Grace Given Home

My New Home!

2012-08-17T08:11:00.003-04:00

Ok followers! I finally put all my writing in one place.. So come on over and visit my new home! Hope you will decide to follow me there as well!
I will be writing my own daily devotionals in the very near future. You will also see a page called "At the Well", where you will find post about my "life" testimony, with some Mennoite history.
I love taking nature pictures! I will be adding some there with quotes and scripture. Right now I still have a few things to organize before I will begin all of that!
Everything I have posted here, you will still find over at the new place.
Thank you for joining me and would love to hear your comments and insight over at the new place!

Hop on over for A Splash of Living Water .... Hope to "see" you there!

Our First Born Son

2012-08-07T08:22:00.000-04:00

I did a guest post on Threshold of Heaven about our first born son. The website there was created by a friend of ours, who has had to say bye to his son Jesse as well. Check out his story while you are there!

Jesus Our Foundation

2012-08-03T08:43:00.003-04:00

I was looking out the window as my husband and sons came driving up to the front of the house. My oldest 2 daughters were playing behind me but I'm not even sure where the baby was at that very moment. As I'm watching the van drive up it suddenly started to spin around in circles. I figured I better tell them to stop that and headed for the door. As I opened the door, a massive, strong wind began to push against it. Very quickly this storm began to wrap itself around the house and I got this feeling in my stomach as if we were being lifted. I screamed for the girls to come grab my hand, but we just weren't able to reach each other at this point... Oh and the baby! Where is the baby!? That is when I woke up! Immediately the parable popped in my mind about the wise and foolish builders in Matthew 7.
²⁴“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: ²⁵and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.

²⁶“But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: ²⁷and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”

I am reminded that Jesus is our rock. We need Him as the foundation in our homes.

⁹For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building. ¹⁰According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. ¹¹For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 3:9-11

Possible with God!

2012-07-31T07:55:00.000-04:00

God recently did a miracle in the marriage of friends of ours! She was willing to share about it here on my blog. I am reminded through this testimony, of what Jesus said to his disciples in Matthew 19 , when they asked him who could be saved?
But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.

Here is her story:

My husband and I were married in 2005 and about as soon as the echo of ‘I do’ faded the marriage hit rock bottom and then continued to worsen from there.We had gone through a three year period of dating that was fraught with warning signs of things to come but somehow we remained together and made it down the aisle.

As soon as we set up house we came face to face with the reality of an insurmountable mountain of debt that Husband had accumulated prior to marriage which eventually resulted in bankruptcy.This was a very, very difficult thing to go through. We know that many marriages crumble under the weight of financial woes.If this is you, I feel for you – I know how hard it is.

Another thing that came to light after marriage was my husband’s habit of lying.It was so bad that it would be accurate to call him a pathological liar – he routinely lied with or without reason.If he was caught in a lie he became severely enraged and put the blame back on me.For most of our marriage he blamed everything on me, including everything that he himself did/thought/felt/said.Literally everything was my fault, including our extremely shaky financial situation that he had created all by himself before marriage – he blamed me for not working although I applied to every available job I could find.It was that way with everything.I suppose that that was how he was able to live with himself all those years - if it was all my fault then he really didn’t have any responsibility in our marriage and I alone was the problem in every area.

Before you think that I was a good woman, let me shatter your illusion. I returned blow for blow and blamed him for just about everything as well. I was a severely broken woman and I was A-N-G-R-Y like I cannot even describe to you.Some of my anger I could justify, but certainly I cannot justify how I used that anger.What I mean by that is that my husband had no business lying to me at all, most especially not with the frequency and predictability that he did, or about the things he lied about; he also had no business assigning blame to me that didn’t belong to me and so on.These behaviours are extremely hurtful and especially to someone like me with the history that I already had and feelings of anger at such betrayal are normal.However, I am called to handle that anger without sinning!I think I may struggle with this to my last breath here on earth – it is that difficult for me to not sin in my anger.As you read the rest of this post just imagine that the whole six years I’m talking about I was screaming, cursing, and burying my husband under a mountain of scathing verbiage.That will give you pretty accurate view of my marital contributions.

