Praise to God

Blessed are You, Lord God of Israel, our Father, forever and ever.

Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power and the glory, the victory and the majesty; for all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and You are exalted as head over all.

Both riches and honor come from You, and You reign over all. In Your hand is power and might; in Your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all.

“Now therefore, our God, we thank You and praise Your glorious name.

1 Chronicles 29:11-12

Dostoevsky Quote

" Man is fond of counting his troubles, but he does not count his joys. If he counted them up as he ought to, he would see that every lot has enough happiness provided for it."

~Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821-1881)
Russian Novelist

Sour Cream Scones

This recipe says that these scones are great to freeze and microwave later for breakfast but we never have any left over to do that-

Sour Cream Scones

4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 cup raisins
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 cups sour cream

Combine ingredients in mixer to make a soft dough. Divide dough in half. Roll out to 1/2 inch thickness on floured board. Cut each circle into 8 triangles. Bake at 375 for about 15 minutes or until golden brown. Brush tops of scones with butter.

Happy 50th 64-Box Crayola Crayons!

I love Crayola crayons, but I did not know they got their debut on Captain Kangaroo! It was way back in 1958. It was such a special treat to have a huge box of crayons with a sharpener built in! (My husband says his sharpeners would either never work or fall off in the box). More than 200 million boxes have been sold since then. Doesn't that number seem a little low? I feel like our family alone has gone through that many (or maybe that's how many little broken pieces were in the bottom of the cigar box.) If you want to test your Crayon knowledge you can take the color quizzer but don't click on the "meet the new colors" it will give away all the new color names. My favorite color is cerulean blue, what would yours be? Color Quizzer

One of my kids wanted to know who Captain Kangaroo was. Is anyone out there old enough to remember him besides me? His sidekick Mr. Green Jeans? I still have my playing cards so if you want to see a picture of him, just ask.

First, Middle, Youngest

Fits our family to a T, how about yours?

Firstborns tend to be more emotionally intense and self-assured. They are believed to be born leaders.

Middle children are the chameleons of the family-adapting their personalities in order to get ahead. They are usually great negotiators and have a lot of friends.

Finally, the youngest are more likely to be more comical, outgoing, confrontational and quicker to question authority.

Parenting the First Born: One-on One Time. Firstborns often respond better to adults than children so make special time just for him.

Parenting the Middle Child: Update the Family Album. This might sound silly but it is important. Often times there are a billion pictures of the firstborn and half that of the second child. Also, be sure to have pictures of each child alone and not always paired up.

Parenting the Last Born: Stick to the Rules. Statistics show the last born is least likely to be disciplined as his siblings before him.

Parents Birth Order: Parents subconsciously identify with the child who holds the spot in the family they occupied themselves. A lastborn dad might think his youngest's antics are cute while the firstborn mom sees them as irresponsible.

~CBS News

Psalm 27:4, 8

One thing I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple.

When You said, "Seek My face," My heart said to You, "Your face Lord, I will seek."

The Danger of Not Knowing God

In China in the early 1930s a missionary couple, John and Betty Stam, were captured by Chinese Communists and marched through the streets of the village to a chopping block where each was beheaded. If they had been willing to recant their Christian faith, their lives would have been
spared. Given their commitment to Christ, such a choice was unthinkable. They placed not only their lives but the life of their baby, Helen Priscilla, in the hands of God, confident that God could protect them if He chose, and, if He chose not to, it was safer to be in those hands than anywhere else in the universe. Like thousands of Christians before them, they preferred the sword to disobedience, believing that the danger of not knowing God is infinitely greater than any other danger. ~Elisabeth Elliot

Recycling as Religion

Normally I wouldn't read an article like this but the phrase "busy family life" in the title caught my eye. While reading all of the typical letters concerning the "doing my best - leave no trace" topic I came across one I didn't expect, a little different from the others.

Reconciling Environmentalism with Busy Family Life

Recycling as Religion

My other global hang-up is the way schools preach recycling as religion. My children come home regularly proclaiming the gospel of "reduce, reuse, recycle." My daughter even draws the three-arrows symbol on her coloring works. I'm not kidding. Talk about freaky.

