Lately I've been doing a lot of baking....bread, cookies and also doing a lot of cooking in my crockpot. I love the crockpot...you just stick all your ingredients in there and at the end of the day, they're ready to eat...a hot and delicious meal. These are my sugar cookies I made from scratch. The only cookie cutter I had was a gingerbread man. The kids loved it though. Then a cute idea I saw was to add chocolate to them. So they had "muddy feet". The kids thought that was the coolest thing. I love cooking things from scratch. It reminds me of my great mammaw. She was one of the best cooks. I can still see her in her apron, in the kitchen, cooking for the whole family....whether it was Sunday lunch, Easter, Thanksgiving or Christmas. I want my kids to carry these memories with them, just like I do. They also love being in the kitchen with me helping with anything they can. I think they are great little cooks and I want them to remember these special times we had together.

Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Ephesians 5:1-2

I know it's been a long while again...that's life. I don't have a lot of time on the computer....so I'll catch you up....

We recently went on vacation for a week....a very wet week!! It rained everyday. We were camping:) Needless to say, we spent a lot of time in the camper. Thank God we got plenty of rest and family time in!

Now that we are back I've been preparing myself for starting school. I'll be going to school for Nursing. The kids will also be starting school. I guess I'm excited and nervous at the same time. It'll be weird not being here with my kids, like I have been pretty much all summer.

Today was a busy day.....ran some errands, went grocery shopping and finally mowed the yard. It was really thick and tall. My hubby and I took turns. We are a great team! Afterwards we came in and got cleaned up and then I started supper. We had yummy spaghetti and homemade garlic toast. I say homemade because I made the bread the day before and just added butter and garlic powder and popped them in the oven. It was really good....and for dessert we had homemade ice cream. The hubby and kiddos added chocolate syrup to theirs and I added fresh peaches. It was really good. I love having wholesome meals and most of all using natural ingredients. It's very easy to make homemade ice cream. Here's how we do it....

-Add in a blender...

-Ice

-Milk

-Sugar

-Vanilla (not too much)

-Evaporated milk

-Then you blend and enjoy

I just eyeball the ingredients and my hubby is the taste tester:)

We had a very fulfilling day. I'll try not to be so long in posting again...have a great night.

Because of His great love for us, God, wo is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions-it is by grace you have been saved.

Ephesians 2:4-5

We were at the lake celebrating my neices birthday. She is so beautiful...and of course my babies are too. (okay they are all my babies) We had a great time with family that day. It was very hot and it was a great day cooling off in the water. We had a picnic with sandwiches and chips and then of course as you can see...cake....she loves sweets! Hope this reminds you of all the cherished memories with your family!

God will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy. Job 8:21

Here is my wonderful hubby finishing up my clothesline. I am soooo happy. He did an excellent job. I can't wait to use it tomorrow. It is a great way to conserve energy by using the beautiful warm air God has given us to dry our clothes naturally. The kids were playing in the sprinkler while their daddy was hard at work. It was a perfectly great way to keep cool on this hot day.

After he got done with his work he grilled some delicious steaks and I made fried potatoes, green beans, mac n cheese and wheat rolls; and for dessert we had cheesecake...yummy. We had a great night together.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.

Ephesians 1:3

So, I've been kind of busy. That's life around here. Summer has began and I've been hangin out with my family. I've been trying to do things more simple. I finally got some Dr. Bronner's All Natural Soap and with that I'm going to make shampoo and washing detergent and maybe even some dish washing soap. Hopefully in the next few weeks my hubby will be putting my clothesline up. I can't wait. We just want to live life as simple as we can. We feel that this is a way we can be closer to God. Just to enjoy the simplest things in life.
A few other things I've picked up are some Tea Tree Oil for uses like scrapes, burns, bug buster, cold sores and so many more. Here is a link for all it's uses and how to use them....http://www.theherbsplace.com/Tea_Tree_Oil_Uses_sp_153.html. I also got some pure Cocoa Butter. I use it for dry skin. ( I recently got a sunburn and am peeling...so it works great for that.)
Hopefully tomorrow I will start making some of my new natural household recipes and when I know how they work I will posts them for you.
Have a blessed day!

God's divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by His own glory and goodness.
2 Peter 1:3

This is one of the days we went with our friends to the 40 Days For Life Campaign. These are my boys praying for the babies. They have been educated a little on abortion. It's sad that they have to know about this, but I feel it is important for them to understand that there is evil in the world and for them to know ways to stay away from it.....prayer and staying close to our Heavenly Father. They knew that I was going every week to pray for the babies and they wanted to understand why the babies needed so much prayer. Their prayers are so innocent and I know they truely mean what they pray for and I also believe God hears their prayers.

Luke 18:15-17 Now they were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them. And when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. But Jesus called them to him, saying, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”

It is so important to teach children the ways of the Lord. For them to know it's okay to talk to God daily and that He is always with them.

We had a great experience praying for the babies with other brothers and sisters in Christ. It is important for Christians to stand together for what we believe God wants us to do.

So today I wanted to share a message that is important to me. We went over some of it at church Sunday and it is titled "In Praise of a Capable Wife." It was a great message that has to do with how God wants women to be as a wife. I hope you enjoy it and I hope it inspires all of us to be who God wants us to be.

Proverbs 31:10-31

Who can find a capable wife? She is far more precious than jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will not lack anything good. She rewards him with good, not evil, all the days of her life. She selects wool and flax and works with willing hands. She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from far away. She rises while it is still night and provides food for her household and portions for her servants. She evaluates a field and buys it; she plants a vineyard with her earnings. She draws on her strength and reveals that her arms are strong. She sees that her profits are good, and her lamp never goes out at night. She extends her hands to the spinning staff, and her hands hold the spindle. Her hands reach out to the poor, and she extends her hands to the needy. She is not afraid for her household when it snows, for all in her household are doubly clothed. She makes her own bed coverings; her clothing is fine linen and purple. Her husband is known at the city gates, where he sits among the elders of the land. She makes and sells linen garments;she delivers belts to the merchants. Strength and honor are her clothing, and she can laugh at the time to come. She opens her mouth with wisdom, and loving instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the activities of her household and is never idle. Her sons rise up and call her blessed. Her husband also praises her: Many women are capable, but you surpass them all! Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord will be praised. Give her the reward of her labor, and let her works praise her at the city gates.