What The Heck???

I ran to Lowe's to look over their flowers. Just air out a bit. As I was riding through town, on 2 corners there were families out "preaching". Something about all of this made me cringe. It made me feel angry if I'm totally honest. Behind my anger, I'm sad. They were waving posters with flames, and screaming about sin. I have no clue who these folks were, or what they are about, I just hope that during the rest of the week their lives are drawing folks that don't know Christ TO him, especially their children and youth.

I think I had such a strong reaction, in part, because I have loved many people whose lives have been negatively impacted by the misrepresentation of Christ and all He is about. Something of beauty, and life made into dysfunction, schism, angry bigotry, dishonesty, and hate, all in the name of God. It can take a lot of time to unlearn all the lies about who God is and what He's about. It most assuredly takes courage to challenge your belief system.

Maybe those folks on the corner today are dead on and I'm way off. At this point in my life I'm just wanting to live in such a way that makes people want to know the risen Lord. Most of all, I want my children to be absolutely clear what we're FOR, and what the business is that we are to be about. If they are clear that worship is vitally important, we are to Love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, strength, might, love our neighbors as ourselves, and keep a clear conscience before God and man, I'll be one happy gal when I depart. For now, that is enough and keeping me quite busy.

Valley of the Shadow

An assignment was sent out over the blog sphere to write your own eulogy. I've thought about it, and worked at it, and simply can't do it the justice done by others. The best I can present you is my hope, and if less is more, I'll do just fine.

She loved the Lord, and She loved us passionately...

If that's all that is said of me when I die, that will be enough.

Trick or Treat

For many years we chose to abstain from Halloween in any way. I think in some way it made us feel more spiritual, until we began to explain WHY we weren't begging for candy from willingly sharing neighbors to our very inquisitive oldest child. We saw that we would defile him more by explaining our "conviction" than just letting him go out dressed in a fun costume, not evil, and collect some candy.

4 years ago we started gathering for a meal, and pounding the streets with dear friends of ours. It has been great fun and created marvelous memories. Tonight was no different. Fun was had by all, and lots of laughs were enjoyed, not to mention the sugar!!!

I do have to say that it was refreshing to see our children dressed cute and fun, and not in evil costumes. There were very few cute costumes out tonight.

I sure do love our little crews!!!

Fall In The Kitchen

Thursday evening my children had to pay the Piper for misdeeds and go to bed at 6:30. My hubby was teaching his last class at a local community college, and I had the remote!!! I watched Food Network until he got home. It was marvelous!

I caught Rachel Ray first and she made the most unusual dish with a pumpkin sauce. It had herbs, spices, and sausage. It was served over whole wheat pasta, alongside whole grain bread, and a salad. I had all the ingredients and decided to give it a go. I fixed it tonight and my family liked it. I got responses ranging from "Yeah, it's edible" (from our pickiest), "I like it, I love the bread", to "I love it" and then The Dawg said "The pumpkin makes it pretty girly, but I love the sausage". I'll take that as a success.

I served the sauce over whole grain/whole wheat mixed spaghetti noodles, a french loaf made of an organic white whole wheat, and a caesar salad.

I'm trying to save $$ so we will be having left over noodles in lo mein tomorrow night. We are having company over Friday night and I am doing something I've never done before. It's an idea I saw in a recent Southern Living issue, and I think it'll be fun. I'll blog on the idea later, and let you know how it went. I fear that if I blog about it the guests will read, and will cancel on us. :0)

Pumpkin Sausage Sauce

1 tbsp EVOO (I didn't use...)

1 lb Italian Sausage (I used hot)

4 cloves garlic

1 med. onion finely chopped

1 bay leaf

4-6 sage leaves cut very fine

1 cu. dry white wine (didn't have any on hand)

1 cu. chicken stock

1 cu canned pumpkin (I used more like 1 1/2 cu)

1/2 cu. heavy cream (I used fat-free half and half)

1/8 tsp. gr. cinnamon (I always use more spices!)

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

salt to taste

pepper

pasta

parmesean to garnish

sides : whole grain bread, and salad

Directions: Cook sausage, then I cut them up. Drain well. Chop onion and herbs well, except bay leaf. Add to sausage. Sweat onion, add stock (and wine if you like), add bay leaf, add pumpkin, stir well, add cream, press garlic and add. Add spices. Continue to stir well. I just brought it to a simmer then reduced heat to low as I got my water started for my pasta. I covered it and let it come together until the pasta was finished.

Enjoy!!

Recipes

We are making some dietary changes around here to battle the bulge. What we are doing is weeding out processed foods, white flour, sugars, and unhealthy oils. That's the short of it.

I will be altering recipes we already eat to comply with our changes. I'll post some of the yummy recipes we try and like. If you have some of your own that you would like to share, feel free to post!

Bon Appetit!

Fall Garden

I haven't blogged on my garden in some time. The drought has made it tough to do much but pray and wait.

My Greens are coming in nicely, and have grown significantly since a good soaking rain last week, and a couple this week. My Sugar Snap Peas, and Romaine are growing well also.

I look forward to enjoying these goodies in the coming weeks.

A Great Example

A few weeks ago I ran into a neighbor at a local store. Just hours before, I had attended a John Rosemond seminar at our church based on one of his best books, Teen-Proofing. The neighbor and I exchanged friendly "Hey, how are you?" greetings, then I asked how his youngest child was doing in college. It's her first yr. Of course, he opened up conversation about his other 2 children. He kept talking about one in particular and referring to all the trouble they've been in. I have heard bits and pieces, but don't really know anything about this young adult. I told him that.

My neighbor and I stood in the aisle for a good 30 min. He told me about all the trials they have been through with this particular child of theirs. Drugs, theft (related to drugs), poor peer choices, and the like. This guy made it clear he has a deep faith and that is what has kept him over the past few years. He also told me how extending grace to this child year after year was only enabling more trouble, he eventually had to get tough. He told me that while working one day, he received a phone call from the Police that they needed a large sum of money, or needed to come to his house and "collect" the son. He had to set up his son to be at his apartment at a certain time that evening so the Police could come pick him up. Nobody in the family knew of this phone call. I can't imagine how hard that must have been, especially knowing what a heartache it would be for the Mother. This is true love in action. He made it clear that none of this was done out of anger, but out of love, and how utterly difficult it was.

I stood in the aisle in absolute awe. I told him how much I respect him, and how it gives me comfort to know that should the day ever come where I have to be tough with one of my children for their greater good, the Lord will sustain me and grant me the grace to execute whatever I must.

I saw this neighbor's truck pass by my house this morning while I was dusting, and offered up a prayer of thanksgiving for the example he has set.

Thank you Lord that though we don't live in the most costly neighborhood in this town, I believe it is easily one of the richest! I am surrounded by amazing stories and lessons.