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ALMOND LEMONADE TEA
4 c. strongly brewed tea3 1/4 c. water
1 (6 oz.) can frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed & undiluted
2 c. sugar (you can use less if you like)
1/2-1 tsp. almond extract
Combine tea, water, lemonade concentrate, sugar and almond flavorings in a large pitcher. Stir until sugar dissolves. Serve over ice. This gets rave reviews every time I serve it.
For more recipes click here and join Foodie Friday.
Last week we did 5 Things Do You Not Like? This week I want to know 5 Things About You.
Here is my 5 Things About Me.
1. I am not crazy about heights. I love the mountains but I don't like to be close to the edge and I can't look down.
2. I have terrible motion sickness. A fast elevator can give me a "swimmy head."
3. I love to fly (despite my motion sickness) and I love to travel. Anywhere. Anytime.
4. I am not a beach person. I don't like sand and I am not crazy about the water. I enjoy watching the waves but I don't want to be out there where all the creepy crawly things live!
5. I am allergic to chocolate. It triggers a migraine. I have all but lost my taste for it due to the pain involved and only allow myself the tiniest taste of it as an occasional indulgence.
Now then, tell me 5 Things About You.
Write your own post and share your 5 Things Friday. Grab my button from HERE. Then write your own post and share your 5 Things Friday. Link your blog post (not your HOME PAGE but the URL of your 5 Things Friday post) in the new MckLinky below. Thanks for joining in. Stop by next Friday and play along. Invite your bloggy friends to stop by and play. And please check out all the other participants in 5 Things Friday and leave them some comment love.
Next Friday I hope to have a fancy dancy new button for 5 Things Friday. Our list will be 5 Summer Activities To Do With Children.
When Jesus had given thanks, He broke (the bread) and said, "This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me." In the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood ; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me."
I Corinthians 11:24-26
For more Thousand Word Thursday click here and read more.
Is That My Son?
Jason, our oldest son, has always loved music. From the time he was young, he like music. Loud music. All kinds of music. When he was 18 he asked for a guitar for Christmas. He did not play but he loved music. Lots of music. Loud music. And he thought he might like to learn to play guitar. Loud guitar. So Craig and I bought him a guitar. Oh, and an amp. You need am amp if you are going to play LOUD. So we bought one and he loved it. Loved it.
For several years Jason tinkered with the guitar. He picked up a few things from friends who played, but he never took lessons. Then he married. I assumed the guitar would be packed away but Jason kept it around and continued to teach himself. Five years later a son joined their little family. Guitar playing took a back seat as the sweet wonder of a baby boy named Declan consumed their time and energy.
Fast forward 1 year. Jason and Daws, his younger brother, had been stirred up by the Lord for over 2 years about working with a church plant. Two weeks ago the vision became a reality as the Lord birthed theRefuge, a new church plant in Lakeland, TN. outside Memphis. The boys invited Craig and I to visit their first Sunday night service. Jason told us he was playing guitar in the praise and worship band. And he was loving it. Seriously.I had no idea he had progressed to that point!
Two weeks ago we sat in a worship service. Jason led in worship, playing the guitar we had bought him 7 years earlier because he like music. Loud music.
This past Sunday we visited again in their evening service. I watched my son, the one who wanted a guitar for Christmas 7 years ago, sing praises to the Lord and lead in worship with the praise band at the Refuge. It took my breath away. The Lord and I shared a private moment as I told Him that I never dreamed He would use my son's love of music for His glory. When Craig and I had bought the guitar,Craig felt we couldn't give Jason a guitar without giving him the amp. Especially since he loved music. Loud music. We bought the Christmas gift for Jas but we really did not think he would ever have time to master it, much less play publicly. He was about to head off to college and we knew the busiest time of his life was just ahead. We could not see him having time to learn to play an instrument. We were grateful for the privilege of indulging one of his desires especially as he was perched to leave our nest and launch out on his own. But we did not know. We did not know what God knew was in his future. One day God would use Jason's love of music for His glory. One day Jason would lead praise and worship with the Christmas guitar. And the amp. One day I would sit in the congregation next to his dad and tears would stream down our faces as we thought back to the day we bought the guitar. We did not know what God in mind for our son. One day he would lead praise and worship with our Christmas gift. And suddenly all those years when his loud music rattled the walls and shook the rafters would melt away into a moment of praise the the Lord Jesus Christ.
