways are always best. We pray that each of you have had a blessed Thanksgiving today. 

Thanksgiving blessings from our family to yours!

Count Your Many Blessings . . . Name Them One by One!

Or one could state, "Count Your Many Blessings . . . List Them One By One. Keep in line with our Thanksgiving Adventure theme, I've decided to enumerate the various blessings we received today.

>()>  Our upstairs bathroom floor is scheduled to be repaired and a new floor put down Saturday. We're thrilled. Pray for a good color. :)

>()>  We do Freecycle. Received office supply items from a sister-in-Christ who I met several months ago. As I walked up her sidewalk, she held out her arms and gave me a huge hug. Was surprised but deeply touched by her kindness.

>()>  Was able to bless another person on Freecycle with some Christian books which also included a brand new Bible that Rob had received when he was at The Cove for training last year. This person will be giving these items to her friend out in Colorado in a few weeks. 

>()>  At the library, Christine asked if we could check out the VHS, "Pocahontas, Her True Story. We looked at the downstairs rack and was unable to locate it. On her second time looking, Christine found it and was very joyous in her discovery. A side note, our dear friends down in Chesterfield are descendants of Pocahontas.

>()>  Christine was able to use her Qdoba gift from Mrs. Swauger, her CC Tutor. :)

>()>  Was able to drop off some Dr. Sears' baby books along with a Grace Ketterman book to Bethany Christian services. This made me feel good knowing these books that I had used when Christine was a baby would some how help new moms or adoptive moms now.  I felt like I was walking on air after I dropped them off.

>()>  Christine reviewed the majority of her CC Memory Work while we did errands. I said, "wow that was quick and accurate." Her quick reply was, "yes, Mom that is what CC kids do." Oh we're quite please and proud of her desire to learn. Thankful we were able to utilize our time in the car while doing errands. 

<()>  Was able to get family Thanksgiving cards in the mail.  Had purchase a set last year but was unable to mail them. Delighted that God allowed me to find them last week while looking for another item.  God's timing is always perfect!

>()>  Specific and quick answers to pray while shopping for items for our Thanksgiving dinner. We're aiming to eat more healthier, thus creativity comes into play. Likewise, extra patience on Christine's part as I read labels and compare prices.

>()>  Able to surprise Rob with some hot chocolate tonight at work. He had a busy night being the only salesman in the Mazda building.

>()>  Thankful we were able to express what we're thankful while traveling about doing our errands today.  Thankful we were able to accomplish what we had set out to do and God provided safe travel all day.

It's late so I must conclude this posting. Yet will continue to "Count My Blessings, Name Them One by One!"

Jesus, we just want to thank You!

Psalm 100 

An Adventure In Thanksgiving

Last night during our family devotional, our focus was on preparing our hearts for Thanksgiving. Earlier in the day at church, we had a "Thanksgiving Praise Celebration." So it was fitting to continue the theme in our time together as a family.

Doesn't our world have it all wrong? Thanksgiving Day becomes a mere, "speed bump," on our way to Christmas. Christians are equally as guilty. Why not, go against culture and make this Thanksgiving a time of reflection, praise and thanksgiving. 

Soon we will begin advent, why not have an adventure in Thanksgiving and count down the days actually reading God's Word, recalling His promises, and singing praises back to Him.  Our family is committed to doing exactly that.

Sunday morning in church, Pastor Craig shared that "praise," and "thanksgiving," do not have the same meaning.  Praise's direction is outward towards God, while thanksgiving's direction is more inward towards us. For example, the things we are thankful for that generally affect us. Even during our devotional time, Christine had remembered this from the morning message which made both Rob and I smile. 

The passage we used in our devotional was found in I Chronicles 16:8-12 (Amplified Bible) ~

(8)   O give thanks to the Lord, call on His name; make 

known His doings among the peoples!

(9)    Sing to Him, sing praises to Him; meditate on and talk of all His wondrous works and devoutly praise them!

(10)   Glory in His holy name; let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord!

(11)    See the Lord and His strength; yearn for and seek His face and to be in His presence continually!

(12)   [Earnestly] remember the marvelous deeds which He has done. His miracles, and the judgments He uttered [as in Egypt].

So at the conclusion of my day, I checked out some blogs of friends and came across two postings from a friend's blog, "Twilight Vespers."   

