Wonka to the Rescue

My life can be pretty busy.

Well-meaning people  suggest I take things out of my life.

That always stumps me. 

I don't serve on any committees,

I don't get my hair or nails done,
rarely shop for anything other than groceries,

and it's not a sports season for anybody.

I don't work out, (you'd believe me if you saw my jelly-belly)

and  we order pizza more often than I care to admit.

But, I'm frequently told  to simplify my life.

Any takers for the three bathrooms that need to be cleaned? 

How about cooking the three meals a day?

OK.  No takers. 

I have to come up with another plan to simplify my life.

For the meals I'm gunna'

start buying Wonka gum. 

Remember his Three-Course Dinner Chewing Gum? 

I would LOVE to serve this for dinner every night. 

Much less shopping, no preparation, no cooking, no cleaning. 

We could sit around the dinner table, pop in our pieces of gum, chew and chat.

"Please pass the Tomato soup, roast beef and baked potato,

and blueberry pie and ice cream piece of gum."

"Oh, Wonka perfected that one, huh? 

Ya' sure ya' ain't gunna turn into a giant blueberry?"

"How did school go today, all my precious children?"

"Is there another steak, potato and salad piece left?"

"Father, how was work today?"

"Who took the last piece of pizza, breadsticks and Caesar salad gum?

I wanted it!"

Maybe, no more complaints about dinner. 

Maybe, no more fighting over whose turn it is for dishes. 

No more sweeping more food off the floor than appears to have been swallowed.

We've have time for rational, intellectual conversation every night in-between chomps.

Yea, I am totally going to buy Wonka gum.

Then, I'm gunna'

hire Alice to be my housekeeper. 

Ya' know, from The Brady Bunch. 

If she's not available, I'm gunna driving to Mayberry to hire Aunt Bea. 

I need someone who is starched and polished and has the laundry folded,

the house spotless and the meals on time, all the time.  

Every.

single.

day.

of.

my.

life.

Yea, so then for the Honey Do list,

even though my awesome honey actually crossed off a lot of thing this weekend,  

I'm gunna' hire MacGyver.

I'll just give the big M a box of paperclips, a hand full of pens

 and duct tape and put him to work. 

Oh, that's right, I'd have to dig all the pens out of the couch cushions,

under the beds and out of purses not being used,

so he'll have to work without the pens.

We'll start showering

with our clothes on to save on laundry. 

We might even throw the dirty coffee mugs in the tub to save time in the kitchen. 

We can give up eating, but I can't give up coffee.

I'll stop washing our sheets and towels,

what a waste of time, anyway. 

If I bought new once a year, it would cut down on shopping and laundry. 

I could go green and save some green.

 Then, if I wasn't cooking, cleaning and doing laundry,

I would have a lot of free time on my hands.

 I could start

getting my hair and nails done. 

 I could start working out

and

head up a coupla' committees.

But, it all starts with the gum.  I gotta' get some of that Wonka Gum!

Until the gum is on the market, I'll use the same motivation I always use when the necessary duties of everyday life just seem to pile up.

Galatians 6:9

And let us not grow weary while doing good,

for in due season we shall reap

 if we do not lose heart.

Philippians 2:14

Do everything without complaining

(to Mom, not the kids)

Since I can't chomp on Wonka gum,

I'm chomping on my tongue, to keep it from complaining. 

And, I am cooking, cleaning, laundering, schooling, gardening

 and mommying with a full heart and strength for the journey.

Thank you, Lord!

**********

I'm linking up with other moms to see how their handling their Monday. 

MM Meditation - Wanna' Be Blessed?

I love the 8th chapter of Proverbs. Reading the account of the Lord Jesus creating the world and enjoying the  presence of the Father, gives such insight to their intimate relationship before the Incarnation.  He gave up the presence of His Father to come to earth to die for us.

It never ceases to amaze me.

At the end of the chapter, we're admonished to do three simple things to be blessed by the Lord.

Proverbs 8:34

 Blessed is the man who hears me,

Watching daily at my gates,

Waiting at the posts of my doors.

HEAR -  In our time period, He does not speak audibly. Hebrews 1:12, tells us He used to speak to and through prophets, but in these last days, He only speaks to us through His Son.

John 1:1-4 tells us His Son is the Word.

We don't hear Him audibly, but if we are filling ourselves with the Word and allowing our hearts and minds to be transformed into His image, we will inwardly hear the prompting of the Holy Spirit.  It isn't a voice that is audible to the ear, but to the spirit of man, responding according to the Word vested in a believer's heart.


WATCHING: He asked His disciples to watch and wait, and they fell asleep.

Mark 14:38,

"Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation.

The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

We are watching out for evil in the world. We are watching for traps and snares of the devil. We are watching to be sure our feet are on the right path.
The watching is combined with praying. We should be asking for direction, asking for help against the enemies, asking for strength against temptation and asking for guidance along the path.