God often startles me when He uses what I consider mundane moments and shows me the holiness in them. And then He allowed me to see this . . . seriously, is this my son?
Yes. This is my son with his son, Declan. Declan came out of the nursery to hear his daddy. While I generally have words, lots of words, at this moment I am speechless.
For more Wordful Wednesday click here and join in the fun. Blessings.
Hey there, bloggy readers. Tomorrow I will be hosting a new feature called "5 Things Friday."I will post 5 Things on a topic. If you would like to play along, blog a post of your 5 Things and link your blog post back to mine. I have hosted this for several weeks and enjoyed meeting some new bloggers through it. Each week the list will be different. As I walk through the blogosphere I am blessed by the sweet readers that have crossed my path. This will allow us to expand our circle of bloggy friends! Blessings.
Don't forget to stop by tomorrow and play along. We will write a post called 5 Things About Me.
This is what Sadie-our boxer-lookslike now.
And this is how we can barely remember her. That was then. This is now.
For more Now and Then click here and play along with Secret Mom Thoughts.
Grayson blowing bubbles.
For more Wordless Wednesday go to Wordless Wednesday, and go to 5 Minutes for Moms, or My Charmed Life or Ordinary and Awesome and The Mud Bug. Enjoy.
I just love it when the Baby Grands come by for a visit. Grayson is 1 year old and Declan is 2. Both of the little guys love to be outside. In my quest to find something that both boys would enjoy, I re-discovered the joy of blowing bubbles. Who does not like bubbles. I got several different styles for hand held bubble blowing. But then I found the grandaddy of all bubble blowing machines. This is what WORKS FOR ME.
This is a battery operated bubble blowing machine. Fill the reservoir with bubble solution, push the button, and oh my soul . . . bubbles. Lots and lots of bubbles. Who does not love BUBBLES?
And that is what WORKS FOR ME. For more Works For Me ideas click here and go to We are THAT Family.
I intentionally live with few regrets. I have determined to do what I need to do when I need to do it and not add regret to the list of things I am sorry for. But I can say that I regret not learning how to become more organized in my younger years. I could never be a naturally highly organized person because that is too contrary to my natural bent. But I wished I had learned some tricks along the way in order to live a more orderly life. Now in my 50's I am having to push myself hard to put a few little organizational tricks into my routine. But I am convinced that a little organization goes a long way in creating a peaceful environment and a bit more free time. I have never been one to be naturally organized. So any effort on my part to be organized is strictly born out of sheer determination. So I bought these:
To tame these:
And get this:
For more Tackle It Tuesday, click here and go to
This is one of many favorite pictures of our grandson, Declan.
And this is our grandson, Grayson. These are 2 of my favorite photos and these are 2 of my favorite people.
Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole
8 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
2 cans Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup
2 cans Campbell's Cream of Chicken soup
2 cans Campbell's Cream of Celery soup
16 ounces sour cream
salt & pepper
2 sleeves Ritz crackers, crushed
4 tsp. poppy seeds
1 cup Land O' Lakes butter or margarine, melted
Directions: Mix cooked shredded chicken with soups and sour cream. Add salt & pepper to taste. Pour into greased casserole dish. Sprinkle with crushed crackers. Sprinkle with poppy seeds and drizzle melted butter over the topping. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. A side dish of white rice is a perfect compliment for this dish.
Serves 8
For more great recipes, click here and go to Blessed with Grace.
Please join me in prayer for this little guy, Stellan. His mom is a favorite blogger of mine at My Charming Kids. She and her husband, a.k.a. Prince Charming,love the Lord Jesus Christ. They have 4 little ones and Stellan is the youngest. If you will click on her title you can read his whole story. He was born with a heart defect and he is once again in ICU and is a very sick little boy. Thank you.
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall. Daily we look into the mirror to see if we have bed head, lipstick on our teeth, mascara on our cheek, or all of the above. A glance at our reflection gives us a general idea of the way we are presenting ourselves to the world. As believers we want to develop the spiritual discipline of looking intently into another type of mirror–the Word of God. Out beauty will fade, but when we invest in developing the beauty of holiness the aroma of Christ will beautify our lives.
Join us for Girl’s Night Outon September 15, 2009 with gifted speaker Jean Stockdale. She will encourage us to find everlasting beauty that will not fade! Tickets are $15 (includes dinner) and will be available Sunday, August 2.
