Hodge Podge - 11/30/2011

Linking up with Joyce and Friends for another Hodge Podge Wednesday!

1. Do you send Christmas cards? If so about how many will you send this year? How do you display the cards you receive? Or don't you? (gasp!)

I've always, always, always loved sending Christmas cards - with pictures and a family letter.  I love sending them, and I love receiving them.  I usually send about 125 cards/year - we have lived in a lot of places and this is the one way I keep up with some of the people we know from long ago.  I have displayed cards on strings of yarn roped across a wall, but lately, I just stack them in a cute little snowman box I once got a gift in. 

This year - however - *gasp!* - I may NOT be sending out cards for the first time ever.  Not sure yet ... but right now the budget and the lack of inspiration are saying "Nope." 

2. When do kids become adults?

I felt like I was an adult once I graduated high school and went away to college even though I was still 17 years old.  I had my own car and a job.  I guess once a child is no longer "under their parents' roof" could be a good time to consider them "an adult" ... however, not sure how to label the kids who live at home throughout college then?  They have the rights of an adult - the privilege to vote, eventually reaching that "legal" age of 21 - and perhaps responsibilities of an adult with a job ... I don't know the answer, I suppose.  *shrugs* 

3. Does your 'beauty regimen' change with the seasons?

Not too much - my skin is always dry so I always have to consider that.  I guess one change might be that in the winter I get SO pale that people often ask me if I'm sick (or tired) ... and so I use a little more foundation in the winter.  In the summers I tend to just wear tinted moisturizer instead. 

4. What's something you like to eat that might cause another person to turn up their nose?

I probably have several things.  I actually LIKE brussel sprouts - and I love sauerkraut - and I like lentil soup with a teaspoon of vinegar in it!!  :)   My husband eats peanut butter, dill pickle, and Miracle Whip sandwiches ... but don't turn your nose up until you've tried it!!  ;)

5. Gloves or mittens?

gloves!  must have use of my fingers!!

6. What's the longest queue you've ever been in? Was it worth it? Queue=line but doesn't queue sound nicer?

Perhaps while waiting for a lift?!?! (as in elevator! ha!!)....

No, seriously, I can't remember - I'm not a very patient waiter-in-line person.  Maybe it was to vote?  It was a long line, and I was determined to stay. 

7. Besides Christmas, what is one thing you are looking forward to in the month of December?

Can I list 2 things??  My baby girl turns 2 on December 22, and my husband and I will celebrate our 19th anniversary on December 27! <3

8. Insert your own random thought here.
Today is my birthday!!  :)

30 Days of Thanks - Day 30

This is the third time I have completed 30 Days of Thanks on my blog!! 

And every year I am amazed at 2 things:

1.  How fast time flies by!

and

2.  How much I don't want 30 Days of Thanks to end. 

What a wonderful thing it is to stop each day to be thankful ... some days it is easy, some days I was grasping at straws - but in the end, I always found something to give thanks for.

I want to take a moment to thank EVERYONE who joined me and linked up as well and/or left comments - some for the 3rd year now!!  Thank you for coming on this journey with me.

Today I am ending this month with my birthday!

I have always thought November 30 was a neat birthday to have - I like the date, especially this year:  it looks really cool ~ 11/30/11 ~ or if you are European 30.11.11.  :)

Like one does at New Year's, I take a moment on my birthday to look back, kind of a "This Is Your Life," and I am amazed at God's Hand guiding me through so many situations and in so many circumstances!   Even times when I made bad choices or chose to be unhappy and negative, God still worked and moved despite my stubbornness. 

Each person has a biography - mine has led me to some amazing places, to meet some amazing people, and to experience some amazing situations - and it hasn't concluded yet!  I am so thankful for all that I've experienced - even those days that were terribly hard and dark.  Through loss and gain, going backwards and forwards, joy and pain, and all those things ... God has been so good to me!

30 Days of Thanks - Day 29

Today I am thankful for modern conveniences and that the life of a Hausfrau is so much easier than it was even just 50 years ago!

