Words from Wednesday (Devotional)

Un-understandable

"Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that previals." Proverbs 19:21 NIV

(written but not posted from last week)

I did some reflecting in the last two weeks about how un-understandable God is.

Two weeks ago, my sister learned of a woman in her church whose husband was killed by a drunk driver. While I've only had a handful of conversations with this woman, my sisters and many of my friends are close to both her and her young family. What an unexpected and tragic event. Right now there is an entire church community grieving over the loss of a wonderful, Christian man.

A week or so ago, I was able to attend the Steven Curtis Chapman and Michael W. Smith United Concert. Aside from having GREAT seats at an AWESOME concert, Steven Curtis Chapman talked about finding hope in God after the loss of his 5 year old daughter in a car accident just over a year ago. He spoke about his journey and sang a "Blessed Be Your Name." He came to the conclusion that God and His ways might be even more of a mystery to him these days, but he is continuing to serve his Saviour. Right now there is someone proclaiming a God of Hope to millions of people.

Last week was the "anniversary" of the day my father-in-law passed away quite suddenly from a stoke. We went out to dinner together to spend time together as a family and to remember what a great husband and father my better half's dad was. We laughed over some memories and talked about some of the weird mannerisms he had. And right now, I am seeing God's faithfulness to people whose lives have been touched by the affects of sin.

I thought about Job, a man who was plunged into a series of terrible events that robbed him of his family and friends and health. But it never robbed him of his God and he remained faithful, refusing to curse God for the bad things happening in his life. In the end he recognized that God is powerful and mighty; that He has a plan that we are part of, but don't understand. It's a plan that we will never understand, but we do need to choose, as Job did, to follow God even when life seems so un-understandable. What a powerful testimony Job leaves for us as followers of that same God. What a powerful testimony the above individuals leave for all to see and learn from.

One song that Steven Curtis Chapman sings is called God is God. He sang it at the concert, and it has a powerful message about the awesome God we serve and who deserves our praise even in circumstances we do not understand. All of us have situations in our life that we don't understand, whether they are small disappointments or tragic events. But we serve a God who knows about each of them, and is working things out for the good of those who love Him. (Romans 8:28)

And the pain falls like a curtain
On the things I once called certain
And I have to say the words I fear the most
I just don't know

And the questions without answers
Come and paralyze the dancer
So I stand here on the stage afraid to move
Afraid to fall, oh, but fall I must
On this truth that my life has been formed from the dust

God is God and I am not
I can only see a part of the picture He's painting
God is God and I am man
So I'll never understand it all
For only God is God

And the sky begins to thunder
And I'm filled with awe and wonder
Til the only burning question that remains
Is who am I

Can I form a single mountain
Take the stars in hand and count them
Can I even take a breath without God giving it to me
He is first and last before all that has been
Beyond all that will pass

Oh, how great are the riches of His wisdom and knowledge
How unsearchable for to Him and through Him and from Him are all things

So let us worship before the throne
Of the One who is worthy of worship alone

(Lyrics found at http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/s/steven_curtis_chapman/god_is_god.html)

Other verses to read: Isaiah 49:16, Isaiah 49, Job 40-41, Job 42:1-6, Proverbs 19:21

Menu Plan Monday

Monday again. . .

Last week was a busy one. . .as you can see, I was quite absent to the blogging world. . .so here I am again! Hopefully this week goes a little better.

In review of last week. . .the Hula Chicken. I made that one on Wednesday because I had some wonderful company come (with kids, and thought this might be more kid-friendly). I served it with rice and cut up veggies. My verdict. . . the flavour and all was very good, but DON'T use frozen chicken! All those side comments are not kidding about how the sauce gets really thin. And it is a bunch of work to thicken it, and what is the point of more work when you are making a crock pot meal for the ease in cooking??? the other thing was not to cook it so long. It was a tad dry for my liking. The good part. . .my company said all good things and I was the one being more anxious about it all. (unless you are secretly bashing behind my back, K & P!!!)

