Travelin Pilgrim

Fullfillment in the best way!

2010-08-30T13:17:00.000-07:00

Yes, we have had a very busy week this last week, but I don't know that I would have changed any of it... especially this part!

Our church was able to have Vacation Bible School all week long and the highlight for me was teaching the 3, 4 and 5 year olds! What a treasure that was. Yes, they were the active bunch, but it was so fun getting hugs from some of them and seeing their smiling faces. They are so full of life and eager to soak up any love you can give them. Some of them were needing more love too! I just enjoyed so much seeing the joy on their faces as I told them a story from the Bible. If it didn't sink in now, I hope that those stories were building a foundation for years to come. Jesus loves them much more than I could ever love them!

I was also able to see most of my children enjoying themselves... and even my husband. He was given the opportunity of teaching the teenagers. It was a busy week for all of us, but definitely worth it.

helping lead the music

Daniel and his friend at craft time

I got a smile from her! She was enjoying herself immensely.

Oh my! What a grin! "This is so fun, mom!"

I am so very, very thankful for such a great week and for such great times with my family!

Read Books .... Earn Prizes!

2010-08-29T13:05:00.000-07:00

The county fair... a local amusement park... What more could we add to this summer? It has definitely been one of excitement.

I am so proud of my kids for loving to read. They all enjoy it so much and I can't really relate to any of the moms who struggle with getting their kids to read. When there is a local Summer Reading Program at the library, we whole heartedly join up! This always guarentees lots of fun prizes in the end as well.

One of those prizes this year, was a trip to the local amusement park. It is no Disneyland, but it is plenty for us!

Here is our day in pictures....

I love this picture. It captures so well what my children were thinking as they rode this ride! Pure excitement!

Ashlyn enjoyed some of the little kiddie rides. I can remember Daniel being two and riding on these rides. Where has time gone??

She must be in England... driving on the opposite side. I'm glad there are a few more years until she'll be actually driving for real! There is a lot to learn before then!

Another great, exciting ride! No frowns on this ride!

We had a fun-filled day together. There were so many rides and so little time. We managed to squeeze most of them in and then threw in 45 minutes of roller skating for good measure!

Momma was looking for her bed at the end of the day!

Tomorrow's post? The answer to what else we could add to our week!

A Very Busy Week

2010-08-28T19:55:00.000-07:00

We have had a very busy week this last week. So many things were going on and all of them very FUN!

I thought I would share some pictures within the next few days of how our week looked this last week. They say a picture is worth a thousand words!

First stop.... the county fair!

Now this was one horse they could look down on!

Daniel had a great time feeding all the horses lots of hay.

Addie tried to make a quick get away as the horse wanted to nibble her ear!

I have fallen in love with these CUTE Boar goats. This one was a particularly interesting cross breed! You could have split him right down the middle.

Addie enjoyed feeding the goats some peanuts! She is my animal lover!

Come back tomorrow as we visit the local Amusement Park!

Gratituesday

2010-08-24T11:08:00.001-07:00

They say time flies when you're having fun! I'm not sure that I've always felt that way about marriage, but here we are fifteen years later!

I CAN tell you that I am so very, very thankful for my marriage... for all the things that it has taught me... for the many ways I have learned to truly love someone. I would not go back and do any of it again, except to change the parts that I messed up in. Now I know so much better HOW to do them!

Just a little secret.... I am STILL learning!

I am so very thankful for my husband. God knew exactly who I needed to help mold me and shape me into being a godly, Christian wife and mother. My man is such a wonderful father who truly wants what is best for his children. He wants what is best for our whole family and is willing to be ridiculed, if necessary, to follow the Lord in the way that HE is leading.

Here is to the next fifteen years and many, many more!

Please visit Heavenly Homemakers for more Gratituesday posts.

Such an Encouragement

2010-08-11T09:14:00.000-07:00

Do you need encouragement? I do! So many times we take for granted how much we really do need it. How do you find encouragement? From a friend? From a book? From the Lord Jesus Christ? From your husband? From your children?

I am so thankful for the many ways that the Lord encourages me.

I find encouragement when I read His love letter to me, the Bible. I fail in reading it enough!

I find encouragement when I am a blessing to someone else. It takes my mind off of ME!

I find encouragement from my children when I see them needing me, trusting me, and obeying me. Even when they test me, I see encouragement in the wisdom that only God can give me.

Lately, I have found encouragement from a blog.... yes, a blog! I happened upon her site a couple months ago and ever since, I keep going back to see the many ways that God is encouraging her. She encourages me in the way she trusts the Lord, in the way her sweet attitude shines in the face of adversity, in the way that she loves people. She now has over 500 followers! Do you think these people find encouragement in her blog as well? Seems like people flock to that because of how much each of us needs love and encouragement. It is a sad thing when we try to find encouragement in all the wrong things. It makes me want to be a blessing and encouragement more and more.... to point people to Jesus instead of all that other junk!

Maybe you'll want to go and visit her too? Someday, I hope I have the opportunity to meet this dear lady in person. I can just picture her smile! What a testimony she has!

Am I living in such a way that people see Jesus shining in my life?

Gratituesday - My squash runneth over

2010-08-10T10:16:00.001-07:00

It's been awhile since I posted a Gratituesday post, so I thought I would do that today. I have so many things to be thankful for, but so little time to tell! Oh, don't worry... I am sure to tell my Heavenly Father how thankful I am. Conveniently, I don't have to type a message to Him!

You all know how much I love to garden. It is such a joy for me. I enjoy the solitude as I work on it by myself and I enjoy how much fun it is to be working out there with my children. They get as excited as I do when there is a new growth going on.

We don't have a huge space this year, but God is good! We have had more squash this year than I think I have ever had! I feel like Jesus is working another "Feed the Five Thousand" miracle! My squash runneth over.....

Already we have had a yummy squash casserole (recipe to follow) as well as some sauteed squash with green beans... all from our garden. I love it!

There are many things that we have had to do without, but as I remind my children, we have never gone hungry. Praise the Lord for that. I am so thankful for the many ways He is blessing us and showing us His goodness. Each new day is a testimony of how much my Heavenly Father loves me and provides for me.

I will be cutting up this squash and freezing them to use in recipes later.... God's provision for later days.

Squash Casserole

2 cups cooked rice
2 cups diced squash
1/2 onion, diced
2 T olive oil
2 T Italian Seasoning
1 tsp salt or to taste
1 T flour
1 T butter
1 cup milk
1 cup sour cream
1 cup Italian bread crumbs

Spread rice in bottom of 9x13 pan. Sautee squash, onion and olive oil just until a little soft. Add salt and seasoning. In separate pan melt butter and add flour to make a thick paste. Add milk slowly, stirring constantly. When thickened, add sour cream. If sauce is too thick, add a little more milk. Layer squash mixture over rice and then pour sauce over squash. (if you do not have time to make this cream sauce, you could substitute mushroom soup and then add the sour cream to the soup. I just prefer not to use canned soups) Spread bread crumbs over the top. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Enjoy!

2010-07-30T12:02:00.000-07:00

I am off to do some special things with my family and then later with a friend of mine and then later with our church family. Needless to say, I will be busy for the day and so I'm going to skip this week's addition of Fabulous Friday Finds.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend with your family and friends!

Come back next week for the next adventure of Batman... er, I mean Fabulous Friday Finds!

(It is safe to assume that I have been watching too much of the old Batman shows with my son!)

2010-07-25T17:59:00.000-07:00

2010-07-23T13:28:00.000-07:00

This post may not be about a great garage sale find or some wonderful deal at the local supermarket, BUT it IS about a Fabulous Friday Find that I discovered today.... something that I find so cool and neat... something that I am so blessed to have the privilege of finding joy in....

This morning, I went out to work in the yard and in the garden. I like to look over my little areas of the yard where I have planted things. It is fun for me to walk around slowly and just look at what God has been doing while I have been sleeping!

As I pulled aside the large leaves on my squash plant, I found my little squashes to have nearly doubled in size! I was so thrilled to see that they are almost the perfect size for eating... what a great find!

There were several squash just about ready, but there were also several flowers that show me I better get ready for squash season! I just love having that problem!

My little garden is growing nicely. We will not have a lot this year to can and store up for the winter, but I am so thankful that God is providing what we need just when we need it. I am thankful that I even have the opportunity to have a garden this year!

My lettuce is growing nicely too and providing us with some yummy salads and sandwich fixings.

I am excited that this isn't just a "once in a lifetime" kind of find, but that as my garden continues to grow, I will be finding all kinds of special finds through out the summer. What a tremendous pleasure!

My Day in the Kitchen!

2010-07-20T11:55:00.000-07:00

Is it Tuesday already?? I don't believe it and I won't believe it! Let's just pretend it's Monday, ok? Wow, won't it be fun when we get to Friday, but we think it's only Thursday and then we're told it's actually Friday. We'll be so grateful that it's really Friday!

Ok, maybe not.

I did have a fun Monday though. My husband had the day off, so our whole family was able to go to the beach for the day. We really enjoyed it! I love visiting the beach, especially here in the Northwest. It is not a beach you go to for swimming, but I just love the beauty of it. The Bible tells me that God made all of this for His enjoyment. I'm sure glad He chooses to share it with me too!

Now that my Monday fun is over, I'm on to what I promised I'd share with you. I'm sorry it is a day late!

Friday was not too hot here and I needed to get some baking done, so I thought I would just go ahead and bake and cook up all kinds of things. When those hot days do hit, I want to be able to leave my oven off! I had lots of fun cooking up all kinds of things, but what fun it will be when supper is nearly prepared because I've already done a lot of the prep work....

I started out by cooking a whole chicken. I can get about three good meals off of this beauty! I left the skin on, took out the innards, added some garlic cloves and then let her cook on the stove for about an hour. After she was done, I let her cool and then removed the skin, pulled all the meat off of the bone and kept the broth for some good soup or gravy. I divided the chicken meat into two bags and put them in the freezer to add to some pasta, rice or casserole meal.

While the chicken was cooking and cooling, I was busy multi-tasking! My husband says I'm not good at that, but I like to prove him wrong sometimes! (only in the good things! )

I had the Nutrimill going to grind up some wheat for the week. I like to have this fresh... there are more nutrients that way! I keep a big bag in the freezer and then pull out what I need when I need it. This particular day I needed it for my recipes as well. Mmmmm! Doesn't that wheat look nice. I think Miss Little Red Hen would be proud!

While the wheat was grinding, the children and I made up a triple batch of Peanut Butter Balls for snack times. This is such a healthy snack and easy to make too! We keep a big bag in the freezer and when the children (or momma) need a little pick-me-up, they are all ready to munch and go! Here is the recipe....

Peanut Butter Balls

1/2 cup Peanut Butter ( or you can use Almond Butter)
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup dried coconut flakes
1/2 cup oatmeal

Mix all together and form into little balls. Freeze, or keep sealed in the fridge.
Note: if you don't have maple syrup, just use more honey. If consistency seems just a little too damp, just add more coconut or oatmeal until you can roll it better. For a chocolate flavor, add a little cocoa to the mixture.

This makes for some fun times with your kiddos!

I was also able to make some muffins for breakfasts and freeze them. This makes those mornings easy when you've got four children saying "I'm hungry and can't survive another minute!" Somehow, I didn't get a picture of that...

I also made some fresh whole wheat tortillas. Yum! We'll use these for Mexican Lasagna and for burritos too! I planned on making up some burritos and sticking those in the freezer too, but by the time I had done all of the above, I was ready to sit down! We'll make burritos on another cool day!

But for now, I'm happy with the start I have in the freezer. This will help me out with several good meals for my family. They'll be happy to have food and I'll be happy to have it done easier!

2010-07-16T12:15:00.000-07:00

I am not going to any garage sales today. I'm saving a little money so that we can do a couple fun summer things. So, today, I am all prepared to tell you about another way I save money in our home.

One of the ways that I save money in our home, is by shopping through Azure Standard. Click here to go and visit! I love, love, love Azure Standard... maybe even more than strawberries! I have been saving money with them for about three years now. When we moved to Minnesota for awhile, I was so thrilled that I could still get things from them once a month.

This month, I purchased everything from hot dogs and yogurt to toothpaste and laundry soap. If you are at all interested in eating healthy and cutting back on the budget, I strongly urge you to check them out. Although they do not deliver all over, they are increasing their delivery area to many, many states. Some items will also ship UPS. (No, I am not getting paid for this advertisement!)

Coming up on Monday... Picture by Picture of what I have been doing in my kitchen today!

PS - Does anyone know why Blogger won't let me do spaces in between my paragraphs today??

2010-07-12T19:44:00.000-07:00

Have you told Him lately that you love Him? I love Him and that love grows sweeter everyday as I learn to trust Him and live for Him.

Today I went to visit a lady in our church who suffers from depression. She is in the hospital now because she wasn't able to cope. As I left her today, I cried. Not because she was doing poorly, or because she was to be pitied. She was actually doing much better today than the last time I saw her.