What it came down to was Husband would do something and I would react with anger.This was the cycle.Whatever the problem, it was almost always he that instigated it and me that flew into a rage and thus perpetuated the ugly cycle.Six whole years this went on.It began when I found out that he had lied about some very important things that would have caused me to seriously reconsider marriage to him.He hadn’t simply omitted the information (still a lie anyway), but he had looked me directly in the eye on several occasions and verbalised an untruth that was very important to me.This shattered all the trust that I had in him, which was precious little to begin with, and I am still struggling to trust him again to this day.

There were problems with opposite-gender relationships that did so much damage to our marriage that I’m not even going to bother trying to explain because I can’t string enough words together properly to illustrate the pain of it all.It didn’t take long until we came to the point where we loathed one another.

While I mostly used words and volume to attack him, he began to use physical force with me.At first it was rough pushes into chairs.Sometimes he would push me against the wall, squeeze his hands around my neck just enough to really feel pressure and terrify me but not enough to be physically damaging.He would threaten suicide and he would throw things around the house.He used words as well – very, very damaging words. I hit him also – beating my fists against his chest and pushing against him.The thing with the physical aspect of it is that he is twice my size (literally) and I am not a physically strong person at all.This does not excuse my behaviour but it does mean that he could inflict serious damage on my body with little effort while I would only be able to cause any physical harm to him if I had a weapon and the element of surprise on my side.And it also means that I lived in fear for my life on many an occasion.

By October of 2007 I was so completely worn out emotionally and physically and every other way a woman can be worn out that I pretty well just gave up on life and marriage.We had an eight month old daughter at the time and I chose to leave because I was sure that if I remained there I would suffer a complete mental and physical breakdown.I still think that if nothing had changed and I had remained at that time that is what would have happened.The long and short of it is that I left, Husband and I both had an affair, I experimented with drugs and alcohol.We did reconcile three months later.Six months after that he was arrested, charged and convicted on several counts of assault, and uttering a death threat against me.He had degenerated into such a monster that I was afraid enough of him that I went to the police finally.His sentence was one year on parole and no contact with me or our daughter for most of that time.

When we reconciled after the restraining order was lifted we had high hopes for our marriage.He appeared to have made many changes and I thought I had too.But it was not so.Our hearts had not changed.We had tried to change ourselves only and left God out of it.

The one very good thing that came about through the law’s involvement was the exposure of what kind of a man he was.Nobody but me had any idea what sort of man he was because he is a likeable kind of man, easygoing and sociable.You would not be likely to suspect him as the type of person that would be capable of any of the things he routinely did in our marriage.Being that the arrest and restraining order were things that he could not keep under wraps his cover was blown wide open.If anything, I was the one that looked far more guilty in our marriage than he before his conviction and that was just the way he liked it.When he couldn’t hide behind my more obvious failures any longer, he became sobered up to the fact that he was considerably riddled with faults and failures for the first time.This was a good beginning.Unfortunately, things became even worse not very long after this new and promising start to our reconciled marriage.

When things once again escalated into violence and then sexual violence, I sunk into such a deep depression that I stayed and I did nothing at all.Aside from telling the pastor’s wife one time when a really frightening event transpired, I told no one because I had once involved the law and it had accomplished nothing, and I did not think that anyone in the church would be able to help me because the things that were happening were so disgusting and shameful that I couldn’t bring myself to say them to someone and risk being rejected and blown off because they didn’t want to be tainted with the ugliness.

Near the very beginning of this year there was an incident that was so truly terrifying that I fear to consider what might have happened if I had not been able to run faster out the door than my husband.I spent the day away wondering what to do, praying desperately and feeling like there was no God that heard me at all but finally going home knowing that I must do something – I just did not yet know what.But I made myself a promise to not just drift along anymore.

When I went to church with my daughter that Sunday I told someone I needed help and they gave it to me.I was surprised; I had said it basically out of desperation – grasping at a straw and not really believing that anyone would be willing or able to help me.That was a turning point.I confessed everything to this woman and she set the wheels in motion.My husband was contacted by the pastor and called to give an account.Thereafter we each were placed in a mentorship/accountability relationship with the pastor couple.