This week. . .us adults are getting some dental things looked at. . .so this week is full of a few "softer" foods, just in case we need it. I'm gonna encourage my wonderful hubby to stop eating a tub of gummy candy in a day. . .every couple of days. This would solve the problem of having soup two days in a row. . . :) and the unnecessary visits to the dentists and specialists!

Monday-Tomato & Basil Soup (While this link is awesome, we're going the Campbell's route (with added spices)with a loaf of cheese bread as a side)

Tuesday-Baked Potato Soup (this isn't the link we use--mine is from who knows where, but this is close to what I make)

Wednesday-Spaghetti and Meatballs

Thursday (CP Day)-Cranberry Pork (I'm not using a roast though! Hopefully with a few cooking changes, it will taste just as good!), rice, carrots

Friday (OAMC)-Creamy Dill Noodles, chicken strips, salad

Saturday's Snack-Potato Skin Poppers (see below)

Sunday (BFS)-Pancakes & bacon

So. . .we had a bunch of family in town. . .lots of fun/super busy. We had a BBQ and this is the appie my SIL, Ann, made. (BTW--she could have taken over the entire BBQ--she loves to cook so much!) This recipe is from the Cooking on Purpose Wheaton CRC cookbook (p. 12) See our photo? Nope, we are not big during our BBQs on the fancy serving platters. But that is the finished work of none other than Ann. (Couldn't find the recipe for the other strawberry appie, so. . .I'll keep you posted when I get it from her!)

Potato Skin Poppers

3 c. frozen, diced potatoes or hash browns

2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

16 oz. sour cream, divided

3/4 c. cooked bacon pieces

1/3 c. chopped green onions

1 dash salt

pepper to taste

14 flour tortillas (smaller size)

2 T. melted butter

Preheat oven to 350F. Cook potatoes in skillet according to package directions. In large bowl, stir together cooked potatoes, cheese, 1 c. sour cream, bacon, green onions, salt and pepper. Warm tortillas. Scoop filling onto tortilla. Fold in two sides of each tortilla to meet in the middle and then roll burrito-style. Brush outside of each rolled tortilla with melted butter and place on a baking pan with seam down. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes, then cut diagonally into halves. Serve with remaining sour cream.

*Check out more MPM at www.orgjunkie.com

Menu Plan Monday

Happy Civic Holiday--whatever your province is calling it! Ours is BC day, I believe. I have family in town, so we are doing a family barbeque today. Lots of food, lots of kids, lots of talking, lots of everything! Hope you are enjoying your day too--even if you don't have a holiday!

Monday- because of the BBQ, I'll post two appies for you (that is what we had to bring!) One is Bruschetta Pizza and the other is Cilantro Garlic Dip (see below)

Tuesday- Omelettes

Wednesday- hamburgers, potato wedges

Thursday (CP)-Crock Pot Hula Chicken, rice, veggies

Friday (OAMC)- Pizza Pasta Casserole, salad

Saturday's Snack- It's a drink this time because of all the appies from earlier! And with the heat, a nice cool drink on the deck sounds good! Icy Fruit Punch (see below)

Sunday- Blueberry Pancakes, bacon

Some recipes for you. . .

Garlic Cilantro Dip

I believe this is from www.homebasics.ca/printrecipe.asp?recipeid=5393. It is used with corn fritters, but we have grown to love this dip with veggies, crackers and bread sticks as well (which is what we are bringing along to the BBQ)

1/2 c. Hellmann's Roasted Garlic

1/4 c. cilantro leaves, packed and stems removed

1/4 c. plain yogurt (I often use sour cream)

dash each: salt, hot pepper sauce (to taste)

In blender of food processor (or Magic Bullet!) combine the mayonnaise, cilantro, yogurt, salt and hot pepper sauce. Blend until the cilantro is finely chopped. Place in bowl and serve.

