Old Paths

I was forwarded this today by a friend. For some reason my mood went from being alright in the morning to just plain ole' MISERABLE by afternoon. I am not sure why this email showed up today, but it sure did validate some of the things that I was thinking about today. I bolded the parts that stood out to me. All of it was good, but those points stuck out to me. Gosh, I desire so much to just be able to get my kids to respect and behave, my husband to turn to the Lord for salvation and people to be mindful of God's laws and not their own desires. That people would respect the Holy Spirit and LISTEN when prompted to be God's helping hands for others. I so desire and pray that I get out of this funk, because with this defeatest attitude how in the world am I going to teach my children all these basic principles and be the witness to my husband or even be the best person I can be to others. Lord help me to stop thinking like this and help me to be more positive!!!

I wish the old paths were before us instead of behind us.

I liked the old paths, when Moms were at home.

Dads were at work. Brothers went into the army.

And sisters got married BEFORE having children!

Crime did not pay;

Hard work did;

And people knew the difference.

Moms could cook;

Dads would work;

CHILDREN WOULD BEHAVE!

Husbands were loving;

Wives were supportive;

And children were polite.

Women wore the jewelry;

And Men wore the pants.

Women looked like ladies;

Men looked like gentlemen;

And children looked decent.

People loved the truth, And hated a lie;

They came to church to get IN,

Not to get OUT!

Hymns sounded Godly;

Sermons sounded helpful;

Rejoicing sounded normal;

And crying sounded sincere.

Cursing was wicked;

Drugs were for illness;

And divorce was unthinkable.

The flag was honored;

America was beautiful;

And God was welcome!

We read the Bible in public;

Prayed in school;

To be called an American was worth dying for;

To be called a Christian was worth living for;

To be called a traitor was a shame!

Preachers preached because they had a message,

Singers sang from the heart;

And sinners turned to the Lord to be SAVED!

A new birth meant a new life;

Salvation meant a changed life;

Following Christ led to eternal life.

Being a preacher meant you proclaimed the word of God;

Being a deacon meant you would serve the Lord;

Being a Christian meant you would live for Jesus;

And being a sinner meant someone was praying for you!

Laws were based on the Bible;

Homes read the Bible;

And churches taught the Bible.

God was worshiped

And the Holy Spirit was respected.

Church was where you found Christians on the Lord's day,

rather than in the garden,

in the creek bank,

on the golf course,

Or being entertained somewhere else.

I still like the old paths the best!

"Heavenly Chocolate Cherry Cake"

I am about to embark on a new receipe today. I don't know the name of it, but I am going to name it myself. "Heavenly Chocolate Cherry Cake". A lady at church talked about this cake and gave me directions on how to make it. I thought it was absolutely neat how you can add the cherries to the top of the batter and it will sink to the bottom which will end up being the top of the cake once you remove it from the pan. Here is the receipe. I'd post a picture of it, but unfortunately my computer is brand new right now and has some issues. One of which is not getting my camera to connect to the computer. Making it quite difficult to download pictures. Anywhoooooo.....I'll have to make this again when it is working. Any excuse to make it again, huh?


Step 1 ~ making the Chocolate Cake
1/2 c. butter, softened
1/4 c. shortening
2 c. brown sugar, firmly packed
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 eggs3 (1 oz.) sqs. unsweetened chocolate, melted
1 c. sour cream
2 1/2 c. cake flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2/3 c. water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 13 x 9 pan. Cream butter and shortening with brown sugar and vanilla. Add eggs; continue beating until very light and fluffy. Blend in melted chocolate and sour cream; beat 1 minute at medium speed to mix well (15 strokes by hand). Add dry ingredients and water. Beat 3 minutes at medium speed (450 strokes by hand).


Step 2 ~ setting & baking cake

Layer small marshmellows on bottom of pan. Pour cake batter on top. Then add one can of cherry pie filling to the top of the cake batter. Bake 35 to 40 minutes at 350 degrees. Pull from the oven and let it cool. Invert the cake onto a tray and serve with a dollop of whip cream.

Step 3 ~ eating this delicious "Heavenly Chocolate Cherry Cake"

Yummy!!!!

