Trucks, trucks, trucks!

Okay, I admit it, I'm lost when it comes to the world of toy trucks (and real for that matter)!
My little son happens to love any and every truck, toy or not!

I try to talk, "truck talk," and make truck noises when we play...but I know I am so lacking!

Thats why I love when my dh comes home at the end of his long day, grabs a truck, and enters into truck world with our son!

I'm in the kitchen at the moment, laughing to myself at all of the truck dialog that so easily flows from my husband! It's like he hasn't missed a beat since his own childhood! I love having such a great Papa around...what would we do without him!

Begining the Holidays...

Today, in celebration of the harvest, my little guy and I made orange Rice Krispy treats together!
They are so easy to make, and he made sure to put lots of green and brown sprinkles all over them too!
We're going to take a batch over for the Mom's Group tomorrow, along with a healthy salad and some focaccio bread I made!
Ever since I figured out how to make focaccio bread with my bread maker, I make it often, especially for potlucks or events. It always gets eaten right up too!
I mix my ingredients in the bread maker on dough cycle and when it's done I take it out and spread it on a pan to rise. I brush it with melted butter and herbs to taste and after about 30 min., I place it in the oven to cook.
It's not too hard, and worth the effort!

I spent some time on the phone today organizing this years children's Christmas Pageant. I have quite a few helping so far. I'm not completely comfortable with organizing events like these, but no one else wanted to either!
I will be spending a lot of time in prayer to be able to be, "filled up," enough to be of use to people.
The best part is working with the kids, the hardest part is, "being in the know," about All the details. My best friend is So Gifted at event planning and organizing...me not so much. Any skills I might have in the area are hard earned, and did not come naturally or easily!
Today I found a volunteer to be in charge of costumes. She is a wiz with the sewing machine, and she's so sweet! Some people are so pleasant to work with!

Sunday Report

From time to time, I like to invite just the bachelors of the church to Sunday dinner at our home.

Today, after church, was one of those times. As usual, meat and potatoes was on the menu, because thats what men love. I also served, as one of the sides, my home made canned applesauce! (I couldn't resist). They really liked it, and said it's amazing how it tastes different from store bought (in a good way, I think! :-))

It's a lot of fun having just the guys over. They are, of course, very thankful for a home cooked meal. Most of their diets consist of mostly top ramen and cereal, so their not a difficult crowd to please.

Another sweet thing happened as I was preparing the meal, my little son said, "Mommy can I have a hug and a kiss?" I said, "Of course!" As I was hugging him, he said that my hug wasn't big enough, so I squeezed harder, till we both got the giggles.

I thought on the busyness of the morning, and how much sharing he has to do with other people over Papa and Mama at church. I think it can be difficult for our children at times in the ministry. When he runs to me after nursery to show me his picture and tell me what he learned, and soon finds out Mommy's got 101 people that also need her...whew, it can't be easy.
So when he asked for a hug and a kiss, I knew how bad he needed me at that moment. I'm just glad he asked.

Apples, etc.

Today was spent canning my first ever batch of applesauce!
Our neighbors had an apple tree blow down from some of the recent storm winds we've had here.
So, they called to see if I would like some apples, and being that I can't pass up anything free, I said "of course!"

I figured out very fast, after tripling an apple crisp recipe I was making for some friends in the church, that they weren't very good apples at all! They were the hardest, most bitter, dry apples I had ever tasted. Of course I didn't try them until after all of my apple crisps were already done!! Thankfully, I was able to doctor them up enough to feel comfortable giving them away. After that, however, I was at a loss as to what to do with the huge pile of apples I had left.

I ended up borrowing a hot water bath and some other canning supplies from someone at church, and I decided to make applesauce. I don't have my own canning supplies yet. I plan on trying to find some at a discounted price, maybe Craig's List (I'm not sure if I spelled that right)? I've never been on that sight, but I've heard you can find good deals there.

Anyways, it was a long process for me because I'm such a novice. I also think if I had a food processor, that it would have been much quicker. But...I am very proud of all my jars of applesauce sitting on the counter right now! If I knew how to put pictures on this thing, I'd even post a picture!! (Yes, I took pictures!)

After browsing at recipe's online and in my canning bluebook, I've decided with the rest of the apples I have here, to give a try canning apple juice, apple butter and apple pie filing. I figure I can give some away as Christmas gifts! I think thats pretty neat considering it hasn't costed me anything to make!