I cried because I let my circumstances get me down way too much. I forget how much I need to trust the Lord. Why should anyone be down who has Jesus? He loves us so much, He died for us. Can't I trust Him much more than I do? Someone who gives His life for you should be trusted.

Thank you, Lord, for that reminder!

Fabulous Friday Finds

2010-07-09T12:44:00.000-07:00

Summertime has hit the Pacific Northwest! The heat is already making me tired, but I LOVE how my garden is growing faster now and I LOVE all the produce that is available during the summer.

For today's FABULOUS FRIDAY FIND, I am going to show you a deal that I have been getting for the last nine years! I love it! Everytime we are living in this area, I am sure to take advantage of this great offer! I always reap a lot more benefits than what I put in to it!

See what I mean??!! These are the most gorgeous and best tasting strawberries I have ever had! We go and pick them at a local U-Pick farm and pay ..... $.60 a pound! This is nearly half of what all the other places around are charging. This year my girls and I went and picked 32 pounds and then a few days later, we went and picked 15 pounds more. I can't tell you enough about how much I love these berries!

I was able to make some jam for the winter and then we froze some for slushies in the summer. What a great time we had working together too! The benefits just keep on growing!!

Oh, and remember the kitchen cart I showed you last week? Well, it finally dried and I set it up in my kitchen. It sure is a nice addition of counter space! There was even a cutting board that had never been used! I just can't stop counting all of my Lord's Blessings!

Are you counting your blessings this week? What great deals have you found lately? I'd love to hear from you!

2010-07-05T19:39:00.000-07:00

Oh, what a day! I have been blessed to be able to spend it with my wonderful family. We enjoyed going on a hike today and having a picnic in the park. It turned out to be a gorgeous day... not too hot, not too cool! My youngest was quoted saying " This is the best day ever!" She has said that about other days, but it was great to hear her say that once again!

Now back to the reality of home and getting a few things done. Here is our Menu for the week.

Monday

Fruit Smoothies (yes, they were delicious!)
Picnic Fixins
Leftovers (what would we do without them!!??)

Tuesday

Toasted Bagels and Fresh Strawberries
Sandwiches
Date night with my hubby!!!!

Wednesday

Oatmeal Pancakes
Yogurt and Fresh Strawberries
Hamburger, Homemade French Fries and Baked Beans

Thursday

Cereal
Sloppy Joes and Veggies
Taco Salad

Friday

Scrambled Eggs and Coconut Bread
Salmon Pasta and Veggies
Chicken Curry over Rice

Saturday

Cereal
Tuna Sandwiches
Mexican Casserole

Sunday

Cereal
Lentil Soup with Homemade Rolls
"Whatever is in the Fridge is Yours"

On a side note, we were able to go and pick 32 lbs. of fresh strawberries this last weekend. I am making jam with them and then also freezing some.

I LOVE this time of year with all the fresh things available. Soon, we will go and pick fresh blueberries and then comes Blackberries.... shall I mention the peaches and apricots and cherries???

My garden is growing nicely too, so very soon we will have fresh veggies as well. I have already started picking the lettuce! Oh the excitement is just too much for me!!!

What is on your menu this week??? I need some good ideas for next week....

2010-07-02T16:58:00.000-07:00

Can you believe it's Friday already? It seems like this week just flew by for me!

All of a sudden, it was time to go garage saleing again! This Friday, instead of going to garage sales, I went to a couple thrift stores. It was not the very best day to be out in the weather and I wasn't willing to brave the rain!

I found a couple deals at the thrift stores, but today, I'd really like to show you some of the deals I got last week. Especially, since I didn't get to show you last week!

We picked this dresser up for FREE! It was awful looking, but had a good, solid base. I knew it had lots of potential! One of my dear friends came over today and brought some extra paint and a paint brush. I praise the Lord for her!

My dear friend helped me transform that icky, old dresser into this lovely, clean and bright dresser. It is now in my son's room and he loves it!

The cost of the dresser?? FREE The cost of the paint??? FREE The time with my friend??? PRICELESS!

Another good find last week was this wooden, kitchen cart. It was a bit wobbly and had some water marks on the top, but I thought it would work for $5. Guess what? My friend brought over her sander and we completely sanded the top. We tightened up the screws and then put a couple good layers of polyurethane on the top.

It looks great, but I'm going to have to show you an AFTER picture, AFTER it dries! Be sure to come back and see the end result!

Have you found any Fabulous Finds this last week? Be sure to write and tell me about them. I'd love to read your comments....

Blessings to you!

2010-06-30T07:00:00.000-07:00

I've missed Menu Plan Monday... missed Gratituesday as well! Here it is Wednesday and I can't believe the week is half gone!

We went on a little mini-vacation and I have the pictures to prove it!

We had a great time, but the best time of all, was just enjoying family. One of these days, real soon, my children are going to be up and gone. I hope they cherish these memories as much as I do.

I can pass up that Menu for the week. I'll still be cooking and we'll still be eating!

AND even though it's not Tuesday anymore, I can still be full of Gratitude!

So, today, I'll be thankful for my husband who loves me....

Children who love me ....

And for the beauty of God's creation.....

Fabulous Friday Finds

2010-06-25T17:20:00.001-07:00

Oh the joys of being flexible and being married to a spontaneous husband! It has given us a lot of excitement over the years!

I was thrilled to be able to go out to some LARGE community garage sales today. I got some great deals, but, alas, I am not able to show you right now.

We were going to leave tomorrow for a little mini-vacation, but my husband has come home and said "Let's leave tonight!" Oh, ok.

HERE WE GO.....

Don't worry, I'll show you those great deals... as soon as I get back.

A Ride to Church

2010-06-23T09:36:00.000-07:00

I was visiting a few of my favorite blogs and came upon this blog entry that just encouraged my heart. I hope that you will take the time to go and visit....

Homemakers Cottage

You will surely be blessed!

Gratituesday

2010-06-22T11:26:00.001-07:00

The house is unbelievably quiet... no arguing or fighting... no yelling.... no complaining ... no "I'm hungry".... no "MOOOOMMA!" Yes, these things do go on in our home! I'm working on it.

I should be getting a little worried... but, I'm not.

We went to the library yesterday. The children signed up for the Summer Reading Program and now they are hard at work!

I love moments like this. I love that they all like books and love to read. I love that it is such a wholesome thing to do and I love that they will be rewarded for their efforts.

What are you grateful for today? Please join us and visit Heavenly Homemakers!

Giveaway Update

2010-06-21T20:25:00.000-07:00

I am trying real hard to have my Surprise Giveaway!

I have tried to contact Sue, but I just haven't heard back from her yet. I sure hope she gets in touch with me.

IF I don't hear back from her by Wednesday night, then I will go ahead and draw another name. I hate to have all you ladies waiting, but I sure appreciate your patience.

This will just make the anticipation even greater!!! (Smile)

Menu Plan Monday - June 21, 2010

2010-06-21T12:51:00.000-07:00

Thanking the Lord for a brand new day! and a new week!

We are gearing up to take a little mini vacation at the end of the week, so there are a few days missing near the end of my menu plan. I have no idea what I plan to take with me, but hopefully, some yummy, healthy treats! Can anyone say "CAR RIDE"?

Here is what's on the menu this week...

Monday

Waffles
Hot Dogs and Veggies
Baked Potato Bar

Tuesday

Cereal and Fruit
Yogurt
Stir-Fry and Rice

Wednesday

Banana Smoothies
P.B. and J
Spaghetti and Salad

Thursday

Scrambled Eggs and Fresh O.J.
Yogurt
Marinated Steak, Steamed Veggies

Friday - Garage Sale Day!

Cereal
Sandwiches for the Road
Leftovers (to clean out the fridge)

What is on your menu for the week? What kind of new recipe would you like to see posted?

Be sure to go visit Organizing Junkie!

Giveaway Winner!

2010-06-18T16:26:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to ....

Sue @ Country Pleasures

She is the winner of a Surprise Giveaway in connection with the

Fabulous Friday Finds Weekly Feature!!

Sue, please contact me soon so that I can send out your lovely prize!

Wondering what she won?? I will be posting pictures soon! SHE's probably wondering what she won!! LOL!

Thank you to all you lovely ladies who entered and a special thank you to PRAIRIE FLOWER FARM for mentioning the giveaway on her blog! It sure made it a lot more fun!

Fabulous Friday Finds

2010-06-18T16:03:00.001-07:00

I haven't been to a single garage sale all day! I did go to a couple thrift stores while we were out, but didn't really find much. It seems like they just get more expensive by the minute!

I am trying to be cautious with our money this week.... the BIG neighborhood garage sales are next weekend and I want to be able to have some extra money to spend!

Sooo, this week I am going to show you a project that I did. It began with a couple great deals last weekend and now I have transformed them! Fun!

I got this table here at a garage sale for $1. It had just a little bit of rust on the top, so this last week, I used a steel brush to get that off and then I took it in the yard and spray painted it a nice creamy yellow.

I then took this pot that I found for a quarter and put some beautiful flowers in it. Voila!

I now have a very nice table for my front porch.

While I was adding flowers to my one pot, I decided to add some flowers to another fabulous find I found. This little beauty was $ .50 and I just thought it looked so vintage.... It now graces the wall of my front porch. As the summer progresses, those little blue flowers will get bigger and hang over the side. I think that will look very nice and cheery... we've been needing some "cheery" here lately. Seems like the sun wants to hide out for awhile. Whenever I need another little bit of cheer, I always like to sing this song... maybe it will brighten your day as well.

Isn't it so fun to find great deals and then transform them!!?? I'd love to hear what you are "transforming" at your house, so please drop me a note!

AND if you entered my drawing this last week, stay tuned because I will have a winner very soon!

Sloppy Joe Corn Muffins

2010-06-16T14:18:00.000-07:00

I just love Heavenly Homemakers and have used so many of her helpful recipes. This particular one is one of my favorites, not to mention my children's as well!

I guarantee you will also love how super easy and versatile it is!

Here's the recipe...

1 lb ground meat
2 T. minced onion
1 cup ketchup
1 teaspoon mustard
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 Tablespoon worchestershire sauce
sea salt to taste

Two packages of corn bread mix or a batch of your own mix.... enough to make 24 muffins.

Brown the meat on the stovetop. Add the minced onion and cook until meat is completely brown and done.

Add the remaining ingredients for your sloppy joe mix.

I cheated a little this time and made my corn muffin mix using a Jiffy mix I had in the cabinet. This had a few preservatives that I don't like to use, but I'm trying to use what I have in my cabinet this week.

If you use another corn muffin mix, or make your own homemade, that's ok too. Just make up a batch of it, enough to make 24 muffins. If you are using a Jiffy mix, than make two boxes worth.

Fill a non-stick pan about 1/2 full of the corn muffin batter. Make a little well in each muffin and then add about a Tablespoon of sloppy joe mix to each muffin. Place in a 375 degree oven and bake for about 18-20 minutes or until done. This will make 24 muffins.

Now feed to your family! This will make everyone smile! How can you refuse to make your family sooo happy!

For a variation, how about filling each corn muffin with your own Mexican blend! Brown your meat and then add a little bit of tomato sauce and Taco Seasoning, or some fresh homemade salsa. Just make sure the "filling" is not too runny. Then sprinkle a little bit of grated cheese over the top of that! Yum!

Have leftovers? .... these make a very quick and easy snack or lunch when taken out of the freezer and then reheated.

Enjoy!

Gratituesday - My First-Born Son

2010-06-15T09:49:00.000-07:00

This last Sunday marked eleven birthdays for our first-born.

I am so thankful for him!

His birth taught us so much about ourselves and our relationship with God.

His life has taught us how to continue to lean on the Lord for wisdom.

We feel so privileged to be blessed with him. He is so full of life and energy! He is all boy... yet he has a tender heart. I love his hugs. He loves it when I wrestle!

I am praying God would continue to use us in his life. I pray that our son would follow God's leading in his life and that his desire would be to serve and honor the Lord.

Thank you Lord for my son!

Thank you Heavenly Homemakers for hosting Gratituesday!

Menu Plan Monday

2010-06-14T10:08:00.000-07:00

Here is our menu plan for the week.... My children are drooling as they read what I write. The anticipation is just too much!

Monday

cereal, fresh O.J.
leftover soup
Beef Stoganoff over rice, Salad (we didn't get to have this last week)

Tuesday

Scrambled Eggs, Fresh Fruit
Yogurt
Mexican Lasagna, Green Beans, Cole Slaw

Wednesday

Pumpkin Waffles, Fresh O.J.
Sloppy Joe Corn Muffins, Veggies
Spaghetti, Salad

Thursday

Cereal
Egg Salad Sandwiches, Veggies
Lentil Soup

Friday

Banana Muffins, Fresh Fruit
Yogurt
Salmon with Pasta

Saturday

Pancakes, Fresh O.J.
P.B. and J.
Baked Potato Bar

Sunday

I'll surprise myself!!

This week is one of those weeks where we have a lot planned. I am so thankful that someone told me about Menu Planning. I sure do save a lot of money and time when I have a menu prepared and need only to look at the list on the fridge to know what I need to fix. You can read more about menu planning HERE.