I did a lot of catch-up laundry today after being gone several days - and what a blessing that other than sorting, switching wet clothes to the dryer, and folding them, I don't have to scrub on a washboard or even hang clothes out to dry (even though that is a task I really loved when I'd help my Oma with her laundry that she always hung on a line to dry - outside in fair weather and in the attic in wet, cold weather).  My dishwasher is taking care of all those dinner dishes.  No dishpan hands for me!

The heat pump is running, and the space heaters are set in the places where drafts make our house a little chilly - what a blessing to be warm as the days get colder.  No stoking a fire because our lives depend on it (although I loved having a fireplace in various homes I grew up in & my husband has done his fair share of tending a wood stove in his boyhood home).

Dinner was simple tonight -and my stove and oven made it possible with very little tending:

Beef Stroganoff with biscuits

And tonight I will sleep well, knowing my family is safe and warm on this chilly night - although we don't have the modern convenience of a security system on our house, I rest in the fact that we are watched over by a God who never sleeps.

30 Days of Thanks - Day 28

Today I'm thankful for our Christmas tree ...

My kids INSISTED we set it up today.

I wish I had some pictures - but I can't get them onto this desktop computer right now - maybe another day ... but our faithful, old artificial tree has now stood up for us for 18 Christmases!   We bought it when we were newlyweds, living in Washington State.  It has been moved to Texas, Germany, Virginia, and now Missouri.  In many ways, I love that old artificial tree ... but in many ways, I'm seeing its demise as it is losing its needles as alarmingly as a dying real tree and complete branches are having to be taped back on to its limbs.  I hope to score a pre-lit tree this year at after-Christmas sales?!  It would be SO nice to NOT have to string lights.

Thankfully, I will have the same ornaments no matter what tree I have up each year:   our "First Christmas Together ~ 1992" ornament (even though we got married 2 days AFTER Christmasn in 1992!) and all our baby's 1st Christmas ornaments (1998, 2000, and 2009).  Then there is the "First Christmas in Our New House ~ 2004" ornament that I love!   And there are all the "Tea" ornaments from our annual girls' tea with my bestest friends and their daughters - December 15 this year will make it #9, I think!   So many ornaments from exchanges and received as gifts from friends and family ... some from the Christmas markets and stores in Germany ...

Each ornament has a little story to tell.

I was feeling a little bah-humbug about the holidays this year ... but now that the tree is up in the living room, I do believe I'm finding some of the joy that comes with focusing on what matters most to me:  my family and my faith.

For this I am thankful.

30 Days of Thanks - Day 27

Today I am thankful that it is the 1st Sunday of the Advent Season.

Our church does not formally celebrate these 4 Sundays coming up to Christmas; however, as a German tradition, I always thought it was a nice thing to do at home.

I have an advent wreath that I bought when we were stationed in Germany many years ago.

Today I want to pack up the fall/Thanksgiving decorations and get ready for CHRSITMAS.

It is easy this year to NOT dwell so much on the presents and the shopping and the materialism of the season because we really can't even begin to participate in the commercialism financially ...

but I am thankful we will indeed be focusing on the TRUE MEANING of Christmas:

the birth of our Savior

and all that this means for us eternally.

30 Days of Thanks - Day 26

After 3 1/2 days away, I am SO thankful for my little house ...

While we did really have a nice visit with my in-laws over the Thanksgiving holiday, there's just nothing like being at HOME:  your own bed, your own kitchen, and even your own bathroom!!  :)

I love my little house and all its quirks and drafts and frayed carpets and other things that need work or paint ... but it is a cozy place, a familiar place, my safe place.

I am looking forward to sleeping in my warm bed with Oma's comforter ... listening to the familiar settling noises and creaks and seeing the steadfast nightlights reflect down the hallway ...

Tomorrow I will cook in my own kitchen and provide for my own family, the people dearest on earth to me in the place that is Home Sweet Home.

30 Days of Thanks: Days 24-25

I am writing this ahead for Thursday & Friday.  We'll be at my in-laws' house - and they don't have wireless internet (and I don't have a laptop any more anyway!!).

