Going On A Trip!

Each year I enjoy taking my Dad on a mini vacation. We adopted him about 8 years ago and he has several health issues which limit him doing a lot of things he would love to do. We've had an opportunity to go on several little trips together but the past few years have been difficult for us financially as well as his health has not allowed him to travel.

This year my sister and I have been planning and plotting a fun surprise for him and the boys. My sister lives in Indiana and she is coming home for her yearly summer visit. This year we decided to meet in Gatlinburg and spend a few days together before she comes home! Wanting to keep it a surprise from our boys and my Dad we began plotting months ago!

Last week I had a "family meeting" with Grandpa and the boys and told them..."Dad and I talked and we think you boys need to go to camp and Grandpa you're going as a camp counselor!" I wish I would have had a camera take a photo of their faces! At first the boys were in shock that they were going to camp, they had no idea what I meant considering I told them we would be home on Tuesday! Grandpa looked at me like I had lost my mind, he knew with his heath, camp was the last place he could go! After I calmed everyone down and told them they would only be gone 4 days and 3 nights they realized they were not going to a "traditional camp!" After Dad realized it was not a real camp he held his chest and said with tears in his eyes "This is doing my heart good!" Excitement started to build!!

What they don't know is that they are going to "Camp Aunt Lynette" and they get to stay in a beautiful 3 story cabin complete with game room, pool, hot tubs and Jacuzzi! They have no idea what's in store for them! We have the whole weekend planned with things Dad can physically handle! The Lord even blessed this week by allowing me to find Dad a great wheelchair at the thrift shop for just $8! Isn't He good to us!

So this week we are planning, packing and getting ready to head off on an adventure!! I look forward to sharing with you our trip! I'm sure its going to be a special time building memories with Grandpa at "Camp Aunt Lynette!!!!"

Boys!!!

I'm sure you're wondering what on earth is this about? Well, its an ongoing prank that our boys just LOVE pulling on me! You see, they love to put the rubber band on the trigger of the kitchen sprayer, then sit back and wait for me to turn the water on! When I turn it on, you got it, I get a good soaking!!! I never seem to remember to look to see if I'm going to get the shock! This evening our youngest asked "Mom, are you going into the kitchen any time soon?" This was said with a huge smile that he was trying to hide! I said "yep, in just a minute!" He showed Dad what he was up to and I could hear Dad say "Oh, you did not put the trigger down you've got to do it like this!" Having a house full of boys and being the only girl often leads to plastic snakes hid in the cabinet, plastic roaches in my bed, fake vomit on the floor and many other pranks & jokes! I have to remember, one day all these toys will be put away and the house will be quiet. For now I laugh, squeal, jump and give them the "girly" response they are looking for! They get a good laugh and I get a memory that will last a life time! I'm honored to be their Mom even when I'm the one getting wet!

""There has never been, nor will there ever be, anything quite so special as the love between a mother and a son" Author: Unknown"

Breakfast For Mom

What a nice surprise I received this morning....breakfast!!! After the week of VBS I decided to take an hour nap Sunday afternoon. When I woke up I could not get out of the bed. My back gave out and I was in pain. I took some pain medication and on the couch I sat. Monday was just as bad. Getting ready to go out of town and here I sit! This morning to my surprise my son fixed me breakfast! Eggs, bacon and toast! I'm truly blessed with two boys who are attentive to the needs of others and who love their Mom! Thank you for yet again making me feel special!

What Would He Say About You? Good or Evil?

My sister is a wedding coordinator and has worked on countless weddings. She was hired a few months ago and this particular wedding was for a Pastor's daughter. My sister was excited to work with them. The Pastor's daughter ended up being the most ungrateful bride my sister has ever worked with. She tried and tried to make this bride happy. My sister was talking to the bride's Father and she mentioned to the Father how she just wanted to make the bride happy. The Father leaned into my sister and said in a quiet voice; "That's your problem, you're trying to make her happy and she is just like her Mother, no matter what you do you're not going to make her happy!" Recently while at a local sporting goods store with our boys I heard two gentlemen talking about their wives. One gentleman said; "It does not matter what I do for my wife, its never good enough and its never right." He then followed up with "I'm sick of it!" As I stood there listening to them rant about their wives I had to ask myself...if my husband sat around with his friends what would he say about me?