Today my husband has lived six months with God and it is a marvelous thing that I am witnessing.He is gentle and compassionate; slow to anger and quick to accept responsibility for his failures; he is affectionate and full of goodwill; he seeks out God’s word and prays.I literally could not have ever imagined that he would one day be the man that he is today.What God has done in each of our hearts and in our marriage is absolutely a miracle.All the years that we kept trying to do things on our own failed and ended up just intensifying all that was bad already because we could not change our hearts.Only when we gave up everything to God did anything change because He is the only one that is in the business of changing a person’s heart.

Go to Ponder Woman to read more about her life and what God is teaching her.

The Chains of Gossip

2012-07-27T16:27:00.001-04:00

Perhaps the most eye opening thing to the state of my own tongue is when false and maybe some not so false rumours are being spread about me. [The he said, she said that the other person said game is always very catchy and usually gets additions at each stop and it's quite easy to involve ourselves at some of these stops]
These things have happened to me and though it makes you feel like a victim, I have to ask myself; What are you teaching me God? I have often asked God to search my heart and show me where my heart's condition needs fixing. I now believe HE allowed some of these things to do just that!
First of all, I need to live my life in such a way that when untrue things are being said, those who know me will not believe it. (Obviously , I haven't arrived to that point) If I only gave positive reports, then when someone says I did otherwise, others will surely know the truth in there hearts.
I however have failed to only give good reports by uplifting ALL those around me. I cannot put my finger on anything specific right now but I know in my own heart I have failed.
God forgives though and continues to give me chances! I thank Him for that and want to take the chance to encourage others! By the grace of God, I will not start conversations that do not edify and build others up and to also not comment on conversations around me that tear others down. Doing so becomes a stumbling block to the people we are around. I know because I have stumbled over this sort of stuff! Having stumbled though is a reminder to myself that I too am am guilty of sin. It's no wonder I needed Jesus so much!
It really is what is in the heart that comes out of the mouth and the tongue really is a dangerous weapon and can also cause accidents. Through those accidents the love we are to have in God's family is shaken and often broken. This will effect the whole body!
However, we don't have to dwell on our pass mistakes for the rest of our lives because Jesus already took the punishment for us! HE forgives us if we believe on Him and ask for that forgiveness. BUT , if I want my sins forgiven, I need to also forgive! FORGIVENESS= FREEDOM! I am not holding anyone in bondage and I am not being held! GOOD NEWS, INDEED!

A few verses I read:
Proverbs 6:16-19 There are six things which the LORD hates, Yes, seven which are an abomination to Him: 1.Haughty eyes, 2. a lying tongue, And 3. hands that shed innocent blood, 4. A heart that devises wicked plans, 5. Feet that run rapidly to evil, 6. A false witness who utters lies, And 7. one who spreads strife among brothers. (Notice that the one who spreads strife is different than a false witness who is a liar.The following verses will reveal how such things as GOSSIP and SLANDER "spread strife among brothers." )

Proverbs 10:12 Hatred stirs up strife, But love covers all transgressions.

Proverbs 25:9-10, 23 Argue your case with your neighbor, And do not reveal the secret of another,Or he who hears it will reproach you, And the evil report about you will not pass away. The north wind brings forth rain, And a backbiting tongue, an angry countenance. (Backbiting is revealing the secrets of another, causing strife.)

Proverbs 26:20-28 For lack of wood the fire goes out, And where there is no whisperer, contention quiets down.
21 Like charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire, So is a contentious man to kindle strife.
22 The words of a whisperer are like dainty morsels, And they go down into the innermost parts of the body.
23 Like an earthen vessel overlaid with silver dross Are burning lips and a wicked heart.
24 He who hates disguises it with his lips, But he lays up deceit in his heart.
25 When he speaks graciously, do not believe him, For there are seven abominations in his heart.
26 Though his hatred covers itself with guile, His wickedness will be revealed before the assembly.

