Archive for November, 2008

One Thousand Gifts – Part 93

Tuesday, November 25th, 2008

  • 756. Blue sky & sunshine. Regardless of the temperature outside, there’s nothing like clear blue to cheer up my heart.
  • 757. Having routines with J5 when he gets off the bus from school – hugs, blankies, snacks, and now… Rolie Polie Olie!
  • 758. Looking forward to Florida vacation to go see The Mouse!
  • 759. Avedis had a good night at the clinic and even ate dinner.

Psalm 86

Tuesday, November 25th, 2008

Excerpts from Psalm 86, NLT

Bend down, O Lord, and hear my prayer; answer me, for I need your help. Protect me, for I am devoted to you. Save me, for I serve you and trust you. You are my God. Be merciful, O Lord, for I am calling on you constantly. Give me happiness, O Lord, for my life depends on you. O Lord, you are so good, so ready to forgive, so full of unfailing love for all who ask your aid. Listen closely to my prayer, O Lord, hear my urgent cry. I will call to you whenever trouble strikes, and you will answer me…. Teach me your ways, O Lord, that I may live according to your truth! Grant me purity of heart, that I may honor you. With all my heart I will praise you, O Lord my God. I will give glory to your name forever for your love for me is very great. You have rescued me from the depths of death…. But you O Lord, are a merciful and gracious God, slow to get angry, full of unfailing love and truth. Look down and have mercy on me. Give strength to your servant; yes, save me for I am your servant. Send me a sign of your favor. Then those who hate me will be put to shame, for you, O Lord, help and comfort me.

This Psalm has become a regular of mine. It so clearly expresses what’s going on in my heart – my aching need, my feeling of urgency, and also it reassures me of my standing with God – that He is not put off my my neediness. It’s the Psalm of our relationship as it takes root.

Menu Plan Monday – November 17-23, 2008

Monday, November 17th, 2008

Menu Plan Monday
Click HERE to visit
I’m an Organizing Junkie’s Menu Plan Monday

It’s been a really rough week. We’ve been sick for what seems like an eternity. Since my last post here was my MPM for last week, that tells you how “online” I have not been. Hopefully this week will be much better. As we head into the holidays, time is just going to speed up! :)

So…here is the plan for the upcoming week.

Weekday Dinners

Monday – Easy Crockpot Chicken and Stuffing, Corn

Tuesday – Leftover crockpot chicken

Wednesday – Easy Roasted Pork, potatoes, broccoli

Thursday – Leftover pork

Friday – Grilled Cheese & Tomato Basil Soup

Weekend Breakfasts

Saturday – Pancakes, bacon & eggs

Sunday – Leftover pancakes

Menu Plan Monday – November 10-16, 2008

Sunday, November 9th, 2008

Menu Plan Monday



Click HERE to visit
I’m an Organizing Junkie’s Menu Plan Monday

I just started a new blog with my recipes so I can link to them there. Please feel free, if you’re looking for recipes to cook, to come over and visit. It won’t be anything special – no frills – few pictures, just a repository for my tried and true, or super favorite recipes. I will make comments as I go to build on what I’ve tried in case I have variations that work better or comments about what NOT to do. :)

Weekday Dinners

Monday – Spaghetti & Meatballs, Garlic Crescent Rolls, Broccoli

Tuesday – Tater Tot Casserole

Wednesday – Leftover Tater Tot Casserole

Thursday – Crock Chicken & Stuffing, Corn

Friday – Leftover Chicken & Stuffing

Weekend Breakfasts

Saturday – Biscuits & Gravy

Sunday – Leftover biscuits & gravy

One Thousand Gifts – Part 92

Thursday, November 6th, 2008

  • 746. Autumn breeze to dry floor after mopping
  • 747. Little boy that finds happy comfort in blankies and hugs from mommy when coming home from school
  • 748. Early Childhood programs to give my little boy the extra stimulus he needs, and also gives mommy time away to do stuff and miss him!
  • 749. Blogging friends who have become a community of support
  • 750. Macaroni & Cheese
  • 751. Yummy recipes
  • 752. Watching my toddler scurry INTO the crib (he hasn’t started scurrying OUT yet)
  • 753. The wonderful fall weather, while it lasted…
  • 754. Starbucks Salted Caramel Signature Hot Chocolate
  • 755. Listening to J5 read his books before he falls asleep

Lasting Change

Wednesday, November 5th, 2008

Just wanted to share a quote today, from a blog post entitled “When Sin Loses its Appeal“, by John Burke:

Frank Laubach, who I’ve told the history of in my last post, wrote this in his journal after the first five months of seeking moment by moment life with God:

“Oh, this thing of keeping in constant touch with God, of making Him the object of my thought and the companion of my conversations, is the most amazing thing I ever ran across. It is working. I cannot do it even half of a day – not yet, but I believe I shall be doing it some day for the entire day. It is a matter of acquiring a new habit of thought. Now I like the Lord’s presence so much that when for a half hour or so He slips out of mind – as He does many times a day – I feel as though I deserted Him, and as though I had lost something very precious in my life.” – Frank Laubach, May 14, 1930

I can now believe him, but this was not always the case for me. For many years, my spiritual life felt dutiful. I would say it was the right way to live, or a good way to live, but not amazing, life-giving, exciting, thrilling, fulfilling like nothing else. Now I can say that because that’s been my experience as I’ve stayed more and more connected [to God] in a daily, hourly, sometimes even moment to moment way. When we learn to stay connected and responsive, sin begins to lose its appeal. We sin (go against God’s will or ways) because we think it will get us something we want or need, but the more you stay connected and experience the fulfilling inner life God’s Spirit produces, you selfishly don’t want to sin because you don’t want to ruin something much better with something less satisfying. That’s when lasting change takes root.
– John Burke, author of Soul Revolution and No Perfect People Allowed and pastor of Gateway Church in Austin, Texas

I know there is a lot of talk about change going on right now. I tend to dread change most of the time – but that’s my personality type. I need change in order to grow. I believe strongly in the lasting change that is described here, change that is founded in regular exposure to God’s Spirit. That is the change I need.

Menu Plan Monday – November 3-9, 2008

Monday, November 3rd, 2008

Menu Plan Monday
Click HERE to visit
I’m an Organizing Junkie’s Menu Plan Monday

It looks like I am often finding that my Friday meal plan gets pushed into Monday, which is actually a nice thing. There’s usually at least one day a week that changes the plans and pushes the meal plan off. The nice part is that I prefer doing groceries on Tuesday, as Monday always requires extra effort anyway, and by Tuesday I’m in a better routine.

Weekday Dinners

Monday – Crock Pot Pork Chops, potatoes and veggies

Tuesday – Reuben Crescents, Salad, & fruit

Wednesday – Leftover Reubens, etc.

Thursday – Crock Pot Thai Chicken Thighs over Jasmine Rice, Veggies

Friday – Leftover Thai Chicken

Weekend Breakfasts

Saturday – Breakfast Burritos – eggs, salsa, chorizo, hash browns, onions & cheese

Sunday – Leftover burritos

One Thousand Gifts – Part 91

Monday, November 3rd, 2008

  • 741. Good friends to meet for coffee
  • 742. Sunshine and 60 degrees at 8:30a
  • 743. My husband
  • 744. My son
  • 745. The Early Childhood program

Book Announcement – Me, Myself & I AM

Monday, November 3rd, 2008

I’m excited about this book. I have it, and have started doing it. At first glance it seems like a bunch of memes which float around the email world time and again, but after doing a few, it was a lot more thought provoking.

Back when I was in early grade school, my parents gave me a book called “All About Me”. I found it again a couple of years ago, and it was so fun to see what answers I gave to all sorts of questions. I will have a lot of fun doing this book and putting it away to find in another 20 years or so!


Me, Myself & I AM CoverMe, Myself & I AM, Created by Matthew Peters in partnership with Elisa Stanford

Book Summary

A new experience of God comes one question at a time in this fun and provocative journal. Made up entirely of insightful, profound, and occasionally ridiculous questions, Me, Myself, and I AM invites you to open to any page, open yourself to God, and be the author of your own story.

Questions range from spiritually intriguing—
You overhear God talking about you. What do hear him saying?

to thought-provoking—
You are on a long car trip with a close friend who is not a Christian and the conversation turns to faith. What is your biggest fear about what your friend will ask or say?

to challenging—
Do you believe that all of Jesus’s followers have a responsibility to tell others about him?

to just plain fun—
If your life before you became a Christian were a movie, its title would be:
Animal House
As Good as It Gets
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
It’s a Wonderful Life

Me, Myself, and I AM will entertain, inspire, and get you thinking about your spiritual life from brand new angles. Whether you use Me, Myself, and I AM as a reflective tool, a way to start conversations with friends and family, or as a spiritual time capsule to look back on years later, their own words will create a powerful journey of self-discovery.

A night out!

Saturday, November 1st, 2008

J4 and I are heading out this evening to go see my friend, Tara, perform in The Drama Group’s performance of A Man For All Seasons!

I love having a night out with my hubby!

Happy writing about anything month for NaBloPoMo!