The Bible tells us in Proverbs 31:10-12, "Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies. The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil. She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life." Wow! That last line "she will do him good and not evil all the days of her life" really struck me today. I had to ask myself, am I doing him good and not evil? Am I and encouragment to him? Am I being a help meet to him or am I a hindering block? Am I like the women these men were talking about? Is my husband saying to his friends or to himself "I'm sick of it!"

Our lives are wonderful works in the making and none of us has arrived. We are all in the process of becoming what we ought to be because God isn't finished with us yet. We all fail at times but use those failures as stepping stones not hindering blocks. Often my husband and I have a time where we ask each other "Is there something you would like me to work on?" Now, ladies, don't ask that question if your not ready to hear the answer. Don't ask the question then when he gives you an area to work on you lash out out him. If you ask the question, be prepaired for the answer.

George Muller said: The Lord taught me that the first business I needed to attend to every day was to have my spirit happy in the LORD. My first concern shouldn't be thinking of ways to serve and glorify the LORD, but rather, how to get my spirit into a happy state, and how to nourish my inner man." Do you have a happy spirit? Dose your husband say "she does me good?" Today I renew myself to work on a "happy spirit" not only in me but in my home and with my husband as well. May he say about me...She does me good and not evil all the days of her life.

Psalms 139:23-24 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Smothered Steak

On Sunday I like to cook in my crock pot....well really any day I like to cook in the crock pot. I love it because I just put it in and walk away until time to serve. I also love cooking with the crock pot in the summer because it keeps the heat out of the kitchen. Over the past few weeks I've had a few people ask if I've ever made smothered steak and I've promised you I would post it when I made it next. I hate cooking on Sunday, so whatever I fix its usually a very simple.

I ran out of crock pot liners so I was bummed about that today. If you enjoy crock pot cooking you'll love the liners, they make clean up super simple!! Now on to the steak.....

Ingredients

2lb - Round Steak
1 - Small Onion cut in Rings
2 - Package Brown Gravy Mix
2 - Jars of Mushrooms or 6 Fresh Mushrooms cut in slices
Seasonings (I used Seasoned Salt & Garlic Garlic)

I don't pre brown my meat when cooking in a crock pot. The crock pot does not dry out meat so I just skip this step.

• Season the meat on both sides and put to the side. Make sure to season each steak well.
• Mix brown gravy mix according to package instructions; however, only use half the water. The steaks will draw moisture in the crock pot and add more liquid. Don't cook gravy just add the water, mix well and set to the side

Layer ingredients in the crock pot....seasoned meat, onion, mushrooms...repeat

Once layers are finished pour brown gravy over the top
I wanted this ready for lunch so I turned the crock pot on high and cooked for 4 hours. For slower cooking turn it on low and cook 8-10 hours.

When we came home I placed a few potatoes in the microwave, green beans in the microwave and within about 20 minutes of being home we had a great lunch with a cool kitchen and easy clean up! Now that's what I call a quick and easy Sunday lunch!

The steak was so tender you could cut it with a fork!

The seasonings made it mouth watering!!

Looking for more mouth watering recipes?

Check out these blogs Tuesdays At The Table The Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap and Dining With Debbie

The Boys Room - Part 1

How do you train your boys to be organized? I heard one lady say, "Its like trying to shovel water with a fork!" That gave me a good laugh! I believe its just as important for a young man to learn to keep house as it is a young lady. Our boys have learned to do laundry, empty the dishwasher, clean the bathroom, cook and may other household chores. They don't just do them once, the do them until its comfortable for them. When I was pregnant with them, I was very ill, my husband stepped in and helped me with the things I could not do. He knew just what to do and how to do it and we decided then that we wanted to train our boys to do the same thing. To be a helper to their wives especially during time of need.

We live in a small 1000 sq ft home so the boys have to share a room and its a small space. When we would tell them to clean their room it would be frustrating for them and I had to realize it was frustrating because they did not have the proper tools to get it organized. We decided to help them create a space that would be functional as well as organized. We were on a very limited budget so each purchase was

calculated carefully and the small space has turned into a place of

enjoyment rather then a place of frustration.