This is what God showed me, through my own life lessons, both through times where I needed to forgive and where I needed to be forgiven!

Summer Days

2012-07-23T16:08:00.000-04:00

We have spent a lot of time outdoors this summer. The kids enjoyed making a garden. I think they just like playing in the dirt and what better way!

Even let Lily get into it for a bit. She is still a very happy baby, now 10 months old.

This garden has been a lot of work! I would say an abnormal amount of weeds have lived here....

Sometimes you just need a break!

Finally the hard work pays off and you hopefully reap what you sow. We have been getting things like radishes, cucumbers, green beans, zuchinni and potatoes so far. Corn, tomatoes, peppers and watermelon should be ready soon.

We spent a few days camping with friends at Lakewood Christian Camp . We had a good time together! I could probably write a whole post on camping thoughts! I really am not sure if camping was made for me but I would be willing to do it again now that I have recovered. :) REALLY though, great memories were made and I learned from it. Next time I will just keep my plans simpler!

One memory I will never forget is when Art and Anthony tipped the canoe. Art looks pretty happy in his wet and yucky clothes!

ANd doing things with my friend Tina is always good! Here we are with our babies who were due 4 days apart but were born 3 weeks apart.

Also got a surprise visit from our friends who live in Manitoba. Ended up going to African Lion Safari with them.

It's been a good summer. Jamie had a job in asparagus and now the boys and I are picking cucumbers as well. I think work is very good for all of us!

One Lovely Blog Award

2012-07-17T16:53:00.001-04:00

Thank you so much to School Days Gone By for presenting me with the ONE LOVELY BLOG Award! This was a great surprise to me!

I will now get to award and share with you 15 lovely blogs that I enjoy reading!

Here are my selections for my top 15 "One Lovely Blog" awards.

I have started following all of these blogs on Pinterest, Facebook, or Google Follow.

I encourage you to also follow them and enjoy the journey with them!

Teaching for Eternity

Lady of Virtue

Mennonite Girls can Cook

Calling Her Blessed

A Wise Woman Builds Her House

A Joyful Chaos

Simply-Misty

The Wissmann Family

If you are one of the bloggers I chose, here are your steps for claiming this award:

Write a post on your blog which includes the following:

1) Follow the person who gave you the award.

2) Link back to the person who gave you the award in your post and sidebar.

3) Pass the award on to 15 other bloggy friends.

After writing the post, you can add this picture to your blog:

Add this code to your blog to have the picture display. However, you must include a < at the beginning of the code (before img) and a > at the end of the code (after br/)

img src="http://img209.imageshack.us/img209/6263/onelovelyblogaward.jpg" alt="Image Hosted by ImageShack.us"/

He Gave me Water

2012-07-15T21:14:00.003-04:00

I was a woman at the well seeking for things that did not satisfy. Many times the things that I thought would satisfy my thirst only left me more thirsty. Many times my choices brought forth fruit I did not want to eat. I am so thankful Jesus met me at the well! At times my cup is full, at times it runs over but at times it gets dry. It is then that I really see my need to go back to the well where I first met my Saviour and ask HIM once more, "fill my cup, Lord..." That is where I am at right now. "Here am I Lord, fill me, quench my thirst and use me for your glory and honor. I will share with you over the next while what God did and is doing in my life. I have many memories from childhood on where God was calling me to himself. Often I did not recognize His voice, but now when I look back, I marvel at His marvelous grace!

Cups of Living Water

2012-07-15T21:04:00.002-04:00

I will be sharing my "life" story, a testimony of what God did through my weakest moments. I started this on a separate page.. My followers who would like to follow along go to Cups Of Living Water. You are welcome to follow there as well!

Showers of Blessings

2012-06-12T06:30:00.000-04:00

James

Anthony

Emily

Kati-Lyn

Lily

These are our five children here on earth God has graciously blessed us with! My prayer and desire is that all our children will love God with all their heart and serve him with their life. May God shower them with blessings from above. Blessings that will have eternal value!

Showers of Blessings

by Daniel W. Whittle

There shall be showers of blessing:
This is the promise of love;
There shall be seasons refreshing,
Sent from the Savior above.