It honestly brings to mind the squads of bandana-wearing Soviet children from history books, the Young Pioneers. I'm not saying it's the same. (Set down your letter-to-the-editor pen.) I'm just saying it certainly brings them to mind.

Since I'm not one to bow down and worship my fescue, I turn these occasions of propaganda-overload into teachable moments. I explain that though your teachers are right and recycling is important, things such as being honest, respecting your neighbor and being good are much, much more important. Let's keep this in perspective.

~CitiScapes - Our Green Issue

Sometimes the average Joe realizes that even schools are religious.

Faithful in Little Things

Too many people are not faithful in little things. They are not to be absolutely depended upon. They do not always keep their promises. They break engagements. They fail to pay their debts promptly. They come behind time to appointments. They are neglectful and careless in little things. In general they are good people, but their life is honeycombed with small failures. One who can be positively depended upon, who is faithful in the least things as well as in the greatest, whose life and character are true through and through, gives out a light in this world which honors Christ and blesses others.

--J. R. Miller (1840-1912)

It is required in stewards that a man be found faithful. 1 Corinthians 4:2

A Heart of Wisdom

~Warren Weirsbe

Read Psalm 90:12-17
"So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom" (v. 12). Moses' words summarize what we need to know if we want to make our lives count.

We live a day at a time. Usually, we don't number our days; we number our years. When you have a birthday and someone asks how old you are, you tell them your age in the number of years. But we'd better number our days, because we live a day at a time. "Give us this day our daily bread" (Matt. 6:11). God has ordained that the entire universe functions a day at a time.

We live from the heart. "So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." We need to take care of the heart. That's why Solomon wrote in Proverbs 4:23, "Keep your heart with all diligence; for out of it spring the issues of life." What is in your heart will direct your life.

We also live by God's wisdom. Wisdom is knowing and having discernment, so that we can apply the truth of the Word of God at the right time, in the right way, with the right motive. Wisdom comes from the Word of God and from getting to know Him and ourselves better.

Moses gives the secret of making life count--live it a day at a time. You need God's help to apply His Word to your life. Live as though this may be your last day. Ask God for the wisdom you need and apply it by faith.

Romans 5:15

But the free gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many.

Psalm 33:21

For our heart rejoices in Him,
Because we trust in His holy name.

Blueberry Muffins

Sour Cream Blueberry Muffins

1/2 cup butter at room temperature
1 1/2 cup sugar
4 eggs
2 3/4 cups sifted flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup sour cream
4 cups blueberries
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 450 degrees and line a muffin tin with paper liners. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar with a wooden spoon. Add eggs one at a time, beating well. Sift flour, soda and salt toegther, and add to butter mixture alternatively with the sour cream. Fold in blueberries and vanilla. Bake for about 15 minutes or until golden brown. Makes 24 muffins.


To Die For Blueberry Muffins ~ Colleen/Allrecipes

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
1 cup fresh blueberries
1/2 cup white sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup butter, cubed
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners.
Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, salt and baking powder. Place vegetable oil into a 1 cup measuring cup; add the egg and enough milk to fill the cup. Mix this with flour mixture. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups right to the top, and sprinkle with crumb topping mixture.

To Make Crumb Topping: Mix together 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, 1/4 cup butter, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon. Mix with fork, and sprinkle over muffins before baking.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until done.

A Passion for Prayer

“O my son, O son of my womb, O son of my vows,” - Prov. 31:2

Proverb 31:2 reveals a mother’s anxious care for her child’s good. He is the son of her vows, meaning a son she asked God for in prayer and dedicated to God (like Samuel in 1 Samuel 1) “Son of my vows” also suggests that her child was the object of her daily vows and prayers, “a child of many prayers”

“Motherly training and dedication provide…the first imparting of religious instruction, the solemn dedication of her child to the service of God, and repeated and earnest prayer on his behalf. Her child is not only her offspring; he is “ the son of her vows,” the one on whom she has expended her most fervent piety.”
- H.D.M. Spence and Joseph Exell

This mother’s passion for God and for training her son in His ways doesn’t stop with mere verbal instruction to the child; she also speaks to God on behalf of the child. The desires of her mother-heart go deeper and higher than basic teaching and training. She is a mother who prays, who expends her greatest efforts to nurture a righteous walk with her God, so that she may effectively pray for her child. As a woman after God’s own heart she is vigilant about her own walk with God, dealing with any and all sin in her own life in preparation for entering God’s holy presence and interceding for her beloved child.