The boys have been wanting to paint their room so we decided to tackle the project together! Yes, it would have been much easier for me to send them fishing with Dad and tackle the job in a few hours but teaching them how to get organized was just as important as getting them organized.

Before getting started they had to remove everything from their walls, wash them down and fill the holes with plaster. When trying to get organized you often make a mess in the process, but that is part of getting organized.

Since we were organizing they decided to get rid of stuff they have out grown. Now, for one of our boys getting rid of things is harder then the other so we made a game of it. They had a large bin of stuffed animals. I told them they could each pick three (they never play with them and they just sit on the shelf). Our one son said; "I don't want any." The other one had a hard time choosing so I gave them a big trash bag and said I'm going to count to 25 and you have to choose three. He threw all the ones he did not care about to the side and chose three. It made it fast and fun and after doing this process twice he said; "Now its so easy to get rid of stuff!" If we don't have a space for it, it can't stay in the room. Now when they get something new, something old has to go out. Everything must have a home.

They love football, so they wanted their room painted Indianapolis Blue! All I had to do was tell Lowe's Indianapolis Blue and they already had the color in the computer!

Because they are all boy they have boy toys! They really wanted their paintball supplies displayed so we painted a peg board the same color as their wall and they had so much fun arranging all the items getting the space organized and looking cool! When helping them organize let them have a voice. Having all the paintball stuff on the wall is something I would have never wanted but they did, they love it and its all organized!
The next thing they have are skateboards! I hate seeing them all over the floor and in a small space the less on the floor the better! We researched for a long time how to hang them without having a ton of hardware on the wall and keeping the cost down. I found these great garden hose hangers at Lowe's for just $6 each and they hold 2 ripsticks or 3 skateboards each!! The display case to the right holds their Tech Decks (mini skateboards) so they are on display too. We still have two garden hose hooks to purchase and one more Tech Deck case to hang. Its so nice to have them behind the door and not on the floor!
Next, we purchased this shelving rack which holds their TV, video game system, art supplies and all those odd and end items that never seem to have a home. Getting the boys organized and teaching them to keep a clean room is a character trait that will follow them through out their lives. We're still working in the room and have a few more details to finish up but they have a space for everything and when its time to clean the room it takes just a few minutes for them to get it organized.

So far we've spent...$105 on their room make-over

Paint.....$15 (Lowe's)

Shelving Unit.....$45 (Lowe's)

Peg Board......$5 (Lowe's)

Pegs........$10 (Lowe's)

Garden Hose Hooks........$18 (Lowe's)

10-Baskets........$20 (Ross & Thrift Shop)

Bulletin Board.....$2 (Thrift Shop)

Proverbs 22:6
Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

Go here to find other great Show and Share ideas at Just a Girl!

Homemade Salsa

Just like last year we were blessed with some yummy garden vegetables and I've had a few people ask me how I make my salsa so I decided to post the recipe again. I did make a few changes and this year we were also given tomatoes, cucumbers and squash which I added to the batch of salsa. The fresh veggies came just in time because I just opened the last jar of salsa from last summer.

You can go here to see our blessing of produce this week!

Ingredients

• 8 - 14.5 oz Cans of Chopped Tomatoes (or 8-10 large garden tomatoes)
• 2 med Onions (I like to use white onion because they are sweeter)
• 2 Green Bell Peppers chopped (this year I did not have bell pepper so I did 1 cucumber and 1 squash)
• 1/2 cup Carrots chopped - optional
• 1/2 cup Celery chopped - optional
• 2 Jalapeno Peppers (keep seeds if you like it a little hotter)
• 6 Banana Peppers
• 2 cloves of Garlic or 3tbsp Garlic Garlic (this is what I used)
• 24 oz Bottle of Hunts Ketchup
• 1/2 cup Sugar
• 3/4 cup White Vinegar

First Step

In a food processor chop all vegetables. I like to chop them separately because some items are tender some are hard. You don't want your tender items turning to mush before your hard items are chopped.