For more menu ideas, go and visit Organizing Junkie!

Fabulous Friday Finds (and Giveaway)

2010-06-11T15:05:00.000-07:00

Well, praise the Lord, it wasn't raining today. There are a few clouds and it was cool, but I didn't feel one drop of rain. For that I am thankful! We were able to hit the roads and garage sales with no problem.

Before we leave home, I always check Craigslist for a few garage sales in the area. I really don't want to waste the gas just driving around. I especially like neighborhood sales and so today, I was looking specifically for that.

We hit a few sales and got a few deals, but the BEST deal of them all was at the very end of our trek. Thank goodness, because I couldn't have fit any more in my car. I should have taken a picture of that!

Now, on to the deal.... I was able to find a Television Console from the Bombay Company in a cherry wood finish for ....

(drum roll please!)

......just $10.00!!!

Can you believe it? I was so excited!! It was not easy to hide my excitement from this nice garage sale lady. She would have upped the price, I'm sure.

Here are the pictures.....

There is hardly a scratch on it! Now I just need a few little knick knacks for the top. It's looking a little bare.

How 'bout you?? Have you found any good deals lately? I'm going to go ahead and have a little giveaway. I've found some other nice, little treasures that I wouldn't mind sharing with you.

Here are a few ways to enter the giveaway....

Leave a comment and tell me about a great deal that you've found lately.
Share my blog info and giveaway info with someone else or on your blog.
Become a follower of this blog.

Now, please be sure to leave seperate comments for each entry as I will use Random.org to pick the winner. I'll leave it open until next Friday, June 18th.

Let's have some fun with this!

Gratituesday - Praise the Lord

2010-06-08T08:16:00.000-07:00

Have I mentioned how much I love my children? If not lately, than let me tell you again!

Today I wanted to let you know how grateful I am for a particular child and some other little children in our church....

Usually during our Sunday afternoon service and then again during our Wednesday evening service at church, we have a testimony time. It's a great way to praise the Lord and tell others what He is doing in our lives.

Lately, our littlest has been raising her hand. Have you ever gotten anxious when one of your children raises their hand for something, especially in church. All kinds of thoughts go through my head... "Should I let her speak?" " What will she say?" "Will it have something to do with what we're talking about or just a random thought?"

I have been letting her speak... and she has been praising the Lord! She is speaking from her heart. It has thrilled my soul! She may not know exactly what she's doing and who she is praising, but I believe she is learning. She's being couragous and bold. She is learning by example. She's learning from some of the other children who are a little older and some who are younger.

This is the next generation and I Praise the Lord that they are learning to Praise HIM.

What are you thankful for today?

For more Gratitude, visit Heavenly Homemakers!

Menu Plan Monday

2010-06-07T10:11:00.001-07:00

It has been such a long time since I posted our Menu's. I know it has been an all important thing for you to know what we are eating each week.... and I'm sure you've missed it! Ha!

I will say though, that I have missed being able to make a menu for each week. It helps me stay focused on what I need to be preparing and when. I sure don't like to get to a meal and have everyone asking me what we're having... and I don't know myself. Then, come to find out, I don't have much to fix because I didn't put something out to thaw etc... Can you relate?

Here is our menu for this week....

Monday

waffles and juice
Peanut Butter and Honey Sandwiches/Veggies
Bean and Cheese Burritos

Tuesday

Banana Smoothies
Sloppy Joe Corn Muffins (be sure to check out this EASY recipe)
Italian Stew Soup

Wednesday

Cereal
Tuna Sandwiches/Veggies
Broccoli and Rice Casserole

Thursday

Cereal
Top Ramen
Chicken Tortilla Soup

Friday

Baked Oatmeal (a new recipe. I'll let ya know how it goes over!)
Hot Dogs/Fruit
Beef Stroganoff with Rice/Salad

Saturday

Tangy Orange Smoothies
Yogurt
Mom's Night Off (Leftovers!)

Sunday - Daniel's 11th Birthday!

Cereal
Daniel's Choice
Chili and Cornbread

For more exciting recipe ideas, go and visit Organizing Junkie

Fabulous Friday Finds

2010-06-04T15:45:00.000-07:00

I'm trying something new. I've always loved looking for a good deal, so I thought I would start a new feature here at Travelin Pilgrim. I hope you'll join me every Friday for a Fabulous Find!

One never knows where they may find a special treasure. I like looking at garage sales, thrift stores, estate sales and of course, the grocery store. I'm very particular about my finds though, because I don't like spending money on something that is especially not needed.

Today, being Friday, I loaded up the children and we all headed out in the drizzling rain to see if there would be any crazy people having a garage sale. There are lots of crazy people in this city! We were able to find several sales and I had to tell them thank you for being crazy! Crazy is as crazy does. I suppose you could say I was crazy for having gone out in the first place!

I thought I'd share with you one of my Fabulous Finds ...

I was able to find matching twin comforters and pillow shams.... all for $10! I loved it because my two littlest girls are now sharing a room. They each had a twin bed, but no comforter or blankets to go on them. We were using sleeping bags! So, when I saw how cute these were... and how girlie... and how inexpensive... I jumped for joy! (ok, maybe just on the inside) No way would I have gone and paid the full price of these at a department store. Praise God for His Goodness!

Here is a close up of the pretty pattern. I'm happy... my girls are sooo happy... and I bet Daddy and his budget are happy too.

Be sure to come back next Friday for another Fabulous Friday Find. If you've got a special find...please be sure to share!

A Giveaway!

2010-05-19T14:08:00.000-07:00

Don't ya just love a Giveaway! I know I do! So, I thought I'd share this Fabulous Giveaway that is going on right now over at Prairie Flower Farm.

If you haven't visited Prairie Flower Farm, I suggest you take a little trip down a country road to visit her today. This lady is the sweetest, most down-to-earth, God-fearin lady that I have met in blogosphere. I just love to read her posts and always leave with a little more sunshine for my day.

I'll be quiet now, so you can go ahead and go over to her place to visit. Just be sure to come back here again soon. I'm getting more settled in to our new place and I have lots to show you!

He Giveth More Grace

2010-05-17T13:30:00.000-07:00

He giveth more grace when the burdens grow greater. He sendeth more strength when the labors increase. To added affliction, He addeth His mercy. To multiplied trials, His multiplied peace.

His love has no limit. His grace has no measure. His power has no boundary known unto men... For out of His infinite riches in Jesus, He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again.

When we have exhausted our store of endurance, when our strength has failed ere the day is half done, when we reach the end of our hoarded resources, our Father's full giving is only begun!

His love has no limit. His grace has no measure. His power has no boundary known unto men... For out of His infinite riches in Jesus, He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again.

Changes Ahead

2010-05-06T11:48:00.001-07:00

I can see the forecast loud and clear!!!

Changes Ahead!

My husband has just started a new job this week. Praise the Lord he has a job! We will once again be living in the Pacific Northwest. This last year has been a whirlwind, but here we are, back where we started. I believe we've left it in the Lord's hands. This is the job that opened up... the only job that opened up... and so here we are. I'm thankful for familiarity with this area. I'm thankful for a church home that we already had. I'm thankful for friends and family that are close by. God is good. If we would have moved anywhere else, there were still things to be thankful for. I'm glad I can trust my Heavenly Father who loves and cares for His children.

With all that said, we've been looking for a house... today I'm turning in an application. All of our belongings are in Minnesota, so I get to go back and sort through those in the next couple weeks. Things are a changin around here.

Please forgive me if I don't get around to blogging too much this month. I WILL return... you have my word.

Blessings to your day!!! ....

Amazing!

2010-04-28T07:31:00.000-07:00

Our God is amazing! I have so much to be thankful for, so much to praise Him for! I stand amazed at all that He has done in our lives and all that He continues to do!

We are back in the States now. Our flights went well. We are trying to adjust to a new time zone etc... I think it will take a little while!

We continue to trust the Lord with our future. We continue to pray and leave it in His hands. I am confident in the fact that He knows where we need to be and what we need to be doing.

Although our trip to Italy is over, we continue to be TravelinPilgrims. Our travels here on earth continue and so will this blog. So, I hope you continue to join me! I enjoy it!

Goodbye Italia!

2010-04-25T09:56:00.000-07:00

We should be up in the air by the time this is posted. Part of us are ready to get back and part of us are wishing we would never leave.

We are so thankful for the opportunity to have come here though! We will continue to pray for the people we have spoken with, gave a tract to, or shared our lives with. We have planted the seeds. We pray God will give the increase.

God's ministry is not over. Now we will go back and share the Gospel of Jesus where we are. Please continue to keep us in your prayers!

Praising the Lord!

2010-04-23T08:16:00.000-07:00

I am so thankful for the opportunity to go up and talk with my neighbor more about the Lord today! I was able to give her a Bible and show her where Salvation is talked about in Scripture. I will continue to pray for her... that her eyes would be opened to the truth of the Word of God. She agreed that men are fallible and that Scripture is not.

I am praising the Lord for this and I hope you'll join me in praying for her and her family! They are such sweet people and I'm so glad for the chance to meet them. I hope this will only develop in to a lasting friendship ... although a bit long distance! One day, I hope to see them in heaven!

A Visit to a Nearby Lake

2010-04-21T06:18:00.000-07:00

Our dear neighbor, Alina, took us to a nearby lake today. She wanted to take us last week and it just didn't work out. Soooo, because of our being here one more week, it all worked out! Praise the Lord! We had such a great time together and I was able to talk with her more than I ever have before. The children played and Dave took a walk. It was such a delightful morning. God is good!

There were sheep just 2 feet in front of us as we arrived at the lake. They are all herded by sheep dogs! The surrounding countryside was just beautiful!

Ashlyn had such fun getting in the water. It was nice and warm. Her dress got a little wet, but she had a great time! The water is so clear. The two lakes in this area are from a volcano (LOL!) and so the sand is different and heavier. I imagine that is why the lake is so clear... all the dirt stays at the bottom.

Daniel and Addie found something to climb on, of course. In the summer time, this place is very crowded. They have all kinds of games to play - volleyball, soccer, paddleboats and such. Today it was just us and the beautiful scenery.

The children all loved playing in the sand and building a lake of there own, complete with a dam. They also tried to build a waterfall ... not sure how that all worked out. They had a great time though.

By noon, it was time to go home. It was getting to be warm and we were hungry. The climb back up was a long one and it was a good thing we left when we did. There's a good reason these people take a reposo (rest) in the afternoon!

I am so glad we had this opportunity. Thank you God!

This and That

2010-04-19T06:09:00.000-07:00

All our bags are packed. The cupboards and refrigerator are bare. We were to fly out today.

However, it was not to be. It seems there is a volcano that has a broken valve. Most European flights have been cancelled for days. The world must stop and stand in awe of one of God's creations and there's not a thing they can do to prevent it.

I took a walk today. It was a beautiful day and the Monday Market was going on about two miles from us, up the main road. I decided to go by myself and enjoy taking the long way there. Thank you, Lord, for a sweet husband who is willing to substitute teach!

I wish I would have brought my camera so that I could take pictures along the way and then show you. The wildflowers are all in bloom. There were many that I didn't recognize, but then there were also red poppies and buttercups. The yards and gardens were blooming with lilac, wysteria, daisies and lavendar.

The countryside was beautiful. The farmers were out tilling their fields. I heard the sound of chickens and saw the sheep grazing on the hillside. An Italian Nonna (grandma) stopped and asked me my name. I now know what a field of artichokes look like.

I arrived at the market, bustling with every other Italian person in town. The vendors shouted out their goods to sell. Shoes, clothes, purses and linens were hanging over head and lying on tables below. Beautiful plants were all in a row and a booth with fruits and vegetables looked so colorful.

Now, I'm home. The children are all using their imaginations to have their own market in our living room. Math books are put away for the day, but the learning continues, even if they don't know it!

Yes, we must stay here for another week. Life goes on no matter where you are. I'm just a travelin pilgrim, looking forward to my heavenly home. Can you imagine what sights and sounds I'll see there? The wonder of it all, is that all the sights and sounds will be irrelevant compared to the sight of THE KING.

Springtime in Italy

2010-04-15T11:54:00.000-07:00

Spring Has Sprung Here in Italy

Everything is looking so green and colorful.

I thought you'd like to see as well ....

and my favorite ...

Gratituesday

2010-04-13T12:36:00.001-07:00

As this is our last Tuesday in Italy, I thought it fitting for me to say how grateful I am for the opportunity the Lord has given us in being here.

We travelled through Rome today. People were everywhere, from all locations and from all walks of life. My family was together. I thought back to the last 10+ weeks. I really had a lot to thank the Lord for.

What I am most grateful for, is how the Lord is changing me and teaching me. Only HE could do something like that. Little lessons are all around me. He has used the time here to show me some important things about Himself and about myself.

My goal now, is to not go back and waste what I have learned. Routine sets in. Comfort. I hope you'll keep me accountable!

Update

2010-04-12T11:30:00.000-07:00

Another beautiful day in Italy is now over. The children are all in bed. The place is amazingly quiet. I'm getting verrryyy sleeeepy....

