November 8, 2008

who would have thought?!

Last night Hubby had his first of two substitute 'review' class at IEC.

Afterward he stopped by the local Barnes and Noble to pick me up a gift. That in itself is exciting as it is rare for him to buy gifts but the true excitement was what he bought himself. A BIBLE! Yep, my man who was totally against God 5-6 months ago bought a NKJV Bible in large print because he liked mine so well and wanted one of his own!

He was even remarking on how much he has changed. Before this fall he would have never have guessed that *HE* would be buying a Bible for himself. He plans on keeping it in his work truck during the week for reading if he gets a quiet moment and taking it to church on Sundays of course. LOL To add to this change he enjoys listening to Tom Dooly's "The Journey" on the local Christian radio station and is getting quite a few favorite Christian singers he likes.

God has changed his heart so much and our family is truly being blessed!

oh and the gift he got me?
a very nice Bible case with pouches and slots for all my papers! He saw the mess of notes and stuff fall repeatedly from my Bible last week in church and thought I could use some organizational help. gotta love him!

November 6, 2008

hearty mac casserole

this is one of my childhood fav's.
thick and cheesy on a fall evening

2 lbs ground beef - cooked and drained
1 bag of mac noodles or shells -cooked and drained
1 block of velvetta cheese cut into chunks - the big block
1 family can of cream of mushroom soup
1 lb of corn (frozen or canned)
salt and pepper to taste
milk to make creamy (to taste)

dump cooked noodles and beef in casserole pan
stir in corn and soup
add enough milk to make it creamy
top with the velvetta cubes
cover with tin foil and bake at 350 until corn is hot and cheese is melted

November 5, 2008

Fear not!

No fears here.

.Psalm 37
1 Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong;

2 for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away.

3 Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.

4 Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.

5 Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this:

6 He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.

7 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.

8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil.

9 For evil men will be cut off, but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.

10 A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found.

11 But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace.

12 The wicked plot against the righteous and gnash their teeth at them;

13 but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he knows their day is coming.

14 The wicked draw the sword and bend the bow to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose ways are upright.

15 But their swords will pierce their own hearts, and their bows will be broken.

16 Better the little that the righteous have than the wealth of many wicked;

17 for the power of the wicked will be broken, but the LORD upholds the righteous.

18 The days of the blameless are known to the LORD, and their inheritance will endure forever.

19 In times of disaster they will not wither; in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.

20 But the wicked will perish: The LORD's enemies will be like the beauty of the fields, they will vanish—vanish like smoke.

21 The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously;

22 those the LORD blesses will inherit the land, but those he curses will be cut off.

23 If the LORD delights in a man's way, he makes his steps firm;

24 though he stumble, he will not fall, for the LORD upholds him with his hand.

25 I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.

26 They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be blessed.

27 Turn from evil and do good; then you will dwell in the land forever.

28 For the LORD loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones. They will be protected forever, but the offspring of the wicked will be cut off;

29 the righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever.

30 The mouth of the righteous man utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks what is just.

31 The law of his God is in his heart; his feet do not slip.

32 The wicked lie in wait for the righteous, seeking their very lives;

33 but the LORD will not leave them in their power or let them be condemned when brought to trial.

34 Wait for the LORD and keep his way. He will exalt you to inherit the land; when the wicked are cut off, you will see it.

35 I have seen a wicked and ruthless man flourishing like a green tree in its native soil,

36 but he soon passed away and was no more; though I looked for him, he could not be found.

37 Consider the blameless, observe the upright; there is a future for the man of peace.

38 But all sinners will be destroyed; the future of the wicked will be cut off.

39 The salvation of the righteous comes from the LORD; he is their stronghold in time of trouble.

40 The LORD helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him.

November 4, 2008

Granny Miller's apple pie

APPLE PIE
7 - 10 firm apples - peeled, cored and sliced.Cortland and Spy apples are my favorite for pies.
1 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon corn starch
1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Pastry for a 9" or 10" pie plate or tin
*************************Step 1Make the pastry for a double crust pie. Please check here if you need a crust recipe or don't know how to make one.Wrap the pie pastry in wax paper or plastic wrap and set it in the refrigerator while you work on the apple filling.I like to use butter for my pie crust.But the pie pastry I made the day before yesterday was made with lard.It was wonderful, thin and flaky.But take care, sometimes lard in a pie crust will give some folks heartburn.