~Elizabeth George

Elizabeth Anne Everest

Winston Churchill’s nanny, Elizabeth Everest, lived to instill godliness and biblical truth into the life of an unhappy boy.

As a child, his own parents and other adults often referred to Winton Churchill as a monster. He was incorrigible – kicking, screaming, hiding, bullying. One day, he stood defiantly before his Christian nanny, Mrs. Elizabeth Anne Everest, and told her that before he would do his mathematics lesson, he would "bow down and worship graven images."

His nanny was wise and knew his unruly behavior masked a hurting child, who desperately longed for love and nurturing. Winston was born two months premature during the Victorian Era when children were typically turned over to a wet nurse after birth. It is unlikely that he ever really bonded with his mother, who largely ignored him.

However, God had another plan to bring comfort to this special child. Mrs. Everest was hired as his nanny. She was his disciplinarian, as well as the one who cradled his head when he was sick. She was the one who told him Bible stories and taught him to pray. Mrs. Everest was also the one person who taught Winston the principles of the Christian faith, which he would eventually embrace, rallying his nation and interceding for Britain while at war with the Nazis. All this he had learned from his nanny, who had invested her life in that of a troubled child.

Behind this great man of vision and fortitude, lay the simple teachings of a devoted nanny who fulfilled her God-ordained mission by pouring herself into the life and destiny of a little boy.

Elizabeth Anne Everest - (unknown -1895)

Taken from: Mothers of Influence

Peanut Butter Bars

I love, love these peanut butter bars that taste like Reese's peanut butter cups.

FUN FACT: Hershey's Reese's peanut butter cups turned 75 years old in 2003.

Peanut Butter Bars

1 stick butter
1 cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
16 oz. box powdered sugar
1/3 cup graham cracker crumbs
12 oz. bag milk chocolate chips

Place butter and peanut butter in a large microwave safe mixing bowl. Heat in microwave until slightly melted; stir in vanilla, graham cracker crumbs and sugar to form dough. Press dough onto the bottom of a 9x13 container. Place chocolate chips in mixing bowl and melt slightly in microwave (DO NOT OVERHEAT). Stir and spread over the top of dough. Cut into 2-inch squares while warm. Cool and re-cut.

Grace and Glory

For the Lord God is a sun and shield; The Lord gives grace and glory; No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.

O Lord of hosts, how blessed is the man who trusts in Thee!

~ Psalm 84:11-12

Chicken Enchiladas & Avocado Salad

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas - J. Akin

Saute:
1 chopped medium onion
2 tablespoons butter
Add:
2 cans chopped green chilies
3 cups chicken, cooked and chopped
2 - 8 oz. blocks cream cheese

1-2 packages flour tortillas
2-3 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
2 cups heavy whipping cream
garlic powder
salt and pepper

Saute onions in butter. Add green chilies and cream cheese. Heat on low until melted. Add chicken, garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste. Spoon mixture into tortillas and roll up. Place in greased 9x13 dish. Sprinkle cheese on top. Pour whipping cream on last. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes.

Avocado & Tomato Salad with Confetti Vinaigrette

1 small red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped parsley
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 small jalapenos, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon granulated chicken bouillon
4 medium tomatoes
2 medium ripe avocados

Combine bell pepper, onion, parsley, olive oil, lime juice, jalapenos, garlic, and bouillon in medium bowl, stir well. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Slice tomatoes or cut into wedges. Peel and slice avocados. Arrange tomato and avocado slices alternately on top of each other on large platter, drizzle with prepared dressing.