Quotes and Faith

Some quotes and thoughts that I found that I liked:

• Faith doesn't get you around problems, it takes you through them...
• an-gel : An immortal being attendant upon God; a very kind and lovable person; a helping or guiding spirit.
• And as I prayed, Gabriel, who I had seen in a vision, flew to me, and said, "I have come to help you and to give you insight into God's plan... for He loves you dearly. - Daniel 9:21
• Some don't believe in miracles. They say, "What happens is by chance" They rush through God's creation, Without a passing glance. But for those that look and listen throughout each precious day they will find the tracks of Angels, as they move along their way! - Andie Hellem
• If a man does not make new acquaintance as he advances through life, he will soon find himself left alone. - Samuel Johnson

Just to comment on the first quote there. Faith is a hard one to maintain. I can remember when I first gave my life to the Lord and decided that I have faith in the Lord , that nothing was going to shake that it. I was going to be determined to believe in the unseen. Faith to me was believing that God was in control of my life. He was guiding me in the right direction to happiness and confidence. I had awareness of His presence in the littlest details of my life. It was thrilling to constantly see them. It heighted the happiness everytime.

Now that time has passed, it seems to get harder to recognize those little details. Not sure why other then its just part of the process and cycle of life. If you think about how your marriage grows over time, you probably can honestly say that you don't love your husband (spouse) the same way you did at the beginning. I am more in love with my husband now and appreciate, love and care for him with deeper meaning. Mainly due to the trails and tests that we've been through over the years. Now its been hard and sometimes I thought to myself is it worth it? But I can say that it has. Looking back its been worth it. The level of trust I have for him at any level of vulnerability I have is 100%. I know that he will love me unconditionally. This is how I want my love for the Lord to be. A 100% unconditional love and trust. Like it says in Prov 3:5-6. I do know though that it is going to take some trails and tests of my faith (faith in the unseen) to get to that point. Someday ~ but its going to take some growing up, I believe.

I guess what I need to do is just make a conscience effort to be the person Christ wants me to be. Love Him, love others. No matter how hard that may be at times. When the pressure builds in my life, I pray that I cling hard to that unseen God that promises Love in return.

Due 7:9 Know that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love HIm and keep His commandments.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Heavenly Father, Lord above ~ Master of all,

I desire to live my life in a way that is pleasing and reflects the Love of Christ to others. Help me, Lord to be more compassionate, understanding and keen to the needs of others. Help me to notice when someone needs a friend and needs help. Use me, Lord to be what you want me to be for others. Even when I may be lacking in faith of your loving graces upon my life, I desire to hang on to your promises and push through the doubt. I thank you for the awareness and the desire you've put in my heart and I only hope that I can be used for your glory! In your loving name I pray.....Amen!!!!

Oops!......

"Oops!.... I did it again" that is the song Brittney Spears sang, that popped into my head driving home from church this evening.

Yes, I forced myself to go to church tonight. I got myself really involved in sorting my online pictures and getting some sort of assembly. They are ridiculously unorganized. Got myself a good momentum and then the clock said 7:00. Time for church. It was very easy to say to myself, "don't go, you'll be late. why interupt the service". Lord gave me some strength to get up and go anyway. I'm glad. It seems that it is during those times when I least want to be at church is when I get the most out of the service. Odd really, cause you'd think I'd be less interested in paying attention, but it doesn't work out that way. I always seem to get something out of it that is pertaining to what is pressing on my mind at the moment.

Today was a good day for me. I actually was accomplishing things that I hadn't been able to do because of working at the school. This summer break has given me some opportunities to do the jobs that were put aside. Very thankful for that! However, today I was brought down a few notches by my son and husband. Simply amazing to me how other people's attitude and negativity can really drag you down. Especially when you least expect it. Now I perfectly understand about that, because I certainly have my own share of negativity to dish out. It's just hard to be blind sided by someone else's is all.

Along with this little spat with my son and husband today, I have been thinking about relationships. Ones that we are suppose to have with each other. I'd really love for someone to explain to me what the meaning of friendship is? I mean, I think I know and I have these expectations (is that the problem, *I* have expectations????) of what a friendship should be about. Somehow, I end up short in being that friend to others. After tonight's message I think I've realized something when it comes to people. That it takes the Holy Spirit to be that friend. It just boils down to whether or not we are willing to listen to that little voice in your heart telling you to do things, verses the desires of the mind. I desire to have a close friend, but maybe I need to just put that aside and just listen to my heart ~ the Holy Spirit ~ and just be who I am and let God direct my relationships with others. Don't be afraid, don't be hesitant, don't be leary and don't be doubtful of anything.

