Always Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to all my family and friends! This year I have much to be thankful for, the Lord has held me up through so much. I wanted to share the things I am thankful for this year, well the top 5 things anyway.

1. My faith in my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! I have been attacked by much this year in my faith and the Lord never left my side. My marriage was attacked, my unborn baby and my body, along with my health. During these dark times in my life I draw closer to Jesus and fight off Satan and his demons while doing it. I remember all the people I have read about in the Holy bible and find great comfort knowing that I am not alone. Many Women have gone through much and they stopped to praise God and thank him for all He has done.

1 Samuel 2:1-10

New International Version (NIV)

Hannah’s Prayer

2 Then Hannah prayed and said:

“My heart rejoices in the Lord;
in the Lord my horn^[a] is lifted high.
My mouth boasts over my enemies,
for I delight in your deliverance.

² “There is no one holy like the Lord;
there is no one besides you;
there is no Rock like our God.

³ “Do not keep talking so proudly
or let your mouth speak such arrogance,
for the Lord is a God who knows,
and by him deeds are weighed.

⁴ “The bows of the warriors are broken,
but those who stumbled are armed with strength.
⁵ Those who were full hire themselves out for food,
but those who were hungry are hungry no more.
She who was barren has borne seven children,
but she who has had many sons pines away.

⁶ “The Lord brings death and makes alive;
he brings down to the grave and raises up.
⁷ The Lord sends poverty and wealth;
he humbles and he exalts.
⁸ He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap;
he seats them with princes
and has them inherit a throne of honor.

“For the foundations of the earth are the Lord’s;
on them he has set the world.
⁹ He will guard the feet of his faithful servants,
but the wicked will be silenced in the place of darkness.

“It is not by strength that one prevails;
¹⁰ those who oppose the Lord will be broken.
The Most High will thunder from heaven;
the Lord will judge the ends of the earth.

“He will give strength to his king
and exalt the horn of his anointed.”

    2. My husband and my children - A fearless leader and 8 wonderful gifts from heaven. I do not deserve any of them they are gifts sent to me from my father in heaven. They make my day a true blessing, even though the house is loud and never clean 100% I give thanks for each and every one of them.   


    3. My Church Family- We have the best Pastor any church could ever ask for. Our Pastor also has a incredible wife that I would call one of my closest and dearest freinds. A church family that really cares and loves each and every one of my children. I have never been to a church like this one, I think churches could learn a thing or two from just spending 1 day with them. The Lord is so good!

    4. Good Food - My family has never gone one day without food and good food. We put our trust in the Lord and he always provides.  

    5. Last Laundry - We have to do 4-5 loads a day and it never seems to end! This only could mean 1 thing we have been given lots of clothing to wear. We have everything we need and I am thankful that we have stores to shop at that save our large family money.

Really I could go on and on about what I am thankful for. Extended family,  great homeschooling books, blogs, music and so on! So much to be thankful for this year and I pray that all of you have a very blessed and yummy Thanksgiving!

 

Happy

Thanksgiving!

Fighting in Israel Please Pray!

Please Pray for the People of Israel today as the fighting is growing worse. As a Christian this song below touches my heart and soul. These guys are doing a great job spreading their faith and the love of God.   Remember Israel in your prayers!

Thanksgiving Menu

Okay here we are once again getting ready for Thanksgiving and I am looking forward to every minute of it. I know most think it is crazy to even think about cooking so much but I really love the look on everyone's face when they see all the food. In my family we have big eaters, and girls who love to help in the kitchen so we have a blast! It becomes more of a family binding time for us and a learning processes for the little ones. This year will look a little different than last year's Thanksgiving I like add new things and change things up a little. We will still keep my husband's top choices of course. a few.

Thanksgiving Menu 2012

Breakfast

Swirly crustless quiche - taken from the Practical Paleo cookbook, just a fabulous book if you enjoy eating well.

Fresh Strawberries and Oranges with coffee or tea

Now not everything can be to healthy on Thanksgiving so the rest of the menu has a little of everything.


Appetizers

Mixed olives, Brie cheese with cranberries, and crackers ( some gluten Free some not)

Red Pepper, Carrots, and Cucumber tray, with our favorite dip


Main dishes

Turkey with Gravy

Spiced lamb meatballs with balsamic-fig compote - taken from the Practical Paleo cookbook.