We've just returned from a week in Germany and Venice. We had a very nice time. It was a great little side trip for us and profitable as well.

Some highlights ...

We were able to see our past exchange student from Germany and were able to meet her parents! What a privilege! Dave was able to have a pretty in depth conversation with her father about having a relationship with God, not just a religion.

We were able to work with an Independent Baptist church there in Germany and passed out about 1000 tracts to people in the city. The church provided the tracts, we provided the leg work.

We were able to see some old and dear friends in Venice. They are Italian and it is always interesting when we get together! We had a great time over dinner and conversation. We have been able to share the Gospel with them as well.

Please pray for our friends ... Katharina, Deiter and Barbara, Attilio and Luciana, Francesca and Giuvani. They are all unsaved as far as we know. We'd love to see that turned around!

A Good Day

2010-04-03T13:17:00.000-07:00

For those of you who have been praying for us, we would once again like to say thank you!

We have had a busy week. Each day has seen at least one of us going in to Rome, if not all of us. It has been a productive week, as far as our purpose is concerned. The Catholic church here has had much going on and there have been many, many people from all walks of life and from many countries here to take part. We have done what we could.

Some of you have asked how things have gone. We'd like to give you a few details about Friday.

Dave and Daniel went early to the V*tic*n area. The service there did not begin until 5pm, but there were people lining up at 2pm when they arrived. It was very difficult to pass out any tracts in that area, so they went to the Subway stop where many of the people get off. They were able to pass out tracts there for about an hour. They also gave out a few English Bibles to some. One lady from Virginia wanted to talk with them further. It seems she used to be Presbyterian, but converted to Catholicism. Dave tried to share scripture with her. Please be praying for her. God knows who she is!

There was also a service later that night at 9pm, near the Coloseum. This was for the 14 stations of the cr*ss. The P*pe presided over this service as well. Thousands of people were waiting from as early as 5pm. Anna and the girls arrived then and the others arrived around 6:30pm. As we started passing out the English/Italian tracts, we suddenly had people lining up to receive one. Some were asking for two or three so they could give them to their friends. Granted, they did not know exactly what they were asking for, but what eagerness. We passed out all the tracts we had left. Many people were glad to see that the Scripture was in English! Praise God the police did not try to stop us here as it is part of Rome and not V*tic*n City.

Our prayer now is that these people would not be blind to the Word of God. We pray their hearts would be opened to the Truth of Scripture and that they would seek a relationship and not a religion. Please continue praying with us!

A Winner

2010-04-02T13:39:00.000-07:00

Oh how fun! I don't believe I've won anything from a blog before, but I did today!

If you have a moment, goo and check out Home is Where the Heart Is and see what I won!

I just may have to have a blog giveaway of my own soon!

Our American Meal - Part two

2010-04-01T03:26:00.000-07:00

Our American Meal went well. We had a good time introducing some new things to our friends upstairs. They are so very nice and we couldn't ask for better! I almost didn't get this picture! I apologize for the darkness, but it is the best I have.

My girls did such a great job! They decorated the table so sweetly! They were very well-behaved ( I threatened no dessert) and Alena's girls were so sweet to play with them for a little bit.

Dinner tasted good and they asked questions about how it was prepared etc...

I was not able to talk to them about the Lord. I did tell them that we wanted to thank God for our food before the meal. This was a little different for them, but they received it fine. They were only with us for about an hour, so the timing just wasn't right to talk further.

Here is the recipe for the meatloaf we had. I have never been a meatloaf person, until I found this recipe. The sausage makes it taste so much better! I was able to find all the ingredients here, except the sausage was only in links and not ground. So, I had to take it out of the links to mix it with the ground beef. I also had to go from memory, so if your a friend of mine and I've given you the recipe before, it may be a little different. If this recipe is new to you, I hope your family will enjoy it as much as ours!

Meatloaf

2 lbs ground beef

1 lb ground sausage

1 can finely chopped tomatoes

1 cup bread crumbs (I made my own)

2 eggs, beaten

2 T oregano

2 T basil

1 T rosemary

1 lg garlic clove crushed

salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. Make sure to get everything mixed together thoroughly. Form two loaves. Place in two bread pans. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 1/2 - 2 hrs. Enjoy them both, or freeze one for another day!

Gratituesday - Learning to be Content

2010-03-29T08:45:00.000-07:00

As our time here in Italy is drawing to a close, I have been constantly thinking, wondering, worrying even, about what we will do and where we will be when we return. This seems to be a constant struggle for me over the past couple years. Some days I gain the victory and other days my flesh shows its ugly head. Remember, the name of this blog has a purpose? Hebrews 11:13,15,16 scroll down to the bottom of the screen.

Over the last few days though, I have been seriously praying over my attitude and really trying to give it to the Lord. I am so thankful that He has been giving me a verse here or a song there to remind me of Him and His plan. I do not need to worry about this. God has a very special place for us. He has a perfect plan for my husband and how he will provide for us. Do I need to try to figure this all out on my own? NO WAY! I ask myself, "Why would I want to interfere with the God of the universe?"

So that you can rejoice and be encouraged, I thought I would share a couple of the things God has used this week in my life. I just kind of happened upon them and I am so glad I did! I hope you will enjoy them too...

This is an older hymn I found ...

How happy's every child of grace; That feels his sins forgiven!

"This earth," he cries, "is not my place, I seek a place in heaven;"

A country far from mortal site, Yet, Oh! by faith I see,

The land of rest, the saint's delight, A heaven prepared for me.

A song that I came upon. .. I don't know anything about the singer, good or bad, but I appreciate the words of the music. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1llIIhBMCjU especially the words "You have taught me heaven's my true home".

Now Faith is the substance of things hoped for...
The evidence of things not seen.

Hebrews 11:1

Thank you to Laura over at Heavenly Homemakers for hosting this each Tuesday.

American Dinner

2010-03-29T06:43:00.000-07:00

I am so excited. We have invited our neighbors upstairs, who also happen to be who we rent from, over for an American Dinner. They have said yes and so tomorrow, I plan on cooking them an American meal.

I wasn't sure what was exactly American. It seems like we eat food from just about every other country! I guess when I think about it, the first thing that pops in to my head is McDonalds, or a hamburger and fries etc... That didn't sound very good to me... I was looking for something a little more, shall we say, upscale? Anyway, my next thought was meatloaf. Don't know if that is exactly just American either. What do you think?

For the sake of time and lack of knowledge on my part as to what is truly American, I have gone with the following menu. Our family will love it anyway and hopefully, our neighbors will too.

Meatloaf
Mashed Potatoes and Gravy
Peas

I was going to make a Pineapple Upside-Down Cake for dessert, but she asked if she could please bring dessert. It will be Polish, so how could I refuse!? She is Polish and her husband is Italian.

Please be praying for our evening. We have become very nice friends and I would love the opportunity to share the Gospel with her.... well even if we weren't nice friends, but you understand what I mean...

I hope to take pictures, so join me again later this week for an exciting episode of "An American Dinner". Aren't I in a silly mood!

A Special Request

2010-03-27T13:00:00.000-07:00

Our whole reason for coming to Italy at this time of year is because of the Easter holiday. Thousands of people come to the V*tic*n area to be a part of the celebration and to hear/see the P*pe. Some are looking for Spiritual answers. Some are just looking.

Today, our family went in to Rome. We spent some time in that area of the city. What we saw confirmed what we thought and have read. There are many preparations going on for this holiday and lots of people are there to see and be a part of what takes place, beginning tomorrow... Palm Sunday.

We have a special request for you. Please be praying... please continue praying. We have saved a couple thousand tracts to pass out during the next week. This is very minimal compared to how many people that will be there, but it just takes one tract to get in to the right hands.... someone who is searching.... someone who's heart God has already been working on. We want to be led by the Lord so that He can lead us to that individual/s.

Some specifics for the next week... so that you can pray more specifically....

Palm Sunday - passing out tracts near the V*tic*n

Tuesday - hoping to go pass out tracts near a Jehovah Witness Conference

Good Friday - passing out tracts before/during the P*pes big speech

Easter Sunday - passing out tracts near the V*tic*n

Again, we are so thankful for the faithful and fervent prayer of the righteous. We cannot do this alone!

These were the "little" screens they had set up. This one is in front of Saint Peter who is holding the keys to heaven, or so they say.

The tour busses were all lined up after dropping off their passengers.

Spring Cleaning

2010-03-26T06:54:00.000-07:00

It is a beautiful day here in Italy. Sunny skies and about 21 Celsius. It is a wonderful Spring Cleaning day!

A day to open the windows and let the fresh air come in!

The children and I have scrubbed and cleaned from top to bottom. My hubby even did the dishes! The floors are swept and scrubbed. Everything is dusted. The windows are washed.

All of the sheets have been taken off the beds, they've been washed, and are now out to dry.

The laundry hamper is empty and everything is right with the world! Ok, maybe not everything, but at least in my little corner of the house.

Such A Blessing!

2010-03-26T06:21:00.000-07:00

We were so thrilled, yesterday, to receive a letter in the mail! It is one of our biggest highlights here in Italy!

We were all sitting around the table playing a game together. There was a knock on the door, and the landlady was standing there with a letter for us! How wonderful. Everything stood at a standstill until we saw who it was from and what it was.

We were greatly surprised and excited to find a card that said "Thinking of You" and signed by so many good friends from the church we attend in Oregon. It was filled with special notes and hugs and smiles.

It was also filled with a little dvd. We couldn't imagine what was on it, so, of course, our game was postponed yet again! We popped the disk into the computer and were so pleasantly surprised to find still more hugs and smiles! This time we could actually SEE the smiles!

I cannot tell you what a huge blessing this "little" act of encouragement has meant to us. We are so thankful for the thoughtfulness of this and for how the Lord used these people to minister to us.

And still others have done so many other "little" things. A packet of yeast, an e-mail, a little chat on Facebook! We are so blessed. From the bottom of our hearts, we say thank you!

Encourage and Uplift others, so that others can encourage and uplift still more ... isn't that just like what the Family of Christ should do.

A Win-Win Situation!

2010-03-24T04:16:00.000-07:00

You guys all know how I love to provide a healthy meal for my family, right?

Do you also know how much I enjoy sweets, not to mention how much THEY enjoy sweets?

It pleases my heart to be able to cook them something nutritious. It also pleases my heart to bake... I love baking!

BUT, most of the time I don't ... because usually a healthy meal and sweets don't tend to go together.

This is why I love what Laura, over at Heavenly Homemakers, has come up with. She is having a wonderful giveaway and it is definitely a Win-Win Situation.

I hope you'll pop on over and check it out!

Busy Weekend!

2010-03-22T09:31:00.001-07:00

What a busy weekend we have had! Friday we were out and about in Rome again. Dave had signed up to run the Roma Marathon and we needed to get all the paperwork involved. We had a good time and enjoyed the Marathon Village that was set up for all the runners. While we were in Rome, we also went to a market and walked around. The markets are always interesting places to walk. We also went to one of the largest churches in Rome, aside from St. Peters. We met a man outside the church. His name was Franklin and spoke fairly good English. We were eating our lunch, so we shared a cookie and a tract. Dave tried to give him an English Bible, but he said that he didn't need it. The man felt as if he was going to heaven and knew everything he needed to know. He was a very religious, philisophical person and felt that all were religions were fine.

While Dave was going to be running the Marathon this weekend, the children and I thought we would run the 4K Fun Run. It WAS a lot of fun and so glad we chose to do it! Here is our day in pictures...

We got up at 5:45am, so that we could take the train in to Rome. Adrenalin pumped in!

Now we get to ride on the subway without about 80,000 other people who participated.

OK, we weren't ALL on the subway TOGETHER, but it WAS a lot of people!

This man was standing up on a little hill and preaching to the people below. He spoke in English and so the kids and I stood and listened to him for a little while. Dave was already lining up for the Marathon. Not sure who he was exactly, but what we heard him saying was "right on the money". I felt so sorry for him though. Many people were mocking him and jeering him. I wanted to encourage him with a few "AMENS" and did, but how couragious of him!

This was one of the really fun things in the Fun Run. There were people with flags and bikes, dogs and balloons. There were instrumental bands playing on the corners as we walked by. At the beginning of the race, they played the Italian anthem and we walked by the "Mayor" of the city, or whatever they call him here. The military were all around him. Helicopters were above us taking pictures of our Fun Run and of the Marathon that had started just before our race.

The race started near the Coliseum. It was unbelievable the amount of people that were in the race. There were many more doing the Marathon. This is just one of the many pictures that I took. Everytime we turned a corner, I wanted to take a picture. Walking through the city was so picturesque and amazing! It was a great way to see everything and go down some streets that we hadn't been down before.

The race was sponsored by McDonalds. Here are two very proud spokespersons! After the race was over, Ronald McDonald himself was there and signed their hats! Wow!

Walking through the streets together. They did such a great job! The race was about 2.5 miles long and they all walked it the whole way, hills and all! Well, ok, Ashlyn did get just a little bitty piggy back ride towards the end.