I thought about just scheduling these posts to pop up over time -but the last few times I've tried that, they never came up & I had to manually do it.

~~~~~~~~~~~

I wanted to wish everyone who celebrates Thanksgiving a very, very happy one!

Wishing you time with family and friends and a blessed time of remembering all the blessings God has bestowed on us all.

Today I am thankful for a little blessing I received today.  As I'm reading through Psalms right now, quite unschedulely, I ended up in Psalm 100 today (the BEST Thanksgiving Psalm I know of!):

¹Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.

²Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.
³Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
⁴Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
⁵For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

 I am thankful for the basic things today~

my little family:
my husband of almost 19 years (hard to believe what all we've been through - but he has been faithful to love me:  always, forever, no matter what!)
my 3 children; we are complete. 

my extended family:
my parents and my in-laws are all godly Christians.  I am so thankful for that heritage.
my siblings and in-law siblings - very varied in personalities and situations and how much we are in contact with each ... but never the less, thankful for all of them!
grandparents who have now all gone before us.  I am thankful to have known most of them very well.

my life:
the comforts God affords us in this century - at this time, my home is warm (except the drafty parts!) and my bed is comfy and my pantry & fridge are full.
the washer & dryer work! 
my dishwasher continues to help me with one of my most-dreaded tasks.
friends who encourage me, pray for me, and just remind me to have fun sometimes!! 

and most of all for a faithful God who is the Source of all these blessings.

"Thanksgiving Day comes, by statute, once a year; to the honest man it comes as frequently as the heart of gratitude will allow." ~Edward Sandford Martin

30 Days of Thanks - Day 23

If you follow my blog, you know we've I've really been neglectful of making sure Miriam has a decent sleeping pattern.  With our first 2 kids, I was such a scheduled mom - the kids slept from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. and took a good 2 hour nap at the same time almost every day.  We lived our lives around sleeping times.  It was THAT sacred.

Miriam came along, and apparently, I forgot how to train a child to sleep.  Somehow I don't remember it being that hard with our first two children - but now I'm thinking that is just some kind of selective amnesia.  They didn't just put themselves to sleep - or did they?

Well, lately, I've been determined to get Miriam to sleep and nap better - her late hours and sleeping in suit me just fine, but honestly, it just isn't in sync with the rest of the world!

My first goal in life was to get this child to SLEEP THROUGH THE NIGHT ... which quite honestly, took probably well over a year - and ended with me using the dreaded "scream it out" method because I was just too old and tired to get up at 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. each night any more.

Now we are struggling with naps and normal wake-up times ...

Today there was no nap ... but that was because Miriam didn't wake up until 10 a.m.!

THANKFULLY, she went to bed at 8 p.m. and after a short time of fussing a few hours later, she is STILL asleep ... and I will be VERY VERY THANKFUL if she wakes up at a decent time tomorrow morning!

Considering she is 23 months old today (!!!! as in on 11/22/11), I think that isn't asking too much --- of her and of ME!

Hodge Podge - 11/23/11

I'm really enjoying linking up w/ Joyce and friends each Wednesday to answer HODGE PODGE questions!!  :)

1. Let's start with something controversial...dressing or stuffing? What's it called at your house and what's included in your recipe...cornbread? oysters? sausage? chestnuts?

I guess we call it stuffing ... mine is almost always Stovetop - in the red box! 

2. Who do you sometimes compare yourself to?

Thankfully, I think I've outgrown the need to compare myself to anyone. 
It can be so dangerous for me to get into the comparing thing:  if I compare myself to a super-dooper, very disciplined wonder woman type person, I get discouraged and feel guilty.  If I compare myself to someone I think I am doing BETTER than (as in "I would NEVER do what SHE does") then I feel too self-righteous. 
Honestly, I probably do still compare myself to others occasionally anyway - but I usually get over it! 

3. When were you last inside an airport?