When cooking a big batch of items that need chopped I like to use my food processor that my husband bought me for Christmas a few years ago. I know, I know, not a very romantic gift; however, I thought of it as something he thought I needed to make my life easier and to me that was romantic. Now when I get it out it does not make me mad, I am thankful for it and know it will save me a ton of time. I always thank him every time I pull it out!

After everything is chopped dump everything in a pot and simmer uncovered 5-6 hours. Its that simple! This year I did not have time to stay home so I put it in my crock pot and cooked it on low for about 10 hours.
If you're making a full batch you might want to can or freeze in small containers. If you decide to can then follow these steps....
When you're almost finished cooking boil the canning lids and keep them hot.

Sterilize your jars! I like to do this in the dishwasher, its so much easier and no hot water to tend with. Just make sure to keep them hot. I start canning when they are about half way through the dry cycle.

Fill your jars! I have a nice funnel for canning but do you think I could find it, NO! I just used a small measuring cup. Make sure you wipe the rims off before adding the lid.

Using TONGS get your lids out of the hot water and place on your jar. Remember, they will be HOT! Secure ring around lid but don't make it tight. After they cool you can go back and tighten. After an hour check your lids, if they don't have a popping sound when you push in the middle they are sealed. If they do make a noise then they have not sealed. You can put them in a hot bath and seal them or just refrigerate and eat those first or give them away.

It just that easy! Now you have fresh salsa to give to family and friends for the holidays or an appetizer ready for any party. Pour over a block of cream cheese and you're good to go!!

Don't forget to enjoy your hard work!!!

This post has been linked to The Grocery Cart Challenge

He's HOME!!!

What a blessing it was today for Mark to start his new job! I could not wait till he went to lunch because I knew he would call and tell me all about it. I was like a kid waiting to go to the park...I kept looking at the clock waiting for the time I thought he would go. When he called I could hear the excitement and a little stress in his voice at all the new responsibilities that come with an upper management position.

After we hung up I was excited for him and then began to watch the clock knowing he would be home in just a few hours! It was so nice knowing he would be home for dinner and not get a leftover plate reheated in the microwave. I could not wait to welcome him home at 5:30 and not 10:30 pm!

I wanted to take a moment today to Thank God once again for giving Mark a job where we have the privilege to see him everyday and not just on the weekend. Its a new chapter in our lives are we are truly blessed to count it all joy.

Psalm 28:7
The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.

God Is Good In The Good Times And In Bad Times

372 days ago Mark came home and told me he was laid off and for a moment we were consumed with fear of the unknown. Then we felt God wrap his arms around us and lets know He would be with us each step of the way. Soon after the lay off Mark found a job but then that job dissolved as well. He's been working two jobs, leaving at 7am and returning after 10pm. Because of these hours we only see him Friday night through Sunday. When I would pray for him my eyes would always well up with tears because I missed having him home and it broke my heart when our youngest would ask, "how many more days until I get to see Dad?"

As I look back over the past year I am amazed at what God has done for us. We've made it through car payments, mortgage payments, astronomical electrical bills from the cold weather, insurance payments, groceries, Christmas and was it ever a great Christmas and on and on. God provided each and every step of the way. I'm was constantly being reminded of His great love. As I look back I would not change a single moment of the past year because not only have Mark and I grown in our walk with Christ but our boys have seen first hand the miracles of Christ in our family life and more importantly in their personal lives as well. Philippians 4:19 says..."But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." Daily Christ knew our "need" and daily he provided. Often it was fun to see how God would supply. God gave Mark several jobs during the past year and when he would say this job is ending we we would say with anticipation "I wonder what God has in store now?" When we needed a bill paid or our son needed glasses God always provided. When we would get down in the dumps he was always right there to remind us..."just trust in me!"

Has the past 372 days been easy? No, there is always pain when growing. We know our adventure is far from over; however, today we're rejoicing because God gave Mark a job!!! Not just a job but a job providing for our "need" and a job that will allow Mark quit the second job!!! We're excited to go into this next adventure of our lives. We're excited to see what God has in store for us and we wanted to thank everyone who has prayed for us this last year. We serve a mighty God and today we continue to press on for the cause of Christ. To God be the glory, great things HE hath done.