Yeah! We made it to the Finish Line! Not a moment to soon too!

Such good work deserves a very special treat! Mommy treated them to a gelato while we waited for daddy to get done! Too bad they weren't from McDonalds, ha!

Gratituesday - Sonshine in My Soul

2010-03-16T03:42:00.000-07:00

We have been in Italy for about six weeks now. I can't believe it! To be honest, some days it seems like forever ago and other days not so much.

During that time, I would say that 5 out of the 7 days of the week have been rainy or very cloudy. No complaining, because I have lived in the Pacific Northwest, but it does start to work on my mood.

This week I am rejoicing because it has been sunny now for 4 days straight and I am loving it! It just really adds a new "spring" to my step! I think it must be that way for a lot of people, even in Italy. The whole town seems to come alive. The birds are chirping, the flowers are popping out and things are starting to look so much greener. The sky is blue and the water glistens.

I started thinking about all of this, and I love the analogy it gives me when we start to let the SON shine in our soul. Doesn't it give you a fresh "spring" in your step! Doesn't it make you just want to shout and sing His praises! When your soul has been washed and cleansed with the Word of God, when you've been forgiven and when your attitude is right... your whole person just comes alive.

I hope you are experiencing some Sonshine in your soul today!

Heavenly Sonshine, Heavenly Sonshine

Flooding my soul with glory divine

Hallelujah, I am rejoicing singing His praises

Jesus is mine!

Join us for Gratituesday at Heavenly Homemakers!

Menu Plan Monday - Kid's Week

2010-03-15T07:13:00.000-07:00

The children have decided they want to make dinner. They are planning the menu for their night and then they are doing the work. It started out with one of them saying they wanted to do this and then, of course, the others all said they wanted a turn too. It may be a little "painful" for me to allow them to do this now, but I'm thinking farther along down the line I will be so glad they learned and wanted to. Sooooo, I'm hoping it will be well worth the pain involved.

Side note: For all you moms with young children, try to place yourself ten years down the road. Wouldn't it be nice for them to be doing the dishes after supper, or for them to be doing the laundry? It has to start now, even though harder, while they have that drive and desire. You'll be so happy you did!

On with the menu...

Sunday (Addie and Ashlyn) - Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches with Fruit Salad

Monday (Daniel) - Fish and Chips (English style) and Steamed Broccoli

Tuesday (Abigail) - Vegetable Soup and Fresh Bread

Wednesday - Hamburger and Rice Casserole

Thursday - Penne Pasta with Salmon - I am going to try to recreate!

Friday - Lentil Soup

Saturday - Spaghetti, Salad and Fresh Bread - stay tuned for pictures and tutorial!

Here are the younger girls making their fruit salad on Sunday!

A Night on the Town

2010-03-14T10:59:00.000-07:00

My dear husband and I had an opportunity to go out for a very nice evening together on Saturday. What a treat it was! We have had the privilege of coming here to Italy three times now. Each time, whether for vacation or for ministry, we have had young children with us and no one to trust to be a babysitter. That's been ok, because we are so thankful for these little "arrows" God has given us and most of the time it is a real pleasure to have them around us. This time though, we are living in the same building with a very nice fifteen year old! We have been able to get to know her pretty well and with her mother being right upstairs, we felt that it was ok to leave the children with her for a couple hours. Enough said..... on with our evening!

We left the house about 7:45pm. This is actually early for dinner here in Italy. Dinner is a very late meal! There is about a five minute walk down to the old center of the city. We got there and found a nice restaurant, as far as we knew! Our judgement proved right! We were greeted with the typical Buona Sera (good evening) and shown to a table. We asked the server if she spoke English, and of course, she didn't. Thankfully, we had our trusty little dictionary!

My husband and I shared a very nice antipasti (appetizer) of baby shrimp in a lemon and olive oil sauce with fresh bread. Our next course, Primi, was pasta. My husband had the Fettucini with fish from the lake. I had Penne pasta with salmon in a cream sauce. Both were very delicious! We tried our best to think of how to recreate them! Our last course, dolci (dessert) was Tiramisu. We shared a piece. Typically, an Italian would have a full course meal of a lot more things, but we were so full. Not sure how they do it, but I can understand why their dinner meals take so long! They must have to wait to get more room!

We had a very nice evening and really enjoyed the atmosphere and the food. The conversation was wonderful as well... no interruptions! The children had a great time with Eliza... movie and monopoly... and we were so grateful for the opportunity. She wouldn't even let us pay her!

Such a nice evening!

Here is a picture of the town. Our restaurant was about half way up the hill. I don't have a picture of the two of us, but I took this one this afternoon and thought it looked nice.

Guest Post - A Day in Rome

2010-03-10T07:58:00.000-08:00

I am so privileged to give you a guest host for today's blog entry. I have had the opportunity of knowing her for the last eight, nearly nine, years. She is an honor to know and I can, without a doubt, say that she is one of the true loves of my life. Without further adiou may I announce my first born daughter....

Once upon a time, Abigail went to a market in Roma. There were shawls and clothes, shoes and pocketknives, bikes and all kinds of other stuff. There were people begging and lots of tents and shoppers... lots of shoppers! It was very crowded. There was music and campers and food, like hot dogs, pizza and little snacks. My brother liked the pocketknives. One had a light on it and he would like to get it next time we go there.

The same day that we went to the market, we also went to the Coloseum. We saw people who were white with spray paint on them. There were pretending to be statues. A person with a gold cloth on them and a mask was dressed up like a Pharoah. There was a person with silver paint on him, but I couldn't figure out what he was. Mom said she saw a lady balancing a fish bowl on her head that had water in it, Then we saw a man with a crowd around him. Then we saw the Coliseum and the Metro (subway) station next to it. We went home on the Metro.

The End

Menu Plan Monday

2010-03-08T08:32:00.000-08:00

"Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed." John 6:27

Our menu this week is a little different. I'm excited to offer my family a Mexican style dinner one night and then on another night, Dave and I plan to go out to a restaurant here in town. The girl upstairs has graciously said she will watch them for a couple hours. Wow! I'm excited! The kids will enjoy pizza that night.

As for the Mexican dinner, I think I am just as excited about that! I made some pinto beans, and then I am going to mash them real well and add a little salt and a little (not too much) water. We have finally found some fresh peppers (although not jalapeno, but spicy) and we brought some cumin and cilantro seasoning from the States. We can buy crushed tomatoes, onion and garlic at the store. Combine all of this and we should have a nice salsa. I have found something very similar to a tortilla, so we will have bean burritos and chips and salsa! Yum!

On the dinner menu this week:

Bean Burritos, chips and salsa, salad
Minestrone Soup with bread
Fish, steamed vegies
Pasta with Vegies
Pizza
Pasta Bianca

To enjoy some other menu ideas for the week, be sure to visit Organizing Junkie!

Sowing a Seed, Fervent in Prayer

2010-03-07T10:00:00.000-08:00

We've been out "on the town" today. It is a beautiful day here in Italy, so we took advantage of it. What a difference a sunny day makes! The whole town seemed to be out.

I've added the following people to my prayer list. I don't know their name, but so thankful that the Lord does. One day, I hope to see them in heaven!

a nice Nonna (Grandma) that we met on the bus. She was just talking away with Ashlyn and Addie, in Italian of course! I understood that she had seven grandchildren and she told us their names. We gave her a tract and she gave us a little Catholic book!
a lady that we met on the subway. She was studying her English. We talked for a little bit and Dave gave her an English Bible and an Italian tract. She was very grateful and couldn't believe we would give her such a gift. Dave said she could practice her English better with the little Bible.
a nun that we saw on the subway. Our littlest was mesmorized by her. She wondered if the lady had any hair! She spoke a little English, but we gave her an Italian tract. I often wonder what the nuns think when we give them a tract.

"For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth" Romans 10:2-4

A Quote For Mothers ... and Father's too

2010-03-06T05:56:00.000-08:00

The Teacher

Lord, who am I to teach the way
To little children day by day,
So prone myself to go astray?

I teach them knowledge, but I know
How faint they flicker and how low
The candles of my knowledge glow.

I teach them power to will and do,
But only now to learn anew
My own great weakness thru and thru.

I teach them love for all mankind
And all God’s creatures, but I find
My love comes lagging far behind.

Lord, if their guide I still must be,
Oh, let the little children see
The teacher leaning hard on Thee.

- Leslie Pinckney Hill

Frugal Find

2010-03-03T05:19:00.000-08:00

We have been so busy these last couple days. The weather has just been perfect here in Italy and so we've taken advantage of it. We've gone to Rome and we've passed out tracts! Now, we are very tired. That's ok because it's raining now, so we can rest.

Needless to say, I did not get any posts done for Menu Plan Monday or for Gratituesday. Oh well, there's always next week! Meanwhile, for all those enthusiasts who have wanted to start doing menu planning, but just haven't started, I have found a real treat for you!

http://www.econobusters.com/?page_id=1027

Enjoy! and be sure to let me know what you think!

Testimony Time

2010-02-24T11:05:00.000-08:00

Does your church have a time for testimonies to be said? We don't always have a set time for it, but when the time comes, I always love to hear how the Lord is working in the lives of His children. I love sharing what He is doing as well....

We came to Italy with 14, 000 tracts in our suitcases. With the language barrier what it is, it is very hard to have a heart to heart conversation with these Italian people. We have found that tracts are the best way to share Jesus with them on a more general level. So, we have been passing out tracts!

The family has gone together to pass out tracts around the neighborhood where we live. We have somewhat of a system now so that we can cover the whole city before we leave.

Dave has also been passing out tracts a little farther out. He has gone a couple times now to the V*tic*n area and also to some other cities a little closer to where we are. One such time, he was invited in by a man who was Italian. From what Dave could gather, this man wanted him to come in and read the Bible with him. He would have his Italian Bible and Dave would follow along in his English Bible. After sitting down with him for a little bit, he could see from the material and talk that this man was a Jehovah's Witness. Unfortunately, this cult is passing out their literature as well.

We want to see the truth of the Bible being proclaimed and not anyone else's interpretation, Catholic or otherwise. Please continue praying for us! May the Lord's work and will be done!

Gratituesday - May I be Honest?

2010-02-23T03:53:00.001-08:00

We've now been in Italy three weeks. The "vacation" phase has worn off and reality has more or less set in. May I be honest and tell you, from one human to another human, that it's right about now that I start feeling a little depressed, discouraged, and a little lonely. We are so far from home, without a soul to talk to. I am in a country where I may or may not see the benefits of our labour. It is raining and raining and raining ... shall I go on?

As easy as it may be for me to meditate on those feelings, I am learning... slowly... that I need to turn that around. The best way to do that, for me, is to look at all the things that I have to be thankful for. My focus needs to be on Gratitude, to keep the right Attitude!

So, here goes... What do I have to be thankful for right now?

- a very nice landlady, who, as soon as her company leaves, I am going to invite over for tea.

- a wonderful husband, who, inspite of the rain, is delivering tracts all over this countryside!

- a wonderful God, who works through me, inspite of myself! Sometimes, when I don't even know it.

- the weather prediction of a sunny day on Thursday!

- a very nice lady in Texas who wrote us a letter!

I could go on and on .... Honestly!

Menu Plan Monday

2010-02-22T03:55:00.000-08:00

I'm going to have to get more creative, or hire someone to teach me how to cook Italian! I could cook more "American Italian", but I can do that in America just the same.

I am slowly figuring out what certain things are in Italian, like whipping cream, and such. I have yet to find Vanilla, but the other day I did see a store that had cinnamon... don't remember what the Italian name for it was. This brightens up our french toast anyway!

This week, I am getting a little creative with our leftover bread. The bread here must be eaten the same day, or it gets very hard. The next day, it is ok for french toast or possibly panini (toasted sandwiches). The nice thing is, you just buy what you think you will use, and not the whole loaf. Still, I have bread leftover sometimes. What I decided to do, after seeing that they had canned salmon, was grate the leftover bread into bread crumbs and then make Salmon Patties. Voila!

Here is our dinner menu for the week.....

Minestrone Soup with Bread
Penne Pasta with Julienne Vegetables
Salmon Patties, Steamed Vegetables, Rolls????
Pizza
Leftover Night
Pasta Bianca

I have really enjoyed viewing some of the other Menu ideas found at Organizing Junkie. Another favorite menu list is at Heavenly Homemakers. She cooks similar to how our family does. Since I didn't bring but one recipe book, I love the ones that have the recipe with them. Hopefully, I can figure out whether it will be economical for me to make some of these recipes or not.

By the way, if you have our address, and you were thinking of dropping us a note, I would love it if you would put in a little envelope of yeast! I am just dying to make some kind of bread substance of our own.

Our Baby.... Who's not a Baby

2010-02-18T04:44:00.000-08:00

Our youngest has just celebrated her fourth birthday! She is my baby, but she is also quick to tell me that she is NOT a baby.

She is our most independent child, by far, but also our most expressive. She is talkative, energetic, loving. She is either smiling or crying and she either makes everyone love her or dislike her.

