Sabbath Supper; Healthy & Good!

In my effort to eat healthy I have created some yummy and easy recipes. This past Sabbath supper I decided to make Stuffed Red Peppers.
I used onion, garlic, canned diced tomatoes, basil, sea salt & fresh parsley-to spice the lean ground turkey.

 I also added fresh zucchini.

I sliced the red peppers in half and put them into a glass casserole dish.

Once the turkey was done and the seasonings had time to flavor the meat I then spooned the meat mixture into the red pepper halves. Then into the oven for 30 minutes.
Along with the stuffed peppers I made brown rice & Sesame Stir-Braised Kale. We also took a jar of canned Chow Chow out of the pantry & my dd Morgan-Britney made Challah.

It was a delicious Shabbat meal!

And to be environmentally conscious we ate on paper plates meant for the compost!

Long overdo pictures!!

Wouldn't you say it's time for some pictures?? Well, I certainly would! So let's go!

 My baby boy: KianAdley..He is such a cutie pie!!

 JaidenNoah (4) My sweet little man.

 Micah & Gabriellia working so hard on school work.

 KianAdley..his silly smile..

 JaidenNoah on the trampoline..

ZaraLayna..see what the trampoline does to her hair!?

 Morgan-Britney on the trampoline

 Quentin

 My 3 girls: Morgan-Britney, ZaraLayna & Gabriellia

My little guys..Isaac with KianAdley on his back, JaidenNoah on Micah & Quentin

Josiah

Zechariah

Isaac & ZaraLayna inside the big cardboard box they turned into a fort.

My sweet man & Mo..they are silly!

I LOVE my family!!! I feel so blessed!!!

Let Go

Father ~

Amen.

the lyrics tell the story...

I feel..well, these songs say it so much better than I can..

Everyday's Choice!

Today is not a good day. I am feeling sorry for myself. I have come a little ways in my thinking. I can admit it. I can admit to having a temper tantrum directed at the Father. I can admit to being angry at Him. 


I have a choice everyday. I can choose to be dependent on Him or I can choose self pity, anger, giving up and perhaps walking away. 


Very rarely, at least for me, life goes exactly as I picture it. Most often my plans end up being discarded. My days don't fit the detailed itinerary I have wanted for them. My life doesn't go according to plan. My prayers, as seems to be happening lately float somewhere in space and the exact opposite of what I asked for is given. 


My first inclination is to throw my hands up in the air and give up. My second is to get angry and yell, (yes I did do a bit of that this morning). My 3rd choice? Dependence on Father to guide me through my disappointment, hurt, anger, grumpiness, frustration, etc.. To surrender my ways to His ways and boy, does that never get old! This is what is constant in life isn't it? Choosing Him and His plan?    


So today as I realized I am finally willing to choose Him; of course after my self pity, anger, wanting to give up, frustration, etc..Father gives me these verses. 

 ²⁴Up to this time you have not asked a [single] thing in My Name [as ^[b]presenting all that I AM]; but now ask and keep on asking and you will receive, so that your joy (gladness, delight) may be full and complete. ~ John 16:24 (Amplified)


¹⁷Be unceasing in prayer [praying perseveringly] ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:17


Now to fully understand just how wonderful our Father is you would have to know that this morning during my moments of anger, frustration, self pity, (sounds like a fit, doesn't it?) I said out loud, mind you, that I wasn't going to pray anymore about this certain thing. And what good could it possibly be doing??


Yes, it's true I said that!  


Those scripture verses were Father's answer plain as day! Couldn't have been any plainer even if He had sent a lightening bolt along with them!


Did I ever doubt He is hearing me or my prayers?? Well, obviously I did. Do you see the smile on His face?  


BLESSINGS by Laura Story- 

We pray for blessings
We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things

'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights 
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

We pray for wisdom
Your voice to hear
And we cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
All the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe

'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights 
Are what it takes to know You’re near
And what if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know that pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home
It's not our home

'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy
And what if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are Your mercies in disguise

My 17th Anniversary!!

This past weekend my dh and I celebrated our 17th wedding anniversary. Wow! To me, being married for 17 years is quite the accomplishment! I remember on my wedding day I was just a scared young girl. I was so nervous I couldn't even look at my sweet man and kept my head down during the ceremony. I did finally get brave enough to look up at him and I saw such love in his eyes.

For years after our wedding day I would tell my man he was my Hosea. If you have read the book of Hosea in Scripture you will understand. Hosea continually loved his wife regardless of what she did. She did some awful things but over and over he would take her back and love her. She came from a bad background and sin but still Hosea loved her. He was listening to the voice of Father. He was a Godly man.

Father used my dh to show me His love. That He would love me just as my man loved me. That He would never leave me and would forever be my Saviour! It has been through my sweet love that I have learned Who Father truly is, about His mercy & His love. About stability and hope!

So fast forward 17 years and our weekend away. I found a B&B about 4 1/2 hrs south. I have to say that the pictures on the website did not do the place justice! It was so beautiful and romantic. My dh didn't know where we were going and he was so pleased and surprised when we got there and walked in. It was the perfect atmosphere to celebrate our life and love.

Our weekend was glorious and perfect. Being together and sharing love. Our lives and our hearts!
So let me share some of that with you:

  
The B&B was in Buffalo Gap, Tx which was maybe 2 miles from Abilene.

Aren't the cactus huge?? These were all over in this area of Texas.

This is where we stayed. We had this entire small home to ourselves. It was an old church they turned into a B&B. A little cottage.

Over the front door it says Peace and Grace to All Who Enter Here...

I took this when we arrived Friday evening.

And this is what we saw when we walked in. Just beautiful and romantic!

Another view of the bed. So neat!

The bathroom. We enjoyed the old claw foot tub!

Me and my love. Behind us is a fireplace. You turned it on with a remote. It was cool! And again very romantic..!!

Some silly pictures..:)

We brought our baby boy with us..we had to get one of him in front of the door too!

We were getting ready to head out for our anniversary supper and I was goofing around..;)

We had to get some pictures on the porch swing of course!

I gave my sweet man some cookie monster pj pants because in our home the kiddos call him the cookie monster. When the kiddos make brownies or cookies he eats ALOT! He loved them. We stayed in a motel on our way home due to a snow storm. I had to get a picture of him in them.

More scenery

another one of my precious baby...

At our ann. supper my love surprised me with this beautiful necklace!

My love and I.

Joy Dare # 30-31

I have two last days to catch up which will finish the Joy Dare I was doing.

30. 3 old things seen new
      a.  La'chaim..to life
      b. tired body made new with health
      c. old worn out furniture

31. a gift found on a paper, in person, in a picture
      a. a love note from my husband of 17 yrs.!
      b. kindness & love in hard times
      c. my mom when she was young..

Joy

I found joy. I found it in giving of myself to help decorate for a young woman's wedding. In making something dull look beautiful!
In the hearts spread all around, silver and red..brightness and pretty...

In knowing that others know my pain. They understand. In that knowing look or listening ear. In companionship. Just being around other women who are becoming friends I value!

It's surprising the places we find joy. Places we wouldn't expect. Father likes to give the unexpected, doesn't He?