Since I've given you enough appies, here is the drink recipe for Saturday. This is from Chatelaine, some years ago. Have no clue which one, just a ripped out recipe article called "Refresher Course."

Icy Fruit Punch

Pour 750-ml bottle (3 c) ginger ale into 2 ice cube trays and freeze. Pour 48-oz (1.36L) can unsweetened apple juice into a large container. Add 3 T. lemon juice. Thinly slice 1 orange, then cut rounds in half. Thinly slice 2 plums and 2 peaches or nectarines. Add to apple juice with 1/2 to 1 cup raspberries or strawberries. Chill for up to 1 day. When ready to serve, add ginger ale ice cubes (and 2 cups of white wine, if you like). Makes about 12 cups.

Enjoy your week! We're looking forward to a busy week of family and friends visiting! And a lot more hot weather. I love summer time!

Thank-you Snapfish

This is a very belated thank you to Snapfish. So, to say thank you to them, I have a great story to tell you!

Back in March I had posted (see that post here) about a Snapfish book my hubby and I made for my mother-in-law. It was a book full of pictures from a PowerPoint presentation and memories that people has shared about her late husband at his funeral celebration. After posting, a comment was left by Otto Imken, Customer Support Manager of Snapfish. He said he was touched by the story posted. He generously sent us 3 more copies of this photobook--one for each of the brothers! We were thinking about purchasing more copies anyway, so this gift was just wonderful! Each of the brothers LOVED their books and the memories they held.

So once again, thank you Snapfish and Otto! We appreciate your generosity!!!

Words From Wednesday (Devotional)

God's Ways

About two years ago, my husband's dad (F) had a stroke. He stayed in the hospital for a few days. As a result, we all spent a bunch of time in the hospital, too.

The morning following his stroke, the immediate family gathered in a meeting room just down the hallway from where F was to spend the next few days. We were met there by a doctor who shared with us F's condition and progress. We were also met there by a pastor who sat with us, asked questions of us, read the Bible with us, and prayed with us. We trusted that God was a good God, a loving God, and a God who had the power to heal F. We trusted that this "suffering" was going to somehow manifest itself for His glory.

A few days later, my father-in-law went to his eternal home. And while we thanked God for F's arrival to a place of no more suffering, we spent a bunch of time grieving for our loss. And we spent time thinking about God, who is good, loving and had the power to heal. We thought about how this could possibly manifest itself for His glory.

At his funeral, those who attended were given the opportunity to write down memories of F to share with his family. At the end of the service, a huge basket of folded pages was collected. Later on, we gathered again with the immediate family and read over some of the memories people had shared. What an incredible gift it was to hear their experiences with someone we loved so dearly. We laughed and cried together and remembered the man God had graced the world with for less than 60 years.

One particular memory stood out for me. I do not recall who wrote it, and when my husband and I were copying some of these stories into a memory book for his widowed mom, we couldn't find it. I believe it was written by a man from a local recovery home who has recently become friends with F. In their few conversations and in the different projects they had worked on, this man noticed something quite different about F—something he wished he had. Talking to F and recognizing his involvement in the church, this man went to seek out this God that my father-in-law believed in. This bold move to find out more resulted in his salvation. This man shared that he knew where Frank was now and rejoiced in that hope.

When this memory was shared aloud with the family, I quietly knew our prayers were answered. God is a good God. He is a loving God. And He is a God who has the power to heal and save. In light of this situation—or any situation when we are left to grieve a loss—all those traits of God are sometimes difficult to comprehend. I don't claim to understand God's plan of salvation and redemption, nor do I understand His thoughts or ways. I can admit to that two years ago, and still today I often cry out to God because, in my sinful state of being, it appears to me that He is not doing it right! But by His goodness, love and power, I can see that God allowed this suffering to manifest itself for His glory. I can see God at work in F's life. I now see that there will be one more celebrating in our eternal home.