Showers of blessing,
Showers of blessing we need:
Mercy drops round us are falling,
But for the showers we plead.

There shall be showers of blessing,
Precious reviving again;
Over the hills and the valleys,
Sound of abundance of rain.

There shall be showers of blessing;
Send them upon us, O Lord;
Grant to us now a refreshing,
Come, and now honor Thy Word.

There shall be showers of blessing:
Oh, that today they might fall,
Now as to God we’re confessing,
Now as on Jesus we call!

There shall be showers of blessing,
If we but trust and obey;
There shall be seasons refreshing,
If we let God have His way.

Listen to this song and read about the writer here.

Gifts from God

2012-06-11T10:43:00.000-04:00

I did a photo shoot with our children at the park yesterday. Here are a couple of pictures that inspired me. Children are such a blessing and bring a lot of joy to the world!

Children are a blessing; a gift from God. They were already a gift in the womb before they were born.
"Truly children are a gift from the Lord; the fruit of the womb is a reward" (Psalm 127:3).
"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that fully well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be" (Psalm 139:13-16).

[Jesus] And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me..."
Matthew 18:2-5
“See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven. Matthew 18:10

⁵He established a testimony in Jacob
and appointed a law in Israel,
which he commanded our fathers
to teach to their children,
⁶that the next generation might know them,
the children yet unborn,
and arise and tell them to their children,
⁷ so that they should set their hope in God
and not forget the works of God,
but keep his commandments;Psalm 78:5-7

Sisters and Best Friends

2012-06-05T18:58:00.001-04:00

(My girls, Emily and Kati-Lyn)

Sisters

Our roots say we're sisters

Our hearts say we're friends

Born in one family

Makes it friendship God sends

Staying together as family

Friendship formed by love

Through life's stairway

Frienship from above

So was God's design

With very good reason

Giving us sisters as friends

Growing together each season

What a perfect plan

God had in mind

So special and good

Is our Father's design

Poem and Photo By Nancy Wall

Mexican Chicken and Rice

2012-05-07T23:28:00.000-04:00

ingredients:

2 lb chicken

2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1 green pepper, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. seasoning salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1 c. chicken broth

1 c. salsa

1(8oz.)can corn, drained

1 1/2 uncooked instant rice

1 c. shredded marble cheese(optional)

directions:

In a large skillet, saute chicken in oil untill its no longer pink. Add the pepper and onions and cook untill tender. Then add the corn, broth, salsa, salt, seasoning salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Stir in the rice. Cover and remove from heat. Let stand about 5 minutes. Fluff with fork. Sprinkle with cheese if desired. Let stand for a few minutes or untill cheese is melted.

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

2012-05-04T01:22:00.003-04:00

Meatballs:

2 lb ground beef

2 eggs

2/3 cup oatmeal

1 onion, grated

dash of salt and pepper

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

Mix the meatball ingredients. Form small balls. Place a single layer in baking dish and bake uncovered at 350 Degrees Fahrenheit.

While meatballs are browning, prepare sauce:

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2 bell peppers, sliced up

1 c. pineapple juice

1 c. ketchup

1/2 c. water

4 tsp. brown sugar

4 tsp. vinigar

dash of salt and pepper

Warm up oil in saucepan and saute onion and peppers on medium heat until sftened a bit. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Boil about 10 minutes.

Pour sauce over meatballs and bake covered for about 30 -45 minutes.

Taste great on top of rice!