Step 2Prepare the apples.Peel, core and thinly slice the apples.I use an apple peeler to do the peeling. It works pretty good most of the time, but I can never get it to core the apples the way that it's supposed to.I usually don't have time to fiddle with kitchen contraptions, but one of these days I'm going to make the time, and see if I can get the apple peeler to work better.The apple peeler leaves grooves in the apples.I used to think that the grooves were unsightly, but I have gotten used to them.Now I think they actually look good once the apples have been cooked in the pie.Kind of like potato chips with ridges. But I have digressed with talk of kitchen gadgets......Let's get back to the recipe.Once all the apples are sliced, place them into a large bowl and sprinkle them with lemon juice so they don't turn brown.But honestly, I don't know why I still do this.I never manage to get all the apples peeled and sprinkled with lemon juice in time before they start turn brown.In fact most of the time the apples are turning brown before I get them off the apple peeler.Not to mention that once they are covered with the sugar,cinnamon and flour mixture and cooked, you can't tell that they ever turned brown.I'm digressing again..........The point of Step 2 is to peel, core and slice the apples.Sprinkle them with lemon juice if you want to and then set them aside.

Step 3Mix the apple coating.In a separate bowl combine the sugar, flour, corn starch, salt, cinnamon and apple cider vinegar.Mix it well with a fork until all the dry ingredients are well incorporated. The mixture will be brown and crumbly.Now, turn the apples into the bowl a few at a time, and mix with a wooden spoon to coat them.

Step 4 Roll out the pastry for the bottom crust.I always use wax paper when rolling out my pie crusts. It's important not to over work the dough and only use enough flour to keep the dough from sticking to the paper or the pastry board.Once you've put the bottom crust into the pie pan - put the apples in.Ignore the pie bird in the picture below - he just happen to be in the picture. Next step - roll out the top crust.Make the top crust a bit wider than the bottom crust.Because the apples will be heaped up in the pie pan, it will take a large top to cover them.Put the top crust on the pie and turn the edges under to seal the pie.You can crimp or flute the edges with you fingers, a spoon or the handle of a butter knife also works very well.I usually cut a few air holes in my pie tops but you really don't have to with this pie if you don't want to.To prevent the edges of the crust from over browning or burning, place thin strips of foil around the crust and remove the foil during the last 10 -15 minutes of baking.

Step 5Bake the pie for 40 - 50 minutes in a hot oven until nicely brown. 400F is just about right.Sometimes a really big apple pie will require more time in the oven.Once the pie is done, remove it from the oven and place it on a rack to cool.Some cooks will brush the top of the pie with egg white or milk to make the crust soft or shiny.But I don't usually bother.

November 3, 2008

Softly and tenderly Jesus called

He calls all sinners and those who are weary "come Home." His call was heard and accepted in my house :)

The angels are rejoicing in Heaven today! My hubby, my 10 yr old daughter and my 7.6 yr old daughter made the decision to follow Christ and be baptised. PRAISE THE LORD! Saturday we attended our church's Mission Conference with Ron Cline (HCJB Global Radio) and hubby decided to get off the curb and join the parade so to speak. Mr Cline expressed how when Jesus called His disciples they dropped everything and followed Him. Hubby realized that he was still "holding his nets" and not truly following Christ. Sunday at church our pastor walks by hubby and turns and out of the blue asks "Want baptised?" and hubby about shouted "YES!" They are meeting tomorrow. :)

Hubby was baptised when our oldest was a babe and came under such spiritual attack that he gave up on Christ being the ONLY way and listened to the devil's lies for almost 10 yrs. Some may say he can't or shouldn't be baptised again since he was 'dunked' once already. Some may call this a re-dedication to Christ. But for my hubby he feels this is the first true time he has accepted salvation.

My oldest daughter was baptised at age 5 due to pressure from extended family and has never really understood what it means to be "bought by the Blood". Thanks to our new church she understands fully now and is ready to accept her Saviour.


This Sunday I will sit with dear friends and watch as my family steps into the baptismal and publicly accepts Christ. My heart is full to bursting! Surely my cup runs over!
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Words of Faith

"O Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done marvelous things, things planned long ago." Isaiah 25:1

"Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" -Matthew 6:27

"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10

"Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy." Psalm 126:5