WAITING- When we are expecting company, we like to hover by the front door and open it before they knock, greeting them with a hug and a welcome from loud, boisterous children. We expect them, so we are waiting.

The Lord needs us to wait in two ways, yet the waiting is the same.

We are waiting for His soon return.

We are waiting for His answers to our prayers.

He has a plan in both of these things, and He will execute it in His way, His timing. We understand His coming, and gladly leave those details to Him by faith. We don't always understand we need this same attitude for other waiting in our lives. We fret and worry, as if He won't answer and doesn't care. The weakness of our flesh and faith cause us to doubt Him.

Psalms 27:14

"Wait on the LORD; be of good courage,

and He shall strengthen your heart;

Wait, I say, on the LORD!

Sometimes, we like to leave our kids a list of things to do when we leave the house.

They know we're coming back and will check on their work.


And the blessing He promised?

Proverbs 8:30-31

Then I (Jesus) was beside Him as a master craftsman
And I was daily His delight...

And my delight was with the sons of men.

 
The Father delights in the Son, the Son delights in the sons of men.
 
What an amazing blessing for just three things....
hearing
watching and
waiting.

Taking School Outside

To find out what Beka and I were doing

on this glorious fall day,

follow me to

hOmE tEaChEd

my home school blog.

C'mon,

it's Friday.

Live it up.

Click on the link.

You might find yourself wanting to

shop for.....

....can't tell you...

Good News and Bad News

This old saying is supposed to be comforting.

As if having some good news

can take away the pain from the bad news.

It's just a saying.

You can never take away the sting of bad news.

However,  good news gives you a reason to go on with life.

Years ago, while my husband was a Bible teacher at

Box T Bible and Saddle Camp,

we were blessed to work with two teenage girls, Jess and Becca. 

They loved the Lord and gave us great inspiration

for raising our small children for the Lord.

We wanted our daughters to be like them.

We worked in the kitchen and talked about boys, 

we folded mountains of laundry together and talked about marriage,

they played with my kids and showed me what great mommies

they were going to be some day.

Most of their dreams have come true. 

They have been blessed with godly husbands.

They have been blessed with beautiful children.

They continue to serve and praise the Lord

with the exuberance of youth,

although they are mature women.

They inspire and encourage me with their lives.

So, true to tradition, we hafta' start with the good news.

Jess stayed with us for a few weeks

after moving to our town.

We participated in some crazy baby contests at Wal-Mart,

and she actually won the contest

for how fast we could drink a bottle of juice.

I beat her on diaper changing, though,

but not sure if I could now -

because she has eight adorable children

and has changed hundreds of diapers.

In fact,

they are so adorable,

they are being considered for a TLC show.

Check out her blog and watch their demo tape.

Pray for the Lord's will in this matter.

Yea, you've been waiting for the bad news.

I haven't been able to talk about it yet.

My eyes are all puffy and red.

Becca gave my little Jon much attention at Box T,

and by keeping him on a horse,

kept him from running under a horse.

Since Jess and Becca are still extremely close,

I know the good news definitely is not going to soften the bad news.

Becca has been fighting untreatable (by traditional medicine)

 lung cancer with holistic methods.

She just found out she has cancer in her liver, as well.

Read her words.

You will weep and worship at the same time.

I would really appreciate if you would pray

 for my two little sisters in the Lord,

as they seek the Lord's will

in the Good News,

and the Bad News.

My Gracie is a Cyberchondriac

My teenage daughter, The Amazing Grace,  pursued the romantic ideal, for awhile, that she would be a nurse, stroking fevered brows and helping very sick, very handsome young men heal. I think her inspiration was a combination from a scene in Anne of Green Gables and from an interest in the medical field. 

To help pursue this dream, Grace was reading a lot of nursing books, including holistic and herbal remedies.

Sometimes this knowledge has been useful. She is always the first to rally around the child who has a sliver, a headache or a tummy ache.

But, sometimes this knowledge has been dangerous, as well as hilarious.  Each article becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy as she thinks of all her aches, pains, rashes and fevers and assumes the worst.

If her medical books can't help her, she turns to the internet, the source of all things factual and useful.

Purple spots on her hands led to a freakish self-diagnosis of AIDS after reading sufferers get purple malignant spots because they can't fight off disease. She jumped around the dining room, waving her hands so much I couldn't even focus on the purple spots.

Leg cramps led to a self-diagnosis of polio, accompanied by animated discussions about FDR and his accomplishments from a wheelchair.

One night, a small white, painful spot on the inside of her bottom lip led her to this disastrous conclusion.

"Mom, I think I have lip cancer," she hyper-ventilated as she pulled the bottom lip out for inspection. We shooed her away from blocking the view of our new 50 inch plasma TV, where her father and I had plopped ourselves for the first time in months to watch a movie together, offered her some Anbesol and sent her to bed.

While sitting in a doctor's office, I diagnosed Grace's real disease from an article I naughtily tore out of a magazine.  I never do that, honestly, even if I really, really, really want the recipe.