When Things Get Overwhelming

2012-04-26T16:46:00.002-04:00

After John's death:

"When Jesus heard it, He departed from there by boat to a deserted place by Himself. But when the multitudes heard it, they followed Him on foot from the cities And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick. When it was evening, His disciples came to Him, saying, "This is a deserted place, and the hour is already late. Send the multitudes away, that they may go into the villages and buy themselves food." But Jesus said to them, "They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat."
John 14:13-16

Jesus often went on his own to pray and seek the will of His Father and sometimes we need to do that, too. What stood out to me in these verses today was that after John's death, it seems that Jesus wanted some time on His own. The news must have been heart breaking for Him. However quiet time didn't work out for Him since He was followed. He then went right back to helping people.
As women we can often get very overwhelmed by the business of life. Often it seems we are needed in too many places at once. Juggling family, all the chores, errands outside of home, homeschooling, appointments ( the list could go on ) will sometimes leave us exhausted! You add a sick child to that or maybe being sick ourselves, financial hardships, broken appliances or vehicle and it might feel like chaos and hopeless at times. How we react in whatever our circumstances may be a challenging test... A test that we may often fail in, but lets think of it as a test we want to pass. To do well on a test requires studying an taking in knowledge. To pass this test during challenges requires the same. We need to study God's word, which will fill us with His Spirit / way of thinking. What is in the heart will eventually show on the outside. If we fill our hearts with good, good will come from it.... if we don't we will not have the strength that He gracefully gives us as we need.

If you are having a day where you feel out of control, overwhelmed and exhausted, take a moment to yourself (in the bathroom may work) Ask God to help you start over, turn on some soft music, go gives your kids or husband a hug and do the things set before you one thing at a time. Maybe God isn't asking you to do quite as much as you think you need to do but just do what you are able to. And if you do come out of the bathroom to what seems like chaos with needs everywhere you look, remember what Jesus did in this story. He continued to serve even though He too was exhausted, overwhelmed and very saddened!.... Whatever the circumastances....this too shall pass!

Motivation/Spring Cleaning

2012-03-22T23:48:00.002-04:00

I love spring time! It's a time of newness and just very refreshing. I was going to wait until school was finished a little farther to do my spring cleaning but just couldn't wait any longer! We doubled our work load in school yesterday and decided to do some spring cleaning now already and also enjoy the beautiful weather we have been having.
Today I worked on our bedroom. Cleaned everything top to bottom and then did the windows in our girls' room. One thing that can be motivating in this process is to challenge others to do their cleaning at the same time and then share before and after pictures with each other. I did this through my facebook page .
Here are some before and after shots:

BEFORE

Sometimes it has to get messier before it gets better!

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

Motivation in the home is a very big thing! I have gone through times I was not motivated and I also get so busy with other things that staying organized and keeping the home clean isn't always at the top of my list, but I do think we need to do our best with what God has given us! Having little children+ homeschooling = big messes. (especially with a 5 year old who has a ver big imagination! ) And so I have stopped expecting perfection. I think all that God is asking us to do is to keep going. Don't procrastinate! (the act of willfully delaying the doing of something that should be done)

And then there are those who have totally different ideas!:) Glad he was having fun getting all muddy on the quad they borrowed, while I was working away! Ha ha!

Ecclesiastes 9:10

Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.

LILY~ 6 Months Old!

2012-03-14T23:27:00.001-04:00

Once again , I have to say... I can't believe how time flies! My baby is 6 months old today. We have so enjoyed this little bundle! She is always smiling and sometimes will laugh so hard at something, it makes us all laugh!

As you can see, she is learning to eat like a little lady :)

She is starting to sit on her own, though I have some trust issues with this still!

One happy baby!

Sisters-in-the-Lord

2012-03-13T22:38:00.006-04:00

Here we are sisters in the Lord

Coming together in one accord

Singing and shouting together in praise

For our Redeemer our voices we raise

A family we are through God’s great love

How precious how pure a love from above

We bow and we worship before our King

We laugh and we cry but still we sing

Jesus our Saviour we will not deny

Coming together to testify

Of all the things which God has done

He made us anew through Jesus His Son

How precious how sweet, our sisters are here

How great and wonderful a gift so dear

Singing and praising not one without the other

How grateful we are for our Heavenly Father

written by Nancy Wall

Chunky Potato Soup

2012-03-13T12:18:00.001-04:00

4 cups water

5 medium potatoes

1 chopped onion

5 tbsp. butter

5 tbsp. flour

6 cups milk

2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

2 cups cubed cooked ham

1 tbsp. chicken soup base

1 tbsp. seasoning salt

ground black pepper

parsley (optional)

Bring water to boil in a pot and add the potatoes. Cook until tender.drain potatoes , reserving the cooking liquid. Set aside.