She enjoyed her birthday very much! She first got to go on a walk with daddy. They went on a bus ride and also on a train. She said she had so much fun. While they were gone, the rest of us decorated. The children made a sign and tried to blow up balloons. The balloon thing didn't work out so well, but it was fun trying!

Later that evening, we had spaghetti for supper and then she opened her presents.

She was very excited to get some brand new Italian slippers!

Later, we ate some dolci (dessert or sweets). Earlier in the day, while she was taking a nap with daddy, my oldest daughter and myself went and picked out six little treats at the pasticeria. We bought candles and some gelato (ice cream) at another store.

I think she liked it. What do you think?!

Another year is upon us. We are truly blessed!

Gratituesday

2010-02-16T04:06:00.000-08:00

Today marks one week of being in Italy. As we look back on the week, there are many things to be thankful for! Some highlights include:

Sermonaudio.com - This is such a blessing to us right now. With it, we can listen to the pastor in Oregon while we sit on our couch in Italy. Without a church to go to here, we are still able to listen to Biblical Preaching and be fed!

Legs/Busses/Trains - Thank God for legs to carry us while we go out and deliver tracts. We were able to do several "blocks" in the last couple days. We will also love the busses and trains even more as we venture out farther in the next several weeks!

The Blessing of Children - We have the best children! Of course, yes, we are biased, but they truly are wonderful. They did so great on the airplanes flying over and they have been real troopers as we walk around town. They did pretty good with jet lag too. Now, we get to celebrate our youngest's 4th birthday today. Each one of them is growing up so quickly.

Compassionate Italians - We are so grateful for the Italians who will take a moment to be patient with us as we learn more of their language. As we go around town, we are meeting more and more people... at the store, the bakery, the produce market. This, we pray, will grow in to deeper relationships and we will be able to share Christ with them on a deeper level.

What are you grateful for today? Please share some of your thoughts and comments. If you'd like to read more blogs of others who are grateful, go to Heavenly Homemaker.

Menu Plan Monday

2010-02-15T03:40:00.000-08:00

What shall we be eating this week?! Why, Italian, of course! When in Rome, do as the Romans!

I may not post this each week. It may get a little boring to see that we are eating the same things most of the time. BUT we do like them, and that is a blessing!

Monday

Breakfast - Cereal
Lunch- Tuna Salad and Toasted Bread
Dinner - Zuppa de Minestrone (a big high five to the one who can figure this out!)

Tuesday (Birthday Girl turns Four!)

Breakfast - Eggs and Italian Pastry
Lunch - Baked Potato Bar
Dinner - Spaghetti
Dolci (Dessert) - Italian Birthday Cake and Gelato (Ice Cream)

Wednesday

Breakfast - Cereal
Lunch - Panini and Zuppa (Toasted Sandwiches and Soup)
Dinner - Pizza

Thursday

Breakfast - Peach French Toast
Lunch - Peanut Butter and Jelly with Fruit
Dinner - Pasta Bianca

Friday

Breakfast - Cereal
Lunch - Hot Dogs
Dinner - Taco Soup (very Italian! Ha!)

Saturday

Breakfast - Italian Pastry and Fruit
Lunch - Peanut Butter and Jelly
Dinner - Pasta with Vegetables

Sunday

Breakfast - Eggs and Pancakes?
Lunch - Yogurt and Muesli
Dinner - Navy Bean Soup

One thing that I didn't mention with the menu, is that we nearly always have some kind of Italian bread with our dinner meal, especially with zuppa. It is the cultural way. There is a panetaria just down the street, which makes it very easy to get fresh bread. It is also very inexpensive!

Each week, I will try to add a recipe for whatever special thing we are eating. You may be able to learn a few Italian words in the process of all of this!

For more menu ideas, visit Organizing Junkie

Snow? ... in Rome?

2010-02-14T06:15:00.000-08:00

Amazing! It seems like there are some crazy places getting snow this winter. We recently heard from friends and family in Texas that it had snowed about a foot of snow in Dallas-Fort Worth. They hadn't seen that in over thirty years!

The next morning, we woke up to snowflakes falling here too! Rome was getting snow??? Well, we just knew it wouldn't stick. Would you believe, it did! The neighbor says it never happens.

Here are some pictures to prove it!

( the neighbors house)

(Standing on the terrace)

(Look at all of this mom!)

Italy! Here We Are!

2010-02-10T06:46:00.001-08:00

Here we are in Italy! Now that we are here, it seems as if we never left! Our flight was good, the food was good, the children were excellent and our new apartment is very nice as well. We are now just trying to adjust to the time zone change. I think I will have an easy time with and it seems like the older children will too. We are waiting to see what will happen with everyone else.

We had a very nice send off on Sunday from the church in Oregon. I thought you might like to see a couple pictures. We appreciate everyone so much and we're so thankful for your prayers. Keep praying!

Gratituesday - So Much to Praise God About

2010-02-02T07:10:00.000-08:00

We have so much to Praise God about. Even the unsaved person truly has something to praise God about, if they'd only see what it is and accept it. I'm so thankful that I can praise Him!

As we prepare for Italy, we have many things to praise God for. This week I thought I'd share what some of those things are. To God be the Glory!

As of today, we have had 14, 000 tracts donated to us! Now, to just get them in our suitcases! BUT, what a great problem to have.

We have not asked PEOPLE, but God has provided more financial funds for our trip through various PEOPLE. That is such a blessing. I love it when we ask God only and then He alone works. It is one more example of the fact that God is real and He is alive and well!

So many people have committed to pray. We need that! We are so grateful for the prayers of God's people.

Many of our children's friends have said they would be penpals with us while we are in Italy. I can't wait! That will be such a blessing to our children and they are really looking forward to it. It can be quite lonely without other English speaking people to talk to. This will help in such a great way! If you would like our address there, please leave me a comment with your e-mail address and I will send it to you.

God inhabits the praises of His people. I need to praise Him more. We all really have something amazing to be thankful for, we just need to focus on that a little more in our daily lives! I praise Him for you!

I'll Tell the World That I'm a Christian

2010-01-28T15:31:00.000-08:00

Many of you know that our family is about to leave for Rome, Italy and live there for nearly three months. Our goal in going to Italy is to share Jesus Christ with those who live there and also those who will come to visit for Easter. Many will come seeking some spiritual guidance from a religion that tells them they must work for salvation.

I don't know all of my reader's spiritual backgrounds. I don't even know if I have many readers!

I'm learning that God can use me any way I'm willing to be used... even through some silly blog. So, I thought I would share my spiritual background and maybe it will give you a little insight in to why God has asked our family to go to Italy.

I grew up going to Sunday School and church. My parents weren't perfect by any means, but they knew we should be in church. I grew up singing all the Sunday School songs and hearing all the Bible stories. I knew about God and His Son, Jesus. I was taught that He was someone who loved me and cared about me. At nine years old, my parents divorced. I, being the oldest child, was a devestated wreck. I remember crying so much and not understanding any of it. How could my dad leave us like that? Why was this happening to our family? I began turning to the only thing that I knew of that was Solid and Sure. Even at that young age, I knew that the only ONE that could help me ... be there for me ... never leave me ... was God. He was as real to me as anything I ever knew and by trusting and believing in Him, I knew that I could have Him as a real part of my life. In understanding that I was a sinner and then believing that His Son, Jesus Christ, died for that sin in my life, I was saved from hell and a life of seperation from Him. As time went on and I grew in my understanding of who Jesus really is and the blessings that He has for me, I wanted to live my life for Him. Sure, I have gone through some pretty rocky times. I haven't been perfect, nor will I ever be, but through it all, Jesus has been my Solid and Sure.

I often think about those who don't have Jesus Christ as that Solid Rock. This world is so full of sin and sorrow. I often wonder how people can cope without Jesus. How can they live life without the kind of hope that Jesus offers? Everything else seems so superficial.

I'll tell the world that I'm a Christian, I'm not ashamed His name to bear.
I'll tell the world that I'm a Christian, I'll take Him with me anywhere.
I'll tell the world how Jesus saved me, and how He gave me a life brand new.
And I know that if you'll trust Him, all He gave me, He'll give to you.

The Reality of Being a Committed Christian

2010-01-27T16:50:00.000-08:00

We're getting ready to go soon. Just 12 more days until we head for Italy. I am now allowing my brain to think about things a little deeper. It is soon to be a reality!

As I've started thinking about it, I think God is showing me more and more what that reality truly means. Sunday School was great on Sunday and just really spoke to my heart. I thought I'd share in hopes that it will speak to your heart too.

Luke 9:57-62 KJV
And it came to pass, that as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him, Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man hath no where to lay his head. And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury the dead, but go thou and preach the kingdom of God. And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee, but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at my house. And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.

Several things stuck out at me as we went over this passage of Scripture.

It is a huge thing to be a follower of Christ! As we go over to Italy, I'm not just going to live in some really cool place with picturesque scenery and old world charm! If it was Africa, would I still say "Yes, Lord, I'll follow you".
I have "stuff" in Texas, Minnesota, and Oregon! I feel like my belongings are all over the country! In contrast, Jesus said He didn't even have a place to lay his head. Am I willing to give up all of those "things", if need be, to follow Him. Jesus wants me to endure whatever hardship is necessary to bring others to Him. Am I willing?
A man wanted to go back and bury his Father. Was it just an excuse to not have to follow Jesus right away? We have family that don't quite understand our desire to go to Italy. What if someone needed us urgently? What would we do? Would we give up everything for Jesus? Sometimes this is required and sometimes it isn't. Sometimes the opportunity to serve Him is urgent. It's a heavy question that only the Lord can give an answer to.
Another man was willing to follow the Lord, but he wanted to do it in his own timing. When the Lord calls us to serve Him, the time to serve is immediate. I'm reminded that man makes the plans, but God directs his steps. Sometimes our plans can get in the way of what God really is asking of us. Sometimes it doesn't always look like the most oppurtune time in our minds. What I am trying to learn is that God is in control and really know best when that time should be. He'll clear everything else up. I'll just need to follow.

At the end of Sunday School, we were praised because of what we were doing. I wanted to stand up and say that there was nothing different about me. I'm just an ordinary individual with no special talents or abilities. Anyone can serve the Lord. I struggle with my own anxious thoughts and feelings in serving the Lord.

Only through God's grace can I serve and follow Him. I don't have to step on a plane and go anywhere to do it.

Following the Lord is minute by minute every day..... and through God's grace ANYONE can do it.

Trader Joes

2010-01-05T20:04:00.000-08:00

One of my absolute favorite stores to shop at while visiting the Northwest is Trader Joes. It's like going to a specialty grocery store, but (my favorite part) you don't have to spend the money like you're at a specialty store!

They have all kinds of healthy versions of everything. I like to get ketchup there, for example, because it doesn't have all the additives or even the high fructose corn syrup. Sure, you pay a little more than what you may pay for regular ketchup, but isn't my family worth it? After all, I am getting a much higher quality product... but I'm not paying what I would at a small health food store or even Whole Foods.

Ok, I know you must be thinking... "What is the big deal about a store that sells better ketchup?" Did I mention they have chocolate? The good kind of chocolate, the stuff that is much better for you chocolate!

Oh, and my kids like to look for the lost monkey and then get a treat at the end when they tell the cashier. The cashier will ring a bell so that the whole store knows we found the monkey and then they get to look in the treasure chest for a prize. I like the fact that I get a free sample of coffee!

Anyway you look at it, Trader Joes is a great store that I'm so glad I've run across. Next time you're in the Pacific Northwest, look them up. They may even be in a city near you!

P.S. - This is not a paid advertisement!

A Winter Wonderland

2009-12-25T19:25:00.000-08:00

... Walkin in a Winter Wonderland....

We definitely have our Winter Wonderland right now. The children are lovin it and Hubby even got out to make a snow fort. He got about 6 ft. in and then it collapsed. He had fun though!

Our driveway was completely covered and the drift was atleast 2 ft tall. People walked in town, but no cars were going anywhere! We made a little path from the front of the driveway to the street so we could walk out atleast.

Our house will have plenty of snow for awhile!

Answer to Prayer

2009-12-20T18:07:00.000-08:00

We purchased our plane tickets a couple weeks ago. That is always a monumental thing for me, because it means our thoughts and prayers have become a little more serious! You don't go and pay all that money just on a whim!

We hadn't found an apartment yet though. We found out that the apartment we had before, was not available during the time we have planned to go. As we were planning our previous trip to Italy two years ago, we were lead to just the right place for us. We just knew that it was where we were suppose to be... there is no explaining it, we just knew.

We've been watching Craigslist, of all places, to see what comes available. Yes, that can be a bit tricky. No one really knows what type of people you can run in to. Who can you trust, really?

You guessed it... I found an apartment on Craigslist. It was just perfect. It was cheaper than our last place. It was a little bit larger. All of the utilities were included in the price, AND it had wireless internet.

Trouble was... the lady did not want to rent it to us. We had children. There were six of us. Would there really be enough room? I wrote her back. I pleaded with her to please change her mind. Then, we prayed. We waited.