To pick up my husband from a quick "business" trip for our school back in April, I think it was??  Anyway, Miriam and I were there early to make sure we were at the gate on time - and while Miriam was running around, playing in a little off-side play area, we totally missed Dan!!  By the time we figured out his entire flight had deplaned, he was in the parking lot, looking forlornly for my car to come racing up late as usual ...

4. What is one side dish that absolutely must be included in a turkey dinner?

mashed potatoes, please.

5. What Christmas song do you dread hearing?

I don't know why but "Feliz Navidad" grates on my nerves ... perhaps because due to someone's joke a long time ago, I only ever hear it as, "Fleas, have we not!" .... *sigh*

6. If someone approaches you and asks for money do you give it to them? Do you drop money 'in a tin cup' that belongs to a person on the street? Do you have a specific charity you support during the holiday season and/or year round?

These days I could probably use my own tin cup ...
But seriously, no, I don't often give money to someone I don't know ... My husband would & has.  He's a softie!! 
We support our church's missionaries monthly as well as a personal friend of ours who is from Togo and ministering in his homeland  - I guess you could call that a charitable contribution.  

7. Share a favorite Thanksgiving memory. If you live in a country that doesn't celebrate Thanksgiving share a favorite memory associated with food.

Not really sure it is a FAVORITE memory - but it is memorable:   in November 2003, Dan had been deployed to Iraq for almost 9 months already.  I was getting weary - and I wasn't really excited about our holidays without him.  My in-laws - who I really did appreciate very much during this time - were building a house in a city about 120 miles from where I lived, so I was to spend Thanksgiving with them.  While building their home, they lived in a motorhome at a nearby trailer park.  It was cramped, and I had to sleep on the couch with my 2 kids on the floor by me ... and the whole privacy issue with the tiny bathroom wasn't within my comfort zone by any means - but we were with family, and I tried hard to focus on that as much as I felt very sorry for myself having to spend my Thanksgiving in these conditions.  The clincher to the day was - however - when my mother-in-law - with all good intentions - announced she couldn't bake a turkey and so we'd be having pork roast in the crock pot for our Thanksgiving meal.  It took a lot for me to finally see the good of that day - to see my children enjoy their grandparents and vice versa - and to know that my husband had been kept safe thus far despite mortar attacks and other dangers near the Combat Support Hospital where he worked ... and in the end, it all did make me smile.  :)

8. Insert your own random thought here.
I'll admit that this year, Thanksgiving won't really be what I ideally envision for the day either ... We are going to spend time with the same in-laws mentioned above - and we WILL have turkey this year (with a roast - apparently, the truth must be that my father-in-law doesn't like turkey!!).   But I miss the days when I actually got to cook the Thanksgiving meal!  I haven't been able to cook a real Thanksgiving meal in years now that we live near my in-laws.  Don't get me wrong - I am so thankful that my children get to grow up near grandparents ... and this year particularly I am thankful that my father-in-law has come through his recent heart surgery though his recovery has been slow.  BUT I want to cook!!  I am not a great cook ... but I have a wonderful garlic butter turkey "recipe" that I used to make back in the days when we lived very far away from family & I was the Thanksgiving Day hostess.  Not that I can't make that turkey at Christmas or any day of the year for that matter, but there is just something about being THE COOK on Thanksgiving Day!  I know I must enjoy the in-laws (and my own parents) while we still have them ... and no doubt in the future, I'll be the hostess again some day! 

30 Days of Thanks - Day 22

I miss my cute little "30 Days of Thanks" graphic that Jodi designed for me 3 years ago!!!!  :(  I know I can save it to my desk top computer now - and I will get around to it maybe even today ... but right now, I guess I'm still mourning the loss of my lap top computer yesterday where all my "stuff" is stored. 

Anyway, today I'm thankful that I'll be seeing my family at lunch!  Our school is hosting a Thanksgiving meal and hopefully I'll get to eat with everyone!  That's always a treat since (1) I don't have to cook or clean up and (2) with our schedules during the school year, we seldom ALL get to sit down together for a meal (not as many times a week as I'd like!). 