Psalm 62:7
In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.

WATER IN THE TRUNK!!!

I know this is a long post, I hope you will get a cup of coffee and enjoy hearing the miracle of our WATER in the trunk!!!


Has there ever been a time in your life where God worked in a miraculous way? It was so miraculous that you knew this was the hand of God because nothing you've done would lead to this?

Our day started out as just a normal Friday, running errands and getting the to do list marked off so we could get home in time to take our youth to a revival meeting about an hour away. Normally when we have something like this I don't run errands I stay home and get things ready for the evening. Several times that morning I kept putting off going to town but then decided we need to go, we need to go right now. I left everything out, got the boys in the car and left. As we were leaving I told our oldest son to put the cooler in the van and add water bottles so we could get ice and have the water if we needed it. Knowing we would not be gone long it was strange for me to put the cooler in the van but we did and we stopped to get ice so the water would be nice and cold.



Our day was going as normal and I told the kids why don't we get a sandwich, go to the house so you have time to rest before we go out this evening. Then all of a sudden I said "Would you rather get a sandwich or eat Mexican?" We all wanted a sandwich but I pulled into the Mexican Restaurant. This delayed our time getting home and as I was getting out of the van, I saw Chic-Fil-A next door and said to myself I would have rather had a quick sandwich and went home, why did I stop here! Little did I know why God delayed our trip home. In the restaurant the waitress kept forgetting things and Kyle mentioned how slow the service was. Again...little did we know.



As we left the restaurant and went home we had one more stop to make. As we pulled away from that stop we were going left then Kyle said; "Mom, can we go to the thrift shop right down the road?" Knowing we were pressed for time I did not even hesitate and said "Sure!" This meant we needed to turn right. The traffic was terrible on that road so we pulled out turned right and headed towards the thrift shop.



As we were going I noticed a runner to the left of the van 4 lanes of traffic over, he had on red shorts and the red caught my eye. I then looked again at him and noticed he was bent over as if he was throwing up. It was 94 degrees outside so I thought oh, he is dehydrated. I asked Kyle; "Did you see that guy? Is he throwing up?" Kyle looked and said; "No, but he is really struggling to get a breath!" At that moment I remembered the WATER we put in the van earlier. I looked around to see if I could get through the traffic but it was so congested, I said quickly "Lord, help me get over!" It was as if God parted the red sea! Cars were crowding the road but they were all stopped!!!! Yes, stopped with a huge gap for me to pull the van through. It was so strange at first I thought other people must be getting out to help this young man. I pulled the van over and "just so happened" there was a parking spot right in front of the runner. Kyle jumped out of the van grabbed two bottles of water and said to the young Marine "Sir, would you like some water?" He looked at Kyle and said; "More than you know, more than you know!" We talked for a moment, making sure we did not need to call for help then I said, "Are you in training? Why are you running this time of day when its so hot and humid?" He looked down to the ground and said "Ma'am, its the only thing I can do to get rid of so much anger!" He then pointed to his head, he had a scar from one ear over the top of his head to the other ear and then he began to tell me how he was home from war, he had been in a coma for a week, then in rehab, his girl left him, his truck broke down and on and on and on. I told him "Jason, God worked out many, many details today so we would run into one another and I believe God has a special plan for you. God said in John 3:16 that God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son. Jason, God gave the ultimate sacrifice so that on this day, at this time we would run into one another so we could tell you Jason that God loves you and God wants you to fall in love with Him." "It just so happened" that we were taking our youth group to a revival meeting that night. I asked Jason if he would go with us and he said, "I have nothing else to try, if you would not have stopped me, I was going to run until I collapsed and then I was going to die." My eyes welled up with tears, our boys were silent and I said "Jason, God loves you and he wants to give you a gift that you will never regret accepting." I then offered to take this young Marine home. People ask, "You put a strange, angry marine in your van with your children and took him home?" Yes! I had complete peace knowing that God worked this out and God had a special plan not only for Jason but for our boys as well. You see, this was the miracle I ask God for a week earlier.