Laundry Blues

Today I am trying not to grumble as it's Monday (which already has one strike against it - what a let down day after all the hustle, bustle, ups and downs of a Sunday)!
Not only is it Monday, but it is laundry day...treating stains, sorting colors, washing, drying, folding, putting away...what a process!!
I remember my late youth Pastor's wife, who was also a SAHM. She used to always try to keep her head up with scripture and prayer on days like these...blah days. I just loved her, she was an amazing woman!
So here goes!

Green Bean Galore!

I have about 25 pds. of fresh green beans in my kitchen. They are, I think, the last of the seasons. It is always a bitter sweet end when the last of a crop comes in. You are so glad, because the abundance of it has made you a little sick of it, and it's a little sad because it's to be no more till next year.
I have made Garlic Green Beans, Ginger Soy Green Beans, Italian Green Bean Soup, Chicken Potato Soup with Green Beans, and just plain. raw. crunchy, fresh from the garden green beans ( I tell my kids they are green french fries..."cool!")
Any green been recipies out there? I'm sure I can't be the only one reaping in the harvest right now. My neighbor makes a Green Bean Pie...I should get the recipie, that sounds very good!
I will be blanching and freezing most of what I have left here in my kitchen. There is no way we will be able to eat all of these before they go bad. Plus, there aren't really any neighbors or church folks to give them to, most are all already burned out on the things (it's always a good season when it comes to green beans!)

The Love of Money

I was thinking about the Bible story of the man who had to build bigger barns so that he could have a place to hold all of his stuff.
Where we live, like anywhere else there are the "good" neighborhoods, where people seem to keep their homes clean and neat for the most part, and there are the "bad" neighborhoods, where homes are dirty with unkept lawns, etc. Anyways, upon observing, I noticed that many of the homes in the "bad" neighborhoods were bursting at the seams with stuff! In fact, the whole reason the homes appear so dirty is because they all have piles of junk, toys and cars all over the place.
This caught me by surprise, as I really got to thinking because it seems like in the "bad" neighborhood where most of the people are considered poor, their homes are also just flooded with things!
It gets me thinking about stewardship, and about how we are to be wise with our money (God's money). It seems like so much of the finances He provides us with is wasted away.
I was imagining the world during the chaos of the end times, and how it will mostly be made up of graveyards for the dead, and dumps, heaps of trash pilled about from all of our stuff. I mean seriously, they just opened up a new IKEA here in Oregon, and I was totally overwhelmed by all of the stuff they have there. It's am amazing store, that I really want to go back to for a few things. However, as I was staring at all this stuff, this thought hit me, that in five, ten, however many years from now, most of what I see here, will be pilled up in a big garbage heap...nothing more than junk!
Anyways, we're as guilty as anybody at having too much stuff, and I hate it. On one hand, I want to just burn it all, on the other hand, I just never know when I might need something. I just never want to become like the man in the story who has to build larger barns to hold all of his possessions. I want to be a good steward of all that God has given me.
I think the love of money can come to the rich and the poor. I knew a man who used to say that he thought the reason God never gave him a lot of money was probably because God knew he wouldn't be able to handle it! I can relate with that, and think that same thing sometimes.
Money is such an idle to most of us. The Bible says that we can't take it with us when we go. I think women are the worst, always worrying about security. Worrying if we'll be taken care of, worrying about our husbands dying and leaving us with, "nothing."
It makes me wonder, where does our security lie? Of course in Christ we say. Well, everyone would probably agree that money makes things easier, makes life more enjoyable. This is true, but where has that gotten us in America? Our ease, has turned into complacency, and will be our biggest weakness. Look at the fall of the Roman Empire...they were a monetarily prosperous nation (just like us). With money, we don't need faith or God. We don't need anything. Have you ever tried witnessing to someone who doesn't think they need anything?! It's impossible.
So of course, money isn't the problem here, it's man's heart. We hold money in such high esteem, higher than most everything else. My mom worries about me, because she doesn't think we have enough money! Well, I worry about her because though she has money, she doesn't know Jesus as her personal Lord and Savior.
What's important to us, why do our hearts burn for more money, more stuff, bigger stuff..It's never enough. Thats the folly of desiring and obtaining money - it's empty in it's final reward. It's pleasurable for a season, but for certain will require more, and more until we are building bigger barns to hold it all.