Today I want to thank God because He let us see a glimpse of what He is doing in our lives and in the lives of others. I am thankful that God is in control of everything and that I am not. I am thankful for God's goodness, love and power. I ask for forgiveness in those times when I challenge this truth and when I challenge God's ways. And I ask for continued strength as I try to live in a way that will allow God to work out His redemptive plan through the things I do and the lives I touch.

Isaiah 55:8-13 (from BibleGateway.com)
⁸ "For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,"
declares the LORD.
⁹ "As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
¹⁰ As the rain and the snow
come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
¹¹ so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
¹² You will go out in joy
and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and hills
will burst into song before you,
and all the trees of the field
will clap their hands.
¹³ Instead of the thornbush will grow the pine tree,
and instead of briers the myrtle will grow.
This will be for the LORD's renown,
for an everlasting sign,
which will not be destroyed."

Philippians 1:20

"I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death."

MPM update. . .

So. . . our garden is going crazy at this point (beans, zucchini and onions. some peas too, and lots of herbs!), so i needed to find something good to make with a zucchini. I typically like to make chocolate cake, and i really don't like zucchini all that much, but I was thinking something more for supper. . .and something that does not involve the oven! So I am going to try these Zucchini Fries and dipping sauce on the BBQ. I've had something like it before (thank you Kristi for introducing us to them!), but always oven baked. Just if you need another grilling type of healthy thing. . .and the picture looks good. :)

Here is another update. . .it is after supper--and the fries were a flop!!! I'm so embarrassed to admit it! The reason they were a flop. . . my BBQ ran out! So. . .guess where I need to send my hubby tomorrow? :)

Menu Plan Monday

I'm back. . .and I even have a MPM! True, it is kinda late, but it is still here and posted!

This week is gonna be HOT! (temperature-wise!) So. . .to resist the oven heating the house to above sauna temperatures (aka: I don't have AC!!!), I've founda few grilling recipes that are gonna keep us happy this week. (And we are having company, so hopefully they will enjoy it too!)

Monday-Grilled Terriyaki Chicken (thanks to Epicurian Selections for an easy meal --and my sister sells it, so I have a few of these kinds of things sitting around! Let me know if I need to pass on her # to you!), Salad, garlic bread

Tuesday-Grilled Pizza. You can choose this recipe (cool website, too!) or this recipe. We jsut take a shell (or a pita pocket), load it with toppings and bring it to the BBQ!

Wednesday- Chicken Wraps and cut veggies or green beans from our garden!!

Thursday (CP Day)- We're going out to celebrate with family, so no recipes for you. I can tell you, though, we are going somewhere Greek. . .mmm!

Friday (OAMC)-Maple Glazed Salmon or this one (I know, it's not really a OAMC recipe, but you store salmon in the freezer, right?), rice, salad or a garden veggie

Saturday's Snack- Puppy Chow (Helen brought this camping and it was gone in no time! I NEVER make it, so what a treat! Thanks Helen. . .and sorry I ate too much!)

Sunday (BFS)-Grilled French Toast or Ann's oven baked french toast recipe

So. . .happy grilling! I'll let you know how it works out for us!!! Check out http://www.orgjunkie.com/ for more MPM!

Words from Wednesday (Devotional)

Children of God

I have two little stories that brought me joy this week:

1. We are planning a camping trip—of which my son can hardly wait—and there have been a bunch of times today that he kinda got "ignored" as I was finding things and doing some packing. Tonight as I was putting him to bed, we prayed about keeping our family safe on our trip and Eli added, "And God, I sure hope you come along with us too—like so I can see you this time." How precious! We talked after about how even if we can't see God, He is still coming along with us. Eli just looked at me and said, "Mom, I know that! I just want to play with Him for real tomorrow."