Sides

Stuffing - either Oyster-dressing, or Cornbread-dressing-with-sausage-and-apples

Scalloped potato gratin or Delicious_creamy_mashed_potatoes

Green bean casserole - We are making two this year green-bean-casserole and best-ever-green-bean-casserole

Whiskey-glazed-carrots

Brussels-sprouts-with-balsamic-and-cranberries - a small amount just to try it this year, not sure it will be a hit or not

Soul-sweet-taters-step-by-step-recipe - we will be adding little marshmallows but only a little since ALL my daughters love them

Cranberry relish

Homemade whole cranberry sauce


Breads

Pw_dinner_rolls_-_no_kneading_required - these look just easy and yummy!

Cornbread


Desserts

Frosty Pumpkin Dessert

Louisa May Alcott's Apple Slump - taken from one of our favorite Thanksgiving books, An Old - Fashioned Thanksgiving


That's our feast this year and I can't wait! Black Friday starts Thursday night this year and I will be out and about just like last year! Baby Thomas will sleep a lot I hope since he loves his car seat, or I might just have to carry him in my Moby Wrap

 

A Field Trip to the Zoo

 

Each month we are going to try to take a field trip of some kind as a family. Since school has started in September we have already gone on four field trips and the zoo was one of them. This was the first time that 3 of our children have ever been to see the animals. It was a perfect fall day with cool weather and lots of sunshine. I will spare all the animal pictures since I think most of us have seen lions tigers and bears. I had to add a pictures of Claudia, Madeyln and Hannah in the polar bear, and my girls on the turtle because it is a something we do everytime we go.

 

                    Baby Thomas is not in this picture so the Lion sat in for him:)

 

                                                 Can you find Baby Thomas?
He really is in the carseat all snuggled up, I guess will have to return in 2 years so Thomas can have a turn on the turtle.

The girls had a great time and can't wait to go back!

 

So much you can do for free as a family, all four field trips were free admission!

 Building great memories as a family is something I love to do, these are the things they will always remember.

 

 

Since baby Thomas was not in any of the above pictures I wanted to add this.

He's so cute, don't you think?

 

 

Our Baptized Baby Boy



Mommy, Thomas and his big sister Madelyn planning our big day. Thomas was only a little over a month here, I wanted to share a picture of the three of us. Madelyn helps so much with her new little brother, this is early in the morning just waking up. I always have a big sister come into my room to help get Thomas ready for the day when Larry is working, I am so blessed!

 

 

Our newest little blessing was baptized yesterday! It truly was a day filled with blessings for our family!

We belong to a Reformed church and feel so blessed to have Thomas baptized by our dear

friend and wonderful pastor.

 

Here is why we baptize the babies in our family-

1. Baptism is a sacrament of the new testament, ordained by Jesus Christ, not only for the solemn admission of the party baptized into the visible church; but also, to be unto him a sign and seal of the covenant of grace, of his ingrafting into Christ, of regeneration, of remission of sins, and of his giving up unto God, through Jesus Christ, to walk in newness of life. Which sacrament is, by Christ's own appointment, to be continued in his church until the end of the world.

2. The outward element to be used in this sacrament is water, wherewith the party is to be baptized, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, by a minister of the gospel, lawfully called thereunto.

3. Dipping of the person into the water is not necessary; but baptism is rightly administered by pouring, or sprinkling water upon the person.

4. Not only those that do actually profess faith in and obedience unto Christ, but also the infants of one, or both, believing parents, are to be baptized.

5. Although it be a great sin to contemn or neglect this ordinance, yet grace and salvation are not so inseparably annexed unto it, as that no person can be regenerated, or saved, without it; or, that all that are baptized are undoubtedly regenerated.

6. The efficacy of baptism is not tied to that moment of time wherein it is administered; yet, notwithstanding, by the right use of this ordinance, the grace promised is not only offered, but really exhibited, and conferred, by the Holy Ghost, to such (whether of age or infants) as that grace belongeth unto, according to the counsel of God's own will, in his appointed time.

7. The sacrament of baptism is but once to be administered unto any person.
Source from : OPC Confession of Faith


I was not feeling so good today so I was happy we still got the pictures we did.

 

 

Taken after our little Thomas was baptized into the church

 

 

 For the Baptismal Cake I ordered a full sheet of White cake with butter cream frosting, half filled with raspberry filling and the other half with a éclair filling. For the decorations I choose a simple cross with blue and white "Roses" surrounded with green leaves. The decorators forgot all the roses and green vines on all 4 sides of the cake but it was still beautiful and yummy!

 

Pastor McShaffrey with Thomas and us after we had a beautiful fellowship lunch with our church family.

 

Our Newly Baptized Baby Boy!

 

Deo Gratias!

("Thanks be to God")