Here is a quote from the pastor this evening that I thought sums up things for me. "There's not a jewel on earth that hasn't been made by pressure". However much pressure I think I am under right now ~ whether self-afflicted or God generated ~ God is pressure cooking me into a very nice jewel. I just hope that I end up being that jewel that God intends for me to be!


by the way ~ the quote above I've spoofed to be: "Oops!..... God did it again!"

Blueberry Jam Part 2

Here is the receipe that I followed:

4 Cups Prepared Blueberries

7 Cups Sugar

2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice

1 Sure Jell Pectin

Above makes about 4 pints jam

Stem and thoroughly crush ripe berries. Add 2 tablespoons lemon juice to berries. Measure sugar and keep ready. Mix pectin with fruit and using high heat to bring to a boil. At once add sugar. Bring to a full boil (cannot be stirred down). Boil hard for one minute. Remove from heat and skim for 5 minutes. This helps prevent floating fruit. Put quickly into jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Clean rim and seal with rings. Tighten rings but not too tight. Water bath for 15 minutes for pints/quarts. We use a steam canner. Time is the same. Remove and set on newspaper to cool. It should set in 24 hours. The next day remove rings and wash jars. Store with rings off.

The kids had to join in on the fun. They all took a turn mashing the berries. Ian and Conner took the plunge and used their hands. (they were clean!) Tristan on the other hand used the untensil. Not sure if he is smart of not adventureous??? :)

After all was said and done, it wasn't all that bad making the jam. Doing little batches like this doesn't seem so over whelming. One of my turn offs from canning is the length of time it takes to go through the process. Last time I attempted to can was green beans. Took me all day.
I'd rather just buy it from the store and be done with it. However, you simply don't get the home cooked taste like you do when you can it yourself. This was an easy receipe and one that didn't take me all day to do. It was rather enjoyable, if you ask me :D!

Here is the finished producted. I got 2 pints and 4 1/2 pints out of this batch. WoooHooo!!!

Blueberries

Yesterday my neighbor called me up and asked if I wanted to pick some blueberries at her house. "Sure", I tell her. The kids and I went and picked beautiful berries. I'm hoping that I can get a cutting off of her bushes so I can start my own. Anywhooooo, I am going make some blueberry jam out of what I got. I think I have enough to make one batch and then maybe some blueberry muffins. I'll post some pictures of my adventures in the kitchen today!

New Jersey Trip

This is the "little" cowboy that sits in front of the flea market in NJ that I love to go to. This place has been in my memory ever since I was a little girl. My parents would take me there to get school clothes, buy Christmas presents for people or to get some of the yummy Amish food. Roasted peanuts is must have when we go there as well. Nothing like a hot roasted peanut. The day we went they had the outside portion of the flea market open and we had a blast trying to find the perfect find. Even though I came up short handed. Probably not for the lack of availablity, but due to the fact that I'm a miser with my money and I hate to give it up if I don't really need "it".

Tristan surprised me though. He decided right before we were to leave that he wanted some "spoons". Which I thought was rather weird for a 9 year old to want. Apparently he saw them when he was with his dad. Once we found the vendor again, Tristan was in heaven trying to go through this big bowl full of little travel spoons. They look like little tea spoon and on them they have a decoration of a destination. Tristan picked out 3 of them, one with the Eifell Tower, Novia Scotia and Canada. Yes, I was proud of his negiotation skills as well. Without even a glance my way to receive help in negiotiated the price, he talked to the gentlemen with a skill of an adult. The price of these little spoons were $3.00 each. He managed to talk the guy down to $2.25 each. Doesn't seem like much, but just to watch him make his own grown up deal was neat.

This is my sister-n-laws 30+ acre lake. The kids absolutely love going here. To the left there is a little dock that they can go swimming off of and fish. The kids decided fishing was first on the agenda and low and behold, Ian was the first to catch....on the first cast no less!!! He got himself a little bass. He looks so proud, huh?! He went on to catch one more for the day. It was real nice to be there at Caroline's. She's got herself a nice little place that seems so out of place for NJ too! The farm lands are becoming far and few in between, so to see someone hold on to a big spread like this is refreshing.

I'll post more pictures later when I get back to WV. We are leaving Monday morning at 2:00 AM. I am hoping and PRAYING that the kids will sleep at least half of the trip and the other half they have mercy on me and be nice to each other!!