For several days.... no answer. Had she forgotten about us? Would she write back? Was the Lord telling us to move on?

She wrote back. She is the nicest lady. She is not even requiring a deposit, which means she is having to trust us, just as we have to trust her. She is being very helpful and it seems as if her whole attitude has changed toward us.

God had the perfect place for us. Just take a look at what we will see every day... the view from our living room window. http://static.panoramio.com/photos/original/3299463.jpg

Please notice the church on the top of the hill. This is a great symbol of what Italy is like. The whole town is centered around this church. We long to tell these people that they can be free from the bondage of "religion" and that they can have true freedom in Christ alone. Would you pray with us? Would you ask the Lord to prepare the hearts of people we will come in contact with? He already knows who these people are. We want to be willing to be used for Him.

An Experience Worth Repeating

2009-12-19T10:11:00.000-08:00

We have all been sick.

All of us....

This is an experience I do NOT want to repeat!

On to more joyful news....

My husbands work is rather seasonal. This can be good and sometimes bad. This time, it looks like it has worked out for the best.

Many of you may remember that we spent three months in Italy about two years ago. We went on our own, with the blessing of our pastor, for a short-term mission trip. We were able to go during the Christmas season, when thousands of people come to the Vatican looking for answers. We hope that we were able to provide to them the Truth of Scripture...

Now, it seems that we are able to experience this once again. THIS is something I don't mind repeating! We have purchased our plane tickets for February through April this time and look forward to sharing Scriptural Truth with those who come to the Vatican for Easter. We also enjoy sharing this same truth with those we come in contact with during our daily life as we live amongst the Italians.

The Lord has provided for our plane tickets and He will continue to provide. Our attitudes are good as well as our children and that is important as well. I'm excited to be sharing this opportunity with you and I look forward to keeping you informed as we go along!

I'm so glad the Christian life is so much more than just an Experience!

A Moment at the Library

2009-12-08T10:23:00.000-08:00

It's been awhile, but here I am again. We are going to be coming regularly to the library for now and so I thought I'd try to post at least once a week.

Snow is falling as I type. I look out the window at a winter wonderland and wonder what this season will hold for us. This is an all new experience, being up in the Midwest, and having so much white! The children are loving it... so far. My son actually enjoys going out and shoveling the driveway... We'll see if he still enjoys it in a month! I don't mind it myself, right now.

Next time, I'll try to have pictures.

On the home front... We are staying busy with schoolwork. The girls were in a play this fall and that kept us busy as well. We sure do enjoy our homeschool group and the friends we've made. I am enjoying some baking now that it is cooler outside. My husband needs work, so please pray for him.

Until next week......

Computers: You Can't Live With Them, or Without Them

2009-10-15T14:21:00.000-07:00

How often do you think about your computer and how much you depend on it, until it is taken away?!

How much time do you spend on your computer and how much time does it save you?

These are questions I am asking myself now as I sit at the library, with my broken computer sitting in the car. I have just taken it to the computer doctor and was told that I can send it to the funeral home because the mother board has gone out.

Oh, but it was too young to die!

So goes it... nothing I can do. I suppose I will be spending a little more time at the library these days.

As for my blog... once again... I will have to say goodbye for now.

Fall Is In the Air

2009-09-30T14:38:00.000-07:00

I just love fall.

It means crispness and newness in the air and brings a feeling of starting fresh.
I love cooking and baking in the fall and I love being able to put on a sweater after a nice warm summer.
To me, it is symbolic of cuddle time on the couch with your children or snuggles with your husband.

What do you enjoy about fall?

Travelin Update

2009-09-28T08:51:00.000-07:00

We safely arrived in the great Northwest last Wednesday evening. It was a relatively easy drive and I'm so glad we only had to stop one night. Of course, the children were all over me on Wednesday by asking every few minutes " How many more hours do we have left?" They were just so excited to see their Daddy and some friends and family.

We have been having some fun, enjoying the area here, and getting hugs from Daddy. We've been able to see friends from church and we've even been able to have school in the midst of it all. Oh the joy of picking up your books and taking them with you! The children are also learning how to take care of chickens while they're here!

We have one more week here and I hope to make the best of it. I'm trying hard not to think of what will happen when we have to leave!

Yes, I Feel Like Travelin On...

2009-09-20T19:09:00.000-07:00

... Ok, not really, but it's gotta be done!

For those of you who don't know it, my husband is in the Pacific Northwest working, and WE are in another state 1600 miles east. Yes, it's a long commute! Without going in to much detail, I'll just say that he is living there and we are living here and it is stressful and very difficult, especially on my oldest son.

Sooooo, we are going to take a trip to go see Daddy for a couple weeks. Needless to say, there will be no Menu Plan Monday this week as I have little time to figure out what I'm eating for tomorrow's breakfast NOR what we may be eating on the road. I have a VERY LONG list of things that need to get done tomorrow (Monday).

If you have a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, your prayers are very much coveted!

For those of you who live in the Pacific Northwest (you know who you are!!!), I look forward to hopefully seeing you soon! What fun!

Now do you see why my blog is called Travelin Pilgrim?! There ARE reasons for my madness!

Garden Abundance

2009-09-16T15:08:00.000-07:00

My dad has four acres just up the hill from us and so graciously let us till a good size garden. I have been sharing our produce with him in return for the land. We have had an abundance of produce though and even between the two of us, we still have quite a bit.

I have found some ways to help eat all these goodies, so that they won't go to waist, I mean waste....

Here is a new recipe you might enjoy!

Tomato Corn Salad

4 Large tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3 Tablespoons Basil
1 Tablespoon minced fresh cilantro
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
5 cups fresh corn (about 11 ears of corn)
3 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
2 Tablespoons olive oil

Cut the corn off the cob and put it into a frying pan along with the garlic and olive oil. Saute corn until tender. Allow to cool a little.

Mix the rest of the ingredients together in a large bowl. Fresh herbs are always better, but I was disappointed that I didn't have the Basil.

If you have a five year old to help you stir, this will make it even sweeter!

Combine the corn with the rest of the vegetable mixture and stir completely.

A sprig of basil would have looked real nice, don't you think.

This is a delightful dish for the end of summer! and it Works for Me!

To see other Works for Me posts, visit We Are That Family

Menu Plan Monday

2009-09-14T07:06:00.000-07:00

I have gotten back into the swing of having a monthly menu. Let me just say again... it is wonderful! Here is our menu this week.... Wanna come over?!

Sunday

Cereal, BLT Sandwiches, After church treat - Subway

Monday

Oatmeal, Fresh Homemade Bread and Garden Produce, Spaghetti and salad

Tuesday

Cinnamon Rolls and Applesauce, Tomato Corn Salad, Chicken Soup and Fresh Rolls

Wednesday

Oatmeal, Hotdogs and Veggies, Bean and Cheese Burritos

Thursday

Apple Puff Pancakes, P.B. Sandwiches and Fruit, Green Bean and Ham Casserole

Friday

Oatmeal, Leftover Lunch Friday, Chicken and Rice

Saturday

Doughnuts, Yoghurt and Fruit, Pizza Pockets

I will try to get a couple recipes posted this week for you. We have had a lot of garden produce and it is so fun to come up with new ways to use all the goodies! Hopefully, you'll be able to benefit from it too.

For more menu ideas, go check out Organized Junkie

Three Year Old

2009-09-11T08:08:00.000-07:00

If you have a three year old... you may relate. If you have a three year old who is your "baby"... you may relate even more.

My little three year old girl is in a class by herself in our house. She is like no other child I have... she is not like her mom or her dad... atleast not that I'm aware of. If I acted like this as a child, I suppose she is my mother's answer to prayer in order to get me back. She is my cutest, sweetest, most lovable child... and she may also be the one who sends me to an early grave! Words do not describe her very well.... but I will try......

For example....

....this morning we had canned plums with breakfast. I had them in a bowl and sitting on the counter. My dear three year old wanted to help, but didn't tell me that. I came around the corner just in time to find her trying to put it in the refrigerator. I caught the bowl, said thank you very much and managed not to spill the plum juice on our nice CARPETED kitchen floor (ask me about that one later!)

... while helping my five year old paint her fingernails, I was briefly called away by one of my other children. Not two minutes later, my eight year old comes in to the room with an open bottle of fingernail polish informing me that she had just taken it from my three year old. "Where is she?", I asked. We found her sitting in the walk-in closet behind her dresser. She was trying to wipe off a little extra nail polish from her leg... with a jacket.

... "Mommy, I love you" "Oh, sweetie, I love you too" "Here is an extra kiss from daddy for you" "Oh thank you, and here is an extra one for you too"

A Day Late.... and A Dollar Short!

2009-09-09T06:31:00.000-07:00

Well, here it is Wednesday, and I'm already a day late. If you knew how my day was yesterday, you'd understand. Don't get me wrong, I had a wonderful day, but it just didn't have time for blogging!

We started school yesterday. We are homeschooling again this year and looking forward to a great year of having fun together. I've got some great and exciting plans for the children's education (and probably mine too!). This year we are doing a lot of hands-on learning, especially for Science and History/Geography. Our day began with last year's tradition of ABC's Pancakes. The children loved that.

After school, I was able to bake some Zuchinni bread using some garden produce and then we went to the library. This is a new library to us and it was a really fun library with lots of good selections to choose from. We will definitely be going back!

We heard of a good homeschool group where we are and so the first meeting was last night. Of course, it was a parent's meeting ... no children allowed. My husband is currently in the Pacific Northwest working for the next couple months. Yours Truly is a single mom for awhile. Quite interesting to say the least... Anyway, I found someone to watch my children for the evening and then I went to the meeting. By the time I got back and took her home, it was about 11:30pm. I tried to get on the internet to blog, but to no avail! Internet would not connect... no kidding.

So, here I am a day late... and about a dollar short!

Back from the Dead!

2009-09-04T10:06:00.000-07:00

Yes, I AM alive. I know this is contrary to a lot of opinion out there though! It has been an interesting summer, but now I do believe I am ready to get back in to the swing of things. Thank you so much for all of you who expressed the fact that you missed my blog. I appreciate that.

Look for me to get back into the swing of it... beginning on Tuesday, September 8th. I hope to be very consistent now and I look forward to hearing from you!

Gratituesday - The Men in My Life

2009-06-16T08:16:00.000-07:00

There is absolutely nothing that I am more grateful for than for my family. This week, I wanted to focus on the men in my life. They each are so important to me and each in their own way.

Nearly sixteen years ago, I met a man that God knew would be my husband one day. God also knew how much He would use this man to mold me and shape me into who He wanted me to be. Oh my, it has not been easy! BUT... I am so grateful for my husband and the years that we have shared together. No one else would stand by me and all that we've gone through! I love his smile, his love for our children, and the funny way he makes everyone else laugh!

My oldest child just celebrated his tenth birthday this last weekend. My how time flies! I am so grateful for my little man and the way God is working in his life. He is growing and changing right before my eyes, and reminding me of the huge responsibility we have as parents. How grateful I am for the opportunity to trust the Lord with my son's life and to lean on Him for every area of wisdom that is needed in raising him. I love having fun with my son and watching him smile. We sure enjoyed a night at the races on Saturday and afterward he said it was one of the best times he ever had! That made me so happy... making him happy.

I've had the opportunity to be around more of my dad lately. I think he is such a great dad... not perfect, but great. I've always thought that. No matter what he did, or what others thought of him, He was my dad and I loved him. I suppose I am a little biased! I do see a lot of his faults, some of them are my own too, but He's the only dad I've got! He has taught me a lot through the years and I'm tremendously grateful for that. I have really, really enjoyed working beside him the last few weeks as he's started his own business.

Each of these guys are so important to me. They each make up a little piece of who I am. God is using each one in my own life and I'm thankful that He is. I hope I can be used by God in their lives as well.

For more Gratituesday posts, visit www.heavenlyhomemakers.com

Gratituesday - Reading Galore

2009-06-09T08:43:00.000-07:00

My children LOVE to read... all of them do. It has been so exciting to see each of my three oldest learn to read and then to go on and enjoy reading books without me nagging them to do so. I LOVED being able to see the joy on my five year old as she learned to read her first word this year. Now she is reading her own books and loving every minute of it.

Yesterday, the three oldest signed up for the Summer Reading Program at the library... They haven't stopped reading yet! This morning they filled out their goal for the summer and now I'm afraid they'll meet it all in one week! Am I going to discourage them though... No way, not one bit! I am SO GRATEFUL for their love of books and the learning that they are accomplishing (without even knowing they are!)

Eight year old reading while trying to balance...she's already multitasking!

Books are all over the living room floor and so are my children!

Visit Heavenly Homemakers for more Gratituesday posts.

Menu Plan Monday

2009-06-08T12:06:00.000-07:00

Oh the joys and disappointments of life, especially for a nine, eight and five year old! We were to start softball and baseball today, but it's raining and the fields are too wet. I had three very sad children, but I'm happy to say that as I write this, they are adjusting quite nicely.