As we were going home he said; "I just live a mile or so up the road, I don't know why I got so sick at that spot, I never do that, I run 6-7 miles everyday but when I got to that spot I could not breath, I got dizzy, I felt like I was going to pass out!" I smiled and said to myself; "I know why you got sick at that spot!" We dropped Jason off and I said; "We will be back to pick you up at 4:45, I am so excited you're coming with us Jason, God has something special in store for you." He said, "Thank you, I'm looking forward to coming!"



When the door shut and we pulled away I started to cry, the boys were overwhelmed and we started recounting all the miracles God did that day to lead us to this place. I shared with the boys that during the revival at our church the week earlier I asked God to bring someone into our lives that we could tell about Christ. I asked God to do it in a mighty way so our boys could see and experience the working hand of God.....and the best was still to come! Oh, and just a little side note...we never went to the thrift shop!



At 4:45 we pulled into his driveway and Jason came out ready to go with us! Our hearts were again blessed to see him coming out of the house dressed and ready to see what God had in store for him and little did he know....



The whole way to the revival Jason talked about how the love of his life left him, he kept asking about love and what is love and how do you know true love. He told us about his time in war and how his face had to be rebuilt because of his armored vehicle was in an accident and when it flipped over he landed on his face. He told how he tried to talk with someone one time about a horrible incident that happened while at war and the person he confided in spit in his face and called him a murderer. He opened his heart to us and talked most of the hour long trip. When we arrived at the church we walked in the door and would you believe to the right was a display case with solders uniform, a Bible and other memorabilia. Now, let me just say, I've grown up in church and I've never seen a display of a soldiers uniform in a church but God knew Jason would be coming to this church one day and God saw fit that a uniform would be placed in a church just for Jason. Jason walked over to it and one of the men of the church came over and talked with him about what the uniform represented. Jason said later "that uniform meant a lot to me."



When we went to sit down Jason sat in the back, Kyle looked around and said; "Come on up and sit with us!" Jason smiled and came forward to sit with the young people we brought. As we sat in the pew my heart was filled with prayer for Jason that God would do a might work. The Pastor, Song Leader and the Evangelist all said; "God has done a mighty work this week in the hearts and lives of people and this evening I feel God has something very special in store!" They did not know Jason's story but God did and God had been working for a long time to bring Jason to this place, at this time. Jason told me does not attend church, his family never went to church and it was something new to him. He said, "I met a husband and wife a few months ago that invited me to church but when I went the sermon was, if you pick up arms against another you are condemned to hell" I reassured him, that would not be preached in our church and he said "Well, I don't know much about church but that was not church to me!"



When the Evangelist said turn in your Bibles to The Song of Solomon I smiled, looked at Mark (my husband) and said "Are you kidding me?" Knowing Jason had been asking me all about what is true love I had to giggle a bit knowing what the Song of Solomon is all about..LOVE! Through out the service Mark and I continued to pray that God would work in his heart.



During the invitation my heart was pounding and my prayer was "Lord, please don't let Jason leave this place without know you, please work in his heart." As the invitation progressed Jason stepped out, walked forward and gave his life to Christ!! He spent a good while talking with a counselor and when he walked out of the room he was a changed young man. When we took him home he gave me the biggest hug and said over and over and over again...Thank you, thank you, thank you for saving my life and showing me that with Christ I can have a wonderful life. I told him we would be here every step of the way, Jason is coming to church with us Sunday and I ask that you pray with us that he will continue to let God work in his life and continue to see Christ work in a great and mighty way.



One more blessing....on the way home I asked Jason if he had a Bible. He said; "No, I've never had one, I have a little one with part of the Bible!" I told him when we come pick you up on Sunday we'll have a Bible for you. I laughed as I said it because I was thinking "God, do you hear me saying this because you know we don't have money to go buy him a Bible!" As I was telling my Mom about Jason I got to the point of needed to go today to purchase him a Bible. Mom said; "No you don't, I have a beautiful new Bible in a beautiful case that I have been saving to give to someone!!!" God is so good!!! I am overwhelmed today at his goodness and his love for us and I am so thankful for our boys getting to experience the power of prayer and the power of our Lord and Savior. I look forward to sharing more with you about Jason and I covet your prayers for him.

Psalm 9:1
I will praise thee, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvellous works.