On Thursday, November 20th, Rochelle posted 2 entries, one, "Thanksgiving Blessing Mix," and the other, "Giving Thanks."  I'm all for not reinventing the wheel. Please take the time to read both entries.  The first one is something you can make to eat while the second one is an excellent article for you to ponder.  Please click here.

Let's ready ourselves for an adventure in Thanksgiving!

Thank you my sweet friend, Cindy!

I think each of us when we view this picture will think of a friend or friends who perhaps represent the essence of this picture.  Wouldn't you agree? Today has been one of those emotional days particularly this afternoon and this evening.

I had stayed up extra late putting the finishing touches on Christine's display board for her presentation on the Underground Railroad. Naturally, this put me at risk for my emotions to be out of sync. Plus other concerns had overtaken me and I was in need of a friend and prayer.

So I called my friend, Cindy to confirm a date that we would be getting together. She answered the phone, "hello friend."  The tears could no longer be restrained and just overflowed. Cindy listened with love. 

In my tears, I asked Cindy to pray for me.  She did without any hesitation. God's peace began to calm me down and He used my dear friend as a reminder of His great comfort that is available any time day or night.  

Interesting enough, Cindy is a blond just like this little girl who is hugging her friend in the above picture. Through the phone line I felt her love and concern for me and my family. I so appreciate dear friends and wanted to share this blessing with each of you.

These blessings are poignant reminders of our Heavenly Father's love for each of us. I am indeed thankful for the body of Christ particular dear sisters in Christ.

When Rob arrived home from work, we discussed the events of our day.  I shared about my day and that I'd been emotional.  We sat at our kitchen table conversing and God used my husband as well to encourage me at the conclusion of this emotional day.  

As he headed up stairs, Rob gently reminded me that a small portion of the emotional equation is the upcoming holidays. Both my parents are in Heaven and I particularly miss my Mom during the Thanksgiving/Christmas celebration. As a tribute to her, I have the luxury and honor to make wonderful memories with my sweet daughter, Christine and my incredible husband, Rob.

Indeed dear family members and friends are God's wonderful love gifts to us. They are tangible reminders of our Heavenly Father's love for us. 

A Favorite Family Memory

At Thanksgiving, wonderful memories permeate my heart and mind. Of course, having an inquisitive daughter helps. Christine loves for me to tell her stories about my Mom, her "Georgia Ruth," and my grandmother, "Grandma Bell." She enjoys hearing about these precious family members whom she never met, but loves them all the same.

As parents, Rob and I can share memories from our childhood along with making memories of our own. I am grateful for Rob's family and for my brothers and their families.

Recently I discovered the above picture and immediately my mind was transported back to my childhood days with my Grandma Pitt (alias Grandma Bell) on their farm in Vanoss, Oklahoma. We spent a great deal of time with them especially during the holidays.  Oftentimes, we would ride the train from Houston to Oklahoma to visit both sets of grandparents. Oh what incredible and fond memories my brothers and I have.

After my Dad passed away, we needed to get his house prepared to sell, Christine and I flew to down to Houston to help my brothers with that task. While there, we made an impromptu trip to Okmulgee, Oklahoma to see Aunt Mom (our late Mom's sister, Louise).

The participants in this adventure were my older brother, Keith along with Kim, my younger brother's wife and their young son, Alex.  Keith is the life of the party no matter the location. Indeed he is one of a kind.  He has a zest for life and a keen sense of humor.

We arrived in Okmulgee and settled in with Aunt Mom who at that time was living in one of the Baptist Retirement Centers in Oklahoma.  The next day, we went out to lunch at one of those quaint diners in the center of town. While having lunch, Keith got this brilliant idea that we needed to take another road trip.  This time the destination would be to my grandparent's old home place in Vanoss.  Interesting enough, our aunt agreed to this outing and voila we left on our adventure.  As we were leaving the restaurant, Keith remarked to me that this may be the only time Aunt Louise would have an opportunity to see where she and our Mom had grown up.  Oh Keith was so right.  About two years later, she went home to be with the Lord.

As to why we call Aunt Louise, "Aunt Mom," so glad you asked?  She never had any children so when our Mom died in 1985, she lovingly became Aunt Mom to my brothers and myself along with our spouses and children.  What an incredible lady she was.   Perhaps I'll have more to share about her in another posting. 

Back to our adventure that day.  Only Keith can drive across Central Oklahoma in one day and it seem like a short trip. As we were traveling, Aunt Louise shared so many vivid details of her childhood.  Once there, you could see how much this meant to her.  Plus it allowed Kim and Christine to have a glimpse of what my brothers and I had experienced in our childhood.  