Somehow I'm not in the Thanksgiving spirit this year ... at least not yet.  Maybe seeing the kindergarten students at our school today dressed in their standard issue ABeka pilgrim and Indian (aka Native American) cut-out hats will help progress me there.  :)  I still remember when my 8th grader Andrew was in 1st grade that they made Indian (aka Native American) vests out of brown paper grocery sacks!  :)  So cute. 



Conny

30 Days of Thanks - Day 21

30 Days of Thanks:

Sorry today's thankfulness post is "late" ... The power cord port on my laptop snapped off into the laptop casing last night - it's been crooked INSIDE the computer for some reason & I was having trouble attaching the power cord for a few days now - it finally snapped off and is rattling around somewhere in the computer now. :(  My laptop was pretty much my computer "life" so I have no graphics or pictures on my desk top computer, as we really only use it as a conduit to the wireless router. 

But today I am thankful that a broken laptop is not a problem comparable to the problems so many people are facing right now:  illness, financial problems, marriage trouble, and sadly not knowing what it is like to have a relationship with Jesus Christ.  That makes my loss of my laptop seem pretty small. 

While my days will be somewhat less busy without my computer time on the couch, checking in on facebook, blogging, writing, doing work for my church and its school, keeping up with my banking, reading/sending email, etc., I know there is a reason it had to die right now.  I'm sure I should be doing a million other things besides getting sucked into social media or puttering around, reading blogs.  I am thankful I have my desktop computer to at least do the essential business things I need to do. 

So, today I am thankful for broken things ... and maybe another day I can be thankful for broken things that got fixed?!?!  And that would gladly include hearing of other problems that friends face being "fixed" by receiving healing for their illness, getting a hold of their finances, reconciling a broken marriage, or receiving Christ into their hearts and lives.  :) 



Conny

30 Days of Thanks - Day 20

I am thankful for quiet days at home.

Today was practically perfect:

Dan and Andrew took Miriam with them when they did a little grocery shopping, so my morning started out very calmly.  No responsibility or obligation to force me into immediate action, just a slow cup of coffee and some quiet time alone.

After a while, I began cooking a nice lunch:  chicken pot pie and YEAST ROLLS (first time I've tried this recipe - so yummy & easy!!).

Then I took a long nap, got a few chores done, watched some TV/old movies with my family ....

and now I'm ready for bed.

So thankful my family could just rest and be together today!

Bread Machine Rolls:

1 cup warm milk (70-80 degrees)

1/2 cup butter, softened

3/4 c. sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp salt

4 c. flour

2 1/4 tsp yeast

Add to bread machine in order.

Run dough cycle (mine runs about 1 1/2 hours).

Divide into 20-24 portions, shape into balls.

Place on greased cookie/baking sheet.

Cover and let rise 15 minutes.

Bake at 375 degrees for 13-16 minutes.

30 Days of Thanks - Day 19

I am thankful for my son today ...

We think he's a pretty nice kid ... of course, we're fairly biased.  I do think he is a very responsible young man - and I am thankful he usually wants to do the right thing.  I often say he is my husband's reward because he is a lot like his dad:  very kind, polite, a hard worker, and VERY good to me.  :)  I love having him home with me because he often asks me if he can help me around the house or he gladly takes Miriam up to play in his room for a while.   Besides, I enjoy just talking to him.

Tonight we needed milk (Miriam has drank a gallon of milk in the the 2 or 3 days practically by herself!) ... so Dan and I decided we'd go out on a mini-"date" to Walmart.  As pathetic as that sounds, Walmart is about the only place we have to go where we live anyway.  :)  We left the kids home with Andrew in charge - and we even went a little crazy and also stopped by Dollar Tree.  Big night on the town for us ... oh, how times have changed!!  Even though we were only gone maybe a little over one hour, it was so nice to just be out without the kids.  It has been a long, busy week, and I think this is about the first opportunity Dan and I have had to really talk. 

I am so thankful for some time to spend with my husband ... and to have a responsible son to be at home with the kids.  Then later, I watched TANGLED with my girls.  Looking forward a family weekend!!  We aren't the most exciting people, but we are thankful to be TOGETHER. 
Happy Weekend!

5 Minute Friday: Grow

Joining the Gypsy Mama for 5 Minute Friday today:

Today's Topic:  GROW

My, how you've GROWN we tell all the children who we haven't seen in a long time ... nieces, nephews, our far away friends' kids.  We will soon see the children on the Christmas cards we get each year - My, how they have grown!

