Happy Birthday Joe!!!

I can't believe this is Joe's 42nd Birthday! AMAZING!!

We sure love you Joe, and thank God for so many things about you:

... your genuine kindness to others is such an example
... you are a loyal and giving friend
... your heart for God challenges all the rest of us
... your willingness to obey God is a blessing
... your humor is like no one elses (except Mor Far!!)
... you are so much fun to be around
... your ability to write music about the Lord is such a gift
... we love to hear you sing and play the guitar
... watching you and Molly together brings us so much joy
... you are a faithful and loving friend to 'Snuggles'
... seeing you as 'pastor' and 'brother Joe' is a rich reward
... your life makes us proud and so blessed!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO JOE!!!!! WE LOVE YOU DEARLY!!!

P.S.... For 42 years you have shared your birthday with GaGa. It saddens all of us that she is not able to celebrate this day with you, but we know that in the old days...she would be laughing and singing with you right along with the rest of us, so from all of us...HAPPY BIRTHDAY GAGA!!!

Cassidy - no braces, bright smile!

This is Cassidy, one of our wonderful grandkids, the day she got her braces removed! She called from the car to tell us, thrilled to have them off... and thrilled to be missing school!! It looks like she is about to feast on all the things she's been missing with braces!

WHAT A BEAUTIFUL SMILE!!!

Thoughts from a grateful heart....

Sometimes I wonder... how can it be
God of creation, sent your Son...for me...

All through your life, from the earliest years,
did you ever have doubts, did you feel the fears?

You KNEW that the cross was down the road
and you never wavered from the heavy load...

When I think how quickly my thoughts can roam
and how often I depart from your heart, my home...

Remind me again Lord, as I think of your grace
to remember your sacrifice as I run my race...

Right now, as my 'life's book' pages are filling
may I make right choices, may my heart be willing...

To spend time with you, to stay in your Word
To live out your truth in an uncertain world...

Thank you for loving... for choosing... and for giving
the answers that make my life so worth living...

Too cute not to share....

This is Crew, our youngest grandchild, in his special 'dress up' class this morning in pre-kindergarten school...

According to his mom, these were his comments:

"I hate thisth dumb tie, it itchesthss!"
"I itch all over MOM!"
"Uuuhhhh, itthsss tooooo tight!"
"thesthse shoesths are dumb!"

I'm laughing again as I write this, this is the boy we say has the 'funny gene'....

Best and easiest fall soup-stew recipe I know....

This one came from Carole's church cook book, it's called BETTY'S VEGETABLE SOUP, but it is much more like a rich nourishing stew....

1 huge can V8 juice

4 potatoes, peeled and cubed

4 carrots (canned or frozen) Fresh is ok too

2 stalks celery, chopped

2 t. Lawry's seasoning salt

1/4 t. pepper

1 t. worstershire sauce

1 can corn (large, drained)

2/3 c. chopped onion

1 lb. ground beef (I use Laura's Lean)


Brown the beef and onion and add the rest in a big pot, simmer for about an hour. It is both filling and delicious! If you have some green beans, you can toss those in too.

I think it's because we have had rain every day for about 2 weeks, but it's gray and sort of feels like summer might be ending, so chili, soup and spagetti are sounding really good right now.

A word about my parents...

This blog could be a whole book! My parents... although they have been in heaven for many years now, they are so alive in my heart every day. The lives they lead and the things they taught me continue to form and shape who I am, and, trust me... they set the bar high! I lived in a home where faith in God was the daily standard, trusting Him when there were no real certainties about money or the future, and knowing that He would provide, always! Living by faith was as real to them as it is many times difficult for me, even now. The reason they were so steady was because they really KNEW who was the 'author and finisher' of their faith. They knew Him and they knew that His promises to them were unfailingly true. We watched them closely and saw that through the ups and downs of life, the uncertainty, the disappointments and the heartaches, they went FIRST to Jesus, and drew their strength from HIS well. They ran their races with strength, honor and joy, and God always ran it with them. One of their favorite expressions, and one they lived by, was "EACH FOR THE OTHER AND BOTH FOR GOD"... How thankful I am today, to have grown up in this home, and to have seen daily what it means to really walk with God. My prayer for my own life continues to be a reflection of these lessons from their lives. The greatest part is... their God is also MY God!....and all of His promises to them, are also to me, and to each one of us who know Him!

Discipline and Obedience...

Discipline is an area I always am working on, it is one of my least favorite words! When I ignore discipline in my life, or get too busy to practice it...it always catches up with me, everything from how I use my time, to what I choose to eat, to what words I say...


Our good friend, Dr. Harold Sala, in his new book, "When Your Heart Cries Out to God", says..."Discipline and obedience are two sides of the same coin, and frankly, there are not many coins bearing the stamp of these two qualities in our pockets and purses these days.".... God's standard is unchanging... discipline and obedience are inseparable."


He is so right! It is so easy to be 'too busy'.... or 'maybe later', and that discipline area becomes disobedience. It's pretty clear when we realize that lack of discipline is also disobedience to God. That thought sort of jerks me up by the boot straps and says "get on with it!"

Harold also says...'When you learn to discipline yourself, life moves progressively toward accomplishments you otherwise could not achieve."

The result of discipline and obedience in our lives is just exactly the person we want to be anyway.... but it does not come easily, it is one step at a time and one day at a time, often we are changing the patterns and habits of many years...BUT... God has already promised us that HE IS SUFFICIENT, that HIS STRENGTH IS MADE PERFECT IN OUR WEAKNESS. Amazing Grace!!!

This one's for Tommy....Banana Nut Cake

Tommy is my single best customer for this Banana Nut Cake recipe which came from Joe's cousin Peggy, many years ago.


1-1/2 C. Sugar
1 cube Margarine
2 Eggs
3 Bananas (mashed with fork)
4 T. Buttermilk
2 C. Flour
1 t. Baking Soda
pinch of Salt

Add all and beat well for 3 minutes.

Add:
1-1/2 C. Chopped Pecans
1 t. Vanilla

Bake about 40 minutes at 350 degress.

Icing:

1 Cube Margarine, melted
1 box Powdered Sugar
1 Mashed Banana
1-2 C. Chopped Pecans

Mix and pour over warm cake

Honestly, this one is YUMMY! Tommy may get the blame, but we ALL love it!

From the heart of Avery...

I was looking in my files this morning and came across this paper, written last year in school by Avery (one of our grandkids. She was in 2nd grade)...

"A special person in my life is Jesus. Jesus is with me all the time. He died on the cross for are sins. He roas three days later! I want to be like him. I read the bible to now him beter. I will always beileve him. In the bible theres Mathew, Psalms... and they each have a special thing in it. I love reading the bible. Did you now that God made this hole world, he did! We may not see him but he is alive. His birthday is in Desember and in Desember is Christmas and on Christmas it is Jesus's birthday. I love Jesus more than you can imagine! He made us with his own hands!"...

I could never say it any better!... I love you Avery.
xoxo
mimi

One of the few jokes I remember...

I can always remember the punch line of a joke and it makes me laugh, but I can't ever seem to re-tell the whole joke. This one has been around a long time, but I still remember the whole thing, and it still makes me smile:

A baby was dedicated in church one Sunday morning with his big 5 year old brother standing with the parents. On the way home from church, the 5 year old could not stop crying, until the father finally pulled the car over and said 'what in the world is the matter?'. The boy said through his tears...'that preacher said he wanted us to be raised in a christian home, and I want to stay with YOU guys!"....