Along with softball and baseball for the children, comes some exciting menu-planning for momma. I am attempting to provide a quick, on-the-go lunch three days a week without breaking the bank to do it. I'm not interested in giving my kids processed lunch meat or bread made from refined flour nor am I wanting to do the quick "lunchable" type thing. This just means that I have to plan ahead a little and do some baking etc... before hand. Anyone out there have some healthy ideas for the coming weeks?

Here is this week's plan....

Monday -

Breakfast - Oatmeal
Lunch - Tuna Melts
Supper - Pizza Pockets and Veggies

Tuesday -

Breakfast - Bacon and Eggs, Baked Apples
Lunch - Fruit Shakes
Supper - Pizza

Wednesday -

Breakfast - Cereal (a real treat!)
Lunch - Tortilla Roll-ups and Grapes
Supper - Community Picnic ( and it's free!)

Thursday -

Breakfast - Oatmeal
Lunch - Potatoe Nachos
Supper - Chicken Soup

Friday -

Breakfast - Apple Puff Pancake
Lunch - Quesadillas, Veggies
Supper - Pizza Pockets, Steamed Green Beans and Carrots (I know, twice in one week, but it's Daddy's night to cook)

Saturday -

(My son's birthday and he gets to choose!)

Breakfast - Waffles
Lunch - Fast Food Treat
Supper - Tacos

For more menu ideas go to Organizing Junkie each Monday.

Gratituesday - The Little Sparrows

2009-06-02T06:46:00.000-07:00

I am so enjoying our new surroundings and seeing all the different kinds of creatures that are in these parts. We were able to go camping Friday night and it was so fun to be with the children and just admire God's creation! One little creature I happened to notice a little more, was the sparrow.

Don't know why, but I haven't really dwelt too long on the subject of the sparrow. Yeah, Yeah, I've read the Bible verses, heard the song, and my head is filled with all kinds of info about how God takes care of us... just like he takes care of the birds of the air etc. Oh, but then God gets a hold of your heart... you know the times...

As I was hiking out in the middle of no where though, and I heard those little birds... and then I saw those cute little things... I couldn't help but be so grateful for such an awesome God who would take care of me, just like He does them. They sure looked nice and healthy and plump! I guess I can trust God to keep me plump too! LOL!

For His eye is on the sparrow... and I know He watches me...

Menu Plan Monday

2009-06-01T19:19:00.000-07:00

It has been SO LONG since I wrote out a menu plan for the week, let alone for the month! This being June 1st, I am in the process of writing out the menu for the month. I really do love taking care of my family's needs in this way and have been encouraged by the frugal results I have seen. It is not easy to feed a family of six on about $350 - $400 a month, but by God's grace, we've not gone hungry yet!

Here is this week's menu:

Monday -

Breakfast - Apple Puff Pancakes, Oranges
Lunch - Sandwiches, Fruit
Dinner - Beans and Cornbread

Tuesday -

Breakfast - Oatmeal
Lunch - Yogurt and Fruit
Dinner - Homemade Pizza

Wednesday -

Breakfast - Whole Wheat Waffles with Blueberry Topping
Lunch - Picnic Away (we're going to the big city and packing a lunch!)
Dinner - Homemade Burritos

Thursday -

Breakfast - Oatmeal
Lunch - Tuna Melts and Veggies
Dinner - Taco Soup

Friday -

Breakfast - Biscuits and Fruit
Lunch - Salmon Patties and Veggies
Dinner - Daddy's Night to Cook (?????)

Saturday -

Breakfast - French Toast
Lunch - Fruit Shakes
Dinner - Firefighter Fundraiser at Local Park

Sunday -

Breakfast - Sausage Rolls and Fruit
Lunch - Chicken Soup
Dinner - Leftovers

The Bible

2009-05-23T08:46:00.000-07:00

Majestic, eternal, immutable BOOK,

Inspired, inerrant, complete.

The Light of my path as I walk on life's way,

The Guide and the Lamp to my feet.

Its writings are holy and verbally true.

The unalterable Stature of Light,

For profit, for doctrine, for correction, reproof

Infallible Guide to the right.

My Treasure, my Comfort, my Help, and my Stay,

Incomparable Measure and Rod,

Each page is replete with its textual proof,

The Bible, the exact WORD OF GOD.

- Gertrude Grace Sanborn

Melt in Your Mouth Biscuits

2009-05-20T06:28:00.001-07:00

With my husband home in the mornings now, I am striving to provide a nice breakfast for my family as we eat together. One recipe my family just loves is this recipe for biscuits. I don't even think they swallow as they're eating them! I double this recipe and still they are gone! What I really like about them, is that they really don't take all that long to make. Sooooo, I'm making them a healthy breakfast AND not taking too long to do it. That's a win/win for me!

Maybe you and your family will love them as much as mine!

Melt in Your Mouth Buttermilk Biscuits

1 cup unbleached flour

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

4 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

2 T. Rapadura (or sugar)

1/4 cup plus 3Tblspoons Chilled Butter

3 Tblspoons olive oil

2/3 cup buttermilk

1 egg, beaten

Sift flours, baking powder, salt and sugar together; cut in butter and add olive oil. Add buttermilk; stir in egg. Knead on a floured surface just until combined. Roll out to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut with a biscuit cutter or upside down glass; place biscuits on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 450 degrees for 10 - 15 minutes. Makes one dozen.

Note : You can double this recipe with great success, just use 3/4 cup chilled butter and 1/4 cup olive oil.

We like to top these biscuits with some butter and homemade jam or jelly! They'll be gone before you know it!

Gratituesday - Home

2009-05-19T05:48:00.000-07:00

For the last three months, my youngest daughter, age three, has been going up to people and saying "We don't have a house". This is not something we told her, but she just figured it out and then the questions came. "Why don't we have a house?" "But, WHY?" with the last question being said about five times. I tried to explain in my best mommy way!

Now, we have a home. She is now asking me, "WHY is this our house?" My brain gets tired of trying to answer, but I'm glad and very grateful for this place to call home.

Keep in mind, this world should never be our "home". We should never get so comfortable in the world, that we are not striving for our heavenly home. That is the one that I'm really grateful for! It is nice though, to have a place that you can go to get away from the world.... a place to truly be yourself amongst family... a place to teach and train your children a part from the pulls of the world... a place where Faith in God is the center of everyday life.

What are YOU grateful for today? Come and join us every Tuesday for more at Heavenly Homemakers.

Work in Progress

2009-05-15T07:10:00.000-07:00

Finally, after about 3 months of living out of suitcases, we are moving in to a place of our own! I am so very grateful about this, but it does mean that I am currently surrounded by boxes. I don't know if I've ever been so excited to see all our things! We've been working hard the last couple of days to get things in all the right places... still much work to be done, but I can see improvement!

In the next couple of weeks or so, here is what I hope to be blogging about...

a tour of our newest "home sweet home"
before and after of a recent project - complete with pictures!
cooking on a budget
the return of Gratituesday

A Woman of Strength

2009-05-08T09:07:00.000-07:00

So many times we, as woman, (forgive me if you are a brother, husband or son and reading this!) feel that we must put on our SuperHero outfit and be strong for all those people in our lives.

If you have never felt this way, maybe you are in denial! LOL

I, for one, have felt this way so many times. I am realizing more and more that I... JUST.... CAN'T.... DO.... IT!

I came upon this poem recently, and thought I would share it with those of you who can relate. I hope it will be a blessing to you as much as it was to me...

A strong woman works out everyday to keep her body in shape,
but a woman of strength kneels in prayer to keep her soul in shape.

A strong woman isn't afraid of anything,
but a woman of strength shows courage in the midst of fear.

A strong woman won't let anyone get the best of her,
but a woman of strength gives the best of her to everyone.

A strong woman walks sure footedly,
but a woman of strength knows God will catch her when she falls.

A strong woman wears the look of confidence on her face,
but a woman of strength wears grace.

A strong woman has faith that she is strong enough for the journey,
but a woman of strength has faith that it is in the journey that she will become strong.
[author unknown]

Gratituesday -

2009-04-21T14:03:00.000-07:00

Ok, I'll be honest... last week was not a good week for me. I was depressed and lonely most of the week. My circumstances were getting the best of me and I was allowing them to determine my attitude. Bottom line ... I wasn't trusting the Lord to take care of things!

Oh, but then came the man of God, speaking of the word of God. How humbled I was! Through the Holy Spirit speaking through him, I realized that I was not surrounding my heart and my will to what God wanted. I wasn't trusting Him to take care of my circumstances. I was worrying and fretting over things and wanting someone to play the world's tiniest violin on my behalf!

What am I grateful for today? I'm grateful for the man of God that is willing to preach whatever God lays on his heart, I'm grateful for God sending the Holy Spirit as a Comforter and a Convicter, and I'm grateful that my loving, Heavenly Father gives new mercy every morning to a sinner such as I.

Have you claimed His mercy in your life? What are you grateful for today?

Gratituesday - "Dinner's on Me", says God

2009-04-07T07:56:00.000-07:00

We have been very cautious with our spending lately and have made it a point not to go out to eat very much at all.

We can make exceptions though and do, especially when it comes to birthdays. They are a very special occasion in our house!

So, this last weekend, when it was time to celebrate our daughter's birthday, we decided we would splurge a little and go out to eat as a family.

What we didn't know was that God was taking us out to eat! It is true that in reality, He always takes out to eat, but what a great surprise to find a $20 bill sitting in the parking lot just waiting for us to pull up and find it!

Our bill that night? ... $18.45

The experience of knowing that God is real in our lives and cares intimately about our needs? .... priceless!

I am so grateful for a caring God who loves us and keeps His promises.

A Fun Project

2009-03-26T19:03:00.000-07:00

My mother-n-law has just opened an antique booth in an antique mall.

We are all having fun finding things to put in to the booth.

You wouldn't believe some of the things that people put at the end of their driveway!

My mother-n-law found an old rocker, brought it home, cleaned it up and polished it,

and it looks as good as new. Some might say SHE'S off HER rocker, but half the fun of this is just finding stuff and fixing it up!

Now it's my turn!

My husband found this little end table, complete with two drawers,

just sitting out waiting for me to work on it. He brought it home and tonight I have started sanding it. I went and bought a gallon of returned paint

at the hardware store for $6.

I'll have a brand new table in no time that is just perfect for someones living room or bedroom!

As you can see, it needs a little bit of work,

but it will be well worth the $50 - $75 that it brings in.

These are just the before pictures,

but I'll be sure to take some "after" pictures too when I'm all done!

Gratituesday - The Music Please

2009-03-24T14:56:00.000-07:00

I love music.... Not just any music though.

I really like music that is encouraging, uplifting, and true.

I don't like the sad and mopey stuff... you know the kind where the dog dies and the wife's gone and life just isn't perfect. I don't like the fast and hard stuff where you can't even enjoy the words.

What I really like is a song that you can sing and brighten your day, or maybe somebody elses.

I have listened to a lot of music over the years, and some may say that I'm just getting old, so my tastes have changed, BUT... I like to say that I'm just getting wiser!

God has really shown me more and more the kind of music He enjoys. I love going to church and being refreshed by the music, just as much as the preaching. Have you ever really listened and understood, maybe even meditated, on the words of the songs we sing in our hymnals?

Today I am just grateful for good, Godly music. I'm thankful for the music that God uses to teach me and to encourage me. What is your favorite song to sing?

Gratituesday - Time spent for Mommy

2009-03-17T07:00:00.000-07:00

Once a mommy, always a mommy! That reality hits me in the face sometimes. What an awesome responsibility I have and yet, one that is never ending. From the moment my son was born, until the day I die, I will always be his mommy ... not to mention the mommy of his three sisters as well. I take this role seriously and I love being mom, but when an aunt or grandma comes along and says that they want to have the children over to spend the night, well I just about fall at their feet in gratefulness! Don't get me wrong. Did I mention that I LOVE my children? I also love their daddy. I love the few moments that we get together and I love spending time with just him, when we get the chance. I love being able to go for a walk and take my time. I love being able to talk to someone and not get my conversation interrupted. Most of all, I love that feeling I have for my children when they've been gone for the day and then I get to see them again. I am so grateful for the time to refresh, but I love seeing their smiling faces once again and the opportunity to be their mommy!

What are you grateful for today?

Gratituesday - 100 years of Family

2009-03-10T16:42:00.000-07:00

We just had the wonderful opportunity of attending my husband's grandmother's 100th birthday party. Just about all the family was there... 5 of her children... umpteen (is that a word) grandchildren, and even more great grandchildren. Her surviving brother and sister were there as well as other distant family and some friends. We all had a great time visiting with each other and celebrating her life. She really enjoyed it too.

After all the festivities, I got to thinking about this lady and the life that she has lived the last 100 years. It's just amazing when you think about all that she has lived through and the changes that have taken place during her life span. What I truly was grateful for was the testimony of her family, especially the morals and upbringing that she gave her daughter (my mother-n-law). Her daughter has passed these on to her children (my husband) and I'm blessed to be a part of it. This grandmother has passed down a legacy of hard work, doing right, and a love for life... just to name a few. I hope I can pass this same legacy down to my own children. Thank you for the example, Grandma!