When God the Father looks at me, does He too say, "My, how you've grown!" sometimes?  I hope He does.  I want to continue to GROW even though my physical growth now is no longer vertical (but more horizontal, unfortunately!!).  I want to stretch, outgrow my old ways, and put on the new clothes necessary because of my spiritual growth. 

From a newborn babe, desiring milk, to an adult who can handle meat.  That's how the Bible describes the expected growth of the believer.  This food of God's Word - tasting and seeing God is good - that lights my path - that is profitable for doctrine, reproof, instruction in righteousness.  As I digest it, it transforms my heart and soul, expanding them to greater understanding. 

I stopped physically growing at 5'4" ... but I do not want to stop my "inner man" from getting taller, outgrowing my old ways, and ever moving forward to expansive understanding of a great God who DOES NOT CHANGE even though He changes me as I grow in knowledge of Him.

30 Days of Thanks - Day 18

Today I am just thankful it is Friday.  :)

I am thankful my husband decided to STAY HOME tonight instead of going to some ballgames with our school (our son isn't involved).  In fact, my ENTIRE FAMILY should be HOME with ME tonight - and all weekend!!

30 Days of Thanks - Day 17

We always wanted 3 or 4 children.  After I miscarried our 3rd child in 2002 and many years went by without another pregnancy, we kind of gave up.  Then SURPRISE!  - as they say - "when you least expect it, expect it," I was EXPECTING!!

While I am so THANKFUL for this tag-along blessing to our family, there are days like today when I have to really go back & remember how very, very much I wanted this child.

 Today started earlier than usual (for us anyway) at 7:30 a.m.  Miriam usually sleeps later than that (considering her midnight bedtime!!) ... but as she watched her usual morning cartoons, I tried to wake up completely and fix us something for breakfast.  By the time I was ready to get moving, Miriam was FAST ASLEEP again on the couch!  Since I was up, I got myself ready for the day and finished some laundry and such.  She was up by 9 a.m. and running ...

Later in the morning, I got a phone call from a friend - a friend I really wanted to talk to ... and because it was sunny outside, we were sitting on the front porch.  Normally Miriam just kind of putters around our porch, but today, she decided to go wandering.  Engrossed in my conversation, I didn't pay much attention until I realized my child was at the neighbors' ... the 4 doors down the road neighbors!!!  Thankfully, we live on a cul-de-sac, and we have no through traffic and almost NO traffic on weekdays when everyone is at work or school.  By the time I told my friend good-bye and ran down the street, Miriam was on my neighbor's porch, examining the ceramic animals they had displayed there. 
I am thankful that crisis was fairly averted.

 As the day went by, Miriam decided that the fridge I was cleaning out completely was the perfect play house ... she decided the cat litter box was a fun place to dig ... and chipped a china tea cup from my "wedding" set as she was sticking them in the microwave.

Then while I got ready for church tonight, Miriam got a hold of my laptop and picked off about 10 keys ... so if I ever skip a "p" in a post, it is because if I don't press it just so, it doesn't work.  Otherwise, she helped me dress herself by removing all her clothes AND her diaper while I was upstairs finding her outfit - and thankfully no further accidents happened after that.

Today I am thankful Miriam is cute.  And that she was in bed by 11 p.m.tonight ... considering she DID NOT even take a nap today. 

30 Days of Thanks - Day 16 (Ahoy!)

We came to our current church over 10 years ago.  Andrew was 3 years old, and Anna had just turned a year old.  At the time, there was no program after the church nursery for the children age 4 and older on Wednesday evenings (during our mid-week service), so they had to sit in the church service, which wasn't really a problem, BUT I was used to having some kind of children's program (like AWANAs or such) during that time.  The only reason our church didn't have such a thing was there was no one to coordinate it.

Well, we had just left a church where we helped a program called "Patch the Pirate" Club, and so - probably mostly motivated by having something available for OUR son - we asked our pastor if we could start the program at our church.  And he said yes ... and ten years later, we are STILL involved in Patch the Pirate Club. 

(One of our helpers made Dan his very own eye PATCH to wear while he led the opening exercises the other night)