Keith saw that Aunt Louise was getting tired so we headed home.  Please keep in mind, that with Keith at the wheel, there will be a possibility of an extra stop. We stopped in Stafford which is famous for their peaches.  Keith wasn't content with getting peaches.  Oh no, he had to buy a watermelon, a huge one I might add.  Then he immediately named it, "Willard.'  Oh the laughter we had talking about Willard as if the watermelon were an actual person.  We all laughed so much that as we were driving through one of those very small communities Keith forgot to slow down and soon we were stopped by one of the local policeman.  My aunt being the neat lady suggested we pray that Keith would receive grace and not be given a ticket.  When Keith got back into the vehicle, he shared that he only received a warning.  So we headed back to Louise's place for dinner.  

Keith took a lot of pictures that day and Christine has a reservoir of memories to draw from. On the way back to Texas, of course, we did not take the most direct route.  We took a scenic route which my older brother is notorious for doing.  Upon our arrival to my younger brother's home, we had to introduce John to Willard. Keith's wife, Mary shared with us after we returned home to Virginia that Willard was a rather tough watermelon.  Of course, Christine and I a belly laugh about that and had to bring Rob up to speed about who Willard was.

Isn't our Heavenly Father wonderful to allow us to remember those treasured moments we have with our family members?  I am.

Imagine with me the celebration we will have as believers when we are gathered together at the banqueting table with Christ.

God is good all the time!

What Do You Say When You Talk to Yourself?

The concept of this entry comes from the book, "Self Talk, Soul Talk," by Jennifer Rothschild. For several weeks, I've been reading it. Last night I finished my first read-through.  For you see, my journey isn't complete. This time, I am taking notes and working through the questions to ponder at the conclusion of each chapter.

The timing of this book has been incredible. You know how it is, a friend gives you a book.  You either read it immediately or place in on your coffee table or on a bookshelf.  I must confess that I didn't immediately read it. Around the time it was given to me, I was attempting to work through another book.  I would read some from one book and then bouncee back-and-forth to this one.

Finally, sensed the Lord's leading to concentrate on one book at a time.  You know I'm glad that I did.  Some of my most precious time with the Lord has been reading my Bible and this book, while waiting for Christine to complete piano lessons each Thursday afternoon.

As I conclude, may I ask you a question, "what do you say when you talk to yourself?" Are you speaking the truth?  Or listening to the father of lies?

We all are guilty of that, are we not?  If the enemy can keep us in a tailspin regarding our thoughts, he will.  Let's ask the Lord to help us take every thought captive.  Stop and read 2 Corinthians 10:1-6.  We're in a spiritual war.  And the battle oftentimes begins with and in our minds.

Let's ponder what the Lord says about us and we find that in His Word!  He loves you with an everlasting love.  Think on that, dear ones!  Philippians 4:4-9

A Thankful Tree

* Small tree branch

* Flower pot
* Pebbles, rocks or marbles
* Card stock or colored paper
* Hole Punch
* Twine or string

* Clear holiday lights (optional)

Time needed:  Under 1 Hour

1.  To make the tree, insert branch in a flowerpot filled with pebbles, rocks, or marbles. 

2.  Cut leaf shapes from card stock or colored paper, use a hole punch to make hole in each, and attach a loop of twine.

3.  At your gathering, have guests jot down a note of thanks on a leaf and hang it from the tree.

4.  Another idea.  Have family members write down one thing they're thankful for each day leading up to Thanksgiving, and hang it on the tree.

Introducing "Easy Clicks!"

A nifty and quick way to access links and resources on particular subjects.  Our first focus is "Music Education." Scroll down my side bar. Its located directly under my profile.

Gizmo and Gadgets!

Hey, what can I say? You can take the girl out of her home state, but Texans so appreciate and love their bluebonnets. You'll notice I'm found of our state flower and have scattered pics of them throughout my blog. Enjoy!

Back to the purpose of this entry. When I initially started this blog I was very excited. Received some initial feedback and thought, I'm off to the races. Then I hit a wall and for a long while, didn't blog. I've heard this is quite normal.

I've toyed with perhaps quitting. Through prayer and an encouraging husband, I have resumed. Rob even suggested recently that I get a "Facebook," page. Wow! Wouldn't that be fun? I guess he's right and we'll see how the Lord leads.

