Strawberries

It's strawberry time.  One of our grocery stores had strawberries on sale for $1.68 a carton.  We bought alot.  One year we picked strawberries and froze them.  When they were thawed, they turned into a mushy mess.  Here's how to freeze them so they taste delicious when thawed:

Wash the strawberries and cut off the tops.  Half or quarter strawberries and put them in a bowl.  Pour 1/2 cup of sugar over each pint and stir.  Sprinkle 2 TBSP of water over strawberries, stir again.  Let the berries sit for about 10 minutes, they will make their own juice.  Stir again, then put the strawberries into freezer safe bags or containers.  When you put them in the freezer, make sure you lay them flat.  They will thaw easier.  

Gaining a Heart of Wisdom

So now you have to be thinking, "Whhhyyyy am I reading this blog when they have pictures of tombstones?"  Yeah, it's probably pretty weird.  What's even more weird, is the fact that we found this tombstone on one of our dates several years ago.  Now you're probably wondering why we go to cemeteries on our dates.  Well with nine children, we have to find cheap dates and cemeteries are alot cheaper to visit when your alive rather than, you know...........later....... when you're not.

Anyway, we heard a pastor say one time you should visit a cemetery, it really puts things into perspective and it truly does.  You begin to realize that your days are truly numbered.  You see stones for newborn babies, young children, brothers, sisters, young mothers and fathers, grandmothers and grandfathers, aunts and uncles.  There are dear friends,  poor people, wealthy people, slaves, flags on the graves of soldiers who were known and those who were unknown.  You see that death is no respecter of age.

This tombstone caught our attention particularly because it was for six children.  I don't know anything more about the family than what the inscription says:

Our Children

Julia

Mary

Bennie

Willie

Maggie

Junie  

 

and around this big stone were six little stones with their little initials on them.  When you see something like this you kind of just stand there, in awe, wondering what in the world happened and how the parents continued to live life after that. 

 

Suffer the little children to come unto me....

 

A young mother in our community lost her two children in a fire this week, pray for her.  If you're reading this blog and you haven't hugged your kids or told your husband, wife or teenager that you love and appreciate them today, stop reading this and go do it, before it's too late. 

 

For all our days have passed away in Your wrath; 

We finish our years like a sigh. 

The days of our lives are seventy years; 

And if by reason of strength they are eighty years, 

Yet their boast is only labor and sorrow;
For it is soon cut off and we fly away. Who knows the power of Your anger? 

For as the fear of You, so is your wrath. 

So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom.  Psalm 90:10-12 

 







Up, Up and Away

I love balloons!  Gimme balloons for every occasion.  If there's a holiday, you can bet our house will be full of balloons.  Well, someone just turned FORTY at our house so there were LOTS of balloons.  After a week or two or sometimes three, the balloons have to go to make room for the next holiday.  Here's what we do to get rid of old balloons:

  

We tie Gospel tracts on them and let them go.  I know, I know, some of you might have an issue with being Eco-friendly and this won't make you very happy but this is how we look at it.  Our kids could get their kicks from:  

A) smokin' crack

B)  Tying Gospel tracts on balloons and letting them go as we watch and wonder where they will land and who will get them. 

Hmmmmmm.......let me see.  Am I smarter than a fifth grader?  I'm glad they choose B.   Our little ball of energy thinks we're sending them to Jesus.  Try it, it's fun!

Here's a great website to get COOL gospel tracts:

www.livingwaters.com

Up, Up and Away!

And how shall they preach unless they are sent?  As it is written: 

"How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace,

 Who bring glad tidings of good things!"  Romans 10:15

Wishes and Mushies

Mid morning I went for a walk with my three year old little ball of energy.  He insisted that he could walk a mile with mommy.  Our walk became a "nature" walk.  We threw some rocks in the pond, found some eggs, some sneezy flowers some pretty wedbowds and bluebowds (that's redbirds and bluebirds in toddler).  We stopped to pick some wishes (dandelions) and see a smooshed copperhead. We found some mushrooms (yes, we had a lesson on their toxicity) and some baby pine corns. I'm not sure which, but one of them earned the title mushies.        Awwww.....how sweet is that?

Well if you've ever been in Texas you know that it is Hot, that's why I put a capital there, because is it Hot with a capital H by about, hmmmm.... when the sun comes up?  Not really, but you can imagine what it felt like by 11:00 a.m with the sun shining right down on us as we strolled along that old blacktop road.  As we started our walk back home, a half a mile away, we'll just say little ball of energy began to drag a bit and wanted mommy to carry him.  Mommy does not do well in heat because she doesn't like to sweat.  Besides, southern belles aren't supposed to sweat, they glow.  Hmmmm.......what to do, what to do????  We all know that when we're in need of anything, we just call daddy and he'll come a runnin'. So  looking up at me with his big, brown eyes, ball of energy says, "Mommy, ish you caw daddy, he, he, he will heeew (hear) us and he will come and hep us."   Another awwwwww.......moment.   "Yes," I thought, "but daddy's a half  a mile away. We're in for a long, hot walk home."   Just to make him feel better, in a normal voice, I called for daddy to come and help us.  "Daddy, we're hot.  Can you come and get us?"  We waited, no daddy.  We kept on walking and moved to the side of the road because a car was coming around the corner.  As the car came closer, I could see it was a truck, an old white truck.  No surely not.  Could it be?  We have an old white.........Yes! Yes! Yes! Help had arrived.  Coming around the corner was our old white truck.  Daddy had sent help after all.  Big brother was coming to our rescue.  You should have seen the look on little ball of energy's face when he saw that truck coming around the corner.  Well, actually, I was the one who was surprised, he really wasn't that surprised.  He knew if we just called on Daddy, he could come to help us, no matter how far we were.  Have you called on your Heavenly Father today? He is the best help in your time of need.

Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know. Jeremiah 33:3

Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.  Mark 10:15

Worship the Lord!

Praise God today for what He has done in your life.  Why?  For His Glory because He made you and He takes care of you.  Here are some videos that remind me of God's care and grace in my life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Howdy from Texas!

Hey ya'll.....

Yes,  you read the blog description right.  We have been married 21 years, have nine children from the ages of 6 months to 17 years.  Dad is a pastor, his office is at home. Mom stays at home and we homeschool.   We live on less than $43,000 a year and all of this happens in the great big ole state of TEXAS!  Interested yet?  Well come on back and join our blog and you will definitely see how we are on the narrow way by God's grace alone!