The REAL Patch the Pirate is actually a man named Ron Hamilton, who lost his own eye due to cancer ... He used his loss and his musical ability (and his entire talented family) to create the Patch the Pirate character and the songs and stories that Patch shares.  These stories have been around since my "little" brother was a boy - so probably since the mid-1980s?  My family grew up with them.

Today is Wednesday - and tonight we'll have Patch Club at our church.  Both of our kids have now come through the program and have moved on to Youth Group, but we still LOVE working with the kids who are now ages 4 through 5th grade.  Its been so neat to get to work with 10 years of children who have grown up in our church - who have come and gone with the military - and some who are still here - and some who have moved on to graduate and go to college and such.

Today I am thankful for being able to have been a part of this children's ministry in our church for so long.   We've had so many people who help us, of course, and I'm thankful for them too.  And I'm thankful for the testimony of Ron Hamilton and the wonderful, God-honoring music he (and others) put out through Majesty Music. 

Hodge Podge - 11/16/11

I love joining Joyce and her friends for Hodge Podge Wednesday!

1. What song reminds you of a specific time in your life and what is it about that song that makes you remember?

There are a lot of songs that are now "oldies" from the 1980s that bring back all my teenage angst!!  LOL 

There are hymns that mean a lot MORE to me - in fact, last Sunday at church we sang, "Savior, Like a Shepherd, Lead Us" ... this was one of the songs in our wedding (as we lit the unity candle).  Due to circumstances, we got married on a Sunday (December 27) in the afternoon, and so I wanted our wedding to be somewhat like a church service!  This hymn represented what Dan and I wanted for our marriage - that our Good Shepherd lead us. 

2. What's something you've given up on?
Being "thin" ... *sigh* 

3. What's something you'll never give up on?
Hopefully myself ... I am my own worst critic ... and I am trying to give myself more grace and less false guilt. 


4. If you had to cook something from scratch in the next hour what would it be?

I'm not the greatest cook ... so I'd probably have to bake:  cookies!!  :)  If I had to COOK though, it might be loaded potato soup. 

5. Have you started Christmas shopping? Decorating? Listening to Christmas music?

No, No, No.  Not even in the mood.  Can't even believe that THANKSGIVING is next week.  Not ready for any of it.  :(  Bah, humbug!!  ;)
(Never fear - I will get over this SOON ... the Christmas spirit will kick in eventually).
6. What do you know about your parent's wedding?

Well, I know my mother had a church wedding in an old Lutheran church in Frankfurt when she married my biological father.  I know she rented her dress, and I've seen some pictures.   I'm tickled I just found a picture of it on Wikipedia with its history!!!!  Fascinating - the article is in German, but can be translated. 

When my mom married my step-dad, I was 4 years old, but I wasn't at the "wedding" as they just went to the Justice of the Peace in Fayetteville, NC with friends.  My mom wore a lime green mini dress with daisies on it!!! LOL  It was - after all - 1974.  :) 

7. I can't believe I ___________________.
am the mother of 3 children ... I still sometimes forget I have Miriam!!  More often, I know I have her, but I just can't remember her name.  *sigh*  Having a child in your "old age" is a wonderful blessing ... but it is a lot more exhausting!!  :)

8. Insert your own random thought here.
Ok, this IS random ... but you asked for it.  I love mint chocolate chip ice cream ... and wish I had some RIGHT NOW!!!!  :)  My second favorite is something I discovered during my last pregnancy 2 years ago:  Breyers crackle ice cream (we call it CRACK because it is SO addictive!!!).   I'd settle for some Moose Tracks ... but alas, we have NO ice cream in the house right now.  :(  

30 Days of Thanks - Day 15

(Half way through 30 Days of Thanks already!!)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My new favorite word the last few months has been LOVINGKINDNESS (or loving-kindness).

As I am reading through the Psalms right now, I find this word over and over and over:  never about people, always about God.  Lovingkindness:  acts of kindness, motivated by love. 

If you have read my blog for any amount of time, you may have heard me talk about how I grew up feeling very judged by God and others, especially when it came to church.  I lived with guilt and fear - and a keen sense that I was letting everyone down.  I knew God loved me in a John 3:16 kind of way ("For God so loved THE WORLD" ... and I was part of THE WORLD), but I imagined He really just kind of tolerated me otherwise because I was just so pathetic. 