2. A few days ago I was putting Ally to bed and we were doing our list of "Thank you, God, for. . ." Now you have to understand that she is just barely two, and while she prays and listens to Bible stories, she hasn't really ever repeated any of them to us. Vocalizing any of this has not yet happened. She likes to answer "Yes!" to most questions, but I have never been sure if she really knows what she is saying yes to! One of our prayer lines was "and thank you for Jesus." Suddenly her eyes lit up and pulled my face close (too close!) to hers and said "Jesus in the manger!"

Why are these two stories so precious to me? Because my kids are seeing God! They are getting it! They are learning about their Heavenly Father and their Saviour! Each story is a little encouragement to me, saying, "You're doing the right thing! You're doing the things you promised when you had your children baptised. You are doing your part as a Christian parent!" On those blah days—you know, the ones when you seem to be exercising your vocal chords more than any other muscle in your body and any noise you are making is just going in one ear and out the other. When no amount of interceding can help your kids understand the word "cooperate" or "share" or "take turns." When even one TV program doesn't stop the decibel levels of you children from exceeding the household maximum? When you wonder if any amount of discipline or the method of your discipline is even being the least bit effective? On those blah days, it's nice to be able to hold on to stories like these. It's nice to have evidence of the effort you've put into it all: reading bible stories each night, praying regularly, going to church and church programs, loving each of your children in a Christ-like manner, treating all the members of your household as God's precious treasure—all the effort you have ever put into those things (and things like it) are rewarded when a child "professes" their faith.

Proverbs 22:6 "Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it."

1 John 5:2 "This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out His commands."

Prayer for today:

Today I just want to thank God for giving me the gift of those stories to remind me that I am doing His will as my husband and I raise our children. I want to thank God for giving me encouragement through these stories, especially when those blah days come. And I want to thank Him for my children, who are drawing near to Him and helping me to draw near to Him at the same time!

More verse to look up: Matthew 18:2, Proverbs 20:11, Psalm 127 (esp. verse 3)

One of the many things about my mom is the fact that she sews. Especially now, with a few grand-daughters around, she keeps quite busy! (She seems to prefer sewing for girls. . . and I don't mind it one bit!) I thought I would give you a small "showcase" of her most recent additions to my daughter's closet!
Yellow top and capris (I have a pair of yellow shorts, too, but they are not pictured)
Simplicity 5982This P.J.s set--I just love the detail on the pant! See how it goes up? And I love how she added the lace to the bottom edges! It makes the outfit very girl-y!
New Look 6446

This one is called the "Magic Dress" for my kids because my mom made it reversible. The other colour/side is a bright blue. There are also little "pants" or diaper shorts that go along with it, but they are not pictured, even thought A loves to show them off!

Butterick 5107

I think this winter P.J.s is also New Look 6446.

And this little green dress is just cute. . .you can't tell in this picture but there are three pleats on each side of the front and three white buttons going down the front with a flower etched on them. I love little details like that on children's clothes!

New Look 6844

Menu Plan Monday

This will be a short week . . . we are gonna go give this camping thing a try towards the end of the week. It's been a while . . . I've never gone with the kids! This is the first year we don't have any constantly-crying or barely-even-crawling kids, so the whole idea seems a little more inviting this summer! (Plus we are meeting up with my sister and family who camp in style! Not bad for us lowly little tenters!)

So. . .

Monday-Chicken with Berry Sauce (with inspiration from here and here), Yellow rice, Glazed carrots

Tuesday-Perogie and Sausage Casserole, salad

Wednesday- left-overs or pizza

Rest of the week will include: Breakfast biscuits, pancakes and sausages,

Skewers, pasta or potatoes, salad or veggies, hot dogs and grilled cheese. . .and a lot of junk!

A great camping kind of website I found to use a bit is here!

Saturday's Snack- (although I'm not here, my friend Sue had given me a bunch of raspberries, and this is what I made: Royal Raspberry Cake. I remember making this recipe ages ago--like when I still lived with my parents!-- and had to go searching for the recipe again! It's not a hard name to remember because it is that good!)

See ya next week!!!

p.s. check out www.orgjunkie.com for more MPM!