For more information click here and go to Hunter Street Baptist Church, 2600 John Hawkins Pkwy in Hoover, Al. 35244 (near Birmingham). The number is 205.985.7295.If you live in the area, please join us for a night of Biblical encouragement laced with a healthy dose of sanctified humor!
Jean is an international Bible teacher, speaker and author of 7 Bible studies. Jean is personable, practical, and pertinent. For more information about her ministry click here. Her message will challenge your faith, encourage your walk with the Lord, and tickle your funny bone. Don't miss this sweet evening of fellowship.
White Chocolate Popcorn
2 bags microwave popcorn (butter kind)
12 – 16 oz. white chocolate chips, melted
3/4 C M & M’s 3/4 C peanuts (or more M & M’s)
1 1/2 C stick pretzels
1 C mini marshmallows (I wish I had used more)
Pop popcorn, remove unpopped kernels. Put popcorn in a big bowl. In separate bowl, mix together melted white chocolate, M & M’s, peanuts and pretzels until coated with white chocolate. Pour over popcorn and mix to coat popcorn with white chocolate. Spread onto cookie sheets. Refrigerate for 10 minutes or longer until chocolate has hardened and popcorn breaks apart in bit pieces. Munch away!
For more Monday Munchies click here and go there.
The scourge of the Christian community is a casual attitude toward God and His Word. We can become complacent, gospel-saturated and satisfied. This leads to spiritual dullness. We slow to hear the gentle promptings of the Holy Spirit and reluctant to obey. In the Book of James, the writer exhorts us to a belief that behaves. Don't be merely a hearer of the Word-someone who shows up at church to hear a sermon with no intention of incorporating the TRUTH of the message into practical application. Be a doer of the Word. That is one who lives according to the external control of the Word of God and the internal control of the Spirit of God.
As I walk through the blogosphere I continue to be stunned at the wonderful posts that I encounter. Everyday I am exposed to godly women (and a few men) who are out there gettin' it done for the kingdom of God! Because being a part of the body of Christ also puts us into the family of God, I am delighted to connect with sisters (and brothers) in Christ.
Each Saturday I try to connect you, lovely reader, with some of the precious folks I have encountered in my bloggy pilgrim's journey, picking my way through the minefield that is this world in which we live! While we live in this world, we are not of this world. However, we are continually assaulted by the lust of the flesh, the lies of the enemy and the lure of the world. What a blessing that we can daily connect with sisters (and brothers) who lift our earthbound eyes to the heavenlies.
Last week we did What 5 Things Do You Love. This week I want to know what 5 things are you not so crazy about! Let's not make them too specific since this is all about having fun and not about offending anyone!!
What 5 Things Do You Not Like?
1. Rude people. I fear we are losing our sensibilities and neglecting our manners.
2. Spicy food. I wish I did, but I cannot.
3. A stubborn computer. My computer serves me well most days, but when it gets on a stubborn streak I feel like throwing it through the window and then dancing among its shattered broken parts out on the street.
4. Snakes. I cannot even watch a snake on t.v. much less stand to see one in real life. We live in the country so a real-life encounter with one is likely. I cannot stand snakes. Seriously. Hate 'em.
5. Interrupted sleep. I need my sleep. Lots of it. Without interruption. I did not do well when my children were small because I need my sleep. I don't like it interrupted. I can't get back to sleep. I can't think well the next day. I am not a happy camper with interrupted sleep. If the phone rings, if the dogs bark, if a thunder storm rolls through, if anything disturbs my sleep . . . well, what can I say? I NEED my sleep.
These are 5 Things I Don't Like. Now tell us yours. Post your 5 Things Friday and link your post (not your site-just your post) back and we will all stop by and read yours. Check back next week to play along. Blessings.
Cats. That's right, you heard me. I love CATS. I am an animal lover but I am especially fond of CATS. Cats have gotten a bad rap it seems to me. Many people claim cats are aloof, unfriendly, and - according to some ccynics - totally without merit. I will concede on this point - It is true that cats have a certain attitude, seeing they consider themselves to be superior to the human being race and all. But the fact that they totally ignores you gives you ample opportunity to work through your feelings of being rejection. So I love CATS. The soft fur. The soothing purring sounds. The lithe design. The silent approach on padded paws. The ability to find a sliver of sunshine for napping. I am especially fond of this one. I would rather feed ONE cat than ONE THOUSAND mice. So here's is to cats.
Joseph - our Siamese. A companion and friend.
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