Through about a gabillion situations, life-lessons, experiences (good and bad), realizations, and finding a PERSONAL relationship with God that was based on His character and not mine, I have slowly come to see that God really does love ME.  I am feeling less of His judgment but seeing more of His lovingkindness in my life.  God is not out to get me - and in fact, is out to BLESS me!!  While His definition of blessings and mine sometimes differ (mine tend to focus on the material, His are more eternal), I have lived long enough and through enough to know He is working for my good and His glory. 

God - at His very core - in His nature - is full of words that heal us, draw us to Him, forgive us:  grace, mercy, faithful, true, just, sovereign, holy, good, eternal ... and full of lovingkindness.

Today I am thankful to know Him ... and that He knows me.  Personally.

30 Days of Thanks - Day 14

~  It's Monday .... my husband is back at work - he went in at 5:30 a.m. to make up for the work he missed while gone last week for his dad's surgery/hospital stay.  My kids got to sleep in & I took them in to school at a more reasonable time ... which I don't often have to do - but it was a treat for them (sleeping in) and for me (talking to them on the way in).
I'm thankful for my husband's sense of responsibility & work ethic ... I'm thankful that my children are getting a Christian education. 

~  I'm thankful for Miriam who wakes up most mornings and greets me with "Sunshine!" after all these months of me waking her by saying, "Good morning, Sunshine!" 

~  I'm thankful that I went to bed "early" last night - hence no posting between midnight & 2 a.m.!!  :)

~  I'm thankful I staved off a migraine yesterday by taking my medication in a timely manner for once. 

~  I'm thankful my scale showed I was almost 2 lbs lighter than I was last week ... and I'm not really even following a "diet plan" right now, just thinking about everything I eat before I stick it in my mouth!  :)  

~  I'm thankful for several friends who were an incredible blessing to me over the weekend while my husband was gone, taking care of his parents. 

~  I'm thankful for the feedback I'm getting on YOUR thankfulness!!  Thanks for linking your posts and/or leaving me a comment, sharing your thoughts. 

30 Days of Thanks - Day 13

Today I am thankful for my husband's family.  

Dan was privileged to be born into a Christian family.  While this did not automatically make HIM a Christian, his mother and father took him to church and taught him about Jesus from the very beginning of his life.  He came to Christ as a very young child, and while his life or home weren't perfect by any means, he really does have a godly heritage.

Not only were his parents Christians, his grandparents on both sides were very godly.  His father's father was a Bible college graduate and church planter in Iowa.  His other grandparents were a farming family, but they were also faithful Christians and good church members.

Dan grew up hearing missionary stories read, having family devotions, singing hymns together at home, and having parents who prayed with and over him.  Like I said, it wasn't completely without any issues or bad memories, but overall, he had the privilege of afforded many spiritual "advantages" that those of us who were saved out of more difficult circumstances had to learn the hard way.  God knows why - but I know Dan doesn't take for granted that his parents tried to raise him in a godly way, the best they knew how.

At this point, my in-laws have been married over 50 years ... their lives haven't been free from heart-break or heart-ache, but they have remained faithful to the Lord and each other. 

30 Days of Thanks - Day 12

If you haven't noticed, I write my daily "thanks" posts between midnight and 2 a.m.. ... so I'm writing it on the DAY of the date (technically) that I am posting HOWEVER, the information is from the previous day ... Makes sense?  No?  Ok, never mind. ;)

Ok, today (which now it is Saturday but I'm talking about Friday!!), I was thankful to see my father-in-law, in a regular hospital room, sitting up in a chair!  He's doing pretty well - but is in a lot of pain at times (to be expected after a major surgery).

I am thankful for my husband who has been staying with his mom and helping to care for his dad - and will be staying with them as long as he can.  I appreciate his commitment to honor his parents.

I am thankful for my son who also went up with his dad to be there at the hospital since his grandpa's surgery.  Today I took him home with me after my visit - and we had some wonderful conversation during the drive.   I am thankful for the understanding and maturity my son exhibits (most of the time) and for his commitment to do what is right.  He's a great kid - and I so enjoy being with him!!