Melt butter in saucepan and add onions, cook untill tender. Add flour, soup base and seasong salt to pan and black pepper to taste. Cook about 2 minutes.

Measure 2 cups of the cooking liquid back into potatoes. (add water if you don't have enough cooking liquid.) Then add your onion mixture, cheese and ham to the potatoes. Simmer over low heat about 20-30 minutes.

Garnish with parsley which I didn't have at this time. You could also add some cooked brocolli instead of ham. I think I actually prefer that.

Wildlife Adventure

2012-03-12T23:56:00.003-04:00

Have you ever taken your kangaroo for a walk?

and then carried him when he got tired? :)

Have you ever been taught by an owl?

Perhaps you have played in dirt before...

But I'm pretty sure you have never held a tarantula!

But you may have milked a cow....

Have you ever climbed a mountain?

And then came back down , full speed?

This was a school homeschool trip we had on Saturday. Got to see some neat animals, pet a snake, climb a wall and learn some intersting facts . Did you know a tarantula is not actually poisonous and they rearely bite?

My God is So Great!

2012-02-29T19:41:00.001-05:00

(same flowers on both pictures and the only two that grow on our yard each year.)

A&W Confession of a Homeschooler

2012-02-27T22:26:00.002-05:00

I thought I better make it to the Blogger confession room and get this off my chest! First of all I can explain! I better tell this story from the beginning! (nervously paces back and forth)
It began like this... I wake up this morning and started the usual routine. The youngest two were up early again, fed the baby, said a (quick) be with me Lord prayer. Made a heartfelt breakfast (cold cereal). Started everyone on their school work, did some cleaning up where and when I had a chance, gave everyone lunch , finished school then off to swimming lessons I went with Anthony and Emily. All pretty normal thus far other than the fact that I let my oldest babysit his two little sisters today!
Well, this is where it all begins. I get kids to the pool and then decide to leave today while they swim. (Needed to pick up a few things in town.)
I'm driving along and that's when it happened! I .... Nancy.... went to.... A&W... ALL by myself AND ordered a BIG Teen Burger... and I sat there... QUIETLY and ate! A few times I looked to the back seats, thinking I heard someone say "mom" but it wasn't so! Uh Huh!! It really happened! If I had had my camera, I would have taken a picture to prove it but sorry I didn't.
Anyway, now you all know how I really did things today!
LOL.... Ok I will make my real point now. Life is busy... we need to meet a lot of needs daily, so why not have an A&W kind of moment once in our lives ! :)
When you start to feel really run-down, we need to look to God for strength and His word is able to refuel us over and over but maybe sometimes it's ok to take a time out like I did if at all possible!
(some humour intended)

Seasons, Time and Purpose

2012-02-27T17:34:00.000-05:00

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;

A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

My Grace Given Photos

2012-02-25T23:08:00.000-05:00

I enjoy taking pictures and adding the verses and quotes that inspire me. The day I took this picture it was snowing and cold. I was suppose to be going for coffee with a few friends but the roads were slippery and covered in snow. I decided to stay home, make myself a tea and do some reading instead.

You may also join me on my Grace Given Photos facebook page.

Kati-Lyn's 5th Birthday

2012-02-24T21:21:00.002-05:00

Today one of our princesses became a handful :0 (She turned 5!) She is a strong and determined little girl! I believe her determination will help her to persevere in hard times. Her strength will help her in not giving up when things seem hopeless. She is capable of much. I pray that as she gets older, she will see her need for Jesus more and more. I pray that she will use her God-given gifts to advance the kingdom.

She wasn't feeling very well actually but still ended up having a good day. Yesterday she came up to me and says,"Mom I think my voice is getting different because I'm turning 5 tomorrow." (she had a sore throat and was losing her voice!:)

A few aunts and cousins came over today and we even had a turkey supper!

Thank You Lord for your blessings on us!

Many, O LORD my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered. Psalm 40:5