I just couldn't help myself.  A cure can only come after a diagnosis, right?

Wonder if a cure for this disease has been found?

Maybe if she ever finishes nursing school, she can find one.

Making Mountains Into Molehills

Flying over some of the tallest mountains on the west coast, their majesty was preaching a sermon to my heart.  The sunny day revealed every crevice and peak.

It took pain to make a mountain. Their glory and splendor was created with a  great amount of suffering, as the earth's plates collided or underground volcanic activity forced the earth's crust upward.

Mountains perfectly represent our sufferings and trials.  When we need to overcome a sin or master a new skill, it is a mountain to us.  Even the daily grind of living can seem as though we are ascending a great mountain and we can weaken under life's load as our feet struggle to find a sure path.

From human perspective, the mountains are huge. Climbing them takes preparation, equipment and stamina. It is never easy, even with a path made by previous climbers. Once on the summit, the climbers forget the pain as they rejoice in the glory of being on the top of the world.

From a Boeing 737, I gain persepective. The mountains are molehills. I can see which slope would be the easiest to conquer. I can see where the most snow is and the rockiest ledges.

I was imagining how easy it would be for climbers if a guide was above in an airplane.  What if the guide had written  a guidebook for each mountain, laying out every obstacle and the surest way to victoriously conquer the mountain?  What if that guide also had a little earpiece in the climber's ear, so he could directly speak directions as the climbers ascended?

"You're getting a little off the path.  Start heading to your right."

"There is a rocky ledge ahead.  Be careful."

"You must avoid that area, follow the guidebook, I wrote very clear objectives."

But, would the climbers listen? Would they think they knew a better way? Would they risk the rocks, thinking that they would never fall? Would pride tell them they could be the one person to scale the mountain without advice? Would they listen to the voice, or would it become a droning in their ears? Would they say the advice was outdated and they had a new, improved way of ascending the mountain?

Or, if they did use the guidebook and listened to the voice, when they conquered the mountain would they forget the guide on the downside? Would they run back to the flatland, filled with their own pride and power in conquering the mountain, and not give credit to the one who led them to the high places?

Or would they go back down the mountain and spread the news of the greatest guidebook to conquer the mountains and praise the voice that guided them to victory?

Would they pass out the book and teach others to heed the voice?

When you think your mountains are inconquerable, remember God's point of view.

Psalm 33

12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD,

the people he chose for his inheritance.

13 From heaven the LORD looks down

and sees all mankind;

14 from his dwelling place He watches

all who live on earth-

15 He who forms the hearts of all,

who considers everything they do.

18 ...the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him...

19 To deliver their soul from death...

 
Remember, He wrote a guidebook and He'll whisper the directions in your ear. 
 
When He makes your mountains into molehills, remember to praise Him.

SW Roast with Special Ingredient

I'm not that clever in the kitchen.

I love tablescaping

more than cooking.

You know, if you set the table in an enticing manner,

company might not notice you overcooked the roast

or you have lumps in your smashed potatoes.

Once everyone oohed and aahed over my table setting,

complete with nut-filled  tiny wicker baskets edged with lace

sitting by each place setting,

My creativity came in handy because while they were nibbling,

I was dividing the uncooked  meatloaf into my muffin pans and

trying to get them cooked in less than 15 minutes.

I shoulda' actually put the meatloaf in the oven,

BEFORE

I set the table.

So, when I do find a good recipe

that I can make and my family will enjoy,

I like to pass it on.

**********

Southwest Roast

Put 1 cup dry pinto beans in the bottom of a Crock-pot.  

Put enough water to generously cover the beans

(If you soak the beans ahead of time, you won't need to cover with water.)

Place boneless roast on top of beans.

 Add 1 tsp garlic salt,

1 tsp cumin,

 1 tsp oregano

 1 tsp pepper

 one can green chilies

  one can Rotel tomatoes

one can of beef broth or water

Pour this mixture over the roast.

Cook 20-24 hours on low in Crock-pot.

After about 18 hours, stir so the meat will fall apart.

Add water if necessary as cooking.

Serve in flour tortillas with grated cheese and sour cream.

I like to double all the ingredients,

to make my roast extra spicy.

I also use 5-6 pounds of roast,

because I cook for a large crowd

and like this for leftovers.

This meal can easily be started one evening

when you are cleaning up after dinner.

Then you have almost 24 hours free of worrying,

"what's for dinner?"

We also have started it on Saturday afternoon

to have ready when we come home from Sunday fellowship.

My thoughtful hubby threw this recipe together one evening

when we knew the next day was going to be really busy.

Are you wondering about his special ingredient?

I discovered this in the roast while serving,

but you really don't have to include it.

I'm pretty sure your roast will turn out just fine without it.

But that's not the secret ingredient.

Proverbs 15:17

Better is a dinner of herbs

where love is,

Than a fatted calf with hatred.

But, beef with love?

Oh, yea.

It's what's for dinner.


**********
Linking up!