For those who have visited recently, you'll discover my blog site has been revised and revived. As to how the Lord will use this adventure, I do not know but I believe He does have a plan for it. In His power and strength, I'll press forward.

Recently, I came across a site called, "Christian Women Online." Within their site, there are excellent resources for ladies. I particularly found their calendars, scripture tags and other blog resources quite helpful. Now I am able to add flair to my blog. One of my favorite expressions is, "cool beans."  Indeed, this is very cool!

Yes, dear ones, if we can utilize tools that others have, one need not reinvent the wheel. Last Friday, Christine gave an oral presentation during her Classical Conversations class on "Why Johannes Gutenberg Is Important?" He invented the printing press and guess what? He adapted wine presses into printing presses. His philosophy was to utilize items that were already working well and not reinventing the wheel. Sound familiar?

With this said, each you can utilize some of their blog trinkets to add more pzazz to your blog. Click here.

Kay Arthur's Response To The Email

In recent days there has been an email circulating as to what Kay Arthur shared at Lifeway's Deeper Still Conference in Atlanta, Georgia back in June. We went to her website to check its validity and this is what we discovered.

Here is her response in her own words. Click here to read it.

Voddie's Exhortation To The Saints

As Christians we are instructed to pray for those in authority.  This morning, Rob shared with me this excellent article that Voddie Bauchman had written on his blog.  If you are not familiar with Voddie's ministry, I have his link on Favorite Blogs.

To read his latest posting on the election, click here.

A Heart Replete With Praise!

Have been working on my blog for the past week.  In doing so, I have been blessed to visit other blogs of Christian moms who homeschool.

This particular picture touched my heart in that it so reminded me of my childhood.  My brothers and I were blessed to have our grandparents living with us when we were children.

I have fond memories of my Mom and Grandmother Bell working together in our kitchen.  As we approach the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, these memories literally flood my heart and mind.  I often share them with our precious daughter, Christine.  This afternoon, all this personal reflections prompted me to pause and thank our Heavenly Father for all the godly women who have touched my life.

In particular, my heart is full as I ponder my sweet Mom's influence in and upon my life.  I can truly testify that she has been the most influential lady in my life.  I miss her a lot.  Particularly as I am a Mom now.  Yet, the investment she put into my life has paid and continues to pay great dividends.  My heart's desire is to be that kind of Mom to our precious Christine.

The hymn, "Oh To Be Like Thee," comes to my heart as I am sharing these thoughts.  When we are like Him, He works out all things for our good.

Desiring to Reflect God's Joy!

Stand Firm In The Power of Our Lord!

Last night as we listened to some of the election returns, I was downhearted.  Even as I awoke this morning and checked on line, I was disappointed with the outcome of the election.  Indeed it demonstrated how much this election was about a "TRUTH WAR."  

Between Rob gently listening to me, giving godly counsel and pointing me to two articles on his blog, "The Real Issue."  One,  an "Open Letter to President-elect," by Dr. Richard Land.  Then the other was written by Dr. Al Mohler, the President of Southern Seminary.  The Holy Spirit used Rob and these men to remind me that as believers we are called to be different in our response to the election results.  

This morning we had prayer as a family and talked about our thoughts and feelings about the election.  Christine cried and shared her thoughts as to why she was sad that Senator McCain and Governor Palin lost.  Perhaps it is the fact that our sweet daughter is growing up and is more aware as to what is at stake now in our country.

We recommitted ourselves to the Lord and asked Him to use us individually and as a family.  We reminded Christine as well as ourselves that God is still in control.  It is He that sets kings in places and takes them down as well.  

We also reminded Christine that this world is not our final resting place.  Rob reminded both Christine and myself that in many respects, we are living in an incredible time in history by which to live out the Christian faith.

This evening as Christine and I prayed before she went bed, again through Scripture, she and I were once again reminded of who is in control of our world.  Man is egotistic enough and proud to think that he is the one who is in charge.  

Will there be hard days ahead?  Let's pray for our President-elect.  Christian, let's be vigilant. We can take an ostrich approach or we take to be holy and be ready ourselves for this TRUTH WAR.  I want to be ready and not to faint.  Now is the time to recommit ourselves to hiding God's Word in our hearts.

Also, take time to scroll down my side bar to the heading, "Worshipful Praises @ You Tube."  I have added 15 songs that will encourage you immensely.  

In Him Alone!

Our Sacred Honor

Remember to VOTE today!